6 romance books to add to your May 2023 TBR list

April was a huge month for romance readers. No matter which sub-genre you enjoy, there were plenty of romance books to choose from.

In particular, there were a lot of anticipated releases coming out in April. For me, I didn’t read nearly as much in April but I did have some amazing reads. Between new releases and backlist titles, there were a lot of good reads.

If you’re on the hunt for something to spice up your TBR or need some suggestions for your next Barnes & Noble trip, I wanted to feature some of my favorite April romance books. As with my previous posts, I’ll be doing a mixture of new releases and backlist titles as I do read a mix.

No matter what you’re looking for, I’m sure you’re bound to find something new to add to your list or at least, think about buying during your next book-shopping trip.

These six romance books are worth adding to your May 2023 TBR.

1. Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

If you don’t pick up any of these romance books aside from one, make it Ana María and the Fox. I usually don’t love historical romances, but this one was dynamic. This story follows Ana María who is a Mexican heiress and Gideon, a British politician. While their romance takes a bit to develop, this story was so sweet and soft yet told such a compelling story.

I don’t want to give away the tropes as I feel like that’s the best part. If you haven’t picked this book up yet, please do. It just came out on April 4th, too so you should be able to grab it at your local bookstore.

2. The Time Of Your Life by Sandra Kitt

Another stand-out romance read I rarely see talked about is The Time of Your Life by Sandra Kitt. It is technically book 2 in her The Millionaires Club series yet it can be read as a standalone. The story follows Beck and Eden who meet at a funeral and end up being gifted money so they end up seeing each other over and over again. With all that forced proximity, these two can’t stop the bubbling attraction between them.

To me, The Time of Your Life felt like a much more “grown-up” romance as it focused a lot on the characters working, getting things done, and eventually, focusing on themselves while trying to navigate romance. I know that not everyone loves that, but I adored this book and the cover is stunning so how could you not?

3. If Love Had a Price by Ana Huang

Usually, I don’t recommend sequels yet I decide to pick up Ana Huang’s If Love series ahead of the release of King of Pride. This one ended up being my absolute favorite of hers that I read in April although I haven’t read King Of Pride yet.

The If Love series follows a group of friends who meet during study abroad and they end up having romances in each of the four books. If Love Had A Price is a Kris’ book who is the “rich girl” of the group and is essentially a spoiled brat. She’s hoping to lure her gold-digger soon-to-be stepmother away by using Nate to seduce her yet the sparks fly between Kris and Nate.

This is another book you can read as a standalone but there will be spoilers from the first two books. Even so, it was a lot of fun and is one of those Ana Huang series I rarely see anyone talk about.

4. Sinner by Sierra Simone

Moving into another backlist title, I have to mention Sinner by Sierra Simone. Let me just say that I was ready to write Sierra Simone off as an author who wasn’t for me. However, Sinner changed everything. Sinner follows Sean Bell who is the hero from Book 1’s brother and Zenny who is working to become a nun. Essentially, she asks Sean to show her the ways of the world before her commitment to God and it goes from there.

As with all Sierra Simone’s books, this was HOT. However, it also talked a lot about religion, grappling with your faith, and losing a parent. Sean’s mother is dying from cancer and it does take up the back half of the book yet Sinner also felt hopeful, too. All in all, this book really redeemed Sierra Simone for me and I just have to thank Bloom Books for sending me a copy.

5. Not Here To Stay Friends by Kaitlyn Hill

The next book is one I rarely feature on my lists and that’s YA romance. This is a young-adult romance between Sloane and Liam who are best friends set on having an amazing summer together. It all comes to a stretching halt when Sloane ends up participating in a reality show and it was just so much fun.

Not Here To Stay Friends was an adorable friends-to-lovers romance that also gave all of those campy and dramatic moments featured in a reality show. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough of these two and the constant war of their feelings for each other. Even if you’re not a huge YA reader anymore, I feel like Kaitlyn Hill knocked it out of the park so it’s worth a try.

6. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

The final romance book is one I’ve already talked about but I had to feature again. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest blew me away. This is a romance between Lily, a non-fiction editor who hates her job and Nick who is her neighbor. Eventually, we figure out these two have already met as he’s her favorite author and the story goes from there.

Honestly, if you haven’t read this yet, you need to. I just adored this romance and I’m still thinking about it.

What were some of your favorite romance books from April? Share with us!