Looking for a romance that keeps you blushing and turning pages way past midnight? These spicy picks deliver every time.
Sometimes you just want a romance with on-page heat, big emotions, and the kind of chemistry that keeps you reading long after you meant to be asleep. This list pulls together some of the most addictive spicy reads—slow burns, bold fantasies, small-town cowboys, and everything in between.
Spice looks a little different for everyone, so think of this list as a blend of medium to high heat—from slow-burn tension to full open-door scenes—with an emphasis on:
- Small-town and cowboy romances with extra sizzle
- Spicier rom-coms with heart and humor
- Paranormal and historical reads with swoony, sensual moments
Pick your preferred tropes, skim the spice notes, and then add a few of these to your 2025 TBR. Your reading nook (and maybe your fan) will thank you.
How I’m Using a Spice Scale (So You Know What You’re Getting)
Everyone talks about “spice,” but nobody means exactly the same thing. For these recs, I’m using a simple, reader-friendly scale:
- 🌶️🌶️ (Medium) – On-page intimacy, but balanced with plot and emotion.
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) – Multiple open-door scenes and a noticeable level of heat.
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Very High) – The spice is a major feature of the story and shows up often.
Spice is subjective, so consider this a general guide. If you’re a “fade to black” reader, you may want to tread carefully and start with the medium-heat titles first.
If you enjoy romance with layered emotions and just the right amount of heat, you may also like my reviews of In Need of a Cowboy and Cruel Summer.
🔥 Spicy Romance Reads You Won’t Put Down (2025 Edition)
1. Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage
If you love modern cowboy romance with serious heat, this one delivers. Picture a rugged rancher, a heroine determined not to fall for another charmer, and a small town where everybody sees the simmering tension between them before they do. There’s banter, there’s longing, and there are definitely a few scenes that will have you fanning yourself.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) | Tropes: Small town, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, cowboy romance
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
2. What Happens at the Lake by Vi Keeland
A fresh start, a lakeside town, and a neighbor she absolutely does not want to like… at least at first. This spicy grumpy–sunshine romance leans into forced proximity and “I shouldn’t want you, but I do” energy, with emotional beats that keep it from being all heat and no heart.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) | Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, neighbors, fresh start, small town
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
3. Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Dark, twisty, and definitely not a cozy small-town romance, this one is for readers who like their spice with a side of morally gray. Two vigilante serial killers develop a very complicated connection, and the chemistry between them is as intense as the premise. Make sure you skim the content warnings first—this one goes dark—but if you love unusual, high-stakes romance, it’s unforgettable.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Very High) | Tropes: Morally gray, partners in crime, dark romance, rivals-to-lovers
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
4. Bride by Ali Hazelwood
If you’re a romantasy reader who wants both plot and spice, this arranged-marriage story between a vampyre and a werewolf is a fun bridge between fantasy and contemporary-feeling romance. You get political tension, supernatural worldbuilding, and open-door scenes that still leave room for character growth and humor.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) | Tropes: Arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers, supernatural politics, found family
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
5. Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
For readers ready to leave Earth entirely, this sci-fi spicy romance has become a modern cult favorite. A human heroine stranded on a frozen alien planet ends up relying on a big, blue, horned alien warrior who claims she’s his fated mate. It’s wild, it’s over-the-top, and it’s absolutely not shy about its steam.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Very High) | Tropes: Fated mates, forced proximity, language barriers, alien romance
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
6. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake
This spicy sapphic rom-com follows a romance author who has hit a creative wall and the “terrible” one-night stand that ends up inspiring more than just her next book. Between the fake relationship setup, theater chaos, and emotionally honest conversations about desire and identity, this is a high-heat story with genuine heart.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) | Tropes: Fake dating, one-night stand gone wrong, theater setting, queer romance
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
7. Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates
Sliding into the cowboy corner of my own bookshelves, Cruel Summer brings together emotional backstory, second chances, and a healthy dose of chemistry. Expect simmering tension between characters with history, heartfelt moments, and enough spice to make this feel like more than just a small-town comfort read.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ (Medium) | Tropes: Second chance, small town, cowboy romance, emotional baggage
Read my review: Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
8. Outlaw Lake by Maisey Yates
This one leans into that mix of rugged setting, complicated pasts, and “I shouldn’t want you, but I absolutely do.” While the emotional journey is front and center, there are still enough spicy moments to satisfy readers who want open-door scenes wrapped inside a strong, character-driven story.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ (Medium) | Tropes: Small town, found family, secrets, cowboy romance
Read my review: Outlaw Lake by Maisey Yates
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
If you enjoy cowboy romance with emotional depth, take a peek at my other Maisey Yates reviews: In Need of a Cowboy.
