Dukes, werewolves, surgeons, hockey players, ranch hands, librarians, even billionaires (though I thought they were going out of style): This year’s crop of romances has something for everyone. Let’s dive right in:
Fan Service by Rosie Danan (Berkley, March 11): Devin Ashwood isn’t a werewolf, but he played one on TV. So why has he woken up naked and howling, growing fangs and claws? The only person who might help him figure out what’s going on is Alex Lawson, the self-proclaimed weirdo who moderates his fan archive website. “The paranormal elements in this story are fun, and Devin’s wolfishness makes the spicy scenes extra delicious,” our review says. “Both playful and thoughtful, with extra appeal to readers involved in fandoms.”
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa (Berkley, August 26): The Luna sisters were sent from their native Mexico to England by their parents when the French defeated the Mexican army in 1863. Their parents just want them to be safe, but their uncle, a diplomat in London, is happy to have their surreptitious help with the war effort. Now, with older sisters Ana María and Isabel happily married off, Gabriela has decided it’s time to go home. But she hadn’t expected to see Sebastian Brooks, the Duke of Whitfield, aboard the ship—or to realize, once she gets home, that she’d rather be back in England, leading to a delicious “only one cabin” situation with the duke. Our starred review calls the book “a complex, compelling story that celebrates the embrace of family alongside the thrill of true love.”
Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen (Montlake Romance, March 1): Imagine You’ve Got Mail, except instead of mail it’s a Google doc shared between Nora Fischer, a New York therapist who writes an anonymous advice column for a London newspaper, and her copy editor, whom she’s falling in love with though, somewhat unbelievably, she knows him only by the initials “J.W.” Then Nora gets a new neighbor, Eli Whitman, a British man whose girlfriend dumped him in the middle of a therapy session with Nora. For which he blames her…which makes him quite prickly…though handsome. “Eli is a dashing crankster with a backstory, Nora is a therapist with vulnerabilities, and J is the mysterious perfect man who always knows what to say—and readers will be eating it up happily,” according to our starred review.
I Think They Love You by Julian Winters (St. Martin’s Griffin, January 28): Denzel Carter’s family business is event-planning, so naturally the Carters are all perfectionists. When Denzel’s father announces his retirement and the race begins to succeed him, Denzel impulsively decides the best way to convince everyone he’s mature and committed enough for the job is to make up an imaginary boyfriend—and find someone to fill the role. His first choice falls through, but then he runs into Braylon Adams, the college boyfriend who broke his heart; now Braylon has reasons of his own for agreeing to fake-date Denzel. “A deeply romantic story wrapped in a conceit that speaks to the complicated history between its characters, with rich flashbacks sprinkled throughout,” says our reviewer. “Fun, messy, and tender.”
Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor.
