This week's pick is:
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties
Series: Aunties #3
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Published March 28th 2024 by HQ

Goodreads Synopsis
Meddy and her meddling aunties are back and about to land themselves in a whole new world of trouble…

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her extended family. And a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up bearing extravagant gifts―he’s determined to rekindle the romance!

His grand gesture goes awry when a particular gift intended for a business rival is included by accident. When the Aunties return it (after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right?), Meddy and the Aunties find themselves as helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. It’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission―but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…
Goodreads

Why I'm waiting:

• This series has taken me by surprise, and I'm interested in how Second Aunt's former love plays up to his reputation.

Are you waiting for this book? Have you already read it? Let me know :)

Painting the Earl
Series: Marrying a Mabry #2
Author: Lexi Post
Published June 16th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
The bargain: She’ll marry him if he poses nude for her.

Lady Amelia Mabry is determined to paint her masterpiece before marrying, but she’s struggling with the male form. It isn’t as if she can hire a nude model – she’d be shunned by the ton. So when the Earl of Sommerset, who she’s privately dubbed the Golden Adonis, surprises her with a marriage proposal, she can’t resist making a counterproposal – pose nude for her, and when the painting is complete, she’ll marry him if he still wishes her to.

Andrew Crauford, Earl of Sommerset has just inherited his title – and as he’s discovered, his father’s significant debt. He needs to marry a woman with a sizeable dowry, but no young lady has interested him. Running out of time, at his friend’s recommendation, he proposes to Lady Amelia. But he never expected a counterproposal, nor such a brazen one at that! Now he’s interested.

Unfortunately, the lady has an aversion to being married for her money, which means he must entice her to fall in love with him.

Though Lady Amelia has fancied painting the earl since meeting him, she’s shocked he agreed to her counterproposal. As his sittings begin, she finds it more and more difficult to focus on her painting instead of her model. If she’s not careful, her carefully laid plans for her future will go amiss.

Bargain or not, falling in love with the earl before completing her masterpiece is not an option.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lady Amelia Mabry has just shown her artwork for the first time, but after overhearing critique stating she doesn't know how to portray the male body, she knows she needs to find someone to model for her. However, her family is shunned, and it's not as if a lady can just go out and ask a man to model nude anyway. But then the Earl of Sommerset proposes to her, and rather than rejecting outright, Amelia offers Andrew a counterproposal. Seemingly thinking it'll be easy to just paint him and not be affected, Amelia soon realises she's focusing more on him, rather than her artwork.

I didn't enjoy the previous book in the series, but I really want to clear as much of my NetGalley backlog as I can do, so I decided to continue the series. I'm glad I did because this book was definitely more enjoyable than Stealing the Duke. Amelia and Andrew had a strong attraction, and though both tried to hide how strong it was, it was undeniable. The scenes when Amelia was painting were both sweet and spicy, but we really got to know more about both the characters. Andrew wasn't cold and calculating, but caring and trying everything he could to save his newly inherited estate, and the tenants who relied on him. This helped Amelia allow herself to love him fully, and not think of him as a stuffy noble who would look down on her.

