15 anticipated romance books to add to your 2023 TBR

Each year, more and more romance books are published. As romance readers, it’s always cool to look ahead and see what’s coming.

On the whole, 2022 was a good year to be a romance reader. There were tons of amazing books published along with some authors finally getting traditional publishing deals and even debut authors making a splash.

Despite some of the disappointing moments, we have a lot to look forward to this year so I wanted to talk about some of the romance books I’m most excited for. While this isn’t going to be a full list, I’m going to be talking about some of my highlights.

Since we’re going to be talking about 15 romance books, I won’t keep this intro that long so let’s get into the upcoming releases for 2023.

This first group of romance books is some highly anticipated sequels for 2023.

For this first batch of anticipated releases, I wanted to talk about some romance sequels I’m incredibly excited about and know I have high up on my TBR. The first is Radiant Sin by Katee Robert which is book 4 in her Dark Olympus series. This one is a romance between Apollo and Cassandra but I’m not sure about the tropes. However, it comes out on February 7th, and thankfully, the publisher sent me an ARC.

Moving onto indie releases, the final book in Juliette Cross’ Stay a Spell series is coming out. Grim and Bear It is book 6 and it’s following a romance between Clara and Henry. Their romance has been building for SO many books and the release date for it is poised for May 9th. Keeping with the indie theme, King of Pride by Ana Huang is coming out on April 27th. We don’t know much yet aside from the fact that it’s a billionaire romance and the second book in her Kings of Sin series.

The final two sequels are both by authors I loved in 2022 and I can’t wait to read their upcoming releases which are Final Offer by Lauren Asher and Things We Hide From The Light by Lucy Score. I don’t know anything about these books and honestly, I’d rather know nothing. Even so, the release date for Final Offer is January 31st while Things We Hide From The Light is coming February 21st.

This next group is romance books by authors I’ve read and loved in the past.

I feel like this book is going to make the rounds for a lot of readers, but I have to feature Happy Place by Emily Henry. I know there are a lot of polarizing opinions on her books but I enjoy them and the combination of the pink cover and a couple pretending to be together for the sake of their friends sounds delightful. This one is set for release on April 25th.

Moving to an earlier release, Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a relationship-in-trouble story about a couple who goes on vacation for their wedding anniversary and then end up getting set up but the two agree to pretend they don’t know each other. It sounds super unique so I’m excited. Additionally, the release date is actually January 24th.

Next up is The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur. This is a sapphic rom-com about a bookstore owner and a book cover model who have a marriage of convenience. Honestly, that sounds amazing so I don’t need to know anything else. The release date is set for April 18th. A week later on April 25th, Role Playing by Cathy Yardley is releasing which is a middle-aged gamer romance that sounds amazing.

The last release for this section is Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter. I adore Jodie Slaughter’s books and writing style so this had to make the list. This follows an estranged couple who end up reconnecting after she wins the lottery and wants to get divorced but of course, things don’t go as planned for Miriam and Leo. The release date for this one is July 11th.

These last five romance books are all from new-to-me authors.

The Nanny by Lana Ferguson is actually a book put on my radar by the publisher and it’s a romance between Cassie, a nanny who does Onlyfans, and Aiden, the single dad she nannies for. Honestly, this sounds like it’s going to be tons of fun and super hot. This one is set for release on April 11th but just before that is Ana María and the Fox. Set for release on April 4th, this is a historical romance between a Mexican heiress and a British politician which I also have an ARC of and I’m very excited about.

Moving to a summer release, Forget Me Not by Julie Soto is a romance between two exes who get contracted to work on a wedding that sounds angsty and delightful. Plus the cover is stunning and it’s set for release on July 11th. Next is another summer release and that’s Playing For Keeps by Tristen Crone. Aside from its stunning cover, this is a grumpy x sunshine romance featuring a plus-sized heroine and board games which sounds incredible. This one is set for release on June 27th.

Last but certainly not least is an upcoming release and that’s The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest. This is a Black love romance between Lily, a disgruntled book editor, and Nick, her neighbor, and secret author. While the synopsis talks about a lot, I don’t want to give too much away but I will say that this one sounds super fun and unique. It’s also set to publish on February 28th.

All in all, 2023 seems like it’s going to be a great year for romance books. There are tons of great sequels coming along with some new authors to check out. Honestly, you really can’t go wrong with just picking something up and giving it a try.

What are some of your most anticipated romance releases for 2023? Let us know in the comments.