But it’s August!” said Carmen into the phone, putting down her book. “August! It’s almost sunny outside! I have sandals on! Ice- cream vans patrol the land! I put sunblock on last week and almost needed it! How can I possibly get my head round what you’re asking me?” “I’m just saying,” her mother’s soft voice came again, and Car-men sighed. They had the same tussle every year. “It’s just useful to know early, that’s all. And of course Sofia . . .” Carmen screwed up her face. “Yes, she’s popping out yet an-other sprog and overpopulating the world, blah blah blah, I know.” “Carmen June Hogan. Be nice.” “Come on, Mum. She’s already got three. She’s just being greedy. Anyway, I don’t know what I might be doing at Christmas. I might be going away.” Who with?” Her mother sounded skeptical. “I could meet someone between now and Christmas! And he could whisk me off to Barbados! Or LA!” Her mother smiled. “So you’re not coming home for Christmas because you’ll be in LA.” “I could be in LA.” Carmen couldn’t, she thought, be the only person in the world who was both nearly thirty and who still turned into a stroppy…

2021 has been… a year. One that felt both very long and over in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, we have had a plethora of romance novels come out to occupy our time, make sense of the world, and have a little fun. I read a lot of books. A LOT of books. Some I finish, some I don’t, some I buy and they sit happily unread on my bookshelves and eReader. I spend a ton of time looking at books that are coming out—I just received my first email about a JUNE 2022 book—and noticed some trends throughout the year… Trends that I think we’ll continue to see explored, subverted, and challenged into next year as well. WITCHES 2021 was the year of the witch! September and October 2021 saw a bunch of witchy, cozy, paranormal romance novels come out, and I am here for it all. Women (and men, too) discover their powers and how to control them, but also what can happen when they let loose a little, too. PAYBACK’S A WITCH by Lana Harper, who was a guest on the Fresh Fiction Podcast earlier this year. BLACK MOON RISING AND BLACK SIREN’S SONG by Mila…

She leaned over to grab one side of the eight-foot-long banner that was supposed to say Merry Christmas, Twilight giving him a straight-shot view down the front of her sweater. She waited for him to pick up the other half. His eyes bugged. Joel stopped in his tracks, gaze fixed on Jana’s cleavage. His pulse jumped right off a cliff. Last night, this gorgeous creature was in my bed. “Joel?” “Huh?” “You gonna stand there all day with your mouth hanging open?” He shut his jaw, picked up the other end of the banner and followed her outside to drape it from the railing of the upper deck. “Before we anchor the banner securely, let’s make sure it’s even,” she said and hit the stairs for the lower deck so they could stand back and examine their handiwork. He followed her, hunching his shoulders against the cold air blowing off the water. Jana cleared the stairs ahead of him, turned and stared owl-eyed at the message on the unfurled banner above them. She gasped. “What’s this?” He stared up. The banner read Will You Marry Me? Seeing the words spelled out in red letters across the boat yanked the breath…

As a woman, I sometimes feel like I’m too critical of female protagonists. Tess Greene, the heroine in DISASTER GIRL by Michelle Dayton, is realistically flawed, but I admire her determination, intelligence, and her mix of toughness and plenty of heart. It’s something the hero in this story admires too, and why he ends up falling for her. Tess had a somewhat chaotic childhood, constantly doing damage control. As a result, that became kind of what she does for a career. This story involves revenge porn, and Tess collaborates with potential employee and tech geek she’s hopelessly attracted to, Max Hampshire, to bring down the sleezebag behind it all. I like characters who are multifaceted, and Tess qualifies for sure. She’s not the stereotypical cold-hearted businesswoman. She’s had some life experiences that have made her more guarded, but she cares about a lot of people and is fiercely loyal. Since the story is told strictly from Tess’s perspective, you naturally sympathize with her, and you relate to her insecurity about Max’s feelings for her. The chemistry between Tess and Max is phenomenal and the witty banter makes the steamy scenes even better when they eventually happen. I have fallen down…

“You can’t leave me,” my best friend whispers into the phone, her voice urgent and filled with abject terror. In the background, I hear Lillianna Cox, the world’s worst boss, having one of her legendary temper tantrums. “Yikes. That’s at least one good thing about this whole situation. I’ll never have to hear that again.” It’s not the answer Cassie wants to hear. “Meghan Ann Julliard. Get right back onto that plane and fly back to New York. I can’t do this alone. I heard she’s making us work late on Christmas Eve, and anyone who doesn’t show up to her party on New Year’s is getting written up. Then—” She cuts off, and the phone goes dead. I can only imagine that Lillianna caught her on the phone. Personal calls are prohibited at Stitch, and since it’s the top fashion magazine at the moment, everyone will put up with any rule and the world’s worst boss to work there. I personally tried for four years to get on staff . . . and a scant six months later, here I am. Leaving it behind. So, as I sit on the El and watch Chicago’s skyscape blur past, I don’t…

