Staff Picks Category: Romance

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander [Book]

view/request

After dying early in a few horror movies, actress Lilah Silver is headlining for the first time. Noa Birnbaum just dropped out of college to take a makeup artist/special effects job on Lilah’s movie. Lilah hopes this final girl role will open her up to serious acting opportunities. Noa, who has been crushing on Lilah since her first bit part, hopes this gig will get her the hours and recommendation she needs to join the union. There is chemistry between them when they meet, and a rule against fraternization between cast and crew to complicate things. Add an uncannily accurate anonymous item in a gossip magazine and evidence of a dangerous fan, plus the heightened emotion of an intense film shoot, and you have a fast read filled with warmth, romance, coming out, vivid supporting characters, and a behind-the-scenes peek at Hollywood. Lilah and Noa are believably imperfect young Jewish women navigating early adulthood with the support of their friends and families, stumbling into solvable problems on their way to each other. A charming entry in the new adult queer romantic comedies trend in the vein of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

Popisho by Leone Ross [Book]

view/request

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman [Book]

view/request

Sol Katz is the head archivist of an LGBTQ historical society, an avid fan of retro sci-fi television, a Jewish trans man, and a vampire. Any sun exposure could kill him, so his work organizing queer ephemera in a windowless basement suits him well. When Elsie, the widow of a well-known television writer, comes to donate her late wife’s papers, Sol is consumed by the project–both because the writer was the showrunner of his favorite 90’s space drama, Feet of Clay, and because of his growing attraction to Elsie. But things begin going wrong in the archive: film reels disintegrate, papers wither into dust, and Sol begins to suspect that a force beyond nature is to blame. As Sol searches for answers and learns more about the writer’s troubled life and career, he also grows closer to Elsie and begins reckoning with the way his vampirism limits and defines his life.
Though it’s easy enough to say that this is a book about a trans vampire archivist, mere description of the plot doesn’t do it justice. It’s a love letter to archives, but it’s also a meticulous and tender exploration of online fan communities and queer media. The story takes on many forms from chapter to chapter, including emails, forum posts, and scripts. This is my favorite book of the year so far, and I especially recommend it to anyone who enjoys explorations of gender, introspective horror, or Star Trek fanfiction.

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho [Book]

view/request

Andrea Tang, at 33, is living the life she is supposed to live in Singapore: up for partner at her law firm, in possession of the latest designer handbag, surrounded by devoted friends, living in a posh apartment. The only thing she hasn’t successfully accomplished is landing a husband. When her cousin’s engagement leaves her the titular last Tang standing (unmarried), things start to get real. Competing with her office mate Suresh for promotion while dating handsome and wealthy marriage-minded entrepreneur Eric, Andrea has to decide what she wants from her life and what happiness means to her. Does she make partner, marry Eric, and live lavishly ever after? Does she quit her job and redirect her life entirely? Is her rivalry with Suresh shifting from antagonism to civility to friendship to something else?

Ho’s debut novel is a charming and witty diary of a year in the life of Andrea Tang. It’s a good match for fans of The Hating Game, Crazy Rich Asians, and misguided young professional women.

For Love and Country by Candace Waters [Book]

view/request

During the months following the Pearl Harbor attack and full involvement of the United States in World War II, Lottie Palmer (of the Detroit Palmers) decides she wants to do something that matters with her life. When she informs her fiancé the day before their wedding, he doesn’t understand at all why she might willingly leave her privileged life, so the next morning she tells her mother, packs a bag, and runs away to join the Navy WAVES. Lottie’s mechanical skills are confirmed during basic training, where she and her assigned roommate Maggie have so little in common they can’t have a civil conversation. After further training, Lottie’s assigned to an airplane mechanic division in Pearl Harbor, where she is the only female (and best mechanic) on a team repairing and restoring aircraft for deployment. After repeatedly being assigned together, Lottie and Maggie develop from nemeses to friends, experiencing the war at closer range than most. After the battle at Iwo Jima, the base is filled with wounded–including Lottie’s erstwhile fiancé, forcing her to deal with their relationship and her feelings for a superior officer. When Lottie defies orders to undertake a daring rescue, her military career ends and the rest of her life begins.

Well researched and engaging, Waters tells a tale that’s a good fit for fans of Therese Anne Fowler and Marie Benedict, and others who enjoy historical fiction centering women’s experiences.

