Lambda Literary Award winner Cochrun (Here We Go Again) sends her “late bloomer” of a heroine on an earnest journey of self discovery in this introspective contemporary. Singleton Sadie Wells starts to regret agreeing to let her sister, Vi, set her up with as many men as possible before her 35th birthday around disastrous date #17. So when Vi, a travel blogger, injures herself and must cancel plans to trek Portugal’s 200-mile Camino de Santiago, Sadie eagerly volunteers to take her place. She doesn’t realize until she’s already en route that she’ll be joining a tour group of queer women, leading her to make a wine- and fear-induced confession to her airplane seatmate about how she’s questioning her sexuality. Said seatmate is fellow Camino traveler Maëlys “Mal” Gonçalves Costa, who resolves to mentor Sadie through the “queer adolescence” that Sadie never got to experience, partly in an effort to distract herself from recent loss and heartbreak. The narrative alternates between the women’s perspectives and brings in Sadie’s blog posts to enhance the travelogue feel. Though the plot occasionally meanders and the climax loses some steam due to an overreliance on clichés, Cochrun makes up for it with witty banter, emotional vulnerability, and a delightful supporting cast. This slow-burning love story, deepened by a heartfelt depiction of a woman’s late coming-of-age, is sure to please Cochrun’s fans. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Time travel disrupts the filming of a Jane Austen movie adaptation in Bell’s captivating adult debut (after the YA novel The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray, written as Christine Calella). Sassy American actress Tess Bright has been depressed since her Austen-loving mother’s death, which has negatively affected her work and cost her a big TV role. The chance to play Catherine Morland in an adaptation of Northanger Abbey seems like a perfect way to get her career back on track and honor her mother’s memory—if only Hugh Balfour, the snotty and standoffish British leading man, would meet her halfway in generating on-screen chemistry. When a storm strikes the set, Hugh and Tess are struck by electric sparks and sent back in time to Regency England. They’ll have to learn to rely on each other if they hope to navigate the era and make it back to their own time. Along the way, Hugh realizes that Tess has hidden depths behind what he’s viewed as her “vulgar” facade, and Tess discovers that Hugh’s aloofness hides anxiety. Bell makes a meal of the Austenian setting and does a fantastic job peeling back her well-matched leads’ layers as they learn to let go of first impressions. It’s an utter delight. Agent: Laurel Symonds, KT Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Masen (the Dark Love series) launches her small-town Cinnamon Springs series with this addictive contemporary. When donut shop owner Eva Woods agrees to help plan her lifelong best friend Maddy’s rushed wedding in just one month, she’s not banking on having to work with Maddy’s billionaire brother Aston Beaumont, CEO of the Beaumont family business. Eight years prior, at Aston’s high school graduation party, Aston won and then broke Eva’s heart over the course of a single night. Working together is a challenge, especially as Aston initially seems aloof and unengaged. As the pair warm to each other, however, their attraction becomes undeniable and they enter into a steamy affair. Still, Eva worries both about how easily Aston could hurt her again and what Maddy’s reaction will be if she learns of their relationship. Meanwhile, wedding stress intensifies and Maddy’s father’s nefarious business dealings threaten the happiness of all parties. Scintillating sexual tension, soapy family drama, and a plethora of secrets keep the pages flying. Readers won’t want to put this one down. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

A meet-cute in a quirky bookstore kicks off this cozy queer romance from Burke (Fall for Him). Courtney Starling was a child star in the Christian music industry, but now she’s ready to relaunch her career on her own, secular terms as Kestrel. Unfortunately, a migraine flare on stage at her debut concert derails this plan and sparks rumors of a drug problem. Courtney retreats to her best friend’s critter-filled Kansas bookstore, Menagerie Books, to lick her wounds, unsure if she wants to perform again. Enter local piercing artist Thea Quinn, whose terror at encountering one of Menagerie’s lizards among the stacks leads to an indelible first encounter with Courtney. Sparks fly—especially when the women end up snowed in at the bookstore through a twist of fate and small-town scheming. Their budding relationship is complicated by Thea’s struggle to escape the pressure and expectations placed on her by her proper Southern family and Courtney’s decision to keep her past to herself. Burke brings her complex heroines vividly to life and creates an electric dynamic between them. The ending feels somewhat rushed and convenient, but it’s a joy to see these two get their happily ever after. Readers will be pleased. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Quincy lightly riffs on Jane Austen’s Persuasion in her sultry second Sirens in Silk Victorian romance (after The Duke Gets Desperate). Eight years after jilting Basil Trevelyn, Naila Darwish crosses paths with him again, this time in England, where she’s visiting for the wedding of her sister, Raya, to the Duke of Strickland. Naila, who was swayed into leaving Basil by her disapproving Arab American family, regrets her past choices and has never gotten over him. Meanwhile, Basil’s star has risen: he’s now the powerful Earl of Hawksworth. Their magnetic draw to each other is as strong as ever, but both fear being hurt again. Basil becomes even more skittish about reentering the relationship when he learns that Naila is writing a pamphlet to help American heiresses land titled British husbands. Quincy brings plenty of romantic angst and interpersonal drama to the fast-paced plot, punctuated with some truly steamy love scenes. It’s a memorable and passionate scorcher. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Sweet and spicy second-chance romance animates this delightfully layered contemporary from Babalola (Honey and Spice). Kiki Banjo was heartbroken after her first love, filmmaker Malakai Korede, left London for what was supposed to be a six-month job in Los Angeles only to never return. Fast-forward three years, and Kiki has a wealthy new man (though she’s not sure how she feels about him) and doles out romantic advice as the host of popular podcast The Heartbeat. When her employer insists on bringing an out-of-touch white woman in as Kiki’s cohost, Kiki quits. In the midst of this personal upheaval, she has to put on a smile to play maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding, a task made harder by the knowledge that Malakai is the best man. After the pair’s reunion at the engagement party, they struggle to navigate the still-powerful attraction between them. When a musician they both love asks Malakai to direct and Kiki to produce a documentary, working together brings even more old feelings to the surface. Babalola has a talent for convincingly depicting the extremes of human emotion, from devastating heartbreak to intense passion, and her characters feel wonderfully real and well rounded. Readers won’t be able to resist. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bornstein (Gender Outlaw) is better known for her pioneering work in gender studies than fiction, but in 1996 she and coauthor Sullivan (Cheerleader Renovation) published this erotic thriller that dives deep into the possibilities the then-new world of the internet opened up for trans and queer people. Updated with a new frame story set in the present, the tale feels as urgent and electric as ever. Scratch meets Winc in an online chat room. They know nothing about each other IRL, but their sexual chemistry is intense and immediate. Through anonymous interactions, including intimate cybersex and lengthy discussions of how they relate to gender, they come to new understandings about each other, themselves, and the world. But their freedom is threatened by a new law requiring that all internet users register with the government, documenting all of their personal details. When Scratch and Winc refuse, they become enemies of the state, which will use any means to identify them and force them to conform. Though the expositional gender theory occasionally interrupts the cyberpunk suspense, slowing the pace, time has not blunted Bornstein and Sullivan’s insights into how gender shapes individuals. The result is both entertaining and persuasive. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Dixon packs her sizzling second Royal Artifactual Guild romantasy (after Bull Moon Rising) with snark, sensuality, and mystery. Gwenna has a magical secret: she has the forbidden ability to communicate with the dead. She attempts to ignore this power while training to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, having failed her first attempt. Her status as a “repeater” means she’s forced to take on odd cleaning jobs on behalf of the guild. When she’s sent to tidy the room of a minotaur named Raptor, recently demoted from full guild member back to fledge, he mistakes her for a sex worker, leading to a steamy encounter. Raptor longs to find a woman who can accept every bit of him and sees that in Gwenna, though she denies her feelings. When artifacts go missing and Gwenna’s fellow repeaters turn up murdered, she and Raptor work together to solve the mystery. Along the way, their explosive chemistry becomes undeniable. Dixon scorches the pages with intense and frequent erotic scenes but still finds time for ample character development and intrigue. Overflowing with both heart and heat, this is sure to please series fans. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Stephens (Good Graces) pairs up student athletes in this charming campus-set contemporary. British cheerleader Ella Davies is thrilled to spend her year abroad at Whitland University in Nashville, Tenn., home of a top tier cheer program. She’s quickly warned away from big man on campus Hudson Fox: “He’s our star quarterback. Not to slut shame but he very much uses that fact to his advantage,” a new friend texts her. After a sizzling encounter, however, Ella and Hudson agree to be friends with benefits, believing that, as long as they don’t get their feelings involved, they’re obeying the spirit if not the letter of the university’s nonfraternization policy between athletes. Of course emotions develop on both sides despite their best efforts, especially when Ella’s partner for a prestigious national cheerleading competition breaks her wrist and Hudson—who unexpectedly has a cheerleading background—steps in to help Ella achieve her dream. Though Ella’s inevitable return to England looms over their budding relationship, a solution to their long distance problem may lie in Hudson’s dream of studying the classics at Oxford—if he can afford it. Hudson’s hidden depths and Ella’s smarts and sass go together beautifully. Readers will have no trouble rooting for these two. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Khorram (I’ll Have What He’s Having) puts a sunny spin on heartbreak in this pleasant vacation romance, which follows 38-year-old Iranian American Ramin on an impulsive trip to Italy after his boyfriend declines his marriage proposal. He’s looking to reinvent himself when he unexpectedly encounters his high school crush, Noah Bartlett, on his own Italian vacation with his ex-wife Angela and their nine-year-old son, Jake. Noah, who is bisexual, is thrilled to be reunited with Ramin, viewing their encounter as “a second chance he didn’t know he wanted.” The men continue to bump into each other first coincidentally and later deliberately, sharing meals, a Vespa ride, and even a hotel room before acknowledging their mutual attraction. After several attempts to express their affection are disrupted by Noah’s family, the guys finally get some alone time so Noah can make Ramin’s fantasy—which involves Noah wearing a wrestling singlet—come true. It’s the first of many spicy episodes, but as they become more intimate, Ramin struggles with issues of body dysmorphia, and people pleaser Noah keeps putting others’ needs before his own. The Italian backdrop, complete with mouthwatering descriptions of food and drink, adds charm. The result is a winning romance about lovers helping each other become their best selves. Agent: Molly O’Neill, Root Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink