Recommendations based on "Unexpected Expectations"

A New York Times Notable Book of 2023 A New York Times Books Review Best Romances of 2023 pick • Apple Books’ Best Books of the Month • Amazon Best Books of the Month Editor’s Pick, Romance • An NPR “Books We Love” • Library Journal Romance Pick of the Month • LibraryReads Hall of Fame: June 2023 • Publishers Weekly Best Romances of 2023 Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century grumpy/sunshine rom-dram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul’s son "‘for Newsies shippers,’ [that] absolutely delivers” (Dahlia Adler, Buzzfeed Books). “A spectacularly talented writer!” —Julia Quinn Nick Russo has worked his way from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood to a reporting job at one of the city’s biggest newspapers. But the late 1950s are a hostile time for gay men, and Nick knows that he can’t let anyone into his life. He just never counted on meeting someone as impossible to say no to as Andy. Andy Fleming’s newspaper-tycoon father wants him to take over the family business. Andy, though, has no intention of running the paper. He’s barely able to run his life—he’s never paid a bill on time, routinely gets lost on the way to work, and would rather gouge out his own eyes than deal with office politics. Andy agrees to work for a year in the newsroom, knowing he’ll make an ass of himself and hate every second of it. Except, Nick Russo keeps rescuing Andy: showing him the ropes, tracking down his keys, freeing his tie when it gets stuck in the ancient filing cabinets. Their unlikely friendship soon sharpens into feelings they can’t deny. But what feels possible in secret—this fragile, tender thing between them—seems doomed in the light of day. Now Nick and Andy have to decide if, for the first time, they’re willing to fight.

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books.Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis.Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the woman men date before they find their happy-ever-after. That's why Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her desk in the city for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie.She's no heroine. He's no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?

Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love.And she's happy for all of them, truly. So what if she misses her friends and family, who are busy with their perfectly paired partners. At least she has her brand-new career writing romance novels (the irony), right?Wrong. She is completely out of ideas after having spent all of her romantic energy on her debut.Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as usual, Iris goes to a Portland bar. But a night of dancing with a sexy stranger named Stefania turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life (vomit and crying are regretfully involved).To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for a local play only to come face-to-face with Stefania-or, Stevie, her real name. When Stevie desperately asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend, Iris is shocked but goes along with it in a bid to get her creative juices flowing.As the two women play the part of a couple, they turn into a constant state of hot-and-bothered and soon it just comes down to who will make the real first move . . .

"The Friendship Fling is fun, feisty, and sexy—I really loved it! The characters have such brilliant chemistry, and it’s the perfect escapist novel to curl up with.”—Emily Stone, bestselling author of Always, in December and A Winter Wish In this delightfully charming and heartfelt debut love story, two lonely and wildly different strangers embark on a short-term friendship over one London summer—only to discover they may be something more by the time the season ends. No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn’t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She’s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she’ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can’t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life. Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal —a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won’t be on her own. And it’s only for a few months. To Ava’s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn’s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures—and Finn’s company—start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice. Still, rules are rules—Ava has good reasons for them—and as the days get shorter, Finn’s departure gets closer. Because that’s the thing about summer: it always ends. Right?

‘Irresistible’ Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde Take a trip to the best little bakery in Brooklyn, where there’s more than a sprinkle of romance and a slice of pie makes it feel like home! When Sophie Bennings arrives in New York, love is the last thing on her mind. Still reeling from a painful break up, she throws herself into her work as a food editor on a top-notch magazine. Columnist Todd McLennan is everything that Sophie wishes she didn’t want. Like the gorgeous bakery below her Brooklyn apartment, he’s as tempting as the delicious cupcakes on display. Surely a little of what you fancy can do you good? As Sophie and Todd get to know one another, a love of food isn’t the only passion they share. In the city that never sleeps, has Sophie finally met the man of her dreams…?

From a stunning new voice in romance, Lauren Okie’s The Best Worst Thing is an intimate story about starting over, second chances, and two people who cannot help falling into each other’s orbit once again. All things considered, Nicole Speyer has a pretty amazing life. At least that’s what she tells herself. She’s got a beautiful house, a relatively successful fertility podcast, and a perfect husband, Gabe. The only thing that’s less than ideal is her years-long struggle with infertility—and how, with every passing day, she and Gabe seem to drift a little further apart. But then, mere hours after a Hail Mary embryo transfer to her gestational carrier, Nicole discovers Gabe’s been sleeping with their dog walker, and her world turns upside down. Suddenly, a jobless, childless, and now-husbandless Nicole finds herself at the doorstep of somebody she tried to say goodbye to a long time ago. Logan Milgram: a former colleague with serious golden retriever energy who happens to be laugh-out-loud funny, a colossal nerd, and legitimately kind of hot. When Logan opens his door that night, it’s like no time has passed. And as they fall back into each other’s lives, Nicole starts recognizing herself in the mirror again. She even begins to like what she sees. And then, like a cruel joke, she gets the news she’s spent a lifetime waiting for: her surrogate is finally pregnant.  As her relationship with Logan develops from a blast-from-the-past fling into something much deeper, Nicole struggles to balance her past, present, and future. Racing against the clock, she must learn to forgive her body for falling short and recognize that sometimes, it’s the biggest betrayals in life that set us free. With everything on the line, can Nicole accept love from the greatest man she’s ever known . . . even if it’s nothing like the story she’d written for herself?

When opposites collide...the plot thickens When former Special Forces agent Jack Garner opens his door to Erin Riley, he makes two things clear: he won't sleep with her, and he writes alone. Clearly, fame and fortune have done nothing to brighten this bestselling author's brooding manner. But his second book is long overdue, and Erin is there to jumpstart his writing...if not his heart. Bright, chatty and positive, Erin is like a sunny day to Jack's perpetual night. And even as she struggles to contain her sizzling attraction, she knows she can help Jack have a breakthrough. When the words finally start to flow, Jack starts to wonder if "once upon a time" could become "happily-ever-after." Now, that would be something worth writing about...

Sweet secrets…It has been almost five years since Shari Drayson graduated college—almost five years since she had her heart broken. Now the only man in her life is her cherished son, Andre. But her life is full, and her family's bakery is about to appear in a baking competition on national TV. Who needs love when you've got pastries?Sweetest seduction…When Grant Robinson finally tracks Shari down in Chicago, he expects she will still be beautiful. He expects she will still be smart. What he doesn't expect is her four-year-old son—who looks exactly like him. The wealthy restaurateur is stunned, and his anger wars with passion for the woman he has never truly forgotten. Determined to claim what is his, Grant insists they marry at once. But his bride soon realizes she's at risk for another heartbreak. Can Grant's skillful form of persuasion change her mind and convince her that his love is all she really needs?

Good things come to those who wait in USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella's latest Matchmaking Mamas story!  A dream deferred… Can still come true! When other girls her age were dating and finding love, Rachel Fenelli was working with her father, keeping the family restaurant going after her father’s heart attack. Now she’s on the verge of starting the life she should have started years ago. Enter Wyatt Watson, the only physical therapist her stubborn dad will tolerate. But little does Rachel know that her dad has an ulterior—matchmaking?—motive! Is dreamy Wyatt really the perfect medicine for Rachel, too? From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness. Matchmaking Mamas

Bestselling author Francis Ray chronicles the lives and loves of the Grayson family and their friends—and friends-of-friends who just might have a change of heart...IT'S NEVER TOO LATECicely St. John is not impressed by her friend C.J. Callahan's so-called passion in life: running a New York City bar that he inherited from his uncle. So why can't Cicely stop thinking about the dance they shared at their mutual friends' wedding—or the mutual attraction she felt in C.J.'s arms?TO GIVE LOVE A CHANCEAs far as C.J. is concerned, Cicely is a snob whose "passion" in life—writing for fashion magazines—is as pretentious as she is. So why can't he keep his eyes off her? C.J. has a business to run. And Cicely has a job opportunity in Paris. Neither of them even has time to think about romance right now. But maybe, just once, the two could test their friendship...with just one kiss."The new Grayson Friends series is...told with such grace and affection...a treat to read." —Romantic Times BOOKreviews