CATEGORIES: Weekly Recap
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Latest Top Recommendations

I’ve never come across a Sarah MacLean novel that I didn’t absolutely devour, but this book—this fascinating, almost theatrically dramatic gem of a story—stole my heart. A wealthy New England family is shaken by the sudden loss of its larger-than-life patriarch, but no one more so than its prodigal daughter—Alice Storm. After five years of being cast out from the family and forging her own path in life, Alice returns to her family’s private island to pay her final respects to her father. But shortly after arriving there, she realises that her eccentric, controlling father is not done manipulating Alice and her siblings even from beyond the grave, forcing them all to spend one week together on the island in order to receive the inheritance. By exploring the real, messy, and deeply broken dynamics of a family brought together by guilt and grief, but ultimately bound to one another by love, MacLean delivers a powerful story riddled with drama, secrets, and family mayhem, as well as a generous dash of heartwarming romance. A superb read.

Read More...

Kristen Ashley continues to infuse her stories with such depth of emotion that I can see myself re-reading her novels until I’m old and gray. The latest River Rain instalment is a richly layered tale of second chances in life, of redemption, of forgiveness, of knowing our self-worth and believing in the best version of ourselves, no matter how hard our demons fight to break us down. A former celebrity mean girl, Blake Sharp is trying hard to move on from her past and from under the thumb of her controlling mother, but she never expected to find an ally in her childhood frenemy and occasional bully, retired Scottish rugby player and playboy, Alasdair Wallace. When fate suddenly throws them together, an unexpected connection emerges between them, followed by immediate attraction and chemistry, but learning to trust each other with their hearts and not letting their pasts stand in the way is a battle they will both have to fight for what they want the most. A joy to read!

Read More...

The Sunshine Vicram trilogy was one of those on-a-whim picks, a blind draw from my endless TBR list, and my first encounter with Darynda Jones’ s delightful writing, and I simply flew through it. Set in the small town of Del Sol, New Mexico, the series centres around Sunshine Vicram who returns to her hometown as the elected sheriff, only to find herself knee-deep in drama and danger on her first day on the job. And then there’s Levi, her childhood crush and the man who seems to be angry at her for some reason; her teenage daughter who fancies herself an amateur sleuth; her meddling parents… Witty dialogues, endearing (and some downright bonkers) characters, and small town shenanigans made this series a hilarious thrill ride I never want to get off, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Read More...

I honesty can’t say that I had blood-drinking, winged aliens on my reading bingo card this year, yet here we are. A tale of fated mates, unrequited love, with even a surprise pregnancy thrown into the mix, I devoured this book in a single sitting, hopelessly enthralled with the characters, the plot, the angst, the phenomenal world building. This is one of those stories that consumes you until you’ve gobbled up every last word of it, and then leaves you craving for more. It’s technically the third book in the Brides of the Kylorr series, but I jumped in with no prior knowledge of the series so far, and that didn’t impede my enjoyment of this book. This was my first toe-dip into Zoey Draven’s writing, but it then kicked off a week-long binge-read-a-thon of her books I’m still recovering from.

Read More...

Bookish News

After being brought together by tragedy, a fast-talking party girl and a grumpy British CEO, are forced to pose as newlyweds to film a reality travel show that could save their travel agency, in Elizabeth O’Roark‘s new novel, out in June 2026.

Read More...

A small town, forbidden, rivals to lovers romance is coming in May 2026 from Elsie Silver, the first book in the brand new Western romance series, Emerald Lake.

Read More...

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NBJ WEEKLY RECAP

New & Upcoming Releases; Bookish News; Latest Top Recommendations

22 October, 2025

NEW RELEASES

✭ NBJ TOP RECOMMENDATION | FORBIDDEN + MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE + ROMANTIC SUSPENSE + SMALL TOWN

The first time I met Kyler Blackwood, he was a bruised and battered boy with fire in his eyes and nowhere safe to land.

Since the first time he kissed me, he was my best-kept secret, my quiet rebellion, my haven in the storm.

But fate forced us apart, making us pretend to be strangers because it hurt too much to be anything else.

Years later, time hasn’t dulled what we felt, has never erased the way we fit. And when Kye’s past collides with my present, everything shifts.

It’s a choice neither of us expected.
A bond that never really broke.
A line we were never meant to cross.

We tell ourselves it’s only temporary, that the arrangement is just a means to an end. But with each passing day, the lie feels more like the truth. And with each stolen touch, Kye feels more like mine. Because some things were never meant to be pretend.

And some dangers are closer than we ever imagined…

This is the sixth and final book in the Sparrow Falls series of standalone novels with interconnected characters, a spin-off from the Lost & Found series.

Series recommended reading order: Fragile Sanctuary | Delicate Escape | Broken Harbor | Beautiful Exile | Chasing Shelter | Secret Haven

Click to Read An Excerpt


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Deluxe Edition Print | Audio

ENEMIES TO LOVERS + SMALL TOWN + PARANORMAL HOLIDAY ROMANCE

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

This is a standalone novel in the all-new Ghosted series.


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

AGE GAP + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + HEROINE IN DANGER + NO STRINGS ATTACHED + SMALL TOWN + ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

I went to Scotland looking for answers about my past. The last thing I expected was getting trapped on a private island with my stoic, brooding, gorgeous contractor.

Ramsay McRae is a man with secrets. He prefers the company of his dog to people and silence to any semblance of politeness. He says I’m too young, too sweet, too innocent.

Only he doesn’t know the truth. That I’m haunted by a crime that tore my life apart two years ago. I’ve come to Half-Light Harbor not just to start over, but to bring the monster who killed my parents to justice.

The last thing I need is a tortured Scot distracting me from my mission. But when his restraint snaps and my walls crumble, the results are explosive.

We say it’s only a no-strings-attached affair. A temporary moment to burn out this fire between us.

However, when my search for the truth brings danger to my door, it’s Ramsay stepping in to protect me. But it might be the secrets from his past that tear us apart forever…

This is the first book in the all-new Scottish Isles series of standalone novels with interconnected characters.

Series recommended reading order: Half-Light Harbor | Drifting Dawn (Apr 2026) | Twilight Tides (Jul 2026)


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

VAMPIRE MYSTERY ROMANCE

She never wanted a vampire boss. He never wanted a conscience. Now they hunt serial killers together—and pretend the tension between them is purely professional.

I met my father once in a Transylvanian café. He called himself “Renfield,” scribbled in strange ledgers, and muttered about “the master.”

Years later, I’m summoned to a Carpathian castle for my inheritance. Instead of riches, I inherit servitude to Alexandru—an arrogant, centuries-old vampire who expects me to run his “affairs.”
I flee back to Ohio. He follows—and my best friend ends up on his dinner menu.

Desperate, I strike a deal: I’ll manage his immortal life if he only feeds on those who deserve it: Serial killers.

Now my spreadsheets and his hunting skills are aimed at one goal—catching killers before Alexandru loses control.

But the hardest part isn’t the murderers. It’s not knowing whether Alexandru sees me as his servant—or his next obsession.

This is the first book in the all-new Immortal Boss series.


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print

FAKE DATING + FORCED PROXIMITY + SMALL TOWN + HOLIDAY ROMANCE

I came to Legacy, Montana, to sell a fantasy—twelve Insta-ready #Holidates of Christmas. One career-making brand deal. Zero drama.

Then my videographer bailed, and in walked Maddox Sullivan.

Grumpy. Gorgeous. Growly. A mountain man with zero chill and even less tolerance for influencers like me. He agrees to film my content—off-camera only—but when my first date cancels, guess who ends up in front of the lens?

Cue the fireworks.

Our chemistry is instant. My followers are obsessed. #TeamMaddrian starts trending. Suddenly, all my dates are mysteriously dropping out, and Maddox is reluctantly starring in every single holidate—sleigh rides, snowball fights, cocoa by the fire, kisses under the mistletoe.

And I… I’m starting to forget this was ever supposed to be pretend.

Because every time Maddox looks at me, I feel something real. Something lasting. Something terrifying.

I came here for curated content. Now I’m dreaming of a life I never thought I wanted—with a man I never saw coming.

But am I falling for the picture-perfect holiday fantasy? Or could this be the start of my real-life happily ever after?

This is a standalone novel.


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

SECOND CHANCES + ENEMIES TO LOVERS + BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND + HOLIDAY ROMANCE

Elizabeth

My brother was getting married.
At Christmas no less.
The holiday I hated the most.
Let me list all the reasons why this will be the worst season yet:
One would be my luggage not arriving.
Two would be being told I had to find somewhere else to sleep since my room was occupied by family members.
Oh, and now I am forced to stay with my brother’s best friend.
The man who broke my heart seven years ago.

