Wednesday, May 10, 2023

by Joanne Mengel

"Never apologize for your reading tastes” (Genreflecting, 1982) is one of my all time favorite quotes. And - I will never apologize for mine! I chuckle as I write this post because I actually include this phrase at the end of all my work emails. If a library customer needs help finding romance novels - sweet or spicy -  my coworkers know I am the go to person. I do read other types of books, but I’m a romantic at heart so the genre appeals to me - especially when I am looking for an escape from the stress and struggles of everyday life. I selected a few of my favorites just for you, some are sweet, and some are SPICY!

Let’s start you out with some sweet romance. Give these a try:

 Welcome to Moonlight Harbor by Sheila Roberts

First in the Moonlight Harbor series. Jenna Jones is about to turn forty, and this year for her birthday - she’s getting a divorce. She’s barely able to support herself and her teenage daughter. Fate intervenes when her aging Aunt Edie asks Jenna to come live with her to help run her business, The Driftwood Inn. The inn has seen better days but with the help of her friends, and a very handsome handyman, Jenna is confident they can return it to its former glory.

 Almost just friends by Jill Shalvis
Piper Manning's about as tough as they come, she's had to be. She raised her siblings and they've thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she's free. When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There's a spark there, one that shocks her…and him.

Summer at Lake Haven by RaeAnne Thayne
Samantha Fremont has been struggling with the weight of her mother's expectations for years. But now that her mother has passed away, it's time for Sam to be bold and finally establish the fashion design business she's always dreamed of. And the perfect opportunity has fallen into her lap. Her friend's getting married and has asked Sam to create her wedding dress...if only she can avoid the bride's infuriating brother, who's temporarily the boy next door. Enter Ian Summerhill, and sparks begin to fly.

 The guest cottage by Nancy Thayer 
When her husband echoes that lonely question, announcing that he's leaving her for another woman, Sophie Anderson realizes she has no idea what's next. Impulsively renting a guest cottage on Nantucket from her friend Susie Swenson, Sophie rounds up her kids, Jonah and Lacey, and leaves Boston for a quiet family vacation, minus one. Also minus one, Trevor Black is also looking for a getaway. What will happen when they both, unknowingly,  rented the same guest cottage?

 Willow Brook Road by Sherryl Woods
One of the author’s Chesapeake Shores novels, the setting alone is breathtaking to read about. 
Spirited, spontaneous Carrie Winters has grown up under the watchful eyes of not only her grandfather Mick O'Brien, but the entire town of Chesapeake Shores. Now that she's home from Europe, a glamorous fashion career behind her and her heart broken, there seem to be far too many people watching to see if she'll live up to the expectations her family has for her. As if that weren't enough pressure, Carrie finds herself drawn to sexy, grief-stricken Sam Winslow, who is yearning for someone to help him raise the nephew who's unexpectedly come into his life after a tragedy. With her own life in turmoil, is Carrie really ready to take on a new career and a new man? 

Do you prefer “spicy” romance? Try these:

 Make you mine by Macy Beckett
The first in the Dumont Bachelors series, this one does not disappoint. Allie Mauvais, who is filling in as pastry chef on the Dumont family's riverboat, is drawn to Captain Marc Dumont, but their relationship is doomed unless she can convince him that the curse on his love life is all in his head. After two weeks on the water, neither can deny the attraction that burns between them. Need I say any more? 

 Tempted by Lori Foster
This one is a three for one deal - three stories in one book. Each story is as good as the other. With titles like Little Miss Innocent?, and, Annie, Get Your Guy, and Messing Around with Max, you are bound to enjoy at least one of these steamy treasures.

 Just the thing by Marie Harte
Gavin Donnigan left the Marine Corps a shell of a man, hounded by guilt for deaths he couldn't prevent. But teaching a self-defense class at the local gym brings some stability to his life - along with a gorgeous leggy woman who won't give him the time of day. Zoe York lost her twin sister to a freak car accident a few months ago. She's been struggling to bury her grief, but it isn't until she signs up for a self-defense class with its distractingly hot instructor that she begins to come out of her shell again. Can’t you just hear the sizzle?

 The reluctant cowboy by Kate Pearce
I just had to throw a cowboy into the mix. Chase Morgan high-tailed it away from ranching life as soon as possible. But running a successful technology company can't erase the memories, or secrets, of his youth. Determined to save the Morgan ranch, historian January Mitchell has pinned her hopes on the surprisingly rugged, and exasperatingly stubborn Chase. Surely his love of this breathtaking land runs deep enough that he'll once again embrace his inner cowboy. Or maybe, despite both of their skittish hearts, she'll have to find a way to get him back in the saddle...any which way she can. 

 Mad about the man by Tracy Anne Warren

When her new major client turns out to be the boy who made her seventh grade a living hell, New York City lawyer Brie Grayson engages in a battle of wits with luxury hotel magnate Maddox Monroe both in the boardroom…and the bedroom. 

A copy of each of these titles will be on display near the Checkout Desk for easy access. They may go fast so look for more titles by these authors in the fiction area on the second floor. You are sure to find plenty of romances throughout the fiction area whether you like them sweet, or SPICY!

Joanne Mengel works in the FDL Public Library Reference department.