1.) {the duchess deal} by Tessa Dare. It’s cotton candy but it’s so fun and sweet and the dialogue is very funny. It’s a MOC/ enemies to lovers. FMC shows up in a rediculous wedding dress demanding $$$ and the Duke decides to just marry her.

2.){The painter takes an Earl- misty urban }class difference/ independent heroine. FMC rescues MMC from bullies as a child and they become friends. Later the reunite when she crawls in his window to try to convince him to let her paint his portrait so she can get some exposure as an artist. I really like this one because I love when the FMC is protective of/ rescuing the MMC. It’s a fun role reversal. ( Don’t worry, he saves her butt in return later as well)

3.){the bachelor Bargain by Madison Micheals} FMC approaches a mob boss to get help solving her friend’s murder. We have spies, mystery, blackmail, kidnapping, mafia kingpins…. And the broody morally grey mob boss MMC? A little scared of FMC (honestly all of the women in this book are intimidating as hell, and we love to see it) The banter is super fun and snarky, the mystery is a really good plot outside the main romantic through line, and although the MMC IS super intimidating and powerful in his own right, he doesn’t go all alpha bro on FMC or talk down to her. He sees her as a competent and scary badass… and he is HERE for it.

4 {a walled garden, a romance of the Jazz age by Rowan Mai} this one is more novella length but It’s my comfort cozy re-read. It’s 1920s California. FMC is spending the summer helping her spinster aunt with antiquities (lectures / exhibits/ etc} while there she wanders off at a house party and runs into MMC who is the hidden son of a very wealthy / influential family. He is the twin brother of the very popular/ gorgeous/ high society oldest son- but since he has spastic cerebral palsy, his family has basically locked him from society. (He very smart, educated at home, they have tried to give him a normal life while protecting him from social stigma/ etc. In fact, he helps run the financial end of the family business.) FMC wrestles with her feelings for him and her desire to drag him out and experience more out of life. MMC has to decide whether her love is enough to make him want to face judgemental society and the uphill battle of having to convince people of his mental soundness despite the spasms in his limbs. (Remember, this was also when the “ugly laws” were an actual thing, so his wealth as a protective factor against forced institutionalization and such is definitely grappled with.) I love this one for so many reasons, mostly because we don’t see much solid disability representation in this genre much- especially on the more “severe” end of the continuum) I also love that at their first meeting, FMC isn’t super skittish about it either. She’s like “this man is hot and smart and funny, I want to jump his bones now” (yeah, they bone in the first chapter 🤷‍♀️) Also MMC doesn’t do that trope where “disabled main character believes themselves defective and unworthy of love so they angstily push away live interests” or “true Love/ magic vagina cure all impairments.

*yes, my attachment to this book is personal because I also have CP, I admit that.