The Café by the Sea by Jenny Colgan [Book]

view/request

Flora MacKenzie abandoned her father and brothers to the farm where she was raised immediately following her mother’s funeral, escaping to an appealingly anonymous city life where she works, drinks wine, and nurses a crush on her boss. She reluctantly returns to the remote Scottish island when required by a work assignment from her fancy London law firm. Left to her own devices by scheduling delays, she cleans up her childhood home, finds her mother’s handwritten recipe book, and begins to cook meals and treats that bring her mother’s memory back and her family together. She even finds herself attracted to a lovely man from a neighboring island. Without expecting or wanting it, she finds home, love, work, and herself, all while coordinating the successful community integration of a wealthy developer and his hotel project. Multiple fully developed gay characters break up the relentless heteronormativity often found in the genre.

A great pick for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, and Louise Miller’s The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller [Book]

view/request

After accidentally setting her fancy Boston workplace on fire, pastry chef Livvy flees to Vermont where her best friend helps her get a job at the local bed and breakfast, turning a temporary escape into something more. Livvy’s tetchy new employer has a hidden agenda: to regain blue ribbon status in the annual apple pie contest. Gradually, the directionless orphan and her trusty dog are drawn into the town and grow involved with its denizens. Her best friend gets pregnant and needs Livvy to stay close by. Her chef colleague develops a crush on her. The local contra dance band has an opening for her and her banjo. When Livvy’s path crosses that of the kindly neighbors’ prodigal son, her connection deepens. She takes a few wrong turns and has to find her way back from another instance of flight before she finds her happy ending. Pastry descriptions will require a bakery jaunt to make it through, and readers can bake their own blue ribbon apple pie from Livvy’s recipe.

This is a fun read for romance readers as well as folks who don’t think they like romance

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski [Book]

view/request

This YA fantasy novel is the first in a duology about Nirrim, a young woman who lives in a remote island city. Nirrim is Half Kith, which means she cannot wear bright colors, eat flavorful food, or leave the walled-in neighborhood she calls home. Beyond the walls, the privileged class known as the High Kith live lavishly. When an unlucky accident lands Nirrim in the city jail, she meets Sid, a traveler with a mysterious past who somehow convinces the guards to let Nirrim free. Sid has questions Nirrim never thought to ask, like: why do the High Kith get all of life’s pleasures? How was the city founded? And who built the wall around the Half Kith? Together, Nirrim and Sid set out to find the answers.

Though this plot description has elements that will be familiar to anyone who reads YA fantasy and dystopian sci-fi, I found it to be a unique and engrossing story that isn’t quite like anything I’ve read before. The island of Herrath, where Nirrim lives, is immersive and detailed, and Marie Rutkoski’s writing brings it vividly to life. The primary romance in this book is between two women, and the characters feel well-developed and real. I picked this book up on a whim one Sunday morning and didn’t put it down until it was finished–it totally hooked me from the first few pages. Highly recommended to teens and adults who love complicated heroes, LGBTQ romance, and unique fantasy worlds.

Ayesha at Last [Book]

view/request

This funny and touching retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is set in the Muslim community of Toronto, Canada. Full of mistaken identity, eccentric family, arranged marriages vs. love matches, and how appearances can be misleading on several levels. Great debut by author Uzma Jalaluddin.

Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund [Book]

view/request

This book is part of Hedlund’s Beacon of Hope Series and is the Sequel to Love Unexpected.  Set in 1865 Michigan, Caroline Taylor has helped her father tend to a lighthouse and care for her younger siblings.  When her father dies unexpectedly, she is forced to give up the job and their home. Ryan Chambers, a wounded Civil War veteran with alcohol and drug addictions and no experience arrives as the new lighthouse keeper.  This is a story of faith, hope, healing and romance.

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts [Book]

view/request

Rowan Tripp has been fighting fires since she was 18, and is the daughter of a retired forest fire fighting legend. We meet the new crop of rookies, and get to see the intense ways they train, as well as meet the surviving crew from the previous season when they lost one of their own. The fire season is difficult enough on its own, but we find that someone hasn’t let go of last year’s tragedy. The suspense is more in the people vs. fire, with a lot of details including training, equipment and on the line fire fighting. Although this definitely qualifies as a romance, I didn’t find it too over the top, and felt the steam came more from the water vs. fire than the relationships. There is a secondary romance that adds an interesting element.

Major Pettigrew’s last stand : a novel by Helen Simonson [Book]

view/request

Debut author, Simonson, has written a delightful and surprising love story that takes place in the beautiful English country town of Edgecombe St. Mary. Retired Major Pettigrew is a proper English widower who falls in love with kindhearted Pakistani widow, Mrs. Ali, much to the chagrin of the community. Drama and humor ensue.