r om a n c e DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUCHESS
Caldwell, Christi Berkley (336 pp.) $8.99 paper | May 24, 2022 978-0-593-33493-5
A duke forced to become a fortune hunter is attracted to a lady who resolutely refuses to be caged. Raised among the working classes, Cailin Audley feels trapped by the change of her circumstances when her father, a duke, decides to acknowledge her and her siblings as his children. She moves to London expecting visits to the museum and walks in parks but is doomed for disappointment when she’s instead carted from one social obligation to another. Painfully unaware of societal rules, Cailin gets into trouble when she accosts Keir Balfour, the identical twin of Courtland Balfour, the Duke of St. James, in a bid to make up a previous injustice done to him by her family. However, considering that Courtland was pretending to be his brother at the time, Cailin inadvertently lands herself, and him, in an even trickier situation. Courtland is enamored by Cailin’s curious mind, but he has other worries on his plate: His degenerate father’s death has left him swimming in debt, burdened with the responsibility of caring for his four siblings. When he realizes that the only way he can find himself out of the mess is by marrying a wealthy woman, he wonders if he should pursue his attraction for Cailin. But the young lady is not only deeply disdainful of life among London’s upper classes—she’s also reeling from a previous heartbreak. The second installment in Caldwell’s All the Duke’s Sins series is packed with familial warmth and peppered with humor. Cailin and Courtland’s camaraderie hits the right notes, and their love for their siblings—harried, reluctant, and sweetly intense—rings with honesty. But since the obstacles keeping them apart are hardly insurmountable, the stakes of their story often do not seem high enough. An endearing romance sails unencumbered to an uplifting conclusion.
A PROPOSAL THEY CAN’T REFUSE
Caña, Natalie Harlequin MIRA (368 pp.) $15.99 paper | May 24, 2022 978-0-778-38609-4 A modern-day fake engagement between a chef and a whiskey distiller forces both halves to admit to some very real feelings. 48
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1 april 2022
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fiction
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kirkus.com
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Kamilah Vega has always been something of a peoplepleaser, especially where her family is concerned—but she’s also had long-simmering ideas about ways to modernize their Puerto Rican restaurant, especially with their Chicago-area block already starting to show signs of gentrification. Unfortunately, her grandfather isn’t willing to agree to her vision so easily, and his terms are as follows: If she wants to give the restaurant a makeover, she has to get married to his best friend’s grandson, her childhood friend-turned-frenemy, Liam Kane. Liam’s grandfather is in on the blackmailing scheme, too, in part because he’s just been diagnosed with cancer, and seeing his grandson tie the knot is his dying wish. If they don’t agree to get hitched, their grandfathers will sell the restaurant and the Kane family distillery right out from under them. In an act of desperation, Kamilah and Liam agree to fake an engagement long enough to figure out a long-term solution, but it turns out that feigning affection only clues them in to the deeper feelings that exist below the surface—feelings that have secretly existed for as long as they’ve known one another. Caña has cooked up a romance that succeeds from Page 1, with a rich supporting ensemble on both sides of the equation and a central love story between two people who have to dispense with the walls around their hearts in order to find the perfect flavors they can create together. A sizzling, emotional romance with a generous helping of family and culture.
A CARIBBEAN HEIRESS IN PARIS
Herrera, Adriana HQN (336 pp.) $16.99 paper | May 31, 2022 978-1-335-63984-4
A rum heiress from Hispaniola meets a Scottish earl at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Luz Alana Heith-Benzan travels to Paris with her younger sister and best friends—Manuela, an artist, and Aurora, a doctor—so she can expand her family’s rum business into the European market. She also has business dreams of her own, but an issue with her inheritance is getting in the way. Evan Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, is attending the exposition to sell whisky, but he’s also engaging in secret meetings, making plans to take down his father. When Luz first meets Evan, she finds him exasperating, but he’s drawn to this fiery woman who stands her ground. As he charms his way into her heart, they open up to each other and discover they would both benefit from a marriage of convenience. While their relationship is meant to be just a business transaction, they would both like to act upon their physical attraction. Soon, emotions and passion blur the line between business and pleasure. Herrera kicks off an enticing historical romance series with this lush, diverse feminist tale. Racism and sexism are tackled head-on in ways that feel both appropriate to the time and relatable to today. Paris and Scotland are vibrant
