Weekly Reads: April 20 to 26, 2026 (fantasy romance, contemporary romance, historical romance)

The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith (2026)

Fantasy romance. Book 2 of the Rose Bargain series. Continuation of The Rose Bargain and pretty much makes no sense if you didn’t read it. Ivy is our main character here, human lady married to a magical king, and in love with his human stepbrother instead. She’s trying to fight evil, save her sister, find her true love, and dissolve her marriage. There’s plotting and trials and danger all around. And hey, we did not unexpectedly end on a cliffhanger this time. Conclusion to the duology.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Libro.fm

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Family drama meets fake engagement situation here. Sutton is back in her small town to care for her mother who was recently in a car accident. Mom is a mean old lady who is totally unappreciative of Sutton and has all sorts of issues from when her husband left her. Sutton has her own control issues and gets dumped pretty much the first sentence of the book. She runs into her old high school friend who is trying to convince her own fiance to go to pre-marital therapy. The guy and his brother Elijah think the therapy thing is a joke and that a therapist wouldn’t be able to tell if complete strangers were faking a relationship. And so we start some sort of wager here and Sutton and Elijah are the strangers sent to therapy. But of course, they have amazing chemistry, and the therapy sessions are actually kind of helpful. Super steamy romance ensues. But of course, they live in two different towns and have their own individual baggage, so we get to see how it all blows up. Loved this book so much.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Macmillan audio.

Earl on Fire by Felicity Niven (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Henry is a stodgy old earl who ends up caring for his young granddaughter after his son passes away. Lucky for him (and her), little Mina is sweet and affectionate and Henry pretty much dotes on her. She tasks him with finding the author of some storybooks and to get married so she can have a grandmother. He tracks the author to some small village and encounters a delightful woman there instead. Susannah has been a bit of a village pariah (for reasons to be revealed later) and is wary of the handsome stranger. But when her circumstances change, she owns up to the fact that she’s the author he’s been looking for and she needs the employment. The romance here between people in middle age is sweet and fairly direct. No one has time to waste anymore. Definitely steamy and full of love, even with the social class differences between Henry and Susannah.

Advance ebook provided by Felicity Niven.

An Unforgettable Kiss by Alexa Aston (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 7 of the Captivating Kisses series. Con and Rowena meet at a ball and he’s tasked to dance with her by his cousin. He’s totally intrigued by her, even though he’s not ready to marry and she’s adamantly against marriage. In fact, she dresses frumpily on purpose to avoid suitors. They both end up at the same house party and Con decides to pursue her in earnest. He’s got a lot of convincing to do, but I had faith in him all along. I always love a good “he falls first” scenario, especially when he wants to do the honorable thing always.

Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.