I am an editor and writer in New York. Over twenty-five years, I have edited novels for Harlequin Books. Ironically, the more romance I edited, the stronger my belief that I would remain single—and that was just fine. I am still shocked at how wrong I was and that you can still be surprised. I gravitate toward these kinds of stories, where characters wander into unexpected territory. My surprise came in the form of Sam Bloom, the class clown from high school, a boy I’d never thought I’d see again, much less date. We now share a last name, a remote, and an adorable blue-grey cat named Yossi.
I wrote...
Romance Is My Day Job: A Memoir of Finding Love at Last
Patience Bloom asked herself this question, many times over. As a teen she fell in love with Harlequin novels and imagined her life would turn out just like their heroines: That shy guy she had a crush on would sweep her off her feet and turn out to be a rock star. Not exactly her reality, but Patience kept hoping. Years later she found her dream job, editing romances for Harlequin itself. Every day, her fantasies came true—on the page. Her dating life, however, remained uninspired. She nearly gave up hope. Then one day Patience got a real-life chance at romance, but Sam lived thousands of miles away. Was it worth the risk? Could love conquer all?
This playful romcom reminded me of the pillars of romance: juicy conflict, lovable characters, and pacing that never quits. You can’t go wrong when the son of Madame President falls in love with England’s dishy prince. This is how diplomacy should always work! Red, White & Royal Blue is high concept fun and ruined my weekend plans to work.
* Instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller * * GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for BEST DEBUT and BEST ROMANCE of 2019 * * BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR* for VOGUE, NPR, VANITY FAIR, and more! *
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when…
I thought I was too jaded to read about a single mom embarking on a torrid love affair with a global—younger—boyband heartthrob. This is a romance I’ve written in my mind since age 14 and who could outdo my own vision of marrying a member of Duran Duran? Turns out Robinne Lee does in this gripping, sensual, and soul-stirring romance that is set in a real place. Years after reading this, I’m still thinking of the relationship and its many layers.
When Solene Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favourite boy band, she doesP so reluctantly and at her ex-husband's request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things. What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as…
A writer with a hyperactive inner world makes a life with her partner whose existence seems wildly different from her own. It is easy to fall in love with Irby and her rollicking humor. Someone whose brilliance, independence, and talent sets her apart enters into marriage, stepmotherhood, and full small-town regalia. How does that work? Very well, in fact.
Winner of 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Samantha Irby, beloved author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, a rip-roaring, edgy and unabashedly raunchy new collection of hilarious essays.
“Stay-up-all-night, miss-your-subway-stop, spit-out-your-beverage funny.... irresistible as a snack tray, as intimately pleasurable as an Irish goodbye.” —Jia Tolentino
Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago,…
Disclaimer: I went to school with this talented storyteller so I am liable to gush over her prose. Once again, point proven that when you go somewhere and think your life won’t change, you are always wrong. In fact, teaching journalists how to write in Yemen over three weeks might actually be the perfect place for you to discover your purpose—and find the perfect partner. What I love about Jennifer Steil’s writing is her attention to detail, which makes for a gorgeous reading experience.
"I had no idea how to find my way around this medieval city. It was getting dark. I was tired. I didn’t speak Arabic. I was a little frightened. But hadn’t I battled scorpions in the wilds of Costa Rica and prevailed? Hadn’t I survived fainting in a San José brothel? Hadn’t I once arrived in Ireland with only $10 in my pocket and made it last two weeks? Surely I could handle a walk through an unfamiliar town. So I took a breath, tightened the black scarf around my hair, and headed out to take my first solitary steps…
The pandemic hasn’t been ideal for the experience of wonder—and certainly not deep, intimate relationships with new people who could bring about your demise due to the virus. Picoult masterfully details a woman’s trek through this challenging early COVID terrain, which often appears as a dead end (absolutely no pun intended). But what she does with her circumstances unexpectedly leads her to magical places.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes “a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six)
Rights sold to Netflix for adaptation as a feature film • Named one of the best books of the year by She Reads
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all…
I became fascinated with 16th-century and 17th-century Europe after reading Don Quixote many years ago. Since then, every novel or nonfiction book about that era has felt both ancient and contemporary. I’m always struck by how much our environment has changed—transportation, communication, housing, government—but also how little we as people have changed when it comes to ambition, love, grief, and greed. I doubled down my reading on that time period when I researched my novel, Dulcinea. Many people read in the eras of the Renaissance, World War II, or ancient Greece, so I’m hoping to introduce them to the Baroque Age.
Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.
By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his muse to gossip. But when Dolça receives his deathbed note asking to see her, she races across Spain with the intention of unburdening herself of an old secret.
On the journey, she encounters bandits, the Inquisition, illness, and the choices she's made. At its heart, Dulcinea is about how we betray the people we love, what happens when we succumb to convention, and why we squander the few chances we get to change our lives.
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