15 spicy romance books to break you out of your reading slump

Sure, you’ve heard of #BookTok, but what about #SpicyBookTok? Scroll for just a few minutes and you’ll be flooded with spicy romance novels packed with all of the sweet moments and tropes we love with the addition of open-door steamy scenes.

From contemporary romance to romantasy, sports romance to historical romance, you won’t find any fade-to-black scenes in these books! Between the loveable characters, incredible plots, and steamy scenes, these spicy books will have you blushing and swooning all at once. Apologies in advance to your TBR, because these 15 steamy romance recs are must-reads!

1. “It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey

Piper’s parents send her away to Westport, a small seaside town, as a punishment for being popular (OK, maybe more accurately it’s because she caused chaos, but still! Free Piper!).

Westport is a far cry from her glamorous life in Los Angeles. Enter Brendan, a fishing captain who has gotten under Piper’s skin since the moment she showed up and doubts she has what it takes to make it without her parents’ money and connections. As she finds her footing in this new town, her path keeps crossing Brendan’s—and neither one of them is happy about it.

Tessa Bailey is a spice and banter QUEEN, and this book is no exception. If you love the grumpy/sunshine trope and loveable but ditzy Alexis from Schitt’s Creek, you will love Piper and this rom-com book.

2. “Pucking Around” by Emily Rath

This book has it all: enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, polyamorous romance, the spiciest scenes, hockey! Seriously, what’s not to love?

Rachel has just taken a new job as a doctor for an NHL team. One of the first people she meets? Jake, who she had an unforgettable one-night stand with in Seattle…who also happens to be one of the team’s star players. Sparks are also flying between Rachel and Caleb, her neighbor and equipment manager for the team (and Jake’s best friend). Enter Illmari, the team’s grumpy goalie, whose trust Rachel is determined to win. What she doesn’t count on is winning his heart too.

There’s a prequel novella and two collections of bonus chapters, plus other books in the series focusing on some of the side characters from “Pucking Around.” This book is so good and I want to live in this world forever.

3. “The Local” by Dipsea

Sabrina is an American living in Ireland and her new flat is right above a bustling pub (not exactly conducive to her studying). Killian is the hot bartender who is one part charming and one part irritating. What starts as innocent flirty banter across the bar quickly devolves into more and they can’t decide if they love or hate each other.

This audiobook is split into 11 chapters (plus bonus content!) and each one clocks in around 10 minutes. The steam is steaming, the Irish accent will melt you into a puddle, and you’ll get full-body chills from the way this spicy audiobook transports you into the moment. Go find your headphones!

4. “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood

Olive is a post-doc student at Stanford. Adam is the grumpiest (and hottest) professor in the department. After she accidentally kisses Adam (in her defense, she just kissed the first man she saw, she didn’t know it was him), Olive is convinced she’s going to be fired and maybe even deported back to Canada. But surprisingly, Adam agrees to a fake relationship to keep her nosy friends from meddling in her love life.

This book has tension, stolen glances, longing feelings, forced proximity (they have to share a hotel room!) and all the best parts of a grumpy/sunshine duo. It’s a slow burn but when they catch fire—watch out! While the story is told from Olive’s POV, we do get one chapter from Adam’s POV that is just chef’s kiss. This spicy romance book will leave your heart overflowing.

5. “Twisted Lies” by Ana Huang

Stella thought her stalker had disappeared but he’s returned to her life and she’s terrified. Living on her own (even though she’s in one of D.C.’s safest buildings) isn’t making this easier.

Christian owns Stella’s building and lives in the penthouse. He knows Stella through mutual friends (the couples from the other books in the Twisted series!) and wants to keep her safe so he proposes a solution: They pretend to date so her stalker will back off. This might have worked if her stalker didn’t mean BUSINESS. He continues to try to get to Stella, driving her closer to Christian, who will do anything to protect her.

If you like your romance to have a dash of darkness, morally gray men, lots of plot twists, and heaps of spice, you’ll love this.

Oh and PS: While it’s the fourth book in the Twisted series, it can totally be read as a standalone.

6. “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace

After an incident leaves one of the school’s rinks inoperable, the hockey and skating teams have to train on the same ice.

And that ice isn’t big enough for Anastasia, a figure skater, and Nate, a hockey player. They butt heads repeatedly, before eventually settling into a truce when Nate steps up to fill in for Anastasia’s injured skating partner. As the weeks pass, there’s no denying their connection (seriously, their chemistry could melt the ice they are skating on). Don’t let the cartoon cover fool you—this book is steam city!

7. “Wrecked” by Lauren Asher

Lauren Asher’s billionaire Dreamland series gets a lot of love (as it should!) but don’t sleep on the Dirty Air series!

Wrecked is the third book in the series, which follows a group of F1 drivers. Jax is F1’s resident bad boy—a title he has worked hard to keep. Elena is the PR pro brought in to help him clean up his act, so naturally they get along like cats and dogs. But as we get to know them more, these two are more alike than they seem. Jax is haunted by his future and Elena is haunted by her past, but together they somehow find a way to live in the present.

There’s angst, sadness, love, hope, and SPICE (looking at you, London Eye scene). This book is real and messy and emotional and outstanding. You can read it as a standalone, but the rest of the books in the series are incredible as well.

8. “A Not So Meet Cute” by Meghan Quinn

Lottie is sick and tired of being single so she decides to take matters into her own hands the only way she knows how: by walking through Beverly Hills and hoping to stumble upon a rich, hot, single man (honestly, a relatable queen). On her hot girl walk, she stumbles across Huxley, a billionaire who is in a bit of a situation because he accidentally told a super-important client that he and his fiancée are expecting a baby, when in reality he’s very single.