9. A Kiss for All Time by Paula Quinn
Time-slip romance plus Highland heat? Yes, please. This one blends historical atmosphere with a swoony, sensual connection between the leads. The spice is present but not overwhelming, making it a great option for readers who want noticeable steam without stepping into full-on erotic territory.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ (Medium) | Tropes: Time travel, Highland romance, destined love, found family
Read my review: A Kiss for All Time
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
10. Immortal by Morning by Lynsay Sands
If you like your spice with fangs, Immortal by Morning offers paranormal romance with humor, danger, and heat. The immortal world is fun and fast-paced, and the romance balances banter, intimacy, and high stakes, making this a great pick when you want something different from contemporary settings.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ (Medium) | Tropes: Paranormal romance, immortal hero, forced proximity, action and adventure
Read my review: Immortal by Morning
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
11. Gloves Off by Stephanie Archer
If you enjoy your spice paired with big personalities and even bigger tension, Gloves Off is a full-throttle enemies-to-lovers romance with a marriage of convenience twist. Georgia, a driven sports doctor fighting to save the program she built, finds herself in a bind when the only way to access her inheritance is to be married. Enter Alexei Volkov — NHL enforcer, immigration mess, grumpy to the bone, and absolutely not her favorite person. Their mutual dislike has years of fuel behind it, which makes the sudden “let’s get married” solution even wilder.
What works? The tension. The banter. The sparks that start flying the minute they’re stuck together in forced proximity. Archer delivers top-tier chemistry, and the spice is abundant — definitely a high-heat read. What may divide readers is Alexei himself: he leans heavily into the broody, possessive archetype, and his sharp edges won’t be for everyone. The story stacks trope after trope (enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, marriage of convenience, miscommunication), so if you love fast-paced, trope-forward chaos, this one delivers.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Very High) | Tropes: Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, hockey romance
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
12. The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
If you love supernatural romance with humor, heat, and a heroine who knows exactly what she wants from life, The Fake Mate is such a fun ride. Mackenzie is an ER doctor who’s perfectly content with her world — except her grandmother refuses to believe an unattached Omega can actually be happy. In a moment of panic, Mackenzie claims she’s dating the first man who pops into her mind: Noah, the brilliant but notoriously grumpy cardiologist she works with. Oh, and he happens to be a werewolf.
What follows is a fake-dating situation with enough tension to light up every hallway in the hospital. Noah has his own reasons to play along, and the way their carefully controlled arrangement starts to crumble under attraction makes this a true page-turner. Ferguson blends laugh-out-loud moments with real emotional softness, and when the spice hits, it hits hot. Fans of her previous books will appreciate how confidently she leans into shifter romance — she’s not afraid of big swings, big tropes, or big chemistry.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High) | Tropes: Fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, hospital setting, shifter romance, supernatural coworkers-to-lovers
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
How to Pick Your Next Spicy Read (Without Regretting It Later)
If you’re new to spicy romance—or just picky about your heat level—here are a few tips:
- Start with your favorite tropes. Love small town, cowboys, or time travel? Begin there and then layer in spice.
- Check content warnings. Darker titles, especially, can include heavy topics, so peek at those before you dive in.
- Use the spice scale as a guide, not a rule. If you’re usually a closed-door reader, try 🌶️🌶️ before jumping straight to 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.
And if you’re all about the emotional build-up and swoony lines, don’t forget to pair this post with my upcoming round-up of favorite swoony romance quotes and my guide to book tropes readers can’t get enough of. The right trope plus the right spice level is reading magic.
If you’re browsing by trope, you might love my post What Are Book Tropes? A Friendly Guide with Examples You'll Love
If you’re building your 2025 reading list, you might also enjoy my latest review of One Golden Summer, or check out my curated guide If You Loved Great Big Beautiful Life — 4 Heartfelt Romances to Read Next.
Join the Conversation
Do you have a favorite spicy romance I should add to my 2025 reading list? Share your recs—and your preferred spice level—in the comments. I’m always looking for my next late-night, can’t-put-it-down read.
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