30 Unmissable Best New Romance Books 2026 to Leave You Breathless
“I’ve been yours since the second we met.”
Hello fellow book lovers! Welcome to Cozy Book Cafe. Thank you for visiting our website. Here you will discover the most anticipated best new romance books 2026. Dive into captivating new stories, discover new authors, and let your imagination soar. 🖤
Ready to fall in love with fresh stories? Check out the best new romance books 2026 for a delightful mix of steamy passions, laugh-out-loud rom-coms, and cozy slow-burns—there’s something for every mood. From sizzling encounters to heartwarming small-town charm, these releases serve up page-turning drama, warm humor, and happily-ever-afters you won’t want to miss.
Save us to your favorites as we update every month. We hope you enjoy!
Please note - Every link on our site is completely secure, enabling us to suggest books available on Amazon.com through the Amazon associate program.
⭐ BOOK CLUB TOP PICK ⭐
My Dreadful Darling by H.D. Carlton
Reverie Adams has only one goal in life: to keep her head above water with her father’s sinister legacy weighing on her shoulders. But she’s no stranger to drowning—it’s her very first memory, after all, and if her demons have it their way, it will also be her last.
Even with the blood of a serial killer running through her veins, Reverie attempts a normal life at Hollow Canyon University. But there’s a ghost from her past who refuses to set her free, haunting her every waking hour, and he will not rest until he has made her suffer.
Dreadful Sharpe has only one goal in life, but it’s not winning gold medals as an Olympic swimmer. The only thing Dread strives for is vengeance against the family who murdered his mother.
Determined to make Reverie pay, Dread does everything in his power to ensure she never finds a moment’s peace. If he has it his way, she will drown in his wrath until her very last breath.
However, not everything in Reverie’s past is as it seems. Together, they may be forced to face the most harrowing of truths: Dread isn’t the only ghost who intends to make Reverie suffer.
Safe Keeping by Kristen Proby
Five years ago, Secret Service Agent Gideon James took a bullet to protect me.
It haunts me every single day.
As the president’s daughter, my life has never truly been my own. But when a traitor in my security detail tries to kidnap me, Mom sends me to Montana—to the one man who’s never failed to keep me safe.
These days, Gideon runs an elite security training facility on his family ranch. He’s not exactly thrilled to see me, and his family trusts me even less.
But during our intense self-defense sessions, something electric ignites between us. Those steel-gray eyes see past my title to who I really am. For the first time, I’m discovering my own strength—and a desire I can’t deny.
Just as I’m falling hard, betrayal strikes again, threatening everything Gideon and I have built. Now I must choose between protecting my heart and fighting for the man who’s always protected me—and the only place I’ve ever truly belonged.
Sweet Oblivion by Bella Matthews
I never wanted to get married. Until the night my life went up in flames, and Ryker Beneventi walked into the fire to save me.
The Philadelphia Kings’ scorching hot defensive end has a tendency of doing that... Protecting me is instinct. Marrying me is strategy. Calling me “his wife” . . . That’s for fun.
One carefully crafted press release later, and I’m standing beside the most photographed man in football, wearing a diamond I didn’t choose, and bearing a last name revered in this town.
It’s supposed to be temporary. A clean solution to a messy problem. But nothing about our marriage is as it seems.
Because somewhere between the locked doors and late nights, the lines between love and legacy blur. Until the only thing left more terrifying than the night that forced us together...
Is how scared I am to walk away.
The Woman From Nowhere by Kristen Ashley
After a heartbreaking betrayal, Mabel Adams reinvents herself for the fourth time. Regardless of the alarming reputation of the deceptively sleepy town of Misted Pines, she decides to move all the way across the country to start yet again.
Mabel has a one-night stand with a mountain man who rocks her world in bed but doesn’t tell her his name. The next day, after receiving a threatening note from her neighbors, she discovers she’s living next to an extremist cult where the women go in and are never seen again.
