Contemporary Romance Archives - Page 3 of 14

Book Review:: He Falls First | Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis can be depended upon for a heartstrings tugging romance that will linger in your bloodstream. He Falls First, her newest release and first in a new series, is no exception. Penny and Ryder will grip your heart with their story, and then melt it entirely.

He Falls First by Jill Shalvis Book Cover

Penny is back home to care for her family, her aging grandmother and young brother, after a hell of a false start. She’s home to heal and to nurture, that’s it. That’s enough. She’s not ready to even think about men anymore. But Ryder Colburn is everywhere. In her house (dropping off her grandmother’s caregiving charge), in her workplace (she works for his sister’s catering company and regularly feeds his contracting crew), and ever-increasingly in her head. Penny is skittish from her past experience, but Ryder is a patient, kind man. He has a gaggle of younger siblings he’s always been responsible for, his own business, and he knows all about hard pasts. He has one himself. But he’s a lot farther on the road of acceptance and growth, and accepts Penny for who she is an exactly where she’s at.

*swoon*

Okay, can we talk about how hot it is to have such a patient man? He knows his own mind, and knows when to step in and when to step away. He’s not pushy at all, ever, but he also positions himself to be able to keep an eye on this woman he has this energetic connection with. He’s exactly what Penny needs, and they absolutely both deserve the comfort and love the other has to offer.

What can I say except this book is an easy win. If you’re looking for your next emotional romance read, choose this one, and then dive into the extensive backlist of equally touching and swoon-y Jill Shalvis novels. Her characters are wounded and passionate and will bring you to your knees every time.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: He Falls First (Colburn Brothers #1)
Author:: Jill Shalvis
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca
Length:: 352 pages
Published:: August 5th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Wild Eyes | Elsie Silver
The Love Fix | Jill Shalvis

Book Review:: Game Point | Meg Jones

My first tennis romance, and it’s a steamy one…

Dylan is her own worst enemy when it comes to top level tennis competitions. She always, always chokes. All she wants is a trophy on her shelf, and she’s not getting any older. With the Australian open coming up, her own home turf, and her new friend Oliver, a tennis pro himself, supporting her along the way, will she be able to stay out of her own head enough to actually pull it off?

I have mixed feelings about this book. Some of the tennis scenes were a little tedious to get through. Obviously necessary, they just weren’t very exciting to read when I think they were meant to be.

I liked Oliver a whole lot. Why do we always make the guys so darn adorable and the ladies the ones with the big personality issues? lol. He’s a sweetheart trying to do his best, and he cares a lot about Dylan herself. He doesn’t necessarily want her to win the Australian Open, he wants her to accomplish whatever she wants to accomplish, which just happens to be winning the Australian Open. We all deserve an Oliver.

The life of a pro athlete is no joke. It’s a lot of training, a lot of pressure, and when setbacks, like injuries, happen, it can throw everything off. Your mind game is as important (or moreso) than your physical game. This is illustrated very well in this story.

Overall as a romance novel I wasn’t blown away. There wasn’t anything that really set it apart in my mind or took it to the next level, though there certainly isn’t anything wrong with it. Just my personal opinions!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Game Point (Game, Set, and Match #2)
Author:: Meg Jones
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Will Watt & Mary Jane Wells
Published:: September 9th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Play Along | Liz Tomforde
The Perfect Putt | Annah Conwell
Let’s Call A Truce | Amy Buchanan

Book Review:: The Brave and the Reckless | Dilan Dyer

Romance is far from dead in the wild west – or at least the wild west theme park called Bravetown.

The Brave and the Reckless by Dilan Dyer Book Cover

Esra is questioning her life choices when she winds up at Bravetown working with her brother. Expecting something straightforward, she is hired instead to play the lead in the park’s main act — a reenactment of a cowboy heist. The cowboy is played by her brother’s best friend Noah, who is not much fun. Esra and Noah fight like cats and dogs until the sparks sent up by their friction erupt into a blazing passion neither of them expected.

I wish I liked this more. I loved the representation of chronic illness, which is something you don’t find often. Some of the spicy scenes were very hot, and the romantic connection seemed genuine enough. But there was…something…missing. Something about the fabric this story was woven into seemed too thin. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what was missing, but it left me wanting.

One thing it does have going for it is the immaculate title. If you’re looking for a spicy romp this summer, this one will certainly scratch that itch, it just may not be something to write home about.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Brave and the Reckless: A Bravetown Novel
Author:: Dilan Dyer
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Dell
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: July 29th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

First-Time Caller | B.K. Borison
The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain | Hannah Brown
Coming in Hot | Josie Juniper

Book Review:: As A Last Resort | Kristin Wollett

Burying your head in the sand is so much easier than facing your past. Or in Samantha’s case, fleeing her home town, severing all ties, and hyper-focusing on her New York career like she doesn’t have a past at all. That is, until her development company starts eyeballing the island she grew up on for a new luxury resort and the only way to reach her professional goals is to try to win the lead on the account.

