The new romance books coming out in July 2024 have everything fans of the genre seek. These books tell a variety of stories from newer authors and long-time writers. This summer is shaping up to be a solid season for readers who want to be swept off their feet. Though romance is pigeonholed as relying on tropes of being formulaic, it’s much more than that as well. Love stories are often expected to have a happily ever after. However, the road to get there can be innovative, and what matters most is how compelling and intriguing the characters are.

2024 has many highly anticipated romance books, but the ones released in the summer are particularly special because they align so well with the season. By blending fantasy, sports, and romance, there’s something for every audience within the pages of July’s upcoming releases. Many of these novels expand on existing universes or are part of larger anthologies, meaning readers have been anticipating their publication for a long time. By the end of the month, there will be no shortage of love stories available to pique anyone’s interest.

11

Reckless By Lauren Roberts

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Reckless is the second installment of The Powerless Trilogy, and after the stunning conclusion to the first book, Powerless, the follow-up couldn’t have come soon enough. Paedyn and Kai are once again at odds in Reckless, and Paedyn flees the city with Kai hot on her trail as their love is just beginning to blossom. Both are conflicted and terrified as the power dynamic between them shifts, and Paedyn continues to realize that being ordinary isn’t as bad as she thought. However, as the revolution rages around them, they must pick sides, even if they’re against each other.

Fantasy, romance, and enemies-to-lovers and back again, Reckless pushes the boundaries of love as the world they inhabit can’t stop tearing Pae and Kai apart. The author, Lauren Roberts, kicked off the series in 2023 and has seemingly delivered on all the angst promised by Powerless. Though Reckless will be a satisfying extension of Pae and Kai’s story, it’s likely that it will only make readers want the next book all the more.

10

On The Bright Side By Anna Sortino

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Anna Sortino brings to life a beautiful story about romance and provides great disability representation within a genre that overlooks differently-abled characters too often. Ellie is deaf, and her new friend-turned-love interest, Jackson, soon finds his own life changed by an unexpected diagnosis. Through the story, Ellie and Jackson fall in love the way any typical teenager would, but there’s an added emotional connection because they can relate to what the other has gone through. Ellie’s celebration and love of herself and her deafness are fantastic and juxtapose with Jackson’s new outlook on life.

On The Bright Side is for readers of all kinds across generations. Though it’s a YA romance that centers on the experiences of differently-able people, it’s also universal in its storytelling. Anyone can relate to the feelings of confusion and loneliness that Ellie and Jackson face. It’s refreshing to see each half of the romantic couple give equal amounts of love and support, leading to a positive depiction of young love. Whatever Sortino does next will surely follow the great trend she’s established in her writing.

9

The Undermining Of Twyla And Frank By Megan Bannen

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Now that The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy blew up and put author Megan Bannen on the map, she’s following up her success with The Undermining of Twyla and Frank, another fantastical love story. While there are some great fantasy book series without romance, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank does an excellent job of blending genres and never alienating fans of one or the other. Additionally, it’s refreshing to read a story about a later-in-life couple who are striking out together on a new chance at love.

Add to this their exciting career that leads to their investigation of their colleague’s mysterious death and a baby dragon sidekick, and it’s the perfect recipe for amazing fantasy romance. The protagonists, Twyla and Frank, are both widows and have been working alongside each other as best friends for years. Not only is there a strong emotional foundation for their relationship, but they also share a mutual understanding of grief, loss, and responsibility that makes them uniquely capable of supporting each other.

8

The Game Changer By Lana Ferguson

Release Date: July 7, 2024

On paper, a hockey player and a baker shouldn’t have much in common, but for Ian and Deliah, there’s too much history for them to ignore. Ian is in hot water after the end of his last relationship starts to negatively reflect on his team, and Deliah’s baking show isn’t bringing in as many viewers as the producers would like. Partnering up for a publicity relationship seems like the perfect solution for both parties, but there’s a catch. Deliah is the younger sister of Ian’s teammate and has been harboring a secret crush on him for many years.

Though Ian isn’t aware of Deliah’s feelings, it doesn’t take long for their proximity to let him see her in a new light, and it’s a flattering one. While Deliah and Ian’s budding romance is the best part of the book, the other characters who flesh out the world, including Deliah’s brother, make for great additions to the story. Lana Ferguson makes sure to write something for everyone in Game Changer, sprinkling in sports, baking, and enough steamy scenes to keep readers coming back for more.

7

Play Along By Liz Tomforde

Release Date: July 11, 2024

Play Along is the fourth book in the Windy City series and will be relatable and enjoyable for anyone, not just residents of Chicago. While most of Play Along takes place in the titular windy city, Kennedy and Isaiah, the central couple, make a pitstop in Las Vegas, where they accidentally get hitched, much to Kennedy’s despair and Isaiah’s delight. What started as an unrequited crush on Isaiah’s end begins to blossom into something real, but Kennedy’s focus on her career and confusion about her relationship status isn’t helping.

The Windy City series has touched on hockey, basketball, and more, but for Play Along, it’s baseball that takes center stage. Isaiah is the shortstop on the team that Kennedy works for as an athletic trainer, and watching Isaiah pine for her and go the extra mile to prove his worth is endlessly endearing. Though Isaiah and Kennedy’s romance seemed unlikely in the past few Windy City books, they demonstrate strong chemistry and learn to trust each other.

