Top 10 New Romance Books On My Radar for January 2026

The new year is going to start off with quite a bang if this book list of my top 10 most anticipated new romance books releasing in January 2026 has anything to say about it. These are the new romance books that deserve a spot on your must-read list that will start 2026 on such a high and the best happily ever afters.

Don’t forget to keep track of these new releases in your Romance Book Reading Journal – the only reading journal created exclusively for romance book lovers!

For even more must-read romance books, check out my list of most anticipated new romance books of 2026, my upcoming releases page, and my previous monthly release book posts to fill up your TBR list.

Happy reading, because life is better with a love story…

She Reads Romance Books Podcast Episode 135: Top 10 New Romance Book Releases for January 2026

*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Most Anticipated New Romance Book Releases of January 2026

Drive me Crazy
by Lizzy Dent

Formula 1 Romance
Releasing January 6, 2026

Can they navigate the twists and turns of love without crashing and burning?

As one of the first female team principles in Formula 1, Chloe Coleman is determined to prove herself and transform her failing team from underdogs to champions. Nothing can ruin her strategy—except maybe the surprising new addition of a cocky, top-tier driver who’s lost his edge. And he just so happens to be her estranged childhood crush who still sends her heart racing.

Matt Warner needs a comeback. A former champion, he hasn’t won a race since the disastrous crash that landed his best friend and teammate in the hospital. If there’s a silver lining to this scandalous demotion, it’s his fierce and familiar new boss, Chloe. But as the competition heats up, so does an unexpected spark that turns dangerously and passionately hot. With the world watching and pressures of the season mounting, will their chemistry lead them to victory, or spin them out of control?

This Formula 1 romance is definitely going to get our hearts racing in 2026! I love that it brings a lot to the table besides this popular sport. The past crush, the office/boss dynamic and a past accident to overcome. This sounds like a really great story to kick off 2026!

The Odds of You
by Kate Dramis

Forced Proximity Romance
Releasing January 6, 2026

Sage Collins knows a thing or two about odds. A year ago, she was a data analyst until she burned it all down to pursue her dream of becoming an author. One whirlwind bestseller and a struggling second book later, and Sage isn’t sure she’ll ever write a novel again.

But then an accidental encounter with an irritating passenger on the flight to Comic Con leaves Sage in an untested position. That passenger is Theo Sharpe: a breakout actor on the cusp of fame. And, unfortunately, the paparazzi have mistaken her for his girlfriend.

Armed with signature British charm and a smile that could tame oceans, Theo wears fame like a well-fit coat…though Sage can see there’s something deeper held in his eyes. But his fans are too involved in the drama, the pressure to deliver the next bestseller is on, and Sage and Theo both must agree there’s nothing between them. They don’t have to acknowledge that saying it doesn’t make it true.

When Sage decides to flee to Scotland to clear her head and write her novel, she expects to find fresh air and the stillness to think. What she doesn’t expect is Theo Sharpe to come back into her life…and how he may be her greatest miscalculation of all.

This book made my list because I already read it and loved it. Sage and Theo are two characters with struggles and who happen to find this connection on a plane and again at a chance meeting. I loved how they slowly opened up to one another and didn’t let public scrutiny tear them apart. I highly recommend it.

My book review of The Odds of You.

Room to Breathe
by Kasie West

Young Adult Romance
Releasing January 6, 2026

When the walls close in, the truth comes out.

When Indy’s life came crashing down, she made a rule: no one could know. To the world, she’s still the same Indy—cool, calm, unshaken. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.

Her tight-knit crew—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—were once her everything. Now they’re strangers she can’t seem to reach—especially Beau. And the only person she talks to these days is Cody, a skater-boy she used to think was so not her type. Funny how everything changes when your world flips upside down.

And then, as if things couldn’t get weirder, Indy finds herself literally stuck in a school bathroom with Beau. After months of silence, and there’s no escape. If they want out, they’ll have to face the messy truth about what happened between them and find a way back to what they once had. Or maybe even more . . .

Kasie West is THE author for young adult romance books so I’m thinking it is about time that I read one. My curiosity is piqued to know what is causing the chaos in Indy’s life and whether Beau is the boy for her or Cody or where this is going to end up!

Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl
by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Nanny Romance
Releasing January 13, 2026

Maddie Kowalczk is ready to be a bad girl. When the rookie lecturer lands at Astra University, she’s looking to start fresh after a messy breakup. But her first night in town takes a twist when she bumps into Bram Loe—a reserved but incredibly handsome single dad she (not so accidentally) stole a parking spot from earlier that day. The unspoken chemistry as he locks eyes with her while she gets a birthday spanking at a local bar is hotter than a Bunsen burner at full flame.

Bram is looking for a break from his hectic life as an ecology professor and dad to rambunctious twins and a busy teenager. So when his college friend’s divorce celebration brings him face-to-face with the same delectable brat who stole his parking spot, he’s ready for a night to remember. But the next morning, Bram’s world turns upside down (and that’s not just the hangover talking). His new nanny? None other than Maddie, who also happens to be the new poli-sci adjunct at the university where he teaches.

Maddie is desperate and broke, so when Bram offers her a raise and the chance to set some ground rules, she can’t say no. As the two settle into their new roles, the normally unruffled Bram finds that no one riles him up like Maddie does, which is a problem when every argument feels like foreplay. Of course, Bram is an educator first and foremost, and he very quickly finds he can’t resist the temptation of instructing Maddie in the fundamentals of being a good girl.

And it turns out Maddie’s a hands-on learner…

I’m so excited that besties Sierra and Julie have teamed up once again for a new series. I loved their Christmas Notch books and if you read them then you know we are in for more laughs, steam and naughtiness and I’m so here for it. A college campus is a great setting for shenanigans to ensue.

My review of Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl.

Related: Best Nanny Romance Books

Hart Street Lane
by Samantha Young

Fake Relationship Romance
Releasing January 15, 2026

Breaking up with my fiancé wasn’t on my agenda this summer, neither was hiding the truth from everyone, including my colleagues at Pennington’s department store. But that tiny evasion gets me into trouble when I’m forced to play bride-to-be for our new marketing campaign. If my boss finds out I’ve lied to her, it won’t just be my reputation on the line; it’ll be my job.

Enter my new bestie, Baird McMillan. Professional goalkeeper, professional heartbreaker, and now my professional fake fiancé. Baird’s public escapades have gotten him on the wrong side of his football club’s new owner, and he needs to prove he’s settling down. A fake engagement is a win-win for us both.

There’s just one problem. It turns out there’s nothing fake about the explosive connection Baird and I share.

I may not have been looking for love, but every moment with Baird tempts me to reach for it. Yet just as I start to believe a future together could be a real possibility, our pasts come surging back with a vengeance. And with it, those who will do anything to destroy our chance at forever…

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the “professional athlete needs to change his reputation so he gets fake engaged” set up for romance books and I’m excited to see what Samantha does with this one. “Explosive connection” is already suggesting that this one is going to be good!

Related: Best Fake Relationship Romance Books

Catch Her If You Can
by Tessa Bailey

Marriage of Convenience
Releasing January 20, 2026

Madden Donahue, the newest catcher for the Yankees, has been in love with Eve Mitchell since high school, but for some mysterious reason, the burlesque club owner always turns him down. That never stopped him from being her self-appointed protector. Case in point, now that Eve’s sister has left Eve with her two children indefinitely, Madden steps in with a proposition—marry him for the much needed health benefits.

Eve has secretly harbored feelings for Madden all along, but there’s one problem—her best friend Skylar called dibs on him when they were fourteen. Eve has always put their friendship above all else, and she’s not willing to risk losing Skylar over a man. Raised by the local strip club owner, Eve is woefully short on friends and treasures the ones she has. But with Skylar happily paired off, Eve finds herself accepting Madden’s proposal—on the condition that their marriage remains strictly private. She’s not about to let her unique profession and maligned reputation destroy Madden’s shiny new career.

Madden won’t let Eve get away that easily, though. What starts as a marriage of convenience soon ignites into something much hotter, and now it’s up to Madden to convince Eve that their connection is far more than a business arrangement. As the passion builds, can their fake marriage become the real deal?

I was super excited to continue the Big Shots series with this one because it is seriously one of Tessa’s best romance book series. I already fell for Madden and his need to help Eve after reading Pitcher Perfect and now we get to see how Eve finally gives him a chance. I found this to be more of an emotional read than the previous books in the series and loved every minute of it.

My book review of Catch Her If You Can.

