Romance
December 2025*

Recent Releases
And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
And Then There Was You
by Sophie Cousens

At thirty-one, Chloe Fairway isn't where she wants to be in life. Stuck in a PA job for a boss who barely notices her and back home with her parents after a painful breakup, she feels like a failure. So, when she's invited to her college's ten-year reunion, the last thing she needs is to face the people who once voted her most likely to succeed. She definitely doesn't want to see her former best friend Sean Adler, now a hotshot film director living the life Chloe dreamed of. Desperate to make a splash-and to save face in front of the man who might be the one that got away-she turns to a mysterious dating service. Enter Rob, her handsome, successful, and charming match, who quickly makes Chloe feel like she's finally finding her way. But as Chloe digs deeper into her past and reconnects with old friends, she begins to question if Rob is really all that he seems. And maybe, just maybe, revisiting her past is exactly what she needs to move forward. Packed with heart, charm, and Sophie Cousens's signature humor, And Then There Was You is a witty exploration of love, second chances, and finding your place in the world-- Provided by publisher.
Good Spirits
by B.K. Borison

In this cozy contemporary spin on A Christmas Carol, antique store owner Harriet York receives a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past in the form of handsome Irish fisherman Nolan Callahan, who died 100 years ago. As the two revisit Christmases past, Harriet discovers she might not be the only one who needs help, and that her store may hold the key to freeing Nolan's spirit. For fans of: Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Hot Frosty. 
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Brigands & Breadknives
by Travis Baldree

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller's life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend's coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her! If only things were so simple. It turns out that fixing your life isn't a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint. A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover. As together they fend off a rogue's gallery of ne'er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable--
Conform
by Ariel Sullivan

In a future ravaged by war, Emmeline, a woman at the lower end of a caste system based on genetics, is unexpectedly chosen to mate with Collin, an Elite who can give her the life she's always dreamed of. Conforming to the rigid expectations of the ruling Illum proves to be a challenge when Emmeline finds herself drawn to Hal, a resistance leader determined to bring down the system. This cinematic 1st in a planned trilogy will appeal to fans of dystopian science fiction romances like Dani Francis' Silver Elite.
Some Kind of Famous
by Ava Wilder

In small-town Crescent Peak, Colorado, sparks fly when disgraced former musician Merritt Valentine hires contractor Niko Petrakis to renovate her home, and before long their friends-with-benefits arrangement turns into something more. Try this next: Story of My Life by Lucy Score. 
2025 Debuts
Alice Chen's Reality Check
by Kara Loo & Jennifer Young

Cash-strapped middle school teacher Alice Chen joins a survival reality TV show for couples alongside her fiancé, who quickly betrays her by making out with another contestant. In need of a new partner, Alice reluctantly agrees to a fake relationship with her high school nemesis Daniel Cho, but things get complicated when a body turns up on set. Can Alice and Daniel trust each other? Try this next: Winging It with You by Chip Pons.
Quicksilver (Deluxe Limited Edition) by Callie Hart
Quicksilver (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Callie Hart

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone. When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares...but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed. The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him...or her. Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home--
Wedding Dashers
by Heather McBreen

En route to her sister's wedding in Belfast, Ada makes an unexpected connection with fellow wedding party member Jack as the pair navigate numerous travel mishaps together. For fans of: feel-good forced-proximity romantic comedies like Livy Hart's Planes, Trains, and All the Feels.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
Fake Skating
by Lynn Painter

Excited to return to Minnesota and reconnect with her childhood sweetheart Alec, Dani discovers her nerdy best friend is now a hunky hockey star, and only a fake-dating situation may truly reunite them.
Passion Project
by London Sperry

Grief-stricken after the death of her boyfriend, Bennet Taylor strikes up an unlikely friendship with Henry Adams, the blind date she ghosted, who proposes a fun challenge -- the pair meet up for weekly adventures so Bennet can discover her passions in life. As Bennet's feelings for Henry grow into something more, she wonders if she's ready to love again. For fans of: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Madison County Public Libraries
1335 North Main Street
Marshall, North Carolina 28753
828-649-3741

https://www.madisoncountylibrary.net/