I’ve been looking forward to today’s instalment of My Favourite Authors & Books ever since I first came up with the idea because I knew even without checking my Goodreads that so many of my favourite authors have surnames (like me) beginning with the letter H.
Be warned though, all 7 x books featured below are so freaking amazing that if I wasn’t trying to clear down my out-of-control TBR right now, I’d want to reread them all.
P.S. If you’ve missed any of my previous A-Z: Favourite Authors & Books, you’ll find links to them all in the Archives.
AUTHOR: Melanie Harlow (Website / Instagram)
USA Today bestselling author of sweet and sexy romance. Lover of cocktails, high heels, and history with the naughty bits left in. Michigan girl. Always seeking ginspiration… (Goodreads).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 30
BOOK: After We Fall (After We Fall #2) (2016)
Series: Man Candy (#1), If You Were Mine (#3) & From This Moment On (#4)
Jack Valentini isn’t my type.
Sexy, brooding cowboys are fine in the movies, but in real life, I prefer a suit and tie. Proper manners. A close shave.
Jack might be gorgeous, but he’s also scruffy, rugged, and rude. He wants nothing to do with a “rich city girl” like me, and he isn’t afraid to say so.
But I’ve got a PR job to do for his family’s farm, so he’s stuck with me and I’m stuck with him. His glares. His moods. His tight jeans. His muscles.
His huge, hard muscles.
Pretty soon there’s a whole different kind of tension between us, the kind that has me misbehaving in barns, trees, and pickup trucks. I’ve never done anything so out of character—but it feels too good to stop.
And the more I learn about the grieving ex-Army sergeant, the better I understand him. Losing his wife left him broken and bitter and blaming himself. He doesn’t think he deserves a second chance at happiness.
But he’s wrong.
I don’t need to be his first love. If only he’d let me be his last.
WHAT’S NEXT? Hideaway Heart (7 August 2023)
AUTHOR: Staci Hart (Website / Instagram)
I was the kid who stayed inside to read.
As a four-eyed nerd with a bad perm, I was no one’s dodgeball pick, but I had a lot of friends. Frodo and Bilbo, for instance. Kristy, Stacey, Claudia and the gang (iykyk). Once, in the third grade, I wrote a teen murder mystery inspired by Christopher Pike. On solving my mystery in twelve pages, I decided I was a terrible writer and should never, ever do that again.
Fortunately, I didn’t take my own advice.
I write romance for that feeling you get at the end, like you’re standing on top of a mountain with a backpack full of hundred dollar bills. I write rom-coms because is there anything better than banter and grand gestures? I write because I love to create and I love words. I love books, and I love stretching my imagination. I love love, and if you do too, bring your coffee and have a seat. I think we’re gonna be friends (Goodreads).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 24
BOOK: Last Call (Bad Habits #3) (2016)
Series: With a Twist (#1), Chaser (#2) & Happily Ever Habits (#3.5)
I was going to say that this was another really tough decision because just like with Karina Halle & Melanie Harlow, I’ve had so many Five Star Reads by this author (check out my Goodreads if you don’t believe me) but the truth is my all-time favourite was only ever going to be ‘Last Call’ because Rose & Patrick gave me All. The. Feels.
Once Rose Fisher makes a decision, that’s it. End of story.
Like when her ex, Patrick, dumped her out of the blue, then showed up with a super-hot, tatted up sex kitten on his arm. Then it was over for good. The end. Poof. Dead to her. Except he was everywhere — down the hall, at the bar with their friends, worming his way into her dreams.
But with their friends paired off, they’re left alone more and more. Rose is determined to keep him friend-zoned — doesn’t matter that he stares at her with a smoulder that drops all panties in a ten foot radius. She’s over him, and she’ll prove it by getting back into the dating game, Patrick be damned.
Patrick Evans is no stranger to consequences. When your mother walks out, your dad drifts away. When you leave home, you’re on your own. And when you run away from the girl you love, you lose her. He finally has an opportunity to rebuild the bridge he burned, and it’s not one he’ll take for granted. But he’ll have to fight for her, even if it hurts. Even if it means he’ll walk away brokenhearted. Because deep down, he knows that she’s it for him.
The trick will be to get her to admit she feels it too.
AUTHOR: J.D. Hawkins (Instagram)
JD Hawkins writes erotic romance with modern-classic alpha males and strong, independent women. He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles, CA. He loves to travel and has lived in many places, including New York City, India and Thailand. When he isn’t writing, JD enjoys surfing, training in Mixed Martial Arts, reading and taking naps. He’s always loved making up stories, especially ones inspired by real life (Amazon).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 5
Side Note: J.D. is the only male author to be included in My Favourite Authors & Books so far.
BOOK: Cocky Chef (2017)
You can call me arrogant as much as you want. But when you’re the best at what you do and have the hottest restaurant on the west coast, with enough Michelin stars to make Gordon Ramsay’s head spin, you’ve earned the right to your confidence.
When I give an instruction in the kitchen, it’s not a suggestion–it’s an order. So when a new chef thinks she can do things her way, and dares to say so to my face, even her sharp wit and gorgeous pouty lips don’t make it okay.
But I have to admit, she’s got talent. She’s creative in the kitchen and not even that double-breasted chef jacket can hide her perfect body. As I get to know her, I can’t help wanting to know everything she thinks. I’ve never met a more talented chef. And I’ve never met a sassier and sexier woman in my life.
There’s only one way this push and pull can end.
With her in my bed, begging for more.
AUTHOR: Emily Henry (Instagram)
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 3 (+ 1 TBR)
BOOK: Happy Place (2023) (Five Star Reads – June 2023)
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple – they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Except, now they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And they still haven’t told anyone.
Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. For one glorious week they leave behind their lives, drink far too much wine and soak up the sea air with their favourite people.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth. The cottage is for sale so this is the last time they’ll all be together here and they can’t bear to break their friends’ hearts. So, they’ll fake it for one more week.
It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses).
But how can you pretend to be in love with someone – and get away with it – in front of the people who know you best?
AUTHOR: Rachel Higginson (Website / Instagram)
Rachel Higginson is the best-selling author of The Five Stages of Falling in Love, Every Wrong Reason, Bet on Us and The Star-Crossed Series.
She was born and raised in Nebraska, and spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days writing stories and raising five amazing kids (Goodreads).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 8
BOOK: The Opposite of You (Opposites Attract #1) (2017)
Series: The Difference Between Us (#2), The Problem With Him (#3) & The Something About Her (#4)
If Michelin stars were awarded for foodie romances, all 4 x Opposites Attract novels would have them.
I’ve sworn off men.
All men.
Famous last words, right? You’re expecting some epic tale of reluctant love and my dramatic change of heart? Well, you’re not going to get it.
I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions.
The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd.
The second? I’m going to prove to the bastard across the plaza that my street food is better than his fussy five course monstrosities.
Killian Quinn might be Food and Wine’s Chef to Watch Out For. He might have a Michelin Star. He might have every food critic in the city wrapped around his too-large fingers. But he’s also pretentious and unbearably arrogant and the very opposite of me.
So he can keep his unsolicited advice and his late night visits and his cocky smiles. I want none of it. Or him.
I want the opposite.
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Hunter (Website / Instagram)
Elizabeth Hunter is a ten-time USA Today bestselling author of romance, contemporary fantasy, and paranormal mystery. Based in Central California and Addis Ababa, she travels extensively to write fantasy fiction exploring world mythologies, history, and the universal bonds of love, friendship, and family.
She has published over forty works of fiction and sold over three million books world-wide. She is the author of the Elemental Mysteries, Irin Chronicles, Cambio Springs Mysteries, and other works of fiction (Goodreads).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 4
BOOK: Ink (7th and Main #1) (2018)
Series: Hooked (#2), Grit (#3) & Sweet (#4)
It’s everything but business as usual.
Emmie Elliot hadn’t expected to come back to Metlin, California. She definitely didn’t expect to stay. She returned to her childhood home with a mission: Sell the building that housed her grandmother’s book store and move on with her life.
But life doesn’t always go according to plan.
To reopen her grandmother’s book shop, Emmie will need a hook. She’ll need a strategy. She’ll need an… Ox?
Miles Oxford doesn’t have much interest in quiet bookstore owners. He’s a tattoo artist without a space to work, and the last thing he wants is to get involved with anyone after his last disaster of a relationship. Work and pleasure don’t mix for Ox, but since he doesn’t have any interest in the cute girl with the bold business proposal, he should be safe from any awkward complications, right?
She sells ink. He tattoos it. Unusual? Yes. But a book shop/tattoo studio might be the ticket for both Emmie and Ox to find success on their own terms. As long as they keep their attention focused on business.
Just on business.
AUTHOR: Helena Hunting (Website / Instagram)
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry (Author Website).
Books I’ve Read by This Author: 10
BOOK: A Kiss for a Kiss (All In #4) (2021) (Five Star Reads – July 2021)
Series: A Lie for a Lie (#1), A Favor for a Favor (#2) & A Secret for a Secret (#3)
I’m Jake Masterson, single dad, and the General Manager of Seattle’s NHL team. I walked away from a career as a player so I could raise my daughter. For the last twenty-plus years, Queenie has been my main priority, but now she’s getting married.
And there’s a small complication.
A beautiful, sexy complication named Hanna.
She’s my son-in-law’s older sister. Or at least that’s how they were raised. The truth is a little more scandalous than that.
I’ve been drawn to her from the moment I laid eyes on her. And I spent months trying to keep a lid on that attraction.
Until we finally give in.
It starts with one searing kiss, but quickly ends with us between the sheets—and in the shower, and the hot tub, you get the picture—and turns into months of sneaking around.
Here’s the problem: we live on opposite ends of the country. It can’t be anything but casual. And as I’ve already said…it’s complicated.
But when Hanna finds out she’s pregnant…suddenly things get real serious.
Louise Hall 
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