Dates Read:
May 5, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

Every Time You Hear That Song
Series: None
Author: Jenna Voris
April 2nd 2024 by Viking Books for Young Readers
They say to never meet your idols. But they never said anything about upending your life for a quest designed by one.
Seventeen-year-old aspiring journalist Darren Purchase has been a lifelong fan of country music legend Decklee Cassel, who’s as famous for her classic hits as she is for her partnership with songwriter Mickenlee Hooper. The same Mickenlee who mysteriously backed out of the limelight at the height of their careers, never to be heard from again. Now, Decklee’s televised funeral marks the unveiling of her long-awaited time capsule. But when it’s revealed to be empty, a long trail of scavenger hunt clues unfolds, leading to a whopping cash prize for whoever finds the real capsule. Darren knows there’s a story there—and she’s going to be the one to break it. Even if it means a spontaneous road trip with her coworker, Kendall.
Flashback to 1963, where a young, runaway Decklee has her sights set on fame and glory. As she claws her way to the top over the years that follow, it’s Mickenlee’s lyrics that help rocket her to stardom. But as their relationship evolves beyond the professional, it threatens everything Decklee has worked for. What else will she sacrifice to hold on to her dreams?
Told in alternating perspectives, Every Time You Hear That Song is a queer coming-of-age story celebrating country music, complicated women, and living authentically. There’s more to Decklee’s story than Darren ever could have guessed, but the real story she has to tell is her own.
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The Lady He Lost
Series: None
Author: Faye Delacour
April 2nd 2024 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Her only interest is in making her own way in the world. Luckily, he can help.
Lieutenant Eli Williams was supposed to be dead. In the two years since his shipwreck, his friends and family mourned him, his brother spent his savings, and his fiancée married someone else. So, when he turns up in the middle of the London social season, he quickly becomes the talk of the town. All Eli wants is to set his life back in order and reconnect with Jane Bishop, a friend who has always meant so much more to him, before returning to sea.
Jane refuses to waste any more of her life pining over Eli, who chose her cousin instead of her. She needs to focus on gaining her financial independence by establishing a ladies' gambling club. Never mind that Eli keeps trying to atone for his past mistake by bringing in new members. He's obviously keeping secrets about his disappearance, which means that she can't trust him with her heart even if she did kiss him in a moment of weakness. Or three.
As Eli works to regain her trust, Jane's defensive walls begin to crumble. But when Eli faces a court of inquiry on suspicion of desertion, Jane must decide if she can let go of the past to build a future with Eli, or risk losing him for good.
This charming and sexy friends to enemies to lovers historical romance romp is the perfect read for fans of Evie Dunmore and India Holton.
Goodreads
Here We Go Again
Series: None
Author: Alison Cochrun
April 2nd 2024 by Atria Books
The author of Kiss Her Once for Me returns with a new queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.
Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker. Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.
But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.
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The Rule Book
Series: None
Author: Sarah Adams
April 2nd 2024 by Dell
College sweethearts meet again years later, in this highly anticipated romance and companion story to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.
Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.
Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.
Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?
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Bridesmaid for Hire
Series: None
Author: Meghan Quinn
April 2nd 2024 by Bloom Books
Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures.
And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.
Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century” taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.
Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years’ worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.
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The Backup Princess
Series: None
Author: Kate O'Keeffe
April 4th 2024 by Wild Lime Books
When a Texas gal punches a prince instead of curtsying, you know this isn't your grandmother's fairy tale.
Taking the bull by the horns is child's play compared to ruling Malveaux. Yet here I am, a Texas girl turned princess, swapping tacos for a tiara.
Then I meet Europe’s most eligible bachelor, the irritatingly handsome Prince Alexander, and accidentally deck him instead of curtsying.
