This week, Jo Segura released her second novel, Temple of Swoon. Following in the footsteps of her first book's characters, this one stars an up-and-coming archaeologist on a make-it-or-break-it assignment in Brazil. Too bad the photojournalist joining this dig is super cute... and secretly trying to sabotage the whole expedition. Why I Chose This Book:... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to For One Night Only, the debut novel by Jessica James! 2025 looks like it will be the year of music-related romances, and kicking things off is this wonderful book about a pop punk band getting back together for a one-off concert... and two of those bandmates reigniting that old spark between... Continue Reading →
When I first learned about Katie Holt's debut, Not in My Book, I was instantly intrigued. Not only do I love books about books, I'm also drawn to anything with Peruvian culture. (My husband is Peruvian and I lived in Lima for a year!) With an enemies-to-lovers romance arc and plenty of discussions around writing,... Continue Reading →
I loved Martha Waters's entire Regency Vows series, and though I knew I'd read anything she put out, I was surprised when she announced her next book: a contemporary holiday romance called Christmas Is All Around. It's such a different style of novel, starting with it not being set 200 years in the past. And... Continue Reading →
When Jamie Wesley released Fake It Till You Bake It, I was excited to read it. Now, the series continues with A Legend in the Baking, starring Sugar Blitz co-owner August and Donovan's younger sister, Sloane. Sloane has just been passed over for a promotion she deserved, so she quits and decides to pursue a... Continue Reading →
As a kid, I absolutely loved horses. From my numerous Breyer horses to the book series I read (The Black Stallion; Phantom Stallion; Pony Pals; many more!), I was a horse girl through and through (minus the budget for riding lessons, sadly). To this day, I love horses and am drawn to anything involving them.... Continue Reading →
Today Raquel Vasquez Gilliland releases her second Wild Magic novel, Lightning in Her Hands. This book follows middle sister Teal, a volatile woman whose gift is changing the weather according to her moods. But she was four when her mother abandoned the family, taking a piece of Teal's magic with her; Teal has never had... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow Raquel Vasquez Gilliland releases her second Wild Magic book, of which I have an ARC... but I hadn't yet read the first installment! Witch of Wild Things had been on my TBR since it came out last year, and I'm glad I read it first. In Witch of Wild Things, Sage is back home... Continue Reading →
Last winter, I enjoyed reading The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke, so I was excited to read more from her. This week she released her newest novel, The Book of Witching. Divided between two timelines, it deals with a mysterious group known as the Triskele on the Orkney Islands of Scotland. In 1594, Alison... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books this fall was The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley. Set in the Seattle grunge scenes of the 1990s, this dual-timeline novel is about star-crossed lovers—Elijah Hart and Jane Pyre—torn apart by fame and addiction. But when Elijah goes missing in Iceland in late 1994, Jane is forced to carry... Continue Reading →
I always love a book that weaves in music somehow, and that's what first drew me to Showmance by Chad Beguelin. Noah Adams has just had his Broadway debut... but his musical, Stage of Fools, is an immediate flop. He goes back to his small hometown in Illinois to be with his parents after his... Continue Reading →
Last year I loved Dominic Lim's debut novel, All the Right Notes, so I was excited to get an early copy of his new book, Karaoke Queen. As before, the romance here is between Filipino men and involves a ton of music. This time, though, instead of Broadway musicals and high school choirs, these characters... Continue Reading →
It's back-to-school season, fall is almost here, and that makes it the perfect time to read Kristyn J. Miller's new novel, Given Our History. This dual-timeline, second chance romance is about two history professors (and former best friends) who haven't spoken in several years but are now back in each other's orbit. Clara and Teddy... Continue Reading →
Last year I absolutely loved My Roommate Is a Vampire, and I couldn't wait to continue the My Vampires series. Now Jenna Levine is back with My Vampire Plus-One, this time starring Reginald Cleaves (introduced in the first book) and a new character, Amelia Collins (Cassie's best friend Sam's sister). Amelia is tired of her... Continue Reading →
Karina Halle is an author I enjoyed several years ago (she wrote some of the first adult romances I'd ever read, including Love, in English, its sequel Love, in Spanish, and The Pact). I've been wanting to read more from her for a while, and at long last, I'm back with her newest release, The... Continue Reading →
Matchmaking, fake dating, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and Desi culture: All that and more is in Sunshine and Spice, the debut novel by Aurora Palit. I was first drawn to this book for its cute cover and the title, but the joy only grew as I began reading it. Set in Kelowna, British Columbia, it's about... Continue Reading →
I'm a sucker for a good horror story, especially when dolls are involved. So The Doll's House by Lisa Unger immediately captured my attention. This short story follows Jules, recently widowed, and her teenage daughter, Scout. Both are still grieving, but Jules is already with a new man, Kirin, and they're moving into his house.... Continue Reading →
As a lifelong cat lover and cat owner, I'm always drawn to books about felines. As soon as I saw We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, I had to read it. Already a bestseller in Japan and now available in English for the first time, this book takes the idea of cats as... Continue Reading →
Since 2019, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become one of my favorite authors, and I've read nearly all of her books by now. However, I still hadn't read her first two novels. Now available in audiobook form, I've finally read her debut novel, Signal to Noise. It starts in Mexico City in 1988, when teenagers Meche, Sebastián,... Continue Reading →
I have been loving Nisha Sharma's If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series and was so excited to read the final installment, Marriage & Masti. This Twelfth Night retelling is about Deepak and Veera, two career-focused friends who fell out of touch when he got engaged to another woman... then accidentally got married after that engagement... Continue Reading →
Paranormal romances have been on the rise lately, and I've really been getting into them. One that just came out this month is A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley. It's the third in her Glimmer Falls series, but it works as a standalone (I still need to read the first two... Continue Reading →
This year is all about haunted house romances for me! As a fan of love stories and of supernatural horror, this combination is the perfect marriage for me. Jen DeLuca's latest book, Haunted Ever After, is the start of a new series set in the haunted Florida town of Boneyard Key. Cassie has just bought... Continue Reading →
A couple years ago I enjoyed Claire Kann's adult debut, The Romantic Agenda, and I was excited to read more from her. Instead of another contemporary romance, her second book is paranormal romance: Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places is about a woman named Lucky who is looking to jump-start her career in... Continue Reading →
I'm a big romance reader, but I'm also a fan of horror, mysteries, curses, and the like. So when I learned about Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan, I knew I had to read it. An enemies-to-lovers paranormal-ish romance set in a Scottish castle, it follows an American curse breaker and an English archeologist. Both... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 