Month: January 2022

Top Ten 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Haven’t Gotten to Yet

Posted January 17, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 29 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! I’m not one of those people who can read 200-300 books a year. I can’t even read 100 books a year, yet my TBR list grows exponentially as the years move on. As such, I always begin a new year looking back at all those highly anticipated releases I didn’t get to. How does one climb out from under all those amazing sounding books when more keep being added on top?? A mystery of the universe, I suppose. Today I’m sharing ten books released last year that I was super excited about and plan to make a priority this year, even though I’m already swimming in over 50 2022 books I’ve received for review. I’m not complaining! I’ll get it done eventually!

1. Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo
2. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
3. When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
4. Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
5. To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne
6. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
7. Float Plan by Trish Doller
8. The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley
9. Love at First by Kate Clayborn
10. The Fastest Way To Fall by Denise Williams

What 2021 releases were you excited for but never got to? 
Have you read any of these? Which ones should I prioritize (or even leave in the past altogether)?


The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Posted January 13, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren | Book ReviewThe Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Published by Gallery Books on May 18, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents--who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno--Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father's never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn't "father material" before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that's predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess--who is barely making ends meet--is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the "Diamond" pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist--and the science behind a soulmate--than she thought.

I absolutely love author duo Christina Lauren, so I was eagerly anticipating The Soulmate Equation‘s release before I even knew what it was about. Well, before it eve had a title. But then when I learned that it centers around a DNA test that tells you who your soulmate is, I was sold! What a fun idea for a romance book. And it was so much fun! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Jess, our heroine, is a single mom, has the most amazing support system in her family, and loves statistics and numbers. She and her best friend, Fizzy, learn about this DNA test that matches you up with the one you’re meant to be with and she’s definitely intrigued. Numbers make sense to her, so they can totally find her her dream man. I really liked Jess. I don’t normally love single parent characters in romance because I don’t love kids in romance, but Jess is a really great mom and I enjoyed reading about her relationship with her daughter, Juno (who is very sweet and spunky and I’m definitely a fan of hers). 

2. I love the entire cast of supporting characters in Jess’s family (and found family). Her dad wasn’t a part of her life growing up and her mom has been a partier for nearly all of Jess’s life, so her grandparents are her anchor. And, boy, those two are adorable and perfect and exactly what you’d dream to have in your own life. They live in the same apartment complex as Jess and do everything to help her and Juno. I love how close these four are. Fizzy is so supportive and wonderful, and the very best best friend. She needs her own book, in my opinion. Juno is so sweet and sounds like she’s so much older than she, but not because her voice is wrong or she was written wrong. She seems older and more mature in that way that young kids do, when they’ve been brought up by adults they look up to and want to be like.

3. River is so swoooooony. He’s reserved and professional, yet there’s cracks in that facade and I loved seeing his tender, sweet side. He’s also completely adorable with Juno. I love a man who is good with kids, plus he’s successful and ambitious and sexy so I love River.

4. The romance is exactly the kind of romance I love, although this one was quite a slow burn. When Jess and River get the highest compatibility percentile the company has ever seen, they agree to a business arrangement. They will pretend to date one another to publicize River’s company, and Jess will be paid (generously) for her time. The fact that Juno has been thrown into the mix means Jess needs to be careful to protect her daughter’s heart and privacy as well as her own. It definitely added a bit more complication to the arrangement, and I do love complicated romance. Jess and River has the best chemistry!

5. The drama surrounding the conflict in this story was great. I didn’t see it coming, and I love how it was handled. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at that.

All in all, The Soulmate Equation is such a unique, heartwarming story that I really fell in love with. The two authors that make up Christina Lauren are talented and never cease to make me smile with their stories. I can’t wait for their next one!


The Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

Posted January 10, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 18 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! Now that the holidays are over and you’ve had time to spend your gift cards (there have been so many sales!), what better time to share your haul? I got so many books for Christmas (and a friend gifted me an audible membership), so I’ve got lots of books to share today. I’m sharing five audiobooks and five books. And I’m excited to see what you’ve added to your book collection recently!

Audiobooks

1. The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams (I’m reading this one now and LOVING it.)
2. Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin
3. The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn
4. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss (I listened to this one last month, and it was amazing.)
5. The Reindeer Falls Collection, Volume 2 by Jana Aston (I listened to the first story in this, and it was cringey. Like, major second hand embarrassment on behalf of the heroine. I’m hoping the other two are better, because I loved the first volume!)

Books

6. Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot (review copy)
7. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong
8. The Lady Most Likely… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, & Connie Brockway
9. A ​Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
10. To Have and to Hate by R.S. Grey

What books have you added to your collection recently?
Have you read any of these?


Well Matched by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book Review

Posted January 6, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book ReviewWell Matched by Jen DeLuca
Series: Well Met #3
Also in this series: Well Met, Well Played, Well Traveled
Published by Berkley on October 19, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she's decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire -- a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more "serious" career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again... something that doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they've just been putting on an act. But when there's the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans -- and open her heart -- for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

Well Matched was LOVELY! Jen DeLuca is so great at writing a great romance between great characters, and I love Mitch so much. I’ve been so excited about this book! I always love her Ren Faire setting and the surrounding town. It was fun to say hi to the couples from the previous books, too. I did feel that Well Matched was a little less rom-com and a little more women’s fiction, but it didn’t bother me. There’s still a lot of swoons, but there’s also a big focus on April and her personal journey. Her life is shifting, she’s a single mom about to become an empty nester, and she’s looking ahead at a future she’s not sure about. Her daughter’s father is trying to reconnect with her daughter, so she’s also dealing with that uneasiness as to how to keep her daughter emotionally safe and also let her connect with her parent. As I said before, I love Mitch. I also love fake dating, so this silly little fake girlfriend scheme of Mitch’s adds some lightness to the heavier issues underneath it all. I loved seeing Mitch’s more sensitive and intuitive side. He’s there for April as a friend, helping her when he can, and I loved that serious, protective part of his personality. Up to this point, he’d just been the flirty man in the kilt to me. His family dynamic was also super interesting to read about. All in all, this was very sweet and enjoyable and I can’t wait for what Jen DeLuca does next!


Seventeen Most Anticipated Books Releasing In the First Half of 2022

Posted January 3, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 24 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! And happy New Year! I really, really hope the best for 2022 and can’t wait for all the amazing books that are being released this year (in spite of covid and the supply chain shortages that are pushing book release dates back). This is one of those topics that always hurts my TBR (for the better, though, let’s be honest) and I’m excited to see what everyone is excited for this year! As the topic states, I’m limiting this list to books releasing in January through June. And no, I could not limit this list to 10 picks only, so here’s 17!

1. Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon (January 11)

A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.

In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.

Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

2. Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker (January 18)

Friends becoming something much more in this hilarious romantic comedy from author Ann Marie Walker. A whirlwind trip to Ireland is supposed to end with a suitcase full of wool sweaters and souvenir pint glasses—not a husband you only just met!

After one-too-many whiskeys, fledgling screenwriter Cara Kennedy takes a page out of someone else’s script when she gets caught up in the Irish tradition of women proposing on Leap Day. She thought she might have dreamt everything, until she wakes the next morning with a hot guy in her bed and a tin foil ring on her finger. Her flight is in four hours, her clothes are all over the room, and she has the most important meeting of her career in exactly two days—and on top of everything else, her husband has a dog who thinks Cara is a perfect surrogate mother, despite the fact that she has never been much of an animal lover…

Deciding to work things out stateside, Finn and her new fur baby accompany her to LA, where Finn spends his days going on auditions and his nights charming his new bride, leaving Cara to wonder whether this is real love, or if Finn is another aspiring actor just after her Hollywood connections? With limited time on his tourist visa, will Finn be able to convince Cara that she’s the right girl for him, or will time run out on their Hollywood ending?

3. The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton (January 18)

From international bestselling author Karen Hamilton comes another pulse-pounding domestic thriller set against a lush, tropical backdrop as a woman fleeing her past as a con artist finds herself trapped aboard a cruise ship with someone who not only knows about that past, but will stop at nothing to get revenge.

It’s an offer she can’t refuse…and might not survive.

Charlotte has an unsavory past, but she’s on the straight and narrow these days. She was so young then—she married the wrong man, falling for Sam’s sweet-talking charm and charisma, and got caught up in his con artist games.

If only she’d left him before things went too far.

Now Sam is missing. But before he disappeared, he left urgent, cryptic messages about someone threatening him—someone who has been threatening Charlotte, too.
So Charlotte takes a job as a personal assistant for an engagement party aboard a private luxury cruise ship, the Cleobella, to get far away from anyone who means her harm.

But as the Cleobella sails through its glittering destinations, increasingly sinister events haunt the guests, and the turquoise waves and sun-drenched beaches give way to something darker. Someone knows what Charlotte did. Is it the blushing bride? The seemingly placid mother-in-law? Or the mysterious heiress?

Someone knows, and someone wants revenge—before the ship reaches its final port.

4. Woman Last Seen by Adele Parks (February 1)

Leigh Fletcher: happily married stepmom to two gorgeous boys goes missing on Monday. Her husband, Mark, says he knows nothing of her whereabouts. She went to work and just never came home. Their family is shattered.

Kai Janssen: married to wealthy Dutch businessman Daan and vanishes the same week. Kai left their luxurious penthouse and glamorous world without a backward glance. She seemingly evaporated into thin air. Daan is distraught.

Detective Clements knows that people disappear all the time—far too frequently. Most run away from things, some run toward and others are taken but find their way back. A sad few never return. These two women are from very different worlds. Their disappearances are unlikely to be connected. And yet, at a gut level, the detective believes they might be.

How could these women walk away from their families, husbands and homes willingly? Clements is determined to unearth the truth, no matter how shocking and devastating it may be.

5. The Rebound by Catherine Walsh (February 14)

A newly single girl. A tall dark handsome stranger. What could go wrong?

It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and Abby Reynolds isn’t where she wants to be. She wants to be in her beautiful loft apartment in Manhattan, drinking a coffee with her fiancé.

Instead, she’s heading back to the childhood home in rural Ireland she swore she’d never return to, with some big old secrets. Namely that she’s suddenly found herself unemployed, homeless, and absolutely 100% single.

She’s feeling all out of luck. Until the first person she meets after she touches down is an absurdly hot guy called Luke, who offers her a lift home. Gazing deep into his sparkling emerald-green eyes, Abby knows instantly that he’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off everything. The perfect rebound.

It’s a flawless plan. Until the next day, when Abby realizes who he actually is. Not just a stranger. He is, in fact, Luke Bailey, aka the boy next door. Luke Bailey who—so help her God—she’s pretty sure she once shared baths with, back when they were kids. Not that she can allow herself to imagine him in a bath now, not without blushing from head to foot.

And judging by the smirk on his face, the same Luke Bailey who’s known exactly who she was the whole time… And who, like everyone in the village, still thinks she’s a high-flying New Yorker… who’s getting married next year.

Abby is certain getting under Luke will help her get over her ex. But the truth is stopping her. Can she admit to everyone back home that she’s single and has lost everything? Because, if she wants the boy next door, she may just have to…

The perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh until you cry and fall completely in love. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, and Emily Henry won’t be able to put this down!

6. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson (February 15)

Savannah Cade is a low-level editor at Pennington Publishing, a prestigious publisher producing only the highest of highbrow titles. And while editing the latest edition of The Anthology of Medieval Didactic Poetry may be her day job, she has two secrets she’s hiding.

