Autumn is finally here and that means it’s time to cozy up with a good book and a warm cup of tea. As the leaves change colors and the air gets crisper, there’s no better way to spend those chilly evenings than with a stack of books waiting to be devoured.
So grab your favorite sweater, light some candles, and let’s dive into all the fabulous books on our May TBR!
Rom-Com
Open Minded by Chloe Seager
What if The One isn’t the only one?
After nine years of dating, Holly is sure Will is going to propose. Instead, he shocks her by suggesting they open their relationship and date other people.
For the last three years, Fliss and Ash have been in a happily open relationship. But now they’re turning thirty, he wants to close it, casting Fliss’s whole approach to life into doubt.
When Fliss overhears Holly crying in the toilet during her first date in nine years, they agree to teach each other everything they know about open relationships and monogamy.
But perhaps they’ll both learn that there’s no one size fits all when it comes to relationships . . .
Out Of Office by A.H. Cunningham
A.H. Cunningham dazzles in this sensual vacation romance exploring what happens when you step out of the office, take a chance on yourself — and discover your deepest desires.
Genevieve Raymond was born an overachiever. After opening a hot new hotel chain location in Panama, she’s on track for a major promotion. But first, she desperately needs a break, even if her overbearing mother doesn’t approve. For two glorious weeks, Gen’s giving herself permission to explore the beautiful beaches of Colón — and the stimulating attraction she shares with her sexy-as-hell driver, Adrián Nicolas.
After a family tragedy, Adrián’s recently shifted his own focus to prioritising the life part of a healthy work-life balance. To workaholic Gen, Adrián’s laid-back devotion to his family’s hometown hostel couldn’t be more appealing. Their long-term goals might not align, but two weeks in paradise only calls for seductive physical chemistry, and Gen and Adrián have got that, without a doubt.
But when their intimate connection flourishes beyond sunsets and spice, Gen finds herself questioning whether the career path she’s been on is even where she wants to be. With continents between them, a real relationship doesn’t feel possible. Until fate reveals their futures might be more closely woven than they thought, leaving them wondering whether a two-week fling might have what it takes to last forever.
Fake Flame by Adele Buck
In this fun, fast-paced romantic comedy, a bookish firefighter who knows his Jane Austen suggests a little fake dating to fend off an ex. What’s a feminist English professor to do — except say yes…
You can’t fake heat like this…
To an observer, hauling a baby grand piano onto a college quad to publicly serenade an ex might seem like a romantic gesture. To literature professor Eva Campbell, it’s the latest manipulative move by a cheating jerk who won’t take a hint. Plus, she never liked that song anyway.
Setting the piano on fire might be an overreaction, but Eva’s at the end of her rope, at least until hot young firefighter Sean Hannigan talks her down. And that’s not all Sean does. Soon he’s offering to be Eva’s fake boyfriend to get her creepy ex off her back. Unexpected, maybe, but there’s something about Sean — beyond the angelic face and take-me-now body — that makes Eva say yes.
Sean battles infernos for a living, reads romance on the side and is a straight-up, family-loving good guy. Eva’s not sure she’s ready for the danger he poses to her jaded heart. Given their differences, a relationship can’t last, right? But the line between fake and real keeps blurring, daring her to take the biggest risk of all…
Daniel Deconstructed by James Ramos
A nerdy high schooler learns to embrace his main-character energy in this witty and heart-healing ode to movie tropes, meet-cutes, and LGBTQ+ love.
Photographer and film buff Daniel Sanchez learned a long time ago that the only way to get by in an allistic world is to mask his autism and follow the script. Which means he knows that boisterous, buff, and beautiful soccer superstars like his best friend, Mona Sinclair, shouldn’t be wasting time hanging out with introverts who prefer being behind the camera.
So when Daniel meets a new classmate, Gabe Mendes, who is tall, mysterious, nonbinary, and-somehow-as cool as Mona, Daniel knows exactly how this is going to play out. Mona and Gabe will meet cute, win their nominations for Homecoming Court, and ride off into the sunset together. Daniel just needs to do a little behind-the-scenes directing.
But matchmaking means stepping into the mystifying and illogical world of love, dating, and relationships, where nothing is as it seems and no one knows their lines. And when Daniel finds himself playing a starring role in this romance, he’ll question everything he thought he knew about himself and his place in the world.
Small town romance
Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro
Can love conquer all? A moving story of overcoming the past and second chances from bestselling Australian romance author Mandy Magro.
Can their love heal the shadows of the past?
After losing her family in a tragic fire when she was a child, Amelia Price has battled to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Even so, she’s never felt like she belongs anywhere, and she longs for stability and love. When a mysterious letter turns up at her apartment with hints that she’ll uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago if she goes to the sleepy, picturesque town of Riverside, she sets off on a journey to tropical Far North Queensland.
Jarrah King owns and runs the Riverside Roadhouse. He loves the simpleness of country living, and the fact it gives him complete anonymity. Over the years he’s made a life for himself under a new name, however his past has never stopped haunting him.
When a sassy blonde takes up the new cook position, he can’t help but be drawn to her vivacious personality. But he can tell there’s also pain hiding underneath her bubbly facade and he longs to erase those shadows. However, lowering his defences to let her in may risk his new identity, as well as everything he holds dear.
Can Amelia show him that love is worth the risk? Or will the secrets of their entwined past tear them apart forever?
Wed in the Outback by Ally Blake and Rachel Stewart
Outback Princess – Ally Blake
Their reunion with a royal twist…
To claim her inheritance, Matilda Waverly must be wed within the year. But Matilda has a secret: she’s already married! She hasn’t seen Henri since she fled their wedding night, so tracking him down is essential — but exciting and terrifying in equal measure. Especially when she learns Henri is actually a prince! And the undeniable spark between them has never gone away…
Outback Bride’s Baby Bombshell – Rachael Stewart
Unwilling bride, unexpected baby!
Returning to her family’s outback homestead, Eve feels like a fish out of water. She’s only in town to contest the ridiculous terms of her inheritance. Get married? As if! Finding a distraction in the arms of gorgeous stranger Nate is one thing. Discovering he’s the lawyer enforcing her father’s will is another…and the biggest bombshell of all is that their one night had consequences!
The Rival by Maisey Yates
This rugged cowboy has always been content going it alone…until he finally meets his match!
Cowboy Levi Granger is his own man. He’s proud of his ranch, and he’s proud of the siblings he brought up after the devastating loss of their parents. The only thing he’s not proud of is the way the Sullivan family took advantage of him when he was struggling the most. So when pretty Quinn Sullivan comes looking to access his land for a business venture, the kick of attraction is as shocking as it is unwelcome!
Book-smart Quinn can more than hold her own when it comes to arrogant cowboys. But there’s something about Levi that gets under her skin. Maybe it’s his ease around the ranch or his smoldering good looks — or maybe it’s the way he stares at her like he hates her but maybe also wants to kiss her. Quinn isn’t one to back down easily, but not falling for the frustratingly handsome cowboy is proving to be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced…
Dark romance
Knights of Fury by Chantal Fernando
Saint
Dear Skylar,
Five years. That’s a long time to go without talking to somebody, especially someone who was such a huge part of your life…
A letter from my first kiss and my childhood everything…from prison. He may be nicknamed Saint, but this sweet, sexy biker most definitely has a wild streak. Hearing from him draws me right back into the Knights of Fury motorcycle club — the people I’ll always think of as family. He’s still the only man I’ve ever wanted.
Each good, old-fashioned letter from my ‘prison pen pal’ has my heart racing. Which is nothing compared to how I feel when Saint surprises me in person, as a free man. I was just a kid the last time we saw each other, but the connection between us now is anything but innocent. He’s the type of man who would do anything to protect his woman. And with my world crashing down around me, that’s exactly what I’m going to need.
Renegade
Good girl Isabella wouldn’t miss the birth of her sister’s baby for the world. So when her car breaks down and one of the bikers next door offers her a ride to Vegas, it’s too tempting to pass up. Besides, she can think of worse travel conditions than wrapping her arms around Renny, otherwise known as Renegade.
Between wild parties and rumbling motorcycles, living next to the Knights of Fury MC has always left Isabella curious, but after a night in Vegas, she gets a firsthand taste. Drinks in the club surrounded by burly bikers soon turns into a series of daring decisions, which don’t seem so bad until she wakes up the next morning. Married. To Renny.
Nothing complicates an annulment like lingering temptation, especially when Isabella and Renny give in to their need, putting their marriage where their mouths are. But as Isabella learns what outlaw life is really like, she’ll have to decide if she’s in love with a biker — or in over her head.
First Position by Melanie Hamrick
Desire was my undoing.
***
As a young dancer, Sylvie Carter has a list of rules for making it big in the ballet world. Avoid drama. Don’t do drugs. Skip dessert. And of course, never sleep with another dancer. Ballet is a cutthroat profession, and she can’t afford a scandal.
Not again…
But when she meets renowned Italian dancer Alessandro Russo, an electrifying encounter has her throwing out the rulebook. And as he tempts her into the darkness she swore she’d left behind, she wonders if this relationship will be the making of her… or if it will cost her everything.
***
A brand new dark ballet romance, perfect for fans of Ana Huang, Colleen Hoover and Mia Sheridan