Christina C. Jones returns readers to the fictional, idyllic town of Sugar Valley in The Point of It All, the sequel to The Culmination of Everything. It’s a thought-provoking Black romance that engages readers with its endearing lovers, compelling conflict, and memorable dialogue packed with humor and heart. It brilliantly explores the vulnerability of hope…
To Have it All is a charming friends-to-lovers romance in which a man in his late thirties suddenly finds himself having to make major life changes and revise his plans for the future in the wake of tragedy. It’s a fairly quick read, coming in at a little over 200 pages, but the characters are…
These Ghosts are Family is a spellbinding, beautifully written story about the way generational trauma can harm, form or save a person – and how the ghosts of the past always loom over one’s shoulder. Stanford Solomon is facing down the end of his life with a heavy sense of responsibility. His beloved wife Adele…
If you’re a fan of Helena Hunting, you’re probably aware her books come with varying degrees of gravity. Her Inked Armor series is dark and angsty, while her Pucked series is hilarious and quirky. Meet Cute is a perfect combination of these two voices – a fun read overall, but it has its tragic moments….
Roni Loren’s The Ones Who Got Away series brings romance into a decidedly unromantic story – the lives of a group of friends who survived a Columbine-like high school shooting. Considering the nature of the subject matter, this is unlikely to be a romance for everyone, and definitely won’t be a comfortable subject for every…
Kacen Callender’s funny, flawed, authentic story of young love and broken arms, This is Kind of an Epic Love Story focuses on the messy complexities of romance, friend-love and parental love in all of its frustrating, confusing forms. Seattle-raised sixteen-year-old high school junior Nathan Bird, stuck mending a broken arm in the middle of the…
School shooting survivor Rebecca Lindt has professional success as a divorce attorney, but personally, she’s lonely, and beginning to break down from trauma she hasn’t fully addressed. Meanwhile, chef Wes Garrett lost everything in a divorce in which Rebecca represented his ex-wife, and is now an impoverished culinary instructor. When Wes saves her from a…
I’m a big fan of sports romances, especially those written by authors who have proven in their writing that they are either fans of their sport of choice or have researched it enough to be credible. Kelly Jamieson is one such author for hockey romances. Her Aces Hockey series has been one I’ve consistently enjoyed…
I don’t read erotica. I also don’t start a series in the middle. But when I picked up Tiffany Reisz’s The Saint… oh, I did, I did, I did. The fifth in the Original Sinners series, The Saint was surprisingly easy to begin. I thought I’d have to keep a large cast of characters in…
What does ‘dying with dignity’ look like, especially from cancer? What does it mean to become a parent when you weren’t prepared to be one? How does someone process early retirement from a career they’ve been working for since childhood? Do some dreams have to die before better ones can take shape? These are the…