Hey Girl!
Check out these new Black romance releases from July 14th-20th.
When Forty Blooms by Jacinta Howard
A rare birthday. A second chance. A woman finally choosing herself.
Simone Harris has always known how to hold it down. For her son. For her clients. For the sports agency she built from scratch. She keeps things running, keeps herself moving, and keeps her heart tucked safely out of reach.
But this birthday feels different. It falls on a leap year, a date that only circles back every so often. A rare kind of day that feels like it arrives exactly when it’s meant to. The kind that makes you pause and ask what you have been pushing through just to keep going. In that stillness, something begins to surface alongside it. Fatigue. Questions. The quiet ache she has learned to ignore.
She is not falling apart. Still, something is shifting. The pressure she has lived under feels heavier than it once did. And as she begins to listen to what her spirit has been trying to say, the past reappears, bringing with it a familiar comfort, unfinished conversations, and a quiet invitation to feel again.
A Taste of Grace by Monica Cox
Dr. Gracelyn Toliver’s world unraveled the day she lost her federal job—the career she’d poured her soul into. That loss, coupled with the recent death of her mother, becomes too heavy to bear, driving her to a dark place she barely escaped.
A move to a small Georgia town offers Grace a chance to breathe again, unexpectedly leading her into the lives of the broad-shouldered, swoon-worthy Pastor Caleb Stallings and his two young daughters, who see Grace as the mother they’ve been praying for. As Grace and Caleb navigate the delicate dance of caring for the girls, their mutual attraction quickly ignites, forcing them to reckon with feelings neither expected.
Can Grace and Caleb shed the weight of their pasts and embrace the possibility of a union built on trust, honesty, and faith? Or will old scars threaten to steal the promise of joy and restoration that is finally within their reach?
Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon
From the outside, veterinarian Evie Williams appears to have the perfect but boring life. She is desperate to figure out a way to shake it up, but gets more than she bargained for when she finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Suddenly, Evie is without a fiancé or a job, and isn’t sure what her next steps should be. That is, until her college crush, Bryson Mitchell, returns to town.
Now, a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon, Bryson is stunned when he encounters Evie Williams for the first time in half a decade. When they learn the animal shelter where they used to volunteer is in danger of closing, the two must work together to save it. It has Bryson wondering, can he and Evie also save the friendship they once shared and finally bring it to the next level?
Freeing Nala: A Paranormal Romance by Tessa Stone
Bound by fate, torn by pride—nothing will keep me from claiming what’s mine.
This is a time jump–After Healing Hazel.
TORIN
Fifteen years have passed since Meekah of Zohar Pride took Nala away from me. My fated mate, my reason for breathing. The separation was necessary—she needed to learn control over her lion—but the loss has hollowed me.
I’ve spent these years building my dream: House of Boker, the first truly diverse supernatural pack in Wintermoon’s history. I’ve secured a position at the Academy, constructed a home worthy of my mate, and established myself as alpha. Everything is in place.
Now it’s time to bring Nala home where she belongs.
NALA
I’ve spent fifteen years believing Torin rejected me, trying to build a life among lions when my heart belongs to a wolf. Meekah became the father I needed, but Zohar Pride has never truly accepted me—a lioness fated to a wolf.
When Torin reappears in my life, the mate bond flares stronger than ever. But becoming Luna to a pack that includes Cyra—the wolf shifter who still bears my claw marks—won’t be easy. My lion remains unpredictable, dangerous when provoked.
As the time for our reunion finally arrives, I must make a choice: remain with the pride that raised me or embrace the destiny written in my soul since childhood—to stand beside my wolf as his equal, his Luna, the mother of his children.
But when old rivalries resurface and pack tensions rise, we’ll discover if our love is strong enough to bridge two worlds.
This book explores some minor dark themes. Please review the content warnings before continuing.
