The best romances with complicated heroines

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a contemporary romance author who loves to feature my own messy heroines – mostly because they are the type of women I read! So my favorite books often feature women who are complex and even stereotypically unlikeable. I love seeing my expectations subverted and a more winding, emotional way to a happy ending. 


I wrote...

Recipe for Second Chances

By Ali Rosen,

Book cover of Recipe for Second Chances

What is my book about?

Stella Park is elated to celebrate her best friend’s wedding in the Italian countryside—and maybe she also needs this escape from her personal and professional life. Writing recipes for a living isn’t all it’s cooked up to be. But the revelry is short-lived when she runs into the ex she hasn’t seen since she broke his heart ten years ago, Samuel Gordon. As her past gets propelled to the forefront, Stella tries not to question the choices she made a decade ago.

When Stella and Samuel keep getting pushed together during a weekend filled with delectable food, Indian and Italian wedding traditions, and unplanned detours in gorgeous locales, she attempts to ignore that maybe he really was the one who got away. Perhaps some love stories need more time to marinate.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of You, Again

Ali Rosen Why did I love this book?

This is billed as a modern When Harry Met Sally tale of frenemies who meet over the years and eventually become friends then lovers. But this book is so much more than that.

I loved the heroine, Ari, so much in this book. She is a comedian, so she’s hilarious, but she’s also a mess. And I love my messy women. This book is incredibly fun and filled with so much tactile New York goodness that it instantly became a favorite I know I’ll read over and over.

By Kate Goldbeck,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked You, Again as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A commitment-phobe and a hopeless romantic clash over and over again—until heartbreak and unexpected chemistry bring them together in this “funny, warm, and quite addictive” (The New Yorker)enemies-to-friends-to-lovers debut romance.

“Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic.”—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?

When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other. Instantly.

A free-spirited, struggling comedian who likes to keep things casual, Ari sublets, takes gigs, and she never sleeps over after hooking up. Born-and-bred…


Book cover of Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Ali Rosen Why did I love this book?

Delilah Green is a tough-as-nails photographer being asked to come back to her hometown to photograph her step-sister’s wedding, even though Delilah’s dad has long since passed away and she is estranged from his wife and her daughter.

She doesn’t count on falling for her step-sister’s best friend and maybe her own baggage along the way. I adore Delilah and you’re rooting for her even when she’s sabotaging herself. It has great sequels as well.  

By Ashley Herring Blake,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Delilah Green Doesn't Care as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications—from the author of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail.

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.
 
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding…


Book cover of Georgie, All Along

Ali Rosen Why did I love this book?

I’d read anything Kate Clayborn writes but Georgie is truly special.

She’s a searching soul, who can’t seem to find her place and will do anything to jumpstart her life. When she accidentally ends up staying at home with a family friend, Levi Fanning, they start to put each others’ pieces back together. This book is so emotional and beautiful and really doesn’t give easy answers where other books would. I love it if you need a tender, internal book. 

By Kate Clayborn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Georgie, All Along as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Perfect for Emily Henry fans. [This] is the love story that proves you can go home again…It’s so rich and wonderful.” – Julia Quinn on The TODAY Show

“A sweet novel that reminds you going back is sometimes the best path forward . . . and that planning is never as rewarding as doing.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author

“Magnetic, witty, and expansive. The world is going to fall hard for this deliciously whimsical and captivating story, and I cannot wait to see it!” —Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

“Outright perfection!”—Christina Lauren,…


Book cover of Seven Days in June

Ali Rosen Why did I love this book?

This book is so raw and so damn sexy.

Eva Mercy is a single mom with chronic illness but it doesn’t stop her from being an incredible writer – it just makes her so damn tired. But she has a secret. Her main character is based on a boy she once loved, Shane Hall, who has also been writing about her.

Flipping between past and present, you can’t help but let these two break your heart and then sew it all back up again. 

By Tia Williams,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Seven Days in June as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon book club pick is "a heady combination of book love and between-the-sheets love.” (Ruth Ware)

“Tia Williams’s book is a smart, sexy testament to Black joy, to the well of strength from which women draw, and to tragic romances that mature into second chances. I absolutely loved it.”
—JODI PICOULT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways and Small Great Things

Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...

Eva Mercy is a single mom…


Book cover of An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

Ali Rosen Why did I love this book?

This is historical for people who usually roll their eyes at unrealistic regency historicals.

Our firecracker Manuela wants a debauched summer before she gets married off, and Duchess Cora is who she wants. But besides the sumptuous 1889 Paris setting we get a beautiful love story that fits in its time but also eschews it. I love this whole series and can’t wait for the next one.  

By Adriana Herrera,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Island Princess Starts a Scandal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Adriana Herrera is once again here to upend any outdated notions of historical romance." —Entertainment Weekly

"Adriana Herrera is a fun, frothy, feminist voice in historical romance." —New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean

One last summer. 

For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom—in Paris, with her two best friends. 

One scandalous encounter. 

Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It's not…


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The Woman at the Wheel

By Penny Haw,

Book cover of The Woman at the Wheel

Penny Haw Author Of The Invincible Miss Cust

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Dog walker Dreamer Runner Reader

Penny's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.

"Unfortunately, only a girl again."

From a young age, Cäcilie Bertha Ringer is fascinated by her father's work as a master builder in Pforzheim, Germany. But those five words, which he wrote next to her name in the family Bible, haunt Bertha.

Years later, Bertha meets Carl Benz and falls in love—with him and his extraordinary dream of building a horseless carriage. Bertha has such faith in him that she invests her dowry in his plans, a dicey move since they alone believe in the machine. When Carl's partners threaten to withdraw their support, he's ready to cut ties. Bertha knows the decision would ruin everything. Ignoring the cynics, she takes matters into her own hands, secretly planning a scheme that will either hasten the family's passage to absolute derision or prove their genius. What Bertha doesn't know is that Carl is on the cusp of making a deal with their nemesis. She's not only risking her marriage and their life's work, but is also up against the patriarchy, Carl's own self-doubt, and the clock.

Like so many other women, Bertha lived largely in her husband's shadow, but her contributions are now celebrated in this inspiring story of perseverance, resilience, and love.

The Woman at the Wheel

By Penny Haw,

What is this book about?

Inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.

"Unfortunately, only a girl again."

From a young age, Cacilie Bertha Ringer is fascinated by her father's work as a master builder in Pforzheim, Germany. But those five words, which he wrote next to her name in the family Bible, haunt Bertha.

Years later, Bertha meets Carl Benz and falls in love-with him and his extraordinary dream of building a horseless carriage. Bertha has such faith in him that she invests her dowry in his…


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