August Is Read a Romance Month

Read a Romance Month pays tribute to the most popular genre, romance (BookRiot "The Most Popular Genres").  Which isn’t a surprise since romance novels offer escape into a world of love, passion, and those all-important happily-ever-afters (HEAs) or at least happy-for-now (HFN) endings. There’s comfort in knowing that despite the turmoil of big feelings and potential roadblocks, at the end of the book, you'll get a happy resolution.

What Is Romance

What do I mean when I call a book a romance? According to NoveList, “Romance novels have a central plot revolving around a developing romantic relationship and have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.”

So, if a book ends in tragedy or unrequited feelings, it might have romantic elements, but it’s not considered a romance.

Romance isn’t the “bodice rippers” with stereotypical covers featuring bare-chested heroes and swooning heroines of old. Romance novels are more diverse and varied than ever before, embracing characters and authors of all identities, cultures, and backgrounds.

Romances have also grown from traditional love stories to include mystery and thriller elements and fantasy and science fiction settings. Romances highlight interests of all sorts – from sports like F1 and pickleball, to gardening, and reality TV.

Recent Romance Reads

Evening the Score by Lexi LaFleur Brown

Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father's NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it's worse that her father's rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik's son—hockey's golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze's mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can't help but mess with Brody's gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what's a little fake dating between enemies?

Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey's "First Family" has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father's impossible expectations. Preserving Erik's image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.

When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she'd pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?

Read the ebook of Evening the Score.

Listen to the audiobook of Evening the Score.

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston

A hit-making songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they'll do anything to shake.

Joni Lark is living the dream. She's one of the most coveted songwriters in LA...and she can't seem to write. There's an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it. When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family's music venue, will spark her inspiration.

But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother's memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing. How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?

Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it-belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own. Surely, he's a figment of her overworked imagination.

But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He's aggravating and gruff on the outside-nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni's head-and he has a plan: They'll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don't risk their hearts in the process.

Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it's there for a reason.

Read the ebook, audiobook, or book of Sounds Like Love.

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian

Simon and Charlie, actors on a long-running sci-fi show, can't stand one another. Charlie is impetuous, outgoing, and basically feral, and Simon thinks he should have stayed in reality television where he belongs. They've spent the better part of a decade quarreling over the spotlight and pretty much everything else, and everybody in the industry knows it. Now that Simon's contract is finally done, he can move to New York, start fresh with work he actually likes, and get away from Charlie.

Simon's only problem is that people might assume he's been pushed off the show due to being impossible to work with. And he is kind of difficult to work with. He doesn't get along with people—unlike Charlie, who somehow tricked everyone on the show into adoring him despite some outrageously bad on-set behavior during the show's first season. Simon would rather never have to see Charlie again, but reluctantly agrees to stage a very public friendship during the short time before he moves.

When Charlie has to leave town to deal with a family emergency, this means Simon comes along. Their road trip brings Simon to places he would never have willingly chosen to visit—and he finds he's actually not having a terrible time.

The more he gets to know Charlie, the more Simon suspects he's underestimated his former coworker. Simon also realizes that after seven years, Charlie might know him better than anyone ever has. Even stranger, Charlie seems to be starting to actually like him, despite knowing him so well. Still, Simon is about to move three thousand miles away, so whatever's starting between him and Charlie can't really amount to anything... right?

Read the ebook of Star Shipped.

Listen to the audiobook of Star Shipped.

How to Find a Guy in Five Weddings by Cynthia Timoti

Kimiko Halim thinks happy endings only exist in fairy tales. But her late grandmother's will specifies settling down as a condition to inherit her yarn store, and the family's legacy is the only thing that matters. Kim's plan is simple: find a guy, date him until the store is hers, then gently uncouple from the poor, unsuspecting victim.

But the clock is ticking, and her dates have been more frogs than princes. When Rob Carmichael, a perpetual groomsman and self-proclaimed proponent of happily-ever-afters, overhears Kim's cynical view of love, he's baffled. Having been surrounded by happy relationships all his life, Rob convinces her that he can find her a soulmate in one of the next five weddings he's going to.

What can go wrong?

Read the ebook of How to Find a Guy in Five Weddings.

Check Out These Romance Novels

All four titles are available through the Clermont County Public Library catalog. Click any title above to place a hold, or visit us in person and ask a staff member for a recommendation. If you'd like to receive monthly book suggestions, sign up for the Recommends enewsletter.