The 10 Best Romance Books I Have Read in 2026 So Far
Romance books won’t magically solve your problems, but they can make the world feel a lot brighter. The hard part is finding the ones that actually hit. I read a lot of romance — probably more than is reasonable — so here’s my list of the stories that truly stayed with me this year.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Better Than the Movies follows Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic who’s convinced her life should play out like the rom‑coms she grew up watching with her mum. When her childhood crush Michael moves back to town, Liz becomes determined to win him over - except she needs the help of her annoying next‑door neighbour, Wes. As they team up, Liz starts to realise that the story she’s been chasing might not be the one she actually wants. This book was a tiktok sensation, and with good reason!
Spice Level - 0/5
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A Little Place in Prague by Julie Caplin
Beer runs through Anna’s blood, despite her uncle’s insistence that ‘women don’t get involved with the brewery’, she has chosen to enter a beer brewing competition to spice up her life and pursue her passions. However, the one thing she had not anticipated was having to live with Leo - her ex-husband. Through all of her attempts to move out, she still ends up stuck with him, and the worst part is she actually enjoys his company. As the two learn to cohabitate, explore the city and make friends, they also find themselves realising they may have been wrong about each other.
Spice Level - 1.5/5
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Let’s Make A Scene by Laura Wood
Cynthie returns to the Cotswolds after her life in the film industry collapses under the weight of a toxic director, public scrutiny, and the pressure of being the “perfect” actress. She’s bruised, exhausted, and determined to rebuild her life quietly. Jack, meanwhile, has spent years trying to outrun the fallout of his own family’s expectations and the mistakes that pushed him away from the people he cared about most, including Cynthie. When they’re forced back into each other’s orbit through a project, the tension is immediate. Their shared past is full of misread intentions, unresolved feelings, and a single moment thirteen years ago that changed everything. The book alternates between their past - full of spark, awkwardness, and the beginnings of something neither of them understood and their present-day dynamic, where they clash, banter, and slowly relearn how to trust. As they work together, old wounds surface, but so does the chemistry they’ve both tried to bury. Cynthie confronts the emotional damage of the industry she sustained, Jack faces the consequences of his silence, and both of them have to decide whether they’re brave enough to choose each other this time. The romance builds through longing, miscommunication, and the steady realisation that they’ve always been each other’s safe place, even when they didn’t know how to say it.
Spice Level - 2.5/5
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Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Storm and Fury centers on Trinity Marrow, a young woman with rare supernatural abilities who has spent her life hidden within a Warden stronghold, protected not only by the gargoyle‑shifter community but also by her best friend and guardian, Misha, whose loyalty shapes much of her emotional world. When an unforeseen threat disrupts the precarious safety of their home, Trinity is forced into an uneasy alliance with a disciplined (and attractive) Warden from another clan whose arrival challenges her beliefs about independence, and the limits placed on her life. As the danger escalates, Trinity finds herself pushed beyond the boundaries she has always known, navigating a world where alliances are blurred, enemies aren’t always obvious and her own identity carries more weight than she ever imagined.
Spice Level - 1/5
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The Irresistible urge to fall for your enemy by Brigette Knightley
The Irrestible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy follows two characters who couldn’t be most opposite. Aurienne Fairhim is a Haelan - a healer - and she lives her life on a ‘harm to none’ philosophy. Osric Mordaunt is a Fyren, and a killer-for-hire who seemingly has no concern for morality or balance. He’s a scoundrel and he wouldn’t have it any other way, but when the unbeatable Osric realises he isn’t unbeatable, he has no other option than to seek out Aurienne for her much needed expertise. Their worlds collide in a way that forces both of them to confront the limits of their beliefs, the weight of their pasts, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the person you’re supposed to hate is the one who sees you most clearly.
