Ambitious Ursula and libertine Jay are hardly an ideal pair – good thing their engagement is fake! But in Felicia Grossman’s historical romance debut, Appetites & Vices [Carina Press, February 2019] when playing pretend gets too personal, all bets are off. “Debut author Grossman doesn’t shy away from tough topics—detailing anti-Semitic prejudices of Early American high society as well as drug addiction without overshadowing the romance and humor at the center of the relationship (read more…)

EW.com featured Lori Foster’s Cooper’s Charm [HQN], a two-romances-in-one story set against the backdrop of a charming camping resort of the same name, in its round-up Hot Stuff: July romance novels tackle tricky tropes. And they threw in this fun comp to a cult film favorite for good measure: “The story is a heart-warming tale of four broken people whose affection and care for one another helps them to heal in myriad ways. (read more…)

Sarah Morgan is best known most recently for her sparkling “From Manhattan with Love” romance series, but her first foray into women’s fiction is already racking up rave reviews. Morgan’s How To Keep A Secret [HQN] has earned not one but two stars with her story about three generations of women who are bought together by a crisis, learning over the course of a hot summer in Martha’s Vineyard about the power (read more…)

Happy Valentine’s Day! Sort of.   If your heart is as black as night, may I suggest an alternative romance that will send a different kind of shiver down your spine: Dead Girl Running  [HQN, April 24*] from romantic suspense heavy-hitter, Christina Dodd. Even the romance naysayers won’t be able to resist the book that Booklist says in its starred review is a “guaranteed keep the-lights-on-late read.”   Enjoy the read? (read more…)