There's no denying that 2020 has been an excellent year for romance reads, and the trend isn't slowing down just because it's December. The best romantic books hitting shelves this month include new releases from the likes of Alyssa Cole and Colleen Hoover, as well as one last holiday read to bring a little cheer into your life before you ring in the new year. Whether you're looking for a love story that will make you swoon, or a supernatural romance that might just break your heart, December's crop of new romance releases [1] is here to give you plenty of reasons to avoid going out in the cold this month.
The Bookworm's Guide to Faking It by Emma Hart
A bookstore owner gets roped in to being her ex-best friend's date to a wedding in The Bookworm's Guide to Faking It [2] by Emma Hart. This sweet and sexy novel includes all of the best tropes: fake dating, second chance romance, and some serious friends to lovers action between the leads.
Out Dec. 1
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole now officially holds the distinction of having written one of the year's best thrillers (When No One Is Watching [3]), and one of the year's best romances thanks to How to Catch a Queen [4]. This steamy novel follows Shanti Mohapi's arranged marriage to the king of Njaza, but despite the powerful attraction Shanti feels to her new husband, these royals have a lot of getting to know each other to do (in every sense of the phrase) before they can lead their country side by side.
Out Dec. 1
How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams
When Professor Naya Turner's friends convince her to spend a night practicing flirting and having a no strings attached hookup to reacquaint herself with the dating scene, the last thing she expects to find is a man who makes her enjoy life again. But that's exactly what happens in Denise Williams's emotional How to Fail at Flirting [5].
Out Dec. 1
It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
Holly Bourne hilariously deconstructs the romance genre in her charming YA rom-com It Only Happens in the Movies [6]. After a bad breakup and dealing with her parents' ongoing divorce, Audrey is done with romance . . . at least she is until her charming coworker Harry enters the picture.
Out Dec. 1
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley
Melody McIntyre is a terrific stage manager, but her penchant for falling hard for the actors in her school's plays usually ends in disaster. That's why she's trying extra hard to deny her feelings for the beautiful and talented Odile Rose in Robin Talley's cosy rom-com, The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre [7].
Out Dec. 1
Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase
Ten Things I Hate About the Duke [8] by Loretta Chase puts a fun new twist on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Cassandra Pomfret's penchant for saying whatever she pleases exasperates her father and the delicate sensibilities of the ton, but she may have finally met her match in the form of a troublemaking duke who weds her to preserve Cassandra's good name.
Out Dec. 1
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens
If you make time for just one holiday read this year, make it Sophie Cousens's This Time Next Year [9]. Minnie Cooper and Quinn Hamilton were both born on New Year's Day in 1990 London, but Quinn arrived first, claiming a cash prize for his parents in the process. Now, 30 years later, Minnie and Quinn's lives appear to be forever entwined, whether they like it or not.
Out Dec. 1
Layla by Colleen Hoover
Layla [10] by Colleen Hoover is a hard book to describe without spoiling the gothic story at its heart. It's best to go into this one knowing as little as possible, but readers should be aware that this is a supernatural romance full of emotional twists designed to completely destroy your heart (but in a good way).
Out Dec. 8
Fairy Godmothers Inc. by Saranna DeWylde
A trio of fairy godmothers play matchmaker in this magical confection of a novel by Saranna DeWylde. Fairy Godmothers Inc. [11] is set in the enchanted town of Ever After, Missouri, where love fuels the town's magic. But when the magic levels start dipping, three fairy godmothers take it upon themselves to nudge a few residents toward their happily ever afters.
Out Dec. 29
Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding
Teddy Spenser definitely doesn't want to fall for anyone in Kim Fielding's swoony Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love [12]. Unfortunately for him, his sexy, but stuffy co-worker Romeo Blue becomes much harder to resist than Teddy ever imagined when he finds himself paired with the engineer on a work project.
Out Dec. 29