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May is here and it's officially tourist season, so I
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don't know about you, but I'm in the
mood for some comfort, indulgence,
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and maybe even a good slow burn.
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And if you're feeling like that, I
have nine books that are coming out
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in May that are going to be perfect
for you to get all of the May vibes.
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So let's get into them.
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Welcome to Reading under the
covers a Romance novel podcast,
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where we chat fangirl and maybe
even soon over our latest reads.
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I'm Francesca from under the covers
book blog, and today we are talking
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about nine book releases in May of
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2025
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to be on your radar and on your TBR.
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And if you are following us on
Substack and you're wondering
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where is the May reading guide?
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So don't worry, it is still
coming May 7th, so it's actually
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gonna come to you guys next week.
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I know it was supposed to go
out this week, but we're running
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a little bit behind schedule.
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it's gonna be really exciting.
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We have some astrological recs,
some tropes that are perfect for
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you to read in the month of May.
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And just overall a great vibe, check
for books that you need to be reading in
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the month of May, not just new releases,
but also since it's Taurus season.
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If you're in the mood for
some book characters that
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also give that Taurus energy.
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Kind of steady, sensual
and a little bit stubborn.
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I actually did a podcast a few years
back with some Taurus themed book
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recommendations that include some
books that have Taurus vibes and book
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characters that could be Taurus us.
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so I'm gonna leave that link
down below so you can check it
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out because those are also great
books for you to read this month.
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And last is a quick reminder if you
are a paid member of our substack.
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You also have access to the book vault,
which is basically a curated database
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with upcoming book releases, romance,
fantasy, mystery, and all sub genres.
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There's a ton more book releases for
the month of May and ongoing as well.
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Plus all of the books that we
post about on book lists or
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videos here on the channel.
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And everything is categorized by
sub genre, by character type, by
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trope, by setting, and much more.
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And you can filter through all of that.
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So if you are already a member.
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I am gonna leave the link where
you can go and access that.
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And if you're not a paid member of our
substack yet, definitely check it out
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and see if you're interested in that.
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It's a great resource for you to always
find the book that you're in the mood for.
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But with all of that being said,
though, let's get into the books for
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May because there's so many amazing
books that are coming out in May.
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Also, we're starting to get that vibe
change, so we're getting a little
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bit closer to our beach reads, which
I'm super excited about as well.
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I am gonna kick things off though with one
of my absolute favorite authors, and that
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is Archangel's Obsession by Nalini Singh.
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So this one is book 17 in
the Guild Hunter Series.
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It comes out May 6th.
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So it's definitely deep in the series.
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And yes, you do need to read the books
in order, but I know that if you're
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following the series along, you've been
waiting for this story for some time.
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So this is finally Aodhan and
Iliums book, sparkle and Bluebell,
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and it is a friends to lovers.
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It's a little bit messy.
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It's definitely high stakes because
they are part of Raphael's seven,
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but it's also a story that is full of
longing and emotional vulnerability,
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which I think is something that
everyone really loves about these two.
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Now this series is definitely heavier
on the urban fantasy than the Paranormal
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Romance, but it is a series that straddle
the line between these two genres.
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So it is a great series that
I cannot recommend enough.
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If you haven't started the series,
obviously I wouldn't recommend that
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you start here, but definitely check
out the whole series because you
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really can't go wrong with this series.
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It's an absolute must read.
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I think whether you're a fan of urban
fantasy or a fan of paranormal romance.
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Now I also wanted to mention if you are
doing the Romanceopoly Reading Challenge
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with us, this book is actually a Friends
to Lovers romance as well, so I think it
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would fit perfectly for the pin and peak
lanes, prompt for Romanceopoly this year.
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So if you wanted to check that out and
you are caught up in the series, this
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would definitely fit that prompt It is
a solid friends to lover's romance arc.
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It does have that
paranormal setting as well.
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It's just a great book for that.
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Plus, I think it's also a great Taurus
season pick because it does have
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themes of transformation and stepping
into your own power, which definitely
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feels very Taurus coded if you ask me.
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Also speaking about Romanceopoly, I wanted
to give you guys a heads up if you are
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again, a paid member of our substack.
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I have something a little bit
special for you guys that I'm super
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excited about because guess what I've
already started working on this week.
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I am planning already for
Romanceopoly:
2026
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are going to give it an overhaul.
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Again, there's something fun and special
that's gonna be coming and I'm gonna
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try to bring you guys along with me on
a behind the scenes of how I'm planning.
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The whole board, the whole challenges
and like the whole structure.
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So you guys will get to see that
on our paid sub stack community.
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So definitely check for that.
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I will try and sprinkle those in
some of the monthly posts over there
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as well, so that you guys will get
to see a little bit of a sneak peek
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early of what that's gonna look like
or even what it's gonna be about.
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Continuing with May 6th.
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The next one that I wanted to talk to you
guys about is one that I have read, and
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it's actually a fun mystery debut novel.
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So this is The Retirement Plan by Sue
Hincenbergs, and hopefully I'm not
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totally butchering the author's name.
