Most Anticipated Romance Books Coming Out in August 2024
Hi Lovely Readers! I hope you’re soaking up the sun this summer. And getting in some good reading days. I have a nice set-up on my balcony with a zero gravity lounger and some beautiful flowers. I might get an umbrella too. Hmmm… I saw “Fly Me To The Moon” with Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansen yesterday. I really liked it. It’s an entertaining rom com set against the back-drop of 1960’s NASA and the race to the moon. I’ve got tickets to “Twisters” and “Deadpool and Wolverine” and I have high hopes for both of those movies. I love a good Summer blockbuster. There are so many heavily anticipated and great romance books being published in August 2024.
But this August I feel that it’s not as release-heavy a month as June and July – there’s still lots of winners being published though! I have a list of around 30 romances being released in August. Hope you like my picks. I’m really looking forward to Bananapants by Penny Reid. She’s one of my favourite authors and I always love what she produces. Let’s get into this month’s list!
If I missed a book that you are looking forward to in August, please contact me.
Kate
August 1
What happens when a beautiful liar, a cruel prince, a ruthless manipulator, a seductive enchantress, and a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to find the woman he loves, get tangled in the same web of lies and secrets?
Neira Aroya is an exceptional liar and a skillful thief. Ignorant of her true identity she uses only her mortal gifts to survive in a world ruled by vicious faeries and cunning gods. But as she gets swept up by the peculiar power she holds over the ether, the treacherous Realm of dreams, she finds herself torn between an unnamed, obscured ether-man and the merciless prince of Fae. Entrapped within a tempting but deceptive world, she will soon realize that every hero is a villain in disguise and every villain bears a great tragedy. And love is the most dangerous and unreliable path to follow.
Meet Me in the Ether is an intricate story of complex characters and lethal secrets, set in a voluptuous world where love and hate converge, truth is poison, and virtue becomes nothing more than a sacrifice to the altar of survival.
This is the first book in a fantasy romance series with multiple POVs. It ends on a cliffhanger.
August 6
Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She’s betrayed her fatherโand his benefactorโand now she’s left to rely on the questionable mercy of Olympus to keep her safe. As with everything in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there’s only one man she’s ever wantedโa man she’s feared just as much as she desires. The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos’s plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his wordโat the end of this, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. Nowhere in that deal was her walking down the aisle to a different man. She’s meant for him, and he means to have her. Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur. Her relationship with her new fiancรฉ might be more friendship than burning passion, but she is all too aware of how much fiery passion can hurt. She and the Minotaur are no good for each other. She can never forgive him for what he’s done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burnโฆ
Three lovers with unbridled hope, uncanny dreams, and ancient powers join forces against the greatest evil in the world in a scorching fantasy by the authors of Consort of Fire.
Ash waited three thousand years for a consort who could break the Betrayerโs chains. Instead of one lover, he found Sachi and Zanyaโthe primordial powers that embody creation and destruction, reborn as humans. Now, his ancient enemy has returned to threaten everything he loves.
In the wake of her dazzling manifestation, Zanya seethes with magic and restless energy. Her command of the Endless Void will be a potent weapon in the coming war. To harness it, sheโll need to embrace the darkness withinโbut the scars of the past are holding her back.
Sachiโs unprecedented connection to the Dream deepens, leading her beyond the veil of realityโฆand into the heart of the Betrayerโs stronghold. Torn from her lovers, Sachi must use all her wit and cunning to survive the Betrayerโs treacherous court. Because he doesnโt simply want her. He covets the slumbering power she possessesโand plans to take it for his own.
Even if it ends their world.
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each otherโexcept they’re definitely not.
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, butโyeah. It’s in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
Estranged childhood friends unexpectedly reunite under bizarre circumstances and bicker their way to love in this bonkers romantic comedy.