One: She’s writing a romance novel.

Two: She’s discovered the Book Nook—a secret room in the publishing house where she finds inspiration for her “lowbrow” hobby.

After leaving her manuscript behind one afternoon, she returns to the nook only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. Savannah’s first response to the criticism is defensive, but events transpire that force her to admit that she needs the help of this shadowy editor after all. As the notes take a turn for the romantic, and as Savannah’s madcap life gets more complicated than ever, she uses the process of elimination to identify her mysterious editor—only to discover that what she truly wants and what she should want just might not be the same. Melissa Ferguson’s latest—a love letter to books, readers, and romance—will leave fans laughing out loud and swooning in the same breath.

7. The Reunion by Meghan Quinn (February 22)

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Game comes a new romantic comedy about the antics that ensue when three siblings come together for their parents’ fiftieth-anniversary party.

Martin and Peggy Chance believe love should last a lifetime. With their fiftieth wedding anniversary on the horizon, they’ve modeled a beautiful relationship for their three grown children. But to their dismay, that lesson hasn’t quite caught on—the three siblings just can’t seem to take a chance and find love in their own lives.

There’s Ford, the eldest, devoted to his work and resistant to romance…or so he claims. Cooper, the middle child, can’t get past his divorce—until he reconnects with a feisty baker from his past. And Palmer, the baby of the family, is the free-spirited world traveler who always pictured herself with someone other than a handsome small-town family doctor.

When the Chance siblings come together to plan the ultimate anniversary party for their parents, they’ll have to navigate romantic entanglements, sibling rivalries, and the definitive end of their childhood. Whatever happens, The Reunion promises to be a fun, flirty, wild ride.

8. A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings (March 1, 2022)

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can’t risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

9. The Astronaut and the Star by Jen Comfort (March 1)

An out-of-this-world romantic comedy featuring an astronaut tasked with training a Hollywood actor for a space flick.

Astronaut Regina “Reggie” Hayes wants to be the first woman on the moon—it’s all she’s ever dreamed of. But after a PR disaster, Reggie is off the list for a lunar mission. To rehabilitate her reputation with NASA, she agrees to a different kind of assignment: astronaut “training” with a Hollywood action hero.

Jon Leo is a charmer. With credits that include an underperforming sitcom and a campy action flick called Space Dude, his upcoming role in a prestigious movie could prove he’s a star. But Jon isn’t just big muscles and an otherworldly smile—he’s also a total space nerd. He’s pumped about his own personal space camp…until he meets ice-cold Reggie.

Although Reggie and Jon are polar opposites, their mutual attraction is undeniable, and it only takes a few weeks in close quarters for them to give in to its magnetic force. Jon is set on convincing Reggie this is a match made in the heavens, but her future is in space, and his is among stars of the Hollywood kind. The odds of successfully launching a real relationship outside the confines of the training base are anything but optimal.

Reggie, content with keeping things casual, is forced by a sudden turn of events to confront the possibility of losing Jon forever. Now, she’ll do whatever it takes to win both the man and the moon.

10. The Shadow House by Anna Downes (April 5)

Extraordinarily tense and deliciously mysterious, Anna Downes’s The Shadow House follows one woman’s desperate journey to protect her children at any cost, in a remote place where not everything is as it seems.

A HOUSE WITH DEADLY SECRETS.

A MOTHER WHO’LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING THEM TO LIGHT.

Alex, a single mother-of-two, is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. In an effort to escape her troubled past, she seeks refuge in a rural community. Pine Ridge is idyllic; the surrounding forests are beautiful and the locals welcoming. Mostly.

But Alex finds that she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. As a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, Alex realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.

11. Out of His League by Caroline Richardson (April 5)

Sometimes you’ve got to leave your heart on the field

Gretchen Harper has always been practical. Dependable, solid, predictable. She’s never taken risks, and she’s especially never bought coffee for gorgeous professional athletes in airports. That is, until she meets her favorite baseball player on the worst day of his career.

