By Nicole Danielle

Warming Up to Spring

While my dear bosom buddy and fellow bookish biddy, Meghan Leigh, awaits Spring in the North; it’s well underway here in the Carolinas. I’ve already started my Spring weeding and clean-up and the Naked Lilies my friend, Andre, sent to me from his shop, Firefly Farm & Mercantile, are already peeking up. When I’m not buzzing about the garden and warming up to Spring, I like to settle down at the end of the day with a good trashy romance novel.

While I always have plenty of new and secondhand books on hand in my tote of smut and TBR piles, I’m still on the lookout for fresh romance novels. And, as I’m thinking about Spring, I’m on the lookout for trash rags that have a garden or seasonal theme to match as well as new releases. And so I present to you my findings for “fresh “romance novel reads.

Fresh Romance Novels

I’ve included a mix of options from historical romance (hooray for Regency era!) to contemporary and romantasy (romance + fantasy) for whatever helps you warm up this Spring.

In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker

I just scored a secondhand copy of In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker at 2nd and Charles in Fayetteville and I am excited to read it. Witches? A garden? A bourbon distillery? No need to twist my arm! This book is giving me serious Practical Magic vibes — which is one of my absolute favorite movies. The story is set in the small town of Yarrow, Kentucky (gardening friends, I know you’ll appreciate the plant reference) and follows three generations of empathic witches. The women have a shadow garden and grow ingredients for the local bourbon distillery which is owned by another family with a hidden past.

This contemporary novel combines mystery, magical realism, and a touch of romance. You can purchase a copy of In the Shadow Garden from our affiliate, The Ripped Bodice, here or from Amazon here.

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

If you’ve listened to our podcast, you know how much I adore romance novel author Lisa Kleypas. Her book, A Wallflower Christmas, was the perfect holiday read for me, filled with holiday cheer, a roguish American, and plenty of spice. So you’ll not be surprised when add this Wallflower book to my Spring list. A Scandal in Spring is the fourth book in the Wallflower series and features Daisy Bowman, “Rafe the Rake’s” sister. (Rafe was our rogue in A Wallflower Christmas. You can listen to the podcast episode, Cheers to Christmas Romance Reads on your favorite podcast streaming service or click here to listen to it on our in-house podcast player.)

Daisy is the last of the four original Wallflowers to marry and this is her story. If she doesn’t find a husband of her own choosing by the end of the London season, she must marry the man her father has chosen — a man she hates. But will this be an enemies to lovers romance novel or will scandal lead Daisy in another direction? This is a Regency era romance and I love the Wallflower series because it reminds me of the Bridgerton books. You can purchase the book from The Ripped Bodice here or from Amazon here.

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

Yes, I am completely biased in my affection for romance writer, Lisa Kleypas. So here is another novel from her bibliography. Devil in Spring is not part of the Wallflower series but instead follows the Ravenel family and is the third book in that collection. Our heroine, Pandora, is still a wallflower, though — albeit an entrepreneurial one.

Still set in the Regency era, this novel features a marriage of convenience entangled with a dangerous conspiracy — which sounds like a scandalously good time if you ask me. You can purchase the book from The Ripped Bodice here or buy it from Amazon here.

Flower by H. L. Burke

Moving in a different direction, Flower by H. L. Burke is a fantasy romance (aka romantasy by those in the know) and Book 1 in the Green Princess series. The story centers around Kitrin who finds she has the special ability to cause flowers to bloom, roots to grasp, and trees to bend. She meets a young man who, gasp!, is also a prince. They take comfort in each other but there are, of course, secrets and mysteries that may tear them apart and destroy them.

I’m intrigued by Katrin’s powers and will definitely be adding this to my own reading list. If you’d like to read Flower, you can get the book here from The Ripped Bodice or here from Amazon.

Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin

And, finally, I have a lovely contemporary romance and new release to share with you: Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin. Spring Fling is full of small town charm and is just the ticket if you enjoy a friends-to-lovers romantic comedy. The book is set in Clay Creek, Arkansas and follows childhood besties Mylie and Ben. Mylie is livin’ life in her hometown and Ben returns to fix up his family home so he can sell it and get the heck back out of there. It’s a classic will they won’t they story filled with wit, charm and spice.

Sounds like Mylie and Ben are having a little spring fever. You can find out how this spring fling turns out for yourself when you buy the book from The Ripped Bodice here. (As of the time of this article, it’s currently on pre-order so you know it’s super fresh.)

Which of these books sounds like a good Spring warm-up read to you? Do you have a favorite Springtime or garden-themed romance novel? Let us know in the comments!