In this month’s roundup of BookLife titles, we feature books on romance and relationships. Want to see your book featured? Check out the Indie Spotlight calendar at booklife.com/indiespotlight.
Coming of Age & Personal Growth
30 Days in Belfast
Rita A. Gordon
ASIN B0BS8MPGT6
Author statement: “30 Days in Belfast is a character-driven love story set in Belfast, Ireland. Rose Ross, a strong businesswoman struggling to rise above the vast shadow of her wealthy father’s name, has just three weeks to choose the course of her career—and her love life. As an avid reader with a penchant for romance stories, I was struggling to find a book that wasn’t formulaic and that resonated with me. I challenged myself to tell the story I wanted to read.”
The French Lover’s Wife
Janet Garber
ISBN 978-1-68463-181-0
Author statement: “Lucie, a smart and sassy girl from N.Y.C., abandons her PhD program to run off with Pierre, a dashing Frenchman. It’s the start of the sexual revolution and she doesn’t intend to miss a thing. They first land in Mexico, then marry and settle in Paris to live the dream. But Pierre becomes an intolerant critic of her wifely imperfections; she can’t seem to measure up to French standards. Her women’s writing group helps her realize what she needs and wants out of life: to be a mother, a career woman, and a writer. If only she’d known who she was from the beginning. This novel spent untold decades in a desk drawer, inspired by a sojourn in Paris. When I retired, I promised myself I would finally get these people and scenes on camera.”
Mary Poser: Butterflies and White Lies As Bollywood Comes to Nashville
Angel A
ASIN B072FMK41X
Author statement: “There’s troubled love in Music City (Nashville). Despite deeply entrenched obstacles, Southern belle Mary falls for a visiting Bollywood director, Simha Das. A life-changing event leads to questions about who or what intervenes. Passions collide as Mary must come to terms with her darkest secret. On the surface Mary Poser is a fun and frolicking love story. Underneath this is a message of hope and inspiration for anyone who feels overwhelmed by anxiety and demands of family, faith, and culture.”
The Pilgrim Soul in You: A Story of Love, Loss, and Redemption
Martin Mutka
ISBN 978-0-578-65634-2
Author statement: “The Pilgrim Soul in You is the poignant narrative of Will Merritt, a bright college graduate who moves to San Francisco in the early ’80s to pursue his MBA. There he meets Laura McKenzie, a beautiful, young law student from a prominent Northern California family. The two are drawn to one another by similar sad events in their past, and that connection fosters a relationship that blossoms into affection and commitment. This semi-autobiographical story memorializes that period in my life when I was experiencing intellectual and emotional growth and finding happiness in a unique and spellbinding place—San Francisco.”
The Real Me Because of You
M.J. Apple
ASIN BQGM2K7K
Author statement: “Luisa ‘Isa’ Macayo is an actress full of self-doubt due to humiliating life events and lack of family support. She now teaches math at her alma mater because it’s the only position open where she feels the most at home. However, when she gets offered to take over the theater program with the opportunity to work closely with her high school crush, she finds the courage to finally show the world the amazing woman she truly is.”
Tree of Redemption
Jim Davidson
ASIN B0BMDNXB4Q
Author statement: “Chris Hamilton journeys to Brownsville, Texas, from his native Virginia in 1995, after receiving a cryptic note saying that his mentor, Armando Geurra, has mysteriously died. Chris soon finds out that his death was no accident and becomes entangled in decades of animosity and vengeance. Set against a backdrop of the breathtaking beauty of Southwest Texas and the intermingling of Hispanic and American cultures, this is a story of honor, character, romance, and redemption across distance and time. This book was born out of a story that has been ruminating in my mind for years. Minimally based on real situations and people, I always felt it had the bones for a fascinating story.”
Troubles with Teamwork (Mickie Mckinney: Boy Detective #2)
R.L. Fink
ASIN B0B4T71W4P
Author statement: “Mickie McKinney is no longer Maple Ridge Middle School’s only private detective. Now there is a certain blonde by the name of Sam Hayes. So when Angus McDermitt hires Mickie to help him ask Kailani Groom to the school dance, Mickie sees it as an opportunity to work one last solo case. Too bad for him, Kailani is the girl of his dreams. As a shy kid growing up, I was absolutely awful at telling my crushes how I felt about them. While I was writing the second Mickie McKinney, I decided I was going to add in a few lessons for future generations about how to deal with such potentially embarrassing situations. This is also the first book where Sam and Mickie really have to learn to work together, which is is another important lesson focused on nonromantic relationships.”
