Grumpy Sunshine Romance

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Beach read

Beach read

Henry, Emily, author
2020

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighbouring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel.

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The bride test

The bride test

Hoang, Helen, author
2019

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions--like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better--that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned.

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Delilah Green doesn't care

Delilah Green doesn't care

Blake, Ashley Herring, author
2022


Go hex yourself

Go hex yourself

Clare, Jessica, author.
2022

"When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad in the paper, she's astonished to find that she's not really applying for work at her favourite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she's applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. As in, real magic. The new job has a few perks--great room and board, excellent pay, and she's apprenticing to a powerful witch. Sure, the witch is a bit eccentric. And sure, there was that issue with the black cat Reggie would prefer to forget about. The biggest problem, however, is warlock Ben Magnus, her employer's nephew and the most arrogant, insufferable, maddening man to ever cast a spell. Reggie absolutely hates him. He's handsome, but he's also bossy and irritating and orders her around. Ben's butt might look great in a crystal ball vision, but that's as far as it goes. But when someone with a vendetta targets the household, she finds herself working with Ben to break a deadly curse. Apparently, when they're not fighting like cats and dogs, things get downright...bewitching."-- Back cover.

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The intimacy experiment

The intimacy experiment

Danan, Rosie, author
2021

Naomi Grant has built a life around going against the grain. When the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, her responsibilities shift from the bedroom to the boardroom. Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Taking a gamble in an effort to attract more millennials to the faith, the executive board hired Ethan because of his nontraditional background. Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems-until they discover a new one-their growing attraction to each other.

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The love hypothesis

The love hypothesis

Hazelwood, Ali, author
2021

"When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope."-- Provided by publisher.

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The marriage game

The marriage game

Desai, Sara, author
2020

Layla Santos is the child of first-generation immigrants from India. Her parents run a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in San Francisco and are very traditional in their ways, including a firm belief in the benefit of arranged marriages. Her father, thinking he knows best, signs Layla up for IndianGirlMatch.com and sets up a series of dates without telling her.... Sam Mehta is the self-made CEO of a corporate consultancy specializing in downsizing. Also the child of first-generation immigrants with traditional beliefs, his family treated him like a prince and saw him as a symbol of their social and economic strength. But his sister's marital experience has taught him that parents don't always know what's best for their children, and arranged marriages don't always end in a happily ever after. When life throws Layla and Sam into close quarters, Sam finds himself unexpectedly chaperoning Layla on her dates. But neither can deny the chemistry building between them, and they wonder if perhaps they should make an arrangement of their own.

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The romantic agenda

The romantic agenda

Kann, Claire, author.
2022


Twice shy

Twice shy

Hogle, Sarah, author
2021

Maybell Parrish lives with her head in the clouds, which is the sensible choice because her fantasy life is wonderful. She runs a cosy coffee shop, surrounded by friends and the man of her dreams. Her real life, meanwhile, is full of painful disappointments. So, when Maybell inherits a stately old manor from her Great Aunt Violet, it's her chance to change everything. Yet when she arrives, the house is falling apart around her, and Violet has left a list of demands as eccentric as she was. Worst of all, Maybell isn't the only inheritor: she has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who's as grouchy as he is gorgeous - and who has plans of his own for their shared manor. At first, Wesley seems determined to avoid speaking to Maybell completely, but soon she begins to suspect that Wesley's scowls hide a shy, kind nature that has also found the real world a difficult place - in fact, could it be that Wesley and Maybell are better matched than even Maybell could ever have dreamed?

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Undercover bromance

Undercover bromance

Adams, Lyssa Kay, author
2020

"Braden Mack has read so many romance novels that he's confident he's an expert on romance and women. He is wrong. When Liv Papandreas landed a job working at the restaurant of celebrity chef Royce Preston one year ago, she knew she'd have to endure his infamous anger and abusive outbursts for the sake of her career. But when she overhears the man sexually harassing a young hostess at the restaurant, she confronts him and tells the young woman she'll escort her to human resources. To her dismay, the woman refuses to make a complaint--and the next thing Liv knows, she's out of a job. She vows that Royce Preston has not heard the last of her. But to take on the powerful chef, she knows she's going to need help. Unfortunately, the only person she can think of is Braden Mack. Mack has never met a woman he couldn't woo... except Liv. When she texts him out of the blue one day and asks to meet him for a drink that night, he thinks he might finally be getting a chance to put some of the famous Mack moves on her. Instead, she fills him in on her problem and asks for help. With the aid of the Bromance Book Club (who are inspired by the romantic suspense novel they're currently reading), they set out to take down the chef. And Liv is determined to keep the sparks between her and Mack to a minimum lest she get burned"-- Provided by publisher.

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When in Rome : a novel

When in Rome : a novel

Adams, Sarah, 1991- author
2022

"A burnt-out pop star stranded in small-town Kentucky can't help falling for her unlikely knight in shining armor-the notoriously grumpy owner of the local pie shop-in this charming slice of romance from the author of the TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet. Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her fans, is burnt out from years of maintaining her "princess of pop" image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, and desperate for a getaway from the music business, she drives off in the middle of the night for a respite in Rome...Rome, Kentucky, that is. When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn't have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He's too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. But his heart softens when it becomes clear that years in the public eye have left Amelia lonely and isolated. Soon she'll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she's been missing and she'll show him how to open his heart to more. Amelia can't resist falling for Rome and her grumpy tour guide, but she keeps reminding herself that even Audrey had to go back to her real life in the end..."-- Provided by publisher.

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The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Holton, India, author
2021

"A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance. Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up. Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake: Never underestimate a woman. When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her-hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them."-- Provided by publisher.

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