Bestseller Frost (the Night Huntress series) gives “Beauty and the Beast” a dark contemporary twist in this riveting romantasy, the first in her Beautiful and Beastly series. Lorraine “Raine” Stone, 26, has been searching for answers about the supernatural for over a decade, ever since her family was slaughtered in an attack that left her “infected” by something she calls “the Beast,” a nearly uncontrollable force that feeds on violence. An ER nurse, Raine feeds the Beast on the pain and death inherent to the job and uses its power to heal whenever she can. In her time off, Raine feeds it by playing vigilante. When she saves a confused old man from an attack, she catches the attention of his grandson, Remington “Remy” Byrne, CEO of an investment empire. Remy has the answers Raine has been searching for, and introduces her to the world of magic that lies parallel to the one she knows. He’s the Warden, a kind of magical law enforcement figure responsible for all the magical beings in his territory—but he also has powerful enemies who are gunning for his life. The fast-paced plot skillfully balances magic, action, and sizzling romance. Nods to the original tale will please fans, even as Frost makes the story entirely her own. It’s a promising start. (May)

Reviewed on 03/27/2026 | Details & Permalink

Kain debuts with a frothy second-chance romance pairing wealthy Brady Gibson with financially struggling Hayes Carter. The guys fell in love in college but broke up nine months before the start of the book. Now, Brady asks Hayes to accompany him on a whirlwind vacation as a brand ambassador for For Us, a luxury resort chain catering to gay couples. Hayes, needing money for medical school, reluctantly agrees on the stipulation that it’s a “business arrangement and nothing else.” Only upon arriving does he learn that they’ll need to pose as a couple for social media. After Hayes overhears a harsh truth about how Brady landed the gig, he decides to keep it a secret from Brady and finally leans into the assignment—in part because he “can’t stop thinking of Brady in ways that we have both vowed not to.” As they travel through Europe—dancing a sexy bolero in Spain and skinny-dipping in Germany’s Krumme Lanke—Hayes also encourages Brady to bypass law school and familial expectations to follow his dream of teaching kindergarten. Their enticingly described travels help the men rebuild their relationship and get out of their own way. It’s a sweet and slightly spicy escape. (June)

Reviewed on 03/27/2026 | Details & Permalink

Holt (Not in My Book) captivates with this touching workplace rom-com. Avid reader Carmella “Ella” Sanchez has her dream job as manager of New York City’s famous the Last Page bookstore. Its elderly founder, Leo Martin, has even promised to bequeath the store to her in his will. When he dies, however, Leo’s estranged grandson, Henry Martin, shows up to announce that Leo actually left the store to him. Ella is outraged, especially as Henry, a business consultant with a distaste for New York City, doesn’t seem to share her passion for books and plans to run the store remotely from his home in Tennessee. However, when Henry discovers the store’s dire financial situation, he taps Ella to brainstorm how to raise money quickly to save the store from closing. While working together, the animosity between Ella and Henry transforms into attraction as Henry comes to admire Ella’s talent at managing the store’s eclectic “family” of booksellers, and the pair bond as Ella shows Henry all her favorite Big Apple haunts. Holt expertly injects their romance with humor while crafting a love letter to book lovers and New York City. This is a charmer. Agent: Stefanie Rossitto, Tobias Literary. (May)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misidentified the author’s previous title.

Reviewed on 03/27/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this entertaining kickoff to a cute cozy fantasy series, originally self-published in 2024, Taylor (Bound) introduces the charming small town Claw Haven, Alaska, the surly werewolf that runs its ramshackle inn, and the bubbly California socialite who changes his life. While driving through Claw Haven in a snowstorm, Luna Stack crashes into Musgrove Inn’s sign, which she hopes won’t hurt her chances of booking a room. Inside, new owner Oliver Musgrove, still reeling from the fire that forced his pack to relocate to town, is sulking his way through a family party. Their first meeting goes poorly, and both Oliver and Luna end up taking frustrated swigs from the same dusty old bottle of spirits, neither realizing it’s a sacred libation used in werewolf bonding ceremonies. Bound together in supernatural marriage, Oliver now becomes painfully sick if Luna wanders more than a few feet from his side. There’s a special flower that can dissolve their bond, but it’s currently buried under the snow, leaving the pair stuck together through the winter. Taylor has a lot of fun marrying grumpy to sunshine, and Luna’s arc as she finds a community that embraces her for more than her money and looks is satisfying. As cheeky as the title suggests but still full of heart, this is good fun. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

The enjoyable first installment in the Boston Bolts Hockey series from Nicole (Playboy) finds Bolts star center Aiden Langfield half-heartedly planning a wedding to a snooty socialite primarily to get his brothers off his back about his love life. Then he learns that their wedding planner is his high school sweetheart, Lennox Kennedy, the only woman he’s ever truly loved. Lennox dumped him a decade earlier for reasons Aiden never knew, and he still hasn’t gotten over her. He immediately breaks off his engagement and sets out to win Lennox back, but to keep spending time with her, he doesn’t tell her that the wedding is off and lets her keep planning an event that won’t happen. Meanwhile, Lennox, the rebellious pink-haired only daughter of a wealthy Boston family, has just learned that if she’s not married by 30, her father will take control of her trust. The plucky heroine and endearingly vulnerable, if misguided, hero are well matched, and Nicole navigates their powerful emotions—especially Aiden’s anxiety and depression—with grace. It’s a sweet treat for fans of sports romance. (May)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

