How is it possible that 2025 is ending already? We’re ending the year with love — that is, with the best romance books of December 2025! Unsurprisingly, it’s a quieter month for book releases, but we’ve still got new books from longtime favorites and debut authors alike. It’s the perfect way to wrap up your romance reading for the year.
Time to feel merry and bright! Here are all our picks for the best romance books of December 2025.
Yours for the Season by Uzma Jalaluddin
Release date: December 1
Read it if: You’re in search of some comic hijinks in the best romance books of December 2025. A chance meeting turns into a fake-dating arrangement that spirals out of control over the holidays.
Publisher’s synopsis: When Sameera Malik and Tom Cooke meet at a ho-hum holiday party, neither is looking for romance. Sameera’s working ridiculous hours at her law firm and healing from heartache while navigating a recently resolved family estrangement. Tom’s hustling to turn his social media stardom into a real career while fending off his family’s demands to give up his chef dreams and move back home. The two share a few laughs and a samosa-making lesson and go their separate ways.
But when one of Tom’s posts starts a viral rumor that they’re a couple, he suggests they keep up the ruse for a few months. It’s a good proposal, and a fauxmance will help Tom grow his popularity. In return, he can help Sameera land a wealthy client. The only problem? Their parents.
When Sameera’s very Muslim parents insist on meeting Tom’s very not Muslim family over Christmas in rural Alaska, the stage is set for misunderstandings, holiday hijinks, and an epic culture clash. As the Maliks and Cookes exchange holiday traditions and endless opinions on their children’s lives, Sameera and Tom realize they have a lot in common―including an attraction that’s starting to feel very real.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Dead Set on You by Lexi Alexander
Release date: December 2
Read it if: You think Just Like Heaven is vastly underrated in the pantheon of mid-aughts rom-coms. A workaholic lands in a coma and wakes up as a spirit in her rival’s apartment.
Publisher’s synopsis: As workaholic Evie Pope nears thirty, she’s determined to slow down and start enjoying the “life” part of work-life balance. With a major promotion—and the financial security that comes with it—on the horizon, she might finally have her chance. But when she wakes up as a spirit in her work rival’s apartment and learns her body is stuck in a coma, her plans are officially DOA.
Being a spirit is bad enough. Discovering that Rafael Vela—the man who used to be her friend and is now her biggest rival—is the only person who can help her? It’s a special kind of purgatory. In no position to negotiate, she strikes a desperate deal: He gets the promotion if he helps reunite Evie’s spirit with her body.
As they begin to spend more time together, Evie discovers there’s more to Rafael than his bedroom eyes and his hey-there dimpled smile. With only a week until Evie’s body is transferred to long-term care and out of Rafael’s reach, Evie must choose between trusting the man who betrayed her years ago and figuring things out the way she’s always done it: alone.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Love Audit by Lucy Eden
Release date: December 2
Read it if: You want the chaos of workplace foes turned fake newlyweds in the best romance books of December 2025. Professional rivals fake a relationship to gain the trust of locals while on a make-or-break assignment.
Publisher’s synopsis: There are three things that PR strategist Jasmine Morgan knows for sure: One, she’s damn good at her job. Two, she’ll do whatever it takes to save her team from looming layoffs. And three, Derek Carter will always be her archnemesis—even if the man is ridiculously fine. Unfortunately, she and Derek end up on competing projects in Miller’s Cove, a small town highly suspicious of corporate outsiders. To gain the trust of the locals, she’ll have to ditch her blazer and pose as a “honeymooning couple” with her mortal enemy.
Derek isn’t about to let Jasmine best him on the venture that will seal their fate during this company audit. But wherever he goes, she’s there—in his hotel suite, digging for the same research, and even stealing the loyalty of his dog (traitor). Worse, her tempting performance as his fiancée has him torn between killing her career or kissing her senseless. But as the two get deeper into their charade, they discover little Miller’s Cove has a lot of big secrets. Secrets that could save their careers. But at what cost?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Sparks Fly by Zakiya N. Jamal
Release date: December 2
Read it if: You’re here for stories of late bloomers finding their groove. After an unexpected (and steamy) first meeting, a woman discovers her almost-hookup created the program that’s endangering her job.
Publisher’s synopsis: When Stella Renee Johnson’s roommate invites her to a sex club party but bails at the last minute, Stella decides to use the opportunity to finally cash in her V-card. But just when things are heating up between Stella and a sexy stranger, they realize they don’t have protection. Stella, taking it as a sign this wasn’t meant to be, flees.
Frustrated in more ways than one, Stella is shocked to learn that the digital media website where she works is partnering with an AI company. She’s even more shocked when the alluring man from the previous night walks in. Max Williams is the CEO’s brother and the creator of the AI program now threatening her job.
Despite the conflict of interest, Stella and Max can’t resist their magnetic attraction toward each other. They agree to keep their personal lives separate from what’s happening at work. But the more similarities they discover at home—both Black, book smart, and bisexual—the more they butt heads at work. Stella and Max must decide whether to think with their heads and walk away from their budding relationship, or follow their hearts and take a chance on love, no matter the cost.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea
Release date: December 2
Read it if: You want some fun fake dating in the best romance books of December 2025. To avoid a political scandal, a romance author (and politician’s PA) fake-dates her boss’s bodyguard.
Publisher’s synopsis: Andi Zeigler lives a double life. By day, she’s the no-nonsense, steadfast personal assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife. By night, she slips out of her heels and writes romance novels under a top-secret pen name. But when her steamiest book, The Prime Minister & Me, unexpectedly becomes a bestseller, rumors of a real-life affair between her and the PM start swirling out of control.
Enter Nolan Crosby, the PM’s new close protection officer (aka bodyguard) – and Andi’s failed one-night stand from three years ago. Nolan’s in town very temporarily to care for his mother, who’s battling early-onset Alzheimer’s. But when the scandal erupts, Andi ropes him into a fake-dating plan.
As loyal employees, they’ll pretend to date for the summer, just long enough to put the scandal to bed and save their boss’s reputation. In an unexpected plot twist, Andi and Nolan discover that keeping their romance strictly fictional might be easier said than done.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Her Time Traveling Duke by Bryn Donovan
Release date: December 9
Read it if: Your motto for rom-coms is “the cheesier the better” (in a good way). A museum employee accidentally summons a duke from centuries ago.
Publisher’s synopsis: Rose Novak, a free-spirited museum employee who dabbles in magic, has had her share of disappointments. So when she tries a little spell for a romance with an “old-fashioned gentleman,” she doesn’t really expect it to work…especially literally. And yet, the duke from a painting she admired at the museum is now standing in her apartment, demanding to know who abducted him.
A man of science and truth, Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford, has searched tirelessly for a way to turn back time and be with his late wife again. Instead, just as he’s about to pose for his portrait, he’s ripped centuries forward by a feckless, scantily dressed—and utterly bewitching—woman who believes in nonsense like magical crystals and astrology.
Unable to immediately reverse her spell, Rose vows to help Henry return to his own century, even though disguises and high jinks are required to get their hands on an enchanted astrolabe and master the art of time travel. But it’s hard not to fall for the irritable yet honorable duke.
Little does she know that he’s starting to wonder: did a reckless love spell get it right, after all?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Release date: December 9
Read it if: You’re in search of a paranormal twist for the best romance books of December 2025. Two strangers connect at a support group for people being haunted.
Publisher’s synopsis: Morgan is being ghosted by her ex. No, really. It’s sad Zach died and became a ghost. But Morgan and Zach only ever went on the one date, and now she’s being haunted by him. Zach has no desire to spend eternity with Morgan, but he can’t recall his past and doesn’t know how to move on.
At a support group for humans and their haunters, Morgan and Zach run into Sawyer, whose fiancée-turned-ghost has started to fade. Unlike Morgan, Sawyer isn’t ready to part ways with his ghost. Although they face opposite issues, Morgan and Sawyer decide to work together to solve their problems.
As Morgan and Sawyer try to solve their paranormal conundrums together, they find something even more surprising—a tender, growing affection between them that threatens any unfinished business they’re seeking to close. The ghosts of their past might be there in spirit, but the connection between Morgan and Sawyer is as alive as anything they’ve ever felt.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie
Release date: December 9
Read it if: Your favorite rom-coms are the ones with totally bonkers premises. A fired teacher teams up with her ex-hookup for a couples-only sleep study.
Publisher’s synopsis: Chemistry teacher Ashleigh Hutchinson knows better than anyone that love and lust don’t mix. The feelings come from different hormones, they trigger different responses, and they demand different reactions. Which is why she doesn’t date. She hooks up. No catching-of-feels required.
When Ashleigh is fired from her job without notice, she signs up to participate in a month-long sleep study, which will pay her enough to cover rent while she job hunts. It seems easy enough. Until she walks into the clinic and finds herself staring right into the gorgeous eyes of Xander Miller, the only man to have ever tempted her to abandon her no relationships rule.
When Xander and Ashleigh realize the study is only looking for couples, they agree to pretend to be together—which means sleeping in the same bed every night for the next few weeks. How hard can it be to keep their cool under the covers?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams
Release date: December 30
Read it if: You want a foodie twist in the best romance books of December 2025. A faltering chef takes a job in her hometown, where her brother’s BFF has pined for her for years.
Publisher’s synopsis: Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is her shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend.
James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and running the family business. But when Madison’s happiness is on the line, he’s willing to take up his estranged brother’s offer to launch a restaurant. James has loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. But now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that.
Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy restaurant in record time. But keeping things strictly professional soon becomes impossible, and the town can’t help but meddle in their relationship. As opening night looms closer, Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back.
When an unexpected disaster collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
