Family, culture and tradition run deep in Kianna Alexander’s Couldn’t Ask for More. A North Carolina native, Alexander sets the action close to home in the romance between fashion designer Alexis Devers and textile manufacturing heir Bryan James.

Over the last few decades, the Tar Heel State has evolved from an agrarian economy to a hub of world-class universities, technology and creative arts. And Raleigh is the epicenter of that progressive boom. The people moving in are young, professional and multicultural, bringing a diverse new face and vibe to one of the South’s most dynamic states. One of the most compelling things about Couldn’t Ask for More is its evocation of the diverse, vibrant culture of Raleigh.

Like the city, fashion designer Alexis is young and bright and driven. Having enjoyed a successful decade in the industry working for other designers, she’s finally building her own brand and fashion line. It doesn’t even dim her excitement to learn that part of the buzz circulating around her new line is the fictional fiancé that her business partner made up—so Alexis propositions Bryan James, whose company will be manufacturing her new line. Not only is he handsome and willing to go along with the façade, he’s her brother’s best friend.

This story isn’t fraught with tension, and there’s no romantic waffling. Rather, with her fresh voice and obvious penchant for life in a big, nosy family, Alexander weaves a modern tale of two individuals forging their own paths to success, on their own time and in their own way. Her characters, like her voice, are contemporary, moving and effortlessly relatable.

Susan Mallery hits all the romance sweet notes in Why Not Tonight. Part-time gallery manager Natalie Kaleta braves an epic storm to check up on reclusive artist Ronan Mitchell and ends up stranded at his mountainside home. The circumstances allow them to become better acquainted—and to acknowledge their simmering desire. A relationship wouldn’t be a bad thing, they decide, as long as it remains casual. But that’s not as easy as it sounds, even though Ronan has good reasons to resist getting serious. Returning to the charming community of Happily Inc. is like dropping in on old friends for coffee and cookies. Mallery’s breezy narrative and knack for penning good-humored dialogue pair well with a story in which the stakes are no more dire than healing hearts. Why Not Tonight arrives blissfully at the kind of happy-ever-after that every romance reader treasures.

This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

An Amish artist and an arson investigator unraveling a series of mysterious barn fires form a special bond in Fall from Pride by Karen Harper. The small Amish community of Home Valley is struggling and Sarah Kauffman’s church elders give her permission to paint quilt squares on picturesque barns to draw tourists. But then one after another of the barns is burned—is it just chance or is someone targeting Sarah’s work? When arson investigator Nate MacKenzie seeks the answer, he’s stymied not only by the crimes but also by his lack of understanding of the Amish people. Turning to Sarah for help, he finds himself falling for her—and she for him, though their romance is completely forbidden. With danger plaguing the community, the two work together to put an end to the present trouble, while it appears there’s only heartache in their future. A story of wrenching personal choices is set in a locale both bucolic and exotic. Though only kisses are exchanged, Nate and Sarah’s romance feels real.

The characters are appealing, the animals adorable and the romance absolutely enjoyable in Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis. Over a year ago, a scary event propelled Jade Bennett to leave her high-powered job in Chicago to become a receptionist at a vet clinic in Sunshine, Idaho. Nearly 18 months have passed and she’s made friends in the small town—particularly with her boss, veterinarian Dell Connelly. With a month left before she’s set to go home, Jade and Dell begin to explore the chemistry they’ve been ignoring. Before, it had made sense to pretend it wasn’t there: Dell doesn’t do relationships, and any person’s touch made Jade cringe. But everything changes when Dell teaches Jade to trust herself again and she motivates this closed-off man to open up. There’s no flash-bang here, but instead the steady-yet-hot flame of a building relationship. Dell and Jade are trying to protect themselves on the way to love—but of course it’s unattainable until they drop their armor.
 

In this exuberantly charming romance from Christina Lauren, the talented writing duo does the seemingly impossible. They take the classic, much-maligned stereotype of the “cool” girl—the gorgeous, wild, sexually-liberated, adventurous madcap that men go crazy for—and they make her feel real and engaging. Hazel Bradford knows perfectly well that she’s the type of woman that men adore at first sight. She also knows that it only takes a few weeks for the bloom to come off the rose as her exploits start to seem embarrassing instead of entertaining. She’s pretty much resigned herself to being wanted very badly but never for very long. Her best shot at companionship, aside from her menagerie of pets, is friendship. Enter Josh Im.

