A selection of this week’s new general, historical and romance fiction titles to 13th April – Jill’s Book Cafe
Here’s my pick of this week’s new hardback/paperback fiction titles. In some cases the eBook might already be available. My source is primarily The Bookseller, but I’ve started to include other sources to broaden the selection.
Just a reminder, I don’t have access to a complete list of titles being published, and, as I don’t see any advance copies, my choices are based on the cover, blurb, gut instinct and what takes my fancy at the time.
(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
Index
Historical (I tend to take this as pre 1960’s ie not in my lifetime!)
General/Contemporary Fiction
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight
Pen and Alice, childhood best friends from Toronto, are in their first year at the University of Edinburgh. Each has come to the city for her own reasons.
Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she’ll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father’s – now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox – lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lennox’s centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents’ secret, just as she’s falling in love for the first time . . .
Meanwhile Alice, an aspiring actor, sees university as her route to the West End and beyond. The star of this year’s theatre production, she’s making the most of the power she wields as an object of desire – until an affair with her tutor begins to slip from her control.
All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
Maybe having a few enemies on the school run means you’re doing something right…
Florence knows all about failure. After a dismal end to her 2000s girlband career, she’s moping around West London, single, broke and unfulfilled. The only things she’s proud of are her increasingly elaborate nail art choices – and her ten-year-old son, Dylan.
But when Alfie Risby, Dylan’s bitter class rival and the child heir to a frozen foods empire, mysteriously vanishes on a school trip, Dylan becomes a prime suspect. Florence has to get her act together, find the missing boy and clear her son’s name or risk losing him forever. The only problem? She doesn’t have any detective skills, she’s not exactly popular at the school gates and she’s just found Alfie’s backpack hidden under Dylan’s bed…
The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson
When an elderly eccentric collector and a troubled teen become each other’s only hope of getting their lives back on track, what can possibly go wrong?
Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system and finds it difficult staying on the straight and narrow.
After Kian throws a brick through Alfred’s window, the shock sends Alfred to hospital and a social worker to his home, where his hoarding becomes impossible to ignore.
Begrudgingly, and at the request of the authorities, they both agree to enrol Kian on a restorative justice programme, helping to make Alfred’s home liveable again. The only problem: Alfred doesn’t want to throw any of his treasures away, and he certainly doesn’t want Kian for company.
What unfolds is a surprising and delightful journey of two characters who help each other more than they ever could have anticipated and, along the way, form the unlikeliest of friendships.
Room on the Sea by Andre Aciman
Have you ever had the sense that maybe all lives are nothing more than the chronicle of countless stinging might-have-beens that continue to haunt us?
In the scorching New York heat, a hundred people wait to be selected as jurors. Paul is reading a newspaper. Catherine is reading a novel. So begins a whirlwind flirtation: over cappuccinos in Manhattan and gallery trips to Chelsea, Paul and Catherine escape into the illusion of an Italian getaway. Their feelings quickly evolve into something deeper, something – as mature adults with lives of their own – Paul and Catherine must carry on in secret, with the understanding that anything more than a casual crush is out of the question.
But as the sultry summer week draws to a close, the end of their rendezvous comes into focus, and Paul and Catherine are forced to decide whether to act on their feelings or leave the fantasy of what could have been to the annals of the past.
Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith
The four Endicott siblings – Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude – were once inseparable. But decades later, the unthinkable has happened: they haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota.
They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself. Connor, a celebrated novelist, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block. And Roddy, at the tail end of a professional soccer career, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.
Jude is the only one who seems to have it all together-but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, they’ll discover that she’s been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
Linda makes $20 an hour as a content moderator, flagging comments that violate a tech conglomerate’s terms and conditions. Each night, she returns to the windowless room in a garage that she rents from a family who pretend she isn’t there.
But once a month, she escapes to San Francisco International Airport for a clandestine meeting on the cheapest flight out that night. Linda’s secret is that she’s sexually attracted to planes: their intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages and powerful engines make her feel a way that no human lover ever could.
Linda believes her destiny is to someday ‘marry’ one of her suitors by dying in a plane crash, a catastrophic event that would unite her with her soulmate plane for eternity. So when her co-worker Karina invites her to join a group of women using vision boards to manifest their desires, she can’t resist the chance to hasten her romantic fate. However, as the vision boards seem to manifest items more quickly – and more literally – than Linda had expected, the carefully balanced elements of her life begin to spin out of her control, and she must choose between maintaining the trappings of normalcy or launching herself headlong towards her greatest dream.
Words Fail Me by Frances McKendrick
When Jane – smart, funny, fortyish – says she’s a school counsellor, people assume it’s all about exam stress. If only.
Her teenage clients include Vaishali, who hates the perfect curves that draw the attention of adult men; Fraser, who cares devotedly for his mother but hurts his girlfriend by confusing real life with porn; and George, a trans boy who suffers from acute anxiety.
Harbouring terrible secrets from her own youth, Jane struggles to contain the anger these stories arouse in her. It’s only when she starts counselling her colleague Kass, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse whose trauma is resurfacing, that her thoughts turn to revenge…
The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal
Paulette’s the kind of woman who likes the future all mapped out: the wedding to Denton, the Caribbean honeymoon, the gingham quilt on the baby’s crib. Until one morning Garfield, Denton’s friend, arrives at her door with the news that Denton won’t be coming around any more, that there won’t be time for her to say goodbye.
Somehow Garfield finds his way into her bed, and sooner than anyone can believe there is a baby, and suddenly giving Bird, her son, the best of everything is what gives Paulette’s life meaning.
So why is it another little boy, Nellie, who keeps Paulette awake at night? Nellie who is being raised a few streets away, with no sign of a mum. Surely Paulette is the last person who should be getting tangled up in any of that?
The Usual Desire to Kill by Camilla Barnes
An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a long-married couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter – for fans of A Man Called Ove and The Royal Tenenbaums.
Miranda’s parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they share with two llamas, eight ducks, five chickens, two cats, and a freezer full of food dating back to 1983.
Miranda’s father is a retired professor of philosophy who never loses an argument. Her mother likes to bring conversation back to the War, although she was born after it ended. Married for fifty years, they are uncommonly set in their ways. Miranda plays the role of translator when she visits, communicating the desires or complaints of one parent to the other and then venting her frustration to her sister and her daughter.
A wry, propulsive, exquisitely observed story of a singularly eccentric family and the sibling rivalry, generational divides, and long-buried secrets that shape them. This is an extraordinary debut novel from a seasoned playwright with a flare for dialogue and, in the end, immense empathy.
Show Me Where it Hurts by Claire Gleeson
How do you survive the unsurvivable?
Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it’s the ordinary family life she always thought she’d have. All of that changes in an instant – when Tom runs the family car off the road, seeking to end his own life, and take his wife and children with him. Rachel is left to pore over the wreckage to try and understand what happened – to find a way to go on living afterwards.
What emerges is a snapshot of what it’s like to live alongside someone who is suffering, how you keep yourself afloat when the person you love is drowning, and how you survive irreparable loss.
The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa
The must-have sequel to Sosuke Natsukawa’s bestselling The Cat Who Saved Books – an uplifting tale from Japan about a talking cat, a book-loving girl and the power of books to make a difference in the world.
Nanami sees nothing wrong with a library and cat combination. But a talking cat is a whole other story.
Nanami Kosaki loves reading. The local library is a home from home and books have become her best friends. When Nanami notices books disappearing from the library shelves, she’s particularly curious about a suspicious man in a grey suit whose furtive behaviour doesn’t feel right. Should she follow him to see what he’s up to?
When a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears to warn her about how dangerous that would be, together they’re brave enough to follow the frightening trail to find out where all the books have gone. Will Nanami and Tiger overcome the challenges of the adventure ahead?
The Last Weekend by Hannah Begbie
Four women
Annie has brought her three best friends and their families together for a long weekend away in a gorgeous seaside Airbnb. It should be idyllic – sun, sea, sand, cocktails and laughter.
One shocking secret
But below the surface, none of these friendships are quite what they seem. And Annie has a secret – and an earth-shattering favour to ask of one of her friends.
A life-changing decision
As the idyllic weekend turns sour – arguments, grudges and a boat trip that goes awry – Annie must make her devastating decision – and change everyone’s lives, forever.
The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey
Life can begin with a single story. You just have to Bring Your Own Book…
For three decades, Grace supported her husband Frank’s passion for books, despite not being a reader herself. Since his passing, their shelves echo longingly, and Grace’s heartache has only grown.
When Grace’s grandson suggests joining Frank’s old book club to feel closer to him again, Grace reluctantly agrees. Yet, upon arrival, she discovers this isn’t a typical book club: here, members settle in for an hour of reading… in silence.
Disappointed by the sparse attendance and confused by the lack of chatter, Grace flees. But when fellow member, Annie, convinces her to stay, Grace is determined to ensure that neither Frank – nor his beloved book club – are forgotten.
And as she breathes new life into the group, Grace might just find this is where she truly belongs. Because this next chapter of life could just be the beginning of her story…
Gatsby by Jane Crowther
Everyone knows Gatsby.
New money. Murky past. Huge online following.
Nic Carraway doesn’t belong amongst the super-rich, but when she scores a cheap summer lease in Long Island, it-girl Jay Gatsby becomes her neighbour.
Gatsby welcomes Nic to her opulent parties attended by the world’s A-list. And in return, Nic helps Gatsby reconnect with an old flame: Nic’s cousin, the ever-charming but now-married Danny Buchanan.
But no one can be careless like the rich. As the summer heats up, Nic finds herself tangled in a web of longing and ambition, betrayal and deceit. In a world where everyone is lying – about and to themselves – can Nic finally tell the truth?
Historical
A New Start for the Shop Girls by Rachel Brimble
1910, Bath, England – Hardworking and whip smart, Elizabeth Pennington is the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store, Pennington’s. But her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire. He is resolute a man will succeed him.
Determined to break from her father’s hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting Pennington’s, Elizabeth makes two lifelong friends in Esther and Cornelia – who both work in the store.
She also forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. They have the same goal: bring Pennington’s into a new decade while embracing women’s equality and progression. But, despite their best intentions, it is almost impossible not to mix business and pleasure…
Can Elizabeth, her friends, and the man she’s increasingly falling in love with, thwart Edward Pennington’s plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin them all?
The Golden Hour by Kate Lord Brown
The Golden Hour is an epic dual timeline story which interweaves glory-seeking desert archaeologists, priceless treasures, Nefertiti’s tomb and the decadent cabarets of WW2 Cairo with restless expat lives in bohemian Beirut.
Archaeologist Lucie Fitzgerald’s mother is dying – she’s also been lying. As her home, the ‘Paris of the East’, Beirut, teeters on the brink of war in the ‘70s, Polly Fitzgerald has one last story to tell from her deathbed. It’s the story of her childhood best friend Juno and their life in 30s Cairo. Lucie travels home to be with her dying mother and discovers the truth about her family, Juno’s work and their shared search for the greatest undiscovered tomb of all – Nefertiti’s.
From the cities to the deserts, this transporting and moving story of a lost generation transformed by war is a study of great love and sacrifice in all its forms, the perfect novel for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.
The Banned Books of Berlin by Daisy Wood
Berlin, 1933. The night skies are burning bright with huge bonfires of banned books. The Nazi party is swelling in number and Berlin is no longer a safe place for young Freya.
She can only watch on, horrified, as her beloved city falls to fascism – and the usually law-abiding Freya is forced to make a choice: continue being a bystander, or sacrifice herself to save the lives of others…
New York, present day. Maddie commutes home to her family to reset. Struggling to fully turn off from her work, she is surprised to come across a pre-war German diary amongst her Grandpa’s things. And when she starts to dig into the diary, Maddie’s shocked by what she finds.
And so begins a journey that will take Maddie beyond America as she searches for the truth about Freya, and how she changed people’s lives across the globe…
An Orphan’s dream by Judy Summers
Will her secret past threaten her dreams?
Liverpool, 1864. When Jemima Jenkins’s beloved Pa passes away leaving her orphaned, she is cruelly thrown out of her lodgings and dismissed from her cherished job as a schoolmistress.
Offered a temporary home with her best friend Betty, Jemima is determined to avoid the workhouse and get back on her feet, even daring to hope about one day opening her own school for poor children.
But when she uncovers a mysterious letter, revealing shocking revelations about her past, Jemima’s plans are cast into doubt.
Will Jemima’s dreams come true or will the secret about who she really is jeopardise her one chance at finding happiness?
The Shopgirl of Ironbridge by Mollie Walton
Will she find love again?
Ironbridge, 1892.
When seventeen-year-old Maria Keay is offered an exciting job in a department store in Shrewsbury, she is determined to follow her dream, even if that means leaving behind her childhood sweetheart, Charlie.
At first, Maria’s new life is everything she dreamed it would be. Her new job is glamorous, and she even catches the eye of Oskar, a charming German chemistry student who makes several trips to her sales desk.
But the true reality of shop work – with its long hours and low pay – soon takes its toll, and when her relationship with Oskar takes a dark and devastating turn, Maria must decide if moving away from home – and Charlie – was the right decision after all . . .
A Call to Home by Holly Green
Will she risk everything, to save those she loves most?
Alix has always been on the side of the Resistance. Over two years of danger and suffering, she has continued the fight alongside her comrades in the Partisans. But while facing constant threat, her personal relationships, with Nikola – the man she was supposed to marry – and Drago, her lifelong friend, are complicated.
Working with the rival Chetniks is Steve, the American pilot who is never far from Alix’s mind. Despite wanting the same peaceful outcome, they remain on opposite sides.
The hope of a reunion seems unlikely, but nothing is ever predictable in love and war…
Featuring characters from Holly Green’s Frontline Nurses series, this gripping new historical read spans Europe during World War Two. Fans of Amanda Lees and Fiona Valpy will love this captivating wartime romance.
No Greater Love by Margaret Dickinson
A troubled family. A young woman seeking refuge . . .
Derbyshire, 1904. After a family tragedy and a broken engagement dramatically alter her circumstances, Lady Elizabeth Ingham seeks employment by training to be a nanny. Known only as Lizzie, she secures a post at Alstone-in-the-Dale Manor to care for a four-year-old boy, Charlie Spendlove, who badly needs her kindness and understanding.
When Lizzie arrives at the manor, she is appalled at Charlie’s condition. He is a little wild thing; his hair is a tangled mass of ringlets, and he does not speak but screams and kicks most of the time. The family and staff are at their wits’ end and no one expects Lizzie to stay long.
But with patience and love, Lizzie soon brings a change and the attitude of the staff towards her alters. As Charlie gradually improves, Lizzie begins to feel at home at Alstone-in-the-Dale Manor, and new love enters her life when she meets James, the master of the house’s brother.
But as the First World War looms and young men from the village begin to enlist – can Lizzie’s new-found happiness withstand the hardships of war?
The Book of Lost Children by Jenny O’Brien
A wartime nurse risks everything to protect mothers and babies in Nazi-occupied Guernsey. Decades later, a hidden record reveals a devastating family truth. Based on a remarkable true story of one woman’s extraordinary courage.
Guernsey, 1943. As German forces tighten their grip on the Channel Islands, nurse Evelyn Nightingale guards a dangerous secret. Within the walls of the Emergency Hospital, she’s hidden three babies from the enemy – children who would otherwise face a terrible fate. When a traumatized French woman arrives to give birth, Evelyn must risk everything – with consequences that will echo through the generations.
