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RomanceContemporary Romance

Spoiler Alert

Review by Carole V. Bell

Indie publishing favorite Olivia Dade’s Avon debut, Spoiler Alert, is a funny and poignant triumph that defies expectation.

On the surface, April Whittier and Marcus Caster-Rupp are opposites. Industry insiders and fans alike appreciate the good looks of Marcus, an actor on hit TV series “Gods of the Gates” (think “Game of Thrones” meets the Aeneid), but deride his talent, intellect and exuberant, puppylike demeanor. But Marcus is no himbo (a slang term for a lovable and gorgeous but not very bright man) or “well-groomed golden retriever,” even if he effectively plays one in public appearances—for personal reasons and publicity’s sake.

April’s image, in contrast, is that of a consummate professional, an accomplished scientist whose figure defies narrow beauty conventions. She’s confident and comfortable in her skin but finds it harder to claim her playful and sexual side in public, let alone acknowledge her online identity, which is separate enough from her real life to have its own vocabulary. Her IRL friends, she fears, wouldn’t understand the hours she spends crafting cosplay outfits, shipping and writing fan fiction about her OTP, and obsessing over alternate narratives for her favorite show. Like Marcus, April worries about being taken seriously, but unlike Marcus, she’s reached her limit with hiding parts of herself.

That’s what ultimately leads to their meeting in real life. Fueled by her impatience with the status quo, April posts a photo of herself on Twitter in full “Gods of the Gates” cosplay. After the tweet goes viral, Marcus gallantly rises to her defense when fat-shaming trolls start attacking her size. Marcus’s swift response:

“I know beauty when I see it, probably because I see it in the mirror every day. @Lavineas5Ever is gorgeous, and Lavinia couldn’t ask for a better tribute.”

To Dade’s credit, this scenario plays out with originality and minimizes harm to sensitive readers. Marcus’ save is superfluous because April is no wilting flower. She knows how to block and tackle and “wrestle her mentions into submission,” then move on with her day. Plus, the text doesn’t get bogged down in listing out the insults on the page.

Marcus asks April out on a date and though they don’t know it at the time, the introduction is redundant. On the internet, where identity and appearances can be cloaked and Marcus and April feel more fully themselves, they’ve actually been friends for two years.

Within the confines of the “Lavineas” server (a portmanteau of Lavinia, April’s favorite “Gods of the Gate” character, and Aeneas, the role Marcus plays), they met on an even playing field. April (username: Unapologetic Lavinia Stan) and Marcus (aka BAWN/Book!AeneasWouldNever) both love the foundations of the show but hate a lot of what the producers have done with it (again, much like “Game of Thrones”). So they write terrific fan fiction and give each other support and feedback. Their fan fiction, direct messages and server posts add depth to their relationship and a new dimension to the celebrity/normal person trope.

That Spoiler Alert so effectively forces the reader to see the significance of the common ground between the scientist and the star is a testament to Dade’s skill as a storyteller. This romance also masterfully conveys both the fun and misery of fandom and social media, as only a text authored by someone who knows these worlds intimately can. It’s clear that Dade isn’t faking those geeky credentials.

On top of all that, Dade also gives weight to the challenges that many people must deal with closer to home. Marcus and April have weathered childhoods spent with parents who didn’t approve of important aspects of who they are. The book is smart enough to show that this gives them something in common, but can also pull them apart as they struggle with trust and conflict. By depicting these characters with their parents and then with each other in the wake of those parental interactions, Spoiler Alert illustrates the damage that families can inflict on children they judge to be flawed. The family scenes are powerful and unflinching; they might even make some readers cry, but they never overwhelm Marcus and April’s love story.

Despite the high level of difficulty involved in taking on these topics in combination, Spoiler Alert surpasses every mark. Even when the waters April and Marcus are navigating become choppy, it never feels like you’re drowning. So it’s fitting when, towards the novel’s end, the fictive author of the Gods of the Gates book series sends Marcus an email with the following message: “life isn’t all misery, and finding a path through hard, hard lives to joy is tough, clever, meaningful work.” This could well be a vision statement for this novel and, if so, mission accomplished. Dade has gifted readers with a thoughtful, swoonworthy and emotionally satisfying contemporary romance that has the added benefit of a realistic, multilayered and relatable portrayal of the digital world. If you’re into fan culture and practices, it will be an even greater pleasure. Loyal Olivia Dade fans and new readers alike will love it.

Indie publishing favorite Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert is a funny and poignant romance that defies expectation.
RomanceContemporary Romance

Tools of Engagement

Review by Dolly R. Sickles

Tools of Engagement is the third and final book in Tessa Bailey’s contemporary Hot & Hammered series, and it’s every bit as fun and sexy as her readers have come to expect. Wes Daniels and Bethany Castle’s story has been building over the series, and it finally comes to a head when he signs on to help Bethany flip a house for a television competition.

Wes is a man after my own heart, with his “winging it” approach to life. When his sister needs a break after separating from her husband, Wes flies to New York to care for his 5-year-old niece. He takes on a job with the Castle family’s construction business and begins to work with Bethany, a perfectionist home stager who’s trying to get her family to take her seriously. Her type-A, anxiety-driven personality is the perfect foil for Wes’ easygoing, earnest appeal for connection. She’s seven years his senior, which is a great plot device in developing the attraction between the two main characters.

The key elements of a Bailey rom-com are certainly present: snappy dialogue, likable characters and red-hot chemistry. But it’s the plot that makes this romance feel perfectly of the moment, and readers quickly learn that the house the main couple is flipping isn’t the only thing that needs a little overhaul. It’s hard to be perfect all the time, and Bethany embodies every modern woman I know who juggles career and relationships, self-confidence and vulnerability. Wes is a very lovable hero, stepping up to care for his niece while fighting his own insecurities from bouncing around different foster homes when he was younger. He, too, has to find the perfect balance of self-reliance and vulnerability.

This is such a timely story for an era of quarantining and social distancing, when families have had to reconfigure their own tools of engagement, learning how to shift gears and work from home, entertain less personal space or even take on new tasks like cooking and homeschooling. Bailey’s characters face their fates with good humor and hope, which is a good aspiration for her readers. I think she’d also like to know that, as usual, I laughed out loud while reading her book . . . and I may have even snorted.

Tools of Engagement is the third and final book in Tessa Bailey’s contemporary Hot & Hammered series, and it’s every bit as fun and sexy as her readers have come to expect.
RomanceContemporary Romance

You Lucky Dog

Review by Carole V. Bell

A series of unfortunate events lead to a meet-disaster in Julia London’s affecting and ebullient romantic comedy You Lucky Dog. Austinites Carly and Max have very little in common apart from very good taste in basset hounds and bad luck with dog walkers. Carly is a newly independent (and recently unemployed) public relations consultant catering to clients in the fashion and art world. Max is a socially awkward neuroscientist fixated on achieving tenure at the University of Texas.

With such disparate lives, the stars must align just right for these two to get together. When dog-walker/drug dealer/agent of chaos Brant gets caught up in a police sting operation, he enlists a friend to return his canine charges to their rightful homes. This friend, however, has trouble differentiating between Max’s perennially perky Hazel and Carly’s chronically depressed Baxter, and returns each dog to the wrong human. Even worse, with Brant out of the picture, Max has no one to dogsit while he takes his brother to a long-promised weekend in Chicago.

After bonding with Hazel, Carly is more than qualified to pinch hit in an emergency, and by the time Max returns, Hazel and Baxter are bonded, and Baxter’s outlook has improved. From there, it’s only natural that the four keep in touch. Chaperoned doggy dates allow humans and hounds to bond, and attraction evolves into romance. And yet, the course of true love never did run smooth. Otherwise, You Lucky Dog wouldn’t be the entertaining comedy of errors it is. Conflicting career paths and curious coincidences create roadblocks for Max and Carly without ever veering into angst.

London’s loose and limber comedic writing amplifies Max and Carly’s appeal, filling each voice with a unique perspective and personality. Max is a caring man who “was worried about his Very Good dog, a fourteen on a scale of ten on any damn day. He hoped whoever had ended up with her was taking good care of her.” As a scientist, he thinks about attraction in biological terms: “he felt a bit of a flutter in his chest, a telltale sign that the hormone norepinephrine was coming together with the rest of him to brighten his day.” Carly’s free-associative brain, meanwhile, overflows with pop culture references. She lives in a carriage house previously “occupied by a coven of witches or hippies or maybe even Matthew McConaughey—it depends on who you talk to.” The beauty is that the differences don’t just contrast; they complement, making Max and Carly’s love story a delight.

A series of unfortunate events lead to a meet-disaster in Julia London’s affecting and ebullient romantic comedy You Lucky Dog.
RomanceHistorical Romance

Someone to Romance

Review by Elizabeth Mazer

Moments after laying eyes on Lady Jessica Archer, Gabriel Thorne decides that she is the woman he will marry. But this isn’t love at first sight. It’s not even like at first sight. Freshly returned to England to make a long overdue claim on his title and estate, he’s staying incognito, getting the lay of the land, when Jessica sweeps into the nondescript inn and asserts a superior claim to the private sitting room he’s reserved. He’s unimpressed with her arrogance. She’s unimpressed with his rudeness. Love is definitely not in the air, but matrimony . . . is?

Gabriel will need a wife by his side to manage the family drama he came to England to resolve. The right sort of wife—imperious, irreproachable, from the right family with the right upbringing, manners and connections. And Jessica, commencing her sixth (or possibly seventh—she’s lost count) season in London, is more than ready to settle down. While she’s always been praised as a “diamond of the first water,” encircled by a constant throng of smitten admirers (think of that barbeque scene from Gone with the Wind when all the men beg to be allowed to fetch Scarlett O’Hara’s dessert), she’s done with drifting through life. She has a plan to pick a groom that is every bit as practical as Gabriel’s plan to pick a bride.

Then they meet in the proper society setting, Gabriel makes his intentions clear—and everything goes off the rails. Jessica realizes, suddenly and deeply, exactly what she does and doesn’t want. And a strictly proper courtship, complete with stifling social calls, stiff dances and a constant evaluation of the assets that she brings into the match, is definitely on the “no” list. It doesn’t matter that she is highly valued on the marriage mart when her value has nothing to do with who she truly is inside. She demands that Gabriel find a way to romance her as a person. She doesn’t ask for love; if anything, she shies away from using that word. But she does demand to be respected for who she is rather than for her bank balance or her pedigree.

Up until that point, I was enjoying Balogh’s Someone to Romance as a stately, engaging dramedy of manners with lots of high-society escapism and the juicy fun of Gabriel’s family secrets. But when Jessica throws down that gauntlet, I started to really love this book. I admired Jessica’s strength and resolve, her determination to chart out her future on her own terms. And I was incredibly moved by Gabriel’s response to it—the tiny, deeply personal gestures with which he shows his growing esteem and trust. The happy marriage they build together is worlds away from the practical, businesslike matches they both anticipated at the start of the story, and yet it resolves in the sweetest of all imaginable happy endings.

This is a love story that earns the name on every level, not just for the love the hero and heroine find but also for the love you’ll feel for everyone involved by the time you reach the final page.

Moments after laying eyes on Lady Jessica Archer, Gabriel Thorne decides that she is the woman he will marry. But this isn’t love at first sight. It’s not even like at first sight.
RomanceHistorical Romance

Who Wants to Marry a Duke

Review by Dolly R. Sickles

Veteran author of Regency romances Sabrina Jeffries is back with the third installment of her fun Duke Dynasty series, Who Wants to Marry A Duke. I’m a sucker for a smart heroine, and Olivia Norley more than fits the bill. While she’s more interested in her chemistry experiments than attracting Marlowe Drake, the Duke of Thornwood, she eventually catches on and realizes there’s more than one type of chemistry in the world.

Nearly a decade ago, Thorn and Olivia were caught in a compromising situation, and he proposed marriage to save face after being basically blackmailed into it by her mother. But Olivia said no, because chemistry was her jam. She spent their time apart bolstering her brain with knowledge rather than the frivolous debutante details of her contemporaries, and Thorn spent his time becoming a famous playwright under a nom de plume. Meanwhile, Thorn’s mother has been losing husbands, and it all stinks of arsenic poisoning. When Thorn’s brother hires Olivia to investigate, Thorn decides to tag along, as he’s still suspicious of her motives. It doesn’t take a genius to guess what happens next.

Jeffries is an expert in the Regency era. She does, after all, hold a Ph.D. in English literature. (There’s a fabulous primer on her website on the short period of history that has sparked hundreds of years of fascination.) If you’re not familiar with the Regency period, which lasted from 1811-1820, the most important thing to know is that women were expected to be pretty, quiet and boring. The thing that makes all of Jeffries’ heroines stand out is that none of them are quiet and boring. Pretty? Often. But the women she writes are spirited, intelligent, devilish, brave, independent and politically and culturally savvy. They are true heroines; she-ros, if you will. And Olivia Norley is definitely a she-ro.

Veteran author of Regency romances Sabrina Jeffries is back with the third installment of her fun Duke Dynasty series, Who Wants to Marry A Duke.
RomanceContemporary Romance

You Had Me at Hola

Review by Elizabeth Mazer

High drama isn’t just soap opera star Jasmine Lin Rodriguez’s day job, it’s also her life in Alexis Daria’s You Had Me at Hola. After getting her broken heart splashed over all the tabloid covers, she’s restrategized and plans to lead a man-free, drama-free, scandal-free life while tackling the juicy title character role in a high-profile telenovela adaptation. As down as she’s been, surely there’s nowhere to go but up—or so she thinks, until her first bold step forward into her new leading lady life ends on . . . well, not exactly a sour note but certainly a coffee-splattered one. For Jasmine, this first meeting with her co-star, the gorgeous and aloof Ashton Suárez, is not exactly ideal. But for the reader at the start of this smart and engaging madcap romance, it’s certainly a lot of fun!

Considering the usual telenovela twists, the story is actually surprisingly down-to-earth. (There is an evil twin, but alas, it’s just a plot thread on the show.) A few situations are dialed up for laughs, such as the infamous coffee incident during the meet-cute, but for the most part, Jasmine and Ashton face realistic challenges as they deal with their careers, their personal relationships and their blossoming feelings for each other. Jasmine, who is adored but rarely understood by her loving, intrusive family, has the habit of falling too hard and too fast for anyone who makes her feel wanted. Ashton, grappling with a long-held secret, has the opposite problem as he hesitates to let anyone close. Both struggle to balance the success they crave versus the lack of privacy that comes as its price. And while they do have a steamy affair, it includes its share of roadblocks as they work to figure out at each stage how intimate and exposed, in every way, they’re willing to be. Their love story is dramatic but it’s also sweet and complex, as layered and grounded as the characters themselves.

Daria fills the story with palpable warmth and affection, not just for her hero and heroine but for the dual worlds they inhabit: the film industry and the Latin American community. If you enjoy behind the scenes peeks, the story includes plenty of fun details about the nuts and bolts of a working set. (A key character is the set’s intimacy coordinator—a newer role on film sets but one that is, thankfully, becoming increasingly common.) And if you appreciate a media landscape that embraces diversity, you’ll love the chance to explore how Jasmine and Ashton carry their heritage with them, determinedly carving out opportunities not just for themselves but for all the gifted, undervalued Latinx performers searching for a place.

High drama isn’t just soap opera star Jasmine Lin Rodriguez’s day job, it’s also her life in Alexis Daria’s You Had Me at Hola. After getting her broken heart splashed over all the tabloid covers, she’s restrategized and plans to lead a man-free, drama-free, scandal-free…

RomanceContemporary Romance

The Way You Tempt Me

Review by Dolly R. Sickles

Elle Wright kicks off her new Pure Talent series with a bang in The Way You Tempt Me. This friends-to-lovers contemporary romance is sexy, addictive and deliciously dramatic.

Xavier Starks is the heir apparent for the new sports division of his family’s talent agency, Pure Talent. As a former child star, Xavier is no stranger to life in the limelight. In fact, the reformed playboy seems perfectly suited to deal with athletes who, collectively, are a dramatic bunch. But right as Xavier is about to propose to his Hollywood starlet girlfriend, she dumps him. And while heartbreak is no more severe for famous people, the situation is amplified because the world is watching, and the internet is forever.

Also watching is his father, Jax, and his childhood friend Zara Reid, a high-powered sports agent. When Zara returns to Atlanta after her own professional disappointment, Jax is delighted to bring her on board at Pure Talent. Zara never imagined she’d be competing with (and outplaying) Xavier for the same position, and the stakes have never been higher. Because sometimes when you’re not paying attention, you miss the good things that are right in front of you. Late nights, stressful deadlines and a lifetime of camaraderie come to a head as the two try to win the job . . . and maybe each other.

Workplace romances, both in the real world and in fiction, have the potential to cause maximum damage to those involved in a relationship. Aside from the perennial question of consent, Wright explores a quagmire of supervisors and subordinates, breaking up and remaining professional, and nepotism. But as The Way You Tempt Me realistically acknowledges, when you work 24/7 at a high-pressure career, where else will you find a partner?

Wright has crafted a compelling world of strong, complex characters. Our fearless Zara is no pushover in a man’s world. And on the flipside, Xavier is not steeped in the toxic masculinity that could so easily define his character in the competitive arena of athletes and sports agents. This is a fantastic start to a new series by one of romance’s rising stars.

Elle Wright kicks off her new Pure Talent series with a bang in The Way You Tempt Me. This friends-to-lovers contemporary romance is sexy, addictive and deliciously dramatic.

Xavier Starks is the heir apparent for the new sports division of his family’s talent agency, Pure…

RomanceFantasy Romance

A Touch of Snow and Stone

Review by Amanda Diehl

A cursed soldier and a bastard prince get a second chance at love amid a world on the brink of disaster in this barbarian fantasy romance. Author Milla Vane continues her Gathering of Dragons series in A Touch of Stone and Snow, which begins as the western realms prepare for war.

Lizzan has been twice shunned. First, she opted to become a soldier instead of a healer, a choice that was a grave disappointment to her family. Then she became the only survivor of a massacre, though no one quite believes her story of being ambushed by wraiths. Her scarred visage marks her as cursed, exiled from her home and avoided by any who dare to look at her. She’s since become a dangerous mercenary. But she is determined to clear her name, even if that means appealing to the goddess Vela. Her task seems simple: complete a quest and bask in glory. Sadly, the quest involves her childhood friend and former lover, who is a painful reminder of all she’s lost: Prince Aerax.

Aerax never thought he would ascend to the throne, given that he is an illegitimate heir. But after the entire Koth line is murdered, he is the only person with a drop of royal blood left to rule. When he and Lizzan are finally brought back together, Aerax is determined to right his wrongs. Lizzan isn’t getting away a second time.

Like its predecessor, A Heart of Blood and Ashes, A Touch of Stone and Snow is a grand and sweeping fantasy romance, an absorbing and story-rich tome of warring kingdoms and dangerous dragons. Expect a slow burn here, as Vane takes her time with the details of the world and its inhabitants.

Lizzan is the ultimate warrior woman, which is a nice departure from the typical scarred soldier hero. A force to be reckoned with in work and play, she broadens the definition of a romance heroine. However, Lizzan and Aerax are not quite a full role reversal from typical hero and heroine archetypes, as Aerax is just fearsome in his own right. While Aerax has always loved and valued Lizzan, and he has many qualities that make him a wonderful complement to her, the most important part of his characterization for this reader is that he’s a cat owner. And not just any cat owner. This hero has a snowy version of a saber-toothed tiger. There are undoubtedly several other readers out there who will join me in leading the charge for more cats in romance novels.

A quick read, this is not; Vane’s work is immersive in every aspect. There’s a grand quest to triumph over evil, Lizzan’s drive to finally gain the acceptance that’s been wrongfully taken from her, a bittersweet romance between two warriors steeped in grief—oh, and a giant snow cat.

A Touch of Stone and Snow is a grand and sweeping fantasy romance, an absorbing and story-rich tome of warring kingdoms and dangerous dragons.
RomanceContemporary Romance

Not Like the Movies

Review by Dolly R. Sickles

If I had to sum up Kerry Winfrey’s new contemporary romance Not Like the Movies in one word, it would be charming.

Chloe Sanderson is an optimistic, klutzy, hopeful ball of positivity, and reading from her perspective is the perfect nightcap to a long, arduous day. The caregiver for her father, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, romantic comedy movies are Chloe’s escape. But her best friend has just written a rom-com that’s inspired by her. On the surface, this seems fun and flattering, but in reality, it sets an untenable expectation for a happily ever after, because the guy in the movie who gets the girl based on Chloe is an obvious fictionalization of Nick Velez, Chloe’s boss at the coffee shop where they work—and in real life, they’re just colleagues who wonder “what if,” but never follow through. The stress of seeing their on-screen HEA is seriously anxiety inducing.

Nick is a quiet introvert who’s sweet and kind, and he’s thoroughly supportive of Chloe. He’s much more serious than Chloe, and less carefree, but fortunately, opposites attract. Unfortunately, Chloe’s life is maxed out with responsibilities and he repeatedly gets swept up in her chaos. When she says life is too risky to take a chance on a relationship, he sticks around and reminds her of why it’s so important to leave her comfort zone.

They say it’s bad to meet your celebrity crush, because the reality never lives up to the fantasy. Chloe and Nick are forced to face their own fantasy in film form, and it’s a scary prospect. But Winfrey has built in all of the charming things that make rom-coms addictive: richly developed characters, a deep pool of supportive friends, awkward situations, goofy reactions, missed opportunities, big misunderstandings and grand gestures. This romance is slow building, but the journey is a delight.

If I had to sum up Kerry Winfrey’s new contemporary romance Not Like the Movies in one word, it would be charming.

Chloe Sanderson is an optimistic, klutzy, hopeful ball of positivity, and reading from her perspective is the perfect nightcap to a long, arduous…

RomanceHistorical Romance

Daring and the Duke

Review by Amanda Diehl

Sarah MacLean wraps up her Bareknuckle Bastards series with the ultimate story of revenge and redemption. Fans of the first two books will enjoy seeing the series villain, Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, brought to his knees (literally and figuratively) by the strong-willed Grace.

A long time ago, Grace considered Ewan to be her first love, until he betrayed her and his brothers and forced them to live on the streets. Since then, Grace has built herself up to be a ruler in Convent Garden’s seedy underworld. Ewan’s love for Grace has never wavered, even in spite of his deceptive actions. For years, he thought she was dead, her memory driving him into madness. But once he discovers she’s not dead at all, but is instead the very successful owner of a ladies’ club, he fights to win back her heart. Unfortunately, Grace’s first instinct is to seek revenge rather than reconciliation. Can Ewan fully redeem himself and become worthy of Grace’s love and affection? In the end, the answer is yes, but you’ll get no spoilers from me on Ewan’s path to redemption. It’s something readers really do need to experience for themselves.

When Grace and Ewan reconnect, there is more pull than push. It’s obvious they both still love one another and their relationship becomes less of a fight against attraction and more of a healing journey to right past wrongs. If you expect fireworks of antagonism, you may be disappointed; this is a tender second-chance romance between two people who have known a life full of pain and abandonment. It’s emotional and heart-wrenching, as both Grace and Ewan are characters who experience their emotions strongly and earnestly. Think of this as more of a slow simmer than a rolling boil. Daring and the Duke will crush your heart and then slowly and carefully piece it back together. It’s the epitome of catharsis.

Though Daring and the Duke offers enough exposition for newcomers to dive right in, readers will miss the nuance of the hero and heroine’s history and how it informs their behavior without reading the previous two romances in the series. And honestly, it’s a grave disservice to your reading enjoyment to not start from the beginning with MacLean’s charming cast of characters. I can’t think of a better weekend activity than powering through the entire trilogy!

Sarah MacLean wraps up her Bareknuckle Bastards series with the ultimate story of revenge and redemption. Fans of the first two books will enjoy seeing the series villain, Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, brought to his knees (literally and figuratively) by the strong-willed Grace.

A…

RomanceContemporary Romance

Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Review by Amanda Diehl

Talia Hibbert is quickly becoming a contemporary romance powerhouse. Her return to the adventures of the Brown siblings with Take A Hint, Dani Brown is an easy contender for best book of the year.

Zafir Ansari and Dani Brown couldn’t be more different. Zaf is a former rugby player turned security guard whose weakness is reading romance and who has a passion for destigmatizing mental illness. Dani is more tightly wound—a Ph.D. student who can barely stop working long enough to eat a decent meal. She certainly doesn’t have time for romance. Friends with benefits? Surely, but nothing that requires careful cultivation and patience navigating emotional bombshells.

After a fire drill goes haywire, Zaf’s gallant rescuing of Dani becomes a viral sensation and both realize they can use the situation to their mutual benefit. Dani can get her friends with benefits scenario with hunky Zaf, and Zaf can get closer to his crush, Dani, while using the exposure to help his sports nonprofit for children, Tackle It. What seems like a win-win scenario quickly becomes messier; in romance, fake dating rarely stays fake for long.

Hibbert knows how to deepen and complicate her characters, meticulously peeling back layer upon layer as the story goes on. Zaf’s past includes a devastating personal tragedy that changed his life and set him on a course to advocate for athletes experiencing mental health issues. Dani’s more than just a flighty commitmentphobe; her passionate studiousness comes from fear, because she’s never known love and career to exist harmoniously.

What makes Take a Hint, Dani Brown a superlative example of the romance genre as a whole, and not just a gem in the contemporary category, is that Hibbert gets to the essence of what a happily-ever-after means. It’s not about love as the antidote to a couple’s problems, but love becoming a foundation on which the couple understand one another better and a soft place to land when times are tough. While they’re quick to tumble into bed, Dani and Zeb are both guarded, but through lovely, stick-to-your-ribs home cooking on Zaf’s part and Dani’s ability to make those around her feel like they can achieve anything, they fall in love little by little. It’s not a romance of grand gestures, but a slow burn made up of small, simple moments.

Fans who loved the first book in the Brown Sisters series, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, may feel that it’s a tough act to follow. Fear not. Take a Hint, Dani Brown possesses the same amount of charm, grit and, certainly, sex appeal as its predecessor. Zaf is the emotionally competent, buff hero of our dreams. Dani is the heroine we all aspire to be: confident, feminist, sex-positive and driven. Read this romance immediately, and then read it again.

Talia Hibbert is quickly becoming a contemporary romance powerhouse. Her return to the adventures of the Brown siblings with Take A Hint, Dani Brown is an easy contender for best book of the year.

Zafir Ansari and Dani Brown couldn’t be more different. Zaf is…

RomanceWestern RomanceHistorical Romance

The Outlaw’s Daughter

Review by Elizabeth Mazer

It’s not every day that the “meet cute” starts with a shotgun . . . but not every heroine is Ellie-May Blackwell. Tough, strong and stubborn—not to mention fierce when she needs to be—Ellie-May brooks no nonsense and protects what’s hers, whether that’s her two children, her struggling farm or the memory of her late husband, Neal Blackwell. Neal is viewed with reverence by most of the town of Haywire, Texas, after dying a hero’s death while saving children from a burning schoolhouse. Ellie-May is not viewed nearly as kindly. The child of a notorious outlaw, she knows all too well how it feels to be treated as guilty by association.

So when Texas Ranger Matt Taggert shows up with suspicions that Neal participated in a stagecoach robbery the day before he died, well, Matt’s lucky that all he gets is a shotgun pointed in his face. He’s not welcome. His suspicions aren’t welcome. And most unwelcome of all are the doubts he plants in Ellie-May’s heart—doubts that make her question everything she thought she knew when she finds a sack full of banknotes stuffed under her front porch.

