September 2026 Romance Releases

September snuck up on me this year, and it snuck up on me while I was in the middle of compiling one of the biggest release lists I've put together for this blog. There's a lot on the calendar this month, and two of the names on it matter to me a little more than usual. I'm lucky enough to be catching both Victoria Aveyard and LJ Claren on their book tour stops this September. If the timing works out, I'm hoping to put together a giveaway of a signed copy or two from those events, so keep an eye on my Instagram for that. Stay tuned.

As for the rest of the month, it's a genuinely strong lineup. Romantasy sequels, small town rom coms set around harvest festivals, a new Fourth Wing collection, and a fair amount of dark romance that leans further into the taboo than usual. There's also a decent stretch of sports romance and paranormal romance for anyone looking to branch out.

Here's the full breakdown, organized by release date.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.

September 1

Ruin by N L Brooks

She came to Italy for a deal. He arranged the deal to get to her.

What Claire Bailey thought was a career-saving business trip to the Calabrian coast turns out to be something far more deliberate.

Arik Medici has lived for centuries in the shadows of the region his family was cursed to protect. Charming, controlled, and dangerously patient, he has been patiently waiting for Claire's arrival.

He let her live her life. He waited. And now she's finally here.

As bodies surface and the truth closes in, Claire begins to understand that nothing has been a coincidence. Not the canceled flights, not the closed roads, and certainly not the extended hotel stay at Vigneto Riserva del Regale.

Neither was falling in love with him.

But Arik is not a man. And love, for something like him, looks a lot like possession.

Pumpkin Spice and Promises by Nora Everly

Elizabeth Starling has one goal this fall—save the family farm.
The plan? Throw the best harvest festival Sweetbriar has ever seen.

What she didn't plan on was her best friend entering her uptight older brother in the festival's Mr. Pumpkin pageant.
Now Officer Matt Hartford—the most serious, infuriatingly handsome man in town—is on Elizabeth's contestant roster, at her rehearsals, in her way... all while looking at her like she's the only bright spot in Sweetbriar.

So she makes him promise. No falling in love.
He shakes on it. Then he breaks it almost immediately.

Matt Hartford has spent his whole life protecting people—quietly, thoroughly, and without ever being asked. So when he stumbles onto a secret that could cost Elizabeth everything she loves, he does what he's always done: he handles it. Alone. Without asking.
He's about to learn that the funniest woman in town is carrying more than anyone knows—and that a mistake made in secret can't be fixed quietly. Winning her back will take a microphone, a sash, and one very public promise.

Stalkers Anonymous by Dana LeeAnn

Cole Matthews definitely isn’t a stalker. Probably.

Sure, he used company resources and crossed some lines to “have a conversation” with his sister’s abusive ex. But that was a one-time thing. Now, Cole has to attend a group therapy program with a long, clinical name…but the participants? They call it Stalkers Anonymous.

Hailey Brigham is definitely dating the perfect man. Probably.

She’d love to focus more attention on Cole, the smoking hot, ex-military sweetheart whose idea of a casual second date is tandem skydiving. But a drug-seeking patient at the ER where she’s a second-year resident knows too much about Hailey’s personal life, and his fixation on her is getting harder to ignore.

When threats against Hailey escalate, Cole’s protective instincts go into overdrive. To keep her safe, he would do anything―even if it means becoming the monster he’s kept so carefully locked up inside.

Stalkers Anonymous is a dark romance with a morally gray hero, a fierce heroine, and a found family of misfits you won’t see coming (unless they want you to).

The Daddy’s Girl by Sara Cate

He's the love of her life...and the one man she can never have.

Amelia Kade is ready to grow up. She's loved the same man since she was young, and it's time to let go of her hopeless childhood crush. Especially because he isn't just any man―he's her father's best friend. Her godfather. Even if he did want her (which he absolutely doesn't) their relationship is forbidden. 

Matis Moreau is ready for something new. He's been running a kink club in Paris for the last thirty years, and it's time to move on. The only problem is…he doesn't have anything to move on to. He's a lonely fifty-three-year-old man in desperate need of a life.

Then, one day his best friend's daughter devises a plan. Amelia will find him a real partner, and in return, he'll help her find a man worthy of her charm and beauty. But no matter how hard they try―no matter how many dates they set each other up on―no one else can measure up. They're both falling hard for the one person they definitely shouldn't touch.

And once they give in to illicit temptation, the fire between them may prove so strong it'll burn everything to the ground…

The Siren’s Kiss by Leslie Vedder

Dead Shot Rayleigh has spent the last three years bound to a cursed ship after crossing the sea god Red-Handed Roger. Her only hope for freedom is to find his long-ago stolen heart―which means taking on his sworn enemy, the Sea Witch.

But Rayleigh’s not the only one with a score to settle… Fiery mermaid Maren is also searching for the Sea Witch, determined to bargain for the soul of her lost brother. 

When Rayleigh and Maren’s separate missions bring them together, sparks fly, and all their plans go up in flames. Now they’ll have to join forces to survive.

Find the Sea Witch. Steal the heart. And don’t fall for your enemy, no matter how irresistible she is. How hard can it be?

The Heart Trials by J. Elle

Welcome to The Heart Trials. The prize is love. The cost is everything.

In Ethyria the highborn may love; the lowborn may only feel what the Benevolent allows.

Saltblood lowborn Axira Merreri survives the decaying districts by keeping her heart locked tight, couriering goods by day—and smuggling the ruler’s euphoric Heartfillers to the highborn by night. Until a drop goes wrong and her execution looms.

When she strikes a dangerous bargain to steal something from the Tournament of Hearts, a ruthless dating competition to gain highborn citizenship, she enters. Not for love. For freedom. But as the twisted allure of the competition turns deadly, an unexpected connection cracks her defenses, forcing her to confront a truth she fears: In a regime built on engineered happiness, the most dangerous weapon she has is her heart.

New York Times bestselling author J. Elle delivers a breathless series opener that is bold, bone-chilling, and wholly original as it explores what happens when the heart becomes the empire’s sharpest blade.

A Fall to Remember by Ellie Alexander

Miranda Brown never meant to become famous. She just wanted a quiet vacation―a rare break from running The Green Grocer, the cozy market that's been the heart of Half Moon Bay, California, for three generations. But when her spectacularly terrible travel photos go viral, Miranda becomes an unlikely internet sensation.

Now a major travel company wants her to cover her hometown's beloved Fall Harvest Festival, sending the charming (and undeniably handsome) Jim Cole to help capture her authentic, imperfect magic on camera.

As golden leaves fall and the scent of apple cider fills the air, Miranda finds that being yourself is harder than it looks―especially when she's falling for Jim. But when she learns his job depends on this campaign's success, she must decide: are his feelings real, or is she just part of his marketing plan?

September 3

Flirty Fall Fling by Lyra Parish

I read the grumpy skeptic's fortune in the bottom of a coffee cup. The grounds say he'll find true love, but I tell him to expect a flirty fall fling…

In my defense, he thinks I'm a fraud and made it clear he doesn't believe in l-o-v-e. I try to forget him, but he keeps appearing wherever I go. Then he offers me five grand per hour to break a family curse he swears is real. Considering I need the money to repair the roof of my haunted manor, I help him.

Our sessions end before the autumn equinox, and instead of walking away he proposes a new deal: be each other's until Halloween. Against my better judgment, I agree, but with strict rules.

Between sneaking around at the apple orchard and finding each other in the hay maze, I catch myself not wanting to keep him my dirty little secret. The town's meddling matchmakers don't know their beloved Jamie is Jameson Cross, a billionaire in hiding. Or that he's in my bed every night. When the paparazzi track him down and the tabloids leak that he's dating a witch, his bags are already packed for New York.

The cup said he'd find his forever, and I don't believe it's me. Magically, the stubborn man who's never been able to commit to anyone longer than thirty days is determined to prove me wrong.

And I think the universe might be on his side. Pfft.

Falling for Mr. October by Angela Casella

The whole town’s falling for the famous Shirtless Chef. Even his fake girlfriend.

Bianca
Call me suspicious, but I know something’s up when my nonna’s former best friend shows up at our house for an extended stay with her adult grandson Giovanni. Nonna says we’re lucky they’re going to “help out” with our failing family farm for the fall. I don’t buy it. No man would abandon his life to play his grandmother’s vacation companion.

Is Giovanni gorgeous?
Yes.

Charming?
Yes, and he’s always cooking for us.

But he’s definitely hiding something, and one day at our pumpkin patch, I discover his secret:
Giovanni was recently unmasked as the anonymous YouTube sensation known as The Shirtless Chef.

Everyone back home knows, so he left to escape the chaos.

Too bad the chaos follows him, and now I’m part of it.

Giovanni

I didn’t mean to kiss Bianca.

I definitely didn’t mean to kiss her in front of a photographer, but one stolen snap later, everyone’s insisting that I came to Apple Ridge for her.

I'm about to clear it up when she begs me not to—
The farm is failing, and a fake relationship with an accidental celebrity could solve her problems.

So I agree.

The next thing I know, I’m crowned the town’s Mr. October, Bianca and I are drowning in fall festivals, and I’m falling for a woman I know I’ll have to leave.

September 8

The Incendiary by LJ Claren

A searing slow-burn romantasy packed with yearning and heartbreak, non-stop action and devastating plot twists, The Incendiary is the sequel to bestselling BookTok phenomenon The Silversmith.

They thought she was powerless. Now she is unstoppable.

Everything that Ary thought she knew was a lie…

She has been caged and controlled, lied to by the ones she loved. Now she is finally free—with untamed magic sparking in her veins.

They say she is destined to lead an army against corrupted darkness. They say the man she loves is dangerous—that she will never see him again.

But Ary is done listening to what they say.

She will choose her own destiny.

It’s time for her to burn…

Read my ARC review of The Incendiary here.

