Spicy scenes scorch the page in this high-heat rom-com from Stein (When Grumpy Met Sunshine). Thirty-one-year-old Londonite Connie, a writer, and her American neighbor, 37-year-old editor Beck, have been awkwardly dancing around each other for a while. Beck, who has never had sex or a lasting relationship, tells his officemates that he is married to get a bullying coworker off his back. When Connie learns of his lie, she offers to play the role of his wife at an upcoming writing retreat. The results of this deception are hilarious and, eventually, intensely steamy; Stein dives into the eroticism with gusto and the back half of the novel is jam-packed with sex scenes. The real heart of the story, however, lies in Connie’s emotional growth as she unlearns the toxic femininity she was taught as a child and embraces her truest self. Cameos from the leads of Stein’s previous book will please returning fans, as will the subtle grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Connie and Beck. There’s more than enough here to entertain. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

Exes reunite in Kiley’s charming sophomore romance (after Kilt Trip). Brooke Sinclair loved her time at the University of Edinburgh, especially getting to know her mentor, Professor Mhairi McCallister, and her boyfriend, graduate student Jack Sutherland, Mhairi’s nephew and Brooke’s TA. When word got to the administration about their relationship, however, it was deemed inappropriate, and Brooke’s school days ended in scandal and disaster. Years later, Brooke works as a ghostwriter and Mhairi asks for her help cowriting a memoir. Brooke jumps at the chance—until she learns that Jack, now a professional photographer, will be assisting on the project. Kiley alternates between the couple’s POVs and toggles between present and past to create intrigue and offer a balanced view of their relationship’s evolution. There’s plenty of banter along the way, and the emotional stakes get a jolt when Jack and Brooke learn that Mhairi is terminally ill. With heat, heart, and a gorgeously rendered Scottish backdrop, this will please fans of second-chance romance and armchair travelers alike. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

The journey to a destination wedding hits some turbulence in McBreen’s entertaining debut. Ada Gallman is dreading her sister’s wedding in Ireland partly because of their strained relationship, but mostly because she’s flying solo while on a three-month “break” from her long-term boyfriend. After her connecting flight from London is canceled, she wanders into the nearest hotel—but she’s too broke to afford a room for the night. Jack, a handsome stranger at the hotel bar, offers to share his room—but Ada’s too committed to her not-quite-ex to agree to a one-night stand. Still, the two get to talking and eventually realize they’re headed to the same wedding, where Jack’s the best man, the guy Ada’s sister has warned her is the ultimate playboy. With no other flights available, they work together to come up with new travel plans—encompassing trains, cars, boats, and multiple shared hotel rooms along the way. The more time they spend together, the more Ada learns about herself, and she starts to wonder whether her long-term, on-and-off relationship is healthy or just habit. Meanwhile, Jack begins to heal from his own recent heartbreak. The romance burns slow, but McBreen makes it clear that these two are a good match through emotional heart-to-hearts. Their unexpected and realistically complicated path to a happy ending is sure to move readers. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

This escapist queer contemporary from Wilsner (Cleat Cute) takes readers from snowy Minnesota to a tropical and steamy Caribbean island. Elsie’s future is all figured out: she works at her family’s hardware store alongside her parents and siblings, and she’s engaged to her long-term boyfriend, Derrick. But as the wedding approaches, she panics, suddenly unsure if this is the life she wants. Only after calling things off does she learn that their Caribbean honeymoon package is nonrefundable, so she invites her lifelong best friend, Ginny, to come along with her. What follows is a fairly predictable and trope-heavy friends-to-lovers story against a gorgeous backdrop: Elsie and Ginny, it turns out, have been mutually pining for each other since high school, but not wanting to ruin their friendship, have kept their feelings hidden. Ginny, who is fat and nonbinary, makes a refreshing protagonist, especially as, through Elsie’s eyes, Wilsner makes their attractiveness perfectly clear. The matter-of-fact queer representation enhances the solidly constructed, if unsurprising, plot. Wilsner’s fans and anyone looking for nonbinary romance will want to check this out. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

This unspeakably hot duo of novellas launches the Black Rose Auction series of BDSM-inflected fairy tales. Bestseller Robert (Neon Gods) delivers a decadent contemporary riff on “Little Red Riding Hood” in “Wicked Pursuit.” Spoiled and kinky Mafia princess Ruby Belmonte thinks she’s found love with a mild-mannered, upper-crust prepster named Luke—until a stalker who’s been trailing her reveals that Luke and rival Mob family member Casimir Romanov are one and the same. Virtues (Drag Me Up) takes on Goldilocks and the three bears in “Divine Intervention,” a complex paranormal romance featuring a lineup of angels, witches, and demons. Witch Tlalli, an expert thief, longs to sever ties with her unstable ex-boyfriend, Anthony. She gets a chance to do so in explosive fashion while on a mission with an angel, Elias, and Anthony’s father, Cahuani, to steal an auction item. After all, there’s nothing like hooking up with an ex’s father to send a message. The two stories intersect at the Black Rose Auction, a soiree for the über-rich hosted by the enigmatic Reaper where everything is on sale. Both authors raise the sexual tension to stratospheric heights while sketching multilayered characters and delivering big emotions. Dark erotic romance fans will be eager for more. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

