Bailey, Tessa. The Au Pair Affair. Avon. (Big Shots, Bk. 2). Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780063308435. pap. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best-selling Bailey (Fangirl Down) offers another sports rom-com. Burgess, hockey veteran and newly single dad, needs help with his tween daughter. Tallulah, broke and studying to be a marine biologist, jumps at the chance to be a live-in nanny in a high-end neighborhood. Skates at the ready, let play begin. With a 200K-copy first printing.

de la Cruz, Melissa. The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos. Union Square. Jul. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781454947677. pap. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Popular MG and YA author Melissa de la Cruz writes an adult romance with this story of two travel writers. Dalisay expects her suitors to follows the Filipino five stages of traditional courtship. Evan is not sure what that means, but if he wants to win Dalisay—and he does—he will have to learn to court and flirt in a whole new way.

Devore, Laurie. The Villain Edit. Avon. Jul. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780063337602. $28. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Devore moves from YA to adult with this dramedy about Jacqueline, a romance novelist who goes on a dating reality show, only to find out that the producers has cast her as the villain. Even worse, Jacqueline and the producer recently had a one-night stand, and they both seem to want to extend that evening.

Ferguson, Lana. The Game Changer. Berkley. Jul. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593816837. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

This ice-melting rom-com from best-selling Ferguson (The Nanny; The Fake Mate) features slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, and brother’s-best-friend tropes. Hockey player Ian Chase needs to burnish his image. His best friend’s sister Delilah might be just the ticket. When the two team up on Delilah’s local TV baking show, they find that their PR stunt ignites.

Gamez, Gabriella. The Next Best Fling. Forever: Grand Central. (Librarians in Love, Bk. 1). Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781538726631. pap. $17.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Debuter Gamez, who works in a library, launches her “Librarians in Love” series. Marcela’s best friend is getting married. Too bad she has loved him forever. Also not great: Theo, the groom’s brother, is in love with the bride. After their families mistakenly assume that Theo and Marcela are in love with each other, they decide to keep up the farce.

Heron, Farah. Just Playing House. Forever: Grand Central. Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781538725474. pap. $17.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Heron (Jana Goes Wild) writes a rom-com about celebrities and forced proximity. Stylist Marley Kamal finally gets a big break when hired to be the private shopper for star actor Nikhil Shamdasani. But there are snags. Marley has to have surgery, and Nik—who previously ghosted her after they slept together—is offering to take care of her as she heals.

Holton, India. The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love. Berkley. (Love’s Academic, Bk. 1). Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593547281. pap. $19. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Best seller Holton (author of LJ Best Book The Secret Service of Tea and Treason) sets two rival ornithologists against each other on a quest through Victorian England to become Birder of the Year—complete with magical birds, helicopter parasols, and derring-do. This novel launches a new series that combines STEM, adventure, and historical fantasy.

James, Eloisa. Viscount in Love. Avon. (Accidental Brides, Bk. 1). Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780063347410. pap. $9.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Best-selling James launches her new “Accidental Brides” series with a 300K-copy first printing. Viscount Dominic Kelbourne needs help with the two orphans he has unexpectedly become guardian to. When his fiancée elopes, he decides to ask for her sister’s hand. It might have started as a rational bargain, but as the new couple figure things out—and argue heatedly—they find that love has its own agenda.

Kate, Lauren. What’s in a Kiss? Putnam. Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593545171. pap. $19. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best seller Kate (By Any Other Name) offers a topsy-turvy story that explores what might have been if only a nonexistent prom kiss had taken place. Liv’s life has gone awry since that prom night, when her date Jake humiliated her. They meet again at a wedding, and when the bride says “I do,” Jake and Liv are instantly transformed into an alternate-reality couple.

Lee, Jayci. That Prince Is Mine. St. Martin’s Griffin. Jul. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781250907769. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Lee (Booked on a Feeling) offers a foodie rom-com. Emma Yoon teaches the cuisine of the Korean royal court to women hoping to marry into the one percent, while Prince Michel Aubert hopes he might find a woman who loves him more than his title. When Emma is forced to find a husband through a series of arranged first dates, Michel shows up.

Mejia, Tehlor Kay. Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream. Dell. Jul. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593598795. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Mejia (Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review) returns to Ridley Falls, where Cash Delgado manages a bar, is mom to a four-year-old, and is best friends with Iris O’Connor—who has been in love with Cash for ages. Then music executive Chase shows up, and suddenly Cash has conflicting feelings—and a love triangle blossoms.

Obuobi, Shirlene. Between Friends & Lovers. Avon. Jul. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780063307315. pap. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Dr. Jojo’s luxe influencer life might look great, but all is not as it seems. On another front, Malcolm Waters just broke big with his debut novel, but the press is overwhelming. When Jojo and Malcolm find each other, it might lead to an HEA. Obuobi’s second novel, following her buzzy debut On Rotation, nets a 100K-copy first printing.

Rowell, Rainbow. Slow Dance. Morrow. Jul. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780063380196. $28. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best-selling Rowell (Landline) traces the long-running love story of best friends Shiloh and Cary, who found each other as teens, lost each other as adults, and might reconnect at the wedding of a mutual friend—and finally figure out what they are to each other. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Soto, Julie. Not Another Love Song. Forever: Grand Central. Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781538740910. pap. $17.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Following her debut Forget Me Not, Soto gets a 75K-copy first printing for this contemporary. Violinist Gwen Jackson is intensely focused, while cellist Xander Thorne is rock-star brash. They might play together in the Manhattan Pops, but they don’t resonate—until work brings them closer, and their chemistry (on stage and off) projects beyond the balcony seats.

Forthcoming Series Title

Singh, Nalini. Primal Mirror. Berkley. (Psi-Changeling Trinity, Bk. 8). Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593440735. $30. PARANORMAL ROMANCE