Allain, Suzanne. The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593549667. pbk. 272p. $19. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Allain (Mr. Malcolm’s List) offers a Regency twist on the trading-places concept. Lady Isabelle wants nothing more than to stay in bed and read. Her cousin Arabella, not born to a noble line, agrees to impersonate her during the upcoming season. Things become complicated when Bella starts to fall for Lord Brooke.

Burton, Jaci. Designs on You. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593439616. pbk. 352p. $19. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Author of the “Boots and Bouquets” series, Burton offers a rom-com in which Natalie, an interior designer focused on her kids and career, meets Eugene, a younger-than-her game designer. Their chemistry is wonderful, but Natalie wonders if she is able to overcome her feelings about his age and her place in life.

Ferguson, Lana. Under Loch and Key. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593816851. pbk. 400p. $19. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Bestselling Ferguson (The Nanny; The Game Changer) blends rom-com with paranormal. Key MacKay travels to Scotland after her father’s death, carrying with her the memory of a bedtime story he told her of how a monster once saved his life. Lachlan Greer has powerful secrets to keep, and an odd tie to Key.

Holt, Katie. Not in My Book. Alcove. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781639109753. pbk. 320p. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Debut author Holt pits two writers against each other in creative writing class. Rosie writes romances, Aiden focuses on literary fiction—and scorns Rosie’s work. They clash until their instructor forces them to cowrite a book, but the truce is temporary when a career-changing chance makes them rivals again.

Howe, Jenny L. How To Get a Life in Ten Dates. St. Martin’s Griffin. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250331465. pbk. 320p. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Haleigh Berkshire is exhausted by the dating scene. It does not help that she is in love with her best friend Jack. She allows her family and friends to set her up on 10 last dates before she gives up—and it goes surprisingly well—until Jack crashes the party. It turns out he wants to add himself to the list. From Howe (On the Plus Side).

James, Amy. A Five-Letter Word for Love. Avon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063399013. pbk. 368p. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Emily is living on autopilot on Prince Edward Island in James’s debut. The best thing in her life is a 300-plus-day streak on Wordle. When she is forced to turn to her coworker John for help with a puzzle, the two pair up and push to 365 days, finding love in and beyond the squares.

Miller, Linda Lael. Where the Creek Bends. Canary Street. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781335006394. 336p. $29. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Bestselling Miller (Country Born) writes a story with a time-slip element. Madison returns to her massive family home to care for her grandmother. An only child, she has always wanted a family, and might have found it with Liam McKettrick, a single father struggling to care for his two kids. Also threading through the story is Madison’s childhood friend, who mysteriously disappeared.

Forthcoming Series Title

Heath, Lorraine. A Tempest of Desire. (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James, bk. 5). Avon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063384453. pbk. 384p. $9.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE