Even though I’ve been out of school for a (very) long time, September still gives me a little thrill. Fall is my favorite season, and I can’t wait for the leaves to start changing. With my kids back in school, I’m reminded that I’ve never quite lost my love of the fresh start that comes with a new school year — the clean-slate feeling, the sense that anything might be possible, and, of course, the shiny new school supplies. A new month also means a new stack of romance novels to discover, and September has brought several fun, swoony stories that swept me away.

*****

How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle (Cosmo Reads) by Alissa DeRogatis is a winning romcom about heartbreak, second chances, and figuring out what you really want when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Ainsley Green has built a successful career writing happily-ever-afters, but her own love life is a hot mess after a painful breakup. With her next book due, and plagued by writer’s block, she decides that perhaps she needs to experience a little romance herself before she can confidently write about it again. Her increasingly ambitious attempts to engineer real-life meet-cutes provide plenty of comedy, but Ainsley’s journey has real emotional depth as she works through the loss of her relationship, reconsiders the friendships in her life, and begins to recognize that starting over may be an opportunity rather than a failure.

Lucas, Ainsley’s longtime best friend and biggest supporter, is the steady presence she needs while everything else seems to be falling apart. Sweet, attentive, and thoughtful, he has a way of grounding her when she’s flailing, even as he faces complications in his own life. Their transition from friendship to something more is handled with a satisfying slow-burn touch and builds on years of shared history grounded in respect that morphs into a gradual realization that the person who understands them best may also be the one they’ve been looking for all along.

DeRogatis balances the hijinks with heart, giving Ainsley room to grow into a stronger, more confident version of herself, surrounded by characters who make the journey all the more interesting. The result is a charming friends-to-lovers romance that satisfies.

*****

Maggie North’s Fossil Feud (Dell) is a smart, sexy STEM romance that pairs an intriguing scientific mystery with an irresistible love story.

Paleontologist Ripley Adams is on the verge of making the discovery that could restore the reputation her ex destroyed when he betrayed her and stole her work. After years of being outside of academia, Ripley has built a new life and a close-knit crew while working on a Montana ranch, and she’s determined to see her potentially groundbreaking discovery through. She’s smart and driven, not to mention fiercely independent, but her past has left her with understandable trust issues — and lots of reasons to keep her guard up when help arrives from an unexpected source.

It comes in the form of Oxford professor James Smithson, a reserved British paleontologist who needs Ripley’s expertise to expose a suspicious fossil discovery as a fraud. Unfortunately for Ripley, the alleged scam leads directly back to the ex who derailed her career. James has his own reasons for wanting to get to the truth, and as he and Ripley join forces, their professional partnership becomes increasingly complicated by mutual attraction. Their lively banter and intense dedication to their work make their opposites-attract relationship especially satisfying, while their growing connection gives both characters a chance to confront their own flaws and learn how to trust again.

With the paleontology backdrop and memorable supporting cast, Fossil Feud is a real standout. North offers fascinating details about the challenges of a field where professional reputations can be hard-won and easily threatened — especially for women. With a romance hot enough to melt amber, Fossil Feud proves that good love stories are anything but extinct.

*****

I can’t end a September romance column without mentioning my favorite read of early fall. Julia McKay’s Something About September (Putnam) is a nostalgic, second-chance romance that captures the magic of autumn in a small town.

Literature professor Rebecca Macintosh returns to Bramley Hollow intending to restore the family diner her grandmother left her and then return to the life she’s built. Instead, she finds herself confronting old memories, complicated family questions, and unresolved feelings for Cort Adams, the former football star she tutored in high school — and who rejected her after an ill-timed kiss following her grandmother’s death. Rebecca is independent and determined, but she’s also grieving and unsure where she belongs, and coming home forces her to question whether the future she planned is truly the one she wants.

Single-dad Cort is the only contractor in town, so Rebecca has no choice but to turn to him for help with the diner. Although he’s thought about her for years, he’s careful not to take advantage of her vulnerability, offering friendship and support instead. Their relationship has all the delicious tension of a long-denied love finally getting its chance, with their shared history adding weight to every tentative step toward something more. Rebecca’s bond with her BFF, Sabrina, is equally important, providing a source of loyalty and warmth as she reconnects with the people and place she left behind.

McKay surrounds the romance with all the pleasures of a quintessential fall read, creating a small-town story that practically begs to be enjoyed in a cozy nook with a pumpkin-spiced latte. Sweet, sentimental, and full of autumnal charm, Something About September is a lovely reminder that, sometimes, there really is no place like home.

Kristina Wright lives in Virginia with her husband, their two sons, two Goldendoodles, and a ginger cat. She’s a regular contributor to BookBub and a lifelong fan of romance fiction. Find her on Bluesky at @kristinawright.