• Book cover of Love and Chocolate
    Best Clean and Wholesome Romance,  Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Love & Chocolate by Elsie Davis

    June 6, 2025

    Some say Valentine’s Day is for lovers, while others prefer to think of it as February Fool’s Day. The question is, which one do you believe, and which one rules your heart?

    The Sweeter Side of Life bakery in Hallbrook is in financial trouble and Amanda is determined to save the business her mother started twenty years ago. While honoring February Fool’s Day, Amanda’s name for the lovey-dovey holiday, she learns about the Anything Chocolate contest and is determined to win the cash prize. There’s only two drawbacks, one, it’s a statewide contest and the competition will be fierce, and two, she’s not a big fan of chocolate. Kevin is trying to adjust to his new job as the Turlington High School chemistry teacher and to small-town living, a task made more difficult by his twin ten-year-old daughters who aren’t happy with the move or the divorce. When the twins demand they go to the Heart-to-Heart festival for a chance to hang with their new friends, he relents knowing it was important. But a fellow teacher turns the night into a matchmaking attempt and Kevin finds himself signing up for the Secret Chef fundraiser dinner to avoid Amanda, the attractive, but off-limits woman his new friend deems perfect for him. Which worked wonders, at least until his winning dessert bid revealed Amanda as the secret chef and the woman who would come to his home and cook the six-course meal he’d won. So much for avoiding her. When the twins take objection, their shenanigans cause nothing but trouble at home and school. What they didn’t count on though, was their actions forcing him to spend more time with Amanda, putting his custody of the twins in jeopardy. Is Kevin willing to risk custody of the girls over love? A five-star review for the novel:

    “The characters are great and easy to connect with. It’s also very realistically insightful about relationships, the doubt and benefits. Such a great outpouring of love even from the community at large. Very well written, tears of joy with a few speed bumps with rambunctious kids which I think only help the adults deal with their dilemmas. Love this, very enticing story, it clearly depicts building a relationship without needing or having to add the physical to the romance of getting to know someone. I was provided a free advance copy and am voluntarily reviewing.”

    Annette–Goodreads
    Buy now

     

     

    Read More
  • Book cover of The Duke Alone
    Best Historical Romance Books

    The Duke Alone by Christi Caldwell

    May 29, 2025

    For an abandoned lady and a reclusive duke, the winter season brings a swirl of romance—and danger.

    Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long. Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door. But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady. Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling? The author’s messages in her novels:

    “I believe there are so many messages contained within the pages of a book. As an author, I want my readers to find whatever message they may within a book. Sometimes, I’ll receive emails or read reviews about something they came away with from the story and I’ll say ‘hmm, I didn’t necessarily think of that…’ and I love that words are meaningful and special to us all in different ways.”

    Christi Caldwell
    Buy now

     

     

    Read More
  • Book cover of Romance Me Viscount
    Best Historical Romance Books

    Romance Me, Viscount by Kate Archer

    May 23, 2025

    One Fanciful Lady and One Fed Up Lord.

    Lady Beatrice Bennington, the eldest of five daughters of the Earl of Westmont, is poised to take her place among the ton. The Benningtons are on their way to Portland Place and Beatrice is coming prepared. Her dear aunt, Miss Eloise Mayton, a lady who has raised them since their mother’s passing, has been exceedingly helpful in directing her efforts. Beatrice has composed a well-considered list of requirements for any would-be suitor. He must have the courage of Beowulf, the strength of Hercules, the derring-do of Robin Hood, as gallant as Sir Gawain, the depth of feelings of Shakespeare, and the stalwart heart of Henry the Fifth. He must be violently in love, tearing his hair out, and challenging other suitors to a duel. He might even threaten to do a violence to himself. Though, Beatrice would prefer only threats to do a violence to himself. She is not unreasonable. Matthew Lawson, Viscount Van Doren, is the Bennington’s closest neighbor. And, as far as he can see, the closest person approximating any sort of rationality and sense. He has spent years attempting to counter Miss Mayton’s wild ideas and bizarre stories of romance. It has been a losing battle and now he follows the Benningtons to Town. All he can do at this point is be prepared to pick Beatrice up when she is knocked down by her own wrong-headed ideas. At least, that’s what he thought he would be doing. As it turns out, Beatrice is surrounded by hopeful lotharios, including a particular duke. Matthew is certain they are all after Beatrice’s dowry and, therefore, they must all be driven off. Beatrice Bennington is set on finding herself a lovesick lunatic, and she just might get one. The author’s favorite types of characters to write:

