Hi, Lizzy! In your own words, tell us what Drive Me Crazy is about.

Drive Me Crazy is set in the high-stakes, drama-fueled world of Formula 1. It kicks off with Chloe, a newly appointed female team principal handed the impossible task of reviving a failing, ragtag team. On the same day, she’s lumped with a surprise gift: Matt Warner, her childhood crush and a troubled but brilliant driver who will be her new number one. There’s tension on the track, heat off it, and sparks flying in all the wrong places. Think Drive to Survive… with shagging.

This is your first foray into the Formula 1 (F1)/sports romance subgenre. What inspired you to write this story?

My time working at Red Bull was an absolute catalyst for my love of F1.  Before I started there, I’d watched a few races over the years. I went to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with CNN and had spent time working on a film shoot with World Champion driver (and major hottie) Jenson Button, but nothing prepared me for the excitement of working for Red Bull at the height of F1’s rise in popularity. I developed content around Motorsport, and it was there I got deep into the backgrounds of the teams, how they work, and what, literally, drives them.  After race weekend, everyone would gravitate around the kitchen for a debrief. The passion. The WhatsApp groups. It was infectious!

Who are some of your favorite authors currently writing sports romances, and did any of their books influence your writing for Drive Me Crazy?

I enjoyed Cross the Line by Simone Soltani. It’s been out a while, but really highly rate the Chasing Daisy series by Paige Toon and Off the Grid by K Bromberg. My absolute favorite sport series (though it isn’t a romance) is Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Benji, my number 16 for ever <3

Your previous book, Just One Taste, was set in Italy and this book spans locations like Singapore, Texas, Mexico, Las Vegas, and Brazil. How do you choose the settings for your stories, and what role do these diverse locations play in your storytelling?

F1 is all about the exotic locations and legendary tracks. I wanted to set the story in the second half of the season (after the summer break), when the pressure starts to build, and those locations had to match the real calendar. Vegas was a setting I was keen to include since it’s a street circuit through one of the liveliest cities on the planet. I know it’s also a newish (2023) and somewhat controversial circuit, but I couldn’t resist the lure of the spectacle. But for me, the Brazilian Grand Prix was key. There’s just something electric about Interlagos: the history, the energy, the fans. And, of course, Ayrton Senna. His legacy looms large over the sport and over Brazil, and that passion felt like the perfect backdrop for some of the book’s biggest emotional moments.

As a devoted F1 fan and former development executive at Red Bull, did you draw inspiration from any F1 driver when developing Matt’s character?

Matt is a mixture of Carlos Sainz, Mark Webber, and all the best bits of F1 notorious playboy James Hunt.  I wanted someone who had lived because a lot of the current F1 fan favorites are very young. And yes, Noah is basically based on Oscar Piastri.

Considering the secretive nature of Chloe and Matt’s boss/employee relationship, is there a romance trope you find most enjoyable to write? If so, why?

I always enjoy a thrilling secret romance. It’s fun to write because you get to dig into that push pull of wanting something you really shouldn’t have. If you’ve ever had one, you know!

Many F1 romances often depict female characters in stereotypical roles within the racing world. However, Drive Me Crazy sets itself apart by showcasing a female team principal. What motivated you to place a strong, independent woman at the forefront of a story about a sport typically dominated by men?

I wasn’t going to write this unless the female character had a seriously senior role in F1. I admire women like Susie Wolff, who’s now running the F1 Academy and pushing hard to open doors for young women in the sport, and Hannah Schmitz, who’s one of the best strategists in the sport.

But the reality is that F1 is still male-dominated from the top down. Female team principals are basically non-existent. That’s why I wanted Chloe to be a team principal, not just as a token female in motorsport, but as someone leading from the front, making the hard calls, and learning the power of the position she’s in. Fiction has a way of creating space for possibility, and I hope this book adds to the noise that’s already building for more women in top jobs in F1.

There are many intimate moments between Chloe and Matt in Drive Me Crazy. How do you approach writing these steamy scenes between love interests in your novels to ensure they are both authentic and engaging for your readers?

I think chemistry is everything. The steamy scenes in Drive Me Crazy aren’t just there for heat—they drive the emotional narrative. They’re both guarded in different ways, and the physical intimacy forces them to confront the feelings they’ve been trying to ignore.

This is definitely the spiciest book I’ve written, and that came with a bit of trial and error. The challenge is always making sure the sex feels earned, not just hot, but specific to these two people and the emotional chaos they’re going through.

Throughout Drive Me Crazy, Chloe grapples with imposter syndrome but ultimately recognizes her rightful place alongside her male peers. What do you hope readers, especially women pursuing careers in male-dominated fields, take away from Chloe’s experience in the novel?

I hope Chloe can be an inspiration and remind people that you can still be figuring things out, even when you’re supposed to have it all together. F1 is opening up more and more every year and it won’t be long before we have some more big breakthroughs in the top jobs.

I love sports, having worked at Red Bull and Religion of Sport in the last few years I’ve really enjoyed getting close to athletes and how hard they work.  I love watching women’s sports (across the board) grow and grow. What Ilona Maher is doing for woman’s rugby, or Caitlen Clark for basketball, or seeing the Mathilda’s break through during the FIFA world cup is so inspiring. 

What are you working on next?

A few different things. TV projects and another book. Maybe I’ll write Noah’s story since readers keep asking for it!

Will you be picking up Drive Me Crazy? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Lizzy Dent, Author of ‘Drive Me Crazy’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If your romance-loving heart needs a good dose of swoon, then you’re in luck because 2026 holds many delightful new romance reads for you! Releasing between the months of January and June, you’ll see new releases from Julian Winters, Tessa Bailey, B.K. Borison, Ashley Herring Blake, Meghan Quinn, Falon Ballard, TJ Alexander, Abby Jimenez, Rainbow Rowell, Chloe Liese, Carley Fortune, Eloisa James, Katherine Center, Mazey Eddings, Ashley Poston, and many more, plus spectacular debuts too!

You’ll be sure to find quite a few exciting new reads within this list and be sure to check out our other 2026 round-ups too, including our Most Anticipated, Anticipated YA Books and Anticipated Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books lists!

JANUARY 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

Last First Kiss by Julian Winters

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Sparks fly in this second chance m/m rom com when an unlucky-in-love event planner realizes the man-of-honor at the high profile wedding he’s planning is the same man who broke his heart.

Our Ex’s Wedding by Taleen Voskuni

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Two people who can’t stand each other must come together to plan their mutual ex’s wedding in this new romantic comedy by Taleen Voskuni, author of Lavash at First Sight.

Definitely Maybe Not A Detective by Sarah Fox

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In this delightfully charming rom-com mystery, a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide.

Catch Her If You Can by Tessa Bailey

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers sports romance about a baseball catcher and the burlesque club owner he can’t get out of his head.

Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor in this action-packed rom-com debut about an investigative journalist who sneaks onto reality TV only to fall for the wrong guy.

We’ve Hit Turbulence by Jessica L. Cozzi

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In this swoony young adult rom-com, things get bumpy when a girl gets stuck on a cross-country flight with her ex—as if flying couldn’t get any worse. . . .

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Sparks fly when an up-and-coming team principle and her new hot-shot driver—and former childhood crush—are forced to work together to save their careers and team in this deliciously winning Formula 1 romance.

A Killer Kind of Romance by Letizia Lorini

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In this new romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Letizia Lorini, a crime podcast host must solve a chilling serial killer case while navigating an unexpected romance with her mysterious next-door neighbor.

