Bestseller Bailey’s sparkling fourth Big Shots romance (after Dream Girl Drama) pairs a playboy hockey player with a prickly softball pitcher. Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is smitten from the moment he meets college senior and Division 1 softball star Skylar Page. Unfortunately for him, she just overheard Robbie boasting about his sexual exploits and writes him off as a pig. She also has a major crush on her brother’s best friend, catcher Madden Donahue, who won’t give her the time of day. In a scheme to spend time with Skylar, Robbie offers to be her fake boyfriend to make Madden jealous. The stakes rise on this deception when Skylar brings Robbie as her partner to her parents’ annual weeklong backyard sports tournament, which Madden will also attend. Attraction on both sides soon leads the fake relationship to heat up, while plentiful competition and interpersonal drama keep the pages flying. Bailey brings characteristic wit and spice to the fake dating trope and crafts a central couple readers will root for. It’s especially satisfying when Robbie reveals the big heart beneath his horniness as he steps up to become a supportive partner to Skylar both on and off the field. This is another home run for Bailey. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 10/10/2025 | Details & Permalink

Winters’s fabulous follow-up to I Think They Love You revisits the employees of the 24 Carter Gold agency, this time giving closeted 25-year-old Jordan Carter, an event coordinator, a second chance romance with Jamie Peters. Jamie was Jordan’s first kiss years ago and Jordan has been confused about his feelings, and his sexuality, ever since. The men unexpectedly reconnect when Jamie turns up as the best man in a wedding Jordan is coordinating. Though Jordan tries to resist the endearing and energetic Jamie, whom he thinks of as the “human equivalent of a border collie,” his attraction only grows, especially when the pair end up slow dancing together in a potential wedding venue and feeding each other cake at a tasting. It becomes undeniable that Jamie “makes Jordan’s heart speed up like he’s just mainlined a case of Red Bull,” and the guys get physical—but still pretend in public like their moments of intimacy never happened, leading to mixed signals and conflicting emotions. Meanwhile, Jordan contends with a new work rival, Javi, whose interest in him is more than just professional. Winters makes Jordan’s coming-out story feel authentic and emotional, surrounding him with supportive family members who help convey the bighearted message that “no one gets to decide what [your] love story looks like.” This smart, sexy romance will have readers swooning. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 10/10/2025 | Details & Permalink

A low-born blacksmith is swept into an adventure against the backdrop of a kingdom torn apart by civil war in de la Force’s entertaining debut romantasy, the first in the Fated for Hael series. When a noble stranger commissions Cahra to design a sword, she inadvertently draws a symbol that is the first omen of an ancient prophecy coming to pass. It awakens Hael, an immortal locked away in the kingdom’s fallen capital, Hael’stromia. But the magic Cahra accessed is forbidden, so she is forced on the run with the sword’s commissioner, Lord Terryl. As they escape into the Wilds , Cahra confronts the traumas of her past and discovers her role in the prophecy. Along the way, Cahra grows closer to both Lord Terryl and Hael, who visits her through dreams. Meanwhile, multiple factions vie to use Hael’s power as a weapon in their wars. De la Force loads the twisty plot with betrayal, court politics, lost history, and magical elements that will appeal to fans of Throne of Glass and the Shadow and Bone series. The pacing is a bit uneven, however: things lag in the middle before an ending that satisfies—and teases things to come—but feels somewhat rushed. Meanwhile, the slow-burning romance takes a back seat to the main action of the story, but de la Force lays a solid foundation for future installments. Romantasy fans will be eager to see where this goes. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