Nate

My best friend was getting married.
I was happy for him.
Until I had to offer his sister my spare bedroom.
It’d be fine, two weeks and she’d be out of my hair.
But the thing with Elizabeth was that she pushed every single button I have.
She gets under my skin in the best ways.
All we have to do is survive the wedding and the holiday.
Then she’ll be gone yet again.
Unless maybe, just maybe, my wish of having her comes true.

This is a standalone novel set in the Something So series.


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

SECOND CHANCES + CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS + SECRET BABY + SINGLE PARENTS + SMALL TOWN

It was over between Bennett Owens and me—until I had no place to go but back to Willowbrook.

Seven years ago, he walked away, and I built a new life for myself, swearing never to look back. But when my husband is arrested, that life collapses, leaving my daughter and me with nothing but a three-month plan to return to the small ranch town before disappearing again.

Bennett’s a single dad now. Our girls become inseparable on sight, making it impossible to keep him at arm’s length. Especially when I end up working alongside him, where every glance chips away at the walls I’ve built.

The years apart haven’t dulled the pull between us. Bennett remains protective and patient, determined to prove that we deserve a second chance. But he has no idea about the secret I’ve kept since the day he left.

Because once he learns the truth, he may never forgive me. And like it or not, we’ll be bound together forever—by the daughter he never knew was his.

This is a standalone novel in the Plain Daisy Ranch series.

Series recommended reading order: The One I Left Behind | The One I Stood Beside | The One I Didn’t See Coming | Chasing Forever | Chasing Love | Chasing Home (Dec 2025)


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

HOCKEY ROMANCE + DOCTOR/PATIENT + REVERSE AGE GAP + HE FALLS FIRST + BDSM + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE

I wrote up the contract myself.
Legally binding. Crystal clear. No strings. No feelings.
Just sex — and two million dollars in exchange for my time and expertise.

Carter Fabri may be Tampa Bay’s newest rising star, but off the ice, he’s all Bambi eyes and inexperience. He’s a virgin in desperate need of lessons in dominance, seduction, and everything in between.

And I happen to be just the woman to teach him.

I don’t need his money.
But I do need what it can give me.

I’m thirty-two, cut off from my family, and one bill away from drowning in student debt. The fantasy I’ve built around my lifestyle is getting harder to maintain. This pay day would secure the lifestyle I’ve worked too hard to let slip through my fingers and finally give me the chance to save for something I’ve always wanted — something I’ve never told anyone about.

So, I take Carter on as my student. I lay out every rule, every boundary, every carefully controlled term of our arrangement.
What I don’t plan for is how quickly he’d catch on — or how much I’d enjoy letting him take the reins.

This was supposed to be a lesson in power.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped being the one in charge.

I thought I could keep my heart out of it.
I thought I’d accounted for every risk.
But some consequences you can’t predict — no matter how carefully you draft the terms.

This is a standalone novel in the Kings of the Ice series.

Series recommended reading order: Meet Your Match | Watch Your Mouth | Learn Your Lesson | Save Your Breath | Stand Your Ground | Right Your Wrongs (2026)


Amazon US | Amazon CA | Print | Alternate Print

SMALL TOWN + WESTERN ROMANCE

Love can mend even the deepest wounds—if they dare to let it.

Declan Skye puts others first, running High Water ranch with quiet strength and carrying the grief for his late wife like a second skin. The ranch is more than land—it’s a refuge for those rebuilding their lives. Declan knows how to mend fences and guide broken souls. But his own heart? That’s a harder fix.

Dr. Sydney Jeremiah is no stranger to pressure. She’s smart, driven, and fiercely independent, but Heart Falls is testing her limits. With her clinic on the line, a meddling grandfather pulling the strings, and a cowboy who sees far too much, Sydney’s carefully built walls are starting to crack. Declan offers the one thing she’s never allowed herself to dream of—a place to belong.

As danger and secrets rise between them, Declan and Sydney must trust each other—and the found family around them—to build the future they deserve.

This is a standalone novel in The Skyes of Heart Falls series.

Series recommended reading order: A Cowboy’s Bride | A Cowboy’s Trust | A Cowboy’s Claim | A Heart Falls Cowboy Christmas (2026)


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

ENEMIES TO LOVERS + FORCED PROXIMITY + REVENGE + DARK MAFIA ROMANCE

The Huntsman is after me.
But he will be mine first.

Nine years ago, my aunt took everything from me.

My world. My throne. My mother.

I’ve bided my time since then, serving under her in the Mwuaji crime family, but she’s crossed another line. She put a price on my head, sending the legendary assassin the Huntsman, Malachi Bowden, after me.