In an attempt to save his business deal from going south, Huxley convinces Lottie to be his loving (fake) fiancée. But Lottie has a mind of her own, which means these two are constantly caught up in hilarious hijinks. Plus, the more time they spend together faking it, the more real it all seems. This is the first in a three-part series following Huxley and his two brothers. If you’re a fan of Meghan Quinn, you may have been introduced to these guys in one of her other books!

9. “The Mistake” by Elle Kennedy

Logan is a defenseman for the Briar University hockey team and the team is fresh off winning the championship. He’s got it all but unfortunately, he’s down bad for his best friend’s girlfriend, Hannah, and he feels awful about it. He meets Grace by total accident (literally showed up at her dorm looking for someone else) and they hit it off. But he’s worried he is leading Grace on when he’s got feelings for someone else so he calls it off (in the worst possible way).

Grace is determined not to let some hockey player ruin her sophomore year. She might have fallen for Logan freshman year but she was young and naive. She won’t make the same mistake again. But Logan is determined to win her back and he’s willing to do anything to gain her trust. It’s funny, witty, sweet, Logan is the perfect book boyfriend, and I would do anything to stay in the Briar University world forever.

And luckily for me (and you) we can! This spicy romance book is the second of a five-book series, there’s a four-book series set in the same universe, and the first two books of a new next-generation series are out now.

10. “Scarred” by Emily McIntire

Nobody makes you root for a villain like Emily McIntire! Tristan is the second-born prince (the spare to his brother’s heir) and he’s plotting to overthrow him and steal the crown.

Sara is brought to the palace to wed the future king and her goal is to gain his trust and use that to take him down. She has no love for the king or his dangerous, trouble-making brother. But nothing brings people together like a shared hatred for something (or someone) else and before long, Sara and Tristan are finding it hard to stay away from each other. It’s dark and fiery, and Tristan may not be the good guy, but man do we root for him!

This book series flirts with some of the themes of dark romance books without getting too dark. And while each book isn’t a literal retelling of your favorite fairy tales, you can definitely see the influence.

11. “Punk 57” by Penelope Douglas

Misha and Ryen were paired as pen pals during fifth grade and over the years built an unshakeable bond despite never actually meeting in person. They keep things strictly anonymous and without knowing each other’s full names or what each other looks like, they are able to confide in one another about anything and everything.

This arrangement is going just fine until Misha stumbles across a social media profile that looks like it could belong to Ryen. He tempts fate and does some digging on her—which will change their relationship forever.

12. “Reluctantly Yours” by Erin Hawkins

Chloe is the editorial assistant for the head of a media company and she LOVES her job. That job is put in jeopardy when she decides to host her childhood best friend’s bachelorette party at her boss’ fancy penthouse (before you judge—the restaurant reservation fell through and Chloe has a tiny New York City apartment!!).

She and her friends get busted mid-party, not by her boss but by Barrett, the bosses’ grumpy-and-reserved-but-super-hot son and heir to the media company. Chloe’s toast, right? Wrong! Barrett is in need of a (fake, but no one needs to know it’s fake) relationship to prove to a business partner that he’s a serious, committed guy and not a total playboy. They strike a deal: Chloe pretends to be his girlfriend and he won’t tell his mom she was partying in her penthouse.

This book delivers all the spicy, steamy tension you would expect for a pair of rivals who find themselves in a fake dating scenario. The banter is top tier and their story is so sweet. You can read it as a standalone, but it’s the first in a series if you just want to stay lost in this world (and trust me, you do)!

13. “Play With Me” by Becka Mack

If you read sports romance books, you know the cardinal rule: no dating your teammates' sister (especially when that teammate is your best friend and team captain).

Garrett wants to follow the rule but the more time he spends with Jenny, the more he wants to risk it all. Jenny just wants to step out of her famous brother’s shadow and stand on her own two feet. She really loves the unlikely friendship she’s formed with Garrett (after an embarrassing start but who's keeping track) and is caught off guard by how easily her feelings of friendship turn into something more.

Garrett and Jenny are so funny and sweet with each other but they know how to bring the heat too. This is the second book in the series and while you can read it as a standalone, why would you want to when the other books are just so good??

14. “Heartless” by Elsie Silver

Cade is a tough-as-nails cowboy who runs the family ranch while raising his son as a single dad. Willa is a firecracker outsider who finds herself in need of a job in the small town of Chestnut Springs. Through the work of fate (aka Willa’s best friend and Cade’s sister-in-law, Summer) Willa agrees to nanny Cade’s five-year-old son for the summer.

She’s young, wild, funny, gorgeous, and 100% OFF LIMITS. Cade tries to keep a polite distance but every day spent with Willa, his resolve slips a little more. And Willa definitely doesn’t make it easy for him, pushing his buttons and testing his resolve any chance she gets.

This spicy romance book is the second book in the series, plus, the author has other series set in the same universe.

15. “Electric Idol” by Katee Robert

You think you’ve got mother-in-law problems? Psyche would like a word! In this fantasy romance set in a modern Mount Olympus, our girl Psyche has found herself on Aphrodite’s bad side (never a good place to be) and Eros, Aphrodite’s son, has been ordered to kill her.

Normally, a little murder would be no problem for Eros. He’s a monster, after all. But when he sees Psyche, he just…can’t. Unable to hurt her and completely perplexed as to why, he decides the only logical thing to do is marry her (obviously). Now Psyche has a super hot husband she’s not so sure about and a mother-in-law who is LESS than thrilled with her. Great.

These two are, well…electric. Run, don’t walk. And if you can’t get enough of the Greek gods, this is the second in the series (and yes, she has a book about everyone’s favorite couple, Hades and Persephone!).

If you liked these book recommendations, check more spicy audiobooks on the Dipsea app.