Dublin, 2018. Still reeling from her mother’s death, Kitty White is struggling to keep her family’s antique shop afloat when a desperate woman arrives with an old violin to sell. Hidden in its dusty case, Kitty discovers a mysterious list of names that shatters her father’s composure. Her search for answers leads her to Guernsey, where she is about to uncover a long-buried secret about her family…
Romance
Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
Lost at sea . . . with your one-night stand
Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn’t she?
Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he’ll break his rules . . .
Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another and they end up stumbling home to the marina together.
The next morning, hungover and shaken by an amazing night together, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There’s just one small problem . . . the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea.
As their supplies start to run dangerously low, and the waves pick up, Zeke and Lexi soon realise there’s much more on the line than their new relationship.
How long can they really survive on a drifting houseboat in the North Sea? Will search and rescue find them? And who will they be if they both make it back to dry land?
The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle
From the acclaimed author of Old Flames and New Fortunes comes a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door . . . who might just show her what real fantasies are made of.
Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she’s as stuck as ever.
With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer’s block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else entirely: bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else.
Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville’s woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts . . . and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they’re searching for has been with them all along.
Too Hot to Handle by Portia MacIntosh
One bachelorette party. One stag do. One double-booked villa and only one way to decide who gets it: a competition.
Workaholic Molly is buzzing when her best friend tells her she’s getting married. As maid of honour Molly can’t wait for the perfect bachelorette party in Spain. What could be better than a week in a stunning villa? Sun, sea, cocktails and gossiping – and best of all, no boys allowed. But when the hens arrive they discover that they are not alone. The villa has been accidentally double booked by a group of stags who make it very clear they’re not leaving!
It’s a disaster, and no one wants to give up their place in paradise. Attempts at compromising fail instantly, so their only option is to have a winner takes all competition. Battle lines are drawn and it is girls v boys – but will the competition be too hot to handle?
As their rivalry heats up, and Molly finds herself gravitating towards stag Travis, it’s clear that he’s enjoying the attention – but Molly can’t let herself get distracted, and under no circumstances can she fall for the enemy.
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
Avery Jensen is almost thirty, newly single and ready for a change. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women) and flirt with everyone she sees. One problem: she has next to no experience when it comes to dating, and even less confidence.
Enter Taylor Cameron, champion heartbreaker. She just broke up with her most recent girlfriend and her best friend bet that she can’t go two months without sleeping with someone. So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her nice and busy, keep her away from dating and take her mind off how inadequate she feels compared to her (much more settled and grown-up) friends.
With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. But now she wants Taylor too. And, as their mutual attraction becomes impossible to ignore, both women must decide if acting on these feelings could ruin the best thing they’ve ever had, or if it could make it even better.
Wildest Dreams by LJ Shen
🔥 He’ll protect his best friend’s baby sister from anything . . . other than himself. 🔥
Rhyland
Dylan Casablancas is a forbidden fruit, undeniably delicious, but one bite just might kill you. She’s my best friend’s baby sister, a single mom, and a royal pain in the ass.
When Little Miss Baggage moves downstairs to house-sit her brother’s Manhattan apartment, my potential business partner mistakes us as a couple.
He wants a family guy. I want access to his billions. And Dylan? She needs a big, burly guy to scare off her loser ex.
But pretending to be engaged to the feisty girl next door gets messy when I take a bite of the illicit apple. What can I say? I’m an instant gratification kind of guy.
We made a deal to walk out of each other’s lives once my contract is signed. The only problem? She might take my heart with her when she leaves.
Dylan
Rhyland Coltridge is out of the question. Unless the question is: “Who’s the biggest man-whore you’ve ever met?”
Hedonistic. Wild card. Utterly corrupt. And those are just the traits the jerk prides himself on.
My life is too messy for a boyfriend. Even if it wasn’t, Rhyland would be the last man I’d consider. He is supposed to be my ticket out of this nightmare.
But he’s fast becoming my wildest, most dangerous dream.
The Suitcase Swap by Lish McBride
They’ve got each other’s bags. Will they find each other’s hearts?
Sophie isn’t going to let a little thing like divorce stop her from flying to New York to see her family.
Mike isn’t going to let a little thing like losing his wife stop him from flying to New York for work.
