Jessica Pryde is a member of that rare breed that grew up in Washington, DC, but is happily enjoying the warmer weather of the desert Southwest. While she is still working on what she wants to be when she grows up, she’s enjoying dabbling in librarianship and writing all the things. She's the editor of Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters, and her fiction has been published by Generous Press. She can be found drowning in her ever-growing TBR and exclaiming about romance on When in Romance, as well as on social media. Find her exclamations about books and internet ridiculousness on BlueSky (JessIsReading) and instagram/threads (jess_is_reading).
Friends, how is it August? Wasn’t it just Juneteenth??? Either way, the month is here, and it brings with it the usual bangers. Romance authors are determined not to let up on us when it comes to choice, and yeah that’s great, but how am I supposed to get this list down to an acceptable range every month? You all have no idea what kind of logic I’ve started to use to cut things out in order to make all of our lives easier, especially since that just means there’s 20 fewer books you’re going to hear about from me! (Yes, my original list every month starts at like 40 and then I drill down. What else can I do?) (*bring it in, bring it in*)
As usual, the first I pulled out are the ones that you probably don’t need me to tell you about. For instance, Pucking Strong comes out later this month (and yes, I checked, I totally mentioned it last month for some reason? I promise it actually comes out this time). Lucy Score has a new one coming out, as do Katee Robert and Shelly Laurenston. Olivia Dade’s ZomRomCom is finally here! And my fellow Rioter, Isabelle Popp is celebrating the print release of her debut, Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About, which they stealth dropped in kindle and audio last month. There’s also a great looking HBCU anthology called You’ve Got a Place Here, Too with some Big Names attached, including Kennedy Ryan and Kiese Laymon. I’m not completely sure if it’s all romance or if “love stories” encompasses other things, but it’s definitely something I intend to have in my hands the day it’s available!
What we’re left with is still a hefty number of books I just needed to talk about, covering contemporary, historical, and fantasy. We’ve got more adult debuts by authors who made their mark in YA, and some switches in genre by familiar favorites. There’s one book that I’m pretty sure was supposed to come out a couple of years ago, even! All in all, I’ve got 18 books for you, because my promise last month to make these shorter was a complete lie. Buckle in!
Jessica Pryde is a member of that rare breed that grew up in Washington, DC, but is happily enjoying the warmer weather of the desert Southwest. While she is still working on what she wants to be when she grows up, she’s enjoying dabbling in librarianship and writing all the things. She’s the editor of Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters, and her fiction has been published by Generous Press. She can be found drowning in her ever-growing TBR and exclaiming about romance on When in Romance, as well as on social media. Find her exclamations about books and internet ridiculousness on BlueSky (JessIsReading) and instagram/threads (jess_is_reading).
The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver
Known for their YA books I Wish You All The Best and The Feeling of Falling in Love (among others), Deaver joins an already awesome batch of they/them friends shifting to adult romance (specifically, Jonny Garza Villa and Sonora Reyes). The Build-A-Boyfriend Project has such a delightful premise: a journalist goes on a blind date and… it’s awful. Just terrible. But instead of never speaking to the guy again, he offers to teach him how to be a better boyfriend—for a story.
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Look, I have never once seen a Chicken Shop Date interview all the way through, but I can still be excited about this book (mostly because I’m always excited for Mazey Eddings books). Eva hosts Sausage Talk (lol), interviewing B-list celebrities over hot dogs. When she criticizes her college ex—now a popular social media personality—on the show, he’s determined to clear his good name with her and her viewers. To do that, they’ll go on a series of dates and debrief on his channel. Sure, she can do that. No feelings will get involved. Right?
Mr. Collins in Love by Lee Welch
I may have only read one book by Lee Welch so far in my life (the excellent Salt Magic, Skin Magic), but if there was ever a book that would draw me back to her, it would be this one. William Collins is probably the second least liked character in Pride and Prejudice (George Wickham being so awful, I’ll happily watch a man who played him in a movie 20 years ago get eaten by dinosaurs), but the author offers a different side to his character. This young Mr. Collins is doing his best to live in a world he doesn’t understand well, while also pursuing the niceties of society. But his childhood friend Jem might get in the way of that. KJ Charles calls this a “deeply kind retelling”, and honestly, that’s what we could all use right now.
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
A debut! It’s always exciting to find a debut! This one is about a playwright dealing with more challenges than just writer’s block. She hopes to escape most if not all of them by hiding out in the Tennessee mountains, where she can get her writing mojo back and have some much-needed time to herself. Except there’s this neighbor she can’t get off her mind.
The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
The author of Yinka, Where is your Huzband? brings us a second-chance romcom about a novelist who can’t sell her book getting a job as a celebrity ghostwriter. The last thing she expects, though, is for the job to involve the man she thought was The One, who left her to pursue his career goals (AKA go on a reality dating show). Now that the two are back in each other’s orbit, can they try again? And what about the other book she’s supposed to be writing?
The Sun and the Moon by Rebekah Faubion
Faubion’s second tarot-themed romance looks a lot like a reverse Parent Trap (I’m sure there is a better reference, but that’s all I can think of). Cadence and Sydney are strangers who meet when their parents (Cadence’s mom and Sydney’s dad) announce their engagement. Both have very specific reasons for not liking this engagement, and decide to work together to split their parents up. But their reasoning for breaking them up—that they couldn’t possibly be in love that quickly—gets kind of tripped up as Cadence and Sydney find their own chemistry working overtime.
