Christmas Sweater Weather by Jaqueline Snowe (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Fairly typical brother’s best friend romance. Charlotte has been in love with Hayden for years, had an opportunity to kiss him three years ago, and was rejected. She’s pretty much avoided him all this time, except to help care for his young daughter. Hayden is basically afraid and avoidant and he rejected Charlotte because he didn’t want to betray her brother and so he could figure out his messy life. They’re thrown together at a ski resort during Charlotte’s brother’s pre-wedding vacation, and finally talk through their issues and see about possibly making a go of a relationship. And then things get messy again when Hayden is second-guessing all his decisions. But it all gets resolved exactly how we would all expect it to.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

The Marriage Contract by Cathy Maxwell (2001)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Marriage series. Poor overlooked Anne is forced into an arranged marriage by proxy to the mad Earl Tiebauld, who lives in Scotland. Aiden doesn’t want anything to do with her when she lands on his doorstep, so he tries his best to run her off. But Anne is super resilient and stubborn and makes herself useful to the estate. It’s pretty much a battle of wills, until they grow to respect and then like each other. Meanwhile, Aiden is involved in some possibly treasonous activity and a nearby Major is making trouble for them all. We get to read a fairly fast-moving plot here between the unwanted marriage, Anne’s hard work and integration into the clan, and then the threat of being arrested for treason.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson (2024)

Mystery. Standalone short story. Audrey is a regular customer at her local classic video rental shop where she has a crush on the owner Grant and makes small talk with another regular customer. One Wednesday, the elderly regular customer doesn’t come in at his usual time, so Audrey tries to track him down at his house. And then Grant follows her there to prevent any sort of trouble. It’s super short and the mystery of the missing elder is solved fairly quickly. A fun little diversion from everything else you might be reading.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

The Wolf of Mayfair by Christi Caldwell (2024)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Standalone novel. The Marquess of Wingrave is known for being cold and ruthless, but he surprises even himself when a young woman comes to his doorstep claiming to be his mother’s goddaughter. Helia is recently orphaned and running away from a dastardly cousin who seeks to marry her for her dowry. She’s looking for refuge, but finds a heartless Wingrave instead. He insinuates that she’s lying about the connection to his family and that she would only be suitable as a mistress. And then he offers her refuge from a snowstorm and also cares for her when she’s ill. This stubborn self-assured sunshiney woman is suddenly causing him to behave in ways he isn’t used to. He’s definitely domineering and an unrepentant rogue for most of the story, but still soft when it comes to caring for Helia. The story definitely kept me reading to see how it all worked out.

Advance ebook provided by Montlake Publishing via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Brilliance Audio via NetGalley.

The Heiress Masquerade by Maddison Michaels (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Dollar Princess series. American heiress Aimee would rather take over her father’s company than marry a titled English lord, so she concocts a plan to swap places with her lowborn cousin when they go to England together. Evie will pretend to be Aimee and go to balls and such, while Aimee will work as a secretary in the London office of her father’s company. Except the outspoken Aimee is nothing like her father described to his protegee and head of the English brand, Harrison. He’s both annoyed and intrigued by Aimee and is disappointed that his beloved boss has misled him about the girl’s personality. Of course, the bickering and fighting serves as delicious foreplay for these two, who are distracted by their attraction for each other. We also get an interesting plot about business sabotage, which turns into a kidnapping scheme. Super exciting and fast-paced story.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Curves and Counterfeit by Charlie Lane (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. The purposeless and drunken earl Keats sees his sister running away in a carriage, so he jumps aboard to figure out where she’s gone. Turns out that she’s running away from an elderly fiancee and ruination from a different man and seeing refuge at a home for women. Keats is stunned to find that his sister has been so displeased by her position and didn’t realize what a dissolute brother he has been. He decides to stick around as a stable hand to make sure his sister is safe and find his conscience a bit. He also is completely smitten by Lucy, one of the women who runs the house. She’s equally intrigued by Keats and allows him some moments of passion, since she’s soon to be bound for the London Season to find a respectable husband. Trouble is ahead though, since Keats is lying about his identity and his sister’s fiancee is still on the loose. I enjoyed how this story was tied up, with plenty of drama, despite its short length.

Advance ebook provided by Charlie Lane.