After serving, former Navy SEAL Hutch Hutchison is living a peaceful life on his patch in the mountains outside Misted Pines. He’s been burned so many times by women, he’s happy to train his guard dogs, play his guitar, live remote, and most of all, quiet.
Until he hooks up with a beautiful woman who lives just down the way. And then he discovers she’s been threatened by the cult next door. Hutch’s protective instinct sparks, and he decides his next mission is to keep Mabel safe at all costs.
But there’s something even hinkier about that cult than Hutch or local law enforcement expect.
As Hutch executes the riskiest mission of his life—keeping Mabel safe at the same time keeping both of their hearts intact—Hutch and the Sheriff’s Department try to unravel the mystery of The Lion and The Lamb before it’s too late.
Because Mabel is in their crosshairs. And Hutch is not about to allow her to disappear.
Flow by Tia Louise
He’s loved her since childhood; one fake date might finally make it real.
I was 15 years old when I stood on a hill in a peach orchard with the girl of my dreams, contemplating marriage.
Now I’m a hockey star, The Maverick Murphy.
I have flow on the ice and on my head, but I still have trouble forming sentences when she’s around. And she’s all around—living in my house, sharing my space, so close, I can smell her perfume on my clothes.
I’m all grown up, and I’d still do anything for her.
I was 15 when I stood on a hill in my family’s peach orchard with the cutest boy I knew and said I’d marry him on the spot. Now that boy is a grown man, a hockey star with muscles and dimples and smoldering hazel eyes. He’s also my new roommate, but I’m not here to fall in love. Our beloved peach trees are dying, and I’m here to find a cure.
When the town’s rich bully threatens to own our land and me along with it, I kind of snap. I kind of say Maverick’s mine for real. It’s a lie. We’re only faking, but with every kiss, every touch, every stolen moment, reality starts to blur.
Still, as much as we want to pretend, he’s LA’s hockey champion, and when the semester ends, I’ll have to leave.
That’s reality.
Untamed by Luna Mason
People call me by different names depending on which version of me they know.
The owner of Sterling ranch. The heir to a mafia empire. The murderer the town wants caged. I have ninety days to prove I didn’t kill the mother of my son or I lose everything. I should be focused on survival.
Instead, I fall for the same girl my best friend does. Lola Jackson. The city girl. My firefly.
I’m the one she runs to when he hurts her and I’m the one who punishes him for it. And I make her my wife so that the Sterling name will keep her protected long after I’m gone. But it was always more than just names on a piece of paper. It’s the one thing that makes me fight harder to stay alive.
When the truth is revealed, it doesn’t just shatter me, it forces me to choose between my empire… or my wife.
But they’ve all forgotten who they’re dealing with.
And now they’re going to learn what happens when a cowboy stops playing nice and a mafia boss goes to war.
Crown Me Dead by Liv Zander
Wed me. Bed me. Slit my throat.
Born in dirt, raised in rot, I dig graves for the dead, While the living decay around me. When my brother coughs blood, He appears. A man too polished for the graveyard, With a bargain too cruel for the light: Seduce the King. Become the Queen.
Die. And my brother lives.
Kael is a nightmare of living ruin, The rotting ruler of a festering realm. And Vale is his shadow, The cold architect of my demise. One man needs my heart to beat. The other plans to stop it forever.
They think I’m a pawn. But I’m the gravedigger's daughter. And I know exactly where to bury them.
Welcome to the funeral.
Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody
Enemies. Teammates. Something dangerously close to more . . .
Parker Darling is ready to take center ice, but the Ransom Devils' new coach already hates him for a dumb mistake Parker made years ago—with the help of that new coach’s daughter.
Kenzie Foster loves hockey. If only her hockey-coach dad hadn't forbidden her from playing—thanks to Parker Darling.
When the Devils’ goalie gets injured, Parker is determined to lead the team back to greatness. Kenzie, meanwhile, sees a wide-open net just waiting to prove her dad wrong.
Parker and Kenzie will need to work together to reach their goals—but does that mean risking another big mistake?
