If you love sweet, small-town romance with a marriage of convenience, you are going to want to get a copy of The Love Chase by Emily Schneider!
The Love Chase
Publication Date: July 8, 2024
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary Romance
TROPES:
đMarriage of convenience
đŠˇFriends to lovers
âď¸Storm chasing
đ¸Country music
đ âOne townhouseâ
đForced proximity
đď¸Small town romance
đĽ°âItâs always been youâ
đShe fell first, he fell harder
Marrying my best friend for money without revealing my hidden feelings for himâŚHow hard could it be?
Everything was going great until my life fell apart. One minute, I had a great internship, I was accomplishing my dream of becoming a storm chaser, and I was happy.
But in one single day, I became jobless, homeless, and deeply in debt, my life stuttering to a crashing halt.
Forced to head home to Meridel, proverbial tail tucked between my legs, things only got worse when I ran into my best friend, Liamâerr, ex-best friend.
Weâd been friends since we were kids, up until he moved away two years ago to chase his own dream of being a famous country music singer, effectively cutting me out of his life for good.
But now heâs back, and to top it off, his manager has created a harebrained scheme to improve his new bad boy imageâmarrying me.
If it werenât for the money promised to me in exchange, I never would have agreed, especially when Iâd been hiding the fact that Iâd been in love with Liam for years.
But now, I have to marry my best friend, live in close quarters with him, and help him fix his reputation, all while keeping my feelings hidden?
Should be a piece of cake. Right?
The Love Chase is a sweet, closed-door romantic comedy, full of laugh-out-loud moments, sizzling chemistry, and swoony kisses.
This is the third interconnected standalone in the A Sweet Meridel Romance series.
If she wasnât dead already, Delphie Bookham would be dying of embarrassment. Sheâs woken up in the afterlife after choking on a microwave burger, wearing the kind of pyjamas youâd be mortified if anyone saw you in, and has crashed headlong into the most handsome man sheâs ever met. Who is also dead and smiling at her.
As they talk, Delphie starts to can feel that elusive spark between them â something sheâs waited her whole life to feel. Perhaps the afterlife wonât be so bad if sheâs potentially found her soulmate to spend it with⌠That is until someone comes running in, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth and leaving Delphie behind.
Now the powers that be are offering Delphie a deal: go back down to Earth, find her mysterious maybe soulmate, and get him to fall in love with her. Or stay dead. The challenge? She only has ten days to find him, and he has no recollection of them ever having metâŚ
Kirsty Greenwood is an internationally bestselling author of funny, fearless romantic comedies about extraordinary love. When she’s not writing books she composes musicals and explores London where she lives with her husband.
 Follow Kirsty Greenwood on social media and tag her using #LoveofmyAfterlife and Twitter – @KirstyStories | Instagram â kirsty_greenwood | Facebook â KirstyGreenwoodBooks
My thoughts: this was a clever premise and a fun rom com read, when Delphie chokes to death on one of those grim microwave burgers in her ugliest nightie, and finds herself in a heavenly launderette, her life finally starts.
Sent back to life to find her soul mate and get him to kiss her, with only ten days to do so, this normally isolated introvert has to get out of her shell and hunt down the mysterious Jonah. But of course there’s lots of plot twists and along the way she makes new friends, finds herself in all sorts of scrapes, and just possibly finally understands love at the last possible moment.
This was such a fun book, I wolfed it down, enjoying every second, funny, intelligent and filled with wonderful characters.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
One new boss, one ex-boyfriend, one big dilemmaâŚ
Stevie Phillips has just landed her dream job working for a publishing company and it seems like this is page one of her new, improved life.
But her first day throws more curveballs than she thinks she can handle: thereâs been a takeover and the whole publicity team has been fired. And her new boss is the last face she expected to see. Because Noah Anderson also happens to be her ex-boyfriend.
Thrown together on a campaign for a book the rest of the staff donât want to touch with a barge-pole, Stevie resolves to make the best of a bad situation. This is her chance to prove herself, and sheâs not going to let the man who broke her heart ruin it for her.
When Noah starts hinting that there was more to their break up than him just not loving her, Stevieâs resolution starts to wobble. Getting back with your ex is never a good idea, is it? Especially not when your ex is also your bossâŚ
Victoria Walters is the author of both cosy crime and romantic novels, including the bestselling Glendale Hall series. She has been chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent, shortlisted for two RNA novels and was picked as an Amazon Rising Star. Previously published by Hera, she is now writing romantic comedies for Boldwood.
My thoughts: I really liked Stevie and her friends, she’s so enthusiastic about her new job, despite the nightmare that is having her ex as her new boss. She’s really excited about the new book she has to promote and even though her grand-boss doesn’t support them, she knows she can make it happen.
As she and Noah work together and finally start talking about what happened to them, the real reason he’d run off to New York, things start to improve. And get steamy as they both realise they still have feelings for one another.
This was a fun and enjoyable book, it made me laugh and smile and as a reader, it was excellently bookish.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
WELCOME TO FAE CAFĂ is like Holly Blackâs tricky FOLK OF THE AIR schemes meeting your grandmotherâs freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. With a sweet, comical romance and relatable slice-of-life moments colliding with manipulative fairy games and deathmatches, this book puts a spin on the typical fae stories readers know and love and aims to be the coziest rom-com fae book of all time.
Welcome to Fae Cafe (High Court of the Coffee Bean Book 1)
Publication Date: October 2023
Genre: Cozy Romcom/ Fae Fantasy Elements
There are ten golden rules if you want to survive an encounter with a fae:
Donât ask their name.
If they ask you what your name is, lie.
Avoid looking directly into their eyes.
Donât invite them to your book club.
Donât instigate a snowball fight.
Never let them burn their mouth on coffee.
Donât ask them where theyâre from.
Donât tell them where you live.
Never mention their queen.
Donât try to kill them with an ordinary human gun.
If you fail to do any of these things, enslave them immediately.
On a cozy fall morning, Kate Kole is nestled in a coffee shop in the city of Toronto reading her favourite novel when she accidentally kills a guy who’s being rude to the coffee shop’s cashier. Unfortunately for Kate, the person she killed was a fae assassin of the North Corner of Ever, visiting the human realm in secret.
From there, four deadly fae assassins come to the human realm to hunt her down for breaking a fairy law and killing one of their own. Leading them is Prince Cressica Alabastian, the most feared and deadly fae assassin of the North and heir to the North Corner of Ever.
After the assassins arrive in the human realm, things go terribly wrong. To Prince Cressica’s horror, his assassins unwittingly get roped into running a cozy cafĂŠ on Kate Kole’s behalf. To blend in, the fae assassins are forced to learn how to do basic human activities like cleaning up after themselves, driving without road rage, reading popular fantasy books at book club without getting into alpha male fights over what theyâre reading, and in general, be nice, all to blend into regular human society.
With a temper like no other, and deadly power that’s unmatched, Prince Cressica seeks to get revenge on Kate Kole. But as he aims to strike where it will hurt her the most, the Prince finds himself enchanted by his human target in more ways than one. And when the darkness of the Ever Corners comes knocking at the human realm’s door, he needs to make a choice that could cost him everything.
With coziness for days, WELCOME TO FAE CAFĂ is a new spin on some of the most popular fae fantasy tropes, in a setting where fae most definitely don’t belong. If you like fantasy and you like rom coms, this may just be your cup of tea. (Or coffee.)
 My thoughts: this was a lot of fun, and at times very silly. The three fae assassins working as baristas is especially entertaining.
Kate Kole accidentally kills a fae warrior in a coffee shop, which means she’s slates for execution, but when the fae Prince and assassin Cressica arrives, his companions not far behind, he encounters something of a problem. He can’t compel Kate and magic doesn’t seem to work on her.
Cress scowls a lot and can’t work out why he can neither kill Kate nor get her out of his head. And there are schemes, bargains and magic all over the place. I really enjoyed reading it and as book 2 comes out later this year, there isn’t long to go to find out what’s next for the High Court of the Coffee Bean.
At 28, with a Ph.D under her belt and a meteoric rise to head of Research and Development at Mercer Robotics, Reese feels her decision to put her career first has worked out pretty well for her. Sure, she doesnât have many personal relationships to speak of, but she does love her team and they like her too.
So when sheâs called to the Big Bossâs office and told she will be looking after his son while he does a rotation in her lab, sheâs not thrilled that her hard work and achievements have boiled down to being a glorified babysitter â especially to a billionaire playboy with zero experience of mechanical engineering.
But then tall, blond Thomas walks into her office, and Reese realizes this assignment is going to be even harder than she thought. Because the CEOâs son is not only extraordinarily gorgeous, chiseled, and charming⌠heâs also on course to become her new boss one day, and so extraordinarily out of bounds. As the pair get to know each other, can Reese hold her nerve and her beliefs, or will she fall victim to the billionaire charm?
A gorgeously funny enemies-to-lovers, work-place rom com, perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Lynn Painter and Jo Watson.
Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance was in June 2023.
My thoughts: Reese is the youngest head of R&D at Mercer Robotics and she’s worked really hard to get there and doesn’t want to risk her job by falling for her boss’ son when he’s assigned to her department to learn the ropes before becoming her new boss.
Thomas Mercer knows basically nothing about robotics, but he wants to do a good job for his dad, and even though he doesn’t want the job running the department.
Meeting Reese (in a very awkward moment) and then getting to know each other, sparks a connection that not only goes against company policy but Reese’s own one.
Along with a cute little droid Reese built in her own time, with a sarcasm program it seems, and an overly flirty colleague (Maria, who scares Thomas), the Robotics lab turns out to be the perfect place to fall in love. Throw in a trip to Rome for a conference, with a “there’s only one bed” moment, and it almost guarantees a sizzling story.Â
In typical Camilla Isley style, it’s lots of fun, very funny and the characters are entertaining and personable. Another great addition to the series.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
He wasnât banking on someone else taking the reinsâŚ
Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. Sheâs got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then sheâs saddled with a business partner sheâs hated all her life. Heâs her twin brotherâs worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.
After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, heâs now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. Sheâs sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.
As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending Estelleâs plans to the edge of ruin. With Jamesâs flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?
The Upper Crush is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, steamy, standalone, small town romantic comedy with a fiery country girl giving a cocky city boy a run for his money. No cheating or cliffhanger, but snort-laughs, swoons and a deliciously happy ending guaranteed in this sparkling and sizzling romcom!
Evie Alexander is an award-winning author of sexy romantic comedies with a very British sense of humour. Imaginative, passionate and frequently called âbonkersâ by her friends, Evieâs interests include reading, eating, swearing, saving the world, and dreaming about people who only exist between the pages of her books. Evie lives in the West country of the UK with her family, where she pens her steamy stories from the Smut Hut.
My thoughts: this was a fun, entertaining rom com set in Somerset, where Estelle Foxbrooke is trying to organise a music festival on her family’s estate. But the company that’s supposed to be sponsoring it is now under new management and she’s worried it’s going to all fall apart.Â
The new CEO is her twin brother’s nemesis from school and in business. How on earth will they work together?
Of course sparks fly, and even her irritating unicorn slippers, horny dogs and Spice Girls cut out don’t seem to be driving James away. What’s a girl to do? Well, apparently fall madly in love with him, fall off her horse and after an almost endless series of misunderstandings and crossed wires, finally admit you were wrong.
It’s a lot of fun getting there, there’s some very steamy sex scenes, both have slightly bonkers parents (I think Estelle’s have the edge) and James really needs to get over himself first, but thankfully he does.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
After losing her job as a book scout, hopeless romantic Evie needs a fresh start. So when she hears that her eccentric grandmother has just taken on a small bookshop in Santorini, Evie jumps at the chance to visit her. But life on the island is not as idyllic as it first seems. Gran has a tempestuous relationship with her landlord and heâs threatening to take the bookshop away from her. So when Gran asks Evie to fake a romance with her landlordâs Greek God of a grandson, Georgios, to keep the family on side, she reluctantly agrees. As the sun sets on Evieâs Greek holiday, can she save the bookshop â and fake date her way to love?
Rebecca Raisin writes heartwarming romance from her home in sunny Perth, Australia. Her heroines tend to be on the quirky side and her books are usually set in exotic locations so her readers can armchair travel any day of the week. The only downfall about writing about gorgeous heroes who have brains as well as brawn, is falling in love with them â just as well theyâre fictional. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true, once in a lifetime love. Her bestselling novel Rosieâs Travelling Tea Shop has been optioned for film with MRC studios and Frolic Media.