Oops.
I’d feel bad if he wasn’t such a self-satisfied jerk.
Now, I'm racing against a royal clock that ticks with the urgency of a preening peacock, trying not to let down my newfound country or my own wild heart. Alexander? He's a walking contradiction, with a smirk that heats my blood and eyes that tell tales of a depth I didn't expect.
Decisions aren't exactly my rodeo, but this time, my choice could cost me my new crown—or lead to a love story that rewrites my happily ever after.
Will this Texas girl rise to the royal challenge, or is this one fairytale destined to end with the slipper never found?
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Fake It 'til You Make It
Series: None
Author: Laura Carter
April 8th 2024 by Boldwood Books
Can a fake date fix everything? On a day Abbey thought would be the best of her life – her boyfriend is surely going to propose tonight, right? – it all falls he tells her he’s met someone else. And then to make things worse, she loses her job.
In an act of reimagination, she splurges her wedding savings on renting an apartment in a building she’s always dreamed of living in and kits out her wardrobe to match.
But when her family invites her ex – a close family friend – plus a date(!!) to her parents’ vow renewal, Abbey realizes her façade won’t be enough. There’s nothing for it but to fake one more thing – a romance. And she knows exactly who to ask... her hot new neighbor...
A laugh-out-loud fake-dating rom com, with a chemistry you’ll be thinking about long after turning the last page. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and Elena Armas
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Only and Forever
Series: Bergman Brothers #7
Author: Chloe Liese
April 9th 2024 by Penguin
A room-mance for the books in this tender, steamy story about unexpectedly finding love and being brave enough to let it revise life’s narrative in the final book in the beloved Bergman Brothers series.
Tallulah
I’ve got a massive case of writer’s block and I've been kicked out of my apartment, with no end to my misery in sight. At least, until Viggo Bergman makes me an offer I can’t refuse: he needs help running his romance bookstore; I need help with my thriller’s romantic subplot. We’ll swap skills and cohabitate for convenience. I’m a cold-hearted cynic, he’s a heart-eyed romantic. We barely get along. But who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?
Viggo
Life’s hard as a hopeless romantic still waiting for my forever love. Between running my romance bookstore and a romance book club, coaching kids' soccer, and adopting a household of pets, my chaotic life seems to make finding love downright improbable. But when I bump into Tallulah Clarke, hope seems like it's finally on the horizon. Except that sharing a home and life with Tallulah challenges everything I thought I knew about love, and reveals the plot twist I never saw coming: happily ever after is here already, right under our roof.
Goodreads
The Last Love Song
Series: None
Author: Kalie Holford
April 9th 2024 by Blackstone Publishing
A queer YA Mamma Mia! with a dash of Maureen Johnson, The Last Love Song celebrates the music of an uncertain heart—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour, Laura Taylor Namey, and Emma Lord.
After high school graduation, Mia Peters faces a summer full of painful goodbyes. Songwriting is her only solace. Everyone she knows is moving on, including Britt, her biggest supporter … and kind-of-sort-of girlfriend. Britt keeps pushing Mia to go bigger and do better than their small town, but Mia can’t imagine a life beyond Sunset Cove. Besides, she refuses to follow in the footsteps of her late mother—country music star Tori Rose—who abandoned her family to pursue her dream, leaving Mia and her two grandmothers alone.
Desperate for a sign of what might lie ahead, Mia finds the opposite—a mysterious letter from the past, addressed to her in her mother’s handwriting. It turns out to be the first of many. One by one they lead Mia on a wild scavenger hunt through a Sunset Cove she never knew, buried under the memorializing that has frozen her mother in time. Each new discovery brings Mia closer to the real Tori Rose, but with the clock ticking on Britt’s departure, Mia knows she is running out of time.
With the summer winding down, Mia must decide if she is ready to face the present, confront her feelings, and forge the destiny she truly wants. A dazzlingly soulful debut, The Last Love Song is perfect for anyone who’s ever tried to decode the clues in the lead-up to a new Taylor Swift album.
Goodreads
Next to You
Series: Next #2
Author: Hannah Bonam-Young
April 9th 2024 by Dell
Two friends battle feelings for each other as they work together to renovate a school bus into a home in this charming romance novel from viral TikTok author of Next of Kin and Out on a Limb