Her Soul for a Crown by Alysha Rameera
You had me at “epic, slow burn romantasy based on Sri Lankan mythology” but sure, let’s talk about the actual plot of the book. A young woman with revenge on the mind plans to marry the evil ruler of her land (and murder him of course), until a coup thwarts her vengeance. When she prays to the living pantheon of gods to help, a dangerous god accepts the offer of her soul in exchange for her goals. But the more time they spend together, the less attention each pays to the war at hand. Sign me up.
Love is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg
There are a lot of books about folks with writer’s block this month, huh? In this case, Mia is a bestselling author who needs to turn in her newest romance in her popular series, but hasn’t really been feeling the whole romance thing herself. Her BFF, Gavin, proposes an unusual method to break her out of it: what if they try out some romance tropes on fake dates? (And yes, he has been in love with her forever, like you might expect.)
Toni and Addie Go Viral by Melissa Marr
While Melissa Marr has written for adults before, she’s mostly known for her YA Wicked Lovely series. She’s taken a different route here with a contemporary story. The author of a soon-to-be-adapted book series (another one!) goes viral with the actress who might be the lead (and is also the main character’s namesake???) in a “fake Victorian wedding” that I’m assuming is in preparation for the role. Whatever that might be. There is a lot going on here, but it looks like fun!
Red Card by Maren Moore
Did someone say rugby romance? This new adult romance features a British rugby player who gets kicked off his team in London and winds up at…an Ivy League school in the US? Nobody on the team particularly likes him, but the coach’s daughter offers to help him get in with the guys if he gives her flirting lessons. It’s been called “She’s All That meets She’s The Man” and honestly, that gives me pretty high standards. But I’m sure it’s up to the challenge!
The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye
With Evelyn Skye, a bit of fabulism goes a long way! In The Incredible Kindness of Paper, two childhood penpals reunite in adulthood, when Chloe starts making origami roses with encouraging messages and leaving them around New York. Oliver finds one of these, and while the disaster that caused him to go silent decades ago is in his past, the message therein is definitely something he needed to hear.
The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe
It’s been a couple years since Joanna Shupe gave us a full-length novel, and this one is Anastasia inspired! Street singer Josie grew up in a children’s asylum, with no knowledge of her birth parents. When Leo first sees her, he’s struck by her resemblance to a wealthy woman whose child disappeared years ago, and is inspired to use her to pass the swindle of a lifetime. And well. You know the rest of the story.
The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh
Historical romance author Eva Leigh is branching out into the fantastical with The Sea Witch, the first in a new series. In the golden days of piracy, a young woman with magical powers escapes Puritanical New England and forms an all-female pirate crew aboard The Sea Witch. While making their mark on the Caribbean, they pick up a naval navigator, with whom pirate captain Alys forms an alliance to rout the British Navy. Sea monsters and human monsters seem to abound in this story.
ClickMate by Tia Kelly
While Goodreads indicates that a version of this might have been scheduled to release in 2023, there is no longer any record of it, so we’ll call this book’s 2025 release its only one! Basketball player Cole and recently unemployed Bellamy are neighbors, and they are both determined to be no more than that. But unbeknownst to both of them, they share a bond on the internet via discussion and creation of culinary delights. I’m looking forward to the fireworks that will happen when they figure it out!
His Cinderella Duchess by Tina Gabrielle
A young woman of Lebanese descent finds herself working as a governess for a grumpy Waterloo veteran and his ward. But when she discovers he’s looking for a wife, she proposes a marriage-on-paper, which would probably benefit her far more than it could ever do him. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and that leads to all kinds of complications. This is the first Harlequin Historical from Tina Gabrielle, who has written mostly for Entangled.
Her Fake Wedding Date in Sicily by Jenny Lane
I almost scrolled right past this book when I was wandering through Harlequin’s new releases, because it looks generally like every other Harlequin Romance category book—windswept hair, female protagonist in the front, other protagonist slightly behind and beside her. But then I realized: wait! The other protagonist is a woman, too! And while I tend not to bring outright attention to the fact that a book is queer, it’s still a notable thing when it happens with a Harlequin book. Since their first contemporary f/f romance novel only released a couple of years ago, and they’re still relatively few and far between, I feel like I need to make a big deal. And this one is about an heiress and a CEO fake dating on a deadline!
Your Ex Wife’s A Good Girl by Remi Darling and Rosy Bond
Do you actually need more than the title to just one-click immediately?
Okay. I guess some of us do. Esme and Rory, both recently divorced, have been friendly neighbors for years. Now that both are out of messy relationships, they’re both looking to explore what they want out of life and in a partner. With each other, they can discover their needs and desires in the world of BDSM. And with their newfound support, they can each pursue their true selves.
Like I said, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! We’ve also got a couple of series follow-ups and companion novels, including Pyae Moe Thet War’s Here For A Good Time, Erica Ridley’s last Wild Wynchesters book, A Waltz on the Wild Side, and the conclusion to the Luna Sisters trilogy, Gabriela and His Grace.
If you still need more to read, you can always make sure you’ve picked up all of the Ten Best Romance Novels Out This Year (So Far). And as always get the hottest new romance content by subscribing to Kissing Books and listening to When In Romance!
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