HOT LIST: THE 33+ (AND COUNTING) BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2021!
Here are thirty-three + (and counting) of the best romance books of 2021. Many of these titles are New York Times, USA Today, & Amazon Best Sellers! There is something for everyone: From your 'everyday heros' to rock stars, royals, millionaires, Vikings, and even a sexy teacher or two. Find them at your favorite book retailer. Happy reading!
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Well Played by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Release Date: October 23, 2021
#19 Most sold book in the entire Amazon book store!
Synopsis:
From New York Times Bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes a new, sexy standalone novel.
It all started with a bet.
When my young son inherited half of his great grandfather’s historic inn, I decided to move us both to the place where I grew up.
Notice I said half of the Inn. The other half now belonged to Levi Miller, the famous quarterback who had other ideas about what we should do with the property.
We won’t mention that I accidentally injured him during our first meeting, causing him to get eight stitches.
You could say we got off on the wrong foot.
We bickered a lot as we both moved into the property while we figured things out.
He wanted to unload the rundown place which, admittedly, needed a lot of work.
I wanted to restore The Palm Inn to its original beauty and re-open it as a bed and breakfast.
We couldn’t agree on anything. So Levi made me a proposal. One he thought I would surely lose. If I could sell out the place by the time he had to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let me run it.
But in the weeks that followed, we got more than we bargained for while we were living under the same roof.
Levi and I got closer, and before I knew it, my nightly fantasies about the brawny Adonis became a reality. Not to mention, he was so great with my son.
We were in over our heads in more ways than one.
Because not only was he the last man on Earth I should be falling for because of our deal, but Levi was also my ex’s older brother.
And now the inn was the least of my problems.
The Invitation by Vi Keeland
Release Date: January 16, 2021
Synopsis:
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
#1 Apple Books Bestseller
Washington Post Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
Amazon Charts Bestseller
A new, sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.
The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I'd received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city.
Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts.
I knew it wasn't a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time.
Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn't who I'd said I was. You see, that unexpected invitation I received? Well, it hadn't actually been addressed to me--it was sent to my ex-roommate who'd bounced a check for two months' rent and moved out in the middle of the night. I figured she owed me an expensive night out, but I guess, technically, I was crashing the wedding.
Once caught, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. As I bolted for the door, I might've plucked a few bottles of expensive champagne off the tables I passed, all while the gorgeous, angry groomsman was hot on my tail.
Outside, I jumped into a taxi. My heart ricocheted against my ribs as we drove down the block--but at least I'd escaped unscathed.
Or so I thought.
Until I realized I'd left my cell phone behind at the table.
Take one guess who found it?
This is the crazy story of how Hudson Rothschild and I met. But trust me, it's only the tip of the iceberg.
The Aristocrat by Penelope Ward
Release Date: August 29, 2021
Synopsis:
#11 on Amazon's Most Sold List
#13 on USA Today's Bestsellers List
#2 on The Wall Street Journal's Fiction ebook Bestseller List
The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY and Amazon Charts Bestseller... From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?
Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.
From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I'd been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.
Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching me watching Leo.
That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.
Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.
Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.
Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn't seem to stay away.
It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we'd fallen in love.
We both had one wish: more time together.
But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I'd never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.
A part of me always felt like I'd let my soulmate walk away.
I believed our story was over.
Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core.
I'd thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?
Well, I knew nothing yet.
The Ravenhood Series by Kate Stewart
Release Date(s) 2020-2021
Synopsis:
An AMAZON TOP 50 BESTSELLER!
Can you keep a secret?
I grew up sick.
Let me clarify.
I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy.
Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness.
When I lived this story, my own twisted fairy tale, it was unbeknownst to me at the time because I was young and naïve. I gave into temptation and fed the beating beast, which grew thirstier with every slash, every strike, every blow.
Triple Falls wasn’t at all what it seemed, nor were the men that swept me under their wing. But in order to keep them, I had to be in on their secrets.
Secrets that cost us everything to keep.
That’s the novelty of fiction versus reality. You can’t re-live your own love story, because by the time you’ve realized you’re living it, it’s over. At least that was the case for me and the men I trusted my foolish heart to.
Looking back, I’m convinced I willed my story into existence due to my illness.
