![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/alice-chens-reality-check.jpg?resize=200%2C305&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Alice Chen’s Reality Check<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Kara Loo and Jennifer Young<\/p>\nIn this page-turning murder mystery perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties, a reality TV contestant must fake date her rival as bodies pile up and the show spirals out of control. Can Alice crack the case . . . and confront her true feelings?<\/em><\/p>\n Alice Chen doesn\u2019t believe in true love, but she does believe in cold, hard cash. Buckling under the weight of student debt and her mother\u2019s medical bills, Alice will do anything to make bank\u2014even star on Dawn Tay\u2019s Inferno, the hot new reality TV show designed to push couples to their breaking point.<\/em><\/p>\n The show is Alice\u2019s chance to sip cocktails on the beach and win a cash prize of a million dollars. But when her fianc\u00e9 cheats on her with another contestant, Alice is faced with a choice: go home in defeat or fake date the other newly single contestant\u2014who just so happens to be her high school rival and sworn nemesis, Daniel Cho.<\/em><\/p>\n But all\u2019s fair in love and reality TV, and Alice isn\u2019t the only one who will do whatever it takes to win. When a dead body turns up, Alice and Daniel are faced with uncovering the secrets of the cast and crew to catch the killer\u2014all while playing the loving couple on camera.<\/em><\/p>\n Starring a murder mystery twist, plenty of reality show drama, and a thrilling romance, this debut by up-and-coming Asian American writer duo Kara Loo and Jennifer Young is the ultimate beach read.<\/em> – Quirk Books<\/p>\n A small-town waitress and a big-city Broadway press agent swap homes to escape the messiness of their personal lives, only to find new purpose\u2014and new love.<\/em><\/p>\n Tatum Ward and Eleanor Chapman lead totally opposite lives. Tatum\u2019s never left her Midwestern hometown. She resides in a quaint guest cottage on her parents\u2019 property while working part-time as a waitress, where she spends most shifts ignoring her feelings for a beautiful regular named June. Eleanor dedicates every waking hour to her high-profile press career, sacrificing personal relationships for professional success, save for the occasional hookup to fight off her loneliness. When both women\u2019s lives unexpectedly blow up at the exact same time, they each need an escape, and fast.<\/em><\/p>\n In Tatum\u2019s hometown, Eleanor expects a quiet hideaway where she can recharge. Instead she gets wrapped up in the family drama that Tatum left town to avoid, pulled in by Tatum\u2019s charismatic older sibling, Carson, who charms Eleanor at every turn. Tatum ends up in Eleanor\u2019s New York high-rise apartment with June. One week together in the big city might make it impossible for Tatum to avoid not just her true feelings for June, but her real dreams for her life.<\/em><\/p>\n Amid a friendship with a reclusive Hollywood actress and a complicated family reunion, Tatum and Eleanor each discover much more than they bargained for away from home. Their house swap won\u2019t last forever, but it might be just long enough for both women to surrender their defenses and finally fight for the life\u2014and love\u2014they deserve.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father\u2019s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town\u2019s caf\u00e9, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There\u2019s only one problem\u2014Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood\u2019s favorite wild child\u2014is the star.<\/em><\/p>\n Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she\u2019s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she\u2019s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town\u2014she even works at the town\u2019s caf\u00e9 (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things.<\/em><\/p>\n But Dylan soon realizes it\u2019s not just some small-town waitress she\u2019s getting to know\u2014Ramona Riley is someone she\u2019s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts.<\/em><\/p>\n But Ofosua\u2019s identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana\u2019s Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves. Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she\u2019s thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery.<\/em><\/p>\n In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole\u2019s rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?<\/em>– Gallery Books<\/p>\n Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets The Pairing in this heart-racing romance of secrets, spies, and steam.<\/em><\/p>\n A few rules for the international superspy:<\/em> Yardley Whitmer, code name \u201cthe Unicorn,\u201d can do no wrong. She\u2019s honed her spycraft and become an instant legend in the field. If only breaking up with her girlfriend were as easy as rappelling off the Eiffel Tower. Living a full-time cover story has slowly eroded her relationship until there\u2019s nothing left but lies.<\/em><\/p>\n KC \u201cTabasco\u201d Nolan, hacker extraordinaire, can crack any code\u2014except the one that would tell her the right moment to confess her secret job to Yardley. Now it\u2019s too late, and she\u2019s in danger of losing the best chance at love she\u2019s ever had.