Blue Jean Summer by Maggie Gates (2026)
Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Wilder Estate series. Modern day marriage of convenience so that Hayes can keep his inheritance. After his grandfather passes away, there’s a stipulation in the will that Hayes needs to transfer some land to his wife in order to keep the estate, but the trouble is he doesn’t have a wife. Luckily, Catherine is the perfect candidate for him, needing funds to support her proposed agricultural initiative for kids. We’ve even got an evil half-brother who wants to see Hayes fail. Loved seeing these two get to know each other and fall in love. And I love when Hayes is strong, supportive, and caretaking. Great setup of the friend group and future books in the series.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur (2026)
Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. In the same universe as The Devil She Knows. Effie is a demon, newly engaged to one of the princes of hell, but in a bit of a contractual snafu. Turns out when she married her human husband Finn about 400 years ago, they bound their souls together. So technically, she’s still married, even as a demon, and Finn has been reincarnated many times over. She’s got to find him, and get him to renounce the vows, so she can marry her fiance. Finn’s playing tough though, feeling totally drawn to Effie, and refusing to let her go. It’s messy and angsty and so much fun to read.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries (2015)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Duke’s Men series. Last in the series. Disinherited second son of a viscount, Dom, engineers for his fiancee, Jane, to jilt him when he’s in dire circumstances. Twelve years later, he has inherited the title, Jane is engaged to someone else, and she needs help locating her missing cousin. It’s lots of angry bickering between these two as they both misjudge each other and the missing cousin’s character. But you know, it’s a second chance romance and they’re still in love with each other. Dom just has to get over his high-handed controlling nature and actually have a discussion with Jane about their future. I love reading books where our characters have to team up to solve a mystery, and this was another excellent one.
Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Isn’t He Romantic? by Adib Khorram (2026)
Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Love on the Vine series. Arya is getting older, his friends are coupled up, and his work and parents are a mess. His life gets more complicated when he ghosts a one-night-stand Ben, and then runs into him a few weeks later. Ben has his own issues with a slightly stalkery ex-boyfriend, so he asks Arya to pretend to be his boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong? Except everyone catches feelings but doesn’t know what to do with them. Arya because he’s had a poor example of love growing up, and Ben because he’s insecure after his ex-boyfriend’s mistreatment. It all goes exactly how you think it would, in all the best ways.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Hachette Audio.
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