Jules Thornton didn’t come to Florida horse country to make friends. She is intent on becoming a world-class rider and trainer. Chasing her dreams doesn’t leave much time for things like friends or vacations.
And she certainly doesn’t have time for Pete Morrison, the handsome heir to one of Ocala’s grandest horse farms who keeps beating her at events and, for some reason, asking her out to dinner.
As a new horse challenges her and her farm slips toward bankruptcy, she realizes her ambition can only take her so far. Jules will need to learn to trust her community—or risk losing everything.
Small-town romances are a popular subgenre because they provide a rich setting and a community for the main characters: a close group of people who are there for you in the good and bad times. Small-town romances can be built around a place, where the people are the structure and the romance is its heart. The main character may be looking for something, a path to a happy future, when suddenly, they get involved in the antics of the town and its people. Doesn’t that make you want to know what happens next? If you’re looking for a good love story to warm your heart this season, these small-town romances will be able to satisfy all your needs.
One thing I’ve come to realize about small-town romances is that you not only have to care about the main characters but also the people living in the town. The authors will easily make you fall in love with people who probably have ten to twenty lines in the story. But their contribution to the love story, to the plot around the main characters, is one of the keys that make a small town romance so charming. You’ll have nosy neighbors who love match-making, grandparents with a soft spot for gossip, and townspeople who have helped the characters throughout their lives. A variety of very interesting personalities will welcome you inside small-town romance books. It will feel like a family!
The next titles all have different versions of a small-town romance. There are stories of characters from big cities settling in a small town and finding love after a heartbreak and ones about long-time best friends going back home after they realize they’ve been in love with each other for years. Whichever one you pick, these romance novels will provide cozy, entertaining reads showcasing heartwarming small towns.
Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter
When the city boy comes to the small town only to help his grandmother, but finds love during his stay, what is he supposed to do next? Bet On It is one of the best small town romances you can find, and if you have not read it yet, do yourself a favor and start it immediately.
The book is about two strangers who meet when Aja is having a panic attack in front of the frozen foods section at the supermarket. They never imagined they would bump into each other again, especially not at bingo! After their second meeting, their budding friendship starts growing into something more with the help of a bingo-related sex pact.
The Barkeep and the Bro by A.J. Truman
This low-angst, cozy romance is perfect for the winter season. The Barkeep and the Bro is ideal if you’re looking for a quick, easy, and swoony read.
Mitch, a grumpy bar owner, needs a bartender. His bar is not doing so well, and maybe a new face behind the counter will solve all of his problems. Aside from his business, he doesn’t have much going on except hanging out with his friends and thinking about his daughter’s upcoming nuptials. When flirty fratboy Charlie walks through his doors, he’s the last person Mitch would hire. Especially because he’s his daughter’s ex-boyfriend!
Bloom by EJ Blaise
EJ Blaise begins her Serenity Ranch series with Bloom, a spin-off novel of the Sun Valley series. You don’t have to have read the others before starting this one, but I highly recommend picking them up first, because you get to meet the main character in a previous book!
Bloom follows Caroline, a shy florist who has always leaned on the Jackson family. With a horrible family of her own, she had to find another one somewhere else, right? But after a breakup, her life feels unbalanced. It’s only when a grumpy, quiet cowboy arrives in her small town that everything starts making sense for her once again.
Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks
Set in a small town in Ireland, Morbidly Yours is a wholesome and emotional romance about Lark, a cartoon creator who just moved to Ireland to start anew after her husband’s passing two years ago. There, she happens to end up next door to a funeral home managed by the nervous and shy mortician named Callum. Lark gets involved with Callum’s task of finding a wife before his 35th birthday if he doesn’t want to lose his home…but that search leads to newfound feelings that grow between them.
To Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders
For angst lovers, To Catch a Firefly is the perfect small-town romance for you. It’s about two childhood best friends who are perfect for each other. Paired with the miscommunication trope, Emmy Sanders delivers an incredible and profound story filled with yearning, pining, crushes, family, and happily ever afters. This book is a small piece of heaven, and I believe everyone needs to read it!
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams (January 7th, 2025)
Sarah Adams returns to her popular and loved When in Rome series with Beg, Borrow, or Steal, the third installment where two nemesis must work together to steal back a secret manuscript before it’s too late.
If you’re familiar with this series, you’ll know that Rome, Kentucky, is the most charming small town where people live happily ever after. It doesn’t matter if you’re a famous pop star or a second-grade teacher: you’ll find a home there.
Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher
Another great small town I wish was real is Love Redesigned‘s Lake Wisteria. Plagued with hot billionaires who aren’t looking for love but find it either way, Lake Wisteria is definitely the place to be.
In Asher’s first book in the Lakefront Billionaire series, you meet childhood rivals Julian and Dahlia. When the two find themselves back home, they realize this town can’t withstand the two of them together. But a renovation project draws them together, and soon Julian and Dahlia find themselves falling for each other.
Luca by Grey Huffington
If you’re like me and love a hero who is down bad for their love interests, I recommend checking out Luca. Not only is it set in a small town, but it also features the most romantic relationship, a single mom, two adorable kids, a family you would love to be a part of, soulmates, and so much more.
The day he is released from prison, Luca is picked up by his sister…and her best friend. He never imagined falling so quickly for his sister’s best friend and her two daughters. But now that he has found them, he won’t ever let them go.
The Catch by Amy Lea
A fashion influencer and a grumpy lobster fisherman fall in love in the cutest small-town romance. If that sentence doesn’t make you want to buy it right now, let me also mention that the book features the fake engagement trope, messy family dynamics, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity.
We have many more fun recommendations for books set in small towns! Do you want to read about small town horror books? Or how about fantasy books set in magical towns? Get ready to TBR every single one of them.