You’ll Be the Death of Me by Holly Michelle (2026)
Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. Cole is the afterlife clerk who accidentally takes the soul of a much younger Verdella Rodgers and gets the chance to go down to earth to fix it. Dell is the ultimate Type A go-getter, busy with running her fancy pants restaurant and planning her wedding to the mayor’s son. When she wakes up dead one day and meets up with Cole, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to fix it so she can wake up again. But along the way, she learns that her life was not as perfect as it seemed and she’s actually gotta slow down and appreciate the people around her. Cole meanwhile is dealing with his own issues, not remembering who he was before he died, and trying to figure out if he’s got family who miss him like Dell has. Feels like a short timeframe for these two to fall in love here, but there’s something fated about the encounter.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Collins Audio via NetGalley.
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries (2013)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Men series. Max and Lisette team up to track down her missing brother because he may have information about Max’s presumed dead brother. Except it’s kind of a mess because Lisette’s brother is wanted for horse-thieving in England and she doesn’t want Max, the duke, to cost him his life or job. Max and Lisette end up traveling together to France and need to pose as a married couple to save her reputation. He also thinks he cannot marry for love because he’s doomed to die of madness like his father. (Spoiler: it’s not hereditary, the dad had syphilis). Action-adventure-mystery here with a large dose of self-denial.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
If Not You by Ellen O’Clover (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Mattie and Campbell have been copywriting rivals since their intern summer together five years ago. And now their teams are competing for a big luxury resort client. And the client is throwing them in direct competition on location at said resort. This’ll be totally fine. Except Mattie is generally insecure about her work and her life circumstances and Campbell is totally getting under her skin. Until he gets under her skirt. One-sided POV, but it’s clear that Campbell has had a crush on Mattie this whole time, just not mature to do anything about it except tease her and make her generally unsure of her place in her career. But when it all blows up, the emotions are real and angsty and messy. Mostly loved it, but come on, can the guy stop pulling pigtails?
Advance ebook provided by Berkley via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!
Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!
Useful Resources:
Read more about getting the most out of your library card
Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!
Learn more about Kindle Unlimited
Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited
Read an introduction to fanfiction
Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction
Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive
Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy
Support this page with a donation
Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
