NBJ WEEKLY RECAP

NEW RELEASES

A hardworking single mom returns to her seaside hometown and stumbles into a fake dating situationship with a wealthy, workaholic scion…

If they start by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?

This is a standalone novel.

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COWBOY ROMANCE + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + FOUND FAMILY + FORCED PROXIMITY + SMALL TOWN

A cowboy romance enthusiast discovers that everything’s bigger in Texas—even love…

Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well…or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it’s time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. After all, don’t all heroines try to outrun grief?

Tate Jacobs hates cowboys, which is a small problem, considering his family happens to own the largest ranch in Celestial. Life might not have gone the way he wanted, but as head coach at his old high school and the town’s best (and only) handyman, he’s figured out how to stay busy and keep his head down—until the new girl in town shows up. Luna’s new property is a bad accident waiting to happen unless someone helps her with her DIY home renovations.

As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might’ve moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined.

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

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ROMANTIC SUSPENSE + THRILLER

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

This is a standalone novel.

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MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE + HISTORICAL ROMANCE

American heiress Jenny Dove thought a marriage of convenience would solve all her problems, until her heart decided to rewrite the terms…

Jenny Dove has spent her life training to become an opera singer, determined not to repeat her mother’s mistake of sacrificing her career for love. But when her younger sister needs her help, Jenny strikes a daring bargain. To save her sister’s future, she’ll marry a titled gentleman long enough to unlock both their inheritances, then return to Paris to live out her dream.

Lord David Felding, heir to a dukedom and unapologetic rake, has no interest in finding a wife, until Jenny walks into his life with an audacious marriage proposal. She’ll give him one night in her bed in exchange for the protection of his name. It’s supposed to be a simple transaction—no emotions, no complications. But when their wedding night reveals unexpected passion and a startling connection, walking away is anything but easy.

Instead of continuing his roguish life in London, David follows Jenny to Paris—and begins to court his own wife. As their sham marriage deepens into something real, Jenny glimpses the wounded man behind his charm and feels her carefully guarded heart begin to yield. But falling in love means a slow, irresistible unraveling of everything they thought they wanted…and trusting in something neither dared to hope for.

This is the third book in The Doves of New York series of standalone novels with interconnected characters.

Series recommended reading other: The Stranger I Wed | Eliza and the Duke | The Dove and the Rogue

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FIRST LOVE + HE FALLS FIRST

Flynn Morley has spent his life getting by with as little as possible. No girlfriend. No real home. No money to speak of. Raised in the system, he learned early not to trust people who seemed to have everything. So when he takes a job as a “muse” for a wealthy Minneapolis couple, it feels like crossing a line he never thought he would.

Then he meets June.

June is a bike tour guide with a quick smile, a calm confidence, and a way of making Flynn feel seen without being judged. Their connection is immediate and playful, built on shared humor, quiet moments, and a mutual longing for a simple life.

As Flynn adjusts to his bizarre new job, he starts encountering something he never planned for: kindness without strings attached. It challenges everything he believes about money, power, and who gets to be comfortable in the world. And falling for June only complicates things, especially when it turns out she’s carrying secrets of her own.

When June’s past surfaces, Flynn has to decide what scares him more: becoming someone he’s always sworn he’d never be or letting her see his darkest secrets. If he can’t let go of his fears, he might lose the one person who finally feels like home.

This is a standalone novel in the Chain of Lakes series.

Series recommended reading order: The Homemaker | The Muse

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BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY + FORCED PROXIMITY + HE FALLS FIRST + ROMANTIC SUSPENSE + DARK ROMANCE

She’s the one woman he can’t have, and falling for her isn’t just reckless—it could be deadly.

Billionaire Shawn Dunn has it all. Command of a global empire. Women who crave him. Wealth that means nothing is beyond his reach.

Yet Kara Hayward refuses to fall under his spell. She’s fire and defiance wrapped in temptation, the only woman who looks him in the eye and says no. It only makes Shawn want her more.

