2023 is starting off strong with a line-up of new romance book releases that I’m so excited to check out. Discover the most anticipated new romance books releasing this January that I have on my TBR list and recommend that you add as well.
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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I’m a bit obsessed with new romance book releases and can’t help but add to my reading list AGAIN with the romance novels that sound too good to pass up each month.
I’ve got you covered with my top 10 most anticipated new romance books releasing in January 2023 but you can always check out ALL of my top 10 new releases lists.
Well, 2023 is starting off with quite a line-up of new romance books that I am desperate to get my hands on and highly recommend that you check out as well.
What’s New in Romance This January
Variety is the spice of life they say and the saying is so true when it comes to romance books!
This month I’m looking to read a young adult romance, queer romance, erotic romance and a romantic suspense novel. Wow!
I’m a lover of most romance book tropes and the books I cannot wait to read this January cover quite a few including:
- Enemies to lovers
- Friends to lovers
- Second chance romance
- Age gap romance
- Billionaire romance
- Relationship coach romance, and
- Forced proximity romance
Several of these new releases made my most anticipated romance books of 2023 list so you know those are going to be good!
There are also several romcoms to choose from which would make a perfect pick for the January prompt of the 2023 Romance Book Reading Challenge.
Ready to see what’s in store next month in romance?
Don’t miss these titles below and then be sure to share your most anticipated romance book release coming this January in the comments below.
Happy reading!
January 2023’s Most Anticipated New Romance Books:
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
by Talia Hibbert
Young Adult Romance
Releasing January 3, 2023
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?
I think I’ll forever love Talia Hibbert because she gave me Act Your Age, Eve Brown which is one of my all-time favorite romance novels.
This is her first young adult romance and I’m excited to check it out, which is why it made my list of the most anticipated romance books of 2023.
Related: Romance Books Featuring Mental Illness
The Rom-Com Agenda
by Jayne Denker
Relationship Coach Romance
Releasing January 10, 2023
Leah Keegan is used to being alone, especially after taking care of her sick foster mother for the past year. But now there’s nothing keeping her in the sweet town of Willow Cove. It’s time to move on. Again.
Eli Masterson thought he and Victoria were meant to be together until she decided to jet off to Rome for a year. Eli is determined to win her back. But how?
Changing Eli’s physical appearance is easy, but to turn Eli into the sophisticated-yet-vulnerable ideal man, his girl pals force him to watch classic rom-coms. And take notes.
Inadvertently drawn into the makeover scheme, Leah ends up being Eli’s guide through the wild world of meet-cutes and grand gestures.
Even though she believes Eli doesn’t need to change a thing about himself. Even though she just might be falling for Eli . . . and Eli falling for her.
So, I can read a relationship coach romance (one of my faves!) that also highlights classic romcom movies?! I love it!
This romance novel sounds super cute and I always enjoy books where a character is trying to help someone gain the attention of another but then they realize they want the person all to themselves.
Be sure to check this one out this January.
Related: Relationship Coach Romance Books, Romance Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Romance Movie
Lunar Love
by Lauren Kung Jessen
Enemies to Lovers Romance
Releasing January 10, 2023
Olivia Huang Christenson is excited yet 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 and 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?
I have high hopes for this debut novel! I’m someone who loves astrology – not going to lie – and I love how it’s the focus of this romance along with a dating app business.
Of course, I never turn away a fun-filled, enemies to lovers romance either so this book is definitely making its way to my TBR list this January.
Related: Best Enemies to Lovers Books
Good Girl Fail
by Roni Loren
MMF Romance
Releasing January 17, 2023
O’Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn’t matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time.
So, she’s taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path for eighteen years. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys. Until she kisses him.
Auden Blake knows he shouldn’t touch his little sister’s best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family.
But when sheltered O’Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—his school—instead, it’s going to take everything Auden has to keep his and Lennox’s hands off the curious good girl whose teach me vibes could unravel them both.
OMG I’m so excited that Roni Loren is going back to her erotic roots with this new release that is sure to kick off 2023 with quite a steamy bang!
I’m all about the good girl changing her ways and I cannot wait to see where her “teach me vibes” takes all three of them.
Loren’s latest books have all been stellar reads so I have high hopes for this one.
