Four Romances & A Contemporary Fiction, But Who’s Counting?
How is it already the middle of August? It’s been a summer of great reads, but we’ve still got a couple of weeks to go before summer slips away. I’ve got five end-of-summer reads for you to check out — three I’ve read, and two more that are on my TBR, too.
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THE DATING PLAYBOOK BY FARRAH ROCHON
AVAILABLE NOW
REVIEW: In the Dating Playbook, Farrah Rochon takes on some big issues in addition to serving up a sweet and sexy fake dating romance. This is book 2 in the series, and it’s an absolute joy to be back with Samiah, London, and Taylor. The friendship is stronger than ever, even as Taylor struggles with being the broke friend in the group. She’s putting everything she’s got into getting real traction for her fitness consulting business. And Jamar, our other MC, well, his NFL career might have been brief, but this big ol’ cinnamon roll in a running back-sized package is looking for a way back in.
As the relationship develops (fake until it’s not), the two open up to each other, revealing survivors guilt, bumpy family dynamics, and a suspected, but undiagnosed learning disability. It all gives Taylor and Jamar’s story emotional heft and complexity that adds up to a really satisfying read.
If you liked The Boyfriend Project, I’m betting you’ll LOVE The Dating Playbook.
5 stars
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BATTLE ROYAL by LUCY PARKER
AVAILABLE NOW
REVIEW: Romantic, funny, charming, emotional, Lucy Parker hits all the right notes in Battle Royal. It sets a high bar for the batch of Great British Bake Off-inspired romances hitting shelves lately.
Dominic DeVere and Sylvie Fairchild met when she was a contestant who got under his skin on Operation Cake. Where he’s elegant minimalism, she’s glitter and whimsy. Now running her own business, Sugar Fair ,(right across from Dominic’s bakery!), Sylvie’s been asked to come back as a judge. The two find themselves thrown together on set and at odds when a high profile baking contract comes up for bid.
I loved that this opposites attract, rivals-to-lovers story has a major B plot outside of the baking show, and a real British sensibility about it. And while most bakes come in at 350F, Parker turns up the heat just a little bit more.
Family (for better and worse) plays a big role in Dominic and Sylvie’s back stories in this one, so CW for emotionally neglectful parents, death of a parental figure at a formative time.
4 stars
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THE HEART PRINCIPLE by HELEN HOANG
Release Date: August 31, 2021
REVIEW: You’ve probably already seen copies of Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle popping up on social media thanks to an early release from Book of the Month. It hits shelves on August 31.
If you’ve been waiting for Quan’s book after reading The Kiss Quotient and the Bride Test, go in knowing that this is actually Anna’s book.
In the Heart Principle, violinist Anna Chan finds overnight success after a YouTube video goes viral. It’s the pressure of trying to replicate that moment along with the surprise that her longtime boyfriend wants an open relationship before they settle down that sends Anna into a spiral. What’s good for the goose and all that, so Anna decides to pursue a one-night stand. Enter Quan Diep.
This book, ya’ll…it’s intense and personal, sometimes heavy, brutally honest…and real. It’s got Helen Hoang’s hallmarks, including the steam, but the tone is VERY different than her previous books. So don’t go in expecting a light, frothy romcom.
Is it a perfect book? No, but I think that’s part of its message….that people are messy and the road to HEA isn’t always paved, it’s sometimes filled with ruts and potholes. That even if you don’t fit society’s definition of perfect, happiness and an HEA are still for you.
The CW list for this one is long — anxiety, cancer diagnosis, caregiving for a dying parent. I’ll add that Anna is Chinese American and The Heart Principle also looks at the complicated attitudes Asian American families often have toward neurodivergence, mental health, and therapy. Filial piety and birth order play into this one, too, compounding Anna’s issues with her family.
Anna’s journey to advocating for herself is an arduous one, but you can’t help but cheer for her and Quan once she gets there.
4 stars
P.S. It reads part memoir, part romance for which it drew fire from critics. This book won’t be for every romance reader. But bottom line, it’s disingenuous to question if this is a romance because it takes on and doesn’t fully resolve heavier topics. Frankly, it’s a blatant attempt to move the goal posts on the author. The Heart Principle has an HEA, full stop.
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ON MY TBR:
Uncharted by Adriana Anders
RELEASE DATE: August 24, 2021
ON MY TBR: If you’ve read Whiteout, book 1 in the series, you know we’re in for heart pounding romantic suspense.
From the Publisher: Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.
And there’s only one way out.
When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.
Get Uncharted from The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org | IndieBound| Amazon | Apple Books
THE PARIS CONNECTION by LORRAINE BROWN
RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 24, 2021
Contemporary fiction with big time Before Sunrise vibes…
FROM THE PUBLISHER: When Hannah and her boyfriend, Simon, set out to Amsterdam, they’re confident that they’ll make it to his sister’s wedding in time. However, unbeknownst to them, their train is scheduled to divide in the middle of the night. And when it does, half of it continues the route to Amsterdam. And the other half—the one with Hannah in it—heads three hundred miles away, to Paris.
Left without her belongings or hope of reuniting with Simon, Hannah has no choice but to spend the day in Paris before the next train out. Worse than being stranded in a foreign city alone? Being stuck with Léo, the handsome but infuriating Frenchman who blames Hannah for his own unwanted delay. The series of mishaps that sends them traipsing through the City of Light is only further proof that Hannah’s day has gone from bad to worse. But as she takes in the glorious sights of the city—and spends more time with Léo—Hannah discovers that the unexpected detour might actually be leading her to the life she was always meant to live . . .
Get The Paris Connection by Lorraine Brown from The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org | IndieBound | Amazon | Apple Books
