This is the third book in the series, so there will be spoilers. Please read my previous reviews if you’re curious, but I HIGHLY encourage you to scroll away if you don’t want to find out anything that is important to previous parts of the story.

Evie Sage has had a tremendous promotion. From her humble assistant beginnings, Evie is now the right hand to the villain, where she is knee-deep in nefarious plots, assassination attempts, mayhem, and so much more. Moreover, she’s still nursing her inappropriate crush on her boss, the broody villain. With the prophecy unravelling, suspicious acting frogs, and more assassins, she’s going to have to figure out how to survive it all without setting the kingdom ablaze. Hopefully she will survive with her dignity intact.

This book had me in a chokehold from start to finish. Over the course of the three books, I have LOVED seeing Evie Sage’s character growth. She’s always had her sunshine personality of course, but it’s so wonderful to see her actually bringing down that sunshine armour that protects her and allow readers to see the anger within. There were glimpses in previous books, but like the prophecy is unravelling, it feels like we are also watching Evie unravel as well. Actually, lots of things are beginning to unravel, but I’ll be deliberately vague to avoid spoiling some key aspects of this story.

What I was expecting when I picked this up was for readers to be headed to an ending. Halfway through my reading of the book I realised that there was not enough time for us to truly wrap everything up the way we should, and while I was a bit disappointed that this wasn’t going to be a trilogy, I do believe we are being set up for something quite remarkable in the next book. I absolutely love where the plot is headed, and although some of it was a tad predictable, it remained satisfying nonetheless. We got to see more perspectives added to the story, which I genuinely appreciated, because I feel like they were woven in well. We continue to get sprinklings of other romances and stories that WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW. Obviously, the main romance is still working through some of its kinks, but I was very please to see some more action than in the previous books. Slow burn is not for the weak.

Character development is the name of the game for this book, and EVERYONE is going through it. The villain especially, as he works through his own feelings toward his accomplice, as well as all the other things going wrong in his world. He’s suffered so much, and it is SO incredible to see his growth. His relationship with Kingsley is further explored (as Kingsley becomes a bit more critical to this story than the comedic relief we’ve experienced thus far). The other characters also have their own moments as well, and I appreciate that Hannah takes the time to give each character their due. Even if they don’t have a chapter perspective, they have scene time with one of the main characters and we get to see those characters reflected in a different way (in my opinion). I love the developing friendships, romances, and acquaintanceships that are happening.

Since this story is setting up what is to come, I think some might feel it a little unnecessary. There are critical plot points to be sure, but overall, some might consider it a bit of a side quest in a bigger storyline. I loved this, because it was the necessary detail I needed to make a more fleshed out world than I had originally envisioned, and I felt like I was able to truly relate to the characters in a deeper way.

Overall, this story was a 10/10 for me. It hooked me from the first chapter, and I wasn’t able to put it down until the very end. I truly encourage you to put this on your TBR, especially if you’re looking for a story with more levity, yet still has moments of drama and gravity. 

Accomplice to the Villain is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Accomplice to the Villain? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to “Evie” or “Stop that.”

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire―or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

A magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings.

The post Review: Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Accomplice to the Villain, which is the third installment in the series and releases on August 5th 2025.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to “Evie” or “Stop that.”

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire―or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

Prologue

Once upon a time…

Evie Sage’s first month working for The Villain had been rather unconventional, though at least not cataclysmically shocking. A spilled cauldron brew here, a poisoned intern there. But there had been a few strange…incidents. The most recent being her summoned into work two hours early for a meeting she was almost certain could’ve been a short message sent through the ravens.

Find better things to complain about, Evie! Like the hand you found in the reuse bin last week!

Although that had at least given her the opportunity to ask the boss if he needed an extra set of hands. The frank horror on his face had caused her to laugh so hard, she nearly made herself sick.

It was mildly disconcerting that he was more offended by her harmless jokes than the foreign limb he’d lobbed in with the discarded parchment—Becky hated when they mixed anything in with parchment recycling—but she digressed.

Sighing and wiping the sleep from her eyes, she watched as the invisible barrier around Massacre Manor wavered underneath her fingers. Her attention flickered to the rising sun leaking color into the still-darkened sky. It looked as though someone had spilled orange and pink inks onto a dark-gray tapestry—pretty, if anything could be so before eight in the morning.

Marv, the Malevolent Guard at the front gate, gave her a gentle wave, and she smiled brightly at him, blowing a kiss that pinked his cheeks. “Good morning, Ms. Sage! Early bird gets the worm?” His normally wild hair was contained underneath a red leather helmet while Evie’s was plaited to the side, a few loose hairs pulling free around her face as they swayed in the early-morning breeze.

She stepped back as the large wooden door slid open with a familiar creaking, the damp chill of the entrance hall cooling her cheeks and filling her senses with the smell of wood burning and musty walls. “More like the early bird doesn’t get fired…and knowing the boss, that would be literal, I’m afraid.”

Marv’s chortle sounded behind her as her heels clicked on the stone floor, the torchlight brightening the room and warming it against the morning air. A low groaning echoed from the other end of the large, open space, near the only corner that was shrouded in darkness.

Her brow furrowed as she waved a hand forward. “Hello? Whatever creepy sound you’re trying to make, can you kindly do it under the torchlight so I can see you? That way I can scream properly.”

“Sage?” The rasp of The Villain’s voice caused a tingle of sensation to move down her spine. “You shouldn’t be here,” he grunted out, his dark shape inching toward the edge of the shadows that cloaked him.

She huffed and quirked a brow, folding her arms and pushing her thick braid behind her shoulder. “On that, we agree. I should still be in bed, curled up with my favorite nighttime companion.”

She thought she heard him choke. “Companion?” There was an odd sound of warning in the word that made her shiver just slightly.

“Yes.” She crossed her arms. “His name is Mr. Muffins.”

“Mr. Muffins?” She could see his shadow inching closer to the light, his voice gruff and laced with confusion. “You’re laying with a man called Mr. Muffins? Who in the deadlands is named something so ridiculous?”

She bit her lip to keep from smiling at his obvious outrage. “A teddy bear I’ve had since I was six.”

There was a long silence before a flat word broke it. “Oh.”

She snorted and walked closer, as did he, finally washing himself in the light of the torches and the colors seeping into the room from the rising sun. She halted a few feet from him, eyes widening when she saw his face, words falling off her tongue before she could think better of them. “Wow, you look…terrible.”

The cobwebbed logical part of her brain sighed and rolled over so it wouldn’t have to witness what came next.

The boss’s normally tailored stubble was overgrown into a near beard, his shirt untucked, his hair mussed, and his normally pressed pants wrinkled beyond reason. “I beg you not to shower me with compliments, Sage. I hardly know what to do with them.”

Worry wove itself into the bottom of her stomach. Even his dry commentary seemed off, almost guarded. Clearing her throat, she stepped closer to take in the rest of him. Purple under his eyes, flexed fingers, tensed jaw, pulsing vein in his forehead.