Tempest by Victoria Aveyard

Cat Rose knows what it is to live in two worlds, in two times. Before—as Lady Catrine Rose of the Meridian Empire, chained to a loathsome lord with a dwindling fortune. And after—as the Widow Rose, queen of a pirate tavern in the Lyrian Sea, determined to be the master of her own fate.

But tides turn and winds change. The Meridian Empire looms on the horizon, the full weight of her navy falling on the Lyrian, bent on reclaiming the wealthy colonies and crushing the pirate republic once and for all. Ship after ship is captured, save for one, captained by a pirate who continually evades both noose and blade: the legendary Valerian Kane.

With his fearsome ship and uncanny connection to the song of the sea, Valerian is the only man who might rally the pirates who remain. The only man who threatens the Empire. And the only man Cat has ever loved, blazing in and out of her life like a star.

Desperate for victory, the Empire offers Cat a devastating choice: bring them Valerian or hang. In truth, no choice at all.

But Cat Rose is nothing if not a survivor.

A storm is rising on the Lyrian. What will it leave in its wake?

Meet Cute Magic by Morgan Elizabeth

She's a witch who can’t fall in love without getting her heart broken. He holds a grudge like no other.

Bookstore owner Rosie Mayfield wants a love of her own, but it’s not meant to be––because of her family's curse. To break it, she conjures a ghost who will break her curse, but for a cost––she has to brew a potion to help him transition to the other side. The problem? There’s only one person who hates Rosie in all of Heartwood Hollow, and she needs his help to complete the required task.

Jack Haggerty, the ghost’s grandson, has lamented about Rosie for years––she’s a disaster and she’s forbidden from visiting his gaming shop. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he’s stunned when his beloved grandfather makes an appearance. While he loves his family and will do anything to help his grandpa, he fights against the chemistry brewing between him and Rosie until he can’t anymore. But he doesn’t know how to tell her he no longer wants to go through with the plan, and she won’t admit that she’s falling for him because they’re doomed from the start.

Break Point by Ginger Scott

Tennis is my life. Work hard. Win clean. Trust no one but yourself. That’s how you become number one.

Too bad Cordon University only worships Bryson Moss―the golden boy quarterback I’ve despised since our train wreck of a first meeting three years ago.

Now he wants a favor I can’t afford to refuse. His sister’s dating app needs a power couple for launch, and I need the cash to stay in school.

The contract is simple: fake the romance, fool the internet, cash the checks.

Except our chemistry isn’t fake. The banter, the tension, the way he looks at me when no one’s watching―it’s all devastatingly real. When we go viral, the pressure intensifies. And when my body betrays me on the court, threatening everything I’ve worked for, Bryson won’t let me quit.

I’ve always believed champions stand alone.

But what if falling for my enemy is the bravest thing I’ve ever done?

A Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny) by Tiffany Hunt

Kazimir and Arabella embark on a honeymoon where the only thing more dangerous than their enemies are their growing feelings for each other in this deliciously wicked and riotously funny second book in the Guides to Villainy and Love romantasy series that’s Assistant to the Villain meets Dreadful.

Step Four: Take her on a honeymoon.
Step Five: Learn to co-villain effectively.
Step Six: Try not to get possessed by ancient evil.

Now bound by marriage and the formidable power of the Heirloom, Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose and his Dark Lady Arabella are the realm’s most feared and chaotic power couple. And after years of scheming, Kazimir is poised to conquer Solandris. But when the Alchemist calls in a debt, Kaz is forced to postpone his reign of terror or face consequences even he can’t escape.

Arabella declares it the perfect opportunity for the honeymoon she was never promised. But their villainous getaway soon devolves into mayhem involving mass kidnappings, uncomfortable truths about Kazimir’s demonic past, and a talented pastry chef with heroic blood who won’t stop baking scones.

As if that weren’t enough, Kazimir’s mind is also filling with whispers not his own, while Arabella secretly tries to recover her stolen memories. But the greatest threat may be those three dangerous little words that could shatter their carefully constructed walls…and unleash an evil that destroys them all.

Level Up for Love by Lenora Woods

In college, Reagan Riley and Wesley Locke were constantly at each other’s throats, competing to be the best in their video game design program—until Wesley ghosts her after their unexpected hookup, severing their ties for good.

Six years later, Reagan has set aside her game design dreams, opting instead to stay close to her family in Connecticut and channel her creative energy into D&D. When her longstanding group falls apart, she and her sister join their local game store's new advanced campaign—only to find the demanding Dungeon Master at the helm is none other than Wesley. In the game, he is Vadrien, a merciless, power-hungry vampire lord, and Reagan is Sindra, the sword-wielding lady knight who will stop at nothing to cut him down.

When a game design opportunity opens up in the real world, Reagan and Wesley find themselves doubly pitted against each other. But as their buried spark reignites and Reagan starts to question why Wesley left all those years ago, can they find a way to play nice—and are they playing for more than just to win?

Direct Action by Riley Edwards

Ryan Strong is a former Navy SEAL, bar owner, and the last man Chloe Baughman should want.

