Welcome aboard, train wreck.

It’s a new month. And with February, I have the first of my Monthly Reading Challenges. This one is 14 RomComs in February.

If this is your first time here, welcome aboard, train wreck. Glad to have you here. If this isn’t your first time here, I’m still glad to have you. Please like, comment, share, and subscribe. My goal is to have five hundred subscribers by the end of the year. I think we can make that happen.

Please consider donating to help keep this going. $1 and I’ll ask you what your favorite book is so we can talk about it. $5 and I’ll write a review of a book you suggest. $10 and I’ll write a blog suggested by you. I do post affiliate links in my blogs. I get commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post. But this comes at no extra cost to you. So, thank you.

I’ll be honest with you. I am not a normal chick. RomComs are not my usual genre to read in books or watch in movies. But, part of my overall 2022 reading goals was to read more than horror and cozy mysteries. I have 14 books ready for the challenge.

Accidental Tryst

Book 1 of 2: Charleston  | by Natasha Boyd

Two strangers accidentally switch cell phones in a busy airport in this edgier You’ve Got Mail, sexy romance for the smart-phone era.

The Angel of Rome

by Jess Walter

A young American studying in Rome gets swept up in the glamorous world of cinema when he meets a beautiful Italian actress near the end of her career and an irrepressible American TV star hoping to revive his.

In this romantic and comic story about class, language, and the art of reinvention, “Nebraska Jack” Rigel is about to quit his Latin studies program at the Vatican when he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the mysterious and ethereal Angelina Amadio, the famous Angel of Rome. Hired to translate the romantic feelings of the unpredictable former TV detective Ronnie Tower, Jack must navigate these two forces of nature in a Rome of late night bars and fancy villas, as he searches for his own role to play.

Back in the Burbs: The Stuck in the Burbs Series, Book 1

by Avery Flynn, Tracy Wolff

Ever have one of those days where life just plain sucks? Welcome to my last three months – ever since I caught my can’t-be-soon-enough-ex-husband cheating with his paralegal. I’m 35 years old, and I’ve lost my NYC apartment, my job, my money, and frankly, my dignity.

But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt Maggie died. The only family member who’s ever gotten me.

Even after death, though, she’s helping me get back up again. She’s willed me the keys to a house in the burbs of all places and dared me to grab life by the family jewels. Well, I’ve got the vise grips already in hand (my ex should take note), and I’m ready to fight for my life again.

Too bad that bravado only lasts as long as it takes to drive into Huckleberry Hills. And see the house.

There are 47 separate HOA violations, and I feel them all in my bones. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s “accidentally” torched the house yet. I want to, and I’ve only been standing in front of it for five minutes. But then, my grumpy neighbor tells me to mow the lawn first and I’m just…done. Done with men too sexy for their own good and done with anyone telling me what to do.

First rule of surviving the burbs? There is nothing that YouTube and a glass of wine can’t conquer. Well, unless it’s your hot neighbor.

The Best Kind of Magic 

by Crystal Cestari

Amber Sand is not a witch. The Sand family Wicca gene somehow leapfrogged over her. But she did get one highly specific magical talent: she can see true love. As a matchmaker, Amber’s pretty far down the sorcery food chain (even birthday party magicians rank higher), but after five seconds of eye contact, she can envision anyone’s soul mate.

Amber works at her mother’s magic shop – Windy City Magic – in downtown Chicago, and she’s confident she’s seen every kind of happy ending there is: except for one – her own. (The Fates are tricky jerks that way.) So when Charlie Blitzman, the mayor’s son and most-desired boy in school, comes to her for help finding his father’s missing girlfriend, she’s distressed to find herself falling for him. Because while she can’t see her own match, she can see his – and it’s not Amber. How can she, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows full well isn’t her match?

The Best Kind of Magic is set in urban Chicago and will appeal to listeners who long for magic in the real world. With a sharp-witted and sassy heroine, a quirky cast of mystical beings, and a heady dose of adventure, this novel will have you laughing out loud and questioning your belief in happy endings.

Call Me Maybe

by Cara Bastone

True love is on the line in this charming, laugh-out-loud rom-com – created specifically for the audio format!