Ava Archer misses her best childhood friend most especially during the month of April. Ask any tax attorney, it’s a lonely, grueling time of year. Luckily, Ava has just received a surprising and delectably absurd offer from her posh doppelgรคnger at work. She must pretend to be the aforementioned posh co-worker for one night at an extremely fancy party; a party so fancy, there exists absolutely no chance anyone will recognize her or suspect her ruse…
Desmond (Des) Sullivan is a thief. And not the heart-of-gold kind. Heโs the steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-also-rich-so-he-can-get-paid kind. He does, however, have one firm rule never steal what the target canโt afford to lose. After a brutal falling out with his father, Desmond hasnโt returned to Chicago in over ten years. But when a good friend is swindled and something priceless is stolen, Desmond must return home, both as himself and his thieving alter ego. Infiltrate a dangerous secret society of the world’s most elite billionaires while leveraging his estranged fatherโs resources and not blowing his cover? Sure. No problem. Or it wouldnโt be a problem if Ava Archer hadnโt just walked into the room, wearing a ridiculous wig, speaking with a preposterous accent, and pretending (badly) to be someone sheโs not.
Bananapants is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy filled with hijinks and shenanigans. It can be read as a standalone, but the parents of the main characters will be familiar to anyone who has read the Knitting in the City series.
Pregnant. Homeless. Broke. Not what Iโd expected for my senior year in college. Neither was Rush Ramsey.
We met the day I went camping and got stranded on the side of a gravel road. I didnโt believe in white knights who freed damsels in distress. Life had taught me that if something bad could happen, it probably would. The only person who would save me was me.
But Rush Ramsey rescued me that day. He was sweet and kind and charming. He made a dark, starry night a little less lonely.
I should have realized it was too good to be true. That an incredible night of passion would come with consequences. That the bad luck rollercoaster Iโd been riding for twenty-one years wasnโt ready to stop.
Because Rush Ramsey, Treasure State Universityโs most eligible bachelor and quarterback extraordinaire, just got me pregnant.
A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .
When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Samโs funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Samโs apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, itโll only take four weekends . . .
But Adam doesnโt want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if โfriendshipโ means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she’s always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?
This fresh and whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austenโs classic Pride and Prejudice transports you to summer in the Hamptons, where classes clash, rumors run wild, and love has a frustrating habit of popping up where you least expect it.
Itโs a truth universally acknowledgedโwell, by Elizabeth Bennet anywayโthat thereโs nothing worse than summer in the Hamptons. She should sheโs lived out there her whole life. Every June, her hometown on the edge of Long Island is inundated with rich Manhattanites who party until dawn and then disappear by September. And after twenty-five years, Lizzy wants to leave, too.
But after putting her own dreams on hold to help save her familyโs failing bakery, sheโs still surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something, anything, to change. Sheโs not holding her breath though, not even when her sister starts flirting with the hot new bachelor in town, Charlie Pierce, and he introduces Lizzy to his even hotter friend.
Will Darcy is everything Lizzy Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogantโฆand rich. Of course, heโs never cared about money. In fact, itโs number one on his long list of things that irk him. Number two? His friend Charlieโs insistence on setting him up with his new girlfriendโs sharp-tongued sister. Lizzy Bennet is all wrong for him, from her money-hungry family to her uncanny ability to speak to him as bluntly as he does everyone else. But then maybe thatโs why he canโt stop thinking about her.
Lizzy is sure Will hates everybody. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. Yet, just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes threaten Charlie and Annabelleโs romance, with Will and Lizzy caught in the undertow. Between a hurricane and a hypocritical stepmother, a drunken voicemail and a deceptive property developer, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of everyone they loveโeven if it means sacrificing their own. But when the truth also forces them to see each other in an entirely new light, they must swallow their pride to learn that love is a lot like sometimes the only way to survive is to let yourself fall.
One over-the-top Italian wedding. Two fake couples. And a million hilariously disastrous possibilitiesโฆ
Nora DโAmato would do almost anything for her best friend. Pretend sheโs smitten with him to get his overly invested Italian family off his back? Absolutely. Attend a wedding for said overbearing family? Bring it. Spend the next six days at a posh resort watching the bride and groomโs families hate on each other? Pass the popcorn.
Thereโs only one tiny little hiccup. Noraโs crushโand the object of some very inappropriate thoughtsโis here, too. And looking so delectable that she could spoon him faster than stracciatella gelato in a heat wave.
