13 Best Romance Books of February 2026 to Celebrate the Month of Love
We have arrived at what is arguably the most romantic time of year, so why not make some room on your shelves to help set the mood? February is all about setting the scene for romance. That means passion, wit, vulnerability, and, of course, a little (or a lot) of spice, which all of the novels out this month have in spades.
Whether you’re on the lookout for a celebrity romance sure to knock you right back into the feelings of your teen years, a YA romantasy with Romeo and Juliet trappings, or an absolutely sinful tale of a former fling attempting to derail a wedding, Swooon’s most anticipated books for this month is sure to leave you swooning — or at the very least, sweating.
Heart’s Gambit
J.D. Myall
Release Date: February 3
Myall’s YA debut evokes the essence of Romeo and Juliet with this tale of fated lovers from enemy families. Long ago, two enslaved teens made an escape from their mistress Sabine, but when caught, they were forced into an impossible bargain: She’d allow the two to go free if she granted their bloodlines magical powers, which their descendants would use in a fight-to-the-death battle to feed her soul. Thus, the conflict between the Davenports and Baldwins was born. Today, it is Emma Baldwin and Malcolm Davenport’s turn to battle for their lives, but rather than finding the bitter enemy they expect, they discover a partner who can understand the frightening pressures placed upon them. If they want the chance to see what their love can turn into, they’ll have to break the centuries-old curse placed upon their families, or face losing one another and leaving their families to continue in this endless war.
Until the Clock Strikes Midnight
Alechia Dow
Release Date: February 3
The Mortal Outcome Academy had better brace itself because its two forthcoming students are ready to shake things up. Fairy Darling Sparkleton is determined to join the Academy’s council and ensure that her human clients are able to receive their Happily Ever Afters, while her peer and rival Calamity believes that humans must learn to accept ordinary conclusions to their lives. In order to prove who deserves the spot on the council, the pair is given an assignment together: They will both assist the same human on their path, and whoever can guide them to their choice of ending by midnight in one week will earn their seat. Darling and Calamity might be going head-to-head to showcase why their version for the human’s life proves to be the best, but that doesn’t stop the undeniable chemistry threatening to ruin both of their missions.
One and Only
Maurene Goo
Release Date: February 3
Goo, a longtime author behind YA rom-com favorites, makes her adult debut with a tale about destiny and agency. The women of the Park family run One and Only, a matchmaking service that has never failed their clients due to the family’s ability to see past lives and connect them to their present lovers, also known as their “fated.” Forty-year-old Cassie Park has been waiting for her “fated” Daniel for years and is beginning to lose hope when she encounters twenty-eight-year-old Elijah, with whom she spends one illicit evening. Cassie is ready to put her one-night stand behind her until she learns that Elijah’s boss is Daniel, her supposed “fated.” What’s a girl to do when the man you’re meant to be with and the man you might want to try with aren’t the same person?
Just for the Cameras
Meghan Quinn
Release Date: February 3
Quinn delivers yet another raucous rom-com with the first installment of the Bay Area Players series, following a football player and a zookeeper’s fake relationship. Defensive end Graydon knows his surly personality doesn’t make for a good reputation, but realizes things are worse than he thought when the team’s PR is forced to step in. If Graydon doesn’t get himself into the public’s good graces and fast, his career could be in jeopardy. Graydon is required to volunteer for the team’s new partnership with the zoo, which leads him to sunshine-y zookeeper Mapel, who won’t allow Graydon’s grouchy ways get in the way of doing her job, which means making videos together. The public immediately spots the chemistry between the pair, even if they’re unwilling to admit it, and Quinn takes readers on a magnetic, slow-burning journey between two opposites who definitely attract.
Skate It Till You Make It
Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Release Date: February 3
The 2026 Winter Olympics set the stage for prime conditions between an athlete and a photojournalist in Mazarura’s sporty romance. Hockey player Arikoishe Shumba’s got a lot on her plate: Her team has made it to the Olympics, and she’s expected to lead their team to victory. One night, Ari lets off some steam chatting with Drew, a charming man she meets at a party, not knowing they’d run into each other once again at the Winter Olympics — Ari there to compete, Drew there to prove his worth as a photographer. Both are in need of a little assistance. Ari needs to avoid an ex who could prove to be a distraction, and Drew needs backstage access to get exclusive photos. And so the pair agree to fake date to mutually benefit, only to realize that keeping things fake between them is more difficult than they thought.
Get Over It, April Evans
Ashley Herring Blake
Release Date: February 3
Blake brings together two resort coworkers with a messy shared connection in the second installment of the Clover Lake series. Titular April Evans can’t wait to get out of town. Her best friend has moved away, her tattoo shop has closed, and she hates admitting it, but she’s still feeling the sting of her ex leaving her for another woman. The opportunity for a reprieve arrives when April is offered the opportunity to teach an art class, but learns that her roommate at the resort will be known as Daphne Love, the woman her ex left her for. The circumstances are less than ideal for these women who must get over their past, even with a piece of it sleeping beside them. But moving past the pain, regrets, and anger leaves room for something new to grow instead.
