Can Lucy find her second-chance romance in the glamour of the French Riviera? When aspiring author Lucy attends a rich friend’s 50th birthday party in glamorous Monaco, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever.
Heartsore after a broken marriage, she is not looking for love so when she meets Elias, and he offers to take her sailing on his employer’s boat, she agrees only as research for the book she desperately wants to write. They bond over their adult children – who seem to want to clip their wings and force them into living like pensioners – and the chemistry is undeniable. But is he all he seems? And is she ready to trust again?
An uplifting, later-in-life romance perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Jo Thomas and Julie Caplin.
Helga Jensen is an award-winning British/Danish best-selling author and journalist. Her debut novel was a winning entry in the 2017 Montegrappa First Fiction competition at Dubai’s Emirates Literary Festival. Her debut was also a contender for the coveted 2021 Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. Helga’s best-selling novel, Fly me to Paris, was a finalist for the 2024 Popular Romantic Fiction Award. Helga holds a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, along with a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. She is currently finishing a PhD.
Andi Glover loves nothing more than a good book. Any book in fact because when you’re raised by unconventional parents who think school’s for squares, alongside a deeply conventional sister who escapes home as soon as she can, fiction is eminently preferable to reality. The only problem is that fiction isn’t the best way to learn about the real world.
When Andi starts her new live-in job at Templewood Hall for the eccentric Lady Dawe and her enigmatic son Hugo, it’s tempting to think she’s fallen into the pages of one of her favourite gothic novels. But the plot twists at Templewood Hall are stranger than fiction and it’s not long before Andi questions if she’s living in a romance novel or a whodunnit. Bumps in the night, a missing heir, ghostly apparitions and secrets that have been kept for generations – the mysteries mount up. Then there’s the inscrutable gardener who seems to appear when needed – is Andi right to hope for a happily-ever-after end to her story?
Jane Lovering is a bestselling and multi-award winning romantic comedy writer. Most recently Jane won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.
My thoughts: This was a lot of fun, I liked Andi, and her job cataloguing the dusty and neglected library is pretty much my dream (although the dust is a health hazard, I’m asthmatic!) accompanied by resident feline, The Master.
She’s supposed to be looking for the diaries of the house’s one time master, grandfather to Hugo, Lady Tanith’s father-in-law, with whom she is obsessed. But the diaries don’t seem to be anywhere Andi can find, and Lady Tanith is not happy.
What Andi does find is a whole heap of secrets, and considering that there’s only a few people in the house, it’s impressive that they’ve managed to keep them. She also finds a deaf gardener, Jay, with whom she develops a slightly awkward relationship. He almost drowns her in the fountain, she catches him peeing in the bushes, it’s very rom-com esque.
She’s slightly worried that Lady Tanith will either sack her or marry her off to poor Hugo, who doesn’t really want that either. Although he does need a friend. His mother is completely nuts and horrible.
As Andi’s time at the house is under pressure, and she’s still sort of falling for Jay, things take a few twists and turns. It’s lots of fun to read, but probably quite stressful to live, so maybe I won’t hire myself out as a librarian archivist just yet.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re thrilled to present the cover for Roar of the Sky: An Asian Romantasy Story by Calla Zae!
Roar of the Sky (Infinara Dragons #1)
Expected Publication Date: October 23, 2025
Genre: Asian Romantasy
Age-Gap Relationship
Slow Burn Romance
Morally Gray Alpha
Mentor/Mentee
Vengeance Driven
Found Family
Steam and Suspense
Magical Connection
Happily Ever After
Hardened by heartache and too many bloody battles, General Wen Hung is focused on protecting his land and nothing more. When a beautiful healer uses a unique skill to save him from a deadly attack, she shifts something inside his heart. Now, he wants something that both terrifies and comforts him.
Determined to pave her own path, Zhao Mei Su is a talented healer with the passion of a warrior. But she has no teacher to educate her until she dares an adept warrior much older than her to give her lessons. The more she practices, the more her energy field transforms, connecting her to a cosmic realm she never knew existed. When a dragon roars for her, confusion and wonder set in as the unavoidable battle between the dark and the light erupts.
As darkness intensifies around them, Su and Hung join forces with the dragon realm to protect something more precious than they could ever imagine.
Download Unbound by Brittany Gossin Amazon for only $0.99 TODAY!
Unbound (Dragonflight #1) by @brittanygossinwrites
✨ Dragon shifters ✨ Stabby FMC ✨ Blood Witches ✨ Slow burn ✨ Forbidden love ✨ Quests and adventure ✨ Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️ ✨ Banter ✨ One bed ✨ Wingspan
What binds a Dragon shifter, a Princess seeking salvation in the North, and a desperate crime syndicate?
Welcome to Vicerona, a hub of debauchery ruled by crime lords, where Dragon shifters are imprisoned for crossing the wall, and Blood Witches threaten from the North.
Keagan Ragnor faces a dire threat: a plague ravaging Dragon shifters. To save his family, he must brave the perilous journey across the wall to secure the elusive Crimson Shard.
Princess Avalon Tremaine refuses to accept her fate of an unwanted marriage. With the Crimson Shard as her only hope, she must defy her destiny.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Thorpe, Rowena Blackridge, and Zedock Cannon—a trio of audacious criminals—embark on their most daring venture yet: the pursuit of the elusive Crimson Shard, a gamble that could erase their debts or seal their doom.
We are super excited to be touring The Bond that Burns by Briar Boleyn. If you have a dragon sized hole in your heart left over from Onyx Storm, this book is for you!
The Bond that Burns (Bloodwing Academy #2)
Publication Date: December 27, 2024
Genre: Dark Academia Fantasy Romance
🖤Fourth Wing meets Zodiac Academy 🖤Vampire Academy 🖤Slow-burn Dragons 🖤Vampire MMC with Draco Malfoy Vibes 🖤Steamy Enemies to Lovers 🖤Found Family 🖤Dual POV 🖤Bully Romance 🖤Trials 🖤Mean Girls 🖤Forced Engagement
At Bloodwing Academy, blood is currency, but a dragon’s legacy is priceless–and as dangerous as fire.
I thought surviving my first year in Bloodwing’s deadly halls would be enough. I was wrong.
I accidentally woke a dragon–a creature of myth, of death, of fire.
Now every highblood house wants control over me and the dragon’s legacy I carry. But here’s the truth: I have no control. I’m bluffing my way through every encounter, trying to keep everyone from realizing that I’m not the one pulling the dragon’s strings.
And then there’s Blake Drakharrow. I thought he was on my side, that I might even be able to trust him. But he betrayed me. Now I’m his only blood source. How messed up is that? In a place like Bloodwing, where power and survival are everything, this bond may well be the death of us both. Unless I can find a way to end it.
In this world of vampires, dragons, and lies, there are no happy endings. Just legends–and the darkness it takes to make them.
The Bond That Burns is a dark academia fantasy romance featuring a bully villain with Draco Malfoy energy who (eventually) gets the girl, all the tension and banter, and a tantalizingly dangerous blend of court and school intrigue all set in an intricately crafted world with unique vampire and dragon lore. If you’re a fan of original mythology, unique world-building, and character-driven romantasy books such as Crowns of Nyaxia, From Blood and Ash, and A Court of Thorns and Roses, you won’t want to miss out on this riveting new saga.
My thoughts: Read book one first or this will not make a great deal of sense as it picks up just as that ends. Do not make the same mistake I did.
Right, where were we. Oh yes, dragons. Also fluffins, which are little creatures a bit like Fennec foxes but maybe with smaller ears, or like Eevee from Pokemon. I think. This one’s called Neville, I already love him.
There’s more dragon in book two, and more sex, lots more sex (between human shaped people, not with dragons, I wish I didn’t have to explain this, but I do).
Medra has just about survived her first fun year at Bloodwing Academy, she still mostly hates Blake, she now has a dragon (with a nice line in sarcasm), who has only murdered one annoying vampire so far (I enjoyed that bit) and if she’s very lucky she might get to survive the second year. She still has no idea how she ended up here, and doesn’t seem too bothered about finding a way home. She’s finally got friends and is settling in, sort of.
Look, it’s messy, she’s basically the Promised One No One Wanted. She can do things no one else can, a lot of people would be happier if she was dead, she had to kill a friend at the end of the school year, and she’s still bonded to Blake. Who has his own issues to deal with.
