A handful of love stories for the weekend…
It’s the weekend ... yay. We went on a romance hunt at Exclusive Books, and left with five hot reads.
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Can you say romance without mentioning Colleen Hoover? We think not. And when romance hits thriller … colour me hooked. Verity is the name of a best selling author, who’s suffered an injury and is unable to complete the last books in her series. Husband and publisher Jeremy hires a young writer, Lowen, to ghost write them, using her notes as inspiration. Dream job, yes? Until she uncovers an unfinished autobiography that Verity never wanted to publish, let alone let anyone read. Loads of bone-chilling admissions … and Lowen thinks maybe the author isn’t as injured as she’s been led to believe. In the midst of all this creepy stuff, Lowen’s massively attracted to the hubby, Jeremy, and he feels the same vibes. So maybe not romance … maybe attraction. Doesn’t matter … Verity wasn’t a Tiktok sensation for nothing. Sphere
Before Vertiy came It Ends With Us … no creepy stuff here, but lots of heart-ache. Lily’s always worked hard, leaving the small town where she grew up, graduating and starting her own business. She meets gorg neurosurgeon Ryle – assertive, stubborn, a little arrogant, but also sensitive and brilliant. And he has a soft spot for Lily. Sounds good so far. But his complete aversion to relationships is strange. But Lily continues to try to build a relationship with him, and life is good … until Atlas, Lily’s first love, kindred spirit, protector, appears back in her life. Brave choices to be made. Simon and Schuster
And since we were on a Colleen Hoover roll, we went back further, and read Ugly Love, a love story that didn’t start out as one. It started, for Tate and Miles, as sex. He isn’t looking for love, she’s doesn’t have time for it. They’re not even friends. They just have a mutual attraction, and both think they’ve found the perfect no-strings arrangement. And then … emotions. When feelings get involved, the rules go out the window, and love gets ugly. Simon and Schuster
In Double Booked by Lily Lindon, Georgina finds out that two lives are twice the fun. She’s had, until now, a strict routine. Teach piano to bored children. Schedule dates with long-term boyfriend. Repeat until dead. But then, one wildly out-of-the-ordinary night, she auditions for a famous lesbian pop band. And just like that she realises … she longs to play her own music, she wants to be just like them, and their drummer is really hot! May she be bisexual? Throwing her strict schedule out of the window, she splits herself in two, alternating between the safety of her old life and the freedom of her new one. A laugh-out-loud debut rom com. Head of Zeus
It’s been five years since the awful accident that killed the love of Feyi’s life. A gorgeous, talented young artist, with her own studio, sharing a brownstone with her best friend, it’s almost time to start dating again. She’s not really ready for anything serious, but a hot, fast and furious encounter at a rooftop party leads to a dream island holiday … poolside cocktails, beach sunsets, elaborate meals. Maybe a Summer romance isn’t off the cards after all. But in Akwaeke Emezi’s You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty (read it for the title!) not everything goes according to plan. Since Feyi falls for the one man who’s definitely off limits. A brilliant read, which should come with a prude-warning .. it’s steamy. Faber
All of these available at Exclusive Books in store or online www.exclusivebooks.co.za