She frowned and tsked. “Did one of the interns say good morning to you again? I told them pleasant greetings were strictly prohibited.”

He shut his eyes for a moment and flattened his mouth into a firm line, like if he pressed hard enough, he could crush whatever emotion was about to show itself on his lips. “As much as I enjoy blaming others for my mistakes, I’m afraid there is no one to blame for my unkempt appearance but myself.” His dark eyes roved over her soft orange day dress, the distaste at her color choice obvious in the tightening of his fists at his sides. “And you, I suppose. For having the gall to witness it.”

The door suddenly slammed closed behind them, and Evie jolted, clasping a hand to her chest and her racing heart. “I hardly think it’s fair to blame me for anything, when you were the one who requested me here so early in the first place.”

He frowned deeper—if that was even possible—which made him look even more beautiful—

If that was even possible.

Annoyed and tired, she lost her patience at waiting for him to catch up to her. “You sent a raven…”

When he stared blankly at her, she continued to bumble out words, her mouth eager to get every thought out of her head to make room for the new ones. “It showed up at my window at four in the morning and scared the living daylights out of me. With a note saying we had an early-morning meeting about something urgent?”

A low hum sounded from his closed lips. It cleared any remaining tiredness from her system, like cauldron brew but better, warmer. “I don’t recall writing or sending… My restraint is at a low this morning, Sage, and apparently my memory as well. I must have written it before I was fully lucid. Please disregard the raven.”

Clanging metal sounded from the back courtyard—likely the Malevolent Guards getting in some morning exercise with their lethal weapons. Fitting, as she was now imagining grabbing something sharp and stabbing her boss in the toe. “Disregard? You couldn’t have disregarded before your damn bird cut two and a half years off my life?”

“That’s an alarmingly specific number,” he said, planting his hands against his tapered waist.

“It was alarming for me, too,” she deadpanned, snickering as he glared.

“I keep a tight rein on my magic, and I think sometimes when I sleep, when my body relaxes, it stirs uncomfortably and makes it difficult for me to continue resting.”

A pang in her chest she identified as sympathy made her anger dissolve like shadows in the sunlight. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there any way I can help?”

His jaw went slack. “Help…with my death magic? The magic that sends most people running and screaming?”

She blinked innocently. “I can do that after I help if it’ll make you feel better.”

His incredulous expression could so easily morph into a laugh, if she just pushed him a little further…

But of course, as Evie’s calling card, disaster had to strike first.

Doubling over suddenly, The Villain breathed heavily into his knees. “Damn it all. My hands burn, and my arm…” He reached up to grip his arm, circling his biceps.

Her hand fell lightly atop his, trying for gentleness with a man she was certain was scarcely used to it. And sure enough, his response was violent and startled. So startled that he jerked away like she’d laid an open flame to his skin. “Sage, are you mad? I’m dangerous right now.”

“I know,” she said softly. “You haven’t had your cauldron brew yet.”

“You are not amusing,” he wheezed.

Evie inched closer, angling her body down just a bit to meet his face. “My goodness, but that’s nothing to cry over. I think you’re as amusing as dry wood, and you don’t see me bursting into tears.”

His face softened as he looked up, perplexed, then shook his head, but in a gentler way. “Sage. How on earth did you get here?”

She folded her arms. “I walked.”

“That was rhetorical,” he said, sounding almost unaffected, his voice losing its strain.

“Those questions are the most fun to answer.”

He sighed; it was one of defeat. She knew it well. “Why is that, Sage?”

Evie propped a hand on her hip to angle herself lower. “Because it annoys you.”

The harsh sigh out of his lips could almost be counted as a laugh if she was clever enough with her imagination. When he brought himself back up to full height, rubbing his knuckles in soothing motions, the last points of tension on his face finally smoothed back into his normal flat expression.

She couldn’t see his magic—nobody could, and likely nobody ever would—but she could feel something very dark moving about the room with them, smaller than it was moments ago, but still something that should’ve made her shrink away in fear. Instead, she felt settled in it, almost…comforted?

She stayed where she was. “Is it any better, sir?”

His head turned toward her slowly, dark brows slanted downward. “Yes. It is. How did you…”

She shrugged, eyes flicking up to the glisten of sweat on his forehead. “I find that it’s more difficult to focus on pain when you’re distracted, and I excel at being distracting.”

Pulling a yellow handkerchief from her pocket, she boldly stepped forward and began dabbing at his skin, leaning on his arm with her other hand for leverage. The man was taller than was sensible.

She made a note to start wearing a higher heel.

To make lecturing him more efficient. No other reason.

Gooseflesh rose on his exposed forearm, the chill from the room obviously setting in after the adrenaline fled his system. “Th-Thank you, Sage.” He pressed the bright cloth to his knuckles, the color contrasting harshly with his all-black attire. “I’ll return it promptly. Clean, of course.”

She shook her head, smiling gently. “Keep it. You need more color in your wardrobe anyway.”

He nodded, processing the words as if scribing updates to their inventory logs. “Very well.”

A small ribbit sounded from the other side of the room, and Evie’s eyes followed it until she caught the gleam of Kingsley’s shining crown and the glow of his golden eyes. The frog’s oddities had grown on her in her short time in the office, his charming little signs a darling addition to what was turning out to be rather bloody work.

Literally.

“Good morning, Kingsley. Aren’t you looking handsome today.”

Another ribbit followed her pronouncement, and her boss rolled his eyes in annoyance. Too many pleasantries, clearly. “He looks like he’s up to no good. What are you doing down here, Kingsley? Trying to make another escape attempt?”

“Maybe he was checking on you,” Evie suggested, the last word fading away slowly when the boss shot her a glare. She took a few careful steps back, veering closer to the stairs, closer to Kingsley, who was scribbling on his small board with a vengeance.

“Not likely,” the boss said flatly, moving around her and taking two large strides up the stairs, a creak following in his wake. Which, she mused, didn’t make much sense—there should be no creaking. The stairs were stone.

“What is that?” she asked, looking from side to side for the source. Foolish. She should’ve looked up.

“Sage!”

Before she could take another breath, she was being tugged forward like a rag doll, a startled scream leaving her lips when a large crash sounded behind her. She coughed at the dust that was kicked up and the sudden stream of light coming in through the roof.

“Are you injured?” the boss asked, the low timbre of his voice pulling her from the adrenaline making her mind race. His dark eyes were scanning her, his large hands on each of her shoulders. It brought her back to their first meeting in the forest. She’d thought the shock of his touch would fade as time trickled by… No such luck.

She only managed to nod before he pulled his hands away, stalking toward the ruined slab of roof that had nearly clobbered her. “Shall I send for someone to repair the roof, sir?” she asked carefully, amazed at how steady her voice sounded when her heart was beating out of her chest.