No, Don't Ever Stop by Marni Mann
One look at former NFL player Gavin Worthington has Emily craving things she shouldn’t. Yet his scorching-hot body and dangerously perfect smile are everything she wants. At the same time, a single glance at the breathtakingly sexy Emily Wren and her unforgettable blue eyes has Gavin desiring things he hasn’t in years.
Their agreement is simple: one night of uninhibited pleasure. No strings, no complications.
But one taste isn’t enough, and he can’t get Emily out of his head.
Gavin never lets women get close—his seven-year-old son, Ben, is his entire world. But there’s something about the gorgeous nurse that breaks through every wall he’s built. She’s incredible with his boy, lights up his darkest places, and makes him hunger in ways he’d forgotten were possible. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to deny their growing feelings. Except the pull of Gavin’s past is stronger than they imagined.
For this grumpy single dad to move forward and hold on to the only woman who’s made him feel alive in years, he’ll have to convince Emily that their connection is more powerful than the emotional barriers between them. They’ll need to trust that sometimes the most unexpected love stories lead to the happiest endings. All they have to do is take the chance.
Maybe It's Fate by Heidi McLaughlin
The only thing that could pull Antonia Bernardi away from her high-powered career is her lifelong best friend. And with two children and a cruel prognosis, Miriam Vaughn needs her now more than ever.
Antonia drops everything—her job, her relationship—to be there for the Vaughns. Playing mom to Miriam’s teenage son and seven-year-old daughter is a tall order made heavier by grief. But the kids need her, and she needs them.
Then there’s the boy’s coach and mentor, former MLB star Weston Schmidt. He’s a pillar of support, a safe space for Antonia to rest. But there’s too much going on to even think about romance … or maybe that’s exactly why they should.
Adjusting to life without her best friend, Antonia leans into her new role as guardian, doing work she loves and repairing the old farmhouse Miriam cherished.
Nothing can stop the world from spinning—but Antonia has every reason to keep on going.
Stay With Me by Nikki Sloane
When the spotlight turns deadly, survival becomes the performance of her life.
A single gunshot rings out, shattering Laurel Hayward’s debut as a professional dancer—and witnessing an assassination is only the beginning of her nightmare. The ruthless killer will stop at nothing to find her—determined to possess her or silence her forever.
Enter Deputy U.S. Marshal Jason Dunn: handsome, confident, and far too good at getting under Laurel’s skin. Keeping her alive is his job, but keeping his distance? Impossible. Alone in the secluded safe house, the line between duty and desire blurs into something too powerful to resist.
Laurel needs Jason to survive. Jason needs her to finally capture the ghost who’s haunted his career for years. But as their attraction ignites, the obsessed killer returns with a deadly final act . . .
And it could cost them everything.
How Not to Fall in Love by Karla Sorensen
A bad-boy NFL star meets his match in a feisty single mom with this sweet, steamy, and emotional novel about second chances and breaking the rules of romance.
Raising my ten-year-old son, running an animal rescue, and caring for my grandfather leaves zero time for complications, let alone cocky athletes who get under my skin. Too bad the universe didn’t get the memo.
Because a big complication just crashed into my life—literally—in the form of towering NFL quarterback Archer Evans, sentenced to community service at my shelter after a scandal. Despite his mistakes, I try not to judge. He’s got demons of his own, and even though he’s made it perfectly clear he wants me, the last thing he needs is a wary single mom seeing the vulnerable man beneath the muscles and the attitude.
Though I’ll admit, I’m tempted to look.
Not that I’d cave. With his notoriety, Archer would never make it past date two of my eight-date rule. I want simple. Safe. He’s too successful. Too arrogant. Too everything. The definition of complicated.
But as the walls around Archer start to crumble, so do mine. And this complication feels suspiciously like love.
I made the rules. Maybe it’s time I broke them.
The Wrong Catch by C.R. Jane
Ophelia knows better than to obsess over a man she's never met, but the moment she sees him, everything shifts into focus. Matty Adler is the University of Tennessee's golden boy: star tight end, campus legend, and the center of Ophelia's every waking thought. She knows her troubled past reads like a cautionary tale, but when she looks at Matty, it doesn't feel like infatuation; it feels like clarity. And before she can talk herself out of it, she's applying to the same school, convinced that starting over means being close to him, even if it'll cost her everything.
Matty's grown used to the spotlight by now. His very existence on campus seems to attract swarms of onlookers―including a stalker whose steady presence has almost started to feel like a comfort to him. But when he catches sight of Ophelia for the first time, being with anyone else becomes impossible, and he vows to do whatever it takes to make her his.
As the two are ensnared in an all-consuming romance, Ophelia can't believe her fantasies are actually coming true. Matty's the one person who can make her forget about the chaos that's dictated her life thus far. But secrets have a way of resurfacing, and the truth threatens to run interference on their happily-ever-after. On the other hand, maybe their dark urges and mutual obsession are exactly what both of them need. After all, a love like theirs doesn't play fair . . .
All for Love by Willow Aster
Waking up in a gorgeous man’s lap definitely wasn’t on this year’s bingo card, that’s for sure.
Flying halfway across the country, exhausted and on an empty stomach, is a lot. Having to do all that while realizing I’ll be away from my little girl while she’s at her dad’s is an even worse feeling.
Enter Dylan. The irresistibly gorgeous man whose lap I collapsed in on my flight home. He is handsome, charming, and manages to sweet-talk me right into bed with his beautiful smile and twinkling hazel eyes. This is sooo unlike me, but I couldn’t help myself.
Dylan and I don’t really know each other. Plus, I live in Minnesota, and he lives in California, and anything long-term would never work. Yet the chemistry between us can’t be denied.
But then the real problem between us comes to light, and it’s a big one. A forbidden one. There’s no way we can ever be together…but how do we give up on each other when our fiery connection feels like a once-in-a-lifetime love?
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
“The truth is there’s no such thing as a normal life. There’s just the time you get and how you spend it.”
In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves dreams of writing for Saturday Night Live; instead, she’s stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her small Massachusetts town.
Then in walks Noah Drew, the enigmatic and intense scion of the Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep, cosmic bond, first as friends, then as acting partners—until one day, Noah disappears without a word.
Seven years later, in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same intergalactic TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob.
As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago—and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together.
Unbound by Peyton Corinne
Paloma Blake is, at best, antagonistic. But beneath the hairspray, attitude, and promiscuity is a scared girl whose trauma runs deep. Still, the walls she’s built are strong, ensuring everyone only sees Paloma’s sexy façade. Everyone except for Bennett.
Bennett Reiner, the carefully controlled, neurodivergent goalie, has his routines and sticks to them, which helps him keep a hold on his OCD compulsions and the crippling anxiety that comes with them. The quiet and meticulous Bennett sees everything, especially the girl beneath Paloma’s ever-present masks. And he always has.
Unbeknownst to their friends, Bennett and Paloma were each other’s first real love, which ended in crippling heartbreak. Bennett still doesn’t know what happened, and Paloma is determined to stay away from the comfort she used to find only in his arms. For years, Bennett has remained her protective shadow, coming to Paloma’s rescue whenever she asked, keeping her as close and safe as she’ll let him. But, like a tumultuous sea to a constant shore, Bennett and Paloma find each other once more.
Alternating between scenes from their past and present, Unbound contrasts the tentative tension and passionate beginnings of first love with the devastating loneliness and deep yearning of having that love ripped away from you without truly knowing why. As Bennett discovers the truth about Paloma’s past, the threads to his careful control start to come unbound, and both begin to realize that letting go of everything else might be worth it, if it means they both get the real love they once shared again.
Good For Her by Tylor Paige
Hollywood loves a comeback. Too bad Evie Reyes didn’t come back to play nice.
