Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
Arranged marriage, slow burn, why choose. I so, so enjoyed the ratcheting up of romantic tension between these characters, and the shifts between interpersonal conflict and…something else lol.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Rue is great at science and terrible at making friends, so the choice between her startup-founder bestie and the hot private-equity guy should be easy. But as with any good story, things are far more complicated than they seem on the surface.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The book everyone was reading last summer, and for good reason. Sharply funny yet tender, I flew through this one.

The Queen of Saturn and the Prince in Exile by Errick Nunnally
With one of my favorite book titles I’ve seen this year, this shortish novel starts out as a scrappy-yet-tender coming of age story and elegantly transitions into a speculative fever dream.

Falling in a Sea of Stars by Kristen Britain
More time with an extensive cast of characters that readers have grown to love, and the story seems far from over!

August Lane by Regina Black
I’m still not over this book. Regina Black is quickly becoming one of my favorite “Actually, flawed people DO deserve love” authors. A look at how Black artists have been discounted in country music + angst for days.

The Devoured Worlds Trilogy by Megan E. O’Keefe
Space opera with a propulsive story and elements of body and eco-horror, anchored by a reluctant romance between a fiercely moral revolutionary and a soft-boy corporate-aristocracy scion who’s obsessed with rocks. (The rocks are relevant, I promise.)

Servant of Earth and Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley
After she finds a magical dagger that craves blood (including hers), a young woman is drawn into danger, political intrigue, and love in the Fae realm. I always enjoy a determined protagonist and a good sentient object character!

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young
A sexy, tender, and emotional story about a woman who feels like she can’t leave town and a man who feels like he can’t stay and what happens when they fall in love.

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
As with all of Ali’s books, this one delivers on the promise of the premise (he’s got 15 years on her and is uncomfy about it) but also digs deeper. And now I really want to visit Sicily.

The Road of Bones and Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
In an atmospheric, Viking-inspired fantasy world, two women struggle against an oppressive monarchy, learn to use fascinating and powerful magic, and fall for men who could be their salvation or their undoing.

The London Trilogy by Sherry Thomas
Sherry Thomas is the queen of keeping me up past my bedtime. The TENSION, the ANGST. I spent a week dozing off during the day and I have no regrets.

My Murder by Katie Williams
A serial killer’s victim resurrected via a controversial cloning program must uncover the truth about her own death. (It’s set in a near-futuristic mid-Michigan, so I kept going “Oh hey!” whenever a specific place was mentioned.)

The El by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Like if The Warriors was set in Chicago with a multicultural cast. These guys might be doing bad things (the protagonist’s big dream is to control the drug and prostitution trade in his neighborhood) but you can’t help but root for their found family.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
After her sister is pushed in front of a subway train during pandemic times, a crime scene cleaner discovers that a series of murders of Asian women is even worse than she thought. A lush, visceral read laced with dark humor and rage.

The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett
I love books where two yearning, hurting people find each other and it doesn’t make everything all better but it helps. This is one of those.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
The best SFF creates a fully realized world even as it forces you to see the parallels between its world and ours. Read if you enjoy “””unlikable””” heroines and “taking down the (extremely evil) system” stories and being inspired to action.

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Enjoyed this on audio! We love an FMC who (nicely) bullies her way into the MMC’s heart.