Romance
Hello stranger
Lisa Kleypas
Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man--why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumored assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery. For one exhilarating night, they give in to their potent attraction before becoming strangers again. As a Ravenel by-blow spurned by his father, Ethan has little interest in polite society, yet he is captivated by the bold and beautiful Garrett. Despite their vow to resist each other after that sublime night, she is soon drawn into his most dangerous assignment yet. When the mission goes wrong, it will take all of Garrett's skill and courage to save him. As they face the menace of a treacherous government plot, Ethan is willing to take any risk for the love of the most extraordinary woman he's ever known.
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine
Gail Honeyman
FICTION Honeyman Gail
Romance
"Smart, warm, uplifting, the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart. Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. That, combined with her unusual appearance (scarred cheek, tendency to wear the same clothes year in, year out), means that Eleanor has become a creature of habit (to say the least) and a bit of a loner. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kind of friends who rescue each other from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond's big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one"--
Added by Beth
Consumed
Ward, J. R.
I haven't read a ton of J.R. Ward, but I'm now putting this author on my to-watch list. The set-up of a smoldering romance between two firefighters pulled me in, and the heat kept coming. No damsels in distress here! Only strong characters figuring out their messes. I really enjoyed this story, and the audiobook version has multiple narrators to enhance the performance. -Melody
The Hamilton affair : a novel
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman
FICTION Cobbshof Elizabet
Historical Fiction, Romance
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Revolution, and featuring a cast of iconic characters such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette, The Hamilton Affair tells the sweeping, tumultuous, true love story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, from tremulous beginning to bittersweet ending—his at a dueling ground on the shores of the Hudson River, hers more than half a century later after a brave, successful life.
This is for fans of Hamilton-the-Musical or a solid historical narrative focusing on female characters or historical romance. -Angie
Animal magnetism
Jill Shalvis
FICTION Shalvis Jill
Romance
Sunshine, Idaho, is a small and sunny town—the perfect home for man and beast. Well, maybe not for man, as pilot-for-hire Brady Miller discovers when his truck is rear-ended by what appears to be Noah’s Ark. As the co-owner of the town’s only kennel, Lilah Young has good reason to be distracted behind the wheel—there are puppies, a piglet, and a duck in her Jeep. But, she doesn’t find it hard to focus on the sexy, gorgeous stranger she’s collided with. Lilah has lived in Sunshine all her life, and though Brady is just passing through, he has her abandoning her instincts and giving in to a primal desire. It’s Brady’s nature to resist being tied down, but there’s something about Lilah and her menagerie—both animal and human—that keeps him coming back for more…
A sweet fun romance - and the first book in Jill Shalvis' series about the residents of Sunshine, Idaho. -Beth
The lost book of the Grail, or, A visitor's guide to Barchester Cathedral
Charles C Lovett
FICTION Lovett Charles
Fiction, Mystery, Romance
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman's Tale comes a new novel about an obsessive bibliophile's quest through time to discover a missing manuscript, the unknown history of an English Cathedral, and the secret of the Holy Grail. Arthur Prescott is happiest when surrounded by the ancient books and manuscripts of the Barchester Cathedral library. Increasingly, he feels like a fish out of water among the concrete buildings of the University of Barchester, where he works as an English professor. His one respite is his time spent nestled in the library, nurturing his secret obsession with the Holy Grail and researching his perennially unfinished guidebook to the medieval cathedral. But when a beautiful young American named Bethany Davis arrives in Barchester charged with the task of digitizing the library's manuscripts, Arthur's tranquility is broken. Appalled by the threat modern technology poses to the library he loves, he sets out to thwart Bethany, only to find in her a kindred spirit with a similar love for knowledge and books--and a fellow Grail fanatic. Bethany soon joins Arthur in a quest to find the lost Book of Ewolda, the ancient manuscript telling the story of the cathedral's founder. And when the future of the cathedral itself is threatened, Arthur and Bethany's search takes on grave importance, leading the pair to discover secrets about the cathedral, about the Grail, and about themselves"--
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book--finding a lost manuscript and unveiling the secrets of the cathedral--as well as all of the discussion of church architecture and English history. But there is the problem of the romance; I was unconvinced and sometimes annoyed. -Anne M
I never would have picked this book based on it's cover. The heroine is wearing a ball gown--how can she kick butt in that?!? BUT, I found the story and plot so very engaging. Perfect combo of intelligent and capable female lead and mysterious secret agent with a swarthy past. And there are even Hamlet references. I listened to the audiobook version and highly recommend it if you are looking to try something new. -Melody