Though they first met—in an epic series of disastrous encounters, of course—when they were in college, it’s only when they reconnect ten years later that they truly bond. Naturally, the bonding includes its own series of grand catastrophes, such as when Hazel moves into Josh’s guest room after her apartment floods, and then accidentally knocks Josh unconscious when she thinks he’s a burglar. But as Josh learns to see past the chaos to the warmth and kindness at the core of Hazel’s personality, he sees a woman who deserves to be loved. By someone else, of course—not by him. And thus begins a series of hilariously awful double dates that they set each other up on, and because they both crave the excuse to spend time together, continue to do so despite the terrible results.

In so many stories of this type, the journey is about the free spirit woman helping the more buttoned-up man let loose and learn to enjoy himself. And yes, there’s a little of that here, as Josh learns that pretty much everything is more fun with Hazel along for the ride. But Lauren deepens his character beyond the handsome straight man by exploring his experiences as the son of South Korean immigrants, and makes the canny choice of having his reactions to Hazel fall much more on the side of bemused affection, rather than an annoyingly superior disapproval.

The real growth is on the other side of the coin, as Hazel slowly relaxes into the idea that Josh genuinely doesn’t expect her to apologize for being herself. He’s not infatuated with some idealized image of her—instead, he loves her for everything she is. The fact that that’s such a surprise to her is a little heartbreaking, but the impossibly sweet conclusion washes all the pain away.

Zoey Castile begins her Happy Endings series with a fun and flirty romance between a fifth-grade teacher and her handsome new neighbor.

Robyn Flores is having a terrible morning and an even worse few months. Stuck in a slump since her best friend began planning her wedding, Robyn’s life is all over the place. While running late to work one morning, she discovers her laundry has been switched—she definitely doesn’t wear thongs emblazoned with the American flag. Turns out, the laundry belongs to her downstairs neighbor Zac Fallon.

Fallon is new to New York, having traveled to the Big Apple with the male revue show he works for. Working during the night and sleeping during the day hasn’t been conducive to meeting new people, but the laundry switcheroo seems to be a sign from fate. He finds Robyn absolutely gorgeous and endearingly funny. But unfortunately, she quickly turns down his invitation to a date.

Fallon and Robyn dance around each other, and their mutual attraction becomes increasingly difficult to resist as they continue to run into each other. Though Robyn has her own issues to sort out, Fallon’s job proves to be one of the biggest obstacles. His own family isn’t very approving of his occupation, so how can he expect Robyn’s family to accept what he does? While Fallon loves his job, he knows that it comes with a social price, and it’s a twist to the gut to see his shame and embarrassment about doing something that he enjoys. Plus, he’s still recovering from a relationship gone wrong, having been used for money by a much younger woman.

Robyn is in a state of flux and desperately trying to find her footing in life, which is something that will resonate with many readers. She feels uncertain about her relationships. She wonders how her friendships will change when she’s still the single one and everyone else is . . . well, not. She longs for the “old Robyn” who had everything together, who was always on time and certainly never used a stranger’s clothes to mop up spilled coffee.

Much like Magic Mike, its celluloid inspiration, Stripped is swoony, exciting and an all-around entertaining ride. Fallon’s fellow dancers are introduced throughout the book, with each being more charismatic sequel bait than the next. With chemistry that’s steamy and a hero that’s dreamy, Stripped should be on everyone’s reading list this year.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Zoey Castile.

Stefanie London continues her Bad Bachelors series with Bad Reputation, a romance between a ballerina who fears vulnerability and a man struggling to establish independence from his family.

Remi Drysdale has given up on dancing. She had a promising career in the Melbourne Ballet Company that ended in scandal and a heartbreaking miscarriage. After getting involved with a fellow dancer and getting pregnant, she was ousted from the company while her lover chose his career over whatever feelings he had for Remi. Now, she lives in New York, teaching barre classes. Ballet is a thing of the past until Wes Evans walks into the studio with his niece.

Wes is the son of dancing royalty, and his parents currently own one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country. But he wants to do more than just get by on his family’s name and influence. He wants something for himself. Wes has lofty ideas for a show that combines modern ballet, audience participation and other forms of dance. There’s just one thing he’s missing: his lead ballerina. To complicate matters, the money his investors are willing to provide is jeopardized when a dating app begins publicizing his . . . gifts in the bedroom, granting him the nickname “Anaconda.”

