Weekly Reads: June 16 to 22, 2025

The One in My Heart by Sherry Thomas (2015)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Starts with a one night stand that turns into fake dating with benefits. Evangeline is a materials science professor who cares for her mentally ill stepmother and randomly meets Bennett, her temporary neighbor while she’s dog-sitting. After the one night stand, he comes up to her with a plan to help him reconcile with his estranged family, which involves a fake girlfriend who is entirely appropriate for him. It’s messy and convoluted and a little boring except for all the times they hook up. But once we start making all these family connections and realize that Bennett’s feelings are real, you start to feel all the feelings right along with Evangeline. Slow start, but ended up a solid read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain by Hannah Brown (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Mistakes We Never Made series. Well, Sybil is basically a chaotic mess and she has been doing her best to clean up her life after her disaster of a wedding weekend last year that did not actually end in marriage. Her friends have encouraged her to cash in on those honeymoon vouchers, so she’s off to a resort in Hawaii to spend a few days relaxing. Except she runs right into her ex-fiance Jamie, who’s there for business reasons. Totally awkward and she spends a lot of time failing to avoid him. It’s messy and full of terrible communication as she makes up a fake boyfriend to save face. Honestly, for a lot of the book, I wasn’t sure if Jamie was going to be the guy she ends up with, especially when her other ex-fiance Sebastian shows up. We deal with a lot of Sybil’s hang ups in relationships and how she is probably a lot less confident than she outwardly appears. Great side characters in the form of a friendly concierge and friendly bartender. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Hachette Audio.

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The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath (2020)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 5 of the Sins for All Seasons series. So, the Earl of Rosemont is a widower who was tricked into marriage by his late wife and then for unknown reasons, his dying wife sets in motion a letter to be published in the newspaper a year after her death, basically seeking a new wife for the earl. He’s totally fed up with all the gifts and callers and young ladies, so he leaves his London townhouse and takes up residence in a totally different part of town where no one knows who he is. And so, a mere mister Matthew goes to visit his neighborhood bookshop, where he meets and is smitten by the shop owner Fancy. She’s about to have her debut with the support of all her siblings, who have always prepared her for marrying into the nobility. But she’s equally smitten with Matthew, and is worried about letting down her family by not marrying a lord. This book was filled with yearning and secrets and I loved it all.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

What Happens in the Highlands by Anna Bradley (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era Scotland. Book 1 of the Cairncross Castle series. Catriona is the oldest of three sisters and in a precarious financial and social situation, with smugglers trying to attack her home and the local village accusing the sisters of witchcraft. And then Hamish makes everything worse by seeking some treasure that her father supposedly has stashed somewhere. Except there is no treasure, and Cat certainly doesn’t trust Hamish. It’s a wild goose chase mixed with a tentative truce, which will surely get worse when Cat finds out Hamish is responsible for that first boat of smugglers. While the romance is resolved at the end of the book, the plot is still at a cliffhanger. I’m hoping that there’s two more books in the series, since there’s two more sisters, and isn’t it convenient that Hamish has two best friends, too?

Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (2025)

Contemporary fiction. Standalone novel. If you like dysfunctional family drama, this book is most definitely for you. I loved it so much. The drama, the chaos, the backstabbing. Alice Storm is having a terrible week, having been summoned back to the family island where she’d been exiled from for the past five years, after the sudden death of her wealthy famous father. And of course, her father is pulling inheritance games strings from beyond the grave, setting tasks for Alice’s mother and siblings in order for them to inherit anything. We get a handsome stranger in the form of Jack, just to mess with Alice’s mind even more. I was so intrigued by the relationship between Alice and all her siblings and slowly uncovering what it was that she did all those years ago to deserve her father’s disdain. Seriously, a very entertaining read.

Advance ebook provided by Ballentine Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.