“You were nearly crushed, and you’re asking about the roof?” He stared at her, mildly outraged.

She shrugged. “Still not my most life-threatening day on the job, believe it or not.”

Something went dark in his face, darker than normal. He stared at the hole in the roof for a few seconds, taking deep, steadying breaths. “You’re still new, Sage. Worry not. There’s time.”

She laughed, and his face pinched the way one would respond to eating a sour grape. “So, uh. What happened to the roof?”

“The manor is old. It was likely natural wear. Some rusty screws probably giving. I’ll have it looked over by someone in the office and get the hole repaired. This won’t happen again.”

She hmmed. “Too bad. Near-death experiences are a very efficient morning jolt.”

“Stick to the cauldron brew, Sage. Specifically, for me. Even more specifically, on my desk, in twenty minutes. But be careful getting around this mess.”

He kicked at the broken piece of roof like it had deeply offended him, and Evie took it as her cue that she was dismissed. She lightly skipped around the debris, coughing a bit when her feet kicked up extra dust. Something slid under her shoe, a tiny ringing from it as it slid across the floor. She nearly stumbled over another as she leaned down to pick them up. The metal glinted in her hand. Screws. Not at all rusty. In fact, they looked perfectly intact.

“I told you to be careful.” The words stopped her, and when she turned to look at him, he appeared older than she knew he was. Weighed down by some burden he’d never share with anyone but himself.

She smiled brightly, trying not to take offense when he winced. “I’m a terrible listener.”

“That’ll get you into trouble someday, I think.”

She scrunched her nose before spinning around, her dress swishing about her legs as she made for the stairs to get them both a cup of cauldron brew. Kingsley hopped beside her, expertly balancing a sign in one webbed toe, whatever word he’d been trying to convey earlier written plainly.

Danger.

She smiled small. “Little late for that warning, Kingsley.”

Gently straightening his crown, she continued up the stairs. She called back cheekily, tossing the screws through the air, and the boss caught them with ease and frowned down at them. “I think my terrible listening will actually get you into trouble someday.”

She almost stopped again at a sound. It was as if The Villain was whispering something behind her.

Something that sounded an awful lot like…

“It already has.”

Chapter 1
Kingsley

There were severed heads hanging from the ceiling…and one of them belonged to Trystan Maverine.

Alexander William Kingsley awoke with his tiny heart pounding in his slimy green chest. The cushions on his small, gilded bed were pressed under his webbed toes, and he glanced down from his perched resting spot at the sleeping man on the bed, relaxing only slightly when he saw Trystan Maverine’s chest moving in a smooth rhythm, a slight snore escaping his best friend’s nostrils.

A horrid nightmare. That was all it was.

Alexander wouldn’t pay it any heed, lest he drive himself mad trying to communicate what he’d dreamed one bloody word at a time. It was morning, birds were chirping happily outside, and he’d awoken…

Another day in the body of a frog.

It was another nightmare entirely—or at least, he used to think so. Over the decade he’d spent mourning his life as a man, Alexander had come to find several useful things about his predicament.

1. There were no exhausting expectations of always being gallant and chivalrous (because who in their right mind would expect a frog to be either of those things?).
2. He didn’t have to fill silences with useless conversation. (He actually found that in most instances, a single word sufficed quite nicely.)
3. He was small enough to sneak around the manor to wherever he wished in order to keep a close eye on his friends (and it could not be overstated how much his friends needed keeping a close eye upon).
4. People often forgot that he was once human, leaving them unguarded in confessions, secrets, even feelings. (Every day was fresh entertainment!)
5. And finally, and certainly most enjoyable, was watching his best friend—The Villain—a man who Alexander had never thought would open up his cold, closed off-heart, fall truly, deeply, and wildly in love with Evie Sage.

A screech sounded down the hallway, and Trystan startled awake as Alexander just had moments prior. “What in the deadlands? Who is screaming?” he grumbled gruffly, turning to Alexander with a flat expression. “It’s one of the Sage girls, isn’t it?”

It had been two weeks since the Valiant Guard had attacked the manor, since the pregnant guvre had been taken, and since Evie’s mother, Nura, had returned from being in hiding among the stars. Two solid weeks of Evie and Trystan not speaking—in part because of the erratic impact Evie seemed to have on Trystan’s magic, and in part, Alexander was certain, because the two would sooner knock their heads together than confront their unspoken feelings.

Or, as Alexander had begun referring to their silent avoidance of each other—torture for the masses.

Trystan grumbled, throwing back the covers and donning the shirt strewn over the chair by his new desk. Somehow, the movement was timed to near perfection with Lyssa Sage barreling through the door, giggling and skidding to a hard halt when she saw the scowl on Trystan’s face.

“Evie said if you make faces like that, it’ll get stuck that way, Lord Trystan,” Lyssa said, giving Alexander a tiny wave.

Alexander lifted his webbed foot and waved back. Lyssa Sage was a constant delight, as were all children who’d yet to be touched by the horrors of adulthood.

And the depravation of common sense.

“Good. I prefer my face this way,” Trystan grumbled, tucking the ends of his shirt into his loose trousers as Lyssa went to tug open the dark drapes over the windows.

The girl frowned at him as early-morning light streamed in. “You prefer it like that? Why?”

“I like to look angry and intimidating,” Trystan said, sticking a foot into each of his well-worn boots.

Lyssa pressed her lips together before muttering, “But you don’t. You look like you need to use the bathroom.”

Inwardly laughing, Alexander furiously jotted down a word on one of his signs—a difficult feat when Trystan had first presented him with the idea, filling the office area and every room with baskets of the little signs and chalk for Alexander’s use alone. The first few times, his handwriting had looked abysmal, but after ten years of practice, no one ever had trouble deciphering what he wanted to say.

He held up his sign proudly.

Yep

“I will throw out every one of those blasted boards right now!” Trystan bit out. It was an empty threat—one Trystan had thrown around countless times over the years and one Alexander knew his friend would never dare follow through on.

“Lyssa!” Another light voice echoed down the hall. “There’s breakfast for you in the kitchens!” Alexander identified the voice as that of Evie Sage, The Villain’s newly promoted apprentice.

If Alexander had not already recognized the person attached to the voice, he need only look at how rigid Trystan had become at the sound, like one more word would break him in two.

“Are you coming for breakfast, Lord Trystan?” Lyssa blinked at him, then gave Alexander a wide, innocent smile.

Trystan stared hard at the door, like he was willing Evie to stay far away from it. But Alexander knew his friend’s internal war well enough to understand that Trystan was simultaneously wishing her to walk through it. This had become, in Alexander’s opinion, a masochistic ritual over the past two weeks.

Admittedly, “The Villain” had been sneaking looks at the young woman all along; this wasn’t new. They’d started as curious glances, like studying a lab specimen, then begrudgingly moved to intrigued staring, and then to the current stage—pure agonizing, desperate glaring. The past two weeks, however, had taken the man’s self-inflicted torture to a new extreme. In the last fortnight, The Villain had crept around corners, lingered in doorways, and pressed his ear against any wall she was on the other side of.