And all were punished.
This trilogy is a gritty, modern day take on Robin Hood. It’s an unconventional love story—bad boys/antiheroes—filled with suspense, steam, major twists, a little action, and ALL OF THE FEELS.
The Ravenhood Trilogy Reading Order:
Book #1 Flock
Book #2 Exodus
Book #3 The Finish Line
The Naked Fisherman & The Lost Fisherman by Jewel E. Ann
Release Dates: September 30, 2021 & October 14, 2021
Synopsis:
USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Jewel E. Ann returns with an addictive new adult romance about a young woman who discovers years of Sunday sermons didn’t prepare her for the many lessons of the crude and sexy man who is now her boss.
It's official.
I'm eighteen and a young woman with endless possibilities on my way to reunite with my mom in Colorado after five years apart—she had a little weed incident in Nebraska.
At the airport, she springs the news on me ... she's leaving for a month of job training. And me? I'm left on my own in the basement she's renting from the fisherman, aka her landlord who lives upstairs.
He's ten years older than me. Never wears a shirt. And makes it hard to remember all the things I learned at Christian Academy.
Did I mention he’s also my new boss?
North of the Stars (In Love and War 1) by Monica James
Release Date: December 1, 2021
Synopsis:
England is burning.
And the cause…men are too afraid to utter in nothing but a whisper.
The Northmen.
My father is King Eanred.
And me?
I am Princess Emeline.
My father wants to protect our kingdom against the ruthless Vikings who continue to raid England, so he has betrothed me to Aethelwulf, the son of King Egbert of Wessex—the most powerful realm in all of England. Without this union, Northumbria will fall, which is why I must submit. I must do this for my people.
However, it is not in my nature to surrender. So when my father captures the most savage Viking known in our land, I do what no good, God-fearing Christian would do—I help him.
His name…Skarth the Godless.
People fear what they don’t understand, but I will not allow that to control me. Fear makes us blind to the truth, and I refuse to cower because Skarth soon becomes my teacher—in all things. And when his rival, Ulf the Bloody, shatters my world, it becomes clear the lessons have only just begun.
My soul is tarnished.
I am a sinner.
Lord, hear my prayer…
The Spark by Vi Keeland
Release Date: July 10, 2021
Synopsis:
#1 Amazon Bestseller
#1 Apple Books Bestseller
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
A new, sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.
Before I even met Donovan Decker, I knew his shoe size.
You see, I'd gone away for a few days, and in my haste to get out of the airport, I'd grabbed the wrong suitcase.
After checking out the expensive footwear and tailored clothes, I dialed the number on the luggage tag hoping maybe Mister Big Spender might have my bag.
A deep, velvety voice answered, and as luck would have it, he had my suitcase, too.
Donovan and I met at a coffee shop to do the exchange.
Turned out, it wasn't just his voice that was sexy. The man holding my luggage was absolutely gorgeous, and we had an immediate spark.
He got me to admit that I'd snooped in his bag and then convinced me to make it up to him by letting him buy me coffee.
Coffee led to dinner, dinner led to dessert, and dessert led to spending an entire weekend together. Donovan wasn't just handsome with a panty-dropping voice. He was also funny, smart, and surprisingly down to earth for a man who wore seven-hundred-dollar shoes.
Did I mention he also did my laundry while I slept? Definitely too good to be true.
So what did I do to repay him for his kindness?
I waited until he was in the shower, then ghosted him.
My life was too complicated for such a great guy.
In the months that passed, I thought about Donovan often.
But New York City had eight-million people, so what were the chances I'd run into him?
Then again, what were the chances I'd run into him a year later...when I'd just started dating his boss?
The Crush by Penelope Ward
Release Date: February 20, 2021
Synopsis:
Now a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller...From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone, second-chance story of forbidden love...
It's natural to want the one you can't have. And for as long as I could remember, I'd secretly wanted my brother's best friend, Jace.
He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.
Fast forward a decade.
We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.
It was just the three of us--an odd family dynamic.
Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.
But he certainly didn't look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.
I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven.
And he was torn.
The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I'd casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn't exactly shift away.
Still, I assumed he would never...go there.
Nathan would kill us.
The knowledge of that wasn't enough to stop the inevitable, though.