Like In Love With You by Emma R. Alban

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this brand new, sapphic, rivals-to-lovers Regency Romance by USA Today bestselling author Emma R. Alban!

Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A second chance at love sets sail when a couple on the verge of divorce pretends they’re still together for one last family trip, from the author of Wedding Dashers.

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Stephanie Burgis delivers another irreverent, sparkling, and sexy installment in the Queens of Villainy series, where a seductive fae queen meets her unexpected match in the enemy empire’s valiant general.

For Our Next Song by Jessica James

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The decade-long friendship between two rock goddesses is thrust into the spotlight after their mutual desire strikes a perfect—and very public—chord.

FEBRUARY 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

Still Into You by Erin Connor

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Two exes reunite for a make-or-break interview that will either bring them back together … or drive them apart forever.

Game, Set, Match by Jennifer Iacopelli

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
She’s a tennis superstar on the rise. He’s the bad boy champ who broke her heart. When they meet on the court, their competition is hot—but their chemistry is even hotter.

Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
An academic-rivals-to-lovers rom-com set at a New York conference about two neuroscientists who are forced to pretend they’re dating, leading to unexpected chemistry and a heartfelt journey of self-discovery.

And Now, Back to You by B. K. Borison

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in this opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance, from New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison.

Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A small-town, opposites-attract romance about two people who end up with more feelings than they bargained for after pursuing a summer fling.

Get Over It, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A summer job at a lake-town resort brings together two women with an unlikely connection in this new contemporary romance by USA Today bestselling author Ashley Herring Blake.

Skate It Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The weather might be icy, but the tension is red-hot in this fake―dating hockey rom―com from the author of Let the Games Begin.

Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From New York Times bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a sizzling sports romance full of flamingo feathers, slow-burn heat, and one grump-meets-sunshine love story that’s anything but fake.

One & Only by Maurene Goo

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In Five Years meets a millennial The Joy Luck Club in the adult debut from the author of YA Reese Pick Throwback— a funny and fresh love story of a woman thrown a curveball by fate, and the family secret that will make her question everything.

Over and Over by Becky Hunter

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A sweeping speculative romance following two soulmates who have met in past lives—but are still searching for their HEA—in this angsty novel, perfect for fans of Josie Silver and One Day.

Hunter’s Treasure by Olivia Jackson

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A brand new spicy forced proximity action adventure romcom set on a desert island, perfect for fans of Christina Lauren, Jo Segura and Meghan Quinn.

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A humorous, swoony, and downright terrifying slasher rom-com in which a cinephile gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the romance and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl.

MARCH 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The newest book from bestselling author and Kindle Unlimited sensation Catherine Walsh, in which an ambitious editor travels to Ireland to help the daughter of a fantasy author legend complete her father’s final book, only to fall in love with her in the process.

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Cat Sebastian’s long-awaited foray into contemporary romance! A witty, emotional, and deliciously slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance between two costars on a popular sci-fi television series.

Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Allegra Hart’s dream of becoming a principal ballerina is in doubt when a director doubts her allure. Seeking help from dancer Cord Donovan, she enters a dangerous partnership. As chemistry ignites and loyalties are tested, Allegra must choose between ambition, desire, and the life she’s built.

The Fortune Flip by Lauren Kung Jessen

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
This charming rom-com is filled with Chinese traditions, second chances, and a luck-changing love story that will appeal to readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Sarah Adams.  

The Bridge Back To You by Riss M. Neilson

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Exes discover they’ve both inherited the restaurant they love in this sparkling, emotional new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of A Love Like the Sun.

No Place Like You by Jillian Meadows

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Childhood friends turned high school rivals fall into a small-town fake dating scheme in this sweet, spicy, and utterly irresistible romance from the author of Give Me Butterflies.

To Cage A Wild Bird by Brooke Fast

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Enter the brutal world of Endlock, a prison where the wealthy hunt the inmates for sport. The first novel in an electrifying dystopian romance series, this high-octane debut about forbidden love, found family, and a fight for survival will leave you breathless.

A Lady for All Seasons by TJ Alexander

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From the acclaimed author of Chef’s Kiss and A Gentleman’s Gentleman comes a riotous Regency romp, featuring a charming and unforgettable genderfluid lead.

Thirty Love by Tom Vellner

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Things heat up on and off the court for two tennis rivals in this steamy debut gay sports rom-com, perfect for fans of TJ Alexander and Casey McQuiston.

Anderson In Bloom by Jennifer Dugan

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From the author of Love at First Set, a hilariously sexy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom-com about a reclusive former child star turned florist whose quiet life is turned upside down when her annoyingly hot ex (and former costar) shows up in town, with plans to write a tell-all memoir.

The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From the #1New York Times bestselling author of Say You’ll Remember Me comes a beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.

In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Reese Remington, baseball’s first female owner, battles scrutiny while proving her worth. Focused and guarded, she clashes with Emmett Montgomery, a former star turned manager. Forced together, rivalry ignites chemistry. With careers and the team at stake, they struggle to resist feelings that could jeopardise everything during a high-stakes season.

APRIL 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

Unbound by Peyton Corinne

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A new “angsty, sexy, emotional” (Farrah Rochon, New York Times bestselling author) lyrical romance by Peyton Corinne that follows a college couple through first love, heartbreak, and the struggle to come together again.

Fast Lane by C.S. Quill

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The Flatshare meets Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series in this opposites-attract campus romance where a brooding bad boy and a heartbroken girl become reluctant roommates amid fast cars and faster chemistry.

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Can fake dating lead to real love? In Kasie West’s next sexy adult romcom two people must decide where the lie ends and the chemistry begins.

How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Bridgerton meets The Goldfinch in How to Fake It in Society, a stunning queer romance by rising genre star KJ Charles.

The Auction by Sadie Kincaid

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The queen of dark mafia romance, Sadie Kincaid, begins her new explosively sexy Wages of Sin series with The Auction. Beauty and the Beast meets organized crime in this tense slow-burn romance with scorching spice, thrilling suspense, and life-altering secrets. 

The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A man and a woman with the same name are looking for a fresh start only to discover they have landed the same job in this charming new romance by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
#1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell returns with a breathtakingly honest novel about a woman who lost everything — and isn’t sure she wants it back.

Happy Ending by Chloe Liese

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From USA TODAY bestselling author Chloe Liese, a clever and heartwarming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Annabel Monaghan about two best friends who must fake a relationship for their exes.

Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From the author of Partners in Crime, comes a sparkling new adventure rom-com where a con woman and a lawman team up on an epic cross-country road trip to save their families…and each other. 

We Become Darkness by Grace Morrow

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A human and a Vampyr forge an unsteady alliance in this marriage-of-convenience romantic fantasy, perfect for fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night and One Dark Window.

Our Rogue Fates by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
On the hunt for hidden treasure, two former best friends turned adversaries must put the past behind them if they hope to make it home. This childhood friends-to-lovers male/male romantic fantasy for fans of Tusk Love and Sara Raasch crackles with tension and heat.

Don’t Tell Me How It Ends by Adrienne Thurman

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A floundering twenty-something, who’s sworn off romance finds herself roped into her meddling sister’s matchmaking business—in this sparkling debut rom-com that asks: can we protect ourselves while falling in love?