The one thing they both know for certain is that they’re done with love: they’re too old, too tired, too lonely for any of it.
But life has other plans…
And when the luggage carousel at JFK airport decides to give them each the wrong suitcase, they agree that a friendly dinner in the big apple won’t do any harm.
After all, love stories come when you least expect them – and if his briefcase and her sunshine yellow bag got mixed up, who’s to say their hearts can’t get mixed up too?
So begins a love story of second chances and connection later in life, all set against the backdrop of New York City…
What if I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.
Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while travelling in Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash.
Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection – deep enough for them to plan to meet again in Madrid. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.
Six years later, the memory of Ash and their time together still burns deeply in Ellie’s heart. She hopes that her dream job as a gardener on a grand estate in Wales will bring the fresh start she desperately needs.
But when Ash unexpectedly crashes back into her life, Ellie is forced to question if the universe has other plans…
Wish You Were Here by Alex Brown
Your perfect escape awaits! Three friends. Two secrets. And a holiday to remember forever.
Deedee Merriman loves her job running a travel agency but with turnover down and a big birthday fast approaching she’s thinking about the next chapter of her life and the changes she wants to make.
Determined to stay vibrant and keep a youthful outlook on life she invites her friends, Gina and Rosie to celebrate with her in New York, one of her favourite places and where she feels closest to her late husband, Joe.
On arrival, there’s a surprise, secret gift in store for Deedee of a small, ramshackle beach house in the beautiful Hamptons where Joe spent his childhood. But the house isn’t the only secret and discovering the truth will change everything….
Wish You Were Here is an emotional, romantic story about female friendship and finding love after loss in the city that never sleeps and the sand dunes with stunning sunsets of the Hamptons.
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Popular romance author Margot Bradley has a secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, not even for her characters. When a super-fan leaks this to the world, Margot is dropped faster than you can say ‘enemies-to-lovers.’
Her sister thinks she needs a change of scene and sends Margot off to a remote Alaskan cabin on a writing retreat that could be the perfect chance to say goodbye to romcoms and write something new – maybe swap meet-cutes for murder mysteries? But then she meets the handsome owner, Forrest:
She’s a city girl; he’s a lumberjack – of course he is.
He’s grumpy – wait, is she sunshine? Oh no.
At least there’s no forced proximity.
But that snowstorm is heading straight for their cabin…
As one trope after another draws them together over long snowy nights, one thing is clear: Margot and Forrest have landed in a romance novel of their very own. But will they each be able to overcome their fears, or risk becoming another of Margot’s Happily Never Afters themselves…
Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett
Sometimes love happens when you least expect it…
When Nadia and Tom are both unceremoniously stood up by their dates under the clock at Waterloo Station, fate throws them together in the most unusual of circumstances.
What starts as a brilliant story for future dinner parties soon turns into a wonderful friendship, and both Tom and Nadia realise they’ve found the perfect partner in crime.
Tired of dating but always needing a plus one for weddings, parties, and the like, they agree to fake date each other. But as their pretend relationship starts to feel more real, Nadia and Tom begin to wonder if there’s more to their connection than convenience.
Could the relationship they’ve been faking be the one they’ve been waiting for all along?
Crushing It by Thea Lawrence
Abigail King is a young and ambitious postdoctoral researcher in Emerald Bay University’s sociology department.
As a child, she was exceptional: graduated high school at 16, sailed through university, and earned a doctorate at 23. But as an adult, Abi’s found she hasn’t accomplished nearly as much as she thought she would.
She’s chronically single, lives in a tiny apartment, the job she loves is about to be axed due to budget cuts, and to top it all off? She just got invited to her ten-year reunion hosted by her high school bully… and her ex-fiancé.
What’s a girl to do?
Ask your best friend to be your fake fiancé on a two-week road trip across Canada, of course!
Logan Flynn is one of Emerald Bay’s best and brightest professors in the Sociology department who has followed in his late father’s footsteps. At 36, he’s published books, papers, and even traveled the world discussing his research on medically assisted death.