Love From the Cosmos
Mowa Badmos
Release Date: February 3
For anyone who’s ever considered rejecting someone because your signs don’t align, this one’s for you. Pediatrician Moyo is joining the dating game via Cupid’s Bow, a dating app that pairs users based on their astrological signs and supposedly has a near perfect accuracy rate. Moyo discovers that their 99% success rate is a scam, which leads to a rant that goes viral online and draws the attention of Niyi, the company’s CEO. In order to save his company’s reputation, Niyi offers to be Moyo’s dating coach for three Cupid’s Bow sponsored dates, but it becomes apparent that Moyo’s match might not be someone she scrolls through her phone for, but someone standing by her side.
Still Into You
Erin Connor
Release Date: February 10
Celebrity romance lovers, rejoice! Erin Connor’s latest romance centers around a metal rock band lead singer and the journalist who broke his heart. Dax Nakamura might be the star of uber successful rock group Final Revelations, but that doesn’t mean he loves the limelight. As a matter of fact, Dax would prefer to avoid all the fanfare surrounding his personal life and the errors he’s made, but with an album coming, knows he can’t avoid the hardball questions coming his way. His solution: Hire Sloane, a sharp journalist who he knows won’t take it easy on him, but he trusts to be fair, even if she’s the same woman who broke his heart a few years ago. And if this interview brings her back into his orbit (and potentially his arms), it’s a risk he’s willing to take.
Promise Me
Sara Cate
Release Date: February 10
Ever had to plan a wedding for the ex you never quite got over? Sara Cate brings this equally romantic and torturous experience to life in Promise Me, the latest installment of the Sinful Manor series. It’s been years since artist Declan Barclay has seen his former flame, Colin Shelby, but the love that Declan held for him never faded. When Colin, now an actor, arrives at Sinful Manor with his new partner in tow and claims to want to have his wedding at the manor, Declan is left with no choice but to agree to plan the affair, for the sake of the family business. Reunited, the passion between the former flames is lit once more, and upon learning that Colin’s betrothed doesn’t treat him the way he deserves, Declain decides that he will have to break up this wedding, no matter the damning consequences.
Heir of Illusion
Madeline Taylor
Release Date: February 10
An assassin and a reaper both in need of a powerful magical artifact team up in Taylor’s cutthroat enemies-to-lovers romantasy series starter. The king of the city has no idea that his days are numbered. Ever since the day he forced an enchanted collar onto fae Iverson Pomeroy to contain her powers of illusion, Ivy has been waiting patiently for the day she can destroy him and take back her life. But getting access to the relic that would free her requires the assistance of Thorn, a reaper who has arrived with his sights set on the same item. Knowing that they’ll never be able to retrieve the magical weapon on their own, Ivy and Thorn agree to collaborate in order to get what they both want, and little is off the table for what they’re willing to do to get it.
Half City
Kate Golden
Release Date: February 17
It’s hard to know whom one can trust at Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, the cutthroat school for hunters at the center of Golden’s fantasy novel. Hunter Viv Abott is no stranger to deviants, the monsters that killed her father in cold blood. Ever since, she stalks through her city killing deviants at any given opportunity. Her hunting talents grant her an invitation to the Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where she can hone her talents even more and maybe even learn about the circumstances that led to her father’s death. With students disappearing, a peer who tempts Viv at every turn, and a secret that could destroy her reputation, things at the academy aren’t as clean-cut as they seem.
The Ex-perimento
Maria J. Morillo
Release Date: February 17
Maria Antonieta Camacho is always in control, and that’s exactly the way she likes things. The only problem is that her longtime boyfriend doesn’t agree and breaks up with her during what she thought was a proposal. After accidentally posting the video and subsequently losing her job, Maria’s life is thrown into the one thing she cannot abide by: chaos. Adding fuel to the messiness of her life is that her new job lands her directly in the limelight as an assistant to rockstar extraordinaire Simón Arreaza, to whom she cannot deny her attraction. But as her life goes further off track from her laid-out plans, Maria begins to question whether sometimes the best things in life cannot be predicted, but must be experienced for what they are.
And Now, Back to You
B.K. Borison
Release Date: February 24
We’re all still getting over the recent snowstorm that likely kept us all indoors, and this serendipitously timed novel adds a romantic spin to getting snowed in. Delilah Stewart is the star news reporter on her local Baltimore network, even if fellow radio weather and traffic reporter Jackson can’t quite understand the appeal. Where Delilah is the network’s ray of sunshine, whose fun personality makes for engaging, if chaotic, broadcasts, Jackson is the exacting correspondent determined to get things right. With a brewing snowstorm as the next big assignment to cover, Delilah and Jackson are sent to a mountainside cabin to cover the storm when it first hits. Getting away from the world they know, the two can only rely on one another through their experience and learn that they have more in common than they once thought. But can they weather the storm of expectations when planted back in their real lives?