MAY 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

Broken Dove by Dani Francis

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In the heart-pounding sequel to the New York Times bestselling dystopian romance Silver Elite, lines will be crossed, loyalties will be tested, and the fight for the Continent is only just beginning as Wren Darlington finds herself caught in the middle of two wars: one for the fate of her home and another for the fate of her heart.

Soon by You by Dahlia Adler

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
27 Dresses meets The Intimacy Experiment in this sexy, emotional, opposites-attract rom-com set in New York City’s Modern Orthodox community.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Best friends have one week in paradise to fix their friendship or fall apart in this heart-stopping, utterly romantic new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and One Golden Summer.

The Last Lady B by Eloisa James

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Lady B may have married Bluebeard; she may have fallen in love with a gorgeous, grumpy solicitor; she may have met a ghost and survived to tell the tale! New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Eloisa James delights with witty historical romance with a gothic twist.

Bromantasy by Máire Roche

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
BROMANTASY is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth.

By The Bootstraps by Alexa Martin

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A cowboy romance enthusiast discovers that everything’s bigger in Texas—even love—in this swoony novel from beloved author Alexa Martin.

The Shippers by Katherine Center

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
One of the hottest, fastest-rising rom-com stars delivers her latest swoon-worthy novel about a destination wedding on a cruise ship.

First and Forever by Lynn Painter

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A football star and his team’s die-hard fan find themselves entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—but it might just be the right play…

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A hardworking single mom returns to her seaside hometown and stumbles into a fake dating situationship with a wealthy, workaholic scion, from the New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script.

It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Only Murders in the Building gets a rom-com twist in a laugh-out-loud mystery-romance following one woman who will have to pair up with an unlikely ally to solve a murder in their quaint New Jersey beach town.

Take Me with You by Steven Rowley

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In Take Me With You, Steven Rowley brings his resonant wit and emotional insight to an epic love story – an exploration of the forces that draw two people into the same orbit and the gravity that threatens to pull them apart.

The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
When two misfits discover they’ve inherited the same beach house, sparks fly in the most unexpected ways, in this hilarious and heartfelt rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.

JUNE 2026 ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A not-so-evil villain strikes a deal with a not-quite-perfect hero to fake a feud, boost their reputations . . . and try not to fall in love in the process—in this hilarious, tender, sexy, and outrageously fun romp that blends the humor of Assistant to the Villain with the unforgettable romance of Red, White, & Royal Blue and the cozy fantasy vibes of Legends & Lattes.

White Lights by Lauren Kate

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate, whose Fallen series has over 10 million copies in print and has sold over 11 million copies of her novels around the world, is returning to the romantasy world of angels that’s perfect for Fallen fans and new audiences alike.

You Won’t Forget Me by Mazey Eddings

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Cubby Clark is spiralling—her band is broken, her ex is famous, and inspiration is gone. As tabloids spin a love triangle and a summer tour amplifies tensions, Cubby and her best friend Darcy must confront buried feelings or risk losing each other and the music they love.

The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Bridgerton meets Emily Henry in this fresh take on regency romance about a wallflower writing a dictionary of bawdy slang who arranges her own marriage to the ultimate instructor: the town rake.

The Shrouded Queen by Ashley Tropea

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In the first book in this romantasy duology inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, a slave and a princess switch places during an enemy attack, igniting parallel journeys of love and survival.

Scandal of the Summer by Alexandra Vasti

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
A desperate debutante meets a ragtag smuggler in this sexy Regency romp by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.

Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver comes the second book in the devilishly steamy Seasons of Carnage trilogy where dark romantic comedy meets thrilling suspense—and where love is ripe for ruin.

Witch Season by Julia Bianco

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Exhilarating, dangerous, and seductive, Witch Season is an action-packed and fiercely romantic contemporary fantasy from debut author and screenwriter Julia Bianco.

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
The new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams returns with an intensely romantic, deliciously sexy tale about a woman searching for her handsome seatmate on a European flight—and the unexpected places her hunt for love leads her.

The Open Era by Edward Schmit

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Austin Hardy’s Grand Slam debut makes history and headlines as the first openly gay competitor. With anxiety mounting and a complicated bond forming with rival Diego Cruz, Austin must fight pressure, expectations, and his own heart at the US Open.

Tropesick by Lauren Okie

Publisher | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.

Will you be picking up any of these romance reads? Are there any others you’re looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below! Plus be sure to check back later in the year for our July to December picks!

The post Swoonworthy 2026 Romance Book Releases You Need appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Lizzy Dent‘s Just One Taste, which releases on July 16th 2024.

When Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, annoyingly handsome Leo Ricci slipped right in as his surrogate son and sous-chef. No one is more surprised than Olive when her father wills her his beloved (and now failing) restaurant. Or that his dying wish was for Olive and Leo to complete his cookbook…together.

She’s determined to sell the restaurant. Leo is determined to convince her not to. As they embark on four weeks in Italy, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, they’ll test each other as often as they test recipes. But the more time Olive and Leo spend together the more undeniable their attraction grows. Olive finds herself wondering whether selling the restaurant might be running away, and what it might be like to try Just One Taste of Leo Ricci. Because he isn’t who she expected, and this trip might reveal more about who Olive is than she’s ready for.

Chapter One
London

From behind the front window of London’s most pretentious bar, I watch as my late father’s restaurant, Nicky’s, starts to stir for the evening shift across the street. The head chef, Leo Ricci, spins the handle to extend the black canvas awning across the eight outside tables. The little neon door sign my mother gifted my father for Christmas twenty-five years ago blinks intermittently beside the black front door. I feel a stab of deep regret and sadness. And wonder why the hell no one got the damn sign fixed.

“Here you are, madam. The whiskey is served at a precise 65.35 degrees Fahrenheit,” says the sulky waiter as he serves me a double malt in cut crystal, elegantly withdrawing a stylish metal thermometer from my glass. He then slides a small bowl of smoked almonds with powdered Himalayan salt on the window bar in front of me. I paint on a smile before I briefly look up from under my baseball cap to thank him.

His mouth sags. “Oh. It’s you.” He’s so deliciously bitchy, I laugh.

“I’m not barred, am I?” I ask, raising an eyebrow playfully. “They haven’t got a mug shot of me hanging behind the bar?”

“Just don’t let my manager see you,” the waiter replies, shrugging with indifference. “You’re publican enemy number one round here.”

I chuckle as he leaves. I’m a food journalist at The London Times, a free but very widely read paper that circulates on the Underground. About three issues ago, I wrote a several-paragraphs-long hit piece targeting this place—Temp—in a story entitled “Is This Effing Satire?” I’d hated the self-consciously gimmicky idea that all drinks must be served at a particular temperature with a bespoke thermometer. So, you get your Chardonnay at 48.1 degrees, your rosé at 51.8 and your Chablis Grand Cru at 55.4. And everyone can really taste the difference apparently.

Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to do things “properly,” but can we please be serious? This bar is frequented by bankers who only appreciate the quality of wine by its price. I also hated the way the proprietor, a software engineer turned bar owner, had talked down to my friend Ginny when she requested a cube of ice in her Sauv Blanc. “We are not a dive bar, darling.”

“Olive!” Ginny and Kate arrive in a flurry of kisses and hugs. Ginny, an excellent interior architect with bouncy black curls, wide brown eyes, and a chic tan suit, and Kate, an ice-blond relationship therapist who exudes Scandi chic in wide-leg jeans and a designer sweatshirt.

