Romance

A beard-related dare and one hot-as-hell kiss changes everything. NFL center Ethan Dexter’s focus has always been on playing football and little else. Except when it comes to one particular woman. The lovely Fiona Mackenzie might not care about his fame, but she’s also never looked at him as anything more than one of her brother-in-law’s best friend. That ends now. Fi doesn’t know what to make of Dex. The bearded, tattooed, mountain of man-muscle looks more like a biker than a football player. Rumor has it he’s a virgin, but she finds that hard to believe. Because from the moment he decides to turn his quiet intensity on her she’s left weak at the knees and aching to see his famous control fully unleashed. Dex is looking for a forever girl, but they live vastly different lives in separate cities. Fi ought to guard her heart and walk away. But Dex has upped his game and is using all his considerable charm to convince Fi he's her forever man. Game On

Azalea Mora has a beautiful life—close relationships with her two adult sons, deep friendships with three amazing women, a thriving business, and a cozy home at her beloved beach.Yet after one disastrous marriage and a recent near miss where she ended the relationship the day before the wedding, Azalea decides, “Love just isn’t for me.” When a client offers her a six-month contract to open a new office in Spain, she jumps at the chance, determined to focus solely on her professional life in a country she adores.But what happens when the man she jilted buys the company and comes to Barcelona, intent on reclaiming her?Bread Pudding in Barcelona captures the profound beauty and political turmoil of this Spanish city as we follow Azalea on her journey to finding herself—and hopefully someone worthy of her love. It is Book One in the Blooming series, exploring lifelong friendships between Azalea and three fabulous women as they learn the best lessons come when you open your heart to friendship, adventure, and love.

Ana Maria Ybarra dreams of becoming a world-famous pastry chef, but dreams have a cost. Her family can barely keep the family business running, let alone pay for culinary school. Ana Maria helps out at the family bakery, Café Y Mas, whenever she can, but they are struggling while the rival Cuban bakery across the street, Morales Bakery, is doing better than ever with their Instagram famous desserts. Ana Maria's only hope is winning a recipe competition, which has a grand prize big enough to pay for culinary school. But then the ultimate distraction shows up in her small town: Miguel, a boy she spent one magical day with six months ago, and who she never thought she'd see again. Ana Maria thinks maybe fate has brought them together again for a reason—until she learns the horrible truth that Miguel is a Morales. A Ybarra cannot be associated with a Morales-let alone fall for one. But when Miguel offers to help Ana Maria with the competition, she is so desperate to win she can't turn him down. All she needs to do is keep Miguel at arm's length and keep their deal a secret from their families. After all, teaming up with Miguel is just business, nothing more…right?

The only person harder to match than her clients . . . is the matchmaker herself. The Matcha Maker Café is a sweet, small-town slow-burn romance set in a charming matcha cafe, perfect for readers who love Laurie Gilmore, B.K. Borison and the gentle magic of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. At Matcha Moments, owner Sasha Lee is a star matchmaker, helping customers find love over a smooth cup of matcha. You’d think that as the master she’d be living her fairytale ending, but Sasha is allergic to commitment. With a growing reputation, her successes are challenged when the ‘unmatchable’ Ben walks in - a man who believes he’s too boring for love. As Sasha tries to match him, she slowly finds herself drawn to his quiet charm. As their daily banter becomes the highlight of her day, Sasha must confront the possibility that her own love story might be brewing. Will she embrace the unexpected romance, or let her past fears keep her from true love?

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside. Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go. A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love. —back cover

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion. Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer. Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other. As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel. Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart… When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago.... When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the kind (and adorably bookish) bookshop owner, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. Her monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance from Jamie Wesley, Fake It Till You Bake It. Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell. When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient. Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.

To find love, Susie will not only have to go off planet—she'll have to go off-book.As the school’s advice columnist, Susie Starlight has all the answers. It doesn’t matter that she’s never1. Been on a date.2. Traveled off-planet.3. Made a decision without her trusted guidebook.Working anonymously as Miss Galaxy, she has steered every relationship at Galaxy High. While Susie might not have any experience, The Space Age Ladies' Guide to Romance and Social Affairs does—and she follows The Guide’s advice to the letter. Even when it means giving up on winning the attention of her longtime crush or sparking a love story of her own.When an anonymous love letter arrives at her desk for Miss Galaxy, Susie gathers her courage, friends, and a souped-up space cruiser to embark on a scavenger hunt through the stars.

When Margot LeClair decides to uproot her life for a fresh start in a small town, she's focused on finding herself. The last thing she's thinking of is the guy she went on one date with a year ago...Until she finds out that same guy is her new neighbor. Sawyer Hale has always known he was meant to be in Merrymount. And when he ended things with his on and off again girlfriend for the last time, he was more than okay with being alone...Until the girl that got away moves in next door. Is it fate or another case of right person, wrong time?

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best? A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.