definitely, possibly, maybe

written by co-owner of the ripped bodice, mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency  is a pop history collection that endeavors to shine a light on some of the influential figures of the regency period.  the prose is breezy and provides an engaging peek at historical figures that some romance readers will recognize from their appearances in historical romances. some sections focus on lesser known figures as well.  there's a section that tries to dive into diversity in this time period. we know that there were people of color in regency england, even though history has done its best to whitewash them. the problem with this section is that it lacks some real depth. partly it's because the format of the book doesn't allow for digging deeper, but also because it might be that the author isn't really the best person to do a deep dive into racial issues prevalent in the time period.  **mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency will publish on september 1, 2020. i r...

 this book is just an absolute delight. best laid plaids  is a debut post-wwi historical that finds two academics coming together and boom...chemistry. joachim comes to ainsley with the purpose of discrediting the fact that ainsley believes he talks to ghosts. he thinks it's likely some sort of mental illness. and while ainsley clearly suffers what we know of as adhd and generalized anxiety, the ghost thing is not part of that mental illness.  when ainsley realizes what joachim is out to do, he says brilliant, let me take you on a road trip and i'll prove it. because he does see and hear ghosts and they are actual present beings. the other thing he sets out to do is flirt his way into bed with joachim, because hello...all that chemistry.  it's hot and sexy and sweet and filthy between these two. just their entire relationship dynamic is a freaking delight and i loved every second of it. it's a marvellous debut and i can't wait to see more in the series. **best laid ...

one thing i love about adriana herrera's books is how voice-y the characters are. you are so easily drawn into their stories because their voice feels authentic and real. here to stay is no exception to this. julia and rocco are just total sparks when they are on the page together.  there's just so much to love about this story, about these characters. i mostly feel like hearts and exclamation points and fire emojis are all i need to express all you need to know about it going in. adriana is an auto-buy author for me at this point. her skills in writing authentic marginalized experiences and steamy, swoony stories are hard to compete with.  **here to stay will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgally/carina press in exchange for my honest review. 

the wrong mr. darcy  is a pride & prejudice retelling that tries to sneak in some intersectionalities on race and gender as well as some socioeconomic commentary. all these weighty issues serve to weigh down the story so that it never quite lived up to the sparkling chemistry of the original.  it’s always a big ask to live up to the giant that is jane austen. perhaps because the plot is essentially the OG enemies-to-lovers, but the real charm of pride & prejudice lies in the details. and some of the retellings lack that flash of brilliance that comes with the dry wit and clever social commentary of the original.  this isn't going to blow anyone's mind is all. it's perfectly enjoyable, and a good way to pass the time for some feel-good fun.  **the wrong mr. darcy will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (griffin) in exchange for my honest review. 

i am the agent of record on this book, and i'm so happy it's finally out in the world. the revolutionary and the rogue  is so special to me. blake has worked so hard on this story, really working to get it into the best possible version of itself it could be.  but from the start it was these two characters who grabbed me. their world is on the brink, and their love is the last thing that either of them needs or wants. but that connection is too precious to not hold on to. when everything else is dark and falling apart, that's what we turn to, love. it's why in the depths of the pandemic we seek out romance.  love is love is love, and that's what henri and perrin are here for. and in that love, the love of country, the love for their friends, the love that they feel for each other, they find the truest, best part of themselves. and it's magic.  **the revolutionary and the rogue has been on my reading devices since many versions ago, but it publishes from entangle...

i'm not exactly sure how i ended up with this book on my tbr. i think i maybe won a galley via the cancelled book expo arc lottery, but who knows. anyway, i enjoyed austenland  the movie, and kind of a big deal  was written by the same author, and seemed to share a similar love of books premise. so i figured it was worth a try.  and this is fine. i guess. the main character makes it hard to root for her, which is never my favorite. and there's something of a love triangle, which is also not my favorite. not feeling particularly compelled to like the main character made this harder to enjoy. but that just means it wasn't for me. i'm sure others will disagree.  **kind of a big deal will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy netgalley/macmillan children's publishing group (roaring brook press) in exchange for my honest review. 

her aussie holiday  is a mash-up of the movie the holiday with fixer upper  vibes. cora and trent unexpectedly end up as strangers sharing a house. but there are two bedrooms. plenty of space. projects to do. and so what if cora looks like trent's ex? honestly that's the lamest bit of conflict ever conceived, partly because it just sounds so improbably, but the two leads have chemistry aplenty and there is enough emotional depth to the story that you can forgive the doppelganger thing.  this stands alone, but is technically book 2 in the series. and it's always nice to find familiar faces in stories like this, especially when you get little updates. all in all, it's an enjoyable summer read.  **her aussie holiday will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishng (amara) in exchange for my honest review. 

ok, so i'm kind of sad i don't rep kelly, because this is totally the f/f sports romance i've been jonesing for. out on the ice  features two ice hockey players who are so in sync with each other it's just fantastic. like they have a dark moment, and miscommunicate a little bit, but at the same time they never actually stop communicating.  they both have baggage, and stuff to work on. but like they never stop working on themselves. it's so utterly refreshing. these two grown-up ladies having an adult romantic relationship and working through their stuff. it's low-angst but there are real emotional stakes and you can't help rooting for these two ultra likeable characters.  this was the perfect comfort read. it was sweet, it was fizzy, it was just all-around good.  **out on the ice will publish on august 24, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press (adores) in exchange for my honest review. 

in better than people  two men who have, for the most part, given up on people, are astonished to find themselves drawn to one another and tumbling head over heels in love.  jack who has retreated from the world after heartbreak, is fiercely independent. he relies on no one, except his pack of pets who give him an outlet for all the nurturing and care he has to give the world. when he meets simon he realizes that the only way to approach this painfully shy yet utterly gorgeous man is by applying the same patience, care and understanding he does to his rescues.  simon is overwhelmed all the time. his social anxiety and selective mutism are crippling. but it's never going to go away. finding someone who allows him the time to get comfortable, someone who doesn't judge him, someone who desires him in spite of all the baggage—it's a rare gift.  this love story is sweet (though plenty sexy) and has surprising amounts of emotional depth. even in the shorter category format...

i am pretty much obsessed with the inferno rising and fire's edge series, so have been looking forward to the latest release. the blood king  basically picks up from where the rogue king left off. and the stakes for these characters only continues to get higher.  skylar amon thinks she's going to save her sister from an unwanted match when she shows up in the upstart blue dragon king's enclave. except kasia is happy and in love, and revealing her presence just made her a pawn in the political games that abound in the dragon shifter world.  ladon omarr makes no apologies for the things he's done and the things he has to do to cement his power. he's not doing it because he wants it, he doing it because he needs to. because he's the only person willing to stand up and make the difficult choices it takes to be a leader.  both skylar and ladon have protective streak a mile wide. and as they get to know each other, the fact that they are destined for each other become...

the latest installment in the hat trick series, trade deadline finds daniel "bellzie" bellamy back in his home state of florida, playing for his league-worst home team, after years of success and a stanley cup win. micah kelly has no idea if his childhood bestie remembers him. do you forget your first kiss? maybe if you end up being a straight hockey player you blackout the past. it can't hurt to go to a game. there's no way daniel will recognize micah.  except he does. and it turns out that bellzie is not straight. he's bi, and those feelings that were forgotten years ago? come blazing back into the present. micah can't believe his teenaged dreams are coming true. but all of this is new to daniel, and how can he trust that it will work out. especially when it looks like daniel's time with the home team will be short. these questions are all answered in a very satisfying way. i don't know if there are more installments planned in this series, but i ho...

while i am evie's lit agent, and i did see an earlier draft of he owns my heart , the final product is one evie developed on her own. i am still probably biased, so am just going to admit it.  when landon and toby find each other under some pretty seedy circumstances they don't expect the kind of connection that will bloom between them. toby is a kid on the streets doing what he must to protect his family and survive. he doesn't know what to do with landon's kindness. but he is uniquely suited to giving landon what he needs. one motel room becomes a haven, a safe place for both men to let down their guards and for both men to truly explore their desires.  evie always balances heartrending angst and emotional depth so deftly, and there are moments in this story where the stakes are so high, the problems the heroes must overcome so vast, that you worry for a minute that it might not all be all right. but trust me, this is a romance, and while there are still questions tha...

full disclosure: i am mariah's lit agent of record on this book. so biases abound. the roommate problem  is book 3 in the mile high happiness series. moira rossi has been a scene-stealer in the series since book 1, and it's just a delight to have her story unfold here. she's quirky and fun and just full of hope and sunshine. she wants to share her light with the world.  enter august, who is the thunder clouds to mo's sun. he's grumpy and set in his ways and he can't comprehend how someone like mo lives the way she does. and now they have to share an apartment.  but what the forced proximity reveals is that mo and august are meant for each other. they work as a couple because they balance each other out. and seeing how they figure that out is just delightful. **the roommate problem will publish on august 11, 2020. i received an advance reader copy from entangled publishing (lovestruck).

meg cabot’s latest,  no offense  has some charming leads and relatable yet quirky side characters. the dual-pov finds john and molly on opposite sides of a small town mystery, except that we are somehow supposed to find molly’s unfounded optimism and naïveté regarding human nature winsome, when mostly i thought she was a complete idiot.  the banter between molly and john is delightful, and he’s so charmingly awkward around her that i found myself laughing out loud at some of the ways they found themselves at cross-purposes.  it’s a fun escape, but don’t look for anything deep here.  **no offense will publish on august 11, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harper collins in exchange for my honest review. 

the absolute pleasure of reading this delight of a story cannot be overstated. you had me at hola  finds a secretive telenovela star crossing paths with an up-and-coming soap star and all the fireworks happening.  their meet-cute is a total meet-disaster, but there's something between them from first bump. of course jasmine is coming off a bad break-up, and she's also a bit of a insta-relationship kind of girl. while ashton (or angel luis) is cautious about letting people in, having dealt with a violent stalker he's very cagey about his personal life.  so cagey that basically no one in the world knows about his secret son. a revelation that might not be handled well by jasmine. partly because in jasmine's world, everything is about familia. she would be lost without her primas.  bur once jasmine and ashton figure out how to communicate it's all magic. everything about this book was magic. i'm just obsessed with it.  **you had me at hola will publish on august 4,...

i was excited when i read the blurb for lobizona  and saw that it was partially based on argentinian myths and folklore. while i am not culturally argentinian, i lived in buenos aires for several years and have a soft spot for that messy south american country,  for manu azul, the messy country isn't actually the one her forebearer's came from, but rather the american soil she lives on that fails to protect her at every turn. the contemporary content is topical and highlights the struggles of so many south american immigrants in this country. the poor treatment and racism they face, and the lack of acknowledgement that the issues they were fleeing from were valid and yet america fails to offer safe harbor.  manu must find her own way forward, which is fraught with more danger than she could have expected. especially given all she learns about her own heritage.  **lobizona will publish on august 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. mart...