reader – Professor Romance

✍🏻 Complicated Love: NFL Quarterback Meets Single Mom – It’s Time to Grab Karla Sorensen’s How Not to Fall in Love ✍🏻

April 14, 2026April 27, 2026 professorromance

An advertisement for the book 'How Not to Fall in Love' by Karla Sorensen, featuring a graphic design with a book cover illustration, a stylized couple, and text promoting its availability on Kindle Unlimited.

A bad-boy NFL star meets his match in a feisty single mom with this sweet, steamy, and emotional novel about second chances and breaking the rules of romance.

Raising my ten-year-old son, running an animal rescue, and caring for my grandfather leaves zero time for complications, let alone cocky athletes who get under my skin. Too bad the universe didn’t get the memo.

Because a big complication just crashed into my life—literally—in the form of towering NFL quarterback Archer Evans, sentenced to community service at my shelter after a scandal. Despite his mistakes, I try not to judge. He’s got demons of his own, and even though he’s made it perfectly clear he wants me, the last thing he needs is a wary single mom seeing the vulnerable man beneath the muscles and the attitude.

Though I’ll admit, I’m tempted to look.

Not that I’d cave. With his notoriety, Archer would never make it past date two of my eight-date rule. I want simple. Safe. He’s too successful. Too arrogant. Too everything. The definition of complicated.

But as the walls around Archer start to crumble, so do mine. And this complication feels suspiciously like love.

I made the rules. Maybe it’s time I broke them.

How Not to Fall in Love is LIVE! https://a.co/d/07Xs37WT

Promotional image for the book 'How Not to Fall in Love' by Karla Sorensen featuring a male figure on the cover with text highlighting themes like 'Bad Boy Quarterback', 'Single Mom', and 'Sports Romance'.

new release

✍🏻 Ready to return to The Men of the Wild? B.B. Reid’s Chrysalis is LIVE! Aurelia and her men are waiting for you. ✍🏻

April 14, 2026 professorromance

CHRYSALIS

Aurelia George was prepared to let the world believe she was dead. Tangled in the arms of her mountain men and bound only by the rules they make, the twice disgraced pop star had found her happily ever after.

Or so she thought.

The only thing surprising about learning her uncle wants her dead is realizing how eager she is to return the favor. Convincing her mountain men to leave their world behind and step into hers won’t be easy. Thorin is desperate to disappear again, Khalil is quietly drowning, and Zeke wants her gone.

For better or worse, this quartet of villains will have to leave their Eden.

And now that the tables have turned, Aurelia’s the one they’ll need to survive. But as she and the rest of the world are about to learn, you can take these men out of the wilds, but you can’t take the wilds out of them.

GRAB this story HERE:

eBook https://amzn.to/3MrL7aW

Audio https://geni.us/chrysalisaudio

Paperback https://geni.us/chrysalisDPB

new release

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Kristen Ashley’s The Woman From Nowhere ✍🏻

April 14, 2026 professorromance

Book cover of 'The Woman from Nowhere' by Kristen Ashley, featuring a lantern and a blurred natural background.

Overall Grade: A

Genre/Tropes: contemporary romance; one night stand to more; romantic suspense; small town romance; close proximity; standalone in an interconnected series; found family; they heal each other of their past traumas; finding home

A Kristen Ashley romance is like a seasoned sommelier uncorking the perfect wine. She knows how to let a story breathe. It’s the reason I love her books even when a plotline feels rushed in places or a character’s development doesn’t quite reach where I’d hoped. When you crack the cover of a KA novel (or swipe to the first page on your Kindle), you know you’re being gifted with a depth of story not readily found across romancelandia. Whether she’s writing contemporary romance, romantic suspense, MC romance, romantasy, or paranormal, Ashley takes her readers on a journey that doesn’t end with a third-act breakup — an actual rarity in her books, especially her most recent ones. Instead, she gives you their beginning, their middle, their end, and then more of their happy ending. Her books are deliciously thicc, and her commitment to giving readers everything about her characters makes it easy to become completely engrossed in their story.

In her most recent book, The Woman From Nowhere, the next installment in her Misted Pines series, Ashley writes the story of Mabel, a new addition to the Misted Pines community and local shop owner, and Hutch, the town’s loner who trains quality guard dogs. As she has done throughout this series, Ashley builds a threat around her FMC, leaving the alpha male MMC to intercede and eventually fall hard. Mabel and Hutch have chemistry in spades, and their one-night stand to FWB arc is entirely believable for longtime Ashley readers. If anything strains credibility, it’s the sheer volume of trouble that plagues Misted Pines, but that’s by design. This series operates like Twin Peaks et al., where a daily dose of drama fuels episodic glory. In the real world, no one would live in Misted Pines. In the book world, its troubles are irresistible.

Unlike some of Ashley’s more recent titles, her Avenging Angels series, for example, where the suspense elements hover at the edges while the character work takes center stage (a personal frustration of mine), The Woman From Nowhere blends Mabel and Hutch’s romantic journey with the suspense plotline in a way that feels genuinely balanced. And just when you think the criminal activity in Misted Pines has been resolved, Ashley reminds you exactly why she has the readership she does. The jaw-dropping action that follows also serves as a catalyst for pushing Mabel and Hutch from FWB to something more. Though if you think that’s a spoiler, you’ve never read a KA story. There is a distinct guarantee in every Ashley book that the MMC and FMC fall hard and fast; what she loves to toy with is the progression.

The Woman From Nowhere is among my favorite Kristen Ashley books from her most recent work because it has everything: a compelling FMC and MMC with personal histories full of emotional gravitas, a strong plotline, and a glorious cast of characters who make you feel all your feelings while also reminding you why you fell in love with this series in the first place.

Simply put, I couldn’t stop reading. The Woman From Nowhere holds its readers in thrall, much like the first sip of a wine you never want to finish. If you’re looking for a romantic suspense with genuine heart, you will not be disappointed.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Jessica Peterson’s Ryder, the final book of the Lucky River Ranch series ✍🏻

April 10, 2026April 10, 2026 professorromance

Book cover of 'Ryder' by Jessica Peterson, featuring a romantic scene between a cowboy and a woman in a cowboy hat against a rodeo backdrop.

Overall Grade: A-/B+

Tropes: friends to lovers; brother’s best friend’s sister; small town romance; forbidden

Jessica Peterson’s final story in her Lucky River Ranch series, Ryder, is a lovely yet steamy conclusion to a series that ingratiates itself into your heart. In Ryder, I am reminded of some of Peterson’s earlier stories where the romance is simply the conduit for deeper societal messages. This newest story investigates the complications of grief as well as outdated parental expectations that influence one’s sense of identity.

Through Ryder’s characterization as well as his brothers’ earlier stories, Peterson illustrates the many ways people process grief. She shows us that each person handles loss differently. For the older brothers, they became busy, attending to the younger brothers and ensuring their family ranch remained intact. As the youngest brother, Ryder compartmentalized his grief, avoiding feeling it because the pain felt too great. As we see through his journey, this causes him to live a “half life.” It is Billie who helps him see that he must go through the process of pain to arrive at a well lived life. This is the most powerful message in this final book, and for me, it is Ryder’s story that adds the deepest meaning to the series. Peterson’s careful handling of the brothers’ grief is a masterclass in marrying romance with the struggles of human nature.

Adding to that is Billie’s journey from the girl who wants to find a place that matches her inner sense of self as she battles her parents’ expectations. Like Ryder, Billie is more than sass and independence. She is a people pleaser when it comes to her parents, and they, being traditionalists, cannot see to the heart of her interests because they see her first as a woman. Her journey involves allowing herself to have her wants (Ryder, horse therapy, and more) and standing brave in her choices. Both she and Ryder live half lives until they eventually realize, through their adoration of each other, that they can choose something fuller and more meaningful.All of this is wrapped up in the smexiness Peterson’s readers have come to love, though as always, the steam is secondary to the story. Jessica Peterson’s romances challenge what we know and feel and ask us to consider living more complete lives. Ryder and the Lucky River Ranch crew challenge us to choose love while also choosing ourselves.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release

✍🏻 A new release in a new year! Check out Lance Rubin’s 16 Forever ✍🏻

January 7, 2026 professorromance

Image featuring the book '16 Forever' by Lance Rubin displayed on a tablet and smartphone, alongside the book cover. A birthday cake is illustrated at the bottom, with the text 'New Release' prominently displayed.

Looking for a YA, time loop romance? Check out 16 Forever. With a pared-down prose and a driving narrative, this story is highly readable and accessible. Carter’s challenges will both entertain and pull at your heartstrings.

𝟏𝟔 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 by New York Times bestselling author Lance Rubin

(January 6, HarperCollins, Hardcover)
Time-loop Romance | Crossover appeal

Book cover for '16 Forever' by Lance Rubin, featuring a birthday cake with lit candles and illustrations of a girl and a boy sitting next to each other. The text includes the title '16 Forever' and a quote about the story.

It’s the morning of Carter Cohen’s 16th birthday, and everything’s going his way. He’s psyched and ready to get his driver’s license, his little brother’s not hogging the bathroom, and, man, something smells good for breakfast…

But when Carter bounds downstairs, Mom bursts into tears. It happened again. It’s Carter’s 16th birthday—for the sixth time. Every time he’s supposed to turn 17, he loops back a year. His memory gets wiped clean, his body ages backward—the rest of the world moves on, just not him.

