Romance
August 2026
Recent Releases
Verity Guild: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romantasy by Mai Corland
Verity Guild: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romantasy
by Mai Corland

Corland has created a romantasy with the suspense of Lucy Foley's books and the tongue-in-cheek moments of Knives Out. --Library Journal, 

Secrets built this republic. One truth could burn it down. High Priestess Kerasea Vestal is hiding a deadly secret: she's the last heir of a bloodline the republic tried to erase. If anyone discovers the truth, she won't just lose her power. She'll lose her life. And the man most determined to expose her is already far too close. Praetorian Torren Morvane has made a career of dragging liars into the light, and Kerasea is the one person he's sworn to destroy. When a murder points straight to her, he finally gets his chance. Until they're trapped together with nowhere to run--and no one else to trust.
Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
Romantic Hero
by Kirsty Greenwood

A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer's block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After.

Brokenhearted after her boyfriend leaves her, romance author Gertie Bickerstaff finds herself plagued by writer's block...until River Oakley, the cowboy villain from her series, shows up at her house. Desperate to get back to his own reality, River suggests a fake relationship to make Gertie's ex jealous and help break her creative block. For fans of: Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja.
The Fortune Flip by Lauren Kung Jessen
The Fortune Flip
by Lauren Kung Jessen

A charming rom-com is filled with Chinese traditions, second chances, and a luck-changing love story.

Hazel Yen would love to be that person who doesn't believe in bad luck. But having lost her job, her mom, her optimism, and even her dim-sum leftovers, she's sitting in a fortune teller's booth, desperate for a sign-any sign-that her luck might change. Which is when fate crashes into her, disguised as Logan Wells and his utterly chaotic cat. Except after one spontaneous and mind-melting kiss, Hazel's terrible misfortune starts taking a turn for the miraculous. Money problems vanish. A new job lands in her lap. And she's crushing-hard-on the guy who started it all. Only there's a problem: Logan's luck has taken a turn for the worse. A shared lottery ticket could be just the answer they're seeking or a disaster waiting to happen. 
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy
by Brigitte Knightley

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

In the steamy and witty follow-up to The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, assassin Osric and healer Aurienne find their rivalry tested when they uncover a conspiracy tied to a deadly plague. Fans of the Queens of Villainy series by Stephanie Burgis will want to check out this high-stakes conclusion to the Dearly Beloathed duology.
Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi
Leave and Come Back
by Lavanya Lakshmi

"Prepare to be dazzled" ( BookPage ) when family drama meets love story in this tender, "warm, witty comedy of manners in which family members matter as much as the marriage plot." ( Kirkus )

Toronto-based Indian American Simran Gopal returns to New Jersey for her cousin's wedding, bracing herself for the comments her meddling aunt Veena will make about her white boyfriend, Leo. With the wedding party's help, Simran and Leo stage a fake meet-cute, hoping that Leo will impress Veena enough to be accepted into Simran's flawed but loving family. Lavanya Lakshmi's feel-good debut will appeal to fans of Sonali Dev and Uzma Jalaluddin.  
Every Version of You by Natalie Messier
Every Version of You
by Natalie Messier

A heartfelt contemporary romance debut follows a woman who gets a second chance at a formative time in her adult life--this time to win the "one that got away."

Given another chance at life after dying in a car accident, unfulfilled 32-year-old lawyer Josephina "Joey" Vasquez, who's been in love with her best friend Elijah for over a decade, chooses to re-live her college years in hopes of getting things right the second time. But when a jerk from her past resurfaces and shows her a different side of himself, she wonders if she and Elijah are truly meant to be. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Maybe in Another Life will enjoy Natalie Messier's moving debut.
Dearly Departed by Chip Pons
Dearly Departed
by Chip Pons

A sexy Hades-inspired gay rom-com, in which the former god of the Underworld turned grumpy funeral director must find a loophole in the Immortal Retirement Act.

Stuck working in a small-town funeral home after his retirement, former god of the underworld Hayden Harlow is desperate to return to his life of immortality -- until he meets happy-go-lucky florist Levi Wilder, who helps him realize the mortal world isn't so bad after all. This grumpy/sunshine paranormal romance is equal parts steamy and heartfelt. Try this next: A Date with Death by Kelly Creagh.
Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne
Moss'd in Space
by Rebecca Thorne

A brand new cozy sci-fi romance series for fans of Martha Wells.

Cargo handler Torian Razner gets more than she bargained for when she discovers that the dilapidated spaceship she just bought is covered in sentient moss. Running afoul of Moss' previous owner (who has also accused Torian of stealing the ship), the unlikely pair enlist the help of Amelia Perrosk, Torian's former captain and would-be lover. This action-packed 1st in a new series is perfect for fans of Julie Leong. 
Scandal of the Summer by Alexandra Vasti
Scandal of the Summer
by Alexandra Vasti

A desperate debutante meets a ragtag smuggler in this sexy Regency romp.

Ostracized from London society after making a faux pas, Lady Ruby Ballimore absconds to the vacant country estate of Princess Serafina, posing as a lady-in-waiting. There she meets rakish Malcolm Archer, the property's steward, who is actually a smuggler in disguise. As the pair try to resist their growing attraction to each other, they become embroiled in a kidnapping plot involving the princess and set off to save her. Fans of How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles will enjoy the latest steamy Regency from bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
The Missed Connection by Tia Williams
The Missed Connection
by Tia Williams

An intensely romantic, deliciously sexy tale about a woman searching for her handsome seatmate on a European flight--and the unexpected places her hunt for love leads her.

Ready to re-enter the world after a stalking incident turned her into a recluse, Sasha Cruz has a meet-cute with her seatmate on a transcontinental flight, but the pair lose sight of each other before they can exchange numbers. Hoping to track him down, Sasha hires the detective who helped her with her stalker, but soon finds herself unexpectedly torn between the two men. For fans of: Kennedy Ryan.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Dakota County Library
www.dakotacounty.us/library

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