Coco Zephir is a bookseller at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass., where she works on the events and marketing teams. She loves romance titles and asked indie booksellers which upcoming romance titles they're loving. Here's what they said:
Robin Limeres, lead bookseller at Lovestruck Books & Cafe in Cambridge, Mass., recommends The Odds of You by Kate Dramis (St. Martin's Press), coming this month:
"There is no other book I want to yell about more than Kate Dramis's The Odds of You, which is out in January. A celebrated dystopian writer and a beloved actor fall for each other while navigating the stress of their professions and the personal expectations they have surrounded themselves in. As they engage in the classic will-they-won't-they dance, can they leap toward a future together or will they be stuck settling with that future forever out of reach? Kate Dramis's contemporary romance debut is a stunner, no other way of looking at it. Seamlessly welding the magic of the love story with an unflinching view on perfectionism, familial expectations, and a homage to Nancy Meyers's The Holiday, The Odds of You is romance novel perfection (entirely the good kind). Grounded in expansive locales, sweeping romance, and a breadth of emotion that left me floored, you won't find a book more representative of the beauty of the romance genre and the power in the modern love story."
Bill Carl, adult buyer at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass., recommends Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe (Ace), out in April:
"A. Dor. A. Ble! In Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe, Princess Tanadelle desperately wishes she had more time to read and relax instead of performing duties like ribbon cuttings and presenting unicorns, and she gets her wish when she stumbles into a curse and is unable to leave a bookshop in a small kingdom. Suddenly, she finds herself a businesswoman... with a surly teenaged assistant, a bookstore cat with tentacles, and a hunky pirate in too-tight pants who shoplifts from her! Her parents send seven princes to kiss her (isn't that how you break a curse?), but her roaming eyes keep going toward that damn pirate! It's a sweet fairy tale, cozy in all of the right ways, and, despite my Grinchy exterior, it melted my heart. Every character is layered and hilarious, and the romance is swoon-worthy! If you loved Ladyhawke or The Princess Bride... have I got a book for you!"
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Katie Garaby, floor manager, coordinator of the Love, Parnassus subscription and Between the Covers Romance Book Club at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tenn., recommends two titles: A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray (Berkley), coming in February, and Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong (Berkley), to be published in March:
"A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray: A sex-positive romp, this book is smart and filthy and I am absolutely obsessed with it. Scout and Hudson's sexy experiments may be a gamble but everything about this book is a success.
"Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong: This book has me in an absolute choke-hold. If you think wrestling isn't super hot, Celine Ong will change your mind. Perfect for readers chasing the high of Heated Rivalry."
Meghan Molinari, bookseller & event coordinator at Lark and Owl Booksellers in Georgetown, Tex., is loving Riss M. Neilson's The Bridge Back to You (Berkley), out in March:
"I recently read the arc of The Bridge Back to You by Riss M. Neilson, and I am OBSESSED. This book was the perfect reminder as to why second-chance romance is my favorite trope, and once I picked this story up, I didn't want to put it down. After 10 years, Olivia finds herself back in Providence when she gets a call informing her that she now has part ownership of her ex-boyfriend's restaurant. The longing between Olivia and Carmello is evident even from their very first phone call after their time apart, and I loved watching these two confront feelings they could never quite shake. Through late nights at the restaurant and brainstorming new ideas at each other's houses, resisting one another gets harder and harder--but they have more things to consider than just their overflowing chemistry. I really appreciated how vulnerable these characters were and how we got to see characters with endometriosis (fmc) and OCD (mmc). This book also deals with grief and is such a beautiful story that I can't wait for everyone to read once it's out on March 31!"
Haley Calvin, assistant director of events at The Novel Neighbor/Open Door Romance in St. Louis, Mo., is loving The Duke by Anna Cowan (St. Martin's Press), coming this April:
"The Duke by Anna Cowan! If the word on the street is that historical romance is dying, then why am I reading one of the best sapphic ones set to come out next year?? I'm truly obsessed with this book. It truly has everything I love in a romance: tension, yearning, a begrudging marriage of convenience?? Like, literally say less, I'm sat. It's truly an absolute banger, and I can't wait for people to get their hands on it!"