Related: The Best Erotic Romance Books
Georgie All Along
by Kate Clayborn
Contemporary Romance
Releasing January 24, 2023
Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself.
When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.
But then Georgie comes across her teenage diary with its simple, small-scale ideas that become a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.
Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, one-time town troublemaker and current town hermit.
But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest.
As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.
I’m already half in love with Georgie just from this book blurb and I cannot wait to join her and Levi on her quest to shake things up in her life.
I can identify with her about putting others before yourself and coming to realize you have no clue what YOUR personal wants and desires are.
This will be my first Clayborn romance and I cannot wait to read it. Check out my Georgie, All Along review.
Breaking All the Rules
by Amy Andrews
Age Gap Romance
Releasing January 24, 2023
Beatrice Archer has always done everything she’s supposed to —worked her ass off, ignored her non-existent personal life, and kept her mouth shut. Now she’s over it.
She’s taking her life back. Starting with moving to Nowhere, Colorado to live life on her own terms.
Then a much younger and delightfully attractive cop is called to deal with her flagrant disregard for appropriate clothing outside the local diner and Bea realizes there’s something missing from her little decathlon of decadence…and he might be the guy to help her out.
When it comes to breaking rules, Officer Austin Cooper is surprisingly eager to assist. He’s charming, a little bit cowboy, and quite a hottie.
But Bea’s about to discover that breaking the rules has consequences. And all of the cherry pies in Colorado can’t save her from what’s coming.
I am most excited to see the dynamic between Bea and Austin and how they grow close while getting into some needed fun.
If you’re all about strong heroines (and age gap romances) then check this one out this new romance.
Related: The Age Gap Romance Books
Letting Go at 40
by L.B. Dunbar
Friends to Lovers Romance
Releasing January 26, 2023
Anna Kulis has lost her husband. Their love was a perfect kind of love; a once in a lifetime experience.
She never intended to fall for anyone again. Never thought her emotions would run wild for the one man she shouldn’t be attracted to – her late husband’s best friend.
Mason Becker has a secret. As a renowned ladies’ man, he’s been in love with his best friend’s wife for twenty-five years.
After his friend’s passing, and a period of grief, Mason finds himself in a compromising position with the one woman he didn’t think he’d ever have.
And that night leads to complications – namely, a desire for more.
OMG this sounds so good!! I’ve always said that I love how Dunbar’s romance books feature later in life characters but I’m loving the friends to lovers angle in this one.
It’s almost a forbidden romance given that Anna is falling for her late husband’s best friend but I cannot wait to see what happens once twenty-five years of pent-up desire is unleashed.
Related: Best Friends to Lovers Romance Books
Final Offer
by Lauren Asher
Second Chance, Forced Proximity Romance
Releasing January 31, 2023
I’m the Kane brother everyone gossips about behind closed doors. But 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.
Only it turns out that Lana doesn’t just live at the house, but she claims to own it, too.
Lauren Asher’s Dreamland Billionaires series has taken off, with her previous release earning a 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards nomination for best romance.
I haven’t read the series yet so it’s time I binge-read before this third and final book however it’s a standalone if you just want to dive in with it first!
Related: Best Second Chance Romance Books, Best Billionaire Romance Novels
Whispers of You
by Catherine Cowles
Romantic Suspense
Releasing January 31, 2023
One night—a single moment—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. 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.
Every now and then I like to go out of my comfort zone and romantic suspense is one of those romance book tropes I don’t gravitate toward.
However, I might have to change that and grab this new release from Cowles which kicks off a brand-new series.
Related: Best Second Chance Romance Books
Sorry, Bro
by Taleen Voskuni
Queer Rom-Com
Releasing January 31, 2023
When Nareh Bedrossian’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 Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity that catches Nar’s eye.
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 her double life when her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.
This book caught my attention because I’m honestly interested in learning about Armenian culture through the events Nar and Erebuni attend.
I also love books where the family is putting pressure on the main character to find a partner so we will see what they think when Nar finally comes clean with who she’s fallen for.
Related: Best Lesbian Romance Books
Related Book Lists:
- Most Anticipated New Romance Books Releasing in 2023
- Upcoming New Romance Books
- December 2022’s Most Anticipated New Romance Books
- New Romance Books Releasing in February 2023
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