• Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Yes, Chef by Waitlyn Andrews

    An upbeat, closed-door sizzling-with-chemistry, romantic comedy that will have you believing in the magic of a 90’s Rom-Com again.

    I’ve sworn off romantic relationships, stifling family expectations, and self-doubt. The trifecta, really. Returning home to run the family business is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spend some time carving out my own path to culinary success. The first four months of living abroad go exactly as planned, working at one of the chicest, up-and-coming restaurants in France—not to brag—I know a Michelin star is within reach if I keep my head down, focus, and work harder than I ever have. I go to the market every morning, I run my own schedule, and I don’t have to think about my cheating ex or Meredith-Blake-of-a-mother. That is, until a tall, all-American golden boy enters my space as the new head chef of Teaks—my boss. Chef James Sullivan is too attractive for his own good, and I’ve strictly written off workplace romances. But, lucky for me, he only chooses to acknowledge my presence when he’s critiquing my work every five minutes. Maybe I can tune out those broad shoulders and denim blue eyes . . . if only those eyes would stop staring at me so intently.   A note form the author:

    “I’m a 30-something author who lives vicariously through my characters and adores a good ’90s rom-com. I’ve penned a novel about a strong female lead chasing her culinary dreams in Paris, navigating workplace romance and family expectations.”
    Waitlyn Andrews

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    The Last Honest Woman by Nora Roberts

    The widow of race car legend, family secrets and a mysterious past, and handsome journalist that wants to get to the bottom of this mysterious woman of integrity…

    Abigail O’Hurley Rockwell’s husband was a racing car legend behind the wheel, winning championships with a fearless skill and speed that claimed his life in a tragic and—some would say—reckless crash. Heartbroken, Abby wants nothing more than to raise her two sons in peace, but journalist Dylan Crosby is penning a book about her infamous husband’s life, determined to expose the man’s hidden past. But Abby is not a spoiled trophy wife Dylan can easily charm. She is a woman of integrity and mystery desperate to keep him at arm’s length—even as their desires for one another are on an unalterable collision course. How the author honed her talent:

    “I imagine every teacher helped. I joke about the nuns, but the fact is the discipline that they drum into education sticks. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have the discipline to sit down and write on a regular basis, you’re not going to write or publish any books.”
    Nora Roberts

     

     

  • Best Historical Romance Books,  Best Romantic Suspense Books

    Dark Desires by Eve Silver

    Is her handsome employer innocent … or is he a remorseless killer who prowls the East End streets?

    Betrayed by those she trusted, penniless and alone, Darcie Finch is forced to accept a position that no one else dares, as the assistant to dangerously attractive Dr. Damien Cole. Ignoring the whispered warnings and rumors that he’s a man to fear, she takes her position at his eerie estate, where she quickly discovers that nothing is at it seems, least of all her handsome and brooding employer. As Darcie struggles with her fierce attraction to Damien, she must also deal with the blood, the disappearances … and the murders. With her options dwindling and time running out, Darcie must rely on her instincts as she confronts the man she is falling in love with. A raving review for the novel:
    “…a gripping gothic that combines the tension of the Jack the Ripper stories with the dark aura of Jekyll and Hyde and the chill of a classic horror film. There’s icy fear and smoldering passion, twists and turns and red herrings thrown in here and there to keep you up all night.”
    RT BookReviews
       
  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Healing Her Cowboy by Kay Lyons

    Sometimes tragedy is a second chance in disguise…

    He was the one. The one she loved but couldn’t have without revealing the truth of her past. That’s why she left, why she’s stayed away, and why she has to return… Paralyzed by a riding accident, Seth Rowland doesn’t want physical therapist Grace Korbit to see him like this. Of all people, why her? But Grace is the best. Maybe if he cooperates, he’ll be able to walk again, get her to reveal the truth of why she’d left—and convince her to stay? A five star review:

    “So not what I expected. Beautiful story about two people facing their demons and learning to live again. It’s been a while since I read such a simple yet complicated story… The growing intimacy between Seth [and] Grace was all this story needed to make it wonderful. ”
    Rony- Goodreads

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Forever Dreams by Leeanna Morgan

    She came to Montana looking for answers…and found forever.

    When Gracie Donnelly arrives on a Montana cattle ranch, she has more on her mind than mending fences and feeding chickens. She’s secretly searching for her father and answers to questions that could destroy a family. Just one look at the fiery five-foot-one redhead and Trent McKenzie knows Gracie is going to be trouble. Ever since the failure of his first marriage, he promised never to listen to his heart again. Especially when his heart is saying he’s falling in love – and the one thing Gracie’s searching for is the one thing that could take her away from him forever. The author on why the story is set in Montana:

    “When I started writing Gracie’s story in Forever Dreams I had no idea we’d end up in Montana. But Gracie is a determined woman. She hopped on a plane and left New Zealand for Big Sky country and the most incredible journey of her life. Along the way we discovered that New Zealand has more in common with Montana than we thought – amazing scenery, lots of wide open spaces, and people with kind hearts and warm smiles. We found a home away from home and decided to stay.”
    Leeanna Morgan

     

     

  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Where Love Begins by Julianne MacLean

    He may be a disreputable rake, but he is determined to win the most coveted prize of all: the love of a virtuous lady.

    Lord Martin Langdon has been deeply wounded by love in the past, so he takes pride in his scandalous reputation where the art of seduction is a most rewarding—and emotionally painless—pastime. When he sets sail for the Isle of Wight to race his champion yacht during Cowes Week, he learns of a particularly beautiful woman who is “impossible to flirt with,” and grows determined to prove that not even the prim and proper Evelyn Wheaton can resist his charms. Evelyn knows all about the reckless rogue’s shocking reputation and she wants nothing to do with him. She may be looking for a husband, but Lord Martin is certainly not a candidate. The smoldering looks he sends her way, however, are a different matter entirely. She suspects there is great passion to be had if she could throw caution to the wind and surrender to his charms . . . but dare she risk her heart? And will Martin, who hides a most tormented past, be able to surrender to true love at last? The author on what makes a great book:

    “[F]or me, it’s something in the author’s voice that pulls me in and connects me to the main character and the events of the story. I want to feel like I’m inside the character’s skin, experiencing what they are experiencing. Unfortunately, there’s no explanation for that kind of magic… I also love to be surprised by plot twists or characters who don’t do what I expect them to do. I love it when an author steers away from the obvious. 
    Julianne MacLean

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Babycakes by Donna Kauffman

    A dessert baker finds romance in a small Southern town just as sweet as her cupcakes.

    Kit Bellamy was raised on pie. Mamie Sue’s Peanut Pies, to be exact—the family company her scheming brother-in-law sold out from under her. Now Kit needs a new recipe for her life, and Georgia’s Sugarberry Island seems to have all the ingredients. In that sleepy Southern town, Kit finds a new job running the mail-order cupcake business Babycakes…and meets the tall, dark, and adorable lawyer Morgan Westlake.

    Having just moved to the island to raise his goddaughter, Morgan is as mouthwatering as any of Kit’s creations. There’s just one fly in the batter: Morgan hails from the very law firm that helped crush her dreams. Fortunately, Kit’s new friends can assure her that Morgan is no typical Westlake–and that even lawyers, not to mention single dads, need romance. If Kit can just be persuaded to follow her appetite—her sweetest dreams just might come true. The author on incorporating food in her writing:

    “I think that writing about food encompasses all of our senses. Food is a lot like life and relationships and people in that it stimulates your sense of smell, your sense of taste, your touch. Everything about it is wound up into this one element and I think we all obviously enjoy food so there’s that universal element. I think it can be done both in a way that’s entertaining and interesting and fun, but it’s also very sensual and interesting, and I think it adds a certain element of tension going on between the couple too.”
    Donna Kauffman

     

     

  • Best Christian Romance Books

    Faith in the Mountain Valley by Misty M. Beller

    This epic journey is the only way to leave her secrets behind.

    After eleven years spent looking for the girl who stole his heart, Jean-Jacques Baptiste—better known as French to his friends—is tempted to give up. Until the day he spotted the flaxen-haired stranger traveling the wooded path with Blackfoot Indians. He never imagined he’d find his childhood friend masquerading as a man in this Rocky Mountain wilderness, hundreds of miles from the Canadian town where he last saw her. No matter her reasons, he can’t let her go this time.

    Colette Mignon’s life has become a cacophony of lies, including the fact that her Blackfoot Indian companions believe she’s a man. She’s willing to live the taxing life of a trapper in these desolate mountains as long as it keeps her secrets hidden. When her childhood friend and first love discovers her, his determination to help might put everything at risk.

    As the worst of her past threatens to catch up with her, the hope for Colette’s new life shatters. But no matter what, she must protect the one good thing that came from all her mistakes. Though French is determined to stay at her side, she can’t let him become entangled in the perilous consequences of her actions. If only it wasn’t so painful to push him away. The danger pressing in may leave her only one choice—leave everything behind…again.

    The author on writing about certain topics, periods, or characters:

    “I don’t generally like to shy away from settings or characters because of the way our culture views them today. I love history and try to stay as true to the setting as I can. I also firmly believe that no group of people should be judged as a whole on their general reputation. People are individuals, and there are good and bad in every race and time period. I work hard to portray that clearly through my characters.”
    Misty M. Beller

     

     

  • Best Christian Romance Books,  Best Historical Romance Books

    The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron

    The French Revolution, World War II, and present day—three resilient women’s stories are interwoven by an enchanting storybook castle that stands witness to their lives.

    1789: Aveline Saint-Moreau is a wealthy and beautiful young aristocrat preparing for her betrothal to the Duc et Vivay’s heir Philippe, but the French Revolution looms as the Bastille is stormed in Paris. 1944: Viola Hart is a Resistance fighter in France during World War II, desperately trying to root out the evil taking hold in her country as the Nazis occupy France. Present day: Ellie Carver is in a race against time to deliver a decades-overdue message as her grandmother fades into the shadows of Alzheimer’s. Embarking on a journey to France’s Loire Valley, Ellie can only hope to unearth the secrets of the mysterious castle before time silences them forever. As Ellie’s journey unfolds, so too do the journeys of the two other women, each of their stories woven together through their connection with the forgotten French castle—a castle that plays a part in saving each one of them. The author on her favorite part of the writing process:
    “I’m an art and history addict. I love the research part of each writing experience, and falling into the characters’ worlds. Sometimes the experience is so real, it takes me a few days to remember I’m not living in France, 1944… Examining a place in history and then breathing life into it through the characters’ eyes really is an incredible journey that I long to relive with each book.”
    Kristy Cambron
       
  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

    Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke…

    England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for. Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

    “Like Annabelle, I went to Oxford on a scholarship, and while I was writing, I felt the feeling that this education was my key to a better, independent life all over again. It made me very sympathetic toward Annabelle as she struggled to keep juggling all her responsibilities only to be ambushed by a most inappropriate, irresistible love interest..”
    Evie Dunmore

    Evie also shared with us a quote that inspires her:

    “”Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
    ~ Mary Oliver