Contemporary Reads for Lovers of Lists (& Rules to Break) to Add to Their TBR Lists How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams  Much Ado About You by Samantha Young  Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan  Revenge/Retribution   The Devil in Her Bed (Devil You Know #3) by Kerrigan Byrne (historical)  The Last True Gentleman (True Gentlemen #12) by Grace Burrowes (historical)  Triple M Murder by Carmen Cady (contemporary supernatural romantic suspense) -involuntary compliance trigger warning Contemporary Meta Paradise for Trope Lovers   Truth, Lies, and Second Dates (Danger, Sweetheart universe #3) by MaryJanice Davidson  Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur**   Faux-mance Gone Real    First Comes Like (Modern Love #3) by Alisha Rai (contemporary)  Someday My Duke Will Come (Isle of Synne #2) by Christina Britton (historical)  Nonconformists in Love   The Worst Duke in the World (Penhallow Dynast...

Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder   Supernatural romance thriller   Sourcebooks Casablanca, January 26, 2021   Is it possible to defend the indefensible?   Attorney and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia is tasked with finding the answer from Joe Peluso. At first glance he's a homicidal vigilante who's a lone wolf in more ways than one. When Neha probes deeper, assorted deadly secrets are revealed, putting her and Joe into multiple sets of dangerous crosshairs and sending them on the run where their smoldering chemistry ignites.   Warring criminal factions, covert operatives, political gamesmanship, bloody conflicts, and competing supernatural groups make Big Bad Wolf a rollicking good read. An organically inclusive cast of characters who move through an exaggerated sociopolitical magnification of present-day cultural strife adds nuanced emotional intimacy, philosophical complexity and resonance to this edgy alternate universe. Key elements are r...

  Unforgettable Valentine by Stella Williams   Contemporary erotic romance novella  Serpentine Creative, LLC, February 12, 2021  Sanai Carlisle sets out on a blustery winter night to surprise her boyfriend. On the way there she collides with Dominic Westmoore and alters the course of both their lives. Unforgettable Valentine is a super sexy romp that uses a clumsy, awkward meet-cute to launch into a mad-cap homage to popular romance tropes. Caught in flagrante delicto, stranded with a stranger, fake relationship, and more combined with surprising moments of profound self-reflection and emotional intimacy make Sanai and Dominic's story a fun, satisfying read. It's a sizzling, sweet bonbon of a tale.   [note: In the NetGalley ARC the spelling of the lead character's name flip flops between Sanai and Sinai.]   Winner Takes All by Sandra Kitt   Contemporary romance   Sourcebooks Casablanca, April 6, 2021   Juggling t...

Reality in Chaos by Monique Kelley  Contemporary women's fiction  Black Rose Writing, January 13, 2021   In 1999 best friends and newly minted Hampton University graduates Simone, Jackie, and Taylor move to Los Angeles, California to pursue their respective professional goals in advertising, acting, and art. Eighteen years later as their fortieth birthdays approach their lives have unfolded into disappointing circumstances beneath the surface of their self-confident public personae. Will their shared milestone year mark a reset or a death knell for turning their dreams into reality?   Monique Kelley uses a first-person confessional style that fosters a deep sense of emotional intimacy between characters and readers. Starting with HBCU culture in the prologue evolves into broader issues of skin-color hierarchies, biases related to social class and geographic region, and ageism. Those themes and more are layered upon the foundation of gilded cages of privileg...

Is last year's bumper crop of lemons the main ingredient for this year's success?  Here's a book with plenty of reasons why yes is the answer.  Rethink, Smashing the Myths of Women in Business   Andi Simon, Ph.D.   Non-fiction business biography  Fast Company Press (Greenleaf Book Group, distributor)   January 5, 2021   At a time when the world is reeling from being forced to improvise almost everything on a daily basis, Rethink profiles eleven women, including the author, whose lives and professional careers are prime examples of adaptability that defy entrenched gendered expectations. Invisible barriers to achievement in science, management, finance, and other industries are examined through the lenses of these accomplished women's experiences. Their profiles make for compelling reading and comprise the majority of the text, which is its strength. Notable reading frustrations include points of view and blanket statements that rein...

  https://www.romancedailynews.com/single-post/a-christmas-reading-list  (Forgot to mention the Festival of Epiphany/Three Kings' Day, too.)  

  Vitality by Crysta Levere  YA contemporary supernatural romance   August 25, 2020   Dangerous secrets churn beneath the veneer of small-town charm in Aberdeen, Massachusetts. Nineteen-year-old Ava has pulled herself up from abandonment and homelessness into being a student at Agatha College. A classified ad leads her to off-campus housing with Dahlila, a local, and friendship with her fellow designated Outcasts. Their small group ventures to an underground social club that pulses with sinister intentions. Soon, Ava's life becomes entangled with mysterious Layton's murky existence and hidden agenda. Their chemistry sizzles. Volatile confrontations, multiple mysteries, a sometimes unreliable narrator in Ava, and sliding timelines combine to make Vitality a whirlwind tale of obsession.   Loaded with young adult angst and declarations of existential philosophy, Ava and Layton's story also includes smooth integration of sexual orientation as a fluid ...