Coming Soon… August 2018

A new book from Tessa Dare is obviously a big event for many romance fans, and the AAR staffers are no different, with many of us choosing The Governess Game as one of the titles we’re most looking forward to reading in August.  In fact, we’re looking forward to quite a few historicals this month – Caroline Linden, Kerrigan Byrne and Virginia Heath all have new books coming out, Bec McMaster continues her Blue-Blood Conspiracy series and there’s a long-awaited new book from Susanna Kearsley, too.

These are (some of) the books we’re most looking forward to reading in August – tell us in the comments which books YOU can’t wait to get your hands on!

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (28 Aug)

In The Governess Game we get to know Alexandra Mountbatten who somehow winds up working as governess for renowned rake Chase Reynaud.  The premise seems unlikely – but like most Dare novels, that’s part of its charm – and in Ms. Dare’s capable hands I’m sure their ‘courtship’ will be frequently awkward, often funny, and brimming with sexual tension.  I’m in. – Em

I credit The Duchess Deal with getting me back into reading historical romance after several years away, because I loved it so much. So, of course I’m eagerly anticipating the followup The Governess Game. Dare’s books are both sexy and humorous and I’m sure this one will be no different.  – Haley

Hi, it’s Tessa Dare. Do I need anything else to get excited? No. I do not. – Kristen

A governess must tame her wild charges while avoiding the romantic suit of their duke guardian.  It’s Tessa Dare; she knows romance! – Lisa

I really enjoyed last year’s The Duchess Deal, the first book in Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series, and I’m quite eager to get my hands on its sequel. Alexandra’s character intrigued me when I encountered her in book one, so I was over the moon to learn that The Governess Game was her story. I’m sure this book will deliver the delightful romance and witty banter fans have come to expect from Ms. Dare. – Shannon

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne (28 Aug)

In spite of the dumb title, I’m eager to read this one.  While the Victorian Rebels series has been a little uneven (The Duke, I’m looking at YOU!), I’m enjoying Kerrigan Byrne’s brand of dark, twisty (sometimes slightly OTT) romance and am definitely intrigued by this story of the man with no name and no past, and the woman who loves him. – Caz

I love the Victorian Rebels series.  Readers have been anxious to learn the identity of The Rook – a mysterious character who’s popped up in several of the books and plays a pivotal end role in The Scot Beds His Wife.  As usual, we know very little about the heroine of the story and just enough about the hero to whet our appetites for more.  I’m curious about The Rook’s true identity… and I can’t wait to read about him.

P.S. I love the title. – Em

If you haven’t yet discovered Byrne’s Victorian Rebels books, this is a good time to remedy that! I love this set of darker historical romances and am so looking forward to discovering all there is to know about this next anti-hero. Also, that title? I love it. – Hollis

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath (23 Aug)

Virginia Heath is one of my “must read” authors these days, and I’m eager to start her King’s Elite series.  The top-secret team of Regency era crack spies was introduced in her previous novel, and this story also re-introduces us to Lady Clarissa Beaumont – sister of Bella from A Warriner to Tempt Her.  She’s determined to wed a duke… until a handsome spy derails her plans. – Caz

Ever since we were first introduced to the King’s Elite in A Warriner to Seduce Her, I was hopeful Ms. Heath would turn her attention to their stories.  The blurb doesn’t tell us much, but in Ms. Heath’s capable hands, spies, aristocrats and intrigue never looked so good.  I hope this series is as strong as her Wild Warriners.  – Em

This is the start to a new series, but loosely follows her fabulous earlier book A Warriner to Seduce Her. I really enjoy Heath’s stories and am excited about this one. A lady, convinced her future married life includes a duke, is seductively persuaded to fall in love with a spy. – Keira

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Chase by Elle Kennedy (6 Aug)