But Sebastian Rossi isnโt availableโฆofficially. Heโs here with his fake wedding date. And he owes her big time for keeping an eye on his nonna while heโs away months at a time for work. A week in the Adirondacks is a piece of overly frosted cake. Besides, itโs not as though he can have a real relationship when heโs constantly on the move. Definitely not with the cute bookstore manager he canโt stop thinking about.
And a wedding war zone with two feuding families is not the time or place for flirting or sexy sneak-arounds. Everyone is watchingโwhether itโs during the pickleball tournament, the angry patriarch showdowns, or even the bull-riding bachelorette party. This wedding is one slipped fauxcade away from catastrophe, and if Nora and Sebastian canโt keep to their own sides of the aisle, they risk exposing the very secrets theyโre sworn to protect.
A Chickasaw woman who canโt catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this witty and irresistible rom-com by debut author Danica Nava.
Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liarโwell, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumรฉ is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets โcreativeโ listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lieโa half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is). Accountant Ember thrives in corporate lifeโand her love life seems to be looking up Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they’re caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Emberโs lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.
Discover what happens when a young woman unexpectedly finds herself inside a book of fairytales where she is charged with breaking a frog prince’s curse and searching for a way home.
Every good fairytale begins with “Once Upon a Time,” or they’re supposed to at least. But for twenty-five year old Josephine Hart, her “Once Upon a Time” began with her literally crash landing inside a book of fairy tales and nearly crushing a frogโwho is actually a prince. An annoying, snarky frog prince named Aneurin, seeking the kiss of true love to break his curse. He vows that if Jo agrees to help him find his princess, he will get her home.
With every turn of the page, their adventure leads them deeper into fairytales familiar to Jo. Through their journey, they discover that despite their initial clashing, they’re both exactly what each other needs. It is only when they encounter a devious man with a talent for spinning straw into gold that they realize just how quickly their plot can take an unexpected twist.
August 8
Everyone thinks Colleen is the sweetest member of the family, until she falls for a sizzlin’ hot chef…
Wade Jenkins struggles with the challenges of running his thriving landscaping company and raising his spirited 8-year-old daughter Mari. Lemon Walsh has just moved to Magnolia Grove as the new elementary principal. She’s leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city in search of a more peaceful and fulfilling life.
August 13
It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyoneโs spirits.
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesnโt have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though thereโs something unusual with her new home (her laptop wonโt charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didnโt read โWRONGโ and โMY HOUSEโ when she put them up), sheโs charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she’s catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don’t get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie’s worried sheโs in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thingโฆand Nick’s afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
Two best friends who havenโt spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.
June and Levi were best friends as teenagersโuntil the day they werenโt. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York clichรฉ as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they’ve barely spoken in years.
But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their ownโa photo of them together has the internet convinced they’re a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help Juneโs shop get back on its feet and make Leviโs ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they’re in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.
Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesnโt come with real feelings. Right?
After getting passed over for tenure and having her life upended in the process, a physics professor decides to throw caution to the wind and live by her horoscope predictions for a year in this effervescent rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of Made in Manhattan .
As the youngest physics professor at her university, practical-minded Miranda Reed plans her life with minute precision. But thatโs before sheโs denied tenure and the promotion she thought was guaranteed. Suddenly, her tidy life is anything but constant.
Overdue for a sabbatical, Miranda takes some time to look towards the starsโonly this time, sheโs not looking for black holes. With her faith in science shaken, Miranda turns to a practice sheโs long dismissed as astrology.
Determined to figure out why her life has suddenly gone sideways, Miranda commits to a year of letting her horoscope guide her. Put a down payment on a home? Not while Mercuryโs in retrograde. Spontaneous dinner party invitation? Sorry, horoscope says Gemini Rising best stay in tonight. And as far as the intriguingly aloof artist living next door? Never. His Aries energy is all wrong. On the other hand, the charming father of her new tutoring pupil is Sagittarian perfection. Made for her…right?
As Miranda navigates life with new a perspective, she slowly discovers neither science nor the stars have all the answers. And that, when it comes to love, you sometimes just have to trust your heart.
Ben Rosewood never meant to be bound to a vampire succubus, especially one as sexy-yet-terrifying as Eleanora Bettencourt-Devereux, but he has to admit there are some fang-tastic perksโฆ.
Werewolf Ben Rosewood is happy with his life. One hundred percent. Everything is fine. His business, Benโs Plant Emporium, is thriving, and heโs even expanding the shop. His anxiety disorder isโฆwell, itโs been better, but that comes with the territory of running a business and having beastly urges every full moon, right? As for romanceโwho has the time? Though his family is desperate to see him settled, Ben is fine approaching forty as a single werewolf. But after drunkenly bidding on and winning a supposedly-possessed crystal on eBay one night, he finds himself face-to-face with a beautiful but angry vampire.
Eleanora Bettencourt-Devereux is a rare breedโa vampire succubus born from two elite European bloodlines during medieval times. But thanks to an evil witch, sheโs been stuck in a crystal since she was thirty, forced to obey orders from the possessor of the rock. Eleanoraโs been dreaming of breaking the spell and severing the witchโs head for centuries. But did this witch really sell her to someone new, and for only ninety-nine cents?
Eleanora would claw this werewolfโs heart out and eat it, if only the binding spell would allow her to. But Eleanora and Ben soon realize they can help each other with both vengeful and less hostile needs. And why not have a little fun along the way?
reยทspectยทaยทble/rษหspektษb(ษ)l/
1) Regarded by society as being good, proper or correct
2) Of some merit or importance
After a respectable career as a catcher on professional baseball’s grandest stage, Adam Powell is returning to his hometown to manage the Detroit Mustangs. Taking on the biggest challenge of his career, Adam has to manage expectations – from the fans, the city, the team, and one baseball writer determined to get under his skin.
exยทpecยทtaยทtion/หekหspekหtฤSH(ษ)n/
1) A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
2) A belief that someone will or should achieve something.
Molly Mitchell, in her fourth season as beat writer for the Detroit Mustangs is no stranger to the expectations that come with her job. That come with being a woman in sports media. The Mustangs new manager proves to be a challenge for the seasoned writer – challenging her expectations and her preconceived notions of the man behind the manager. When the two begin to grow closer, will they strike out or will their love be a home run for the ages?
Heโs my brotherโs biggest hockey rivalโฆ but heโs bringing the heat for me.
Nikolai
Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when Iโm forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.
Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the teamโnot to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossibleโand yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.
Izzy
I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isnโt an option.
But when Nik crashes back into my life, I canโt stay away from his broody charm. Iโm determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.
As we fall deeper into a place we canโt come back from unscathed, weโll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.
Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and koalas, Wicked Serve is a donโt-miss new adult college sports romance.
August 15
The enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance follow-up toย Donโt Want You Like a Best Friend, in which a young lord and a second son clash, but find themselves thrust together again and again by their meddling cousins.
โThat man is, without a doubt, the absolute most obnoxiousโฆ
Bobby Mason is sick of being second: born the spare, never trusted with family responsibility, never expected to amount to much. Heโs hungry to contribute something that matters, while all around him his peers are squandering their political and financial power, coasting through life. Which is exactly why he canโt stand the new Viscount Demeroven.
โฆinsufferableโฆ
James Demeroven, just come of age and into the Viscountcy, knows that heโs a disappointment. Keeping his head down and never raising anyoneโs expectations is how heโs survived life with his stepfather. To quiet, careful James, Bobby Mason is a blazing comet in his endless night, even more alive than he was at Oxford when James crushed on him from afar. But Mason is also brash and recklessly unapologetic, destined to shatter the fragile safety of Jamesโs world. Worst of all, he keeps rubbing Jamesโs failures in his face.
โฆhottest man to ever walk the ton.โ
They can barely get through a single conversation without tensions boiling over. Neither Bobby nor James has ever met a more intriguing, infuriating, infatuating man.
If only they could avoid each other entirely. Bad enough their (wonderful but determined) cousins Beth and Gwen keep conveniently setting up group outings. But when an extortionist starts targeting their families, threatening their reputations, Bobby and James must find a way to work together, without pushing each otherโs buttons (or tearing them off) in the processโฆย
August 16
What could be worse than having a one-night stand with my twinโs biggest rival on the ice?