<\/em><\/p>\n When an undercover shakedown goes wrong, Yardley and KC discover the unbelievable truth\u2014that they\u2019ve both been working at the agency for years. To salvage the mission, they partner up and fly across oceans, race through winding European streets, and give in to inconvenient passion while hiding in an ambassador\u2019s linen closet. But can they throw away their rules and fight through their secrets to fall in love with each other\u2019s true selves?<\/em> – St. Martin’s Griffin<\/p>\n Sybil Sweet has always been lucky, but lately she can\u2019t catch a break. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is worried that she\u2019s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she\u2019s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.<\/em><\/p>\n Kieran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family\u2019s bakery, and after fighting a losing battle to save the place, he\u2019s exhausted, broke, and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more\u2026until she runs out the next morning, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.<\/em><\/p>\n Lucky for Kieran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil\u2019s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she\u2019s finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event.<\/em><\/p>\n Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela\u2019s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn\u2019t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love.<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s just one problem: the connection between Angela and Krystal is getting stronger and stronger the more they hang out, until Angela isn\u2019t sure she wants to go through with the scavenger hunt after all. But Krystal is convinced that she isn\u2019t capable of love and before long, Angela realizes she\u2019s falling head over heels for a woman who may never love her back.<\/em> – Forever<\/p>\n Elsie Hoffman has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half. Ginny Holtz has been in love with Elsie for almost a decade and a half.<\/em><\/p>\n When Elsie discovers her fianc\u00e9 already planned their wedding and honeymoon as a surprise and she\u2019s expected to be in a white dress in seven days, she swiftly realizes she\u2019s let herself become too comfortable with a future she never wanted. She breaks things off, and a week later is on a plane to the Caribbean for her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend Ginny instead.<\/em><\/p>\n Ginny thinks it\u2019s high time Elsie learned how to speak up for herself. So, they make a deal with her. For the next week, Elsie can have whatever she wants, wherever, however, and whenever she wants it, as long as she asks. They never expected Elsie to want them.<\/em><\/p>\n What starts as choosing activities and taking selfies soon turns to toe-curling kisses and much, much more. But what happens when the honeymoon is over?<\/em><\/p>\n Meryl Wilsner\u2019s My Best Friend\u2019s Honeymoon is about not only learning to ask for what you want, but for the happiness you deserve.<\/em>– St. Martin’s Griffin<\/p>\n Katrina Kelly might have eight million Instagram followers and a multipage IMDb listing, but she also has a completely stalled-out career and some major questions about her sexuality, which seems to be moving closer to raging lesbian every week. Yet maybe she can solve both of those issues at once. . . . After all, rebranding as a queer icon is a great way to jump-start an acting career.<\/em><\/p>\n Jude Thacker is fine. Completely fine, so please stop asking. Has the queer bookstore where she works been taken over by a boss who\u2019d rather sell branded tote bags than books? Yes. Does she have a panic attack every time she has to leave her comfort zone? Maybe. Has she been on a single date since her heart was shattered two years ago? Absolutely not.<\/em><\/p>\n When Kat and Jude cross paths in the bookstore, Kat realizes that their meet-cute might just be a meet-opportunity. But what\u2019s meant to be a temporary publicity stunt quickly turns into real feelings for both women. As the media scrutiny intensifies, each must decide what\u2019s real, what\u2019s not, and if true love is worth losing everything they believe is keeping them safe.<\/em> – Dial Press Trade Paperback<\/p>\n When an aspiring archaeologist teams up with her childhood enemy for a treasure hunt, they find it impossible to bury their growing feelings, in a charming queer historical romance from the author of A Shore Thing.<\/em><\/p>\n Elfreda Marsden has finally made a major discovery\u2014an ancient amulet proving the Viking army camped on her family\u2019s estate. Too bad her nemesis is back from London, freshly exiled after a scandal and ready to wreak havoc on her life. Georgie Redmayne is everything Elfreda isn\u2019t\u2013charming, popular, carefree, distractingly attractive, and bored to death by the countryside. When the two collide (literally), the amulet is lost, and with it, Elfreda\u2019s big chance to lead a proper excavation. Now Elfreda needs new evidence of medieval activity, and Georgie needs money to escape the doldrums of Derbyshire. Joining forces to locate a hidden hoard of Viking gold is the best chance for them both. <\/em><\/p>\n Marsdens and Redmaynes don\u2019t get along, and that\u2019s the least of the reasons these enemies can\u2019t dream of something more. But as the quest takes them on unexpected adventures, sparks of attraction ignite a feeling increasingly difficult to identify as hatred. It\u2019s far too risky to explore. And far too tempting to resist. Elfreda and Georgie soon find that the real treasure comes with a steep price\u2026 and the promise of a happiness beyond all measure.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n Noelle Tom really shouldn\u2019t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old woman at the stall said they\u2019d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.<\/em><\/p>\n Except now she\u2019s reliving the same Friday. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45, and the Wordle answer is always \u201chappy.\u201d Worst of all, any work she does at her job as an engineer? It\u2019s erased when she wakes up. Monday might never come in this workaholic\u2019s nightmare. Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the \u201cthing she needed most,\u201d and a trip to the food stall doesn\u2019t help\u2026because there\u2019s no sign of it.<\/em><\/p>\n Then she meets good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While the brewery owner seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle can\u2019t figure out how, even when she steps outside of her comfort zone and lives a little. As she grows attached to him, she becomes more worried that she\u2019ll never escape the loop and he\u2019ll never recall her name. And if she does ever get out, can they be together in the \u201creal\u201d world?\u00a0<\/em> – Atria \/ Emily Bestler Books<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When walking the new shelves, my attention was caught on the new diverse romance novels lining the shelves. Diverse romance feature characters from various ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Narrowing this list was hard, but below are the ones that stood out to me first. This is[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,5,1,8],"tags":[10620,10623,9510,7072,10181,10630,10624,1970,10632,10625,10627,10636,10622,10629,10621,10631,10628,7592,10633,10626,408,10634,10635],"class_list":["post-57980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-read-a-likes","category-reference","category-staff-picks","tag-alice-chens-reality-check","tag-anywhere-you-go","tag-ashley-herring-blake","tag-bridget-morrissey","tag-camille-kellogg","tag-denise-williams","tag-dream-on-ramona-riley","tag-erotica","tag-gabriella-gamez","tag-gold-coast-dilemma","tag-if-i-told-you-id-have-to-kiss-you","tag-jackie-lau","tag-jennifer-young","tag-just-our-luck","tag-kara-loo","tag-kiss-me-maybe","tag-mae-marvel","tag-meryl-wilsner","tag-my-best-friends-honeymoon","tag-nana-malone","tag-romance","tag-the-next-chapter","tag-time-loops-meet-cutes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-f5a","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57980"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58297,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57980\/revisions\/58297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/anywhere-you-go.jpg?resize=200%2C309&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Anywhere You Go<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>by Bridget Morrissey<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dream-on-ramona-riley.jpg?resize=200%2C309&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Dream On, Ramona Riley<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Ashley Herring Blake<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/gold-coast-dilemma.jpg?resize=200%2C311&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Gold Coast Dilemma<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Nana Malone<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/if-i-told-you-id-have-to-kiss-you.jpg?resize=200%2C308&ssl=1\")
<\/a>If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Mae Marvel<\/p>\n
\n(1) Never blow your cover.<\/em>
\n(2) Never accept the first plan.<\/em>
\n(3) Never fall for anyone at the agency. Especially if she\u2019s your ex-girlfriend.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/just-our-luck.jpg?resize=200%2C309&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Just Our Luck<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Denise Williams<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/kiss-me-maybe.jpg?resize=200%2C305&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Kiss Me, Maybe<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Gabriella Gamez<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/my-best-friends-honeymoon.jpg?resize=200%2C308&ssl=1\")
<\/a>My Best Friend’s Honeymoon<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Meryl Wilsner<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/the-next-chapter.jpg?resize=200%2C303&ssl=1\")
<\/a>The Next Chapter<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Camille Kellogg<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/a-rare-find.jpg?resize=200%2C309&ssl=1\")
<\/a>A Rare Find<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Joanna Lowell<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/time-loops-and-meet-cutes.jpg?resize=200%2C311&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Time Loops & Meet Cutes<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>by Jackie Lau<\/p>\n