Love on the Shelf
by Sheila Roberts
Publisher: MIRA
Release Date: May 26, 2026
Reviewed by PJ
The battle lines are drawn—between a romance-loving bookseller and the shock jock determined to tear happily-ever-afters apart.
Alice Willoughby and her mom run HEA Books, a cozy shop devoted to love stories and the people who crave them. Alice is great at matching customers with their perfect happily-ever-after…she just can’t seem to find her own.
Enter Parker Black, a disillusioned radio host who’s reinvented himself as a romance-bashing shock jock. Bitter from his breakup with a romance author who turned love into a four-letter word, Parker takes aim at the entire genre—and his on-air rants start stirring up trouble for Alice’s loyal customers and their partners. He’s arrogant, aggravating, and absolutely not book-boyfriend material.
Parker’s crusade leads to spirited debates and bookstore protests, but when unexpected sparks fly between the two of them Alice begins to wonder if her favorite trope—enemies to lovers—might actually be playing out in real life. Parker may claim romance is a lie…but is he protesting a little too much?
With sharp wit and plenty of charm, USA Today bestselling author Sheila Roberts delivers a modern battle of the sexes where the biggest question is simple:
Are romance novels ruining love—or rewriting it?
PJ's Thoughts:
One of the things I most enjoy about Sheila Roberts' books is the community of characters she creates. They are well developed and almost always include characters who elicit my compassion as well as those I'd happily toss off a cliff (not literally, but definitely in my thoughts). In Love on the Shelf, Roberts once again gives readers a good blend of both.
Humor is central to this battle of the sexes but so is emotion and a storyline that I can easily see playing out in real life. I enjoyed watching Parker and Alice evolve throughout the book, especially Parker. He has many lessons to learn and, boy howdy, do certain characters enjoy delivering them.
This book feels like a women's fiction-romcom blend with multiple relationships, snappy banter, some sweet, Hallmark-style romance, and a hopeful ending. I could definitely envision it playing out on my TV as I read it.
If you're looking for a fun, feel-good story with laughter and heart, I suggest putting Love on the Shelf on your summer reading list.
Have you read any of Sheila Roberts' books?
Have you watched any of the Hallmark movies based on her books?
What are you reading this summer?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, July 26 will receive a print copy of Love on the Shelf.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
I so enjoyed this book too. So many giggles had by me! I have read all of Sheila’s books. Love her hallmark Christmas movie. Don’t enter me, I already have this book.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed several of Sheila Roberts' books and Hallmark movies. This looks like another good story!
ReplyDeleteMy reading this summer has been all over the place. Favorites so far include A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan, and Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long.
I've read and loved a bunch of Sheila's books. I also loved the movie Th e Nine Lives of Christmas. Doing lots of reading this summer!;I just started a reread of Secrets of a Summer Night.
ReplyDeleteI have read several of Sheila's novels and loved them. I have been reading many captivating novels. Historical fiction - The Ship of Dreams which was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. But I have enjoyed many of Sheila's books. Patoct
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed her books. I've enjoyed her books-to-film on Hallmark, Lifetime, and GAF.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read Sheila Roberts before, but Love on the Shelf sounds good! I don't ever seem to find time to watch movies, so I haven't seen any of her Hallmark titles, unfortunately. Just finished Annabel Monaghan's Dolly All the Time (loved it) and have started Emily McIntire's Forsaking Midnight and am enjoying it very much.
ReplyDeleteI've read and enjoyed a few of her books, but don't think I've watched any movie adaptations. I'm currently reading Amy Dawes' Wait With Me series.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read her yet or watched her Hallmark movies either. I am currently reading Death Over Easy by Maddie Day. Before that I read an Amish Christmas themed book by Emma Miller since I am also trying to celebrate Christmas in July.
ReplyDeleteI love her books. Like you, the multiple, well defined characters and relationships give substance to her stories. Her communities and characters are "real" with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Her Nine Lives Of Christmas is one of my favorite Hallmark movies. The Nine Kittens Of Christmas is also enjoyable. I have read several of her books and they all draw me in get me invested in the characters and their situations. As usual, I am trying to find time to read and not being very successful. I've read two by Jane Porter, Bear's Heart and A Soldier's Promise, and am trying to keep up with the one book club read each month. Glad to see you back. I hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteI love books with witty banter
ReplyDeleteI enjoy her books which are entertaining. I am reading Ransom by Daniel Silva. His novels are enthralling and an escape.
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