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So this was a fun surprise.
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I picked it up on a whim because the
cover absolutely drew me in and I
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definitely just really was feeling
the bit of the dark comedy vibe
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for this, so I just had to read it.
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It's a little bit dark comedy, a
little bit thriller, and it's all
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about four women who are very much
over their husband's nonsense.
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All the men actually had
blown their retirement funds
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on a very sketchy investment.
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So basically they're all struggling and
then the women decide, you know what?
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Maybe we can collect the
life insurance payout on them
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and just live our best life.
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The only thing that's standing in
their way is the fact that they're
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not dead, but they can fix that.
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Of course, things are never that simple,
especially because the husbands catch
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on and they try to outmaneuver them.
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But this is a fun back and forth
scheming and dry humor story.
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It's just a fun kind of domestic
thriller with lots of sass.
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I think if you have been really digging
revenge girly era stories, this debut is
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definitely going to keep you turning the
pages wine glass in hand kind of story.
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And sticking with May 6.
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Definitely.
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Another one that I am really
looking forward to reading is
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Daughter of Tides by Kit Rocha.
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I am so deep in my, I want
all the water related romance.
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And this one is definitely
checking all the boxes.
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It has fantasy court intrigue,
it has pirate vibes, it has
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immortal gods, and a slow burn trio
that is on a dangerous mission.
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It's the start of a brand new series.
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It's called the Born to
Sea and Storm Series.
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Honestly, the moment that I saw the God
of love is dying and going on a last quest
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with a pirate Lord and a water nymph.
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That sounds so amazing right there.
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I am sold and I just need to get it.
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Then we add in a simmering
throuple dynamic and some seductive
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politics at the Ice Queens court.
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So I am totally in with this one.
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It sounds right up my alley right now.
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Like I said, I'm definitely in
my pirates and mermaids and even
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just contemporaries on a ship.
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I just want all the boat and
water related things right now.
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So if you have read Consort of Fire,
you already know that Kit Rocha.
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Does great world building
with very high heat.
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This one has that stormy
sensual sacrificial love
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arc I think it's perfect.
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If you want a little bit of romance
and fantasy, that feels a little messy.
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Now moving on to some May 20th releases.
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The Night and The Moth by
Rachel Gillig is definitely high
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on my list of things to read
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now I'm also very excited about this.
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It's a new series by Rachel Gillig and our
guest reviewers here at Under The Covers
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have really loved her books in the past.
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This one is dark Fantasy
romance or Dark Romantasy.
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And I think it feels perfect for fans of
Leigh Bardugo and Jennifer L Armentrout.
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It's got lots of atmosphere, prophecy,
and mysterious brooding knights.
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Sybil is a diviner who receives dreams
from these God-like beings called
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omens, but when the other girls in
her cathedral start disappearing, she
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is forced to team up with Rodrick.
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He is a heretical knight who
is very rude, very hot, and
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very skeptical of her visions.
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It is the perfect enemies
to reluctant allies.
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It's the first book in a series,
it's the Stonewater Kingdom series.
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So I think it's a great time for you
to jump into something new and try
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out Rachel Gillick if you haven't.
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Definitely if you're into gothic vibes, a
prophetess heroine and some morally gray
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knights or heroes, this is definitely
going to fulfill all those darker, more
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introspective Taurus moods as well.
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So I think it's a perfect
read for right now.
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And then from something dark, we're
gonna go to something funny and flirty
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and a perfect beach read this is
not Safe for work by Nisha j Tuli.
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This also comes out May 20th, and this
book honestly feels like the perfect
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beach read for the enemies to lovers fans.
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We've got Trishara, who is an engineer
that has been passed over for a promotion
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again, and Rafe, who is the boss's son
and he's the one that got the job instead.
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So pretty much classic setup except they
both get sent on a corporate retreat to
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Hawaii and thanks to a little mix up, they
are stuck sharing the honeymoon suite.
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This one definitely leans into the
tropical tension and the workplace power
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dynamics, but it still gives us lots of
charm and heart underneath all of that.
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Plus of course, some steam.
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It feels very much like the hating
game, but with a summery twist.
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So I think this one will
definitely hit the spot.
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It sounds like lots of fun and a
great book to go into the summer with.
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The next one is also a perfect, I
think, getting into summer book and
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it's Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan.
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It's also coming out May 20th.
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Now it's been a hot minute
since I've read Mia Sheridan,
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so I'm excited to read this one.
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It is a apocalyptic Second Chance
Romance with a pop star and a bodyguard.
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And actually the first thing that I
thought about when I read the blurb for
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this book is the song If the World was
Ending by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels.
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So I think that would be totally
perfect and definitely something
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that I wanna read right now.
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We have Emily and Tuck who were
childhood best friends, maybe even
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soulmates, but life pulled them apart.
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And then 13 years later, she
is a rising pop star that is
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dealing with fame and burnout.
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And he is an ex-con trying
to rebuild his life.
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And when the worlds collide again,
she hires him as her bodyguard.
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And of course, the chemistry is
still very much there between them.
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But just as things start to get
emotionally messy, in the best way,
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there is a massive solar flare that
hits and then takes down the power grid.
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I think that probably hits a little bit
too close to home right now since Spain
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and Portugal just had a huge blackout.
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But we're gonna go with that.
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So now basically they are stuck
together and the world is unraveling
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this one is emotional.
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It's slow burn, it's nostalgic and
it's got a very raw and tender vibe
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so I think it's perfect for fans
of second chances, childhood best
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friends and survival romance.
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And also that bittersweet longing
and a little bit of angst.
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So definitely it's not your typical
beach read, but I think it absolutely
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is the perfect beach read when you're
looking for something different.
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And now for the May 27th releases, one
that I am super excited about is all
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superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens.
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So this one just sounds like pure fun.
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If you like a paranormal romance
with a comic book twist, I think this
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one sounds like a very cool take.
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We've got Roland, who is a bad
boy, super villain, who's trying
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to rebrand himself as a hero.
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And Vanessa, who is a shy but
brilliant PR rep who's been
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hired to make him more palatable.
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But of course there's some fake dating
strategy that's gonna clean up his
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image and it gets very real, very fast.
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if you've read Elizabeth Stephens before,
you know she already brings all the heat
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banter and some unexpectedly big feelings.
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Now, I read my first Elizabeth Stephens
in the month of April, which I talked
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about in my Bold Girls Spring video.
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So I'm gonna leave that link as well.
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But I definitely really enjoyed it
and I can't wait to read this one.
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It sounds like so much fun
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and I think the only superhero
romance that stands out to me right
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now is Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep.
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So I definitely want to read
a little bit more of the comic
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book Paranormal Romances Plus.
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This one is the first in a new series
is the Supers in the City series, which
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is always exciting because I'll just
be able to follow this series along.
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Now for my historical romance
readers, I have Manic Pixie
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Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday.
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This is book two in the Earls Trip
series, and it's perfect when you're
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looking for something lighthearted.
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So with the series, we're following
three Regency era BFFs who go
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on an annual boys trip getaway.
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So think of this kind of Bridgerton
meets the hangover, but it can
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get a bit heartfelt as well.
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This one focuses on Edward.
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He is a poet viscount, who's been
secretly corresponding with a magazine
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editor named Juliana, while pretending
to be a woman named Euphemia.
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So she thinks that he is her shy country
girl pen pal, and he is fully falling
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in love with her through these letters.
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So obviously things blow up when she
shows up to finally meet in person
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and discovers the whole truth.
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Now the first book in the series
was really enjoyable and really
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sweet, so I am definitely looking
forward to reading this one.
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I really love the
bromance between the Earls
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And the romance was very romcom-y,
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so I'm definitely excited for it.
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And if you're a fan of Evie Dunmore
or Virginia Heath, I think you'll
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definitely enjoy this quirkier and more
chaotic kind of historical romance.
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So definitely check this one out.
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And to close things out
for May 27th as well.
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I've got another contemporary romance.
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And that is much ado about hating
You by Sarah Echavarre smith.
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So this one sounds like a total vibe.
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It's very much enemies at work
by day, and then Spicy Fanfic,
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writer and secret reader by night.
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I could not be more into this premise
and I can't wait to dive into it.
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It's perfect if you love that trope
where I really hate this guy, but
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also I am secretly corresponding with
him online or on some kind of app.
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So I think this one
sounds like so much fun.
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Plus we've got an academic setting.
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She is an auditor and he's a literature
professor, and of course they are in
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forced proximity thanks to an audit.
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So the twist here is that he writes
Spicy Shakespeare, fanfic under a
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pen name, and she has been loving it.
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It's full of chaotic tension.
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the hot professor, black cat, girly.
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Some praise kink as well
and good girl energy.
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And I think it's also fun that we
are talking about a Fanfic writer
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because there is a lot of talk right
now about the Dramione Fanfic authors
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that are being published this year.
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So it's actually fun to see a book
that actually features a fanfic writer.
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I think this would be perfect if you
are a fan of Book Lovers by Emily
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Henry, but you want something spicier,
maybe a little bit more chaotic.
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This one definitely is a good one to grab.
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those are all the books that I have for
you guys for the month of May that I think
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should be on your radar and on your TBR.
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I know that I didn't cover some of the big
name titles here, and that is on purpose.
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I always wanna make sure that I talk
about things that maybe other people are
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not talking about because so many amazing
books are getting published and we cannot
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all be talking about the same books.
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So let me know what are your
most anticipated books that
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are coming out in May of 2025?
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Leave those in the comments.
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I can't wait to hear from you.
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:
00:14:56
And as always, if you are tuning in from
YouTube, don't forget to like this video.
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00:15:00
Subscribe to the channel and hit
that bell notification so you
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:
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don't miss any videos from us.
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00:15:04
And follow us on substack for free
so you don't miss any content that
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00:15:07
we post across all of our platforms.
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00:15:09
But for today, that's
all I have for you guys.
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Thanks so much for tuning in, and I
will see you guys in the next one.
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Bye.
