Weekly Reads: September 28 to October 4, 2026 (historical romance, paranormal romance, contemporary romance)

The Gilded Rose by Joanna Shupe (2026)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York. Standalone novel. The setup here is imagining if Belle had married Gaston before meeting the Beast and Gaston is truly an abusive husband. Caroline is carefully courted and married to the most handsome man in New York, only for things to turn ugly right after the wedding. Zane is our reclusive beast who was badly scarred in his youth, and is all sorts of grumpy and gruff. Except he has a soft spot for Caroline, especially as he gets to know her when she’s working on inventorying his library. They’re both terribly insecure and damaged by their circumstances. This book kept me reading to find out how Caroline gets herself out of danger and away from that brute of a husband.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

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You’re the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung (2026)

Paranormal romance. Standalone novel. I kind of hate when we spend most of the book with the protagonist being attracted to the wrong person, but always glad when they turn their attention to the right person. Libby’s longtime crush and best friend Carter is engaged to be married and she somehow stumbles on his not-so-dead cousin Trip in the form of a ghost of sorts. Trip needs Libby’s help in breaking a family curse, so they’re thrown together pretty often. Plus, Libby is the only person who can see or talk to Trip. It’s all tangled up with Carter, his family history, and his fiance. I’d say Libby is the one who needs more of the emotional growth here and definitely needs to grow a backbone. I really enjoyed the family curse and mystery aspect of the book and how the curse eventually gets broken.

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

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Clover Lake series. Loved this book so much and how Sasha and Margot uncovered a whole history of Margot’s ancestor. Let’s back up though. Sasha is all sorts of emotionally damaged after the sudden death of her parents; she’s been aimlessly wandering for years and writes a semi-intoxicated letter to the family who holds the keys to a legendary ghost story that her parents were chasing for years. Sasha gets the go ahead to start working on her documentary, but finds a total hiccup in the form of Margot, who is stodgy and combative and super protective of herself and her family. But of course, the attraction is searing and both of these people need to learn to open up. We mostly lead with a friends with benefits situation, but feelings are definitely catching. Seriously emotional and I loved it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Ruined by the Wrong Earl by Tina Gabrielle (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Daughters of Scandal series. Nora is trying to get out of an engagement to a much older man, so she decides to ruin herself with a rake during a house party. Except she slips into the bed of an upstanding grumpy earl instead. Devon wants to avoid scandal due to his political aspirations, so he does the honorable thing and proposes marriage. Nora is not interested at all because she’s a biologist studying sea shells, but he’s actually both emotionally and financially supportive of her scientific pursuits. They agree to a marriage of convenience and won’t fall in love. Aside from the part where they’re attracted to each other and actually like each other. Loved seeing them be each others’ allies and spend time together after they get married. I’m curious to see what happens next in the series with Nora’s sisters. And does Devon’s best friend get a story too?

Advance ebook provided by Harlequin Books via NetGalley.