One of my goals this year is to actually do the Top Ten Tuesday lists on a more regular basis! And this week’s topic is a great one to start with: the most anticipated releases of the first half of 2025. I actually have 11 releases to talk about, and I’m really excited for all of them!

1. Mary Balogh, Remember When (January 7) — I haven’t been terribly impressed with Balogh’s latest series thus far, but I continue to live in hope that her next book will be the one I love! This one features mature protagonists and a class divide, and I’m interested to see how it will compare to the previous installments.

2. Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke (January 21) — I’ve been impatiently waiting for this last book in the Difficult Dukes series for ages! Chase is a reliably great read, and I have high hopes for this marriage-in-trouble story, about which we got some tantalizing hints in the previous two books.

3. Charlotte Stein, My Big Fat Fake Marriage (March 11) — I was so impressed with When Grumpy Met Sunshine that I’ve been dying to try something else by Stein. I know she’s got a long backlist, but I’m most excited for her new rom-com, which looks like it’s going to feature a fake relationship (one of my favorite tropes!).

4. Beth O’Leary, Swept Away (April 1) — New Beth O’Leary! I haven’t loved all her books, but her most recent rom-com, The Wake-Up Call, was excellent and has gotten me excited about her upcoming release, even though the premise (two people have a one-night stand and are then stuck together when their boat washes out to sea) isn’t particularly appealing to me.

5. Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life (April 22) — I’m definitely on the Emily Henry train, and even though I have no idea what this book is about, it’s going on my library hold list immediately!

6. Katherine Center, The Love Haters (May 20) — Katherine Center is another author I consistently enjoy, and I’m especially optimistic after liking her 2024 release, The Rom-Commers, so much.

7. Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin (May 20) — Mimi Matthews is one of my favorite historical romance authors; her books are well written, romantic, and steamless. This book is the first in a new series that looks like it might be going in a slightly new direction for her, so I’m intrigued to see how it goes!

8. Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners (June 3) — Um, excuse me, Maggie Stiefvater is writing an adult novel? Set during World War II? I need this in my eyeballs immediately! I have already preordered this one — you can get a signed and personalized copy from One More Page Books!

9. Ashley Weaver, One Final Turn (June 3) — I have really been enjoying this series of WWII mysteries, and it looks like this new book will be the final installment. I’m hoping for a resolution to the series-long arc involving Ellie’s parents, as well as a happy ending for the romance!

10. Ally Carter, The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold (June 12) — I really loved Carter’s The Blonde Identity, which was a sheer delight of a spy rom-com. That book teased a future romance featuring Zoe’s sister, Alex, and it looks like this is it! Although I’m now seeing conflicting release dates, and maybe this one won’t be out till August. Luckily I have a bonus pick…

11. Connie Willis, The Spanner in the Works (June 19) — Willis is an auto-buy author for me, so obviously I’m going to snap this one up as soon as it comes out. Goodreads gives the pub date as June 19, though I suspect that may not be completely set in stone. Nonetheless, I’m keeping an eagle eye out for this one!