He’s her boss. She’s his employee. And he’s been very, very careful to keep it that way.

But when Chloe takes a second job at the Vault―a high-end club Ryan’s quietly investigating―his protective instincts go into overdrive. Because the Vault isn’t just a club. It’s a front. And Chloe is in deeper than she knows.

Chloe isn’t reckless. She’s desperate. Her father’s Alzheimer’s care doesn’t come cheap, and the tips at the Vault are too good to pass up. She never expected to stumble into a human trafficking ring―or to need rescuing by the brooding alpha who signs her paychecks.

Ryan calls in his ex-SEAL crew. The mission is clear. But so is something else: He’s not just fighting to save her life. He’s fighting for a chance at something more.

Wicked Endeavor by Kamilah Cole

Caya lived a charmed life under the protection of Coventry’s royal family ... until the three witch Houses seized power and wiped them out.

Now eighteen, she’s ready to take revenge. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, Caya slips into the witches' glittering world under a new identity: Marisol Vinyet, a disarmingly beautiful aristocrat. As Marisol, she'll attend the annual Coronet, the witches’ cutthroat social season designed to strengthen their power. Even the prince of neighboring Domingo―Tomás Castellan―will attend, just in time for “Marisol” to kill him.

After all, his family set the witches upon Coventry in the first place.

But Tomás is more charming than Caya anticipated. Worse the prince is protected by her estranged childhood friend, Bas Arroyo, who stirs up frustrating feelings that waver between attraction and hatred.

To destroy the witches from within, Caya will have to keep her identity hidden, her heart in check, and her mission front and center. Because even though she’s made herself a weapon, she might be the one to bleed.

Love Felt LikeThisby Julie Olivia

Griffin Harvey lives his life in the spotlight. Reluctantly. The brooding famous singer-songwriter is on the cusp of composing his sophomore album . . . if only he could find the notes. But after gaining custody of his two-year-old daughter, the only music he’s writing is about shapes and counting to ten.

Enter Beverly, who lives her life in the background producing children’s television and laughter. Except joy is hard to find when her nonprofit loses funding. She sinks all of her savings to revive the children’s show by herself, but when her variety show appearance collides with Griffin’s, their banter and chemistry is caught on live television.

Suddenly, Griffin is singing a new tune. He needs a muse, and Beverly needs all the help she can get. With his secret daughter in tow, they hide out in her cozy mountain hometown, attempting to script, compose, and revive television magic. Their dynamic shouldn’t work. He’s all harsh tattoos and rough hands while she’s bright colors and gentle touches. Once their three months of work are done, they’ll return to their separate worlds. But what happens when it seems the true magic might be found in each other?

Big Bad Wolf by Laurie Gilmore

The darker the woods, the bigger the secrets…

Ruby Bellerose lives on the edge of the woods, in a cottage more akin to a fairy tale than modern day life. Her love life is practically non-existent, and she keeps away from the whispered gossip that travels through Maple Hollow.

Until a chance encounter with Rafe.

As mysterious as he is brooding, Ruby is drawn to the woodsman, curious to find out about the stranger who lives deep within the woods.

But Rafe is hiding a secret. And with something lurking in the shadowy forest, will Ruby find that Rafe is her knight in shining armor, or something altogether more dangerous…

September 10

Pretty Savage by Lexi Davis

Getting sucked into a secret society was bad.
Falling for its ruthless heir was worse.

Now I’m part of a secret society preparing to brand me, bind me to him, and turn our most intimate promise into a public ritual.

Carrson will destroy anyone who threatens me. But the enemy is no longer one man. It’s the world that made him, the father he can’t escape, and the secrets buried in my own blood.

To survive, I have to learn The Order’s rules faster than they can use them against me. I must decide which truths to hide, which alliances to risk, and how far I’m willing to go to claim a future with the man I love.

Carrson thinks he’s the dangerous one.
He’s about to discover I can be savage too.

Pretty Savage is an obsessive secret society dark romance with a ruthless, morally gray hero who is only soft for her, touch-her-and-die possessiveness, dangerous rituals, forced bonding, an us-against-the-world romance, and an increasingly powerful heroine. It is the second book in The Order series and should be read after Pretty Vicious.

Want more from this world? Read the prequel Pretty Ruthless, set thirty years before the events of Pretty Vicious. She’s an outsider on the hunt for answers. He’s the cruel, reluctant ruler who will one day become Carrson’s father. When these two collide, sparks fly and blood spills.

You’re not ready for what happens next.

Fall Lover by L. B. Dunbar

Neve Snowe doesn't need to settle down. She is already settled in her small harbor town, with a cozy beach cottage and part ownership in the family-run auto repair shop. She doesn't want a man, but she likes them. And she has one golden rule: only sleep with flatlanders. You know, the guys who never intend to stay in Lovewell Landing, only use the coastal area for a brief holiday.

And the last thing she desired was the unexpected . . . to be expecting.

