My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I'm no princess bound within a tower.

I am a shadow.

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian's court – until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she's suddenly called to face her King. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the month-long royal Gathering and he'll grant her freedom.

As Illian's orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster – one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian's brother and greatest adversary, the King of the East.

As the rivalry between brothers escalates with Vasalie caught in the middle, the truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she's willing to damn in the process.

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street.

Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they're about to spend a lot more time together.

As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

Kayo is a young Tokyo housewife and mother. Outwardly, she is no different from other young mothers, but her secret sets her apart. She belongs to a kind of club, which involves luxury, beautiful clothes and accessories. The club makes it possible for Kayo to escape her tedious life, to become someone else and to embrace a dazzling new world. But it quickly becomes an obsession, a drug, the way to both paradise and hell. Can she find her way out of the dark underworld of debt, lies and prostitution? Or is she doomed to exchange one form of loneliness for another? A deeply absorbing novel about the "holes" that suddenly appear in women's lives, My Beautiful Shadow is a powerful cautionary tale about consumerism gone mad.

’n Deernisvolle roman oor die kronkelpaaie van die lewe en die liefde. Marco Romanelli, ’n Italianer wat in ’n konsentrasiekamp was, gaan woon in 1948 om gesondheidsredes in die Bosveld. Daar ontmoet hy vir dr. Lettie Viljoen. Die liefde blom tussen hulle . . . maar dan breek die polio-epidemie van die jare vyftig uit.

Duncan Weston, eienaar van Soeterwijn, voel of hy uit homself kan stap. Hoe kan ’n mens alles hê en tog voel asof jy niks het nie?  ’n Vakansie weg van sy alledaagse roetine is wat hy nodig het. In Rome wag Isabel Haasen hom by die lughawe in. Ondanks haar kil houding voel Duncan intuïtief tuis in haar geselskap, maar daar is iets wat sy  wegsteek . . .

Drome het ook asem se karakters en intrige beloof om lesers te boei en te betower. ’n Fyn genuanseerde verhoudingsroman vir volwassenes.

Falling in love was the easy part. What comes next is the test . . .

Following a devastating injury that has left him sidelined and stripped of his beloved number 13 jersey, Johnny Kavanagh is struggling to hold onto his dreams. Lost, insecure, and desperately seeking comfort, he sets his sights on unravelling the mystery of the girl with the midnight-blue eyes, who haunts his every waking hour.

Keeping secrets has never been a problem for Shannon Lynch. The life she was born into demands nothing less. She knows that demons and evil men don't just exist in fairytales. They exist in her world, too. Traumatized beyond repair after her return from Dublin, and desperate to protect her little brothers, Shannon finds herself falling into the same old cover-up, barely keeping her head above water, as her future unravels before her eyes. Beaten and broken, her walls are up and her trust is shaken.

Only one boy has the ability to climb those walls. The boy who owns her heart. But secrets are about to be exposed and lives could be changed forever - can Johnny and Shannon's love survive?

Chloe esta tan solo a semanas de partir para la universidad y comenzar una nueva vida lejos de su hogar en Maine cuando se embarca en una gran aventura europea con su novio y sus dos mejores amigas. Su destino es Barcelona, pero antes deben dar un rodeo por las historicas ciudades de Europa del Este para mantener una vieja promesa familiar. Aqui, en este fugaz mundo postcomunista, Chloe conoce a un encantador vagabundo estadounidense llamado Johnny, que lleva una guitarra, una sonrisa facil y toda una vida de secretos. Desde Treblinka hasta Trieste, desde Karnikava hasta Cracovia, desde Vilnius hasta Venecia, el peculiar grupo de amigos y amantes viajan por el viejo mundo en un viaje en tren que se convierte en un peligroso viaje al pasado mas oscuro de Europa y de Johnny: un viaje que pone en peligro los planes de Chloe para su futuro y todo lo que ella siempre penso que queria. Pero los vinculos que Chloe y sus amigos comparten estan a punto de ser puestos ante la prueba final; y lleguen a Barcelona o no, solamente pueden estar seguros de que sus vidas nunca volveran a ser iguales. Un relato revolucionario y hermoso que cautiva y encanta, quedara mucho tiempo en la memoria luego de la ultima pagina.

From the author of the Legends of Thezmarr series, Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is the first book in The Ashes of Thezmarr series. Perfect for fans of The Witcher and The Bridge Kingdom, Iron & Embers is filled with a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, dark magic and a world of assassins and warriors.

Alchemist. Poisoner. Storm wielder.

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends from wars past. But when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the war-torn midrealms, Wren is charged with finding a cure for the strange new poison. Offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor, she must claim her spot by conquering the Gauntlet – a gruelling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

Yet the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her – Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge. Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both. With peace between the kingdoms as fragile as ever, and enemies lurking around every corner, Wren will discover whether love can truly heal all wounds – or if it is in fact the most lethal poison of all . . .

Set five years after the events of the Legends of Thezmarr series, Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is the breathtaking first instalment in an epic new fantasy romance trilogy.

When a wedding forces them to return home, two childhood friends must face the secrets and heated longing between them in this New Adult romance debut by Cameron Capello (BookTok's @ChamberofSecretBooks).

Remember why you left. Remember who you left.

Once so close to her big family, Magdalen Savoy is now paralyzed with anxiety every time she's tempted to leave her safe haven at Oxford and return to their sleepy Italian village. But when Magdalen receives an invitation to her sister’s upcoming wedding, she has no choice but to pack her bag for what is sure to be a long summer.

