Bailey pulls lightly from Jane Austen’s Persuasion in her impressive debut. Soon after professional tennis player Olivia Taylor leaves her cheating husband, her older sister, Charlotte, guilt trips her into coming to the Hamptons to help clear out her family’s just-sold mansion. Estranged from her father (whom she’s only called William since her mother’s death) for a variety of reasons, Olivia is prepared for a strained few days with her family. She’s unprepared, however, for the bombshell revelation that the mansion’s buyer is Fred Webb, her first love and the man who has broken her heart time and time again. To make matters worse, it seems that Fred has finally found love elsewhere. Bailey keeps the pages turning by toggling between 2003 and 2023, recounting the bumpy road of Olivia’s life—and how her relationship with Fred has played into it. The cutthroat world of pro tennis and the glitz of the Hamptons create a fascinating backdrop for these multilayered characters. Angsty but ultimately heartwarming, this should win Bailey plenty of fans. Agent: Stephanie Kip Rostan, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 03/29/2024 | Details & Permalink

Pearce turns up the heat in her steamy third Three Cowboys romance (after Three Cowboys and a Puppy), revisiting ex-Marine buddies Luke, Noah, and Max, who all help run Luke’s mother’s cattle spread. Four years before the start of the book, drop-dead gorgeous Max was drinking away his troubles one evening in Reno, Nev., when he met properly cardiganed and pearled English rose Phoebe Creighton-Smith, who proposed a marriage of convenience that would help her inherit property. Max was just drunk and charmed enough to say yes and, after an unconsummated ceremony, Phoebe returned to England and Max returned to Marine duty. Now all three ranchers are shocked when Max’s “wife” shows up at their door. To get her fortune, Phoebe must now prove to her relatives that their marriage is real. Sparks soon fly and Max zealously cooperates with “Feebs” when she’s “almost combusted by lust,” but neither can bear to discuss their future. After a trying visit from Feebs’s brother, George, an obnoxious British lord, and with help from their several friends, love and lust win out in the end. Readers will find plenty to enjoy in the leads’ dynamic: Phoebe thinks admirably well on her feet and Max enjoys letting her be in control. Cowboy romance lovers will want to check this out. (June)

Reviewed on 03/29/2024 | Details & Permalink

Muriel Pendrake, a cis female botanist, and Kit Griffith, a trans male cyclist, battle Victorian sexism and their own feelings in this sparkling romance from Lowell (Artfully Yours). Muriel visits St. Ives, Cornwall, with her best friend, Dr. James Raleigh, to collect algae specimens for an upcoming lecture and hopefully commission an elusive painter whose work she saw at a friend’s house to illustrate them. After Kit nearly runs Muriel over on his bicycle, Muriel’s shocked to learn that he is the lapsed painter she’s been looking for. Kit has abandoned art since transitioning, but he’ll take the job if Muriel will first help him win an ill-conceived wager against a misogynistic rival who claims women can’t be cyclists. Muriel agrees—but Kit will need to teach her how to ride. As the pair bond, they also help each other to heal from past hurts: Muriel’s late husband was emotionally abusive and Kit’s best friend rejected him after he came out to her. Lowell confronts Victorian attitudes around sex, gender, and love head on, resulting in some darker moments, but the tender, supportive, and joyful dynamic that emerges between Kit and Muriel keeps things heartfelt and hopeful. It’s not just that their love story offsets the sadder moments; the sadder moments make their love story all the more beautiful. This is a triumph. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 03/29/2024 | Details & Permalink

A young man relentlessly courts his evasive new coworker in this sweet but superficial romance from de la Cruz (The Missing Sword). Travel writer Evan Saatchi has his heart set on a promotion, but when stunning Dalisay Ramos, who’s just moved from Manila to San Francisco, snaps up the job instead, he can hardly feel upset. Instead, he congratulates her and asks her out—but hopeless romantic Dalisay shuts him down, saying she’s not interested in “American hookup culture.” To truly win her heart, Evan must go through the Five Stages, a Filipino tradition in which the suitor proves he’s serious in his pursuit through, among other things, the presentation of heartfelt gifts, serenades, and even servitude to the woman’s family. Fortunately, Evan loves a challenge, especially if it means getting to see Dalisay smile. Meanwhile, despite her unflappable exterior, Dalisay is charmed by Evan’s efforts and is secretly terrified at how much she wants to be with him. De la Cruz gets a lot of mileage out of the culture clash between American and Filipino values, but without a convincing connection between the leads, the story lacks an emotional core. This misses the mark. (July)

Reviewed on 03/29/2024 | Details & Permalink

Two international jewel thieves whose partnership and relationship ended after a heist gone wrong are thrown together for one last job in the entertaining latest from Reid (Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up). Celeste “CeCe” St. Pierre sells antique furniture by day and pilfers priceless gems with her assistant, Beatrice Hill, by night. However, when she receives a mysterious letter with the news that Dr. Doris Grant, her mentor in art and in crime, is dead, but has left behind plans for one last heist for the old crew, Celeste’s two-woman operation expands to include, among others, her ex, Dr. Magnus Larsson, a geology professor skilled at creating replica jewelry. Dr. Grant’s planned heist takes the team first to Estonia and then back to Stockholm, where five years before, the botched robbery of a princess tore them apart. Celeste and Magnus’s mutual anger over that job and their resulting breakup starts to fade as they work together again, leading them to wonder if their return to Stockholm could mean recovering everything they’d lost. Though the other members of the crew don’t get much to do, Celeste and Magnus’s criminal antics are fun, and their history together makes their sex scenes sizzle. Reid’s fans will be pleased. (July)

Reviewed on 03/29/2024 | Details & Permalink

Khabra debuts with an adorable if slightly overlong new adult romance. Dalton University senior Summer Preston feels her dream of working as a sports psychologist with the U.S. Olympic program is within her reach. Only one last hurdle stands in the way of being accepted into Dalton’s competitive graduate program: an ultimatum from the adviser she idolizes that she work with the one sport she hates, hockey. (She had a bad experience with a hockey player in the past and has written the rest of them off as well.) After a reckless party lands Dalton’s team in trouble, captain Aiden Crawford takes the fall. As punishment, his coach forces Aiden to work with Summer or face NCAA probation. Aiden’s seemingly nonchalant attitude toward everything except hockey peeves Summer, confirming her worst opinions of hockey players—but she can’t deny her attraction to him. The novel is light on plot, chronicling how these two slowly go from enemies to lovers without much friction, but the characters are endearing and their connection makes sense. It’s a welcome addition to the booming subgenre of hockey romance. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

This addictive contemporary romance from Lefler (Reasonable Adults) follows Ness Larkin, the former teen star of Ocean Views, an angsty show in the style of The OC. After her manager father absconded with all of her money, Ness fled Hollywood, reinventing herself as a Toronto property owner and manager. When the offer comes to reprise her role on the teen drama, however, Ness surprises the world by accepting. Reuniting with her former costars is both fun (gabbing with sassy friends Coco and Ian) and excruciating (dealing with her bitter former bestie Libby Kim and her first love turned movie star, Hayes Beaumont). When the cast’s boat trip to the filming location is interrupted by a storm, they wind up stranded on a deserted island once owned by a porn kingpin (with the kinky castle to prove it). Drama erupts between the ill-prepared actors as relationship traumas are laid bare—and, eventually, satisfyingly resolved. Lefler’s plotting is pure fun, like a reality show in novel form—especially when it becomes clear that this detour may have been no accident. Romance fans will fall in love with Ness and her insecurities and hate the designated villains (including the last person readers will suspect). This is a pleasure. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

Louis (Eight Perfect Hours) delivers an entertaining contemporary centered on Millie Chandler, a receptionist who blows off steam by writing snarky emails she never intends to send. Then an apparent server glitch delivers all 107 of them to the people she was griping about, including her ex-fiancé (who is currently engaged to another one of their coworkers), and her work crush, Jack Shurlock, with whom she shared an almost-kiss at the office holiday party. Readers will panic right alongside Millie as she realizes what’s happened and cringe as she is forced to interact with those who now know her honest thoughts about them. As she attempts damage control and investigates why the draft emails got sent, Millie is forced to step out of her comfort zone and be truthful about her emotions and desires—including her feelings for Jack. While it’s easy to fault Millie for composing these missives on an office computer in the first place, Louis makes it equally easy to cheer her on as she attempts to clean up the mess. Funny, utterly relatable, and full of charm, Louis’s latest will delight existing fans and win her plenty of new ones. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

National tragedy prompts the heroine of this heartrending romance from Rindell (The Two Mrs. Carlyles) to reflect on a summer spent with a man she never expected to love. In October 2001, New Yorker Sawyer reexamines her life and priorities, along with the rest of the city. What stands out most is the summer of 1999, when she was in her early 20s, just starting a career in publishing, and engaged to her college sweetheart. Then her fiancé starts spending too much time with a woman from work. The woman’s boyfriend, Nick, believes the two are having an affair and reaches out to Sawyer with his suspicions. Though Nick and Sawyer get off to a bumpy start, when Nick learns that Sawyer’s new to New York and always home alone, he pushes her to spend her summer Fridays, when both their offices let workers out at noon, having fun and exploring the city with him. As the pair develop a deep friendship, Sawyer finds herself torn between what others want for her and what she wants for herself. The frame narrative adds emotional heft to this lovely, nostalgia-tinged romance. Readers will be entranced. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent & Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink

A woman falls for the prince of hell in the dark and twisting first No Other Gods fantasy romance from bestseller CJ (The Night and Its Moon). Though Marlow Thorson is now a successful writer, she still struggles with demons from her past. These include her former career as a sex worker, the religious trauma that resulted from her abusive upbringing, and her history of mental breaks. Solace comes in the form of her invisible nightly visitor, a dark, haunting, and yet sexy entity she has named Caliban. Though Caliban feels very real to her, she worries what her affair with him says about her mental health. When a former client attacks her, Silas, an associate of Caliban’s, steps in to save her. and Marlow learns that both men are from another world—and that Caliban is royalty. When Caliban then goes missing, Marlow must embrace her ancestral gift of being able to see between this world and the next to track him down. The plot is dizzying and the central romance gets somewhat lost in the ruckus. For those who can keep up with all the twists and turns, the open ending will build excitement for installments to come. Readers who like their romantasy to be heavier on fantasy than feels will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Transatlantic Agency. (May)

Reviewed on 03/22/2024 | Details & Permalink