The Virgin Who Bewitched Lord Lymington by Anna Bradley (2021)
Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 4 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. Emma’s in disguise as the daughter of an earl to find out more information about the mysterious disappearance of several young women in the household of a marquess. The young and charming Viscount Lovell is the prime suspect, but Emma’s not sure that he’s the sinister type. Additionally, Lovell’s cousin Lord Lymington, Samuel, is super stern and protective and tries to warn the debutante Emma away from the man. But Emma’s keeping secrets and Samuel is a bit too perceptive and they’ve got that whole instant attraction thing going on. We get a fun mix of romance and mystery here as we slowly uncover what happened to those missing women. I definitely enjoyed this one and loved seeing it all come together.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Finest Print by Erin Langston (2024)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novel. We get the next generation of Sinclairs here, with Belle, the daughter of Gavin and Emilia (from Some Winter’s Evening). Belle is a writer of a gory novels and has become somewhat of a spinster after breaking her engagement to a Scotland Yard inspector several years ago. She has a chance meeting with Ethan, newly from America, who has inherited his uncle’s indebted print shop. It’s a perfect fit because she has stories and he has the equipment to print it. They start a weekly printing of Belle’s writing, hoping to recoup the money to pay off Ethan’s uncle’s debts. I loved the fated meeting of these two, how perfectly they suit each other’s needs, and the respect that Ethan has for Belle’s work. The romance here was soft and sensible and soothing in all the best ways. It’s clear these two have an equal partnership and make a great team. Belle’s family is strong and supportive, just as we would expect them to be, and I also enjoyed the found family of the print shop crew. Loved it.
Advance ebook provided by Erin Langston.
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine (2024)
Paranormal romance. Book 2 of the My Vampires series. Fun and hilarious story. Please don’t take this book too seriously. Amelia’s got a very pushy family that has made her resort to making up a fake boyfriend to bring to her cousin’s wedding. Luckily, she has just happened to run into a random stranger who owes her a favor. Reginald has major golden retriever vibes and he’s basically the best fake boyfriend ever, while Amelia totally thought he was joking about being a vampire. There’s a lot of comedic miscommunication here, but Amelia soon warms up to the idea of real-dating a real-vampire. We also get to revisit Frederick and Cassie from Book 1 and see where they are relationship-wise. Oh, and Reginald is sort of on the run from a group who is seeking vengeance for something that Reginald didn’t even do a hundred years ago.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super funny and charming book! Hallie is a web series producer without a series after her ex-boyfriend kicks her off his project and she is looking for the next big web star. She stumbles on Hayden, who hosts a podcast about conspiracy theories and ghost hunting. They team up to turn his podcast material into video material and the show is absolute delight to all their fans, especially with the quippy banter between Hallie and Hayden. As they get closer together, it’s clear that they’re trying to balance keeping things professional and pursuing their feelings. Hallie’s especially skittish since she just got out of a toxic relationship with a guy she still works with. The humor and banter here was so fun and Hayden’s emotional intelligence ranks up there with his conspiracy theory intelligence (which is a lot).
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb (2024)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Super fun mashup on Pleasantville and Dawson’s Creek with tons and tons of Easter eggs and references to teen dramas of yesteryear. Brynn is having a rough time of things being recently divorced, having shallow friendships, and going on the worst first dates ever. She’d rather be sitting at home on the couch re-watching her favorite TV show, even though it ended on a cliffhanger and the main character did not end up with the dreamboat crush. And somehow, she and her roommate Josh wake up in the fictional TV world and are tasked with settings things to rights. Except the dreamboat crush is not what he seems and Brynn ends up growing feelings for Josh instead, changing the narrative of the fictional town. It’s fun and steamy and chaotic in all the best ways. I had so much fun listening to this audiobook and loved all the little callouts to the teen shows I used to love.
Advance ebook provided by Dial Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
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