“Why on earth did you choose this place?” Kate asks. “Didn’t you call it a Tesla for oenophiles?” She drops her voice. “This is the tech-bro bar, right?”

“It’s disruptive drinking for the biohack generation,” I reply, mockingly serious. “Kendall Roy would love it.”

“Sweet returns, bro,” Kate snarls playfully.

“I hope that awful owner isn’t here,” Ginny says, glancing around the restaurant.

“I’ve not seen him. Yet,” I say, tugging down my cap, just in case. Ginny eyes the cap, somewhat despairingly.

“You look . . . cute,” Ginny says, touching my slouchy gray hoodie and attempting to admire the ends of my fuzzy outgrown bob. Ginny is the friend who cannot lie.

“It’s grief-core,” I say, laughing at her. “I look like shit, but I’m fine with it.”

They pause, glancing at each other with concern.

“I’m fine! Sit, I’ll explain,” I say.

I wait for them to settle in their seats on either side of me, so we are three in a row, peering out the darkened window into the daylight like barn owls.

“So, I went to the estate attorney’s office today and you’re seriously not going to believe it,” I say, pointing across the road to Nicky’s, where chef Leo Ricci has taken a seat at one of the outside tables and is going through paperwork. A cute red-haired waitress with a sleeve of tattoos comes out and slides a coffee in front of him.

“Oh my goodness, Nicky’s! That’s why we’re here?” Ginny asks, mouth open.

“He left you the restaurant?” Kate asks in breathless awe.

“He left me the restaurant,” I confirm, still in shock myself.

“Do you get that hot chef with it?” Ginny asks, pointing at Leo, who at that very moment looks up in our direction. He can’t possibly see us with the evening sun so low and bright in his eyes, so I indulge myself, staring as he runs his hands up through his dark hair, biceps popping as he rests them on his head for a moment before breathing out, eyes to the sky, and then returning to his paperwork.

“All of it, yes,” I say, a strange sort of prickly feeling up my spine before I pull my eyes from Leo.

My father died suddenly almost two months ago. I emerged from an underground bar and my phone sprang to life with seven missed calls and several text messages from both my father and a number I later learned was Leo Ricci’s. When I saw the sheer volume of calls, I just knew. But the speed at which he went downhill was dizzying. Some run-of-the-mill infection one day, sepsis and death the next.

I feel as though I’ve been stuck in a state of shock, moving like a marionette through the responsibilities of being his only living relative. Go here. Sign this. Cancel that. Send this letter. Call the energy company. Call the energy company again. And again. Mum offered to help, but it felt weird having her reading through his personal effects; she’d just remarried, and Dad and she were divorced so long ago. I also felt it was right to try to protect his privacy, especially since he died alone.

Dry, sardonic humor is one way to get through the sudden death of a parent. Booze is another. I lift my whiskey to my lips and tip it back like I’m taking a shot.

“He left you Nicky’s?” Kate says again.

“My god, Olive, when did you last even go in there?” Ginny says as her wine arrives, and she accepts it graciously.

“I mean, maybe ten years ago?” I say, feeling the heat of shame creeping up my neck as I say it. “Longer?”

It was definitely longer. I remember walking away and dramatically announcing I was never coming back. I was seventeen years old. That’s just about fifteen years ago. I’d seen my dad since for a birthday here, a Christmas there. We messaged. But it was Mum whom I stuck with when things fell apart. She was the wounded party, leaving when she could take no more of coming second to Dad’s obsession with Nicky’s. I still bristle at the memory of Mum crying at the bottom of the escalators at Angel station as we stood there with our bags, heading to live with my aunt until Mum found another job and we found another home. It was hard to love him after that.

“Holy shit,” says Ginny, eyes wide, face grimacing. After a long period of silence, she perks up. “But also, I mean, what an opportunity. It’s yours?”

“Mine,” I confirm.

“You were kind of born for this, Olive.”

I sink into my seat, deflated by Ginny’s misplaced excitement.

People romanticize hospitality. It often shows up in books or movies as a cutesy job for creative, homely types. It looks like freshly baked croissants in mouthwatering piles on a table covered with homemade jam in a pretty shop on a sweet high street with plenty of middle-class foot traffic. It looks like chalkboard menus and handsome staff in stiff linen aprons with leather ties, and bench seating decorated with thyme and rosemary in tiny silver pots. And always, a tired but tenacious owner who is busy—yes—but deliriously fulfilled and with plenty of time to fall in love.

What it actually looks like? Carnage. Like the scene of a crime. Bloody, sometimes. Chaos, always. Meeting the booze delivery truck at 6:30 a.m. and calling the rat guy and sneaking him in and out during lunch service. It’s sticky kitchen floors and hungover chefs who are fucking the waitstaff and waitstaff who are stealing from the till. It’s a mild coke habit if you’re under thirty and a mild drinking problem after that. It looks like high blood pressure, heart disease, couch-surfing exhaustion. It’s sixteen-hour days with no one in your life but the people you work with.

Don’t get me wrong. My parents had it good for a long while. Nicky’s was a classic family restaurant, a simple and easy-to-execute Italian menu with a modest but comfortable turnover. A very good turnover for a time when my dad’s TV cooking show aired. They had a rotation of competent chefs and enough staff who could steer the ship so we could go on an annual family summer holiday to Italy. A week in Sicily, staying with Dad’s friend and mentor Rocco in Catania, and another week somewhere on the north Riviera with his best friend, Roger. We’d see Rapallo. Cinque Terre. Portofino. Sunshine, sunscreen and of course, plenty of eating.

They also owned the property outright. Dad bought it long before the real estate boom in East London. And the restaurant was never just a workplace. It was our second home. I would sit at table 7 doing my homework while Mum ran the restaurant and Dad made slabs of olive focaccia in the wood-fired pizza oven. At our real home around the corner, I ate utilitarian cornflakes for breakfast, but in the evenings, I sat at the bar at Nicky’s eating truffle linguini with sparkling water in a wine goblet. And my parents? They were happy. Really fucking busy. But happy. And in love.

It was pretty perfect, actually.

Until it wasn’t.

“I’m going to sell it,” I say. “Please don’t hate me, but that building is freehold.”

“Holy shit,” says Ginny.

“Wait. What’s freehold?” Kate asks.

“She owns the actual building as well as the business,” Ginny explains, her eyes wide. “Christ, what’s it’s worth?”

“I’d pay a lot of tax, but still, it’s a life-changing amount of money,” I say, feeling my cheeks redden. I’m really that bitch with an inheritance. The one time being an only child pays out.

“You really don’t want to keep it?” Ginny asks, frowning.

“The estate attorney says it’s practically a teardown. I’d have to mortgage it to renovate. The turnover is terrible, so it would be hand-to-mouth paying that back. I’d have to move in upstairs to avoid it being taxed as a second home. It’s complicated. Plus, there’s the small but obvious problem that I’ve not worked in a restaurant since I was sixteen years old.” I try to laugh, desperate to keep the conversation upbeat, but the girls are more subdued, nothing but a simple ha from Kate.

“I think you’d be good at it,” presses Ginny. “You’ve worked in food for your whole adult life, Olive. It’s your literal job to know what makes a good restaurant. Plus, you’re very warm, when you can be bothered.” She nudges me in the ribs, and I smile, nudging her back.

“I could sell it and finally help my mum out, and still have enough to buy my own home, Ginny,” I say, trying to get her on board. “That I’d own. Maybe even outright.”

“That would be life-changing indeed,” says Kate, nodding.

