Longwood Public Library: Romance: January 2026

Recent Releases

And Then There Was You
by Sophie Cousens

Hoping to impress her more accomplished classmates (including her former best friend, film director Sean Adler) at her ten-year college reunion, stuck-in-a-rut Chloe Fairway joins an exclusive dating service to secure her perfect plus-one. Rob is everything she could have dreamed of…but he’s a robot. Will her fake romance lead to real love? For another witty and heartfelt romance with speculative elements, try Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer.

Daddy Issues
by Kate Goldbeck

When 26-year-old bartender and aspiring art historian Sam Pulaski meets divorced dad Nick Martino at a bar, their chemistry is immediate -- but she'll have to decide if she's ready to risk her career prospects to settle down with him and his nine-year-old daughter in small-town Ohio. For fans of: slow-burn age-gap romances like Ali Hazelwood's Problematic Summer Romance.

In Your Dreams
by Sarah Adams

Madison Walker returns to her Kentucky hometown for a fresh start when she’s offered a head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant—by James Huxley, her brother’s best friend and the last person she wants to work for. As they’re forced to launch the restaurant together, James’s long-hidden feelings and a rivalry with his charming younger brother complicate everything. With town gossip, family conflict, and a disastrous opening night threatening their futures, Madison and James must decide whether risking love is worth it. This is the 4th book in Adams' When In Rome series.

The Bodyguard Affair
by Amy Lea

When Andi Ziegler, the personal assistant to the wife of Canada's Prime Minister, is accused of having an affair with the Prime Minister, she enlists Nolan Crosby, the PM's new bodyguard (and her failed one-night stand from three years ago) to be her fake boyfriend. For another steamy fake-dating bodyguard romance featuring well-developed characters, check out The Bodyguard by Katherine Center.

Tender Cruelty
by Katee Robert

When Olympus’s protective barrier falls, Hera and Zeus are forced to fight side by side as enemies breach the city and the gods turn on one another. Bound by a marriage steeped in hatred, their reluctant alliance ignites into something far more dangerous—and irresistible. In the ruins of Olympus, Hera must decide whether the man she once vowed to kill is worth saving, and if their fractured marriage can become something more. This spicy modern retelling of Hera and Zeus is the 9th book in Robert's Dark Olympus series.

For Fans Of: Emily Henry

With Netflix's long-awaited adaptation of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation dropping on January 9th (and additional adaptations currently in the works), fans of the author will be eager to dive into some similarly heartfelt and witty romances. Try one of these!

In a Not So Perfect World
by Neely Tubati Alexander

In exchange for a free trip to Turks and Caicos, overworked video game designer Sloane Cooper is more than willing to pose as her neighbor Charlie's new girlfriend as part of his ill-advised plan to win back his ex. For fans of: Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation.

Secretly Yours
by Tessa Bailey

Reuniting with her teenage crush Julian Vos while redoing the gardens at his family's Napa Valley vineyard, Hallie Welch is shocked when he doesn't remember her, channeling her confusion into drunk-writing a secret admirer letter. While Julian puzzles out the mysterious missive, he finds himself increasingly drawn to Hallie, whose freewheeling ways threaten to upend his buttoned-up lifestyle. For fans of: Emily Henry's Beach Read.

The Next Best Fling
by Gabriella Gamez

Librarian Marcela Ortiz, heartbroken over her best friend’s engagement, and ex-NFL player Theo Young, secretly in love with his brother's fiancée, agree to a no-strings-attached relationship. Pretending to be together, they discover unexpected chemistry, navigating complicated feelings and family dynamics, while realizing their rebound might be something more. For fans of: Emily Henry's Funny Story.

The Unhoneymooners
by Christina Lauren

When the bride and groom are stricken with food poisoning at Olive Torres' sister's wedding, Olive and her archnemesis, best man Ethan Thomas, take off on an all-expenses paid honeymoon to Maui where they must share a suite and pose as a married couple. For fans of: Emily Henry's Happy Place.

How to End a Love Story
by Yulin Kuang

In this heart-wrenching but hopeful debut by director and People We Meet on Vacation screenwriter Yulin Kuang, author Helen Zhang moves to Los Angeles to write for the TV adaptation of her bestselling YA series and encounters producer Grant Shepard, who played a role in the death of her younger sister. For fans of: Emily Henry's Book Lovers.

Contact your librarian for more great books!