Seizing on the prompt of Valentine’s Day, we're taking a much-needed moment to celebrate what the romance genre does best—offer stories readers adore. Here are five offerings to suggest and look forward to.  
 

• How To Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals, Bk. 1) by Alyssa Cole (Avon, May).
  The arranged marriage plot, one of the oldest themes in romance fiction, gets brilliant new life in Cole’s first entry in the "Runaway Royals" series, a spinoff from the "Reluctant Royals" cycle. Here, Shanti Mohapi finally gets to marry a king, but being queen is not what she thought it would be. Trust Cole to create winning characters and an engaging story, all told with verve.
• Headliners: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (London Celebrities, Bk. 5) by Lucy Parker (Carina, Jan.).
  Set in London in the world of morning TV, Parker’s novel is of the moment, even as it follows that longstanding enemies-to-lovers theme. Sabrina and Nick, two competing morning hosts, have to put aside their snipping long enough to keep their jobs, save a show, and find out who is set against them. Of course, far more than employment is on the line as their history of disdain turns to love.
   
• Golden in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin’s, Feb.).
  The publisher is promoting this 50th "Eve Dallas" novel as a mainstay of futuristic suspense, but while it is that, romance readers know that the pen name Nora Roberts uses for these crime novels promises plenty of steamy romance, too. The relationship between Eve and husband Roarke is a huge part of the series, and providing a masterclass in pleasure and how a marriage can span decades (the series began in 1995) and still stay exciting.
   
• The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa (Avon, Feb.).
  This February LibraryReads Pick sees the enemies-to-lovers idea play out when wedding planner Carolina Santos is jilted and lays a good share of the blame at the feet of the groom’s brother, Max. Now Lina and Max have to work together, putting them in a position to value each other in ways their former relationship never could. The novel is racking up strong reviews and high praise, putting Sosa, who is not as well known as she should be, front and center.
   
• A Heart of Blood and Ashes (Gathering of Dragons, Bk. 1) by Milla Vane (Berkley, Feb.).
  Meljean Brook, author of The Iron Duke (the first of her beloved "Iron Seas" series), returns, writing as Vane, to launch a new barbarian romance fantasy series, "A Gathering of Dragons." This first installment mines the enemies-to-lovers trope, as a warlord captures the daughter of his deadly foes, only to discover she is far different than he expected and has ideas about their future he never imagined. The second in the series, A Touch of Stone and Snow, arrives in July. This novel is making some most-anticipated lists and has readers talking.