Lucy Parker, Codename Charming

This sequel to Battle Royal focuses on Pet De Vere, publicist to Johnny Marchmont, the sweet but accident-prone husband of Princess Rosie. After one too many photos is published of Johnny falling atop Pet at a public event, the tabloids insinuate they must be having an affair. This rumor is of course false, yet it could seriously damage Pet’s career, so the royals suggest that Pet fake a relationship with Johnny’s bodyguard, Matthias, to give the tabloids a different story to focus on. Matthias is Pet’s total opposite — grumpy and reserved where she’s bubbly and cheerful — but they’re also powerfully attracted to each other. As their fake relationship intensifies, they must finally deal with their real feelings. Lucy Parker is an auto-buy author for me, and I really enjoyed this book, though I think it suffers a bit in comparison to Battle Royal. Both books center around an emotionally stunted hero and an outgoing heroine who nevertheless craves love, so many of this book’s scenes and beats felt repetitive. Matthias also feels like a second draft of the character Mick from Parker’s first novel, Artistic License (published under a pen name). It’s still a very enjoyable read, but it’s not one of my favorites by this author.

Diane Farr, The Fortune Hunter

Lord Rival desperately needs to marry a rich woman, but his options are limited due to his rakish ways and bad reputation. He sets his sights on Lady Olivia Fairfax, an heiress who shuns society to focus on charitable work. But when he first approaches her, he mistakes her for a servant and impulsively confides his entire mercenary plan to her. Olivia has no intention of succumbing to Lord Rival’s considerable charms; she doesn’t want to marry at all, especially not someone who only wants her fortune. But as they continue to tease and flirt with one another, they both develop deeper feelings. I was interested in reading Lord Rival’s story, since he was a compelling antagonist in Falling for Chloe. But while I enjoyed the book overall, it didn’t grab me as much as its predecessor did. Even though Lord Rival has good reasons for needing a fortune, I still felt he was cruel to Olivia and manipulated her into loving him. He also falls in love eventually, and the solution to the love-or-money conundrum is satisfying, but I wanted a stronger apology from him in the end. I did still like the book, though, and will continue to seek out more by Farr.

Sarah Adams, Practice Makes Perfect

Annie Walker, known as “Angel Annie” in her small town of Rome, Kentucky, is looking for love and marriage. But her introversion and social anxiety make her a disaster on dates, so her friends decide she needs some practice. Enter Will Griffin, a tattooed adventure seeker who’s just passing through town and has no interest in any type of commitment. He agrees to be Annie’s dating coach, but their mutual crushes on each other threaten to derail their plans. This is a cute sequel to When in Rome, but I don’t think it particularly works as a romance. Both Annie and Will are smitten from the beginning, so the only question is when they’ll finally admit their feelings. I did like the characters’ individual conflicts, though: Annie realizes that she doesn’t have to let her sisters and her town define her, while Will learns that he’s capable of love despite his dysfunctional upbringing. Overall, I wasn’t wowed by the book, but I’m interested enough to read the next one whenever it comes out.