9 Romances We’re Pining After This Fall and Winter

Emily’s Pick #1: I’m a big fan of IT ENDS WITH US—along with the entirety of BookTok, it seems—so I can’t wait for this book from the perspectives of both Lily and Atlas, picking up right after the emotional epilogue of the first book. Lily has had some time to reorient her life after separating from Ryle, and they’ve figured out a workable coparenting routine—which is why Atlas and Lily are finally able to go on a date (AHH!!). But, of course, with the volatile Ryle still in the picture, there’s bound to be conflict. I just hope that Atlas and Lily get to have the beautiful love they both deserve. October can’t come soon enough!

Emily’s Pick #2: Speaking of Colleen Hoover, if you like her books, you’ll love Lia Louis. She has that special authorial magic that makes you really care for her characters, and she does that right from the get-go in her newest wintery read, THE KEY TO MY HEART. Two years ago, Natalie and her husband bought a charming cottage with plans to rebuild it together, but then he died in a tragic accident. Now, her grief is still unbearable—along with her guilt. She can’t let go of the still-unfinished cottage, and she can’t find the creative spark to work on her musical. The only thing that allows her to escape is anonymously playing a public piano at a train station. When sheet music (with strange connections to her life) mysteriously appears right before her usual playing days, she embarks on a quest to find the person who sent it, and along the way learns how to build, create, and love once more. Plus, the identity of the person leaving the sheet music is one you won’t see coming!

Molly’s Pick: I will read anything Jasmine Guillory writes. Her novels are smart, sexy, and satisfying; I’m always delighted by them. Her newest, DRUNK ON LOVE, is separate from her Wedding Date series (a series I’ve recommended more than any other over the last five years) and I’m so excited to meet a new cast of characters. In DRUNK ON LOVE, we meet Margot Noble, who’s stressed out by running her family’s winery in Napa. She’s excited to have a no-strings-attached one-night stand with the sexy stranger in town . . . only to learn the following morning that he’s her newest employee. Luke Williams has recently moved to Napa after burning out at his Silicon Valley tech job, and is feeling sheepish about his sudden career shift. As he and Margot try to keep their relationship professional, they can’t help but be drawn to each other. This book is practically begging you to pour a glass of wine and watch the sparks fly.

Sharon’s Pick: I read Alison Cochrun’s debut rom-com THE CHARM OFFENSIVE last year, and I cannot stop recommending this book to everyone. It would be an understatement to say that I’m thrilled to read her sophomore novel, KISS HER ONCE FOR ME. Set during the holiday season, this sapphic rom-com follows Ellie, who’s trying to keep it together after she loses her dream job and is betrayed by a Christmas Eve meet-cute. As Ellie barely keeps herself afloat by working at a coffee shop, the shop’s landlord, Andrew, hatches a drunken plan to alleviate their financial woes: a marriage of convenience. However, when Andrew’s sister turns out to be Ellie’s Christmas Eve hookup, a mysterious woman named Jack, Ellie must decide between the safety of her fake relationship and the risk of starting something real. I’m so excited to read this book next to a roaring fire while drinking eggnog!

Heather’s Pick #1: Fake dating is one of my favorite romance fiction tropes, so I thoroughly enjoyed Elena Armas’s THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION (published late last year). If there’s a trope I adore even more, though, it’s when characters with obvious chemistry find themselves forced to live together as roommates, like in Armas’s forthcoming sequel, THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT. Consider me psyched! This new novel centers on romance writer Rosie Graham, who happens to be best friends with Lina, the heroine of THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION. When Rosie accepts Lina’s generous offer to crash at her New York City apartment while her own is undergoing renovations from a collapsed ceiling, she has no idea that Lina’s cousin, Lucas, is also planning to stay there while visiting from Spain. And given how expensive housing is in NYC, can you blame them for deciding to stick out the next six weeks as temporary roommates? I can’t! Of course, those six weeks will give them ample opportunity to fall in love, and I can’t wait to see how their rom-com unfolds.

Heather’s Pick #2: If you’re anything like me, now is about the time you’re seeking the perfect book to read in between annual rewatches of Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic. No summoning spell will be needed this year, though, because THE KISS CURSE is poised to fill that role. Set in the same world as THE EX HEX, Erin Sterling’s new novel welcomes readers back to Graves Glen, a town founded by a family of witches. Centuries later, one of their descendants, Wells Penhallow, has returned to town and opened a new store called Penhallow’s. There’s just one problem: He’s in direct competition with Something Wicked, a witchcraft shop across the street whose owner, fellow witch Gwyn Jones, has no intention of losing business to him. But even as Wells and Gwyn’s professional rivalry heats up, they’re forced to reckon with pesky romantic feelings and a threat to Gwyn’s magic from another coven of witches.

Heather’s Pick #3: Spooky season is a marathon, not a sprint, so you have to pace yourself. For a cool drink of water in between reading spine-tingling thrillers and magical adventures, why not pick up a refreshing romantic comedy with a twist? Alisha Rai’s PARTNERS IN CRIME centers on Mira, who is pleased with her latest dating-app match, Naveen. After all, based on his profile, the handsome English professor is exactly the kind of guy she could have a normal, boring life with, which sounds like heaven to Mira, given her past. That past won’t let her go so easily, though—a fact that becomes clear when a straightforward trip to Las Vegas sees Mira and Naveen dodging kidnappers and art thieves, plus working with computer hackers to solve a mystery involving her recently departed aunt. Naveen didn’t sign up for this level of chaos or danger . . . or did he? Could Naveen be an even better match for Mira than she realized?

Emily’s Pick #3: I found myself with a big smile on my face after reading just the premise of this book, so I can’t even imagine how happy I’ll be when I read the whole thing. Broke, embarrassed, and obsessed with her social media reputation, Bettie Hughes decides to squat in Colorado rather than be honest with her family and her followers about her financial mistakes. But then she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit, who appears as Hall, a handsome, chipper man who loves all things holiday—basically Buddy the Elf, but hot. As Hall convinces Bettie to take him to her family’s Christmas celebrations (they pretend they’re engaged) and teaches her how to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas, she grows happier. But the happier she gets, the less she needs him—and the sooner he’ll be out of her life forever. I’m keeping this one in my back pocket for when the holiday bug starts biting.

Mackenzie's Pick: Nobody does paranormal romance like J.R. Ward! In THE VIPER, readers follow vampire Kane’s dangerous pursuit to escape a notorious prison camp with his love, the nurse who revived him after a vicious burning incident, and his life intact. How J.R. Ward manages to make prison a sexy backdrop for falling in love I’ll never know, but THE VIPER is the perfect steamy ready to cozy up with this fall. Readers don’t need prior BDB knowledge to enjoy this story, but given how good THE VIPER is, you’ll probably have no choice but to dip into J.R. Ward’s extensive and impressive backlist!