Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
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Errands and Espionage
Author: Sam Tschida
Released: August 6, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Thriller, RomanceMeet Gabby Greene: Housewife. Glorified taxi driver and maid. Burner of meatloaf.
Recently divorced Gabby Greene spends most of her days listening to self-help books while wrangling her loving yet erratic kids. During a decade of marriage, Gabby shoved aside her own career and ambitions to make room for mountains of laundry, running errands, and investigating the case of the missing socks. Her number one suspect: their Bichon Frise, Mr. Bubbles.
All that changes when a secret government agency comes knocking on Gabby’s door, asking her to go undercover. At first, she thinks some reality show is pranking her, but apparently, she bears a striking resemblance to an agent recently murdered, and… well, desperate missions call for desperate measures. Soon Gabby is juggling motherhood and a crash course in Spying 101, led by a handsome James Bond-type who has secrets of his own.
As Gabby embarks on a dangerous mission involving money laundering, a Russian oligarch, and an unfortunate incident with a prosthetic nose, she begins to realize that she is far from the invisible housewife she once believed herself to be, and that maybe, just maybe, she might be capable of saving the day.
A housewife gets roped into posing as a spy. This gives me major Finlay Donovan vibes if you happen to like that series.
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The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray
Author: Christine Calella
Released: April 9, 2024 by Page Street YA
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young AdultStorms and pirates are nothing compared to the evil within men’s hearts.
After a lifetime of abuse at the hands of superstitious townsfolk, Ophelia Young, a bastard child of the notorious pirate queen, is tired of paying for the sins of her mother. Despite playing by the rules her whole life, she’s earned nothing but spite and suspicion. So when a naval officer saves her from the jeering crowd at her mother’s hanging, Ophelia hatches a new hope of enlisting in the navy to escape her mother’s legacy and redeem her own reputation for good. But Ophelia soon discovers that a life at sea isn’t as honorable as she hoped.
Betsy Young is as different as she could be from her half-sister Ophelia. She’s a nervous homebody who wants to keep her family safe and longs to be in love. So naturally, she’s devastated when the son of their family’s business partner rejects her hand in marriage and her sister joins the navy. But when her father contracts a life-threatening illness as well, Betsy has to bring Ophelia home to save the family business.
Unfortunately for the Young sisters, Betsy trying to get Ophelia recalled reveals that Ophelia enlisted fraudulently under Betsy’s name, a secret which Ophelia struggles to keep from crewmates who would kill her if they knew she was the pirate queen’s daughter. To save Ophelia from the naval authorities, Betsy will have to board a ship during hurricane season and brave all the dangers of the sea to get them both home safe.
A queer, YA adventure with pirates and a focus on sister relationships.
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Heavenbreaker
Author: Sara Wolf
Released: May 21, 2024 by Entangled: Red Tower Books
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance
Series: Heavenbreaker #1Bravery isn’t what you do. It’s what you endure.
The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.
He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.
Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.
Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.
Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.
Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.
Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.
And it won’t be stopped.
I definitely love a fantasy romance with a heroine out for revenge. Tempted by this one!
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The Villain Edit
Author: Laurie Devore
Released: July 2, 2024 by Avon
Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, RomanceEmily Henry meets Fleabag…and The Bachelor! An irresistibly sharp and sexy dramedy about a cynical romance novelist who goes on a reality show to revive her career, only to discover that while she may have just met the love of her life, the producers have turned her into the show’s villain.
“The perfect beach read…a real page-turner. Don’t be surprised if you finish it in one day!”–In Touch Magazine
“Fun and frothy… endlessly entertaining.”–Glamour
Good villains make good TV.
Romance novelist Jacqueline Matthis’s big career has gone bust and she’s ditched the bright lights of New York City for her more affordable South Carolina hometown. Desperate, Jac dreams up a comeback plan—she is going to be a contestant on the 1, the most obsessively watched reality dating show in the world.
After all Jac is a romance writer—she knows how to pull off a meet-cute and create a spicy plotline.
On set, Jac quickly establishes herself as a front-runner for bachelor Marcus’s heart, but she’s shocked to discover who’s actually pulling the strings. How was she to know that Henry Foster, her last one-night stand before the show, was actually a longtime producer on the 1? Henry is just as horrified…but they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.
As Jac plays the game and the show unfurls, she slowly discovers that she’s getting the villain edit. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but as Jac’s secret plan begins crumbling around her, she’s not so sure. What happens if Marcus chooses her? Worse, what happens if her affair with Henry comes to light? What if, in trying to save her career, Jac has ruined her life?
Heartbreaking, smart, and sexy, this novel is for anyone who has ever secretly rooted for—or felt like—the villain.
“THE VILLAIN EDIT is perfect for people who, like me, love mess. I devoured it in one sitting and was left with a total book hangover—it’s the ideal combination of propulsive psychological thrill and delicious romantic tension.”–Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
A romance writer discovers she’s been given the “villain edit” on a reality dating show.
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The plot summary for ERRANDS & ESPIONAGE made me think of THE BLONDE IDENTITY by Ally Carter. There too an unsuspecting woman is a dead ringer for a spy, although in the Carter it comes naturally because she’s the spy’s identical twin. Lots of clever talk and over the top action, and even though it took place in a very short amount of time (a week), I could suspend disbelief and accept love at almost first sight. Also fun that she often points out situations that are romance novel tropes (one bed, amnesia) and he hasn’t a clue what she’s talking about. E.g., at the end when she meets the lead MI6 operative, she can’t remember his name so calls him the Duke of Hottington. When it turns out it’s the hero’s father, she asks him if that means he’s Viscount Sexypants. Just fun and clever.
All on my TBR!