MOST ANTICIPATED NEW ROMANCES OF OCTOBER 2021
10 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in October 2021
There are so many great romances to look forward to in October! A podcasting sexologist learns about rope play from a sexy carpenter; the King of the Gods must persuade his new Consort not to kill him; a young woman gets out of jail and becomes a Christmas window dresser; an in-office joke gets accidentally emailed to thousands of men asking them to knock up the sender; and that doesn’t even cover half of them. There’s something for every taste, and I hope that you find YOUR next great read here.
Happy reading, book junkies! ♡
Knot My Type | Evie Mitchell
Dr. Frankie Kenton is a sexologist and host of a boundary-breaking, stigma-crushing podcast about disability and sex. So, when one of her listeners sends in a question about accessible rope play, something Frankie knows nothing about, she decides to get out there and learn first-hand. That’s how she meets Jay Wood, carpenter by day and rigger by night, who teaches accessible bondage classes at a kink club in town. Their immediate chemistry leads to a little fun in the sheets, and a little romp with some ropes, but while Jay has never been the monogamous type, Frankie finds herself asking for more from a guy who’s never even considered having more. Known for her positive representation of disability and intimacy in her stories, Evie Mitchell’s newest novel promised to deliver the perfect mix of laughs and swoon, and a little rope play to heat things up.
Release date: 4 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print
The Brightest Star in Paris | Diana Biller
After falling in love with her beautiful writing in The Widow of Rose House, I knew that I would read any book that Diana Biller ever wrote, especially one set in that same world. In her new novel, she takes us to 1870s Paris, France with a story of first loves and second chances. Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet, has turned herself into a living saint in the eyes of the public in order to protect the life she has struggled to build for her and her younger sister. But when ghosts of women she once knew come back to haunt her, and then her first love reappears in her life looking as devastatingly handsome as ever, Amelie has no other choice but to let him help her. Soon, old feelings reignite, dark memories from their shared past are brought to the surface, and the young lovers must decide once and for all whether there is a future for them, even with their lives an ocean apart. Biller brings a familiar gothic feel to a thrilling new setting, and I cannot wait for it.
Release date: 12 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print | Audio
Finally You | Claudia Burgoa
Two childhood sweethearts get their second chance at love in Claudia Burgoa newest small town romance, this one set in the quaint town of Luna Harbor. Mane and Nydia’s were once inseparable, but their relationship ended abruptly and with no closure for either of them. When they meet again years later, Lydia is still living at home, and desperately working to keep her lavender farm from failing, while Mane is a famous rock star, and back in Luna Harbor with his bandmates. There is still a world of hurt and hostility between them when they meet again, both holding onto their anger even as old feelings start to resurface, but living in a small town forces them to finally embrace their past and give each other another chance.
Release date: 12 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books
A Shadow in the Ember | Jennifer L. Armentrout
Set in the ever-popular Blood and Ash world but taking place many years before the events in that series, Jennifer L. Armentrout kicks of a new fantastical series that will undoubtedly keep us counting down the days to each new instalment. Putting her own twist on the myth of Hades and Persephone, she gives us the story of Seraphena Mierel, a young woman whose future was decided for her before birth. Sera must leave everything behind and offer herself to the Primal of Death, Nyktos, as his Consort. But Sera has also been trained her whole life as an assassin with a single mission—make Nyktos fall in love with her, and then kill him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her, and his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s was never supposed feel for him. With another epic, slow-burning romance full of jaw-dropping twists and suspense, featuring a compelling, mysterious hero and a brand new ‘stabby’ heroine who has no problem going toe to toe with him, Armentrout keeps building on her Blood and Ash world, and I am here for it all.
Release date: 19 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print | Audio
The Lilac Cadillac | Jane Harvey-Berrick
Told as two alternating stories, eighty years apart. One is set in 1939 and follows 17-year-old Sylvia Edwards during World War II in England, while the other follows a young American woman, Fiona McCloud, living in small-town Iowa of today, whose life changes when she meets 97-year-old Dorothy “Dolly” Porter, and then finds herself on a road trip to Las Vegas with Dolly and her sexy gardener friend—a trip that will change all their lives forever. An emotional tale of love lost and found, of loyalty and sacrifice, of secrets kept through the generations, and Jane Harvey-Berrick is said to have us putting the pieces together until the very end.
