How is it September? It was just June, I swear. But I am happy for Fall release season. As someone who doesn’t leave near many deciduous trees, it’s really the best way to watch the seasons change—well…that and pumpkin spice.
Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.
Bridesmaids meets Magic Mike in Stripped, a hot contemporary romance set in New York City from exciting new Latinx voice Zoey Castile. Skilled, sculpted, and sexy, the men of adult entertainment are the kind of guys a woman reserves for her fantasies, not her reality. But is there more to these professional hotties than meets the eye? Robyn Flores is about to find out when she discovers a sequined thong in her laundry and her upstairs neighbor Zac comes to collect. The next time he turns up unexpectedly? He’s the stripper at her best friend’s bachelorette party!
News and Useful Links
Heard about Romance Class but not sure what it is? Check out their new website! (And here’s a nice rundown of what’s there by resident RC author Mina V. Esguerra.)
Are you a writer? Anna Zabo is giving an online workshop on worldbuilding.
Alyssa Cole’s most recently announced novella looks like everything I’ve been waiting for. Forreal. Is it 2019 yet?
Another LA Review of Books essay! This time, it’s by Cat Sebastian. (They’ve got a whole romance-themed issue out, FYI. They’ve put a few of them up on the site.)
Did you know Alexis Daria used to be a cosplayer?
Learn more about Talia Hibbert, including the fact that she’s going to be expanding her author name pool for different subgenres what.
And I haven’t done a lot of digging on this new app, but it looks like there might be a new way to read romance (and other things).
Deals
Have you read Sophie Jordan’s contemporary romance? If you’re looking to try one out, Beautiful Lawman is 99 cents right now.
If you’re looking for a fun mystery with an element of romance, Denise Grover Swank’s Deadly Summer is 1.99.
TJ Klune is one of those authors whose names I know but whose books I keep not reading. Well, Wolfsong is 1.99 and someone on Amazon called it the best shifter book they’ve ever read. So I bought it.
And if you’re looking for some good romantic suspense, Piper J. Drake’s Hidden Impact is 1.99 right now.
Over on Book Riot
What’s your romance audiobook match?
I don’t have a KU membership, but I might consider it for these books (many of which are already on my to-read list anyway).
Have you voted on a book for the first When In Romance book club?
And come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!
Recs!
As we pass Labor Day and the joys of summer, now is a good time for some summer nostalgia, right? It’s not too late? I hope not, because I’ve got some recs that are great for the Dying Sighs of Summer (she says from Arizona, where it’s finally dropped to the low nineties).
Feels Like Summer
Six de los Reyes
While this book opens at a summer music festival, Summer Storm, the majority of the book takes place in Manila. But that’s okay, because the real meaning of summer is acted out in that part of the book: three months of making the wrong choices for yourself and taking advantage of a situation that is only supposed to be temporary. Then, the days get shorter, the nights longer, and you yearn for those days.
Okay, Feels Like Summer isn’t quite that maudlin. Sorry.
Jett is a woman who gets what she wants. And after taking a deal to be an up-and-coming lead singer’s girlfriend for five minutes (a far too brief fake relationship, in my opinion!), she and said singer, Adrian, hit it off and spend the night together. It’s…not a great night. But when Adrian shows up to apologize, they decide to endeavor on a no-strings sex-only relationship to help him get over his ex, the reason Jett was needed at Summer Storm in the first place. She doesn’t do dating, and Adrian is pretty great in bed, so this is perfect for her. And it’s going to end, which is always good. Right?
If you finish that one and are looking for another intense, sexy book about a summer rebound fling, check out Elyse Springer’s Heat Wave.
And if the brief time at the music festival puts you in the mood for more of that setting, well the first thing you should do is read more of the Summer Storm books, including Sounds Like Summer (the first book in the Summer Storm series) and Summer Crush (which features novella by Reyes, Jay E. Tria, and Tara Frejas).
Then, once you’ve read those, check out Body Rocks by AM Arthur. The whole Off-Beat series is darling AF, but this one takes a lot of advantage of the music festival setting.
Conversely, if you want some sweet summer love between childhood sweethearts with some nice beach action, definitely pick up Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert. It says “Ravenswood 1.5” but it’s a whole damn book. (I say “sweet summer love” like it’s not angsty as all getout. It’s angsty as all getout. but so darling and precious.)
And if you’re looking for writers going at it with their words and people getting dumped intp bodies of water, look no further than A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres.
What are your favorite books of summer?
New and Upcoming Releases
Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling by Jenny Holiday
Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Stripped by Zoey Castile
Kiss the Girl by Tara Sivec (and yes, it’s named after a Disney song for a reason)
Bastard Prince by Nana Malone
Made to Hold You by Elle Wright
Second Time Sweeter by Beverly Jenkins
Sugar Vol 1 by Matt Hawkins, Jenni Cheung, and Yishan Li
Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Sept 11) (Yes, that one is finally coming out)
As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!