Art imitates life: royal weddings and babies in England have sparked glitzy royal romances. Art imitates art: romance novel characters get advice from romance novels, and rom-coms explore the tropes of rom-coms.
Top 10
All the Better Part of Me
Molly Ringle. Central Avenue, Sept. 3, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-77168-167-4
This entertaining, nuanced contemporary follows an actor through his realization that he is bisexual. Ringle navigates her twisty revelations and dramatic conclusion with just enough weight to avoid mawkishness, and her characters earn their happy ending.
The Bromance Book Club
Lyssa Kay Adams. Berkley, Nov. 5, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-1-984806-09-3
Baseball player Gavin, distraught after his wife demands a divorce, finds help from an unlikely source: a club of Nashville’s top alpha men who read romance novels for the love advice.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert. Avon, Nov. 5, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-06-294120-6
In Hibbert’s romantic comedy, a chronically ill woman who’s tired of being “boring” recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her break out of her shell and check off her bucket list.
Love Lettering
Kate Clayborn. Kensington, Jan. 28, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-4967-2517-2
When hand-letterer Meg Mackworth hides a message in a wedding program, she’s astonished that the groom finds it. He confronts her and unexpected love results.
The Paris Orphan
Natasha Lester. Forever, Sept. 17, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-5387-6489-3
Lester follows The Paris Seamstress with another intergenerational, intercontinental story of love lost and found. An American soldier and an enterprising photographer brave occupied France in WWII to help give a little girl a family.
The Princess Plan (A Royal Wedding #1)
Julia London. HQN, Nov. 19, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-335-04153-1
Bestseller London launches a royal wedding series set in Regency England with a murder mystery and a forbidden romance between a prince and a gossip columnist.
Sit. Stay. Love.
Karis Walsh. Bold Strokes, Aug. 13, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-63555-439-7
City girl Alana Brendt is shocked to learn that her new job involves leading trail rides and whitewater adventures, not just coordinating them. Veterinarian Tegan Evans helps Alana with a litter of puppies and rapidly loses her heart to Alana.
Twice in a Blue Moon
Christina Lauren. Gallery, Oct. 22, trade paper, $16, ISBN 978-1-5011-9742-0
In this splashy standalone from rom-com queen Lauren, an actress whose heart was broken by her first love runs into him on a film set and wonders whether to give him a second chance.
When to Call Quinn
Blue Saffire. Sourcebooks Casablanca, Jan. 28, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-9508-0
Alicia Rhodes has had a tough year. Now she is ready to move on. But when handsome Quinn Blackhart walks into her driving school—and her heart—her troubles might just be starting.
Would Like to Meet
Rachel Winters. Putnam, Dec. 3, trade paper, $16, ISBN 978-0-525-54231-5
In Winters’s debut rom-com, a cynical assistant at a screen-writing agency must re-enact the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic-comedy movies in order to help her top client get his script-writing mojo back.
Listings
Amara
The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London (Aug. 27, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-64063-668-2). American Angie Donovan falls in love with Australia. With her visa clock ticking, surely she can fall in love with an Australian—and get hitched—in two months, especially if he’s as hot and funny as her next-door neighbor. 60,000-copy announced first printing.
The Truth About Cowboys by Lisa Renee Jones (Aug. 27, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-64063-760-3). An author of cowboy romance novels unexpectedly falls into an actual romance with an actual Texas cowboy who’s nothing like the heroes of her books. 85,000-copy announced first printing.
Avon
Immortal Born: An Argeneau Novel by Lynsay Sands (Sept. 24, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-285524-4). Allie Chambers is struggling to care for an orphaned vampire baby. When her attempts to steal from a blood bank go awry, Allie wakes up surrounded by doctors, cops, and Magnus, her destined life mate.
My Fake Rake (The Union of the Rakes #1) by Eva Leigh (Nov. 26, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-06-293240-2). In this Regency romance series launch, a scientist wallflower hires a faux suitor to help her land her ideal husband, but to her surprise, the fake romance becomes real.
Sapphire Flames: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews (Aug. 27, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-06-287834-2) begins a trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world. Catalina Baylor fears using her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery alongside dangerous, attractive mage Alessandro Sagredo.
The Wallflower Wager: Girl Meets Duke by Tessa Dare (Aug. 13, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-06-267216-2). Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart—including wealthy and ruthless Gabriel Duke, who’s clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society.
Wrapped Up in You: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel by Jill Shalvis (Sept. 24, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-06-289778-7). Now that Ivy owns an apartment and a taco truck in San Francisco, she fears anything that might rock her newly solid life. The greatest risk is falling in love with Idaho rancher Kel O’Donnell.
Ballantine
A Mrs. Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber (Oct. 1, $20, ISBN 978-0-399-18139-9) is an uplifting holiday tale about a couple facing numerous personal challenges who are assisted by the mysterious Mrs. Miracle.
Berkley
Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh (Sept. 24, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-451-49166-4), the 12th Guild Hunter paranormal romance, piles up the challenges for human-turned-angel Elena Deveraux, consort to Archangel Raphael. Soon the world of the archangels, guild hunters, and humans is thrust into peril.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (Sept. 3, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-1-984805-68-3). Dunmore debuts with the first Oxford Rebels Victorian romance, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a powerful duke and threatens to upend the social order of 1879 Britain.
Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan (Sept. 3, $27, ISBN 978-1-984803-46-7). PW’s review says, “Feehan expertly weaves an intoxicating blend of fantasy and sensuality in this exceptional and powerful 29th Carpathian paranormal.” Even as crackling chemistry pulls together mage Julija and warrior Isai, they realize they have a sacred mission to complete first: destroying an evil book of spells.
Ellie and the Harpmaker by Hazel Prior (Aug. 6, $26, ISBN 978-1-984803-78-8). A solitary autistic harpmaker and a woman who’s always wanted to play the harp kindle an unexpected connection in the woods of Exmoor, England. PW says, “Prior’s debut resonates with a clear voice, depicting love evolving from a friendship based upon genuine acts of kindness.”
Faker by Sarah Smith (Oct. 8, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-1-984805-42-3). Two tough employees at a power tool company gradually reveal their tender hearts in Smith’s debut contemporary.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory (Oct. 1, $20, ISBN 978-1-984802-21-7). In Guillory’s first hardcover, an American woman accompanying her adult daughter on a work trip to England unexpectedly falls for the queen’s private secretary.
The Vanishing by Jayne Anne Krentz (Jan. 7, $27, ISBN 978-1-984806-43-7). Krentz’s first Fogg Lake romantic thriller introduces a small town where a cave explosion gave the residents psychic powers. Years later, an outsider scientist joins a local woman in searching for her missing friend, whose disappearance may be related to a long-ago murder.
BHC
Girls I Know by Robert Hoxie (Jan. 30, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-64397-026-4). A young man drinks and sexts his way through the millennial bar scene, cataloguing the many women he hooks up with as he develops a sense of who he is and what he really wants.
Bold Strokes
Back to September by Melissa Brayden (Nov. 12, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-63555-576-9). Bookstore owner Hannah Shephard doesn’t like to take risks. When world-famous romance novelist Parker Bristow arrives to do a signing at the store, the two women unexpectedly click, but can Hannah bear to leave her comfort zone?
Lunar Eclipse by Gun Brooke (Dec. 10, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-63555-460-1). Moon De Cruz escapes the interstellar trading ship where she’s been enslaved for decades and crash-lands on an uninhabited planet. Four years later, Capt. Beaux Lestarion arrives, hoping to mine the planet’s natural resources. Moon wants to save her home, but Beaux may steal her heart.
Carina
Arctic Heat by Annabeth Albert (Sept. 24, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-335-00809-1). Cancer survivor Owen Han is roaring through his bucket list, working alongside park rangers in Alaska and fulfilling his childhood dreams of snowy winters and rustic life. Ranger Quilleran Ramsey disdains city slickers, but he’s drawn to sexy, eager Owen.
Dafina
Tempted at Midnight by Cheris Hodges (Sept. 24, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4967-2382-6). A sizzling New Year’s kiss launches a romance between an interior designer and the billionaire CEO whose offices she’s remodeling.
Forever
Forever and a Duke (Rogues to Riches #3) by Grace Burrowes (Nov. 26, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-5387-0027-3). Wrexham, Duke of Elsmore, barely has time to manage his dukedom, which is running low on funds. Math whiz Eleanora Hatfield distrusts nobles, but reluctantly lets him hire her, and soon they’re exchanging forbidden kisses. 150,000-copy announced first printing.
Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday (Jan. 28, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-5387-1651-9). A woman who inherits her family’s seaside inn—with a stipulation that she run it for two years before she sells it—is dismayed to discover that her first love, the boy who broke her heart, still lives in town.
Gallery
Blood Truth by J.R. Ward (Aug. 13, $28, ISBN 978-1-5011-9503-7), the fourth Black Dagger Legacy paranormal, pairs up a soldier with the Black Dagger Brotherhood and a woman trying to find the serial killer who murdered her sister. 150,000-copy announced first printing.
Griffin
Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle (Oct. 15, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-250-31262-4) is an inspirational Christmas contemporary. A woman who impulsively buys her grandparents’ old inn discovers it needs extensive repairs, and her handyman sets out to win her heart, aided by a collection of angel figurines.
Kensington
Texas Forever by Janet Dailey (Aug. 27, $26, ISBN 978-1-4967-0959-2) concludes the Tylers of Texas saga, featuring many of the series’ popular characters. Ranch hand Luke Maddox is instantly drawn to Erin Tyler, a strong, spirited beauty. But Erin is his boss’s daughter, and she’s expected to marry for propriety, not for love.
Lyrical Press
The Girl with the Pearl Pin by Lynne Connolly (Sept. 10, e-book, $2.99, ISBN 978-1-5161-0952-4) launches the Society for Single Ladies historical romance series, in which an unconventional crime-solving club brings together single lords and overlooked ladies, flouting societal norms in the name of love.
