Julie Tieu, an exciting new and diverse voice in contemporary romance, returns with a hilarious and sexy new novel about colleagues who decide to take their relationship outside the office.
Cadence Lim has transformed from behind-the-scenes number cruncher to an integral part of the sales team at Prism Realty. But despite moving up the corporate ladder, her complicated relationship with her estranged elderly father weighs heavily and she can’t seem to shake the desire for a new beginning.
At least Cadence can always lean on her favorite co-worker and co-conspirator, Matt Escanilla. A top broker with an unsuccessful love life, the forever single Matt is constantly being nagged by his loving Filipino family to settle down.
Their relationship takes a turn when a business trip lands them both in their hometown and Matt enlists Cadence as a pretend girlfriend for a family gathering. The new after-hours setting forces the two friends to see each other in a new light, and their previously buried feelings rise quickly to the surface. When competing promotions threaten to separate Cadence and Matt, these office besties must work together to round up their ambitions and families to pursue their overdue romance.
One of...
USA Today's Best Rom-Coms of July
Shondaland's Best Books of July
BookRiot's Best Romance Novels of July
Sometimes fireman Lucas Strong feels like he can only find any peace and quiet at the local laundromat, where every day is rinse and repeat - until a fateful run-in with his high school crush.
Hoping to attract more customers to his family's knitting shop, Lucas Strong participated in an FDNY charity calendar and accidentally became a local celebrity. The only place he can find solace is Scrubs-a 24/7 laundromat where he can disappear for a couple of hours. But Lucas's soapy sanctuary is shaken by an inquisitive little girl with a late-night interest in knitting, whose mother is his old school crush.
Sydney Harris knows that Harlem is like any other small town, and everyone is probably whispering about how she left such a good man-and a good life-behind to wash and fold laundry by the pound. If only they knew the truth. But Sydney will always put her daughter's happiness first, even if that means moving back to Harlem and facing her past.
What Sydney never expected was to see Lucas again. A long-forgotten attraction kicks into high gear as Lucas and Sydney start to spend time together at the laundromat, and they must decide if this is true love or just an infatuation, thin and fragile as a soap bubble.
As 1947 opens, Eva Cardon is the twenty-four-year-old owner of Washington, D.C.'s, most famous Black-owned restaurant. When her path crosses with Courtland, a handsome white senator from Georgia, both find themselves drawn to one another-but the danger of a relationship between a Black woman and a white man from the South could destroy them and everything they've worked for.
Few women own upscale restaurants in civil rights era Washington, D.C. Fewer still are twenty-four, Black, and wildly successful. But Eva Cardon is unwilling to serve only the wealthiest movers and shakers, and she plans to open a diner that offers Southern comfort to the working class.
A war hero and one of Georgia's native sons, Courtland Hardiman Kingsley IV is a junior senator with great ambitions for his time in D.C. But while his father is determined to see Courtland on a path to the White House, the young senator wants to use his office to make a difference in people's lives, regardless of political consequences.
When equal-rights activism throws Eva and Courtland into each other's paths, they can't fight the attraction they feel, no matter how much it complicates their dreams. For Eva, falling in love with a white Southerner is all but unforgivable-and undesirable. Her mother and grandmother fell in love with white men, and their families paid the price. Courtland is already under pressure for his liberal ideals, and his family has a line of smiling debutantes waiting for him on every visit. If his father found out about Eva, he's not sure he'd be welcome home again.
Surrounded by the disapproval of their families and the scorn of the public, Eva and Courtland must decide if the values they hold most dear-including love-are worth the loss of their dreams . . . and everything else.
The author of When Stars Rain Down returns with a historical love story about all that has-and has not-changed in the United States
- Historical romance set in civil rights era Washington, D.C.
- Stand-alone novel
- Book length: approximately 120,000 words
A fun and feminist Regency romp from a master of the genre hailed as "a delight" by Bridgerton author Julia Quinn.
Nothing happens in London without Graham Wynchester knowing. His massive collection of intelligence is invaluable to his family's mission of aiding those most in need. So when he deciphers a series of coded messages in the scandal sheets, Graham's convinced he must come to a royal's rescue. But his quarry turns out not to be a princess at all… The captivating Kunigunde de Heusch is anything but a damsel in distress, and the last thing she wants is Graham's help.
All her life, Kuni trained alongside the fiercest Royal Guardsmen in her family, secretly planning to become her country's first Royal Guardswoman. This mission in London is a chance to prove herself worthy without help from a man, not even one as devilishly handsome as Graham. To her surprise, Graham believes in her dream as much as she does, which makes it harder to resist kissing him…and falling in love. But how can she risk her heart if her future lies an ocean away?
One of the few dancers of color to rise to the top, ballerina Alicia Kinkaid earned her place in the spotlight—only to have it snatched away by a jealous, powerful man. To avoid the long-reach of his empire, Alicia surrendered her dreams and disappeared, re-emerging under a new name. The last thing on Alicia’s mind was love—and certainly not with another man with her ex’s money and power. Money and power, after all, had ruined her life.
Fate, however, had other plans.
When Hugh Lindsay first crosses her path, he seems to be a sexy, quirky stranger who is as reclusive and mysterious as Alicia herself. But Hugh is dancing away from his own loneliness—and hiding from the responsibility of helming one of the world’s most beloved tech companies. When their identities—and their deep attraction to each other--are revealed, both their lives are upended. Alicia must fight to free herself from the terrors of her past—and Hugh must fight to persuade her that he’s different—and that becoming his private dancer won’t mean repeating the same mistakes.
From the author of the ground-breaking 2004 novel A PERSONAL MATTER, HIS PRIVATE DANCER is a sexy, page-turning tale of love, sex, dance and tech.
"A sexy, emotional, and pitch-perfect romance." -NPR on Lush Money
Opposites attract in this rivals-to-lovers romance from Lush Money author Angelina M. Lopez
Guapo pobrecito her grandmother calls him. The "poor handsome man."
Professor Jeremiah Post, the poor handsome man, is in fact standing in the way of Alejandra "Alex" Torres turning Loretta's, her grandmother's bar, into a viable business. The hot brainiac who sleeps in one of the upstairs tenant rooms already has all of her Mexican American family's admiration; she won't let him have the bar and building she needs to resurrect her career, too.
Alex blowing into town has rocked Jeremiah to his mild-mannered core, but the large, boisterous Torres clan is everything he never had. He doesn't believe Alex has the best interest of her family, their community, or the bar's legacy in mind. To protect all three, he'll stand up to the tough and tattooed bartender with whom he now shares a bedroom wall-and resist the insta-lust they both feel.
But when an old enemy threatens Loretta's and the surrounding neighborhood, Alex and Jeremiah must combine forces. It will take her might and his mind to save the home they both desperately need.
"Sparks fly and tempers flare in this passionate, un-put-downable rivals-to-lovers romance that launches a sizzling new series...Lopez seamlessly blends high-heat romance with discussions of Alex's heritage and the fascinating history of 19th-century Mexican immigrants to the Kansas plains. This is a treasure." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
From ashes, love will rise again . . .
Swan shifter Rose knows she doesn't have a true mate. She isn't the one for Ash, the Phoenix Eternal. She knows he can never be more than a friend, no matter how his dark eyes and hard body make her burn.
Everything Rose knows is wrong.
Twenty years ago, Ash destroyed everything to save his true love. But he's never been able to walk away from her. He yearns to claim her at last . . . but the shadows of his past are stalking him again. If anyone discovers what Rose means to him, all his sacrifice will be for nothing . . .
Rose is his mate. She just doesn't remember.
Yet.
Contains mature themes.
She's never done what was expected of her . . .
Laila Sood has always resisted tradition and her parents' wishes, from leaving her small town in India and moving to Seattle to start a rock band, to rejecting the groom her parents chose for her arranged marriage. Now twenty-nine, Laila's band has critical acclaim on the indie scene, but she hasn't attained her goal that will cement her rock star status-signing with a major LA label.
Marriage is the last thing on Laila's mind when she meets Hari Singh. He's an Indian mama's dream-a handsome pediatrician from a rich, well-connected Indian family-and everything Laila's rejected her entire life. Even worse, sparks fly between them like Diwali fireworks, and though Laila's aunt is hoping to match Hari with her daughter, Hari is fascinated by Laila. She thinks a few dates will prove that he's too boring and traditional for her, except Laila only falls harder.
Does Laila still chase her rock star dream, or has Hari shown her a new way to fly her rebel flag that just might be anchored in tradition?
Contains mature themes.
One woman is torn between faith, family, and passion in this “heartfelt immigrant love story” from the author of Forbidden by Destiny and Forbidden by Time (Publishers Weekly).
Raised by her immigrant parents, Sara has been taught that a good daughter makes decisions based on her family’s approval, and she’s spent most of her life in their good graces. Until she meets Maziar.
An instant electricity ignites between them, and their meeting seems like fate. Just as her mind begins to soar with the possibilities, he shatters her hopes. Sara is Muslim. Maziar is Jewish. Will faith tear them apart?
Despite centuries of unrest behind them, Sara and Maziar embark on a forbidden love affair, attempting to navigate through cultural and religious prejudices. Deep within the trenches of their battle, Sara finds herself more empowered and careless than ever before, but will her love and newfound life be worth the ultimate cost—her family?
Praise for the Forbidden Love series
“Forbidden by Faith shows how family, love, and faith can collide, even in this modern age.”—A. K. Leigh, author of See Her Run
“A strong message about family and protecting those you love.”—InD’tale
“Ms. Papehn is a wonderful storyteller! I was immediately caught up in the lives of her characters. In Forbidden by Destiny, the heroine, Leyla, might be of Iranian descent but her story belongs to all women.”—Carrie Nichols, author of the Small-town Sweethearts series
'If there's one book you need to read this summer it's Finding Mr Perfectly Fine' Yousra Imran
Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband
When Zara's Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family's failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?
With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating.
She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can't stop thinking of someone else . . .
As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?
Trae
It's a call that changes my life and my little girl's. Years ago, playing for the NBA was the dream, but the Seattle Stallions suck. Worse than that, my old teammate is now the star center, not to mention my number one rival. There has to be a catch, some sort of agenda. Before I was injured, I was the best. Now? There's no way they want me.
But when I see the roster and salaries, it all comes together. It's a chance to get on the court again and change our lives. And I just can't wait for the opportunity to finally take him down. What I never counted on is Courtney Cohen being the game changer.
Courtney
I inherited the Bad News Bears of the NBA. When I discovered the star center, my ex fiancé, cheating on me, all I want is to jump ship before the whole thing sinks. But with revenge on my mind, I exact a plan.
Take down the dirty player and save my father's dream. Suddenly, 12 minutes is too little time, and a season is not long enough.
Will it be love or just a game?
The author of Forbidden by Faith delivers “a very touching story . . . [of] Iranian culture and family dynamics . . . completely relatable” (InD’tale Magazine).
When Leyla’s best friend Sara goes through a complicated breakup, Leyla reluctantly agrees to pick up Sara’s things from her boyfriend Ben’s home. She thinks she is doing what any good friend would do, until she finds Ben completely shattered. His pain speaks to Leyla’s heart, and she suddenly finds herself feeling what it’s like to fall in love for the first time ever.
An afternoon of an innocent lunch and a walk on the beach to cheer him up turns into fireworks—and Leyla can’t get Ben out of her head. Pushed to her limits, fighting for a love she’s always dreamed of, and against a demon she never knew existed, Leyla must ultimately make a choice. Her decision will come down to loyalty to her best friend, the expectations of her family, or the desires of her wanting heart . . .
Praise for the Forbidden Love series
“Forbidden by Faith shows how family, love, and faith can collide, even in this modern age.”—A. K. Leigh, author of See Her Run
“A heartfelt immigrant love story.”—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Papehn is a wonderful storyteller! I was immediately caught up in the lives of her characters. In Forbidden by Destiny, the heroine, Leyla, might be of Iranian descent but her story belongs to all women.”—Carrie Nichols, author of the Small-town Sweethearts series
