So many fabulous books! This spring has offered us an entire gardenful of wonderful offerings with more to come. I had to wait out a long library queue, but I was finally able to listen to Christina Lauren’s latest offering: THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT. You don’t have to have read 2021’s terrific THE SOULMATE EQUATION to enjoy the new book, but it follows up on the premise proposed in that first book, in which clever scientists create a program to help singles find each other through genetically matched DNA. Oh-so-clever TV producers decide to capitalize on the popular new dating app and create a reality show in which a romance writer gets matched with genetically chosen heroes, and the viewers get to pick which one she rides off with into the sunset. What could possibly go wrong? But more importantly, for Felicity, known as “Fizzy” to her myriad fans, can the wacky idea help her get her writing mojo back? Fizzy needs a second chance, and THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT, produced by grumpy Connor Prince, who just wants to get back to serious filmmaking, may provide the answer. Or will Connor turn the practical experiment into something far more personal? I loved the incomparable writing pair’s latest offering, and as always, I’m already anxious for their next book!
The incomparable Abby Jimenez has a new book out as well, and it’s worth the wait if your library has a long hold list (or springing for the cost if you can’t wait, since unlike Christina Lauren’s new book, YOURS TRULY is available in paperback). Dr. Briana Ortiz wants nothing to do with hopping back on the romance carousel. Her husband turned out to be a skunk, her brother’s health is bad and getting worse, and her job demands all her energy. When Dr. Jacob Maddox joins the hospital staff, Briana barely has time to roll her eyes at his unwelcome presence. YOURS TRULY is listed as the second book in the Part of Your World series, and while familiarity with secondary characters is helpful, it’s not necessary. Briana and Jacob must both draw on courage and trust to give love a second chance, and as always, Ms. Jimenez breaks her readers’ hearts just a bit before gloriously patching them up.
Some novels flash neon second chance themes from the title onward, and last year’s THE REWIND by Allison Winn Scotch is one of them. Two young college students fall deeply, passionately, inseparably in love and spend years thinking they have a lifetime ahead of them. Then things go funky, signals cross, and they split, never to speak again. A decade later they unexpectedly find themselves thrown together as the world greets a new millennium on Dec. 31, 1999. Ezra carries a ring in his pocket to propose to his steady, level-headed girlfriend, and Frankie now devotes her time and energy to her flourishing career. But forced proximity endures as a popular plot pivot for a reason, and you’ll find yourself wishing these two lost souls enough happiness to last at least a century.
By the time you read these words, the shock will have receded, but the romance world has lost a great writer with the passing of Julie Garwood. She was a gateway storyteller for many, bursting onto the historical romance scene in 1985 with GENTLE WARRIOR and going on to capture readers’ imaginations with her vividly imagined medieval settings and relationships demanding total surrender. In recent years she changed her focus to contemporary romantic (FBI) suspense, but she never stopped giving her all to her readers. She contributed frequently to social media, posting the following as recently as May 24, 2023: “When You’re dead, You Don’t Know You’re Dead. The Pain is Felt by Others. The Same Thing Happens When You’re Stupid.” We feel the pain now, even as we smile, but that pain is superseded by gratitude. Go ahead: take a second look and curl up with one of her books. You know you want to, and you’ll be so happy you did. I’ve got her SHADOW MUSIC queued up on my phone, so I’m off to immerse myself in her world.
About Meg Napier
Meg’s friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed “serious pursuits” to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she’s free to turn her attention to her first passion – putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances–in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.
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