Nothing in real life is ever like what we read about in our beloved books, and love and romance are no exception. So, if you can’t go on a romantic date with someone special, you can at least go on a date with a trusty book! Here are eleven highly anticipated romance releases to put on your radar in 2024.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Release date: February 6th
Ali Hazelwood travels into the territory of paranormal romance for her thrilling new release. The daughter of a formidable Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark, lives regularly among humans. Yet, she must return to the paranormal side and her people to preserving a peacekeeping treaty between vampyres and weres, who historically are enemies but equally merciless in nature. The only way she sees this possible is to engage in a marriage of convenience with the weres’ unforgiving Alpha, Lowe Moreland.
Domineering Lowe doesn’t trust Misery, and rightly so; her decision to marry comes with intentions of personal gain. Lowe won’t dare to leave Misery alone for one second, but Misery doesn’t mind. She wants what she wants and will do whatever she needs to do in the Were territory to get it.
Night for Day by Roselle Lim
Release date: February 20th
Star crossed-lovers Ward Dunbar and Camille Buhay broke up to pursue their dreams, leading Camille to land in New York and Ward to travel to Los Angeles. They meet again when they apply to the same location in London, working shifts opposite each other. The spark they had years ago is still very much alive – so they promise to give their relationship another go.
The captivating but immortal clientele charms Ward during his day shift but gives Camille a run for her money during the night. Suddenly, both mortals find themselves trapped apart, both in the building, only being able to communicate moments before morning. They are caught in a war between the divine and supernatural, faced with impossible decisions while wondering if they should kindle the flame of their past love or snuff it out for good.
The Carrington Affairs by Susan Gooch
Release date: March 2nd
In March 2012, Bennett Carrington had the world on a string. A junior senator from Arkansas, the up-and-coming golden boy of American politics, was being vetted for the vice-presidential position on the Anderson campaign. By July, he had resigned in disgrace and was left with no marriage, no career, and a broken heart.
Eleven years later, Bennett finds himself in a unique position. He has the opportunity to reclaim his political career if he can convince the two women he loved most in the world, Taylor and Poppy, to each share their stories full of dirty little secrets that they thought had been buried years before. Set in the quaint little town of Searcy, Arkansas, the book, like the town itself, is full of secrets just waiting to be discovered.
Rules for Rule Breaking by Talia Tucker
Release date: March 19th
High schoolers Winter Park and Bobby Bae have known each other their whole lives, yet they hate each other. Winter looks out for herself and is a responsible teenager on track to go to the prestigious MIT. The only person who might truly see her is her ungovernable grandmother, who encourages Winter to exercise her freedom. But, Winter’s best friend is traveling down a different path, moving overseas and skipping out on the college experience, leaving Winter with unsettling loneliness.
High-achieving, worrisome Bobby repels all potential risks and dangers, but his recent breakup has him at a complete loss. The teens’ parents offer them a reprieve from the upheaval of their looming change to adulthood with a road trip to tour a college in the northeast. Winter and Bobby decide to take the road trip with abandon, daring each other to break all the rules. On the path to self-discovery, achieved by party crashing and a slew of young adult firsts, enemies Winter and Bobby soon discover they are perfectly compatible.
The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton
Release date: April 4th
Calling all fake-dating trope fans! Amerie Price is single, unemployed, and on the brink of losing her apartment, forced to invest everything she has in her start-up event planning business. She is prone to disaster, and to top it all off, she has an unwelcome encounter with her ex-boyfriend and his perfect girlfriend at her favorite cafe.
To impress, she pretends to date innocent bystander Vincent Rogers, a hot astronaut who agrees to fake-date Amerie for the next three months until he’s sent to space. As long as Amerie agrees to play the part of his girlfriend for Vincent’s overbearing family, she will get to stay in his house and focus on her business. But, as the ruse continues, Amerie finds herself falling in love with the astronaut. Is it too good to be true? Or is Vincent her true love? Amerie now has less than three months to decide.
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
Release date: April 16th
Hospitable Opal Devlin is fighting people off her doorstep after winning the lottery. It was supposed to change her life for the better; she was able to quit her thankless job, but her overly polite tendencies have her giving away what she earned to anyone who asks. In an effort to protect her heart, she invests all her money in a run-down flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina, hoping to let it run its course and turn the investment into her dream painting business.
