Weekly Reads: October 7 to 13, 2024

Double Apex by Josie Juniper (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Frontrunners series. Phaedra and Cosmin are antagonistic co-workers with Phaedra as the race engineer who has not succumbed to race car driver Cosmin’s unwanted flirting. And then somehow they form a truce and then a secret fling that helps distract Phaedra from the troubles of her dying father. But Cosmin’s actually invested in a real relationship between the two and is merely settling for what he can get. When a potential for scandal erupts, Phaedra’s the one to call it quits and put up emotional walls. The pacing of this book was a bit quick at first, making the romance a little less than believable. The big break-up also happens at about the halfway mark of the book, leaving quite a bit of time for Phaedra and Cosmin to each deal with their issues. I was very interested in Cosmin’s family backstory and the issues he had with his sister. There was also a nice set-up for the couple that will be featured in the next book of the series.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Audiobook provided by Hachette Audio.

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Married in Haste by Cathy Maxwell (1999)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Marriage series. Heiress Tess has been stalling on settling down since she seems to enjoy the attentions of the marriage mart, but when she starts a scandal at a ball, her brother forces her to marry the earl that offers for her. Brenn needs a wealthy heiress to rebuild the decrepit estate he’s inherited and has gotten lucky with Tess, even though he suspects she’s pregnant with another man’s child. She’s not pregnant but has just learned that her brother has lost her entire fortune, so now she’s keeping that a secret from Brenn. He also has not disclosed that he’s poor since he doesn’t want to seem like a fortune-hunter. It’s bound to be a huge mess when they both find out the truth about the other person. I enjoyed this book a lot and how the relationship develops between Brenn and Tess. I appreciated that Tess was a lot tougher than she seemed and was able to adapt to her circumstances quickly.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey (2021)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novella. It reminds me a little bit of the book Miracle on Ladies’ Mile by Joanna Shupe, but present day New York, instead of Gilded Age New York. Stella and Aiden meet on a New York City sidewalk when she scoffs at a department store window display. It turns out Aiden is the general manager of that department store and he encourages her to apply for the position of window dress. Stella is all sorts of hesitant because she recently got out of prison and doesn’t know what to do with her life. Things turn out well for her when she gets hired on a trial basis to dress one window. While a romance between Stella and Aiden is off-limits due to their working relationship, Aiden is all sorts of attracted and smitten by her. We get to see their opposite personalities balance each other out and Stella thrive in her new creative endeavor. Just the right amount of depth and emotion between these two and with their families.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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As the Earl Likes by Darcy Burke (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Rogue Rules series. We have a fun fake engagement story here between an earl and the daughter of a gambling club owner. Sheff is tired of his mother pressuring him to marry, so he has the bright idea to fake an engagement to a woman who is totally unsuitable. Jo is the manager of her mother’s gambling club and trying to figure out if she wants to take over the club, but decides to accept Sheff’s offer of fake engagement for the money that he’s willing to pay her. They’ve been friendly with each other for years, but their sudden closeness has caused their attraction to come forth. I enjoyed seeing them try and fail to resist their attraction, plus untangling some of the reasons for Sheff’s father’s behavior. Overall, a solid read.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke.

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The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Dream Harbor series. Bennett is in town to visit his sister Jeanie (owner of the Pumpkin Spice Cafe) and has somehow been appointed by the town to check in on the grumpy Christmas tree farm owner Kira. She had dreams of owning a farm and homesteading, so she bought a farm sight unseen without realizing it was the town’s beloved Christmas tree farm. She’s been a hermit for the past few months trying to prove that she can be independent and she doesn’t need anyone’s help. Until she runs out of money and needs to re-open the farm for tree buyers. Bennett is the ever-helpful rescuing type of guy who relies on his helpfulness to be wanted by his dates. He’s trying both the help and resist helping Kira, and she is definitely resisting any assistance. It’s a lot of push and pull, but they ultimately get stuck together in a snowstorm and a temporary fling develops. It was fun to revisit this quirky little town and to see Bennett and Kira integrate into a bigger friend group.

Advance ebook provided by Harlequin Books via NetGalley.

The Duke’s Guide to Winning a Lady by Alexa Aston (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. Final book in the series. Tragic prologue for Malcolm where he loses his wife and child during childbirth, but he married a woman his mother picked out and didn’t have a real relationship with her. He decides to do better the next time around. Fast forward a couple years and we have the youngest Strong sister Effie planning her debut into society at the same time as Malcolm’s younger sister is debuting. Effie and Ada become fast friends at the modiste and spend several weeks together before the Season starts, most often chaperoned by Malcolm. He’s impressed by Effie and intends to make her his duchess, but she has no idea of his feelings since he rarely speaks around her and she sees him as an older brother figure. He’s got a lot of courting and wooing to do if he plans to convince Effie of his suit. The best part here is when Effie’s brother and brothers-in-law team up to help Malcolm win Effie’s affections. It was a lovely cap to the series, seeing all the family members so happily wed and supportive of each other.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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A Scandalous Marriage by Cathy Maxwell (2000)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Marriage series. Super interesting set up here with a prologue that starts with Devon running into a pregnant Leah in the countryside unexpectedly. We then jump a year backward to their first meeting, initial flirtation and secret relationship, until it ends in a duel between Devon and Leah’s brother. We then go back to the present where Leah is having a difficult labor for her baby and things seem dire. It’s interesting to follow these two people and the mistakes they both made in their initial encounters, especially knowing the history of their family rivalry. I loved seeing Devon become the true hero of the story saving Leah from her situation and opening up to a second chance with her, even with a baby that isn’t biologically his.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.