Paint your toes. Pick up the wrong coffee and bagel order. Drive from Brooklyn to Jersey in traffic so slow you want to tear your hair out. It’s amazing all the useless things I can accomplish while on hold for three hours with customer service. Three hours when I should be getting the Date-in-a-Box website ready to launch at the big business expo in a few days. Except my shiny new website is glitching, and my inner rage-monster is ready to scorch some earth…when he finally picks up. Not the robot voice I expected but a real live human named Kal. He’s surprisingly helpful and really knows his stuff, even if he’s a little awkward…in an adorable way. 

And suddenly I’m flirting with him? And I think he’s flirting back.
And suddenly it’s been hours, and we’re still on the phone talking and ordering each other takeout while he troubleshoots my website.
And suddenly we’re exchanging numbers and sending texts and DMs every day, leaving voice mails (who even does that anymore?!).
And suddenly I’m wondering if it’s possible for two people to fall in love at first talk. 

Because I’m falling…hard. 

Dating Dead Men

by Harley Jane Kozak

Los Angeles greeting-card artist Wollie Shelley is dating 40 men in 60 days as research for a radio talk show host’s upcoming book. Wollie is meeting plenty of eligible bachelors but not falling in love, not until she stumbles over a dead body en route to Rio Pescado – a state-run mental hospital – and is taken hostage by a charismatic “doctor” who is on the run from the Mob.

Wollie fears that her beloved brother, a paranoid schizophrenic living at Rio Pescado, is involved in the murder, so rather than go to the authorities, she decides to solve the crime on her own. As she meets up with an array of small-time crooks and swaggering mobsters only slightly more sinister than the men she’s been dating, Wollie realizes that to find true love she’ll first have to avoid getting killed!

Digging Up Love (Taste of Love)

by Chandra Blumberg

From debut author Chandra Blumberg comes a playful, heartfelt romance about chasing your dreams and finding love in the process.

Alisha Blake works her magic in the kitchen, creating delectable desserts for her grandfather’s restaurant in rural Illinois. Though Alisha relishes the close relationship she has with her family, she can’t help but dream about opening a cookie shop in Chicago. She may be a small-town baker, but Alisha has big ambitions.

Then a dinosaur bone turns up in her grandparents’ backyard. When paleontologist Quentin Harris arrives to see the discovery for himself, he’s hoping that the fossil will distract him from a recent painful breakup. Instead, he finds Alisha—and sparks fly. The big-city academic and the hometown baker seem destined for a happily ever after.

But Alisha is scared to fall in love. And Quentin’s trying to make a name for himself in a competitive field, which gets even more complicated when the press shows up at the dig site. For love to prevail, the two may have to put old bones aside—and focus on the future.

The Dream Guy Next Door

by Lauren Blakely

Available in audio first, a dreamy new romantic comedy from number one New York Times best-selling author Lauren Blakely!

Just my luck – my new next door neighbor is a unicorn.

Yep, the British hottie is clearly a mythical man because – get this – he’s a sexy, witty, charming, big-hearted single dad.

Who, wait for it, wants to find Mrs. Right and get hitched.

He’s a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of man, and it’s a darn shame I’m not on the market. If I were, his accent alone would melt me. Add in the fact that he’s a veterinarian, and my animal-loving heart would be flip flopping.

But my heart’s on the mend. I’m a single parent like him, and raising my teenage daughter is my top priority. Plus, falling for a guy who shares your property line is a line you shouldn’t cross.

Still, I’m an outgoing gal, so I do the neighborly thing and offer to be his dating insider.

Surely, I can help this small town’s most eligible bachelor ever navigate his way through all the fantastic single ladies eager to make his acquaintance.

What could possibly go wrong in helping the dream guy next door find his one true love?

So I set him up on one date, two dates, three dates — and I’m about to find out exactly how dangerous my offer is.

Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words

by Tara Sivec  Andi Arndt

Cowritten by USA Today best-selling author Tara Sivec and award-winning narrator Andi Arndt, a hysterically funny, heartfelt romance about starting over and taking chances.

