September 2025 Romance Book Releases: Dark Romance & Rom-Coms and More
September is shaping up to be a month no romance reader will want to miss! From sizzling enemies-to-lovers stories to dark romance books that keep you on the edge of your seat, this month’s releases are some of the best romance books to add to your TBR. Whether you’re craving cozy small-town charm, supernatural suspense, or high-stakes passion, there’s a story for every mood.
And for collectors and superfans, many of these titles are being released in deluxe limited editions, featuring beautifully decorated spines, sprayed edges, foil accents, and even full-color jackets or art inserts. These special editions aren’t just good books to read—they’re stunning keepsakes you’ll want to display on your shelves. Between the stories and the collectible details, September’s romance releases promise something for both your heart and your bookshelf.
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September 2025 Romance Releases
It Happened on a Sunday
Author: Tracey Wolfe
Release Date: September 2, 2025
Summary
Pop sensation Sloane Walker has been branded everything from tragic to toxic, but after surviving betrayal, heartbreak, and the ex who nearly destroyed her, she’s learned to hide her pain behind smoky eyeliner and haunting lyrics. Onstage, she’s untouchable. Offstage, she’s barely holding it together.
Enter Mateo Sylvester, the NFL’s newest golden boy whose smile melts cameras and whose grandmother happens to adore Sloane. Their worlds collide in a chance meeting that should’ve been nothing more than a photo op—but Mateo sees past the glitter and shadows, straight to the woman Sloane is desperate to protect.
What begins as an unlikely spark ignites into something neither of them can ignore, even as the spotlight—and the people closest to them—threaten to tear them apart.
Raw, emotional, and unforgettable, It Happened on a Sunday is a story of fame, survival, and the dangerous magic of falling in love when the world is watching.
Wild Reverence
Author: Rebecca Ross
Release date: September 2
Summary
In a world where gods wage bloody wars for power, Matilda—youngest of her divine clan—has survived by keeping her head down. Gifted only with messenger magic, she carries letters across realms while guarding a secret that could cost her everything. Vulnerability is dangerous, and trust is rarer than peace among gods.
But Vincent of Beckett once slipped past her defenses. A mortal lord now infamous for his sharp tongue and hardened heart, Vincent was once a boy who dreamed of her in his darkest hours. Ten years have passed since those fleeting dream-conversations, and he no longer believes in goddesses who answer prayers—until Matilda literally falls into his world with a letter that changes everything.
Drawn together by fate and an undeniable bond, Matilda and Vincent are thrust into a tangled web of divine rivalries, mortal rebellion, and the dangerous possibility of rewriting the brutal ways of the gods. Yet the greatest risk isn’t in the battles they’ll face—it’s in surrendering to love when both have built lives upon walls too high to climb.
Wild Reverence is a sweeping, atmospheric tale of gods and mortals, destiny and defiance, and the courage it takes to open one’s heart in a world that rewards only ruthlessness.
Sweet Heat
Author: Bolu Babalola
Release date: September 2
Summary
Kiki Banjo has made a career out of talking about love—her hit podcast The HeartBeat is where listeners turn for sharp advice, witty commentary, and no-nonsense truths about romance. But off-mic, Kiki’s own love life is far from perfect. Between professional struggles and a heartbreak that still stings, she’s barely holding it together when her best friend’s wedding pulls her into the kind of romantic chaos she usually warns her audience about.
The complication? Malakai. Her ex. The man who once lit her up and then left her burned. Now he’s the best man to her maid of honor, and avoiding him is impossible. Worse, he’s as magnetic as ever—successful, charming, and the last person she wants to admit still gets under her skin.
Forced into close quarters as the wedding countdown begins, Kiki and Malakai clash, banter, and circle each other with a chemistry that refuses to stay buried. But with old wounds still raw and Kiki questioning her future, rekindling what they had could be the riskiest move of all.
Equal parts hilarious, sexy, and deeply heartfelt, Sweet Heat is a second-chance romance about the fire we run from, the love we can’t forget, and the courage it takes to let someone back in when the stakes are higher than ever.
Every Step She Takes
Author: Alison Cochrun
Release date: September 2
Summary
Sadie Wells is thirty-five, exhausted by a life that feels too small, and suddenly questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. When her sister’s injury opens the door for a last-minute escape, Sadie finds herself on a two-hundred-mile trek across Portugal’s Camino de Santiago—except this isn’t just any walking tour. It’s one designed for queer women, and Sadie is about to face the coming-of-age she never had.
Enter Mal: charming, grounded, and very much the same woman Sadie drunkenly spilled her secrets to on the plane ride over. What begins as awkward coincidence soon becomes something more, as Mal offers to help Sadie embrace the queer adolescence she missed out on. Along the winding paths and shared miles, Sadie discovers not just a world beyond her routines, but a version of herself that feels braver, freer, and more alive.
