Hello, everyone. It’s the start of the school year, possibly leaving some of you with some free time on your hands to do a little extra reading. Next week we will have some new romances, two of them very light (one a romcom), and the third, a paranormal romance. Let’s start with them.
Romance:
THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT by Elena Armas (Romance)
From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, the eagerly anticipated follow-up featuring Rosie Graham and Lucas Martín, who are forced to share a New York apartment.
Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.
ANGELIKA FRANKENSTEIN MAKES HER MATCH (Romance)
From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected… a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein’s sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man.
For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.
Filled with carriages, candlesticks, and corpses, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is the spooky-season reimagining of the well-known classic that reminds us to never judge a man by his cadaver!
COURT OF THE VAMPIRE QUEEN by Katee Robert (Paranormal romance)
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Neon Gods brings the heat in this sizzling tale of a vampire queen and her three consorts
All Mina ever wanted was to escape her father’s control. Half human, half vampire, she lived eternally torn between two worlds, never fully experiencing the pleasures of either—until her father chose her as the pawn in his latest political move, gifting her to the darkly powerful and dangerously seductive Malachi Zion.
Malachi is not a vampire to be trifled with. He rules with an iron fist and has a reputation for the darkest of sins. But the longer Mina spends with him, the more she realizes he’s not the monster she first thought—and as fear slowly bleeds into lust, then trust, then something more, Malachi opens Mina up to a world she never knew could be hers for the taking: including the love of Malachi’s two closest friends and companions.
Now surrounded by all three men, the center of their darkly seductive world, Mina may finally have the power to face down her father and take back the life—and crown—that by all rights should be hers.
Next, we have the thrillers, all by giants in the genre. These three authors have each written many best-selling thrillers, and continue to captivate readers worldwide.
Thrillers:
CAPTIVE by Iris Johansen (Thriller)
Eve Duncan’s daughter Jane MacGuire seems to have found a perfect life with Seth Caleb—until a ruthless madman threatens to destroy it all, in this gripping suspense novel from #1 bestselling author Iris Johansen.
Jane MacGuire is enjoying a period of domestic bliss as she focuses on her art and her partner Seth Caleb uses his unique abilities as an agent for the MI6 intelligence service. But when Seth crosses crime lord Hugh Bohdan, he incurs the wrath of one of the world’s most powerful criminal empires…one whose tentacles reach across the globe and even to the idyllic Scottish retreat where Jane is working.
Soon Jane is on the run, struggling to stay one step ahead of Bohdan’s army and his devastating high-tech weaponry. Even with the assistance of Earl John MacDuff, she finds danger at every turn. But with that peril comes an astonishing discovery: a 200-year-old secret on the brink of becoming lost to history.
Jane and Seth must join forces to unlock the fascinating puzzle, even as they hurtle toward a lethal final confrontation in the Highlands. But before their adventure is over, Jane and Seth will encounter their biggest shock of all…and realize nothing can be the same for them ever again.
CLIVE CUSSLER’S HELLBURNER by Mike Maden (Thriller)
Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must track down a nuclear torpedo before it unleashes World War III in this electrifying new installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
Series Overview: Juan Cabrillo is Chairman of the “Corporation,” a special U.S. government-sponsored group that operates out of a ship called the Oregon, a marvel of scientific research equipment bristling with state-of-the-art weaponry but disguised as a heap of junk.
DESPERATION IN DEATH: AN EVE DALLAS NOVEL by J.D. Robb (Thriller)
Homicide detective Eve Dallas is faced with a conspiracy of exploitation and evil in this gripping thriller by J.D. Robb.
New York, 2061: Girls are being abducted and trapped in a living nightmare called the Pleasure Academy, where they are trained for a life of slavery and their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Lt. Eve Dallas might not have ever found out about it if it weren’t for Mina and Dorian, who hatched a desperate escape plan. Unfortunately, Mina was killed during the attempt—and now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York.
The victim’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.
Now, what would be a great thing to do after reading one of these great thrillers? Well, next week there are two new cookbooks coming out, and some of their recipes could just fit the bill.
Cookbooks:
DANIELLE WALKER’S HEALTHY IN A HURRY by Danielle Walker (Cookbook)
150+ quick and easy recipes to get healthy gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free food on the table fast—from no-cook lunches to one-pot dinners and simple desserts—from the New York Times bestselling author of the Against All Grain series.
Beloved author Danielle Walker proves that healthy cooking is both doable and oh-so-satisfying. In Healthy in a Hurry, Danielle presents more than 150 paleo recipes inspired by her sunny California lifestyle and diverse cuisines from around the world.
DINNER IN ONE: EXCEPTIONAL & EASY ONE PAN MEALS by Melissa Clark (Cookbook)
100 all-new super-simple and incredibly delicious one-pot, one-pan, one-sheet—one-everything!—recipes from the New York Times star food writer and bestselling author of Dinner in French.
Melissa Clark brings her home cook’s expertise and no-fuss approach to the world of one-pot/pan cooking. With nearly all of the recipes being made in under one hour, the streamlined steps ensure you are in and out of the kitchen without dirtying a multitude of pans or spending more time than you need to on dinner.
These are simple, delicious recipes for weekdays, busy evenings, and any time you need to get a delicious, inspiring meal on the table quickly—with as little clean-up as possible.
As always, thank you for making our shelves your destination.