New Releases in April 2024 – Historical Romance Books and Contemporary Romance Books

It’s Raining Rakes in April by Annabelle Anders (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Rake Review series. Henry has returned to England to take his rightful place as duke, but he’s walking around town as a regular guy until the paperwork is settled, just in case his cousin contests the claim. In doing so, he observes Julia trying (and failing) to catch his cousin’s attention and being a total dunce at flirting. Julia is the oldest of seven sisters and is encouraged to make an advantageous match to position her sisters better in the future. Her aunt discourages her from spending time with Henry, since he’s rumored to be a rake and he seemingly has no financial prospects. However, Julia is still atrocious at flirting and needs some help, so she enlists Henry for some lessons. And in this process, he decides to keep her for himself, especially since she likes him for who he really is and not because of his title or money.

Advance ebook provided by Annabelle Anders.

Falling for the Marquess by Alexa Aston (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest series. We start with August’s story as he’s injured at war and sent home, finding that his father died and his brother is on his deathbed, and leaving him the newly inherited marquess. He’s pretty frightened of his own physical scars and his new responsibilities, but makes his brother a deathbed promise to marry next Season and sire an heir. Meanwhile, Georgina is the daughter and sister of a duke getting ready for her debut into society with her sister and two cousins and hoping to hold out for a love match, like she’s seen her twin sister and older brother achieve. She has a chance meeting with August in a bookstore and instantly feels a connection to him and boldly introduces herself and invites him to tea with her family. She’s even more glad to find out that he’s their neighbor and that their two homes share a garden. He’s hesitant at the attention, believing himself to look like a monster, but she’s certainly charming and assertive. We find that the Strongs are a supportive family and show their approval of August quite publicly. He’s just got to get over his own insecurity if he wants to build a life with Georgina.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.

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The Madness of Miss Grey by Julia Bennet (2018)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Harcastle Inheritance series. Will is the new psych doctor at an insane asylum which happens to be located within the manor where he grew up as the housekeeper’s son. The old owner of the manor had passed away and his heir had sold the house to the doctor who now runs the asylum. One of the patients, Helen, is considered to be a difficult case and has a habit of trying to either run away or gain assistance by seducing other doctors. Will is wary of Helen’s manipulations, but doesn’t actually believe that she’s insane. As they spend more time together, Will decides he needs to help her escape the asylum, even though he’s not sure whether or not he’s being manipulated. This book was fascinating to read and kept me hooked the whole way through.

Advance ebook provided by Julia Bennet via NetGalley.

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Because the Baron Broods by Darcy Burke (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Rogue Rules series. Grumpy baron Isaac meets sunshine cousin of a viscount Tamsin on the annual trip to a seaside town. They’re total opposites, but still drawn to each other, and no one in their friend circle seems to understand the connection. Isaac is mostly grumpy and serious because a youthful indiscretion left him feeling guilty and ashamed of his actions. Tamsin is just trying to stay happy and optimistic despite her aloof father and a mother who abandoned their family. They somehow end up getting engaged because a busybody lady catches him defending her from an over-persistent suitor. And then they go through with the arrangement even though Isaac insists on keeping his emotional distance from Tamsin. It takes a lot of persistence and kindness on Tamsin’s part to get Isaac to open up to her and to the possibility of happiness.

Advance ebook provided by Darcy Burke.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Logan and Rosemary were best friends as tweens, enemies as teens, didn’t see each other for a decade, and now enemy co-workers teaching at the same high school they attended. They’re also complete opposites in personality and demeanor and are constantly antagonizing each other. They’re also both completely dedicated to their former teacher and mentor Joe who is dying of cancer. When Joe wants both girls to drive him across the country so that he can die in his remote cottage, they think it’s a terrible idea, but then give in because they both want to honor Joe’s wishes. And it’s pretty much an awful road trip, with arguing and detours and dodgy accommodations. But through this trip, everyone gets to deal with all of their past regrets and inner demons and actually communicate with each other. And while the death trip is sad and full of grief, we do get to see Logan and Rosemary reconcile and begin to understand each other better. Funny, heartbreaking, and so very delightful to read.

Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

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What Is Love? by Jen Comfort (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Maxine and Teddy are total opposites in terms of personality and temperament and somehow end up rivals on a popular trivia question game show. We get to see them get under each others’ skin a few times before teaming up to study together to prepare for a final tournament against a common rival. Of course with their very different study styles (super regimented for Teddy and nonexistent for Maxine), they spend most of their time arguing and then trying not to sleep with each other. Until they realize that carnal acts make great study motivators. This book was super funny and steamy and highly entertaining.

Advance ebook provided by Montlake Books via NetGalley.