But Mal carries her own grief and unfinished business, and the closer they grow, the more both women must decide if this journey is just temporary—or the start of something lasting.
Tender, funny, and beautifully romantic, Every Step She Takes is a sapphic love story about self-discovery, second chances, and the courage to step into the life—and love—you’ve always wanted.
Summer Skate
Authors: Sean Avery and Leslie Cohen
Release Date: September 9
Summary
Jessica Riley thought a summer in the Hamptons would buy her the peace and inspiration she desperately needs to finish her second novel. Instead, the bestselling author ends up hiding from her own life—her restless kids, her distracted husband, and the crushing pressure of a looming deadline. What she doesn’t expect is for the house next door to be filled with rowdy young hockey players whose late-night antics threaten her fragile retreat.
Among them is Carter Hughes, a rising star on the brink of an NHL career. With raw talent, a dangerous edge, and demons he’s still outrunning, Carter is everything Jessica should avoid—especially as she secretly mines his world for the story that could save her career. But what begins as curiosity and creative fuel quickly ignites into something far more combustible: a connection that threatens to consume them both.
As Jessica’s life teeters on the edge of scandal and Carter’s shot at stardom hangs in the balance, one reckless summer affair could unravel everything they’ve worked for. Passionate, provocative, and brimming with tension, Summer Skate is a scorching sports romance about temptation, ambition, and how far you’ll go when the ice melts and the rules no longer apply.
Wild Card
Author: Elsie Silver
Release date: September 9
Summary
Gwen never expected to see Sebastian Rousseau again. The grumpy, impossibly skilled fire pilot with a rough edge—and her ex-boyfriend’s father—should’ve been nothing more than a fleeting what-if. But fate has other plans. A year after their missed connection, Gwen finds herself under the same roof as the man she’s never been able to forget.
Bash has his hands full trying to repair his fractured relationship with his son, and the last thing he needs is temptation in the form of the one woman he can’t stop wanting. To give in would be the ultimate betrayal. To resist feels impossible.
Every glance lingers too long. Every brush of contact sparks fire. And though they both know the rules, their chemistry doesn’t play by them.
Steamy, forbidden, and full of longing, Wild Card is a dangerously addictive age-gap romance about desire that defies boundaries, the weight of family ties, and the risk of surrendering to the one person you shouldn’t want—but can’t walk away from.
✨ For a limited time, readers can order a Deluxe Edition featuring the signature mountain spine design that matches the rest of the series—a must-have for collectors.
People Watching
Author: Hannah Bonam-Young
Release date: September 9
Summary
Prudence “Prue” Welch has long made her peace with the quiet rhythms of life in Baysville, a quaint tourist town in Northern Ontario. Between her job at her father’s gas station, writing poetry, and caring for her mother—whose early-onset Alzheimer’s has reshaped their family—Prue has built a life of careful routines. But as the familiar patterns begin to crumble, she realizes she might be ready for something more.
Enter Milo Kablukov: a wandering adventurer with a beat-up van, a collection of ill-advised bumper stickers, and a knack for turning lives upside down. Drawn together by curiosity, humor, and undeniable chemistry, Prue and Milo strike an unconventional agreement—one that’s all about exploration, fun, and lessons in letting go.
What starts as a playful, temporary arrangement quickly evolves into something deeper. As Prue and Milo navigate the highs and lows of intimacy, they discover that stepping out of your comfort zone is only half the challenge—the other half is having the courage to take a leap of heart, together.
Sexy, heartfelt, and tenderly emotional, People Watching is a small-town romance about self-discovery, the thrill of new experiences, and learning that sometimes the right person shows up exactly when you need them.
The Gingerbread Bakery
Author: Laurie Gilmore
Release date: September 16
Summary
Annie Andrews has built the perfect little life in Dream Harbor, running her beloved Gingerbread Bakery and savoring the sweet comforts of small-town living. But when it comes to love, her life is anything but sugar and spice—especially with Mac Sullivan, the annoyingly cheerful bar owner next door.
Mac has everything he could want—except Annie. Charming, stubborn, and impossible to resist, she’s the girl he dreams of, yet every encounter seems to end in sparks…of the argumentative kind. With a wedding on the horizon, the two are forced to spend more time together, and the tension between them becomes impossible to ignore.
As snow blankets Dream Harbor and the holidays draw near, Annie and Mac discover that sometimes the person you love to hate might just be the one your heart has been waiting for.
Cozy, charming, and deliciously flirty, The Gingerbread Bakery is a small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance filled with laughter, holiday magic, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
The Heartbreak Hotel
Author: Ellen O’Clover
Release date: September 23
Summary
Louisa Walsh has always been good at finding silver linings. But when her long-term boyfriend dumps her and she loses the home she thought was forever, her optimism is hanging by a thread. Determined not to let go of the only place that’s ever felt like hers, Lou hatches a plan: transform her landlord’s mountain house into a bed-and-breakfast. She just has to convince him first.