Tate Love spent his summers in Lovewell Landing as a teenager, but somehow he'd missed the beautiful girl who turned into a spunky woman, daring him to jump into the icy ocean one New Year's Eve, then slept with him near the town's sacred well, holding spell-binding waters.

He never thought he'd see her again, until nine months later, a business prospect brings him back to the area.

Now, the man who longs to be tied down finds that one night planted the seed to everything he ever wanted, while he holds the pen that could sign away all she's ever loved.

September 14

Yours Truly Fall by S. L. Scott

Agreeing to help Brandon Culver recover from his injury seemed harmless enough.

Sure, he's a firefighter and Mountain Laurel Cove's most eligible bachelor. But I'm too busy focusing on my nursing career to be distracted by a handsome face.

Unfortunately, Brandon is a lot more than a great face.

He's steady. Dependable. He's the kind of man who remembers the little things and shows up when it matters. His easy confidence is comforting. His quiet strength makes me feel safe. And the way he looks at me makes me question everything I thought I wanted.

But I'm in his home to care for him, not fall for him.

One tiny slip could ruin all the plans I've meticulously made for my life. Romance is a fool's game and if I'm anything, I'm level-headed. Until his heated gaze and lingering touch threaten to turn the electricity between us into a five-alarm fire.

If I'm not careful, I might be the one getting burned.

September 15

Grim Tidings by B. K. Borison

Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good ... if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.

Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.

But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.

A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall.

Fall Me Maybe by Laney Hatcher

Unexpected sparks fly and a back seat gets put to good use when a small-town sweetheart falls head-first for her ride-share driver.

I’m supposed to be dating. Doing my level best to find The One™

While I try to give all the guys on my dating app a fighting chance, I might accidentally be falling in love with my ride-share driver instead.

Between disaster first dates and getting stood up and ghosted, I’ve become friends with one of the only car service drivers in my tiny hometown of Cozy Creek, Colorado.

Maybe I’m looking forward to my dating fails because it means more time with Noah, the guy I can’t stop thinking about. While guarded and cautious, he draws me in with his dry humor and reluctant smiles. But for some reason, Noah’s presence in town is a mystery--a secret he isn’t ready to tell.

You’re not supposed to fall in love with the guy driving you to your potential happily ever after. But, unfortunately, nobody told my heart that.

Fall Me Maybe is part of the Cozy Creek Collection of small-town standalones. It is a steamy, full-length romantic comedy.

Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee

With a new virus spreading and a lockdown on the horizon, Maisie Bennett is determined to check one item off her bucket list: Get laid. But that’s no easy feat for an anxious doomsday prepper who’s never made it past a first date. So when a handsome, stubbly-jawed professor swipes right and agrees to meet up, Maisie vows to act normal—and to leave her taser at home.

Dr. Everett Greer has lost all lust for life after a personal tragedy, but he doesn’t have the heart to stand up the poor woman his best friend catfished to force him back “out there.” Maisie turns out to be surprisingly lovely, but there's something off about her, too, with her clinking cargo pockets, shy smile, and utility belt full of—are those weapons? Unfortunately, their awkward first date goes from bad to doomed when the GI virus that’s trapped half of America in the bathroom starts claiming its first casualties, then reanimates them into flesh-eating zombies. And this is precisely why Everett doesn't date anymore.

As the country spins out of control, Maisie and Everett find themselves an unlikely team of two—well, three, if you count Everett’s cat, Chicken—as they travel north to hopeful safety. Along the way, Maisie and Everett make a deal: she’ll teach the soft, liberal arts professor how to survive, and he’ll teach her how to live—through movies, travel, and, to Maisie’s delight, sex lessons. But when their growing feelings are put to the test, they’re in danger of losing not only their brains to the zombies, but worse, their hearts to each other.

What You Made Me Do by Kay Marie

He’s my archnemesis. And my lifeline.

I came to Swiftmore University to reinvent myself after the accident that shattered my life—not fall in a lake on night one and get rescued by Nox Monroe. Swimming golden boy. My roommate’s infuriating twin. And the boy whose bedroom window looks directly into mine.

Now he knows my secret. I’m a marine biology major who's terrified to swim.

He calls me a distraction. I call him an arrogant know-it-all with abs.

Pranks and petty revenge turn to all-out war until we strike a deal. He’ll help me pass my scuba test if I’ll stop interfering with his training. It’s supposed to be temporary. Strictly business.

But the deeper he pulls me into the water—hands on my waist, voice steady in my ear, teaching me how to breathe again—the harder it is to remember why we even hate each other in the first place.

And the worst part?

I’m starting to think he never did.

If Not You by Ellen O’Clover

Mattie French has always known how to tell a good story. It’s why she stopped at nothing to land her dream career as a copywriter at a scrappy independent advertising agency. In fact, if it weren’t for one person, Mattie would probably be the most-talked-about rising star in town.

Campbell Porter is a senior copywriter at Chicago’s slickest agency. Absurdly talented, incredibly aware of it, and the bane of Mattie’s existence since they were interns together, Campbell is always just…there, with his golden-boy smirk and the familiar gaze that never fails to taunt her across a crowded room.