Eventually our slow burn exploded.
But more than the physical attraction, we'd developed a strong connection.
We just couldn't get caught, right?
That sounded simple.
Until it wasn't.
This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.
When We Met & When Darkness Ends (Moments in Boston Series of Standalones) by Marni Mann
Release Date: February 9, 2021, and May 25, 2021. There are three books in the Moments in Boston series of standalones. I highly recommend all three books. When Ashes Fall (Moments in Boston Book 1) released in 2019.
Synopsis:
An all new stand-alone contemporary romance in the Moments In Boston Series.
If you knew beyond all doubt that one chance encounter would change the course of your future, what would you choose?
There’s nothing like a spring day in Boston to make your heart sing. I’m out with my girls, having drinks in a bar, enjoying the bright pulse of our beautiful city, when I see Caleb. The second my eyes meet his, I know this is the moment when everything will change. All I have to do is choose him.
I meet Whitney on the worst day of my life. I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie, but I never knew how fast things could change. Her soft gaze melts my cynicism, makes me forget the bitter man I was becoming. She makes me want to be the version of myself that I see in her eyes. All she has to do is choose this life.
When We Met takes Whitney and Caleb on the ride of their lives, hitting every note on the scale of beauty and tragedy along the way. USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann will make you question everything you thought you knew about love and fate, and this unforgettable story will leave you certain that destiny always finds a way.
From the Embers by Aly Martinez
Release Date: April 28, 2021
Synopsis:
From USA Today Bestselling Author Aly Martinez comes a new heart-stopping standalone romance.
In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.
The deafening boom as the house exploded.
The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife.
The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out.
But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife.
Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night. As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.
It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering.
The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.
I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.
As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.
Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.
Not Pretending Anymore by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland
Release Date: April 10, 2021
Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling authors, Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland, comes a new standalone novel.
Finding a good roommate through a classified ad isn’t as easy as it sounds.
I was starting to lose hope.
Until a knock at my door came and God answered my prayers.
Except…uh…wrong prayer, God.
I’d definitely requested the big guy find me a drop-dead gorgeous man on more than one occasion...just not as my roommate.
Declan Tate talked me into interviewing him anyway.
While he was amusing and charismatic, I wouldn’t have been comfortable living with a man, so I regretfully declined.
Then cupcakes showed up at my door—freshly baked by Declan and just as sinfully delicious as he was.
You could say he was persistent.
I eventually folded. It wasn’t like I had another viable candidate anyway.
Plus, I was interested in someone else. And Declan was into another woman. So it wasn’t like anything would happen romantically.
After he moved in, the two of us became the best of friends. We even started to give each other advice on getting our crushes to notice us.
Eventually, Declan concocted an idea: we should pretend to be a couple to make our love interests jealous.
I was hesitant, but went along with it anyway. To my utter shock, his crazy plan worked.
Now I was dating the supposed man of my dreams, and my best friend had the woman of his.
But there was one problem.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Declan.
Those feelings we were trying to fake?
Yeah…I wasn’t pretending anymore.
Reel by Kennedy Ryan
Release Date: June 8, 2021
Synopsis:
Award-Winning Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a brand-new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession, and unrelenting love.
One moment in the spotlight . . .
For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine.
I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.
Canon Holt.
Famous film director. Fascinating. Talented. Fine
Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.
From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone’s lips.
Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere.
But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.
Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime—cost me everything?
Lessons in Sin by Pam Godwin
Release Date: June 29, 2021
Synopsis:
“Taboo romance at its best! LESSONS IN SIN is another dark masterpiece by Pam Godwin!” - JB Salsbury, New York Times bestselling author
As Father Magnus Falke, I suppress my cravings. As the headteacher of a Catholic boarding school, I’m never tempted by a student. Until her...
I became a priest to control my impulses.
Then I meet Tinsley Constantine.
The bratty princess challenges my rules and awakens my dark nature. With each punishment I lash upon her, I want more. In my classroom, private rectory, and bent over my altar, I want all of her. There’s no absolution for the things I’ve done.
One touch risks everything I stand for. My faith. My redemption. And even my life.
As if that could stop me. I need her pain, and her heart, and she needs my lessons in sin.
