11 New Romance Books Out in June to Read at the Beach

The Feywild Job by C. L. Polk

C. L. Polk’s first full-length romantasy in several years, The Feywild Job is technically Dungeons & Dragons IP, and according to some, it offers the same vibes as the most recent movie. We’ve got a grifter who has sworn a literal magical oath never to fall in love, and their ex-partner, with whom things ended pretty terribly. Both have been recruited onto a team to steal a gem, and everything just goes wrong from there. Or right, depending on how you look at it. 

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The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forrest

Kristina Forrest’s adult and YA novels are always lovely, and this first book in a new series promises to be just as darling. Noelle has just been fired from her primary gig and needs money before the semester starts to pay tuition. So when confection heir Jeremiah needs a fake girlfriend for the weekend, a chance meeting leads to their pretense and some quick money for Noelle. A weekend becomes the summer, but what happens when autumn comes?

The Guest Book by Mae Marvel

If you’ve never picked up a Mae Marvel book, this sounds like the one to try. The author pair, Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare (who once upon a time wrote as Mary Ann Rivers), are both powerhouses in their own right, and all of the books they’ve published together, whether contemporary or paranormal romance or mysteries, have been bangers. This one features a woman who has always lived in her mother’s shadow, even after her death. When she runs off to Europe to the inn where her parents fell in love, she and the proprietor find themselves sharing secrets under the cover of thunderstorms and jetting off to other parts of Europe to discover the secrets of past guests of the inn, who left them in the titular guest book. I don’t think I’m explaining this very well, but read it anyway.

Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi

Did somebody say “You’ve Got Mail with a magical twist”? Sold! Well, actually, it’s more aligned with The Shop Around the Corner. Josie, down on her luck, lands a job at a local apothecary while waiting to see if she was accepted to the Institute of Magic. Reid doesn’t particularly like his new coworker, but of course, they become unwitting pen pals, growing closer as people as they work to keep the shop from going under. So yeah, tracks pretty well, but you know, magic!

Love is a Contact Sport by Frederick Smith

A gay romance author and a newly-out divorced father are reunited in the Bay Area when they run into each other on the campus where they’re both working. Renny has moved to the Bay to start fresh after a bad breakup, and Brent is looking to live the life he gave up to raise his family.  The two have a lot of buried feelings from college, when Renny was Brent’s tutor. Now they get a second chance to explore them. While not technically a sequel to One and Done, this is a follow-up centering a different couple in the same universe.

Ball’s In Your Court by Nina High

What about a second chance romance about a far more recent loss? Lily told Javonte that other WAGs were making her feel small, and he wasn’t supportive. It was the last straw to her leaving (cue “I can do bad all by myself”). A year later, when she’s found her own success, Javonte starts pursuing her after having realized his own mistakes. I’m always excited to come across new basketball romances, and it sounds like this one is the first in a series. 

A Deal at Dawn by Vanessa Riley

After seeding their history and secrets through the first two books in the Betting Against the Duke series, Vanessa Riley finally gives us the story of Katherine, Viscountess Hampton, and Jaleel, now the Duke of Torrance. They’ve been key characters in the previous two books, but not the central love stories. Readers have been champing at the bit to discover their history and watch them get their own happily ever after, but it will be hard-won. Torrance has a debilitating blood disorder (I’m assuming Sickle Cell Anemia) that could ferry in his death any day, and Katherine agrees to care for him, granted he finds her a new husband. But the daughter they share also needs to be protected. So. Yeah. Messy. 

American Love Song by Britt Middleton

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a romance novel inspired by a Taylor Swift song, but the author was inspired by the song “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” and gave us this story of a journalist and the country star who helps her through a panic attack at the Grammys. After their viral moment, they find themselves confiding in each other, but their roles can lead to all kinds of trouble.

Outplayed by Love by Frankie Fyre

So there’s a sapphic survival show, and there’s Paya, a producer plant. But there’s also Celeste, Paya’s real-world boss. Paya obviously can’t tell Celeste that she’s a plant, but Celeste is suspicious of Paya’s presence on the show. Did I mention the pair have sizzling chemistry? That’s not really going to help either of them win the competition.

The Open Era by Edward Schmit

The newest of a large crop of queer tennis romances, this debut is already making waves. A long-out but more recently pro tennis player is about to be the first gay player to compete in a Grand Slam, and his anxiety gets the best of him. But his tumble leads to a friendly relationship with his new rival, ranked number two in the world. Their time at the US Open is full of possibilities, but what comes next?

Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer

In a new twist on the concept of enemies to lovers, lapsed villain Cyrus and golden boy hero Maximillian decide to become fake nemeses. You remember the deal in Dragonheart? They present a problem, have big flashy battles, rake in the spoils, and go about their way to the next chance to profit on fortune and fame. I mean, technically, Draco and Bowen don’t fall in love, but just imagine if they did. Well, these two are both humanoid, so there’s that, but the silly and the serious are balanced in a similar way. It sounds delightful.