Five years ago, she watched her mother—an iconic Final Girl—die on the set of Simon Says. Now, she’s back on the same studio lot, cast as the lead in the reboot no one asked for. But Evie’s not here for fame. She’s here for revenge—and she’s got six names on her list.
Sebastian Shaw is Hollywood’s golden boy, a walking six-pack with just enough charm to disguise the fact that he’s a professional liar. He also happens to be Evie’s ex. When he finds out why she’s really back, he doesn’t try to stop her. He offers a deal: he’ll get her access to each of the men she wants to confront—in exchange for six chances to sleep with her.
No feelings. No strings. Definitely no dates.
As bodies pile up and the on-set accidents get harder to explain away, Evie walks a razor-thin line between staying alive and getting justice. And Sebastian? He might be the only person who sees her clearly—and the one person she can’t afford to trust.
This Final Girl isn’t just surviving—she’s stealing the whole damn show
Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter
You duel or you die.
Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.
Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra's capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.
As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.
Captivation Creek by Claire Kingsley
He’ll help her solve a mystery, but they can’t risk their hearts.
A devastating injury ended Theo Haven’s pro-football career, but he’s made a good life for himself in his hometown. The high school teacher and football coach might be single, but that’s by choice. And his work bestie, Penelope? She’s one of the best parts of his job, but they’re just friends.
No, really. Not the sort of friends who are secretly pining for each other or destined to hook up. Just… friends.
Art teacher Penelope Fallbrook is stuck in a rut. When a locally renowned artist dies suspiciously, she channels her restless energy into amateur sleuthing. Who better than her best friend Theo to help her search for the truth?
When Penelope’s life comes crashing down, Theo is there, picking up the pieces and offering a place to stay. Best friends become roommates, and living one room away might be too much temptation.
As they dig deeper into the mystery of the artist’s death, secrets unravel. Are they searching for a murderer? Or uncovering the work of a serial killer?
And Penelope might be in danger of becoming the next victim.
The Wild Card by Piper Rayne
Getting pregnant after a one-night stand with my brother’s best friend was never part of the plan.
We’re talking about Foster Davis here. Chicago Colts closing pitcher. The broody king of one-word answers. And the man everyone knows keeps one foot out the door.
Surprisingly, when two pink lines turn my world upside down, Foster doesn’t run. He steps in, he shows up, and he insists we do this together.
Pretending we’re fine is easy. Pretending this is just about the baby? Not so much. Because Foster is gentle when no one’s watching. Because he looks at me like I’m something worth protecting. Because the walls he’s built start to crack—and I’m the one he’s letting inside.
Our arrangement was supposed to be simple. Boundaries were set. Co-parents and no catching feelings.
Okay, maybe a few sex lessons were added in too. Bad idea, I know.
Because the more time I spend with Foster Davis, the harder it is to remember why I ever thought he was the risky choice.
Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner
Ember Reed is finally living her dream: chief stew on a Mediterranean superyacht, sun-kissed days at sea, and the star of Close Quarters, the hottest new reality TV show.
But just as she finds her stride, the producers throw her a curveball—by hiring the one man who nearly sank her.
Finn Pearson was the one that got away. The boy who kissed her like they had forever, then left without a word. But now he’s the chef in her new crew, and the cameras are watching their every move, innocent, or not.
Even on a superyacht, there's nowhere to hide from the past. Every stolen glance, every whispered argument, every lingering memory threatens to ignite what never fully burned out. And as the tension spills into their day jobs, even the dinner service is spiralling into disaster.
They’ve crashed before… but could eight weeks at sea be their second chance to get it right? Or will it be the storm that finally sinks them for good?
Blood King by Natalie Kane
Natasha
Being a Bratva princess is not as glamorous as it sounds. Or glamorous at all. I’ve known since I was a child that my life is not my own. That one day, my father would give me away to the Mafia family that would best serve his purposes. So it shouldn’t surprise me when I walk into Papa’s office and meet Elliot Stavros. I soon learn that my husband-to-be is as monstrous as my father. And I’d do anything to get out of this marriage.
