Clayborn (The Art of Disappearing) whisks readers to Paris in this steamy slow-burn ideal for armchair travelers. Physician Layla Bailey lives out of a suitcase while subbing for vacationing doctors across the U.S. She likes the work because the weeks-long assignments are a distraction from her recently ended marriage. Then the wedding of her ex-sister-in-law, Emily MacKenzie, brings her to Paris, where Layla spent her own honeymoon. She’s determined to be pleasant and mature with her former in-laws, but this proves difficult when her ex shows up with a new girlfriend, and the best man, Griffin, accuses her of encouraging Emily’s cold feet. Scarred on the inside and outside by a traumatic fire, Griffin lives like a hermit in Upstate New York and only left his home to support his best friend. He’s determined to see the wedding go through and recruits Layla to help fix things between the couple. Clayborn gives both protagonists impressive emotional depth as they work through past heartbreaks and discover unexpected new love. A whirlwind tour through the city of lights—the wedding party cruises down the Seine, explores Montmartre, and takes in Musée Rodin—only enhances the romance. Add in a well-earned happy ending, and this is sure to charm. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Sex and violence go hand in hand in bestseller Kent’s over-the-top sequel to Kiss the Villain. Vaughn Morozov, restrained heir to the New York bratva, or Russian mob, meets chaotic Yulian Dimitriev, scion of the Chicago bratva, at a summer camp organized by their feuding fathers in an attempt to cement a peace between their territories. The boys initially clash but wind up saving each other’s lives and sheltering together in a cave when the camp comes under fire. The novel then abruptly jumps four years into the future. Party boy Yulian, now a college student at the mafia-owned King’s U. in the U.K., where he can act on his bisexuality away from the disapproving eye of his abusive father, sets out to ruin Columbia student Vaughn’s perfect life as revenge for a perceived betrayal that night in the cave. He starts by flying to New York to seduce Vaughn’s girlfriend, initiating a game of cat-and-mouse between the two men that leads Vaughn to question his own sexuality. There are plenty of bonkers set pieces along the way, including explosions, masked parties, extended (and somewhat improbable) sex scenes, and shoot-outs, but the pace is slowed somewhat by the overwrought prose, which veers from swaggering, lust-filled machismo to strained attempts at lyricism. Meanwhile, the reveal of what actually happened in the cave underwhelms. Still, readers seeking dark mafia romance with unhinged and possessive leading men will eat this up. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Hope debuts with a simultaneously chaotic and predictable sapphic rom-com. Isabella “Isa” Valdes dropped out of college to take over her late father’s Cuban restaurant, La Mariposa. But three years later, outstanding bills and overdue rent threaten to shutter the eatery. Desperate to save her father’s legacy, Isa agrees to attend her estranged cousin Sofia’s weeklong wedding in hopes of impressing Sofia’s investor fiance with recipes from her father’s journal. Unfortunately, Isa is stuck rooming with Valentina, a child friend turned rival, who ruined Isa’s quinceañera party. Valentina, who is hung up on Sofia, offers to help Isa uncover a family secret hinted at in her father’s journal in exchange for help sabotaging the wedding. Despite being polar opposites, as the week progresses, Isa can’t help her conflicted yet growing feelings for Valentina. Their enemies-to-lovers plot struggles to find its footing, with Isa and Valentina’s underdeveloped relationship taking a backseat to the fairly unsurprising family mystery. There’s some fun, telenovela-esque drama along the way, but for the most part, this squanders its potential. Agent: Kristy Hunter, Knight Agency. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Lac’s underbaked debut asks, “Can you be friends with benefits if you’re not really friends anymore?” Dani Tsai and Parker Tran grew up together in Silverpine, Ore., and were best friends until Parker suddenly bailed on his plans to visit Dani at college and ghosted her afterwards. Seven years later, aspiring writer Dani works as a copy editor at Adagio magazine, and football-obsessed Parker landed a glitzy job in sports marketing. Sparks fly when Dani literally runs into Parker in New York City, and the two decide to begin hooking up without talking about their estrangement. It’s strictly casual: Parker claims he doesn’t do relationships and abandonment-phobic Dani fears risking her heart if Parker walks out on her again. Their dynamic is frustrating and replete with communication issues, with flashbacks to their happier days coming too little too late to get readers invested. The plot builds up the reason behind Parker’s uncharacteristic ghosting as a huge secret—only for the eventual reveal to be fairly banal. Meanwhile, interference from Cô, Parker’s matchmaking mother, quickly grows grating, while her involvement in the climax cheapens the emotional journey of the central couple and lets them off the hook for any real growth. This disappoints. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Kicking off the Hope Harbor series, this sweet and steamy contemporary from Nicole (the Boston Bolts series) sends aspiring chef Tally Darling home to her family’s New England daffodil farm to help with the spring season after her father’s death. Upon arrival, she’s shocked to find an incredibly handsome, incredibly naked man occupying her bedroom. This is Jessie Walker, the stoic farmhand hired by her late father. Jessie’s life has been difficult, and he promised Tally’s father he would support the farm, including by looking after his widow and daughters, when the man took a chance on him. Tally, who is overwhelmed by grief and guilt about abandoning her family in the first place, aims to help Jessie prepare the farm for tourist and wedding seasons before heading to Nantucket for an apprenticeship. As Tally tries to find her place within her family and the small town of Hope Harbor, she wrestles with chasing her dreams or embracing the comfort of a home made all the more tantalizing by her growing bond with grumpy Jessie, whom she calls “Cowboy.” Meanwhile, Jessie is determined to help the Darlings save the failing farm, and worried that falling for “wildflower” Tally will make it impossible to keep his promises to her late father. There’s plenty of classic small-town charm here, but Nicole makes this story more than just a cozy experience via impressive emotional nuance and plenty of spice. It’s a joyful and swoony delight. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Rose (Inevitable) makes her traditionally published debut with a decadent dark romance that pairs caring and innocent second grade teacher Mia Darling with ruthless crime boss Jameson Knight, who has an endearing soft spot for his young daughter, Franny. The pair are thrown together after Mia saves Franny from shots fired during school pickup. Concerned for their safety in the face of his many enemies, Jameson insists on moving Mia into his fortress-like home in the elite gated community of Paradise Grove as Franny’s nanny and tutor. Mia initially chafes against her circumstances and balks at the restrictions Jameson places on her, but her love for Franny and lust for her mysterious new employer keeps her from bolting. Meanwhile, devoted dad Jameson falls deeply in love with Mia, leaving him willing to kill to protect her. Rose makes good use of the forced-proximity trope to bring her opposites-attract leads together, and it’s easy to sink into kindhearted Mia’s everywoman perspective on Jameson’s luxurious but dangerous world. Meanwhile, Jameson is sure to appeal to fans of morally gray romance heroes. Full of complex emotional entanglements, violence, and spice, this is sure to strike a chord with Rose’s fans. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this witty and emotional contemporary from Walsh (Snowed In), New York book editor and fantasy fan boy Sam Avery is thrilled when his boss assigns him to help deliver the posthumous final installment in the Ravian series by his late favorite author Frank Sheridan. Sam travels to Ireland to work with Frank’s daughter, Ciara, who’s writing the book off of outlines her father left behind but has failed to turn in recent chapters. Sam is met with mistrust from the protective locals, who have dealt with slews of fans harassing Ciara since Frank’s death. Ciara, too, is initially reluctant to let Sam in, but as they work together, mutual attraction builds alongside Ciara’s confidence in her writing. The road to publication is not without its hiccups, however, including a publicity crisis that leaves the couple uncertain where they stand. Walsh delivers humor and romance in equal measures against the backdrop of a scenic Irish town populated by a quirky and endearing supporting cast. This moving tale of love, loss, and inspiration will hook readers from the start. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Patel (Offtrack) turns from Formula 1 to college lacrosse in this cute if light sports romance. When CJ “Colt” Bradley left Oklahoma to play professional lacrosse, he broke the heart of May Velasco, a friend of many years who always hoped they might become something more. Now, after a horrendous knee injury, Colt takes a medical break from his team, the New Haven Woodchucks, and returns to Oklahoma to work as an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma City, where May is currently in her senior year and captain of the women’s lacrosse team. May’s furious to see him at first, but when the pair are photographed together and mistaken for a couple online, the school urges them to keep up a PR relationship to draw attention to their lacrosse program. The conceit somewhat strains credulity and the leads’ flirty banter feels a bit stiff, but Patel does a good job capturing her characters’ athletic ambitions and Colt’s complicated feelings in the wake of his injury. Readers looking for easy, tropey fare will be pleased. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

Silent yearning and aching hearts animate this deeply emotional contemporary from Bastone (Ready or Not). It’s been one year since heroine Roz, her husband, Vin, and her brother-in-law and best friend, Raffi, were gravely injured in a car accident. While all three recovered from their physical injuries, the aftermath left recipe developer Roz and electrician Vin in an awkward place where conversation has become impossible and physical intimacy­—the area where they always communicated best—has disappeared. This rough spot comes to a head when Vin announces he’s signed a new lease and plans to move out. Looking to escape their apartment as much as possible, Roz pals around with Raffi and signs up for figure drawing classes, which ignite her creativity. A weekly class proves insufficient to help her express all that’s churning inside her, however, and she considers placing a Craigslist add seeking nude models for extra practice—until Vin volunteers to model himself, hoping to spare Roz from potential creeps. Tension-filled sketching sessions open the door for the couple to reconnect. Even at their worst, it’s easy to see that these two belong together, and Bastone makes their reconciliation a delicious slow burn while doing a good job handling their PTSD from the accident. This impresses. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

This beachy romance from Rowe (Swoon) offers an ideal blend of heat and sweet. After preschool teacher Iris Benedetto discovers that her fiancé, Brandon, has been living a double life, she exposes him at the altar, quoting the sexts he sent to other women on his burner phone. A video of her outburst goes viral and she’s branded the “Horny Runaway Bride.” Meanwhile, NFL quarterback Roman Maguire is in Kauai for his cousin’s wedding, staying in a seaside bungalow—the exact bungalow where Iris and Brandon were supposed to be honeymooning. When Iris shows up for some R&R, not realizing that Brandon has canceled their reservation, Roman is charmed by the fact that Iris has no idea who he is, and invites her to stay. The pair agree to have a vacation fling, leading to a passion-filled week that ends in a dramatic argument due to the personal and professional pressures of returning to the real world. Readers will have no trouble rooting for Rowe’s first-rate leads to work things out. A stellar supporting cast of family and friends, especially Roman’s adorable four-year-old son Maverick, add heart. This emotionally satisfying contemporary is sure to charm. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink