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Weekly Reads: August 31 to September 6, 2026 (paranormal romance, historical romance, contemporary romance)

Sep 8, 2026 | Book Reviews

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Holly Michelle (2026)

Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. Cole is the afterlife clerk who accidentally takes the soul of a much younger Verdella Rodgers and gets the chance to go down to earth to fix it. Dell is the ultimate Type A go-getter, busy with running her fancy pants restaurant and planning her wedding to the mayor’s son. When she wakes up dead one day and meets up with Cole, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to fix it so she can wake up again. But along the way, she learns that her life was not as perfect as it seemed and she’s actually gotta slow down and appreciate the people around her. Cole meanwhile is dealing with his own issues, not remembering who he was before he died, and trying to figure out if he’s got family who miss him like Dell has. Feels like a short timeframe for these two to fall in love here, but there’s something fated about the encounter.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Collins Audio via NetGalley.

What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries (2013)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Men series. Max and Lisette team up to track down her missing brother because he may have information about Max’s presumed dead brother. Except it’s kind of a mess because Lisette’s brother is wanted for horse-thieving in England and she doesn’t want Max, the duke, to cost him his life or job. Max and Lisette end up traveling together to France and need to pose as a married couple to save her reputation. He also thinks he cannot marry for love because he’s doomed to die of madness like his father. (Spoiler: it’s not hereditary, the dad had syphilis). Action-adventure-mystery here with a large dose of self-denial.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

If Not You by Ellen O’Clover (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Mattie and Campbell have been copywriting rivals since their intern summer together five years ago. And now their teams are competing for a big luxury resort client. And the client is throwing them in direct competition on location at said resort. This’ll be totally fine. Except Mattie is generally insecure about her work and her life circumstances and Campbell is totally getting under her skin. Until he gets under her skirt. One-sided POV, but it’s clear that Campbell has had a crush on Mattie this whole time, just not mature to do anything about it except tease her and make her generally unsure of her place in her career. But when it all blows up, the emotions are real and angsty and messy. Mostly loved it, but come on, can the guy stop pulling pigtails?

Advance ebook provided by Berkley via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Upgrade to a paid membership to get even more juicy details on all the ways I’m making content and generating income.

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Monthly Income Report: August 2026

Sep 3, 2026 | Side Hustle Diaries

Here’s the August 2026 breakdown of all the pennies I’ve collected from the internet. I’ve organized the income sources into bigger categories and then provided details from each source.

Affiliate Commissions: $2,568.47

TikTok Shop Affiliate: $1,273.79

I have been creating TikTok Shop Affiliate videos since Sept 2024 and seeing steady sales. The process involves quick reviews or demonstrations of products that are sold within TikTok shop and linking them within the TikTok video. Results vary wildly depending on the product, the day, the month, the season, and the algorithm. This month, I had one product go crazy pants viral and contributed to over $600 in commission. (link to my TikTok account)

I’ve provided a screenshot of my top selling products on TikTok Shop this month below.

Read more about how I made over $19k in commission in the first year of doing TikTok Shop Affiliate.

Etsy Affiliate: $57.66

The primary place where I promote Etsy affiliate links is through Pinterest. I’ve had a Pinterest account since forever, so my account is already full of craft tutorial links. I post my affiliate links to crochet and quilt patterns, and these have generated the most sales for me historically. (link to my Pinterest account) However, Etsy recently changed their affiliate program provider, so it’s all of the links that I’ve generated over the past couple years no longer lead to commission. I have gotten set up on the new platform and am starting to post links on Pinterest again, but it will take some time for the new pins to generate views and clicks. From my previous experience, it takes at least two months to see any conversions from content that I post on Pinterest. It’s somewhat disconcerting to start over, but I know what seems to work with my account, so hopefully, it’ll pick back up once my pins have time to circulate. I’m mostly annoyed that my many years of building up links have stopped generating income. And losing out on what was previously about $200 per month in commission is a real downer.

Amazon Affiliate: $1,218.10

I’ve been an Amazon affiliate since the early days of my blog and have always recommended various supplies for art and lettering. However, the bulk of my income now comes from on-site commissions, where product review videos get added directly to the product page by Amazon. If someone watches the video on the product page and makes a purchase, then I get the affiliate commission. (link to my Amazon Storefront) This month was my best ever for Amazon commissions!

Read more about my process for making product review videos on Amazon

Benable: $1.93

Benable a website that has its own audience and search functionality where you can link to various products and websites in collections. The affiliate income is baked into the platform when someone clicks on your featured product and makes a purchase. Probably the lowest friction income source since you don’t need an existing audience. (link to sign up for Benable)

Other Affiliate Programs: $16.99

Working on generating links with ShopMy and made my first affiliate sale here. This platform is promising because I get to generate affiliate links with a chrome plug-in for lots of different shops. (link to join ShopMy, link to my guide to getting started with ShopMy)

Products: $381.34

Paper Goods Etsy Shop: $8.68

I sell bookmarks here mostly, with the occasional digital download. (link to Etsy shop)

Fiber Goods Etsy Shop: $3.19

Once upon a time, I thought I was going to make scarves and blankets while my baby napped and I could sell them online. And that kind of worked, but not profitably. Listings expired, and then I switched to smaller objects like coasters and cozies, and now I’m mostly selling digital crochet patterns. (link to Etsy shop)

PangoBooks or BooksRun: $114.58

I list used books for sale using the PangoBooks app. Sales are sporadic. (link to my PangoBooks shop) BooksRun is a new revenue stream for me. You basically just scan books to see what they will pay for it, box everything up and send it off.

Read more about how I use the PangoBooks app to quickly and easily sell used books.

Ebay: $241.58

I’ve been cross-listing books onto ebay, since I realized many of them were sitting stagnant on Pango. In the process of listing books here, I learned that the ebay app is really easy to use for filling in the listing information. I’ve started putting up more items that I received as samples from TikTok Shop. Lots of new-in-box makeup, makeup brushes, and pens. My approach here is really just to get things out of my house, as long as someone else pays the shipping. I generally list things on auction with a fairly low starting bid, and then we just see what happens. (link to my ebay store)

Digital Downloads: $9.00

Too many shops, not enough marketing. (link to crochet pattern shop, link to printables shop) I managed to sell one of my new ShopMy for Bookstagrammers guide. (link to the guide)

Print on Demand: $4.31

Once upon a time, I uploaded a ton of designs onto RedBubble. I do not nurture this revenue stream at all right now, and any sales are just a bonus surprise. (link to Redbubble shop)

Content Monetization: $37.63

Mediavine: $10.27

Clearly, this is not a very lucrative income source, since the minimum payout to transfer to a bank account is $100. However, coins are coins, so I’m leaving the ads turned on at my blog. Is it enough to offset the cost of the website hosting and domain registration? Probably not. But it hosts content that hopefully leads to other affiliate sales. (link to blog)

Instagram Bonus for Posts: $2.27

I have no idea how this was activated or why. I was previously enrolled in an Instagram Reels bonus program, but that has since been discontinued. So I realized that even if I’m only making a few cents per post, the more I post, the more cents I can make. And what’s really crazy is that I can just screenshot my audiobook player, talk about the book a little bit, and create really easy content that way. Also, the more I post about my side hustles, the more views I get. (link to my Instagram)

Facebook Monetization: $25.09

I was randomly approved for Facebook monetization on March 29, 2026, so I’m still learning how to optimize this. My follower count is crazy small and I have no idea how eyeballs are getting to my posts and reels. I have set up my Instagram account to automatically repost everything to Facebook, so I don’t have a dedicated content strategy here. I’m not entirely sure how to get more views, but it looks like the payment rate for reels is terrible ($0.03 per thousand qualified views) and better for photos ($0.25 per thousand qualified views), except my photos don’t seem to get many views in the first place. A few random reels went viral this month, with the highest earning video at about $11 (link to my Facebook)

Recurring Expenses

No income report is complete without factoring in expenses. I tend to pay annual subscriptions rates for things, so this will just be a recurring list of resources that I use.

Bluehost for blog hosting and domain registration $350/year (check out the blog here)
Flodesk for email marketing $209/year (affiliate link for Flodesk) – I’m planning to migrate subscribers to Beehiiv in the next couple months and cancel Flodesk, but I’m paid up until November, so no rush right now.
Beehiiv for my side hustle diaries $517/year (affiliate link for Beehiiv)
USPS PO Box $210/year
Canva Pro $120/year

Top Five Favorite Romance Books of August 2026 – historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance

Sep 2, 2026 | Book Reviews

The Wallflower Win by Valerie Bowman (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Whitmorelands series. Eliza is totally uninterested in marriage, so she basically tricks Christopher into a wager during a chess match, where he will pretend to court her next season if she wins. Which she does of course, but she severely underestimated how much time they would need to spend together during their fake courtship. She really just thought they’d dance a few times at a ball and then she’d be free to read all day. And then it turns out that she actually likes the man. And he likes her too. Total mess, really. They just need to figure out that they should actually get married for real.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Spunes series. Super angsty and emotional, definitely dealing with grief here. It’s mostly Bea’s story with a side of Silas and his yearning for her. Bea has recently lost her best friend, Merritt, to cancer and has been bequeathed her eggs. And of course Bea decides to go through with carrying and having her best friend’s baby, much to the dismay of her mother. Add in some on-again off-again drama with Silas, who is pretty much the one who got away, mostly because Merritt had a long-time crush on him. Bea and Silas end up roommates and he’s basically the most supportive guy ever in Bea’s journey. He has his own stuff to work though after having survived a wildfire as a firefighter, but that plot felt a bit undercooked compared to Bea’s story. I liked reading the flashback chapters and all the missed opportunities for Bea and Silas to get together, and I really do think they work well together.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio.

I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming (2026)

Paranormal romance. Book 2 of the Cosmic Chaos series. Human woman Blair gets abducted to an alien planet, saves an alien king’s life, and then tries and fails to run away from him. Osid has decided to keep Blair as his queen, but then he’s paranoid that she’s part of an enemy’s trap, and so then he imprisons her. This book would be a little confusing without the help of the previous book, but basically, some birdlike alien has created a new planet here and have a breeding project to match the alien men with human women. They’ve decided that Blair and Osid and a highly statistically matched pair, and don’t love that she hates him. The couples therapy from the title is actually a series of challenges that force them to work together. This book was funny and chaotic, but I’m not sure if I believe that these two highly combative people really fall in love.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (2022)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Nora usually writes cheesy rom-coms for a cable movie channel, but has more recently written a script that recaps the breakup of her own marriage. And the movie studio wants to film a few scenes right there on her property. Leading man Leo is a bit of a mess, but seems to like his time out in the woods away from the hustle and bustle of his life. Seeking a break for his life, he crashes at Nora’s for a week, and then longer. The romance here was a super slow build, but felt really natural. I liked seeing Leo interact with Nora’s kids and learn how to be a normal guy in a small town. Conflict is ahead, of course, but I liked seeing how Nora continued to work on herself and her writing along the way.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Loved this one. Influencer Poppy teams up with chef Jack to reopen his late mentor’s restaurant in small town Florida. This is after some public humiliation for both of them at her father’s fancy restaurant in New York City. The grumpy chef and sunshiney influencer are constantly bickering, but definitely grow closer along the way. And it was nice watching them learn more about each other and find a new purpose in life. This book reminded me a lot of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, in a good way, because I love that grumpy-sunshine pair working on a team project.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by HarperCollins Audio.

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: August 24 to 30, 2026 (historical romance, paranormal romance, contemporary romance)

Sep 1, 2026 | Book Reviews

The Wallflower Win by Valerie Bowman (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Whitmorelands series. Eliza is totally uninterested in marriage, so she basically tricks Christopher into a wager during a chess match, where he will pretend to court her next season if she wins. Which she does of course, but she severely underestimated how much time they would need to spend together during their fake courtship. She really just thought they’d dance a few times at a ball and then she’d be free to read all day. And then it turns out that she actually likes the man. And he likes her too. Total mess, really. They just need to figure out that they should actually get married for real.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton (2026)

Paranormal romance. Book 1 of the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs series. Fantasy world where Queen Victoria is actually a vampire and a whole bunch of supernatural beings are real. Now there’s been a great revelation and everyone’s co-mingling. Cora is the human liaison between species and is in charge of the Devil and his entourage as they visit London for the Great Exhibition. Oh, and his son, Marcellus, the Marquis of Hell, is the most handsome man Cora has ever seen. Lots of danger, a possible assassin, and a love affair with an actual demon here. I thought it was fun seeing how all the species interact, especially with Cora’s housemates at her boarding house. The romance was pretty straightforward, with flirtation, and teaming up against a possible spy. This book seems to be another in a wave of historical romance authors branching out into other subgenres because historical itself isn’t selling these days. Aside from the demons and vampires, etc, we’re still solidly in Victorian-era England.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

The Best I Never Had by Amy Buchanan (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Family trauma all around here in a fake dating situation at their siblings’ wedding week. Thea and Owen fake dated for a weekend a few years ago while at Owen’s cousin’s wedding, and they’re thrown back together for the wedding between Thea’s sister Addy and Owen’s brother Harrison. They get to now pretend to be fake exes with meddlesome family members all the way around. Add in Thea’s history of being known as a troublemaker foster kid and Owen’s people-pleasing tendencies, and we’ve got all sorts of emotional angst going on. But I did like that they finally started standing up for themselves and going after what they want, despite all the reasons to stay away from each other.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: August 17 to 23, 2026 (contemporary romance, personal finance, paranormal romance)

Aug 25, 2026 | Book Reviews

Mutual Discord by Liana De la Rosa (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Look, I liked Sofia and her content, but her insecurities were driving me nuts. She basically gets laid off after her male co-worker steals her ideas, drunkenly rants about a historical woman with her work stolen on TikTok, and accidentally goes viral. And then she is somehow a financially successful content creator with a series about women in history, but is too afraid/embarrassed/ashamed to tell her family or any of her friends about it. The only person who knows the truth is Alex, a guy she met in her comments section, and then meets in real life as her best friend’s boyfriend. Except, there’s plenty of clues that his relationship with her best friend isn’t exactly as it seems. And no one is speaking directly here, which is kind of annoying. And then, when people do find out about Sofia’s gig, they’re totally proud of her, making the secret-keeping even more of a bad decision.

Advance ebook provided by Berkley via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Money Hacks: 275+ Ways to Decrease Spending, Increase Savings, and Make Your Money Work for You! by Lisa Rowan (2020)

Nonfiction. Personal finance. Super quick read with one-page hacks for various personal finance issues. Basically, the bare bones advice for saving money, budgeting, getting out of debt, and investing. If you want short bursts of actionable steps, this book is pretty useful.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming (2026)

Paranormal romance. Book 2 of the Cosmic Chaos series. Human woman Blair gets abducted to an alien planet, saves an alien king’s life, and then tries and fails to run away from him. Osid has decided to keep Blair as his queen, but then he’s paranoid that she’s part of an enemy’s trap, and so then he imprisons her. This book would be a little confusing without the help of the previous book, but basically, some birdlike alien has created a new planet here and have a breeding project to match the alien men with human women. They’ve decided that Blair and Osid and a highly statistically matched pair, and don’t love that she hates him. The couples therapy from the title is actually a series of challenges that force them to work together. This book was funny and chaotic, but I’m not sure if I believe that these two highly combative people really fall in love.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: August 10 to 16, 2026 (contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance)

Aug 18, 2026 | Book Reviews

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (2022)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Nora usually writes cheesy rom-coms for a cable movie channel, but has more recently written a script that recaps the breakup of her own marriage. And the movie studio wants to film a few scenes right there on her property. Leading man Leo is a bit of a mess, but seems to like his time out in the woods away from the hustle and bustle of his life. Seeking a break for his life, he crashes at Nora’s for a week, and then longer. The romance here was a super slow build, but felt really natural. I liked seeing Leo interact with Nora’s kids and learn how to be a normal guy in a small town. Conflict is ahead, of course, but I liked seeing how Nora continued to work on herself and her writing along the way.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Possessive Kiss by Alexa Aston (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 9 of the Captivating Kisses series. Justina isn’t really interested in marriage and prefers working on her paintings, until she meets the new shopkeeper David, and suddenly she’s very interested in him. David is the younger son of an earl, former spy, and now trying to make his own way. After staying with his friends for awhile, he finds an opportunity to buy a general store in a local village. He transforms the space and adds a bookshop and lending library too. After making the acquaintance of Justina, he forms an instant bond, but knows that he doesn’t have the means to offer for him. But we’re just waiting for the opportunity for these two to get together.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

World’s Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon by Olivia Dade (2026)

Paranormal romance. Book 2 of the Supernatural Entanglements series. This book reads mostly ok as a standalone, but makes a lot more sense if you read Book 1. Gwen has been involved with a small team of folks fighting zombies, and this book has her recruiting a high-level government official Hugh to help the team’s investigation on the zombie breach. It’s another action-packed book with adventure and hijinks around every corner. Gwen’s a pregnant oracle with subpar powers, until she has more recently predicted a total apocalypse, and Hugh is a demon with an unexplainable connection to Gwen. The romance is mostly sweet, steamy, and generally low-conflict, since they’re really busy just trying to save the world. I thought this book was funny and I especially enjoyed listening to it on audio.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

The Debutante Dilemma by Valerie Bowman (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Whitmorelands series. Lady Jessica is in her debut season with her sights set on Aiden, the Duke of Thornbury, the Uncatchable Catch. Until he insults her terribly at a ball and she slaps him. Instead of ruining her reputation, Jessica is even more popular for taking Aiden down a notch. But he’s trying and failing to get her to accept her apology and move on. They start here as somewhat enemies, but then they get to know each other for real, and there are definite sparks. Despite the fact that Aiden isn’t the ideal husband candidate. He just needs to clean up his act and actually court the girl.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: Aug 3 to 9, 2026 (historical romance, contemporary romance)

Aug 11, 2026 | Book Reviews

The Marquess Move by Valerie Bowman (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Whitmorelands series. Lady’s maid Madeline sneaks into a ball and meets a handsome stranger. Justin is a world-weary marquess who avoids debutantes, but finds himself charmed by Madeline. And of course, they have an instant connection. Things get messier when Madeline is fired from her job and Justin’s sister hires her instead. They try (and fail) to stay away from each other, and each believe that they’re undeserving of the other. Everyone just needs to own up to their feelings and take a step forward here. But I enjoyed this one and I liked reading more about the Whitmoreland family.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Loved this one. Influencer Poppy teams up with chef Jack to reopen his late mentor’s restaurant in small town Florida. This is after some public humiliation for both of them at her father’s fancy restaurant in New York City. The grumpy chef and sunshiney influencer are constantly bickering, but definitely grow closer along the way. And it was nice watching them learn more about each other and find a new purpose in life. This book reminded me a lot of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, in a good way, because I love that grumpy-sunshine pair working on a team project.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by HarperCollins Audio.

Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Spunes series. Super angsty and emotional, definitely dealing with grief here. It’s mostly Bea’s story with a side of Silas and his yearning for her. Bea has recently lost her best friend, Merritt, to cancer and has been bequeathed her eggs. And of course Bea decides to go through with carrying and having her best friend’s baby, much to the dismay of her mother. Add in some on-again off-again drama with Silas, who is pretty much the one who got away, mostly because Merritt had a long-time crush on him. Bea and Silas end up roommates and he’s basically the most supportive guy ever in Bea’s journey. He has his own stuff to work though after having survived a wildfire as a firefighter, but that plot felt a bit undercooked compared to Bea’s story. I liked reading the flashback chapters and all the missed opportunities for Bea and Silas to get together, and I really do think they work well together.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Romance New Releases from April 2026 (contemporary romance, historical romance)

Aug 6, 2026 | Book Reviews

An Unforgettable Kiss by Alexa Aston (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Captivating Kisses series. Con and Rowena meet at a ball and he’s tasked to dance with her by his cousin. He’s totally intrigued by her, even though he’s not ready to marry and she’s adamantly against marriage. In fact, she dresses frumpily on purpose to avoid suitors. They both end up at the same house party and Con decides to pursue her in earnest. He’s got a lot of convincing to do, but I had faith in him all along. I always love a good “he falls first” scenario, especially when he wants to do the honorable thing always.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

Shop this book via Amazon // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

Can’t Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Thunderbolt Club series. Dex is shattered by war and made a battlefield promise to his lieutenant to find and care for the man’s daughter. It takes him a few years to track her down, but he’s able to find Analise and bring her home as his ward. The goal is to find her a husband and get her settled, but she’s a fiery hoyden who’s not interested in that at all. She wants experiences and adventures to write about in her novels, and ends up in a compromising situation with Dex himself. Luckily, he’s ever the honorable sort, so they end up married. She’s got all the tempestuous emotions and slowly breaking down his walls, and he’s totally enamoured of her, even if he’s slow to admit it. Delightfully entertaining.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio.

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How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Scheming and friendship and slow burn romance. Titus is a shopkeeper who is about to be totally destitute when his former lover and current landlord raises the rent. And somehow, he ends up at the deathbed of a wealthy old lady who wants to marry him so her fortune doesn’t go to her terrible nephew. The old lady passes away and Titus is left with a totally new house and life. It’s all sorts of overwhelming, especially when grifters are aiming for him. And then the biggest grifter of all, Nico, shows up at his doorstep because this man had missed his chance at marrying the rich old lady. But he’s actually pretty helpful to Titus, so even though Titus is suspicious, he lets Nico help him anyway. Nico’s obviously keeping secrets and is in a lot of debt, but as he gets to know Titus, he’s unwilling to take advantage. It’s a slow build of friendship and then more, even with secrets hanging over them. I loved this book.

