Happy Memorial Day to my U.S. readers! And happy Pentecost Monday to European readers! Yes, today’s a holiday in many countries, including the Netherlands, and I’m about to celebrate the end of a bad head cold by snoozing among the ducklings in our local park.
Anyhoo…It’s that time of the month again! Time to gab about the contemporary romance releases we’re most looking forward to.
Every month, I tell you which contemporary romance novels I’m looking forward to, and I ask which new releases you can’t wait to read. I’ll randomly choose one commenter to win a $10 gift certificate for herself AND for the contemporary romance author she recommends.
Ready? Here are the June releases I’m loving!
Cowboy Crazy by Joanne Kennedy
She kicked the country dust off her boots a long time ago…
Sarah Landon’s Ivy League scholarship transformed her from a wide-eyed country girl into a poised professional. Her job at the Carrigan Oil Company has given her the sophisticated life she longed for, but when she meets her boss’s black-sheep brother, she realizes her roots are showing.
But he’s ready to remind her she’s a cowgirl at heart.
Rebellious rodeo cowboy Lane Carrigan is determined to save the Wyoming community of Two Shot from the ravages of energy development, but Sarah’s convinced her old hometown needs a swift kick in the pants from the march of progress.
When a lapsed cowgirl collides with rodeo royalty, it’s bound to be a wild ride—and somebody’s going to end up in the dirt.
My two cents:
I’ve got such a soft spot in my heart for Joanne Kennedy’s cowboys. They’re sweet (though I’d never say that to their faces!) and totally devoted to their heroines.
This novel is a great read – you can find out more in my recent review of Cowboy Crazy.
Release date: June 1, 2012
Buy Cowboy Crazy on Amazon
Buy Cowboy Crazy at Barnes & Noble
Slow Summer Kisses by Shannon Stacey
Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents’ neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea—until she realizes there’s no takeout to be had and the boy next door has grown into a sexy but surly recluse.
Cameron Mayfield knows he can kiss his peace and quiet goodbye when Hurricane Anna blows in. She was loud and bossy as a ten-year-old—and besides developing some attractive curves, she hasn’t changed. Cam’s not looking for a relationship, especially not with a woman like Anna. He nearly broke down on that road once before. So why can’t he stop thinking about her?
It’s not long before their sizzling attraction leads to smoking-hot kisses. But as the days get shorter, Anna must decide if she’s found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.
Read an excerpt of Slow Summer Kisses
My two cents:
I can’t tell you what a massive writer crush I have on Shannon Stacey. Her stories totally, totally rock. And even though this is a novella, I will be first in line to buy it. Because seriously, it’s just cruel that I have to wait until September for another Shannon Stacey novel. Cruel.
25,000 words
Release date: June 4, 2012
Buy Slow Summer Kisses on Amazon
Buy Slow Summer Kisses for Nook
Giveaway!
Answer at least one of the questions in bold below. By “contemporary romance” I mean romance between human beings set in the present day. It can be romantic suspense, inspirational, erotic, category-length or whatever.
I’ll choose one winner on Tuesday June 5th. That person will get a $10 gift certificate to the online book retailer of their choice, AND I’ll send the same to the author they mention.
If the winner mentions more than one author, I’ll ask her to choose which one gets the gift certificate.
This is open internationally.
Questions:
What contemporary romance novel(s) coming out in June are you looking forward to? Have you read anything by the authors I mentioned? Which of their books do you like best?
I will have to go with Cowboy Crazy by Joanne Kennedy. I love her books and I am hooked on cowboys right now. I have read her book One Fine Cowboy and it was really good. If you were asking for historicals I would go with Kaki Warners Bride of the High Country.
I’m a HUGE Kaki Warner fan, Quilt Lady. If only her cowboys had been born a century later, they’d be perfect. 😉
The Joanne Kennedy book looks good – I have several of hers on my tbr. I wish Stacey’s book that you mentioned was in print. I loved her recent series about those funny sexy brothers, Exclusively Yours etc (I think was one of the titles.