My thoughts: one of my favourite sub-genres is books about books/libraries/bookshops, something Rebecca Raisin seems to be keen on too.
This time we’re in Santorini, Greece, with Evie, whose just lost her job as a book scout for a film company and is feeling a bit at a loss. Her high flying mum (lawyer) and sister (Broadway performer) insist she head over to Santorini to check in with her gran – on her tenth husband and now owner of a bookshop. They’re worried that Gran’s out of money and her no hoper of a husband has run off on her.
So Evie heads to a beautiful Greek island to spend her time in her grandmother’s bookshop. Oh, what a hardship.
Once there, she makes new friends, helps her gran throw a launch party and “fake dates” the hunky Georgios, who has also just lost his job at a publishing firm and is staying with his grandparents.
Thing is, Evie and Georgios are so clearly meant for each other, the islanders are all delightfully eccentric (Donkey Man, the pig farmer who keeps organising the bookshelves) that it’s not really bad at all. I want to move there.
A charming, fun and funny, rom com on a Greek island with lots of people who seem to love books and a pack of delightful, madcap canines, it’s a delicious dream combo.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ďŽEnemies to Lovers ďŽSecond Chance ďŽBucket List ďŽEnglish Ex-Pro Rugby Player ďŽAmerican FMC in Her 30s ďŽHot Man w/ a Kitten ďŽLight Sports Romance ďŽOpen door/ Medium Spice
ONE MONTH. TWO ENEMIES. SOMEONE ELSEâS BUCKET LIST.
Stella Hart, an American advertising executive living in London, is reeling from the death of her beloved aunt. But Stella learns her aunt included a stipulation in the will: a bucket list Stella must complete within a month, or the estateâmeant for her and her sistersâgoes to charity. The entire list is unreasonable, especially the final item, where she needs to Find the One that Got Away. The last thing she wants to do is face her ex.
Ethan Fraser is not Stellaâs ex-boyfriendâthat title belongs to his best friend, who got him through a traumatizing childhood. Ethanâs a grumpy, bearded, ex-professional rugby player who canât bring himself to enter the flat of his late troubled mother. When theyâre forced to collaborate on a work project, both find themselves remembering the night they kissed, days before she started dating his best friend. Ethan wants to hate her for choosing someone else, just like his mother always did, but he canât fight his attraction to Stella. So when she needs an advisor for the list, he offers to help, and the time spent together re-ignites their chemistry. But Ethanâs fierce loyalty to his best friend stands between them.
With a looming deadline for their project and the bucket list, soon everything bringing Stella and Ethan together will disappear⌠unless Stella figures out what that final itemâand the whole listâreally means.
Unless Itâs You is an interconnected standalone romance novel for fans of Meghan Quinn, Tessa Bailey, and Christina Lauren. Itâs the second book in the Hart Sisters trilogy, which can be read in any order.
Chrissy Hopewell started sneaking her momâs spicy romance novels in middle school. She has spent varying amounts of time overseas, including working at a pub in Dublin, waitressing at a hotel in the Scottish Borders, and studying and living in London for five years. Because of these experiences, international flair and accents often show up in her stories. Chrissy now lives in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio with her family, where she quite openly reads delightful contemporary romances.
 My thoughts: this was a really fun rom com that made my home town of London sound a lot more glam than it is! How did they have such nice weather?
Joking aside, I really liked Stella and Ethan, as they work together on a project for the charity they both volunteer with and on Stella’s great-aunt Evelyn’s bucket list left in her will. Stella has to complete the 5 items (as do her sisters on their own lists) or forfeit their inheritance. And they’re intentionally not super easy tasks.
With Ethan as her advisor/sidekick, Stella has to stop trying to do the bare minimum and actually think about the things her aunt has challenged her with. Evelyn saw herself in Stella and wanted to make sure her beloved great-niece was truly happy.
It doesn’t hurt that Ethan, a hunky former rugby player, and Stella are falling hard for each other, and a cute little kitten called Nessie.
I’m going to download the bonus epilogue from the author’s website and check out Stella’s sisters’ stories too, that’s how much I enjoyed this one. đ
Welcome to the tour for Christine Miles smart and sexy romance, Passion Under the Microscope!
Passion Under the Microscope (Smart is Seriously Sexy Series Book 2)
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Genre: Romcom/Romance/Contemporary Romance
đUnrequited Crush đĽSlow Burn âď¸Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine đ Small Town đŹScience Teacher FMC
A single biology teacher whoâs sworn off men can keep it friendly with a hot doctorâŚor can she?
Itâs been six months since Tanith Kerrigan decided to embrace singlehood for one reasonâto be nothing like the woman she calls Deandra. Also known as her mother. When Tanith badly sprains her ankle while trying to photograph birds in aâŚnaughtyâŚmoment, magnetic Dr. Luke Caldwell offers his expertise and more. But having Dr. Temptation around isnât the type of medicine she wants or needs in her life.
A single sports medicine doctor can control his crush on a captivating teacherâŚor can he?
For six months, Luke Caldwell has been fighting serious interest in a woman who doesnât like himâŚas well as desiring more than big city life. But after Tanith injures her ankle, he seizes an opportunity to help her outside the examination room. Surely the fine high school teacher will warm up to him after spending time together? Before Luke can process what little armor Tanith lowers, his practice is hit with a colossal problem that could ruin everything heâs built.
As Tanith and Luke ease into the realm of possibilities, they find themselves up against individuals who force them to face what they want and need most. Brains, quips, and brawn continue to merge beyond the classroom in Passion Under the Microscope, Book Two in the Smart is Seriously Sexy Series.
Christine Miles is a full-time writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An avid reader and writer since elementary school, Her passion for literature inspired her to pursue a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. Christine writes YA and Adult Contemporary Romances with sassy, independent heroines and swoony heroes who love them for their strength. When not writing romances, she loves traveling, binge-watching shows on streaming apps, reading mysteries and thrillers, listening to music, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and dog.
My thoughts: this is a really fun rom com about a biology teacher who sprains her ankle badly and the doctor who helps her out, and how they fall in like and then in love.
Tanith Kerrigan is a tough lady, she’s not planning on falling in love anytime soon and doesn’t want to end up like her much married mother, who is not a particularly nice woman. She’s put up walls to protect herself and doesn’t want to take them down.
But the dashing Dr Luke Caldwell is determined to take them down. Between painting walls and singing (badly), he has some pretty troubled problems at work to sort out but it won’t stop him from winning over Tanith. Especially since she lives in the same small town as his brother and his girlfriend – who is Tanith’s best friend and colleague. Could it be any more perfect?
This was sweet, fun and romantic, Tanith is a great character as is Luke, both of them seem like good people dealing with some difficult stuff, and in need of finding love and happiness.
Lori has been in love with her best friend Aiden since college. Now Aiden (handsome, fair, All-American dream doctor) is getting married, and Lori desperately needs a date to the wedding. So she asks the best man, Jace (tall, dark, and brooding), to pretend their platonic friendship is something more not to have to face the worst day of her life alone. Fake dating one best friend to forget the other should be easy⌠Plot twistâitâs not. When Jace starts acting like the sweetest, most attentive boyfriend, Lori begins to wonder if sheâs been seeing him wrong all this time? They’ve been an inseparable trio since freshman year, but now everything is changing â and that’s not even bringing Jace’s feelings into the mix. Basically? Itâs complicated.
Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance was published in June 2023.
My thoughts: Lori loves Aiden, but Aiden’s marrying Kirsten, and Jace loves Lori, but they’re just friends…or are they?
When Lori asks her pal Jace to fake date till they get through Aiden’s wedding, she doesn’t realise that her friend has been in love with her since college, roughly the same length of time she’s been in love with Aiden, or is she?
Realising there’s more to Jace than she thought, and that he could be more than “just friends” totally blows Lori’s world view apart, maybe The One isn’t the friend she fell for all those years ago (Aiden) but the The One Next To Him.
With the humour and romance you expect from one of Camilla Isley’s delightful rom coms, this is Doctors Do Dating and Falling in Love, turns out they’re smart, just not when it comes to love!! Lots of fun and with a perfectly charming happy ever after.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 