Top 10 Romance Novels to Look Forward to in January 2023

Romance novels have captivated readers for centuries—from the classic works of Jane Austen to modern-day bestsellers. If you’re a fan of romance, then 2023 is sure to keep you busy reading! Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 upcoming romance books that we can’t wait to discover this January.

With beautiful stories and engaging characters, these books are sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away on a journey of steamy passion, bittersweet longing, and a range of other thrilling emotions. So pour yourself a glass of wine, get cosy in your favourite chair, and read on for a preview of what’s in store for January’s romantic reads!

Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher

Synopsis:

Callahan

I’m the Kane brother everyone gossips about behind closed doors. 

Trust fund brat. Washed-up athlete. High-functioning alcoholic.

No one knows the real me but her. 

Lana Castillo—my childhood best friend and the only woman I ever loved. 

When I broke her heart six years ago, I promised to never return to Lake Wisteria. 

I kept my word until my grandfather’s will changed everything. 

To receive my inheritance, I was tasked with spending a summer at the family lake house before selling it. 

The request was simple in theory until my entire plan blew up on the very first day. 

Turns out Lana doesn’t just live at the house, but she claims to own it, too. 

Alana

Falling in love with Callahan Kane was a mistake. 

He told me so before destroying my heart and our friendship six summers ago. 

When he promised never to come back, I foolishly believed him. 

But then Cal showed up again, intending to sell his grandfather’s lake house. 

The biggest flaw in his plan? 

My name is on the deed. 

Expected publication date: January 31st 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Make a Wish (Spark House #3) by Helena Hunting

Synopsis:

Ever have a defining life moment you wish you could do over? Harley Spark has one. The time she almost kissed the widowed father of the toddler she nannied for. It was so bad they moved across the state and she never saw them again. 

Fast forward seven years and she’s totally over it. At least she thinks she is. Until Gavin Rhodes and his adorable now nine-year-old daughter, Peyton, reappear at a princess-themed birthday party hosted by Spark House, Harley’s family’s event hotel. Despite trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she can’t help but notice how unbearably sexy he looks in a tutu. Add to that a spontaneous hives breakout, and it’s clear she’s not even remotely over the mortification of her egregious error all those years ago. 

Except Gavin seems oblivious to her inner turmoil. So much so that he suggests they get together for lunch. For Peyton’s sake, of course. It’s the perfect opportunity to heal old wounds. Or it could just reopen them. This is one of those times Harley wishes she could see the future… 

Expected publication date: January 24th 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Synopsis:

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship? 

Expected publication date: January 3rd 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Exes and O’s (The Influencer #2) by Amy Lea 

Synopsis:

Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men–all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.

Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.

The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily-ever-after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

Expected publication date: January 19th 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

An Optimist’s Guide to Heartbreak (Heartsong #1) by Jennifer Hartmann

Synopsis:

Dear Diary,

There once was a girl with fireflies in her eyes and music in her soul.

(Remember her… she’s important.)

She’s the reason I panic-bought the little brick house on Maple Street; the one I lived next door to for eight magical years. Now that I’m back digging up floorboards and lost journals, I can’t stop thinking about the two people who grew up here.

You see, that girl was my best friend, and this house was once hers. She also had a big brother who was my everything before circumstance turned us into nothing more than memories.

That’s why I applied for a job at his auto shop—unprepared to discover that my new boss, Cal Bishop, is now gruff, built, and covered in tattoos.

I’m the sun to his overcast sky. The smile to his surly solitude.

A reminder of everything he longs to forget.

But my heart has a secret, and we’re running out of time to fix our torn pages.

Maybe the same girl who used to be the glue still holds the key to putting our pieces back together.

(See? I told you she was important.)

Toodles,

Lucy

Expected publication date: January 17th 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Whispers of You (The Lost & Found #1) by Catherine Cowles 

Synopsis:

One night—a single bullet—cost me everything.

My body, broken beyond repair. The boy I’d thought was my forever. The life I’d always dreamt of.

Now, Holt’s back. And he’s no longer a boy, but a man with shadows in his eyes and demons haunting him.

He says he’s here to make things right. To get back a little bit of all we’ve lost. And he doesn’t show any signs of leaving the small town that has been my refuge.

As stolen moments turn to days, Holt’s around every corner. With his burning stare and lingering touches. Before long, my walls come crashing down and I’m just hoping that taking this second chance isn’t as reckless as it feels.

But not everyone is happy that Holt has returned. As tragedy strikes again, I’m the one left in the crosshairs. And Holt might not be able to save me this time…

Expected publication date:  January 31st 2023 

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Deadly Gossip by Brittanee Nicole 

Synopsis:

Exposing the truth could be fatal.

Known as ‘The Fixer’ among the Hollywood Elite, my job is to bury Hollywood secrets before they become tabloid gossip. I operate in the shadows and keep the truth from seeing the light of day. 

That is of course until I end up smack dab in the middle of the story of the year. 

I know the rules. Dating a client is forbidden. However, Hollywood Heartthrob Duncan Scott, with his crooked smile and gorgeous blue eyes, has set his sights on making me the next Mrs. Scott.

Tiny problem. There already is a Mrs. Scott…and she’s not going quietly. 

No one in Hollywood tells the truth. Everyone has secrets. But will this gossip prove deadly?

Expected publication date: January 13th 2023 

Available for purchase at: Amazon

The Imperfect Proposal (The English Gent Romances #4) by Annie Dyer 

Synopsis:

Being caught in a cupboard in a compromising position with my latest hook up by my new colleague isn’t a great introduction.

The worse thing, that new colleague – she’s my estranged wife who’s been MIA for more than a decade.

Throw in the fact that neither of our families knew we were married in the first place and it’s safe to say, events maybe aren’t going as smoothly as planned.

Thea and I married ten years ago in Vegas, the day we both qualified as doctors. I knew plenty about her: the way she kissed, how she liked her coffee and the best way to make her see stars.

What I didn’t know was that she was the daughter of a Lord, was ridiculously wealthy and she’d signed up to Doctors Without Borders.

The morning after our wedding, she was gone.

For a decade, all I’ve had are postcards, sent to wherever I’ve been working, with no return address. Those, and a heart that no matter how good a doctor I am, I just can’t fix.

Now Thea’s back in London.

And she wants to be back in my bed.

Our first proposal wasn’t perfect. Would the second lead to the same fate?

Expected publication date:  January 26th 2023

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen 

Synopsis:

Always a matchmaker, never a match…

Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .

Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too? 

Expected publication date: January 10th 2023 

Available for purchase at: Amazon

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni 

Synopsis:

When Nar’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.

Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy?

Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on Nar’s double life, though—the closing event banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave, determined to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life. 

Expected publication date: January 31st 2023 

Available for purchase at: Amazon

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With romance novels, it’s a guarantee that you’ll find something to fall in love with! Whether it’s historical passionate love stories or modern-day whirlwind romances, there’s something for everyone in these ten must-read titles releasing this January. Get ready to be swept away by beautiful characters and emotion-packed storylines—the perfect way to start off the year! So pick up one (or all!) of these books on release day, settle into your favorite chair, and get ready for a journey of breathtaking adventure and thrilling twists. You won’t regret it!

Which one of these books caught your eye or your heart? Let me know!

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