Review - - Finding Mr. July

Finding Mr. July

by Anna E. Collins

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Intern Holly King knows there are pros and cons to everything, including competing in her nonprofit’s big fundraising competition.
 
The Pros:

• Winning means a full-time job at the new office in Scotland
• Scotland is thousands of miles away from her toxic ex-boyfriend
• Her pitch includes PUPPIES! Lots of ‘em!

     The only con? Working with Jonathan Summers. But if Holly wants her calendar of hot, outdoorsy guys and their dogs to win against everyone else’s fundraising ideas, she’ll need Jonathan’s undeniable talent as a photographer…even if he is the office grump.

     When their collaboration accidentally gets off to a steamy start, Holly vows she won’t be distracted again. But as they scramble to shoot a year’s worth of hunks and pups in just a couple of weeks, the spark between Holly and Jonathan can’t be ignored.

     With Holly’s career dreams finally coming into focus, whatever’s developing with Jonathan makes her wonder—could she be missing the bigger picture?

PJ's Thoughts:

What a fun read, perfect for vacation, the beach, the backyard, or wherever your summer happy reading spot is located. 

I love a MMC with a grumpy attitude and a soft center. Jonathan has both, as well as some significant emotional baggage. It's fun to watch him square off with Holly (great banter!), especially when their undeniable chemistry comes out to play. He's a good guy but issues have steered him away from his passion (photography) and into a new field where he keeps his head down and interpersonal contacts to a minimum. I loved watching him slowly reopen and begin to regain his confidence.  

Holly is an intern at a new company who brings a single-minded focus to her new position. She's determined to win a promotion that will take her far away from her backstabbing ex and the betrayal that cost her a promising law career and she's determined to do it with Jonathan's assistance. Easy peasy. Except, Jonathan doesn't want to help, she's struggling to find twelve dogs with agreeable owners, and then there are those pesky feelings that keep cropping up.

I enjoyed both Jonathan and Holly though, I admit, it did take me longer to warm up to Holly. She has the more significant growth arc, resulting in moments throughout the book where I wondered just how - or if - the author would get these two on the same HEA page. No worries. She accomplishes it in a realistic and believable fashion.

Secondary characters add a lot of humor, emotion, and texture to this story. I especially enjoyed Holly's mentor and Jonathan's dad as well as Holly's brother and niece. And, of course, the dogs. Their photo shoots were an absolute delight, especially the socially awkward ones. 

If you're looking for a fun, light, workplace romance with snappy banter, sizzling chemistry, unexpected twists, and a happy ending, check out Finding Mr. July. 

Coming Attractions & Giveaway - - July

 

Welcome to July! 

The year is half over. How is that possible? I hope your first six months of 2025 reading have been as exceptional as mine. I haven't counted but I'm pretty sure I've had more Top Dish and 5-Star reviews so far this year than the past several. It sure is going to make it tough to come up with a Best of 2025 list in December. Maybe I should do a Best of first half and second half? What do you think? While I'm pondering that, here's what you have to look forward to at The Romance Dish during the month of July. 

We kick off the month on Wednesday, July 2 with a review of Finding Mr. July, a contemporary office romcom by Anna E. Collins. Get ready for a grumpy hero with layers and 12 months worth of adorable dogs! 

After what I hope will be a fun and festive holiday weekend, come on back Monday, July 7 for a review of An Irish Summer by Alexandra Paige. This charming contemporary romcom took me on a lovely tour of Ireland and had me ready to book a trip in real life. 

Tuesday, July 8 brings a review and signed print copy of That Cowboy Charm by Pam Mantovani. This charming western contemporary romance with a touch of suspense is book eight of Mantovani's The Cowboys of Burton Springs series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. 

Don't miss the newest hockey romance from Kate Meader when I share my thoughts about Sweet Thing on Monday, July 14. This next generation story launches Meader's new Chicago Players contemporary romance series featuring the adult children of fan favorite Theo Kershaw and his wife, Elle (Instacrush: Rookie Rebels - Book 2). 

Nancy joins us on Tuesday, July 15 with a review of Atonement Sky, book nine in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Trinity paranormal romance series.

It's more pups in the spotlight when we head to New Orleans with a review of Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon on Wednesday, July 16. This charming contemporary romance features two Veterinarians, a second-chance romance, and no shortage of adorable dogs...or "helpful" friends.  

Thursday, July 17 brings a review of Don't You Forget About Me, an amnesia historical romance novella by Shana Galen. This one is the perfect length for an afternoon read on a lazy summer day.