Nothing good ever comes from drinking a box of wine alone. So when I decided to entertain my drunken self by setting up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment and reading the steamy parts from romance novels, I never thought anyone would actually listen. The fact that I admitted my huge crush on my sexy next door neighbor made the whole thing even more mortifying. But sometimes life surprises you, and that’s how my podcast, Heidi’s Discount Erotica, was born.

Now I, Heidi Larsen, a sweet former kindergarten teacher in Waconia, Minnesota, lead a scandalous double life reading erotic novels to the listening world. And with each episode, I find myself embracing my new alter ego more and more. Now I’m starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin and do things I never would have dreamed of – like kissing my neighbor.

Look out, Waconia, because Heidi’s on the loose! She’s in your ears, in your hearts, and down your pants…wait, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head. Well, you get the picture, don’tcha know!

Honeymoon in High Heels: A High Heels Mysteries Novella

by Gemma Halliday

Fashion designer Maddie Springer has just tied the knot and is on her way to honeymoon paradise in Tahiti with her hot new husband. Warm sand, cool surf, and a romantic suite all to themselves – what could possibly go wrong? That is until Maddie stumbles on the dead body of a Tahitian dancer, strangled with her own flower lei. Now suddenly her husband is spending more time consulting with the local police than cavorting in their private hot tub for two. If Maddie wants to have a honeymoon at all, it’s up to her and her friends to track down the island killer before paradise turns deadly again. 

Live and Let Grow

by Penny Reid

Alice is in love with her best friend. Now all she needs to do is tell him. Best buds Milo Manganiello and Alice Hooper have been the one constant in each other’s lives for over fifteen years. The charismatic and compassionate physics professor was there when Alice got married, and he was there ten years later when she got divorced. Likewise, the candid and kind computer science professor has always been there for Milo. She babysits his apartment and plethora of houseplants when he’s traveling and they share breakfast together every day he’s in town. Alice wasn’t always in love with Milo, but the feeling has grown, and when Milo returns from his latest globe-trotting adventure, Alice decides it’s time to spill the seeds. Does Alice have the grit to confess? And will feelings take root? Or is hers a love destined never to bloom? ‘Live And Let Grow’ is a 14k word (short) contemporary romance of long-suffering unrequited love and can be read as a standalone.

A Vineyard Valentine

by Nina Bocci

An unforgettable night of romance awaits in this funny, charming novella by USA Today best-selling author Nina Bocci!

The annual Valentine’s Day singles soiree is always a big money-maker for Eloisa Giordono’s winery. What could be more romantic than looking for love at a quaint family vineyard on the most romantic night of year? Well, just about anything as far as Eloisa is concerned. She’s a Valentine’s Day Grinch who thinks it’s the lamest, most clichéd holiday ever invented. 

Fortunately, she’ll get to hang out with like-minded folks this year by hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day party on the same night. She’ll just need to alternate between events to keep them both running and she’ll be raking in the profits. But Eloisa is thrown for a loop when a sexy, self-described hopeless romantic shows up at the singles soiree and keeps her captivated. Will he change her mind about the holiday…and about love?

The Trouble With Valentine’s Day

by Rachel Gibson

It’s the one day each year when being single is a sin . . .

The Trouble With Valentine’s Day?

It just plain stinks!

Kate Hamilton should know. Dumped by her boyfriend, burnt out by her job, she’s returned to Gospel, Idaho, where a Mountain Momma Crafters’ original poetry reading is about as good as it gets on a Friday night. Then her first attempted seduction of a hunky stranger is completely rejected. So much for her self-esteem!

It turns out that Rob Sutter, former ice hockey madman, owner of Sutter’s Sports—and the hunky stranger who told her to get lost—has been more than burned by love and isn’t looking for a relationship. But then he and Kate find themselves in an ultra-compromising position in the M&S Market after-hours, giving the phrase “clean up in aisle five” a whole new meaning, and causing a whole lot of gossip in Gospel . . .

Miscellaneous 0125

by Berri George

A spirited factory worker on a mission. A nerdy manager with a propensity for puzzles. An unexpected adventure. Charmingly British and off-beat, Miscellaneous 0125 is a story about following your dreams, healing past traumas, and the joy of truly being understood.