There’s something especially inviting about settling into a romance as the seasons begin to change. Cooler evenings, cozy reading spots, and a fresh stack of love stories make September the perfect time to add some romance to your TBR. This month’s picks bring plenty of variety, from soccer fields and advertising agencies to haunted family curses and an unexpected trip through Hell. Whether you’re looking for sizzling chemistry, hilarious hijinks, complicated rivals, or a little supernatural chaos with your happily ever after, these six romances offer plenty of reasons to stay in and keep reading as fall gets underway.
Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley, Berkley, $ 20.00, 336 pages
Michelle Oxford has spent years building a career around the sport she loves, even after an injury ended her own professional soccer dreams. Enter Tristan Gold, the cheerful goalie who has been carrying a secret crush on her for years. In Keeping Score, Brittany Kelley turns their opposites-attract dynamic into a romance filled with playful banter, workplace tension, and plenty of chemistry. Michelle’s perfectionism and Tristan’s easygoing nature make them an entertaining pair, but the real appeal is watching Michelle reconsider what she actually wants from her future. Kelley delivers a warm, steamy sports romance about letting go of expectations and discovering that the best plans can be completely unexpected.
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If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle, Penguin Books, $ 19.00, 368 pages
Roxie Mitchell wants a romance novel. Instead, she gets a murderer.
That wonderfully ridiculous setup drives If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle, a genre-bending rom-com that gleefully turns familiar romance conventions upside down. When Roxie’s wish to live inside her favorite author’s next book comes true, she finds herself trapped in a thriller instead. Her unlikely partner is Grant, an anxious English professor with an impressive knowledge of crime fiction. Their chaotic escape makes room for genuine chemistry, plenty of humor, and some clever commentary about the stories we love to read. Eberle keeps the action moving while never losing sight of the romance, making this an especially fun pick for bookish readers.
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If Not You by Ellen O’Clover, Berkley, $ 20.00, 400 pages
Five years of rivalry. Four weeks on the road. And two people who may have been writing the wrong story about each other all along.
That’s the delicious setup of If Not You by Ellen O’Clover. Mattie French and Campbell Porter have been competing since their days as interns, but a major advertising pitch forces them into close quarters as they travel together. Their professional rivalry slowly gives way to something much more vulnerable as they begin seeing the person behind the carefully constructed personas. O’Clover excels at yearning and emotional tension, giving the romance plenty of heat while allowing Mattie and Campbell’s ambitions to remain important parts of their story. It’s a smart, angsty rivals-to-lovers romance with a beautifully earned emotional payoff.
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I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed, Berkley, $ 20.00, 352 pages
There are bad days at the office, and then there’s accidentally witnessing your boss perform an exorcism.
Mackenzie Reed’s I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell takes workplace romance somewhere decidedly more infernal, following receptionist Brie Benson and her uptight boss Luke after Brie discovers his secret life as a demon hunter. When a coworker disappears, the pair embark on a rescue mission that takes them straight into Hell, with the entrance conveniently located in Times Square. The premise is wonderfully bonkers, but Reed balances the supernatural adventure with sharp workplace humor and a slow-burn romance between two characters who are impossible not to root for. It’s spooky, funny, romantic, and an ideal fall escape.
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You’re the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung, Penguin Books, $ 20.00, 384 pages
Libby Lakoski has loved her best friend Carter for years, so his upcoming wedding is already a problem. Then his handsome cousin Trip appears, which would be complicated enough without the fact that Trip is a ghost. In You’re the One That I Haunt, Katie Jung builds a wonderfully tangled romance around unrequited feelings, family secrets, and a supernatural curse. Libby and Trip’s growing attraction gives the story plenty of spark, particularly because actually touching each other is, to put it mildly, difficult. Jung also weaves a genuine mystery through the romance as the pair race to break the Coldwell family curse. Funny, steamy, and charmingly spooky, this is a fresh take on the paranormal romance.
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Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler, Berkley, $ 20.00, 352 pages
A taxidermy goose, an antique shop, and two people who absolutely should not be falling for each other. Somehow, it all works.
Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler follows antique dealer Callahan Leitner and Annie O’Neill, whose working relationship gets complicated when Annie discovers Cal’s extremely illegal stuffed goose. When the bird disappears, the pair have no choice but to join forces and track it down before their professional reputations go with it. The ridiculous premise gives Adler plenty of room for screwball comedy, while Cal and Annie’s reluctant partnership develops into a genuinely sweet romance. With banter, chemistry, quirky characters, and a wonderfully offbeat mystery involving one very troublesome bird, this is exactly the sort of feel-good romance that can brighten a crisp fall afternoon.
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