As A Last Resort by Kritstin Wollett Book Cover

This book has no right being as good as it is. From the classically charming rom-com moments to the character growth, weighty themes, and details that will have you swooning, As A Last Resort had me laughing, crying, clutching my chest, and the only thing I didn’t like is that it’s already over.

Samantha was so wounded by her mother’s bad habits that she abandoned even the good parts of her formative years to escape from it. Her best friend Lexie was really hurt by her abrupt departure and subsequent ghosting, and now she’s on the precipice of her wedding when Sam finally shows her face on the island again. Samantha has to take accountability for her actions, even when she never intended any harm.

Lexie’s older brother Austin, who was badly burned by the relationship he thought would go the distance, is the one who ferries Sam back home, and saves her from confronting her biggest fears too early. His life has become stagnant in his fear of more big changes with unexpected, possibly catastrophic consequences, but Samantha makes him realize just how stuck in his ways he’s become. He’s one heck of a sympathetic hero, and he’ll have you swooning after him too before it’s all said and done.

The balance of Sam’s professional life, personal life, and love life is done impeccably well, and we’re right there with her as she navigates the tangle she finds herself in. She’s a sensible girl, but she’s also wounded, and that isn’t an easy thing to overcome.

As A Last Resort is a debut effort by author Kristin Wollett and I have to say, she knocked it out of the park. My eyes will be fully open for anything she publishes going forward, and I can only hope they all come as close to contemporary romance perfection as this one did. All the thumbs, way, way up!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: As A Last Resort
Author:: Kristin Wollett
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: The Reluctant Flirt | Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst fans, we’re back in Outer Banks, a small idyllic beach town perfect for falling in love. Book of the Month is the first title in this series, my review of which can be found here, but you don’t need to read it before enjoying The Reluctant Flirt.

Sierra runs her own boutique in a new town away from her old life and ex-husband. Outer Banks is her fresh start, and she’s determined to succeed, but when the best hookup of her life shows up in town, apparently the best friend of her sister’s fiancee, things get complicated.

This book has all the ingredients of an indulgent weekend romance read. A sexy start, a crisis meet-cute-take-two, and characters both smitten and too stubborn for their own good. I loved the secret and unique history between these two characters, and their story of falling in love is very sexy (with lots of spice!). My favorite moment was probably when the significance of Sierra’s shop’s name was revealed. However, it didn’t blow me away. By the time I neared the end there were some problems I had with the communication between the characters (or lack of) that is one of my pet peeves, and some of the pacing made it hard to stay really locked in at times. By the end I was reading mostly just to finish.

Outer Banks is a cozy and romantic setting to indulge in, and if you’re looking for some ‘candy’ to read, this may be exactly what you’re looking if. It just wasn’t for me.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Reluctant Flirt (Outer Banks #2)
Author:: Jennifer Probst
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Blue Box Press
Length:: 246 pages
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 2.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book of the Month | Jennifer Probst
Once Upon A Boyband | Jenny Proctor

Book Review:: Both Things Are True | Kathleen Barber

I love a good complex second chance romance story, but hanging it all upon a series of miscommunications is risky business, and in Kathleen Barber’s new release Both Things Are True, I didn’t quite buy it.

Both Things Are True by Kathleen Barber Book Cover

After years apart, Vanessa and Sam end up living in the same building. Both of them are at pivotal moments in their lives and careers and are harboring old feelings for one another. The present timeline is honestly so sweet between the two of them, and I totally bought into all the romance and leftover feelings. I was rooting for them so hard. But as their past started revealing itself in layers, and especially once the revelations came up in the back half of the book, the problems that came up between them made me like them less. It was one miscommunication after another. Really, did they understand one another at all? I accept that miscommunication is a realistic element to many serious relationships, but to rely on that entirely and for that to ‘fix’ everything in the end…it kind of ruined the good thing they had going.

Would I still recommend this book? Gah, maybe. There is still plenty of good romance and other storylines that make the novel interesting, but it wasn’t a smash hit for me. Hey, both things are true.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Both Things Are True
Author:: Kathleen Barber
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Lake Union Publishing
Length:: 303 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 38m
Audiobook Narrator:: Amy Handelman
Published:: September 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
Not Safe for Work | Nisha J. Tuli
What Happens in Amsterdam | Rachel Lynn Solomon

Book Review:: Where You’re Planted | Melanie Sweeney

Some books just give off warm fuzzy vibes, and Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney is one of those for me.

Where You're Planted by Melanie Sweeney Book Cover

Tansy and Jack get off on a bit of a wrong foot (granted, they do meet in quite a stressful situation), but if they want to save their dream careers they will have to work together. She is a librarian and he runs the Houston Botanic Gardens, and after a recent hurricane, they’re temporarily housing the library until they can raise the funds for a new building.

There is so much I could rave about with this one. The two leads are so well suited to one another! They both have huge hearts and neither are afraid of a little hard work. Tansy has an independence complex (like me) that makes it impossible to ask for help, but with Jack, she realizes that it’s okay to accept some every once in awhile, even if you could figure it out on your own eventually.

It’s about family, and support, and passion, and sticking together in a crisis. It’s about trust and figuring it out as you go. It’s also romantic as heck.

Five shining stars from me!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Where You’re Planted
Author:: Melanie Sweeney
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 384 pages
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

It’s A Love Story | Annabel Monaghan
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie | Courtney Walsh
Songs of Summer | Jane L. Rosen

Book Review:: Only Between Us | Ellie K. Wilde

Fans of a great sports romance, buckle up – book two in Ellie K. Wilde’s Oakwood Bay series is here! Only Between Us is the steamy love story between pro footballer Brooks Attwood and a sassy Siena Pippen who is much more than she appears.

Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde Book Cover

I feel like Ellie K. Wilde understands what people want out of a sports romance novel. There is lots of personal conflict, coming of age themes, lots and lots of spice, and a protectiveness that comes with someone conditioned to be on a team. Once the girl is on yours, that’s it.

All of those boxes were ticked in this book, and well. Bad boy Brooks is grappling with the wind down of his career. He’s got his eyes set on his old team and will do anything to score a contract with them. What they want is for him to show he’s settled down in his personal life, because the press he’s gotten from prior escapades is a big distraction. When he literally runs into Siena on the practice field and a photo of them goes viral, he proposes a mutual deal: pretend to be in a serious, stable relationship and he gets what he needs, and she gets the attention she needs to keep her business afloat awhile longer.

Siena’s had a hard life. The parents that raised her are not her real parents, and when her dad leaves her his bait shop, she’ll do anything she can to keep it open. But she’s been burned by a football star before, and she is not interested in getting involved with another one.

They both have trust issues, and healing those together is one of my favorite things to find in a sports romance. It just hits in all the feels.

If sports romance is your thing, hey, you’re going to love this. And if you haven’t really delved into any yet…try it! I was so pleasantly surprised. They’re immersive and indulgent and a great little escape. If you like spice, you’re going to love these!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Only Between Us (Oakwood Bay #2)
Author:: Ellie K. Wilde
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Atria
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 14h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Only In Your Dreams | Ellie K. Wilde
The Graham Effect | Elle Kennedy
Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Book Review:: The Spirit of Love | Lauren Kate

A vacation fling, a workplace rival, two very different love connections. The Spirit of Love is a new novel by Lauren Kate that will have you leaning forward in your seat as the tale unfolds.

The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate Book Cover

After a whirlwind weekend fling before beginning work as director for the first time on the show she loves, Fenny is blindsided when she returns to real life. Turns out the director gig was given to a stranger with a flawless reputation at the last minute instead. As much as she tries to dislike him, they start to connect on a deeper level, but she can’t forget about the man she met in the forest.

This is a perfect example of why I do not read book summaries before I begin. With this one? The entire plot would have been ruined if I had, so if you haven’t done that yet, save yourself the great feeling of discovering a story for yourself and don’t read it. Whyyy do publishers do that?

Beyond that gripe, I really enjoyed the story. I had fun piecing things together for myself, though I had another theory bumping around in my brain for a big chunk of it so (if you didn’t read the back) I wouldn’t say the ending isn’t very predictable.

The romance between Fenny and Sam at the beginning of the book was interesting and refreshing and just enough swoony without being too much. The development of the new relationship with Jude (not dating, but you get what I mean) felt genuine and not forced, which is important for the integrity of a story like this with two love interests.

Magical Realism tends to usually stretch a thread too far for me, and that was honestly the case with this story. It all makes sense and was set up incredibly well, but I wasn’t filled with a feeling of 100% satisfaction by the time it was all said and done. Honestly I think that’s just a me thing though. If you’re a fan of magical realism in general, this is probably an ideal romance for you!

As always I am honored when I am able to read a book early, and The Spirit of Love was a really nice escape with an interesting story.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Spirit of Love
Author:: Lauren Kate
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 336 pages
Published:: July 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Perfect Rom-Com | Melissa Ferguson
Slow Burn Summer | Josie Silver
The Love Haters | Katherine Center

Book Review:: Let’s Make A Scene | Laura Wood

A novel about movie stars fake dating…twice? Color me intrigued. I had high hopes for Laura Wood’s new book Let’s Make A Scene.

Let's Make A Scene by Laura Wood Book Cover

Unfortunately, for me, the constant jumping back and forth from past to present and back again got very confusing. On one hand, Cynthie and Jack are on their first movie set and unintentional sparks are flying. On the other, they’re years in the future, starting work on the sequel of the same project, thrown together again. Maybe the two sides of the coin were just not different enough? In both they are antagonistic toward one another, in both they start catching feelings. I just found myself double checking constantly which timeline we were in.

With a fundamental issue like that, it made it hard to sink into the story. With that being said, however, it is clear that Laura Wood understand romance and how to craft some interesting characters to play against one another. There was plenty of chemistry between Cynthie and Jack, and their night together in the kitchen is quite memorable! The ending also was justified and handled well, but by that point it had already lost the spark for me.

I am absolutely still interested in reading more from Laura Wood, this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Let’s Make A Scene
Author:: Laura Wood
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Atria
Length:: 352 pages
Published:: July 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars