Weekly Reads: November 17 to 23, 2025

Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q. Sutanto (2025)

Contemporary fiction. Standalone novel. To her granddaughter Izzy, Magnolia seems like this totally secure and confident elder who has everything going for her. But when Magnolia tells Izzy the story of how she moved to America for college in 1998 and met the love of her life, we get a really interesting coming of age story. We follow Magnolia’s friendships and relationships with her sister and parents and I had to keep reading to find out what happens next. Lots of angst and emotional turmoil here as Magnolia (and Izzy) grapple with their identity and how it goes against their very rigid societal expectations.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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On the Twelfth Day of Christmas by Caroline Lee (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era Scotland. Part of the Surprise! Dukes series. Cute and steamy quick novella. Lady Amanda is the sister of a duke who has been traveling the world with her brother’s butler Hiro. He happens to be her very own protector and lover. She wants to make their match more permanent, but he’s struggling with their social class differences. Luckily, she’s stubborn and has the full support of her family to pursue him for real.

Advance ebook provided by Caroline Lee.

Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Sam’s having a rough time of things when the pandemic derailed her academic plans. Now she’s living in the spare bedroom of her mom’s condo, working at a bar, and unsuccessfully applying to grad school. Single dad Nick moves in next door and somehow, Sam and Nick keep crossing paths. It’s a fairly straightforward romance here, with Nick being deliciously competent and being direct with his communication style. But Sam has all sorts of trust issues with men (because her dad totally sucks) and needs to get her life in order. Lots of humor and steam.

Advance ebook provided by Dial Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Only Earl in the World by Amalie Howard (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Taming of the Dukes series. Briar and Jasper have been bickering for years, but there’s always an undercurrent of flirtation and attraction. She even may have based the heroes of her erotic novels on his likeness. But Briar is engaged to a boring and steady guy, until he catches her supporting women’s suffrage and breaks it off. Jasper is ready to rescue her reputation in a fake engagement, but we all know it’s not that fake. Delightfully flirty and steamy and nice wrap-up to the series.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Secret Nights and Northern Lights by Megan Oliver (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Second chance angst mixed with professional career advancement in the form of a trip to Iceland. Mona finally has the chance to travel internationally and write for her travel magazine job, but she’s paired up with her childhood friend/love/heartbreak Ben as the photographer. It’s all sorts of awkward, especially when she won’t just let him explain what happened all those years ago, despite his multiple attempts at adult-like communication. She’s annoying in that aspect because why wouldn’t you just let him talk? But the trip is amazing and they do finally start to get along, with her slowing thawing towards him. Mona definitely needs to increase her own self-confidence and work on her issues of inadequacy in her career and her boisterous family, but the trip helps with her personal journey. The romance is steamy and sweet, and I liked that this was a second chance romance without the split-timeline storytelling style.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Forever and a Duke by Christy Carlyle (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Bridewell Sisters series. Short, low-angst book here. Griffin witnesses his best friend’s death in a duel, feels terribly guilty, and then even worse when he finds out the man’s sisters are at the mercy of their cousin. He comes calling at the estate next door, finding Lily burying their treasures to hide from the cousin. And then he gets the bright idea that they should marry. It’s a marriage of convenience, but they have conveniently been attracted to each other the whole time. Only one cranky grandmother to deal with, but it’s pretty much a smooth sailing love story.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Earl for the Summer by Christy Carlyle (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Bridewell Sisters series. Daphne has sworn off men after being the subject of a wager among scoundrels, and she’s especially suspicious of the earl that’s courting her friend. But see, Cassian is merely pretending to be his twin brother Julian who is out of commission due to a broken leg. Cassian is distracted by Daphne and not doing a great job of courting the woman his brother loves. And it’s all a pretty stupid scheme anyway, especially when Daphne can tell there’s something strange about the man she’s seeing now. Hopefully, she can get over the deception and find true happiness.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Season of the Scoundrel by Christy Carlyle (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Bridewell Sisters series. Ivy is not interested in marriage and more interested in being an investigative journalist, so it’s super convenient that her brother-in-law has a duke friend who runs a newspaper. They get thrown together because of work, and then somehow get into a fake engagement to ward off potential scandal. Ross is not your average duke though and totally respects and encourages Ivy’s sleuthing, to the point where he wishes the fake engagement was a real engagement. He just needs to convince Ivy that he’s serious about her.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.