All not especially different from before…

Except for the groaning.

“I’ll take breakfast in my office.” Trystan halted halfway to the door. “Is your sister…coming to retrieve you?”

Lyssa shook her head innocently. “No. She’s just returning from an errand.”

Trystan’s expression did not change, but his eyes became more alert, his gaze sharp on the little girl, though it gentled as he bent a knee to match her height. “What do you mean, little villain? What errand?”

Lyssa shrugged and gestured an arm toward the door where Evie’s voice had just sounded. “I don’t know. She just said it was off the property with Keeley and that I couldn’t go.”

Alexander was not surprised at the clench in Trystan’s jaw or the obvious worry shadowing his dark eyes. The manor had been located, and Evie’s face was plastered all over Rennedawn on a wanted flyer with a generous award attached. The only protection they had now to ward against the Valiant Guard was a grove of thorns planted by a black-market gardener, which had proved to be an efficient deterrent for the king’s men thus far, but outside the manor doors…the danger was real. And it was great.

Still, Keeley—the head of The Villain’s guard—being present was an indication that Evie would likely have been in no serious danger. The young woman had been placed in charge for very sound, very violent reasons.

Logically, Alexander knew he need not worry. He suspected Trystan might know this, too, and though Alexander was a frog, not a mind reader, when you spent every moment of every day for ten years straight watching, you became somewhat of an expert observer. But that hardly mattered.

No expertise was required to look upon Trystan Maverine and know that the feeling boiling within him was the purest sort of anger.

But Trystan didn’t showcase any of that emotion to Lyssa, who looked at him with concern, her big brown eyes homed in. “Since Evie is so busy, shall we do our tea party today, Lord Trystan?”

Trystan looked relieved at the subject change as he nodded, a small movement upward tugging at the corner of his lips. “I suppose I can postpone my afternoon target practice.”

Lyssa squealed and made her way to the door—hopefully not knowing the target at said practice was the interns.

As both Alexander and Trystan watched Lyssa Sage’s dark head disappear, a somber mood descended upon the now empty and joyless space. Trystan sighed before moving to open the armoire and pulled out what Alexander knew was something of great import to his friend.

The scarf Evie had given him at their fateful first meeting sat in Trystan’s hands, and Alexander watched with a painful sympathy as Trystan brought the scarf up to his face and closed his eyes.

It was too sad even for a cursed frog to watch.

Alexander Kingsley turned his attention to the floor while his friend mourned a fate that Alexander swore he could prevent.

If only he were human enough to stop it.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Accomplice to the Villain’ by Hannah Nicole Maehrer appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Lost lovers return for a second chance –​ but what are their motives? Academic rivals compete for a prestigious position, but their sizzling chemistry might get in the way. A monster slayer​ posing as an unwitting sacrifice meets an intriguingly moral prince.

From relationships caught ​in disparate timelines to ghostly ballrooms and dragons that need rescuing from princesses, this anthology gives you an inventive new spin on all your favorite tropes, and much more that you’ve never seen before.

Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane (Editors)

To us, romantasy connects to all the most famous love stories in fantasy fiction from the past – we mention the likes of Perseus and Andromeda, and the love triangle of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot in our introduction – whilst still being something fresh, modern and entertaining. It’s a mood and a feeling, primarily; it’s about how the words make you feel. But it should also be a love story of whatever variety set against the backdrop of a fantasy setting or using a fantasy or SF idea (such as time travel, for instance): something that thrills, entertains and engages the reader. If a romantasy story has done all that, then it’s definitely fit for purpose – and thankfully all of our writers rose to the occasion!

Kamilah Cole (Contributing author)

Romantasy, for me, makes me feel the same way that fairy tales did as a child. Even in the Grimm brothers’ brutal originals, good defeats evil, princesses end up with princes, and the horrors of the world have a purpose beyond chaotic despair. In a romantasy, love is the fairy tale, triumphing over wars and betrayal, over enemy lines and power grabs. As a Black woman, society and fiction expects me to be strong, to be the best friend or the comic relief. But in a romantasy—especially the kind of diverse romantasy that I enjoy—I can be soft. I can be a damsel in distress. I can be the main character and the love interest, the center of the love triangle and the princess to be protected. So I’ll always love romantasy for giving me the space to be so much more than a Strong Black Woman.

Angela ‘A.G.’ Slatter (Contributing author)

Generally, for me, romantasy is a good fun read. When I’m writing it – and let’s be honest, this is my first outing! – what I like to do is write relationships that are more equal than those I read about in romantic fiction as a teen, and certainly better than those in Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre! Female characters stand on their own two feet, choose their own paths and relationships, traditional or otherwise, and tell partners what they want instead of taking whatever’s offered. I think romantasy gives a chance to look at fantasy in a new way, to model healthier relationships and examine ideas beyond elves versus dwarfs and the usual quest narrative. And it’s nice to let loose with some spice on the side (and the middle and other side too).

Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Contributing author)

As a child my world was made of magic and whimsy. As an adult, not much has changed. I can remember the moment I fell in love with storytelling and to no one’s surprise, it was a romance. My entire world opened to the possibilities of love in any circumstances and those circumstances always expanded to the fantastical. I spent most of my life in love with love. I adore watching two characters at their most vulnerable, at their most human. Romantasy allows those stories to live within realms of impossible imagination. Love in and of itself is magic; romance is made of it. From our tangible world, something that does exist is the bridge to the fantastical we find in fiction. To bring them together into one genre is combining the things I adore most in storytelling, which for me is priceless, and timeless.

The post What Does Romantasy Mean To You? appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Apprentice to the Villain was all of that and more. I approached this sequel with caution, as I mentioned in my review of Assistant to the Villain, I had placed my expectations incredibly high due to some very well marketed Tiktok videos, and found myself longing for more out of that story. Well, my darlings, Hannah Nicole Maehrer has delivered. There was banter, there was romance, pining, and so much more to the story than I could have imagined. I had to pace myself while I read it because I didn’t want this story to end. Not only am I excited for what’s to come, but I love the direction the story is heading.

As with all reviews of sequels, if you haven’t read the first book, scroll away if you don’t want to be spoiled.  In this case, I won’t give too much away, but the gist is that there is a villain, a sunshine assistant, and the antics going on to run a criminal enterprise.

When I picked up Assistant to the Villain, I had a hard time getting into the story and following the characters. The story picked up significantly towards the end, but I was left wanting more. That was not the case with Apprentice to the Villain. From the beginning, I was hooked. The characters felt more fleshed out than the first book. Evie in particular felt like she had more depth and dimension to her character, rather than filling out a trope. We also get insight into her sunshine personality that went beyond that of just being happy all of the time for no reason. More importantly, we also get to see Evie become more than just an assistant. And if you loved Kingsley, we get to see more of our favourite frog with his word signs.

There are a couple more perspectives that readers will enjoy in this book, and I loved getting more insight into their characters and the roles they might/are playing in the story. Secrets abound in our villainous crew, and I was so excited to find out a little bit more the further that I got into the story. The Villain in particular has a few secrets that become very important toward the end of this sequel that I am excited to find out about. I think readers will really enjoy the exploration of what truly makes a villain.

If there was something that I particularly loved in this book, it had to be the banter and the pining romance. If you’re looking for something particularly spicy, you’re going to be screaming at the book by the end. Slowburn is the name of the game and while it’s not usually my favourite type of romance, I feel that it really works for Evie. There’s so much that I feel this story is building to, and I can’t wait to see what it is.

Worldbuilding is a bit light in this story, and I personally wish there was more of it. Unfortunately I can’t get into it because of spoilers, but if the worldbuilding were a little stronger, this would make it an even stronger story. There are a lot of questions surrounding the magic system as well and how it is maintained. I have more questions than answers, so I’m curious if they will be resolved in the third book, or if they’ll still remain unsolved. Only time will tell.

I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen next, particularly because of the way the story ended, so once you pick up your copy and read it, you can come and scream into the void with me.

Apprentice to the Villain is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 6th 2024.

Will you be picking up Apprentice to the Villain? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. ―Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies…including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

The post Review: Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In need of a good swoon? Well get ready for all of the exciting romance books hitting shelves in the second half of 2024! With new releases from Emma Lord, Tessa Bailey, Jessica Joyce, Hannah Grace, Andie Burke, Carissa Broadbent, Lyla Sage, Nora Roberts, Sangu Mandanna, Lana Ferguson, and many more, along with those making their sweet debuts!

With just about every trope explored to historical romances and fantasy romances, you’ll be sure to find something for your romance-loving heart!

Read on to discover just a few of our picks and also be sure to check out our Most Anticipated list.

JULY 2024

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

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In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife―the only problem is she’s starting to think that might be her.

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia

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A small-town bartender juggles motherhood and a sexual awakening in this heartwarming queer friends-to-lovers romance from the author of Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review.

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton

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Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny…

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

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A fake engagement, second chances, and newfound family members come together in this new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the “swoon-worthy” (Business Insider) The Spanish Love Deception.

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

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A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up…

Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney

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A spicy, swoony frenemies-to-lovers romance, whilst full of heart, humour, and heft – and offers a moving ode to the people and places we call home.

What’s in a Kiss? by Lauren Kate

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From # 1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate comes an enemies-to-lovers “what if” romance about a prom kiss that never was, and one woman’s magical chance to live what might have been.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

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Set against a sizzling-hot Greek summer filled with sunshine and souvlaki, Rufaro Faith Mazarura’s Let the Games Begin is a page-turning debut rom-com about two strangers at the top of their game.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

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Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View.

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle

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The Rocky Mountains get unBEARably hot in Katie Ruggle’s brand-new series packed with adventure, action, tall dark & scruffy heroes, and a sense of quirky humor that will be your next perfect escape.

AUGUST 2024

Miranda in Retrograde by Lauren Layne

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After getting passed over for tenure and having her life upended in the process, a physics professor decides to throw caution to the wind and live by her horoscope predictions for a year in this effervescent rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of Made in Manhattan.

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

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The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

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Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.

Heavy Hitter by Katie Cotugno

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The beloved New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California hits it out of the park with this smart, sexy, thrilling take on the celebrity-athlete story—a funny, sizzling, ripped-from-the-headlines romance between an international pop star and a major league baseball player who thought his best days were behind him.

I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram

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A smart, tender, vivacious romantic comedy about mistaken identities, the line between love and sex, and the way one night—and one person—can change your life forever.

Daydream by Hannah Grace

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The third in the New York Times bestselling Maple Hills series follows fan-favorite Henry and a bookish fellow student who come up with a plan to help them both overcome their respective challenges in a difficult year.

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

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A Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this witty and irresistible rom-com by debut author Danica Nava.

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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From the creator of the viral TikTok videos about the sunshine assistant to the evil villain and their unexpected romance comes the second book in the hotly-anticipated fantasy romance series.

You’re the Problem, It’s You by Emma R. Alban

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The enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance follow-up to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, in which a young lord and a second son clash, but find themselves thrust together again and again by their meddling cousins.

Til Heist Do Us Part by Sara Desai

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Diamond necklaces, billionaires, Mafia bosses, and student loans—it’s all in a day’s work for Simi Chopra and her ragtag heist crew in the next romantic-comedy caper from Sara Desai.

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller

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In this sparkling romance, two professors with a complicated past get a second chance to prove history won’t repeat itself.

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

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It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits in this new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

SEPTEMBER 2024

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz

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After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

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Business or Pleasure meets Evvie Drake Starts Over in this delicious opposites-attract romance from debut author Sarah Chamberlain.

All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard

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Two rival authors—and ex’s—are thrown together just in time for the holidays in this delightful new romantic comedy from beloved author Falon Ballard.

Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen

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A rollicking, unforgettable romance about two strangers finding love despite their best efforts as they embark on a sweeping matchmaking tour through Việt Nam, perfect for readers of Carley Fortune and Abby Jimenez.

Fall For Him by Andie Burke

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In Fall for Him by Andie Burke, seven-hundred-fifty square feet isn’t enough for the home-renovation-fueled hatred and the building sexual tension.

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean by Ann Rose

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Equal parts heartwarming and bittersweet, The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean expertly weaves the wonder and terror of falling in love into a beautifully crafted story about the joy that can be found when you’re willing to dust yourself off and try again.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

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A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

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From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine

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Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan

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A struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while simultaneously trying to keep up with their own love lives in this flirty fall rom-com!

One On One by Jamie Harrow

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For readers of The Hating Game and The Ex Talk, a workplace, enemies-to-lovers debut for anyone yearning for a courtside romance, perfect for anyone who can’t get enough sports rom-coms.

OCTOBER 2024

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore

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A hilarious and heartfelt rom-com about having it all, slowing down to see the big picture, and finding out that the person you least expect could be your perfect fit

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

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From the author of The Christmas Wager comes a charming holiday rom-com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again.

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky

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The Santa Clause meets Husband Material in this delightful holiday novel!

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

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When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting.

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll

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A big-hearted small-town romance from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll, Some Like it Cold is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Talia Hibbert and Gilmore Girls.

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War

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In this smart and swoony adventure rom-com, a journalist and a movie star find themselves teaming up to cover up a murder…and falling for each other in the process.

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

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Erin Sterling brightens up the Winter Solstice with another delightfully spooky novel following Bowen Penhallow and the girl he feels strangely drawn to—especially when she becomes his only hope of salvation after a strong spell sends them to a Yuletide celebration… more than 50 years in the past.

Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña

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The third book in the riotously funny Vega Family Love Stories finds self-assured firefighter Leo Vega trying to reignite a flame that’s gone cold and finally bring his secret love affair into the open.

Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner

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Opposites attract when a buttoned-up professor and carefree doorman must restore a magically missing identity in this sparkling romance, perfect for fans of Sophie Cousens and Ashley Poston.

Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts

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A dashing ghost hunter and the bookseller who made up the ghosts he’s chasing wind up entangled in more ways than one in this steamy contemporary romance from the author of Text Appeal, perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Chloe Liese.

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

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Madeleine Roux’s next season in Regency England follows a rebellious writer and the man who risks everything to publish her.

The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

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Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on.

NOVEMBER 2024

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley

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After accidentally going viral on social media, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven—and his best friend’s little sister—to help promote his new bakery.

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

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From the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year, a hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt

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Filled with crackling tension, The Co-op is a steamy second chance romance about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It’s about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage.

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

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New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante’s Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods.

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

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She thrives in chaos. He prefers routine. The only thing they have in common? How much they hate each other. From the author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the highly anticipated next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance featuring enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan

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When her student goes missing, an independent bluestocking must seek the help of the arrogant duke who spurned her in this sizzling tale of romance and intrigue, perfect for fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton series

Mr. Nice Spy by Tiana Smith

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When a pyrotechnic engineer discovers her biological father is an international criminal, she must work with a sexy CIA agent to take him down in this thrilling adventure rom-com.

The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

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Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden

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In this hilarious and steamy rom-com, a hardworking city woman unexpectedly inherits her grandparents’ farm that comes equipped with a handsome horticulturist.

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy by Kate Cochrane

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A sapphic romance in which two former hockey teammates turned rivals with unresolved feelings for one another are paired to host a popular morning show’s Olympic coverage and must remain professional amid a nation of fans closely scrutinizing their incredible chemistry.

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts continues the hauntingly spectacular Lost Bride Trilogy with book two, The Mirror.

Pickleballers by Ilana Long

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A pickleball newbie looking to recover from life’s swings and misses crosses paddles with love in this debut romantic comedy.

DECEMBER 2024

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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An enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

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A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt

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The Hating Game meets Beach Read in this sexy and hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean voice.

The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain

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When a young woman trades places with her noble cousin, their innocent ruse leads to true love in this new Regency-era romantic comedy of manners from the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe

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In this charming new rom-com from Jenny L. Howe, a young woman who’s fed up with dating challenges her family and friends to set her up on ten dates, but gets more than she bargained for when her best friend adds himself to the roster.

PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

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In this splendidly bittersweet romantic comedy, enemies forced together by a mutual loss are led on a cross-country journey toward a second chance.

What July to December romance books are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Enjoy These Swoonworthy July to December 2024 Romance Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Evie Sage is a young woman without a lot of job prospects. Unfortunately, being jobless isn’t an option when you have a sick father and a sibling to take care of. After a mishap with the infamous Villain of Rennedawn, she accepts his job offer. Though the job comes with the odd severed head and smattering of eyeballs, the biggest issue is her developing crush for her boss…and the traitor hidden within the Villain’s empire. Evie’s going to have to hunt for the truth and ensure that she makes them pay.

Let’s start this review with the characters. I didn’t know what to make of Evie Sage—she’s pretty much a walking hazard with how clumsy she is, she’s generally positive (of course, she’s the sunshine assistant), and doesn’t often make sense when she speaks. She wasn’t likeable at first, but she definitely grew on me as time went on. My favourite character was certainly The Villain. Not only do we get to read from his perspective, but I found him a bit refreshing, even if a little trope-y at times. Between Evie and The Villain, I would say that I see more character growth from him, but I’ll stop there to prevent any spoilers!

Something that Maehrer did really well was develop some great side character relationships as you’ll enjoy getting little glimpses into other characters’ lives and the secrets that Evie inadvertently uncovers in trying to find the rat within the Villain’s ranks. Blade had to be my favourite side character, but there are certainly others that are in the running as well. Maybe it’s the way the characters interact with Evie or with The Villain, but it’s both fascinating and entertaining.

There are many things to talk about, but it’s difficult to discuss without spoiling anything! What I will say is that I really enjoyed the set up of this book and gives readers a day-to-day view of the life of a villain’s empire with a larger plot afoot. The developing relationships are all intriguing, and many will be dying for the romance aspect of this book. You’ll definitely find yourself thinking about the way the book ended because it was both satisfying and left a lot of questions that I am hoping will be answered by another book.

My expectations of this book were really high and although I try not to fall for a lot of the hype of social media because they can often fall short of the mark, I would be remiss to point out that it does have some pacing issues in the beginning. It made it a little difficult to get into the book until about a quarter of the way in. The dialogue feels a bit forced at first, but eventually develops into a more natural dialogue. Also, for a romantic fantasy, I felt like there wasn’t enough world-building happening, so at times it felt like the plot twists didn’t quite flow together as well as they should.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I am very hopeful for the next book because I want to LOVE this book. Although there were some areas that I struggled with, by the end I was invested in the story of Evie and The Villain. With that said, this would make a fun read for those looking to dip their toes into something a little quirky and new!

Assistant to the Villain is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Assistant to the Villain? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

The post Review: Assistant To The Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Hannah! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello all!

I am a chronically anxious extroverted introvert who loves quirky characters and quirky fantasy stories even more! I believe in going about life with an open mind and an open heart, because of this I’ve been so privilege to meet and learn about so many wonderful people and wonderful things! Writing and stories have been a dream since I was old enough to speak them aloud, so publishing my first novel is truly a dream come true and I’m so thrilled to be sharing my story with the rest of the world!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was really young! My parents have endless footage of me at two years old, standing on the hearth of our fireplace like it was a stage and telling them Goldilocks and the three bears. Stories truly shaped my childhood. I have particular memories of my dad creating one about Larry the beetle who lived under our swingset in the backyard. Every night we’d create new adventures with Larry and my parents always let me participate in the storytelling. It never left my mind from then on!

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading!

Percy Jackson and The Olympians series made me a reader. It was the first book that ever made me see pictures in my mind and it set my imagination free. I haven’t stopped reading since I picked that series up when I was eleven.

Your debut novel, Assistant to the Villain, is out August 29th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

 Quirky Fairytale with Funny Villains

What can readers expect?

Hopefully to laugh! This story is a campy quirky tale of a Villain’s office and the slowburn romance between him and his sunshine Assistant. It’s everything I love in one book: Villains, Grumpy Sunshine Romance, Found Family, a Mystery, Humor and just the most absolute ridiculous circumstances you can’t help but laugh at.

Where did the inspiration for Assistant to the Villain come from?

I had always loved the idea of a serious stoic Villain being confronted with a ball of sunshine. I’d done a few videos on my TikTok in that vain until eventually It evolved into posting my first Assistant to the Villain skit! After making the skit series and falling in love with the characters I could not focus on anything else but this story, so I sat down one day to write it and now here we are!