He’s got it all: a gorgeous house, friends and a job he loves, a surplus of mismatched socks, and a great horror movie collection…
But the one thing he doesn’t have is Abigail King.
When she asks him to be her fake fiancé and embark on a two-week road trip through Canada, he doesn’t hesitate to say yes. After all, he’d do anything for her— even if traveling in close quarters means their complicated history rears its head…
And faking it becomes more difficult than either of them could imagine.
Passion Project by London Sperry
If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.
When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.
As their “passion project” continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.
The Way We Collide by Tia Louise
Football is my life. I’m not interested in marriage or babies or poopy diapers. Yet here I am, standing in front of a judge saying “I do,” with a six-month-old on my hip and an aspiring storm-chaser on my arm.
From the time I was a little boy, sleeping with my head on a football, I’ve had one goal: carrying on the Bradford-family legacy.
Our famous father trained all my older brothers and me to be star athletes just like him, but seven years later, I’m the only one still focused on the game.
Until Raven Gale storms into my life.
She’s smart, sassy, curves for days, and lightning in the sack. When I met her at my little sister’s wedding we bonded immediately over our dedication to our dreams, our determination to let nothing stop us, and our insatiable, all-night, barrier-busting chemistry.
A baby girl is a surprise neither of us expected, but Raven has a plan. We’ll have a quickie marriage to secure her trust fund, be together three months tops, then shake hands and walk away.
The only problem is with every late night I spend chatting with my wife or consummating our marriage (which we both agreed was a bad idea) or rocking my baby girl to sleep or yes, even changing poopy diapers, the stronger our bond grows.
It never rains in California, there’s no football (for me) in south Alabama, but when you collide with a cyclone, everything changes, including what you thought were your plans.
Wicked Love by Willow Aster
A sexy, small town, grumpy sunshine, single dad, sports romance from USA Today Bestselling Author Willow Aster
I fell in love with his little girl first.
From the moment nine-year-old Becca Fox and I hugged, it was like we’d known each other forever. Precocious, sweet, and kind, I just knew this little girl was exceptional. Her dad, though? Not so much.
Bowie Fox checks every box in the looks department—rugged, intense, and the kind of man who makes you forget how to breathe—but his personality? About as warm as a snowstorm.
That is, until we’re seated together at his best friend’s wedding, and then…we dance.
For hours.
Beneath that gruff and hard exterior, I catch glimpses of a man who wants to let loose and enjoy life.
After the wedding, when a hotel mixup leaves me without a room and stranded in Landmark Mountain, Bowie invites me to stay in his room. In his bed.
It’s innocent at first. Until it’s not. A sizzling one-night stand for the books. Then I wake up alone and when I see him at breakfast, he is as distant as ever.
Bowie lets me know his life revolves around Becca, his teammates, and football. He makes it perfectly clear that there is no room for anyone else—especially the bubbly coach of his daughter.
As much as our paths keep crossing, I know the broody linebacker isn’t ever planning on falling for me, but when I find out I am pregnant—I wonder, Can he fall for us?
Empty Net by Teagan Hunter
I have two goals this season:
1. Stop enough pucks to get the Seattle Serpents to the playoffs.
2. Don’t fall for my fake fiancée.
When Lilah Maddison’s mother keeps trying to set her up on dates she’s not interested in, she blurts out that she’s already seeing someone. The problem? She’s single.
So, I step in to help and agree to pretend to be her boyfriend for an event. But when things go awry, we’re no longer just dating-we’re engaged. Now, I have to find a way to keep her family off her back and our team in a playoff spot, all without falling in love with Lilah, which seems more impossible with each passing day.
She’s funny, driven, drop-dead gorgeous, and not afraid to make the first move. I know we’re playing a dangerous game, yet I can’t stop myself from having feelings I definitely shouldn’t be having, especially not for my fake fiancée.
It’s my job to block, make saves, and keep the puck out of my own net, but this might be one match I can’t win…and I might not want to.
So that’s all for this week.
Happy Reading!