It takes some convincing for Remi to partner with Wes, and she makes it clear that she won’t be mixing business with pleasure. She made that mistake before and refuses to make it again, though it’s clear that Wes and Remi’s chemistry transcends more than just a working relationship. Remi is a woman whose experiences have left her broken. She hasn’t danced professionally in years, and it’s incredibly sad to see her be so hard on herself. Meanwhile, Wes is just doing his best to get out from his parents’ thumb. His mother, in particular, isn’t too fond of his idea to strike out on his own and do something in opposition to her traditional ballet teaching.

But it is because he grew up in a family that puts such a focus on dance that he knows a good performer when he sees one. Wes is able to recognize Remi’s fear, hesitancy and the slew of complicated emotions that prevent her from being the magnificent dancer he knows she is. With each page and each practice, Remi gets better and more confident, building herself back into the beautiful, confident dancer she once was. It’s a Cinderella story in pointe shoes.

London deftly balances light-hearted, smile-inducing, shameless flirting with explorations into relatable and deep-rooted insecurities: Am I good enough or just an imposter? Am I more than just my family name or my shameful past? How far will I go to reach my dreams? What if I fail?

Bad Reputation is sweet. It’s sexy. It’s full of heart. The dance nerdery is just a bonus.

Maisey Yates gives readers a twist on the friends-to-lovers trope by adding layers of negative family history on both sides, considerably raising the emotional stakes in her latest romance, Untamed Cowboy. Kaylee Capshaw has been in love with Bennett Dodge since she was 13, but to protect her heart, she never pursued him. She’s struggled to cope with unrequited feelings ever since, even as the best friends share a veterinary practice in rural Gold Valley, Oregon. Kaylee has psychological reasons to keep her attraction to Bennett a secret—her parents’ marriage was a disaster and Kaylee was constantly aware she was unwanted and unloved. Her friendship with Bennett is important to her and Yates develops a long, comfortable, affectionate history between them.

After his mother’s death when he was a child, followed by too many stepmothers to count, Bennett has followed a strict plan for his life that ensures a quiet, well-organized existence. Powerful emotion isn’t allowed and he’s unaware that he subconsciously, purposefully, never considered Kaylee as a potential girlfriend. When his sensible fiancée breaks off their engagement and immediately falls in love with another man, Bennett is at loose ends. He’s disappointed but thinks he’s coping with the situation as well as could be expected. But then his regimented life is hit by a bombshell when a social worker arrives on his doorstep with the son he didn’t know existed.

Bennett’s determined to meet the challenge of fatherhood and turns to Kaylee for support. While they’re taking a break from their worries at a bar one night, she bluntly tells him that if he’s looking for a hookup, she’ll volunteer. He’s shocked but also instantly, overwhelmingly, in favor of the idea. Neither of them expected their reckless decision to have such far-reaching consequences. Their connection is earthshaking, laying bare all the emotions they’ve both denied for years, and they’re both knocked off kilter. Yates does an excellent job of painting two honest, vulnerable people who are each carrying a ton of baggage from their childhoods. Nevertheless, they are equally determined to find their way past their scarred psyches to secure a future together.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

Debut author Helen Hoang knocks it out of the park with The Kiss Quotient, which follows a romance between an analytical heroine and the gorgeous escort who teaches her all about the benefits of falling in love.

Stella Lane is in love with data and numbers. As an econometrician, she’s most comfortable when poring over statistics and finding anomalies or trends. Stella also has Asperger’s, a fact of which her mother, between her unceasing requests for grandchildren, constantly reminds her. But romance and a relationship hold very little appeal to Stella, especially after some lackluster experiences. And since Stella never does anything halfway, she’ll only accept the best “tutor” she can find.

Enter Michael Phan, an escort whose looks could easily grace any fashion magazine. Though he really needs the money, he’s also charmed by Stella’s checklist of things to tackle. Any romance reader knows where this is going, and things between Stella and Michael start to stray from strictly business.

This book is a unicorn. It’s magical and one of a kind. Stella’s Asperger’s isn’t talked about in veiled or coded language. It’s very much part of who she is, and she’s learned to live her life in a way that suits her and makes her (mostly) happy. Though uncomfortable when it comes to the realm of social interactions, Stella is self-assured about her work ethic. She really loves her job and finds comfort in the work she does.

Michael is a great foil for Stella’s awkward moments. He’s smooth and effortless in how he handles her nervousness, inexperience and everything in between. Michael fully embodies the romance hero ideal, and he’s set the bar high for all other heroes to come.

