Did you know that August is Read a Romance month?  It has been celebrated since 2013 as a way for romance readers to celebrate their love of love!   August is also National Romance Awareness Month, chosen because Romance Awareness Day is on August 14th.  Love stories make great reads, especially during these hot summer months.  Check out some of these great options to celebrate Read a Romance month:

Tessa Bailey‘s newest release is titled “The Au Pair Affair.”  It’s the second book in her “Big Shots” series.  (The first is called “Fangirl Down,” and I highly recommend it!)  “Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.”

I loved this book for lots of reasons, but really: hockey player hero.  IYKYK.  You don’t need to read “Fangirl Down” first, but I do think you’ll love Burgess even more if you do.  Plus–there are fewer holds on that title.  You’ll have to place a hold for “The Au Pair Affair“, but I promise it’s worth the wait!

One of the hot trends in romance right now is “love in the afterlife”–think deceased heroes and heroines, reincarnation, and morticians.  It’s not a trope for me, but Jill read and enjoyed “The Love of My Afterlife” by Kirsty Greenwood.  “A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up… If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her. As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife. When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious stranger, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start at life. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…”

If you’re into this theme, I just ordered “Morbidly Yours” by Ivy Fairbanks, described as “an opposites-attract romantic dramedy about a shy, demisexual Irish mortician who must marry by his 35th birthday to keep his beloved family business, and the Texan widow escaping her past who moves in next door.”  There’s also “Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places” by Claire Kahn.  “Love brings the house down in this charming romance from the acclaimed author of The Romantic Agenda. Lucky Hart has a special affinity for the supernatural, but almost no one takes parapsychology seriously. She’s estranged from her family, lost her friends, and has been rejected from graduate school. Twice. But her big break finally arrives when she gets insider info about a troubled production company. Every actor on their new show mysteriously quits after spending three nights inside Hennessee House, an old Victorian mansion with a strange reputation. After scheming her way onto the show to investigate, Lucky meets Maverick Phillips. Chemistry instantly crackles between them. He tempts her in ways no one ever has, supporting and challenging her, effortlessly giving everything she’s always wanted but never believed possible. Their connection is so palpable everyone notices it-including Hennessee House. Now Lucky and Maverick’s burgeoning relationship has a challenger: the lonely, sentient house desperate for her undivided attention. As love begins to clash with her career, Lucky refuses to choose one over the other. Because everyone deserves a happily ever after, even old houses with haunted hearts”.  You’ll find “Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places” in the New Books area.

Finally, if you’re looking for some Summer Olympics vibes, check out the New Books shelves for “Let the Games Begin” by Rufaro Faith Mazarura.   “Set against a sizzling-hot Greek summer filled with sunshine and souvlaki, Rufaro Faith Mazarura’s Let the Games Begin is a page-turning debut rom-com about two strangers at the top of their game. Athens, 2024. Olivia Nkomo has always been ambitious, smart, and an overall go-getter. Now that she’s graduated from university, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to land her dream job at the Summer Games. The first step? Securing her new internship, which will put her in the center of all the action, where she hopes to run into some of her favorite athletes. Ezekiel “Zeke” Moyo, the heartthrob star runner of Team Great Britain, is more than ready to claim his title as the fastest man in the world, following in the footsteps of the greatest athletes of all time. His future to the finish line is looking bright–despite his recent breakup with celebrated gymnast Valentina Ross-Rodriguez constantly making headlines. When Olivia and Zeke collide–literally–on the first day of training, sparks fly. As the games grow closer, so do Olivia and Zeke. But the competition starts stirring up uncomfortable memories from Zeke’s past . . . and Olivia’s internship doesn’t turn out to be what she expected. Will they be able to overcome these hurdles and achieve their dreams? Or will it come at the cost of their budding romance?”  If you’re more interested in the Paris part of the Olympics experience, grab a copy of “A Caribbean Heiress in Paris” by Adrianna Herrera.  Our Between the Sheets Romance Book Group rated this one 3.25 stars.

If you read and love romance, join us for Between the Sheets: A Romance Book Group.  Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13th at 6:30 PM.  We’re reading “After Hours on Milagro Street” by Angelina Lopez.

We’re also playing a little romance bingo!  Stop by the Readers’ Services desk near the displays to grab your bingo card, fill it out, and then bring it back to the desk to claim your prize!

You’ll find lots more books in our display area.  We’re featuring romance novels in our “Summer Lovin'” display: