The second new adult romance in bestseller Grace’s Maple Hill series (after Icebreaker) moves out of the hockey rink and into the sunshine for an intoxicating love story between two summer camp counselors. The notorious University of California, Maple Hills hockey team throws an end-of-year party where students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meet and take part in a raunchy drinking game, leading to a steamy one-night stand. Aurora, who’s skeptical of both love and men, leaves in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye kiss. To their surprise, the two are soon reunited at their summer job at Honey Acres camp, where their intense chemistry reignites. There’s just one problem: the strict rule against staffers “fraternizing” with one another. Can this combustible duo really keep things strictly professional? Grace writes charmingly flirtatious dialogue for the couple, making their connection palpable, and gives their romance a perfect balance of heat, emotion, and fun. Both characters are further rounded out by family issues that they’re using their summer jobs to avoid. Russ and Aurora are a hard couple not to root for. Agent: Kimberly Brower, Brower Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

Kumar debuts with a swoonworthy contemporary that marries a grumpy-sunshine romance with a deep exploration of familial relationships. Bubbly middle school English teacher Meghna Raman has been harboring feelings for one of her best friends, Seth, since college—but when he asks her to be his best man at his upcoming wedding, she’s forced to accept that he’ll never feel the same about her. Determined not to attend the event alone, she finally gives in to pressure from her parents to consider an arranged marriage. Stoic engineer Karthik Murthy, who craves approval from his distant father but also fears becoming just like him, thinks he can avoid a repeat of his parents’ dysfunctional relationship by never getting married. Unfortunately, this philosophy does not stop his mother from searching for a suitable match for him. When Karthik and Meghna are set up by their parents, they see an engagement of convenience as the answer to both of their problems: Meghna gets a wedding date and Karthik gets relief from parental pressure. Now they just have to make sure they don’t accidentally fall in love. It’s a diverting convergence of romance tropes given weight by some deep emotions. This should earn Kumar plenty of fans. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

For this spicy paranormal rom-com, Ferguson (The Nanny) gleefully toys with shifter tropes, drawing on omegaverse fan fiction, where alpha and omega wolf shifters have distinct, inhuman sexual characteristics that uniquely complete each other. Doctor Mackenzie “Mack” Carter is a rare omega in wolf shifter hierarchy. Her matchmaking grandmother is determined to find her a decent man, but her recent blind dates have been “scraping the bottom of the barrel,” and she’s not interested in going on any more. Enter Dr. Noah Taylor, a fellow shifter and “the Boogeyman of Denver Memorial Hospital.” He’s as taciturn as Mack is bubbly and has a (“grossly overexaggerated”) reputation for making nurses cry. His status as an unmated alpha comes with stigma (stereotypes include fits of rage and sexual violence)—and now that it’s been leaked to the hospital higher-ups, he’s afraid he’ll lose his job. The solution to both their problems? Pretend to be fated mates with one another. What begins as a typical fake relationship story quickly slides into a delightfully endearing study of two people overcoming expectations. The kinkier side of omegaverse tropes won’t be for those expecting a more traditional shifter romance, but readers willing to go with it will have plenty of fun. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

Robert delivers another sizzling mythological retelling in the sixth installment to her blockbuster Dark Olympus series (after Cruel Seduction). After bad boy Orpheus loves and leaves Eurydice, she initiates a rebound relationship with her longtime best friend, Charon, during a time of all-out danger in the dystopian city of Olympus. When Orpheus comes crawling back, deeply remorseful and professing his love, Eurydice is conflicted. Charon, who will do anything to make her happy, urges her to explore her lingering feelings and get some closure. Both dating the same woman, the men initially barely tolerate each other, but as they spend more time together, unexpected feelings develop. Soon all three members of the throuple are hoping for a happily ever after. The kinky ménage will get readers’ pulses pounding while the tense political situation in Olympus keeps the stakes high. Though this works as a standalone, series readers will find particular enjoyment in cameos from favorite characters and a deeper understanding of the ongoing Olympian unrest. This series shows no signs of flagging. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

The lives of three couples in small-town Henry Adams, Kans., intertwine over the holidays in Jenkins’s easy and optimistic 12th Blessings contemporary (after On the Corner of Hope and Main). Bernadine Brown and her love Malachi July are preparing to walk down the aisle. They both hope to maintain their private homes after marriage and neither is aware that the feeling is mutual, leading to some friction. Meanwhile, high school senior Leah Clark, who suffers from self-esteem issues thanks to her abusive mother, breaks up with her boyfriend, Preston Mays, believing that once they go to separate colleges, he’ll find someone better. Heartbroken Preston turns to Reverend Paula for guidance. The reverend is embarking on her own relationship with new resident chef Thornton Webb, a man six years her junior who’s “never been very spiritual but understands the concept.” Jenkins eschews drama for slice-of-life storytelling that highlights the love and interconnectedness of Henry Adams’s tightly knit community. The Christmas backdrop and simple plot make this gentle wish fulfillment. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this hilarious rom-com from Monroe (the Love/Hate series), event planner Ellie Davis sets out to get revenge on her rotten ex-fiancé—and finds help from a surprising new neighbor. Real estate developer Jason, the ex, is almost comically evil: after cheating on Ellie, he’s now trying to force her family off their land on the fictional Fernley Island so he can build a resort. No one else is willing to go up against Jason’s wealthy family, so Ellie’s left to fight him on her own—until she meets Hugh Hartford. Hugh came to the island to sell his late father’s land and planned to close a deal with Jason before learning of the developer’s underhanded business practices and joining Ellie’s cause instead. The two grow closer as they come up with over-the-top schemes to take Jason down, but Hugh foolishly doesn’t disclose either his landownership or his prior intention to sell to Jason. Will these unnecessary secrets tear the couple apart? Ellie is a delightful mix of kindhearted and feisty and Hugh is a charming counterpart to her high energy. Though the plot’s not always believable, vibrant characters and comical shenanigans make this a treat. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