An abundance of plot contrivances clutter YA author Reeves’s adult debut (following the Ripper series). Lizzie Wells is a professor of Victorian literature at a South Carolina university and the author of a bestselling YA adaptation of Wuthering Heights that has recently been made into a popular movie—but her happy life is upended when her husband of 15 years, Philip, dies in a car accident. Overwhelmed by grief, Lizzie elects to emulate Victorian women, famous for their long mourning periods, by wearing only black, carrying Philip’s ashes in her purse and a lock of his hair in a locket, and informing her students and colleagues that going forward she will only communicate via handwritten letters. Decamping to London for the summer with her son, she plays tourist and meets August Dansworth, author of pulpy thrillers. Lizzy is attracted to him, but is unsure if dating feels right. Meanwhile, her late husband’s best friend Henry, with whom she shared an almost-kiss, demands her attention as he works to settle Phillip’s estate. Reeves surrounds Lizzy with bickering colleagues, famous actors, and family drama, in a plot that leaps forward via convenient coincidence. The portrayal of grief doesn’t have much gravity and the romance itself is slight. This disappoints. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Hannah’s sensual fourth Wells Ranch contemporary (after Change of Hart) finds single working mother Whitney “Whit” Hart, 28, struggling to raise her 10-year-old son, Jonas. She faces judgment from small-town gossips, guilt trips from her parents, and her own self-doubt as her parenting duties often overwhelm her—especially when Jonas starts acting out in response to preteen angst and schoolyard bullying. After a tough school year marked by Jonas’s misbehavior and the threat of expulsion, Whit takes her sister’s advice and signs Jonas up to volunteer at local Wells Ranch. Colt, a ranch hand, quickly becomes Jonas’s mentor, forming a strong bond with both him and his beautiful mother. Despite some early miscommunication, Colt and Whit soon enter into a passionate affair, both helping the other to move on from painful pasts. The plentiful steamy scenes are balanced by the light, cozy plot and emotionally nuanced exploration of Whit and Jonas’s relationship. Cowboy romance fans will eat this up. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this entertaining contemporary, Connolly (PS: I Hate You) brings together two appealing young people trying to make it on their own. Beth Lundberg, the neglected illegitimate daughter of a luxury transportation magnate, has always yearned to become a pilot, but can’t afford it on her diner waitress salary, especially while handling medical bills for her mother, who has cancer. When Beth’s privileged half-brother Shawn’s best friend, George Bunsen, a pilot at their father’s company, offers her free flying lessons, Beth is almost too proud to accept, especially as she and George have never gotten along. But when their first time in the air results in an emergency landing that showcases George’s skill, Beth’s aversion to him turns into red hot lust. Meanwhile, it’s clear to everyone but Beth that George feels the same way about her. For their relationship to succeed, however, Beth will have to let go of her preconceptions about George, face her father’s judgment, and come clean to Shawn about a lie she told him years ago. Readers who dislike plots that over-rely on miscommunication may be frustrated by some of these hurdles, but Beth’s tenacity is admirable and George’s patient devotion is swoon-worthy. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Susan Wiggs looking for something on the raunchier side will want to check this out. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bestseller Laroux (Her Soul for Revenge) is out for blood in this visceral and deliciously dark gothic romance set against the moody backdrop of the Pacific Northwest. Salem spends what was supposed to have been her wedding night in a dive bar hooking up with Rayne, a gorgeous, secretive stranger who ends the encounter by announcing that Salem will never see her again. Except the next day, when Salem arrives for a two-week retreat at Balfour Manor on Blackridge Island, there Rayne is behind the check-in desk. When Salem starts seeing terrible apparitions in the converted manor house, Rayne comes to her rescue and tells her the truth about Blackridge’s haunting history. The rugged island hides terrible secrets, including murders, ghosts, and a monster that roams its shores as soon as the sun goes down—and Rayne is somehow tied up in all of it. Salem is impossibly drawn to the lonely hotelier, but as Rayne’s family secrets come to light and bodies pile up, the women will have to fight the evils of the past if they ever hope to have a future. Laroux doesn’t hold back on either the splatter or the spice, balancing truly embodied horror with genuinely sexy erotica. The decadent result thrills from start to finish. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Work rivals feign newlywed bliss in this diverting rom-com from Eden (Love in Bloom). It’s been 13 years since a rift between patriarchs ended the business relationship of the Morgan and Carter families, and scions Jasmine Morgan and Derek Carter still hold a grudge. Both now work in PR at MasonCorp and both are assigned to create a campaign for small town Miller’s Cove, Fla., which MasonCorp hopes to develop into a tourist destination. Only the more successful of the two will keep their job. Upon arriving in Miller’s Cove, Jasmine and Derek learn that the town is hostile to corporate outsiders and so don’t correct the townsfolk’s assumption that they are a honeymooning couple. As faking feelings leads to the real thing, the pair learn the history of the town, which was founded by three tight-knit families seeking to preserve the idyllic spot for future generations. The closer they grow both to each other and the locals, the more difficult the idea of turning in their assignments becomes. It’s endearing to watch the leads’ animosity change to love, even as misunderstandings between them give rise to plenty of romantic angst. Eden keeps the plot moving with both personal and professional drama, resulting in a fun romp that readers won’t want to put down. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Parsons kicks off her Stranded in Leavenworth series with this wilderness-set charmer. Lucy O’Malley is happily planning a romantic outdoorsy vacation in the quaint town of Leavenworth with her workaholic, somewhat emotionally distant boyfriend, Brodan—until he dumps her on her 30th birthday. Meanwhile, widowed wilderness tour company owner, Jonathan Miller, whose wife, Cynthia, died four years earlier in a white-water rafting accident on an expedition he was leading, has vowed never to allow anyone else into his heart. Then Lucy comes bounding into his life and announces that the trip she booked for two will actually be a one-on-one tour. Reluctantly consenting to lead Lucy on her solo hiking trip, Jonathan is soon won over by her grit, especially as the multiday climb turns out to be harder than she’d expected. Through landslides, torrential rainstorms, and renegade tents, Lucy and Jonathan grow closer—but will their pasts prevent them from getting together? Lucy’s sweetness and sass convincingly slips beneath Jonathan’s high walls, and their grumpy/sunshine dynamic is a treat. Supporting characters, especially Lucy’s drag-queen bestie, Dirty O’Feelya, provide enchanting pockets of levity. This well-crafted romance will have readers hooked. (Self-published)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Monroe (When I Should’ve Stayed) squanders a juicy premise in this strained romantic suspense novel. When swaggering Nashville homicide detective Dominic Dunn, the 35-year-old heir to a global coffee chain, calls the most frequently dialed number on a dead woman’s phone, he’s surprised to get phone sex operator Hannah May on the line. She’s a financially desperate 25 year old; it’s her first day on the job; and she’s a virgin. When Dominic realizes that the victims in his current case and a cold one both worked for Hannah’s new employer, he tracks her down and gets a wire tap on her work phone line, hoping to catch the killer. Hannah’s innocence and often cloying naivete (“Ew,” she thinks while imagining a customer “with his weiner out”) leads Dominic to offer to coach her through her calls. The pair grow closer, especially after Dominic demonstrates kindness to Hannah’s mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when Hannah was 12 and believes she’s living in an episode of NCIS. Once things heat up between them, Hannah’s discomfort with human sexuality falls suddenly away in sensual scenes that strain credulity. An abrupt third-act conflict about money feels underbaked and the mystery culminates in a haphazard showdown complete with an unsatisfying final reveal. Clunky exposition and wooden banter don’t help. This disappoints. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/26/2025 | Details & Permalink