Devils Covet Curves by Jemma Frost (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. We’re all at a house party where Drake is besotted with his best friend’s fiancee, but then finds a distraction in the wallflower Wren. They decide to help each other have fun during the party and keep Drake away from revealing his feelings about his friend’s fiancee. And of course, a physical affair ensues, followed by actual feelings. Drake is surprised to find that he’s drawn to both the physical relationship and conversational relationship he has with Wren and that he hardly thinks of the other woman at all when he’s with Wren. She’s glad to experience passion for the first and seemingly last time, while doing her best to protect her heart. Quick and steamy read.

Advance ebook provided by Jemma Frost.

The Hunt for Mr. October by Tabetha Waite (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 10 of the Rake Review series. Meliah is a weaver’s daughter with dreams of being a published writer and decides that writing an expose on the rake of the month will help get her there. She seeks out the earl in question, Elwood, and he agrees to entertain her request for an interview of she comes with him to his father’s hunting box in the country. While there, Meliah discovers that Elwood is not exactly the rake that he seems. He’s definitely flirtatious and charming and seductive, but he’s also kind and caring to everyone in the village. There’s a definite mismatch in their social stations, so Meliah knows there’s no future between them, but she decides to take Elwood up on his offer of pleasure while they’re together anyway. We just need to wait for Elwood to make the final move to secure Meliah’s affections for life.

Advance ebook provided by Tabetha Waite.

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A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2022)

Contemporary romance on the set of a sweet holiday rom-com movie for a squeaky clean network. Our heroine is a plus-sized adult entertainer and our hero is an ex-boy band member trying to rehabilitate his reputation. And of course, they each have a pre-existing crush on each other, so sparks fly and they start secretly spending naked time together. This book had all sorts of great callbacks to boy band hijinks (reality TV shows, rabid fans, and sketchy managers). We get to meet the other boy band members as well and I’m looking forward to reading their future stories.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Print book provided by Avon Books and BiblioLifestyle.

Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 1.5 of the Christmas Notch series. Being in the same working circle (in the adult film industry), Luca has had a crush on Angel for ages and they finally hook up when working on the same movie set. After a month together, it seems that Angel has ghosted Luca, so Luca blocks Angel everywhere. Fast forward seven months and they’re stuck working on yet another film together and need to confront their feelings and what all went wrong. It’s a quick and dirty novella with lots of steam. Standout page of the book goes to Luca explaining to Angel what omegaverse and knotting is.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2023)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Christmas Notch series. Ex-boy band member turned pizza mogul Kallum is set to star in a sexy Santa movie after gaining notoriety after a sex-tape was leaked. Former child actor and all-around good girl Winnie is in a tough spot following her divorce and an illness that prevented her from starring in last year’s Christmas movie, and is now given the opportunity to rebrand herself by co-starring with Kallum. She’s super hesitant at first, but finally decides to give it a try. Upon her first meeting with Kallum and the movie’s intimacy coordinator, Winnie soon realizes she’s totally in over her head and has no idea how to portray sexual satisfaction on screen (having never experienced it off screen). She’s got plenty of homework to do there, but her super conservative purity-based upbringing is definitely creating a lot of blocks there. Kallum has his own insecurities of being the least sought after boy band member and always being looked at as a hook-up rather than relationship material. He’s totally excited to work with Winnie after having had a crush on her since they were teenagers. With Winnie’s insecurities in the bedroom, she asks Kallum to help her in that department, agreeing that it’s all for the sake of research and her performance in the movie. There’s definitely a lot of steam in this book, as Kallum takes on the role of tutor for Winnie. While the physical attraction between Winnie and Kallum definitely exists, neither of them are sure about their long-term compatibility, being total opposites in personality and in family dynamics. It’s takes a bit of emotional growth for both of them: for Winnie to learn to trust someone and for Kallum to behave a bit more responsibly. A super humorous read with tons of support from our favorite characters from Book 1 of the series.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Seas and Greetings by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 2.5 of the Christmas Notch series. Quick and fun flirty steamy novella. Addison is set to launch the maiden voyage of her cruise line and she needs everything to go perfectly and not be distracted by her bodyguard Krysta. Except she is very much distracted by Krysta, who is authoritative in the most delicious way. And she may or may not have a stalker aboard the cruise ship. It’s really just a very quick and not super emotional read here with plenty of steam.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Christmas Notch series. We’re at the wedding of Bee and Nolan (from Book 1) and start with a second one night stand for adult film actor Sunny and widowed boy-band member Isaac. And then Sunny’s motel room floods and she ends up staying at Isaac’s mansion while she’s working on a screenplay. Meanwhile Isaac needs to finish writing one more album to fulfill his contract with his music studio and the dead wife card just isn’t working anymore. They peacefully cohabitate with Sunny’s cantankerous cat and try really hard not to fall in love. High steam, high chaos, and high emotion here with both Sunny and Isaac dealing with their separate feelings of grief and figuring out how to move on with their adult lives.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Useful Resources:

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The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray by Anna Bradley (2020)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. Former Bow Street Runner and now earl Tristan follows a boy who was loitering on his neighbor’s roof, only to find a young woman who is one of the students at a school with a reputation for skirting the law. Sophia is an orphan who’s been collected by Lady Clifford at her school, now an adult, seeking answers regarding the wrongful imprisonment of her friend. Most of the book involves Tristan and Sophia completely at odds with each other, fighting their attraction for each other, and solving the crime that Sophia’s friend did not commit. Action-packed, with just the right amount of plot and mystery. Loved this intro to the series.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington by Anna Bradley (2021)

Historical romance. Georgian-era England. Book 2 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. Cecilia has gone undercover, pretending to be a housemaid, to Darlington Castle to find evidence of whether the Marquess of Darlington murdered his wife (as rumors suggest). Overbearing Gideon senses that Cecilia is lying about being a housemaid, but is unsuccessful at dismissing her from service, especially when he realizes how good she is at caring for his niece. Meanwhile, there are mysterious happenings around the castle, with sightings of the ghost of the late Lady Darlington haunting the castle. As Cecilia gets closer to Gideon, she doesn’t believe that he’s capable of killing his wife, but there isn’t much evidence to prove his innocence. They’re both very much attracted to each other, but Cecilia’s keeping secrets, and Gideon’s engaged to someone else (besides also being Cecilia’s employer). This book is emotional and action-packed, especially when we find out who’s really haunting the castle.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere by Anna Bradley (2021)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. In the previous book, we’ve seen hints of some animosity between Georgiana and Lord Haslemere and we get to find out why in this one. Basically, Georgiana catches two girls from the school out at night involved in some footraces with Lord Haslemere, Benedict, and she instantly has a poor impression of him. Several months later, Benedict’s sister comes to the Clifford School to investigate the disappearance of her friend Clara, who’s been gone for six years, but has recently been sighted. We get a tangled knot of rumors when Georgiana shows up at a masquerade to investigate and Benedict eavesdrops on her conversations. He’s concerned about the rumors about his sister having an affair and basically inserts himself into Georgiana’s business. Everything is way more convoluted than we expect, and we get to see Georgiana and Benedict grow closer along the way. Super interesting and engaging plot.

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

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 Virgin Who Captured a Viscount by Anna Bradley (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. We get a case of forgotten identity here when Daniel needs to be convinced that he really did grow up in a small town in Scotland and needs to go back there with childhood friend Mairi to make sure her grandmother doesn’t hang for his murder. He doesn’t remember Mairi or her grandmother, so he’s wary and skeptical throughout the road trip from London to Scotland, but she does seem to be able to convince him of her attraction to him. And when they get to the small town, there’s even more mystery to unravel regarding Daniel’s history and why someone wanted him dead twenty years ago. I enjoyed both the mystery solving and the romance aspect of this book and it was nice to see our strong and steady Daniel come to terms with his past.

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:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

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

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Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

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

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

The Blacksmith’s Borrowed Bride by Ginny B Moore (2024)

Historical romance. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. Heiress and suffragist Adelaide is on her way to her own wedding when carriage trouble puts her in proximity to handsome burly blacksmith Will. This quick novella is a mix of road trip obstacles, social class differences, and a physical affair between Adelaide and Will. Super steamy and enjoyable to read.

Advance ebook provided by Ginny B. Moore.

Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann (2024)

Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. This book was my local indie bookstore’s romance book club pick for October. A haunted house is getting the reality TV treatment and Lucky is hired as the host and she’s got a bonus talent for being able to read people’s personalities. As she settles into the house, she’s trying to figure out how and why it’s haunted, and she’s also drawn to show producer Maverick, who insistently calls to check in on her. Maverick’s got a precocious ten-year-old daughter named Rebel, who is pretty much my favorite character of the book. This book moved at a fairly slow pace for me, and I’m not sure I really found the romance aspect believable. It just seemed very sudden for Maverick to be instantly obsessed with Lucky. Interesting premise, but ultimately, not for me.