Mattie would love nothing more than to avoid Campbell forever. But when their agencies are pitted against each other to compete for a luxury resort account, it’s her chance to prove she can beat him—and earn the promotion she covets.

During the month of travel required for the pitch, Mattie and Campbell are thrown together as fierce competitors and, slowly, as unexpected witnesses to each other’s hidden wounds and softest parts. As their trip barrels toward its final pitch, Mattie is forced to confront the increasingly obvious truth: the story she’s crafted for her and Campbell over the years might need a new ending.

September 18

Queen of War and Ruin by Meredith Hart

Her kingdom is gone. Her war is just beginning.

Zarek spent his entire life being useful. To King Malrik. To the court of Vsenrog. To the lie that kept him alive. He knew exactly what he was: a weapon in prince’s clothing, with no kingdom, no name, and no future worth claiming.

Then he married Lilias, the princess of Marion. And everything he knew about himself started to unravel.

Lilias survived her arranged marriage to the assassin prince. She survived poison, kidnapping, and the powerful men who pulled the strings behind every dark scheme.

But falling for the man she was forced to marry? That she might not survive.

Now Lilias is a fugitive, riding hard for a kingdom that no longer exists. And the man at her side, the husband she tried not to care about, is changing in ways neither of them understand, unlocking something dangerous in his blood.

Marion has fallen. Malrik’s armies are on the march, helped by an ancient elf who wants to turn Zarek into something even more dangerous than the assassin snake he once was. And the careful distance Lilias and Zarek kept between them for so long is gone.

There’s nowhere left to hide. From their enemies, from the war closing in around them, or from the explosive connection growing between them.

Read my review of book 1 Bride of Ash and Dust here.

The Fall Classic by Kate Watson

He spent six months looking for the beautiful, bookish girl who dropped a patch.
Finding her was the easy part.

Logan

I grip too hard.

My pitch. My family. Even the memory of Georgie, the girl I met six months ago at a Spring Training fan event. The girl with the dimpled smile, the coffee-shop patch pinned to her Chucks, and a beat-up paperback in her hands.

While I should be working on the spiraling anxiety wrecking my pitch, I find myself looking for Georgie instead. In every ballpark. Every coffee shop. Every city our team passes through.

Then I get sent down to the minors, walk into a coffee shop that feels like home—
And there she is.

Suddenly, my anxiety takes a back seat to the gorgeous girl who wears her grief like a badge of honor instead of something to hide.

But when you’ve spent your whole life gripping the things you’re afraid to lose, how do you know the difference between holding someone…

and holding on too hard?

Georgie

A dream is a wish that breaks your heart, which is why I don't let myself dream.

My mother’s gone. My stepmother runs her coffee shop now. And I stopped believing in more a long time ago.

Then a handsome baseball player spends thirty minutes talking books with me, and I spend six months trying to forget him. Until one night, he walks into my coffee shop with my name already on his lips, and suddenly, I can’t make my heart stop wanting things I know I can’t have.

Somewhere between bookish debates, quinceañera dance floors, and a Jeep the color of a pumpkin, I start letting myself believe.

But when Logan gets called up to the Majors in time for the World Series—the Fall Classic itself—everything changes.

He’s about to live the dream he’s chased his whole life.
I’ve limited mine to this sleepy Southern town.

It’s classic, all right.
Classic heartbreak.

September 22

Harbinger by Geneva Lee

Arden Icaros was never supposed to matter. From the poorest of five noble bloodlines, she prefers life on the family farm with dirt under her nails over the fine dresses at court. She just needs to get through one boring ceremony, inherit her earth magic, and return home.

Instead, she's handed a dagger and with it, an impossible choice.

Now Arden is branded an omen of war, half the nobility wants her dead, and assassins are tracking her every move.

Her only chance of survival lies with the most feared man in Antares.

They call him Bishop. No one remembers the name he had before he dedicated his life to his order. Empowered to execute first and question later, Bishop is ruthless, terrifying, and utterly loyal to the kingdom that wants Arden dead.

He should kill her.

Instead, he offers her sanctuary.

But the longer Arden stays under Bishop's protection, the more dangerous he becomes. Because Bishop has secrets powerful enough to topple kingdoms...and a need for Arden that could ruin them both.

Free Falling by Lyra Sage

Clarke Cartwright probably needs to get out more. She just has a lot to do. Running Toade’s Antiques is no small feat, especially considering that the roof is in shambles and half her merchandise is unsellable. But dealing with that feels easier than her other option: chatting it up with the ghost of her childhood crush’s father, who just can’t seem to leave her alone.

Leith Wilkes has spent his life preparing to take over his family’s farm. Well, he’s actually spent most of his life flirting, but now he’s ready to buckle down, which has nothing to do with an oddly specific clause that his dad left in his inheritance. Leith is pretty sure he’s the only one who knows about it . . . until Clarke drunkenly spills that she knows, too, along with a bunch of other Wilkes family secrets.

