| Fix Her Up by Tessa BaileyStarring: professional clown Georgette "Georgie" Castle, whom no one takes seriously, and her longtime crush, Travis "Two Bats" Ford, a former major league baseball player who turns to flipping houses after a career-ending injury.
What happens: Hoping to shake the reputations that are holding them back, the two embark on a fake relationship that scandalizes their small town and soon turns into the real thing.
For fans of: Susan Elizabeth Phillips' funny-yet-steamy Chicago Stars series. |
|
| The Friend Zone by Abby JimenezWhat it's about: Entrepreneur Kristen Petersen really likes firefighter Josh Copeland, but her scheduled hysterectomy does not bode well for a relationship given that Josh wants lots of kids.
Is it for you? While Kristen's struggle with severe fibroids is sensitively depicted, readers anticipating a realistic story about coming to terms with infertility may be surprised by a late-in-the-book plot twist.
About the author: Debut novelist and Food Network champion Abby Jimenez is arguably best known for her bakery's viral "Vageode" cake. |
|
| The Perfect Date by Evelyn Lozada with Holly LorinczWhat happens: Nursing student Angel Gomez doesn't even like Caleb "The Duke" Lewis, starting pitcher for the Bronx Bolts. Nevertheless, the Bronx-born single mother and the playboy ballplayer join forces to serve up a tabloid-ready fake romance.
Is it for you? Don't be fooled by the cute illustrated cover: The Perfect Date is a steamy, high-drama sports romance by Inner Circle author (and Basketball Wives star) Evelyn Lozada.
For fans of: Alexa Martin's Playbook series. |
|
| Jackson by Emily MarchWhat happens: Seeking a fresh start, widowed writer Caroline Carruthers moves to Redemption, Texas, to open a bookstore -- and meets divorced dad Jackson McBride, part-owner of the Enchanted Canyon Ranch.
Why you might like it: Two wounded souls find unexpected love in this 1st spin-off of the popular Eternity Springs series, which offers a gentle romance between sympathetic leads and a charming small-town setting. |
|
| Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry WinfreyIntroducing: Annie Cassidy, an aspiring screenwriter who's obsessed with romantic comedies and tired of waiting for her own leading man to make his entrance.
Enter: actual movie star Drew Danforth, whose film-set "meet-cute" with Annie leads to love...with a lot of bantering and bickering along the way.
About the title: "Tom Hanks isn't so much a person as a representation of the kind of man I deserve, as my mom told me over and over." |
|
| The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl by Victoria AlexanderThe problem: Despite the success of her serial "Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt," Miss Sidney Gordon Honeywell has never ventured beyond England. And now the Earl of Brenton is accusing her of fraud.
The solution: a publisher-funded trip to Egypt in the company of Earl-in-disguise Harry Armstrong, as well as three elderly chaperones-turned-matchmakers.
For fans of: the blend of mystery and romance in Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody mysteries; the Egyptian-themed screwball comedy of Connie Brockway's The Other Guy's Bride. |
|
| The Highlander by Kerrigan ByrneWhat it's about: For Philomena St. Vincent, on the run from the abusive husband who put her in an asylum, there's no better place to hide than the castle of Laird Liam MacKenzie, a.k.a. the "demon Highlander."
Why you might like it: Steamy and suspenseful, this 3rd book in the Victorian Rebels series boasts a brooding hero, a resilient heroine, and dramatic twists and turns as the couple uncover each other's secrets.
You might also like: Jennifer Ashley's similarly moody Highland Pleasure series, which starts with The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. |
|
| A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith DuranWhat happens: After waking up from a coma, politician Crispin Burke seeks to learn why he was attacked and left for dead; he must also renew his acquaintance with his wife Jane, whom he doesn't remember.
The plot thickens: Jane Mason worries that Crispin will regain his memory and discover that they're not really married, a discovery that would place both of them in danger.
Why you might like it: a slow-burn Victorian romance within a (fake) marriage of convenience, political intrigue, and a dash of amnesia make this 5th Rules for the Reckless novel a riveting read. |
|
| The Truth about Love and Dukes by Laura Lee GuhrkeWhat happens: Blaming Society Snippets advice columnist "Lady Truelove" for his mother's scandalous elopement, Henry Cavanaugh, Duke of Torquil, goes head-to-head with publisher Irene Deverill, a commoner who's not about to let a peer of the realm ruin her business.
Why you might like it: An outspoken suffragist and a prim-and-proper duke engage in a battle of wits on their way to happily-ever-after in this 1st installment in the Dear Lady Truelove series. |
|
| Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels Meet the Wallflowers by Lisa KleypasWhat it's about: Phoebe, Lady Clare, has heard nothing but bad things about West Ravenel, her late husband's nemesis. But she's having trouble reconciling his reputation with the (kind, charming) man himself.
Read it for: a spirited heroine, a self-reformed rake, and their steamy courtship, one rendered with "stylish prose, sharp wit, and swoon-worthy sensuality" (Booklist).
Crossover alert: Characters from RITA award-winning author Lisa Kleypas' Wallflowers series (Devil in Winter) appear in this engaging 5th Ravenels novel. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|