Our Books to Binge On feature is pretty simple in its purpose. Every month, we put together a monthly new releases list of books that we’re all looking forward to. These are the books that we can’t wait to read and want everyone to add to their monthly binge-reading lists. Here are the books that we plan to binge on in March of 2021.
Wild Sign (Alpha & Omega #6) by Patricia Briggs
Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear — before it’s too late — in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.
In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It’s as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they’ve consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.
Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.
Holly: This series is fabulous. I am so ridiculously excited to be back with Charles and Anna, I can’t even tell you.
Rowena: I’m not looking forward to a lot these days but I am looking for this one. I agree with Holly. This series is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what Charles and Anna are up to these days.
The Devil Comes Courting (The Worth Saga #3) by Courtney Milan
Captain Grayson Hunter knows the battle to complete the first worldwide telegraphic network will be fierce, and he intends to win it by any means necessary. When he hears about a reclusive genius who has figured out how to slash the cost of telegraphic transmissions, he vows to do whatever it takes to get the man in his employ.
Except the reclusive genius is not a man, and she’s not looking for employment.
Amelia Smith was born in Shanghai, and taken in by English missionaries. She’s not interested in Captain Hunter’s promises or his ambitions. But the harder he tries to convince her, the more she realizes that there is something she wants from him: She wants everything. And she’ll have to crack the frozen shell he’s made of his heart to get it.
Holly: OMG y’all. Look at that cover! Ahh.
Rowena: Ooh, that’s a gorgeous cover and the blurb is intriguing so yeah, this is going on my wish list.
When He’s an Alpha (The Olympus Pride #2) by Suzanne Wright
The golden rule of shallow flings is not to get attached, right? Well, Havana Ramos broke it. Big time. There’s just something about Tate Devereaux that pulls at her. Assertive, compelling, and self-assured, the Alpha cat shifter pushes every one of her best buttons. Like really, really hard. Having overheard an enlightening conversation, she knows he won’t give her more than a fling—something, to be fair, he’d told her well in advance. If she doesn’t want her heart to get bruised, it’s time to end what little they have. It’s not like he’ll care or anything. Except … it turns out that he does.
Newly-appointed Alpha Tate Devereaux is never bothered when women walk away. He can’t exactly blame them, given his distrustful cat’s habit of withdrawing from relationships. But when lone shifter Havana ends their fling, everything within Tate rebels against it—including his cat. Even as she and Tate work together to crush the threat looming over her, Havana holds him at arms’ length. But if she thinks she can end their fling with no real explanation and that he’ll just tip his hat and walk away, she’s forgotten one very important thing—there’s nothing easy about shaking off an Alpha.
Holly: I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I’ve been anxiously awaiting this new release.
Scoundrel of My Heart (Once Upon a Dukedom #1) by Lorraine Heath
Lorraine Heath begins an exciting new series with a breathtaking romance about a young woman who must marry a titled gentleman to obtain her inheritance and the unsuitable man she begins to fall madly in love with…
She is desperate to wed a duke…
Lady Kathryn Lambert must marry a titled gentleman to claim her inheritance and has finally gained the attention of a duke. Yet she is unable to forget the scandalous second son who aided in her achievement—or his betrayal.
He wants what he can never possess…
Lord Griffith Stanwick is tormented by the bitter truth that as a “spare,” he will never be able to give Kathryn what she yearns to possess. But when his father is found guilty of treason, Griff detours into the dark and dangerous corners of London, haunted by memories of the woman lost to him forever.
Love not to be denied…
As the duke’s courtship intensifies, Kathryn discovers Griff has become a man to be reckoned with. When old passions flare and new desires ignite, she must decide if sacrificing her legacy is worth a lifetime shared with the scoundrel of her heart.
Holly: I’ve been dying for this book since I finished Beauty Tempts the Beast. For those of you who don’t remember, this series features Althea’s (the heroine of Beauty Tempts the Beast) brothers. Their father was hung for being a traitor to the crown, and they’re trying to figure out who else was involved. I can’t wait to read it.
Rowena: Lorraine Heath is an auto-buy author for me so of course, I want this book.
Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…
Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.
But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.
In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.
Rowena: I’ve read and enjoyed Trish Doller’s books in the past and I’m curious about this book so I want it. This book sounds good and I want to see where Trish takes these two characters.
Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance.
Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend’s little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather’s will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…
Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement.
Rowena: I really like the cover for this book and that blurb is all kinds of good so I’m adding this book to my list of books to get this month.
Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall–with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.
Rowena: This one looks super cute so I’m all kinds of interested in reading it. A cute romance with some drama thrown in? Count me in!
Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher
Marin Cole has never:
Seen the ocean
Climbed a mountain
Taken a risk on love
….But if her sister’s plan works, she just might do all three.Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has played it safe, refusing to set foot outside the state of Tennessee. Her wild-child younger sister, Sadie, has trotted the globe as a photographer, living off of art and adrenaline.
When Sadie returns from a tough assignment abroad and looks a little worse for wear, Marin reluctantly agrees to a sisters’ spa weekend on the tropical island of Saba. But her lifelong fear of travel is affirmed when Sadie misses the flight, Marin’s luggage gets mixed up with another passenger’s, and an episode of turbulence sends her hurtling into the lap of Lucas Tsai, the handsome stranger who stole her sister’s seat.
For the first time in a long time, Marin has to step outside of her comfort zone as she explores the island with Lucas and learns what she’s been missing out on. With each breathtaking new experience, Marin gets closer to her real self, the man she’s falling for, and the heart-wrenching truth about why she’s there in the first place.
Rowena: The cover caught my eye on this book first but that summary has me thirsty to know this Lucas Tsai and find out how Marin’s trip goes.
Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star…or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she’s forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.
When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.
A beautifully emotional new contemporary romance from New York Times and USA Today bestseller Roni Loren.
Rowena: I really enjoyed Loren’s last series so I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s got up her sleeve in this new book. I’m hopeful that this will be another fantastic story so I can’t wait to read this one.
Right now, I’m reading Sarah Mayberry’s SWEETHEART, which was released March 1. It’s about a woman who falls for her sister’s ex. There is a subplot involving a secondary character with mental illness, which I’m sure Mayberry will handle with her reliable empathy and understanding. SWEETHEART is being published by Sarina Bowen’s Heart Eyes Press, which is scheduled to publish over 40 books (by various authors) in 2021, all of which are connected in various ways to Bowen’s True North series.
[As a side note, this month Heart Eyes Press is publishing several books in the Vino & Veritas series, all revolving around the wine bar & LGBTQ bookstore that was featured in Bowen’s ROOMMATE. All of the books are m/m pairings and are written by such authors as Annabeth Albert, Eliot Grayson, and L.A. Witt.]
I also just finished Jackie Ashenden’s latest HP, the uber-angsty THE WORLD’S MOST NOTORIOUS GREEK, which was released on March 1. It is a marriage of convenience story—and also has a lot to say about the generational effects of grief and loss, as both hero & heroine were raised by parents who were so mired in grief they could not provide love or affection to their children.
March 9 brings Skye Warren’s PRIVATE PROPERTY, the first book in her Rochester trilogy, a modern take on Jane Eyre. I expect Warren to bring her usual mix of dysfunctional families and transgressive eroticism to the story.
Juliana Stone’s older-heroine romance, SLOW KIND OF LOVE, was scheduled for February release, but has now been moved to March 26. I’m looking forward to this latest visit to Crystal Lake from a very underrated writer.
Ainsley Booth’s SHAME was scheduled for March 9, but has now been moved to March 30. SHAME apparently involves a husband who has cheated on his wife. Cheating is generally a hard pass for me in romance novels, but Ainsley Booth (aka, Zoe York) is one of my favorite writers and, if any writer can bring a nuanced approach to a difficult subject, it would be her.
And, finally, on March 31, Clare Connelly releases THE SHEIKH’S BABY SURPRISE, the seventh and final book in her Montebello Family series. I’ve really enjoyed Connelly’s stories of the sprawling Italian-Greek Montebello family (the hero of this book is the son of a Montebello daughter who eloped with a sheikh many years before). Based on the title, I’m assuming there’s an unplanned pregnancy involved in the plot.
Thank you for reminding me about the Mayberry. I thought I pre-ordered it, but apparently not.
I’m definitely looking forward to a new Alpha and Omega book!
Are there other Acton and Doyle fans here? A new book was just released ~ Murder in Unsound Mind: Doyle & Acton #13 by Anne Cleeland.
Kareni, I count on your posts here to alert me to a new Doyle and Acton. I just ordered mine. Also, I bought the five Bishop books about the Others after you mentioned them so lovingly . They sat and sat on the TBR and, finally, after other good reviews I sat down and read through all five. Three times. Wow.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed The Others series. I recently re-read them and they were just as wonderful this time around.
Bronwyn, I’m so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Others series! My husband also just reread them. Do you intend to read Lake Silence and Wild Country? Lake Silence initially struck me as silly, but I’ve come to enjoy it more with each reread. Wild Country has a very different vibe; it has something of a wild west feeling.
Actually I have read them. Lake Silence was pretty good but it didn’t have the magic of the first five. I don’t know if I will reread it. I hated Wild Country. It was depressing and I just could not understand why the Others put up with so much from known criminals. And I really disliked Jana. So just not a win for me. Does anyone know if there will be another book soon?
Her next book will be published in a few days and is in the Black Jewels series. I haven’t heard any word of a forthcoming Others book but will hope.
Also I just bought Float Plan, mentioned in your Books to Binge On List. It calls to me. I really appreciate lists like that. They help me find authors that I would probably never find otherwise.
Charles and Anna are my absolute favorite couple and since it’s usually 2 yrs between books, this is cause for celebration!
I’m currently reading Yes & I Love You and it’s adorable and sweet so far, with an anxious, self-conscious heroine learning improv from the hero (who’s got his own issues). I’m about halfway through and just hoping it stays this good.