Maggie Spear, on the other hand, has been dreading this day ever since she and Carter started dating. When she spies him in the halls and he doesn’t seem to know her at all, it’s obvious that it’s over between them. She can’t be in a relationship with someone who is just going to forget her again and again. Since Carter doesn’t remember that they’re together, then it’s probably better if she just pretends that they never were.

Except Carter senses that there’s more to their story than Maggie’s letting on, and Maggie’s keeping secrets of her own—but in the process of trying to let the other go, they find themselves falling in love all over again. With Maggie soon leaving for college and Carter’s birthday quickly coming around again, will they be able to find a forever that isn’t stuck at 16?

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐢𝐭 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: https://a.co/d/gQdXJvj

new release

✍🏻 New Year, New Read! Grab Louise Bay’s newest release, Love Hard, NOW! ✍🏻

January 6, 2026 professorromance

NEW RELEASE!

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝: 𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟑) by USA Today Bestselling Author Louise Bay is now LIVE! He’s an uptight New Yorker. She’s a real-as-it-gets farm girl from Colorado. They’re from different worlds, but their worlds are about to collide.

➡️𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬!

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱!

https://geni.us/LoveHard

Amazon US: https://geni.us/LoveHardAmzUS

Amazon UK: https://geni.us/loveharduk

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F8RCGCQ4

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0F8RCGCQ4

Audible US: https://geni.us/lovehardaudio

Audible UK: https://geni.us/lovehardaudiouk

Add to 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔: https://geni.us/LoveHardGR

Promotional graphic for the book 'Love Hard' by Louise Bay, featuring a man in a black shirt and scenic backgrounds with mountains and trees, highlighting the romance theme.

What to expect:

💚Small Town

💚Billionaire Romance

💚Colorado & New York

💚Long Distance

💚Different Worlds

💚Love at first sight

💚Destined to be together

💚Opposites Attract

💚Standalone

Blurb:

In my world, love comes with a rulebook.

Marry the right girl. From the right family. With the right last name.

I’m Jack Alden—the only son of the Alden dynasty. The kind of New York family that’s been around since ships were made of wood and fortunes were built on steel.

My mother’s been trying to find me a “suitable” wife for years.

So naturally, I fall for a woman who couldn’t care less about any of it.

Iris Williams.

I first saw her at the New York City Ballet—crying in the stalls like the music had cracked her open. She didn’t know who I was. She wasn’t performing for anyone. She was just… real.

One night with her, and I remembered what it felt like to actually breathe.

Then she disappeared.

Months later, I find her again—on a fruit farm in the middle of Colorado, hurling raspberries at me like she’s auditioning for a food fight. Turns out, Iris is smart, stubborn, and not remotely impressed by a billionaire with a trust fund and an overbearing mother.

She makes me laugh.

She makes me think.

And for the first time in my life, I want something that isn’t written in my family’s history books.

But old money comes with old rules.

And loving Iris means breaking every single one.

They say you can’t choose where you come from.

Maybe not.

But you can choose who you fight for.

And this time, I’m choosing her.

Because when it comes to Iris Williams—I don’t just love.

I love hard.

Find more books by Louise Bay here:https://louisebay.com/

new release

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Jessica Peterson’s Duke ✍🏻

December 6, 2025December 6, 2025 professorromance

Book cover of 'Duke' by Jessica Peterson featuring a cowboy lifting a woman inside a rustic cabin, highlighting a romantic connection.

Overall Grade: A

Tropes: surprise pregnancy; forced proximity; friends to lovers; insta-attraction; cowboy romance; small town romance; golden retriever MMC/black cat FMC

I think of myself as “not an easy woman.” As a Gen Xer raised by Boomer parents, I live with a constant internal dialogue—who I am versus who others see versus who I wish I could be. This overthinking creates protective barriers that, while shielding a vulnerable heart, can leave you profoundly alone.

When authors like Jessica Peterson write these complex women who find men willing to love them fiercely, I feel seen. It’s bittersweet but hopeful—knowing that somewhere in this vast world exist people who look past our carefully constructed walls to the tender hearts beneath.

This is why I adored Duke, Peterson’s latest Lucky River Ranch novel. Duke and Wheeler inspire genuine emotion. Duke’s gift for seeing and loving Wheeler’s truth makes this story exceptional. Wheeler has spent a lifetime hearing lies about herself from her father and brother, their words born from their own insecurities. She’s countered those lies through hard work and success, but that independence comes at a cost—those old wounds make her guard against anything threatening to derail her carefully planned life.

Duke represents everything that could upend Wheeler’s world. The tension between their undeniable attraction and Wheeler’s determination to stay single adds rich complexity to their story. Duke is patient, tenacious, and intentional—qualities that make him irresistibly attractive. He becomes Wheeler’s friend first, lover second, creating a bond that’s both hard-won and deeply satisfying. Their relationship evolves from friendship to something eternal.

Peterson excels at crafting compelling narratives that propel readers forward. Her prose captures attention and holds it, while her ability to reveal a character’s core essence keeps readers invested. Her talent for writing independent, headstrong women who find partners who love them as they are—not as they need them to be—continues to resonate with her growing fanbase.

If you’re seeking a cowboy romance with genuine heart and emotional depth, Duke should be your next read.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Helena Hunting’s If You Claim Me ✍🏻

November 17, 2025 professorromance

Cover of the romance novel 'If You Claim Me' by Helena Hunting, featuring an illustration of a couple in wedding attire. The woman is wearing a white dress with a fitted bodice and flowing skirt, while the man is dressed in a maroon suit. The background is decorated with library elements and the title is prominently displayed in colorful text.

Overall Grade: A

Tropes: opposites attract; pro hockey romance; found family; grump/sunshine; librarian FMC with a heart of gold; misunderstood MMC; marriage of convenience

The fear of being vulnerable in love will always be my favorite romance theme. It makes my heart race and brings tears to my eyes every time. There’s nothing more terrifying than trusting someone with your heart, knowing they could destroy it with a single harsh word or action.

Helena Hunting absolutely nails this in If You Claim Me, her latest Toronto Terror book featuring Mildred “Dred” and Connor. This story took me on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish – and it’s easily my favorite in the series.

What I loved:

Connor’s quiet, devoted love for Dred
Dred’s ability to love even the most difficult people
The amazing friend group and found family
Connor calling Dred “darling” (swoon!)
The perfect balance of grumpy/sunshine and marriage of convenience tropes

The way these two struggle to open up to each other, even when it’s obvious they’re deeply in love, absolutely wrecked me. Hunting masterfully builds the tension until you’re practically screaming at them to just be honest with each other. And when they finally do? Happy tears guaranteed.

This reminds me so much of Little Lies (Lavender and Kody’s story), which is my other favorite Hunting book. Both couples share that same fear of revealing their true feelings, terrified of losing everything. The emotional depth in these two books shows a different side of Hunting – beyond her trademark steamy humor, she can write heart-wrenching emotion that stays with you long after the last page.

If You Claim Me is easily in my top 5 romance reads of 2025. If you love stories about two people learning to trust each other with their whole hearts, this book is an absolute must-read. Helena Hunting has earned a permanent spot on my auto-buy list.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Cover Reveal

✍🏻 Cover Reveal + Sierra Simone = Devil ✍🏻

November 17, 2025 professorromance

The Priest Series has a magnetic pull. Any new stories in it are like manna from the heavens. Sierra Simone is gifting us with a new story, Ryan Bell’s story — Devil. 🌿 🍎 😈

Book cover for 'Devil' by Sierra Simone featuring the title prominently in white text, surrounded by vibrant illustrations of pomegranate and leaves on a black background. — Priest (TP)

𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘎𝘖𝘙𝘎𝘌𝘖𝘜𝘚 “𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯-𝘦𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦” 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘕𝘖𝘞!

🔥The Devil Deluxe Edition is available for preorder through all retailers and will feature stunning edges. But don’t fret book collectors, we have matching editions coming for the rest of the series!

😏 And for anyone who is collecting the Sad & Shirtless versions of the covers, do not let your hearts be troubled. Sierra Simone will have good news for you soon…

Book cover for 'Devil' by Sierra Simone featuring vibrant illustrations of flowers and pomegranates against a dark background, with the title prominently displayed.

• • •
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠
July 2026! ➡️ More info: thesierrasimone.com/devil

new release

✍🏻 New Release + Tijan + My Brother’s Enemy ✍🏻

November 14, 2025 professorromance

My Brother’s Enemy by Tijan is now live!

Tyler Griffin is gorgeous, ruthless, and arrogant.
He’s also one of the best hockey players in the National Hockey League.
Not known to be a fighter on the ice, he has no problem dropping the gloves at the same time.
The sweet side of Tyler: he has a twin sister that he would do anything for, including disregarding any rules if they mean he can’t protect who he loves.

I know all of this about Tyler because I know him.
We grew up in neighboring towns.
He played against my brothers and ironically, he still does because my brothers are also NHL franchise stars.

The rivalry was in high school.
We’re all adults now.
That means certain grudges should be forgotten…

Wrong.

The rivalry is very much alive.
The hatred is visceral between my brothers and Tyler.
As for myself, I have my own complicated relationship with my brothers.
But things are about to get heated because the NHL team that I recently accepted a position to work for just traded for a certain star player: Tyler Griffin.

He’s the enemy to both of my brothers, but he’s also mine.