The Lady Plays with Fire by Susanna Craig (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Goode’s Guide to Misconduct series. One of our secret columnists, Julia, has made an enemy of a certain playwright for her scathing review of one of his plays. That playwright is the pseudonym of grumpy Scottish earl Graham who prefers solitude and sarcasm. On a chance meeting at the theater, Graham and Julia meet face-to-face without knowing that the other person is their secret rival. However, they continue to run into each other in London and then Julia is trying to find out more information and subsequently influence a play that Graham is a patron of. It’s kind of messy to follow, but things heat up once they realize their attraction for each other and Graham opens up about his history. While this book felt like a slow start for me, I enjoyed seeing these two come together and how the final drama was resolved.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Naval Lieutenant Eli is back from the dead after being shipwrecked and captured by pirates to find that he has no money, no fiance, and might be questioned by his bosses about his time away from the Navy. His former friend Jane is being cold and he doesn’t quite know why, but he wants to regain her friendship and affection. Well, we find out that Eli and Jane had a strong friendship up until the point where Eli gets caught in a compromising position with Jane’s prettier and more sociable cousin Cecily and then gets engaged to that woman. Stuck doing the honorable thing and staying engaged to a woman he doesn’t like very much, he runs off and joins the Navy. It’s basically a cluster of immaturity for Eli there. Meanwhile Jane is trying to run a discreet gambling club for ladies and gain her own financial independence. Due to the meddling of too many of Jane’s family members, she and Eli end up at the same house party attending the horse races at Ascot and sort of maybe start a physical affair. But both Jane and Eli is dodgy about their feelings, leaving the other person totally unsure and insecure. This is one of those books where I’m just waiting for the characters to just talk to each other already. However, it was fun to read about Jane’s adventures in gambling and Eli’s unwavering support.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Daring Ladies series. The newly returned Marquess of Landon is out for revenge against his cousin, who seems to have orchestrated the shipwreck that left him for dead five years ago. The gross cousin spends money recklessly and is draining the estate’s funds, while also neglecting the tenants and estate repairs. Landon hopes to find evidence of his cousin’s guilt while also seducing the man’s fiancee to add further injury. Phoebe is mostly the innocent victim here, but she was apathetic enough to become engaged to the villain of the story because she wanted to avoid any type of desire or passion. However, all those repressed feelings flare back to life when she meets Landon and is instantly intrigued and attracted to him. She tries and fails to stay away from him and sees that he really is an upstanding guy, for the most part, but she doesn’t yet know that she’s being used for revenge. This was your fairly typical revenge love story and it’ll take a bit of groveling on Landon’s part to get the girl.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

Wake Me Most Wickedly by Felicia Grossman (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Once Upon the East End series. This one is a Snow White retelling, where Solomon Weiss is the innocent dandy who needs rescuing. He’s trying his absolute darndest to help his older brother achieve his ambitions, while also working at a new job with the prominent Jewish families in town, and also flirting with the rogue of a woman who saved him from being robbed. The infamous Hannah runs a pawn shop and also is an informant-for-hire to the thugs of the night. Despite her unsuitability for Sol, he pursues her anyway because he can’t seem to get her out of his mind. She’s determined to keep Sol safely away from her because her reputation will ruin his, but he’s an incorrigible flirt and succeeds in at least seducing her into a physical relationship. Things take a dangerous turn for Sol though when he gets chased into the night in what feels like more than just an ordinary robbery. While we have initial suspicions of who the villain could be, it’s still a huge let down for the ever loyal Sol.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. This one is a relatively low-drama low-angst childhood friends to lovers story. Archie is on his way to his annual guys trip with his two best friends but is detoured when he needs to rescue family friends Clementine and Olive from a rogue. Olive is the younger sister who Archie only has brotherly feelings for. Meanwhile, the outspoken and outdoorsy Clementine is someone that Archie obliviously takes all book to realize he’s in love with. We get to see these two rekindle their friendship which drifted apart as they got older as well as see this bigger friend group form a connection. While Clementine has vehemently expressed her desire to never marry, it also takes her all book to realize that Archie would be a different kind of husband and that she would get to be true to herself when she’s with him. This was a quiet slow-burn type of romance which I really enjoyed.

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via Edelweiss.

