12 Best Books of April 2026: ‘King of Gluttony,’ ‘Into the Blue’ & More
Brace for impact, and pack up those parkas. Spring is officially here! And now is right around the time we’re ready with renewed spirits to tackle those long-forgotten New Year’s resolutions or set some new ones for the forthcoming summer.
However you’re plotting for your fresh start, there are plenty of new books out in April that will feel like a breath of fresh air. This month’s offerings range from a magical fake hate to lovers story, a jaunty Paris romance, a second chance and road trip crossover, and more.
After making a splash with her debut novel, Songs in Ursa Major, Emma Brodie returns with the sensational Into the Blue. Ana Huang is blessing us with her next Kings of Sin novel, King of Gluttony, as Adrienne Thurman dazzles with her debut romance, Don’t Tell Me How It Ends. Scroll down to see Swooon’s 12 best romance books of April 2026.
Into the Blue
Emma Brodie
Release Date: April 7
AJ Graves will never forget the summer of 2000. It was the summer that she met Noah Drew. Noah, a soon-to-be star, walked into her video store, and over weeks of bonding over their favorite films and their hopes of a bright future, the two became close friends. Until Noah ghosted her. Seven years later, Noah has accomplished his dream of becoming a certified Hollywood star, while AJ is just getting her first big break starring in an intergalactic space show opposite him. It’s clear their characters are meant to have chemistry on screen, but it says nothing about the off-screen tension that neither is able to deny or talk about. Soon, the truth of everything that happened that summer, and thereafter, will have to come to the surface, and AJ can only hope she’s braced for impact.
Enemies to Lovers
Alisha Rai
Release Date: April 7
Alisha Rai is at her best in this winsome and wacky rom-com about a card shark with a load of family secrets, and a librarian cosplaying as an FBI agent. Sejal knows how to place a good bet. After all, her entire family was wrapped in the crime industry, and she still hasn’t been able to escape the trouble that their crime syndicate, Cobra, always seems to bring up. When a game goes wrong, Sejal looks to a handsome stranger for help, not knowing that the stranger, Krish, is actually tracking Sejal himself in order to find out how his own brother got involved with Cobra. Krish’s opening is a lie (he claims to be an FBI agent), but what’s true is the chemistry between these polar opposites as they’re on the run, heading back to Las Vegas to finally unveil the truth behind Cobra.
The Paris Match
Kate Clayborn
Release Date: April 7
If you can’t head off on spring break, allow Kate Clayborn to take you to Paris for her latest romance. Physician Layla should be enjoying her time in Paris, preparing for her friend Emily’s wedding, but when her former in-laws all descend upon the city, she has no choice but to face them, along with her ex and his new girlfriend. Best man Griffin grows concerned that this wedding won’t go through and enlists Layla’s help to ensure the couple makes it down the aisle. While traversing the most romantic city in the world, hoping to ensure love for their friends, Griffin and Layla wind up in a whirlwind romance of their own.
Never After
Alexis Hall
Release Date: April 7
Alexis Hall ups the ante in this historical romance following the developing relationship between a sex worker and a reverend. Walking home late one night, Reverend Thomas is shocked to discover a man out on the street, seemingly in desperate need of aid. Feeling like he has no choice but to help, Thomas takes the man, sex worker Micha, home in hopes of helping him recover. Upon awakening, Micha has no interest in the reverend’s charity, but as he grapples with the aftermath of his addiction, he must begrudgingly accept his help. What begins to blossom is an unexpected but hard-earned love story between two men who are able to teach each other in ways neither could have imagined.
The Name Game
Beth O'Leary
Release Date: April 7
Move over, Taylor Lautner(s). This delightful same-name story is sure to tickle readers. A farm manager position has just opened up on a remote island, and Charlie, grieving and in need of a do-over, happily accepts and whisks off to the isle to start her new life. But when she arrives to find another Charlie, who goes by Jones, ready to accept the same position as her, things get very complicated. It becomes clear that both Charlie Joneses applied for and accepted the job offer, and are now stuck with how to move forward. Together, the pair agrees to share the promised lodging and work until the bosses can decide who should take the job. But in typical Beth O’Leary fashion, this one has a twist no one can see coming.