Julian
I need the alliance with the Russians, and the best way to make it happen is to marry my son off to the princess. The only problem? I can’t get the stunning blond with big blue eyes filled with pain out of my head. And when I find out that my son has been cruel to the beautiful woman? I take matters into my own hands. I marry her myself. I know I’m too old for her and I don’t deserve her. Still, the thought of anyone else touching her brings out my unhinged side. I’m falling in love with my gorgeous wife. But when I discover that she’s betraying me, will I have to destroy her?
Midnight Prince by Julie Saman
Charming, sexy, and impossible to say no to, we danced and drank before he took me to his suite and not only shattered my innocence but made me feel alive for the first time. By midnight, I was gone, leaving behind a fallen earring and intending to never see him again.
That is until months later, I'm placed in the palace as a royal servant and put directly in his path. He doesn't recognize me, but that doesn't mean he trusts me either. Nor should he.
I'm part of the curse his family can't seem to escape. A slave with an evil agenda. One that's darker and more sinister than death herself.
Only the longer I'm in the palace and the more time I spend with the prince and his family, the harder it is to plot their downfall. Lines get crossed. Tension and mistrust turn into passion and obsession.
But when everything I thought I knew about my life and the royal family is suddenly flipped upside down and my midnight prince discovers who I am, I have a decision to make.
Run again to save them all. Or burn down both our worlds.
Trust by Kathy Lockheart
As a prison nurse, I keep my heart locked away tighter than the men I treat. No gray areas. No second chances. Especially not after escaping my abusive ex.
Then Knox Blackwood, the most dangerous man in the prison, winds up in my infirmary. Whatever he did to get locked up remains the prison’s darkest secret.
He should terrify me. Instead, he sees what no one else does. The scars. The flinch when a door slams. The fear I can’t bury.
“Who hurt you?” he growls. When I don’t answer, Knox starts showing up in my infirmary. New wounds. Suspicious injuries. Getting hurt on purpose, just for five minutes with me.
I tell myself I can’t fall for an inmate. I won’t. Especially not one who’s now harboring a violent vendetta against my ex. But every stolen touch feels like salvation. And every whispered promise paves the road to our future.
Knox is one parole hearing from freedom. If we stay careful, maybe he’ll get out. Reunite with his daughter. And we’ll have a life beyond these walls.
All I have to do is keep Knox from killing the man who hurt me. That’s the plan.
Until my violent ex steps into the prison as Knox’s new guard…
Rushed by Aleatha Romig
I was born into a football dynasty built on power, money, and secrets. Now those secrets are unraveling.
The truth about my family threatens everything, from the franchise to the locker room. Allies I trusted have their own agendas. And in the NFL’s ruthless good ol’ boys club, there’s no mercy for a woman who dares to challenge the league’s power structure.
This isn’t just football. It's an empire. It's a legacy. It’s war. With the franchise and my future on the line, there’s only one man I might be able to trust.
Fin—Griffin Graham. Elite NFL quarterback. The new face of the team. My past. My weakness. My second chance.
Our chemistry still burns hotter than game day lights. But in a professional football world ruled by contracts, media scrutiny, and billion-dollar reputations, falling for the star quarterback again could destroy everything we’re fighting to protect.
With more than our season on the line, I’m forced to choose a side. Will it be the right choice?
The Forgotten Billionaire by Avery Maxwell
Clover
I don’t believe in miracles—I believe in deadbolts, breathing exercises, and the found family I’ve created in my cozy small town of Happiness, Georgia. But somehow, the man who broke me more than my childhood is standing in the middle of the town fair, looking at me as though I’m a stranger. He looks older, harder, built from shadows and clothed in expensive suits…but those eyes, they hold the real secrets I can’t begin to decode—even if I want to.
