Audrey Tate has the perfect life. Just ask any of the subscribers to her wildly popular online platform. A professional influencer with a glamorous, successful lifestyle in the most posh parts of Manhattan, Audrey always knows how to look, sound and be just right for any situation. Except when it comes to romance. Her heart was broken a year and a half ago with the reveal that she was one of three women involved with her boyfriend—including his wife. While she and the other women scorned have become devoted friends, she still carries wounds from the ordeal. And it taught her a lesson: Prince Charmings are for other women. Not her. She can have the perfect townhouse, the perfect dress, the perfect smile or quip or hashtag for any situation. But she can’t have the perfect man, unless she’s willing to play along with the perfect lie.

Clarke West, her best friend since childhood, has always been there to love her, tease her, support her, aggravate her and occasionally use her as a shield when his flings get too clingy, or his controlling mother gets too difficult. But when he pretends (yet again) that they’re engaged to dissuade a persistent ex, right when Audrey’s love life takes another embarrassing turn, a plan is formed. Why not keep the fake engagement going? It will aggravate his mother, ward off his ex and restore Audrey’s reputation after vicious attacks from an internet troll. Win, win, win. Except for the part where lines start blurring and staged kisses start to feel a little too real. Audrey and Clarke’s “safe” choice to be together becomes more and more risky when their hearts end up on the line.

This novel concludes the Central Park Pact trilogy, bringing a happy ending to all three of the women burned by the same deceitful ex. Of the three, Audrey’s story might have the most bitterly ironic twist, in that the woman who makes a living putting everything on display was fooled by a man hiding behind his lies. While the story’s high-society setting and rom-com premise embue it with plenty of frothy fun, Audrey’s sadness and self-doubt, along with Clarke’s own insecurities as the child of parents who don’t quite seem to know how to show love to anyone, give it depth. Thankfully, they have each other, and the strength of their friendship helps them heal enough to realize not just that they’ve been in love all along, but that they deserve the happiness they’ve found together. Warm and heartfelt, this story conveys author Lauren Layne’s real affection for her characters as they overcome the past and build a beautifully messy, perfectly imperfect future.

Jill Shalvis is back with the fourth installment of her contemporary Wildstone series, Almost Just Friends. Just like every other book she’s written, you can count on this one to make you feel good. Shalvis has a knack for creating charming characters who are vulnerable yet strong. They’re likable, relatable and possess the ability to face any challenge head-on.

On her 30th birthday, at a celebration she neither asked for nor wanted, the reality of Piper Manning’s life rings true: She is responsible for “gathering and keeping all us misfits together and sane.” That’s her friends talking, but the same goes for her family—Piper is the glue that holds them together. She’s raised her siblings, built a career as an EMT and has started refurbishing her grandparents’ lake house. Once she sells the valuable property, she’ll finally have the money to pursue her dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant.

But change is scary. Despite the responsibilities Piper has had for over half her life and now her yearning for the next chapter, taking the first step is harder than she thought. And despite all the planning, hoping and wishing she holds close in her heart, falling in love doesn’t factor into the chaos of her life.

Then she meets Camden Reid, a secretive DEA agent and Coast Guard reservist. Camden, a man in search of an anchor but with no interest in romance or love, finds Piper to be both a conundrum and irresistible. He’s drawn to her strength and vulnerability (which we’ll call the “Shalvis specialty”), and Piper challenges him more than anything he’s ever experienced.

I know it’s only January, but Almost Just Friends is my favorite book of the year so far. It’s the message we need for this new decade: Everybody struggles with change and challenge and hardship, but if you’re brave and take a leap of faith, you can be happy.

Alexa Martin is back with the third installment of her Playbook series, Blitzed. As the real-life wife of a former NFL player, Martin brings insight and experience to a fun, enjoyable series about the fictional Denver Mustangs. Reader, she knows her football! Martin captures the reality of the sexy, exciting and volatile culture of professional sports.

So far in the series we’ve seen a Hail Mary, a second-chance romance and now we’re in for a slow burn with defensive back Maxwell Lewis and local bar owner Brynn Larson. Readers of the previous two books will know that Brynn is Max’s dream woman. But while on their first date, he gets a phone call from his brother Theo, a police officer, that changes the trajectory of their still-new relationship. And rather than opening up and telling Brynn about it, he admits to not trusting Theo and acknowledges that his brother’s “little bit of power makes it easier for him to be the worst kind of person.” Theo soon catches Brynn alone to let her know what he told Max: that the rape allegations from the Lewis brothers’ past are coming back into the spotlight. And rather than listening to Maxwell’s explanation, she sides with Theo and ends her relationship with Max.