Don’t Tell Me How It Ends
Adrienne Thurman
Release Date: April 14
Over dating apps? So is Kaia Harper, the star of Adrienne Thurman’s sparkling debut novel. Rather than find herself on yet another unfulfilling date, Kaia allows herself to be convinced by her family to try dating the old-fashioned way and set her up on three blind dates. Kaia has absolutely no expectations that these dates will bear any romantic fruit until she encounters tow-truck driver Ro Jackson. Finding the grounding half to her chaotic life feels almost too good to be true, and Kaia will have to overcome her fear of vulnerability before she can get her happily ever after.
Big Girl Blitz
Danielle Allen
Release Date: April 14
Home is a complicated place for Jazymn Payne. After facing bullying at the hands of her peers for years, once she had the opportunity to leave, Jazmyn escaped her small town and never looked back — until she got a call informing her that her beloved aunt was sick. Jazmyn has no choice but to return to the place where much of her trauma began, but meeting the handsome Lamar seems to be a chance for this small town to mean something else to her. But with the past encroaching on the new life she’s built for herself, Jazmyn will have to learn to stand her ground, for herself and for love.
The Art of Loving You
Natasha Bishop
Release Date: April 14
Natasha Bishop returns to her Forever Falling series with a sexy new installment following two exes reuniting to grieve their shared mentor. It’s been a long time since Dani Jenkins has thought about her ex, Micah. Now that she’s a successful influencer who’s always on the move and never looking to get her heart broken again, it’s for the best. But when her mentor, Tanya, dies, Dani is compelled to return home to attend her funeral, all while knowing that said ex will be there. To Dani’s surprise, Tanya has left behind a final request: Dani and Micah must work together on a cross-country scavenger hunt, and because neither will deny their mentor her last wish, they set off on a road trip ripe for bringing up old wounds.
The Antiquarian’s Object of Desire
India Holton
Release Date: April 21
With their careers and reputations at stake, best friends and magical historians Amelia and Caleb decide that it’s best to fake a professional rivalry rather than have their peers gossip about their personal lives. When they take one of their fights a bit too far, the two are sent off campus to do research in an old manor house. With ghosts making their presence known, the two will have to drop their facade and come together (in potentially more ways than one) to solve their magical conundrum.
How to Fake It in Society
KJ Charles
Release Date: April 28
Artist Titus Pilcrow has just suddenly come into quite a lot of money by marrying his friend in order to protect her fortune from her lecherous family. With his newfound status, everyone feels owed a piece of Titus’ fortune, placing him under tremendous pressure as he navigates his new lifestyle. The only person who doesn’t seem to want anything from him is Nico, a new friend happy to help guide Titus on his upward trajectory. But Nico might not be as innocent as he seems, and overcoming the secrets between them could prove to be the one cost that is too high for Titus.
King of Gluttony
Ana Huang
Release Date: April 28
Of the seven deadly sins, gluttony might be one of the most challenging to make appealing, but Ana Huang does it with ease in the sixth installment of her Kings of Sin series. Sebastian Laurent is the golden boy of the culinary world, and despite all his success, there’s only one woman on his mind: Maya. Once upon a time childhood rivals turned full-blown enemies, Sebastian can’t deny the appeal of the only woman who has never backed down in the face of his talent or charm. So when a project arises, with Maya working as the marketer, Sebastian knows this might be his chance to finally prove to her why he might be worth it.
Death Meets Cute
J. Penner
Release Date: April 28
Iris Weyard is determined to be the most wicked witch of all…she just needs some time and practice. She heads off to the woods to perfect her craft when she encounters an orc that she finds would be perfect as a ruthless bodyguard. (Just look at the muscles!) The only problem is that Talon is much more of a lover than a fighter, and the last thing this witch is expecting is to be swept off her own feet. But when her sisters come in need of her help because their own magic is fading, Iris must choose between the destiny she has chosen for herself and the new path fate has placed in front of her.