Related: Best Marriage of Convenience Romance Books

Anne of a Different Island
by Virginia Kantra

Enemies to Lovers Romance
Releasing January 20, 2026

She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.

Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake: the same impulsive charm, the same wild imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.

But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.

Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.

I honestly only had to read “Anne of Green Gables” to know that I want to read this book. This will be the perfect book to get me in the mood for my upcoming trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada, the birth palce of L.M. Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables. This will be a first read of Virginia Kantra’s work so I hope it’s a good one.

Related: Romance Books that Inspire Travel

Falling for the Fake Lumberjack
by Sara Ney

Romantic Comedy
Releasing January 27, 2026

With rugged good looks and muscles for days, Harris Bennett stops traffic no matter what he’s wearing—flannel shirt or football jersey. So when management sends him to Star Lake, Washington, for a team-building retreat, it’s no wonder a local mistakes him for a lumberjack. And Harris leans right into the misunderstanding. Because that “local” looks amazing in yoga pants.

Lucy LeBrandt is a yoga instructor with trust issues: She doesn’t have time for men. But she’s definitely drawn to the hot, goofy lumberjack who seems to know nothing about, well, lumberjacking. He’s only in town for a week. Maybe she can squeeze him in between classes…

Harris has no idea what to do with an axe, and Lucy has no idea what to do about Harris. But they both know exactly what to do when they’re alone together. Can they split the difference between them, or is their romance just one stroke away from “TIIIIIMBER!”?

It has been a hot minute since I read anything new from Sara Ney so when I saw this one on Netgalley, I jumped on it because I love her brand of humor and the banter she brings to her romcoms. I love that this one includes a bit of mistaken identity but I’m with Lucy – as who wouldn’t fall for a hot lumberjack?

The Slow Burn
by Ali Rosen

Slow Burn Romance
Releasing January 27, 2026

Between a breakup and a burned-down restaurant, there’s nothing left in New York for Kit Roth except the ashes of her success.

Needing distance and distraction, she agrees to work for her best friend’s pasta-making nonna in the Italian countryside. But instead of providing a quiet sabbatical to eat up time while her kitchen is rebuilt, the small town of Manciano keeps pulling Kit into its rituals and rhythms. And before long, it shows her everything she’s been missing. Simpler cooking, community…and Nico Ruspoli, an olive oil producer with his own scorched past. But with Kit determined to leave after three months, and Nico rooted to his grove, their growing chemistry is at odds with what they both want for their future.

Yet with each passing week, Kit finds herself measuring less and tasting more. And when it’s time to go back to her life in New York, she doesn’t know what—or who—she’s willing to leave behind.

Ali Rosen is a author on my to-read list so I’m hoping this is new release is the one to finally make it happen. I have a feeling I’m going to wish I was right by Kit’s side making pasta in Italy and falling for an olive oil producer. What a hard life! I’m really looking forward to this one.

My book review of The Slow Burn.

Related: Best Slow Burn Romance Books

Dom-Com
by Adriana Anders

BDSM Romance
Releasing January 27, 2026

An irresistible collision of dominance, deadlines, and an extremely inconvenient desire.

All Rae Jensen has to do is walk through the door. Inside the club is everything she’s wanted but was afraid to ask for: a ridiculously hot, brooding Dom with a sharp jawline, sexy forearms, and a low voice that sends goosebumps along her skin when he says “People here call me the General.” For one night, she can forget the stress and her endless responsibilities . . . and just be a saucy little sub, no questions asked.

It’s been a while since Grant Bowman met someone like Rae. Although he’s an experienced Dom, he doesn’t do newbies, especially ones who are such a sweet distraction. But one night couldn’t possibly hurt—until the General discovers they’ll be working together IRL at his new consulting job. Now what started as control is turning into the kind of chaos that destroys careers. But there’s no safe word for falling in love…

I’m hoping Adriana is going to spice up my January with this one! BDSM books can be hit or miss for me, not going to lie, but I like the twist that these two discover that they work together after spending one night and probably realizing that they just fit each other. Should be really good I hope!

My book review of Dom-Com.

Related Book Lists:

• New Romance Book Releases Page
• Top 10 New Romance Book Releases of February 2026
• Top 10 New Releases for December 2025
• Most Anticipated New Romance Books of 2026

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