Happy fall y’all! It’s October and we’re ready to tackle our spooky season reading lists at the same time as building our holiday TBR. There are tons of great books being released this month to help us along with both. Here’s some of the titles we’re most looking forward to:
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter
Series Name: Better Than the Movies, #2
Release Date: October 1
For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.
Make The Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
Release Date: October 1
It’s been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton.
All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did.
After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts…right?
How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein
Series Name: The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures, #1
Release Date: October 1
When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.
Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf striking a deal.
Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in between fights with formers bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.
The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
Release Date: October 1
Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That’s until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up with: “I think I’ve killed a man.”
Quinn realizes the “burglar” Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.
But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they’re in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be canceled… permanently.
With Christmas–and their marriage–on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other’s stockings come next Christmas?
The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts
Release Date: October 1
Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster.
Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.
Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
Release Date: October 1
Twelve days of fake dates. Two holidays. One chance to convince everyone they’re in love.
Arden James is Hollywood’s hottest teen actor. Infamously reckless, she’s a constant in the tabloids. But when her messy reputation costs her an audition for her dream role, Arden and her publicist make up a lie to flip the script. Only, for the lie to work, she’ll have to head home for the holidays for the first time in four years.
Caroline Beckett has spent those last four years shining up a stellar portfolio that will get her into a top journalism program and convincing herself she could not be less interested in what her former best friend and first crush has been up to since she left without a word. But when Arden suddenly shows up at her doorstep with the promise of a real byline in Cosmopolitan in exchange for a write up on their “secret romance” and twelve snow-covered holidates in their Christmas-obsessed hometown, Caroline can’t help but be tempted into playing along.
It should be easy enough to stand each other for twelve days to make their dreams come true, right? But when old feelings start to bubble up, so do new holiday wishes that might just have Arden and Caroline falling faster than that Christmas Eve snow…
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
Release Date: October 1
Julie Parker’s kids are her greatest gift. Still, she’s not exactly heartbroken when they ask to skip a big Christmas. Her son, Nick, is taking a belated honeymoon with his bride, Blair, while her daughter, Dana, will purge every reminder of the guy who dumped her. Again. Julie feels practically giddy for one-on-one holiday time with Heath, the (much) younger man she’s secretly dating.
But her plans go from cozy to chaotic when Nick and Dana plead for Christmas at the family cabin in memory of their late father, Julie’s ex. She can’t refuse, even though she dreads their reactions to her new man when they realize she’s been hiding him for months.
As the guest list grows in surprising ways, from Blair’s estranged mom to Heath’s precocious children, Julie’s secret is one of many to be unwrapped. Over this delightfully complicated and very funny Christmas, she’ll discover that more really is merrier, and that a big, happy family can become bigger and happier, if they let go of old hurts and open their hearts to love.
Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire
Release Date: October 1
In Oak Haven, this witch is about to brew up more trouble than she bargained for…
When Scarlett Melrose receives a call from her estranged sisters, she immediately knows something is wrong. The magic at their mother’s inn – and in fact, the whole of Oak Haven – has gone awry, and they need her help to save it.
As the conflicted middle-child, returning home has given Scarlett the heebie jeebies. And to make matters worse, she’s just come face-to-face with charming old flame and handyman, Nate.
When her spell to fix the magic goes horribly wrong, all Scarlett wants to do is flee back to the peace and quiet of her San Francisco flat. But she can’t keep running away forever, and she’ll need all the help she can to solve this magical mess.
With time slipping away, Scarlett must learn that sometimes the greatest spells really do come with the greatest responsibility – especially when love is involved…
One Winter at the French Chalet by Mandy Baggot
Release Date: October 4
With Christmas fast approaching, her boss is insisting Orla must travel to a rural village in France to interview a man who doesn’t speak. But with trouble at home – her teenage sister Erin is in a ‘situationship’ with a man online – Orla’s only plan is to take Erin with her.
Get the interview done, find out more about this online Romeo and still be back in time for Christmas dinner. Easy, right?