Heart Unlocked by Mandee
Kimani Waters hasn’t had the best luck at love. The first man she gives her heart to is sent to prison when she is five months pregnant with their daughter. She promises to hold him down however his infidelities end their bond. Kimani’s priorities shift to building a career and raising her daughter. As time passes, Kimani begins to believe that love won’t find her.
After an amicable split with his ex, Yanis enjoys life as a bachelor and being co-owner of a business he shares with his brother. The desire to settle down becomes a constant rotation with Yanis and he’s determined to have a wife and start family. The feeling intensifies when he crosses paths with the feisty single mother who immediately has his attention. By trade he’s a master at breaking locks, but Kimani Waters forces Yanis to work to unlock her heart.
River & Crown (The Lost Borough: Gravehart Grove Book 2) by Kellz Kimberly
River’s been running. From heartbreak, from guilt, from the kind of pain that leaves scars no one can see. Just when she thinks she’s found the perfect remedy, Crown tears through her life like a storm… and somehow stays. Caught between the weight of her past and the ache of her present, River is forced to face the ghosts that refuse to stay buried.
Crown’s the kind of man love doesn’t come easy to. Hardened by violence, loyalty, and everything he’s had to become to survive, he never expected to fall for someone like River. She’s daring, complicated, and drowning in wounds he can’t fix.
Grief still lingers. Secrets still fester. And love, no matter how deep, doesn’t promise survival.
In a world where loyalty can kill and healing often comes too late, River and Crown must decide if love is something they can build from ruins or just another war they’re destined to lose.
Mesmerized By You by Tash
He was forged in the fire of the streets. She was raised in the glow of expectation. Neither expected the other to feel like home.
In Grantview Hills, a city divided by class, code, and legacy, November Sinclair walks the fine line between perfection and rebellion. As one of the elite from Belcourt Hills, her life is carefully curated by her father—until she crosses paths with Kyrie “Haze” Walker, self-made mechanic and ex street racer, from Briarwood with a complicated past and a crew that moves like family.
From the moment they meet, everything shifts.
Their chemistry is magnetic. Their connection, undeniable. Love between two people from opposite worlds should never come so easy. But with family pressures mounting, life obligations, and reputations on the line, November and Kyrie are forced to ask themselves how far they’re willing to go to protect what they’ve found.
In a city built on appearances and power, what happens when the one thing you can’t control is the one person who leaves you mesmerized?
Code of Passion by Shani Samuel
Carla Stafford is a beautiful critical thinker. It served her well in her job as Lead Forensic Analyst at her district’s crime lab, but has left little time for romance as she runs from her own personal demons. When Carla gets a little too close to a hardened kingpin’s plans, the intensely handsome but guarded Detective Lucas Tomlinson has to protect her long enough to get the answers he needs to exact his revenge. He’s been harboring a secret, and this case means he can finally put his fears to rest, so why does he find himself so distracted by the curvaceous beauty in his protection?
As bullets fly and secrets unravel, their attraction to each other starts to burn hotter. When the past and deadly enemies threaten to tear them apart, they’ll have to decide—fight for justice or surrender to the passion neither of them saw coming.
Trouble Forever by D Scott
The Jennings and Rockwell Mafia Families have been at war for six decades. Once a new leader takes the seat, he vows to end it, even if it means sacrificing the one thing he wanted to protect- his daughter. Storm is supposed to be the peace offering. Her soon-to-be husband? Jrue Jennings, a man so ruthless that they have no choice but to call him “Trouble.”
The contract is simple: No love, no loyalty, just business. But when the lines are blurred, not everyone is okay with a truce.
She was supposed to be his arrangement, will she be his forever?
Kasim : A Kingly Dynasty Romance by Barbie Amor
Imagine Mama warned you to stay away from the Kingly Dynasty. The adrenaline rush sparked curiosity so you ignored the warnings. Now imagine being a slot winner and you’re told in order to collect your earnings you have to stay with “Him” for 7 days locked away in a dimly lit chamber. Now here you are face to face with a beast-like man whose body is covered in blissful art. He’s aggressive yet seductive but being held captive is fearful. Despite his physical strength, Kasim is a fragile mortal who falls for a beauty by the name of Dallas after the first time laying eyes on her.