Lane is in the middle of an identity crisis. Her friends are all partnered up, her career is leading nowhere, and simply put, she’s not happy. So, after a night out celebrating her birthday, she makes one hell of an impulsive a giant yellow forty-eight passenger school bus that she intends to make a home.
With little-to-no renovation experience, but a large sum of inheritance money, Lane enlists the help of her friend Matt—a mechanic by trade, handyman by practice, and hottie by nature.
While their mutual attraction is undeniable, Matt and Lane have silently agreed that a friendship is the only thing that can ever exist between them. Matt’s a total family guy with “settle down with me” tattooed across his forehead, whereas Lane is entirely commitment averse. It could never work . . . right?
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Wake Me Most Wickedly
Series: Once Upon the East End #2
Author: Felicia Grossman
April 9th 2024 by Forever
Solomon Weiss has little interest in power, but to repay the half-brother who raised him, he pursues money, influence, and now—a respectable wife. That is, until outcast Hannah Moses saves his life, and Sol finds himself helplessly drawn to the beautiful pawnshop owner.
Forever tainted by her parents' crimes, Hannah sees only a villain when she looks in the mirror—no one a prince would choose. To survive, she must care for herself, even if that means illegally hunting down whatever her clients wish. So, no matter how fair or charming she finds Sol, he belongs to a world far too distant from her own.
Only neither can resist their desires, and each meeting weakens Hannah’s resolve to stay away. But when Hannah discovers a shocking betrayal in Sol’s inner circle, can she convince him to trust her? Or will fear and doubt poison their love for good?
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The Kiss Countdown
Series: None
Author: Etta Easton
April 9th 2024 by Berkley
A struggling event planner and a sinfully hot astronaut must decide if their fake relationship is worth a shot at happily-ever-after, in this starry debut.
Risk-averse event planner Amerie Price is jobless, newly single, and about to lose her apartment. With no choice but to gamble on her shaky start-up, the last thing she needed was to run into her smug ex and his new, less complicated girlfriend at Amerie's favorite coffee shop. Panicked, she pretends to be dating the annoyingly sexy man she met by spilling Americano all over his abs. He plays along—for a price.
Half the single men in Houston claim to be astronauts, but Vincent Rogers turns out to be the real deal. What started as a one-off lie morphs into a for the three months leading up to his mission, Amerie will play Vincent's doting partner in front of his loving but overly invested family. In exchange, she gets a rent-free room in his house and can put every penny toward her struggling business.
What Amerie doesn't plan for is Vincent's gravitational pull. While her mind tells her a future with this astronaut is too unpredictable, her heart says he's exactly what she needs. As their time together counts down, Amerie must decide if she'll settle for the safe life—or shoot for the stars.
Goodreads
Better Left Unsent
Series: None
Author: Lia Louis
April 11th 2024 by Zaffre
Millie is a big fan of keeping her opinions to herself ... or at least keeping them in her drafts.
Despite her best efforts, Millie Chandler is known at work as the nice receptionist who got dumped by the company hotshot, and ever since then, she has vowed to keep everything to herself - her feelings, her hopes, and especially her fears. No one can hurt her if they don't know how she really feels.
But Millie does have an outlet: her emails. From sarcastic replies to her rude, tactless boss, rants to friends about their terrible choice in men to a five-hundred-word love declaration to her ex, who three years on, is about to marry someone else. Millie's reality lives in her drafts, but when she wakes up one morning, all of drafts are now somehow in her sent folder. The truth is out.
As every dark secret she's worked so hard to keep password protected is released into the wild, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she's ever hidden away from.
Will Millie find the strength to finally open both her heart, and her inbox?
Goodreads
Burning Crowns
Series: Twin Crowns #3
Author: Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber
April 11th 2024 by Electric Monkey
Twin queens Rose & Wren survived the Battle for Anadawn and brought back magic to their kingdom. But danger lurks in Eana’s shadows.
Wren is troubled. Ever since she performed the blood spell on Prince Ansel, her magic has become unruly. Worse, the spell created a link between Wren and the very man she’s trying to forget: Icy King Alarik of Gevra. A curse is eating away at both of them. To fix it they must journey to the northern mountains—under the watchful guard of Captain Tor Iversen—to consult with the Healer on High.