Jessen (Lunar Love) impresses with this surprising and sophisticated contemporary romance. Professionally, sculptor Rooney Gao goes by “Red String Girl,” hoping to make a name for herself in New York City’s art world independently of her mother, a famous performance artist. Now her art installation in Washington Square Park—which plays on both string theory and a Chinese myth that two people fated to fall in love are tied together with red thread—may be Rooney’s big break. Jack Liu, a systems engineer at NASA, has just been passed over for a promotion when he runs into Rooney and her art installation—though he doesn’t realize the two are connected. The pair meet again at a Lantern Festival party, leading to a night of deep conversation and unexpected romance. When Jack takes on a new role as a liaison for NASA’s artist-in-residence program, he picks Red String Girl for the residency—and is shocked to be reunited with Rooney once more. Inextricably drawn to each other, the duo run several “fate tests,” trying to determine if fate or choice rules their lives and their budding relationship. It’s unusually cerebral for a romance, marrying a believable love connection with a thoughtful meditation on how humans make meaning in life. The result is smart, sensitive, and striking. Agent: Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel, Goderich & Bourett. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

Maniscalco makes her adult fiction debut with a seductive standalone romantasy set in the world of her bestselling YA series, Kingdom of the Wicked. Lennox, the Unseelie King, invites the Prince of Envy into a deadly game of riddles with an unknown group of dangerous players. To protect his demon court from Lennox’s wrath, Envy agrees. This scavenger hunt takes Envy to the mortal city of Waverly Green, where he disguises himself as Lord Ashford “Syn” Synton and seeks out artist Camilla Elise Antonius, who should have his next clue. To avoid ruin after being blackmailed by notorious rake Lord Vexley, Camilla strikes a deal with Envy—despite declaring him “insufferable”—and is swept into the game as well. Together, they travel through the magical underworld to confront Lennox, all while dodging enemies, solving puzzles, and trying to deny their ever-growing attraction. Unbeknownst to Envy, however, Camilla, too, is not what she seems. When the duo’s secrets unravel, will the truth bring them together or tear them apart? Maniscalco crafts a deliciously dark supernatural world that serves as the perfect backdrop for Camilla and Envy’s angst and sexual tension. Old fans and new readers alike will be sucked in. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Goodman Agency. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

With this gentle second-chance romance, Griffin returns to the bucolic hamlet of Sweet Home, Alaska (last visited in Once upon a Cabin). High school teacher and baker Lolly Crocker never stopped loving her high school sweetheart, Shaun Montana—but her controlling mother, not wanting Lolly to get tied down so young, urged her to break up with Shaun and play the field in college. Three failed engagements later, Lolly’s back in Sweet Home for good—and back to pining for the only man she’s truly loved. Computer programmer Shaun, for his part, is in town to care for his mother after a health scare, and he’s determined to protect his heart by keeping his distance from Lolly, whose reasons for ending things he has never known. Still, after Lolly loses her job due to budget cuts, Shaun is there to comfort her and encourage her to take a chance on opening her own bakery. Given Shaun’s resolve not to fall back in love and Lolly’s guilt over the past, it will take almost losing each other yet again to get these two to face their feelings. Griffin’s characters feel three-dimensional and the emotional roadblocks to their relationship ring true. Lovers of small-town romances will eat this up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink

Brown (Love Notes) delivers a funny and touching friends-to-lovers tale with considerable heart. After Hollyn’s longtime boyfriend dumps her, cheats her out of money, and proposes to another woman, she flees Seattle for Oregon, returning to the comfort of her pop-star mother, physician father, annoying little brother, River, and the boy next door, Dax, River’s formerly nerdy, now smoking hot best friend. Florist Dax’s longtime crush on Hollyn immediately reemerges, though he’s hesitant to admit his feelings. Then Dax’s cousin secretly enters him in a reality competition series about flower arranging, and he asks Hollyn—who’s desperate for a job—to step in as his assistant. Love soon blooms, but both worry about how River will react when he finds out. Dax’s sensitivity and clear love for Hollyn will melt readers’ hearts while Hollyn’s growing pains as she searches for a new life path are well rendered. Strictly PG but thoroughly heart tugging, this sweet rom-com is sure to put a smile on romance fans’ faces. (Self-published)

Reviewed on 10/06/2023 | Details & Permalink