While the notion of getting better at sex and dating may seem like a thin plot device, the interactions between Stella and Michael is so much more than that. The love scenes explore human connection, belonging and the expectations we and others put on ourselves. They are both adorable and sexy, all at the same time.

Hoang has a fresh, contemporary voice that’s easy to fall into for hours at a time, and The Kiss Quotient will undoubtedly create a fandom of readers who will read whatever future books she writes. But be warned, this reading experience is one that requires preparation. You will smile so hard your cheeks will ache. You’ll subconsciously start to fan yourself. You’ll look at the clock and realize it’s way past your bedtime.

The Kiss Quotient is the perfect balm for any reading slump and a wonderful palate cleanser for the summer. It also might just be the best book you read all year.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Go Behind the Book with Helen Hoang.

Cheris Hodges pairs a New York businessman and a Southern entrepreneur in her latest novel, Strategic Seduction. Comparisons between the North and South fly thick and fast, most noticeably when the pair is sampling mouthwatering food. Readers will find themselves craving a trip to Georgia just to visit the restaurants, diners and coffee shops mentioned in this smart contemporary romance.

When Alicia Michaels returns to Atlanta to launch her new PR company, she doesn’t expect to meet the man of her dreams. Especially when said man is newly divorced Richmond Crawford, a wealthy New Yorker and the brother-in-law of one of Alicia’s best friends. Both she and Richmond have plenty to prove—Richmond with his first solo hotel project for the family corporation, and Alicia with the launch of her own firm. Neither is looking for love, and both have an abundance of emotional baggage that makes them cynical and wary.

The novel’s supporting cast of characters includes a group of hilarious, successful girlfriends whom Alicia considers sisters. They worry about her dating a man who’s so recently divorced, and given the scheming nature of Richmond’s ex, it’s soon clear the friends have cause for concern. The reappearance of his avaricious ex-wife heightens the tension and further threatens the couple’s hopes for a happy ending. In the end, however, a loving future is more dependent on Alicia conquering her own insecurities than a threat from any outside force. When unexpected news shocks Alicia and Richmond, both will have to face life-changing choices before they can finally put their pasts to rest and embrace a bright tomorrow.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

Alisha Rai concludes her emotional Forbidden Hearts series with a love story between an heiress struggling to live life on her own terms and her tattooed, very much off-limits crush.

Evangeline Chandler has suffered greatly trying to live up to her father’s expectations. Emotional abuse doesn’t even begin to cover it. She’s determined to make decisions for herself from now on to ensure her own happiness, which results in a beautiful, satisfying arc that unfolds alongside the romantic plot.

For years, Eve has crushed on Gabriel Hunter, though her love is seemingly unrequited. Gabe rejected her in the past and Eve has never forgotten it. Gabe is not only much older than her, but he’s also “the help,” and one of her brother’s friends. All of which are things Eve knows should keep her away. But despite Gabe’s rejection of Eve in the past, he’s been harboring his own feelings. He knows he can’t offer her the future she deserves. She has money to burn and her family’s clout and, in his mind, he’s just the son of a housekeeper. But nothing is insurmountable in romance!

When Eve and Gabe are forced together for a wedding weekend, avoiding each other becomes impossible and it quickly becomes clear there’s more chemistry between them than either previously thought. Eve’s growth as a self-assured woman is one of the best aspects of Hurts to Love You. Floundering under the opinions and expectations of others, Eve realizes that she needs to take ownership of her life, and one of the first steps to doing that is admitting her attraction to Gabe. That’s easier said than done—both are working to overcome toxic family dynamics and painful moments in their past, and are also hopelessly shy and awkward at times. But the emotional fallout of Eve shedding her shell and Gabe coming clean is balanced by how utterly helpless they are in each other’s presence.

It’s an irresistible attraction and Rai writes it seamlessly. Her ability to capture raw and realistic emotions is such a strength. Every conflict feels real and twists the reader’s heart. Every tender moment will make you sigh. Hurts to Love You is an emotional rollercoaster that you’ll want to ride again and again.

Additionally, any loose ends leftover from the previous Forbidden Hearts installments are satisfactorily resolved. While Hurts to Love You is still an amazing read on its own, the relationships and histories of books one and two add a depth that should not be missed. The only bad thing about this book is accepting that it’s the end of the series. Surely, Rai won’t deprive us of more romance for long.