Rose is haunted. Waking one night to find her undead ancestor Oonagh Starcrest by her bed, she receives a warning: surrender the throne—or face a war that will destroy Eana. With nowhere to turn and desperate to find a weapon to defeat Oonagh, Rose seeks help from Shen-Lo in the Sunkissed Kingdom, but what she finds there may break her heart.
As Oonagh threatens all Rose and Wren hold dear, it will take everything they have to save Eana–including a sacrifice they may not be prepared to make.
Goodreads
The Upper Crush
Series: Foxbrooke #3
Author: Evie Alexander
April 17th 2024 by Emlin Press
Enjoy this laugh-out-loud, steamy romance series by award-winning romantic comedy author Evie Alexander…
He wasn’t banking on someone else taking the reins…
Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. She’s got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then she’s saddled with a business partner she’s hated all her life. He’s her twin brother’s worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.
After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, he’s now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. She’s sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.
As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending Estelle’s plans to the edge of ruin. With James’s flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?
The Upper Crush is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, steamy, standalone, small town romantic comedy with a fiery country girl giving a cocky city boy a run for his money. No cheating or cliffhanger, but snort-laughs, swoons and a deliciously happy ending guaranteed in this sparkling and sizzling romcom!
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A Duke of One's Own
Series: None
Author: Emma Orchard
April 22nd 2024 by Boldwood Books
Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...
Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.
Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.
As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?
Goodreads
My Season of Scandal
Series: The Palace of Rogues #7
Author: Julie Anne Long
April 23th 2024 by Avon
In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series, a notorious rake meets his match in a doe-eyed girl from the country, changing the course of both of their futures…
A London season is the chance of a lifetime for Catherine Keating. But the ton’s glitter and decadence and casual cruelty threaten to crush her hopes of finding a husband before her season even begins...until she accidentally acquires one of the most scandalous men in England as a secret chaperone.
Famously fiery Lord Dominic Kirke can hold the House of Commons—and any woman he chooses— in thrall. But when his house goes up in flames in the dead of night, he finds himself at the Grand Palace on the Thames. And there he discovers his cynical armor is no match for another an innocent country girl with a crackling wit and eyes like a summer sky.
He's maddening, elusive, hopelessly charismatic, wrong in every way—perfectly designed to break her heart. But she doesn't know she holds his battered heart in her hands. And though it will destroy him, Dominic knows loving her means setting Catherine free for the life—and man—she deserves.
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The Lady Plays with Fire
Series: Goode's Guide to Misconduct #2
Author: Susanna Craig
April 23rd 2024 by Zebra Books
In this Bridgerton era You’ve Got Mail, the clever, popular, and deliciously shocking ladies’ periodical Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses only employs women who are equal to the challenge—and for one biting theatre critic, that challenge happens to include romance.
A fast-paced, innovative, sexy historical romance with a modern twist that readers of Sabrina Jeffries, Sarah MacLean, and Julia Quinn will adore.
As the daughter of a clergyman, Julia Addison knows she’ll never be able to fulfill her lifelong dream of acting on the stage. But writing forthright reviews of the Season’s most popular plays for Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses, popularly known as Goode’s Guide to Misconduct is surely the next best thing. Even better, she’s got a ticket to Ransom Blackadder’s latest irritating satire about English society. Best of all, she’s sharing a theater box with the gruff but handsome Lord Dunstane, which is enough to make Julia call for an encore . . .
Graham McKay, the Earl of Dunstane, rarely leaves his home in the Scottish Highlands. Why would he? Nothing about London has ever held his interest—until he meets Julia. But when Graham realizes she is the critic who panned his last play—and she discovers he is in fact the man behind Blackadder’s wicked pen—will it bring down the curtain on their romance—not to mention the magazine that published the humiliating review? Or can an unexpected collaboration set the stage for a scandalous love affair?
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Earls Trip