The Laird’s Vow by Heather Grothaus (Sept. 17, e-book, $2.99, ISBN 978-1-5161-0707-0). In this trilogy opener set in medieval Scotland, a merchant claiming to be the bastard son of a baron arrives to claim his crumbling castle, to the consternation of the lady living in it.
Montlake Romance
I See You by Mary Burton (Oct. 8, trade paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1-5420-0760-3). In Burton’s second Criminal Profiler romantic thriller, FBI special agent Zoe Spencer identifies the remains of a teen girl killed years ago. Seeking justice, she and her sometime lover, homicide detective William Vaughan, soon realize the killer is still out there.
The Wonder of Now by Jamie Beck (Sept. 10, trade paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1-5420-4432-5). Peyton Prescott is stuck promoting the breast cancer memoir her brother convinced her to write. She hopes for fun detours on her European book tour, but PR whiz Mitch Mathis is trying to keep them both on task—to distract himself from his attraction to Peyton.
Morrow
Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler (Oct. 15, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-06-288371-1). Emmie, trying to get boyfriend Grant in the Christmas spirit, is stunned when author Sam follows her scavenger hunt clues and meets her for a romantic weekend in Christmas Point. By the time Grant arrives, she wonders who the right man is after all.
Severn House
Loving Evangeline by Linda Howard (Oct. 1, $28.99, ISBN 978-0-7278-8901-0). Robert Cannon thinks Evangeline Shaw is the key to the conspiracy that threatens his company. But as he tries to untangle the knot that surrounds her, he loses his heart and finds himself questioning everything he believed.
Shadow Mountain
Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright (Oct. 21, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-62972-607-6). In this present-day reimagining of the Cinderella story, a social media persona is the magic that disappears at midnight. Does the modern world have a way for two people to make an authentic connection?
The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden (Sept. 3, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-62972-605-2). In Victorian London, famed penny dreadful author Fletcher Walker hunts enigmatic rival writer Mr. King and rescues abused children on behalf of the secretive, charitable Dread Penny Society. Lowborn Fletcher finds unexpected commonalities with Elizabeth Black, a girls’ school headmistress who secretly writes as Mr. King.
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Big Chance Cowboy by Teri Anne Stanley (Aug. 27, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-7433-7). Army veteran Adam Collins has returned home to Big Chance, Tex., to sell the family ranch. He wants nothing to do with other people, much less dogs. But when his old flame asks him to help her train her scruffy dog, he can’t say no.
Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells (Jan. 28, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-9858-6). A developer trying to renovate a rundown apartment building into luxury condos runs afoul of the building manager, who’s furious that the plan would turn a dog park into a parking lot. But soon more than rage is sparking between them.
A Cowboy Never Quits (Turn Around Ranch #1) by Cindi Madsen (Dec. 31, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-8917-1). Single mother Jessica Cook takes her teen to a horse therapy ranch for troubled youth, which is run by tough but kind Wade Dawson. After all this time helping others, can Wade let himself receive someone else’s kindness?
The Mail Order Bride’s Secret by Linda Broday (Jan. 28, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-5110-9). An outlaw unexpectedly raising three young children sends for a mail-order bride, but the woman who arrives certainly isn’t the demure dressmaker she pretended to be. As the five of them form an unconventional family, secrets threaten their happiness.
The One for You (The Ones Who Got Away #4) by Roni Loren (Dec. 31, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-9319-2). Two survivors of a high school shooting reconnect as adults. Though their mutual attraction is stronger than ever, they’re haunted by their memories of that fateful prom night.
Ride the High Lonesome by Rosanne Bittner (Nov. 26, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-8926-3). In the first Outlaw Trail historical western, a cowboy and a wagon traveler stranded in outlaw country band together for survival.
Wish upon a Cowboy by Jennie Marts (Nov. 26, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-8908-9). Hockey player turned cowboy Logan Rivers is dealing with a costly math mistake caused by his dyslexia. With Christmas approaching, he can’t afford to lose a single cow. When clever, snarky Harper Evans arrives looking for work, her temp job points the way toward a permanent romance.
Zebra
Hart’s Hollow Farm by Janet Dailey (Jan. 28, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4201-4873-2). In the fourth New Americana romance, Dailey focuses on Georgia, the changes affecting rural America, and the challenges of caring for an aging parent.
The Intended Victim by Alexandra Ivy (Dec. 31, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4201-4383-6). A serial killer in Chicago is targeting people who look like Remi Walsh. Remi’s ex-fiancé, Ash Marcel, no longer wears a badge, and she no longer wears his ring, but he’s still determined to protect her.
Lavender & Mistletoe by Donna Kauffman (Sept. 24, e-book, $2.99, ISBN 978-1-4201-4932-6). Avery Kent earned two PhDs before the age of 18 and has founded two businesses. Now she wants to research love, perhaps with the help of veterinarian Ben Chandler, another former child prodigy.
Once a Spy (Rogues Redeemed #4) by Mary Jo Putney (Sept. 24, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4201-4810-7). British intelligence officer Simon Duval resigns after Napoleon’s abdication. In England, his cousin’s widow, Suzanne Duval, works as a seamstress. Both believe they are beyond love, but as they search for Simon’s missing brother, they begin to bond.
