• Book cover of Dreaming of Provence
    Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Dreaming of Provence by Jennifer Skully

    dreaming of Provence book cover

    Some loves don’t let go. They just wait.

    Julia Bellerman thought she was done waiting. A trip to the lavender fields of Provence was supposed to be the end of it. The goodbye she never got. The closure she finally chose for herself. Then Ryder shows up. Her closest friend. Her first great love. The one she’s never fully stopped wanting. They’ve held the line for years. Kept things clean. Kept things safe. Buried what they used to be under something that almost feels like friendship. But Provence strips all of that away. Late nights. Warm wine. Too much honesty. Every look lingers. Every touch lands where it shouldn’t. The feelings aren’t gone. They never were. But going back means risking the one person she can’t afford to lose. And this time, if they get it wrong, there may be no way back. Will they finally choose each other, or spend the rest of their lives wondering?
    A positive review of the novel:

    “Dreaming of Provence is an incredible and poignant book that stands out amongst its genre, and one that captivated me from start to finish with ease!”

    Aimee – Red Headed Book Lover

     

     

  • Book cover of Moose Be Love
    Best Clean and Wholesome Romance,  Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Moose Be Love by Jacqueline Winters

    Moose Be Love book cover

    A fun cast of characters, a quirky small town Alaskan setting, the town’s favorite moose, and a swoony-romance with all the feels.

    When I travel to the small town of Sunset Ridge for the reading of my great aunt’s will, I have no idea that my sisters and I are about to inherit a lodge. Or that my rugged Alaskan neighbor is the caretaker I’ll be spending all my time with. Falling for Ford Harris would be unwise. I’m supposed to get the lodge listed for sale and leave. Not to mention that he hasn’t dated anyone since his wife died four years ago. The little sister he’s super protective over let it slip that he swore off ever falling in love again. But he’s cooking me dinner, showing me around town, and saving me from getting trampled by the town’s favorite moose. Don’t even get me started on the way my brain short circuits when I catch him shirtless and towel-drying his hair. The truth is? I’m falling hard, and I wish I didn’t have to leave.
    A 5-star review of the novel:

    “Very nice first book in a series. The characters are small town folks who make you wish you could be their neighbors. No violence and no malicious schemes — just day-to-day life and just what I needed in this often unpleasant world. Looking forward to reading more of this series.”

    JGH

     

     

  • Book cover of Rise Up to Love
    Best Clean and Wholesome Romance,  Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    Rise Up to Love by Jill Haymaker

    Rise Up to Love book cover

    What if the past catches up with you just when you’re starting a new life?

    Lorelei Grant, recently widowed, can’t believe that her best friend Charlotte wants to leave their hometown in Kansas and move to Aspen Ridge, a tiny, mountain town in Colorado and buy a gift shop. Is she crazy? Despite her hesitation, Charlotte wears her down, and they make the move. Remington Hunt has always been a loner, content to live out his life in the mountains with his dog, Grizwold. That is until two ladies buy the gift shop next to his own gun shop. There’s just something about the redhead that has him reconsidering his hermit lifestyle. Just when these two unlikely people start to put aside their differences and develop romantic feelings for each other, a past that Lorelei isn’t proud of catches up with her. People she’d put behind her from over thirty years ago, suddenly become real and threaten everything she’s started to build. Can Lori overcome past mistakes and find a way to not only love, but also forgiveness? Sometimes the person who is the hardest to forgive is yourself.
    The author on writing seasoned romances:

    “As a reader I have been discouraged by the lack of good romance novels about people older than 20 or 30. I wanted to show that even people on their 60’s can be romantic and have a great love story to tell. “

    Jill Haymaker

     

     

  • Book cover of The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop
    Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop by Annabel French

    The Floating Amsterdam Flowershop book cover

    One fresh start. One unexpected encounter. Can love bridge the gap?

    When Rosie leaves behind her ordinary life in England to open a flower shop on Amsterdam’s water, she expects nothing less than a fairytale. Max, her handsome but brooding new neighbour, prefers to keep the world at arm’s length – and living on the houseboat next door, he’s not too thrilled about the new company. As Rosie’s business blossoms, so do her feelings for Max. But Rosie isn’t sure she’s ready for a relationship, and Max is still nursing a broken heart. When a rival in the flower market threatens her dreams, Rosie discovers that the most beautiful things can bloom when you learn to go with the flow – and allow someone to stand by your side. Will Rosie and Max allow themselves to be swept away by love, or is their relationship doomed to sink before it can swim?
    A review of the novel:

    “It was a joy to be transported to The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop, and I adored every moment I spent with Rosie, Max and their blossoming community. I recommend this to anyone who wants to feel their heart lifted.”

    Kate Storey

     

     

  • Book cover of On the Market
    Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    On the Market by Rachael Herron

    The Bachelor meets The Property Brothers: Love, property, and construction. What could possibly go wrong?

    Liam Ballard is good at buying houses, fixing them up with his brothers, and flipping them for a profit. When Felicia from the network shows up to offer them a reality show (the brothers renovate a house while one of them dates the buyer), the pay is too good to turn down. With it, they’ll finally be able to open the after-school program for at-risk youth to honor the man who raised them. But when the very LA-like Felicia decides she’ll be the buyer of the property (and his date), Liam wonders for the first time what set of keys he’ll want to pass over to her, and will one of them unlock his heart? The author on the inspiration for this novel:

    “I’ve figured out over the years there are two kinds of people: those who like reality TV and those who mock reality TV but watch it in private… There’s a secret about reality TV that no one talks about, though. Those shows can be good for the heart. Just like romance novels… Six seasons of America’s Next Top Model got me through my mother’s death… When I didn’t know how to help a friend when she was very low, I attempted to hook her on Project Runway… We all need escape sometimes from a life that while often very, very good, can be very, very hard. That escape doesn’t have to be mindless. It can be mindful… And I realized that I’d love to write a reality show series. So here’s the first in the Ballard Brothers series. It’sThe Property Brothers meets the Bachelor, set on the California coast in the town of Darling Bay. I fell in love with Liam while writing him, and so did Felicia, the network executive who ends up accidentally starring in her own show (oops!).”

    Rachael Herron