contemporary romance

April 2025 Lopt & Cropt Releases

Jump into spring with two new releases: a contemporary romance where the FMC is healing from her trauma with the help of her best friend’s brother, and an Austen variation in which Darcy and Lizzy realize their folly…while in a folly.

The ABCs of You & Me by Megan McSpadden

Sophie is coming off a bad relationship and starting fresh with a new job—and happens to be working with her bestie’s brother Foster, who she’s always had a crush on. For an upcoming event where she’s going to revenge-dress her ex, she needs a date—and she and Foster agree that they’ll fake-date for her event, and then for one of his to get his matchmaking friends off his back.

And then suddenly they’re going on friend-dates to help Sophie get back into the swing of things, and the dates become alphabetical—and also more real than either of them are expecting. But Sophie is still healing from her past—will Foster help or hinder that?

Friends to lovers, best friend’s brother, fake relationship—all that trope-y goodness in The ABCs of You & Me, out now on KU!

Mr. Darcy’s Folly by Melanie Rachel

Darcy and Lizzy get trapped inside Rosings's crumbling folly--and you know what that means? FORCED PROXIMITY, BABY.

Elizabeth maybe changes her mind about snobby Darcy after they're in a life-and-death situation together, but can love flourish outside the folly? Find out on KU today!

March 2025 Lopt & Cropt Releases

This month, we’ve got an angsty Austen variation where Elizabeth's independence is threatened and Darcy can't intervene without questioning that independence, and a second-chance rom-com where the golden retriever hero is desperate to win back the black cat heroine, and a soapy second-chance romantic suspense with lots of intrigue and glamour.

Without Undue Pride by Heather Moll

Elizabeth is a war widow who’s been deeply traumatized by being on campaign with her late husband and has been terribly disappointed by all the men in her life, so much so that she’s never going to let anyone—and especially not any man—have any power over her again. But it’s 1811, and her husband has died without a will, which means she has no money and her unborn baby can be taken away by her husband’s hateful family.

Darcy is the only one willing to help her find her own independence. The problem is he’s also falling in love with her, and Elizabeth MEANS it when she says she’s not going to let any man have any power over her—and that includes marriage. How far will she go to assert her own autonomy and prove that she can cope on her own? Find out on KU today!


Coming Swoon by Sarah Estep

Big black cat x golden retriever vibes here! Peter loves love, and he’s never forgotten his first, Sybil—and has been certain that serendipity will bring them together again. He didn’t expect she would be his best friend’s wife’s best friend, but now that he’s back in her life—and back in her hometown shooting a movie—he’s going to do everything he can to win her back.

Sybil’s heart was broken when she and Peter split, and she doesn’t trust love at all. But Peter is doing all he can to show her that this is real and he’ll never let her go again—if only Sybil would believe it.

This was supposed to be book 2 of the series, but I managed to convince Sarah to make it book 4 because Peter is so freaking charming and an absolute scene-stealer that we had to keep you waiting for him. And he is worth the wait. Coming Swoon is out now on KU!

Lush by Tinia Montford

Laurene left town after her fiancé Conrad's tragic death. She also left because she was having an ill-fated affair with his brother Reese Ashbourne...and maybe there are things about the brother's death they don't want coming to light.

But now Laurene's back in town after six years, and her family is again trying to arrange a marriage with the Ashbournes for both families to maintain their legacies... this time with Reese, who hates her for leaving him.

Laurene's return and arranged marriage coincides with threats against her and Reese about what happened when Conrad died. They'll have to work together to protect themselves--if their chemistry doesn't explode first.

A morally grey heroine, an intense bad boy hero, and TONS of drama in this deliciously soapy romantic suspense. Check out Lush on KU today!

A Darling Artist by Lark Holiday

Grace moved to the tiny community of Darling, Alaska when she finally had enough of her famous photographer husband travelling the world without ever giving them the opportunity to put down roots. At least now she's living life on her own terms, running her own coffee shop, and doing what she wants...even if she is a little bit lonely.

Hunter threw himself into his work when Grace left him. But after his best friend dies suddenly on a trip, the only person he wants to turn to is Grace, so he heads to Alaska to find her again.

Hunter is disrupting her well-ordered life, but Grace can't deny that she likes having him around. But can she ever expect him to stay put in Darling when his career calls?

This is a closed-door second-chance romance with lots of banter and heart. Check out Lark Holiday’s latest A Darling Artist in paperback, ebook, and audio!

