Quinn (Til Summer Do Us Part) launches the Bay Area Players series with this raucous sports romance. Brooding Graydon St. John, the defensive end for the failing San Francisco Foghorns, has a reputation for playing poorly with others. To improve the team’s PR, however, he and his teammates must volunteer at the San Francisco Zoo, meaning he’ll have to put up with a partnership with sunny zookeeper Mapel Baker. Mapel is passionate about her work and determined to save her beloved flamingo lagoon from being turned into a gift shop by the zoo’s greedy owner. She finds Graydon dismissive and borderline menacing, but hopes to use his fame to draw attention to her cause. As the pair post videos on social media in which Mapel teaches Graydon about flamingos and he shows her how to play football, their followers become convinced they’re a couple. Foghorn’s PR team encourages them to go along with it, and the more they pretend to be in love, the more they fall for each other for real. Quinn manages to infuse their slow-burning connection with all the raunchiness she’s known for as well as her trademark over-the-top humor (Mapel and Graydon get off on the wrong foot after she hears him calling flamingos “pink-feathered dipshits on stilts”). Fans will not be disappointed. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Vellner scores big with his outstanding debut set in the fiercely competitive tennis world. Closeted Leo Chambers’s hopes of winning his first U.S. Open are dashed by Gabe Montoya, who defeats him in a first-round match thanks to what Leo feels is a bad call, sparking an on-court altercation and a very public feud. After Leo’s father and coach, Johnny, who has MS, has a stroke, Leo takes the rest of the season off to be with him. Leo comes back to the circuit right around the time that Gabe publicly comes out as gay. The rivals call a truce and, after a heartfelt apology, they start practicing together and even playing doubles matches. Attraction sparks on both sides, and their ensuing steamy secret relationship helps Leo find a new approach to the game, but he tries to remind himself that “there’s no room for love, except on the scoreboard.” Vellner creates as much tension during the breathlessly described tennis matches as in scenes where it seems the men might be caught stealing kisses in the locker room. Public pressure and newfound tension between Leo and Johnny adds to the drama. The emotions are heartfelt, and the characters leap of the page. This is an overhead smash. Agent: Bibi Lewis, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

A delightful take on the grumpy/sunshine trope, this cute rom-com from bestseller Marsh (The Code for Love) finds jaded aspiring country singer Dixie Pearl breaking down in the tiny hamlet of Wickham Hollow, Tenn. She’s spent more than eight years touring dive bars and living out of her ancient van, which has finally given up the ghost. Gorgeous, cheerful local preacher Jack Carter (“like if a lumberjack and a rescue golden retriever had a baby”) comes to her rescue, offering his guest room while Dixie plans her next move. Jack’s moved by Dixie’s predicament because his family lived out of their car for a time when he was growing up, the memories of which still give him panic attacks. The pair’s chemistry is undeniable, and though Jack is interested in a relationship, he agrees to Dixie’s proposal of a no-strings-attached one-night stand. Afterward, Dixie dashes off a frustrated, self-deprecating song about how she’s not the kind of girl to settle down with a preacher and posts it on social media—where it instantly goes viral, leaving Dixie anxious about what Jack will think when he sees it. Marsh’s plotting is taut and her prose is often laugh-out-loud funny, with comedy partly coming in the form of Jack’s judgemental chinchilla, Georgia Peach. It’s a joy. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Connor (Unromance) offers up an entertaining second-chance celebrity romance set in the early 2000s. Sloane Donavan’s goal is to transition from freelance to full-time journalism. She gets what could be her big break when the world-famous rock group Final Revelations agrees to sit down with her for their first interview in eight years. There’s just one problem: the group’s lead singer, Dax Nakamura, is Sloane’s ex-boyfriend, which presents a major conflict of interest—if it gets out, that is. The group hopes to use the piece to clean up their image, but Sloane’s editor is eager for every bit of gossip she can dig up, and Sloane’s horrible former mentor is also circling for exclusive scoops. As Sloane uncovers more of the band’s secrets, she rediscovers her feelings for Dax, and the lines between her work and romance begin to blur. Early aughts nostalgia, interview transcripts, and articles chronicling Final Revelations’ history add to the fun, and the found-family dynamic between the bandmates is a highlight. Connor also makes good use of the forced proximity trope to amp up the yearning. Readers will not be disappointed. Agent: Hannah Schofield, LBA Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Former competitive kayaker Adams brings her experience to bear in this sparkling sports romance. Kath Parker’s dreams of success at the World Rowing Cup in Italy are dashed when her boyfriend, Maxwell, breaks up with her immediately before the race. She comes in dead last and loses her sponsors and her spot at the Olympic Training Center in California. Kath’s coach proposes that she head home to Berkeley, Calif., to train for the upcoming Pan American Games with Adrian Crawford, a promising youth coach who’s being considered for a job at the national level. Kath is insulted, but if she proves herself and provides an honest assessment of Adrian’s skills, she could earn back her training spot. She doesn’t realize until arriving, however, that Adrian is the handsome stranger she danced with at a bar in Italy following her disastrous race. Despite their intense mutual attraction, Kath is reluctant to adopt Adrian’s somewhat unorthodox training methods. The pair eventually give in to their desires, but their relationship may not be strong enough to last after the competition is over. Adams makes the scenes on the water just as gripping as the angsty, emotionally rich relationship drama. It’s a promising start. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Stevens’s charming debut reimagines Regency London as a place where “trans and queer identities are not shunned nor hidden away, racism does not reign, and people with disabilities and neurodivergence are valued members of society,” and deploys an affirming lexicon of her own creation to discuss these identities. Readers meet heroine Miss Georgina Pace, a wealthy and free-spirited socialite, as she tumbles out of a female lover’s window to escape the lady’s returning husband. When Georgina later learns that her friend Arthur Coombes, a miris, or person with Down syndrome, has been trapped into gambling debts at a shady club called Solitaires, she resolves to save both his bank account and his reputation. As she hatches a scheme to bring down Solitaires, she also navigates a flirtation with the enigmatic Lady Elizabeth Mortimer, a velina, or transgender woman. The romantic subplots multiply when Georgina’s rakish friend Lord Robert Coulthurst tries to ignite an amorous spark with his friend Sarah Fortescue, a widow. The gambling-den machinations work as solid scaffolding for these two romantic liaisons, and the story’s strengths lie in its deep empathy for its characters and emphasis on consent. The result is a warmhearted and witty spin on historical romance that celebrates the vitality and complexity of queer and inclusive connections. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

LaQuette follows Vanessa Jared’s Got a Man with a spirited second-chance romance. After a contentious divorce, nurse anesthetist and proud mama bear Janae Sanders is just fine with the only man in her life being her teenage son, James. But she’s sorely tempted after her high school rival and secret crush returns to town. Following a stint in the NBA and 20 years teaching in New York City, Adam Henderson (who, back in the day, nursed his own crush on Janae) heads home to tiny Monroe Hills, Pa., to look after his father and take a job as the high school’s interim superintendent. Tasked with tightening the budget, he cuts the arts program that James loves. Janae, president of the PTA, jumps in to find a way to save the program. Though at odds, Janae and Adam’s chemistry is undeniable. Despite his ornery father’s objections, Adam is all in on a relationship but Janae fears putting her heart on the line. LaQuette’s protagonists leap off the page, and she makes their path back to each other vibrant and believable. This is good fun. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Mythological monsters stalk the streets of a city built around a chasm to the underworld in this action-packed if familiar romantasy series launch from Golden (If Not for My Baby). Born a hunter, Vivienne “Viv” Abbot spends her days working at the Windsor museum and her nights stalking demonic beings known as deviants. When she’s offered a spot at Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, she’s hesitant. Hunting solo has been working out just fine—never mind the fact that she’s just barely maintaining her job and relationships—and Viv fears revealing herself as an aeon, a hunter with bloodlust so strong that when there are no deviants to kill, they turn on mortals. But the school may hold the truth about her father’s murder, a possibility too tempting to pass up. Between keeping her identity hidden, hunting monsters, resisting her attraction to the dangerous Reid Graveheart, and untangling the conspiracy brewing at Harker, the tension stays high throughout. While Viv’s world doesn’t feel particularly fresh, the characters are fully realized, and all the loose threads come together neatly in the end. Both Viv’s platonic and romantic relationships are well drawn, and she makes for a flawed but easy to root for protagonist. Paranormal romance readers will enjoy the fast-paced plot and sizzling chemistry. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bellefleur (Truly, Madly, Deeply) pairs a pop star and a quarterback in this delightful, ripped-from-the-headlines contemporary. When publicist Poppy Peterson’s client, quarterback Cash Curran, aims a cheeky tweet at superstar musician Lyric Adair, Poppy’s convinced he’s lost his mind. She’s shocked when the public pickup line works and Lyric’s high-profile publicist, Rosaline Sinclair, reaches out to set up a meeting between the two celebs. Sparks soon fly between Lyric and Cash—and between Poppy and Rosaline as the women work to wrangle their rebellious clients. Then a deepfake scandal whipped up by someone from Lyric’s past threatens to tear both couples apart. Readers will quickly fall for all four leads. Cash is a lovable goofball with a heart of gold and Lyric is his perfect foil, but it’s Poppy and Rosaline who generate the most steam. Readers will find it extremely satisfying to witness the women move from strained professionalism to red-hot romance. Bellefleur also adds depth to the narrative by probing into Poppy’s past struggles with alcohol and Rosaline’s imposter syndrome. This charms. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Rouse (A Wish for Winter, written as Violet Shipman) delivers an affectionate queer homage to The Golden Girls that reads like a sitcom, complete with broad characters, amusing zingers, and poignant life lessons. It stars four “gay men of a certain age” who live together in Palm Springs: sarcastic Teddy secretly reels form a cancer diagnosis; Barry, an actor, frets over the state of his career; Sid despairs over never having been in love at 81; and sweet Ron struggles with his people-pleasing tendencies. The guys regularly perform in drag as The Golden Gays, reenacting episodes of their favorite show. After Sid is the victim of a homophobic attack at a drag story hour, he falls for Leo, a decades-younger TV news reporter interested in his story. But Leo’s mother disapproves of their relationship, causing friction. Meanwhile, Barry’s ex, Kyle, offers him a film role that may restart his career but comes with sexual strings attached. Adding to the drama is the unexpected arrival of Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, and her granddaughter, Ava. Before long, secrets are spilled on stage and off, with characters finding healing along the way. Rouse delivers both humor and heart as he emphasizes that “being a friend is the role of a lifetime.” The result is equally breezy and heartfelt. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink