Angela- How is it already August? How is school starting already? I have a ton of books on my TBR this month. Hopefully, I won’t be distracted by any new ARCs suddenly popping up on my Kindle.
Rogue Ghosts & Other Miscreants (Guild Codex Universe #) by Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen 8/6 Urban Fantasy- I really, really love this world. This is the third book featuring Kit Morris and his partner, Lienna.
Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) by Lucy Parker 8/17 Contemporary Romance– Grumpy falls in love with Sunshine with the backdrop of a reality tv baking competition. YES, PLEASE.
What We May Be by Layla Reyne 8/16 MMF Contemporary Romance– Y’all I saw this cover and HAD TO HAVE THIS BOOK. Then I sent the link to the rest of the Smexy crew and they had to have it too. So expect a group review sometime this month. (FBI agent + literature professor + police detective solving a crime and falling in love (again)).
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 8/17 Historical Fiction/Mystery– Another book I had to have once I saw the cover. This author tends to jump from genre to genre so you just never know what to expect, but here’s a hint from the blurb:
Velvet Was the Night is an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes
Bombshell (Hell’s Belles #1) by Sarah MacLean 8/25 Historical Romance– I’ve already read this one and really enjoyed. Not only are we finally getting Sesily’s story, but Ms. MacLean introduces a whole new group of fantastic women to swoon over. I am super excited about this series.
The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle 8/31 Contemporary Romance–
An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
Give me all the bodyguard romance.
Breaking Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #4) by Shelly Laurentson 8/31 PNR– Hey, it’s another Shelly Laurenston badger romance!
The Heart Principle ( The Kiss Quotient #3) by Helen Hoang 8/31 Contemporary Romance– I feel like I’ve waited forever for this book. This is Quan’s book… FINALLY. I am intrigued by the idea of the failed one-night stand because they can’t get enough of each other trope.
The Devil You Know (Mercenary Librarians #2) by Kit Rocha 8/31 Fantasy/Dystopian Romance– Okay, okay… I’ve already read this. I have no self control. Y’all DEFINITELY want to put this on your TBR. Maya and Gray are *Chef’s Kiss*.
Melanie – this summer has really flown by! I hope everyone has gotten to read some excellent books, I know I have! I only have a few books on my radar for August and luckily, I have ARCs for all of them!
Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) by Lucy Parker 8/17 Contemporary Romance – I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t even fully read the blurb when it was first announced. It’s Lucy Parker. That’s enough for me. Her books are consistently sharp and funny and have the most endearing characters and I expect nothing less from this one. This one features two characters at odds while baking. There’s no way I can resist that.
Bombshell (Hell’s Belles #1) by Sarah MacLean 8/24 Historical Romance – though I don’t read much histrom these days, Sarah MacLean continues to be a must read for me, with her fierce, bold female MCs and the male MCs who must strive to deserve them. Traveling back to regency times does seem a lot more exciting when Sarah MacLean is at the wheel.
Foolish Hearts (Jackson Falls #4) by Synithia Williams 8/24 Contemporary Romance – this series has proven to be the most soapy, tropey series, with a large cast of characters and tons of dramatic twists and turns. Honestly, if this actually was a television drama, I’d tune in on the regular. Since it’s not, I’ll settle for the deliciously sexy books, instead.
Secrets of a One Night Stand (Billionaires of Boston #2) by Naima Simone 8/24 Contemporary Romance – I don’t typically read much category romance but when I do, they’re usually penned by Naima Simone. I’ll read anything she writes, and this series is also soapy and tropey, featuring 3 estranged brothers coming together on the occasion of their father’s death. Drama ensues as do the sexy times and I’m here for all of that.
Melinda – There are a few I’ve already read ARCs this month but also ones I really looking forward to when they come out!
Role Model by Rachel Reid 8/10 Contemporary Romance – I’m late to this series but I’d heard so many people say it’s one of their favorites. So even though I rarely read sports romance I finally gave in and listened to this m/m hockey series and I was quickly sold on it. It’s very reminiscent of Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy’s His/Us books. I love the banter in these books and Ilya is everything!
Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) by Lucy Parker 8/17 Contemporary Romance Lucy Parker is an auto-buy for me as well as a comfort read, I find her writing both hilarious and touching. I was lucky enough to get an ARC and will be reviewing it for Smexy and just be aware to settle in with plenty of desserts when you read this one!
Foolish Hearts (Jackson Falls #4) by Synithia Williams 8/24 Contemporary Romance – I absolutely love this series! Like Melanie said above, it’s the soapiest series and I mean that in the best way. It’s filled with family drama and complicated relationships and just delightful.
