Weekly Book Recs 49/2025: Contemporary Romance
- Apollo Imperium
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
7 BOOK SUGGESTIONS EVERY FRIDAY –– A MIX OF INDIE AND TRADITIONAL PUBLISHED BOOKS
Seven new contemporary romance book recommendations to start our December with. The next few weeks will be filled with winter-related books (some winter romance, too), but for this week, we're keeping ourselves in moderate temperatures. It's just too early to really accept that winter is almost here. Regardless, we've gathered some great books to keep you busy during this first week of December––maybe even longer. Featuring some well known ones, along with indie publishes, and including a book from an author we've interviewed before, Patricia Prior.
"Between Then and Now" by Patricia Prior
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 4.03
I came to Hallow’s End to start over. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan.
Tucked away in a quiet cottage with a paintbrush in my hand, I can finally breathe. No boardrooms, no expectations–just a cozy, charming small town where I can be myself. It’s the perfect place for a fresh start.
Then, I meet Ethan. A steady, kind-hearted teacher who starts to feel like home. Watching him care for his little sister, I begin to feel like maybe I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
But when my toxic ex resurfaces, determined to pull me back into the life I left behind, I have to make a choice. Will I return to my old life…or am I brave enough to choose myself and the future I can see for myself?
"Some Kind of Famous" by Ava Wilder
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 3.71
It’s been a decade since Merritt Valentine’s peak as a celebrated singer-songwriter… and her subsequent career-ending mental breakdown. Since then, she’s abandoned the glitz of Los Angeles to move in with her sister, Olivia, in the sleepy Colorado ski town of Crested Peak, hoping to heal her lingering emotional wounds of the spotlight.
Life in Crested Peak would be uncomplicated if not for Merritt’s inconvenient crush on the local contractor and handyman, Nikolaos Petrakis. Niko is disarmingly handsome and too kind-hearted to ever be right for the complex and prickly Merritt. Though tempting, a fling with Niko would only bring the kind of drama Merritt has vowed to leave behind.
After his last heartbreak, Niko is done dating his fellow townies. Still, he can’t shake his fascination with the brilliant Merritt, even as he heeds their mutual friends’ warnings to steer clear of her chaos. But when Merritt needs help fixing up a house of her own, Niko is glad to be the only man for the job.
As the two spend more time together, their mutual attraction sparking a deeper connection than either one expects, they’re forced to confront the idea that they may have underestimated each other– and themselves.
"The Husband Wishlist" by Bridget Van Der Eyk
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 4.62
Jessie Lopez has been burned before when it comes to love, which is why when things fall apart with 'small-dick Brian', she decides enough is enough! After one too many drinks, she and her sister, Anna, come up with 'The Husband Wishlist' - a somewhat trivial, and definitely random, list of all the attributes Jessie's future husband needs to have. It's a list that sits idle on her device for two years, until 'hot doughnut guy', also known as Anderson West, comes along...
Jessie finds herself sitting next to Andy on her extremely delayed flight from London back to the States for Christmas. What starts out as free champagne, fun banter, and potential law-breaking behavior on a Boeing 777, soon turns into everything Jessie never expected when she finds Andy crossing off an impossible number of things on her Husband Wishlist. According to Anna and their overprotective and opinionated tiger mom, this might just be the Christmas miracle Jessie's stale love life needs. Jessie's not quite sure she's ready to accept that Andy could be 'the one' though, especially when it's been less than twenty-four hours since they met.
"Love You, Mean It" by Laura Pavlov
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 4.45
My new landlord’s a real hard-ass. And I can’t keep my hands off him.
Charlie Huxley’s the best—and grumpiest—general contractor in Blushing, Alaska. He built the venue for the wedding-planning business my bestie and I share. After I accidentally flood my home, he offers me his guesthouse while he handles the repairs. But when he starts to take charge, I feel myself losing control. Unable to resist, we casually hook up. We both know once will never be enough.
Between us, we carry plenty of baggage. I’ve got the absent father, drunk mother, and estranged sister. He grew up in foster care and is single-handedly raising a daughter whose mom visits just once a year. But Charlie makes me feel like I belong. And for the first time ever, I picture myself with a real family.
Before I go all in, I need to learn to set some boundaries. Question. Am I strong enough?
"Single & Crochet" by Ciana Smoak
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 4.23
"I just want to be single and crochet."
Since the passing of her grandmother and being dumped by her ex in the same year. Heartbroken Anylee Smith has been focused on one thing. Becoming the best Crochet Fashion Designer. With the acceptance of having her designs displayed on the biggest runway in the world in the Virgin Islands, Anylee's dreams are on the tips of her fingers. But when one of her models cancels at the last minute, leaving her out of compliance with show rules, Anylee struggles to find a model to fill in.
With her ex, Santoro Reeves, celebrating his birthday in the Virgin Islands, the last thing they expected was to be reunited. Desperate to stay in the show, she settles for Santoro to be her model, based on the expectation of a few rules to keep her head focused on the show and clear of Santoro. But with Santoro breaking the rules, Anylee tries her hardest to keep their relationship strictly professional. But with Santoro back in the picture, she questions if her focus can stay on the show.
Can Anylee have the dreams and the love, or will she choose to be single and crochet?
"Isn't It Obvious?" by Rachel Runya Katz
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 4.20
After a meet-disaster, a podcaster and her producer fall in love over email without realizing they know (and hate) each other in real life.
When high school librarian Yael’s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she’s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.
Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.
In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he’s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?
"The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain" by Hannah Brown
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️ 3.76
Forgetting Sarah Marshall meets Anyone But You in this novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown.
Sybil can’t wait to escape to a tropical paradise, all expenses paid. Well, technically the expenses were paid—last year, when she was supposed to honeymoon in Hawaii with her then-fiancé, Jamie. But the wedding didn’t go as planned (or at all), and now she’s using those hotel vouchers to enjoy some mai tais, med spas, and me-time.
But she nearly plunges backwards into the infinity pool when she sees Jamie there, too. He’s on a work trip representing his family’s firm, alongside his gorgeous, tangerine bikini-clad “colleague.”
Desperate to save face in front of the ex who broke her heart at the altar, Sybil accidentally-on-purpose blurts out that she’s vacationing with her boyfriend. But what starts as a harmless lie soon spirals into an ex-fiancé fiasco when Sebastian—the second of Sybil’s three failed engagements—pops by, fresh off a photography gig. Seb’s always up for a good time and happy to play along . . . sparking unexpected jealousy in Jamie.
From snorkeling snafus to stunning vistas to beach parties, Sybil does her best to juggle two ex-fiancés. But it’s becoming clear that her past of broken promises must be reckoned with once and for all—including that first fiancé, Liam, the one she never talks about . . .
Is the notorious free-spirit, life-of-the-party, runaway bride Sybil Rain ready to heal from her three past engagements and make room in her heart for a fourth and final chance at love?
We're giving classics and new releases a home. First and foremost an online book- and art store. Committed to cataloguing real, human stories & art in the age of the artificial, and to leave our ecological footprint as small as possible. All of our products are created or printed only when an order is placed, so no item ends up in a landfill.
Our collection spans across multiple mediums, including novels, art works (and prints), poetry collections, bookish items like stickers & clothing, photography works, home decor, meditation, zines and more.
Work with us
Interested in working with us? Our artist and author submissions are always open. Click the links below to find more information. If you want to pitch a zine or partnership, please reach out through an email.
Contact Us
For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or any assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch:
Email: info@apolloimperium.com
Comments