Buzzy Contemporary Romance Picks for April

Looking for contemporary romance? You’re in the right place!

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend.

This hilarious rom com/murder myster hooked me with the cover and title. This is a very over the top novel with plenty of fun, quirky moments. Embracing Chinese and Indonesian cultures, we dive into a world of color, love and plenty of Auntie meddling. Our heroine Meddy has found herself in quite a pickle and when her aunties and mom come to the rescue she gets sucked back into the world she had left behind. Meddy must find a way to juggle her mother’s wishes and what she wants for herself.

Bombshells by Sarina Bowen

This is my last chance to ditch my playboy reputation and finally fulfill my potential. So I’ve made three rules for our biggest season yet: no boozing, no women, and no scandals.

Especially that last thing.

So who do I befriend on the very first day back at the rink? An amazing female hockey player. I want Sylvie in a way that’s more than just friendly. I crave her. But I have a championship to win, and so does she.

Then she gets her heart broken by my teammate, and I make the foolish mistake of comforting her in the best way I know how. Our night together sets off a string of sins.

Nobody can know about our affair, especially my overprotective teammate. I can’t let anyone see into my greedy little heart. Not even her.

The things I want from her, and the things we’ve already done? If anyone knew, there’d be bombshells.

This is a standalone romance novel. However, I’ve read every book in the series and I love them. Previous books have hinted at the start of the all women’s hockey team and we finally get a story with them! Our heroine is the second goalie for the team, French Canadian, and dealing with the grief of losing her mother and is jumping all in on a new adventure. Our hero, Anton Bayer is a jokester who is determined to turn his life and title around on the Brooklyn Bruisers. On the first week of his return to the team, in walks Sylvie ready to tip it all over. I loved the development of the relationship between the two, it was a slow burn that genuinely displayed how their romance was won. A case of lust at first sight developed into a genuine crush and respectful relationship. As they’re BOTH on a hockey team, I liked seeing the dynamic of having to work together on a very competitive fierce schedule but when you want something you make it happen. Their chemistry is off the charts and Anton is always ready with the flirty banter to make it all better.

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

Brenda Novak always delivers a heartwarming novel, I’m a big fan of her Silver Springs series. No worries, this novel is a standalone. This is a great beach read, just like the cover shows. It has a really big build up in the book as it follows a family about 18 months after Autumn’s husband has disappeared. It’s a generational family story of three strong women in different stages of life. Autumn, her mother, and her daughter are all navigating beginnings and endings. There’s a lot of turmoil in the group and as they return to their beach cottage to visit their grandmother, all their secrets will be revealed. There were many sweet moments and a lot of character development as well. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read with many soap-opera like dramatic moments.

Could Have Been Us by Corinne Michaels

Fifteen years ago, I fell for Jack O’Donnell.

I was just a girl, but I knew my brother’s best friend was the only man I’d ever love.

On my eighteenth birthday, when I asked him to kiss me, I never imagined it would change my life so completely.

I gave Jack everything that night.

In order to move on, we had to go our separate ways and pretend like nothing happened… as though it wasn’t the greatest moment of my life.

But even that wasn’t as heartbreaking as the secret we were forced to keep.

I’ve tried not to think about how much I still love him. How I long to be back in his strong arms or the way his hazel eyes make my heart race.

Until he kisses me again. And this time there’s no turning back. This time I know what it means.

We belong together and there’s no use denying it any longer.

But our feelings aren’t the only thing that won’t stay buried, our past resurfaces and threatens to destroy our second chance at happiness.

When our love is tested once again, will we be strong enough to stand together?

This is the second in the Willow Creek series and a friends to lovers book. They can be read as a standalone but this romance has massive history and was referenced in the previous book. As this is a friends to lovers, there are many secrets we need to navigate to get to the now. It’s a tale with twists and turns as we finally learn why Jack has put Stella at arms length. Jack has always been part of the family and hooking up with Stella, the beloved Parkerson, was a huge line he crossed. However their love and attraction runs deep and this small town will do what they can to finally bring them together.

What are you reading this month?