★ The Magic We Made
Meg Cabot offers delightful entertainment in The Magic We Made. Therapist Frankie Giovanni considers herself a rational realist and has a very rational, very real dislike for Ash Merit, the owner of the vacation rental property next door, due to his too-loud renters and his too-handsome face. Then, to her dismay, Ash moves in, claiming he’ll use his psychic ability to locate a young woman, one of many who have recently gone missing. Events throw Frankie and Ash together, and she finds herself liking him and even sleeping with him. But the girls are still missing, her hometown is overrun by witch tourism and when danger finally arrives, Frankie must face the unexplainable. This imaginative paranormal romance is a whimsical treat.
Wild Goose Chase
Enemies become lovers with the help of a contraband stuffed goose in Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler. Antiques dealer Callahan Leitner lives quietly since his longtime romance ended over a year before. But then an illegal taxidermied fowl lands in his lap, and he must find it a home before it can ruin his reputation. Enter a temp employee, Annie O’Neill, who is annoying and nosy and soon in on his problem, as well as on her way into his heart. The MacGuffin is merely a way to push the plot forward and keep the primaries together, but it’s effective and punworthy. Charming Cal and effervescent Annie earn their love through resourcefulness and growing inner awareness. To round out the story, Adler feathers in a bonus romance set in the early 1900s between a journalist and an ornithologist.
Just a Highland Fling
A wedding wreaks havoc on romance in Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar. Neelu Pillai grits her teeth to attend the wedding of her estranged father. The trip to Scotland frays her nerves, and a quick fling with a sexy man from a pub the night before the festivities seems like a harmless de-stresser. Cue spectacular fireworks—but a fling’s a fling. The next night, however, she arrives for the rehearsal dinner and discovers her bedmate, Jacob Cherian, is so close with the soon-to-be couple that he’s practically their son. Awkward turns awful when one conversation between Neelu and her father’s fiancée sends the woman running. Neelu embarks on a road trip with both her dad and her fling to find the bride. Kumar tells a fast-paced tale that also delves deep into grief and forgiveness. Many emotions are explored, and a solution doesn’t come easy, but Kumar keeps it authentic and upbeat.