My Favorite October 2025 Romance Book Releases

I read a lot of October romance releases, and for once, it didn’t feel like a chore. This month brought back that 2010s can’t-put-it-down energy. Books that felt bingeable, emotional, high-stakes. The kind that keep you up at 2am and make you remember why you fell for romance in the first place.

From primal kink in the woods to vampire therapy, clean Regency ballrooms to vigilante justice, this list has range. And while not every book I picked up hit, these eight definitely delivered. Let’s get into it.

Prefer to watch instead? Here’s my top 5 reads for the month.

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Top Pick of the Month

Rage by Nia Myst

Tropes: Vigilante heroine, billionaire hero, found family, female rage

This one completely blindsided me in the best way. Dominic hires the Wildcats, a crew of vigilante women, to find the men who assaulted his sister. Samaira (aka Crimson Tiger) is the muscle, the trauma, and the rage. She doesn’t soften for anyone… until Dominic shows up and matches her fire. Not tame it. Not redirect it. Match it.
It’s violent, steamy, emotional, and cathartic as hell. Did I mention steamy? Content warnings apply, but if you want a heroine who’s allowed to be dangerous, this one delivers.

Grab Rage on Amazon or read my Rage by Nia Myst book review

October 2025 Romance Book Releases I Recommend

Willing Prey by Allie Oleander

Tropes: Primal play, sex contract, secluded setting

What if 50 Shades went full feral in the forest? That’s the energy. Claire agrees to be hunted (yes, literally) for 30 days in exchange for $30k. There’s a contract and everything! But it’s the emotional switch that makes this one stand out, when Shane realizes he’s not just kinky, he’s kinky for her. Unapologetically filthy, surprisingly romantic, and I loved every second of it.

Grab Willing Prey on Amazon or read my Willing Prey by Allie Oleander book review

The Death-Made Prince by Lisette Marshall

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, necromancer x witch

A morally gray fire mage, a sarcastic necromancer, and a witch with OCD. I didn’t expect to fall for this enemies-to-lovers slow burn, but the banter and emotional beats were perfection. Ends on a cliffhanger though, but the journey? So worth it.

Grab The Death-Made Prince on Amazon

Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida

Tropes: Found family, vampire rom-com, holiday vibes

Hallmark meets the undead. Tiffenie is a 300-year-old vampire mess who inherits a house and decides to reinvent her life, rom-com style in Vermont. There’s therapy, found family, a hot Christmas tree farmer, and a coffin-bound ex. Hilarious and unexpectedly heartfelt.

Grab Undead and Unwed on Amazon or read my Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida book review

Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham

Tropes: Second chance, secret writer, lovable characters, sweet (no spice just kissing)

This is pure Bridgerton-meets-Austen energy. Emmeline is secretly a successful author. Simon is the man who broke her heart. Now they’re navigating matchmaking, regret, and undeniable chemistry in Regency ballrooms, with some bonus chaos courtesy of his younger siblings and a frog named Blast.

Grab Sense and Suitability on Amazon or read my Sense and Suitability book review

Also Worth Your Time

I’m Gonna Get You Back by Elena Armas

Tropes: Snowbound, Vermont setting, writer heroine, baker hero with tattoos, brother’s best friend

Haunted by a stalker and snowed in with her newly single crush who happens to also be her brother’s best friend? Yup. If you’ve been on TikTok lately and have been obsessing like me over the damn texting my brother’s best friend accounts (Taylor and Theo!) then you’ll want to read this one. Quick, moody, and emotional.

Grab I’m Gonna Get You Back on Amazon

Huntsman by Naima Simone

Tropes: Revenge, mafia, female rage

A dark fairytale reimagining where the heroine is the heir to a mafia family and the hero is the assassin sent to kill her. Delicious setup. Some pacing issues, but still delivered on vibes. And who doesn’t love a badass woman!

Grab Huntsman on Amazon

Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

Tropes: Dating challenges, found family, cozy supernatural

Asil the werewolf gets set up on five blind dates. This was a warm, character-driven collection of short stories. Not a must-read, but charming enough to satisfy Mercy Thompson fans.

Grab Blind Date with a Werewolf on Amazon

Final Thoughts

What do you think of my choices this month? It’s definitely been a great month of new releases and I’m excited to have been picking up books that remind me of my peak romance reading years. Maybe I see a change in style of books being published, or maybe I’m just picking up the right ones. What do you think?

So which one are you picking up? October is delivering big. Let me know what’s on your TBR, or what you ended up loving this month. And if you want even more releases, then you’ll want to bookmark our new book releases of the week page, which updates automatically, and even more on our new releases hub.

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