It gets a whole lot messier before it gets better. Well, hopefully, it does in book 3. I also need a prequel, about Medra in the Camelot court and the fae.
Anyway, read this if you like dragons, mess, cute fluffy critters, friendships, complicated relationships, brooding men who need to grow up, conspiracies, and murder.
Grace Hastings’s dream job at the popular ‘true love’ dating app, Fate, has turned into a nightmare. Her boss is a leech, her career is stagnating, and her fiancé has just brutally dumped her. Her hope for finding her own love story is waning, and she feels like a fraud for promoting a concept she no longer believes in.
When the company’s CEO offers her an opportunity to earn a big promotion, she resolves to fight her imposter syndrome to show she deserves a seat at the table.
The opportunity?
To launch a brand-new app focusing on IRL dating and genuine connection.
The problem?
She must develop and test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with the other person gunning for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.
During their disastrous hikes, dangerous cooking classes and steamy yoga sessions, they begin to realise their stark differences may just be surface level and Eric might just be the perfect person to challenge Grace’s perceptions of love, dating culture and self-worth.
Annabelle Slator grew up writing stories in the depths of the British countryside. After achieving a degree in creative writing spent most of her late teens and early twenties writing social media and blog posts for start-ups and tech companies in London. Nowadays, if she isn’t spending time writing, you can almost always find her obsessing over niche internet drama, practicing her fencing parry or mooching around vintage fairs and flea markets with her husband and two mini dachshunds, Gruffalo and Gryffin. The Launch Date is Annabelle’s first book, inspired by her time working at a globally popular dating app.
My thoughts: Grace has a horrible boss, but having been offered the opportunity to pitch for a new concern at the parent company, she just might be able to get away from the woman who treats her like a skivvy.
Unfortunately it means working with her workplace nemesis – Eric Bancroft. And it gets worse, they’re going to have to test run some fun dates with potential business partners in order to develop the idea further. Which is a lot of enforced time with someone you can’t stand. Except that isn’t exactly true…
Fun, funny and quirky, this was an enjoyable workplace, enemies to lovers romance, that would make a great rom com film, a sort of 2025 Bridget Jones.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We have a fantastic book rec for you today AND an amazing international giveaway! The Moon’s Daughter is an absolute must read and is available to read now on Kindle Unlimited!
The Moon’s Daughter (Moon & Sands Book 1)
Publication Date: December 16, 2024
Genre: Romantasy/ Low Spice
🔥 Forbidden Love
💫 Slow-Burn Romance
🕯️ A Mysterious Prophecy
🐪 Medieval Arabia inspired worldbuilding
⚔️ “Don’t Touch Her!”
👑 A Fiery Crown Princess FMC
💥 A Jealous Warrior MMC
💔 Betrayal
She was destined to rule. He was destined to ruin her plans.
In a world where kingdoms rise and fall like shifting sands, Princess Layna stands on the edge of ruin—caught between her kingdom’s survival and the pull of her heart.
The desert kingdom of Alzahra is on the brink of war. As crown princess, Layna’s future has been shaped by duty, especially her responsibility to forge a strong alliance through political marriage. But everything changes when the handsome Prince Zarian arrives at court—dark, dangerous, and impossibly infuriating. A warrior shrouded in mystery, Zarian’s arrival shatters her orderly life and forces her to question her destined path.
As Layna’s fate intertwines with Zarian’s, a mysterious prophecy looms ever closer, threatening to unravel the entire Continent. The lines between lover and enemy blur, and one wrong move could cost her everything—her crown, her kingdom, and her forbidden love
In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.
Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.
Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?
Darcy McGuire is an award-winning New Zealand-born writer now living in the Pacific Northwest. She will write a five-part Victorian romance series for Boldwood, focused on a group of ‘Deadly Damsels’.
My thoughts: Queen Victoria’s Deadly Damsels are back, although Penny doesn’t start out as one. She’s genuinely a maid, from London’s tough streets, who gives as good as it gets, determined to get her mother out of debtors’ prison by exposing the Devil’s Sons, especially the Marquess of Stoneway, her current employer, and claim the reward money her police contact has promised her.
That’s before she meets the new Marquess. His father might have been rotten to the core, his brother heading the same way before his death, but Liam is not quite what Penny expected.
There’s an instant spark between them, but would it be right to take advantage of that? A lord seducing his maid would be as Penny expects, and might get her the information she needs, but what if it’s more? Can a Marquess marry a girl who grew up with nothing?
There’s lots of misunderstandings, double crossings, outright interference from familiar faces to fans of this series, a horrible butler, a secretly rather nice housekeeper, and Penny might just be my favourite. She’s streetwise and brave, taking on potential rapists with a set of brass knuckles and her wits, thankfully Liam is pretty charming and a better man than she first believes.
And with some new friends, Penny might just be able to bring the Devil’s Sons and their kidnapping ways to an end.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re thrilled to present the gorgeous cover for the second book in the House of Hyrax series, The Crown of the Dark Prince! You are going to want to pre-order this one!
The Crown of the Dark Prince (House of Hyrax Book 2)
Expected Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Forbidden Love
Chosen One
Godly Magic and Prophecies
He’ll give up everything for her
Political intrigue
Found Family
Magical Trials
Unexpected Allies
“What do you want?” “You”
The Crown of the Dark Prince is the exciting sequel to the bestselling novel The Rose in the Shadows and promises readers a steamy story filled with magic, secrets, betrayals, and heart-pumping action.
Theadora Moore has finally found her place within the Athenian Court.
With her would-be assassin now imprisoned in the palace dungeon, the kingdom awaits her next steps—completing her trials, ascending to the Royal Council, and forging a powerful alliance through marriage. Yet, despite her willingness to embrace these new responsibilities, she is haunted by dark secrets.
Thea can’t stop dreaming of the Underworld, and she’s desperate to figure out what her ancestor, the God of the Dead, wants from her. Until she understands, she can’t trust anyone with the truth, not even Crown Prince Clayton Vail. As her secret meetings with Hyrax continue, they threaten everything she cares about, including her growing relationship with Clay, who is determined to uncover what she’s hiding—even if it risks tearing them apart.
When the legendary Sword of Zion is stolen from it’s archives, Thea must seek help from an unlikely ally and realizes that secrets have a way of surfacing and prophecies cannot be ignored. To protect the Mortal Realm and keep her friends safe, she must finally accept who she is and the destiny she was born to fulfill—before it’s too late.
Coco is having a hell of a month. She’s lost her boyfriend and her business, been forced to uproot her daughter to move back in with her parents in Paris, and now an infuriatingly handsome stranger is yelling at her for acting like a tourist… Right underneath the Eiffel Tower.
Storming away from him – and swearing off men for life – she decides she’s going to take the first job that comes her way. Then, as if fate hears her, later that day she stumbles into a little bookshop – but not any old bookshop. This one comes complete with a café, cocktail bar, reading room and secret tunnel of books, and just a little hint of magic in the air. So when Coco’s offered a job selling books there, it feels like the perfect fit.
There’s only one problem… propping up the bar in the bookshop is none other than the grumpy, gorgeous stranger she’d met earlier that day…
A totally romantic, bookish and gorgeously escapist romantic novel, set in Paris in Springtime.
Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Sarah Morgan.
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–just as well they’re 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-life time love.
My thoughts: Be right back, just moving to Paris to find a bookshop to fall in love with (and hopefully meet the love of my life, one that isn’t a cat!)
Loved this, it’s a sweet, charming, witty romance set in Paris in a book shop. What more could a book loving Francophile want? I really must look into that French passport (my great-grandmother’s family were French, hope that’s enough) so I can hop across there more often. Maybe my dream date is twiddling their thumbs in one of the many bookshops there.
Coco’s life is falling apart, her business (and romantic) partner has turned out to be thief, a liar and a cheat, her business has collapsed and she’s fled to her parents’ tiny apartment in Paris to lick her wounds and try to start again, with her furious teenage daughter in tow.
Finding a job at the titular bookshop, a group of friends in the book club and perhaps a hint of romance with grumpy journalist Henri, things might just be getting better, but sometimes life loves an obstacle!
Rebecca Raisin writes such delightful stories and I think this might be my favourite so far.
*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 