Romance
Warm bodies : and, The new hunger
Marion, Isaac, 1981- author.
FICTION Marion Isaac
Dystopian, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction
"Warm Bodies," by Isaac Marion, tells the story of R, a zombie who experiences an unusual connection with a human girl named Julie, leading him to question his existence and ultimately, the nature of humanity and the world around them.
All Rhodes lead here : a novel
Zapata, Mariana, author.
FICTION Zapata Mariana
Romance
Ora knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn't going to be easy. But after breaking up with her longtime, famous boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway might cure it, too. Only Tobias Rhodes didn't rent out the apartment to her -- rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.
(Heading to the Mountains!) Mariana Zapata's slow-burn romance is the perfect mountain escape for readers craving fresh air, scenic trails, and a feel-good story -- no hiking shoes required! -Madison C
Summers at the Saint
Andrews, Mary Kay, 1954- author.
FICTION Andrews Mary
Mystery, Romance
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel, where traditions run deep and scandals run deeper. . . . Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as "the Saint." If you grew up coming here, you were "a Saint." If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were "an Ain't." Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn't rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss's son. Now, she's the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help-including the daughter of her estranged best friend-Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way.
(Waterside Escapes!) What's a luxurious escape without a smidge of mystery? Mary Kay Andrews' novel will whisk you away to a glamorous seaside resort full of secrets, scandals, and even a little summer romance. Balancing beach-read vibes with mysterious alibis, this book will transport you to sun-soaked days where anything can happen. -Madison C
Float plan
Doller, Trish, author.
FICTION Doller Trish
Romance
Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief. When a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together, Anna impulsively goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone. After a treacherous night's sail she realizes she can't do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Keane is also struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it's never too late to chart a new course.
(Get away on a Sailboat!) Sometimes, to move past life's hardships, you need to leave the shore behind. Perfect for a summer full of warm breezes and turquoise waters, Trish Doller's novel will definitely pull at your heartstrings. Book your ticket for this tropical voyage today! -Madison C
The road to tender hearts : a novel
Hartnett, Annie. author.
FICTION Hartnett Annie
Literary Fiction, Romance
At sixty-three years old, million-dollar winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren't for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn't have much time left--he's had three heart attacks already. But when PJ reads the obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he's going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community to win her back. Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother's grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also thinks he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter who's adrift in her twenties, to come along to babysit. And there's one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ's home. This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for, but does he have the strength to do both those things again?
(Road trip!) Are you ready to take an unforgettable road trip filled with heart, humor, and some unexpected detours? Annie Hartnett's newest novel will take readers on a cross-country adventure that serves as a perfect reminder that sometimes the journey means more than the destination. -Madison C
Here we go again : a novel
Cochrun, Alison, author.
FICTION Cochrun Alison
LGBTQ+, Romance
A queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.
(Road trip!) Maybe you're in the mood for a road trip full of second chances and some unexpected romantic sparks? Alison Cochrun's queer rom-com is a great car trip escape, making memorable stops at Old Wounds Station, Chemistry Junction, and the Forgiveness Café. Exploring life's past choices and the road still ahead, this is a summer trip you won't want to miss. -Madison C
It's a Love Story
Annabel Monaghan
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Humor, Romance
“Poignant, funny, and bingeable, Annabel Monaghan writes five star reads.” —Abby Jimenez From the USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV actress-turned-Hollywood producer whose “fake it till you make it” mantra sets her on a crash course with her past, forcing her to spend a week on Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love. Love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth. Jane Jackson spent her adolescence as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punch line on America's fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s trying to be taken seriously as a Hollywood studio executive by embracing a new mantra: Fake it till you make it. Except she might have faked it too far. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she claimed that she could get mega popstar Jack Quinlan to write a song for the movie. Jack may have been her first kiss—and greatest source of shame—but she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years. Now Jane must turn to the last man she’d ever want to owe: Dan Finnegan. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan as she faces down her past is Jane's idea of hell, but he just might surprise her. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?
I got to be the lucky "First Hold" on this audiobook. Two days in, and I feel like it's a whirlwind love affair between me and this story! It took a few chapters for me to get into the narration, but the slow burn love story is so engrossing that I'd love it no matter what. As usual with the books I recommend, the main characters are quite likeable. I do want propose shame plays a key role in this book as well, as so much of the main female character's life is shaped by the emotion's influence on her. There is some fun meta-romance in this book as well, like a fun enemies-to-friends argument about The Notebook and discourse about what makes a love story truly wonderful. The relationship building is paced nicely. There's no first-date-lap dance like you get in Hannah Grace's Wildfire. I'm only about halfway through the book, and there's only been thoughts of kissing rather than any action-packed lip-smacking. But the anticipation is what makes it so good! Gotta remember that for future book choices: give me yearning over instant gratification. -Melody
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
Laurie Gilmore
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Romance
Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone. As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it's suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction. Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless... Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right? The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a cozy romantic mystery with a single dad and found family dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed! Tropes: Single Dad, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Found Family
This romance novel makes for a nice and easy listening audiobook. The drama isn't too hot to handle, the scars are only emotional, and no one gets murdered. So I guess that's my way of saying I'll happily live in a strawberry pancake house for a week. Both main characters have their own way of being a hot mess. One: a scatterbrain yoga and swim instructor; the other: a perfectionist, exacting chef who can't make Bisquick pancakes right. I sometimes get so emotionally wrapped up in the mental lives of a novel's protagonists that it's hard to remember I live in the real world. This book didn't make me work so hard. It was gentle and tame with mild but interesting love scenes. -Melody
The Jewel of the Isle
Kerry Rea
OverDrive Audiobook
Adventure, Humor, Romance
Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side. If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid. Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains? Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact.
When judging this book by its cover, I assumed it was going to be a little lame and poorly written. And how wrong I was! This book is a madcap adventure if I ever read one. I don't want to give too much away, but I chortled at every gag our heroes used in an attempt to get out of sticky situations. Who brings a slingshot to a gun fight? These guys. The setting for this book--Isle Royale National Park--was the other selling point for me. I love indulging in books that take me to faraway places. A forested island with no ticks or bears, but plenty of moose and the chance to see a wolf, equals one that will capture my daydreams. Lovers of national park hiking adventures: this one's for you! -Melody
Thank you for listening : a novel
Julia Whelan
FICTION Whelan, Julia
Humor, Romance
The days of being a star on film sets are long behind Sewanee Chester. She has found success and satisfaction as an audiobook narrator, and it allows her to care for her ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger. On her return home she learns one of the world's most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book-- with Brock McNight, the industry's hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee stopped narrating romances years ago, but she works on the book under her old romance pseudonym. Hidden behind the comfort of anonymity, Sewanee and Brock forge a real connection-- until the realities of life come crashing down around her once more. -- adapted from jacket.
If you know you know...audiobook listeners of literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, and most other genres have enjoyed the voice of Julia Whalen, she has narrated over 600 titles. Generally I expect that if I see Julia Whalen as the narrator of an audio title that it's going to be a really good listen for me. Fans of Kristen Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Abby Jimenez, Emily Henry and various popular thriller writers such as Rachel Hawkins, (she even narrated Gone Girl!) will recognize her voice. I was excited to listen to her narrate her own book, appropriately about a book narrator, and even more appropriately set in the world of "HEA" or romantic comedy. I found the story to be similar to an Emily Henry book, with a mixture of witty banter, personal tragedy, ironic situational humor and some absolutely fantastic narrating by Julia herself, with a large range of characters and accents! -Mari
(For those who miss "Santa Clarita Diet") Who would have thought that the gory charm, dark humor, and suburban chaos would make "Santa Clarita Diet" such a fan favorite? While the show may be gone, Isaac Marion's novel captures that same quirky, offbeat spirit. This oddly endearing novel delivers the brain-eating thrills -- while also offering a surprisingly heartfelt look at the undead's struggle with morality, identity, and everyday life. -Madison C