Stop by on Tuesday, July 22 for a review of another historical romance novella. This time it's Two Ruins Make a Right by Janna MacGregor, a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance that brings all the feelings. 

Monday, July 28 brings a review of Give Me A Reason by Jayci Lee. Lee hits all the right notes with this Jane Austen Persuasion- inspired contemporary romance featuring Korean-American characters and plenty of family dysfunction, meddling friends, and second chances with a first love. 

Wrapping up the month on Tuesday, June 29, we'll have a review of Bad Luck Bride by Laura Lee Guhrke. This third book in Guhrke's Scandal at the Savoy historical romance series features a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers story with snappy banter and plenty of twists. 

That's what is on our agenda for July. What's on yours? 

Do you have any must-buy books this month that we've missed?

Any vacation plans? I'm staying put this summer so I'll be hoping to travel vicariously through other peoples' plans and the books I read.

Did you set a reading goal (via Goodreads or something else) for 2025? We're at the midway point. How are you doing?

Two randomly chosen people who post a comment before 11:00 PM (EDT), July 4 will each receive a book of my choice from my stash.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review - - Writing Mr. Wrong

Writing Mr. Wrong

by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

Debut author Gemma Stanton knows romance readers love a bad boy—and she has the perfect prototype for her novel: Mason Moretti. High school hockey god-turned-pro player, Mason was Gemma's first crush, but she couldn't forget the sting of his very public rejection. So, she casts him as a hot-headed Highlander in her spicy new historical romance. She never expected readers would find out on live TV when a morning show host invites Mason for a surprise on-air reunion...

As an aging hockey player with a rep for being ruthless on the ice—and roguish off of it—Mason has an image problem. So, when his meet-cute with Gemma goes viral, Mason proposes they build on the momentum with a few fake dates to boost her book sales...and his sagging profile. But when the fictional flirting gets a little too real, Mason realizes Gemma actually makes him want to become a better man—someone worthy of her trust and her love. 

Will Gemma give him a second chance? Mason knows it's a long shot, but taking shots is sorta his thing, and besides, who loves a redemption arc more than a romance author?

PJ's Thoughts:

If you're a regular around here you know how much I enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's first romcom, Finding Mr. Write (click to read my review), one of my favorite books last year. I've been itching to get my hands on book two, Writing Mr. Wrong ever since. I'm happy to say it did not disappoint.

Writing Mr. Wrong hit all of my happy, romance reading notes. I love a second-chance romance, especially if it involves lots of delicious tension. Armstrong not only nails several layers of tension in this book, she also bathes this couple's journey with humor, chemistry, and emotional depth. Gemma is frustrated with the direction her writing career is taking. Mason is on the home stretch of his hockey career and not dealing with it well. There's also emotional baggage from their past to be dealt with as well as career challenges (for both) in the present. I appreciate how Armstrong balances the humor with the emotional depth. Rest assured, there is plenty of both. 

I love how the initial perceptions Gemma and Mason have when they reconnect are turned on their heads. Gemma based her alpha-hole book hero on her experiences with high school Mason. Mason thinks he's the inspiration for a truly heroic character (he hasn't read the book yet). When he does read it, he realizes just how awful he was to her back in high school (though he didn't mean to be) and how shallow he's become as an adult (exhibition A: their cringe, first fake date). 

His realizations are a self-awakening plays out in public fake-dating (social media loves them) and private lessons (from Gemma) in how not to be a jerk. Okay, Mason is kind of a jerk but mostly because he's doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But feelings are something he's going to have to face if he wants more with Gemma. I love how Gemma calls him out on his BS but also how he wants to be better and how she helps him get there. 

With alternating points of view, we're privy to the inner thoughts of both Gemma and Mason. Knowing Mason's inner thoughts gives us a clearer view of his vulnerabilities and sweetness, especially when it comes to Gemma, and made me like him even more. I love the slow-burn attraction between them but especially how they gradually open up and communicate, how they talk through the issues of their past (finally), and work together toward the future. They're kind of each other's "the one who got away" and watching them find their way back to one another as adults is a delight.  

Winner - - The Love Fix

 

The randomly chosen winner

of a print copy of

The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis is:

Patricia Bennett Barber

Congrats!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Winner - - Eliza and the Duke

 

The random winner

of a print copy of

Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George is:

Sharyn Lewis

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Review - - Keeping it Real

Keeping it Real

by Tracy Solheim

Milwaukee Mayhem - Book 1

Publisher: Sun Home Productions

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

His best friend stole his girl - and married her.

