August books on my radar
09:00
Series: None
Author: Emma Jackson
August 1st 2024 by Orion
Sometimes you need to be careful what you witch for...
Becca Ashworth's family is in trouble and with their magical legacy under threat, it puts their small village of Biddicote at risk too. So going against the witching tenets to summon an ancestor for help seems like a small price to pay to fix the problem...at first.
Connor Lynch is the Witches Council's secret weapon and he's just been deployed to find out exactly what the Ashworths are up to. But how he ends up posing as Becca's fake husband at a magical inn in Cornwall as they hunt down a magical artefact is just as perplexing as the cheerful witch herself.
When their attraction for each other grows, Becca and Connor question everything they have been taught - and soon the missing artefact isn't the only thing they are searching for. As love collides with duty, it's clear that sometimes you need to be careful what you witch for...
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Seraphina Chen
August 2nd 2024
Serena Inthavong always played it safe growing up. It wasn't the path she wanted, but it protected her from the outside world and revisiting her emotional trauma. Now, as she gears up for her senior year at Skyline High School, Serena is determined to live her life for her and no one else. Little does she know, high school isn’t always like the movies. With drama-filled hallways and an unexpected return to cheerleading–a world she had left behind for valid reasons–Serena's journey through high school will be anything but conventional.
Meanwhile, Tyler Westman sailed through high school like it was a breeze up until his senior year with competing responsibilities at home and school. Between lacrosse, maintaining his friendships, taking care of his sister, and getting his grades up for college applications, it’s turning into an endless responsibility juggling. But beneath his cool exterior lurks a desire for something more genuine than fleeting popularity and the attention that came along with it. When he crosses paths with Serena, a girl with magnetic energy, he will find himself drawn to her like never before.
As Serena tries to find her place in the chaos of high school and growing up, she feels like an outsider in her own story. But with Tyler tagging along, she will start to see the silver lining in the teenage turmoil. And as Tyler gets to know Serena, he will find layers to her personality that he won’t be able to resist.
Goodreads
Series: WAGs #1
Author: Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen
August 6th 2024 by Bloom Books
From New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy and USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen comes the first in the spin-off series of their wildly successful Him and Us books.
"We're way more than friends, Jessie."
"Blake—"
"But no worries. I'll just sit tight until you figure that out."
Hosting her brother's wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning's life. Already the family screw-up, she can't afford to fail at this, too. Especially after the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. Nobody—absolutely nobody—can find out about that, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. No matter how devastatingly sexy his smile, he's a giant manchild who's never been serious in his life. And if Jess wants to prove herself to her family, serious is what she has to get.
For Blake Riley, this wedding is a gift from fate itself. The girl he has his eye on is the maid of honor, and he's the best man? Let the games begin. So what if Jess is giving him a little—fine, a lot—of resistance? He just needs to convince the stubborn blonde that he's really a good boy with a bad rap. Beneath the flirty jokes and goofy smile, he's got layers—even if Jess doesn't want to see them.
Luckily, every professional hockey player knows that you've got to make an effort if you want to score.
And Jess is just the girl he wants to win.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Erica George
August 6th 2024 by Entangled: Teen
Keep your friends close. Keep your nemesis closer.
After nearly five years of avoiding him, Briggs Goswick may have appeared at my feet on horseback like a handsome white knight but, in fact, he is a certified man-child.
Briggs may be many things―a society darling (annoying), attractive (so unfair), and heir to an elite family (helpful)―but after humiliating me at a ball several years ago, he is primarily my archnemesis.
His presence has made this summer go from bad to…complicated. I have the weight of saving my family’s name and finances solely on my shoulders, while I endure an endless parade of dreary balls and insufferable suitors to make a favorable match. But I have another idea―a business venture―to save my family. All I need are investors.
And as for Briggs? He’s hiding a secret as well: he’s flat broke.
Now the person I loathe the most in this world is just as trapped as I am―both penniless and our households depending on us to save them. And I think I know how. All I have to do is play nice with the very devil I’ve sworn to hate…
His society connections can boost me from near obscurity to help me win over investors for my business. And perhaps I can help him woo an aloof heiress with deep pockets. It’s a long shot. It might even work…but do I want it to?