In this dark romance, one night of pleasure is captive enjoyment!
Burdened: A Christian Romance (Grateful Hearts Book 3) by Faith Arceneaux
Gabby Singleton has built her life around loving others—fiercely, selflessly, and at times, recklessly. As a devoted social worker and mighty woman of faith, she’s the first to show up for her community… and the last to ask for help. But when one of her teens, Julian, ends up hurt and behind bars, her path keeps crossing with Saint Johnson—the guarded basketball coach with a sharp mind, a compassionate heart, and a past that’s made him wary of everything church represents.
Raised in a prominent religious family, Saint knows the doctrines by heart—but what he’s seen behind the scenes has left him hollow. He’s watched his parents turn good deeds into performances, giving only when there’s applause, serving only when it benefits their image. To him, the church is just another stage. But Gabby? She’s the real thing. And the more he watches her quietly pour herself into others—without asking for praise—the more his walls begin to shift.
As they walk alongside Julian through his darkest moments, a bond begins to form—unexpected, tender, and full of questions. But can two burdened hearts learn to lean on each other, even as they carry the weight of those they serve? Or will fear and past wounds keep them from discovering a love that heals?
Inspired by Matthew 22:39—”Love thy neighbor as thyself”—Burdened is a heartwarming story of integrity, redemption, and the kind of love that makes room for grace.
The Hybrid Wars by Mika B.
Darren Williams has never wanted a mate. He doesn’t have time for one. Especially with a serial killer running around Portland Pack lands dropping body after body. But all that changes when an outsider—a human—wanders into pack territory. All he wants is to make sure he doesn’t scare her and that he gets her to the pack’s clinic as soon as possible. With so much happening at one time, how is he going to tell her she’s his mate, that shifters really exist, and the genetic marker in her blood may be the answer to a virus running rampant through the wolf packs of the Pacific Northwest. A virus that turns wolf shifters into wolf-vampire hybrids. No, he couldn’t possibly do all that and catch the one responsible for all the chaos.
Keonna Johnson just called off her engagement. And you know what? She wasn’t even sad about it. However, taking the scenic route home ended with a broken-down rental, no cell service, a broken wrist, and a trip to the clinic. A recurring dream from when she was a little girl has come back to hit her full force and if they take one more tube of blood from her, she’s going to crash out. The positive? The handsome man with smooth dark skin and a velvety voice who has decided to tell her everything she needs to know about his people. But there are things she doesn’t know about her family that could unlock the key to this virus he keeps talking about. But her family is tight-lipped, and the Portland Pack may be running out of time.
Can Darren convince Keonna they are meant to be together when danger has his eye on her? The virus doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and neither is the killer on the loose.
Even When It Hurts by Jessica Warren
This isn’t the love story you think you want. It’s the one that wrecks you.
Kerry is caught between the man she married and the man she’s never stopped loving — a fire that’s burned for years, no matter how many times she’s walked away.
Grant gave her safety. Wes gave her chaos.
And Kerry? She’s the woman standing at the edge, deciding if the love that shaped her is the same love that will destroy her.
Jessica Warren blurs the line between poetry and prose in this raw, unforgettable novel about longing, betrayal, and the dangerous pull of unfinished love.
When it’s over, it will haunt you long after you turn the last page.
Finding Therese: When Faith Makes Room for Love by Neelah Noel
What happens when a guarded heart meets a love that refuses to give up?
Therese Baptiste has mastered the art of keeping it all together—flawless career, flawless image, and a heart locked behind walls built from betrayal and loss. She’s not looking for love. She’s looking for control.
But when Sekani Walker enters her world—faithful, grounded, and unshakably patient—he challenges everything she thought she had to protect. What begins as a spark slowly becomes a mirror, forcing her to confront the wounds she’s buried deep and the faith she’s almost forgotten.
In a city full of distractions and in a world where vulnerability feels like risk, Therese must decide: will she keep running from love, or finally surrender to something greater?
Finding Therese is a moving, soul-deep exploration of healing, intimacy, and the quiet miracle of choosing love after loss. It’s about letting go of fear, embracing faith, and discovering that sometimes, the greatest journey is the one that leads us back to ourselves.
Finished (The Levington Series Book 2) by L.C. Riley
And their story continues…
Jordan and Tela Steele are living in pure bliss when a storm begins to brew over their peaceful marriage. They encounter one shocking surprise after another that’ll put their love to the test and have the couple questioning their fate.
Still, though their future together looks dim, they’re willing to fight for the sake of their love and marriage. However, it’s never that easy when bruised egos and lurking danger are involved.
Tela is determined to protect her peace at all costs, while Jordan struggles to cope with a painful truth and the threats that come with it.
It’ll have some wondering, do they have what it takes to make it last?
Blame It On My Heart: Smith Family Cowgirls & Christian Romance Book 5 (The Small Town Cowgirls of Louisiana Romance) by Danyelle Scroggins
“Some hearts don’t break—they bend back toward the ones worth fighting for.”
Edlina:
I came back to Grand Cane to settle Mama’s affairs—
not to run straight into the man who still makes my heart buck like a wild horse.
Shannon Smith is all swagger and silence, the kind of man who forgot how to love but never how to leave a mark.
I didn’t survive eight-seconds on bulls just to fall for the same mistake twice.
But here I am, wondering if I ever should’ve left.
Shannon Smith
I buried love years ago, right alongside the softer parts of me.
Then Edlina came back—grit, grace, and eyes that don’t let me lie.
She’s the fire I tried to forget… and the only woman who ever made me believe in forever.
I should walk away.
But if I lose her again, I won’t survive it.
This time, love’s riding bareback—and it’s got everything to lose.
Whatever happens just…Blame It on My Heart.
Brush Contact: A Knight’s Tale Romance (Knight’s Tale Romances) by Simone Bradshaw
Prequel to The Knight’s Tale Romances
Devin is broken. After keeping one too many secrets and pulling one too many bullets, he his beginning to question everything: his mission, his team, and himself. When his team’s last mission goes sideways, Devin Miller retreats to the Mexican coast to rebuild his body and silence his demons. But when a sweet detective on vacation blows into his world—and his heart—he’s forced to confront the pain he’s buried deep.
Tamara is running away. She is the good girl with the good family and the good job. Unfortunately, the weight and responsibility of it all is weighing her down, so she does what she does best: escape it all with a girls’ trip with her two best friends! She came looking for a good time, but found something else entirely: a man who brings out a fire and passion in her she didn’t know was there. All of her good sense tells her to run away, but Devin’s quiet strength and hidden wounds pull her in fast.
Sometimes healing finds you in the last place you’d look—inside someone just as broken.
Blake University : Archer & Destiny by Masterpiece
When Destiny, a determined young woman with a radiant spirit in a wheelchair arrives at Blake University, she believes her path will be a quiet survival, not love. Everything changes when she crosses paths with Archer. Archer is a man who hides his grief and struggle beneath his calm interior. One encounter in the school cafeteria turns into a love that transforms them both. It teaches Destiny that her life was never meant to be lonely, and it shows Archer what it means to be truly seen. Blake University is a heartfelt, fast paced Instalove college romance novella!
Flames of Passion (The Gamma’s Bleeding Heart Book 2) by Tuesday Harper
They tried to break her spirit. Now she’s coming for blood.
Zahava thought surviving death was the hard part until she found herself shackled at the altar, watching the woman she loves stripped of her will. Gabe’s twisted ceremony is only the beginning of a deeper betrayal, one that fractures bonds and redefines fate.
To reclaim their freedom, Zahava, Diore, and Sarabi must escape into the one place more dangerous than Gabe’s compound: the underworld. With broken magic, bruised hearts, and a bond still forming between them, the three must fight not just for survival but for each other.
Love has never been more dangerous. Freedom has never been more urgent. And Zahava is prepared to burn down everything in order to reclaim them both.
Braxton University: : Halo & Bentley by Koya
When a hustler meets the anime geek…
She wasn’t looking for love—just a way to make it through school and hold her world together.
He wasn’t supposed to fall for anyone—especially not her.
Halo Hendrix keeps her head down. A quiet psych major with too much on her plate and not enough peace. Bentley “Banz” Reed walks the line between the hood he came from and the future he’s fighting for.
A tutoring session during spring break was only supposed to save his scholarship.
But it ends up saving them both—until secrets, choices, and circumstances threaten to pull them apart.
At Braxton University, love isn’t easy.
But some hearts are worth the risk.
Crushed: A Novelette (Love Cynics Anonymous) by L.M. Bennett
Santi says they’ve met before. Rae’s pretty sure she’d remember her.
Rae’s Sunday nights at The Mercury are usually low-key.
Pour drinks. Dodge awkward conversations. Pretend the hipster bands don’t exist.
Then Santi walks in—velvet voice, killer stage presence, and a head tilt like she’s clocking Rae as a puzzle she already solved.
She orders water like it’s a test. Hangs at the bar a little too long. Smiles like she knows things Rae doesn’t.
Now Rae’s flubbing drink orders, staring way too hard, and trying to figure out why this stranger makes her feel like she’s forgotten something important.
Or someone she should’ve never forgotten.
Because the way Santi says Rae’s name?
Yeah… that’s definitely not the first time.
There Goes My Heart: (Loving a Whitaker Series) Book 1 by Keitra Crooks
Jeneva Whitaker was hoping for a fresh start in her new city of Sableton, TX however what she didn’t expect was for that new beginning to be wrapped in a 6’5” package. But when she crossed paths with Andre Camden, the charming father of her daughter’s new best friend, Jeneva’s heart raced.
And he felt it too.
Andre Camden wasn’t worried about settling down with any woman because he was too busy with his demanding career and raising his daughter, but once he met Jeneva, sparks flew. Something about the gorgeous Jeneva Whitaker had him envisioning a future with her.
As Andre draws closer to Jeneva, deep seated trust issues hold her back from fully letting herself embrace this blossoming romance. Just as Andre strives to prove that he can love her the way she deserves, an unforeseen threat emerges, testing their connection and attempting to unravel their budding relationship. Will Jeneva let her guard down and embrace this new possibility of love or will she let fear sabotage their chance at happiness?
Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love: (Alphabet City Series) Book 4 by Trina Crooks
Millionaire Bryce Dozier finds himself at a crossroads. He’s desperate to secure his inheritance but has one final requirement in his way: he must marry. With no romantic prospects in his life, this is proving to be a difficult task. That is until he has one car ride with Kindra.
Kindra Sullivan is grappling with her own life challenges. Her bills are piling high and there seems to be no relief in sight. So when a business proposition is offered by Bryce, she sees it as the golden opportunity she needs to help her escape her troubles. With just a six-month timeline, she agrees to this fake marriage plan, envisioning the fresh start she can have when it’s all over.
As they navigate their unconventional arrangement, sparks fly. Neither expects to develop genuine feelings for one another which are blurring the lines between duty and desire. As outside forces threaten to tear them apart, they are pushed to question whether their union was merely a transaction or the beginning of a profound love story?
Back At One: Second Chance At Forever by G. Fife
Eight years ago, Amina Sanchez walked away from the only man who ever truly saw her-and the life they might have had together. Now a successful marketing executive, she’s built a world defined by control, clarity, and just enough distance from the heartache she never fully healed.
Milan Carter never stopped loving Amina, not through the silence, the years, or the daughter he now co-parents with a woman he was never meant to stay with. When fate pulls him back to Atlanta for an art foundation opening, his past collides with his present in a way he never saw coming.
