|
|
| The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio AxelrodStarring: Musician Antonia Bennette -- a.k.a. "Toni B." -- a rising star in Philly's indie music scene, and Sebastian "Seb" Quick, her childhood best friend (and teenage crush) who broke her heart when he left their rural Pennsylvania hometown and never looked back.
What happens: Toni's latest gig as a replacement guitarist for the up-and-coming band The Lillys reunites her with Seb, the group's manager.
Did you know? Author and musician Xio Axelrod recorded a single, "I Burn," to accompany this book, the 1st in a planned series. |
|
| The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie DananThe premise: Although she hasn't set foot in a synagogue since her bat mitzvah, sex worker turned sex educator Naomi Grant is intrigued by a job offer from rabbi Ethan Cohen, who wants to hire Naomi to present a seminar on "Modern Intimacy" at the local JCC.
What sets it apart: relatable characters, a slow-burning romance, and a nuanced depiction of contemporary Judaism.
Crossover alert: Naomi first appears as a supporting character in author Rosie Danan's debut, The Roommate. |
|
| Twice Shy by Sarah HogleMeet: Maybell Parrish, 31-year-old theme park employee, hopeless romantic, and...heiress?
What happens: When Maybell inherits 50 percent of her great aunt's sprawling but dilapidated estate in Tennessee, she must share her new home with its co-owner, gruff groundskeeper Wesley Koehler.
Why you might like it: Upbeat and sugar sweet, this novel by the author of You Deserve Each Other offers a slow-burning opposites-attract romance between likable leads. |
|
| To Love and to Loathe by Martha WatersThe participants: longtime adversaries Diana Bourne, Lady Templeton, and Jeremy Overington, the Marquess of Willingham, whose constant bickering masks a smoldering attraction.
The arrangement: a brief affair that will allow Diana to experience the passion she never found with her late husband, and allow Jeremy to receive candid feedback on his skills (or lack thereof?) in the bedroom.
Series alert: To Love and To Loathe is the 2nd entry in the Regency Vows series, which begins with To Have and To Hoax. |
|
| Life's Too Short by Abby JimenezCarpe diem: After losing several family members to ALS, Vanessa Price, vowing to live life to the fullest, becomes a famous travel vlogger.
Best laid plans: Vanessa's globe-trotting lifestyle comes to an abrupt halt when she becomes the guardian of her infant niece. Fortunately, her attractive neighbor, corporate lawyer Adrian Copeland, is good with kids.
Is it for you? This 3rd novel in the Friend Zone series (after The Happily Ever After Playlist) tackles some serious issues, including terminal illness, addiction, and suicidal ideation. |
|
|
The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer DupeeThe premise: Is a lie of omission still a lie? Larisa Pearl didn't think so and it got her into a heap of trouble. What it's about: Renovating an inherited colonial property in her Massachusetts hometown to manage painful losses, Larissa buys a wedding gown as a private joke, only to have word of her impending nuptials spread throughout the community. Reviewers say: Crisply written...strung through with the hope that life's hard times don't last forever. Readers will enjoy seeing Larissa and Jack find that hope. -- Library Journal
|
|
|
A Rogue to Remember by Emily SullivanWhat it's about: Devising a plan to create a scandal shocking enough to make her unmarriageable, Lottie Carlisle is upset when it doesn’t work and turns to her childhood friend Alec Gresham for help and discovers that their explosive chemistry is still alive and well. Who might enjoy it: fans of Netflix's Bridgerton series. Reviewers say: "The literary charms of Sullivan's superbly written debut are many, including a full cast of deftly nuanced characters, an exquisitely evoked Italian setting that would impress E.M. Forster, love scenes that deliver both emotional intensity and lush sensuality, and vivacious writing enhanced by ample measures of wit."-- Booklist, Starred Review
|
|
|
Sandcastle Beach by Jenny HolidayWhat it is: a hilarious and heartwarming romance about two enemies whose feud turns red-hot. What it's about: To save her tiny, beloved community theater, Maya Mehta desperately needs to win Matchmaker Bay’s new business grant, forcing her to compete against local bar owner Benjamin Lawson who is also her annoyingly hot arch nemesis. What happens: Turns out there's a thin line between hate and irresistible desire, and Maya and Law are really good at crossing it. But when things heat up, will they allow their long-standing feud to get in the way of their growing feelings?
|
|
|
A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie WrightWhat it's about: Taking a one-way trip aboard the Fishing Fleet to India for an arranged marriage after a third failed London season, outcast Caroline bonds with unconventional ship captain Thomas Scott. What the captain thinks: The trips have always been routine and uneventful--until this trip's first night's dinner with one Miss Caroline Gray. She engages in a lively political conversation, presenting opposing viewpoints to the conventionally opinionated gentlemen at her table. Captain Scott is secretly amused and delighted at her boldness, not to mention quite drawn to her beauty. How will it end? Caroline will have to decide if she will honor her mother's wishes and marry a man in India whom she has never met--thus securing a future for her and her mother--or be brave enough to throw convention to the wind and commit to love a sea captain.
|
|
|
The Heiress Hunt by Joanna ShupeThe premise: High society reprobate. An unconventional heiress. Childhood friends. Is it too late for true love? What it's about: With their marriages to others looming, Maddie Webster, who is engaged to a duke, and her best friend Harrison Archer, who is engaged to an heiress, wonder if their fate in inescapable or if love will set them free. Reviewers say: This is friends-to-lovers romance at its finest, with an endearing Gilded Age couple who are clearly made for each other. Shupe fans will welcome this first installment in a new series.-- Library Journal (starred review)
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|