For most of us, one of the delights of the holiday season is the yearly celebration of traditions, both personal family ones, and ones like holly, Christmas trees, carols, and decking the house with greenery that have been passed down for generations.  Which makes the holiday season the perfect time to delve into that time of tradition and pageantry, the medieval past, where brave and determined women defied the norms of their times to exercise power and influence. Beginning with the earliest, we have THE IRISH PRINCESS by Elizabeth Chadwick. War is the norm of the day, both in England, where Henry II has prevailed in the civil war between his mother Empress Mathilde and her cousin, Stephen of Blois, and in Ireland, where Diarmit, King of Leinster, is forced into English exile after losing his battle against the Irish High King.  Seeking support to recover his lost lands, Diarmit appeals to Henry, who is still sorting out how to control and reward those who fought for and against him. With Henry’s permission, he recruits Richard de Clare—later known as Strongbow—the former Earl of Pembroke who was stripped of his title for supporting Stephen.  In return for his fighting prowess,…

Christmas Eve had the nerve to show up just like it did every year: way too quickly and with ridiculous fanfare. The nerve. Rory Andrews stood in the courtyard of the Pacific Pier Building in San Francisco, surrounded by sparkly holiday lights and enough garlands to give the place its own ozone, and told herself things could be worse. She just wasn’t sure how. It was the unknown, she decided. Because this year, unlike the past six, she’d be spending Christmas with her family, a thought that caused a swarm of butterflies to take flight in her belly. Not an uncommon feeling since she’d turned twenty-three a few months back and decided it was time to become a person she could be proud of if it killed her. And given the guy leaning against one of the lamp poles clearly waiting for her, arms crossed, frown in place, it just might. Max Stranton. At his side sat Carl, his huge, eternally hungry, adorable Doberman. “No,” she said, not to Carl but to Carl’s owner. Who was not lovable. “No way.” As always when their gazes locked, Max’s was a disconcerting mix of heat and . . . something else that…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present kc dyer! Writes: I write romantic comedies about unexpected travel to far-flung places filled with lots of crazy adventure and even a little romance. In my latest book, Gianna Kostas expects to spend the morning tasting wedding cake for her upcoming nuptials in New York City. Instead, Gia finds herself on AN ACCIDENTAL ODYSSEY, chasing her crazy father – and a certain hot archeologist – all the way to Greece, and beyond. This is a story filled with delicious food, unpredictable adventures and unexpected romance – all while racing around the beautiful shores of the magical Mediterranean. About: kc dyer is the best-selling author of romantic comedies that are filled with travel and adventure. She loves to travel for research, and has literally flown around the world in search of funny and romantic stories. When she’s not on the road, kc dyer lives in wilds of British Columbia with her dogs and the occasional visiting bear. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: If you interested in… Cool…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LOVE CON 2–What is it about? THE LOVE CON is a romcom about Kenya Davenport, a Black plus-sized cosplayer who’s made it to the final round of a cosplay reality show. She has to return home to make couples costumes with her significant other, but she currently doesn’t have one. Desperate, she blurts out the name of her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, on live TV. He’s willing to cosplay as her boyfriend, but as they fake date for the show, their feelings for each other become very real. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Like most of my stories, it’s set in Atlanta, my hometown. It’s based on a mashup of little neighborhoods I’ve lived in and frequented over the years. I love the community feel and I love the nerdiness of these characters and their friends. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  What surprised me the most was how Kenya comes to believe that her relationship with Cam is unbalanced because she feels she hasn’t done as much for him as he’d done for her. Luckily he sets her straight. I love how important her friend…

The wood panel explodes above my head, and I drop to the ground and lie pressed against the wet stone steps, sucking in oxygen, my heart pounding, my arteries pumped with adrenaline. I want to scramble to my feet and make a run for it, but I force myself to stay motionless. Here, I’m hidden by the yew trees and shrubs in my front yard. Standing, I’m an easy target. My face is a few inches from my copy of The Washington Post in its plastic wrapper to protect it from the rain. Another giveaway I hadn’t yet returned home from police headquarters. I must do something about that problem in the future. Assuming I have a future. I’d parked my car in front of my house rather than in my garage, where it would normally be tucked away. It’s a 1964, fire-engine-red Corvette convertible. That might as well be a billboard advertisement: This is where Marko Zorn lives. Come and get me. I’m an idiot. This is a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes, most built in the 1920s, with large yards and wide front porches where people once sat and drank iced tea on warm days. It’s a typical…