Dear Mr. Brody by A.M. Johnson
Release Date: August 5, 2021
Synopsis:
Parker,
I never meant for any of this to happen, to fall for you. It doesn't matter that we're both adults, or how much we want this to work. The college policy is clear. I can't see a way around this without one of us getting hurt. If I would’ve known who you were when we met online, I would have never pursued a relationship. I'm new to all of this, and besides my daughter, getting to know you has been the best thing to ever happen to me. But I can't make you hide again. I won't. It's not fair to either of us.
Deepest regrets,
Donovan
****
Dear Mr. Brody,
You're right, we are adults. I'm twenty-four years old, and I think I can decide for myself what's best for me. If this is about you losing your job, I'll walk away. But if this is you trying to protect me, then you're an idiot. I want you. I care about you. My past isn't an issue. What we're doing… it isn't the same thing. If we have to hide, so be it. I'm not ready to let you go.
Your Lost Boy,
Parker
Dear Mr. Brody is a 93,000-word interconnected standalone, contemporary, MM slow burn romance that is light on angst and features, dating app shenanigans, student/professor fraternization, single dad swoonery, waffles, "Peter Pan" references, and a fish named Tony.
Mazzone Mafia Series by Siobhan Davis
Release Dates: January 2021 - September 2021
Synopsis:
AN AMAZON TOP 25 BESTSELLER
No. 1 bestseller in multiple categories
A new stand-alone dark mafia romance from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis.
Her teen crush is now a ruthless killer and powerful mafia heir. Will one life-altering night unite or destroy them?
Bennett Mazzone grew up ignorant of the truth: he is the illegitimate son of the most powerful mafia boss in New York. Until it suited his father to drag him into a world where power, wealth, violence, and cruelty are the only currency.
Celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Sin City should be fun for Sierra Lawson, but events take a deadly turn when she ends up in a private club, surrounded by dangerous men who always get what they want.
And they want her.
Ben can’t believe his ex’s little sister is all grown up, stunningly beautiful, and close to being devoured by some of the most ruthless men he has ever known. The Vegas trip is about strengthening ties, but he won’t allow his associates to ruin her perfection. Although it comes at a high price, saving Sierra is his only choice.
The memory of Ben’s hands on her body is seared into Sierra’s flesh for eternity. She doesn’t regret that night. Not even when she discovers the guy she was crushing on as a teenager is a cold, calculating killer with dark impulses and lethal enemies who want him dead.
Understanding the risks, she walks away from the only man she will ever love, stowing her secrets securely in her heart. Until the truth becomes leverage and Sierra is drawn into a bloody war—a pawn in a vicious game she doesn’t want to play.
As the web of deceit is finally revealed, Ben will stop at nothing to protect Sierra. Even if loving her makes him weak. In a world where women serve a sole purpose, and alliances mean the difference between life and death, can he fight for love and win?
This is a full-length STAND-ALONE 145k-word novel with NO cliff-hanger and a HEA. For romance readers who enjoy age-gap, sister's ex, second chance, dark mafia romance.
Also in this series:
Forbidden to Love (Mazzone Mafia Book 2)
Scared to Love (Mazzone Mafia Book 3) December 29th release.
The Red Door Series by Dyan Layne
Release Dates: February 2020 to November 2021
Synopsis:
Once upon a time a young girl dreamed of a handsome prince who would rescue her from her grandmother’s prison and make all her dreams come true.
But then Linnea grew up, left her past and that godforsaken town behind. She rescued herself because real life is no fairy tale—or is it?
One day, just like an alpha hero from one of the tattered paperbacks she’d kept hidden beneath her bed, he appeared at her door. Kyan. Long dark hair, muscles and tattoos, eyes as blue as the summer sky…
Her prince.
With him, she felt things she never even imagined. He took her places she never dared to go. Behind the red door, where nothing was forbidden and her pleasure was everything.
Perhaps her life was a fairy tale after all. She was surrounded by a royal family of fierce Irish Vikings, a court jester, and even merry minstrels—the hot rock stars of Venery.
And she was his princess.
But every story has its villains. An evil queen. A mad king. A she-devil with eyes like a cat.
Linnea had forgotten that before the happily-ever-after, storybook tales are often sick and twisted.