There are a lot of books coming out that I am looking f/d to end of May/beginning of June:
Kate Angell – No Tan LInes
Toni Blake – Willow Springs
Rachel Gibson – Rescue Me
Molly O’Keefe – Can’t Buy Me Love
Susan Mallery – Summer Nights
Love my contempts. Thanks for the contest.
Ooh, great list! I haven’t read Kate Angell before. What are her stories like?
I too would like to read Joanne Kennedy’s book and after admitting that I’m not totally up on a lot of contemporaries, I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Rachel Gibson’s Rescue Me. I also read anything by Jodi Picoult. Thanks!
I am looking forward to Joanne Kennedy’s book too. Who doesn’t love a great cowboy sometimes! But I am really looking forward to the new book by Kallypso Masters. Her books are very adult but have great romances and characters.
Kallypso Masters is new to me, June. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m looking forward to Maya Banks’ Colter’s Promise. I haven’t read any of those books, but the Joanne Kennedy book sounds good.
I’m looking forward to Molly O’Keefe’s Can’t Buy Me Love. I love her SuperRomances and am really excited that she has a single title (or rather series) out.
I just finished Jill Shalvis’ “Lucky in Love” and looking forward to her June release “At Last.”
To those who are waiting for the Molly O’Keefe — I’ve read it and OH BOY IS IT GOOD.
I really want to read the Shannon Stacey, but I am more eager for Jill Shalvis’s At Last for the simple reason that it’s longer. I adore Stacey’s work, but I am not a novella fan.
I love contemporaries. I wish there were more! Hear that publishers? Less paranormal, more contemporary! LOL!
I agree with you 100%, Laura K. Curtis.
Amen about having more contemps!
I haven’t read any of Molly O’Keefe’s books. Thanks for letting us know about Can’t Buy Me Love! I love sports heroes. 🙂
Jill Shalvis “Lucky in Love” is one I enjoyed. But if I listed all the contemporary romance authors I love, you better have a long blog. I have 500 books to review in my corner. You can find many reviews I have written on Amazon, Alibris, Christianbook, Goodreads, and other places. This is my service to the author when I enjoy their book. Christine Rimmer is an author I dearly love.
Thank you! Thank you! I did not know Shannon Stacey had a new story coming out so this is definitely what I am most looking forward to reading. My favorite book of hers (so far!) may be the novella “Holiday Sparks” from a 2010 Carina Press Christmas anthology.
Ooh, I haven’t read it, Suz. Thanks for letting me know about it. I looove her stories!
No; I haven’t read any of the authors that you highlighted. I purchased Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson. I just started reading her books and they’re quite good.
Can’t wait to read, A Place In The Country by Elizabeth Adler (June 19) and At Last by Jill Shalvis (June 26). Lots of great releases in June. Thanks for the recommendations and reviews!
Ooh, Shannon Stacey – I knew she had a new book coming out but I wasn’t sure when. I will be getting that one for sure. I’ve read all of her Carina Press books and loved them. Also looking forward to At Last by Jill Shalvis, but the one book that I’ve got on pre-order is Ruthie Knox’s new book, About Last Night. It’s a digital only Loveswept release. Her debut, Ride With Me, was one of the most enjoyable (and original) contemporaries that I’ve read this year. It’s a road romance, but the setting is a cross-country bike ride.
Kat, thank you for making “Cowboy Crazy” a contemporary to covet! I’m flattered, and I’m really happy to see Shannon Stacey on the same post. I just started reading her books and I absolutely love them!
Thanks to all the readers who added my book to their TBR pile! It just went up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble today!
Hope it sells like hotcakes, Joanne!
I can’t wait for Jill Shalvis latest Lucky Harbor Novel coming in June 😛 I just LOVE this series.
And yes, I’ve read Shannon Stacey’s Undeniably Yours just receantly & loved it. I’m waiting for my copy of Yours To Keep to get to me. Can’t wait to read it!!!!:)
I’m looking forward to reading Jill Shalvis’ Lucky in Love this month.