6

Not Another Love Song By Julie Soto

Release Date: July 16, 2024

For readers looking for a little bit of spice, Not Another Love Song includes just the right amount alongside the story of two musicians driven by passion and ambition. While many romance novels use sports and competition as the frame for the conflict, there should be more that centers on music as a shared career and form of communication. The zeal that Gwen and Xander bring to both their playing and their relationship is enviable, even when they’re going up against each other for the first chair seat in their orchestra.

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, but Xander and Gwen also come from different worlds, and when the orchestra and PR team get wind of their budding romance, everything could fall apart. The author, Julie Soto, also penned Forget Me Not, and she expands upon her gift for writing enemies-to-lovers narratives in Not Another Love Song. For music lovers, former youth orchestra performers, or classic romance fans, this book will scratch the right itch.

5

Business Casual By B.K. Borison

Release Date: July 16, 2024

Business Casual marks the final installment of the Lovelight Series, which started in 2021 and will conclude with the fourth book and perhaps the most charming. Nova and Charlie are a classic case of opposites attract in Business Casual, and the pair believe that one night together will put their annoying flirtation to bed. Of course, nothing is ever quite so easy, and the two suddenly find themselves in closer proximity than they realized in their small town.

The Lovelight series does quiet, intimate, small-town romance quite well, and Business Casual is no exception. The book capitalizes on favorite dynamics from the romance genre and promises to have plenty of witty banter between the two leads, as they can’t stop themselves from flirting with each other. Even though Nova and Charlie aren’t afraid to give in to their physical chemistry, there’s still a deep and everlasting emotional bond to back up their chemistry.

4

The Au Pair Affair By Tessa Bailey

Release Date: July 16, 2024

The second book in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series, The Au Pair Affair, still features plenty of sports and romance, but unlike Fangirl Down, The Au Pair Affair centers on hockey instead of golf. Burgess, the hockey player turned single dad, hires Tallulah as a live-in nanny to help take care of his daughter. This is already a complicated situation and grows more fraught when Tallulah pushes Burgess to get back out there in the dating scene. However, it turns out that the person he connects with the most is Tallulah.

Many great sports movies have love triangles, but the messy dynamic between Tallulah, Burgess, and his ex-wife isn’t so much a love triangle as it is a barrier to Tallulah and Burgess being together. Being the other woman in the eyes of Burgess’ daughter, who Tallulah takes care of, is a lot of pressure and hardship on Tallulah. However, The Au Pair Affair does a great job of making every character likable and empathetic in the eyes of the reader.

3

The Fiancé Dilemma By Elena Armas

Release Date: July 30, 2024

The Fiancé Dilemma has everything, and after the explosive success of Elena Armas’ The Spanish Love Deception, it had to be a strong follow-up. However, so far, it looks like The Fiancé Dilemma will fill the whole left of The Spanish Love Deception and go even further. What sets The Fiancé Dilemma apart is the trope of fake engagement, one step further than fake dating, that takes place for a calculated PR stunt. To make matters worse, Josie Moore, one-half of the false engagement, has already tried to walk down the aisle four times before this.

To convince the press of her happy love life for the sake of her absentee father, Josie tasks Matthew Flanagan, a family friend, with teaming up to be her husband-to-be. It comes as no surprise that there turns out to be a bit more between Josie and Matthew than they initially believe. As a standalone spinoff from The Long Game series, many characters that populate the story will be familiar to audiences who know Armas’ work. However, it can easily be read without further context, as Josie and Matthew have no trouble speaking for themselves.

2

Slow Dance By Rainbow Rowell

Release Date: July 30, 2024

Also known for her breakout novel, Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell has been putting out amazing works of romantic fiction since then that frequently revolve just as much around the character’s coming-of-age. Experiencing first love is a large part of growing up for many people, and readers easily identify with the individuals brought to life within the pages of Rowell’s writing. However, her latest book, Slow Dance, goes beyond the young adult genre and sets itself firmly in adult fiction, as the characters reflect on their teen years with new eyes.

The central relationship is between Shiloh and Cary, who were young lovers and friends who drifted apart over the years and are attempting to reconnect. This story is relatable to audiences of all ages but is especially poignant for anyone who has experienced estrangement from a dear friend. Though the love story between Shiloh and Cary is essential to the plot, the basis for it is an enduring friendship and respect that can outlast even the greatest of distances.

1

A Little Jaded By Kelsie Rae

Release Date: July 31, 2024

It seems that 2024 is the year of hockey romance, as A Little Jaded is yet another highly anticipated story that features the protagonist falling head over heels for a hockey player. Sports-centric love stories have been having a moment later, and with books like A Little Jaded coming out, it’s no wonder why. While the frame narrative for the upcoming book does have some serious subject matter, the heart of A Little Jaded is the fake dating trope between Everett and Raine, who were introduced in A Little Tempting.

Everett and Raine have their baggage, but it seems they can put it aside to make things work. The latest installment of The Little Things series, A Little Jaded, is an exciting new work by Kelsie Rae, who made waves with the first two novels. Each part of the series is interconnected through characters met in past stories but can be read as standalone books. Even if readers are discovering The Little Things for the first time, A Little Jaded, the story will capture hearts and have just the right amount of drama.