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Romance

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy

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In the small frontier town of Woodsburgh, during the Klondike Goldrush, an enthralling stranger appears. She wants to purchase the demolished mineshaft on the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, when the streets are cloaked in darkness, something abhorrent and violent is targeting the unwary townspeople, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. There are monsters in this town, human and otherwise, and the strange new visitor might know something about it.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy is Victorian gothic meets sci-fi horror with equal parts gore, romance, and tragedy. The plot could be considered obscure and so the reader is left to interpret what exactly is going on all one their own. I didn’t mind being repeatedly confused because the art is gorgeous! How often can you call a parasitic entity beautiful? If you like carriage rides, tragic love stories and interdimensional realms, I suggest you find Mercy in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla.

Instructions for Dancing

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Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens

This was a cute, quick, and bittersweet read. Evie loved reading romance books, but that’s all in the past now that her parents are divorced. She no longer believes in love. One day she gets the ability to see people’s love stories once she sees them kiss and how all relationships all eventually end. In her quest to find answers she ends up at a dance studio and partnering with a boy named X.

Evie is more cautious, while X is much more free-spirited. They had lots of cute moments together as they got to know each other from dance practice and hanging out. I loved their opposite personalities and how they worked so well together.

The ending caught me off guard the most, but I’m not mad at it. Just bittersweet. Check out Instructions for Dancing in our catalog.

Bigfoot and the Librarian

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Bigfoot and the Librarian by Linda Winstead Jones
Format: Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

Marnie Somerset needs a fresh start; a new beginning, away from her dysfunctional family, and a worrying string of unsuitable ex-lovers. She accepts the position of Librarian for a charming little town she’s never heard of before: Mystic Springs, Alabama. Upon arriving, she finds the long-time citizens, who call themselves “Springers,” are a bit… stand-off-ish. Well, she supposes that’s to be expected. After all, Mystic Springs is a very small town, with a very insular community. At least the local author, Clint Maxwell, is helpful, and not hard on the eyes!

Clint knows the truth: Mystic Springs isn’t an ordinary town, and the people who’ve lived there for generations aren’t ordinary people. There is magic in Mystic Springs; witches, werewolves, fairies, fortune-tellers, and more. Clint himself is a shape-shifter who turns into Bigfoot whenever the mood strikes him! And Springers don’t take kindly to strangers. This Librarian is an outsider! It could be dangerous for her to stay, and much better for everyone if she left… too bad he can’t stop thinking about her!

This cute paranormal romance about a small southern town is the first in the Mystic Springs series by Linda Winstead Jones, and is available to listen to via Hoopla.

Return of the Scot

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Return of the Scot by Eliza Knight
Format: Book
Who’s it for: New for Adults

Duke of Sutherland and war hero Lorne Gordon is ready to return home after ten years of being missing in action as a prisoner of war, but how is a Duke to return home when his title and estate have been sold out from under him? Business maven Jaime Anderson has little sympathy for the Duke presumed dead and is resolute to withhold her newly purchased property from the currently penniless Laird, but can she withhold her heart from the determined Duke despite their bitter past? An unlikely partnership and more than a few sparks might unite these stubborn Scots!

Eliza Knight’s first book of the Scots of Honor series is one more Highland romance to add to a historical romance lover’s “to be read” shelf. Family secrets, mysterious disappearances, and less than tactful proposals aren’t the only plot points to enjoy. Jaime and Lorne’s strong personalities and dialects make this prickly and utterly Scottish pair well-matched for their entertaining banter and slowly built tension. Cheeky cousins, blunt butlers, and detestable siblings are also in store for this novel that can be read alone or with the accompanying novels in the series.  Fans of Highland romances from authors like Lyndsay Sands and Lori Ann Bailey may enjoy this quick, lightly sensual read and it’s following novels in the trilogy. Find Return of the Scot by Eliza Knight and other authors in our catalog.

 

Love Lettering

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Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Love Lettering follows Meg, a calligrapher and social media sensation, as she’s confronted by a client from her past who believes she’s included a hidden message for him in the work he’s commissioned. After an awkward conversation, Meg can’t seem to get him out of her head, and she asks to see him again. What begins as an odd encounter turns to friendship, and possibly something more. 

This book was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but once Meg and Reid begin their adventure around New York City, it’s hard to put down! What makes this book great and worth a read is that it doesn’t follow your average plot for romance novels, so it was exciting to see the way Clayborn added some variety to the genre!

Find Love Lettering in our catalog!

Blackout

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Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
Format: Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens

*Sighs* New York City in the summer. The birds are chirping, music is playing, kids running around and all is well in the world, then a blackout happens. “Blackout” is a book that proves the city of New York is smaller than we think. Each character in the series of short stories within the book interconnect throughout and it exudes the story of young Black teens in love. I saw this book last year in an article and was SO excited about its release. It gives the book world something it desperately needs – Black teens in love and living life. The inclusiveness of the characters is something that makes this book a great read. All six authors are powerhouses and I hope to see more collaborative stories from them in the future.

Find Blackout in the catalog.