New Romance Book Release Picks : My Top Picks of this weeks books

Welcome to Top Picks. This is a weekly post which features books out this week which have caught my eye.

I have decided to split the list into three; On my List, On my Radar and Caught My eye. The first is those I have every intention of reading. On my Radar feautures books that I have marked on a wishlist, possibly as I am awaiting a price drop or am not up to that book in the series. The last are more one’s I know next to nothing about but have caught my eye for some reason. All books are one’s which I would potentially read.

As always, I do my due diligence on all books I put on here. I don’t recommend books from authors who I know have engaged in awful behaviour or have bigotted views – I chose not to give them my money so you won’t find them on here. If I make a mistake and feature an author who has engaged in bad behaviour, tell me in the comments and the book will be removed.

I don’t read NA. I do not read reverse harem. I also do not read Pandemic romance. Those books will not feature here.

Due to issues with prices, I will no longer be posting RRP’s of these books – the prices I post seem to be accurate for a day so I feel it is completely pointless.

Also, CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER TO GO TO AMAZON PAGE

I have never heard of this author but I don’t think I can resist this book. I just hope the author does the Scottish heritage themes justice…

Grumpy. Meet Sunshine.
She’s American. He’s Scottish. She’s looking for a fresh start. He’s returning to rediscover his roots.

Harper Scott is starting over. She’s signed up for a work-for-hire Scottish Pub Experience only to discover a half-naked and irritatingly handsome Scotsman in the apartment she’s rented. It’s Christmas season, there’s no room at the inn, and the two are both stubborn enough to refuse to give up the rental.

Now, with the pub being threatened by developers, and Harper’s fresh new start tainted by a decidedly grumpy Scotsman determined to make her leave, Harper must decide what’s more important – beating the Scotsman at his own game or saving the pub in time for Christmas. Let the (Highland) games begin.


Author’s Note: a stubborn American takes on a grumpy Scotsman in this stand-alone, small-town, Scottish romance novella. A bit of banter, war kittens, a pub makeover, and a heartwarming happily ever after makes this the perfect Christmas treat.

I have read only a couple of books from this author but I love everything about this blurb and cover. On the list.

Two entrepreneurs compete for a property but secure the biggest win of all—each other—in this second chance romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper.
 
Spoiled, fickle, and prissy are only a few of the adjectives that have been used to describe Morgan Redford. Though she’s never had to worry about money, she’s determined to make a name for herself on her own terms. Her new venture won’t be an epic fail like her former professional cuddling service or the short-lived pet hotel. This time, through the nonprofit she cofounded, Morgan is doing something meaningful—helping teens who are aging out of foster care—and she’s got her eye on a property that could house these kids. But the competition is steep, and one of the bidders is someone she never expected. . . .
 
When real estate developer Drake Faulkner learns that his ex—the one who ghosted him years ago—is a potential buyer for the property his eccentric mentor is selling, his competitive streak amps up. No way is he letting her win the property he wants. Bitter? Yes. Petty? Probably. But his mentor has a stipulation: potential buyers must participate in an Ironman competition of sorts for the property. Drake refuses to play along with this ridiculous demand, until he discovers Morgan has signed up. If Little Miss Can’t Run a Block Without Gasping for Air is doing it, he will too. But as the gauntlet of games heats up and forces them to face the past, they are met with a pull that feels all too familiar.
 
Now, if only they could keep their eyes on the prize instead of on each other—but who’s to say they can’t do both?

Stuck in the snow? Bear shifters? Xmas story … I am IN.

He’s home for the holidays, but not in the way he expected.

Bear shifter and biologist Nik Shevchenko is home in Colorado for the first time in years, and as soon as he’s done with the heron count that brought him back, he’s heading to his parents’ place for the bright, boisterous holiday he’s been craving for ages.

With a blizzard bearing down on the mountains, Nik’s ready to batten down the hatches and wait it out—until his fated mate turns up on his doorstep with a pot of stew and a pregnant cat!

It’s not the Christmas she looked forward to, but it’s the one she needs.

Deanna Ly thought she was just running a quick errand for her boss when Nik’s mom asked her to take a pot of homemade stew up the mountain. But first she finds a pregnant cat in the snow, and then she ends up snowed in with sexy Nik.

Nik says it’s fate, and with a few snowbound days ahead of them and an adorable mama cat and kittens to take care of, she just might be starting to agree with him.

Bear for the Holidays is a short, sweet, and sexy holiday read, guaranteed to make your Yuletide merry!

love Ilona Andrews … honestly, if you haven’t tried her, why not?

From the New York Times #1 bestselling author, Ilona Andrews, comes a fun and action-packed new adventure in the Innkeeper Chronicles! We invite you to relax, enjoy yourself, and above all, remember the one rule all visitors must obey: the humans must never know.

Life is busier than ever for Innkeeper, Dina DeMille and Sean Evans. But it’s about to get even more chaotic when Sean’s werewolf mentor is kidnapped. To find him, they must host an intergalactic spouse-search for one of the most powerful rulers in the Galaxy. Dina is never one to back down from a challenge. That is, if she can manage her temperamental Red Cleaver chef; the consequences of her favorite Galactic ex-tyrant’s dark history; the tangled politics of an interstellar nation, and oh, yes, keep the wedding candidates from a dozen alien species from killing each other. Not to mention the Costco lady.

They say love is a battlefield; but Dina and Sean are determined to limit the casualties!

Hmmmm … I have a complicated relationship with this authors books. I loved her old stuff, really enjoyed the one about the chef on KU, but the latest stuff hasn’t worked. Lets see how this works.

From No.1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer comes a romantic comedy about an accidental relationship between three smitten men . . . and one commitment phobic woman.

Elise Brandeis has never won a Pulitzer – and she never will. At least not while she’s delivering sandwiches at the Gotham Times, instead of working there as an actual reporter. Her only shot at seeing her byline in print is to prove to the no-nonsense managing editor that she has a nose for news. And she’s got just the story to grab her elusive attention.

Chasing down leads brings Elise to Roosevelt Island, but just when the trail of clues begins to take shape, she gets stuck. Literally. On a cable car with three strangers who couldn’t be more different. An uptight rugby coach, a construction worker and a former adult film star she pretends not to recognize a little too well.

At first, Elise wants nothing more than to be rescued ASAP. An hour later, everything has changed. By pure happenstance, four separate journeys have collided in an intense, meaningful way. Suddenly, disentangling their lives feels more impossible than winning that Pulitzer. Good thing Elise is too busy proving herself at work to consider three boyfriends. Nobody has time for that – even if they make giving in feel oh so right. But three heads are better than one and these loners will teach themselves to work together to win Elise over forever . . .

Another author I have a complicated relationship with however I do like the look of this.

Stuck with her off-limits, taciturn, hunky movie star client during a sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve, an extremely capable and highly professional bodyguard must keep him alive and warm without letting the tension building between them get too hot.

Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan can’t thank her best friend enough for helping her land the job of her dreams. After being relegated to second-string security for politicians in DC, being hired as an undercover personal security specialist by a giant Hollywood studio is exactly the kind of action she’s always wanted.

Until she meets her first assignment.

Cyrus Malcom can’t thank his agent enough for arranging a blind date with seemingly the woman of his dreams. After spending the past several years playing all the parts and climbing all the ladders, the lonely mega movie star finds himself actually enjoying a night on the town for the first time in ages when he meets the gorgeous, funny, and genuine Ryaine O’Rourke.

Until she shows up at his studio meeting the next day with a completely different name.

A world-wide press tour and too many late-night parties later, Beth simply needs to get through a short, one-day visit during the Christmas holiday, and then she’ll be free of Cyrus Malcom’s confusing hot looks and cold shoulders for good.

But just as they leave the airport, it starts to snow . . .

‘Drama King’ is the second book in the Three Kings Series, is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy, and can be read as a complete standalone.

I enjoy Megan Derr’s MM work .. on the list.

Shannon’s had just about all he can take, and catching his boyfriend cheating on him was the last straw. Single again weeks before Christmas, all he wants is to get through the holiday without further trouble. The only real thorn in his side is that he now has no date for Winter Wonderland, a Christmas even put on by the popular Art in the Park, where his ex is sure to show up with his beautiful new girlfriend.

A chance encounter in the grocery store leads to a wild proposition from Crispin, the man his ex vehemently hates: pretend to be boyfriends for Winter Wonderland, and help each other out. In exchange for helping Crispin secure a promotion, he’ll help make Shannon’s ex furious and miserable.