After seven years, Theo finds himself back in Chivasso, where nothing changes. It's as if time has stopped here. But upon seeing his sister's best friend after all these years, it's obvious that the sweet little Maggie from his childhood is long gone. In her place is a young woman with long legs, thick hair, and walls built around the innocent heart he once knew.

Now too close for comfort during the preparations for a wedding that will join their two families, they must confront the long-buried secrets of their past and the burning tension slowly pulling them together. But their old secrets threaten to tear their worlds apart—and could possibly separate them forever. . .

London, 2005

Behind the unmarked door of Love and Death, a tiny speakeasy in East London, Robbie Saunders and El Tippett are cocktail-making stars on the rise.

Locked in a volatile dance of rivalry and chemistry, they can't deicde how they feel about each other. And, as the as the city transforms itself, and the bar's legend grows, it all begins to unravel.

Yet something indefinable keeps drawing Robbie and El back together. Over the years that follow, one unexpected, ill-advised, and utterly glorious late night after another, can they put aside professional betrayals to build something brand new?

Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com is hopelessly romantic with enemies to lovers and grumpy x sunshine energy!

*Get your limited edition purple copy now, to match the September release of Nothing Like the Movies, available to pre-order now!*
 
Liz hates her annoyingly attractive neighbour but he’s the only in with her long-term crush …

Perpetual daydreamer and hopeless romantic Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbour might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must re-examine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.
 
Better Than the Movies features quotes from the best-loved rom-coms of cinema and takes you on a rollercoaster of romance that isn’t movie-perfect but jaw-dropping and heart-stopping in unexpected ways.
 
Don't miss out on The Do-Over and Betting On You from Lynn Painter!

As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.

Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .

In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

The rules were simple: keep his hands off his agent's daughter and stay out of trouble. But now he's stuck with her. There's only one bed. And well, rules are made to be broken.

Rhett Eaton is the face of professional bull riding. The golden boy. Or at least he was until it all blew up in his face after a public brawl. Now his agent says he has to clean up his image, and sticks Rhett with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as "full-time supervision." But Rhett doesn't need a goddamn babysitter―especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can't stop running. A mouth he can't stop thinking about.

And he quickly learns that Summer Hamilton isn't just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn't run―she pulls him closer, even when she shouldn't.

She says this means nothing. Rhett says this means everything. She says there are boundaries they shouldn't cross. That Rhett's reputation can't take any more hits…and neither can her damaged heart.

Rhett says he's going to steal it anyway.

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Sierra Simone comes her steamy, TikTok-famous Priest series, in which sinners and saints alike test the bonds of religion, love, and lust. He's a priest, and here is his confession. There are many rules a priest can't break. A priest cannot marry. A priest cannot abandon his flock. A priest cannot forsake his God. Tyler Bell has had no problem playing by the rules for the last three years after a family tragedy set him on the path to priesthood. That all changes when the delicious, sultry voice of Poppy Danforth sinks its claws in him through the screen of his confessional booth, and he can't get her sins out of his head. It should be easy to put his impure thoughts of her to rest, considering the vows Tyler has taken. It should be nothing to overcome what the sight and sound of her does to him, when his life with the Church means everything. But once he has his first forbidden taste of those red lips, Tyler can't help but break all his rules for Poppy-no matter what it might cost them both.

Ten years have passed since Jack and Ivy, elite operatives for the secret agency Talon, rescued their friend Philip and completed their fateful mission. The 1920s are in full swing as American speakeasies thrive amid Prohibition, and despite the team’s best efforts, the deadly cult, the Order of the Rising Moon, lives on in the shadows. Which is no surprise to Ivy; nothing has gone as she expected since that day after Poenari Castle.

When a wave of assassinations strikes world leaders, intel confirms the Order’s involvement. Ivy holds them responsible for the tragedy that changed her life, and she is determined to find and destroy the villains once and for all—but she must do so before their relentless assassin eliminates his next target. Her.

Except, there’s something oddly familiar about the way he moves, the way he anticipates each of her moves. It’s as if he knows her. But that’s not possible. Is it? Ivy will have to rely on every skill she’s learned if she hopes to survive—and save those she loves. No matter the cost.

Bestselling author J’nell Ciesielski wraps up the Jack and Ivy novels with yet another thrilling adventure filled with glamorous espionage and a boundless romance.

Sitting alone, overlooking the still and blue lagoon, Ana Magdalena Bach surveys the men of the hotel bar. She is happily married and has no reason to escape the world she has made with her husband and children. And yet, every August, she travels here to the island where her mother is buried, and for one night takes a new lover.

Amid sultry days and tropical downpours, lotharios and conmen, Ana journeys further each year into the hinterland of her desire, and the fear that sits quietly at her heart.

Constantly surprising and wonderfully sensual, Until August is a profound meditation on freedom, regret, and the mysteries of love, from one of the greatest writers the world has ever known.

She's the quintessential sunshine girl. He's the lovable class clown. But storm clouds are rolling in, and this Tommen boy is about to get serious.

Tommen's cheekiest lad, Gerard 'Gibsie' Gibson, has always been a comedian, but most people don't see what lurks beneath the surface. He is haunted by events of the past and he uses humor to cope, hiding his true self from the world.

Claire Biggs, the epitome of sunshine, has always loved Gibsie, her brother's friend and her favorite neighbor. She has always seen a side to him that no one else seems to notice. She becomes determined to tame her wild-at-heart childhood best friend.

When lines are crossed, it becomes unclear whether Gibsie and Claire's friendship will survive. Will it blossom into something more, or will they lose themselves in the wild?