Getting involved would be shockingly dangerous. Kara’s sister is hiding from a ruthless assassin, and it’s safer for everyone if Shawn keeps his distance.

But the tension between them is inescapable. Every touch ignites. Every kiss sears hotter. Their desire grows into something more, something deeper . . . until the night everything burns.

Because the man hunting Kara’s sister has come to collect his revenge, and the price isn’t Shawn’s money, power, or pride.

It’s Kara.

This is the second book in the Dangerous Obsession series of standalone novels with interconnected characters. It was previously published in 2014 as Keep by Karyn Lawrence (Nikki’s alter ego), but it has been completely rewritten to include new content, more spice, and a point-of-view switch.

Series reading order: Stay With Me | Keep Me Safe | Hold Me Close (Jun 2026)

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GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + FORMULA ONE

When a star driver hires a new dog nanny, he gets an all-American girl who loves dogs, cars… and making him beg…

So what if she’s crushing on a race car driver? That doesn’t mean it’s love at first lap.

But maybe it’s love at first lap dog?

Yesterday, Piper Murphy was just another dog sitter helping her sister with wedding prep while pretending she’s over her own broken engagement.

Today, she’s the fill-in dog sitter for Formula One driver Emilio Baquero. Brooding, gorgeous driver + naughty, cute Lab? Woof, down boy.

When Emilio offers her a five-week gig as his live-in dog nanny in London, Piper can’t help but say yes. It’s out of her comfort zone, sure, but it’s also a ticket to travel, racing, and caring for a dog she already adores. All while escaping the wedding planning that’s put her failures front and center.

Only being under the same roof means there’s no escaping Emilio’s intensity, or grumpiness. Piper tries to be a sunny presence, but their clashes just fuel the slow-burn tension to something near combustible.

Because falling for your boss is risky when you have a broken heart. Falling for your famous boss and his adorable dog? That’s a crash waiting to happen.

This is a standalone novel in the Fast Track series.

Series recommended reading order: Not So Fast | Too Fast to Fall

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GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + BEST FRIEND’S TWIN BROTHER + SMALL TOWN

Rule #1 on the Everly Fletcher Matchmaking Manifesto…Never fall for your best friend’s grumpy brother.

Everly is the matchmaking mastermind of her family, but her own love life is a bit of a flop.

Back from four years in Dublin, she’s ready for a quiet summer on Fletcher Mountain helping launch her aunt’s animal rescue center—until Conri “Wolf” Reilly shows up.

Wolf is her college roommate’s infuriating twin brother. He’s brooding, Irish, and college rugby’s resident bad boy with thighs that could crack a watermelon.

His red card reputation has trashed his rugby prospects…until a training camp in Denver comes calling. As a favor, Everly reluctantly gets Wolf a place to stay if he volunteers at the rescue center.

Now Everly finds herself working and living next door to the Irish tattooed grump who treats her like a nuisance—but looks at her like he could press her up against a hay bale until they forget their own names.

Wolf swore he came to America to fix his image, not fall for his sister’s best friend, but the more time he spends with Everly, the harder it is to keep his distance.

Perhaps Everly’s in her bad boy era…or maybe Fletcher Mountain might has its own matchmaking plans.

This is a standalone novel in the Mountain Men Matchmaker series.

Series recommended reading order: Nine Month Contract | Seven Year Itch | Honeymoon Phase | Bad Boy Era

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AGE GAP + ALPHA HERO + FIREFIGHTER + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + ONE NIGHT STAND + SINGLE DAD + SMALL TOWN

Twenty-two-year-old heiress Rachel Henderson has one goal this summer: hide out at her family’s lake house and recover from the most mortifying breakup Manhattan society has ever witnessed. Sun, swimming, and zero paparazzi, what could go wrong?

