Fated Skates by Victoria Schade (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Second chance romance with figure skater Quinn and speed skater Ben, who is interviewing her for an in-depth streaming service special. Quinn was overmanaged by her mother and coach, totally bombed her performance at the last Olympics, and now training with a new team and a new attitude. Apparently, her comeback story is TV-worthy, and her former fling Ben is at the helm of the interview. She’s trying really hard to avoid him, or at the very least protect her heart, but we all know how this one is going to end. Cute story here.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Cozy mystery with a dash of romance. Pip is the assistant to a group of seven authors (in various genres) and they’re on their first book cruise. And then the head-boss, mystery writer Hugh, is murdered on practically the first day. Everyone on board the ship is a suspect, but especially the other six writers. There’s a mystery to solve, but at least Pip and Nash get to grow closer together. This one was fun to read, a little predictable, and reminded me a lot of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Libro.fm
Better than a Duke by Suzanne Enoch (2026)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Opposites attract single parent romance here. Single dad Beckett is in town for the Season, courting a very proper young lady, at the insistence of his mother. His daughter Rebecca is nine years old and will likely need a mother figure soon to ease her way into society. And then Rebecca instantly makes friends with the boy next door, Edmund, who very conveniently has a widowed mother, Iris. As the two kids spend more time together, so do Beckett and Iris, forming their own friendship. The kids try to scheme to get their parents to couple up, but they’re mostly oblivious and trying to do what’s proper, even if they’re attracted to each other. Fun series of hijinks throughout the book and I love their blended family.
Advance ebook provided by Bramble Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.
Home Ice Advantage by Ari Baran (2024)
Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Penalty Box series. Workplace rivals to lovers to so much more here. Ryan is basically dumped by his wife and offered a new job all in the same week, with a new position as head coach. Unfortunately for him, the assistant coach Eric also wanted to job and is totally resentful of Ryan. What starts as angry bickering, turns to angry sex, and then a genuine connection between these two. I loved reading their relationship develop and them learning more about each other. It was just so easy for them to fall into the patterns of being real partners, especially since they see each other at work all the time. Loved this book so much. I mean, I love this whole series, so you should just read them all.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.
Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Second chance romance with so much angst. Andy has ditched her Hollywood lifestyle after a final betrayal from longtime girlfriend and co-star Nikki, has been hiding in a tiny seaside town for the past five years, and is a floral designer at a struggling flower shop. Unfortunately for her, Nikki is also in the same seaside town and also writing a memoir. It’s a lot of push and pull here as Nikki tries and fails to apologize for all the things that went wrong between them. The whole story is told from Andy’s point of view and we’re really left wondering if it’s even possible for forgive Nikki, especially when Andy is trying so hard to avoid talking about heavy topics. Loving Andy’s support network of friends and supportive parents here too.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio via NetGalley.
She Fell Away by Lenore Nash (2026)
Thriller. Standalone novel. I like to read thrillers sparingly because I get so invested that I have to finish the book in a day. Luckily, I read this one on a Saturday. I picked this one up because I’ve read and enjoyed this author’s historical romances as Lenora Bell (with a rom-com historical style; her last book was a Grease retelling), so I was interested to read her debut thriller. Our main character Lake is not a detective at all, but somehow gets involved in the case of a dead football player Bruce, and a missing American exchange student Bowie, and wondering if these two cases are connected. We’ve got an intercut of chapters from Bowie’s point of view, but it’s mostly Lake following different leads on the missing Bowie. I love being suspicious of pretty much every character in the story as we learn more and get closer to solving the thing. Definitely kept me hooked the whole time.
Advance ebook provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.
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