Valen
My first memory is of a hospital ceiling. Everything before that—the boy I was, the girl I loved—is gone as though it never existed. But then I saw her. Felt her. Experienced her. She personifies innocence and strength, and the instant we touch, my body remembers what my mind forgot. Clover Danforth owns my heart and just might be the answer to every question I have. Now there’s a stalker in this chaotic small town who’s circling both our pasts. Together we’ll have to decide— Is love something you remember or something you choose?
Burn of Summer by Rebecca Zanetti
Ace Osprey was born to fly, but a crash stole his wings and left him with scars he refuses to show. Grounded and restless, the former Navy pilot masks his broken pieces with charm and swagger. He lives fast, hits hard, and shows up at Dr. May Smirnov’s clinic whenever a fight goes sideways. He doesn’t talk about the wounds she stitches up, or the heat that’s been simmering between them for far too long.
May came to Knife’s Edge to hide, not to burn. The small-town doctor keeps her past locked away, but Ace Osprey is a temptation she can’t ignore. He’s infuriating, magnetic, and far too good at peeling away her walls.
Their chemistry is combustible, but in a town where women are turning up dead under the endless summer sun, temptation might be as dangerous as the killer stalking the shadows.
When the killer’s attention shifts to May, Ace goes from reckless to lethal. Protecting her means exposing secrets someone is willing to kill to keep buried, and facing the truth neither of them wants to admit. Whatever’s between them isn’t casual. It’s explosive, and it might not survive the fight ahead.
Embers and Echoes by R.C. Stephens
Coming to Maple Valley was supposed to be temporary. Work the summer on the orchard. Keep my head down. Find answers about the best friend I lost years ago. Simple.
Until I met my boss. Asher Thorne is everything I should stay away from—gruff, protective, and impossible to ignore. He’s an MMA fighter chasing his next big win. A man who’s spent his life moving from town to town, never staying long enough for anything or anyone to matter.
The orchard is the only thing anchoring him here. And he’s made one thing clear from the start. Mixing business with pleasure is a terrible idea.
Too bad avoiding him is impossible. Not when the way he looks at me makes my pulse trip. And not when one kiss from him makes me want things I’ve never wanted before.
Falling for him was never part of the plan. But the closer I get to the truth about my friend’s disappearance, the more Asher insists I stop digging. Because Maple Valley has secrets. And someone wants the past to stay buried.
But I came here looking for answers. I never expected to find the one man who could derail my plans.
Or ruin me completely.
The Backup Plan by K. Bromberg
Lucas Hale built his entire life around football. The franchise quarterback. The GOAT. The man everyone on his team counts on.
Recovering from a devastating shoulder injury, the veteran quarterback signs with the Lone Star Rebels for one last chance to prove he still belongs in the league.
There’s just one problem—Dr. Emery Porter. The Rebels’ new injury specialist isn’t impressed by Lucas’s charm—or his determination to push through pain.
She’s seen the scans. She knows the damage. And if she clears him to play, it might mean destroying his career for good.
But the more time they spend together, the more dangerous everything becomes. For Emery’s career. For Lucas’s future. And the harder it becomes to remember where professional boundaries end—and where love begins.
Because if Lucas keeps playing, he could lose everything. And if Emery stops him . . . she might lose the man she’s fallen for.
Sometimes the biggest risk isn’t losing the game. It’s losing what you never thought you wanted.
Crossroads by Carrie Ann Ryan
When Kiera West needs a place to hide from the media and her ex, she never thought Bodhi Ashford—the man the small town of Ashford Creek once thought a murderer—would be her salvation.
The reclusive, bearded, mountain man has secrets of his own and with one growl, she knew she’d be safe. Sure, he might only talk to her to ask who hurt her, but at least the quiet will let her heal.
When the elusive drummer from one of the biggest rock bands in the world shows up on Bodhi’s doorstep, he needs her to leave yesterday. As soon as he sees the bruises, he knows she needs to stay.
A fire took everything from him once, and the town he thought he could trust turned on him before he could grieve. Falling for a woman in the spotlight is the last thing he needs.
Yet it might be the one thing that could save them both when the darkness of their pasts finally catches up with them.