January took a full 97 days to complete itself but we did it! Luckily, we had some fun and exciting books to distract us from this unnecessarily long month. Take a look at what we read and loved, there’s something for every reading taste!
Donna Soluri | Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee
An amazing category romance from Harlequin’s Desire line. Garrett Song has a meddling grandmother problem, she wants him married now. In fact, she’s holding on tight to the keys to his family’s fashion empire until he grants her that one wish. Garrett Song does not have the time or the inclination to marry, love is not on his to-do list. Natalie Sobol needs a husband to help her secure custody of her dead sister’s sweet little baby girl. Oh yeah, this one is all about a fake marriage that turns real faster than Mr. Garrett “I’ll never fall in love” Song could’ve possibly imagined. And not only does he fall for the beautiful, smart and determined Natalie, that baby wraps him around her tiny pinky, too. It’s a beautifully written story, filled with elegance and grace and a pretty phenomenal grovel because of course he screws up and has to make amends once he pulls his head out of his rear end!
Aurora Dominguez | The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
In this haunting fantasy, Alessandra is a gal after The Shadow King’s heart…in order to kill him and win over his kingdom, of course. But was falling in love in the plans? You must read on and see to find out. This book had me flipping pages so fast and I finished it so quickly it is honestly one of my current favorites. As Frolic’s YA expert, I assure you that you must pick a copy of it up when it comes out February 25, 2020. You will not regret this edgy romance, mystery and thriller all in one!
Jess Moro | Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
This book is just as the title implies and is so CUTE! With this extra long January, it hit all of my rom com sweet spots. Per the blurb, you think it’s a very simple YA story. However, there are so many layers, with parent relationships, school relationships, and romantic relationships that all evolve throughout the book. A classic character mix with Pepper, the chronic overachiever and Jack, the class clown with no cares in the world as our main characters. As you discover more of the story, you realize that everyone is dealing with things that are more than what meets the eye. And it all starts off with a twitter feud. I quickly became enamored with all the characters in this book, and happily laughed my way to the end.
Bree Hill | Under a Firefly Moon by Donna Kauffman
My favorite read of January was Under a Firefly Moon. It is an amazing small town romance starring Cheyenne and Wyatt, two people who were always crazy about each other but got away from one another. They are back in each other’s lives and it was fantastic. It’s set amongst the beautiful backdrop of the mountains of Virginia, had kisses that left me breathless and amazing female friendship representation!
Lisa Ward | The Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley has been one of my favorite authors since 2008, and I tend to re-read most of her books at least once a year. My favorite story this month just happens to be an older book that I’ve re-read at least six times.
Readers who don’t step out of their comfort zone to read fantasy romances usually skip this series, but they’re missing out. I tend not to seek out this genre either, but I’ve loved each one that KA has written.
The bones of all her books are the same romantic goodness. Whether the characters are MC members, security men, or live in a parallel universe, it’s still her storytelling talent and sexy alphas that sucks us in and keeps us coming back for more.
This story begins primitively and brutal, with two characters speaking different languages. As a reader, you can’t fathom how in the world, romance could be introduced, but as it becomes heart-melting, swoony, and beyond beautiful, you fall in love along with the characters.
Alexandra Somelian | Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera
Yes I am one of those readers that didn’t quite finish my holiday reads from December and it fed off into January…but after feeling the post-holiday blues this was the kind of novella that I desperately needed. This fluffy holiday Latinx romance about two Dominican girls falling in love in a baking challenge warmed my grinchy heart and it also made me crave some of those chili mangos.
Frolic Head of Editorial Megan | Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
I DEVOURED Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn this month. Kate has a gift for developing well rounded and lovable characters. She makes you want to be BFFs with Meg and Reid and watch their love up close. Plus, you don’t want to miss the personality she gives to NYC. BRB booking my ticket to go back and visit right now.