New Romances to Start the Year with Love

New year, new books! There's no better way to kick off a year than with some swoony, spicy, charming romance reads. Check out these delightful new romance novels released between December 2024 and February 2025. We've got hilarious contemporary romantic comedies, atmospheric historical love stories, and romances with touches of magic. We've even got an out-of-this-world sci-fi romance. Whether or not you're a regular romance reader, we've got something for everyone.

For each book, I've provided a chili pepper rating between one and five to indicate the "spice" level of the story. You can use this to find the perfect book based on whether you're more into the sugar (one chili pepper) or spice (five chili peppers) end of the romance spectrum.

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Cecily Foster has spent years producing podcasts while dreaming of hosting her own. But when the opportunity to host a show comes, it involves a terrifying amount of vulnerability. Cecily's boss wants her to make a podcast about her dating life in partnership with social media relationship coach Eliza Cassidy, who plans to send Cecily on twenty blind dates, discussing and unpacking every experience along the way. After agreeing, Cecily finds herself strangely drawn to a photographer named Will, whom she meets by chance while he's chasing his unleashed Great Dane down the street. Eliza thinks Will represents everything wrong with Cecily's taste in men and forbids her from pursuing him. As Cecily tries to follow Eliza's advice while running into Will at every unlikely turn, she reconsiders what it means to follow your heart. This new romance from Linda Holmes, the host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, is a delight from start to finish.

I Think They Love You by Julian Winters

When the CEO of 24 Carter Gold announces his retirement, his son Denzel Carter is certain he's ready to take on the responsibility. His family, however, has some concerns. Namely, Denzel's commitmentphobia and inability to stick with something, or someone. Denz creates a sticky situation by lying about having a serious partner. He asks his roommate to act as his boyfriend, and when his roommate fails to make it to a family function, Denz turns desperately to the nearest guy, who just so happens to be his ex, Braylon. Fake dating the guy who broke his heart seems like a terrible idea, but it turns out Braylon could get a promotion if the arrangement goes well, so they're both invested. As Denz's family embraces Braylon, Denz starts to see him in a new light. Julian Winters' steamy new novel with fake dating and second-chance romance tropes is sure to win readers' hearts.

Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen

Chryssy Hua Williams believes in the healing power of herbal teas, acupuncture, and other traditional Chinese medicine provided at her family's business. What she doesn't believe in is the generations-long curse supposedly keeping the women in her family from finding lasting love—until her ninth crushing breakup in a row makes her start to wonder if there's some truth to the curse. When Chryssy meets cellist Vin Chao, famously a heartbreaker, they both see an opportunity. With a fake dating scheme ending in a dramatic breakup, Vin can sell more tickets, and Chryssy can bring more customers into her family business. But as they grow fond of each other, they find the idea of splitting up harder than expected. Lauren Kung Jessen writes wonderfully layered, messy, relatable protagonists, and her latest novel is soothing enough to mend a broken heart.

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

Wildlife biologist Dorothy Valentine gets a big surprise when, in the middle of field research, she's abducted by aliens and ends up on a strange planet full of Earth artifacts and creatures, from T-Rexes to Tamagotchis. Dorothy has a lot to explore in this twisted kind of Jurassic Park. As she sets out to investigate with the talking lion who was abducted alongside her, she meets not one but two aliens who are convinced Dorothy is destined to be their mate. While Dorothy is no alien's obedient human bride and refuses to let anyone else tell her what to do, she is open-minded about having a little fun. Kimberly Lemming writes wonderfully silly fantasy romances, and her first foray into alien romance is a hilarious and sexy treat.

Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee

Zoe Brennan has no time for romance; she's too focused on running her family's vineyard in the small mountain town of Blue Ridge. She's determined to outshine her former best friend-turned-nemesis by winning the competition to host a notable wine festival, a task made even harder when Zoe's dad has to leave his job as a vintner to care for his sick mother in Italy. Short a winemaker at a crucial point, Zoe looks to blow off a little steam in a blindfolded threesome with a friend and a surprise guest. Afterward, when Zoe takes off the blindfold, she's shocked to realize the guest is Laine Woods, her first crush, her nemesis's older sister, and worst of all, the new vintner her dad hired to replace himself. Can Zoe and Laine put their sexy night behind them to raise the winery's profile and win the contest—or can their chemistry be an unexpected asset? It's an intoxicatingly quick-witted romance set in the world of wine by author Laura Piper Lee.

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera

Aurora Montalban Wright isn't afraid of breaking society's rules in 1899 Paris. She's a physician, and if that isn't taboo enough for a woman, she also runs an underground clinic for women in need. Aurora prefers to fend for herself, but the clinic faces unavoidable dangers, so she accepts protection from Apollo, the Duke of Annan. Their relationship quickly turns romantic, and Apollo thinks Aurora might be exactly who he wants at his side as a duchess. But Aurora knows her career could cause trouble among the French aristocracy, and she's not willing to give up her independence. Can their love overcome the societal expectations stacked against them? Adriana Herrera is the queen of atmospheric, swoon-worthy historical romance, and you won't regret starting your year with her latest book.

The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest

Over the course of a tumultuous year and a half, Iris Greene fell in love, got married, had a baby, and then became a widow after a tragic accident. Now her daughter is six and Iris is building a career for herself as a director of partnerships at Save Face Beauty, but she's still grappling with grief and loneliness. When R&B singer Angel Harrison signs a deal with Save Face Beauty, he's stunned to realize the woman he's had a crush on from a distance works there. As Iris and Angel try to stay professional despite their obvious chemistry, Angel finds inspiration for new music in Iris, and Iris finds she might be ready to open her heart again. This lyrical love story is the beautiful conclusion to Kristina Forest's Greene Sisters series. You don't need to have read the first two books to enjoy The Love Lyric, but definitely check out The Neighbor Favor and The Partner Plot next.

Single Player by Tara Tai

Cat Li loves writing big-hearted romantic plotlines for the video games she helps create, and she's delighted when she's tapped to write for the highly anticipated game Compass Hollow. But then she meets her boss, narrative director Andi Zhang, who's hard-headed, hates romance plots, and is inconveniently hot. Having been recently doxxed by racist and sexist online trolls, Andi wants to be respected for their talent and taken seriously in the boy's club of game development. But one of the major funders of Compass Hollow insists Andi include love stories to draw in female gamers, so they'll have to play nice with Cat. As Andi and Cat work together to weave romance into the game's narrative, something surprising grows between them. Tara Tai's hilarious and heartfelt queer romance is a gift for anyone who's ever fallen in love with a great video game.

Change of Heart by Falon Ballard

Campbell Andrews has no time for love while working herself to the bone to make partner at her law firm, and in fact, she finds love horribly corny. Her aversion to love grows stronger after a terrible blind date with a guy named Ben. But things get even worse when, the next morning, Campbell and Ben find themselves transported to the sparkly Hallmark-esque town of Cam's nightmares. In order to return to her real life, Cam has to complete three tasks leading her to true love. As Cam tries to fake it until she makes it back to the real world, she finds herself surprisingly changed by the town's perspective on romantic, platonic, and self-love. It's a transporting romance with touches of fantasy by beloved author Falon Ballard.

We hope this list of new romances helped you find the perfect read to warm your heart. What romances have won you over so far this year? Let us know in the comments!

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Susie Dumond is the author of Queerly Beloved, Looking for a Sign, and Bed and Breakup. She is a senior contributor at Book Riot and a bookseller in Washington, D.C. You can find Susie on Instagram at @susiedoom.

Read more by Susie Dumond