Colin Fitzgerald is another teammate on the fictional college hockey team that spawned the Off Campus novels.  Always a peripheral player/friend in those books, we all hoped he would one day get a sexy story of his own… and this one looks like it’s going to be a doozy.  He falls for his roommate who’s also the younger sister of a close friend.  Opposites.  Roommates.  A younger sister.  Uh oh, Fitzy.  I want it now. – Em

Kennedy’s new release is a spinoff of her Off Campus series. A series I’ve just reread, and rediscovered my love for, in preparation for more. These are definitely among the better NA sports romances… at least in my opinion. Can’t wait. – Hollis

Elle Kennedy has a new series! After experiencing the fun of her new adult hockey romance series Off Campus, I’m looking forward to the spinoff Briar U which starts with The Chase. It’s a roommates and best friend’s sibling story, and has the well liked Fitzy from the first series getting his happy ending. – Maria Rose

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble//Kobo

An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden (28 Aug)

I’m really looking forward to this latest novel in the Wagers of Sin series.  Caroline Linden hasn’t let me down yet and I really enjoy her intelligent, witty, sensual romances. An Earl Like You features a marriage of convenience plotline, which is my catnip, so bring it on! – Caz

I eagerly look forward to each and every book release from Caroline Linden, and after the tremendous start to her Wagers of Sin series, I’m counting down the days until I can get my hands on An Earl Like You.  Mature, sophisticated stories with intriguing principal characters, lots of steam, and wonderful smart dialogue are Linden trademarks – and I expect no less from this one.  A spinster, a desperate earl and a wager that’s sure to go wrong at the worst moment… sounds like a winning bet to me. – Em

Part of the Wagers of Sin series, this is the story of an heiress of the merchant classes finding love with her father’s business partner. He’s an impoverished earl whose debts miraculously vanish upon his marriage. This book is all about trust, the loss of it and the regaining of it. I have read Linden on and off over the years, and I look forward to this one. – Keira

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

You Only Love Twice by Bec McMaster (14 Aug)

Bec McMaster is a wonderful storyteller and I’ve yet to meet a novel of hers I haven’t enjoyed.  This series is a fantastic combination of paranormal, suspense and romance and I’m been looking forward to this third instalment for AGES!  Tasked with tracking down a dangerous assassin, our heroine finds herself confronted by an equally dangerous man from her past… should she trust him – or kill him? I can’t wait to find out! – Caz

The Blueblood Conspiracy series has so far been excellent.  This time out we get to know a bit more about the secretive villain (?) Obsidian (who appeared in the first two books of the series), and his past history with Rogue agent Gemma Townsend.  Is he good?  Is he bad?  We don’t know…and neither does Gemma.  Friends, if you like historical romance and you haven’t tried steampunk – give it a chance!  And start with Bec McMaster. – Em

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley (7 Aug)

I love this author and buy anything she publishes. This is a dual time story set partly during the French and Indian war and partly in modern day America. A young woman, a mysterious house and a ghost – what’s not to love? – Maggie

I haven’t loved all of Ms. Kearsley’s books, but Bellewether caught my interest as soon as I read the synopsis. I’m a sucker for a well-told dual timeline story, and Ms. Kearsley writes some of the best. – Shannon

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

We’re also looking forward to…

Hollis:

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews (28 Aug)

The final Kate Daniels book is one of my most anticipated books.. maybe of all time. I’m so excited for this final chapter in Kate’s world because for all that it’s bittersweet to reach the end, it isn’t the end of the world. At least I hope not!

