Hammett makes an effervescent debut with this enemies-to-lovers sports romance. Lucas, a cox for the Cambridge crew team, has always had issues with George, the club president, an underwear model from Wisconsin. After losing a big race against their rival, Oxford, the teammates hate each other more than ever. But these frenemies soon make a deal: “sex god” George will help the inexperienced Lucas woo his crush, Amir, and smarty-pants Lucas will help George pass his exams, a requirement for staying on the team. The arrangement starts off promisingly, but George surprises himself by becoming jealous as Lucas starts dating Amir; he realizes he’s “full on longing” for Lucas and wants him to be his boyfriend. On the water, things are also shaky due to the duo’s demoralizing demotion to second boat. Hammett keeps both the romantic and athletic plots gliding along smoothly on the way to a suitably dramatic finish at the big race. With amusing banter between the leads and sexual tension aplenty, including an awkward but heavily charged moment of the guys pressed close against each other in a closet, this diverting contemporary is a triumph. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 05/23/2025 | Details & Permalink

Rapier’s passable debut romantasy checks many familiar boxes: a timid maiden with as-yet-unrealized powers, a hunky swashbuckling love interest, and a quest for both of their freedom that comes with a strict time limit, all wrapped in Celtic-inflected mythology. The maiden is painfully naive Saoirse, 22, whose powers her parents work hard to suppress, leaving her traumatized; the hunk is flirty pirate Faolan, also known as the Wolf of the Wild, whose adventures at sea are legendary even at his young age of 26. Saoirse flees her parents and their chosen husband for her to set sail with Faolan in search of the Isle of Lost Souls, whose legendary wonders have enticed many adventurers, though none have yet found it. The result is a fast-paced adventure combined with a steamy love story, but the central couple feels somewhat underdeveloped. Though Rapier occasionally attempts to subvert expectations in the relationship between the meek, virginal heroine and her worldly savior, the novel mostly plays the trope straight. (Faolan teaches Saoirse about sex when she asks him what it means for a man to “worship a woman on [his] knees,” a phrase she overheard from the sailors.) Readers who don’t mind an old-school romantic dynamic will like this just fine. (July)

Reviewed on 05/23/2025 | Details & Permalink

The fast-paced second entry in Lawson’s Trisha and Grayson romantic suspense series (after Above the Fold) returns to 1980s New York City. Freelance crime reporter Trisha Connell and FBI agent–turned–security specialist Edmund Grayson are an unconventional couple, but despite their 14-year age gap and extremely different backgrounds, both are smitten. Unfortunately, Trisha’s mysterious past is catching up with her. As an infant, she was abandoned at a church and taken in by a kindly priest. She’s also hiding a dark secret from Grayson: after a group of boys gang-raped her at age 14, she killed her assailants and then spent time in juvie. When a stalker starts sending her threatening notes filled with Bible verses and people with ties to her past turn up dead, she and Grayson must fight to stay alive—and together. Lawson continually ratchets up the tension, keeping readers in suspense as she unspools why Trisha is being targeted and by whom. Those who like their romantic mysteries on the gritty side will be on the edges of their seats. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this sumptuous and steamy dark fantasy, bestseller St. Clair (A Touch of Chaos) reimagines Eden as an intensely patriarchal, über-religious society where men reign over women despite the fact that only women can use magic. Lilith, daughter of one of Eden’s five ruling families, flees her father’s district for Ninevah, the seedy entertainment district under the rule of Zahariev Zareth. Determined to make her own way, she relies on her power over men’s desire to steal the things she needs—but, for some reason, gorgeous Zahariev is constantly in her path and swooping in to clean up her messes. Her exploits also draw dangerous attention from the Archbishop, who rules all of Eden with a corrupt fist. After Lilith steals a beautiful and mysterious dagger and people around her start dying, she begins to tune into the rumblings about church corruption and whispered stories of the old gods, all while finally facing her extreme childhood trauma at the hands of the church. A somewhat convoluted ending leaves many questions open for future books and the intense pain in Lilith’s backstory makes this not for the faint of heart, but St. Clair’s many fans will relish the introspective exploration of healing after sexual assault, living in life’s gray areas, and women reclaiming both power and rage. It’s a promising series launch. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Cho (The Friend Zone Experiment) charms in this sparkling tale of contentious coworkers discovering unexpected love. Londoner Kriya Rajasekar believes she and fellow lawyer Charles Goh are “bound together by an evil fate.” He’s been there to witness every one of her professional missteps, from misspeaking during a conference to literally falling flat on her face. When Kriya follows her boss, Arthur, to new firm Swithin Watkins, she’s distraught to learn that she and Charles, who also works there, will be sharing an office. The vibe is tense at first, but Kriya soon learns that Charles’s standoffishness stems from awkwardness rather than malice. As the two grow closer, Kriya uncovers Charles’s heart of gold—and his gifts in the bedroom. Her personal life is on an upswing, but escalating sexual harassment from one of Swithin Watkins’s partners puts Kriya’s professional life in jeopardy. Add in Kriya and Charles’s mutual inability to admit what they’re feeling, and their budding romance may well be doomed. Readers will have no trouble rooting for these two to overcome the obstacles to their relationship, and Cho makes her villains just as detestable as her protagonists are lovable. Several cute subplots, including the anime-themed wedding of Charlie’s cousin, Loretta, to her American fiancée, Hayley, add to the fun. This is a joy. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Returning to the cozy setting of Adelaide Springs, Colo., Turner (Cole and Laila are Just Friends) delivers a sweet second-chance romance. Addie Atwater-Elwyn left her job as a CIA analyst and developed an alcohol abuse problem following the murder of her husband, CIA operative Joel Elwyn. Now in recovery but still mourning deeply, she heads home to Adelaide Springs, where she moves back in with her father, the town doctor, and reconnects with old friends, including some familiar faces for Turner fans. There’s only one person from her past whom Addie doesn’t want to see: Wes Hobbs, her first love who left her at the altar when they were 18. Two decades later, Wes is a beloved senator and a front-runner in the presidential race. The townsfolk, who all took Addie’s side in the breakup, don’t welcome him home kindly, but Wes is back in Adelaide Springs to wrestle with a professional secret—and his burning desire to make things right with Addie. Turner makes their emotional rekindling sing, taking special care in portraying Addie’s fraught feelings about entering a new relationship after her husband’s death. Readers will hope for further visits to this bucolic town. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