“The stuff of dreams,” Ginny says, wide-eyed.

“Everything would be the same, but I’d be rent-free. Living in London. Can you imagine?”

“Yeah. You can, like, keep doing the job you hate,” Kate says wryly.

“But rent-free,” I say. I tip my head toward Kate. “Come on.”

“You do hate your job,” Ginny agrees. “You spent most of the last year complaining about it. Like a shitty boyfriend you wouldn’t dump.” I catch the look of agreement on Kate’s face and realize I’ve been the subject of some breakout discussions.

“But look at it this way, I’d have a lot of freedom to find something else. Maybe I’ll write a novel or something?” I say wistfully, as the girls both Mm-hmm, nodding in unison. “Which leads me to the catch.”

“The catch?” Kate says, straightening up.

“Oh boy,” says Ginny, reaching for her wine. I pause briefly to take a sip of my whiskey.

“My dad was in the middle of writing a cookbook, and he wanted me to finish it.”

“Ohhhhh,” Kate says thoughtfully. “I think that’s sweet.”

“I didn’t know he was writing one,” I say, and then stare across at the Nicky’s sign again. “He always wanted to, you know. More than TV, he wanted to make a cookbook that sat on everyone’s shelf between The Joy of Cooking and Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

“Aw, that’s really sad he never got to finish it,” says Ginny. “No matter how you felt about him, Olive, you have to do it.”

“I know. He was due to go to Italy for a few weeks next month to do the final push. So, the accommodation is booked and paid for and I’d just need to get the flight.”

“Well, this is like the perfect way to say good-bye to him,” says Ginny; then she leans in, nudging me. “Perhaps you can put some of those regrets to rest?”

I nod. So many regrets. I regret missing those last seven phone calls, for one.

“Where in Italy?”

“Back to Sicily for the first time in more than fifteen years, then somewhere in Tuscany and finally Liguria,” I say.

“Oh Jesus. Can I come with?” Ginny says, clasping her hands together.

I spin the whiskey glass on the table as I analyze my feelings for the hundredth time. There are so many conflicting emotions I can’t yet communicate to my friends. But the one I feel overwhelmingly right now is that I do not deserve this huge gift from my father. I feel shame at his generosity. I hardly saw him in the last ten years, tucking myself away on the other side of the river, blaming him and resenting this restaurant for the end of my parent’s marriage.

I look up from my drink and across to Leo.

I should be where Leo is right now. I should have gone to culinary school just as we’d planned. Then I would have trained under my dad, preparing to eventually take over Nicky’s when he was too old to descend the wine cellar stairs or too forgetful to take an order. A quiet part of me thought I’d eventually come back. The child in me also thought my dad would live forever. But he didn’t.

When I walked away, Leo Ricci stepped into my place. Dad poured all that love and attention into him. They even went on holiday together, I’d learned. Leo worked beside him for nearly fifteen years, and now I’m supposed to swoop in and take the spoils? Be Leo’s boss?

Does Leo even know?

I grimace into my empty glass. I have to sell it, and sell quickly.

“Duck!” Ginny shouts as she spots Temp’s owner arriving in his three-piece suit with bright-white trainers and a trilby.

We sink our heads in unison; Ginny arranges the wine list (which is irritatingly sorted by fucking temperature) to hide our faces.

“Well. A lot to process, Olive. But I think a few weeks in Italy doing this for your father will really be a good thing for you,” Kate whispers from behind the menu, in her practical way.

“Sun. Sex. Sangria,” Ginny begins.

“Sangria is Spain,” Kate interjects.

“I’m sure you can get sangria in Italy,” whispers Ginny stubbornly.

“We have to get out of here,” says Kate, craning her neck. “Let’s go sit in the Book Bar instead.”

“Yes, let’s go,” I say, throwing a twenty-pound note on the table just as the owner spots me. “Quick.”

As we spill out onto the street, I pull them down the road and between two parked vans, out of the glaring view of the owner, who is waving a fist and yelling down the street. “You suck, Olive fucking Stone!”

“Oh my god,” I say, cringing.

I glance at Leo, who is on the phone now but looks up to see what the commotion is about. Ginny starts to laugh, but my heart beats hard in my chest, and I hold a finger up to my mouth to shush her.

“Tech bro is gone,” whispers Kate as she peers around the van.

“Damn,” I reply, panting. “I’m a serious liability.”

“You’re a very rich liability,” Ginny reminds me, pointing back at Nicky’s.

“Shit. I haven’t finished explaining the catch,” I say, following her gaze, and we all turn to get a better look back at the restaurant.

“He’s a catch, all right,” says Ginny, swooning at Leo.

“The thing is,” I say, putting a hand on both of their arms as we peer around the van like a trio of comedy government spies.

“Because I’m not a chef myself, and can’t really do the recipe part of the book . . .” I take a deep breath and point across to Leo, who is about to head back inside Nicky’s and begin the evening shift. “Part of the deal is that the hot chef over there—Leo Ricci—he has to come and do it with me.”

“You have to spend a month in Italy with him?”

“My nemesis,” I say.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Just One Taste’ by Lizzy Dent appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intriuged? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Lizzy Dent’s The Sweetest Revenge, which is out now!

Her past is a mess. But her present is about to get delicious.

Amy is more than one disastrous night of drunken revenge on her boss/ex-boyfriend’s Audi—the night that tanked her rising TV producer career and led to a hasty move to London for a fresh start. She is thirty years of awesomeness. At least, that’s what Amy tells herself every morning before trekking to her mediocre job making trailers at a failing British TV channel.

Two years later, she’s finally starting to believe it. Sparks are flying between her and Jake, her handsome new downstairs neighbor, and there’s a competition at work that just might get her career back on track while bringing her and Jake even closer. But then, in a twisted turn of fate, the ex-boyfriend who wrecked her life is hired as her new boss and past and present are about to epically, hilariously collide.

“We need to talk.”

Nothing good ever comes after that sentence. Nothing. All I can think is: Whatever happens, do not let him talk to you about anything until you’re on that fucking train.

“You need to get ready,” I say lightly, nodding toward the dry-cleaning bag slung over his bed. “I picked up your suit, and there’s a coffee waiting for you. Or a whiskey. Whichever you need.”

I can see the seriousness in his dark brown eyes as he remains fixed on me. He lifts his hand to his face and rubs his freshly shaved chin. “Okay, but then we need to talk.”

For now it’s enough to know we’re still going to get the train, but I’m anxious. Work? Incurable disease? Us? My phone buzzes again, and I leap to the bed to free it from its charger.

“Amy. You better be on top of Bradley fucking Cooper,” shouts Ruth, my cousin and the bride-to-be. The phone is then handed to my mother, who continues the dressing-down. “Everyone’s waiting for you, Amy.”

“And I’m the one who is supposed to keep everyone waiting!” shouts Ruth in the background. “I’m the fucking bride!”

“I’m so sorry, Mom, Chris just got home, he had a meeting—”

“I’m not sure a meeting is more important than your cousin’s wedding.”

“I’m not going to miss it!” I shout, impatient now. “I’m standing here in the damn dress. The train leaves in forty-five minutes.”

“This guy can’t drive you both in his fancy car?” she says. I had already made the grave error of mentioning his new car. In my concern they might not like Chris, I’d oversold him and turned him into a rich asshole.

“The Uber has been ordered,” I reply.

I hang up the phone and quickly order an Uber.

