By Caitíe Woolridge, Charlotte Horsfield, Rebecca Weigler and Steph Carroll
King of Sloth by Ana Huang
30 April, Little Brown Book Company
From bestselling author Ana Huang, comes a dazzling and intense romance following an independent billionaire, looking to move away from the constraints of his family business and an unfazed publicist who stands out from the crowd.
Xavier Castillo is determined not to take over his family business and is living the high life amongst his riches and the constant attention from all except Sloane Kensington. She is a no-nonsense, professional publicist who, at first, is not interested in the billionaire glitz and glamour of her client, but when they are pushed together after an unforeseen circumstance and must work in closer quarters than they could have expected, the masquerade she sees in front of him may begin to fall.
With all the dazzling characters and tension that Huang weaves into her bestselling Twisted series, King of Sloth is the next must-read and is expected to take the romcom shelves by storm.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
2 May, Macmillan
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first in the Vacation Mysteries series and follows Eleanor Dash, the fictional author of a series by the same name. It is a light-hearted, limited-suspect murder mystery story sure to keep you guessing. Eleanor breaks the fourth wall repeatedly to bring humour to this tale of intrigue and danger.
The story takes place over ten days, and the novel is set in multiple locations, including the Amalfi Coast and Rome. As Eleanor undertakes an Italian book tour and is forced to work alongside her con-man ex, the inspiration for the main character in her novels, she counts the days until she can write Connor Smith out of her next novel.
But life soon begins imitating art as Connor becomes a real-life murder target and Eleanor finds herself at the centre of her own murder mystery as the bodies begin stacking up. Now author-turned-detective, it’s up to Eleanor to discover the culprit.
With literary counterparts, her sister/assistant, former flames and stalkers as suspects, Eleanor will have to pull from real life to discover who is killing and why someone has murder on their mind.
The Ministry of Time by Kalaine Bradley
7 May, Hodder and Stoughton
Witness Victorian Britain clash with the future in this upcoming title. The novel’s heroine works as a civil servant in the Ministry of Time department, where she has to constantly deal with Britain’s complex past.
Our heroine finds herself offered the strangest of roles that involve looking after expats from British colonial history. She finds herself watching the mysterious character of Graham Gore, who, according to historical evidence, died on an Arctic expedition that he set sail on, or did he? Is the historical evidence what it seems, or is some larger issue at play? Our heroine successfully guides the intriguing character of Gore on present-day habits and knowledge so that he can function in the present-day world. Though things begin to become complex when the heroine and Gore find themselves romantically drawn to each other.
Can a Victorian man and a futuristic civil servant be together? Or will the weight of history mean they are forever doomed to be apart? Find out on 7 May.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
9 May, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House
Carley Fortune, bestselling author of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake, returns with another charming romance we can escape with this spring.
When Lucy first met Felix, she was vacationing on Prince Edward Island. But their time together was tainted when she found out who he was: her best friend Bridget’s brother. She knows she shouldn’t want him; she should resist falling back into his arms every time she returns to the island, but that’s always easier said than done.
Lucy is determined to reject temptation and not fall at the mercy of Felix’s flirtations and beautiful eyes that not even the strongest people could resist. This summer will be different, or so she hopes. With Bridget going through a big crisis, the two best friends return to the island for one last trip, but will Lucy be able to resist her best friend’s brother, or does her heart ultimately belong to him?
Described as “a deep and shimmering story of friendship, sex, and – most of all – love”, this highly anticipated read is filled to the brim with steamy chemistry built on the idea of a forbidden, off-limits relationship. With fan-favourite tropes such as forced proximity and friends to lovers, this new heartfelt, tension-filled summer romance story from Fortune will have you swooning.