Secrets unravel, truths emerge, and what began as a simple reconnection becomes a tangled web of family, forgiveness, and rediscovered love. As Amina finds herself caught between what makes sense and what makes her feel, she must decide whether love is worth the risk again.
From college sweethearts to strangers to something more.
Back at One is a heartfelt story of second chances, unbreakable bonds, and the kind of love that always finds its way home.
Almost Always, Christmas by Aurora Nitali
In high school, Noel and Maurice were inseparable — two theater kids with big dreams and even bigger feelings for each other that they never admitted. But when Maurice left their small town for Hollywood, Noel stayed behind, burying their story, and her feelings, under years of unspoken words and old regrets.
Eighteen years later, Maurice is a global movie star with a glittering life and a supermodel girlfriend, and Noel is a divorced, single mom holding onto fading dreams in their hometown’s crumbling theater.
When Maurice returns for a holiday press event, the past crashes into the present—old wounds reopen, regrets surface, and sparks fly.
Can two hearts torn apart by time and silence find their way back before Christmas is over?
Read the Room by Mel Dau
In a world full of rooms, the most valuable lesson you can learn is how to read them.
Lo’ak Jordan has been reading the rooms of the streets for as long as he could read. The one room that he has not been successful at reading is the room of love. How can you read a room that you haven’t had a chance to walk in? What happens when he trips across the threshold? Will he stay in the room or determine that it’s not for him?
The only room that Tsireya Robinson has time to be in is one where the money resides. She’s a woman with responsibility, misfortunes, and dreams. When one of those misfortunes pushes her into a room that she had no business being in, will she be able to get out? Will it be a room that she wants to leave when that time comes, or will the writing on the wall make it the room she wants to live in forever?
This is Law by Diamond D. Johnson
Meet Sevyn Crawford. Better known as Law. Born and raised in Miami, Florida. He’s a product of a relationship that was build on love. That same love was taken away from him before the age of 5. On his third birthday, what was supposed to be another great milestone for him, turned into the fatal loss of his father. Dealing with this fatal loss, it caused Law’s mother to ultimately lose her mind, and to be placed in a mental institution. From there, he was raised by his grandmother, who passed away two years later. With no family left to raise him, he was taken in by his dad’s best friend, Dutch. Dutch raised Law as if he were his son, thinking that this man would be his hero, not knowing yet that Dutch just may be the man responsible for destroying his family.
During Law’s childhood, he’s neighbors with someone that’ll go on and become the love of his life. Her name is Soraya, but everyone calls her Yaya. They went on to get married, have beautiful twin boys, and a baby girl. During their marriage, they take a major loss, that ultimately destroyed everything that they’d built, and it’s almost impossible to come back from.
Law is now the man to see in Miami, being a high profile criminal defense attorney, running his own firm. In this life, he’s surrounded by enemies, lingering betrayal, and unanswered questions from the past.
Part one of this series takes you on a journey of betrayal, heartbreak, and secrets that you thought were buried, coming back to the light.
Echoes & Embers: Shadow & Steel Series by Phoenix Reign
Andre King gave up on love the day he buried his wife and took sole custody of his daughter. As LA’s fire captain and Ro King’s older cousin, duty is all he knows. But when a custody battle blindsides him, Siena’s best friend Maya Santiago steps in—brilliant, bold, and impossible to ignore.
Maya never mixes business with pleasure… until the smoldering fireman with a guarded heart and a daddy’s devotion becomes the one man she can’t resist. Sparks fly, boundaries blur, and when danger flares, they’ll both have to face what they’ve buried to find what’s still burning.
A Country Boy at Heart by Nakiala Comeaux
~THIS IS A NOVELLA~
When life fell apart for two NFL wives, Nazaire Chautin and Brynn Simoneaux, returning home to Louisiana seemed like the only way to save their spirits and their sanity.
Back in the deep South, surrounded by old oaks, porch swings, and the scent of gumbo simmering on Maw Maw’s stove, the women try to rebuild what their glamorous lives nearly destroyed.
