Good news, romance readers. The new year is about to get spicy!
 
Or steamy. Could be steamy. Actually, insert your own wink-nudge euphemism and check out some of the romance novels coming in 2026. This month-by-month collection is based on publication dates and aimed at those readers who want to plan ahead with their reading queue. (Oh, and if you’re looking for romantasy specifically, we’ve got that covered, too.)
 
Some highlights: With The Night We Met, veteran romance author Abby Jimenez considers those critical pivot moments that send life going one way or another. Mia Sosa (The Worst Best Man) returns with The Starter Ex, the story of a dating manipulation plot gone wrong in all the best ways. And in the second installment of her Heartstrings series, author B.K. Borison follows two rival meteorologists as they brave the snowstorm of the century.
 
It looks like a good year for some genre crossover fun, too. In Time with You, a “speculative romance” from author Kristin Dwyer, deploys a time-travel premise to find new resonance in a classic story of first love. Meanwhile, T.J. Alexander leans into historical fiction with the queer Regency-era romance A Lady for All Seasons. And for a unique horror-romance hybrid, consider Shailee Thompson’s slasher-happy speed dating parable, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates.
 
Look, love is complicated. It can go all sorts of ways. Click on the book cover images for more information about each title. You can also use the Want to Read button to add any love story leads to your digital shelf.