A Novel Seduction

Cready (Aching for Always) whips up a delightfully original and humorous contemporary romp with a metafictional twist. Strait-laced literary editor Ellory Sharpe is horrified when her temperamental boss orders her to write an ode to romance novels. Even worse, the assignment reunites her with photographer Axel Mackenzie, an old flame. Ellory must learn to praise a genre she hates while navigating around her boss’s secret affair with the romance world’s current darling; a hostile competitor for her dream job; and her increasingly passionate relationship with Axel. But as she continues her international journey to understand the allure of romance novels, she is stunned to discover the intelligence beneath the revealing covers and the quick camaraderie of romance fans. Peppered with laugh-out-loud dialogue, hysterical antics, and plenty of colorful secondary characters, this yarn is an absolute crowd-pleaser. (Nov.)