Fret Me Not by Sarah Estep

Sam Shoop, reclusive rock star and grump, really wants the whole town of Crane Cove to stop trying to matchmake him. So he makes up a fake girlfriend the next time a sweet old lady tries to set him up. The problem? He gave her the name of the new girl in town, Lacey, whose name he can never remember (oops) and who he's forgotten he had a one-night stand with years ago (also oops).

Lacey just wants to make enough money to get out of debt and then move on to pursue her dancing dreams. But she agrees to Sam's accidental fake relationship in order to get an ex of hers to stop annoying her. And pretty soon they've somehow adopted a dog, she's staying at his house, and she's sleeping in his bed. The fake relationship is becoming real, but what's it going to take to get either of them to admit it?

If you haven't been reading Sarah Estep yet, what are you even doing? This rom-com is legit hilarious AND sexy, and you will fall in love with all the Brunch Bros. Fret Me Not is out on KU today!

Seat Mates by Anna Harbom

After a very road-ragey airport meet-cute (meet-rage?), Daisy and Charlie find themselves sitting next to each other on a plane to D.C. Once they work past their initial animosity, they find themselves spilling much more than they intended to each other. (And there is some JUICY gossip that's revealed later.)

They also happen to be staying at the same hotel, which means they can continue their flirtation over the weekend of his work conference and her mom's wedding, which is a fraught topic for Daisy. Charlie offers himself up as her date for the wedding so she can avoid an ex and have a buffer with her...difficult mother.

Daisy really needs to confront her issues that all happen to be coming to a head at this wedding. But when Charlie gets tangled up in them, can she keep him as her one lifeline away from them?

Seat Mates is Anna Harbom’s debut rom-com, and it's available on KU now!

Years in the Making by Megan McSpadden

Nellie’s doing great and everything’s falling into place for her--except for her love life. She never got closure on the guy she fell for one summer who seemed perfect and then ghosted her out of nowhere, and she hasn't been able to find something like that since then. But now that guy is back in her life via their mutual friends and they’re going to be spending the summer in a tiny town up north together. Now that she's seen him again, she’s TOTALLY over him...right?

Teddy has never forgiven himself for leaving Nellie without any explanation all those years ago. He ran all over the world to escape his grief and regret, but now that he’s back, he’s determined to show her that they’re meant to be.

Banter, second-chance romance, small town meddling, lots of dogs, and Megan’s fearlessness into diving into hard emotions = Years in the Making. It’s out now in KU!

Summer on Butterfly Bay by Judith Natelli McLaughlin

summer on butterfly bay cover

Widow Ali needs to get out of the city and spend the summer away from her grief. The most beautiful house on Butterfly Bay is hers for the summer--except she has to share it with infuriating finance bro Brooker and his vapid model girlfriend.

Brooker has hidden depths, though, and starts Ali on a new path. With the help of Brooker, a rescue dog, and an old woman who keeps dropping wisdom and then disappearing, Ali might find herself again on Butterfly Bay.

This is a sweet romance about two people who have been mired in grief and need each other to push themselves out of it. It's available everywhere today!

A Darling Aviator by Lark Holiday

Food influencer Elle does NOT want to be on her fiancé’s dream trip to Alaska, yet here she is. It’s really a relationship of convenience, but he’s done so much for her that she wants to do something for him. But when he runs off into the wilderness, he throws off all of her meticulous plans for her life.

The additional complication? The grumpy pilot and guide who she finds herself attracted to. She enlists Mac to help find her wayward fiancé, but in their search, she discovers that she might need to blow up her carefully curated life in order to be happy...and that Mac might be the key to that happiness.

Grumpy-sunshine, NO cheating (promise!), lighthearted fun in this small-town Alaska sweet romance! A Darling Aviator is available everywhere in print, ebook, and audio now!

Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

Nora is not having a good year. She’s just discovered that she and her sister Yanne are her late father’s secret family, all they got left in the will was a barely habitable house in MAINE of all places, and oh yeah, her sex tape just went viral. With no options at home, she and Yanne head to Maine with hopes of fixing the place up and making it a viable inn before they run out of money.

Bear has a habit of taking on more responsibility than he can handle, and the weight of his Abenaki community rests on his shoulders. If his tourism business fails, the community fails too—and it’s not looking good for business right now, especially since the abandoned house they use as a home base is suddenly un-abandoned by a beautiful woman and her sister. But maybe if they work together, all of them can succeed—or maybe it’ll bring all of them down?

This is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility, and in Nikki’s capable hands, it’s fresh and funny and sexy. It’s out everywhere today!

(I’m not the editor on this one—just worked with Nikki on an early version of the story. But I’m always happy to hype her up!)