Saint-Chambéry is a picturesque French village nestled in the snow-capped mountains, but Jacques Barbier – gorgeous and brooding, yet a man of few words – makes it clear that Orla is wasting her time here.
Orla can’t deny that Jacques intrigues and infuriates her, but what is the mysterious Frenchman hiding exactly? And can she get close enough to uncover his secrets without risking her own heart?
The Most Wonderful Time by Jayne Allen
Release Date: October 8
With Christmas around the corner, Ramona Tucker is desperate to get away. She has been lying to her family about her engagement to Malik, her (ex) fiancé. But breakups are fickle, and Ramona is convinced that she can make her pretend wedding real again—but only if she can avoid everyone discovering her secret at her mother’s over-the-top Christmas Eve party.
Two-thousand miles away in sunny Malibu, Chelsea Flint needs money to hold on to the beloved beachside cottage she shared with her late parents. The taxes are expensive, and her art isn’t paying the bills. Once an irresistible star of the Los Angeles art scene, Chelsea seems to have lost that spark that vaulted her to the top. If she doesn’t rediscover that magic—and sell a painting—soon, it will be her family’s home she’s selling instead.
The two women swap homes, just in time, thanks to some careful planning by Ramona’s best friend and a sturdy nudge from Chelsea’s gallerist godmother. Ramona’s Malibu dreams of sun and surf are interrupted as her first night brings an unwelcome stranger to her door, making her question who she can trust—the meddling neighbor Joan, or Jay, the handsome beachside fitness instructor with a secret of his own. Chelsea, desperate for Ramona to stay, hides what she knows—even if that means jeopardizing her budding connection with charming Carlos, whose dreams for his future could be the very key to unlock Chelsea from the weight of her past.
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
Release Date: October 8
Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. When Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.
But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bed-less, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
Series Name: Royals and Romance, #1
Release Date: October 8
Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.
But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.
Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.
It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.
The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas
Release Date: October 8
Marketing executive Elena Voss’s newest assignment for Sparkle Cookie, a large cookie conglomerate, was meant to be a much-needed break from her toxic boss and the stressful city. She never expected to get into a public—and embarrassing—argument with a sexy baker in New Hope, Pennsylvania. But the townsfolk aren’t exactly thrilled about a corporate chain bakery coming in to ruin their small-town feel.
Lawrence Higgins–and his dog Sugar–have been a beloved staple in New Hope for years. Their bakery specializes in cookies, but with Sparkle Cookie’s upcoming grand opening, he’s worried about rent spikes and stolen customers. Elena wants to write Lawrence off as an opponent she can crush, but his good looks and passion for baking make it difficult to stay professional.
Elena and Lawrence immediately butt heads at a town hall meeting. When a cookie competition makes them join forces, sparks fly, and they find first impressions are often wrong. Can their blossoming connection survive the ensuing cookie war?
Don’t Kiss and Spell by Camilla Isley
Release Date: October 8
Being a single witch at the holidays can be hard. The solution? Mila Bennet brews a love potion on Christmas Eve, hoping to fall in love with the next man she sees.
But instead of the charming date she imagined, Riley King—Salem’s Magical PD Chief Inquisitor—bursts through her door and arrests her for murder.
Mila has leapt out of the cauldron of holidays blues straight into the fire of Riley’s handcuffs.
It’s instant hate between the witch and the dashingly infuriating wizard in uniform. But the potion has other plans. It sparks an unbidden, fiery attraction neither of them can resist.
They’d want nothing other than to go their separate ways and let the effects of the potion fade. But when Mila, cleared of all charges, is sentenced to collaborate with Riley in solving the murder mystery, they have to ignore their off-the-charts chemistry and work together to crack the case.
As Mila and Riley forcibly collaborate, they must also face off to the fact that somewhere between the puzzling of clues, mistletoe, and suspects interrogations, they might be falling in love.
But can Mila settle for a love that comes from a potion and not the heart? As the investigation progresses, she wonders if a murder case is the only mystery she has to solve…
Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot
Release Date: October 8
Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby’s been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors don’t understand that the story of Hanukkah cannot be told with light-up plastic figures from the Nativity scene, even if the Three Wise Men wear yarmulkes.
Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There’s one other: Seth.
As it turns out, Seth’s parents have been badgering him to bring a Nice Jewish Girlfriend home to New York City for Hanukkah, and if Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he’ll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in Manhattan, Abby begins to realize that her fake boyfriend and his family might just be igniting a flame in her own guarded heart.
The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
Series Name: The Ex Hex, #3
Release Date: October 8
Bowen Penhallow has always been a loner, studying dark and ancient magic on a mountaintop in Wales. He prefers it that way. But when his friend Colin—who happens to be a ghost—asks him to attend a Yuletide wedding at a grand estate deep in the Welsh countryside, Bowen reluctantly agrees.
Tamsyn Bligh is not a witch, but she makes her living off of them. As a procurer and seller of magical items, Tamsyn’s business is not always above board, but she’s been trying to fix that (mostly.) Bowen is an occasional customer—as well as the star of several of Tamsyn’s dirtiest dreams—but she’s been around enough witches to know that, as a human, getting involved with one is not the smartest idea. She’s finagled an invite to the Witchy Wedding of the Century in the hopes of finally making a score big enough to retire. Just one priceless magical artifact from Tywyll House would set her up for life.
But Tamsyn isn’t the only one sneaking about in Tywyll House, and the mix of a very strong spell combined with a wedding mishap transports Bowen and Tamsyn into Tywyll House’s past, to the Yuletide Celebration of 1958. As Bowen and Tamsyn work together to get back to the present, they must also face off with the origins of Tywyll House’s haunting, the suspicions of their fellow witches…oh, and the fact that somewhere between the mistletoe and the bonfire, they might be falling in love.
Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts
Release Date: October 8
Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to off-load the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots.
Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he’s just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he’s part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that’s looking into the many “verified” ghost stories in town. Lex can’t resist getting involved—especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made-up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters’ research and skews the results. After all, James’s stay is only temporary, and her career dreams come first.
But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she’s falling for James. Worse, there’s more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his affection: his mission isn’t as frivolous as it seems, and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story.
This not-quite ghost story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit.
Double Apex by Josie Juniper
Series Name: Frontrunners, #1
Release Date: October 8
Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She’s a math prodigy with dazzling skill, cutting wit, and no patience for matters of the heart. Of course, her job would be a lot easier if she didn’t keep butting heads with their team’s cocky and infuriatingly hot new driver.
Cosmin Ardelean is intense and committed, but as famous for his off-track romantic exploits as his on-track wizardry. Yet his devil-may-care façade conceals a haunted past. When the pair strikes up a secret—and thrillingly forbidden—“arrangement” to improve their communication and bond of trust, the heat of their attraction turns to something more . . .
But no secret stays hidden for long in the racing world, and soon things are spinning out of control. With everything on the line, will they be able to strip away all their defenses and go full throttle for a chance at love?
Christmas Sweater Weather by Jaqueline Snowe
Release Date: October 8
Charlotte Calhoun has avoided Hayden Porter, her older brother’s sexy-as-sin best friend, ever since that mortifying night when he flat-out rejected her. Fine. Except this Christmas season, they’re thrown together at a snowy ski resort for her brother’s bachelor party, complete with mistletoe, cozy fireplaces, and adjoining rooms. She can tell herself to get over Hayden, but holiday cheer is turning to holiday lust every time he is within ten feet of her.
Between being a full-time single father and his high-pressure college coaching job, a romantic relationship is off the table for Hayden. But he’s fought his attraction to Charlotte for as long as he can. A one-night stand is starting to sound like a good idea—as long as her brother never finds out. But with two long weeks until the wedding, hiding their growing feelings is going to take a Christmas miracle.
Mistletoe Season by Sheila Robert, Kathleen Fuller, and Pepper Basham
Release Date: October 8
This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not.
Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts–Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite. Every time she’s kissed someone under the mistletoe it’s led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams) kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn’t a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she’s never forgotten, and now she’s about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.
Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller–Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O’Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother’s seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister’s close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he’ll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?
