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The Best New August Romances (According to Readers)
Good news, romance readers: We’ve gathered below the month’s hottest and most popular new love stories. Or lust stories, at least.
Every month our team sorts through the new romance books and sees how early readers are responding. We use this information to curate a list of soon-to-be-beloved favorites. It’s easy, really. Some people love books. Some people fall in love. And some people love books about falling in love.
New in August: Katee Robert expands her Dark Olympus series in Cruel Seduction. Zoraida Córdova profiles rock stars in love with Kiss the Girl. And Regina Black explores lust and politics in The Art of Scandal. Also on tap this month: Victorian romance, amnesiac superspies, and witches in love.
Add what catches your fancy to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments.
Every month our team sorts through the new romance books and sees how early readers are responding. We use this information to curate a list of soon-to-be-beloved favorites. It’s easy, really. Some people love books. Some people fall in love. And some people love books about falling in love.
New in August: Katee Robert expands her Dark Olympus series in Cruel Seduction. Zoraida Córdova profiles rock stars in love with Kiss the Girl. And Regina Black explores lust and politics in The Art of Scandal. Also on tap this month: Victorian romance, amnesiac superspies, and witches in love.
Add what catches your fancy to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments.
Let’s be frank: This looks awesome. Ally Carter’s page-turner rom-com follows an amnesiac woman who learns that she’s the identical twin sister of a deadly rogue spy. Every assassin and intelligence agency in the world is trying to kill her. Her only ally? A muscular, handsome, and impossibly sexy field operative who escorts her on various adventures across Europe’s most exotic locales. Author Carter has a good track record with this kind of vibe—check out her YA Gallagher Girls series.
The fifth full standalone book in the Never After series, Crossed is a dark romance inspired by Victor Hugo’s 1831 classic The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. A Parisian priest is assigned to a remote Vermont parish and things get…weird. Heads up that these stories are really dark: Billed as “fractured fairy tales,” the Never After series feature reimagined stories with contemporary settings, mature themes, and adult content.
In this latest installment of Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series of mythological-retellings-sans-actual-gods, Aphrodite decides to provoke her husband Hephaestus by seducing the one woman he truly cares about—sweet, beautiful Pandora. But two can play that game! So Hephaestus reaches out to Aphrodite’s ex, the cosmically handsome Adonis. This is going to be interesting. Who knew mythological retellings could be this much fun?
Speaking of retellings, pop star Ariel del Mar is finishing up her farewell tour with the world-famous Siren Seven in book three of the Meant to Be series based on classic Disney tales. Her plans to resume a normal life are interrupted when Ariel meets Eric Reyes, lead singer of an up-and-coming rock band. Defying her record label, her family, and her own previous plans, Ariel goes back on the road for one last shot at finding real love.
Debut author Regina Black is getting good advance reader reviews for this steamy romance concerning love and lust among power brokers. Rachel Abbott has just received a sexy and explicit text from her husband, Matt. That’s good! Alas, the text was meant for another woman. That’s bad. Divorce is imminent, but Matt needs to keep up appearances for his political career. Should Rachel cut a deal for $1 million and the house? Also, who’s this hot young twenty-something artist at the door?
The latest in author Sarah MacLean’s historical Helle’s Belles series shifts the spotlight to Lady Imogen Loveless, known for her wild curls and—in certain circles—her even wilder love of explosives and conflagrations. Lady Imogen, you see, belongs to a group of feminist vigilantes who tend to get themselves into trouble. To rein her in, Imogen’s wealthy family hires handsome but gruff detective Thomas Peck. Victorian London is about to get a lot hotter.
This debut rom-com from author Jenna Levine details the decidedly odd experience of artist Cassie Greenberg, who’s just found a rental in Chicago that’s too good to be true. The price is right, the neighborhood is fantastic, and her new roommate acts like a Regency-era gentleman. But why does he sleep all day? Where does he go at night? And what’s up with all the blood in the fridge?
Emmaline Bluewater, reluctant witch, is done with the whole scene. Since the love of her life ghosted her seven years ago, she’s been content to live a civilian human life and look after her bar, the rather excellently named Toil and Trouble. So when Bastian Truenote walks back through her door, he’s got a lot of ’splaining to do. To win back Emma’s heart, he’ll have to convince her hex-throwing friends and her protective canine familiar.
ER nurse Claire Harper and firefighter Graham Scott, platonic besties, have made a pact. If they’re still single by age 40, they’ll cross over into friends-with-benefits territory and see what happens. But when a rock-climbing accident results in emergency cohabitation, circumstance threatens to accelerate the timetable. These roommate schemes always seem to end in sexytime. Author Allison Ashley (Would You Rather) has the delicious details.
Delilah Harlow is a witch with a problem. Her latest spell seems to have turned her into a magnet for creatures of the night—rogue succubi, for instance. After a particularly harrowing incident, Delilah finds herself partnered up with Catriona Quinn, a half-fae monster hunter with ambiguous morals and smoldering eyes. Mixing business and pleasure has never really worked in Delilah’s experience. But isn’t there a relevant proverb in this area? Concerning rules and what they’re made for?
Following up on last year's breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, the second installment of the cleverly titled If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series combines a delicious enemies-to-lovers setup with a mystery subplot. Bobbie Kaur and Benjamin "Bunty" Padda are determined to help their best friends walk down the aisle, even if working together (while ignoring their sizzling chemistry) kills them. Complicating matters? A secret saboteur bent on wrecking the shaadi. Will the course of true love run smooth?
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
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Carin
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Aug 01, 2023 11:07AM
As soon as I am home from my Biarritz holiday I am refilling my Kobo
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Omg I’m so excited Ally Carter is coming out with a new book. I read most of the Gallagher Girl series in junior high, then rediscovered it when I became a teacher and still LOVED it. Might reread it while I wait for this new release!
The Blonde Identity is my must-read book of the summer! I am die hard Gallagher Girls fan, and I've been dying to go back to spy school for years! While I am still begging for a book about a grown up Cammie and Zach (like what Meg Cabot did with the Princess Diaries series) I am so so excited to read this book! I've been wanting an adult rom-com from Ally for years and The Blonde Identity seems like it will be a super fun read.
The Blonde Identity and My Roommate is a Vampire are the next books I am ordering. 😻
Tarah wrote: "These all look bad"Sadly, people are just reading the popular books and aren't really exploring around.