Being sent to the minor league is just the first of Joshua Malvern’s many worries—he’s got an injury that won’t heal and his entire career and future are on the line. When a beautiful woman offers him coffee, that simple kindness is exactly what he needs to lift him out of his funk. He asks her to join him in first class, not expecting to end up joining her in bed.

What starts as a one night stand ends up holding the promise for so much more. And while stepping out of her comfort zone has never been Gretchen’s style, for a chance at true love she’ll have to decide whether she’ll swing for the fences, even if it means striking out.

12. Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood (May 3)

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella….

A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis – it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn….

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.

To listen to Sadie and Hannah’s stories, look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero, coming soon, available first on audio!

13. Set on You by Amy Lea (May 10)

A gym nemesis pushes a fitness influencer to the max in Amy Lea’s steamy debut romantic comedy.

Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.

Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents’ engagement party.

In the lead up to their grandparents’ wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, she just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.

14. Starry-Eyed Love by Helena Hunting (May 10)

Charming, hilarious, and emotional…Starry-Eyed Love is Helena Hunting at her very best!

Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.

As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.

As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.

15. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren (May 17)

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.

From the author of the “heartfelt and funny” (Publishers Weekly) sensation The Unhoneymooners, this page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take fans on one wild ride.

16. Deep Water by Emma Bamford (May 31)

The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuers—only to realize they’re still in the grips of the island’s secrets—in this intense and startling debut in the tradition of Into the Jungle and The Ruins.

When a Navy vessel comes across a yacht in distress in the middle of the vast Indian Ocean, Captain Danial Tengku orders his ship to rush to its aid. On board the yacht is a British couple: a horribly injured man, Jake, and his traumatized wife, Virginie, who breathlessly confesses, “It’s all my fault. I killed them.”

Trembling with fear, she reveals their shocking story to Danial. Months earlier, the couple had spent all their savings on a yacht, full of excitement for exploring the high seas and exotic lands together. They start at the busy harbors of Malaysia and, through word of mouth, Jake and Virginie learn about a tiny, isolated island full of unspoiled beaches. When they arrive, they discover they are not the only visitors and quickly become entangled with a motley crew of expat sailors. Soon, Jake and Virginie’s adventurous dream turns into a terrifying nightmare.

Now, it’s up to Danial to determine just how much truth there is in Virginie’s alarming tale. But when his crew make a shocking discovery, he realizes that if he doesn’t act soon, they could all fall under the dark spell of the island.

17. A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey (June 21)

After a decade of silence, Dee and Ben reunite for a road trip they once promised to take. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Dee Matthews is the cohost of the smash-hit podcast Did I Forget To Tell You?, where she interviews family, friends, and past lovers. Nothing is off limits, except for one man (known on the show only as Name Redacted) who happens to be her high school best friend Ben. During their senior year spring break, Dee and Ben took a road trip to visit Ben’s grandma. They buried a time capsule in her backyard, pledging to return in ten years to open it. Then their friendship fell apart in spectacular fashion. They haven’t spoken to each other since.

Ben Porter’s life since that moment has been unexciting but comfortable, until his grandma reveals a family secret that flips his whole world upside down. Her dying wish is for him to stop doing what is safest and go after what he really wants. He starts by showing up on Dee’s doorstep with every intention of fulfilling their long-ago promise. Despite her reservations, Dee can’t say no. This trip could be her chance to give her listeners the Name Redacted interview they’ve been begging for–and finally put her unresolved feelings for Ben to rest.

As the miles fly by, Dee and Ben’s friendship reignites. But the closer they get to reaching their destination, the more apparent it becomes that their attraction to each other cannot be ignored. Their last adventure ended in disaster, and they’re about to find out if any hope of a future together is in the rear view mirror.

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