Series: None
Author: Jenny Holiday
April 23rd 2024 by Kensington Books
The first in a sparkling Regency-era series with a delightfully modern feel, set against the irresistible backdrop of an annual trip taken by three handsome earls . . .
Even an earl needs his ride-or-dies, and Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, counts himself lucky to have two. Archie (the jock), Simon (the nerd), and Effie (the goth) have been BFFs since their school days, and their annual trip holds a sacred spot in their calendars. This year, Archie is especially eager to get away—until an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend, begging him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. Archie’s childhood pal Olive Morgan must be rescued from an ill-fated elopement—and her sister Clementine must be rescued from rescuing Olive. Suddenly the trip has become earls-plus-girls.
This . . . complicates matters. The fully grown Clementine, while as frank and refreshing as Archie remembers, is also different to the wild, windswept girl he knew. This Clem is complex and surprising—and adamantly opposed to marriage. Which, for reasons Archie dare not examine too closely, he finds increasingly vexing.
Then Clem makes him an indecent and quite delightful proposal, asking him to show her the pleasures of the marriage bed before she settles into spinsterhood. And what kind of gentleman would he be to refuse a lady?
Goodreads
The Stranger I Wed
Series: The Doves of New York #1
Author: Harper St. George
April 23rd 2024 by Berkley
New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all. . . .
Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.
Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets...
But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.
Goodreads
First Base
Series: Chicago Heartbreakers #1
Author: Ally Wiegand
April 23rd 2024 by Embla Books
It was just a game... until the rules changed.
Photographer Maggie Redford is happy to watch life from the stands. She's already met and lost the love of her life and would rather spend her time snapping shots of Chicago's MLB team. But Maggie's thrown a curveball when the team signs Tommy Mikals, a tattooed hotshot whose talent for making plays is matched by a playboy reputation.
Tommy knows he's on the brink of losing his baseball career for good and that the Cougars are his last shot at redemption. Vowing to give up his party-boy ways, he can't afford any distractions - including one gorgeous team photographer.
When a wild team outing leads to a compromising photo between Maggie and Tommy going viral, suddenly they've become the hottest new celebrity couple. With his reputation and her job on the line, they have no choice but to go along with PR's plan of faking a romance to the world.
But as their pretend relationship plays out in the spotlight, real feelings come into play. Maggie's already loved and lost; Tommy's never learned to can they even make it past first base?
Goodreads
Make Mine a Marquess
Series: Daring Ladies #3
Author: Tina Gabrielle
April 23rd 2024 by Entangled: Amara
He lost everything. Now he’s come to take it all back—along with her—in this entrancing romance that’s ideal for fans of Sophie Jordan and Eloisa James.
Everyone thought that the Marquess of Landon was lost at sea. Instead, Robert Kirkian defied all the odds and survived. Now he’s returned to London to reclaim his title, his property, and his lands from the foul snake who tried to have him killed: his own cousin. But proper vengeance requires patience—and the perfect weapon. Which is precisely when Robert meets his cousin’s charmingly spirited betrothed…
Miss Phoebe Dawson is everything an ambitious gentleman could desire in a wife. Wealthy, exceedingly lovely, and with a sparkle in her blue eyes that could entice even the most reluctant suitor. But Phoebe’s come too close to ruin—the humiliation of it!—to be fooled by yet another handsome face and silken words . But oh, how he makes her feel. So flustered, so flushed…and so thrillingly alive.
Phoebe knows that love is a fool’s game, even if the Marquess does play his hand like an expert. Her reputation can nary afford the tiniest spark of scandal, let alone those slow, deep kisses that leave her breathless. But she’s about to discover the only thing more dangerous than a rogue is a wronged man hellbent on revenge…
Goodreads
Couples Retreat
Series: None
Author: Lorraine Brown
April 25th 2024 by Orion
Scarlett Green and Theo Winters are two writers with only one bestselling book to their the one they wrote together all those years ago. None of the books they've written separately have ever been quite as successful.
Now at risk of being dropped by their respective publishers, Theo and Scarlett's agent suggests it's time for them to work together again. She doesn't know why they fell out and frankly she doesn't care! This is the only way they can save their careers. And surely an exclusive writers' retreat in the French Riviera isn't the worst way to spend a summer...
