Category: Contemporary Romance

The Little Bookshop by the Harbor by Jean Stone

Posted May 4, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Kensington Books, NetGalley, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, Women's Fiction / 0 Comments

A new life filled with the celebrated seaside charm and small-town heart of Martha’s Vineyard, a newfound family, romance—and an exciting venture. What more could Maddie Clarke ask for?  And why would anyone want to stop her?

It’s been a life-changing year since Maddie moved to the picturesque, historic fishing village of Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard, where her late mother was born. Maddie has rediscovered her grandmother, her own Indigenous roots as a half-Wampanoag, and the tribe’s rich history and traditions. She’s also found an unexpected second chance at love with restaurateur Rex Winsted. And then she spots a vacant shop right on the harbor . . .

Maddie boldly decides to end her days as a college journalism professor and open a bookshop that will also serve teas her grandmother makes from island herbs. Maddie’s son, Rafe, a college senior, plans to craft baskets in the ancient Wampanoag way, sell them at the store, and donate the profits to benefit Wampanoag kids. For Maddie, it’s all too good to be true . . . until the threats begin.

Not wanting to spoil the dream, Maddie tells no one. But an unexpected incident worsens the situation, and just as the shop is about to open, revelations from the past erupt. And another surprise ahead could radically impact not only Maddie’s future, but Rex’s, too. Facing a decision she never saw coming, Maddie learns that even peaceful waters must weather storms . . .

Titles in the Up Island series include:  Up-Island Harbor ~ The Little Bookshop by the Harbor ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Our Extraordinary Summer by Lori Wilde

Posted May 3, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, NetGalley, Series/Duet, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Two estranged sisters. One final wish. A summer that could mend everything…or tear open old wounds.

Calista and Athena Dempsey were once inseparable until their father’s ambition drove a wedge between them. When a very public betrayal shattered their bond, Calista walked away from her family, determined to rebuild her life on her own terms. Athena stayed behind, shouldering the weight of expectations and guilt in silence.

Now, with their mother gone, the sisters are summoned to Hobby Island, a secluded retreat where their mother spent her final days, with one final request: come together and make peace. But the past isn’t so easily buried.

Especially when Calista comes face-to-face with Reid Thornton, the man who once held her heart and then upended her life. He says he wants to make things right. But can she believe him? And can she forgive Athena when the scars between them still run deep?

As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Calista and Athena must make a pivotal choice. Will they honor their mother’s last wish and find their way back to each other, or let their shared past destroy what little remains of their bond?

Titles in the Hobby Island series include:  The Summer That Shaped Us** ~ Our Extraordinary Summer** ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Found: Their Forever Family by Traci Douglass

Posted May 3, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Medical Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

A family to save them

From the moment Dr. Callie Dupree and helicopter rescue specialist EZ Benson spot each other in the ER, their pulses race.

During their time apart, the former classmates and now single parents have both known loss.

Yet reconnecting brings a light to their lives, and their small children’s blossoming friendship draws them together on EZ’s Wyoming ranch.

They can’t deny their deepening feelings… Dare they put their hearts on the line for love again?

Titles in the US Search and Rescue series include:  Risking His Heart for the ER Doc ~ Found: Their Forever Family** ~ Slow Burn with Her Firefighter ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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The Music Shop by Kel Summers

Posted May 2, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Cliffhanger Ending (for now), Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance, Women's Romance Fiction / 0 Comments

She perfected her life. She perfected her marriage. She just forgot to include herself.

After twenty-five years of striving to be the perfect wife in a world where she never quite belonged, Maggie Donovan’s carefully curated life fractures in a hospital hallway — and her escape to the quiet Gulf Coast town of Harmony Bay becomes the first real choice she’s ever made for herself.

For decades, Maggie believed perfection was the price of belonging. A polished marriage. A controlled image. A daughter raised to follow the same rigid path.

But inside a small-town music shop tucked between palm trees and ocean breezes, something long buried begins to stir.

Nora Hale, the shop’s warm and intuitive owner, offers presence without pressure.  Andrew Hale — steady, kind, and quietly compelling — offers friendship without conditions.

For the first time in years, Maggie isn’t being measured.

As she reconnects with music—and the parts of herself she abandoned to survive—she’s forced to confront the truth about the life she built with a man who valued optics over intimacy—and decide whether it’s finally time to choose happiness over fear.

