Spring head first into some new romantic fiction this April and experience all the thrill, spills, and chills that accompany a fantastic love story. The five novels featured in this roundup are all forthcoming releases packed with fun, frolics, and plenty of humor, and they’re all certain to put you in the mood for romance.
Five First Chances
by Sarah Jost
Sourcebooks, 400 pages, $16.99
Have you ever felt like you missed the chance for something great? Something that could have changed your life for the better? Such worries plague Lou as she muses on the currently unsatisfactory status of her life: single, unfulfilled, stuck in a city far from home, and watching those around her celebrate their happiness. Not all is lost, however, as Lou is given the chance to travel back in time to two days in the past, to the point where one small decision had a major impact on everything. Although this allows her to correct her mistakes, Lou’s new decisions and actions send her in unexpected directions, ultimately trapping her in some kind of time loop. Interestingly, during each attempt to change the past for the better, she finds herself interacting with the same friend of a friend. Could it be the sign of something? Five First Chances by Sarah Jost explores how the greatest love stories are often the most unexpected love stories, with serendipity playing a significant role in the search for happiness.
Sizzle Reel
by Carlyn Greenwald
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 336 pages, $17.00
Carlyn Greenwald’s Sizzle Reel follows would-be cinematographer Luna Roth as she navigates the surprising complexities associated with coming out as bisexual at the age of twenty-four. She may have the support of her best friend, but she has no intention of coming out to her right-wing parents, nor does she have any idea how to actually flirt with women. Plus, the excessive demands of her boss mean that she has little time for romantic matters anyway. When Luna meets A-list Hollywood actress Valeria Sullivan and senses that there might be an attraction between them, she puts together a plan intended to overcome both her professional and her personal difficulties. But things are never that simply and Luna soon finds herself in danger of losing her career, her best friend, and any chance she had at romance. Can she figure out a way to fulfill all her dreams without hurting those she cares the most about? It all makes for a hilarious rom-com and a surprisingly insight account of life behind the camera in Hollywood.
King of Wrath
by Ana Huang
Sourcebooks, 416 pages, $17.99
Billionaire CEO Dante Russo thrives on being in control in both business and life, and he’s so keen on living an ordered life that he has no intention of ever opening himself up to the chaos associated with married life. However, when faced with a blackmail plot, Dante agrees to get engaged to Vivian Lau, a woman he barely knows who just happens to be the daughter of his greatest enemy. Although he initially intends to do everything in his power to avoid the blackmail and break off the engagement without leaving any evidence that it ever took place, as Dante gets to know Vivian better he finds himself strangely reluctant to let her go. For her part, Vivian knows that it is her job to be the perfect daughter and pave the way for her family to enter high society. Marrying Dante would do just that, which is why she agrees to the engagement despite thoroughly disliking him. Yet, against all her instincts, she finds herself falling in love with her future husband. Will love manage to keep this disparate pair together? The second book in Ana Huang’s steamy Kings of Sin series, King of Wrath can be read as a standalone romance novel centered on the idea that opposites can attract in powerful ways.
Moorewood Family Rules
by HelenKay Dimon
HarperCollins, 384 pages, $18.99
HelenKay Dimon’s Moorewood Family Rules is an unusual tale of romantic misadventure that is also part crime novel and part family saga. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest and most steady child of the union between a conman and an heiress. She’s the one tasked with keeping the family together and out of trouble, and she’s also the one who had to go to prison to save the bunch of them. After spending over three years behind bars, Jillian has finally been released, and she’s still feeling pretty sore about the whole ordeal. When finally reunited with her family, she’s disappointed to find that they have continued with their criminal ways while she has been away, despite many promises to the contrary. Although none of them want to go legit, Jillian believes that she finally has the leverage to force them to do so. There’s just one problem, how can she convince her relatives to change their lives when her own life is in shambles? Fortunately, with the help of a great aunt and a few new acquaintances (not all of whom are working undercover), she is able to stand on her own two feet and figure out who she really is, including what she wants by way of romance.
Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat
by Sonya Lalli
Penguin Publishing Group, 336 pages, $17.00
Sonya Lalli uses the fabulous setting of an Alaskan cruise as the perfect background for an enemies-to-lovers romance in Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat, which is packed with charm, humor, and meddling aunties! Jasmine Randhawa is commonly thought to have it all—a prefect boyfriend, a great job, and an apartment that makes people green with envy—but she’s really nowhere near as confident or contented as she seems. What’s more, her perfect romance is quickly coming apart at the seams. With her life in near tatters, Jasmine finds herself tagging along on her parents’ vacation, which does nothing for her self-esteem or mood, nor does the fact that the only other person under fifty on the cruise is the big- and pig-headed Jake Dhillon. The pair of them become enemies at first sight: Jasmine hates how Jake is placed on a pedestal for being the perfect son, while Jake dislikes Jasmine’s reputation as a troublemaker. Still, they can’t really stay out of each other’s way on a cruise ship, and after a while they begin to find some common ground, including the fact that they are both keeping secrets from their families. Romance seems to be blossoming, but will it survive the move back to dry land?