Love’s in Bloom: 12 New Romance Novels to Brighten Your Spring

From the New York Times bestselling author behind the “joyful, warm, touching” (Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author) The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.

Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.

Named a Best Romance of April by Goodreads, Popsugar, Bustle, and more!

“A laugh out loud Regency romp—if you loved the Bridgertons, you’ll adore To Have and to Hoax!” —Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author

In this fresh and hilarious historical rom-com, an estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention—and maybe just win each other back in the process.

Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.

Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?

With charm, wit, and heart in spades, To Have and to Hoax is a fresh and eminently entertaining romantic comedy—perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Julia Quinn.

The author of The Key to Happily Ever After—“a true gem filled with heart, laughs, and a cast of delightful characters” (Nina Bocci, USA TODAY bestselling author)—returns with a heartwarming and charming novel about a woman who travels to the Philippines to reconnect with her long-lost family…and manages to find herself along the way.

Diana Gallagher-Cary is at a tipping point. As a Washington, DC, OB/GYN at a prestigious hospital, she uses her career to distract herself from her grief over her granny’s death and her breakup from her long-term boyfriend after her free-spirited mother moves in with her. But when she makes a medical decision that disparages the hospital, she is forced to go on a short sabbatical.

Never one to wallow, Diana decides to use the break to put order in her life, when her mother, Margo, stumbles upon a box of letters from her grandfather, Antonio Cruz, to her grandmother from the 1940s. The two women always believed that Antonio died in World War II, but the letters reveal otherwise. When they learn that he lived through the war, and that they have surviving relatives in the Philippines, Diana becomes determined to connect with the family that she never knew existed, though Margo refuses to face her history. But Diana pushes on, and heads on a once-in-a-lifetime trip that challenges her identity, family history, and her idea of romantic love that could change her life forever.

Infused with Tif Marcelo’s signature “sexy, adorable, and heartfelt” (Kate Meader, USA TODAY bestselling author) voice, Once Upon a Sunset is a moving and lyrical celebration of love, family, and second chances.

A sinner’s only hope is true love in this passionate new novel in J.R. Ward’s #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he not only crosses the path of the vampire race’s new enemy, but also that of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.

Fate anointed Butch O’Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male—or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?

With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against true evil. In the end, will love true prevail...or was the prophecy wrong all along?

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of the “heartwarming and refreshingly sweet” (Lauren Layne, New York Times bestselling author) On the Corner of Love and Hate comes a story about a baker who takes her chances on a new town...and an old love.

After selling her famous bakery back in New York, Parker Adams visits Hope Lake, Pennsylvania, to figure out her next steps. And soon she’s wondering why she ever loved city life in the first place. Between the Golden Girls—the senior women who hold court—and Nick Arthur, her equally infuriating and charming former flame, Parker finds a community eager to help her get her mojo back.

But even though Hope Lake gives her the fresh start she’s been looking for, Parker discovers that it’s not so easy to start over again with Nick. Their chemistry is undeniable, but since Nick is a freshly taken man, Parker is determined to keep things platonic. With a recipe for disaster looming, Parker must cook up a new scheme, figuring out how to keep everything she’s come to love before she loses it all.

Perfect for fans of Amy E. Reichert and Jenny Colgan, The Ingredients of You and Me is a scrumptious romantic comedy that lets you have your cake and eat it too.

This “winsome story with charm to burn about second acts and second chances” (Jennifer Weiner, New York Times bestselling author) from the New York Times bestselling author of Good Grief asks us how soon is too soon to fall in love again?

Rudy never expected to be a widower at fifty-four-years-old. Now, ten months after the untimely death of his beloved wife, he’s still struggling with how to move on from the overwhelming tragedy—but at least his new job is helping.

After being downsized from his finance position, Rudy turned to his first love: the piano. As the piano player at Nordstrom, Rudy finds immense joy in bringing a little music into the world. And it doesn’t hurt that Sasha, the men’s watch clerk who is finally divorcing her no-good husband, finds time to join him at the bench every now and then.

Just when Rudy and Sasha’s relationship begins to deepen, the police reveal a shocking update about Rudy’s wife’s untimely death and now they want a second look at him, too. With Sasha’s husband suddenly reappearing, and Rudy’s daughter confronting her own marital problems, life becomes more complicated than Rudy and Sasha could have ever imagined.

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Fredrik Backman, Me for You is “an immensely readable, emotionally honest examination of the aftermath of grief and loss. Lolly Winston masterfully weaves humor with pathos in this story of second chances, all-too-human foibles, unlikely love, and an uplifting message of hope” (Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author).

Celebrities, cooking shows, chefs with something to prove, first loves: What’s not to love about Recipe for Persuasion (out May 26) by Sonali Dev? When Chef Ashna Raje enters a cooking show competition and is paired with a star soccer player (and former love), Rico Silva, she suddenly doesn’t like her chances of winning. Rico has his own recipe to follow—one that will lead to his winning back of Ashna. Dev writes another fun, modern twist on an Austen classic in this follow-up to Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors.

For those missing Game of Thrones, The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy (out May 26) offers a lot to love. This second book in the Forgotten Empires series follows Queen Euthalia, the monarch of an island nation, and Conrí, the disgraced former Crown Prince of Oriel, as they race against a prophecy that spells their doom—and an emperor who will do anything to stop them in their mission.

Fans of Scarlett Peckham’s Secrets of Charlotte Street books will be thrilled to learn of her new series, Society of Sirens. The intrepid Seraphina Arden seeks to raise funds by publishing a salacious memoir that names all the powerful men to warm her bed. Before her work is done, however, she has one last indecent proposal to make to Adam Anderson—one month, no strings, no future. The Rakess (out April 28) is the feminist rant we all need, one in which we’re introduced to a society of scandalous women who are using their reputation to impact change.

Starbreaker by Amanda Bouchet (out April 28) takes us to a galaxy far, far away and picks up another adventure with the Universe’s Most Wanted couple, Tess Bailey and Shade Ganavan. In the first book in the Nightchaser series, they were unlikely allies running from the Dark Watch; in this second story, revolution is in the air, and Tess and Shade are tasked with freeing a scientist who’s vital to the cause. A little galactic subterfuge makes the heart grow fonder, or so this soon-to-be power couple would have us believe!

Love in the digital age is hard—almost as hard as trying to find love while social distancing. Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai (out April 21) gives us all a little hope that modern love isn’t dead. Too bad Katrina King went viral with the wrong man—but the right man, bodyguard and longtime crush, Jas Singh, has just offered her a way out of town until things die down.

Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher (out April 14) takes a little bit of The Proposal and adds a splash of The Wedding Date, all while turning the “boss-assistant” trope on its head. When Bridget Nolan, a kick-butt state attorney, needs a date to her brother’s wedding, there’s just one man for the job, and it just so happens he used to work for her.