A multilevel marketing scheme leads to unexpected love in this entertaining rom-com from Martin (Next-Door Nemesis). Kindergarten teacher Emerson Pierce became a representative for skin care company Petunia Lemon to supplement her income. While at a Petunia Lemon convention in Denver, she meets dreamy Lucas Miller at the hotel’s rooftop bar and they share a memorable night together. The next morning, however, Lucas reveals that he’s an investigative journalist working on an exposé about Petunia Lemon and bashes Emerson for working with them. What Emerson doesn’t know is that Lucas’s ex-wife was sucked in by the MLM and ran the family’s finances into the ground before abandoning them. Now Lucas is left to see his daughter through kindergarten alone. He’s shocked when the first day of school rolls around and Emerson turns out to be her teacher. Eventually, Emerson recognizes Petunia Lemon for the scam it is, and she offers to work with Lucas to expose the company’s lies from the inside. The result is an equally sweet and scintillating romance that offers plentiful humor and a feel-good vibe enhanced by Emerson’s supportive friend group. Readers will have no trouble rooting for this cute couple. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Dijkstra Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Author duo Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey, writing as Brady (The Beach Trap), gently riff on You’ve Got Mail in this cute but predictable rom-com. Chaotic Ryan Lawson runs Happy Endings, a romance-only bookshop in Boston that will soon be merging with Tabula Inscripta, the neighboring literary fiction bookstore managed by uptight Josie Klein. When Ryan and Josie learn that only one manager will survive after the businesses combine, competition ignites. Ryan and Josie trade heated barbs and attempt to one-up each other with book events. Meanwhile, both characters take solace in conversations with an anonymous internet friend, though neither realizes they’ve been messaging with each other. The authors throw a kitchen sink worth of tropes into their plot and winkingly comment on them through romance loving Ryan, who’s genre-savvy enough to recognize that he’s in an enemies-to-lovers scenario with Josie—especially when they’re forced to share only one bed. It can feel a bit like the authors are going down a checklist, and as a result the plot becomes somewhat rote, but the leads are charming and it’s easy to see how carefree Ryan helps soften Josie’s sharp edges. Readers looking for a light and sweet love story will want to check this out. (June)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

In Buck’s lovely debut, romance takes a back seat to revisiting ghosts of the past. North Carolina college writing instructor Gwen Gilmore returns to coastal Port Anna, Maine, after losing her job, her boyfriend, and her confidence. She hasn’t been back for 23 years, ever since the death of her sister. Now, with only (literal) ghosts for company, she moves back into her family’s Periwinkle Cottage, which is watched over by some benevolent spirits. As Gwen settles back into the small town, she reconnects with old friends, though the dynamics between them feel off as they navigate resentments old and new. Port Anna itself doesn’t feel the same, either, with developers building vacation homes and the case of a missing teenager not getting the attention it needs before the short summer ends and the long cold winter begins. Buck skillfully weaves an immersive narrative, along the way introducing several potential romantic partners for Gwen but giving her time and space to rebuild life before jumping into love. Readers looking for a sweet, summery outing that walks the line between romance and general fiction will want to check this out. (July)

Reviewed on 05/09/2025 | Details & Permalink

YA author Deaver (The Ghosts We Keep) makes their adult debut with a cute queer rom-com built around a classic fake dating setup. Eli Francis, a trans executive assistant at a Buzzfeed-esque online magazine, goes on a disastrous blind date with awkward coder Peter Park. After hearing about the evening, Eli’s boss suggests Eli give Peter dating lessons and write the experience up in a lighthearted, if somewhat mean-spirited, piece. Eli accepts the assignment and Peter agrees, though Eli tells him he would rather write an article about Peter’s experiences growing up queer in the South and coming out later in life. As the men go on a series of cute fake dates, Eli works on both articles, hoping he’ll be able to convince his boss to run his more considered piece over the clickbait. Along the way, Eli inevitably falls for Peter, but the threat of the mean article looms so large over the plot that it can be hard to sink into and fully enjoy the sweet love story. Still, after the requisite third act drama, Deaver sticks the landing. This should earn Deaver a whole new set of fans. (Aug.) Correction: A previous version of this review referred to the author by the incorrect pronoun.

Reviewed on 05/09/2025 | Details & Permalink