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Livy Hart
August 6th 2024 by Entangled: Amara
One over-the-top Italian wedding. Two fake couples. And a million hilariously disastrous possibilities…
Nora D’Amato would do almost anything for her best friend. Pretend she’s smitten with him to get his overly invested Italian family off his back? Absolutely. Attend a wedding for said overbearing family? Bring it. Spend the next six days at a posh resort watching the bride and groom’s families hate on each other? Pass the popcorn.
There’s only one tiny little hiccup. Nora’s crush—and the object of some very inappropriate thoughts—is here, too. And looking so delectable that she could spoon him faster than stracciatella gelato in a heat wave.
But Sebastian Rossi isn’t available…officially. He’s here with his fake wedding date. And he owes her big time for keeping an eye on his nonna while he’s away months at a time for work. A week in the Adirondacks is a piece of overly frosted cake. Besides, it’s not as though he can have a real relationship when he’s constantly on the move. Definitely not with the cute bookstore manager he can’t stop thinking about.
And a wedding war zone with two feuding families is not the time or place for flirting or sexy sneak-arounds. Everyone is watching—whether it’s during the pickleball tournament, the angry patriarch showdowns, or even the bull-riding bachelorette party. This wedding is one slipped fauxcade away from catastrophe, and if Nora and Sebastian can’t keep to their own sides of the aisle, they risk exposing the very secrets they’re sworn to protect.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Casey McQuiston
August 6th 2024 by St. Martin's Griffin
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not.
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have.
Goodreads
Series: For the Love of Austen #2
Author: Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
August 6th 2024 by Gallery Books
This fresh and whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice transports you to summer in the Hamptons, where classes clash, rumors run wild, and love has a frustrating habit of popping up where you least expect it.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged—well, by Elizabeth Bennet anyway—that there’s nothing worse than summer in the Hamptons. She should she’s lived out there her whole life. Every June, her hometown on the edge of Long Island is inundated with rich Manhattanites who party until dawn and then disappear by September. And after twenty-five years, Lizzy wants to leave, too.
But after putting her own dreams on hold to help save her family’s failing bakery, she’s still surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something, anything, to change. She’s not holding her breath though, not even when her sister starts flirting with the hot new bachelor in town, Charlie Pierce, and he introduces Lizzy to his even hotter friend.
Will Darcy is everything Lizzy Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogant…and rich. Of course, he’s never cared about money. In fact, it’s number one on his long list of things that irk him. Number two? His friend Charlie’s insistence on setting him up with his new girlfriend’s sharp-tongued sister. Lizzy Bennet is all wrong for him, from her money-hungry family to her uncanny ability to speak to him as bluntly as he does everyone else. But then maybe that’s why he can’t stop thinking about her.
Lizzy is sure Will hates everybody. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. Yet, just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes threaten Charlie and Annabelle’s romance, with Will and Lizzy caught in the undertow. Between a hurricane and a hypocritical stepmother, a drunken voicemail and a deceptive property developer, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of everyone they love—even if it means sacrificing their own. But when the truth also forces them to see each other in an entirely new light, they must swallow their pride to learn that love is a lot like sometimes the only way to survive is to let yourself fall.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Sidney Halston
August 6th 2024 by Avon
A spicy enemies-to-lovers rom-com about rival kindergarten teachers, perfect for fans of Abbott Elementary!
Quirky, free-spirited Valerie Marquez likes to make sure her kindergarten class has fun while learning. Uptight, by-the-book Andrew Wexler is allergic to fun, and loud music gives him a migraine, which makes sharing a wall with the other kindergarten teacher who loves to blast music all day his worst nightmare.
But during the end-of the school year party, their shared tension morphs into a night of wild sex. What neither expected was the surprise consequence of that night.
A baby.
And, if sharing a wall with her nemesis was hard, sharing a classroom with him, while she’s feeling hormonal and hungry, is much harder. Turns out that co-teaching isn’t the hardest thing they’ll have to overcome. Trying not to fall in love with her baby daddy is much harder.
Goodreads
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #5
Author: Erica Ridley
August 6th 2024 by Forever
Bold, curvy Elizabeth Wynchester loves cuddling hedgehogs almost as much as she adores vanquishing villains with the sharp blade concealed inside her cane. Despite others’ opinions about her body and gender, nothing will stop her from seeing justice done. When her next mission drops her at the dastardly Earl of Densmore’s castle, she’s prepared to duel like gentlemen—only to be locked inside! Her trusty sword cannot defeat the castle’s hidden traps… or protect her heart from the devilishly handsome rogue guarding the keep.
When reclusive inventor Stephen Lenox agreed to impersonate his cousin for a few days, he didn’t expect the earl to vanish altogether. Nor could Stephen predict mounting death threats… or the arrival of a beguiling, blade-wielding spinster who declares herself his new bodyguard. As the earl’s enemies lay siege to the castle, Stephen fights his way past Elizabeth’s defenses. She’ll share his bed, but when the adventure concludes, she vows to sever their affair. Unless he can somehow convince a swashbuckling siren to surrender her heart…
Action adventure meets Regency romance in this feminist romp.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Sam Tschida
August 6th 2024 by Forever
Meet Gabby Greene: Housewife. Glorified taxi driver and maid. Burner of meatloaf.
Recently divorced Gabby Greene spends most of her days listening to self-help books while wrangling her loving yet erratic kids. During a decade of marriage, Gabby shoved aside her own career and ambitions to make room for mountains of laundry, running errands, and investigating the case of the missing socks. Her number one suspect: their Bichon Frise, Mr. Bubbles.
All that changes when a secret government agency comes knocking on Gabby's door, asking her to go undercover. At first, she thinks some reality show is pranking her, but apparently, she bears a striking resemblance to an agent recently murdered, and… well, desperate missions call for desperate measures. Soon Gabby is juggling motherhood and a crash course in Spying 101, led by a handsome James Bond-type who has secrets of his own.
As Gabby embarks on a dangerous mission involving money laundering, a Russian oligarch, and an unfortunate incident with a prosthetic nose, she begins to realize that she is far from the invisible housewife she once believed herself to be, and that maybe, just maybe, she might be capable of saving the day.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
August 6th 2024 by Scholastic Press
Gilmore Girls fans! Pour yourselves a hot cup of tea and get ready to fall in love with this cozy YA romance that will have you dreaming of autumn all year long.
Fall is a big deal in Briar Glen, a quaint and charming village in New England. That’s when tourists from all over the country descend upon this picturesque town to see the babbling brooks and colorful leaves while sipping hot chocolate or pumpkin spice lattes.
But sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane hates the uber-popular PSL. She finds it overrated -- especially when you consider the fact that there isn’t even pumpkin in it! -- which is bad because she works at Cup o’ Jo, the local coffee shop her mom owns. Business at Cup o' Jo hasn't been great in the off-season, but that's okay because it always picks up during the fall ...
Until Java Junction, a multinational coffee chain, opens across the street and makes things harder for the small shop. And to make matters worse, it turns out Jack Harper, the new kid in school and Lucy's secret crush, is the son of the owner. Suddenly, fall doesnt seem like it'll be all it's cracked up to be. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom's coffee shop?
Goodreads
Series: Blue Moon #1
Author: Lucy Score
August 13th 2024 by Bloom Books
#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lucy Score brings to life the "nosiest small town in upstate New York," Blue Moon Bend, in a charming and compelling, sexy romantic comedy with an intriguing loner on the slow path to healing and an ambitious out-of-towner who just keeps slipping past his defenses.
In the small town of Blue Moon Bend, where everybody is a matchmaker, Carter Pierce just wants to be left alone to tend the family farm. After returning from Afghanistan with scars, his only goal is recovery. He doesn't need any distractions, and definitely not a journalist with tons of good questions and super sharp observational powers.
Summer Lentz is a journalist from the city sent to interview Carter and his family. She's out of place in the small town, with her designer wardrobe and workaholic lifestyle. She asks too many questions and doesn't take no for an answer, threatening to destroy the peace and balance that Carter has been working towards. She thwarts every attempt Carter makes to retreat back inside himself, somehow bringing him closer to being whole again.
Summer has secrets of her own, but she never planned to open up to anyone - let alone the scowling, secretive farm owner whose story she's after. But as she gets drawn into the community, she starts to realize that she can't stay closed off forever.
And what's more, she doesn't want to.
As Carter and Summer grow closer, will they be able to push past the secrets that are holding both of them back?
Goodreads
Series: Dirty Air #2
Author: Lauren Asher
August 13th 2024 by Bloom Books
Creating a naughty bucket list gains Liam Zander's attention, solidifying a destined-for-failure friendship.
Liam is Formula 1’s golden boy.
Irresistible. Unattainable. Whisperer of seductive promises.
A closet nerd who reads novels and discusses movie plot holes for fun.
The type of man who should come with a complimentary roll of caution tape.
He wants to strike a deal. Cross off naughty bucket list items together while traveling around the world.
I should say no and walk away.
Instead, we make a bet.
I broke my biggest rule, unwillingly adding a new item to my list while shattering my heart—and friendship—in the process.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Laura Jane Williams
August 13th 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Flo Greenberg: highly strung. Over-achiever. And desperate for a relaxing Greek holiday with her family.
Jamie Kramer: her brother's best friend. Pain in the arse. And somehow on Flo’s relaxing Greek holiday too…
With two surprise weeks of sharing meals, boat trips and sun-loungers, Flo must endure the company of this irksomely chiselled Lothario. But after what happened last year, she’s determined not to let him get the better of her.
In fact, spending time with the enemy will be the perfect cure for Flo's all-consuming anger towards Jamie, right?
(Spoiler alert: wrong…!)
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Emma Lord
August 13th 2024 by Griffin
Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.
June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.
But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.
Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?
Goodreads
Series: Beyond the Play #4
Author: Grace Reilly
August 13th 2024 by Avon
He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival… but he’s bringing the heat for me.
Nikolai
Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.
Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.
Izzy
I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option.
But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.
As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.
Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and koalas, Wicked Serve is a don’t-miss new adult college sports romance.
Goodreads
Series: Starfall Point #2
Author: Molly Harper
August 13th 2024 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Funny, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy witchy romantic comedy from bestselling author Molly Harper.
Caroline Wilton is “dying” to get off Starfall Point, but if she leaves the island, there’s a good chance she’ll literally die. For centuries, any Wilton who ventured off the island immediately perished in some freak accident. Caroline, like every Wilton before her, has accepted this curse and made peace with staying put and running the Wilted Rose Tavern. But thanks to her newfound magic and favorite coven of witches, Starfall Point has gotten a lot more exciting. And then there's Ben...
When gorgeous physician Ben Hoult—Caroline's high school sweetheart who left without so much of a goodbye—returns to the island to take over the medical clinic with two frustratingly likeable teenagers in tow, Caroline feels the calm waters of her life begin to churn. Practical, sensible Ben didn’t believe in her family curse then, and Caroline has no interest in trying to convince him now. Besides, Caroline has her hands full managing all of the ghosts she now has the special power to see—especially the angry woman in eighteen-century garb occupying her tavern with a menacing glare.
As Caroline and her witches grow their magic, they soon discover the angry family ghost as one of the island’s most sinister legends—information that could be the key to breaking the Wilton curse and finding lasting true love with Ben.
Goodreads
Series: Boneyard Key #1
Author: Jen DeLuca
August 13th 2024 by Berkley
It's love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Anna E. Collins
August 13th 2024 by Forever
Aspiring fashion designer Cora Lewis should have known better. Entering her grandpa’s extremely adorable—and totally unruly—pups in a dog show? What was she thinking? Oh, right. Her grandpa is injured, his beloved pet shop is losing the fight against the upscale dog boutique across the street, and his business and home are on the line. She needs that prize money to save the day—and if the only way to win is to train with her strongest adversary, then she’ll suck it up and ask for help.
Rival store owner Leo Salinger is everything Cora is not: successful, wealthy, and overly ambitious. She would never guess that he is the kind and witty pen pal she's met on a local message board. But somewhere between teaching pups to heel, fetch, and stay, Cora and Leo are finding a little competition can ignite a serious attraction. Can they stop this sexy spark . . . before all her dreams go to the dogs?
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Sonali Mishra
August 13th 2024 by Harbor Lane Books, LLC.
Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi and Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project, and lovers of rom-coms across all mediums.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, Arjun Chowdhury is handsome, successful…and single. When Arjun’s mother offers to set him up with an arranged marriage, he reluctantly accepts. However, he realizes that even a “straightforward” road to the altar has its bumps.
The biggest bump of all is Nisha Nandan, a failed romance novelist whose chance meeting with Arjun leads to an undeniable connection. With the date of his wedding quickly approaching, Arjun must should he listen to his heart, or to his brain?
Goodreads
Series: Glimmer Falls #3
Author: Sarah Hawley
August 15th 2024 by Gollancz
Werewolf Ben Rosewood is happy with his life. One hundred percent. Everything is fine. His business, Ben's Plant Emporium, is thriving, and he's even expanding the shop. His anxiety disorder is...well, it's been better, but that comes with the territory of running a business and having beastly urges every full moon, right? As for romance-who has the time? Though his family is desperate to see him settled, Ben is fine approaching forty as a single werewolf. But after drunkenly bidding on and winning a supposedly-possessed crystal on eBay one night, he finds himself face-to-face with a beautiful yet angry vampire.
Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux is a rare breed-a vampire succubus born from two elite European bloodlines during medieval times. Thanks to an evil witch, she's been stuck in a crystal since she was thirty, forced to obey orders from the possessor of the rock. Eleonore's been dreaming of breaking the spell and severing the witch's head for centuries. But did this witch really sell her to someone new, and for only ninety-nine cents?
Eleonore would claw this werewolf's heart out and eat it, if only the binding spell would allow her to. But Eleonore and Ben soon realize they can help each other with both vengeful and less hostile needs. And why not have a little fun along the way?
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Mary Ann Marlowe
August 19th 2024 by Entangled: Amara
When it comes to love, it’s all Greek to her…in this delightfully funny and lively romantic comedy that’s bound to be a hit for fans of Kate Clayborn or Lynn Painter.
If you’re really lucky, you have a best friend who pushes you to do the stuff that scares you. We have this whole thing where we challenge each other to take some (calculated) risks and do everything we’re terrified to do. Of course, when you avoid love at all costs, that means doing the being vulnerable.
So for one night, I’m going to be completely and brutally real about who I am…to a complete stranger, whose mischievous and ridiculously dark eyes promise all kinds of trouble. I’ll open the darkest corners of my soul to him. I’ll admit I run from love. That I believe in mind-blowing sex, not soul mates. Hell, I’ll even tell him why.
The problem is that instead of running screaming—the way I (and any level-headed commitment-phobe) would—the hot Greek guy is actually intrigued. I shouldn’t want to kiss him. I shouldn’t want more.
But I do.
It was just supposed to be a one-off thing. Bare my soul, flee at the stroke of midnight, and never see him again. But FML, I just discovered he’s the genius chef at my favorite organic kitchen and is single-handedly responsible for keeping me, and my stomach, so happy these past few months.
He’s the perfect Greek hero.
The only problem is that when it comes to romance…I might be the perfect villain.
Goodreads
Series: Mary #3
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows
August 20th 2024 by HarperTeen
Perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, New York Times bestselling authors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows are back with a fantastical, romantical, and piratical historical fantasy remix that marries the story of The Little Mermaid with the life and times of infamous lady pirate Mary Read.
Don't call this mermaid "little"—call her "captain," unless you want to walk the plank.
Mary is in love with the so-called prince of Charles Town, except he doesn't love her back. Which is inconvenient. Since she's a mermaid, being brokenhearted means she'll—poof!—turn into sea-foam.
But instead, Mary finds herself pulled out of the sea and up onto a pirate ship. To survive, she joins them. But Mary isn't willing to just sing the yo-ho-hos. She wants the pirate life, all of it, and she's ready to make a splash . . . by becoming captain. But when Blackbeard dies suddenly, Mary has a chance to become so much more: Pirate King . . . or Queen. She won't let anyone stop her—not Blackbeard's cute son, not her best friend from back under the sea who's having a bit too much fun with his new legs, and certainly not everyone who says she can't be a pirate just because she's a girl.
She may not be the best man for the job, but she'll definitely prove that she's worth her salt.
Goodreads
Series: Toil and Trouble #2
Author: Sophie H. Morgan
August 20th 2024 by Harlequin Feature
All's fair in love and warlocks …
Six weeks ago, Leah Turner snuck into a witch high-society masked ball and promised to abide by two
1. Don't draw attention to yourself.
2. Don't talk to anyone.
As a human, Leah took a huge risk by even attending—and by talking to the enigmatic warlock who had her wanting to rip off her mask. But this Cinderella had to leave the ball before anyone discovered her secret.
Gabriel Goodnight is everything a Higher family warlock should be. Powerful, responsible—to a fault, some might say. Still, before he can inherit his parents’ business, he’ll have to prove his merit to the board one final time…by living among humans, without his powers, for three months.
When Gabriel walks into Leah’s bar, she immediately recognizes him—but it’s obvious he has no idea who she is, and he definitely doesn’t know she knows about magic. This condescending, uptight man is hardly the Prince Charming she thought she knew…but that doesn't mean they can't have a little fun…
Goodreads
Series: Simi Chopra #2
Author: Sara Desai
August 20th 2024 by Berkley
Diamond necklaces, billionaires, Mafia bosses, and student loans—it’s all in a day’s work for Simi Chopra and her ragtag heist crew in the next romantic-comedy caper from Sara Desai.
It’s been a year since Simi Chopra’s motley crew pulled off a high-wire diamond necklace heist with the help of sexy rogue Jack Danger. After living it up on the reward money, they're back where they started, struggling to pay their bills. So when a Chicago Mafia boss demands they return the jewels—plus interest, or else—they need to get the team back together…and fast.
Unfortunately, Simi soon discovers that the necklace is in the hands of Jack's nemesis, a highly-skilled and supremely vengeful master thief who is not above a little blackmail to get even. (Did Jack really have to piss her off?) Now, the crew is forced into her working her con in order to get the necklace back.
As if Simi needed any more complications while trying to rob a billionaire’s mansion, she and Jack are on the rocks, someone else is after her score, and a gorgeous detective is hot on her tail. Simi better be careful or she’ll end up in the less fun kind of handcuffs.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Katie Cotugno
August 20th 2024 by Harper Perennial
The beloved New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California hits it out of the park with this smart, sexy, thrilling take on the celebrity-athlete story—a funny, sizzling, ripped-from-the-headlines romance between an international pop star and a major league baseball player who thought his best days were behind him.
Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe. When a professional athlete and a megawatt star fall in love, the world is obsessed . . .
With four chart-topping albums, Lacey Logan is a superstar whose life no longer feels like her own. Her every move is photographed, videoed, and dissected online, and her carefully curated Instagram feed studied by fans worldwide. To maintain her privacy, Lacey skillfully controls her narrative, showing fans and paparazzi what she wants them to see.
But when Lacey discovers her boyfriend is hiding two devastating secrets—a bad cocaine habit and a pregnant girlfriend—she begins to lose confidence and control of her own story. Then big-shouldered baseball player Jimmy Hodges, a former Rookie of the Year when Lacey was in high school, walks into the bar where she’s venting to a friend. With his shaggy beard and unfashionable button-down, Jimmy is the opposite of the picture-perfect guy Lacey thinks she wants. Soon, sparks fly and inhibitions go out the window when Lacey dares to take some chances.
Lacey and Jimmy are polar opposites. But could this be the forever after they both need?
Goodreads
Series: Bluestocking Booksellers #1
Author: Bethany Bennett
August 20th 2024 by Forever
A bookseller and a duke? She couldn’t have written anything more perfect.
Dorian Whitaker, Duke of Holland, needs an heir after his so-called “fairytale marriage” ended in disaster. When the intriguing bookseller he’s hired to liquidate his late wife’s library finds love letters revealing an affair, he is drawn into a mystery alongside a lady whose sharp intellect dazzles him and dares him to imagine a new adventure outside the gilded cage of the Ton.
If anyone found out Caroline Danvers writes erotic novels under a pen name, she’d face utter ruin. Except her latest hero inspiration is none other than the Duke of Holland—a man with the power to destroy her family’s bookshop. And yet the real man proves to be so much more than the character she created. Even as they expose the dark secrets of his past, she knows he can never discover her own. But the more time they spend together, the more tempting it is to rewrite their ending and turn fantasy into reality.
Goodreads
Series: Her Majesty’s Rebels #2
Author: Kate Bateman
August 20th 2024 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Two unlikely allies team up to solve a case in this novel filled with Kate Bateman's signature sparkling voice, exciting adventures, and steamy chemistry.
As a founding member of King & Co., London’s most successful private investigation firm, studious Eleanor Law delights in secretly proving that women can solve crimes just as well as men. When a charming con man pretends to be her fictional boss, "Charles King," Ellie knows he’s lying, but accepting the scoundrel’s offer of help might just be the key to cracking her new case and recovering a priceless manuscript.
“Henri Bonheur”—or “Harry” as he asks to be called—claims his criminal past is behind him, but a man who steals and seduces with such consummate ease can never be trusted. As the investigation draws them deeper into danger and desire, Ellie’s infuriated to realize she’s developed feelings for her law-breaking accomplice. How can she love the scoundrel when she doesn’t even know his real name? And what will happen when Harry’s past finally catches up with him?
Goodreads
Series: Critters and Criminals #2
Author: Tara Lush
August 20th 2024 by 8th Note Press
Solving murders, kissing criminology professors, and just the right amount of alligators combine in Swamp Princess, the cozy mystery + romance follow up to Gator Queen
Maggie Andrews is swamped—literally—as she tries to balance running her family's gator trapping business, "defining the relationship" with tattooed professor Jack Bianchi, and helping her twin sister Vera with her bookstore.
When she's invited to speak at a conference about the dangers hunting for cryptids in gator-infested waters, she assumes it's a joke she doesn't have time for. But it's all too real; hundreds of Bigfoot fans are sure that their monster has migrated to the swamps of Florida. Against her better judgement, Maggie agrees to lead a group of them on a small expedition. And it's going well—until a cryptozoology influencer ends up dead.
With her twin sister Vera dating the town's only homicide detective (and Maggie's own sparks still flying with criminology professor Jack), she has an in on solving murders. But navigating conspiracy theories, petty jealousies, and Bigfoot sightings make the investigation even more complicated than last time. Plus, she's gotta figure out - is Jack just along for the crime-solving ride and a summer fling, or are they playing for keeps?
Goodreads
Series: Love in Laandia #3
Author: Holly Kerr
August 20th 2024 by Three Birds Press
Prince Kalle does not want to be king. But will the right queen make him change his mind?
Kalle. eldest son of King Magnus of Laandia, is expected to be crowned king at his father’s untimely death.
(Hopefully not anytime soon—King Magnus is in good health. But still… sometime in the future Kalle is supposed to be king.)
Only he doesn’t want the crown.
Kalle, Laandia’s most celebrated jock (baseball, hockey, curling and now darts), is heading into another high-profile fling with a wealthy socialite. He’s the prince who will give you a good time but not the one you settle down with. In fact, Kalle would be perfectly happy staying single, keeping out of the media spotlight, and spending his days at his bar, The King’s Hat, which is managed by his best friend, Edie England.
Edie thinks Kalle would be a great king. So does (some of) Laandia. Friends with Kalle since a rocky driving lesson, Edie is the daughter of the groundskeeper at the castle and knows Kalle would make a good king. But Kalle doesn’t agree.
But King Magnus suggests Kalle should be looking for someone to share the role with. Stand beside him to rule Laandia. Be his queen.
Kalle likes that idea. But who will be his queen?
Royal Rising is the third book in the royal romance Love in Laandia series, a friends-to-lovers, low-heat, slow-burn sweet romance with late-night talking, bar fights, and a convenient power outage.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Anna Harbom
Published August 23rd 2024
As Daisy Thomas travels to her mother’s wedding, she is consumed with nothing but dread. She can no longer avoid the secret she has been struggling to ignore; that has been consuming her with shame, and that will force her to confront her own inadequacies as both a daughter and a romantic partner. Little does she know, fate has a mischievous plan in store for her.
When Daisy boards the plane, she finds herself seated next to a man who, to her dismay, turns out to be none other than the infuriating stranger who cut her off on the way to the airport. Yet somehow her handsome seatmate on the three-hour flight goes from being her sarcastic nemesis to her charming sparring partner, and then, something more. In the midst of family trauma and broken relationships, the enigmatic Charlie becomes the person who will help Daisy as she confronts her past, faces her family, and finally becomes the woman she was always meant to be.