Henry Rhodes is a gruff, solitary veterinarian who values his privacy almost as much as he guards his heart. Against his better judgment, he agrees to Lou’s idea—until he learns she’s marketing their new venture as a sanctuary for the brokenhearted. The last thing Henry wants is a revolving door of emotional baggage…yet he can’t seem to resist Lou’s sunshine, or the way she coaxes light into the darkest corners of his world.
As the Comeback Inn fills with guests searching for second chances, Lou and Henry find themselves wrestling with their own. But falling in love while nursing old wounds is risky—and the secrets they’ve buried could cost them everything.
Tender, funny, and brimming with hope, The Heartbreak Hotel is a story of healing, unexpected love, and discovering that sometimes the best way to mend a broken heart is to open it again.
What Fury Brings
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Release date: September 23
Summary
In the kingdom of Amarra, women rule—and men are scarce. After a bloody rebellion wiped out most of the noblemen, tradition demands that would-be queens prove their strength by kidnapping a husband from beyond their borders. For Olerra, warrior princess and heir contender, failure is not an option. To secure her throne, she sets her sights on the perfect prize: the second-born prince of Amarra’s greatest enemy, a man rumored to be as beautiful as he is compliant.
But Sanos is no docile prince. Trained all his life to lead, fight, and uphold his father’s brutal legacy, he wants nothing more than to escape Amarra—and the infuriating woman who dares to claim him as hers. What Olerra sees as strategy, Sanos views as captivity…until their clash of wills sparks into something far more dangerous than either expected.
As treachery brews at court and rivals circle, Olerra and Sanos are caught between duty, desire, and a future neither imagined. To claim the crown, Olerra must risk her heart. To find his freedom, Sanos must question everything he thought he knew about power, loyalty, and love.
Provocative, brutal, and burning with tension, What Fury Brings is a fierce romantasy about enemies bound by fate, lovers forged by fire, and the dangerous alchemy of passion and power.
✨ And for a limited time, readers can order a Deluxe Special Edition featuring stunning sprayed edges—a collector’s must-have.
A Match Made in Coven
Author: Camille Isley
Release date: September 23
Summary
Magical enforcer Sarah Michelle Callidora is used to long nights of spellwork, investigations, and keeping her coven in line. But when a gruesome murder rocks Salem just before Halloween, she finds herself facing her most challenging case yet—and the one person she’s supposed to distrust the most: Lorcan Black, heir to a rival coven and prime suspect in the crime.
Lorcan has more on his plate than just clearing his name. He’s tasked with navigating centuries of family rivalry while working alongside the infuriatingly brilliant and stubborn detective who refuses to see him as anything but the enemy. Yet as they dig deeper into the murder, the sparks flying between them prove that their chemistry might be the most dangerous magic of all.
With time running out, Sarah Michelle and Lorcan must untangle a web of secrets, confront their fears, and decide whether to resist—or surrender to—a forbidden alliance that could ignite a love more powerful than any curse.
Spooky, sizzling, and brimming with supernatural suspense, A Match Made in Coven is an enemies-to-lovers rom-com where magic, murder, and mischief collide.
Tourist Season
Author: Brynne Weaver
Release date: September 23
Summary
Cape Carnage isn’t your typical seaside town. Beneath its charming streets and colorful houses lies a history of trouble—and bodies that never quite stay buried. Harper Starling, skilled gardener and protector of her quirky hometown, has spent years keeping her sanctuary—and her aging mentor—safe from tourists, troublemakers, and anyone who dares threaten her little slice of paradise.
Then comes Nolan Rhodes: handsome, deadly, and on a mission for revenge. A hit-and-run years ago shattered his life, and every anniversary since, he’s been exacting a meticulous, lethal justice. But Harper isn’t the monster he expects—and she’s more than capable of defending her turf.
When a nosy true crime enthusiast descends on Cape Carnage, Harper and Nolan form a fragile alliance: he’ll help protect her town, and she’ll turn a blind eye to his… extracurricular activities. But as their grudging partnership heats into something dangerously intimate, secrets, obsession, and desire collide in ways neither of them can anticipate.
Darkly funny, wickedly suspenseful, and impossible to put down, Tourist Season is a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance where love and danger dance on a knife’s edge—and falling for the wrong person might just be lethal.
Burning Daylight
Author: Emily McIntire
Release date: September 30
Summary
Juliette Calloway has always been the polished jewel of Rosebrook Falls—perfect smile, perfect pedigree, and perfectly trapped in the lies her powerful family spins. She’s desperate to break free of the glittering cage built for her, and one reckless night gives her exactly that: a chance encounter with a man who feels like freedom.
Roman Montgomery shouldn’t exist. Hidden away as the secret heir to his family’s dangerous empire, he was raised in shadows, groomed for vengeance in a generations-old feud with the Calloways. To Juliette, though, he’s just Roman—magnetic, teasing, and impossibly hard to resist. Together, they make a pact: no names, no histories, no strings. Just stolen moments and the kind of chemistry that burns everything else away.
But when Roman is called back to claim his rightful place, their world shatters. The truth of who they are makes their love not only forbidden—it makes it lethal. With blood feuds tightening around them and family loyalties demanding their destruction, Juliette and Roman must decide if their love is worth igniting a war.
Dark, decadent, and brimming with tension, Burning Daylight is a story of forbidden passion, dangerous legacies, and two lovers daring to rewrite history—even if it consumes them.
✨ And for a limited time, readers can order a Deluxe Special Edition featuring stunning sprayed edges—a collector’s must-have for Emily McIntire fans.
House of Rayne
Author: Harley LaRoux
Release date: September 30
Summary
Salem was supposed to be on a tropical honeymoon—but fate has other plans. Stranded on Blackridge Island and drawn to the enigmatic Rayne, she quickly discovers that the remote Balfour Manor holds secrets darker than anyone could imagine. Crimson shadows stalk the halls, eerie voices whisper through the night, and a deadly presence lurks in the surrounding forest. Survival is no longer optional—it’s personal.
Rayne has lived with death as a constant companion. Haunted by the violent deaths of her parents, she knows cruelty intimately. But Salem’s arrival cracks open her carefully guarded walls, and for the first time, Rayne has someone worth protecting. Together, they must navigate not just the supernatural horrors of the island, but the dangerous truths that have long been buried—and awaken forces neither of them anticipated.
Dark, gothic, and sinfully seductive, House of Rayne is a sapphic romance full of suspense, forbidden passion, and deadly secrets—where love might be the only thing strong enough to survive the night.
✨ For a limited time, fans can order the Deluxe Limited Edition Hardcover featuring stenciled edges, a soft-touch cover with gold foiling, full-color printed jacket, a two-page art insert, and beautifully designed endpapers—a must-have for collectors.
Holiday Ever After
Author: Hannah Grace
Release date: September 30
Summary
Clara Davenport has one goal: save her family’s toy company’s reputation and climb the ladder at Davenport Innovation Creative. When her company is accused of stealing a local designer’s doll creation, Clara is sent to Fraser Falls to charm the townspeople—and fix a PR disaster—by any means necessary.
But Jack Kelly isn’t buying it. Less than a year after a fancy-suited stranger promised to support his small business, his design has been copied, and now Clara is on his doorstep trying to convince him—and the whole town—that the Davenports aren’t the enemy. Jack’s frosty exterior and sharp wit make it clear he won’t be fooled twice.
As Clara navigates the small-town charm and holiday festivities, she begins to see that winning over Fraser Falls—and Jack—requires more than a clever pitch. Beneath his icy exterior lies a man who might just thaw her heart, teaching her that sometimes the best plans involve a little magic, a little risk, and a whole lot of love.
Cheerful, romantic, and full of holiday sparkle, Holiday Ever After is a small-town, enemies-to-lovers story about forgiveness, second chances, and discovering that the heart has its own agenda.
Soul Searching
Author: Lyla Page
Release date: September 30
Summary
Collins Cartwright thought she’d left Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, behind for good. But when a developer threatens her parents’ antiques shop, she’s forced to return home—though she keeps the truth about her lost job and empty bank account to herself. To avoid imposing on her family, she rents a room above Brady Cooper’s new upholstery shop, only to discover it’s crawling with ghosts—and they’re not exactly welcoming.
Brady Cooper moved to Sweetwater Peak for a fresh start, a quiet life, and zero complications. Renting out a spare room seemed straightforward…until Collins moves in. Eccentric, captivating, and entirely unpredictable, she’s impossible to ignore. As the two navigate life, lingering secrets, and the restless spirits around them, sparks ignite in unexpected ways.
Haunting, heartwarming, and a little hilarious, Soul Searching is a small-town romance about ghosts, second chances, and the magnetic pull between two people who might just be meant to find their way home together.
Final Thoughts
With so many standout releases this month, there’s never been a better time to dive into new romance, from heart-racing dark romance books to lighthearted small-town tales. The added bonus? Many come in gorgeous special editions that make them perfect for collectors or as gifts for fellow book lovers. These good books to read aren’t just stories—they’re experiences, with every sprayed edge and decorative spine heightening the joy of turning the pages. Don’t miss your chance to discover your next favorite romance and snag a deluxe edition that’s as beautiful as the story inside.