The night before Bryony Asquith and Leo Marsden are to wed, Bryony sees Leo cheat on her (yes, you read that correctly). In shock, she marries him anyway but quickly asks that the marriage be annulled. Three years later, he finds her in India where she is working as a doctor and they end up on an epic road trip home through the dangers of colonized India. This is a novel of big feelings, huge mistakes, and epic journeys. If you want your romance to go big or go home, to put the enemy in enemies to lovers, this is the book for you. After all, the bigger the sin the better the grovel, and Leo does some groveling par excellence before they reach their happy ending. Thomas is an undisputed master of historical romance and if you love her style, check out her Charlotte Holmes novels, a wonderful series of gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes mysteries. 

Akira Mori and Jacob Campbell were, very briefly, stepsiblings and more than ten years later they still get under each other’s skin. When Akira’s mother dies and a valuable possession is missing, she is forced to reach out to Jacob, and their old spark—antagonistic, yes, but also erotic—once again comes to life. Rai shows what the best erotic romance can do as she explores the protagonists’ relationship with sex, shame, and what it means to embrace socially taboo desires. Akira and Jacob have family baggage for days and a lot of healing to do and Rai does an incredible job portraying their journey from fighting to communicating to a messy, fulfilling love. 

After a devastating public breakup, Jasmine Rodriguez deserves to catch a break. When she’s cast as a star in a bilingual romantic comedy, conveniently filming in her hometown of New York City, she’s elated. She and her last-minute costar Ashton Suárez, a telenovela star hoping to cross over into mainstream America, agree to help each other out, rehearsing in private and eventually kissing on and off screen. The characters navigate fame, family, and old wounds as they find their way to happiness, and Daria deftly manages the complex details of filming a television show without ever losing the couple in the spotlight. 

In this medieval romance, Jennifer Merrick is a Scottish beauty on her way to a convent when Royce “The Wolf” Westmoreland’s men take her hostage. Royce may not have wanted a captive, but now that he’d got one and it’s a full-time job keeping Jennifer from escaping and in one piece. There are big misunderstandings, bigger feelings, a forced marriage, cruel families—a lot of what you’d expect from an Old School romance, and also so much more. Romance novelist Sarah MacLean describes Royce as a proto-cinnamon roll and, while the outside of the cinnamon roll is crusty indeed, she has a point. Royce is exhausted from war and, despite his at-times-over-the-top alpha behavior, what he wants most is peace and, finally, the love of Jennifer. 

Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans player in major league baseball and all he wants is to play ball and help his team win a AAA championship. His season gets complicated when Luis Estrada, an old crush, becomes a new teammate. The two men trade grounders and secrets and little by little, fall in love, in this funny, beautiful, and deeply hopeful novel. Of course, there’s no knowing what books will stand the test of time and be loved in five years, much less ten or fifty. But The Prospects makes the case for its importance today and, I think, will be enjoyed by readers for many years to come. 

Lucien Vaudrey would have been very happy to never see England again, but when his father and brother die, he reluctantly returns and takes his position as the new earl. Unfortunately, his family has enemies and it seems they would like to see him dead as well. Enter magician Stephen Day, a man whose job is dealing with supernatural threats. It turns out, they have more in common than just hating Lucien’s family and together they banter, bicker, and fall in love all while trying to keep Lucian alive. Charles creates a delightful mix of Victorian England and magic, love and suspense, humor and creepiness, that makes the book unputdownable. Luckily, when you reach the end, you can start all over again with the wonderful next book in the series! 

Set on a research base in Antarctica, this taut thriller seeks to answer the question, is it possible to fall in love and lust while you are freezing to death? (Yes, it is!) Angel Smith is done with her tenure as the station’s cook but, on the day she is supposed to leave, the station is attacked, scientists are murdered, and she is left alone with the ice core that the attackers still need at any cost. She and Ford Cooper, the scientist who extracted the core, set off on a journey of hundreds of miles across the frozen wasteland, hauling the ice core and attempting to survive, one freezing step at a time. If you like your romance with a massive dollop of adventure, an incredible sense of place, and sexy tent time, Whiteout is for you. 

Christian, the Duke of Jervaulx, is a brilliant mathematician and a rake until the day that a stroke takes away his ability to communicate. Angry at the world and terrified that he has gone mad, Christian is committed to an asylum and it’s there that the fabulously named Archimedea Timms finds him. The Quaker daughter of a blind mathematician who worked with Christian, Maddy makes it her mission to help Christian recover and, eventually, get free from the asylum. Their romance is forbidden by class and hindered by Christian’s illness and Maddy’s own moral compass, but their connection is impossible to ignore. A classic of the genre, this one will require a box of tissues and a soothing cup of tea. 

It’s Regency London and novelist Sara Fielding first meets gaming-hell owner Derek Craven in a dark alley, under attack. What does she do? Shoot his assailant, of course, and then ask for the chance to learn everything there is to know about running a casino for her newest novel. Sara is determined, Derek is sure he’ll never be good enough for her, and together they are a match made in heaven. If you love a hero who will push you away but also steal your spectacles and keep them close to his heart, then join your fellow romance lovers on Derek Craven Day, February 2nd, when we celebrate that #DerekCravenWouldNever. Bonus points for reading Devil in Winter, perhaps Kleypas’s other most iconic work. #StVincentWould 

The youngest Brown sister has never been taken seriously, not by her family and not even by herself. Now, having accidentally run over the B&B owner she just finished interviewing with, Eve knows she has to stay and make things right. Hampered by a broken arm, autistic owner Jacob has no choice but to let her. As they work together, Eve gets to know Jacob as a prickly but deeply caring man and to better understand herself as a neurodivergent woman. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, with banter for days and the sort of slapstick humor that rarely works on the page. This is the last book in the Brown Sisters trilogy; each one is worth a read. 

Years after escaping slavery as a child, Hester Wyatt is a free woman living in Michigan and working on the Underground Railroad. One night, she finds herself the caretaker of Galen Vachon, one of the railroad’s most valued conductors who is critically injured. Hester must nurse him back to health and even as his arrogance (and handsomeness) get under her skin and danger draws closer. Jenkin’s novel is brilliant, her characters complex and nuanced, and the romance sings. If you love a sickbed scene or you want to know why Jenkins is an icon of the genre, this book is a great introduction to her essential work. 

When Nancy Astley sees actress and male impersonator Kitty Butler for the first time on stage, Nan is enthralled. A far cry from her life shucking oysters, Kitty and a life in the theater seem to promise freedom, and the two become friends and, eventually, a double act. In private, they fall in forbidden love. Waters truly puts her characters through the wringer in this book, so be ready for a lot of angst before the ultimate happy ending, but the journey is so rich with unique settings and fascinating secondary characters that it’s well worth the wait.