Spring is finally upon us and I know everyone is itching to go down to the park for the first rays of warm sunshine. What's better than breaking out a lovely read on your favorite bench in your favorite corner of the world? Okay strictly speaking, maybe a few things come to mind, but nonetheless, it is still quite high on my list of pleasant things to do.
Back to the books! We took a look at our favorite new modern romance releases from the past few months and compiled them below. Here's to you finding some great suggestions to carry you into spring in style and with romance on your mind!

• #1 The Son & His Hope - Pepper Winters

  

  new adult angst enemies to lovers contemporary friends to lovers

  A Sweeping, Heart-wrenching Standalone from New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters.
  
  The day he was born, Jacob learned his hardest and longest lesson.
  It wasn't a lesson a boy should learn so young, but from his earliest memories he knew where happiness lives, so does tragedy. Where love exists, so does heartbreak. And where hope resides, so does sorrow.
  That lesson carved him from the kid to the teen to the man.
  And nothing and no one could change his mind.. more

• #2 Bourbon Bliss - Claire Kingsley,Lucy Score

  sports funny contemporary small town insta-love

  An opposites attract romance with a (possibly) non-neurotypical heroine
  
  June Tucker doesn’t understand people. Numbers, data, and statistics? Those make sense. People? Not so much. In a town of Friday night fighters and moonshine-swilling line dancers, she’s the odd duck. And that suits her just fine. But her sister and friends are pairing off, and the change is unsettling.
  
  George “GT” Thompson was at the top of his game—one of the best receivers in football. But a career-ending injury sidelined him for good. Now he’s hoping to find relief in the healing waters of this tiny West Virginia town. And maybe an idea of what life has in store for him next... more

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• #3 Deal with the Devil - Meghan March

  suspense contemporary billionaire alpha male enemies to lovers

  Sexy billionaire who does not understand boundaries very well. First of a series.
  
  “You can put that man in a suit, but he'll never be tame." 
  One look at Jericho Forge and I knew the rumors were true. He was a predator, and he had set his sights on me .
  I knew better than to bet more than I could afford to lose that night. I knew better than to bet myself . But desperation leads to bad decisions, and I thought there was no way I could lose.
  I was wrong. 
  Now I have no choice but to make a deal with the devil... more

• #4 My Bad - Lani Lynn Vale

  funny military suspense pregnancy secret child

  Military guy fathers secret child
  
  Hoax knows two things very well. One, he’s not relationship material. Two, the nurse that treats him for erectile dysfunction is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, and practically has ‘the marrying type’ stamped on her forehead. Does that stop him from wanting her? No.
  
  Unfortunately, he learned a long time ago that Army Delta Force and long-lasting relationships don’t go hand in hand. But beautiful hazel eyes, curly blonde hair, and the prettiest lips he’s ever seen play havoc with his resolve, making him forget his earlier convictions... more

• #5 A Merciful Fate - Kendra Elliot

  heroine sleuth suspense mystery contemporary

  Suspensful series featuring a lady detective
  
  Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide.
  
  Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured. Four conspirators vanished with a fortune. One of them, it appears, never made it out of the woods alive... more

• #6 It Happens - Lani Lynn Vale

  funny suspense bikers alpha male virgin heroine

  From hate to love biker romance
  
  Zee + Annmarie and Tan + Jubilee. Forever. No exceptions. They were to have the picture-perfect life together. Everything was all planned out. Jubilee was to marry Eitan and Ezekiel was to marry Annmarie. That’s how it was always supposed to be from the moment that they met. Textbook, right?
  
  Wrong.
  
  Eitan and Annmarie die in a freak accident that never should have happened, leaving the two survivors reeling. Sixteen years later, Jubilee and Zee can’t even be in the same room with each other before things begin to deteriorate. Too many memories. Too much pain. Not enough forgiveness... more

• #7 Tinsel - Devney Perry

  contemporary alpha male friends to lovers new adult angst

  New adult friends to lovers romance
  
  Sofia Kendrick has always cherished her tiara. As the youngest daughter of a wealthy New York family, she’s lived the life of an American princess. But after two scandalous divorces and a breakup smear her name across the society rags, the shine from her crown has dulled. People call her superficial, even gaudy.
  
  She’s nothing more than tinsel.
  