For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes 8/31 Contemporary Romance I’ve been looking forward to this book since Carina announced it as Penny is a trans author and the premise sounded like something I’d love. April and Dennis have a one-night stand after they meet at a kink club, which turns into something more long term. I’ll be reviewing this one as well.
Jen– I have some repeats with the above picks. Lots of great books to ride out the summer with! Here are some new ones.
Fable of Happiness Book Two by Pepper Winters 8/3 Romantic Suspense- I LOVED the first book in this series. Review to come, and note, book one is FREE. Pepper Winters is one of my favorite dark romance authors. The H is part villain (ok…100% terrible- dub con- to the h, but with a complicated backstory) and part victim. The h is bad ass.
The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann 8/10 Medical Romance- First, I’m not sure I’ve ever read a “medical romance” categorized book. I love this author and I’ll give it a try. The h’s husband dies and donates his heart. The h is devastated and wants to know that the recipient is ok; she’s looking for some small connection to her lost husband. Prediction: I will weep from beginning to end.
The Sinner by Emma Scott 8/15 Paranormal Romance- Forbidden romance with an H with black wings and an introverted h who loves reading romance novels. She sounds vaguely familiar to people I know well. The h discovers a dead body in the alley by her apartment. Only, he’s not really dead.
The Casanova by TL Swan 8/26 Billionaire Romance- This is book three in the Miles High Club series. If sexy rich boss types are your thing, this series is for you. The H is Elliott and he’s quite the player. The h joins a dating app and starts chatting with a guy named “Edgar.” Hmmmm… And, I’m seeing reviews with tales of epic grovels from the H in this book. I’m definitely in.
What’s on; your TBR for August?
Love the cover for WHAT WE MAY BE, but Layla Reyne is hit-or-miss for me. But that cover—yum! And I totally agree about Naima Simone’s category romances: have you read her Blackout Billionaires series? All the tropes and angst—plus those beautiful Harlequin Desire covers.
As for me, I don’t have a lot on my August tbr, but August 10 is a banner day for my tbr with new books from three of my favorite writers in three of my favorite series:
Rachel Reid releases ROLE MODEL, the fifth book in her Game Changers m/m hockey series. This book is about a closeted player and the out-and-proud social media manager for the team to which he’s recently been traded. That sounds you hear is me squeeing!
M. O’Keefe (that’s Molly O’Keefe’s “dark romance” pen name) releases UNTAMED, the third and final book in her Dark Hearts trilogy (which is itself part of the large multi-author Midnight Dynasty series). In UNTAMED, a young woman, newly married to an inscrutable man, returns to her hometown to uncover the truth about what happened to her late first husband.
Annika Martin’s JUST NOT THAT INTO BILLIONAIRES is the sixth book in her Billionaires in Manhattan series of rom-coms-with-serious-centers. This one is billed as “friends-to-enemies-to-lovers”—and, if you’re familiar with the series, it’s Francine & Benny’s story.
The publication date for Ella James’s WRATH was moved from July 28 to August 27. This is part of James’s Sinful Secrets series and is a dark m/m romance between stepbrothers.
And my girl Kati Wilde’s latest shifter romance, SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR, is scheduled for August 31. As usual with Kati’s publication dates, I follow the old Russian proverb, “Hope for the best, expect the worse.” BEAR is the follow-up to TEACHER’S PET WOLF (the heroes of the two books are shifters & brothers; the heroines are sisters). In BEAR, the heroine is a local sheriff, the hero has been crushing on her for a long time. Can’t wait…but I may have to (lol).
I’m looking forward to the new Kati Wilde too!
Thanks, there are some books i would like to check out. But Karina Halle, I just can’t. I read “Heat Wave” some time ago and I really like it. So I read another one. “A Nordic King” and “The Royal Rogue” and a specific love scene was almost identical word for word. This is the first and only time I ever noticed something like this, probably because I read them back to back. But that was just … no.
I think I only read the first book in The Nordic King royals Karina Halle series, so i wouldn’t have caught that. She seems to put out a heck of a lot of books in a year. I’m about 70% into the one mentioned above and it’s okay. Not blowing my socks off, but not quite meh. Weirdly enough, it also has royalty in it.
You can add me to the crowd who is eager to read Lucy Parker’s new book as well as the one by Rachel Reid.
I just finished the new Lucy Parker the other day and IT. IS. EXCELLENT. You are going to love it.