The last thing Reggie Sommerville wants is to come back home for Christmas. It’s only been a year and a half since her boyfriend, Jake, proposed and then broke up with her, all in one weekend, and the prospect of facing the entire town is humiliating. But when her parents reveal that they’re renewing their vows in the lavish wedding they always wanted and her mother asks her to be a bridesmaid, Reggie knows she can’t say no. No matter how much she wants to. She expected the town would be gossiping about her relationship with Jake, but she never expected to run into Toby, her first love that broke her heart all those years ago, living in town and raising his son. She always thought things between them were long over…but this Christmas is full of surprises.

Dena Sommerville has only ever wanted one thing: to have a child. But motherhood has been alluding her because she never met the right man…until she took the bull by the horns and decided to have a baby as a single mom. She knew it would be difficult and the morning sickness alone is knocking her down for the count, but she’s determined to do this on her own. So when a handsome musician checks into the inn where she works, Dena is surprised when a friendship develops. He has his own issues to work through—that much is clear. But she can’t deny there’s something between them

This Christmas, guilted into being bridesmaids at their parents’ vow renewal ceremony, Reggie and Dena Sommerville just might find the most unexpected gift of all—love.

Buy Links | BookShop.org | Harlequin  | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Powell’s

I was definitely ready to pick up a book to get me in the Christmas spirit and this one absolutely fit the bill. I loved the small town setting that Mallery created for this series, it felt like a place I would love to visit and enjoy. I was a little worried with dual romances happening that one would far overshadow the other but I was pleasantly surprised at the balance between the two and how the stories wove together. Each relationship had real issues and believable scenes and just felt very organic. I also really enjoyed the characters themselves and how they balanced off of each other, there were unique personalities with depth, especially with the sisters. All in all a great holiday book to kick off the season.

Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.

Social Links | Author Website | Twitter: @SusanMallery | Facebook: @SusanMallery |
Instagram: @susanmallery | Goodreads

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She’s snowed in at Christmas…

with a man she must resist!

Casting director Perla Sambrano knows Gael Montez is the perfect actor for her new film project. As long as she forgets his oh-so-tempting allure and keeps her heart out of it. Because their chemistry’s no act and she needs to be careful…

The Montez men hurt the women they love. Or so Gael believes. Keeping things professional with Perla is the only way to protect her. Until a snowstorm strands them together, leading to an unplanned Christmas fling that lands them both on the naughty list!

Add Just For the Holidays… to your Goodreads!

Buy Just for the Holidays… by Adriana Herrera | Harlequin.com

After getting to read the first book in this series, I knew I wanted to pick up the next book. I really enjoy Herrera’s writing style as it gives a great flow and pace and makes these short, enjoyable reads. This book does have a good number of cliches and tropes, but the core of the story is a second chance romance, which I felt was done well. The setting definitely made the story cozy and sweet and I really enjoyed how the characters interacted and how their relationship progressed. I will definitely be continuing this series as well as more of Herrera’s books.

Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings. 

Connect with the Author | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Different worlds collide in Sera Taino’s debut novel.

It’s hard to remain enemies when you’ve broken bread together

Val Navarro’s first mistake: going out dancing after a bad breakup when the chef should be focused on her family business. Her second mistake? Thinking the handsome, sensitive stranger she meets could be more than a rebound – until she discovers he’s Philip Wagner of Wagner Developments. His father’s company could shut down her Puerto Rican restaurant and unravel her tight-knit neighborhood. When Philip takes over negotiations, Val wants to believe he has good intentions. But is following her heart a recipe for disaster?

Add A Delicious Dilemma to your Goodreads!

Buy A Delicious Dilemma by Sera Taino | Harlequin.com

I’ve been really enjoying the titles I’ve read from Harlequin Special Edition lately and this one was no exception. It was a great example of an enemies to lovers that was done exceptionally well. I especially liked that Philip chose to be honest about who he was rather than lie about it.

If you like books that include food, then you should pick up this one. I loved the Val’s restaurant and the talk about food throughout the book. I felt like all the characters were really well rounded as well, with actual personalities and unique traits that make them stand apart.

I really enjoyed this book even though there were some moments where the pace was inconsistent, the relationships and story made up for those moments and pushed the story on.

Debut romance author Sera Taíno has been selected for Harlequin’s Romance Includes You Mentorship, an initiative launched in 2019 to reach out to diverse communities of writers and bring more own voices stories to romance readers. Her unpublished, #ownvoices novel, Incomparable, will be published with Harlequin Special Edition in 2021 as part of the mentorship initiative. When she is not writing, she can usually be found teaching, traveling, or wrangling her family.

Connect with the Author | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Can two rivals create mistletoe magic?

When a local wilderness lodge almost cancels its Twelve Days of Christmas festival, Emma Halloran leaps at the chance to convince the owners of her vision for the business. But Luke Emerson has his own plans—to keep the lodge in the family and protect his grandfather’s legacy. As they work together, Luke and Emma are increasingly drawn to each other. Can these utter opposites unite over their shared passion this Christmas?

Add Twelve Dates of Christmas to your Goodreads!

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Laurel Greer | Harlequin.com

If you’re looking for a Christmas romance to get you in the holiday mood, this one definitely fits the bill. I loved the hate to love relationship, from their banter to their actual relationship and how they worked together. They both had their own goals, but it was great to see them come together.

I also really loved the setting and fell in love with the location created. I definitely see myself going back and reading the rest of the series. Thankfully this one can be read as a stand-alone without having read the other books.

Overall it was a super cute romance that was well paced and easy to devour in a single setting. It also is perfect to put you in the holiday mood!

Born and raised in a small Vancouver Island town, Laurel picked up her pen to write Julie Garwood fan-fiction during junior high English class. She hasn’t put it down since. Ever committed to the proper placement of the Canadian “eh,” she loves to write books with snapping sexual tension and second chances. She lives outside Vancouver with her law-talking husband and two daughters. At least half her diet is made up of tea. Find her at www.laurelgreer.com.

Connect with the Author | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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A new season leads to a new beginning in New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s latest heartwarming romance!

Will the secrets of her past…

Prevent her from having the future she’s always wanted?

Rosa Galvez’s attraction to Officer Wyatt Townsend is as powerful as the moon’s pull on the tides. But with her past, Rosa knows better than to act on her feelings. When Wyatt and his adorable son become Brambleberry House’s newest tenants, Rosa finds her resolve slipping. Her solo life slowly becomes a sun-filled family adventure—until dark secrets threaten to break like a summer storm.

Add A Brambleberry Summer to your Goodreads!

Buy Links | Harlequin.com | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo

If you’re looking for a fun and easy read for the summer this is definitely a good one. It’s very much a low angst story and is really light and heartwarming. There are certainly some moments of tension, but nothing that is extreme. I really liked the relationship between Rosa and Wyatt, but also the one between Rosa and Wyatt’s son. I also love that it was set in Oregon, as it’s a beautiful state, so it’s pretty much an auto buy location for me. Thayne’s writing in this book was light and refreshing and made this story a perfect summer read.

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

Connect with the Author | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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She’ll inherit an empire…but only if she can resist her ex—in this Sambrano Studios novel by Adriana Herrera.

She’s on track to be the new CEO.

Her ex is the only one standing in the way.

When Esmeralda Sambrano-Peña unexpectedly inherits her father’s media empire, it ruffles more than a few feathers. And no one is more conflicted about it than Rodrigo Almanzar. Esmeralda knows her father’s longtime protégé—and her ex-lover—wants the executive job for himself. Making matters worse, their renewed passion grows undeniable with every late-night meeting. Will Rodrigo prove to be the perfect partner in business and pleasure…or her professional undoing?

Add One Week to Claim It All to your Goodreads!

Buy Links | Harlequin.com | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo

This one definitely sounded fun when I heard about it, so I had to pick it up. I loved the way it was written and the characters that were introduced. It really felt like it was a telenovela and was such a quick and entertaining read. I really loved Herrera’s writing style and felt that she pretty perfectly crafted the hate to love elements, which can often be hard to do well. I was not expecting the number of twists or drama that this included, but pretty much enjoyed every moment of reading it!

I’m also excited to share and excerpt of this book with everyone –

Esme’s chest fluttered with an ember of hope and longing at her mother’s words. Ivelisse was right, she’d been killing herself for the past five years—trying and failing to get her projects off the ground, but she could not get a break. Because her ideas weren’t “commercial” enough, or relatable to the “mainstream” audience. She was tired of getting doors shut in her face because she refused to compromise. As head of Sambrano Studios she could make her dream come to life. Put shows out there that reflected all the faces of Latinx culture.

If she wasn’t pushed out by Carmelina first.

“Mami, that woman is never going to let me stay. And I don’t want to sink to her level.” Ivelisse had been a wonderful mother, gentle and kind, but she was a fighter when it counted, and the mention of her old foe lit a fire behind her eyes.

“Carmelina won’t know how to fight you, baby. That woman has never done a day of work in her life. When you go in there—smart, competent, full of fresh ideas—that board won’t know what hit them.” That ember was now a tiny flame fueled by the faith Esme’s mother had in her. Still, she’d learned the hard way not to trust anything that came from her father.

“But won’t the board have someone picked out already? Someone that doesn’t come with the drama that I will certainly cause?”

Her mother averted her eyes at her question and that gave Esme pause. “Mami?” she asked wearily as she scanned the paper in her hands again, looking for whatever her mother wasn’t saying. And when she got to the very last paragraph she understood. Her body flashed hot and cold, just from reading that name. There in black and white was the last push she needed to jump right into an ocean of bad decisions.

“Him?” she asked tersely, and from the corner of her eye she saw her mother flinch.

Rodrigo Almanzar, her father’s protégé and the person who for years had been the only tie she had to Patricio. The man she’d given her heart and her body to only to have him betray her when she needed him most. The man whose very name could still make her ache with longing and tremble with fury. How could it still hurt so much after all this time?

She felt tired. Tired of this damn thing hanging over her head. Tired of all the complicated feelings she had about everything having to do with Sambrano Studios. Especially when it came to the tall, brawny, arrogant bastard who was probably hoping she’d do the very thing she’d been considering. Let her pride and her baggage make her decision for her.

And she might have, if he wasn’t the one who’d end up as president and CEO. She wouldn’t do it out of greed, or even to appease her mother, but she would do it out of spite. Rodrigo had betrayed her just so he could continue as her father’s lapdog. Now she’d take the thing he’d sold his soul for…just when he thought he finally had it.

“Actually,” she said, standing up, already feeling the fire in her gut that usually preceded her doing ill-advised things. “You’re right.” The four women in her living room were all looking at her with varying degrees of anticipation. “I’ve been saying for years that if given the chance to shoot my shot I wouldn’t hesitate to take it. This isn’t exactly how I’d hoped to get it, but now that I do, I’m not wasting it. Tomorrow, Sambrano will get its new president and CEO.”

Her mother eyed Esme with suspicion, probably guessing what had been the deciding factor for her change of heart, while her aunt Yocasta crowed with delight, “Ay, Ivelisse, what I wouldn’t give to see the look on Carmelina’s face when Esme walks into that boardroom tomorrow.”

Esme smiled wryly at her aunt, but her mind was already racing toward the other shocked face she was looking forward to seeing.

Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

Connect with the Author | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookbub

Happy reading!