Lynn Painter, Happily Never After

It’s Sophie’s wedding day, but she doesn’t want to marry her fiancé, Stuart — she recently caught him cheating. But Stuart’s father is her dad’s horrible boss, and Sophie knows that if she calls off the wedding, her dad will lose his job. So instead, she hires someone to object during the ceremony: Stuart’s wrongdoing will be exposed, everyone will sympathize with her, and her dad’s job will remain secure. Her plan succeeds, and after the not-wedding, she ends up befriending the objector, Max. She even proposes an objecting partnership — she doesn’t believe in true love anyway, so she views breaking up weddings as a public service. But as Sophie and Max spend more time together, they can’t deny just how much they enjoy each other’s company. I really liked this book and think it might be Painter’s best yet! (Seriously, can she please write all the rom-com screenplays now?) Sophie and Max have great banter, and I truly believed that not only were they mutually attracted, but they actually liked each other. Yes, the premise is contrived, and the “obstacles” keeping them apart are flimsy at best, but I didn’t mind since the ride was so enjoyable! Definitely recommended for fans of contemporary romance.

Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Assistant to the Villain

Evie is desperate for a job to support her sick father and her little sister — so desperate that she agrees to work for The Villain, the kingdom’s most notorious evildoer. Unexpectedly, she soon falls in love with her job — and maybe with her boss as well. Unfortunately, there’s a traitor in The Villain’s organization, and Evie is determined to find that person before he/she destroys everything Evie holds dear. Apparently this book grew out of a TikTok series, and that doesn’t surprise me, given its quippy tone, uneven pacing, and underdeveloped characters. Evie and The Villain both feel incredibly juvenile, mutually infatuated yet completely oblivious to each other’s feelings. Also, I think the book dismisses The Villain’s villainy too easily…of course he’s not as evil as he appears, yet he still tortures and murders people, which somehow doesn’t seem to bother anyone! All that said, I actually had a good time reading the book; it’s a fun premise with some amusing moments, and I’ll probably read the sequel when it comes out (if only to get a real ending to the story!). The key is not to take it even a tiny bit seriously.

Louise Allen, His Convenient Duchess

Marcus has recently inherited an earldom but is dismayed to learn that one of the estates, Chalton Castle, has been sold. The new owner, Rose, is living there with her younger sisters, Chloe and Kat, because their brother is a rake and a spendthrift, and neither they nor their reputations would be safe in his house. Marcus offers to buy the castle from Rose, but she refuses — until her brother threatens to marry Chloe to a much older man with a terrible reputation. In response, Marcus proposes a marriage of convenience to Rose, so that he can protect her and her sisters from their brother’s machinations. This is my second book by Louise Allen, and I really enjoyed it! It’s well-written historical romance that isn’t bloated with unnecessary subplots or extraneous characters. Rather, it’s a quick read that focuses (as it should!) on the central romance. I do think the transition from tentative attraction to love was a bit sudden, for both Marcus and Rose, but overall I liked this one and will definitely seek out more by Allen. It looks like she’s written several books for the Harlequin Historicals imprint, so thankfully I have lots of choices!