R. Nassor may spend more time with books, tea, and ceramic mugs than recommended by professionals but it hasn’t failed her so far. Nassor has a MA in English Literature from Georgetown University, where she looked at the way medieval and early modern literature reappear in fantasy books today. She’s been writing about romance, fantasy, science fiction, and pop culture for quite a while, starting at Book Riot in 2020. She’s also written for Tor.com. You can follow her on Tiktok and contact her through her website.
Undeniably, 2025 has been an excellent year for romance books so far. From contemporary to historical, romantasy to sci-fi romance, some stellar titles have already hit the shelves. In case you missed them, I can guarantee the best romance novels of the year so far will not disappoint.
Book Riot’s official Best Books of 2025 (So Far) collects six months’ worth of fabulous book releases, including some of my own recommendations. I’ve collected some of the romance books on that list here, along with four more of my personal picks for the best romance books of the year so far.
4 of My Picks for the Best Romance Books of the Year So Far
Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam
Best friends reunite and develop something romantic on the set of a DC theater for the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they thought up in college. Award-winning plus-sized lingerie designer and clothing boutique owner Zoe Tran gets a chance to live her dream of becoming a musical costume designer when Derek offers her a job on his set. Directing a show with an all-Asian cast and team will be difficult, and Derek needs the best friend he fell in love with by his side. He wants her back in his life, and working on this show together demonstrates to Zoe that she might just want the same.
A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell
Lowell wrote a sapphic historical Indiana Jones if Indy challenged imperialist ideologies and fought for a more complicated, diverse understanding of historical narratives. When Elfreda bumps into her childhood nemesis, Georgie, she drops the ancient amulet that proves a Viking army passed through her familial lands. Elf needs to find new medieval historical evidence if she wants a chance to lead a career-defining excavation, and Georgie could use the extra funds. Going on an adventure to uncover past treasure will unearth some feelings that could change their future.
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When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
Promising to never date someone the other didn’t approve of made sense to best friends Javier and Marisol a decade ago, but when Mari unexpectedly announces her engagement to a man Javi didn’t vet, his life turns upside down. Javi was just waiting to be successful enough to date someone as great as Mari. He finally has a theater career on track, but Mari has given up on him ever making a move. Time isn’t on Javi’s side, with only eight weeks to disrupt Mari’s plans and convince her he is someone worth fighting for.
Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
Kris may be the second prince, but he is determined to help Coal run Christmas without their father’s interference. So, when they discover someone has been siphoning Joy from Christmas, Kirs volunteers to follow the shamrock left behind to the most likely culprits—St. Patrick’s Day. Since he had a recent PR incident with their prince, Loch, he has the perfect cover to go to Ireland and investigate the infuriatingly handsome man himself. As the political heartbreakingly intersects with tangled interfamilial dynamics, this pair of princes will do their best to survive their circumstances as an unlikely pair.
Book Riot’s Picks for Best Romance Books of the Year So Far
For all our picks in every genre, check out Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025 (So Far)!
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
Belle Époque Paris! Sex lessons! Abortion rights! This historical romance set in 1889 has it all. Aurora used her inheritance to become a doctor and run an underground women’s clinic. But when her funding is cut off and new dangers emerge, she accepts the protection of Apollo, the new duke of Anan. A one-night-only tryst leads to sex lessons (such a good trope!). And soon, the Duke is determined to marry. But Aurora is just as determined to stay single. Their conflict and passion leap off the page, as does the prescient theme of women’s reproductive freedom. The book is the third in the Las Leonas trilogy, but also works as a standalone. —Alison Doherty
Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare
I’d hoped for a similar explosion in cozy science fiction as we’ve seen in fantasy over the past few years. Cosmic Love is just what I’d been looking for, with a sweet queer love story that ties the multiverse fun together. Annie Mare is one half of a writing duo with their wife Ruthie Knox (couple goals!), but this is their first standalone novel. It stars Tressa Faye Robinson, a hairdresser who discovers that Meryl, the woman she has been flirting with by text, is living five months apart from her—and that Meryl recently went missing. —CJ Connor
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
It’s a bittersweet joy reading this book, knowing it’s the last in Skyland. Hendrix is the last of the trio to be boo’d up, and she’s perfectly fine with that. But when she meets charming Maverick, she wishes she could pursue more than friendship with him. But friends (and business partners) are what they become, and what they’re determined to stay. Kennedy Ryan is a master of her craft, and Can’t Get Enough will take you on an angsty, anxiety-filled, sexy journey as two people who deserve the best things in life deal with the complications that come with it. This book includes Alzheimer’s, past familial death, and White Nonsense; read with care. —Jessica Pryde
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Every new Ali Hazelwood book is my new favorite book by her; each one just gets better. Deep End is a different kind of story for her, both in the age of the characters and their social, athletic, and sexual interests. It still features a badass woman in STEM (and includes some delightful cameos), but focuses significantly more on Scarlett’s recovery from an injury and how that affects her. That and, of course, her exploration of her kinky interests with Lukas, who feels off limits not because he’s a teammate, but because he’s a much closer teammate’s ex. It’s angsty and melodramatic and lovely in the best way—while also somehow being hilarious? —Jessica Pryde
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by T.J. Alexander
This Regency trans romance is everything I want out of a historical romance novel. It’s a boy-meets-boy story, only neither of them realizes the other is gay—or trans—yet. Despite all they have in common, Christopher and James butt heads at first. Lord Christopher Eden doesn’t want a valet, after all. He likes to dress himself. Not only that, James is far too stuffy and traditional. But the fact that they dislike each other initially only makes their eventual romance all the sweeter. It’s that Pride and Prejudice “they have to grow on each other first in order to fall in love” factor. —Rachel Brittain
Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria
The long-awaited conclusion of Alexis Daria’s Primas of Power trilogy, Along Came Amor, is most definitely a romance of the “oops I’m accidentally having a fling with the best man in my cousin’s wedding” variety. Delightful, but what takes it to the next level is that it’s also the story of how Ava (maid of honor in said wedding) gradually rebuilds her independence after a divorce and a lifetime of dealing with familial judgment. The center of the story is the way Ava and Roman slowly build a healthy relationship with one another, but it’s also so satisfying to watch Ava figure out how to build a healthy, kind relationship with herself. —Trisha Brown
You’re sure to have an excellent time with the best romance books of the year so far. If you want more romance recommendations, follow the Kissing Books newsletter and the When in Romance podcast.
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