She should have paid closer attention.
Serenity is the first interconnected stand-alone romance in the Red Door series and ends with a HEA--no cliffhanger. It is suitable for readers 18+.
Four Books in this Interconnected series:
Serenity
Affinity
Maelstrom
The Other Brother
Say I'm the One (All of Me Duet 1) & Let Me Love You (All of Me Duet 2) by Siobhan Davis
Release Dates: April 30, 2021 and May 31, 2021
Synopsis:
#42 IN THE ENTIRE STORE
#1 Multicultural romance bestseller
From the USA Today bestselling author of Inseparable and When Forever Changes comes another emotional, angsty, new adult romance that will rip your heart apart before mending it again.
I’m head over heels in love with my best friend. Although, I can’t pinpoint exactly when Reeve Lancaster became my entire world. Was it when we were little kids, practically brought up together, after Reeve’s mom died during childbirth and his dad subsequently fell apart? Or when I doodled his name in my school journal at age ten? Maybe it was when we became boyfriend and girlfriend at fourteen or when we shed our virginity at sixteen, pledging our forever?
I was there as his star ascended—like I’d always known it would—and there wasn’t a prouder person on the planet. As the only child of Hollywood’s golden couple, I’ve lived my life in the spotlight enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted for my future. But I sacrificed my own desires, because Reeve’s happiness meant everything to me.
Until he crushed my heart into itty-bitty pieces, forcing me to fly halfway around the world just to escape the gut-wrenching pain.
The opportunity to study at Trinity College Dublin came at the perfect moment, and I jumped at the chance without hesitation. If I’d known fate was meddling in my life, perhaps I would have chosen differently, but my future was cemented the instant I laid eyes on him.
Dillon O’Donoghue was Reeve’s polar opposite in every way, and perhaps, that’s why I felt drawn to him. He was the dark to my light. The thorn in my side, irritating me with his cold disdain, wild recklessness, and a burning rage hidden deep inside him that spoke to a silent part within me. Yet Dillon showed me what it was like to truly live, opening my eyes to endless possibilities.
What happened next was inevitable, and I only have myself to blame. He warned me, and I knew my reprieve was temporary, because there is only so far I can run.
Especially when fate hasn’t finished messing with me yet.
This is a full-length 168K-word second-chance romance novel that is book one of two. It cannot be read as a stand-alone, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. Recommended to readers aged eighteen and older.
Tangles Games (Dating Games Book 5) by T.K. Leigh
Release Date: May 25, 2021
Synopsis:
Sometimes you have to sacrifice your Queen to protect the King.
When I met Anderson North, I fell in love with the man, not the title. With his heart, not the crown.
But as I step foot in the Nation of Belmont for the first time as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I’m reminded of exactly who he is outside of the bubble we built around ourselves.
I’m reminded of exactly who I’ll need to become if I’m to survive this tangled web of antiquated rules, constant media attention, and negative publicity from a country that hates the idea of an American marrying their future king.
This may be a life of privilege and excess, but I soon learn that with notoriety comes jealousy. With fame comes enemies. With a crown comes a gilded cage.
I’ve always dreamed of finding my happily ever after. I didn’t realize ours would come at a price.
Author's Note: While Tangled Games can be read as a standalone, it's recommended that you read Royal Games first, as both revolve around the same couple.
The Dating Games Series
Each book in this series can be enjoyed separately and in any order, as each story stands on their own.
1 - Dating Games
2 - Wicked Games
2.5 - Mind Games
3 - Dangerous Games
4 - Royal Games
5 - Tangled Games
The Last Piece of His Heart (Lost Boys Book 3) by Emma Scott
Release Date: March 7, 2021
Synopsis:
At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys...
Ronan Wentz has been to hell and back, and he carries the scars to prove it. Worse, the blood of a monster runs through his veins, but after ten years in foster care, eighteen-year-old Ronan is finally reunited with family. His uncle gives him a roof over his head and puts him to work, managing a shabby apartment complex in Santa Cruz, California.
But a second chance is still a second chance. Ronan becomes a solitary hunter, a vigilante, walking the streets at night to keep the nightmares at bay. If he can use the anger burning in his tainted blood to protect instead of hurt, maybe then he’ll find the absolution he seeks.
Then he meets Shiloh.
Shiloh Barrera looks like she has it all together. Smart, ambitious and full of artistic creativity she channels into making beautiful, one-of-kind jewelry. But Shiloh’s cool, capable demeanor is a front. Her demons drive her to succeed as much as her ambition—to prove her worth to the mother who can’t stand to look at her, and who’s harboring secrets of her own.
When Shiloh and Ronan meet, the physical attraction is instant and scorching. Neither believe it will last. Falling in love is an impossible pipe dream saved for those less shattered and damaged than they are.
But as hard as they try to resist, the growing feelings between them seem inevitable… until one terrible night destroys Shiloh’s dreams and Ronan’s future. When the smoke clears, and the rubble settles, they’ll have to choose - do their pasts determine their future, or can they build a new one from the broken pieces of their hearts?
Lost Boys is a new series of interconnected, coming-of-age standalones from USA Today bestselling author Emma Scott.
Other books in this series:
The Girl in the Love Song (Lost Boys 1)
When You Come Back to Me (Lost Boys 2)
Pieces of Us by Claudia Burgoa
Release Date: April 19, 2021
Synopsis:
The Sinners of Seattle are the only family I knew.
Music brought us together. Tragedy bonded us forever.
That’s where I met Ethan.
Both of us had bad childhoods.
We knew all about unrequited love.
You know what they say, misery loves company.
We shared firsts.
We shared nights.
One of us fell in love. It wasn’t him.
After my world crumbled and the band broke up I spiraled out of control.
Ethan Killian (Kill) became the CEO of a communications conglomerate.
I...I’m trying to stay sober.
It’s so hard when I don’t have a future.
It’s harder when the guy who makes me want to be better is engaged.
He’s marrying someone who can’t understand him.
One call from him becomes a lot more.
He wants to remember what we once had.
I desperately desire him.
Unrequited love can destroy you. I know.
Things get dark between us. Now there’s no stopping it.
I don’t care if I am shattered into pieces.
I just need one last time.
Willow Springs Series by Laura Pavlov
Release Dates: March 2021 - October 2021
Synopsis:
Bad boy football star. Innocent girl next door. Two different worlds. One small town. A million reasons why they should have stayed away from one another.
“My new favorite Laura Pavlov book. It felt like watching the show Friday Night Lights only better.” Willow Aster, USA Today Bestselling Author
My name is Adelaide Edington, and my life was mapped out for me before I even entered the world.
Who I'd date, where I’d attend college, what I'd be when I grew up.
But there comes a time in everyone's life when they face a fork in the road.
Should I go left, or should I go right?
It didn't matter as long as I didn't remain stagnant any longer.
Jett Stone opened me up to a whole new world.
Reminding me that it was okay to find my own way.
I could have roots in Willow Springs and still spread my wings and fly.
What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the broody football player.
The boy I’d known since kindergarten.
The boy who I wasn’t supposed to be with—but had somehow become my everything.
**This is book 1 in the Willow Springs Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Willow Springs Series:
Frayed
Tangled
Charmed
Sealed
Claimed (Releasing 1/22)
Men of Summer Series by Lauren Blakely
Release Dates: June - August 2021
Synopsis:
An emotional, sexy, forbidden romance! Scoring with Him is the first novel in the utterly addictive Men of Summer Series!
Falling for the rookie wasn't part of the plan.
As a pro athlete, I have one unbreakable rule when it comes to men -- Don't date another baseball player.
Good thing I haven't been tempted once in four years in the majors.
Until the day a rising star walks into my locker room. Outgoing, affable, and sexy-as-sin, Grant has confidence and talent for miles. He seems to get me too, maybe because we each have our fair share of secrets and scars -- ones we'll both fight to protect.
But, I've got far too much trouble in my past to want to bring any into my present.
All the more reason to resist the kind of dirty deeds his lips and eyes promise.
Even after I plant a scorching, hot kiss on the rookie one night after a game.
Even after he sends me the world's sexiest selfie.
But when Grant reveals his biggest secret, I'm so damn ready to rip up the rulebook.
Turns out he's a virgin and he wants me to help him get around all the bases.
The only rule? Don't fall in love with him as we go.
Scoring with Him is book one in the utterly addictive Men of Summer series. This romance between two professional athletes spans five epic years and continues in Winning With Him.
The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Synopsis:
Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming.
Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce—the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel…even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit.
Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century—the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.
But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book—it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes—even if it means destroying Noah’s career
For Lucy by Jewel E. Ann
Release Date: May 23, 2021
Synopsis:
From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jewel E. Ann comes a novel so heartfelt and real it redefines the meaning of love.
I’m the wrong guy in the right place the night I steal Tatum Bradshaw from another man. When she mistakes me for her blind date, I decide she deserves a man who shows up on time … like me. Emmett Riley, Mr. Punctual.
Once I confess my true identity and convince her I’m not a creep—just a thief—it’s only a matter of time before my sexy smile and quick wit claim her heart, her hand in marriage, and the perfect life.
Unfortunately, perfection is an illusion, like the promises of our wedding vows. No one can prepare for the unimaginable—the heartbreaking exception to all the rules in life.
When thirty seconds destroys everything, I have to find a new existence and keep my promise to always love our daughter, Lucy, the most.
For Lucy, I will keep a secret, and I will watch my wife drift into the arms of another man.
Given the chance … can I reclaim my wife and the pieces of our life?
This story contains sensitive subject matter.
The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartman
Release Date: August 10, 2021
Synopsis:
When my husband died, he left my broken heart behind.
He left another heart behind, too—his.
I know it's wrong. I shouldn't be contacting the recipient of my husband's heart. I don't even expect him to reply...
But there's a desperate, twisted part of me that hopes he will.
No names.
No personal details.
Just a conversation.
The only thing I have left of my husband is inside him.
WARNING: This book contains heavy themes, such as loss of a loved one and suicide. Please read responsibly.
Blood And Ash Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: March 2020 - April 2021
Synopsis:
Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.
A Maiden…
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
A Duty…
The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.
A Kingdom…
Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
The Lawyer by Marni Mann
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Synopsis:
A sexy, billionaire, Hollywood, stand-alone romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …
I’m not the type of girl who picks up a man on a rooftop bar.
Not the kind of girl who lets a man’s hands roam my body, discovering I have no panties on.
Never the girl who has hours’ worth of o’s from a smoking-hot one-night stand.
But Dominick makes it so easy to say yes.
His body, his moves, and his oh-so-wicked tongue have me saying it over and over again.
Yes, please.
Yes, more.
Yes, right there.
He worships every inch of my body, and I’m still sore the next morning when I meet him again.
This time, he’s Mr. Dalton, my sister’s cutthroat entertainment lawyer.
And he has a proposition for me.
He wants to make me famous.
Of course, that means sharing a screen with my wildly jealous sister.
It means giving up my career.
It means the whole world will suddenly know everything about me.
Which presents one catastrophic problem—Dominick doesn’t date famous people.
So, do I take a chance at becoming a Hollywood star, or do I pass up the opportunity to be with the man who gave me a taste of forever?
Saint (Priest Book 3) by Sierra Simone
Release Date: September 7, 2021
Synopsis:
I can't have Elijah Iverson.
I can't have him because he's my older brother's best friend. I can't have him because I broke his heart five years ago; because he's now engaged to someone else—someone kind and dependable who deserves his whiskey eyes, his soft mouth, his fierce intellect.
I can't have Elijah because I've chosen God instead.
The Bell brothers, though . . . well, we don't exactly have the greatest track record with vows. But I'm determined to do this monk thing right—to pledge myself to a cloistered life and spend the rest of my years in chastity and prayer. But now Elijah's here. He's here and he's coming with me on my European monastery road trip, and between the whispered confessions and the stolen kisses and the moments bent over an ancient altar, my vows are feeling flimsier by the day.
And vows or not, I know in my heart that it would take more than a good and holy monk to resist Elijah Iverson right now. It would take a saint.
And we all know that I'm no saint.
This is the third full-length M/M standalone in the Priest Collection, featuring Father Bell's brother, Aiden Bell. You do not have to read Priest or Sinner to read Saint.
Ripple Effect by J. Bengtsson
Release Date: December 28, 2021
Synopsis:
She's living next door to a superstar... and doesn't even know it.
Enemies to lovers tale with an earth-shaking twist!
International pop star RJ Contreras finds himself at a crossroads when his mega famous boy band, AnyDayNow, breaks up. After his solo career fails to take off, RJ (a.k.a. Chad Woodcock) retreats to a no-frills apartment where he can hide out from the world and lick his festering wounds.
But when the girl next door starts slipping 'good neighbor' contracts under his door and complaining about his behavior through strategically placed Post-it-Notes, RJ snaps out of his self-absorbed melancholy to wage war.
Nothing short of an act of nature could repair the relationship between these two strong-willed enemies. But guess what Fate has in store?
Don't Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole
Release Date: January 31, 2021
Synopsis:
Carian Cole delivers a sweet but sexy slow burn, age gap, marriage of convenience romance with major swoony feels!
I guess you could say I was a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining armor. But more accurately, I was a girl with a lot of bad luck, and he was a guy with a lot of muscles and tattoos.
Jude “Lucky” Lucketti wasn’t just a sexy, brooding construction worker. He was my own personal hero who seemed to be in all the right places at the right times. Like when my car broke down and I needed a ride home, and when I face planted on the sidewalk right in front of him and had to be taken to the emergency room.
Those weren’t exactly my best moments, but they were his.
We became friends, and it didn’t matter that he was sixteen years older than me. We had a lot in common—like our love of old rock music and vintage fast cars, and our aversion to relationships. When he approached me with a crazy idea to help me out, I couldn’t say no.
The arrangement was supposed to be temporary. A marriage on paper and nothing else.
It should’ve been easy, but it wasn’t. Because here I am, eighteen years old, still in high school, and married to a man I was never supposed to fall in love with.
We had just one rule—no kissing the bride. But we broke that rule, and it sealed our fate forever.
The Good Lie by A.R. Torre
Release Date: July 20, 2021
Synopsis:
Six teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.
Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives—predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning—and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development…
Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.
As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something—and that he might not be the only one with a secret.
Deliver Us From Evil Trilogy by Monica James
Release Dates: February 2021 - July 2021
This series must be read in order:
They Kingdom Come
Into Temptation
Deliver Us From Evil
Synopsis:
Monsters are real.
When I was five years old, I watched my mother take her last breath—a breath three monsters stole from her.
I never chose this life. My father says it’s my birthright, but all I see is a curse. It’s because of the Kelly name my mum was slain by the Doyles—our enemies in Dublin, the fellas livin’ on borrowed time.
All of Belfast fears my family, especially me. I’m Puck Kelly, otherwise known as Punky; the lad ye don’t want to double cross.
I don’t do feelings or emotions. I never have…until she walks into my world.
Babydoll is a liar and a thief, but I can’t stay away. We both thrive in the darkness because that’s where our demons can play.
No word af a lie, sixteen years later, those monsters still haunt my dreams. But every monster is scared of somethin’…and that somethin’ is me.
No more hiding in the shadows because I’m huntin’ youse.
Run, wee monsters, run.
The Thorns Remain by Jennifer Hartmann & Chelley St. Clair
Release Date: December 30, 2021
Synopsis:
VENGEANCE.
Hiding deep within the shadows of human nature, it smolders…
Simmers…
Waits.
Only, for me, it was no longer a hibernating beast.
The day I discovered the wrongs committed against me, vengeance clawed its way right through me. The beast had emerged from its lair with a burning need to destroy the man who tore my marriage apart.
And now?
Now, it was my lifeline.
My dark lover.
My. Whole. Purpose.
REVENGE.
They say it’s sweet in the end, and I believed them. I could almost taste that honey on my tongue, like a balm I needed to quell the bitterness.
But it was all a lie.
I was blindsided.
And not once did I think about who I might hurt along the way. I never considered the casualties that may fall across my path of destruction.
No…
Revenge is not sweet. Retaliation does not end in reward.
Vengeance is not justice.
The promises whispered by that beast within?
They’re all hollow.
All it ever wanted was to be set free.
In the end, I never expected things to be worse than when it all began.
I never expected the wreckage left in my wake.
I
never
expected
her.
*** "The Thorns Remain" is a contemporary romance standalone, previously titled "What We Deserve." ***
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