    “My favorite characters, which I think I do a lot of, are victims of their own human foibles. In A Very Fine Muddle series, the books are filled with these people… The daughters of the series are all so approving of one another that none of them ever know what they’re bad at… With the family’s constant and enthusiastic approval, all the sisters cannot help but be rather confident in their genius.”

    Kate Archer
    Buy now

     

     

    Read More
  • Book cover of Saving Shadows
    Best Romantic Suspense Books

    Saving Shadows by Kathleen Brooks

    April 18, 2025
    Saving Shadows book cover

    What’s a small doctor to do when a beautiful woman washes up near his dock with a killer after her…

    Gavin Faulkner was the only doctor in the small South Carolina inner coastal town of Shadows Landing. He was used to patching up everything from fishing lures stuck in skin to gator bites. Nothing could surprise him anymore–except when he found an unconscious woman partially submerged near his dock after a fierce thunderstorm. Ellery St. John’s last memory was of a bat swinging toward her head. The next thing she knew, she was cold, wet, and a sexy man was pressing his lips to hers. Too bad it turned out to be CPR instead of a passionate kiss. Gavin thought Ellery would be safe in the small town where BBQ wars were the biggest danger, but he was wrong. Now it was up to him to help Ellery put the pieces together in order to discover who had tried to kill her and why before they both ended up at the bottom of the ocean. The author’s advice for writing:

    “The best advice I got when I started writing was to read and write. I find that reading your genre helps a lot and then writing. Even if they are just short stories. The more you write the more you find your own unique voice… Take the leap and go all in – after all you never know if you can do it without trying.”

    Kathleen Brooks
    Buy now

     

     

    Read More
  • Book cover of Red Clover Inn
    Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Red Clover Inn by Carla Neggers

    April 4, 2025

    A marine archeologist takes a break from her adventurous life to dive deep into the mysteries of love.

    Charlotte Bennett is more comfortable exploring sunken wreckage than exploring a relationship. But as her cousin Samantha’s maid of honor, she finds a new perspective on her nomadic, solitary life. In need of a quiet refuge, Charlotte offers to stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts and look after the Red Clover Inn while Sam and Justin are on their honeymoon. While the quaint inn is closed to the public, Charlotte will have time to plan her next project—and perhaps discover how her cousin found love. But the tranquility is disrupted when Greg shows up at the inn. The Diplomatic Security Service agent lives a dangerous life, and he, too, wants to clear his head before his next assignment. Juggling work, raising his two teenage children, and nursing a wounded heart has left Greg jaded. The last thing he expects is to fall for the willful Charlotte. Now each of them must decide if they can put love first before it’s too late. The author’s inspiration for the location of her book’s series:

    “Knights Bridge is fictional, but the area where it’s located is real. Our family homestead is on the edge of Quabbin Reservoir, a huge pre-World War II project that changed this part of New England forever. As a kid, I’d climb a tree with pad and pen and look out at the Quabbin ‘accidental wilderness,’ as I wrote, imagining the lives of the people who’d lived in the small towns razed to create the reservoir. I also spent countless hours in my hometown library, which is the inspiration for the Knights Bridge library—including the rumors that it’s haunted.”

    Carla Neggers
    Buy now

     

     

    Read More