Hot Stuff: The 5 Best Romances to Shake Off the Winter Blues
It’s January, it’s cold, the fun of the holidays has faded, and everyone is desperately hanging on until pay day, but grabbing one of these brilliant romances will help inject a little bit of sunshine into your life.
Here are my 5 must-read new releases, ranging from spicy to sweet and including both well-known and exciting debut authors.
1. The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura
For all those who had a crush on Indianna Jones, Jo Segura’s series (all named after the famous movies but with a spicy twist) will satisfy your sexy archaeologist cravings.
In this instalment, Daniela Guiterrez, an intrepid librarian, finds out her brother’s best friend (who she’s been in love with for years) has been taken hostage. And somehow, she ends up tied up right next to him (but not in a good way!). Now they must solve a centuries’ old Minoan mystery with less than six days to go.
2. Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn
I’m a sucker for a fake-relationship romance and when one of my auto-buy authors writes one, it jumps up my TBR. They’re faking it for the cameras, but what if the sparks are real?
When a brooding American football player teams up with a zookeeper for the zoo’s public outreach programme, and to avoid a scandal rocking the NFL, they decide to fake a relationship. But when their fake flirtation starts to feel real, the more they pretend to play nice for the cameras, the higher the stakes.
3. The Dating Pact by Lulu Morris
This brilliant debut romcom will have you travelling from London to the Bahamas with a fabulous plus-sized heroine. And if you ask me, that’s the perfect way to shake off the winter blues!
Acting royalty Alex King and nurse Ellie end up back at hers after a chance encounter at a party, but when the press do too, Ellie’s life takes a weird turn. Alex needs a plus-one for his brother’s wedding to shake off a scandal, and though surprised he’s asked her, Ellie reluctantly agrees to go. A wedding in the Bahamas surrounded by gorgeous celebrities, and with the paparazzi lurking everywhere, is plus-sized Ellie’s worst nightmare. When Alex’s desire for Ellie grows, what will happen as their scripted romance starts to feel real?
4. Definitely Maybe Not a Detective: A Novel (The Wyatt Investigations Mysteries Book 1) by Sarah Fox
I love a genre mash-up and especially when a mystery is mixed with a romance.
Emersyn Gray’s life is in disarray. She’s an unemployed twenty-eight-year-old raising her niece in the only place she can afford after her ex-boyfriend ran off with her life savings. When her best friend suggests scaring him by hiring a private investigator to prove he stole the money, or at least, pretending she has a PI by using a fake business card and hiring a ridiculously hot stranger (Wyatt) to play the part, Emersyn agrees it’s worth a try.
But as soon as they set their plan in motion, a neighbour ends up dead and the people in her building turn to her fake detective agency for help. With no other option, Emersyn and Wyatt agree to take on the case but can they solve the murder without falling for each other in the process?
5. Hunter’s Treasure by Olivia Jackson
Having just finished (and loved!) Jackson’s first novel, Digging Dr. Jones, I couldn’t help but recommend this fabulous sounding follow up.
Sydney York ends up shipwrecked on a remote island, discovering Hunter Holden, the island’s gorgeous sole inhabitant, who just so happens to be searching for a legendary treasure. Thrown into the jungle, will their unlikely partnership turn into something more priceless?
Katie Ginger is an avid romance writer and reader, writing dreamy contemporary romances as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollins. Her latest novel The Floating Venice Bookshop publishes on 12th February, 2026.
