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Baked Goodies, Fake Dates, Cowpokes & More

 

Sweeter Than Honey (Honey Hill #2) by Joy Avery  
Contemporary romance  
Montlake, June 28, 2022  

Successful baker Rylee Harris moved to Honey Hill, North Carolina after the death of her soldier husband. Sheriff Canten Barnes was born and raised in the quaint small town, moved away, then returned in the aftermath of his own heartache. Friendship lays the foundation for this funny, poignant, and utterly charming romance about grief, regrets, and second chances, where a 21st-century Mayberry from “The Andy Griffith Show” meets “Girlfriends" and “Insecure" in an irresistible mashup of throw-way-back hijinks that evoke old school sweetness at the heart of this love story.  

Love and Latkes (Friendships and Festivals #3) by Stacey Agdern  
Contemporary romance  
Tule Publishing, October 2021  

Batya Averman and Abe Neumann learn that they can run from themselves and their hearts' desires, but they can't hide or escape them forever. Their love story is set during Hanukkah, but its themes of leaps of faith and the essential nature of community resonate year-round. Be sure to read the Author’s Note.  

The Wildest Ride (Closed Circuit #1) by Marcella Bell  
Contemporary adult fiction with romance  
HQN, August 2021  

Rancher Lillian Sorrow Island and city-slicker-turned-cowboy A.J. Garza both need to win the big prize in order to protect the people and the places they love. As they compete against each other and battle various adversarial forces they recognize the overlap in their missions to preserve valuable legacies to propel themselves into a promising future.   

This most excellent tale is a good read for historical romance fans (of Beverly Jenkins, Cat Sebastian* and similar authors) who also enjoy contemporary fiction that acknowledges Black diasporic experiences. The Author's Note with details about Creek Freedmen, Mvskoke/Muscogee Nation and more will likely lure readers into deeper cultural research.   

*A Gentleman Never Keeps Score  

Where the Honeybells Grow by Ruthie Lenor  
Contemporary romance  
Honeybells Publishing, 2020  

In the small town of Bellbush, Texas Gerti Gordon* owns The Shop, the local eatery and community gathering place she inherited from her grandmother. Quinn Garland is a recently laid-off mechanic who returns to his uncle's home for his best friend's wedding and to evaluate his options for moving forward in his life. In the meantime, well-intentioned family and friends conspire to match make while Gerti and Quinn circle each other, face the lingering emotional devastation of childhood traumas, and fool themselves into believing their deep connection and smoldering chemistry are temporary. Their love story is tender and celebrates the continuity of places where generations have poured their hearts and souls into surviving and thriving.  

*Gordan on the back cover blurb, but not in the story text.  

Snackable Anthologies:  
Amor Actually, a Holiday Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, et al.  
Romance  
Indie, December 2021  

Cursed by Christina Henry, et al.  
Fantasy & horror fiction  
Titan Books, 2020  

Rogue Affair (Rogue Hearts #2) by Tamsen Parker, et al.  
Romance  
Indie, 2017  

Foodies:  
The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu  
Contemporary new adult romance  
Avon, November 2021  

Adulting gets complicated, and scrumptious.   

See also, Love and Latkes above.  

International Cross-Cultural Angst + Food:  
Seoulmates by Jen Frederick  
Contemporary new adult romance  
Berkley, January 2022  

Sizzling chemistry, fraught emotions, and detailed cultural insights offer readers a delightful tale with substantive layers beneath the fluff.  

Partners in (Investigating) Crime, Cons & Travel:  
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera  
Contemporary fiction with romance  
Indie, 2020  

Culture, identity, expectations, legacies and African diasporic experiences make Elias and Desta's love story a journey worth taking.     

An Impossible Imposter (Veronica Speedwell #7) by Deanna Raybourn  
Historical mystery with romantic intrigue  
Berkley, February 2022  

The Love Con by Seressia Glass  
Contemporary romance  
Jove, December 2021  

A sweet spin on faking it that incorporates spot-on authenticity about inclusion, discrimination and microaggressions while managing to offer laugh aloud humor, tenderness, and sizzling heat. Themes of family by blood and by choice also resonate. 
#28DaysofBlackCosplay 

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