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Keira:

A Lady in Need of an Heir by Louise Allen (23 Aug)

She needs an heir but not a husband, because marrying would mean surrendering her family’s vineyard in Portugal to him. When she meets an earl, she wonders if the brave former soldier would be willing to father her child without making permanent demands on her. Allen is a hit or miss for me, but I’m intrigued by this entrepreneur heroine.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Kristen:

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter is at the top of her game and I cannot wait for this in my hot little hands. A mild-mannered suburban mother becomes a cold and exacting killer when a gunman bursts into the diner where she and her daughter are eating. The daughter is left wondering what the hell – and so are we. I have a feeling this’ll be a one-sitting read for me.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

Higgins’ last two forays into women’s fiction made my Top Tens of their respective years, so I’m eager to read this year’s offering. She’s one of those authors I trust and whose characters I love getting to know. – Kristen

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo 

Lisa:

Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft by various authors (28 Aug)

Women, witchcraft and romance – Harlequin Teen’s line of YA romances continues with this short story collection.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (7 Aug)

Fiona Davis’ sprawling story of Grand Central Station peers through the eyes of two different women: a bohemian artist who helps decorate the station’s walls on the cusp of the Great Depression and a beleaguered modern woman whose job at the newstand of the seventies-era grimy station might lead to its preservation.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (21 Aug)

An immortal woman and the lost daughter of Catherine Parr; one would not expect those subjects to collide, but in Cornick’s intriguing-sounding novel they do.  I love historicals and I’m pretty excited about this one.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert (7Aug)

The story of a young violinist who’s just about to graduate high school,  Yvonne is worried about matching up to the pressures of oncoming conservatory life, two competing love interests and an unexpected pregnancy.  Brandy Colbert is incredibly talented, and I’m looking forward to reading this!

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Maggie:

Star Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

The other two novels of this fantasy series, which are based on Hindu legends, were fantastic and I am confident this will be as well.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jeffries (14 Aug)

That’s all I needed to whet my appetite about this story. A grieving widow, a big mystery and a dashing neighbor make the tale sound fantastical and wonderful.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Maria Rose:

Bad Reputation by Stefanie London (7 Aug)

I loved Bad Bachelor which came out earlier this year and brought up a new and timely series idea – that of a dating app where bachelors are rated on their dating skills (and other attributes). As in the previous book, the effect on the reputation of the person profiled can be positive or negative, and I’ll be interested in seeing how the author continues with this theme in this story of a ballet dancer getting a chance to invigorate her career with a show producer who has a notorious reputation, thanks to the app.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Down with Love by Kate Meader (7 Aug) 

Kate Meader is an auto-read author for me. I discovered her first with her Hot in the Kitchen series, then fell for her Hot in Chicago firefighters series and her hockey series Chicago Rebels. Now she’s starting something new, Love Wars, which will feature industry professionals who deal with love, marriage and divorce. Down with Love looks to have all the signature things I want in my contemporary romances – hot sex, fun banter and emotional moments as a divorce lawyer and a wedding planner discover their inconvenient attraction to each other.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Sugar Sweet by Christine D’Abo (7 Aug)

Sugar Sweet is the first in a new series by Christine D’Abo which details the sugar daddy business – young women who become escorts (with or without sex) for older, rich men. In the case of the main character Marissa, she’s been financially crushed by an ex-partner and is desperate for money, the kind that seems to come easily for her friend who tells her about the sugar daddy website. But instead of her original date, she ends up with the son who is trying to save her from his lecherous father. Looks very intriguing!

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Under Control by Shannon Stacey (28 Aug) 

I’ve really been enjoying Shannon Stacey’s Boston Fire series. Her last novel, Hot Response, is a particular favorite, and the character of Derek, a single divorced dad with two kids definitely caught my attention. He’s going to meet his unlikely match in a wealthy business woman and I can’t wait to see the sparks fly!

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Shannon:

Tailspin by Sandra Brown (8 Aug)

I’m a long-time fan of Sandra Brown’s near perfect mixes of sensual romance and chilling suspense, and Tailspin promises to be another winner. It’s the story of a pilot and a doctor who find love amidst terrible danger, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Iron Bones by Yasmine Galenorn (6 Aug)

There’s nothing more exciting than a new book by Yasmine Galenorn. Her worldbuilding is immersive, her characters practically leap off the page, and her storytelling is matchless. Needless to say, August 6th can’t come soon enough for my liking.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Links to bookstores are given where available at time of writing.