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| And Then There Was You by Sophie CousensAt thirty-one, Chloe Fairway isn't where she wants to be in life. Stuck in a PA job for a boss who barely notices her and back home with her parents after a painful breakup, she feels like a failure. So, when she's invited to her college's ten-year reunion, the last thing she needs is to face the people who once voted her "most likely to succeed." She definitely doesn't want to see her former best friend Sean Adler, now a hotshot film director living the life Chloe dreamed of. Desperate to make a splash-and to save face in front of the man who might be the one that got away-she turns to a mysterious dating service. Enter Rob, her handsome, successful, and charming match, who quickly makes Chloe feel like she's finally finding her way. But as Chloe digs deeper into her past and reconnects with old friends, she begins to question if Rob is really all that he seems. And maybe, just maybe, revisiting her past is exactly what she needs to move forward. |
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| Daddy Issues by Kate GoldbeckSam did everything right; she worked hard, went to college, then to graduate school; she was driven, career focused, and successful. She had always been told to follow her dreams, and she did. But when the pandemic hit just as she graduated with her master's in art restoration, and her perfect internship that would lead to her ideal career is cancelled, she did what everyone was doing: moved back in with her parents. But now, two years later, she's still sleeping on the pull-out couch in the office-slash-yoga room in her mother's condo, crowded with boxes of vintage comics she can't seem to part with, and applying for the few entry level jobs that seem relevant to her training. In the meantime, she begrudgingly waits tables and for her life to change. At least the condo complex has a pool. When Nick and his eight-year-old daughter move in next door, Sam's mother volunteers her as a babysitter; she's got abundant free time, after all. Sam reluctantly agrees, though she struggles to relate to Nick. He's not much older than her, but he's a single dad, working overtime to raise his daughter, having chosen stability over passion a long time ago. Their worlds couldn't be more different, even if they're currently sharing a too-thin wall. But as Sam spends more time with Nick and his imaginative, veracious daughter, she begins to see Nick, and her own priorities, differently. So what if Nick's life and career isn't how he always imagined; he's a happy, caring parent who provides for his daughter, whereas Sam's own dad has been MIA for years. As their connection grows, Sam imagines new paths for herself, and starts to wonder if finding happiness means abandoning the "dream" she envisioned for herself. |
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The Sheriff Next Door: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance by Julia RuthLooking for a fresh start, widowed sheriff Dax Adams arrives in town--only to be confounded by his new neighbor, veterinarian Violet Spencer. When his family mistakes her for his girlfriend, he begs her to play along to convince them he's open to new beginnings. And though he and Violet don't initially see eye to eye, she agrees--if only to get her well-meaning sisters to stop matchmaking. But as they grow closer, it's clear that even these two reluctant hearts can't stop a fake relationship from turning into something real.
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| The Bodyguard Affair by Amy LeaA secret romance writer discovers that the hottest story of summer might just be the one happening between her and the Prime Minister’s bodyguard, from the international bestselling author of Set On You. Andi Zeigler lives a double life. By day, she’s the no-nonsense, steadfast personal assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife. By night, she slips out of her heels and writes romance novels under a top-secret pen name. But when her steamiest book, The Prime Minister & Me, unexpectedly becomes a bestseller, rumors of a real-life affair between her and the PM start swirling out of control. Enter Nolan Crosby, the PM’s new close protection officer (aka bodyguard) – and Andi’s failed one-night stand from three years ago. Nolan’s in town very temporarily to care for his mother, who’s battling early-onset Alzheimer’s. But when the scandal erupts, Andi ropes him into a fake-dating plan. As loyal employees, they’ll pretend to date for the summer, just long enough to put the scandal to bed and save their boss’s reputation. In an unexpected plot twist, Andi and Nolan discover that keeping their romance strictly fictional might be easier said than done. |
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| The Marriage Method by Mimi MatthewsWell removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course. When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters. When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them . . . |
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| In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati AlexanderSloane Cooper is up for her dream job as a designer for a top video game company. During the interview, though, she somehow promises the all-male panel that she’ll remain single and fully dedicated to the work. It’s actually fine—after her last boyfriend cheated on her, she vowed to focus on her career anyway. Enter Charlie, aka Hot Neighbor Guy, a near-stranger who shocks her with the offer of an all-inclusive trip to a Turks and Caicos resort. The catch? Charlie originally planned the trip with his ex, and asks Sloane to pose as his new girlfriend to make his old flame come running back. Against her better judgment, Sloane says yes; she can use the time away to develop a game design that will dazzle the Catapult team and get her a job offer. Despite sparks flying in paradise, the trip can’t lead to more. As their connection deepens, Sloane is reminded that she can’t fall for Charlie and get knocked off her professional path. Besides, he’s trying to win back his true love. Can Sloane figure out a way to move past heartbreak, land the job of her dreams, and avoid catching feelings? The zombie apocalypse would be easier to solve—at least she’s prepared for that. |
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| Secretly Yours by Tessa BaileyReturning home to his family's California winery, Professor Julian Vos, on sabbatical from his Ivy League job, finds himself distracted from his plans to write a novel by eccentric, chronically late, unbelievably beautiful gardener Hallie Welch, who is a burst of color in his gray-scale life. |
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| The Next Best Fling by Gabriella GamezIn this hilariously spicy romance, a librarian and an ex-NFL player fake a relationship to get over their first loves. Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been secretly in love with her best friend for years—and when he gets engaged, she knows it’s long past time to move on. But before she gets the chance, she has a bigger problem to contend with in the form of Theo Young, ex-NFL player and older brother of the man she’s in love with. When she discovers Theo's plans to confess his feelings for his brother’s fiancée at their engagement party, Marcela is quick to stop him—despite how tempting it is to let him run away with the bride-to-be. She convinces Theo to sleep off his drunken almost-mistake at her place—and the next day, everyone assumes they hooked up. Since they both need a cover, they decide to roll with the lie. Until one late night at a bar, they take it a step further and discover a layer of attraction neither realized existed. Soon, they find themselves exploring the simmering chemistry between them. Their rebound is working . . . |
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| How to End a Love Story by Yulin KuangHelen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever. Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except… Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can’t pass up. Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all. When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet… the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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The Public Library
501 Copper NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
505-768-5141abqlibrary.org |
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