Spice Level - 0.5/5
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Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Love on the Brain follows Bee Königswasser, a neuroscientist whose life philosophy is basically “channel Marie Curie and hope for the best.” So when she’s chosen to help lead a major NASA project focused on cutting‑edge neuroengineering, she’s convinced the universe is finally throwing her a win. The excitement dims a little when she learns she’ll be sharing the role with Levi Ward, a man she’s pretty sure spent their entire grad school experience avoiding eye contact and silently wishing she’d evaporate. Determined not to let an old academic nemesis ruin her dream job, Bee arrives ready to focus on science. Instead, she finds herself dealing with missing equipment, unhelpful colleagues, and a workplace that seems oddly determined to pretend she doesn’t exist. The surprising part is that Levi keeps stepping in at exactly the right moments. He listens. He supports her ideas. He treats her like an equal. It’s confusing, and a little disarming, especially when she starts noticing the way he looks at her. As the project grows more complicated, Bee is forced to rethink everything she thought she knew about Levi, her career, and what she actually wants.
Spice Level - 2/5
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My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Taylor heads to Cape Cod expecting a calm, sun filled break with her brother, but the trip derails the moment they unlock the door to their rental and find a dead body waiting inside. Any hope of a peaceful vacation disappears, and things only get messier when a grumpy, no nonsense bounty hunter rolls in to take charge. He is convinced Taylor has nothing useful to offer, even though she has spent years devouring true crime podcasts and has the patience of someone who manages second graders for a living. Their personalities clash instantly, but the danger surrounding them keeps forcing them into each other’s space. Before long, Taylor and the bounty hunter are working together to figure out who is behind the murder, even if neither of them seems thrilled about the arrangement at first. Between the close calls, the rising tension, and their constant back and forth, they become the most unexpected investigative duo. As the threats escalate and the mystery deepens, they have no choice but to rely on each other, turning their chaotic partnership into something far more compelling than either of them planned.
Spice Level - 3.5/5
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This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
The book opens with Lucy Ashby, 5 years in the past, arriving at Prince Edwards Island for the first time. Bridget, her best friend, may have missed her flight but Lucy is determined to have fun. To let go of everything on her shoulders. Then she meets Felix and the fun she wanted to have becomes a lot more complicated. The book flips between the present and past summers, weaving them through one another to craft a full picture of the summers she has spent here. I love the spin it takes on forbidden romance, any avid reader has seen the ‘falling in love with your best-friends brother’ trope and a lot of the time it can feel overdone, dramatised and unrealistic. However, this feels natural. An unknowing mistake turns into a lovable romance that has been strictly prohibited.
Spice Level - 4/5
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Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
This book starts by dropping you straight into Scarlett Vandermeer’s head, and it’s messy in a way that immediately makes sense for the reader. The opening pages set the tone - overwhelmed, burnt out and trying to pretend she’s perfectly fine. Therapy becomes a big part of the story from there, not heavy-handedly, but as a steady thread where she slowly starts unpacking everything she has been avoiding.
Then she gets tangled up with her rival, Lukas Blomqvist, and the tension is immediate. They’re competitive in that “I hate you but also why are you so attractive” kind of way, and every interaction feels like it could turn into either an argument or a kiss. As the story goes on, the rivalry shifts - still sharp and still competitive, but now filled with chemistry they can’t ignore.
Spice Level - 3/5
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Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson
Dire Bound follows Meryn Cooper, a girl who has grown up resenting the Bonded, the powerful warriors who ride into battle linked to enormous dire wolves. While they enjoy privilege, she fights to keep her family alive. Everything changes when her younger sister is taken across enemy lines, forcing Meryn into a world she never wanted. She joins the army in a desperate attempt to reach the front, only to find herself thrown into the brutal Bonding Trials where survival is never guaranteed. Training at the castle is a constant test, especially because she is seen as a commoner. Her assigned direwolf refuses to acknowledge her, the other recruits are waiting for her to slip, and her instructor seems determined to break her spirit. As Meryn pushes forward, she begins to sense that the castle holds secrets far more dangerous than the Trials themselves.
Spice Level - 3/5
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