Fiction Five: Robust Romances
February has lots of new romance reads hitting the shelves. I've picked the top five that’ll make your heart race and have you falling in love.
Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn
Graydon St. John doesn't do drama or public appearances. The brooding defensive end for the San Francisco Foghorns prefers silence, solitude and avoiding headlines. But when a league-wide PR scandal forces him into a media stunt at the city zoo, he's suddenly face-to-face with squawking birds, nosy fans and the zookeeper who seems to hate his guts on sight.
Maple Baker loves her flamingos. They are loud, pink and messy, but they're hers. The last thing she needs is a grumpy football player stomping into her sanctuary with a bad attitude and a bigger ego. Unfortunately, they've been paired for the zoo's new public outreach program and the cameras are already rolling.
The banter is sharp. The tension is electric. And the more they pretend to play nice for the press, the more their fake flirtation starts to feel like something dangerously real. But when family secrets, viral fame and a PR romance gone off-script threaten everything Maple's worked for, Graydon must decide if he's willing to fight for love or let it slip away to protect her.
You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
Meet Adam and Jules. Married for nearly 25 years and stuck in a rut, their future looks, well, boring.
Then Adam stumbles across a box of old mixtapes he and Jules made for each other when they were young and falling in love. He dusts off his vintage stereo, inserts one of the cassettes, presses play and the unbelievable happens.
With the power to travel back in time, Adam and Jules can revisit pivotal moments in their pasts. Is this the key to getting their sparkle back? They embark on an epic hunt through the multiverse for their perfect love story. But as they visit the past and recapture the headiness of falling in love, they realize traveling across time could be as dangerous as it is addictive. The temptation to change just a few small things is irresistible. As the ripple effects spiral out of control can they find a way back to their messy and imperfect, yet glorious, real life? Or will they lose each other forever?
“A grown-up love story that captures the beauty of not only finding your person but holding on to them. Throw in some time travel, great music, and ’90s nostalgia, and you have an unforgettable read.” — Laurie Gilmore, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
Penelope (Pip)Mae Dupont prizes her ability to stay calm in the face of stress. It's a vital trait in her job as a personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. When Pip organizes a book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven—celebrated authors from different genres who have supported each other through thick and thin—her famed composure is in danger of sailing away. There is one boat, hundreds of devoted readers and seven big personalities.
Disaster strikes when, on the second day of the cruise, Hugh is found murdered. In the face of gross incompetence by the on-board security force, Pip realizes she'll need to be the one to discover who did it. With the ship stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, it's up to her and Nash—a dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about—to unravel the mystery. As Pip's composure starts to sink faster than a leaky dinghy, Nash becomes her anchor in a storm of clues and red herrings.
With Nash at her side, Pip dives into the murky depths of the mystery, navigating treacherous waters filled with unexpected twists and turns. No one, not even a desperately hopeful mystery sleuth named Pip, could anticipate the wild ride ahead. Whether she likes it or not, she is on the adventure of a lifetime and maybe, just maybe, she'll find love along the way.
"It's no mystery why Without a Clue is such a fun read—it's got a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, a heroine whose personal growth you'll be cheering on, and a murder mystery full of twists. I enjoyed every nautical mile." — Bellamy Rose, author of Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder
Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell
Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, mundane life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she’s read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.
Rhea’s estranged grandmother dies and leaves her everything including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried. Now she's in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. The defunct business she’s also inherited needs a serious upgrade. Luckily resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help and he's more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn’t the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn enemy in witchcraft.
As Rhea works to build a future, strange occurrences begin to make her think someone or something is trying to drive her out. As she gets closer to solving the mystery, each clue she uncovers points to Arcadia Falls’s magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright before it’s too late.
“There’s a welcoming, Gilmore Girls–esque feel to Arcadia Falls, enhanced with just enough fantastical elements … is a sweet treat for a cold winter night.” — Publishers Weekly
Racing Hearts by Ann Adams
Katherine Parker doesn’t just dream of rowing in the Olympics. She has a carefully crafted plan. With a strict training schedule, a meticulous diet and no one else in her boat to slow her down, she’s as good as gold.
Then her boyfriend breaks up with her at the starting line of a big race and Kath comes in dead last. She’s swiftly kicked off the team and out of the Olympic Training Center, which is the only place she’s ever felt at home.
She's got one shot to win back her spot. Kath returns to her hometown to train with a new coach. The upside? Coach Adrian is hot. The downside? Instead of letting Kath follow her own training regimen, Adrian pushes her outside her comfort zone,urging her to try new things and let go of control.
Kath will have to choose: stick to her perfect plan, or find out if the key to winning and happiness is to embrace the part of rowing that makes it fun, one sweaty, sexy training session at a time.
“Ann Adams’s debut, Racing Hearts, completely blew me out of the water. It’s one of my favorite kinds of romances—about two people who are so good at what they do but have lost faith in themselves, until they find that other person who admires the hell out of them and helps them get it back. I want these two people to love and love and love each other because their connection really sliced through something in me. Ann Adams is a new favorite in romance!” — Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Art of Catching Feelings
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