Advance ebook provided by Tor Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio.

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The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Layla is about to have the most awkward week of her life, attending her ex-sister-in-law’s wedding in Paris while her ex-husband (the bride’s brother) is bringing his new girlfriend. Awkwardness made worse when she meets Grumpy Griffin on the airplane and then finds out he’s the groom’s best friend and best man. And Griffin is clearly operating under some chronic pain and major anxiety. Dual POV here as Layla and Griffin stick together to deal with the bride’s cold feet. Both Layla and Griffin are very guarded and not willing to overshare at first, but they just seem to have that instant energy connecting them. Finally learning Griffin’s backstory and how he became injured will break your heart. Ugh, the loveliest book. You should definitely read it. Avoid if you’re sensitive about a recent breakup, I think.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Never Mind the Mistletoe by Louisa Darling (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Drake Family series. Estranged married couple, Theo and Arabella, are on their separate but parallel journeys to their country estate for Christmas. It’s their only son’s holiday wish each year for the three of them to spend the holiday together, despite the couple maintaining totally separate households. It’s a road trip filled with broken carriages, snowstorms, and more. All this trouble leads them to spend more time together than usual and actually maybe sort of communicate and work out their issues. It’s a novella, so the conflict gets resolved pretty quickly, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lords of Hazard series. Loads of plot and intrigue here. Giselle needs help from the Earl of Heathbrook because she fears her passport from France to England is being questioned. Heath proposes a deal where they pretend to be engaged because he also needs help appearing the upstanding gentleman to gain custody of his younger brothers. There’s an overbearing cousin in the mix, along with whatever villain is chasing Giselle. There’s tons of action here, with danger around most corners. The romance here is fairly straightforward, with Heath trying his best not to ruin Giselle, and Giselle trying to resist being taken advantage of. Overall, the plot twists are a lot of fun to read and I loved how they all became a family.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Recorded Books.

Set Point by Meg Jones (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Game, Set, Match series. Ines and Chloe have been rivals on the tennis court for years, mostly from Chloe being aggressive and unprofessional. Plus she ghosted Ines once after they kissed at a party. It doesn’t help that Chloe is now dating Ines’ former mixed doubles partner. Somehow, they get entangled together again as Chloe tries to clean up her act and Ines is working on a comeback. It’s bickering and tension for most of the book, until they finally start being honest with each other. Definitely some toxic parents and upbringing for Chloe that I’m sure contributes to her mental health. Ines is the mature one here, but definitely vulnerable with the way Chloe hurt her before. It’s messy and chaotic, but so much fun to read.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Collins Audio.

Happy Ending by Chloe Liese (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Friends to lovers romance here with Thea and Alex, who only met because their exes are dating. Alex is a hot chef single dad and Thea is a bookseller dog mom. They’re the best of friends and totally comfortable there. Except both are very clearly yearning for more. Thea’s mostly risk-averse and doesn’t want to lose the friendship and found family she’s created with Alex. We have a split timeline style of storytelling here, cut between present day and two years prior when their friendship began. Loads of angst and yearning, despite the comfy cozy friendship.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Duke’s Got Mail by Samara Parish (2026)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the England’s Sweethearts series. I always enjoy a good You’ve Got Mail retelling, and this one definitely hit the spot. The letter writing was excellent, plus the meet cute, and the eventual rivalry. Eleanor is the fastest compositor in the publishing industry, but quickly put out of business by the introduction of the linotype, a machine built to mechanize typesetting. And Peter, the duke, is the culprit. Tons of fighting and flirting and a slow softening and forgiveness. I loved Peter’s messy and loud sisters and how he could only be himself with Eleanor.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

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Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Family drama meets fake engagement situation here. Sutton is back in her small town to care for her mother who was recently in a car accident. Mom is a mean old lady who is totally unappreciative of Sutton and has all sorts of issues from when her husband left her. Sutton has her own control issues and gets dumped pretty much the first sentence of the book. She runs into her old high school friend who is trying to convince her own fiance to go to pre-marital therapy. The guy and his brother Elijah think the therapy thing is a joke and that a therapist wouldn’t be able to tell if complete strangers were faking a relationship. And so we start some sort of wager here and Sutton and Elijah are the strangers sent to therapy. But of course, they have amazing chemistry, and the therapy sessions are actually kind of helpful. Super steamy romance ensues. But of course, they live in two different towns and have their own individual baggage, so we get to see how it all blows up. Loved this book so much.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Macmillan audio.

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