Now, Milwaukee Mayhem goalie Alek Bergeron is riding payback straight to the top of his game. He's got one goal left: hoist the Cup and rub it in his former best friend's face. But just as the season is about to start, a phone call from the past lands like a body check to the gut.

A twist of fate.

Sheridan Cobert has made a career out of caring for others, but nothing prepares her for the loss of her only sibling-or the shock of learning he named Alek Bergeron, not her, as guardian of her nephew. The same Alek who shattered her teenage heart nearly a decade earlier.

Alek's life is on the ice, his schedule insane. The last thing he needs is a rambunctious little boy and a jockstrap-murdering dog-not to mention the not so little sister of the guy he hates-upending his neatly ordered world. But neither of them is willing to give up custody, so they strike a fragile truce: cohabitation until the end of the season.

What could go wrong?

Only everything.

Because sharing his home with the girl he was never supposed to touch is messing with Alek's game. Especially now that she's grown into a tempting, sexy woman. For her part, Sheridan is having difficulty keeping her lips off the guy she's crushed on for half her life. As the season heats up, so do the nights-and so does the guilt. Because Sheridan is keeping a decade-old secret that could destroy the fragile future their makeshift family is building.

PJ's Thoughts:

All the feelings. 

This first book in Tracy Solheim's new hockey romance series gave me everything I could have wanted...and then some. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough the first time through. During the second reading, I slowed down and savored each step, each word, each twist and turn of this deeply emotional, healing, heart-tugging journey of found family, second chances, and forever love. 

Solheim has filled this book with humor, forgiveness, a bit of a mystery, locker-room antics, instant fatherhood, complex feelings, an adorable dog, all kinds of chemistry, and swoon-worthy romance. It's a winning combination that sent Keeping it Real straight to my Tracy Solheim keeper shelf.

I'm already excited for the next book in the Milwaukee Mayhem series where team owner, Max Kellogg will take center stage. I can't wait to discover what Solheim has planned for his story!

 

Review - - Cruel Summer

Cruel Summer

by Maisey Yates

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

There are no rules this cruel summer…

“I think we should see other people…” That one sentence unravels Samantha Parker’s perfect life. She has a loving husband, three wonderful kids and a comfortable suburban lifestyle. But on the brink of their long-awaited empty-nest chapter, Will asks Samantha for something she never dreamed of: an open marriage.

Desperate to keep her husband happy, Samantha proposes a summerlong separation with no contact. She knows she has to use the opportunity to find herself, but she also has no interest in being with anyone but Will. She’s confident when the season is over, they’ll get back together like this time never happened. 

Then Sam gets an offer of adventure from an unlikely source: Logan Martin, a classic-car restorer who happens to be Will’s best friend, asks Sam to help him drive across the country to make deliveries. Logan and Sam have never had an easy relationship. He’s prickly, aloof and a little too handsome. And as they traverse the winding roads and breathtaking backdrops of North America, her changing connection with Logan challenges everything she believed she wanted in life, love and passion. When her summer with Logan is up, will she go home to the familiar stability of her past…or choose the thrilling uncertainty of her future?

PJ's Thoughts:

Raw. Real. Heartbreaking. Healing. Empowering. Romantic. Unforgettable. Those are but a few of the many words that flowed through my mind while on the emotional journey that is Maisey Yates' Cruel Summer. 

Rarely do coming-of-age stories feature 40-year-old protagonists but that's exactly what happens to Sam in this book. She's settled in a comfortable, predictable marriage. She's happy - or thinks she is - but to be honest, she's never known anything else...until her husband blows it all to bits. Thus begins a summer unlike any she's previously lived. Crisscrossing the U.S. and Canada with Logan opens her eyes to places she's never seen and her heart to feelings and realizations she never considered. Realizations such as maybe her marriage was never perfect and maybe she's spent the past twenty-two years molding herself into what others expected her to be rather than fulfilling her own wants and needs. Realizations such as maybe what she wants for her future is something completely different.

I've been reading Maisey Yates for a long time. Cruel Summer, in my opinion, is one of the best books she's written. The lead characters are so vividly depicted, I forgot they were fictional and became wholly invested in them, their journeys, and their happiness. I appreciated their complexities, their emotional layers that were gradually revealed, and shared past experiences that took on new meaning as perspectives changed. And I cheered enthusiastically for the ending my heart was begging to see.

This is an immersive story of heartbreak, growth, healing, and forgiveness. It's also a heart-tugging journey of learning to value your needs, your worth, and your right to love and be loved for your complete, authentic self. I couldn't put it down. 

Review & Giveaway - - The Love Fix

The Love Fix

by Jill Shalvis

Sunrise Cove - Book 8

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

Lexi Clark’s life is falling apart around her, so when she’s summoned home to Sunrise Cove, the last thing she wants to do is face all the complications she left behind. Her past, her stepsister Ashley, and especially her infuriatingly gorgeous childhood nemesis-turned-crush Heath Bowman.

Yep, Lexi’s pretty sure being home again just might kill her. She’s an overachieving art appraiser who doesn’t believe in trust, love, or Happily Ever Afters. Free spirit Ashley, on the other hand, is so full of life it hurts to look at her. But Lexi can’t refuse Ashley’s plea to honor their late mother’s final wish to make amends with the people she’d wronged.  So, on behalf of her estranged mother’s estate—and with Heath in tow as the executor—Lexi embarks on a road trip to repay all the people her gambling addicted mother owed money to. 

Complicating everything are the feelings that well up for Lexi: for her mom, for Ashley, and most of all, for Heath. And for the record, she doesn’t like it, or the way he has of scaling the walls she’s built around her heart. The road trip shenanigans that ensue are both funny and heartbreaking, but Lexi finds something shocking along the way. Acceptance. Family. And unbelievably—if you ask Lexi anyway—love.

PJ's Thoughts:

By the time I finished this book I felt like I had spent several hours with good friends. Such is the magic of Jill Shalvis' storytelling and character development. The Love Fix (wonderful title and very appropriate for this book) centers on found family, forgiveness, growth, healing, and love (both romantic and familial). It takes the three main characters on a journey of self discovery that strengthens bonds and offers new perspectives about each other as well as the person (now deceased) who ties them all together. 

As is usually the case with a Shalvis book, I laughed, shed a few tears, and turned the final page with a deep, heartfelt sigh of satisfaction. She does it to me every time.

This book brings Shalvis' Sunrise Cove series to an end. As with the other seven books in the series, The Love Fix is a standalone story with the Sunrise Cove location being the only element binding the eight books together. If you're looking for stories that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone, check them out. I enthusiastically recommend the entire series. 

Have you been reading the Sunrise Cove series? Do you have a favorite?

I love that I can read the books in this series in any order. Have you read any other series that are comprised of standalone stories? 

What's on your reading agenda for this weekend? 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM (EDT), June 28 will receive a print copy of The Love Fix. 

U.S. only

Must be 18

Review - - Thus With A Kiss I Die

Thus With A Kiss I Die

by Christina Dodd

Daughter of Montague - Book 2

Publisher: Kensington: A John Scognamiglio Book

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

“Woe, for I am the bug that meets the windshield's might,
No longer the speeding glass, smooth, clean and bright . . .”

You’re right. I, Rosie Montague of Verona, am lousy at iambic pentameter and Shakespeare speak, but you get the point: Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug. I, who for my whole life, have cruised along, unruffled by life’s trials, am suddenly smashed flat and speeding recklessly up the WhattheHellHappened Highway.

Why? you ask . . .

I’m 20-years-old and by my own design, never been wed, free as no married woman ever is. I’m beautiful, but without conceit, for Juliet, my legendary Mamma is the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the earth. Just ask Romeo, my legendary Papà. (Rumors of their deaths were premature.) I was heartwhole until I fell (literally) in love with Lysander of the House of Beautiful. But our love was not to be, for I was thwarted by Escalus, the Prince of Verona . . . who had designs on me.

I’m trapped.

Then! I’m presented with a solution. Escalus’s father, Prince Escalus the Elder, appears to me. He tasks that I find his killer. Did I mention Elder is a ghost?

Given that I only recently dispatched Verona’s first serial killer, I’m less than pleased. Yet Elder promises to unite me with my One True Love, so I gather clues. Meanwhile, revolution threatens, for beneath Verona society’s glittering surface lurk dark shadows—and an enemy eager to make me a tragic heroine in my own right . . .

PJ's Thoughts:

I highlighted so many brilliantly witty and downright hilarious passages in this book it would be easier to tell you what I didn't highlight than what I did. Remember this paragraph from my review of book one, A Daughter of Fair Verona?

Five minutes into the book, I was already snort-laughing while reading passages out loud to my sister-in-law. On almost every page, I would call out, "OMG! You have to hear this!" then read a sentence, or a paragraph, or the whole darn page to her. She left after about the tenth time I did this because (a) she wants to enjoy the book in its entirety once it's published and (b) at the rate I was going I would have read the entire book out loud because it's just that good and she had things to do. 

I did the exact same thing with book two. Warning: Do not read this book while eating. Or drinking. 

This newest installment in Dodd's Daughter of Montague (yes, that Montague) series follows the continuing journey of irrepressible, irreverent, amateur sleuth, Rosie Montague, her big, loving, madcap family, another murder to solve, and her unexpected romantic dilemma. When you're being pursued by both the Prince of Verona and the impossibly handsome Lysander (her One True Love...or is he?) and everyone has an opinion, including your heavily pregnant and hormonal mother (Juliet), overprotective father (Romeo), meddlesome family nurse (aren't they always?), all of your younger siblings (so many opinions), and (never forget) a pesky ghost with a whole lot at stake, hijinks, hilarity, danger, and a bit of romance are sure to follow, especially when placed in the uber-talented hands of Christina Dodd. She can have me gasping one second and laughing out loud the next. 

This one's a keeper. Along with book one, A Daughter of Fair Verona (I highly recommend reading them in order-read my review here), Thus with a Kiss I Die is the perfect summer book to bring warmth, laughter, a twisty mystery, a bit of romance (who will she choose?) and a bright burst of sunshine into your life. I read it in one day then turned around and read it again. Already counting down the days until the 2026(?) release of book three!

Review - - Look Before You Leap

Look Before You Leap

by Virginia Heath

Miss Prentice's Protegees - Book 2

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Reviewed by Santa

Nine years ago, Lord Guy Harrowby, Viscount Wennington, was publicly humiliated by a failed and reckless romantic gesture. Despite this, his mother clings to the promise he made her then: that she would have a house full of grandchildren by his thirtieth birthday. Still single, embittered, and swiftly approaching thirty, Guy's work is his life. In desperation, his mother blindsides Guy with a weeklong house party at his estate filled with annoying debutantes, all competing to be his wife.

After failing as a governess, Lottie Travers is struggling as a lady’s companion. Raised in an all-male household, she’s developed habits that get her dismissed. Even after years of Miss Prentice’s teachings of how to be a lady, she climbs trees better than she embroiders and can’t resist riding horses astride, in breeches. But with the family farm in trouble, and her father now in dire need of her wages, she’s determined to conquer her wildness once and for all.

Even with his home full of eligible women, there is only one who catches Guy’s eye—though he tries to deny it. For Lottie, succeeding in her new role proves difficult when the Wennington estate is filled with horses, and a spark ignites between her and the grumpy lord. Will they remain stuck in their ways, or learn that they may just be the perfect match?

Santa Says:

Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath instantly became one of my favorite books of 2025. I’ve never read a Virginia Heath book that I didn’t like and this is a five star keeper. The dialog is witty and the banter sublime. This is a master class in writing with main characters who could not be more different in temperament and attitude.

Lottie Travers is a failed governess and, as a last resort, agrees to be a companion to a very exacting woman. She knows she can be successful if she curbs her hoyden ways like sneaking out to the stables in old boots and breeches riding through the park at breakneck speeds careening into some daft though handsome man. Her sunny disposition gives her the confidence to face any circumstance.

She must also mind her tongue and remember all the things she learned at the finishing school her father sent her to. Miss Prentice’s School For Young Ladies prided itself on getting young ladies ready for employment in the best households. She crosses her fingers and promises not to engage in any rough riding as a new companion to Lady Frinton. They set off to the wilds of Scotland when they learn that the grand dame is needed in Kent to help put together her nephew’s 30th birthday party.

Lord Guy Harrowby was in a reach to get home to his estate in Kent. He wasn’t in a rush to be hassled by his mother to have a big bash for his 30th birthday in order to secure a wife. His mother was desperate for grandchildren and for her son to shed his curmudgeon armor and return to his joyful self again. Guy is hesitant especially after embarrassing himself publicly following a disastrous proposal. He convinces his mother to make it a small gathering. Unbeknownst to him she enlists the help of her half-sister who comes to Kent with her new companion.

Not only must he contend with his Aunt, a house full of debutants and guests but the companion is none other than the tornado who knocked him on his arse in Hyde Park. Lottie is none too pleased to see him either but she needs this job in order to send money to her father’s struggling farm. They face off time and time again but under their hostility is a simmering attraction that they fight against. His grumpiness is no match for her sunshine.

This slow burn romance is a delight to watch unfold. There are delightful discoveries to be had. I could not put this book down and finished it in one day. I cannot wait for the next heroine from Miss Prescott’s School to get an equally satisfying HEA!