Ummโฆnothing.
Nothingย is worse than that.
Itโs the reason why my brother can never find out that I hooked up with Maverick McKinnon, ridiculously hot defenseman for the Western Wildcats. It doesnโt matter if the memories from our night together are enough to make my toes curl and my pantiesโ
Well, you get the idea.
Heโs the first guy to come along and not treat me like Iโll shatter into a million pieces when he lays his hands on me. Even if thereโs a teeny tiny part within that would like to see him again, the fallout would be brutal.
I have enough to deal with. Like trying to break out of the box my family has placed me in since my diagnosis.
The only problem?
Iโve lost something valuable.
Something I need back.
And Iโm pretty sure whose bed Iโll find it in.
August 20
She’s the one night stand I never forgot.
And now her dad is about to marry my mom.
It has to be some kind of cosmic joke, right? For once, I feel like Iโve got my life togetherโgood job, great friends, a fresh start in a new place. Iโve been on my best behavior for ages. At last, everythingโs coming up Javier.
Until the moment I walk into my stepdadโs house and meet his daughter.
I should say: I meet her again. Madeline and I have already met. It was one night, two years ago. A quick, casual hookup that had no right to be as mind-blowing as it was. I havenโt stopped thinking about itโor herโever since.
But our parents are getting married, so under no circumstances should we sleep together again.
Orโฆ again. Or one more time after that, just to get it out of our systems.
Madelineโs funny, fiery, and so gorgeous with her pink hair and nerdy tattoos that I can barely look at her without breaking into a sweat. But she has too much going on to be interested in commitment, and God knows Iโm a bad boyfriend candidate.
Once the weddingโs over, weโll be normal stepsiblings who donโt have sex with each other, and Thanksgiving wonโt be awkward at all.
Right?
Diamond necklaces, billionaires, Mafia bosses, and student loansโitโs all in a dayโs work for Simi Chopra and her ragtag heist crew in the next romantic-comedy caper from Sara Desai.Itโs been a year since Simi Chopraโs motley crew pulled off a high-wire diamond necklace heist with the help of sexy rogue Jack Danger. After living it up on the reward money, they’re back where they started, struggling to pay their bills. So when a Chicago Mafia boss demands they return the jewelsโplus interest, or elseโthey need to get the team back togetherโฆand fast.
Unfortunately, Simi soon discovers that the necklace is in the hands of Jack’s nemesis, a highly-skilled and supremely vengeful master thief who is not above a little blackmail to get even. (Did Jack really have to piss her off?) Now, the crew is forced into her working her con in order to get the necklace back.ย As if Simi needed any more complications while trying to rob a billionaireโs mansion, she and Jack are on the rocks, someone else is after her score, and a gorgeous detective is hot on her tail. Simi better be careful or sheโll end up in the less fun kind of handcuffs.
Everly Plum is delighted to be heading up the Bridesmaid for Hire program at Magical Moments by Maggie. And when Hardy Hopper, one of their billionaire investors, approaches Everly for help with his friends’ wedding, she’s more than happy to step in. But Hardy has an extra assignment for her: his ex-girlfriend will be the maid of honor opposite his role as best man, and he wants Everly’s help getting her back.
There’s only one problem: Everly may have a tiny crush on the dashing businessman. But despite the way Hardy makes her stomach flutter, she’s determined to prove herself, both as a bridesmaid and as a matchmaker. That is, until she finds her crush turning into real feelings. Not to mention, Hardy can’t help but notice how well he clicks with Everly, and before he knows it, he’s not looking for his ex’s attention anymore.
But even after their simmering attraction finally rises to the surface, they will have to contend with meddling friends, poor timing, and professional boundariesโand the risk that no one might get a second chance after all.
August 22
Pain trapped me in this house. Can love set me free?
Death had been chasing me my entire life. I survived the horrors of war, but it was the aftermath that truly destroyed me.
People called me a recluse, but the only time I didnโt feel like I was suffocating was inside that house.
For my daughter, I kept some semblance of normalcy by implementing a rigid routine. Once a week, I forced myself to walk to the diner at the end of the blockโa ritual I despised but relied on as my last anchor to the real world.
Until the day a โClosedโ sign on the door shattered my fragile existence. Worse, the new owner was the most haunting ghost from my past.
It had been years since Iโd laid eyes on Gwendolyn Pierce. She hated meโand rightly so. But when a film crew arrived in town to dig into my past, she became my only ally.
With my secrets threatened, I leaned on Gwen, forging a connection neither of us could deny. But with a past as dark as ours, I feared it would eclipse any hope for a future.
I always said that when Death finally came for me, I would be ready, eager, and alone.
Always alone.
But for Gwen, maybe I could face the world again as long as it meant I could be aloneโwith her.
August 27
The third and final installment in Nisha Sharmaโs beloved Shakespeare-inspired rom-com trilogyโan ode to Twelfth Nightโis the perfect friends to lovers romp featuring an accidental wedding, meddling families, and plenty of sizzling chemistry.
Veera Mathur has been through a lot in the past year. Both of her friends found soul mates, the man she fell in love with got engaged to another woman, and her father fired her before selling the family company. When her twin sister, Sana, tells her there is no way of getting her old life back, Veera feels lost at a single, unemployed mess with a bad tattoo and tons of talent, but nowhere to go.
Deepak Datta hasnโt had the best luck either. To secure enough board votes for the CEO position at his family’s company, Illyria Media, heโs ready to marry board member and famous beauty influencer, Olivia Gupta. That is until he wakes up to a get ready with me video announcing their separation. Despite his immediate relief, Deepak needs to do something fast to repair his image.
After a series of convenient mishaps bring them together againโincluding a literal shipwreck, way too many drinks, and a sunset elopement on the beachโDeepak and Veera realize their accidental wedding might be the solution to their career aspirations. Together, they plot against the very company that ruined their lives in the first place.
As they try to convince the world their friendship was a ruse for romance theyโve felt all along, the line between fake and real begins to blur. Now Veera and Deepak must ask themselves the terrifying question that has haunted them since the first time they will love ruin everything?
With her signature humor and heartfelt storytelling, Nisha Sharma writes a messy, spicy romance about identity, family honor, and love.ย Inย Marriage & Masti, readers are sure to love the highly anticipated finale of this beloved trilogy.
A smart, tender, vivacious romantic comedy about mistaken identities, the line between love and sex, and the way one nightโand one personโcan change your life forever.
When it comes to love, Farzan Alavi is a disaster. After his most recent heartbreak, heโs drowning his sorrows at Kansas Cityโs newest wine bar. Only instead of being crowded between strangers, heโs escorted to a VIP table for one. There, the hot sommelier does more than treat him to the meal of his life. The way he flirts with Farzan ignites instant sparks.
Thereโs just one problem: David Curtis thinks Farzan is Frank Allen, Kansas Cityโs most influential food critic. The truth only comes out after the two spend an unforgettably hot night together. Good newsโboth think the mix-up is hilarious. Bad newsโDavid is studying to become a master sommelier and has no interest in a relationship.
Neither expects their paths to cross again . . . until Farzan inherits his familyโs bistro and needs Davidโs restaurant knowledge. The two agree to an exchange: David will answer Farzanโs questions, and Farzan will help David study for his test. Only business turns to pleasure when neither can ignore the attraction still sizzling between them. But with David set on moving after his test, and Farzan committed to his familyโs restaurant, how can their relationship last past the expiration date?
August 29
An angsty, age gap, forbidden romance from bestselling author, Elizabeth Oโ Roark.
Once upon a time, my buddyโs niece was a toddler in a swim diaper following me around the beach. Now Daisyโs twenty-one, the loveliest thing Iโve ever laid eyes on, and blackmailing me into letting her stay for the summer.
If sheโs not bent over on my deck in yoga pants, sheโs in a bikini that covers far less. She makes me laugh when I want to stay pissed off and forces me to remember all the things I used to love. If only she wasnโt so damn young and soย incrediblyย off-limits.
The sizzling tension between us is getting harder to resist, but giving in would destroy some of my oldest friendships. Worst of all, though?
It might destroy Daisy too.
August 30
The Goode Brothers Number 3…
I hope this list serves you well in August. Let me know what you’d like to see next month.