The Huntsman’s never failed a contract before, but I know everything there is to know about him. It’s finally time for me to take my revenge and finish the war my aunt started.

The Huntsman might be my death. But Malachi Bowden?

He’s my weakness.

Welcome to The Hunted Kingdom.

This is a standalone novel in the all-new The Hunted Kingdom series.


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print | Audio

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More New Releases...

Latest Top Recommendations

I’ve never come across a Sarah MacLean novel that I didn’t absolutely devour, but this book—this fascinating, almost theatrically dramatic gem of a story—stole my heart. A wealthy New England family is shaken by the sudden loss of its larger-than-life patriarch, but no one more so than its prodigal daughter—Alice Storm. After five years of being cast out from the family and forging her own path in life, Alice returns to her family’s private island to pay her final respects to her father. But shortly after arriving there, she realises that her eccentric, controlling father is not done manipulating Alice and her siblings even from beyond the grave, forcing them all to spend one week together on the island in order to receive the inheritance. By exploring the real, messy, and deeply broken dynamics of a family brought together by guilt and grief, but ultimately bound to one another by love, MacLean delivers a powerful story riddled with drama, secrets, and family mayhem, as well as a generous dash of heartwarming romance. A superb read.

Read More...

Kristen Ashley continues to infuse her stories with such depth of emotion that I can see myself re-reading her novels until I’m old and gray. The latest River Rain instalment is a richly layered tale of second chances in life, of redemption, of forgiveness, of knowing our self-worth and believing in the best version of ourselves, no matter how hard our demons fight to break us down. A former celebrity mean girl, Blake Sharp is trying hard to move on from her past and from under the thumb of her controlling mother, but she never expected to find an ally in her childhood frenemy and occasional bully, retired Scottish rugby player and playboy, Alasdair Wallace. When fate suddenly throws them together, an unexpected connection emerges between them, followed by immediate attraction and chemistry, but learning to trust each other with their hearts and not letting their pasts stand in the way is a battle they will both have to fight for what they want the most. A joy to read!

Read More...

The Sunshine Vicram trilogy was one of those on-a-whim picks, a blind draw from my endless TBR list, and my first encounter with Darynda Jones’ s delightful writing, and I simply flew through it. Set in the small town of Del Sol, New Mexico, the series centres around Sunshine Vicram who returns to her hometown as the elected sheriff, only to find herself knee-deep in drama and danger on her first day on the job. And then there’s Levi, her childhood crush and the man who seems to be angry at her for some reason; her teenage daughter who fancies herself an amateur sleuth; her meddling parents… Witty dialogues, endearing (and some downright bonkers) characters, and small town shenanigans made this series a hilarious thrill ride I never want to get off, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Read More...

I honesty can’t say that I had blood-drinking, winged aliens on my reading bingo card this year, yet here we are. A tale of fated mates, unrequited love, with even a surprise pregnancy thrown into the mix, I devoured this book in a single sitting, hopelessly enthralled with the characters, the plot, the angst, the phenomenal world building. This is one of those stories that consumes you until you’ve gobbled up every last word of it, and then leaves you craving for more. It’s technically the third book in the Brides of the Kylorr series, but I jumped in with no prior knowledge of the series so far, and that didn’t impede my enjoyment of this book. This was my first toe-dip into Zoey Draven’s writing, but it then kicked off a week-long binge-read-a-thon of her books I’m still recovering from.

Read More...

Bookish News

After being brought together by tragedy, a fast-talking party girl and a grumpy British CEO, are forced to pose as newlyweds to film a reality travel show that could save their travel agency, in Elizabeth O’Roark‘s new novel, out in June 2026.

Read More...

A small town, forbidden, rivals to lovers romance is coming in May 2026 from Elsie Silver, the first book in the brand new Western romance series, Emerald Lake.

Read More...

Upcoming Releases

28 Oct

28 Oct

28 Oct

28 Oct

29 Oct

1 Nov

3 Nov

4 Nov

4 Nov

4 Nov

4 Nov

6 Nov

6 Nov

11 Nov

11 Nov

11 Nov

13 Nov

18 Nov

18 Nov

18 Nov

18 Nov

19 Nov

20 Nov

25 Nov

25 Nov

30 Nov

2 Dec

2 Dec

2 Dec

9 Dec

9 Dec

11 Dec

16 Dec

16 Dec

30 Dec

13 Jan

13 Jan

13 Jan

13 Jan

15 Jan

20 Jan

27 Jan

More Upcoming Releases...

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