We received so many submissions for last month’s romance and relationships roundup of BookLife titles, we decided to keep the love going! Want to see your book featured? Check out the Indie Spotlight calendar at booklife.com/indiespotlight.

Fiction

Anneliese

Dee Miller

ISBN 978-1-73729-550-1

Author statement: “Anneliese is about a free-spirited woman in the 1920s. She finds herself pregnant and is confronted with making the tough decision to either marry a man she no longer trusts or to raise the child on her own. I began writing this novel after doing genealogy research on my husband’s grandfather, whose identity was unknown. After DNA results came in, the story that emerged was too unbelievable not to be told. I had written three children’s books (still in my desk drawer) prior to this, but decided to branch out and try my hand at writing a novel. The results were pleasantly surprising.”


Chasing the Moon

Melanie Hooyenga

ASIN B0BHBZL7R1

Author statement: “Two best friends. One tiny tent. An attraction that’s impossible to ignore. Book 3 in The Campfire Series is filled with grand adventures, secret kisses, and an epic eclipse you won’t soon forget. I think it’s important to tell stories from an LGBTQ perspective. The main characters in Chasing the Moon are gay and bisexual, but their sexuality isn’t the focus of the story—it’s about what happens when two friends fall for each other.”


Echoes of the Past

Iris Blobel

ISBN 978-1-976845-69-7

Author statement: “Connor receives news that his estranged father is terminally ill and returns to Fermosa Bay, a little coastal town in Australia. Connor lived on the other end of the world for more than 20 years, and it doesn’t take long for him to wonder how his life could have been if his mother hadn’t moved him to London. Unable to remember his childhood, he’s unprepared for the growing attraction he feels for Emily, whose childhood crush on him is still in full swing. She’s determined to enjoy the short time he is in Fermosa Bay, accepting her heart will break when he returns to his life in London. Echoes of the Past is an emotionally charged contemporary romance that celebrates the power of family and friendship lasting despite decades apart.”


Heartbeat: A Courageous Love Novel

Terreece M. Clarke

ISBN 978-0-9897769-7-4

Author statement: “Maya Anderson only knows success: set a goal, create a plan, achieve. Everything she can control she does, down to her color-coordinated closet. Then someone tries to kill her. Spicy scenes, laugh-out-loud moments, suspense, danger, and epic love make this romantic suspense novel a great read for romance readers. When I wrote Heartbeat, I was in the middle of a client drought and unemployment. Now, before you start thinking this is one of those ‘so I turned to writing books to make money for my family’ stories, it’s not. I wrote this book because the characters would not shut up. All I wanted to do was think my way out of the current financial predicament my family was in. And sleep. And shower. I wanted to do a variety of things, but playing host to Mike and Maya was not one of them. However, they would not leave me alone. They ran around in my head with their drama, random conversations, and passion. I decided to write to quiet the voices. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but it was the first time it happened with a love story.”


Night Lark: Nothing Is As Simple As It Seems

Nicky Webber

ISBN 978-0-9951347-7-5

Author statement: “Grace’s affair with Sam, a secretive ‘SWAT guy’ who flirts with the new forensic analyst, complicates her life and her older sister Laura’s, and arguments erupt. Grace escapes to Italy, leaving Laura and Sam to overcome their differences in this contemporary enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense. I met Laura and Grace in real life. They were both involved in illicit activities to bolster their income. Surprisingly, the younger sister worked for the police and had an affair with a SWAT team member. This was intriguing to me, as he had no idea of their undercover operation happening right under his nose. This formed the basis for Night Lark.”


Summer Cursed

Kimberly Quay

ISBN 978-1-73517-657-4

Author statement: “I’ve always liked the idea of shifters, especially wolves. I think a lot has been repeated throughout the genre, and I tried to keep those familiar themes but add my own unique twists to them. I wanted a female main character who knows what she’s made of, at least for the most part. Ember has been through so much in her short life. This has made her strong and independent, but she also knows when to accept help and when to ask for it, and she knows how to be compassionate.”


Until September

Harker Jones

ASIN B09SNSNS5X

Author statement: “September comes too soon for a sensitive 18-year-old when he falls in love with another boy in the summer of 1966, setting in motion a series of devastating repercussions that threatens their future. I was inspired to write Until September when I was enduring a particularly painful bout of unrequited love, taking those feelings and channeling them into my writing. Until September is worth more than what likely would have been a college summer romance if he had reciprocated, so I’m grateful things turned out the way they did!”


Visions of Johanna

Peter Sarno

ASIN B0BHFY6NRL

Author statement: “Johanna, an artist, and Matt, a music critic, couldn’t be more different, but by a simple twist of fate, she plucks him from a crowd at a Dylan concert. A heady and intense relationship follows. Matt learns about art—and life—from Johanna, driving the novel into pockets of feminism and quiet revolution, tempered by deeply held traumatic secrets. Visions of Johanna came after I read a novel about a younger man and older female artist that didn’t ring true. I had had a relationship with a talented and brave artist, and hoped to be able to share that experience more effectively, and to untangle why our relationship didn’t work out. Separately, over the years I had tried several times to write a story about a dear friend who tragically lost her life when we were 16. I didn’t know how to deal with that pain. There were no such things as grief counselors in those days, and a man—especially in my neighborhood—was expected to suck it up. It wasn’t until I started writing the book that I understood that perhaps one of the reasons my relationship with the artist didn’t survive had something to do with this traumatic event. Finally I wondered, why is music so damn important to you?”


Wild at Heart

Stacy Gold

ASIN B09WCHQ3YY

Author statement: “Overworked entrepreneur Jules Martinez is tired of being every guy’s rebound girl. Evan Davenport lost his job and fiancé, and hasn’t been happy since camping as a kid. Both hit the trail solo in search of themselves, but Mother Nature has other plans and keeps shoving Evan and Jules in each other’s paths. Usually naked. In the early ’90s, when I began working in the outdoors, I didn’t see many women solo backpacking, mountain biking, or whitewater raft guiding and kayaking. I was often told I couldn’t do it, it wasn’t appropriate, and I’d never find a husband with all these masculine interests. So, I wrote the romance novel I wish I could’ve read in my 20s—one with an adventure through stunning wilderness and a badass heroine who rescues the hero and finds a partner who supports her, respects her, and loves her not despite her strength, independence, and competence, but because of it.”


Nonfiction

The Queen of Gay Street

Esther Mollica

ASIN B0BK2X2H7Z

Author statement: “This memoir chronicles my experience of becoming New York’s first columnist on lesbian dating, which became complicated when I fell in love with my editor. My hope is that my book will inspire others to never give up on love or on themselves, even when it feels like the odds are against them. And if we can have a few laughs at the same time, why not?”


Top 10 Tips for a Terrific, Tantalizing Twosome

Brian and Connie Thomson

ASIN B0BRR2G9L8

Author statement: “On a scale of one to terrific tantalizing twosome, how would you rate your marriage? Marriage is simple, at least in theory: two people choose to spend the rest of their lives together. What could go wrong? Quite a few things, to be honest! But so much more can go right. Marriage and family can be some of the greatest sources of joy you’ll ever experience. It just takes love, patience, and a willingness to learn as you go. Whether you are planning to get married, recently married, or wondering why you got married (just kidding), this book will help you enjoy the gift of marriage without losing your identity or sanity along the way.”