That is until Scarlett and Theo arrive at their Cote D'Azur resort and find out they're all booked... for a couples retreat!
Goodreads
What's Eating Jackie Oh?
Series: None
Author: Patricia Park
April 30th 2024 by Crown Books for Young Readers
A Korean American teen tries to balance her dream to become a chef with the cultural expectations of her family when she enters the competitive world of a TV cooking show. A hilarious and heartfelt YA novel from the award-winning author of Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim and Re Jane .
Jackie Oh is done being your model minority.
She just hasn’t told her second-gen Korean American parents yet. They would never understand her unconventional dream to become a professional chef. Just ask her brother Justin, who hasn't heard from them since he was sent to Rikers Island.
For now, when she isn’t avoiding studying for AP World History, Jackie is improving her French cooking techniques and working at her grandparents’ Midtown deli Melty’s.
Then the most unexpected thing Jackie gets recruited for a casting audition for the teen edition of Burn Off!, her favorite competitive cooking show. Even more unexpected, Jackie becomes a contestant.
Jackie is thrown headfirst into the cutthroat competitive TV show world filled with psych outs, picky mom critiques, and dreaded microaggressions to lean into her heritage.
All Jackie wants to do is cook her way. But is her way to cook traditional French cuisine? Lean into her heritage? Or is it something more? To advance through the competition, Jackie must prove who she is on and off the plate.
Patricia Park's hilarious and stunning What’s Eating Jackie Oh? explores the delicate balance of identity, ambition, and the cultural expectations to perform.
Goodreads
Happy Medium
Series: None
Author: Sarah Adler
April 30th 2024 by Berkley
A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property's resident real-life ghost if she's to save them all from a fate worse than death, in this delightful new novel from the author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes.
Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best (wealthiest) client hires her to investigate the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner’s struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a fraud, but she'd like to think she’s a beneficent one. So if "cleansing" the property will help a nice old man finally retire and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who's she to say no?
Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn't the kindly AARP member Gretchen imagined—Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced that Gretchen can communicate with the dead. (Which, fair.) Except, to her surprise, Gretchen finds herself face-to-face with the very real, very chatty ghost that’s been wreaking havoc during every open house. And he wants her to help ensure Charlie avoids the same family curse that's had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s.
Now, Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property. Unfortunately, hard work and honesty seem to be the way to win over the stubborn farmer—not exactly Gretchen's strengths. But trust isn’t the only thing growing between them, and the risk of losing Charlie to the spirit realm looms over Gretchen almost as annoyingly as Everett himself. To save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she's beginning to love, Gretchen will need to pull off the greatest con of her being fully, genuinely herself.
Goodreads
Yes No Maybe
Series: None
Author: Jessica Sherry
April 30th 2024 by Jessica Sherry
Teacher and fix-it queen Rowan Mackey avoids attention. Afflicted with serious burns as a teenager, she gets too many unwanted stares already. Consequently, her difficult dating history has taught her to dislike romance, too. So, it’s no surprise when her boyfriend’s extravagant public proposal goes sideways.
Longing for a safe, quiet life with Dean and believing his “independent together” arrangement is her best hope for companionship and a family, Rowan buys the perfect little house to fix things.
Problem is… she shares a property line with Jack Graham, a bestselling romance writer and party-centric playboy, who quickly becomes her next door nemesis. He makes it very clear—he doesn’t want a new neighbor. But when clashes with Rowan end his year-long writer’s block, he must explore his creative fascination with his reluctant muse under atypical Neighbor. Engaged. Off-limits.
These opposites attract, forging a surprise connection. Boundaries vanish as tension rises between them, and they face emotionally charged choices.
Will Rowan risk her safe life with Dean for a chance with the grumpy playboy next door? And will Jack change everything to find the inspiration he craves with the one woman he shouldn’t?
Goodreads

What has caught your eye for April? Have you read any of these? Let me know :)