Academics in Love

From the Great Lakes to the Northern Lights by boats, planes, trains, mass transit, car service, and on foot, these romances take readers on bumpy journeys to finding love around the world.

[a stack of 3 trade paperback books: Frequent Fliers, Love Requires Chocolate, Second Tide's the Charm]

Second Tide's the Charm by Chandra Blumberg

contemporary romance

Canary Street Press, August 2024

Hope and Adrian's future together once seemed guaranteed, until it wasn't.

When circumstances force them back into each other's lives will they get closure and move on separately or have they grown enough as individuals to figure out how to build a happily ever after that works for both of them?

Maligned sharks, an assortment of science nerds, meddling friends, family, tourists, and the cut-throat arenas of academia, research grants, and social media add to the high stakes of their love story.

Love Requires Chocolate (Love in Translation #1) by Ravynn K. Stringfield

contemporary romance

Joy Revolution, August 2024

Whitney's to-do list:

Ace the Paris exchange student experience.

Retrace Josephine Baker's Paris.

Learn French. (Maybe that should have been first.)

Falling in love with her grumpy language tutor wasn't on her agenda, but sometimes rolling with improvisation leads to unexpected rewards, along with laughs, emotional revelations, and intimate connections.

Frequent Fliers by Noue Kirwan

contemporary romance

Canary Street Press, August 2024

Lanie travels back and forth between New York City to London carrying the weight of unrequited love, conflicting family expectations, and cross-cultural friction. A meet-hostile leads to a surprising connection in this layered story about grief and learning how to heal and move forward. Generational, international, and cultural threads weave together to form an engrossing narrative tapestry. It's beautiful, poignant, funny, and super sensual.

An engaging virtual event

[Zoom Workplace waiting room screen with "Cardyn Brooks" for "On Romance: A Conversation with Author Beverly Jenkins and Dr. Carole V. Bell"]

DePaul University respects, appreciates, and adores Ms. Beverly Jenkins as much as the rest of her fans with a lively exchange of thoughts, ideas, and revelations. Also, laughs.

This week's library haul

[a stack of 7 books from top to bottom: Frenemy Fix-Up, The Design of Us, Close Knit, The Duke Has Done It Again, Errands & Espionage, Courage to Love Again, Between Friends & Lovers]

Happy reading!

Comments

Everyday Magic & Genre Mashups

Three outstanding reads by authors who've crafted irresistible tales that defy the confines of the narrow expectations of a single genre. [three books arranged face up, from left to right: Chocolate Chip City, He's To Die For, The Baby Dragon Cafe] Chocolate Chip City by Be Steadwell contemporary speculative fiction with romance Bywater Books, June 2025 In this lyrical, lush composition three sisters, Jasmine, Ella and Layla, embody riffs on power: of the individual, family, community, culture; attraction, repulsion, collaboration. It's anchored in harsh realities while using magical realism and sharp humor to explore the often awkward and discouraging search for purpose, acceptance, and love in the context of life and the socio-economic pyramid scheme of capitalism. Its recurring variations on themes of erasure and reclaiming legacies echo a present-day continuum of The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope and an emotional texture reminiscent of Like ...

Heartthrobs, Zombie Mobs & Hollywood Divas

Laughs, gore and drama galore! [3 trade paperback books from left to right: One Death at a Time, He Falls First, Zom RomCom] One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman contemporary mystery Berkley, April 2025 Sobriety challenges, meetings, an uneasy alliance, a road trip, an assortment of unusual and unlikely allies, betrayals, lots of laugh and profound sentiment make Julia and Natasha's journey an enjoyable ride even as it addresses ageism sexism with organic candor. He Falls First by Jill Shalvis contemporary romance Sourcebooks Casablanca, August 2025 This love story focuses on the joy of support offered by biological and found family even as it references the evolution of recovery from past experiences of domestic violence. Zom RomCom by Olivia Dade contemporary speculative adventure romance Berkley Romance, August 2025 A laugh-aloud spoof of manmade horrors with its own unique quirkiness that delivers so ...

Deja Vu, Recalibrating, Pyramid Schemes & Narcissists

More satisfying romances from an array of talented authors who love love to help offset the real-life ethical and moral horrors shared in a riveting memoir. [3 trade paperback books arranged face-up atop a closed piano, from left to right: Pugs & Kisses, When Javi Dumped Mari, All's Fair in Love and Pickleball] Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon contemporary adult romance Hachette Book Group, July 2025 Evie's juggling a lot personally and professionally. Can the man who ghosted her years ago earn her forgiveness and regain her trust enough to work with her to achieve her personal and professional goals? Revealing those answers offers readers a charming tale of wooing. When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa contemporary adult romance G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 2025 In the decade since they became college besties, Mari and Javi have decisions to make. WIll they jeopardize the shaky stability of the status quo or risk their hearts and the futur...

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