  Desperate for escape and starving for peace, Sofia heads to Montana for a holiday weekend with her brother. But she doesn’t get the relaxing vacation she planned. Instead, she’s put to work in a bar alongside Dakota Magee—a man who does not want her help... more

• #8 Motion - Penny Reid

  funny new adult contemporary slow burn forbidden love

  Funny forbidden love, not a contradiction but a winning formula
  
  One week.
  Home alone.
  Girl genius.
  Unrepentant slacker.
  Big lie.
  What’s the worst that could happen?
  
  Mona is a smart girl and figured everything out a long time ago. She had to. She didn’t have a choice. When your parents are uber-celebrities and you graduate from high school at fifteen, finish college at eighteen, and start your PhD program at nineteen, you don’t have time for distractions outside of your foci. Even fun is scheduled. Which is why Abram, her brother’s best friend, is such an irritant... more

• #9 Defending Chloe - Susan Stoker

  military new adult suspense contemporary abuse

  Suspensful romance with dark themes
  
  Gorgeous women don’t just stumble onto Ronan Cross’s remote property. But this one—vulnerable, victimized, and needing the kind of help only Ronan can offer—tells a story that makes his blood boil almost as hot as his need to protect her.
  
  Since her father’s death, Chloe Harris has become a prisoner. Her own brother, a flesh peddler and low-level player in the Denver Mafia, is forcing her to sell her body for an endgame Chloe never saw coming: control over a vast fortune. Her only way out is to run—straight into the arms of the one hard-bodied man she can trust... more

• #10 On the Come Up - Angie Thomas

  african-american young adult contemporary

  The new book by 'The Hate U Give' author Angie Thomas
  
  Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it... more

• #11 Raw: Rebirth - Belle Aurora

  suspense second chances abuse bad boys bdsm

  Dark mafia romance
  
  It had been six years since my world was turned upside down.
  He exposed me to the darker side of life and I could never go back to the person I was.
  I had been through more things the average person couldn’t even relate to.
  
  If I had the chance to go back and do things differently though?
  Not a chance.
  
  I’d pick him a thousand times. A million times. For eternity.
  
  I guess not much has changed.
  
  My name is Alexa Ballentine, and I am still in love with my stalker... more

• #12 Verity - Colleen Hoover

  new adult suspense mystery cheating pregnancy

  Angst-y forbidden love contemporary romance
  
  Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
  
  Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read... more

• #13 Twisted Emotions - Cora Reilly

  suspense contemporary mafia arranged/forced marriage marriage of convenience

  Arranged marriage mafia romance
  
  Nino Falcone is genius and monster. As the right hand man and brother of the Capo of the Camorra, his lack of feelings is a blessing, not a curse – until his brother asks him to marry for the sake of the Camorra.
  Kiara Vitiello, cousin of the Capo of the New York Famiglia, is chosen to marry Nino Falcone to prevent war with the Camorra, but what she hears about Las Vegas makes her veins pulse with terror. After her father betrayed his Capo and paid with his life, her family thinks marriage is her only chance to bring honor to her name; but only Kiara knows she’s a faulty prize given in return for peace... more

• #14 Hollywood Playboy - Natasha Madison

  contemporary enemies to lovers angst alpha male forbidden love

  Famous actor goes from enemy to lover
  
  An entertainment journalist was the last thing I thought I would be doing.
  I thought once I got my degree, I would be reporting on stories that made a difference, but now all I do is report on who broke up with who and who is dating who.
  I was over it.
  Then I got my next assignment. 
   
  He’s Hollywood’s bad boy.
  He works hard, and he plays even harder.
  He’s rude, he’s condescending, and he’s made it known he doesn’t want me on the tour.
   
  With one month on the road with him, two things might happen
  One, I may never work in this industry again... more

• #15 Not a Hero - Cherise Sinclair

  suspense contemporary military erotic romance men in uniform

  Sexy BDSM erotica
  
  In the Alaska wilderness, four streetwise boys became men—and brothers

  Now the crazy ex-military survivalist who plucked Gabriel and three other boys from an abusive foster care home has died. But the sarge leaves them a final mission--to revive the dying town of Rescue. 

  Gabe is done with being a hero.

  Wounded in body and soul, the retired SEAL simply wants to remain holed up in his isolated cabin. He sure doesn’t want to be chief of police in some defunct town. But he has his orders.

  Audrey needs a place to hide

  After the Chicago librarian discovers a horrendous crime, she wakes to an assassin in her bedroom... more