Leith starts to wonder if there’s more to Clarke than she lets on . . . and if his dad has something to do with it. And if she is keeping secrets of her own, maybe she won’t mind helping him with his.

The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy

It’s time to pay the Piper.

Our world cracked open like an egg. Power burst out, and with it, nine monstrous Banes ready to destroy everything. The powerful Core fae finally slayed them all, but each Bane left a Plague to punish us.

But that’s not the only thing they left behind.

I’m half Bane, half fae, and wholly hated. Survival means enduring every vicious glare and cursed outbreak. Until one day, a Plague descends upon my city that means certain death.

Then he comes. The Pied Piper.

He rids my city of the Plague, but it comes at a cost. One hundred and thirty people are taken as payment. Including me.

I don’t know what he’s going to do to us, but I know I have to get home. My family’s lives depend on it. But the Piper won’t let me go, and something wicked stirs between us. The sweet scent in my veins beckons him, while the seductive lure of his magic sinks under my skin.

I have to escape before it’s too late. Because if I don’t, it’s not just my heart at risk…

But the entire world.

Prey for Me by Allie Oleander

No deity has ever compelled Caine Underwood to drop to his knees in worship like Margot Walker does. Ever since the Halloween when she played Red Riding Hood to his Big Bad Wolf, he’s been chasing her attention—and betting that he can build a haunt so terrifying she won’t make it through. Now, Margot’s single and Caine’s pulling out all the stops to win their annual wager, and he wants her for his prize.

Margot understands fear. Six years ago, she unveiled her televangelist ex-husband’s sins, and the situation turned bloody. Now, being hunted and devoured by Caine isn’t terrifying, it’s arousing...but the haunted house director isn’t the only one trying to scare her.

Taunting threats commanding her to confess, repent, and atone for her sins start arriving, and when Caine discovers a zealot from Margot’s past is stalking her every move, his anger is lethal.

There’s only one man allowed to haunt Margot...

Him.

Well Versed by Jen DeLuca

Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire—the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright—the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.

When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn't realize how much he’d fallen for her until he let her go, and he certainly didn't know he’d tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won’t be so easy to let go of this summer fling.

But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin’s always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn’t know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say “huzzah”?

September 29

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros

The next book in the blockbuster Empyrean series, Threshing Day contains thirteen stories starring your favorite characters and their dragons. The deluxe first edition includes sixteen beautiful original full-color illustrations by artist Joe Requeza. This breathtaking collectible is available only in the US and Canada while supplies last.

Kneel Before Me by Lindsay Straub

Daphne never meant to want him― 

the monster who could destroy her… 

and the only one who never would.

Now they're both caught between 

Their duties and their love.

Daphne Verus never planned to compete for the prince.

Now she's expected to trade the safety of her village for the caves beneath the mountain and be trained by Kronos Seneca―a basilisk who could overpower her, bite her, turn her to stone…but who also sees her better than anyone ever has and wants her despite himself.

The only rule between them is the one she sets: no sex.

She's spent her whole life giving herself to men who didn't deserve it. Kronos is a monster by nature. But he honors her word when no one else ever has, and that is the most dangerous thing about him.

Because if Daphne lets herself feel, she might discover she's capable of love after all.

And if Kronos claims her, he risks destroying everything―including his own chance at the crown.

Endgame by Willa Gray

She’s about to proposition a famous hockey player…

Eleanor Ford is ready for a fresh start. Away from her dead-end relationship, her grieving dad, and the city that so deeply reminds her of her mom. Things are off to a good start when she hooks up with the hottest guy she’s ever met.

…and she has no idea.

Matthew Anderson feels like a ticking time bomb. At thirty-six, he’s pushing the envelope for a pro athlete and he knows it. But deciding when to call it quits and what to do after? It’s a decision he thinks might send him into an early midlife crisis.

Then Ellie comes barreling into his world and he feels like his priorities might be changing. The catch? Ellie’s not interested in dating a hockey player and he doesn’t know why.

Can Matt convince Ellie he’s endgame material? Or will his first love—hockey—ruin everything?

In the Dark by Shain Rose

He was only supposed to be a secret fling.
A forbidden kiss stolen in the dark . . .
Not the cold-blooded monster who betrayed me.

Callahan Knight is the Diamond Syndicate’s perfect weapon with honed muscles, lethal control, and merciless loyalty. Even when taking out a rival cartel’s capo—my uncle—he doesn’t flinch. He shatters my family without hesitation, and I swear I’ll never forgive him for that.

But the Syndicate doesn’t care about my hatred. To secure their power, they demand more: A vow of marriage or watch everything we love get destroyed.

Now I’m the unwilling bride living in the luxurious prison of Paradise Grove with the man I refuse to call my soon-to-be husband. Instead, he’s the villain. Enemy number one. My tormentor . . .

But also maybe my undoing.

Because when he looks at me with the same fire we once shared, I can’t decide if I want to kill him . . . or kiss him.

Yet, I refuse to be distracted by his touch or piercing gaze. Instead, I’ll play the part, wear the ring, and say my vows all while I dig for his greatest weakness.

Because he may be the Syndicate’s deadliest weapon—

But I’m just as lethal as the monster I have to marry.

Cursed City by Kate Golden

Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner.

Viv Abbot will do whatever it takes to rescue Reid Graveheart, the reformed Brood demon she loves—even if it means teaming up with his violent, unpredictable older brother, Deacon. Her uneasy truce with him offers Viv something Reid never could: the chance to embrace her darkness.

As the search for Reid intensifies, Viv and her friends must maintain appearances on Harker grounds while wading into Astera's seedy underbelly with none other than the White Stag as their guide. But when a bounty on Viv's head puts those she cares about most in danger, Viv will be forced to go to lengths she never dreamed in order to protect them.

With enemies closing in from all sides and a ticking clock on her life, Viv must save the Half City from destruction while surviving a betrayal that strikes at the heart of everything she’s fighting for. Because in a world where monsters wear familiar faces and temptation cuts deeper than any blade, making it through her second semester at Harker will take more than skill—it will take everything Viv has left to give. Who can she really trust in a city that thrives on lies?

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake

Sasha Sinclair is used to being alone. Her parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, leaving her with a legacy she’s been unable to live up to. Instead, she spends her time with casual hookups and odd jobs as she travels around the country. But she can’t stop thinking about her parents’ dream project and is determined to make it a reality: the story of Alice Bishop in Clare Mountain, North Carolina.

Margot Bishop is not a witch, contrary to the town’s century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up to Clare Mountain in 1901 and opened Thornrose Apothecary, the town was flummoxed by this strange enigma of a woman, calling her the Rose Witch. Now, the Bishops also run Ghostlight, an occult-themed amusement park that fully leans into the rumors.

Despite the draw of the Rose Witch and the haunted Thornrose Woods where Alice had lived, however, the Bishops’ businesses aren’t doing well. When Margot’s mother comes up with a solution—a documentary film about their family—Margot can’t get on board, not when her family’s legacy is at stake. Even worse, she’s deemed the point person for Sasha, the charming, peppy wannabe-filmmaker. But as they spend more time together, diving deeper into the true story of Alice Bishop, the ice slowly melts and their relationship turns into a heart-fluttering rollercoaster ride, one they aren’t sure they want to get off.

How to Ruin a Rake by Kate Pearce

But is her all-wrong scoundrel actually her Mr. Right?

Lady Allegra Musgrove has resigned herself to never marrying. Creating a scandal worked out well for her sister, Carenza, now happily wed after advertising for a no-strings-attached arrangement with a willing gentleman from the ton. But the fallout has landed squarely on poor Allegra, who is ordered to leave London for her family home in the countryside.

Sometimes, though, fate comes knocking—or, in Allegra’s case, a rake who abducts her as part of a men’s club drunken wager!

Furious, Allegra quickly takes charge when their speeding carriage overturns and her masked captor is revealed: Lord Max Devereux, a notorious ne’er-do-well who pays his way out of trouble and beds women with impunity.

Suddenly sober, Max wants to forget the whole debacle and return Allegra to the city. Obviously, Allegra is aware that there could be no one worse to be stuck with in the middle of nowhere than such a rake, especially one so . . . experienced. Or . . . could there be no one better?

Florescentia by I.V. Ophelia

In the bioluminescent, star-worshipping city of Astraea, inventor and occultist Lucia Fairfax harvests a particular currency from the shadows―luck itself―drawn from a dimension she calls the Otherside. But when her latest ritual fails and her husband dies tragically, her carefully cultivated fortune bleeds dry.

Lucia’s desperate to restore her power, but her next ritual goes catastrophically wrong, summoning something far more dangerous: Altair, a cosmic entity born of an ancient constellation. He is both human and not―impossibly seductive, unnervingly sentient, and the key to restoring what she’s lost: a way to the Otherside.

Crossing into Altair’s realm is the most dangerous thing Lucia has ever done―and the most irresistible. There, she unravels the intoxicating secrets of the Otherside, the disturbing truth about her abilities, and the terrifying depth of his hunger. But with each revelation, escape slips further from reach. Trapped between worlds, Lucia must confront a devastating reality: Love, desire, and ambition all have their price. And Altair is eager to collect.

Which September Release Is Going Straight to the Top of Your TBR?

Narrowing this list down to my own top priorities was harder than it should have been. Between The Incendiary finally landing, Victoria Aveyard's new pirate romance, and enough small town harvest festivals to fill an entire fall reading season, my book budget is not going to make it out of September unscathed.

So tell me, which one are you preordering first? Drop a comment below or find me on Instagram and TikTok at @momneedsachapter and let me know what's topping your list. And keep watching my Instagram this month. Between the Aveyard and Claren tour stops, I'm hoping to put together a signed book giveaway or two, so stay tuned for that. If you want first access to ARC reviews, spoiler recaps, and release roundups before they hit the blog, follow along on Pinterest, where I'm pinning cover reveals and TBR graphics all month long.