The stakes are high in dating nowadays. And when you’re with someone who’s twice your size, and a professional athlete in a sport rife with scandal from violence and spousal abuse, it’s smart to stay skeptical. But do you trust your heart and your intuition, or gossip and hearsay? Brynn poses the question best to herself: “Either I believe the man I love or I believe a woman who had no reason to lie.”

Brynn works through her relationship frustrations with her tight circle of friends (known jovially as the Lady Mustangs), and so I would’ve enjoyed a more open glimpse into Max as he worked through his issues. He’s a fun character and I rooted for him from the start. But despite all of his great qualities, he kept a very big piece of his past a secret. When it comes to light in the worst of ways, Brynn has no depth of information from which to help draw her conclusion. Sure, Maxwell is a wonderful guy. He’s handsome and kind and caring and, Brynn thought, a marvelous boyfriend—but that’s probably what Ted Bundy’s dates thought, right?

The rape allegations that come to light are obviously very serious, so tread lightly with this book if you have triggers. But if you can look forward to truth prevailing and characters who eventually find their way to better communication with one another, Blitzed is worth it.

Andie J. Christopher’s latest contemporary romance, Not the Girl You Marry, is a gender-swapped, millennial revamp of rom-com classic How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But in this modern era of enlightened and equitable partners, the lovers’ tactics of sabotage  stem from heavy personal baggage. Their ruse nearly gets away from them before they can get their hearts back on track.

Jack Nolan is a journalist at an internet media company who’s trying to get into harder hitting assignments, and Hannah Mayfield is an event planner at a prestigious firm who’s trying to prove she’s got the chops to move into the major leagues—weddings. Jack’s niche is How-To articles, and because he’s handsome, he has become the pretty face of the company. His boss is of the opinion that political reporters are a dime a dozen, so he encourages Jack to write a How-To article on how to get a girl—by showing readers the things that would make you lose her. But the problem is, Jack genuinely likes Hannah. And when Hannah has an opportunity to climb her corporate ladder by proving she could date someone for more than two weeks and thus understand the wedding market, she sweeps Jack along for the ride.

I enjoyed the portrayal of the struggles Hannah faces as a biracial woman, and many readers will see themselves in Christopher’s heroine. But I did find myself wishing that Jack and Hannah had struggled a little more in the beginning of their relationship rather than jumping into an instant attraction and regard for one another. Despite this flaw in believability, Christopher’s story comes full-circle and hits home when the truth is unveiled, because no healthy or lasting relationship can be built on lies.

There’s a lot of angst in this story about 20-something-year-old professionals, and if Cher had been either of their bosses she would’ve told them to just “snap out of it,” but don’t let the relative immaturity of the main couple turn you away from a promising new voice in romance.

Talia Hibbert knows how to pack a book full of fun, sexy and whip-smart characters, and Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a pitch-perfect example of her talents. The first in the Brown Sisters series, this book introduces us to Chloe Brown, a well-to-do black woman with fibromyalgia. After a close call with death, Chloe decides it’s time to get her life together and makes a list that she hopes will bring some excitement to her life. Enlisting the help of her dreamy, tattooed landlord, Redford Morgan, Chloe sets out to check all of her boxes on her list.

Hibbert’s books are a master class in inclusivity. Not only does she often include black women as the romantic lead, she also portrays mental illness with the utmost care. Her characters’ experiences with depression or bipolar disorder are believably and respectfully depicted. She works to make sure that the characters have more than a story that solely focuses on their illnesses, showing that romance and passion are for everyone.

Hibbert peppers in witty and incredibly sultry banter between her characters. Chloe and Red’s interactions are delectably sweet and will leave you smiling to yourself as they verbally spar with each other. Their conversations are effortless and believable, and flow with increasing ease as they get to know each other.

The natural development of Chloe and Red’s relationship is a testament to Hibbert’s character work and excellent plotting. She excels in the slow build of intimacy between the two as they discover that despite their differences, like Red’s tattoos and Chloe’s fondness for prim cardigans, they can’t get enough of each other. When sparks fly, readers will want to cheer out loud. Hibbert’s stunning dialogue and stupendous prose are on full display in this powerhouse of a romance.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Talia Hibbert.