Fantasy, Romance & SF
Galaxy (Black Heart SF)
Mark Lingane
ASIN B09X3NZ76W
Author statement: “Spark, an elite Space Academy pilot, barely survived a deadly battle. After years in a coma, he emerges to find a crippled world and his memory in tatters. Humanity faces threats from many sides, often self-inflicted. And a new evil is coming. Something that will wipe out the human race for good. With the number of fighter pilots dwindling, Spark is forced back into active duty, where he meets another cadet, beautiful and enigmatic. Together they work to restore his memory, and Spark is tested to see if his fragile nerves can face the approaching disaster. Galaxy is a metaphor about equality. In all ways, this is not the story you’d expect.”
A Little Too Familiar
Lish McBride
ASIN B09XWF55Z2
Author statement: “Set in Seattle and full of found family, A Little Too Familiar is about Louise, a witch who specializes in binding witches to their familiars, and Declan, the werewolf she accidentally binds herself to in order to save him from a trap. Binding a shapeshifter as a familiar is highly illegal, and Lou thinks it’s wrong on every level...but it might be the only thing saving her new roommate Declan’s life. Writing this book helped me stay sane during lockdown. I’ve long been a fan of the fantasy romance/paranormal genre and just wanted to write something funny with magic in it.”
Friends-to-Lovers & Second-Chance Romance
Is This for Real? (New York Friendship #2)
Kathy Strobos
ISBN 978-1-73771-394-4
Author statement: “In Is This for Real?, a rom-com writer fake dates her best friend, but their relationship doesn’t stick to the plot. I wanted to explore the fear of rejection in any friends-to-lovers story and the huge fear that you’ll lose your friendship if you try for a romantic relationship.”
Paintings & Enemies (A Recklesss Billionaire Romance #2)
Ella Todd
ASIN B096SS11YJ
Author statement: “Supermodel Aubrey Duncan was excited when her father asked her to be the family company’s spokeswoman—until she met the new head of marketing. Eric Juárez was sexy as hell, yet he ended up being the first man to break her heart. Years later, Eric believes he left his feelings for Aubrey in the past. The hardest thing he ever had to do was leave her—but he did it for her own good. When he’s forced to see her again, though, he realizes just how wrong he was. When I wrote the first book in this series, I thought that book would have been a standalone. However, the other side characters started talking to me and I couldn’t help but write their story too.”
Historical Romance
Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece
Yvonne Korshak
ISBN 978-1-959182-21-4
Author statement: “I wanted to meet these characters and know them, and history informs but does not bring them to life. I have given my historical imagination free rein, based on evidence, to understand their personalities, psychic histories, conflicts, impelling goals, and aspirations.”
The Soldier and the Orphan
Alastair Henry
ASIN B0B9J1Q2ZX
Author statement: “The Soldier and the Orphan is a historical fiction romance novel that involves colonialist attitudes, discrimination, love, and tragedy.”
Love & Faith
The Church Girl
Ufuomaee
ISBN 978-1-7201-9195-7
Author statement: “As a child, Mary Uwanna believed in the power of faith and love and loved to tell stories of princes. Everything changes when she loses her parents in one night and is left to care for her three brothers. In a climate of corruption and immorality, even the church is not a safe refuge for 16-year-old Mary. She makes a decision that threatens to steal her destiny until she meets her prince. I was just being playful when I started writing the story, but I believe it was inspired because it became God’s story, as He took me where I never anticipated, and I needed His guidance as I wrote every chapter.”
The Coordinates of Time, Treasure, and Truth
Arlene DeMar
ASIN B09FT4GQ5S
Author statement: “Fall in love with Gloria Morelli, the family matriarch, and meet a host of family and friends spanning the generations. Travel through time as she lives and recalls the various stages of her life, reflecting on the many joys and sorrows she has known. Witness how Gloria both gives and receives support and encouragement while making her way through the crone years and beyond! It was my desire to write a book reflecting Christian love and values and expressing them through the experiences of the main character towards all those she holds dear. The lives of the characters come to life through prose, poetry, short stories, and reflections.”
