Anne Mai Yee Jansen is a literature and ethnic studies professor and a lifelong story lover. She exists on a steady diet of books, hot chocolate, and dragon boating. After spending over a decade in the Midwest and the Appalachians, she returned to the sun and sandstone of California’s central coast where she currently resides with her partner, offspring, and feline companions. Find her on Instagram @dreaminginstories
2025 has been quite a tumultuous year so far, but luckily, romance writers are in fine form. The spice-scape is scorching this year, with new and established authors putting out a delectable variety of steamy stories. With summer on its way, it’s a great time to heat up your bookshelves with these spicy romance books!
Love comes in all forms and colors, and one thing I particularly appreciate about romance books today is that writers are creating diverse representations that celebrate this. For one thing, there are more queer romances making their way through the presses than there used to be (although, as The Ripped Bodice’s annual report on the state of racial diversity in the publishing industry indicates, they’re still definitely the minority, so hopefully publishers continue to grow their offerings in this area). Similarly, it’s becoming less uncommon for romance books to center BIPOC characters. As a mixed-race person myself, I’m also excited to see the occasional mixed-race character or interracial relationship taking center stage in romance books.
Why all this talk about diversity and love? I guess it just feels like 2025 has included a lot of distinctly un-loving discourse, and that has me thinking about the ways romance books are, at their heart, celebrations of love. It doesn’t matter whether the protagonists are queer or straight, Black or white, small town or big city—they’re all looking for (and deserving of) love. The books on this list feature single parents and serial heartbreakers, mechanics and academics, small business owners and popular internet personalities. And spice. Lots of spice! So go grab yourself a spicy romance book and melt into the world of steamy encounters and happily-ever-afters.
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
One of my favorite romance authors, this is Jasmine Guillory’s first foray into queer romance. Main characters Avery and Taylor are pretty much polar opposites, which makes this a fun read. Avery is inexperienced, quiet, and full of doubts. She wants to try dating women, but can’t get out of her head enough to actually make a connection. Meanwhile, Taylor’s friend Erica (who is part of a side plot in this book that’s really good all on its own) bets her that she won’t last the summer without sleeping with anybody, and Taylor is determined to win this bet. What better distraction than helping Avery learn to flirt? There are a lot of fun and games in this one as Taylor curates a variety of flirtation-practice experiences so Avery can practice her pickup skills, which makes it all the more entertaining to watch their own inevitable love story develop.
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore
The fourth book in Laurie Gilmore’s cozy Drema Harbor series (with book 5, The Gingerbread Bakery, due out this September), The Strawberry Patch Pancake House was every bit as delicious as its title implies. Archer is a single dad. He’s also a super-handsome world-class chef who’s come to Dream Harbor to meet Olive, the daughter he didn’t know he had. He may know his way around a kitchen, but Archer has no clue how to connect with Olive in the aftermath of her mother’s sudden death. Hiring Iris as a live-in nanny seems like a great solution…except for the fact that they’re both hopelessly attracted to each other. But not even the presence of a young child can keep their feelings (and desire) from growing. I especially enjoy the role couples from the previous books in the series play as Gilmore continues growing Dream Harbor.
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Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
The amazing cover on this book pretty much says it all. Yes, that’s an Indiana Jones reference (if you had any doubt, Segura’s previous book was called Raiders of the Lost Heart). And it makes sense, since Dr. Miriam Jacobs is an aspiring badass archaeologist herself. Sure, she’s kinda klutzy and tends to put her foot in her mouth, but when she’s unexpectedly announced as the co-lead of an expedition to find the Lost City of the Moon deep in the Amazon, it’s the opportunity she’s been waiting for. Except nobody seems to believe in her. And her co-lead is a total jerk. And the journalist accompanying the expedition is so hot that Miriam blushes with her whole body every time he talks to her. There’s tons of sexual tension, action and adventure, and literal swinging from vines in this one. The HEA is also super satisfying because there’s so much wrapped up in it.
The Relationship Mechanic by Karmen Lee
This sapphic small town romance is the second in Karmen Lee’s Peach Blossom series (with the third book, Secret Crush Book Club, due out this August). Jessica’s car, like her life, has broken down. She’s trying to hide out the scandal resulting from her relationship with two of her actress mother’s co-stars. Half Black and half Korean, she’s never really fit in, but when she meets Vini, the owner of the auto shop in Peach Blossom, that starts to change. The two can’t keep their hands off each other (seriously spicy stuff here) and navigate holidays, family, and other challenges as they try to figure out what they are to each other.
The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea (December 2, 2025)
I love a good secret romance, and this one’s got a racy premise: as the Canadian Prime Minister’s personal assistant, Andi Zeigler can’t afford a public scandal. But when she writes a romance novel called The Prime Minister & Me, speculations about her and her boss abound. What’s a girl to do when she inadvertently casts doubt on her high-profile boss’s character? Why, fake date, of course! And we all know that a good fake dating plotline doesn’t stay fake for long. Happily, the PM’s bodyguard is a hottie Andi has a little past with. This one’s not due out until December, so put it on your wish list and maybe your stocking will get stuffed with a little spice this holiday season.
Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage
This is the fourth book in Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch western romance series. I love that this one features Cam, a single mom who has been hanging out in the margins of the first three books. Cam’s a buttoned-up character, a woman with a plan who’s working hard to provide a good life for her daughter. So when her groom-to-be calls off the wedding, it throws her entire world into chaos. Enter Dusty, her high school sweetheart. He whisks her away from the bar bathroom she’s hiding in and tends to her needs with the patience and restraint that Cam needs in order to figure out a new plan for herself and her child. They’re both incredibly sweet characters, and their love story unfolds with such tenderness (and impressive spice).
The Princess and the P.I. by Nikki Payne (September 16, 2025)
Due out this September, this book is a fun, genre-bending read! I’ve always loved mysteries, and this romance revolves around a murder, a cult, and a dastardly tech bro. Fiona Addai has made a name for herself as an online detective, but her real life ends up taking center stage when she tries to look into her brother’s death and ends up in big trouble. When she teams up with an established private investigator (a character from Payne’s earlier book Pride and Protest—a nice touch for return readers), things heat up quickly, both in terms of the investigation and their attraction to each other.
The Earl Meets His Match by TJ Alexander
This T4T regency romance is a slow burn. Of the books on this list, it’s probably the lowest on the spice scale (it’s there, just at the very end), but I had to cheat and include it because it’s so well written and the characters are delightful. Christopher Eden is caught up in a predicament: he’s a trans man who has to find a wife asap if he wants to keep his inherited estate. Enter James Harding, hottie (erm, I mean, valet) extraordinaire. As the two navigate the era’s gendered expectations, their own relationship unfolds in a manner that, while perhaps questionable on the historical accuracy scale, is beautiful. I’m not usually a historical romance reader, but this one’s a winner.
Still Looking for More Spice?
We’ve got more in the cabinets! Check out this great list of the spiciest books on BookTok in 2024 for some hot reads. You might also be interested in these spicy dark academia books. And if you (like me) love consent, take a look at this list of spicy contemporary romances that foreground consent that I put together.
English (US) · 