But Gator Town has its own way of healing what’s broken. Especially when two country boys, Asomi Zeringue and MyLove Primeaux, step into the picture, offering more than just Southern charm and calloused hands.As secrets unravel and new feelings rise, Brynn and Nazaire must decide if love, loyalty, and a little country mud can help them reclaim who they really are—at heart.
The Violinist (The Hermès Family Book 2) by Rae Anderson
“C minor carried melancholy as if she were the reaper herself. Her dark resonance lingered in the air like a shadow stretching at dusk. The notes pressed against the strings with hushed intensity. The low, brooding C string hummed with sorrow, while the higher tones carried a whisper of something unresolved—grief, longing, or maybe even the echo of a distant storm. When played softly, she felt like a secret confession. When drawn out with force, she wailed with a raw, aching beauty.
The violin was a woman. No one could tell me otherwise.”
Piper Hermès, the youngest of the Hermès siblings, has spent her life carrying the weight of loss and longing. Now, on a journey to reclaim herself, she collides with a man who sees her with a clarity she’s never known—a dangerous clarity. But in a world where darkness moves in shadows she barely understands, he is public enemy number one.
Told through a tapestry of lush prose and intimate poetry, Piper must navigate a labyrinth of love, betrayal, and loyalty — where every step closer to her heart’s desire risks leading her further from everything she thought she could trust.
In the second installment of the Hermès Family series, the line between salvation and ruin is as fine—and as breakable—as a violin’s string.
A Summer for the Books: A Touching Novel of Friendship, Adoption and Family Secrets Uncovered on a Summer Adventure by Michelle Lindo-Rice
To heal their friendship, they’ll have to face their past.
Jewel Stone has it all—the perfect marriage, a bestselling author career, her dream home—or so she likes everyone to believe. But between her writer’s block and her husband losing his job, her picture-perfect life is in shambles. And inspiration just isn’t hitting…until she receives a call she never expected: her former best friend needs her help.
When Shelby Andrews wakes up in the hospital after a biking accident, she can’t remember the last twelve years. She knows she owns a bookstore on the beach, but she has no memory of Lacey, her nineteen-year-old adopted daughter who’s away for the summer. There’s only one person who can help Shelby through this—her bestie, Jewel.
With so many secrets and heartbreaks between them, Jewel and Shelby haven’t spoken in years. Yet Jewel can’t turn away from the friend who doesn’t remember their fallout. Besides, the best writing she’s ever done was with Shelby…
But when they learn Lacey’s really spending her summer searching for her birth parents, their tentative reunion might just unravel along with all of their secrets.
Only Lovers in the Building: A Romantic Comedy of Friendship, Romance Book Clubs and Podcasting on a Retreat in Miami by Nadine Gonzalez
Wanted—no, NEEDED: a summer escape with beach reads, cocktails…and a little romance on the side.
After her legal career comes to a sudden and humiliating end, Liliane Lyon books a restorative summer rental at The Icon, a quintessential Art Deco building in Miami Beach, where her only plan is to bask in the sun, read, and sip cocktails. But soon she’s enchanted by the colorful community, including university professor Benedicto Romero—resident tortured poet, whose sole intention for sabbatical is to indulge in brooding introspection.
When they discover a shared passion for romance novels, Lily and Ben are soon spending hours reading together by the pool, the spark between them unwittingly giving the other residents the impression that they’re experts in matters of the heart…no matter that IRL their disastrous love lives bear little resemblance to the stories they’re reading.
But while Ben and Lily can pinpoint a trope a mile away and give excellent advice to others, they can’t make sense of the sizzling chemistry between them, and the suggestion of a professional podcast suddenly forces them to consider the long-term. So what if it means working even closer together! So what if their banter makes Lily’s head spin! It’s the summer of taking chances, but a word to the wise: Miami isn’t the place for growth and rebirth. It’s the place to get messy.
If there are any new releases that we missed, please feel free to send them our way and we will share them ASAP.
