Looking for an escape? Here are 16 romance novels to read this summer

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

In a world of chaos, books offer an escape. Now, more than ever, we need novels that transport us into a great romance, whether it be set in a fantasy world of witches and pirates, a hotel on the Amalfi Coast, a country on the verge of revolution, in the cockpit of a plane or in a 17th century French castle.
Whether you're in the mood for the comfort of instant love and happily ever after, romantasy with swords and sorcery, steamy historical fiction, literary takes on complex relationships or cheeky novels that set you tingling, the summer of 2025 offers all of that and more.
To get you started, here are 16 books to read at the beach, in the bathtub, in the backyard or in stolen moments waiting in the school pickup line or on your lunch break.
Consider Yourself Kissed By Jessica StanleyRiverhead: 336 pages, $30(May 27)
Life in London is culture shock for Coralie after growing up in Australia. When she rescues a 4-year-old girl from drowning, it turns a traumatic incident into a meet-cute with the girl's dad, Adam. Their burgeoning relationship leads Coralie from Oz straight to happily ever after. But what happens in the 'ever after' part? When their relationship stutters at the 10-year mark, can they find their way to a new form of happiness? This novel invites you to eat Tim Tams as you sip comedic tea.
Summerhouse By Yiğit KaraahmetSoho Crime: 352 pages, $29(May 27)
A love triangle can sometimes put the spice back in a long marriage … or it can inspire a riveting murder plot. In Karaahmet's suspenseful marriage story, Fehmi and Şener have achieved the near-impossible: the gay couple has been together for 40 years in repressive Turkey. But simmering domestic tensions are set to a rolling boil by Fehmi's increasing fascination with the troubled teenager next door. 'Summerhouse' is redolent of the Mediterranean atmosphere of a Highsmith plot: sharp, spicy and humor black as night.
Winging It With You By Chip PonsG.P. Putnam's Sons: 384 pages, $19(June 10)
The quest for fame makes strange bedfellows and stranger reality show contestants. In this case, it's a bed shared by Theo Fernandez, who just lost his job as a pilot, and Asher Bennett, who just got dumped by his boyfriend. When the two sit next to each other at the airport bar, they decide to pose as a couple for 'The Epic Trek,' a round-the-world travel-competition reality TV show. What starts out as romantic roleplay becomes love that will upend their lives.
Writing Mr. Right By Alina KhawajaMira: 304 pages, $19(June 10)
Ziya Khan is living the life of most aspiring writers: She works a day job that pays the bills while spending her nights writing novels. Despite her hard work, her manuscripts are met with constant rejection (girl, same) and she vows to give up. Then she wakes up to find Aashiq, her writing muse made flesh. He has only one purpose: to inspire and push Ziya to keep writing and pursue her passion. When the two fall in love, the romance threatens to distract her from her art.
Love, Coffee, and Revolution By Stefanie LederBlackstone: 282 pages, $29(June 10)
Dee Blum is an idealistic student who drops out of college to lead eco-tours in Costa Rica, much to her family's disapproval. Dee is happy in her new life and when she meets two men, everything sizzles. But Dee's naive views of both romance and of doing right are complicated by a dangerous organization presenting itself as the 'good guys.' What will she do next and will the decision smother all of that romantic fire?
Room on the Sea By André AcimanFarrar, Straus & Giroux: 272 pages, $28(June 24)
Aciman, whose 'Call Me by Your Name' slow-burned the summer of 2007 (and again when adapted to the big screen in 2017), has written three romantic novellas, combined here into a single volume. 'Mariana' is about the passion between a nun and an aristocrat, based on a 17th century volume of correspondence. 'The Gentleman From Peru' takes place in a hotel where a group of friends are spellbound by a stranger's tale of thwarted romance. And 'Room on the Sea' follows a man and a woman thrown together in a jury pool who are drawn to its deeper ends. Each of the novellas are just the perfect length for a single afternoon.
A Treachery of Swans By A. B. PoranekMargaret K. McElderry Books: 368 pages, $20(June 24)
Poranek's sapphic twist on 'Swan Lake' is also a murder mystery and a fantasy. When Odile, the daughter of a sorcerer, is sent to steal the king's crown, she must first infiltrate his court. There, she transmutes noblewoman Marie d'Odette into a swan and assumes her identity. Odile woos the crown prince, but a murder at court forces her to seek out assistance from the muted swan. She unfurls her own wings of desire for the beautiful Odette.