Because starting over isn’t just about leaving.  It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be.

Titles in the Harmony Bay series include seven books with the same title, as this is a continuing saga. Yes, each has a cliffhanger ending, but it is an ongoing story that will take seven books to complete the journey.  I’ll list the books as usual, but with a # for each one.   The Music Shop #1 ~ The Music Shop #2 ~ The Music Shop #3 ~ The Music Shop #4 ~ The Music Shop #5 ~ The Music Shop #6 ~ The Music Shop #7 ~

This is a no-spice women’s fiction romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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The Accidental Christmas by Lori Foster

Posted May 1, 2026 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, Suspense / 0 Comments

In December, retired police officer Hendrix Becker shuts down his quiet RV park on the Oregon coast to disappear from the world. Haunted by a tragic Christmas past, he has made solitude his only refuge.

But this year, someone stays behind.

Josephine Collins, with her young son, has nowhere else to go when danger from her past resurfaces.

Against his instincts, Hendrix lets them stay. What begins as a tense arrangement slowly softens as Josephine’s courage and her son’s laughter begin to penetrate the ice around his heart. As trust builds, so does something deeper—something neither of them expected.

But Josephine’s past isn’t done with her yet. And when the threat gets too close, Hendrix must confront his own ghosts if he wants to protect the woman and child who’ve become his reason to believe again.

Titles in the multi-author Wild Rose Point series include:  Charming the Cowboy by Maisey Yates ~ Still a Cowboy by Delores Fossen ~ Caught Looking by Nicole Helm ~ The Accidental Christmas by Lori Foster ~ Her Christmas Fix by Michelle Major ~ Fake Date with the Runaway Bride by Elle Douglass (2026) ~ The Tortured Marine’s Sunshine Girl by Caitlin Crews (2026) ~

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

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Boss’s Bride Price by Heidi Rice

Posted April 30, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Series/Duet, Sexual Content / 0 Comments

Claiming his inheritance… Means claiming a wife!

Dario Lorenti needs a bride—fast—to inherit his detestable father’s legacy. The perfect solution? Wed the spirited manager of his ancestral home.

After all, in Dario’s world, everyone has a price…even Tallulah Whittaker!

Tali will say “I do” if Dario makes a long-overdue investment in the estate. She’ll do anything to protect her coworkers—the only family she’s ever known.

Yet as she’s whisked to Italy to become the boss’s wife, it’s clear that behind their on-paper arrangement lies a reckless, life-changing attraction…

Titles in the Enemy Tycoons duet/series include:  Enemies Until After Hours by Natalie Anderson ~ Boss’s Bride Price by Heidi Rice** ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Caught Looking by Nicole Helm

Posted April 30, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Paranormal Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

After being orphaned as a teen, Lara Townsend has been by her grandmother’s side, helping her run the family’s legacy—the Wild Rose Point History Center. Tired of loss, she’s sworn off any new people in her life. She’s happy with her grandmother, her best friend, Ty, and the ghosts she believes haunt the museum.

Ty Wagner’s entire life has been baseball—long after he fell out of love with the game, but his father’s expectations kept him beating his head against the brick wall of a sport that didn’t want him. Now, he’s nearing thirty, and there’s nothing left, just Wild Rose Point and abject failure. Luckily, he still has what’s always kept him going when baseball and his dad’s expectations felt like too much: The Townsend women. Helping out at their Wild Rose Point History Center seems like a good place to be while he figures out what’s next.

Without baseball, life in Wild Rose Point looks different for Ty. He gets to settle down, plant some roots, and see what grows. Meanwhile, with Ty in one place—her space—for more than a few weeks at a time, Lara has to contend with that old high school crush that has a lot more to it than thinking his blue eyes are cute.

Both Lara and Ty have known disappointment and loss all their lives. Believing in something this good is going to take a miracle…

And maybe some help from a few friendly Wild Rose Point ghosts.

Titles in the multi-author Wild Rose Point series include:  Charming the Cowboy by Maisey Yates ~ Still a Cowboy by Delores Fossen ~ Caught Looking by Nicole Helm ~ The Accidental Christmas by Lori Foster ~ Her Christmas Fix by Michelle Major ~ Fake Date with the Runaway Bride by Elle Douglass (2026) ~ The Tortured Marine’s Sunshine Girl by Caitlin Crews (2026) ~

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

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The Summer that Shaped Us by Lori Wilde

Posted April 28, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, NetGalley, Paranormal Women's Fiction, Series, Small Town Romance, Women's Fiction, Women's Romance Fiction / 0 Comments

In the Gulf of Mexico, near South Padre, sits a private island with a bit of a magic about it: the colors are brighter, the food tastes better, and turtles and cranes find sanctuary there. Eloisa Hobby, the billionaire heiress who built the thriving resort on Hobby Island exclusively for crafters, is as much a mystery as she is a mentor. Those in trouble are invited into the aftermath of emotional turmoil, and with help from the other crafters on the island, Eloisa acts as a sounding board while gently and unobtrusively guiding the visitors toward healthy resolutions in their lives. Only a few receive the honor of a golden ticket.

Luna, ever the pragmatist, is reeling in the wake of tragedy: she’s just moved with her fierce, opinionated teenage daughter Artemis to her mother’s house, after they lost their husband and father. But her mother, Jeanie, artistic and sensitive, has faced her own troubles recently, and her home may not be the stable sanctuary the three women so desperately need.

When Jeanie receives one of the coveted tickets, inviting her and her family to Hobby Island, the blessing is one they can’t turn down, though both Luna and Artie remain skeptical of their eccentric host and benefactor. Together, the three of them will have to learn to trust one another again, accept help from those who love them, and embrace life—during a summer they’ll never forget.

Titles in the Hobby Island series include:  The Summer That Shaped Us** ~ Our Extraordinary Summer** ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride by Jill Kemerer

Posted April 21, 2026 by Marsha in A TBR Read, Challenges, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Kindle Unlimited, Love Inspired (Harlequin), No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Wedding planner Lexi Harrington needs a manager for her inherited Wyoming ranch. Clint Romine is the perfect man for the job, but the ruggedly handsome cowboy soon presents a new dilemma—distraction.

Lexi can’t fall for a small-town rancher when she’s planning to return to her big-city career after the holidays.

Home has always been elusive for former foster kid Clint. Working alongside Lexi at Rock Step Ranch feels too cozy—and too risky. Opening up to her means revealing a secret about his past that could jeopardize everything he holds dear.

This Christmas, can Clint learn to trust Lexi with the truth . . . and with his heart?

Titles in the Wyoming Cowboys series include:  The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride ~ Reunited with the Bull Rider ~ Wyoming Christmas Quadruplets ~ His Wyoming Baby Blessing ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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A Cruise to Die For by Heather Graham

Posted April 20, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Trade, Harlequin/MIRA, Mystery, NetGalley / 0 Comments

Special Agent Chloe McMurray has been asked to do many things in the name of her job. Going undercover on a cruise ship leaving from her home port of Miami, however, is a new one. Not only that, but she’s tasked with posing as the wife of her federal counterpart, Special Agent Wesley Law.

Their investigation? A string of murders and suicides across three states that seem unrelated, until they uncover a deadly technological connection. Every victim was an expert in technology and had some connection to Milestones, a megacorporation with ties to many industries…including the cruise industry.

Chloe and Wesley must successfully go undercover as tech employees on the ship hosting the ten-year anniversary of the Milestones cruise company. A tough ask when the two have never met before. They’ll infiltrate the technology events, investigate their fellow passengers, and try to uncover what’s really going on.

However, danger is never far behind. Their killer can use tech to do the job without lifting a finger, and at sea, there’s no escape if their covers are blown.

~Standalone~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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While You Were Seething by Charlotte Stein

Posted April 20, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Standalone / 0 Comments

The road to love is bumpy in a sexy, heartwarming contemporary romance filled with fake-dating hijinks, delicious forced proximity, and top-tier banter.

Daisy Emmett has been enemies with famous romance author Caleb Miller since they were in college together, and time hasn’t lessened their mutual loathing. So when she agrees to maneuver him through a PR disaster of his own making, she knows it’s not going to be easy. She just doesn’t realize how not easy it is until they somehow end up trapped in the same truck, on an endless road trip from one book tour stop to another, bantering and butting heads along the way.