Seat Mates is a funny, heartfelt romantic comedy that will have readers swooning over the flush of new love, and laughing as Daisy makes her way through the social minefield of polite society.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Kristyn J. Miller
August 27th 2024 by Griffin
Assistant professor Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She’s wanted to teach history since she was fourteen, and she hasn’t let anything stand in her way—not even the love of her life. And it all paid off in the end, because she landed a well-paid position at a private liberal arts college fresh out of grad school, and this year, she’s finally up for tenure.
When Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar, it’s an unwelcome blast from Clara’s past. She hasn’t spoken to Teddy since a falling out ten years ago. Now that he’s here, she’s reminded of their shared history at every autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she traded battered books and burned CDs with a quiet, dark-haired boy—and fell in love with him.
That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evenings working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she’s at risk of falling all over again. Given their history, she knows there’s every chance he’s not interested. But history’s all down to interpretation, and this time around, she’s got no intentions of repeating it.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Jean Meltzer
August 27th 2024 by MIRA
Is he the real deal…or did she truly summon a golem?
Faye Kaplan used to be engaged. She also used to have a successful legal practice. But she much prefers her new life as a potter in Woodstock, New York. The only thing missing is the perfect guy.
Not that she needs one. She’s definitely happy alone.
That is, until she finds her town papered with anti-Semitic flyers after yet another failed singles event at the synagogue. Desperate for comfort, Faye drunkenly turns to the only thing guaranteed to soothe her—pottery. A golem protector is just what her town needs…and adding all the little details to make him her ideal man can’t hurt, right?
When a seriously hot stranger mysteriously turns up the next day, Greg seems too good to be true—if you ignore the fact that Faye hit him with her bike. And that he subsequently lost his memory…
But otherwise, the man checks Every. Single. Box. Causing Faye to wonder if Greg’s sudden and spicy appearance might be anything but a coincidence.
Goodreads
Series: Maple Hills #3
Author: Hannah Grace
August 27th 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK
When procrastination lands him in a difficult class with his least favorite professor, Henry Turner knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new role as ice hockey captain – which he didn’t even want – Henry absolutely cannot fail. Enter Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who finds herself befriended by Henry when he accidentally crashes her book club.
Halle may not have the romantic pursuits of her favorite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and when she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. But being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job and the novel she’s trying to write. New experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, though, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her.
They just need to stick to their rulebook. Oh, and not fall in love.
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Mary Hargreaves
August 28th 2024 by Joffe Books
Sometimes love is closer than you think.
Career woman Eve is on the brink of a major promotion. So what if her personal life is a disaster — her online dating app constantly matches her with the most awful dates. And her best friend’s chaotic love life is a constant drama she just doesn’t need. Anyway, she has everything she needs at work.
If only her neighbour from two doors down would stop his cat getting into her house!
Laid-back Adam has everything he needs. A dedicated tutor, he has a fulfilling work-life balance. A close-knit group of friends and a close bond with his brother who has cerebral palsy.
If only his neighbour from two doors up would stop her cat getting into his house!
When Eve tries to return Adam’s cat, it becomes clear they have been duped by the antics of a stray. And despite his endearing presence in both their houses, ‘Old Sausage’ should be returned to his true owner.
But when both Eve and Adam are betrayed by those closest to them, they find their lives are not as fulfilled as they believed. As they search for Old Sausage’s owner, whilst dealing with their own betrayals, they begin to realise they have more in common than they first thought.
And perhaps a new beginning was on their doorstep all along . . .
Goodreads
Series: None
Author: Bonnie Woods
August 29th 2024 by HarperNorth
Sparks will fly, even without firewood…
A cosy autumnal retreat in the Scottish Highlands is the perfect escape for city girl, Harper… Until she is stranded in the forest with nowhere to stay.
Fraser, a gruff local woodcutter, reluctantly offers her his lumberjack’s cabin on one condition – she mustn’t distract him from his duties.
But Fraser is finding his beautiful guest annoyingly hard to ignore. And the way he chops firewood – dogged, powerful and precise – is distracting Harper too. Soon, as the flame-red leaves fall overhead, Harper and Fraser are both forced to wonder: Am I falling faster?
This cute, spicy autumnal romance features a HEA ending with BookTok's hottest lumberjack love interest.
Goodreads
What has caught your eye for August? Have you read any of these? Let me know :)
0 comments