Center (The Love Haters) sets this beguiling contemporary aboard a weeklong cruise. Middle school math teacher JoJo Burton has left a string of broken hearts in her wake, most recently when she dumped her fiancé at the altar at the encouragement of her childhood best friend, Cooper Watts. Jojo’s sister, Ashley, diagnoses her inability to commit as stemming from her having “imprinted” on Finn Turner, the boy with whom she shared her first kiss at 10 years old, and cooks up a scheme to help JoJo win over Finn, who will be attending Ashley’s cruise ship wedding. Cooper, who is also unexpectedly in attendance despite having RSVPed no, thinks the entire plan is bonkers and repeatedly comes to Jojo’s rescue, for example during awkward mini-golf outings and dance contests. It’s clear early on that Cooper and JoJo are the ones with real chemistry, but their relationship is still strained from when Cooper ghosted Jojo for a job in London four years before the start of the book, and she’s hesitant to trust him again. Center employs the forced proximity trope to excellent effect in bringing these two back together, and the characters’ sparkling banter effortlessly captures their long-standing intimacy. It’s a joy to watch their friends-to-lovers journey unfold. (May)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

The raw emotion that characterizes the best of bestseller Ryan’s work is on full display in her masterful second Hollywood Renaissance romance (after Reel). It’s centered around the production of the same biopic of fictional Harlem Renaissance artist Dessi Blue that was at the heart of book one, this time turning the focus onto screenwriter Verity Hill and composer Wright “Monk” Bellamy. Verity’s thrilled to be combining her passions for storytelling and African American history while shining an honest light on the life of a woman who, like her, was bisexual. The one wrinkle is that she has to work with Monk, her college sweetheart whose heart she broke 10 years before. Their passion burned bright and flamed out disastrously, and Verity has never been able to forget Monk or forgive herself for betraying him. As they work together to bring Dessi’s story to life, their old flame reignites, but Monk fears being burned again. Meanwhile, in therapy, Verity receives a diagnosis of bipolar disorder that reshapes the way she thinks about herself and her past choices. Ryan handles Verity’s mental health with a sensitive and graceful touch as Verity works through the stigma she has internalized. Verity and Monk’s sensual second chance romance is just as affecting, and the Hollywood backdrop adds allure, as does the vibrant history of the Harlem Renaissance. This is a triumph. (May)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

A pro football team’s publicity crisis leads to unexpected love in this diverting sports romance from Painter (The Love Wager). After a video of Duffy Distefano appearing to attack the mascot of the Minneapolis Coyotes during a game goes viral, she’s invited onto a morning talk show to explain her side of the story: the Coyote got handsy and she was defending herself. Coyotes tight end Connor Cunningham also shows up at the talk show, and their sparky on-air sparring belies an attraction that fans are quick to pick up on. With the team scrambling to do damage control in the wake of Duffy’s allegations, its publicist suggests Connor ask Duffy out to generate some good PR. The pair enjoy a sizzling first date and Connor is eager to keep seeing her, but Duffy is hesitant to stay in the public eye and doubtful of Connor’s sincerity. Connor sets out to win her over and eventually succeeds, becoming an integral part of her life and her close-knit family—but their happy ending will be in jeopardy if she ever discovers why he initially asked her out. Painter’s characters feel authentic, and their witty banter leaps off the page. Readers are sure to root for these two. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

Forrester’s poignant debut brings together two writers struggling to rebuild their lives. Mystery author Whit Longacre is a grieving widower whose late wife, Helen, the author of a bestselling children’s fantasy series, entrusted him with finishing her final book. Unfortunately, he’s had writer’s block since she died and despairs of fulfilling her legacy. Meanwhile, new in town Merritt Pryor left an MFA program after ending an exploitative relationship with a professor who has since pilloried her in a new bestselling novel. The pair meet at Whit’s daughter’s school, where Merritt is substitute teaching, and Whit soon realizes that Merritt is the ideal person to help him finish Helen’s books. As this creative partnership develops, Forrester nimbly handles Whit’s fears of disloyalty to Helen if he falls in love again, as well as Merritt’s anxiety about relationships and exposure as the book about her gains more attention. There aren’t many moments of levity to lighten the heavy emotional load, but the appealing protagonists and well-drawn supporting characters prove easy to invest in. Readers looking for a bookish romance will appreciate this tale of resilience triumphing over fear of commitment. (May)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink

Poston (Sounds Like Love) takes readers on an atmospheric summer vacation in this uneven magical realist romance. Horticulturist Sophie “Sunny” Drear and her best friend Harriett “Harrie” Fisher promise to meet at Lilymoor House and Gardens on the cliffs of Odette, Maine, for the historic mansion’s 200th anniversary, 10 years after their first visit. But Harrie dies before they can make that happen, and Sunny returns alone for a job as Lilymoor’s head gardener. Sunny feels stuck, as does Lilymoor’s owner Eula Beck, who’s grieving her husband’s death. One of Eula’s great-nephews, cheery architect Oliver, fears similarly getting stuck at Lilymoor if he inherits it. Meanwhile, Eula’s other great-nephew, stormy-eyed lawyer Cyrus, gets literally trapped in a magical secret garden on the estate. Sunny’s the only one who can find the garden and as she works to help Cyrus escape, Oliver helps Eula prepare for retirement. Sunny feels torn both between the two cousins and between her twin desires to cling to the past and to move forward, even if it means imagining a future without Harrie. Poston is at her best when describing Lilymoor (which looks “right out of a storybook”), but struggles to balance the love triangle, abruptly shoving one potential love interest aside and pairing him off with a side character in a frustrating subplot that swaps bickering banter for real chemistry or relationship growth. The premise fascinates, but the execution falters. (June)

Reviewed on 03/20/2026 | Details & Permalink