Then, even more horrifying: people appear to be mistaking her for the woman he dedicates all his books to. The love of his life, his adored beloved—the one who doesn’t actually exist. Now they’re trapped into pretending she does, and that Daisy is her, each fake kiss and phony embrace ratcheting up the tension to the point where enemies suddenly seem a lot closer to lovers than either of them would like.

Or so they’re telling themselves.

But sometimes it’s hard to be sure, when seething turns into something so much more…

~Standalone~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Love Comes in Small Packages by Lori Foster & Maisey Yates

Posted April 19, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Kensington Books, NetGalley / 0 Comments

A portion of the proceeds from this book support AAF, Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter.

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE * LORI FOSTER
Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s really screwed up by finding herself possibly accidentally pregnant, and definitely not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. But telling Knox everything may change . . . well, everything. Especially amid a comedy of pregnancy test errors, a robbery, a cat rescue mission—and the realization that Knox sees her as so much more than a pretty face . . . .

THE RANCHER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY * MAISEY YATES
Ellie Parks helplessly watched her beloved sister, Melanie, spiral into addiction in high school, thanks to her toxic relationship with Ty Porter. Ellie, now a teacher, hasn’t seen Melanie in over a year when she gets a call from Child Protective Services that Melanie has a baby—and she’s surrendered her parental rights. Ellie races to the hospital, but someone’s beat her to it: rodeo champion Clark Porter, the baby’s uncle. Clark’s a good man, and he’ll be damned if his niece grows up without him. Until they find a custody solution, Ellie will just have to move into his ranch house. Temporarily. Obviously. Except that they’re attracted to each other. Risking the unconventional family they’re creating is the last thing they need. Then again, if what they feel is deeper than attraction, it may be what they need most . . .

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Doctor’s Nine-Month Rival by Kristine Lynn

Posted April 19, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Medical Romance, NetGalley, Series/Duet, Sexual Content / 0 Comments

Co-parenting with the enemy!

After fleeing her controlling ex, Dr. Jacqueline won’t be tied down.

But the thrill of being chased by a stranger in a Texas bar is intoxicating… And the tryst that follows? Irresistible!

Only to discover her mystery lover is Dr. Rhett—the trauma doc she’s competing against for her dream job at Austin Memorial!

Just because she was thoroughly seduced by Rhett doesn’t mean he’ll distract Jack from her career goals!

Yet, there’s another bump in the road—she’s carrying Rhett’s baby!

Titles in the Paging Dr. Morrison multi-author duo/series include:  Expecting in the ER by Tina Beckett ~ Doctor’s Nine-Month Rival by Kristine Lynn ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Targeted in the Swamp by Kerry Johnson

Posted April 19, 2026 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Love Inspired Suspense (Harlequin), Mystery, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Romantic Suspense, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Hunted by killers.  And time is running out fast…

Laurel Bell’s first day as a wildlife photography ranger takes a treacherous turn when she is nearly drowned by a masked assassin.

Her witness protection cover has been blown, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before her attacker returns to finish the job.

Her only chance at survival is police sergeant Heath Calhoun, who will do anything to deliver Laurel to her marshal handler.

But when Heath’s young daughter is taken hostage, the stakes are raised, and now they must race to outsmart the powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to exact their revenge…

Titles in the Forest Ranger Rescuers series include:  Hunted in the Forest* ~ Abducted in the Woods^ ~ Targeted in the Swamp^ ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved. Yet, keep in mind that this story is a “Suspense” novel, so there may be some indication of violence within the storyline.

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A Rocky Mountain Reunion by Debra Moser

Posted April 18, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Heartwarming, Modern Western Romance, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Small Town Romance, Standalone / 0 Comments

They’re worlds apart… Can love bridge the gap?

Paleontologist Meg Farrell’s real life is twelve hundred miles away from her hometown in the Colorado Rockies.

But every time she returns to Bent Fork, she’s reminded how much of an outsider she still feels like—her whole family treats her as if she’s too fragile for ranch work.

But neighboring rancher Joe Hawk sees not only how capable she is but also how smart and kind she is.

When they rescue an injured dog together, she’s reminded of why she fell for him all those years ago…and the danger of repeating old mistakes.

Yet Hawk might be the one piece of history Meg can’t leave in the past.

~Standalone~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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