First, a quick report card on the twelve books I wanted to read in the first three months of the year, six new releases and six titles from 2022. Of those twelve, I read nine total, DNF’d one, and am planning to read the remaining two soon. (I’m waiting on the signed copy of Hotel of Secrets I ordered from The Ripped Bodice and Red Blossom in Snow is sitting in my TBR basket for the next two weeks.)
I had a higher success rate with the 2022 titles, four of which I really liked, than I did with the new releases, two of which I would recommend (Georgie, All Along and Take the Lead) and three of which I had more mixed feelings about. Both new releases that I enjoyed were from authors I’ve read in the past so I’m hoping to find some more debuts and new-to-me authors this spring and summer.
The titles that I’m looking forward to are a mix of authors I’ve already read and ones I haven’t. Of course, there’s a few big, buzzy titles that I’m also eagerly anticipating (Happy Place by Emily Henry, Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, and Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey) but I’ve left them off this list because I feel like I’ve already heard about them everywhere.
Ana Maria and the Fox by Liane de la Rosa (April 4th)
I’ve been on the look out for more diverse historical romance this year and this title, with its Mexican heiress heroine, sounds really intriguing. It has a marriage of convenience, which is one of my absolute favorite tropes to read in historical romance, and early reviews are suggesting that it’s an absolutely delicious slow burn too.
The Do-Over by Suzanne Park (April 4th)
This seems like a fun second-chance romance and I love the idea of the heroine having to return to college ten years later. It also looks like this one has thoughtful and well-written anxiety representation. I’ve been meaning to read one of Park’s books for a while and this might be the perfect place to start.
The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (April 18th)
Alexandria Bellefleur is an auto-buy author for me. There’s something warm and sparkly about her writing that I just love and she has a real talent for writing lovable friend groups. Her latest novel has so many things I’m excited about: a modern engagement of convenience, rich people behaving badly, and bookstore rom-com vibes.
A Rogue’s Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh (April 25th)
Second chance romance at a house party on a remote Scottish island! The hero and heroine first appeared in the first book of Leigh’s Last Chance Scoundrels series, where he left her at the altar, and I’m expecting epic groveling from the hero as a result. I first started reading Eva Leigh a few years ago and she’s a go-to historical romance author for me—I’d especially recommend her if you’re looking for a historical with a more modern sensibility.
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler (May 23rd)
*Chants* Road trip! Road trip! I’m also really interested to see how this one weaves two separate love stories together, as the heroine is on a mission to reunite the ashes of her elderly best friend with that friend’s first love and the book goes back and forth between the present day and the 1940’s. The synopsis also promises a delightful grumpy-sunshine dynamic.
Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder (June 27th)
A Hollywood-set romance about two longtime co-stars who secretly loathe each other and are forced to reunite to film the final season of the paranormal drama where their characters have been pining for each other for years. I liked Wilder’s debut, How to Fake It In Hollywood, and thought the characters were really well developed and had great chemistry, so I’m very curious about her sophomore novel. Plus this combines two of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers and celebrity romance, so I’m automatically in.
Plus six titles lingering on my shelves that I want to prioritize:
The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell
Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik
Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
Built to Last by Erin Hahn
A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
Currently reading: For daytime reading, My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin, my latest venture into the world of sad girl lit fic. I like the fact that this is narrated by an older Isabel looking back and the coming of age as a creative plot, which reminds me a little of Writers and Lovers by Lily King. The relationship with a professor element is…not my favorite thing but I did know it going in and heard enough good things to pick this one up in spite of it. For bedtime reading, I just started Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis, a fantasy novella featuring a house party and an intriguing alternate version of England.
What’s bringing me joy this week:
The perfect pale lavender nail polish for spring from Dear Sundays.
Being able to sit down and work on my book almost every day this week and having a few epiphanies about the tricky last third. I’ve been trying to cultivate better writing habits this spring and feel like I’m moving in the right direction.
All the National Poetry Month content on bookish corners of the Internet. I especially loved Sara at FictionMatters’ piece about how she reads a poem. It feels like being in English class in the very best way.
Thanks for putting some new-to-me titles on my radar! And I’m so glad you enjoyed my poetry post!! I really enjoyed putting that together 😊
Drat, I think I gave away my copy of that first Eva Leigh and now I want to read it!