Moments later, Chris, who seems to be moving at a glacial pace, emerges from the bathroom in a pale blue linen suit and cream shirt. No tie. I melt like butter at the sight of him. He always looks so put together. So clean somehow. But I say playfully, “We’re going to Long Island, not the Bahamas.” My massive family will all be in off-the-rack suits and ties and Chris is going to stand out like a walking GQ cover.

“I thought it was going to match you. But I’m afraid Tom Ford doesn’t do that shade of virgin blue,” he says teasingly as I fiddle with the top of the bridesmaid dress, trying to squeeze a little cleavage out of the modest neckline. “Although it has improved with you in it.” He smiles flirtatiously at me. Chris always knows how to weaken me. A single raised eyebrow can have my pants off in a whip. I glance down at the dress. Ruth hadn’t done a terrible job with the design—but it did come off a little polygamist Mormon for my taste.

“Only polyester taffeta can deliver this kind of shine,” I say, grinning at him. But I’m anxious. He seems to sense this and pulls me close, delivering a heavy kiss on my lips, crushing the skirt of my dress. I want to collapse into him. “Mind the gown,” I say instead, pushing him back.

“I do really need to talk to you,” he says in that crisp, upbeat business tone I was used to hearing in the boardroom at work. Sexy. Strong. Capable.

“I love you,” I reply, “but this is the first time you’re going to meet my family, and they’re going to be at their most insane, so let’s talk later.”

Chris is an only child, and he grew up in Providence, and although I’ve never been there, nor have I met his parents, I can just imagine his quiet picket-fenced cul-de-sac, with a boat in the driveway and an organized recycling area. And his parents: slim, refined, and classy—but also slightly terrifying (because what did they really think?). My family, on the other hand, is like walking into a room full of kindergartners on a sugar high, but with six-foot men and beer. Within thirty seconds of arrival, my brother, Floyd, will give Chris an excruciating nickname, one that pierces the very heart of who Chris is. It will exemplify a truly extraordinary ability to read people, and in some ways is a superpower, but all I will hear is my brother calling my boyfriend the Little Stinger because he’s only five nine and a WASP.

“Amy, we need to talk now,” he replies, and then after a beat of staring at me in a way that makes me stiffen with unease, he adds, “We’re not going ahead with the series, Amy.”

“What do you mean, we’re not going ahead with the series?”

I shift to autopilot, picking up my overnight bag and moving toward the front door. I push it open and walk down the stairs, then out onto his stoop and the tree-lined street.

“The Uber is here,” I call to hurry him along, my eyes on his brand-new silver Audi, which could get us there in half the time and hassle. He’s moving so slowly. Or am I running? I feel like I’m running. I feel like I’m running away from what he’s telling me, as though if I stay a few feet ahead, the information will not catch up with me.

“The content board met, and that was the decision,” he says as we slide into the back seat of the car.

“I see,” I reply, the gravity of this situation too overwhelming to fully accept or even acknowledge. I swallow a scream. It can’t be. It’s a mistake. It’s a temporary setback.

I have been working on The Darkening Web for as long as I’ve been at Wolf Studios. It’s a crime series set between Palo Alto and Pebble Beach in Northern California, in the creepy underbelly of Silicon Valley. Pitched as Big Little Lies meets Ozark, with a Black Mirror twist, it’s four years of my blood, sweat, and tears.

In TV development, having a show fall down before being greenlit is all part of the game. It’s happened a dozen times in my career, but this one, this one that I adored, was meant to fly. This was my moment. I had the most incredible showrunner poised to sign on. A brilliant young writer had drafted a pilot script described by the VP of development as a game changer. All it needed was the green-light team to say yes, and we would be moving to pitch and, hopefully, pilot.

This was the meeting that had been important enough to stay for. The meeting that I missed my cousin’s rehearsal dinner for. The meeting where, Chris promised, he would finally get the green light for my show.

As we pull up to Atlantic Terminal, Chris is still trying to get me to talk about it.

“I can’t,” I repeat for the hundredth time, pulling away from his pitying arm, which he’s trying to drape around my shoulders. “I wish you’d waited to tell me.”

“I just want you to understand why I voted—”

“You voted?” I say, jumping out of the car, tugging him toward the building. “You voted to green-light it. Because it’s brilliant and because you said you would.”

“I didn’t vote for it,” he says, frowning.

“Sorry, did I mishear?” I say, spinning around to face him.

“Amy—I’m your boss. That’s a reality,” he says, dropping his canvas weekender to the sidewalk. He puts his hands on my shoulders, squeezing me lightly. “Today we become official. I’m meeting your family, and people at work are starting to figure it out.”

“What does this have to do with The Darkening Web?” I ask, although I suspect I know the answer.

“I can’t be seen to be favoring my girlfriend,” he says, and I cringe.

“Your girlfriend? I was a development executive first,” I say, “a pretty fucking good one too.”

“You understand, though?” he asks, shaking out his hand so his stupid, expensive vintage watch slides down his wrist. Then he checks the time and looks at me with a great deal of discomfort. “I was worried about the blowback. It’s highly unprofessional, what we’re doing. I can’t be fucking you and then elevating your work. It looks terrible.”

I raise my hands to my face. “Oh my God,” I say finally. “Oh my God. Four years of my work. Four years!”

“We talked about this,” he says impatiently. “I explained to you that it would be problematic. I gave you options.”

“You gave me the option to let you pitch it as yours. I thought you were joking!”

Chris shrugs at this. “It made the most sense. That way, no one thinks I’ve made a decision with my dick. And your project can be viewed without bias.”

“But it’s mine!” I say, stamping my heeled foot as I say it.

“Of course it is, to everyone else. It would have only been the network heads who would have thought otherwise.”

I cannot make sense of what he is saying to me. I just keep shaking my head in disbelief.

“I thought you’d want to keep exploring whatever this is becoming,” he says, frantically motioning between the two of us. “I can’t green-light a potentially fifty-million-per-season show for my girlfriend. Can you not see this? I thought you would get it.”

I can’t speak. I thought you would get it. I feel sucker punched. My thoughts are scattered like confetti in a hurricane.

“You must have known there was going to be a conflict,” he says. “I’m your boss. I do your annual review. I can’t grade you at your day job when you’ve just given me a blow job.” Chris half laughs at this. I feel like I’m going to throw up.

“Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke,” he says now, rubbing his face with both hands and then resting one hand back on my shoulder.

“Ugh,” I say, shrugging him off. I hold my hand to my stomach, the layers of taffeta skirting crunching under my fingers. “I can’t believe you.” I feel my lip start to quiver and turn swiftly away from him, marching into the building.

“Amy!” he says in a tone one might use for a toddler as he follows behind.

I close my eyes and stop short as a cascade of visceral memories floods my brain. Kisses in elevators. Cocktails in hotel bars. His hand inching up my bare thigh at the Independent Screen Awards dinner. Him on his knees, face buried between my legs behind the changing room’s curtain at Saks. Making love on the beach on Fire Island, me staring up at the stars. The words. The promises. My stomach lurches, and I open my eyes to see Chris looking into the distance, a deep crevasse between his eyebrows. He looks different suddenly.

“Let’s just go, Amy,” he is saying, leading me down the stairs toward the platform so I have to follow him now. “You’re becoming overly emotional,” he says over his shoulder.

I narrow my eyes, scoffing in disgust, as I’m elbowed in the ribs by a rushing commuter. “Don’t say that. God, I knew you were cutthroat, but I never saw the knife at my own throat.”

