Orion Fiction falls for Sarra Manning's 'swoonworthy' new novel

Orion Fiction has scooped Sarra Manning’s newest novel, a "swoonworthy" love story about a woman who gets the chance to date classic fiction romantic heroes in real life.

Former editorial assistant Kayleigh McKnight acquired world rights to The Love Library from Rebecca Ritchie at AM Heath. The novel will be brought to market by Orion fiction publisher Charlotte Mursell in June 2026. The publisher added that The Love Library was a fiction highlight for the publisher at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair.

The novel follows Tess Hardy who, after a series of dating disasters, wonders if she will ever find her happy ever after – or whether this only exists in her beloved romance classics. Then she is invited to The Love Library, a mysterious 200-year-old institution that promises dates with your favourite romantic heroes in real life.

She is soon "grabbing drinks with Heathcliff, dining with Rochester and cosying up to Darcy. There is just one problem: for some reason, handsome yet grumpy head librarian Gabe seems determined to sabotage all of Tess’ dates…"

Mursell said: "Sarra’s writing had us under her spell from the very first page – and I just cannot wait for readers to meet their new literary heroes, Tess and Gabe."

Manning has published 25 novels – including Unsticky, London with Love and The Last Days of Summer – which have been translated into numerous languages.

She is also a journalist who as written for many publications such as the Guardian, the Sunday Times and ELLE, and was most recently literary editor of Red. 

Manning said: "Getting to spend time with some of my favourite romantic heroes was an absolute dream, even if some of them turned out to be more of a nightmare. But more than anything this book is a love letter to love stories from the ’meet cute’ to the ’happy ever after’."