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

The Villain was so much fun for me because in my skit series we only see from the assistant’s perspective where as in the book we get some chapters in The Villain’s perspective. It was so freeing to get inside his mind and play off his grumpy persona. My favorite thing about The Villain is when we meet him he seems aloof and untouchable, but the further we get into the story we unravel some of that and see that he’s secretly a big softie.

Do you have any favourite lines from the book?

I have TOO many. But this one back and forth between The Villain and his Assistant when they first meet is one of my favorites!

“You can’t kill people and be pretty. It’s confusing.”

“…You think I’m pretty?”

Did you listen to music at all whilst writing or are there any particular songs that come to mind for Assistant to the Villain?

I listened to the entirety of Taylor Swift’s speak album on repeat! Particularly “Enchanted”. For me that always felt like Evie and The Villain’s song.

What’s next for you?

Working on book 2 of Assistant to the Villain! Which I’m thrilled about because I am desperately missing my characters and can’t wait to be with them again!

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

The Book of Azrael by Amber V Nicole. It will emotionally destroy you and you will be so happy it did!

Will you be picking up Assistant to the Villain? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Author of ‘Assistant to the Villain’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover just a few of our August romance picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you’re looking forward to!

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty, and she’s not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus’s enemy number one, the new Hephaestus…leaving a trail of broken hearts in their cruel wake.

Curves for Days by Laura Moher
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Readers of Olivia Dade and Lucy Score will love this sexy Southern curvy girl romance which follows Rose Barnes, a curvy heroine with an infectious spirit, as she crosses paths with Angus Drummond, a gruff yet undeniably charming contractor.

The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, The Roommate Pact follows Claire as she nurses her friend and firefighter Graham back from an injury – and their slippery slope from friends with a FWB pact to possibly something more.

The Love Plot by Samantha Young
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There’s a magnetic attraction when a happy-go-lucky gig worker agrees to a fake relationship with a rich, uptight New Yorker in this steamy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fans of Ali Hazelwood, Lana Harper, and Jessica Clare will devour this madcap paranormal romance, replete with fan-favorite tropes like roommates-to-lovers, force proximity, and the hilarious added bonus of a romance between a mortal from the 21^st century and a centuries-old vampire who knows nothing of the modern world.

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nolan Baker longs to be “thirty, flirty and thriving” in this charmingly quirky LGBTQIA+ romance that’s one part 13 Going on 30 and one part One Last Stop.

Rent to Be by Sonia Hartl
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Beth O’Leary, in this bright, laugh-out-loud rom-com, the grind of the millennial struggle is a lot more fun when you add falling in love to the mix.

Change of Plans by Dylan Newton
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In this charming romantic comedy, a hometown hero comes to the rescue of a chef unexpectedly left to care for three little girls—who may end up saving him too.

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In the hilarious follow-up to the breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, Nisha Sharma adds shakkar and mirch to Shakespeare’s iconic comedy Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story.

The Witch Is Back by Sophie H. Morgan
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming, witchy romcom.

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A smart, modern Rom-Com about a witch banished from her coven who seeks help from the only person who can prove she’s not a threat to witchkind: her annoyingly immortal childhood crush.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.

The Déjà Glitch by Holly James
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To break out of a 24-hour time loop, all Jack needs is for Gemma to fall in love with him in a single day. All Gemma needs is to remember him first . . .

In Charm’s Way by Lana Harper
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A witch struggling to regain what she has lost casts a forbidden spell—only to discover much more than she expected, in this enchanting new rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Lana Harper.

Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From the author of THE MATZAH BALL and MR. PERFECT ON PAPER comes this hilarious and emotional rivals-to-lovers romance.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

What August 2023 romance reads are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post August 2023 Romance Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you thought the first half of 2023 had some swoonworthy, unputdownable romances in store, you ain’t seen nothing yet. July to December is levelling up the romance game even more and we’ve got our eyes on all of them! Check out the hottest contenders for romance of the year below and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them!

Looking for our January to June releases? Check them out here.

JULY

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center comes Hello, Stranger, a novel about finding love, confronting a haunting past, and figuring out what, and who, really matters…

Kiss Me, Mi Amor by Alana Quintana Albertson
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It turns out that a fake relationship is the perfect recipe for a love that sizzles hotter than Santa Barbara’s spiciest salsa—when it’s between enemies.…

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another fresh, witty take on a romantic escape led by a deeply lovable heroine determined to start living on her own terms

You, With A View by Jessica Joyce
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.

To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To exonerate her best friend, one woman must mastermind a jewelry heist during the wedding of the season in this hilarious romantic-comedy caper from the author of The Dating Plan.

A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From Cathy Yardley, author of Love, Comment, Subscribe, comes an emotional rom-com about two middle-aged gamers who grow their online connection into an IRL love story.

The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From New York Times bestselling author Ann Aguirre comes the magical town of St. Claire, where anything is possible…

The Dane of My Existence by Jessica Martin
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When the history and character of her Shakespeare-obsessed hometown is threatened, a powerhouse lawyer goes toe to toe with a commercial developer in a hilarious rom-com from the author of For the Love of the Bard.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

AUGUST

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty, and she’s not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus’s enemy number one, the new Hephaestus…leaving a trail of broken hearts in their cruel wake.

Change of Plans by Dylan Newton
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In this charming romantic comedy, a hometown hero comes to the rescue of a chef unexpectedly left to care for three little girls—who may end up saving him too.

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In the hilarious follow-up to the breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, Nisha Sharma adds shakkar and mirch to Shakespeare’s iconic comedy Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story.

The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, The Roommate Pact follows Claire as she nurses her friend and firefighter Graham back from an injury – and their slippery slope from friends with a FWB pact to possibly something more.

Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A modern tale of unexpectedly falling in love and finding your voice, Kiss the Girl is the highly anticipated third installment in the acclaimed and best-selling Meant to Be collection.

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fans of Ali Hazelwood, Lana Harper, and Jessica Clare will devour this madcap paranormal romance, replete with fan-favorite tropes like roommates-to-lovers, force proximity, and the hilarious added bonus of a romance between a mortal from the 21^st century and a centuries-old vampire who knows nothing of the modern world.

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nolan Baker longs to be “thirty, flirty and thriving” in this charmingly quirky LGBTQIA+ romance that’s one part 13 Going on 30 and one part One Last Stop.

Rent to Be by Sonia Hartl
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Beth O’Leary, in this bright, laugh-out-loud rom-com, the grind of the millennial struggle is a lot more fun when you add falling in love to the mix.

Curves for Days by Laura Moher
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Readers of Olivia Dade and Lucy Score will love this sexy Southern curvy girl romance which follows Rose Barnes, a curvy heroine with an infectious spirit, as she crosses paths with Angus Drummond, a gruff yet undeniably charming contractor.