Release date: 19 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print
Window Shopping | Tessa Bailey
I can’t believe it’s already time for Holiday Romances, but Tessa Bailey says the sunshine hero was inspired by Ted Lasso himself, so you better believe I’m going to tinsel up my reading list as early as October with this feel-good little gem. Stella is hoping for a fresh start in life, and the perfect opportunity presents herself two weeks before Christmas when, while walking by a Manhattan department store’s Christmas display, a passerby asks her opinion of the décor. Little does she know that the charming stranger happens to be the store manager, and he is currently hiring for a window dresser. And that is how a grumpy heroine begins to fall in love with an optimistic, Christmas-themed bowtie-wearing hero who, from their first meeting, knows that Stella is meant to be in his life. And if I know anything about Tessa Bailey’s characters, she’ll infuse them with the perfect blend of sweet and spice, which only she can deliver.
Release date: 19 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print
Well Matched | Jen DeLuca
Set in her Well Met world, Jen DeLuca’s third novel has been described as a cozy, delightfully touching tale about daring to come out of your shell and building the life you always wanted. Single mum April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years but has never truly set down roots there. With her daughter leaving for college, April is on the verge of being an empty nester, so she’s decided to move away from Willow Creek. But before she can put her house up for sale, she needs someone to help her on a few home improvement projects. Enter kilt-wearing, ten years younger, gym teacher Mitch Malone who is more than happy to help, but he needs a little favour in return—a date to an upcoming family event. April agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, sharing a bed and all, it becomes harder and harder to tell what’s real and what’s supposed to be just for show. And once the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship. But as summer begins and the Renaissance Faire rolls into town, April finds herself pretending to be Mitch’s girlfriend again, only nothing about being together feels at all fake anymore.
Release date: 19 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print | Audio
Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All | Karen Booth
Karen Booth is returning to the beauty circles of Manhattan with another ‘over-40 romance’ showing us it’s never too late to find true love in life. 42-year-old Brooklyn Monroe’s professional life continues to flourish, but her love life is a complete fail. With no man in her life, she knows that her dreams of motherhood will remain just that unless she is willing to do it on her own, but then an in-office joke gets accidentally sent to thousands of men all across the country asking them to get her pregnant, and the only way to make her PR nightmare go away is by doing a soul-baring interview on national TV. Enter talk show host Alec Trakas, the silver fox fantasy of millions of women and Brooklyn’s ex-boyfriend. Fate has thrown them back together. Sparks are flying. But is the timing finally right? As my own years begin to add up, I find myself gravitating more and more towards stories like these, and Karen Booth seems to have a direct line to my one-click finger.
Release date: 25 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print
Well Played | Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
I might have been late to the game when it comes to jumping on the Vi Keeland / Penelope Ward bandwagon, but my resolve never to miss another book from this powerhouse writing duo is absolute. When the heroine’s young son inherits half of his great grandfather’s historic inn, she decides to move them both to her hometown. However, the other half of the inn belongs to famous quarterback Levi Miller and he has very different ideas to hers about what should be done with the place. As they both move into the rundown property while they decide how to proceed, it becomes clear that they can’t agree on anything. So Levi makes her a proposal—if she can sell out the place by the time he has to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let her run the inn. But as they begin living under the same roof, things get complicated very very quickly. Did I mention he’s also her ex’s older brother?
Release date: 25 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Print
Indigo Ridge | Devney Perry
Kicking off a brand new small town series, this is the story of Winslow Covington—Quincy, Montana’s new chief of police—who is determined to prove herself to the community and show them she didn’t earn her position because her grandfather is the mayor. And apparently, all she has to do is earn favour with the town’s founding family, the Edens. Unfortunately, her one-night stand with their eldest son could throw a wrench in her plans. Griffin Eden is insufferable, arrogant and keeps reminding everyone that she’s an outsider, and Winslow does her best to avoid him, but when a woman is found dead on Eden property, the two of them have no choice but to cross paths. Devney Perry is a consistent powerhouse in the small-town romance subgenre, delivering well-layered, emotionally charged stories that will forever have me coming back for more.
Release date: 26 October
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple Books | Print | Audio