A Touch Wicked by Katrina Kendrick (2018)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 0.5 of the Private Arrangements series. Emma is looking for her sister who disappeared under mysterious circumstances and now she’s working as a lady’s maid to a stuffy earl’s sister to support herself. James is the stuffy earl who is pretty much instantly attracted to Emma and totally distracted by her, even though he says he’s looking for a proper society wife to keep his rebellious sister in line. James and Emma run into each other at a masquerade where he’s trying to put the maid out of his mind and she’s trying to find clues about her sisters whereabouts. Although James does not recognize Emma, she definitely recognizes him and tries to stay away. Except for that whole instant attraction business and they soon start a masked affair. It’s going to be a huge mess when he finds out the truth, but the mystery of Emma’s missing sister is super intriguing to read about.

Advance ebook provided by Katrina Kendrick via NetGalley.

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. We get right to the tragic root of the problem here with chapter 1 at Helen’s younger sister’s funeral. Turns out Helen’s 16-year-old sister jumped in front of high school all-star Grant’s moving vehicle. Clearly not his fault, but still causing lots of grief and resentment for Helen and her family. Fast forward thirteen years and Helen’s book series is being adapted for television. Grant is a fairly talented screenwriter who is tapped for the job and these two meet again as co-workers. It’s awful and awkward and tragic and they somewhat come to a truce and then somehow become entangled in a physical relationship. But despite how much they actually like each other in the present-day, an actual real relationship isn’t possible with all of the animosity that Helen’s parents have towards Grant. And Helen’s the one enforcing the boundaries of their pre-planned expiration date. There’s all sorts of emotional angst and bonding here with their shared past experiences and their compatibility in the present. Add a splash of overbearing immigrant Asian parents and we have a perfect scenario for impossibilities.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Libro.fm. Print book provided by Avon Books.

My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Palace of Rogues series. Catherine is the daughter of a country doctor in London to find a husband and has an optimistic outlook for the Season while staying at the Grand Palace on the Thames. While it seems unlikely that she’ll get along with the grumpy Dominic while he’s also staying at the boarding house, he admires her cleverness and wit when they converse in secret alcoves at various balls. He’s got a sordid history and a scandalous reputation, despite his well-spokenness at Parliament defending the rights of young laborers. He’s grumpy and jaded and is definitely too old for Catherine, but he cannot help being drawn to her. Despite his own reservations, he continually finds ways to protect and care for Catherine. And his ultimate grand gesture is one for the ages here.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

A Simple Seduction by Janna MacGregor (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Millionaires of Mayfair series. Honoria is the sister of a duke who hides out in the country and avoids society because her father had cast her out as a child and also believed that she was not his child. She plans to attend a masquerade for a one night tryst before she claims her spinster status for good. And she does meet a charming and delightful man named Marcus who is attractive and makes her feel desired and safe. The problem is that he’s really an earl and her brother’s best friend. Things get complicated when they find out their true identities and get caught because Honoria is adamant that she cannot marry Marcus. Turns out the old duke had arranged for a letter claiming Honoria’s status as illegitimate to be revealed if she ever marries, so Honoria is trying to keep her siblings’ reputations intact. Despite Honoria’s hesitance, Marcus continues to try to prove that he truly cares for her. This was a fun series started and I’m excited to read more about Honoria’s family members.

Advance ebook provided by Janna MacGregor.

The Wrath of the Marquess by Barbara Russell (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Victorian Outcasts series. Cora and Ethan have a chance meeting when they’re caught together in an earthquake, but she’s married to an abusive husband and he’s on his way out to fight pirates on behalf of the crown. Four years later, they meet again and Cora is still stuck being married to a horrible terrible no good abusive earl, even though she’s planning to run away with her teenage son when she saves enough money. Meanwhile, Ethan has inherited the title of marquess, come back a scarred war hero, and running a home for injured veterans. It’s a slow moving romance as they meet again, become friends, and then fall in love under challenging circumstances. I appreciated how kind and protective Ethan was to Cora’s son and how they become a tight-knit family unit throughout the book. Cora’s husband is the true villain of the story here and the book kept me reading to see how they’d finally be free of him.

Advance ebook provided by Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley.

The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Doves of New York series. Cora and her sisters are the illegitimate daughters of a wealthy gentleman in New York, who is dangling their inheritance from their grandmother in the form of dowries. In order to acquire the money, Cora needs to marry a suitable gentleman (but not one in New York). They all try to find matches in England where they’ve hidden the fact that they’re illegitimate and give the appearance of being wealthy heiresses. Leo is an impoverished earl finally deciding the marry for money and comes to an arrangement with Cora. She’s adamant that they separate eventually and tries very hard not to get emotionally entangled. And Leo is just trying to keep his own heart from being broken (as it has been before). However, these two are actually a perfect match for each other in terms of political aspirations and advocacy, plus that simmering attraction. While both of these people are so concerned about protecting themselves, they’re missing out on the happiness they could be having with the person right in front of them. This was a really great intro to the series and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House.