Fall in Love with These 20 New Romance Books of September 2024

Can mistletoe lead to unwanted and non-consensual encounters? Absolutely. Can it also be extremely romantic? YES. Just look at that cover! Quinn is trying to save his small-town queer bookshop. Noah is a romance author in town for a book festival, and he gets stranded despite his desire to get outta Dodge. Naturally, the two keep bumping into each other, eventually falling for each other. Does this book feature a Christmas deadline for romance reasons? You know it does, and that’s what makes it great.

Once again, if a character has to do something wild to fulfill the stipulations of a will, I will be reading the book. To inherit her auntie’s San Francisco house (you know how much Bay Area real estate is worth?), Evie must go on a matchmaking tour of Việt Nam. There, she meets Adam, who only agreed to the tour because his sister runs it. This book follows two stubborn people falling in love, which is just the best.

Kit is in Joshua Tree, California, to read tarot cards at a wedding. Who does she encounter there but Julia, the wedding planner and Kit’s high school crush! Delicious. Wedding events keep pushing the two together, and Kit begins to believe what the cards have already told her: that she and Julia are destined to be lovers. If you like chemistry and angst in your sapphic romances, pick this one up.

Yes, this is the twelfth book in the series. You’re welcome! If you have not yet read one of Lynsay Sands’s Highlander romances, you are in for a treat. You can start with this one; it’s fine! These books are, I believe, the perfect amount of fun and funny without tipping all the way over into silly. We have beleaguered Annella, who has been acting as the laird since her husband William abandoned her. But that dude’s dead, so his brother Graeme returns home with his bones. Annella is not happy to see Graeme either, but the clash between these two sparks into passion.

If you’ve caught WNBA fever, here’s the sapphic basketball romance you need. Khadijah Upton got an amazing job as a trainer for the Atlanta Cannons basketball team. She meets a beautiful stranger during a night of celebration, and they have a one-night stand. Khadijah shows up to her new job and discovers the beautiful stranger is basketball star Shae Harris. You might wonder why Khadijah didn’t recognize her — Khadijah doesn’t actually care about sports! Now, the two have to work out their feelings without making the team suffer. (Full disclosure: My debut romance is also a Harlequin Afterglow title.)

Yes to more sapphic historicals!!! Loretta is on the marriage mart, and her father introduces her to some duke. But who catches Loretta’s eyes? The duke’s sister Charlotte! Charlotte is already tapped into her sexuality, but Loretta experiences an awakening with Charlotte. This book challenges the idea that queer communities have not existed throughout history and that queer people couldn’t forge their own happy endings. You will love meeting the cast of characters in this delightful book.

Rex thinks his college sweetheart Aaron is the one who got away. Now they’re living in the same town again, and Aaron’s karaoke bar is in danger of closing. Enter Rex. Rather, enter Regina Moon Dee, Rex’s drag persona. She takes the bar by storm, but no one knows she’s actually Rex. Rex promised himself he’d never do drag again, but he’s making an exception for Aaron. I don’t usually go in for a lot of deception in my romances, but this one is so heartfelt and fun. Also, the karaoke bar is called the Pink Unicorn! Sing it with me: I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Unicorn…

Naomi and Dev hatch a scheme. Naomi wants to save her family’s failing bazaar, but she’s not very tapped into her Bengali roots. Meanwhile, Dev does not want to deal with the matchmaker his mother hired for him. Naomi agrees to fake date Dev to thwart his mother’s machinations, and in return, he helps Naomi learn about her culture. The dates may be fake, but the feelings become realer as they go on. You will absolutely be charmed by this book, and you will also want an invite to Dev’s family dinners.

Here’s the cozy romantasy for the month. I love a “get the band back together” story, which this is. Beatrice, Elowen, Clare, and Galwell the Great defeated the darkness back in the day, and it cost them a lot. They haven’t spoken in a decade. A summons to the queen’s wedding forces their reunion. Clare never got over Beatrice. Elowen is still holding a candle for her former flame. And, of course, dark forces seem to be gathering again. This book is pitched as The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation.

This is the third book in the Island Bites series, following Sweethand and Don’t Go Baking My Heart. Things between Remi and Maxine ended badly back in high school, but they have another chance as adults. They have explosive chemistry, but they need to prove to themselves that their relationship has more to it than sex. So they agree to ten friend dates. Those dates give them the time to work through all their fears, and it’s lovely to witness.

Emily is working at her grandmother’s inn in Vermont, dreaming of being a full-time artist. Diana, who’s trying to take over her father’s hotel chain, meets Emily on a mountainside, and the two share one hot night. But Diana is in Vermont trying to buy Emily’s grandmother’s inn, and Emily is not having it. So, these two have to work through this conflict, and the result is both heartwarming and angsty. If you really want fall vibes, this is your book.

Sophie Jordan is known both for her adult historical romances and her YA series Firelight. Here is her entry in the adult romantasy genre, which promises to be special. Tamsyn is in the royal court but is treated as a lowly servant. When brutal warrior Fell descends on the realm, he is tricked into marrying Tamsyn, and she goes along with the ruse. While they are enemies on the surface, they are both harboring secrets that will change everything. Not to spoil anything, but this one is a dragon shifter romance…

To escape her life as a burnt-out pop star, Lottie disguises herself and runs away to Snowberry, Montana. She rents a cabin from a guy named Hunter, who turns out to be a wolf shifter, and she’s his mate. He is ready to protect her from everyone who’s trying to find her, but he also needs to protect his home, which is a haven for non-humans. You’ll understand once you spend some time in Snowberry.

Selah is after a fresh start, so she moves to New York, where her beloved romance book club is. She has a hard time putting herself out there, so she makes a “F*ck it” list of aspirations and experiences. Then there’s divorcé Greyson, who’s determined to keep things casual in his romantic dealings. Selah and Greyson meet in their building’s elevator, and they turn each other’s worlds upside-down. You will absolutely fall in love with these characters while they’re falling for each other.

Faith, a divorced single mom, is back in her hometown for the holidays after many years away. What kept her away so long? Her mother killed her high-school boyfriend Rome’s brother in a drunk driving incident. I can’t blame Faith for staying away; that is simply a lot of pain to bear! Because this is a romance novel, she is going to bump into Rome, and they are going to find their way back to each other. You will absolutely root for these characters as you ride the emotional rollercoaster along with them.

I am HELPLESS against historical romances with writers and printers at the heart of the story. American journalist Ethan is in London trying to save his family’s floundering printing business. Belinda is getting no traction trying to publish her gruesome mystery novel. Ethan sees the potential and convinces Belinda to publish it with him as a “penny dreadful.” Working together puts them in proximity, and you know how it goes from there. Get ready to swoon!