The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham–Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month “punishment” in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn’t recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.
A Kiss in the Dark by Suzanne Enoch
Series Name: Sam and Rick, # 2
Release Date: October 8
When Samantha Jellicoe, cat burglar and art thief extraordinaire (reformed!) is tapped to install last minute security for the auction of a priceless art collection, she leaps at the chance. Not only is it a great offer, but it will lead to future jobs, which are hard to find for a talented but notorious ex-thief. If there’s one thing Sam knows, it’s security— and how to get around it!
Walking the straight and narrow (so she can marry her dreamy, aristocratic fiancé Richard Addison) is not going to be easy, and this case adds a whole new level of complications: the possible involvement of her interfering and equally skilled Dad, the auction house’s liaison’s mysterious background, as well as the hidden motives of her new staff means that Sam’s burglar sack is full to the brim with extra baggage — and not the sparkly kind!
Failure could mean the end of Sam’s freedom, her relationship with Rick, and everything she’s been working for, so it’s all hands on deck for Team Sam, with a few twists, fireworks — literal and personal — and some great pizza, in a blowout that New York City’s art scene will never forget!
Snowy Mountain Christmas by Sharon Sala
Release Date: October 8
One minute, Trey Austin is driving through torrential rain; the next, he’s being rescued from a car wreck by an angelic woman with the courage to brave the storm. Her face was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness. No one got her name—but she lost one shoe stuck in the mud. It’s Trey’s only clue, so he takes to the internet, hoping against hope that he’ll find his angel.
Just when he’s almost given up, Trey gets a message from Hailey Beaumont, owner of a cozy bed and breakfast in Colorado, and he instantly knows he’s found her. Without hesitation, Trey heads to the mountains to meet Hailey just in time to spend an unforgettable Christmas snowed in with his dream girl, who, when finally in front of him, is even more special than he remembers.
The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison
Release Date: October 8
Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on.
Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities…
After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s teacher: Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels.
As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever . . . or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.
Darn Knit All by Evie Mitchell
Release Date: October 12
THEO
You might be asking yourself how a guy like me ended up on a fashion reality TV show. You may also be asking why I agreed to be a designer’s apprentice with no intelligible sewing skills.
Cake.
Delicious, fluffy, flour-laden, sugary cake—the beginning of my downfall.
If it weren’t for that cake, I’d have never bribed Mai Sakamoto for more. We’d have never developed a friendship. I wouldn’t know of her dreams to become a fashion designer. And I’d sure as hell would never have ended up on a reality TV show to help her chase those dreams.
Real knight in shining armor moves, right?
Our friendship was a match made in heaven… before the show put us up in a one-bed hotel room.
Now my lines are blurry and I can’t help but wonder, could Mai be my perfect fit?
MAI
Every day I’m battling imposter syndrome, anxiety, and abject terror—and why?
Is it for prize money? Fame? The opportunity for my designs to be seen around the world?
Nope.
It’s because of Theo. Beautiful, hilarious, frustrating Theo.
Theodore Garrett believes in me. He believes I’ve got what it takes to win this crazy competition. He quiets the doubts in my head, pushing me toward my dream life.
Only, I don’t know how to tell him that my dreams don’t include fashion shows and exclusive lines, and instead feature… him.
Darn Knit All.
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Release Date: October 15
When Lexie learns of her father’s death, she doesn’t know how to feel; they’ve barely spoken in the last ten years. And she’s even more confused when she discovers he’s left her half of his holiday travel company, a successful niche business specializing in trips that explore the holiday traditions of cultures all over the world.
Meanwhile, the other half of the company has been left to her father’s handsome but bad-tempered young executive, Theo. And the will stipulates that the two of them must find a way to run the company together for a year before they decide its fate.
Lexie intends to leave once the year is over, even though, as a wanderer herself, she finds the company’s mission more compelling than she first thought. And a work trip to sizzling Spain reveals a chemistry between Lexie and Theo that is impossible to deny.
There may have been some snap judgments made about each other. But mixing business and pleasure isn’t always a good idea.
Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
Release Date: October 15
At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin’s just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone―at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.
Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful.
Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. It’s not a question of should they, but rather can they make it last? Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works? In Erin Hahn’s heartwarmingly sexy Catch and Keep, Maren and Joe have to be brave enough to find out.
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Release Date: October 15
An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland
It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.
Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.
But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.
Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark
Release Date: October 15
It’s the most romantic time of the year.
The holidays are fast approaching, and the Belvedere siblings are a mess. Liz, a Hollywood showrunner and responsible eldest, has no idea how to follow up her hit show’s first season, or how to deal with her giant crush on its star, Violet Grace. Birdie turned her chronic middle-child syndrome into a career as a stand-up comic, but since she spends more time wooing women than working on new material, she’s facing one-hit-wonder status, especially once she gets axed by her manager. And Rafi, sensitive romantic and the baby golden boy, proposes to his co-worker girlfriend in front of their entire company, only to be turned down by the woman he thought was the love of his life.
Born to three different fathers, the three adult children share one mother: famed actress and singer Babs Belvedere. Seeking direction and holiday cheer, all three siblings head up to their mother’s house in the country, determined to swear off love and focus on themselves and their work. But the spirit of the season seems to have different plans for them, and their best intentions are quickly derailed in the most delightful and festive of ways.
Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner
Release Date: October 15
Catherine Lipton carefully calculates everything, and not just because she’s a math professor. She had a chaotic childhood growing up with a free-spirited single dad. So now, from her daily to-dos to her afternoon snacks, Catherine has a plan for it all. But sometimes she wishes she could be someone else, someone with a totally different life. Until suddenly her entire identity—from her Social Security number to her driver’s license to her academic record—mysteriously disappears. There’s no evidence Catherine Lipton ever existed.
With no ID and no other options, Catherine reluctantly accepts help from her exasperatingly laid-back—and infuriatingly attractive—doorman, Luca Morelli. Before long, by-the-books Catherine finds herself bending all the rules with the charismatic Luca—from taking meetings in smoky bars to breaking into hospital record rooms—and having a surprising amount of fun. As Catherine unravels the truth behind her identity’s disappearance, she may discover that the real Catherine has been missing for a lot longer than she realized.
A French Girl in New York by Anna Adams
Series Name: The French Girl, #1
Release Date: October 15
Maude Laurent is an orphan. Raised in Carvin, a small town in northern France, she’s always wondered about her parents—who they were and what happened to them. Her foster family, the Ruchets, certainly won’t tell her anything. For them, she’s someone to cook meals, clean their house, and look after their twin boys, but Maude dreams of much more—she dreams of becoming an opera star and singing on the great stages of Paris.
Her Cinderella moment arrives when she’s livestreamed playing the piano and singing in a café during a school trip to Paris. Suddenly she’s an internet sensation and music studios are pursuing her with promises of stardom. The only problem? They all want her to sing pop, but that’s not what Maude wants…
When Terence Baldwin and his daughter show up on Maude’s doorstep, they promise to help her find her own unique voice. Maude accepts the challenge: six months in New York to write and record three singles that become hits. If she succeeds, she can stay and record an album. If she doesn’t, she’ll return to Carvin.
Maude knows she has the drive and talent to succeed but she also knows that her father used to live in the city. Perhaps, just perhaps, she can have it all: a successful music career and a chance to learn more about her family. It’s perfect! However, there’s one big problem—her collaborator Matt Durand. He’s annoying and arrogant, a popstar on a break, and he’s determined to force Maude out of her comfort zone.
With rival artists determined to see Maude fail and the clock ticking, Maude and Matt have to put their bickering aside if they’re going to succeed. Then a sudden revelation about Maude’s parents changes her perspective on everything and leaves her wondering if she can ever find the perfect harmony.
A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
Release Date: October 15
Hailey Morgan’s life has always revolved around music. She once had big dreams of becoming a professional songwriter, but the reality of life has led her to working as an assistant high school band teacher in Portland. As the holidays approach, Hailey dreads the annual tradition of spending Christmas with her family and dodging her mother’s meddling questions about her love life.
When Hailey’s close friend offers her the use of her family’s empty cabin for a rejuvenating solo holiday retreat, Hailey finally decides to do something to make herself happy. However, her arrival in the small town of Podunk, Oregon, is anything but peaceful when she discovers the cabin has been invaded by several wild animals. Luckily, Jay, the son of the town’s main store proprietor—and an incredibly handsome and charming former musician to boot—is more than willing to help.
Soon Hailey and Jay are nearly inseparable, chopping down and decorating a Christmas tree, sipping hot cocoa in front of a cozy fire, and best of all, playing music together. Jay’s positive feedback and encouragement inspire Hailey to believe she might succeed as a songwriter after all. But even in her snow-dusted oasis, family holiday drama still finds Hailey, interrupting and threatening her newfound peace and confidence. Meanwhile revelations from Jay present complications of their own. Suddenly her Christmas paradise has become a winter storm and Hailey must weather through the challenges to stand up for herself and embrace the holiday spirit.
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
Series Name: Royal Artifactual Guild, #1
Release Date: October 15
As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.
It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.
Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.
It’s time to dig deep. Literally.
Lightning in Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Series Name: Wild Magic, #2
Release Date: October 15
Teal Flores is desperate for two things—control over her gift of weather, and a date to her ex’s wedding. The first isn’t possible until she finds her long-lost mother, but the second has a very handsome last-ditch solution: Carter Velasquez.
Carter needs Teal too. His chance at receiving an inheritance is dependent on him being married by age thirty (blame his traditional Cuban grandmother), so who better to pose as his wife than Teal? But fake marriage and cohabitation prove tricky when mutual attraction charges the atmosphere—quite literally for Teal, whose volatile emotions cause lightning strikes.
Together, Teal and Carter embark on a quest to find her mother and the answers she’s searching for. But along the way, they’ll discover something even better: a love that can weather any storm.
Playmaker by Deanna Faison
Release Date: October 22
What started as a game just got serious.
Cameron’s a hot NFL prospect, and a total player on and off the field. But his moves don’t seem to work on Maddie. While she once crushed on him hard, that crush has since faded. She’s got big plans of her own and they don’t include him.
Then Spring Break turns their plans, and their feelings, upside down. Maddie and Cameron start a steamy affair, sneaking around behind their families’ backs. But there’s one big problem: Maddie’s WAY overprotective brother–who happens to be Cameron’s BFF.
Will Cam be able to admit he’s got real feelings? Will Maddie ever be able to stand up to her brother and make her own decisions?
The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy
Release Date: October 22
She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.
All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She’s still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.
Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?
How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: October 22
Every Kringle in Kringletown loved Christmas a lot.
But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately did not.
Cole was a recluse during the Kringle Christmas season.
No one knew why, no one could quite give a reason.
Martha said it was because he was alone and very single.
Mae believed it was because he was never named the town Kringle.
But to me, the reason is a storyline far too sad.
For at the age of eighteen, he lost both mom and dad.
Whatever the reason, his parents or being single,
He spends Christmas in the dark, hating the cheery people of Kringle.
The Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans
Release Date: October 22
Give a man a cookie . . . and he’s yours.
Melody Monroe will do anything to get her nine-year-old twin boys to muster up the holiday spirit. Especially since they lost their father, the boys have started questioning the point of Christmas at all.
When Melody learns the school’s cookie committee has disbanded due to dissension in the top ranks, she can’t let the boys lose another ounce of Christmas joy, so she decides to take over the cookie committee herself, even if it means dealing with the infuriating school principal, Jonathan Braxton.
Soon, a small argument turns into a town-wide bake-off between her and Jonathan, and before she knows it Melody finds that her competitive spirits have turned romantic. Love isn’t supposed to be in the recipe for Melody. But with a little holiday magic, she and Jonathan might just bake up something special.
Lone Wolf in Lights by Stacey Kennedy
Series Name: Naked Moose, #2
Release Date: October 22
Everyone daydreams about a fresh start…but Willow Quinn is making it happen. She’s left her life in Phoenix to open a bar in cowboy-country Montana with her two best friends. It’s a chance to reboot in a new town with a new life—and leave behind the shadows of her past and heal. Hopefully.
All she wants to do is create an empowering space for women who need support. Snow and the holidays are on the way, so surely a craft circle is the perfect way to build community… Except who knew her plans would ruffle so many feathers.
Enter former bull rider Eli Cole. She’s drawn to the green-eyed cowboy, his intensity and the electrical charge between them. (Even though he seems to have as many dark secrets as she does.) And when she and her bar, The Naked Moose, go viral for being interlopers, suddenly Willow’s new life is on rocky ground.
But Eli has the perfect solution—give the fiercely single bar owner a fake relationship with a local. But while it might dim the negative spotlight and convince the town she really does fit in, it definitely won’t protect her heart from the cowboy she can’t resist…
The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long
Series Name: The Palace of Rogues, # 8
Release Date: October 22
A blue-blooded beauty bartered to a Beast…
He would pay any price to possess her. But even though Alexandra Bellamy sacrifices herself to save her family’s fortunes, a shocking betrayal sunders her marriage to a taciturn brute of a war hero, Colonel Magnus Brightwall, before it even begins. Five years of icy separation later, a scandal—with Alexandra at the middle—reunites them, and Magnus issues an edict: they will confront the ton, rescue their reputations, then Magnus will banish her to another continent—forever.
But alone in a suite at the Grand Palace on the Thames, a new battle begins—between pride and the unexpected volcanic passion stirring between them. The danger is real: Magnus rediscovers why Alexandra is the only woman who could ever break him. And even as she lays bare the beautiful heart beating beneath the battered hide of the near-stranger she married, Alexandra knows she may have already lost him—even as she finally falls fatally, irrevocably in love.
Love & Lattes by Beth Reekles
Release Date: October 22
One summer internship. Two complete opposites. And a connection neither expected…
Annalise Sherwood has worked herself to the bone to get a place on a prestigious internship program and nothing is going to stop her now. Work hard, play later, that’s her motto. She figures one night letting her guard down won’t hurt, though – especially when it ends with the best kiss of her life.
But to Anna’s horror, she discovers that the mystery guy she kissed that night is none other than Lloyd, the company CEO’s son. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he’s everyone’s favorite guy and a total charmer, swanning around like he owns the place. And from the moment they meet again, he rubs Anna up the wrong way.
As the summer and the internship wane on, Lloyd seems to be finding any excuse to annoy Anna, and she’s not afraid to give it right back to him. But when a lot of late night working brings them unexpectedly closer, she begins to wonder if there’s more to him than she originally thought..
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
Release Date: October 22
Once the literary world’s golden girl, Aspen Lourde can’t seem to produce another successful book, and the pressure’s on to prove she’s not just a one-hit-wonder. But there’s a catch: her bestseller was a heartbreak hit, straight from her own love life disaster. Without any fresh romantic turmoil to fuel her pen, Aspen needs inspiration quick enough to create a book her agent can sell to her publisher. So she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks with a plan to live a story worth writing.
Brick Babel is a romance novelist’s dream: a local heartthrob with a reputation as wild as the horses running free in the town. He’s everything Aspen needs for a muse kickstart—gorgeous, moody, and notoriously unattainable. His affairs are legendary in the small town, and every woman warns her off, including her sister.
Too bad a good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to meet her deadline.
But Brick refuses to play the game, rejecting all of her advances. When Aspen hears his tour company is on the verge of bankruptcy, she offers him a deal: fake a whirlwind summer romance, then ditch her, drama guaranteed.
Desperate to save his grandfather’s business, Brick agrees to the ridiculous deal. What starts as a contractual fling spirals out of control as lines blur and real feelings emerge. Brick’s falling hard, and Aspen’s rethinking her plot twist. The novel might be her ticket back to the top, but at what cost?
Because Aspen’s finally found her muse, but some stories may be too true to share.
Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux
Release Date: October 22
Margaret Arden yearns to live like the passionate and daring women in her novel. The idyllic life at Mosely Cottage with her two younger sisters and mother is fine, but Margaret wants more than the demure and dainty existence she’s known. After a particularly brutal rejection from an annoyingly attractive publisher, Margaret fears being forced into marriage to protect her family if their financial situation doesn’t improve—until her cousin’s glamorous wedding masquerade brings her onto a collision course with scandal, notoriety, and even love.
Captain Bridger Darrow is starting over after fighting for his country. Now home, he is struggling to save his family from destitution and succeed in a new venture of passion: book publishing. It’s all going rather poorly, until he stumbles upon loose pages of an astonishing novel while in attendance at his dearest friend’s wedding. Bridger knows he must publish it. But upon meeting the author, Bridger is stunned to discover that he—she—is a woman, and he has already told her off in grand fashion.
While Bridger is keen to gain her trust and rescind the initial rejection, Margaret can’t help but be skeptical of his intentions. Sparks fly between the two, just as the wedding of the season starts to descend into chaos when a masked dance leads to a case of mistaken identities.
Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters
Release Date: October 22
Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.
But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she’s accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London from Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business—and the funds to keep their historic house running—relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.
Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she’ll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. She may not love a Christmas romance…but what if she has one of her own?
The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck
Series Name: First Responders, #2
Release Date: October 22
For Thea Martinelli, burnout is real. After working as a firefighter for the Emergency Services Department over the last ten years, she can’t stomach any more close calls. Just when she’s ready to hang up the hose for good, she’s offered an out: stay on as the station’s new social media coordinator. It’s a move that would keep her on the squad and off the truck—if she makes it through the probation period.
Basically, she needs to learn everything there is to know about social media…fast.
Librarian and social media coordinator Simon Osman is shocked to learn his new responsibilities include showing Thea Martinelli—his high school crush—the ins and outs of digital engagement. And the fact that she doesn’t even remember him? Not helpful. Still, this could be his chance to finally turn his part-time role into something long-term.
But as the chaos of the holiday season unfolds, Thea and Simon find that the closer they work together, the hotter their attraction burns. Yet giving in to these feelings could mean giving up their careers. Are they willing to risk everything they’ve worked toward…for each other?
A Cowgirl’s Thanksgiving Kiss by Amy Vastine
Series Name: The Blackwell Belles, #4
Release Date: October 22
Turkey, pumpkin pie…
And unexpected love!
Working in a man’s world of Texas bull breeding, stressed-out single mom J.R. Blackwell can’t help being annoyed by her handsome coworker, Hunter Robbins. So when their boss pits them against each other for a big promotion, J.R. is ready to step up and grab the prize. But Hunter’s offer of a place to stay after a tree crushes her home, and his easy connection with her daughter, melts her reserve. Despite J.R. doing everything she can to ignore the feeling—and Hunter’s baby goat winning her daughter’s heart!—will the charming former bull rider be her true prize this Thanksgiving?
All Folked Up by Penny Reid
Series Name: Good Folk, # 4
Release Date: October 28
Isaac has never been what he seems.
Rumor has it that gruff, brooding, and solitary man-of-mystery Isaac Sylvester is back in town, and the only thing folks in Green Valley know for certain is that this prodigal son’s motives are as elusive as he is. He’s been spotted loitering near the old Townsen farm, hanging around the Hill’s homestead, and glaring menacingly from the edges of The Donner Lodge’s parking lot. What this hometown-hero-turned-criminal wants, no one knows. Nor can they stop talking about it.
Hannah’s last night as an exotic dancer might just be her most memorable.
Hannah Townsen has often been a subject of local gossip. Folks shook their heads when Hannah’s daddy ran out on her momma; folks blessed her heart after Hannah’s momma had that tragic accident; and folks really talked up a tizzy when Hannah became an exotic dancer in order to pay off her parents’ debt and put food on the table. But now, ten years after being dubbed as a hometown-stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold, Hannah has seemingly—and finally—fallen off the gossip mill’s radar.
That is, until the enigmatic Isaac Sylvester shows up at Hannah’s retirement party wanting so much more than a private dance. . .