Hot Girls With Balls By Benedict NguyenCatapult: 288 pages, $28(July 1)
Two Asian American trans women — Six and Green — compete on the men's pro indoor volleyball circuit. When they're not together, they communicate on their very public social media accounts. Demanding fans, who scrutinize every relationship spike and volley, and jealousy complicate their love, and together they'll face a shocking act of betrayal. Get set for this funny and very sexy off-court romp.
A Bomb Placed Close to the HeartBy Nishant BatshaEcco: 304 pages, $28(July 1)
Love is its own act of resistance in repressive times. Here romantic passion combines with revolution in a historical fiction sure to light up readers' rebel hearts. Cora Trent, a graduate student in 1917 California, meets Indra Mukherjee, a revolutionary who has recently arrived from India. When America chooses to join World War I, the government prosecutes dissidents and silences protests. Harsh national policies lead to imprisonment and deportation for those caught speaking out. Will the lovers survive being made fugitives on the run?
These Summer Storms By Sarah MacLeanBallantine: 400 pages, $30(July 8)
Turns out that money and toxic families go together like peeled grapes and the finest Roquefort when MacLean combines them. Cast out of her family, Alice Storm returns to attend her father's funeral. She is forced to stay on her family's island estate as the patriarch's will stipulates conditions that must be played out before anyone can leave. Her father's second-in-command, the handsome Jack Dean, insists family members play fair in obeying their father's will. Alice breaks all the rules when she tests the family game's referee.
Love Is a War Song By Danica NavaBerkley: 336 pages, $19(July 22)
Opposites attract in this story of a spoiled pop princess and a cowboy. Posing on the cover of Rolling Stone while wearing almost nothing but a feathered war bonnet was supposed to mark Avery's national success and celebrate her pride as a member of the Muscogee tribe. The backlash makes her a laughingstock and scuttles her career. In exile at her grandmother's Oklahoma ranch, she meets Lucas Iron Eyes, who has been working since he was 16 and has no time for stroking her bruised ego. But when someone threatens the ranch, the two unite to save it. The romantic sparks set the whole prairie ablaze.
The Game Plan By Kristen CallihanCanary Street: 352 pages, $18(July 29)
Hot sex and feisty romance give readers a zing in the story of an NFL athlete who falls for the girl next door. Ethan Dexter looks like a mountain man hunk, but in his private life, he's lost in the wilderness when it comes to women. What folks don't know is that he's entirely focused on Fiona Mackenzie, who treats him like he's just another guy in their social group. When Dex makes his move, will Fiona block or punt?
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood By Ashley JordanBerkley: 448 pages, $19(Aug. 5)
Jordan's debut is an exhilarating climb through Tennessee's mountains and the depths of passion. Eve's increasing success as a playwright begins to short-circuit her life, so she seeks a quiet starlight writing retreat — or permanent exile — in the hills. Her neighbor, Jamie, wants his own life as a single dad after the end of a bruising custody battle. Will either one of them give up their peace to experience the pulse-pounding thrill of plunging into love?
The Sun and the Moon By Rebekah FaubionBerkley: 368 pages, $19(Aug. 12)
Cadence has found a happy life as a park ranger in Maine. It's a lot sunnier than the icy shadow of her celebrity psychic mother. When Madame Moira reaches out to Cadence to announce her upcoming nuptials, she reluctantly agrees to attend her engagement party. There she meets Sydney, the pilot daughter of her stepfather-to-be. Their plot to dig holes in their parents' love garden entangles them in the tendrils of their own blooming feelings.
Love Is an Open Book By Chandra BlumbergCanary Street Press: 352 pages, $19(Aug. 12)
Blumberg totally understood the assignment when she set out to write one of romance's favorite types of stories. Her tale of best friends — Mia, a romance novelist who is cynical about love and unable to write, and Gavin, who thinks he can help her get her mojo back — is a frisky delight. They create writing exercises in which they act out scenes based on different romance novel styles. Can the two tell the difference between playacting and following their hearts?
The Sea Witch By Eva LeighCanary Street Press: 448 pages, $19(Aug. 26)
Leigh has penned a pirate romantasy with an ultra-hot relationship at its center. Alys Tanner has been condemned as a witch in 18th century New England and escapes to captain an all-female crew of sorcerers. Taken prisoner and brought on board the ship the Sea Witch is Ben Priestley, a British naval navigator. Beset by monsters, chased by the Navy and attacked by other pirates, Ben and Alys battle together against the odds.