The Love Plot by Samantha Young
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There’s a magnetic attraction when a happy-go-lucky gig worker agrees to a fake relationship with a rich, uptight New Yorker in this steamy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

The Witch Is Back by Sophie H. Morgan
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming, witchy romcom.

With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She has a to-do list a mile long and falling for her coworker isn’t on it–yet somehow he’s become her top priority in this romantic comedy from the national bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers.

SEPTEMBER

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bridgerton goes Gothic in this sweeping Regency romance by celebrated author KJ Charles.

The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It’s hard to escape your ex when you’re working together over Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, but being stuck together might be the best possible present in this sparkling new contemporary romance.

Love Me Do by Lindsey Kelk
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A feelgood, sunshine-filled, friends-to-lovers romcom, Love Me Do is a dreamy summer love story, perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry.

Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A witchy rom-com from New York Times bestseller Meg Cabot about a plus size witch who must team up with a handsome stranger to help protect her village from an otherworldly force–but will she be able to protect her heart?

A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An emotionally powerful romance novel about two people finding love after struggling with addiction–ultimately discovering what it means to be completely and unapologetically themselves.

Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Gillian Armstead-Bancroft—Pride of the East Side and once-perfect bruja, wife, and mother—is going to spend her summer getting good at being bad.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The riotous Wynchester family has taken on a new case to expose a forger, but the prime suspect isn’t at all what he seems in this captivating Regency romp from a New York Times bestselling author.

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

Unrealistic Expectations by Andie J. Christopher
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When a relationship therapist gets dumped right before her new dating handbook hits shelves, she fake dates to save face in this spicy romantic comedy.

Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score returns to spicy-sweet Knockemout, Virginia with Lucian and Sloane’s story.

OCTOBER

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Following the success of A Merry Little Meet Cute, a new holiday rom-com cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone–about an actress and a perpetually single former boy-band member reunited as costars on a steamy holiday film.

Better Hate than Never by Chloe Liese
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Erin Hahn’s Friends Don’t Fall in Love is about long-time friends, taking chances, and finding out that, sometimes, your perfect person was right there in your corner all along.

A Dish Best Served Hot: A Novel by Natalie Caña
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Santiago “Saint” Vega gets a second shot at love with Lola León, but when duty to his family forces him to do something she’ll never forgive, will everything he’s built come crumbling down?  

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love Interest is Clare Gilmore’s sparkling debut, a co-worker enemies-to-lovers rom-com that proves falling in love is the risk and the reward.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Filled with the romance and angst that defines the years you come to know yourself, with a shifting timeline covering two decades and ratcheting up the tension, Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a novel of second chances and finding your own way.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A fake relationship after a horrible one-night stand is anything but an act in this witty and heartfelt new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake.

Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert…

Sweeten the Deal by Katie Shepard
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She’s lonely, rich, and ten years too young for him—but she’s also his “sugar daddy,” and they couldn’t have less in common. Opposites attract in this charming new romance by Katie Shepard.

The Last Close Call by Laura Griffin
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A talented genetic analyst and a detective who’s haunted by an elusive cold case team up in the new standalone romantic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sparks fly in this delightful novel about two burned out professionals who meet at a ramshackle resort on the British seaside—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher.

The Takedown by Carlie Walker
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An undercover CIA agent is sent home to investigate her sister’s criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way in this sexy romantic comedy.

NOVEMBER

Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sail the magical high seas with this first book in a new sexy fantasy romance series from Katee Robert, the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok smash-hit Neon Gods.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sparks fly when an occult expert and a disgraced archeologist become enemies-with-benefits in this steamy romance from “go-to author” Rosie Danan (The New York Times Book Review).

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Perfect for fans of romantic comedies with a touch of whimsy, like 13 Going on 30 and Freaky Friday, and authors like Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle, this funny and heartfelt novel follows a downtrodden twenty-six-year-old as she magically wakes up to the life she’s always wanted, but is it really a dream come true?

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Next-Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Two rival candidates for a homeowner’s association presidency are about to find out how dirty suburbanites fight in this steamy new romantic comedy from Alexa Martin.

A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Calladia Cunnington curses the day she met Astaroth the demon, but when he shows up memoryless, why does she find him so helpless . . . and sort of hot?

The Rom Con by Devon Daniels
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A modern battle of the sexes about a journalist who hatches an elaborate plan to take down her industry adversary, from the author of Meet You in the Middle.

Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 Opposites attract when an always-the-bridesmaid florist and a grumpy caterer mix business with pleasure in this swoony romantic comedy in the vein of 27 Dresses from Julie Tieu, author of The Donut Trap and Circling Back to You.

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A hilarious and spicy romance about romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret going viral: she’s never been in love. Though her debut novel made readers swoon, Sophie’s having trouble getting her new characters to happily-ever-after. To overcome her writer’s block, she’ll reconnect with her exes to figure out what went wrong with the help of her best friend’s brother/reclusive landlord/teen heartthrob and his social media skills. 

Mom Com by Adriana Mather
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From New York Times bestselling author Adriana Mather comes a sweet new romcom about old friends and second chances.

For Never & Always by Helena Greer
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

One surprise inheritance, two best friends (now bitter exes), and three months to prove he loves her, forever and always , in this swoony second-chance romance for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur and Ashley Herring Blake.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

DECEMBER

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates but unexpectedly find something real in this steamy paranormal romantic comedy by Lana Ferguson.

Technically Yours by Denise Williams
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Seven years ago, he fell in love with a stranger he couldn’t have—today, she’s back in his life and the sparks between them threaten to set her career on fire.

This Spells Love by Kate Robb
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Reeling from a recent breakup, a young woman tries to heal heartbreak with a spell–only to wake up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for–in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut rom-com.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

What Not to Wear and Queer Eye meet All the Feels in this sparkling romantic comedy by Jenny L. Howe, in which the new guest on a popular plus-size makeover show has her style―and her love life―transformed.

Housebroke by Jaci Burton
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A millionaire and a woman who thinks he’s a house flipper are stuck living in a house together with a menagerie of rescue dogs as roommates, in this heartfelt romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton.

Game On by Seressia Glass
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When an unexpected Player Two enters her life, a gamer must decide if their relationship is worth leveling up in this new romance from the author of The Love Con.

Gold by Raven Kennedy
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

‘Find me in another life. Find me in all of them’ It all ends now. Discover the heart-stopping finale to the international and Amazon bestselling fantasy phenomenon.

The Gentleman’s Gambit by Evie Dunmore
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bookish suffragist Catriona Campbell is busy: An ailing estate, academic writer’s block, a tense time for England’s women’s rights campaign—the last thing she needs is to be stuck playing host to her father’s distractingly attractive young colleague.

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” (Time) Chef’s Kiss.

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

What July to December book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Enjoy These Swoonworthy July to December 2023 Romance Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.