★ Every Duke Has His Day
Suzanne Enoch delights in Every Duke Has His Day, a comedic, charming and kisses-only Regency romance. Michael Bromley, Duke of Woriton and dedicated scientist, clashes with social butterfly Elizabeth “Bitsy” Dockering while both are out walking their poodles. In the confusion, they accidentally switch dogs and are soon forced to team up when one of the pooches is stolen. From there, Michael’s logical but narrow world is opened by Bitsy’s grace and warmth, while Bitsy encounters, for the first time, a man as interested in her mind as her smiles. This breezy romp is a sweet and pleasurable escape, with a secondary romance between the dog thief and his heart-of-gold neighbor as well as a satisfying comeuppance for the mastermind of the poodle-napping. Though the dogs threaten to steal the show, with their fussy haircuts and big personalities, the well-deserved happy ending for Michael and Bitsy will leave readers more than satisfied.
Love at 350°
In Love at 350°, a delicious kisses-only read by Lisa Peers, high school teacher and amateur baker Tori Moore lands a spot on a competition baking show and finds herself dazzled by chef Kendra Campbell, one of the celebrity judges. The pair make eyes and swap small talk that somehow seems serious, but they can’t go any further due to the competition’s strict no fraternization rule. So their romance is a slow burn—pun intended—that builds over time, finding an outlet with an exchange of heartfelt letters. The competition will have readers turning pages, hungry to know what comes next and who will be sent home. There’s sabotage afoot as well, lending the story a little more mystery beyond how the very likable Kendra and Tori will finally get together.
The Duke Gets Desperate
In Diana Quincy’s Victorian romance The Duke Gets Desperate, an English aristocrat is shocked to learn that his familial castle has been willed to his stepmother’s cousin—the Arab American daughter of an Palestinian merchant. Anthony Cary, the Duke of Strickland, is appalled to have lost his home but even more so by Raya Darwish’s brash manners and her independent spirit . . . even as he reluctantly admires them. While archaeologist Anthony is more interested in the antiquities he discovers on digs, Raya decides to save the dilapidated castle with her business acumen and ingenuity. That she’s passionately attracted to the handsome but disapproving duke doesn’t help matters, but Raya refuses to surrender and return to America. As they come to know each other, the passion between them erupts in true enemies-to-lovers style, nearly setting the pages of this sizzling romance on fire.
