The best sweet romantic comedies that show how embarrassing moments can lead to a hot guy

Why am I passionate about this?

Why do I have expertise on embarrassing moments? I wish I could say I just enjoy watching other people occasionally squirm and nothing humiliating has ever happened to me. That would be such a lie, though. I’m an embarrassing moment waiting to happen. I rode to the vet with a cat who wanted to cling to the top of my head. I got stuck in a gas station in the middle of nowhere. I (nearly) locked myself out of my house in my pajamas. The only good thing about having embarrassing moments is that you can use them in your novels. And I do.


I wrote...

Just One Wish

By Janette Rallison,

Book cover of Just One Wish

What is my book about?

She’d go to the ends of the earth—or at least Hollywood—to save her brother’s life. Annika Truman has never considered "genie" as a career option, but maybe she should have. She’s convinced if she fulfills her little brother’s only wish before his cancer surgery, he’ll have a better chance of pulling through. The trouble is, Jeremy wants the actor who plays Teen Robinhood to pay him a visit. Steve Raleigh is handsome, cocky, and most likely unreachable. And worse, Annika only has a couple of days to find him and convince him to visit her brother. Still, she has to try.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Royally Rearranged: A Sweet Royal Romcom

Janette Rallison Why did I love this book?

At some point in life, every woman wanted to be a princess. The crown, the poofy dress, the loyal servants. (Now that I’m older, I’d be happy with just the servants.) This novel is pure wish fulfillment. It’s also a fun read—and as far as embarrassing moments go, getting glass splinters in your derriere in front of a hot guy definitely checks that box. Also, this book has lots of romantic tension. Always a plus.

The heroine was nice, funny, sweet, but also awkward at times—someone you’d want as a friend.

Book cover of The Cowboy Who Stole My Heart

Janette Rallison Why did I love this book?

First of all this book has a hot cowboy in it. *Swoons* As far as wish-fulfillment goes, I think most women would like to date a cowboy. Cowboys love horses, have muscles, and wear cool hats. I’m not sure why women ever stopped making men wear hats (top hats especially—every man looks better in a top hat) so I especially appreciate a man in a cowboy hat. 

However, I wouldn’t like a cowgirl’s schedule of getting up at the crack of dawn to do ranch work, which is why it’s so nice to vicariously live through this book. You get to date the hot guy but you don’t have to clean stables. Win-win!

Oh, and mixing up a guy with his twin brother and making a fool of yourself—also fun to read about.

By Melinda Carroll,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cowboy Who Stole My Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Only two things stand between Skye and the life she craves: a priceless necklace and a hot cowboy. Not necessarily in that order.

Skye Stanton enjoys catering for Aunt Judy’s reception center about as much as she likes sour milk and day-old sushi. But she’s trapped as long as Judy holds Grandma’s trust money hostage. So when Skye learns her family may have the rights to a stolen heirloom necklace, she hatches a plan to track down the jewels in exchange for sweet freedom.

For Dillon Wyle, the necklace doesn’t just represent money—it symbolizes loyalty, family, and the mother he…


Book cover of Austenland

Janette Rallison Why did I love this book?

I won’t start out this recommendation by admitting how many times I’ve read/watched Pride and Prejudice or by telling you about all the Jane Austen paraphernalia I have. (Ok, yes, I have the Jane Austen action figure.) I think it’s safe to say that a lot of us wish we could live in Jane Austen’s story worlds. So I loved the premise of this book: There’s a vacation place where women go and can have their own Mr. Darcy. 

Maybe the heroine almost gets kicked out, but hey, we like her all the more for it and root for her to get her man.

By Shannon Hale,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Austenland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr.…


Book cover of Girl at Heart

Janette Rallison Why did I love this book?

Kelly Oram writes great YA romances. You sort of feel like you’re back in high school, but without the pressure of finishing your homework and remembering your locker combination. Everything embarrasses teens, so of course, there are some embarrassing moments in her books too. 

I liked this one because the heroine loved sports but had a hard time getting her teammates to see her for who she was. Sometimes we all just want people to see who we are and not what we do.

By Kelly Oram,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Girl at Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys.When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. She’s tired of being overlooked by boys because she’s not like other girls. Suffering a massive identity crisis, she decides to hang up her cleats and finally learn how to be a girl.But with only two weeks until the state championships, the Roosevelt High Ravens can’t…


Book cover of A Man Worth Shaving For

Janette Rallison Why did I love this book?

First off, I love the title of this book. (No, don’t draw any inferences about my shaving habits from that sentence.) The book starts out with a meet-cute that involves a wardrobe malfunction, but you’ll love the heroine for taking it in stride. She’s a strong, professional woman through and through. Also, the hero in this book is really dreamy. I love a guy who is good. (Yes, I like the reformed bad boy too, but I love the guy who was never bad to begin with even more.)

By Michelle Pennington,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Man Worth Shaving For as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Our goodnight kiss should have been goodbye.

We meant it to be.

But Monday morning there was Logan Jennings, in my office, deciding the fate of the company I love...and my job.

I never should have said the things I said or let myself feel the things I felt because connections like this don't just go away. Even when you desperately need them to.

In two weeks, he'll be gone, and nothing will ever be the same.

A clean and hilarious romcom with lots of heart and sizzle. You've been looking for a book like this! Grab your copy now!



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Book cover of This Animal Body

Meredith Walters

New book alert!

What is my book about?

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life together—she’s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuse to share. And while the animals may not have Frankie’s exalted human brain, they know things she doesn’t, like what happened before she was adopted.

To prove she’s sane, Frankie investigates her forgotten past and conducts clandestine experiments. But just when she uncovers the truth, she has to make an impossible choice: betray the animals she’s fallen in love with—or give up her last chance at success and everything she thought she knew.

By Meredith Walters,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Animal Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Frankie Conner, first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley, is finally getting her life together. After multiple failures and several false starts, she's found her calling: become a neuroscientist, discover the cause of her depression and anxiety, and hopefully find a cure for herself and everyone like her.

But her first day of the program, Frankie meets a mysterious group of talking animals who claim to have an urgent message for her. The problem is, they're not willing to share it. Not yet. Not until she's ready.

While Frankie's new friends may not have her highly evolved, state-of-the-art, exalted human brain,…


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