With the weather outside finally getting warmer, nows the perfect time to start reading some sizzling new releases! From exciting new LGBTQIA+ stories to scandalous Hollywood tales, here are a few new romance novels that are coming out in the first half of July.
the mixtape by brittainy cherry (July 1)
Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold onto her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them – no support system- any unexpected expense of late bill could turn their whole world upside down.
Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.
He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people who paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?
out of character by annabeth albert (july 6)
Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone’s favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that’s not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turn king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush.
But Milo’s got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he’s looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels – how he’s always felt.
Jasper may be reluctance to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There’s a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he’s going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children’s hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting..
incense and sensibility by sonali dev (July 6)
Yash Raje, California’s first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants – and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simply mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash’s easy life suddenly feels like a life, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic.
Desperate to keep Yash’s condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust – his sister’s best friend, India Dashwood, California’s foremost stress management coach. Raised by a family of yoga teachers, India has helped Sand Francisco’s high strung overachievers for a decade without so much as altering her breath. But this man – with his boundless ambition, simmering intensity, and absolute faith in his political beliefs – is like no other.
Yash has spend a lifetime repressing everything to succeed, including their one magical night ten years ago – a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens to destroy the dream he’s willingly shouldered for his family and community… until now.
waste my time by kelsey clayton (July 8)
My name is Easton Donovan, and I massively screwed up. I should’ve given her the world. Should’ve been everything she deserves. Instead, I broke her like every promise I’ve ever made. The darkness tells me to let her go. Memories of my past keep me from letting her in. Someone should tell her that loving me is a losing game. Just being around her is a high I’ve never known. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll cut me off. Given the change I’ll ruin her the way I’ve done to others. But with the bomb she just dropped, she’s here to stay. She’s flawless innocence. I’m toxic destruction. And the selfish part is, I need her. Truth be told, Kennedy Lehigh could be the one to save me from myself.
the spark by vi keeland (july 12)
Before I even met Donovan Decker, I knew his shoe size. You see, I’d gone away for a few days, and in my haste to get out of the airport, I’d grabbed the wrong suitcase. After checking out the expensive footwear and tailored clothes, I dialed the number on the luggage tag hoping maybe Mister Big Spender might have my bag. A deep velvety voice answered, and as luck would have it, he had my suitcase, too. Donovan and I met at a coffee shop to do the exchange. Turned out, it was’t just his voice that was sexy. The man holding my luggage was absolutely gorgeous, and we had an immediate spark. He got me to admit that I’d snooped in his bag and then convinced me to make it up to him by letting him buy me coffee.
Coffee led to dinner, dinner led to dessert, and dessert led to spending an entire weekend together. Donovan wasn’t just handsome with a panty-dropping voice. He was also funny, smart, and surprisingly down to earth for man who wore seven-hundred-dollar shoes. Did I mention he also did my laundry while I slept? Definitely too good to be true. So what did I do to repay him for his kindness? I waited until he was in the shower, then ghosted him. My life was too complicated for such a great guy. In the months that passed, I thought about Donovan often. But New York City had eight-million people, so what were the chances I’d run into him? Then again, what were the chances I’d run into him a year later.. when I’d just started dating his boss?
While we were dating by jasmine guillory (july 13)
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a hug ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it’s had to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little..
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation.
But their light-hearted banter takes a turn for the series when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them. When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
How sweet it is by dylan Newton (july 13)
Event planner Kate Sweet is famous for creating the perfect happily-ever-after moment for her clients’ dream weddings. So how is it that her best friend has roped her into planning a bestselling horror writer’s book launch extravaganza? But the second Kate meets – or rather, accidentally maims – the drop-dead-hot Drake Matthews, her well-ordered life quickly transforms into an absolute nightmare.
Drake Matthews is tired of the spotlight and tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He’s really a nice guy! But he’s not prepared for Kate, a fearless agent of chaos in steel-tipped stilettos, or for that sweet sting of attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction – one that no one expects. Because now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone.. including themselves.
Which new release (hopefully all!) are you most excited to read? Let us know in the comments down below!
Synopses via amazon
featured images via amazon