Kellisa’s Romance Recommendations
A few weeks ago my good friend Laura, from What to Read Next Podcast, asked me to list some recommendations for her Patreon group newsletter. I had so much fun going through my recently read romances that I wanted to share the list here! Some are repeats that I’ve already reviewed here, but I still hope the list is helpful if you’re looking for a new read.
Side note: if you are a romance reader and want to join a book club, I highly recommend Laura’s Patreon club!
On to the recommendations!
Always Only You by Chloe Liese (on KU): Chloe’s first #OwnVoices novel, Heroine works for a hockey team and is living with Autism and Rheumatoid Arthritis, hero is a hockey player with a long time crush on the heroine. The hero is also a total Shakespere nerd. Their interactions are delightful, so much banter! I smiled the whole time while reading this, really great chronic illness and autism representation. Forced proximity and friends-to-lovers tropes.
Wild Wedding Hookup by Jamie K. Schmidt: My first Harlequin Dare title and I could not put it down. Heroine is a concierge for a luxury resort, and the hero is arranging his future brother-in-law’s two-week long bachelor trip. Great if you’re looking for a quick and steamy read set in South Beach, Florida!
My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh: Friends-to-lovers historical romance. Heroine and hero are both in STEM fields, heroine decides to use the hero to make her crush jealous. Hero has social anxiety, it felt like a really accurate representation. Low-angst and lots of funny moments!
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J Maas: I put off reading this series for years, and thank goodness I had it to distract me during the stressful times of quarantine! This is YA/New Adult Fantasy, but I recommend trying it even if those are not your go-to genres. I also recommend going in blind and try to avoid spoilers if possible. Series must be read in order, but book two (A Court of Mist and Fury) is the best of the trilogy!
Three Little Words by Jenny Holiday: This is the final book from the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series, I read it as a stand alone and loved it so much! Forced proximity/road trip romance. Heroine is on her way to her best friend’s wedding and has to drive from New York to Florida with the best man. Fantastic chemistry and banter!
Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans (on KU): Really fun marriage of convenience/forced proximity! Married at First Sight meets The Amazing Race. This is the second in a series but I read it as a standalone. I loved how crazy it was and all the forced proximity moments.
Upcoming releases:
Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills (out August 18th and on KU): One of my favorite contemporary romances I’ve read recently! Blind date mix-up turned one night stand turned unexpected forced proximity. Heroine is a librarian and aspiring lingerie designer, hero is NFL star with some secrets who needs to clean up his image following an accident. Both end up starring in a community theater production of Romeo and Juliet. Quirky and delightful!
The Roommate by Rosie Danan (out September 15th): Slow burn to super steamy romance between two roommates. Heroine moves to LA with the intention of seducing her life-long crush with some good old fashioned forced proximity, but she ends up with a well-known porn star as her roommate instead. Loved how this book discusses the porn industry and female sexuality, lots of great feminist undertones!
Simmer Down by Sarah Smith (out October 13th): Enemies-to-lovers set in Maui. Heroine and hero have competing food trucks and are battling it out for a prime parking spot. Some definite Sunshine and Grump vibes. Reading this will make you want Filipino food immediately!