Last year, I loved Bridget Morrissey's romance, A Thousand Miles. Now she has another romance out that is high on my to-read list: That Summer Feeling. Newly divorced, Garland Moore accepts some new friends' invitation to stay at their sleepaway camp. While there, she runs into the man that got away... but when she rooms... Continue Reading →
A new book that's sure to get a lot of much-deserved attention this season is The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman. Set in Regency London, it follows adult twin sisters, an unlikely comrade-in-arms, and a mission to not only protect women from abuse, but also prove a wrongfully convicted man's innocence. This... Continue Reading →
Last year, I loved reading Jenn McKinlay's 2020 novel, Paris Is Always a Good Idea. Now she has a brand new book, Summer Reading, and I was thrilled to be included in the book tour for it. With a neurodivergent heroine, a librarian hero, and a focus on family, this is a sweet and inclusive romance.... Continue Reading →
Last year, Claudia Gray began a new Regency mystery series with The Murder of Mr. Wickham. As you may have surmised from that title, the story is inspired by Jane Austen and indeed features characters from all six of her novels. It also introduced several new characters, including our sleuthing protagonists, the respective children the Darcys... Continue Reading →
Last year, I loved Carley Fortune's debut novel, Every Summer After. Now she's back with another atmospheric romance, Meet Me at the Lake. Ten years ago, Fern and Will spent 24 incredible hours together, and they vowed to meet up again at the same place exactly one year later. Only Fern showed up. Now 32,... Continue Reading →
Laura Hankin is an author whose books all appeal to me, and it's about time I actually read one of them! Her latest release is The Daydreams, about the cast a popular teen show from the early 2000s getting a chance at a reunion special. But the four stars of the show are very different... Continue Reading →
Do you enjoy reading historical fiction about real-life people? Do you have an affinity for fashion and cosmetics? If so, you'll definitely want to read Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renée Rosen. Set in New York City in 1938, it follows Gloria Downing as she tries to disappear and reinvent herself. She meets another young... Continue Reading →
Susan Meissner is an author I've been planning to start reading, and now that she has a new book out, that urge is even stronger. Today, her novel Only the Beautiful hits shelves. It follows two timelines: In 1938, newly orphaned Rosanne moves in with the owners of a California vineyard. When she becomes pregnant,... Continue Reading →
Today, one of my most anticipated books this April comes out: Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray. It follows a Black American family in the wake of a father and husband's disappearance. What happened to him? How will his wife and daughter carry on in the years that follow? Life and Other Love... Continue Reading →
A new book that's on my radar this month is When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder. It follows two siblings, Nan and Heath, who've been abandoned by their father and end up in the streets. Nan is rescued by a kind gentleman and lives in luxury; Heath must fend for himself. Years later, both siblings... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books out this month is Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman. It walks the line of women's fiction and suspense, starting when three best friends enjoy a summer in Greece. But their vacation ended in tragedy, and only two of the girls made it home. Now, ten years after... Continue Reading →
I've always loved mysteries and anything with gothic vibes, so I was excited to read The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright. This novel follows a few different timelines, spanning the 1800s to present day, as two women work through a decades-old mystery surrounding a Wisconsin castle. With both suspense and romance, this... Continue Reading →
Today, Stephanie Marie Thornton releases her stunning new book, Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. This historical fiction novel follows two famous figures, a mother and daughter, who both left their mark on the world. I find both Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley to be fascinating and inspiring women. The... Continue Reading →
Last year, Lynn Painter's Mr. Wrong Number was a popular contemporary romance, and rightfully so. This week, the series continues with her new novel, The Love Wager. This friends-to-lovers romance follows Jack and Hallie as they navigate dating app dates and wedding parties, all while denying their obvious feelings for each other. It's a cute... Continue Reading →
Sometimes, a beautiful cover and an intriguing title are all it takes to pique my interest in a book. Such was the case with The Last Russian Doll, the debut novel by Kristen Loesch. My knowledge of Russia, its history, and its culture are fairly limited. Of course, I know the major musical and literary... Continue Reading →
A recent book that needs to be on your radar is To Win Her Hand by Jen Geigle Johnson. The first in her new Gentleman's Match series, it follows two rival matchmakers who spend their time helping others fall in love, yet can't envision a happily ever after for themselves. But when Lord Featherstone and... Continue Reading →
Today, Deanna Raybourn releases her eighth Veronica Speedwell book, A Sinister Revenge. In this Victorian mystery, Veronica, her beau Stoker, and his brother Tiberius face cryptic messages and the death of two friends from a group known as the Seven Sinners. The trio attempts to uncover the killer at a reunion party... but it could... Continue Reading →
Following her adult debut, Sadie on a Plate, Amanda Elliot is back with a new foodie romance: Best Served Hot. This rivals-to-lovers story follows Julie, a popular food blogger who's been rejected for her dream job. Instead, the job went to the "smarmy, social-media-adverse" Bennett. After she films an argument between them and it goes... Continue Reading →
An inspiring and timely new novel hits shelves today: The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen. Based on a real woman in our recent history, it follows Dorothy Horstmann, an epidemiologist, virologist, and pediatrician who led the way in developing the polio vaccine. In the 1940s and '50s, science and medicine were still very much a man's... Continue Reading →
One of the hottest debuts this season is Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft. This thriller follows Bea, a woman who's spent her life as part of a con artist duo with her mother. She's ready to exchange that high-stakes lifestyle for one of luxury by marrying into one of the wealthiest families in... Continue Reading →
In the last couple of years, the Secret Scientists of London series by Elizabeth Everett has emerged as a standout among historical romances. These are smart books highlighting women who fit within the STEM label (and STEMinist label), except it's the 1840s and they're facing even more career pushback than women today. I've been meaning... Continue Reading →
2023 has only just begun, and already there are some incredible new books out that deserve to be read! One novel I'm particularly looking forward to is The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz. It takes place in Scotland in 1715, and it follows a fugitive heiress as she hides out in a Scottish... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I enjoyed Sharon C. Cooper's novel Business Not As Usual. Now the male protagonists's sister gets her own love story with In It to Win It, a second chances romance with a little friendly competition over a real estate deal. Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House and to NetGalley for providing me... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books for the end of this year was A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson. I admit, I've been planning to read his first adult romance, I'm So (Not) Over You, all year, but it somehow hasn't happened yet. However, I'm happy I got to read A Dash... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 