7 New Books To Be Aware Of Before Romance Awareness Month Ends

August is Romance Awareness Month…not that we need to have a reason to celebrate romance. But for once, it’s nice to root for happy ever afters and love all together, and what better way to do so than with new books? Romance is a constantly evolving genre, welcoming new tropes and challenging old ones. As more books come out every month—nay, every day—it becomes more obvious how conscious the genre is of the real world and how its authors are able to negotiate happy endings with the gritty and often all-too-real worlds they build. Whether it’s a meet-cute, a heartbreaking angsty story, or a new romance to feed our obsessions with the royal families of the world, they all have on thing in common: love ultimately triumphs regardless of the circumstances. And that helps reignite hope for us all.

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score BY Cat Sebastian

The victim of salacious gossip, Hartley Sedgwick keeps to himself and rarely steps out of his home. But when he meets Sam Fox, who is trying to steal a painting himself to protect a friend, he might just be the one to cure Hartley’s lonely heart.

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

Boss-to-employee meets royal trope in Alyssa Cole’s latest romance. Portia Hobbs takes an apprenticeship with a swordmaker to prove to herself and her family that she’s found her calling. But she doesn’t expect her boss to be so handsome…and secret royalty.

Richer Than Sin by Meghan March

A forbidden love affair of Romeo and Juliet proportion finds Lincoln Riscoff and Whitney Gable at a crossroad between their familial obligations and their own happiness. And when they reunite 10 years later, they realize how high the stakes are and the lengths their families will go to rip them apart.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

Calla Fletcher goes home to Alaska to reconnect with her estranged and dying father, away from the city life she’s known and into the unknown wilderness. And when she meets the handsome pilot who has been taking care of her father’s charter plane, they find themselves drawn to each other but unable to grapple with leaving the only life they’ve known for each other.

Stripped by Zoey Castile

When Robyn Flores picks up the wrong laundry, the last thing she expects is to meet the gorgeous Zac Fallon…and again at her friend’s bachelorette party. They may be from two different worlds, and he has a long way ahead of him in impressing her family, but for Robyn, Zac is not ready to give up.    

Lost Boy by M. Robinson

Noah Jameson and Skylar Bell cope with their pain in different ways, but when they meet each other, they form a kinship. When Skylar suddenly leaves, a heartbroken Noah must determine whether their strong bond is worth fighting for.

The Governess Game: Girl Meets Duke by Tessa Dare

Alexandra Mountbatten is given the difficult task of turning two orphans into young ladies, but when she realizes she has to first change their dashing albeit womanizing guardian, she finds herself in way over her head. Because in trying to reform the duke, she finds her own feelings changing towards him.