Romance Books

Book SynopsisIt is the spring of 1989 in New York City when Jill Dodge, a post-punk rocker from Texas, finally gets her big promotion at Mega Big Records. She is thrust into a race to find a gritty, urban rapper before the “Gangsta” trend passes their label by. As Jill and her mostly middle-class coworkers search for the next big rap star, they fluctuate between alliances and rivalries, tripping over the stereotypes of race, class, and musical genre. They work to promote their current roster of acts as well as the new rap artist they sign to a contract. It turns out, he may not be what they expected. Full of original lyrics and wit, Start With the Backbeat is a compelling examination of the nuances of class, race, and culture in America―which are sometimes ridiculously serious.Trade Review2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Best Cover Design, Fiction 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Chick Lit 2017 IPPY Silver Medal Winner in Contemporary Fiction 2016 Best Book Award Finalist Fiction: General “How we hold on to our authentic selves in the face of change is the reverberating question behind Isassi’s witty and knowing first novel.” —Booklist “Start with the Backbeat is the touching story of one idealistic young woman's journey into the music industry when it was at its multiplatinum peak. Holding onto those ideals is a challenge, but Garine Isassi's clear, smart, good-hearted storytelling is itself a blow against easy cynicism. She reveals a sharp eye for how quickly greed and self-interest can displace a love of music—and an equally sharp understanding of how a dedicated person's daily principled decisions can make sure that doesn't happen. It's a tale that's both poignant and uplifting.” —Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone magazine “Told with an insider's ear for dialogue and setting . . . Start with the Backbeat is a fresh, interesting look at a little-known slice of the music industry.” —Sarah Pekkanen, best-sellling author of The Opposite of Me and Catching Air “Music, friends, family, love, and a career anyone would envy! It's 1989 and Jill Dodge is working her way up the ladder at a NYC music label. Her quirky friends and diverse co-workers saunter in and out of Jill's life as she attempts to create a world that's artistic but also pays the bills. Insight into the glamorous world of music as rap was coming on scene provides a backdrop that is unique and dynamic as we watch Jill move past post-college angst and insecurity. A fun read that brought a smile to my face and got my feet tapping as I went on Jill's journey to fulfillment.” —Kathleen Shoop, bestselling author of Love and Other Subjects “A joy ride through the heyday of the eighties rap craze with a heroine you can’t help but root for, Start With the Backbeat is smart, stylish, and fun from beginning to end.” —Kamy Wicoff, author of Wishful Thinking “Fast-paced and entertaining, Start with the Backbeat is about a young woman's search for love and success in the exciting but sometimes cutthroat music industry. It’s a fun and heartwarming—a genuine pleasure to read. Like your favorite tune, you'll find yourself humming it for days.” —Andee Reilly, author of Satisfaction “Garinè B. Isassi’s funny, tender, and smart novel, Start with the Backbeat, is one of the few books that give us a woman’s point of view of the music industry and an ethnically diverse range of characters. Set in the late ’80s, it tells the story of Jill Dodge, who, after several years as a temp in the Admin Pit (think, ‘armpit’) of Mega Big Records, is promoted to a staff position. The brisk pace and breezy style keep the reader turning pages as Jill struggles to maintain authenticity in the face of clueless execs, romantic snafus, and a wannabe rapper. Isassi skewers the racism and sexism at the core of the industry with a light touch while evoking the deep love of music that drives each of her delightfully unique characters.” —Céline Keating, author of Layla and Play for Me

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Book SynopsisER physician Elizabeth Hillman has been hurt by the men in her life far too often—which is why she spends her free time safely alone, reading the memoir of Giacomo Casanova, history’s most famous libertine. But when a child in Lizzy’s care dies, she flees to Venice, Italy for a much-needed break—and there, on a lovely rooftop, Casanova appears beside her. In 2016, Casanova is still Casanova. He seduces her friends, is arrested for child endangerment, and even boffs the cleaning lady. Although his antics upset Lizzy, she’s determined to enjoy his conversation and not fall victim to its legendary charm. But when she and Casanova travel to Paris seeking an answer to a question of love that would have changed his life, an incendiary love affair begins to unfold. Who better to teach modern guarded Lizzy about love and life than an eighteenth-century libertine?Trade Review2017 The Reader Views Literary Award: Winner, Romance 2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards: Winner, Romantic Comedy 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award: Winner, Romantic Comedy "Rea offers a small spin on the popular time-travel trope by bringing the past to the very near future. The narrative is full of the practical—and often humorous—problems that arise when one meets an 18th-century libertine . . . In addition, Rea sprinkles bits of well-researched history amid the romantic tension, working in specific details from Casanova’s life, such as his appreciation of intelligent women. Though falling in love with an infamous playboy may be ill-advised, Rea makes it seem like a wonderful idea. A light, enjoyable romp through time." —Kirkus Reviews “Conjuring Casanova is a skillfully crafted, delicious tale, successfully integrating contemporary romance, time travel, history, and intrigue . . . Rea’s quick wit and obvious sense of humor shine throughout the narrative.” —Reader Views "Casanova got a bad rep for about three centuries. He was confused with Don Juan, censored until 1960, was dismissed as a writer, and lumped together with famous misogynists. After the true text of the Story of my Life appeared in 1960, his admirers hastened to rescue the famous eighteenth-century lover and Illuminist from ignorance and neglect. Melissa Rea has brought him to life in our time. He was hard to resist in his lifetime, and as this novel makes it clear, he's just as seductive now." —Andrei Codrescu, author of Casanova in Bohemia "Rea takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster in her debut novel, Conjuring Casanova. The story is full of rich characters and extremes; tears to laughter, twists to turns, oh no to oh yes moments, and ahh's that warm the soul. This fascinating story is entertaining from the first page to the last." —Pam Webber, author of The Wiregrass