“Oh, come on,” he says, turning back as he takes his place on the platform edge, and I spot a brief eye roll. “I chose us. I thought you’d be pleased.”

“You chose yourself,” I retort, setting down my bag. “You were worried you would look bad. Chris, you’ve just killed my whole dream. The dream of everyone who worked on it, because you didn’t want to admit that you fell in love . . .” I pause to consider this word anew. Is he even in love with me? “. . . that you were involved with a junior person on your staff.”

“No, I chose us. I’m coming to this wedding with you, aren’t I?”

The train pulls into the station, and the wind picks up my skirt, which puffs up like a pastel lampshade. I pick up my bag, remaining dignified. “Let’s just go,” I say.

Chris hesitates. It’s subtle, but I see it and pounce.

“You don’t want to come?”

“It’s fine,” he replies. “I said I would.”

“You don’t want to come.” My voice is tight now.

“Amy, no one wants to come to a family wedding where the only person they know is a bridesmaid. I’m coming for you.”

I feel a deep sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. This is wrong. I don’t want someone dragging themselves to somewhere they don’t want to be out of obligation. I want Chris to want to come because he wants to know my family. Because being invited excites him. Maybe even makes him nervous. Because it’s an honor to be asked. I think about how he was dragging his feet to get ready. How I had to arrange the dry cleaning. How he insisted we catch the very last possible train because, despite my asking him three months ago, he still booked in a morning of meetings today. Including, unconscionably, the meeting that canceled my show.

I narrow my eyes, staring at Chris hard while I compute this new reality.

I suddenly don’t want him anywhere near my family.

“You know what? Fuck you,” I say. “Don’t fucking come.”

“I’m coming,” he says, heading toward the train door.

“I’m uninviting you,” I say.

“You’re overreacting to a work issue and convoluting the two,” he says, holding the train door open as the train whistles. “Which is exactly why I had to block your show.”

People say the line between love and hate is thin, but I am truly stunned to find how thin it is. It’s thin like rice paper, apparently. I glare at him as everything around us blurs. In TV we call this pulling focus, but in real life it’s more like a momentary madness. Everything is silent except for the sound of the blood boiling in my veins. Block my show?

He’s saying something to me now, but I can’t hear it. It’s like he’s speaking in slow motion. Block my fucking show?

“Amy!” I feel his hands on my shoulders, shaking me. I spin around to see the train as it pulls away, and we are standing there on an empty platform, bags at our feet, my cousin’s wedding slowly becoming a thing I was not just going to be late for but going to actually miss.

“Fuck!” I shout. “I have to call another bloody Uber. All the way to the venue now. What’s the use of a fucking convertible that never leaves your driveway?”

My head is spinning and my throat is dry, but I am fixed on the most important task now—getting to the wedding.

“I explained that I don’t like driving it on freeways,” Chris replies evenly, hands thrust into his stupid linen pants. He lets out a deep sigh. “Amy, I can’t deal with this.”

My breath catches in my throat.

“I thought you loved me. I thought this was going somewhere,” he says.

I exhale through my nose, slowly, trying to calm myself.

“I do love you,” I say, my voice faltering. “I’m trying to take you to meet my family.”

“But you’d rather have your show than have me,” he says.

“It’s my show. Why can’t I have both?” I hear the whimpering in my voice now.

“You don’t get it,” he says, picking up his overnight bag. He smiles grimly at me. Pityingly, even. Before turning and heading back up the stairs.

“I’m calling an Uber,” I shout after him. “Wait!”

“I think we both need to cool off. Let’s talk when you’re back,” he replies over his shoulder as he walks away. “I’m going home.”

It takes me a moment to figure out that he doesn’t want me to follow him. I stand there stunned as the air is squeezed out of me, wondering if this is my fault. What the hell just happened?

A few hours later, I’m sitting at the Dirty Dog’s Lounge, five minutes’ walk from the train station, with a small circle of people crowded around me. It was meant to be one quick drink. A straightener, as I pulled my shit together. But I’m into my eighth bourbon, and now I have my own entourage; they came for the wild dress and stayed for the feminist raging.

“And then he says, You don’t love me!” I am slurring, pulling Jim from Queens by the collar as I use him as my stand-in Chris for more dramatic effect. “And I said, I’m taking you to meet my family, you stupid asshole. And then he said, You’d rather have your show than me.”

“That’s Gaslighting 101,” says a woman, raising her glass toward me to accentuate the point. “A gaslighter. Just like my ex-husband.”

“More toxic than this fucking mai tai,” says another. “By the way, honey, you’ve got a false eyelash stuck to your cheek.”

“You need to call your mom, Cinderella,” says the bartender, pulling the bourbon out of my reach.

“So, I’m right to be angry,” I say to the animated groans and angry gesticulations of my audience. I am right to be angry. He was gaslighting me.

“You know what?” I stand, knocking over my stool in the process. “I’m going to go and tell him what an absolute prick he is. I’m going to walk to his stupid apartment and I’m going to knock on his stupid door and I’m going to tell him.”

My phone rings for the hundredth time, and under the influence of adrenaline and bourbon, and the encouragement of my gaggle of daytime drunks, I throw the phone into a pint of beer, and everyone cheers. “You guys love drama,” I say, feeling momentarily sober as I stare at the tiny bubbles escaping my submerged iPhone 13.

I take another shot, and before I know it, I’m stumbling toward his apartment in Prospect Park, drinking the dregs of the bourbon I swiped from the bar, the long skirts of my bridesmaid dress floating in my wake. I wave at the folks who stare, and occasionally shout “Asshole!” to the sky. I am crazed.

As I turn onto Chris’s street, my mood darkens further.

I pass his brand-new silver Audi TT convertible and kick the hubcap, injuring my toe in the process, before heading up the short flight of  stairs to his front door. I ring, I knock, I shout, I ring, and I shout some more.

Someone from a neighboring apartment yells for me to “shut the hell up!” but it only serves to rile me further. Where the fuck is he?

“Where are you, you gaslighting son of a bitch?” I scream.

I turn back to the street and plunk down on the stairs, glaring out at the symbol of my hate: that stupid car. Who the hell is too scared to drive on an expressway? I mean, I am, but I don’t own a car specifically designed to speed on expressways with the top down.

Suddenly, possessed, I stand and lift the several layers of my skirt and walk toward his car. I slide my shoes off and climb up on the hood to the roof of the car. Then I pull my underwear down and feel a cathartic release as I pee onto the canvas roof of his Audi TT.

A moment later, my stockinged foot slips on a runaway trail of pee, and I cascade backward onto the roof of the car, my skirt rising in a blue poof of cheap fabric as the canvas top buckles underneath me. And then I cackle. I cackle and I cackle, and at some point the cackling turns to sobbing.

I lie there in a pile of polyester, the sky a darkening blue, the clouds turning a slight pink, and I think about Ruth’s wedding. They would be heading to the tent for dinner, an empty seat at the head table where my sorry ass should be. I think about my mom and how deeply I have let her down. I think about my show, and the four years’ work that came to an end because I decided it was worth it to explore an office affair with my boss. And I think about Chris, and my heart squeezes. Despite everything, I am grieving, because no matter how much I hate him right now, I also love him.

How quickly a day can turn from giddy excitement, full of hope and possibility, to this: a fugitive bridesmaid, lying in a pool of her own pee, on the collapsed roof of her boss/boyfriend’s car, probably expelled from her family for life.

“The only way is up,” I whisper quietly to the heavens, deciding I’d better escape the scene of the crime. I groan as I realize I’ve hurt my butt in the fall.

And then I hear it. “Oh my God, did you get it?”

“All of it,” says another voice. “Holy shit, that’s hilarious. Look at that fall.”

My heart picks up, and I try to crane my neck to see. Who is that?

“Is that Amy Duffy?” says the first voice.

No.

“Holy shit, that ballbuster from Wolf?” says the second voice.

That ballbuster?

No.

No!

“Hello? Who’s there?” I ask, panicking, craning my neck in all directions. “This is not what it looks like. Also, why am I a ballbuster?”

“Shit,” one of the voices says, “let’s go.” And then the sound of steps hurrying off down the street.

I pull my head up, struggling to see, stuck in the huge dent I’ve made in the Audi’s soft top. But I can just spot the back of them. Two men, one clutching an iPhone, and the end of my life as I know it.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘The Sweetest Revenge’ by Lizzy Dent appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Beach Read meets Sweetbitter in this laugh-out-loud and ultimately heartwarming debut of a good friend’s very bad decision and the summer job that stands to ruin or make her life.

We chat with debut author Lizzy Dent about The Summer Job, writing, settings, what’s next, and more!

Hi Lizzy! Congratulations on the debut of your first novel, The Summer Job! How are you feeling?

I am feeling pretty lucky! It’s been an absolute dream!

How did the idea for The Summer Job come about?

A mixture of looking back at my own crazy time working in hospitality in Scotland, and wanting to do something with a high concept that sets the reader up for lots of giggles. Oh, and wine. I always wanted to write about fancy people who talk about wine in this super pretentious way, gatekeeping the pleasure somewhat for us peasants.

Like some readers, I’m sure, I know next to nothing about wine and this was a little daunting at first, but I loved that you made it so easy for anyone to read and empathise with Birdy. Did you have to do a lot of research or are you already a wine connoisseur?

I enjoy a glass of wine – but I’m not a connoisseur AT ALL. That said, I do enjoy a vineyard tour and a tasting session. There are some romantic aspects to wine I love – especially in the great French regions where they stick to some traditional wine making techniques. But, who the hell can afford a vintage Burgundy at 100 bucks a pop?

Birdy was such a fun, witty character. Was her personality inspired by anyone or multiple people you know in particular?

I watched a lot of the TV series LOVE when I was writing it, as well as The Good Place. I really wanted to write a character that was not always a good person. It’s funny to me when some readers are indignant about Birdy’s behaviour and they cannot get past such a selfish person and enjoy the book. I believe absolutely everyone makes mistakes and bad decisions and hurts people they love – EVERYONE. There is nothing more insipid to me than a female character who is just so pure of heart, only thinks of others and never makes any mistakes; unless she makes really cute mistakes that endear her to a love interest.  No thanks.

I loved the way the book touched on some more serious topics related to wine and alcohol; was that difficult to write? And what would you recommend to aspiring authors who want to incorporate those more sensitive topics in their novels?

I just think it is unrealistic to write about working in hospitality and not talk about the massive alcohol consumption that goes with it. If aspiring authors want to talk about more sensitive topics, they should do their research and write from the heart. I spoke a lot to a therapist when I was creating Birdy, for example, because I wanted to make sure that her background would be a clear cause of her behaviour.

What got you into writing? Have you always written and/or read books?

No, I wasn’t a big reader until I started writing books. My background is TV, so I am a total junkie for a good TV series. Now I read or listen to 2-5 books a month, and my TV viewing is starting to wane somewhat!

Scotland looks so beautiful, not just in photos but in your writing! What made you choose this particular location?

I worked in Inverness in my teens and twenties, and I didn’t want to set it exactly there because it would be difficult for Birdy to rock up there and pretend to be someone else. An isolated hotel in the west coast sounded more plausible. Also, the greatest drive I ever took was around that area, stopping for squat lobster on a coastal port. It’s breathtaking!

What is your writing routine like?

I’m chaotic. I try to be structured but I juggle a lot in a week and have to grab time when it becomes available. But I’m absolutely an early morning writer. I love it.

What are three tips you would give to young aspiring authors to help them on their writing journey?

Enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to share your work. And, don’t compare your journey to others – you’ll never get past GO. (plus, everyone’s journey is MUCH HARDER than it looks on twitter)

Thank you so much for your time! What can we expect from you next? A sequel perhaps?

I’m writing a book about an insecure, anti-social woman who is pushed into a grand scheme to find THE ONE by a pregnant fortune teller. Another ticking clock, panicked plans and very badly behaved heroine.

Will you be picking up The Summer Job? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Lizzy Dent, Author of ‘The Summer Job’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In The Summer Job, we meet Birdie who’s kind of impersonating her best friend Heather because she doesn’t really have anywhere else to go. Thinking that the job she’s taking as Heather will be an easy one, she’s thrown into a world where she needs to know hundreds of wines, pairings, and recommendations, plus there’s a friendly Scottish friend that’s definitely easy on the eyes.

This read was such a breath of fresh air and Lizzy Dent really excelled at fleshing out Birdie’s character from the context of what she’s had to go through in her past compared to Heather and how it has led her to where she is now. Wine is not something I’m an expert at and although I couldn’t quite understand half of what was expected of Birdie in this job that turns out to be more challenging than previously thought, Dent does a great job at making it easy to read and like the reader is also learning and getting through the obstacles Birdie is facing. Even as a person with the least knowledge of wine, I found myself feeling more confident about it by the end of the book and really enjoyed reading from Birdie’s perspective throughout it.

This novel depicted such lovely and serene scenery based in Scotland and I fully enjoyed the character development that Birdie experienced during her journey, particularly as she got to know the cast of side characters and explore the areas of Scotland. Speaking of side characters, I loved the heartwarming found family aspect involved in the story as Birdie works towards feeling like she belongs somewhere even when she’s technically pretending to be Heather. The humour throughout the book was light and although the amount of swearing surprised me a little, I loved the easy-going nature, and particularly how well the poignant moments that discussed more serious topics were integrated with such care all the while maintaining respect and sensitivity.

Although this was definitely a fun and cute rom-com novel, the romance was not at the forefront of every decision and every scene. If anything, the romance supported Birdie’s character development which made her moments with the dreamy chef all the more enjoyable to read. While others may not like it, the fast pace was quite enjoyable as there was never a moment where it felt like things were dragging. Despite the fact this novel was a great read, I didn’t like that I wanted so much more afterwards! I got so attached to this family so quickly it’s almost a little baffling and hope we get some sort of sequel because it would be great to read more from Birdie & co.

Overall, this was such a great read (a great debut!) and I look forward to reading more from Lizzy Dent. I’d highly recommend it if you’re keen for a fast-paced, heartwarming, and fun rom-com with found family and personal development vibes. Birdie is certainly a unique character that’s out of the box, complex and energetic, which is a type of character I don’t see often in books and it was truly refreshing.

The Summer Job is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Summer Job? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Birdy just got her dream job. The problem is, it’s not hers. Warning- this is not your typical rom com. Have you ever imagined running away from your life?

Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. Which might’ve been an error.

And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s.

The only problem is, she hasn’t told Heather.

Actually there are a few other problems…

Can Birdy carry off a summer pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)?

And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked (but who thinks she’s someone else)?

The post Review: The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent appeared first on The Nerd Daily.