But her quiet summer by the lake goes up in literal flames when a spa-day candle mishap sets her mother’s designer curtains on fire. When the local fire department shows up—specifically the ridiculously hot fire captain—the house is saved, but the captain scorches her pride with a lecture about fire safety.

Determined to prove she can handle life on her own without her family’s help, Rachel finds a new roommate and a new job—too bad she’s terrible at it. Oh, and she keeps running into Captain Tall-Dark-and-Infuriating (which definitely isn’t a hardship). The more time they spend together, the more their conversations start to get real, and Rachel finds herself falling for Wyatt. She thinks he might even feel the same way.

The only problem? Wyatt is all about roots and permanence, while Rachel is the very definition of flighty. But this summer, she just might be tempted to stay…

This is a standalone novel.

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ENEMIES TO LOVERS + DARK ROMANCE

Tyler Carter Jennings is an enigma. Charged with the task of guarding the Ravenhood as well as every secret of those who belong to it, he keeps those burdens, along with his past and personal heartbreak, to himself. As a highly trained Marine and tactical reckoning force, there’s never been a situation he couldn’t handle . . . until her.

Larissa DiCicco is all too familiar with the weight of secrets and their consequences. A member of one of the most powerful and influential families in the world, she was just a teenager when her older brother disappeared. Charged with the responsibility of maintaining her family’s legacy, she has no choice but to seek refuge in the only man who may be able to help her escape her fate.

When Larissa and Tyler collide, they both recognize what powerful adversaries they are. And that losing their hearts to one another while sharing all they know might be the most damning and dangerous thing they’ve ever done…

This is the third book in the Ravenhood Legacy series, a spin-off from The Ravenhood trilogy.

Series recommended reading order: One Last Rainy Day | Severed Heart | Birds of a Feather

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BILLIONAIRE + SINGLE MUM + SMALL TOWN

I came to Whispers to start over. Just me, my baby, and a bakery that smells like second chances.

No more judgmental glances. No more family who treated me like a stain they couldn’t scrub out. Just flour, sugar, and the quiet hope that I can build a life worth living.

I didn’t expect to meet Griffin.

Grumpy, gorgeous, and maddeningly closed off, he’s the town’s most elusive billionaire and the man who built homes for the rich but never made one for himself.

He sees me. Not just the bump or the baggage, but the woman underneath. And when he looks at me like I’m the only thing that’s ever made sense, I forget how to breathe.

But trust isn’t something I can afford. My past has taught me to be wary of everyone. Even if the grumpy builder says he’s ready to fight for something real.

I just hope he knows what it costs.

This is a standalone novel in The Billionaires of Whispers series.

Series recommended reading order: Tanner | Hudson | Connor | Sawyer | Sutton | Griffin

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FAKE MARRIAGE + BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS + HE FALLS FIRST + FORCED PROXIMITY + HIDDEN IDENTITY + FORBIDDEN + HISTORICAL ROMANCE

She told the school she was married.
Her best friend doesn’t know he’s the husband.

Lady Penelope Harrington needs a husband and to live humbly for a year to inherit her fortune. She’ll teach at her old boarding school to live a meager life, but she’s not ready to marry. So she tells everyone she already has one.
The man she names is her lifelong best friend.

Now Edward Thornton must pretend to be her husband while they travel to Scotland together… sharing rooms, risking scandal, and staying far too close for comfort.

He’s spent his entire life protecting Penelope. He’s also loved her for years. She has no idea.
But when a mysterious stranger begins following them across the countryside, it becomes clear the danger they feared for Penelope’s fortune may not be meant for her at all.

Because the greatest secret in their fake marriage…
belongs to Edward.

And it’s one he doesn’t even know he carries.

This is a standalone novel, part of the Busty Bodice Club multi-author collection.

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ROMANTIC FANTASY

They matched on a dating app. Then the universe dropped them into a magickal fire kingdom.

Amanda Ward has a five-step manifestation routine, a ritual kit in every purse, and a dating profile designed to reflect the version of herself she wishes she could be: grounded, glowing, and in total alignment. In reality, she’s overwhelmed, under-satisfied, and one passive-aggressive email away from a full-blown meltdown.

When a sext thread with her in-app temptation, Declan Thorne, leads to an invitation she can’t resist, Amanda finds herself face-to-face with the man behind the messages—a devastatingly hot, emotionally constipated venture capitalist. And the moment she tries bringing a bit of magick into their night, a tarot-triggered portal yanks them both into another realm entirely.

Now stranded in the Kingdom of Wands with an aggravating, broody CEO-turned-reluctant-bodyguard and zero clue how to get home, Amanda’s facing nightly on-stage performances, suspicious queens, and magick that refuses to cooperate.

What’s worse is that her biggest issue might not be the kingdom—it might be catching real feelings for the one man who makes her want to drop the act.

To survive and find their way back home, she’ll have to ditch the affirmations and the carefully controlled persona she’s been clinging to and learn how to wield something way more powerful—her truth.

Even if it burns everything down.

This is a standalone novel in the Towerfall series.

Series recommended reading order: The Empress | The Lovers | Fortune

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A drama-loving camp counselor confronts the crush she’s been nursing for years on her gruff, rule-following fellow counselor…

Senior counselor Margot Berry is finally going to tell Dean Ingram how she feels. Sure, she’s been pranking him for eight years and they’ve formed something of a rivalry. But surely that will all be set aside when she fesses up to her crush, right?

Wrong.

Dean assumes her confession is just another prank.

Can she convince him she’s for real before the camp session ends?

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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A country music star returns home for a family affair and faces the cowboy who once watched her walk away…

Josie Reid abandoned her Texas hometown six years ago, when Weston Jessup chose his family’s ranch over her.

Now a country music sensation, she’s back where it all started to officiate her brother’s wedding.

Wes is the best man, and he’s determined to make things right.

But can he convince Josie to give him another shot, or is their love song played out?

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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A surprise invitation from her estranged bestie whisks one woman away to a destination wedding, where her past and possible future collide…

It’s been ten years since Lucy last saw her childhood friend, but when she’s invited to Sara’s Costa Rica wedding, she can’t say no.

She starts wishing she had, though, after running into Beckett, Sara’s still-hot older brother.

He and Lucy are stuck sharing a hotel room. It doesn’t take long for old feelings—and old wounds—to resurface.

But maybe this time, something new will blossom too.

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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While vacationing at a lakefront house with her friends, a woman prepares to risk it all for the one that got away…

All Morgan wants is a relaxing day on the water. Instead, she accepts a “yes day” challenge that results in a series of increasingly flirty encounters with the beautiful woman she kissed eight years ago.

This challenge—and Juliette—will push Morgan out of her comfort zone, but if she succeeds, she might get to say yes to something even more unexpected: love.

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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A neurodivergent heroine meets a kind out-of-towner who’s just what she needs to shake up her life—and makes her feel like she’s finally on solid ground…

If you ask Beck Penrose, Florida summers aren’t relaxing so much as roller coasters of sensory overload.

But her nervous system settles down with Lucas Holiday, a travel blogger who gets her like no one else does.

It’s easy to say yes to living like tourists for a weekend. B

ut it’s harder to say goodbye when that weekend comes to an end.

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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The captains of a men’s and women’s hockey team are forced together, while keeping their players in line—and their feelings in check…

Hattie Cannon’s sure Colin Jettson hates her.

Colin is happy to let her believe it. It’s easier that way.

That is until a summer hockey camp puts them in the same hotel.

Keeping their college teams focused is one thing; keeping things civil is another.

Good sportsmanship is a start, but what Hattie and Colin really need is to throw out the rulebook and play their own game.

This is a standalone short story in the Summer Lovin’ multi-author collection.

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