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Book SynopsisWhen Quenton wants to take Alix home to France after years of exile in England, she is torn between the restoration of her fortune and her dream to build her Sterling Wood Stable into a successful racing business. She finds an unlikely friend in her uncle’s companion, Nicholas Griffon. Caught by her surprising fondness for him, Alix does not realize shadows from the past are stalking her—until she’s trapped by their darkness.Trade Review2018 American Fiction Awards Winner in Romance Historical Best Book Award Finalist, Romance Category Chanticleer Book Reviews Chatelaine Awards Finalist, Romantic Fiction "Dramatic family politics, secret trysts, and dangerous ghosts from the past all call to mind classic English countryside dramas, but Shute has a knack for creating atmosphere through evocative details." —BookLife "Intrigue, mystery, romance! Set in the 1830’s England and France, Midnight Crossing, has everything to keep readers glued to the page. Shute’s exciting sequel continues to follow Alix Saint-Descoteaux as she tries to decide between her forgotten, ancestral home in France and the new life she has made for herself at Sterling Stables in England. Her growing attraction to her sister’s husband, Nicolas Griffon, doesn’t help matters, however, nor does a disturbing person from her past who stalks her. Shute delivers a thrilling ride in this unputdownable book that will have your heart racing before the end!" —Michelle Cox, author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series "A rich tapestry of scenic delight, intrigue, and misdirection in the Regency and Early Victorian era. A riveting novel, rich with unique characters that are not all who they seem to be. Some are better than their initial actions would suggest; some are worse. However, through it all, the fabulous and highly intelligent horse Midnight remains the center of this complex weaving of truths, lies, and attempted thefts." —Liza O'Connor, author of The Adventures of Xavier & Vic series and A Long Road to Love series "Secrets lurk around every corner in this second book in Shute’s (After Midnight, 2014) ongoing historical-fiction series...A rollicking read. Alix is a winning heroine, and Shute expertly leaves each character positioned for new experiences in the planned third volume." —Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisAs he stumbles through an afterlife he never believed in, scientist Kenzaboro Tsuruda must make sense of his life and confront his family’s secrets in order to save his ancestors from becoming Hungry Ghosts—a Buddhist state of purgatory. Meanwhile, his daughter, wife, and sister-in-law struggle with their own loss and take turns sharing their point of view to gradually reveal their family’s shameful history—including when, during WWII, Kenzaboro sent his wife, Satsuki, to live with family near Hiroshima, where her rape by his brother resulted in the birth of their only child, Haruna. Spanning the years during WWII and its horrific ending after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima up to Emperor Hirohito’s death in 1989, The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda paints a beautiful and haunting portrait of ancient and modern Japan as seen through the eyes of one family as they reconcile loss, shame, honor, death, and, finally, redemption.Trade Review“The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda is both lyrical and moving. Elisabeth Wilkins Lombardo has written, simply, a stunning novel.” —Ann Hood, author of The Book The Matters Most, Morningstar, The Red Thread, and Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine “The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda is a beautiful, intricate novel that reminded me powerfully of Ha Jin’s Waiting.” —Shonna Milliken Humphrey, author of Show Me Good Land and Dirt Roads and Diner Pie “With exquisite prose, an artist’s eye and firsthand knowledge of Japanese culture, Elisabeth Wilkins Lombardo has created a masterful, memorable first novel centered on the journeys and discoveries of Kenzaburo Tsuruda, a man astounded to find himself both dead yet very much alive in the afterlife he never believed in. Her masterful prose and deft timing keep both Kenzaburo and the reader guessing the truth right up to the last page.” —Suzanne Strempek Shea, author of Sundays in America, Selling the Lite of Heaven, and Shelf Life “As fans of the great filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki know, tales of spirits and ghosts abound in Japan. Elisabeth Wilkins Lombardo’s first novel weaves those myths into a riveting family saga universal in its pain and drama. The secrets and lies of the Tsuruda family slowly peel away over the years following World War II, leaving its members only their stunning truths. Her knowledge of the culture and language are evident in her textured storytelling. Lyrical, haunting, and deliciously page-turning, The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda transports us to a Japan of myth and mysticism.” —Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, author of Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death and the forthcoming HarperCollins novel Pastor’s Wives “In this remarkable debut novel, Elisabeth Wilkins Lombardo has crafted a gorgeous story filled with magic, mythology, horror and, ultimately, humanity. Set in part during World War II Japan, and told from three strong points of view—a ghost, his ailing wife, and his independent daughter— The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda is a delicate blend of language combined with strong, unforgettable characters. It is a balanced masterpiece of language and emotion that leaves the reader richer for the experience, and reluctant to leave the story at all.” —Morgan Callan Rogers, author of Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea “The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda is a gorgeous and powerful story about love, mortality, the afterlife, and the legacy of a war that continues to shape Japanese culture in ways that Americans can only begin to understand. Elisabeth Wilkins Lombardo has a gentle and careful eye: for the inner lives of her characters, for the quiet details of nature, and for the intricacies of a nation during a period of vast transformation. This is a book that takes on all the big themes of literature, yet frames them within the subtle details of her characters’ lives. Told through multiple narratives and across a swirling fifty-year chronology, Wilkins Lombardo reveals deeper and deeper layers of meaning that makes this simple story of an old man's death relentlessly complex. The Afterlife of Kenzaburo Tsuruda is a book that speaks to the human condition at every level: the personal, romantic, intellectual, political, and cultural.” —Jaed Coffin, author of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants

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Book SynopsisBoston, 1984. Even in a world without cell phones, messages come through loud and clear if one is listening. When thirty-something Nora Forrest travels to Manhattan to see a Broadway play starring her idol, an aging Irish actor named Hugh Sheenan, she doesn’t know whether what happens in the theater that night should be credited to witchcraft, extrasensory perception, synchronicity, or simple accident—and she knows that many people would tell her nothing had happened at all. Told through the voices of four people, Gillyflower is a story about intersections and connections—real, imaginary, seized, and eluded. It’s a book about everyday magic, crystalline memory, and the details that flow through time and space like an electrified mist. It’s a detective story, a love story, and a coming-of-age story—for the never really young and for the almost old.

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Book SynopsisWhen David approaches his New Hampshire cabin one cool October night to find it engulfed in flames, he knows his girlfriend Hope set the fire. At least, he’s pretty sure he knows. David first decides to upend the creature comforts of his post-collegiate life and try roughing it for a year after he inherits two acres of land and a rustic cabin from his deceased grandfather. Life at the cabin proves to be more difficult than expected, however, and it all starts with the woman he loves—Hope—whose dark past is written in the twisting pink scars covering her body. Their relationship is challenged after his car slides through an intersection one dark night and, later, his realization that someone is out there, watching him through the trees. Over the course of five seasons, David struggles to maintain his relationship with Hope. Ultimately, in an attempt to understand the sacrifices she has had to make, he decides to rewrite their story. In doing so, he explores the lessons he’s left with--after everything he thought mattered is gutted or burned away—and the surprising bits of wisdom he finds in the ashes.Trade Review2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards: Silver Medal in Fiction – New Adult 2020 American Fiction Awards:Finalist in Coming of Age 2020 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in New Adult Fiction “A moving, emotional, and unpredictable drama.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mysterious, vivid, and deftly drawn, The Way You Burn explores the perils of intimacy and the psychic burdens of the past. You'll stay up late turning pages as if they were hot to the touch.” —Molly Prentiss, author of Tuesday Nights in 1980 “The Way You Burn is a thrilling mystery, a complex romance, and a beautifully written character study all in one. I loved the vivid, poetic prose and tight storytelling, and I know the characters will stay with me for a long time. A gorgeous, haunting debut!” —Sonia Belasco, author of Speak of Me As I Am

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Book Synopsis“Poignant, funny, and smart, Brunch and Other Obligations is a must-have for contemporary women's fiction shelves. Readers will want to watch for what Nugent does next.” —Booklist “A thoroughly upbeat and fully entertaining novel from cover to cover.” —Midwest Book Review “Brunch and Other Obligations is women’s fiction at its finest! A tender, witty, heartfelt novel that had me laughing out loud in one chapter and reaching for tissues in the next. With humor, heart, and hope, Nugent reminds us that, once in a lifetime, if we’re very, very lucky, we just might find a friend who knows us better than we know ourselves.” —Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times best-selling author of The Life List The only thing reclusive bookworm Nora, high-powered attorney Christina, and supermom-in-training Leanne ever had in common was their best friend, Molly. When Molly dies, she leaves mysterious gifts and cryptic notes for each of her grieving best friends, along with one final request: that these three mismatched frenemies have brunch together every month for a year. Filled with heartwrenching scenes and witty prose, Brunch and Other Obligations explores the intricate dynamics of girlhood acquaintances who are forced to reconnect as women. This upbeat novel reminds readers that there’s hope for getting through the hard times in life—with a lot of patience, humor, and a standing brunch date.

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