Avon Lake Public Library: Romance: February 2026

Recent Releases

Uncharmed
by Lucy Jane Wood

Andromeda Annie Wildwood is the perfect witch. She is sugar, spice, and everything nice, each element of her life finely curated and polished to irresistibility by her nightly hex-laced potion routine. She loves to please and nothing makes her happier than when everyone else around her is completely happy. When Annie's coven tasks her with guiding an orphan teenage witch through the process of getting her blossoming magical powers under control, Annie is excited for the chance to please and to prove herself. But the ramshackle cabin they'll be housed in isn't quite the staycation of Annie's dreams--and she and Maeve, the headstrong teen, couldn't be more different. Just when they're starting to understand each other, the owner of the cabin unexpectedly returns--and this quietly gruff and handsome warlock is not pleased to find that the coven volunteered his house to a high-maintenance witch and her angsty teen companion. As this seemingly unlikely trio develop a loyalty and fondness for one another, Annie slowly learns that her people-pleasing may have led her down an impossible, lonely path. If everything about her is so right--why does it all feel so wrong?

Playing for Keeps
by Alexandria Bellefleur

Poppy Peterson, publicist for NFL quarterback Cash Curran, and Rosaline Sinclair, publicist for pop star Lyric Adair, navigate their clients' whirlwind romance and their own blossoming feelings for each other in this steamy and banter-filled contemporary. For fans of: Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner.

Pitcher Perfect
by Tessa Bailey

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He's made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow orgasm donor is his roomie--and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone's bull...and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.When he discovers she's carrying a serious torch for her brother's best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can't seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he's agreed to be Skylar's fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

The Everlasting
by Alix E. Harrow

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion's greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children's books and recruiting posters--but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory--failed soldier, struggling scholar--falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives--and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una's legend--if they want to tell a different story--they'll have to rewrite history itself.

Focus on: Romantasy

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
by Carissa Broadbent

In this compelling standalone set within the world of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, seer-assassin Sylina is tasked with infiltrating the army of the villainous vampire Atrius and killing him, but a vision makes her reconsider everything. For another enemies-to-lovers romantasy set in a vampiric realm, try We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark.

Swordcrossed
by Freya Marske

With his family's wool business flagging, Mattinesh "Matti" Jay agrees to an arranged marriage to the daughter of a prominent family, though he'll need to hire a duelist in case he's challenged for her hand. Enter charismatic con artist Luca Piere, who teaches Matti to sword fight -- and perhaps follow his true desires. This steamy romantasy from the author of the Last Binding series "sizzles with the heat between Matti and Luca" (Booklist). Try this next: One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny.

The Courting of Bristol Keats
by Mary E. Pearson

Bristol Keats struggles to keep herself and her sisters alive after the tragic disappearance of their parents. When she receives a letter from a mysterious aunt she didn't know existed, everything she thought she knew about her family crumbles and she must carefully navigate a world of monstrous intrigue to rescue her father. For fans of: slow-burn faerie-centric fantasy with well-developed characters and steamy romance, such as Sarah J. Maas' Crescent City series or Lyra Selene's A Feather So Black.

Contact your librarian for more great books!