Ellie-May is a heartbreakingly relatable character. On the one hand, she desperately wants to prove wrong all the whispers and taunts that say she’s no better than her father, but on the other hand, she’s ferociously determined to protect her son and daughter from being tarred by the same brush. The children think of Neal as a hero and she’d do anything to keep from shattering that ideal. That turmoil would be enough to twist any woman into knots, even without the distraction of a certain very handsome, very appealing Texas Ranger. But then Matt goes and makes himself even more desirable by being kind to her children and genuinely compassionate about Ellie-May’s background, approaching it from a place of true understanding, since the death of their own father led Matt’s brother to spiral out of control and become an outlaw himself.

Indeed, struggles and sufferings in their past are something that all of the key characters in this story share, from Matt’s grief over his father’s loss and his brother’s downfall, to Ellie-May’s bruised spirit over the town’s scorn, to her farmhand Anvil’s past as a vagrant, to Jesse, the teenage sidekick Matt accidentally picks up (my favorite character, I must confess), whose father crawled into a bottle after losing his wife. Even Neal, Haywire’s local saint, had a painful secret in his past that kept him from ever finding peace. Margaret Brownley is not gentle with her characters, and they’re the better for it. The troubles they’ve faced have tempered them, making them wiser, stronger, kinder. More loyal. More generous. And ever more deserving of the happy endings they all find in the end.

It’s not every day that the “meet cute” starts with a shotgun . . . but not every heroine is Ellie-May Blackwell. Tough, strong and stubborn—not to mention fierce when she needs to be—Ellie-May brooks no nonsense and protects what’s hers, whether that’s her two…

RomanceHistorical Romance

The Highlander’s English Bride

Review by Amanda Diehl

An unexpected, embarrassing and disastrous first impression provides the basis of a friends-to-lovers historical romance between a curious, winsome heroine and a grumpy Scottish spy in Vanessa Kelly’s The Highlander’s English Bride.

Lady Sabrina Bell is honestly having the worst day. After being stood up by a suitor, she becomes the victim of a mugging and winds up in the river, soaked to the bone. Her rescuer: highlander Graeme Kendrick. The two begin a friendship, the basis of which is Sabrina’s uncanny ability to get herself into trouble. Graeme steps into the role of “knight in shining armor” begrudgingly, and the two make up the classic romance coupling of a hapless ray of sunshine who invades the heart of a buff, solitary curmudgeon.

Because of the secretive nature of Graeme’s work, he’s hesitant to form any sort of serious romantic attachment. Unfortunately for Graeme, his meddling family is determined to nudge him toward love and it doesn’t take much for Sabrina to win them over. Since this is the third book in Kelly’s Clan Kendrick series, readers can expect visits from the previous books’ large and lively cast, with plenty of Easter eggs for dedicated fans. Newbies, though, shouldn’t be deterred. This book works well on its own as a historical romance packed with mischief and mayhem!

Sabrina’s sweet and seemingly flighty nature hides a woman who knows what she wants and, put simply, she wants Graeme. If you prefer romances where the heroine is the one attempting to court the hero, The Highlander’s English Bride is a worthy addition to that list. Graeme possesses a deep sense of loyalty to his family and his country and worries about jeopardizing both by falling for Sabrina. Though opposites in personality, they are consistently drawn into riotous scenes of adventure and sharp-tongued banter. Retiring to an isolated and bucolic country estate is not their sort of happy ending. Theirs is a lovely coupling in which neither the hero nor the heroine feels like they have to compromise or sacrifice part of themselves to make things work.

In addition to the romance, there’s also an intricate mystery (after all, Graeme still has a job to do) that’s more of an adventurous road trip than a tightly wound whodunnit. The back and forth between the romantic main plot and action subplot guarantee that you’ll never be bored. A Vanessa Kelly historical romance is a lot like being at a carnival: It’s a whirlwind of fun with the lightness of cotton candy, the rush of a tilt-a-whirl and the satisfaction of a night well planned. There are few better choices than than this bubbly romance that delivers a heartwarming happily ever after.

An unexpected, embarrassing and disastrous first impression provides the basis of a friends-to-lovers historical romance between a curious, winsome heroine and a grumpy Scottish spy in Vanessa Kelly’s The Highlander’s English Bride.

Lady Sabrina Bell is honestly having the worst day. After being stood up…

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