Upon arrival, her plans are deterred by Pepper Boden, the stubborn flower farm owner who refuses to move out. Eventually, they settle on a treaty, agreeing to grow their own ways while living side-by-side. Although they fight any chance they get, they can’t deny the blossoming attraction for each other as the days go by. Will they let it flower into something more?
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Release date: April 23rd
Daphne just got broken up with by her fiancé, who, after moving them to his hometown, discovers he is truly in love with his best friend. Left to herself in Michigan, she might have her dream job as a humble children’s librarian, but she has to implore her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex, Miles, to be her roommate. Miles, who understands precisely what Daphne is going through, is actually the exact opposite of her in terms of personality. He’s chaotic and messy, a stark contrast to Daphne’s logical level-headedness.
To distract themselves from falling into a fit of broken-hearted despair, the two launch a plan to create misleading conclusions of their newfound friendship on social media. Despite this plan of deflection, the two find themselves actually falling in love in the face of heartbreak.
Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan
Release date: April 30th
Enemies-to-lovers sports romance ignites in Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan. Exceptional pitcher June needs to overcome – or ignore – her overuse injury to play in the game that will aid her in getting recruited to college-level baseball. Ambitious Ivy wants to officiate baseball on a professional level. Her first encounter with June includes her throwing June out of a game, but this grudge first grows into a reluctant friendship, evolving into something like love. Yet, their respective positions on the team prohibit them from a relationship. They must choose between their own dreams, their parents’ predetermined dreams for them, and their relationship.
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Release date: August 6th
Casey McQuiston’s enchanting fourth book follows Kit and Theo, whose nuanced history ends in a vicious breakup on a flight to Europe for a food and wine tour. Although they’ve never been able to replace what they once had, the breakup did come with its benefits. Now, Theo’s a self-assured bartender, intending to become a sommelier. In Paris, Kit bakes for an esteemed restaurant, carrying the undefeated legacy of being his pastry school’s sex god.
But, the expiration date for the missed food and win tour voucher is approaching, so Theo and Kit end up mistakenly rescheduled the trip at the same time. The next couple of weeks of a breathtaking European excursion are paired with a quote-unquote friendly competition between the two to see who could be the first to sleep with the hot Italian tour guide that evolves into a hookup rivalry. And because they definitely don’t have any unresolved feelings, gathering a roster of attractive Europeans is totally only a fun contest between two exes.
A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley
Release date: November 19th
August Hodges, baker and football player, lived comfortably within his unassuming position with Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. However, a video goes viral of him passionately demanding recognition of women bakers and the end of stereotyping the art of baking. He’s quickly thrust into internet stardom and has no choice but to capitalize on the newly appointed fame for the business. August’s partners hired August’s childhood best friend’s sister, Sloane Dell, as his social media manager, tasked with reinventing the bakery in a stronger, brighter light.
They both have had secret feelings for each other in the past but are determined to focus on the future, burying the lingering feelings of the past. But, all plans unravel as an unexpected, intense make-out session unleashes the truth: they are still very much in love. August and Sloane must decide if they want to risk what they have for love as sweet as the cupcakes they bake.
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
Release date: May 14th
Adventurist Emily Allen is offered the experience of a lifetime; her all-time favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, asks her to relocate to Ireland to help write one of her books. It’s an amazing opportunity no bookworm would refuse, but it’s soiled by Siobhan’s impersonal son, Kieran Murphy. He makes it evident that he dislikes Emily, but she’s undeterred.
This fascinating new life chapter is a dream come true, and she is fully immersed in it. But Emily finds out that her exciting new job and Siobhan’s series finale book are the origins of Kieran’s hostile personality, a guy she begins crushing on. Soon, Emily finds herself at odds. Can she follow her dreams and harness her growing fondness for Kieran at the same time? What will she unravel if she continues turning the pages of life?
A new year requires a new book, and there’s no better way to start fresh than with feel-good love story. Although readers can’t always rely on a happy ending, we can count on romance books to fulfill our dreamy hearts with love. Choose one of the titles above and take yourself on a journey to find the bookish love of your life!
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