The baby comes before the parents even meet in Kendall’s unsuccessful twist on the surprise baby romance trope, a sequel to 2023’s Token. Whitney “Sahara” Richardson, a Black Grammy-winning pop star, Oscar-nominated actor, and the owner of a billion-dollar clothing company, freezes her eggs so she can have a family with the right partner once her career has calmed down. After a mix-up at the fertility clinic, however, high-powered white attorney Myles Redmond and his wife, Holly, learn that their biracial infant is biologically Whitney’s. Holly abandons both Myles and the baby, while Whitney, after learning the truth, is eager to be a mom. It’s a setup that calls to mind the TV show Jane the Virgin but with half the charm. Myles is distrustful of Whitney and takes out his frustrations and insecurities on her, despite the fact that she’s just as blindsided by the situation as he is. Their evolution from enemies to lovers is a hard sell after such a rocky start. Superwoman Whitney, meanwhile, is a heroine whose strength and success occasionally strain credulity. These two feel mismatched. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

Shupe (The Duke Gets Even) riffs on Don Bluth’s 1997 animated feature Anastasia in this enchanting Gilded Age romance. In 1896, con man Leo Hardy is on the lookout for a scheme to support his mother and five siblings when he spots Josie Smith singing in front of a Boston crowd and notes her resemblance to New York socialite Mrs. Pendelton, whose two-year-old daughter was kidnapped almost 18 years ago. Josie, a wily orphan, is justifiably wary of Leo’s offer to manage her singing career since, unbeknownst to her, he plans to collect on the Pendeltons’ $100,000 reward by presenting Josie as their long-lost daughter. After he introduces her to famed singer Lotta Crabtree, however, Josie’s confidence in him grows and she agrees to his offer. Together, they travel to New York City, mutually agreeing to keep their relationship strictly professional. It’s a short-lived promise; soon, their intense chemistry gives way to a scintillating affair. But when Josie and Mrs. Pendelton meet, shocking revelations on all sides may keep the young lovers from their happy ending. Shupe brings the Gilded Age to life, complete with vast wealth disparity and actual historical figures (like Lotta). Affable characters, sizzling romance, and a sparkling setting make this shine. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this madcap follow-up to 2024’s The Nightmare Before Kissmas, Raasch once again plays fast and loose with holiday spirits as she interweaves political intrigue and spicy romantic comedy. After the reigning Santa cedes control of Christmas to his son Coal, they discover that someone’s been siphoning off Christmas’s joy—the power that fuels their magic—and all evidence points to the kingdom of St. Patrick’s Day. Coal’s brother, Prince Kris, agrees to investigate, visiting the rival Holiday in the guise of a goodwill ambassador there to apologize for the prank war he instigated against the infuriating (and sexy) Prince Lochlann. Kris and Lochlann must play nice for the public, and as sparks fly at every encounter, the two grow closer. Meanwhile, Lochlann’s odious, controlling uncle, the current king of St. Patrick’s, runs the Holiday into the ground. The lively and heated connection between Kris and Locklann delights as they bicker and flirt their way towards a happily ever after. Despite the intentionally goofy premise, the author makes room for some deep emotions including both of the leads’ feelings toward their complicated families. The worldbuilding remains somewhat vague, which will frustrate some readers, but Raasch leaves plenty to explore in future installments. It’s a treat. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

Cate (Praise) launches the Wilde boys series with this erotic and emotional contemporary. After Zara York’s identical twin sister, Emma, dies in a helicopter crash with her boyfriend, Preston Wilde, Zara shuts down emotionally, dyes her hair black, and begins working at a strip club. Two years later, she’s shocked when Preston’s billionaire father, Alistair, offers her a million dollars to help his surviving son, Nash—whom Zara had a crush on before the accident—move on. She agrees and moves to the family’s private island for three months, where she’s charged with pulling Nash out of his grief and anger, and convincing him to rejoin the family business. But as all three of them wrangle with their shared grief, both Nash and Alistair develop feelings for Zara. Cate makes this taboo love triangle exceptionally spicy while also taking time to fully develop each player into characters readers will root for. Those who like their romances red-hot and soapy should check this out. Agent: Savannah Greenwell, Two Daisy Media. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/17/2025 | Details & Permalink

The exciting second installment in Corland’s Broken Blades series (after Five Broken Blades) reunites Sora, Royo, Aeri, Euyn, and Mikail on a treacherous mission into new lands, all inspired by Korean mythology and history. Having barely completed their last heist, each of the five blades has been blackmailed or bribed into taking on a new task: retrieve the Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord from Yusan’s neighboring kingdom of Khitan. However, lingering distrust from recent betrayals threaten to tear the group apart. Sora’s desire to save her sister, Royo’s quest for forgiveness, and Euyn’s ambitions clash with secrets revealed about Aeri’s lineage and secrets still closely held to Mikail’s chest about his own. As they embark on this challenging heist, a series of unexpected reveals lead them to question if the Golden Ring is really what King Joon is after or if they are falling into an elaborate trap. Corland makes it easy for readers to reenter this vivid world by including plentiful reminders of the plot and character dynamics of book one that manage not to stall the momentum. Her skill at blending political intrigue with emotional stakes makes this a worthy and exhilarating continuation of the series, and sets the stage for even more twists to come. Readers will be rapt. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/03/2025 | Details & Permalink