It’s looking like another great release week, with an interesting mix of indie and traditional releases. One of my most anticipated (the new Tessa Bailey) is affected by the ongoing HarperCollins strike, so I’m hoping they’re able to come to an agreement before Tuesday – I’d like to be able to review it, but won’t if the strike is still going on. Beyond that, there are several other books that I’m excited to dig into, so take a peek at some of the books releasing in the next week below!
Feb 3: The Temporary Wife by Catharina Maura
From the author of The Wrong Bride and Forever After All comes an angsty and steamy marriage of convenience romance featuring a billionaire boss and his secretary.
When Luca Windsor’s secretary suddenly quits her job shortly after his family forces him into an unwanted engagement, he sets out to solve both problems.
… by secretly marrying his secretary, Valentina, instead.
The rules are simple:
- Don’t fall in love
- Keep their marriage a secret at work
- Share a bed every night
It was meant to be a straightforward and mutually beneficial deal, but with each day that passes, it becomes clearer to Luca that the one thing Valentina wants is the only thing he can never do:
Letting her go.
Publisher’s Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Temporary Wife contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WH6vs5
Feb 7: Just My Type by Falon Ballard
To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.
Lana Parker is an expert girlfriend. After a disastrous breakup with her high school boyfriend, she’s bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationhip and even works as the dating and relationships columnist for one of Los Angeles’s trendiest websites. But when Lana suddenly finds herself single, she’s ready to take a break, both personally and professionally.
That is, until her high school ex, Seth Carson, takes an assignment at Lana’s site. Having spent years traveling the world as a freelance journalist, Seth’s finally ready to put down roots. Seth and Lana’s chemistry is just as combative—and undeniable—as ever and quickly leads to a competition that could shape both of their careers. Pitted against each other by Lana’s boss, they are each tasked with writing an article series that goes against their usual dating type: Lana needs to write about being single and staying single, while Seth must learn to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever’s series is most popular winds a highly coveted dream job. But when the two square off, it’s not only their careers on the line—it’s also their hearts.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kvKYoP
Feb 7: The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
RYAN
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.
I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.
But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.
The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.
Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.
INDY
I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.
Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.
Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.
Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.
I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XtnLlz
Here’s hoping that the HarperCollins strike is finally over by release day, otherwise I won’t be reading this right away!
Feb 7: Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and TikTok favorite Tessa Bailey comes a steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn…
Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small Napa town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.
On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grey-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her… and her very presence is turning his world upside down.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Raktl7
Feb 9: Our Ride to Forever by Julia Olivia
Sometimes, the best rides are unexpected.
Orson Mackenzie didn’t want a relationship. Perfect. Neither did I.
But what started as a fun ride with no commitment turned into hitching our cars to the same train. Orson needed my insurance. I needed his tax break. So we signed a piece of paper to make me his not-so blushing bride.
Forever was never the destination. Until Orson unexpectedly changed course, and we found ourselves on different tracks.
Now, it’s seven months later, I’ve lost my apartment and, luckily for me, my husband still has a heart of gold. And a spare bedroom.
I can move in with my fake husband, right? How hard can it be?
Except I’m having a hard time overlooking how his eyes undress me and the way his voice rasps when he calls me sweetheart. And the more time we spend together, the more I see through his happy-go-lucky exterior. He needs someone in his corner, and for once, maybe I need someone in mine too.
I shouldn’t fall in love with my husband. But my heart might be thumping to the bumpy tune of forever.
Our Ride To Forever is a romantic comedy featuring a secret marriage of convenience and lots of roommate shenanigans in a house with only one shower and very, very thin walls. Enjoy the comforts of a small town theme park, filled with lots of love and even more steamy, sizzling spice!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QWnvcf
Check out this week’s new releases here.
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