Recommendations based on "Couples Retreat The perfect enemies-to-lovers, escapist romcom for 2025"

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books.Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis.Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the woman men date before they find their happy-ever-after. That's why Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her desk in the city for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie.She's no heroine. He's no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?

From the international bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, comes the highly anticipated Dream Harbor romance for 2025!‘A charming break from reality’ Publishers Weekly🍪🎄❤️A wedding in Dream Harbor can only mean one thing, everyone wants to get involved!With Jeanie and Logan set to tie the knot, and Kira desperate to hire out her newly renovated barn at the Christmas tree farm, everything seems to be going well. Annie has agreed to bake the cake, and Mac is responsible for, well… just being Mac. And as the whole of Dream Harbor comes together to celebrate the wedding of the year with the snow falling around them, can Annie and Mac put aside their dislike for each just long enough for the ‘I Do’s’ or is that one request too far…The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!Tropes: Enemies to lovers Found family Small Town Forced ProximityEvery book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.Readers love Laurie Gilmore‘I absolutely loved this small town, cosy romantic and very steamy novel just as much as The Pumpkin Spice Cafe’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Wonderful story with tears, laughter, mysteries, uncertainty and happiness’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Compelling, cozy and delightful narrative’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A charming small town romance with sizzling chemistry and plenty of spice’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I LOVED THIS SO BAD. The vibes of the small town were immaculate’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book makes my heart happy!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘The perfect kind of romance for me’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Perfect for reading in the evening with a little fire going’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I enjoyed this so much! Completely heartwarming and unputdownable, the steamy scenes were a bonus’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘[This] gave me everything I needed from an easy read and was the perfect addition to the Dream Harbor series’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t bear to put it down’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Just the perfect amount of sugar and spice… a literal dream to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A stunning hardcover collector’s edition of Ali Hazelwood’s instant New York Times bestseller and TikTok sensation featuring:• A shimmering, revamped cover• Endpapers with all new art from Lilith Saur featuring Olive and Adam• STEM stenciled spredges• A sunny, foil stamped case• Fun additional chapter heading doodles throughout, and...• A brand new bonus chapter featuring THAT KISS from Adam’s point of viewWhen a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

"The Friendship Fling is fun, feisty, and sexy—I really loved it! The characters have such brilliant chemistry, and it’s the perfect escapist novel to curl up with.”—Emily Stone, bestselling author of Always, in December and A Winter Wish In this delightfully charming and heartfelt debut love story, two lonely and wildly different strangers embark on a short-term friendship over one London summer—only to discover they may be something more by the time the season ends. No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn’t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She’s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she’ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can’t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life. Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal —a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won’t be on her own. And it’s only for a few months. To Ava’s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn’s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures—and Finn’s company—start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice. Still, rules are rules—Ava has good reasons for them—and as the days get shorter, Finn’s departure gets closer. Because that’s the thing about summer: it always ends. Right?

A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance.Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.Her plan: ask her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.

‘a Pure Delight...fabulous, Fun And Unforgettable’ – Debbie Johnson, Bestselling Author Of ‘the Birthday That Changed Everything’ ‘jane Linfoot Has Got Out The Mixing Bowl And Whipped Up A Truly Gorgeous Story...a Deliciously Scrumptious Treat' – Rebecca Pugh, Author Of ‘return To Bluebell Hill’

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a heartwarming tale of three people who are brought together when they're bequeathed an old Wild West inn that has the potential to pull their lives apart, but instead turns into the gift of a lifetime. When Alice receives a call about an unexpected windfall, she's stunned to learn the gift is a falling-apart-at-the-seams old Wild West B&B she once considered home--and she's inherited it along with two strangers. Except they weren't always strangers. Once upon a time, they were friends. One is her ex-BFF Lauren. The other is Knox, the only guy to ever break her heart, all while never even knowing she existed. It turns out their lives are unknowingly entangled because they once separately helped the same woman without expecting anything in return. Years later, Alice, Lauren, and Knox are broken in their own way, with their own history--and secrets-- causing them to start out on the wrong foot with each other. But according to the will, they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance. Stuck together, they make a list of rules to keep the peace--rules that end up doing the opposite, but by some miracle they find what they didn't even know they were looking for--acceptance, true friendship, and in a case (or two!), true love.

What makes life sweet? Freshly baked bread A cool lake on a hot summer day The comfort of a cozy bookstore Second chances and new beginnings When Harper Shaw's life falls apart, she knows it's time for a change. She removes everything that doesn't spark joy--from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists--and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn't feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery. With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she's never experienced since...well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets... When those secrets explode, it changes Harper's new world, and she'll learn, it's never too late to start over, it's never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it's never too late to let yourself believe in love.

Fake dating isn't just complicated--it's competitive.Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hip—until the summer after junior year. One ill-fated night (and one awkward kiss) ended their friendship, and after a year of no contact, fate throws the girls back together when they’re offered a last-minute spot on their favorite show—an Amazing Race analog called The Adventureverse.It’s a chance to put their superfan status to the test, a dream come true. Except for a few snags: It’s an all-couples season, filming starts in two days, and Noelle hasn’t spoken to her “girlfriend” in a year. But Noelle already has plans to use the prize money on her ailing father’s medical expenses. She would do anything for him—including fake date her ex-bestie on national television.Can Noelle walk a tightrope between reality and TV while juggling a pretend relationship and true feelings? Or will she get sent home empty-handed and brokenhearted?

When opposites collide...the plot thickens When former Special Forces agent Jack Garner opens his door to Erin Riley, he makes two things clear: he won't sleep with her, and he writes alone. Clearly, fame and fortune have done nothing to brighten this bestselling author's brooding manner. But his second book is long overdue, and Erin is there to jumpstart his writing...if not his heart. Bright, chatty and positive, Erin is like a sunny day to Jack's perpetual night. And even as she struggles to contain her sizzling attraction, she knows she can help Jack have a breakthrough. When the words finally start to flow, Jack starts to wonder if "once upon a time" could become "happily-ever-after." Now, that would be something worth writing about...