Well, For the First Half of the Year, Anyway
Book nerds, it’s time to get our romance reads in order for 2020. If you’re anything like me, it’s a lot easier to manage in chunks, so we’re just looking at the first half of the year. Here are my eight most anticipated romances for 2020 (January to June), with one bonus entry.
And if you kept it low profile over the holiday week, don’t miss these stellar romance releases that hit shelves on December 30 and 31. They’re technically January books, too.
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MERMAID INN by Jenny Holiday
Release Date: January 28
MERMAID INN, the first book in Jenny Holiday’s Matchmaker Bay series, takes Eve Abbott back to her hometown after she inherits her aunt’s inn by the beach. Going back means dealing with all the small town stuff she tried to escape: nosy neighbors, extensive renovations, and Police Chief Sawyer Collins. He’s as surprised as anyone she’s back in town, but now he’s got a second chance to show her their chemistry was always the real thing. He just has to do it before she beats it out of town again.
Pre-order Mermaid Inn at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books |IndieBound
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Enemies-to-lovers rom-com about a wedding planner left at the altar? Sign me up. Carolina Santos has a huge opportunity with a hotel that could change her entire life, but there’s a catch. She has to work with Max Hartley, her ex’s brother (and the best man at her aborted wedding). She doesn’t just dislike him, she loathes him. But all they have to do is get through this presentation without killing each other. Sparks fly, but the reasons why suddenly aren’t so clear. Lina maintains she doesn’t want to fall in love again and Max certainly isn’t playing second fiddle to his brother, but…
Pre-order The Worst Best Man at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon |Apple Books | IndieBound
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Fake relationship/office romance-alert! In Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You, the bad news is Laurie’s partner of 10 years dumps her. The worse news is, she still has to see him everyday because they work at the same law firm. And then she’s humiliated when news that her ex’s girlfriend is pregnant hits the office grapevine. Until she hatches plan to give the office gossips something else to talk about. Enter Jamie Carter. And the two agree to pose as a couple, playing out their relationship on social media. Only to discover that instead of just pretending, the relationship starts to feel real. Is Laurie falling for her fake boyfriend? (Yes, I hope so!!!).
Get If I Never Met You at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books |IndieBound
The HEA Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Release Date: April 14, 2020
Two years after the death of her fiance, Sloan is still struggling. But with a new pupper in life, things start to look up. Weeks go by and then Jason, the pup’s owner, finally responds to her texts and wants him back, despite the fact that he’s a touring musician. Sloan’s not ready to give up the pup, and their texts turn into phone calls. Will the chemistry be the same when they finally meet in person? As the blurb put it, “The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?”
Get The Happy Ever After Playlist at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon |Apple Books | IndieBound
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
Release Date: May 19, 2020
After the death of their adoptive mom, four brothers wrestle with what to do with her Harlem knitting shop. Jesse Strong, devoted son and resident heartbreaker, wants to keep the shop open. His brothers are ready to move on. Luckily, one of the shop’s part-timers is on his side. With her know-how about the business, they team up to plot Strong Knits’ future. And the more time they spend together, something sparks between them. Jesse’s rep precedes him and Kerry knows better than to think this is anything long term. But Jesse has other ideas, and he’s determined to show Kerry he’s in it for the long haul.
Get Real Men Knit at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books | IndieBound
The Best Man Plan by Jaci Burton
Release Date: May 26, 2019
Jaci Burton kicks off her Bouts and Bouquets series with a friends-to-lovers story that finds Erin Bellini’s fiance breaking up with her three days before their wedding. Hurt and embarrassed, Erin rebounds with old friend (and best man) Jason Callum. But Jason’s not the one-night stand type and the two find themselves spending more time together. Erin’s not at all sure this is the right thing, despite the feelings developing between the two. But Jason is determined to prove that what they have is the real thing.
Get the Best Man Plan at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books | IndieBound
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Release Date: June 9, 2020
In a story that could be ripped from the Twittersphere, Farrah Rochon brings us a “new series about three young women who become friends when the live Tweeting of a disastrous date leads them to discover they’ve all been duped by the same man,” according to the blurb. When the thread goes viral, Samiah, London and Taylor turn Twitter famous and it’s the beginning of a friendship that has the three women vowing to spending the next six months focused on themselves. Samiah is finally going to develop the app she’s been thinking about, and then fate throws Daniel Collins in her path at work. Coincidence? Kismet? Or just too good to be true?
Read the first chapter of The Boyfriend Project
Get The Boyfriend Project at The Ripped Bodice |Amazon |Apple Books |IndieBound
The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe
Release Date: June 30, 2020
The Devil of Downtown wraps up Joanna Shupe’s Uptown Girls series, set in Gilded Age New York. In it do-gooder Justine Greene is a crusader for fair working conditions and tracking down deadbeat husbands. She comes up against Jack Mulligan and finds that this gentleman gangster is far more charming and honorable than expected for a criminal kingpin. They form an unlikely alliance and Justine must ask herself if she can make it through this mission without losing everything, including her heart.
Get The Devil of Downtown at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books | IndieBound
One more book we’re watching for the first half of 2020 – details are still thin at this point:
SURE SHOT by Sarina Bowen, Release Date, May 12, 2020 – The next book set in the Brooklyn Bruisers universe features sports agent Bess Beringer (Dave’s sister) and a new Bruiser on the squad.