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

The Virgin Who Captured a Viscount by Anna Bradley (2022)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 5 of the Swooning Virgins Society series. We get a case of forgotten identity here when Daniel needs to be convinced that he really did grow up in a small town in Scotland and needs to go back there with childhood friend Mairi to make sure her grandmother doesn’t hang for his murder. He doesn’t remember Mairi or her grandmother, so he’s wary and skeptical throughout the road trip from London to Scotland, but she does seem to be able to convince him of her attraction to him. And when they get to the small town, there’s even more mystery to unravel regarding Daniel’s history and why someone wanted him dead twenty years ago. I enjoyed both the mystery solving and the romance aspect of this book and it was nice to see our strong and steady Daniel come to terms with his past.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novella. Viola and Jesse are video game designers who work for rival companies and are stuck together at a winter company retreat where the two companies need to bond in preparation for a joint project. Things are awkward for Viola since Jesse has pretty much been ignoring her for the past five years, but it’s really a big misunderstanding and they’re happily snowed in to work out their issues. This was a fun and quick read, with all the miscommunication, humor, and steam you should expect from Ali Hazelwood.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

When the Duke Comes to Play by Kelsey Swanson (2024)

Historical romance. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. Quick steamy novella here. Ariel is about to turn 30 years old and hires a male courtesan to take her virtue. We get a case of mistaken identity when Charles comes to the door instead. He’s at the house to buy a horse from her brother, but her brother isn’t there, and Charles decides to go through with the seduction and bedding of Ariel. He’s leaving town shortly thereafter and it won’t be a big deal. Except he’s actually a duke and she’s a proper lady and they run into each other at a ball a few days later. They decide to continue with the affair until he goes back home to America and both try really hard not to fall in love with each other. Super steamy romance!

Advance ebook provided by Kelsey Swanson.

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Gah, the angst. This one is a second chance romance that involves one person having left the other at the altar. And we do get a flashback to the wedding day and it is absolutely heart-breaking. Charlotte believes her Decembers are cursed, between her absentee mother and a fiancee that left her at the altar during a December wedding. She ends up on Christmas vacation with her quartet of holiday loners at a very cheery queery mountain town in Colorado. Only to find out that her ex-fiancee, Brighton, is also there, being dragged there by a different family member. It’s totally awkward, Brighton is all sorts of guilty, Charlotte wants to pretend they don’t know each other, and their hostess’ mom is trying to set everyone up on this matchmaking activity. We get all sorts of small town small group chaos along with angst oozing out of every interaction. Even when you think that Charlotte and Brighton can’t reconcile their issues, we get to see how it all plays out. Loved it.

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

The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 8 of the Palace of Rogues series. Alexandra and Magnus have been estranged the entire five years of their marriage but reconnect when Magnus is back in England and needs to spring Alexandra out of jail. He insists that they make some strategic public appearances to maintain their reputations and then separate permanently. We slowly learn about how they came to be married in the first place and what caused their estrangement, but these two are essentially strangers to each other. I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other in the present and realize that they have a simmering attraction to each other. The setting of our favorite boarding house also provided moments of levity and humor to balance the heartbreak and angst of our main couple. Another great book in this series.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Sophie has secretly written a best-selling romance novel, but has not told her pretentious family about it. And the smug and charming Joe is somehow involved in the process and knows her secret. They’re all at her family home for her dad’s big birthday bash and Sophie and Joe keep getting thrown together at various circumstances. They’ve got loads of bickering and bantering and flirting, which is really fun to read. Plus, I loved all the references to the romance genre and its media criticism. Sophie’s family was chaotic and hilarious and just what you would expect in a rom-com situation with a big event that everyone’s gathered at. If you’re a regular romance-reader, I highly recommend this book.

Advance ebook provided by Harper360 via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Voluptuous by Felicity Niven (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Part of the Curves and Cravats series. Henrietta has been pining for her father’s friend Oliver for ages and ends up marrying him when they get caught in a compromising situation. But the dour and moody Oliver feels guilty for his previous wives’ deaths and feels guilty for lusting after his friend’s daughter, so it’s a marriage in name only. We get to see a friendship and partnership develop over the first two years of the marriage, until finally Henrietta asks for a baby. And then they realize they’ve both been attracted to each other the whole time. This book was sweet and steamy, all in one, and I loved seeing Henrietta’s sunshine help to bring Oliver closer to his young son. Delightful read with some vibes that remind me of Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas.

Advance ebook provided by Felicity Niven.

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