Get Lost in a Romantic Comedy Book

Sometimes you need to escape in a funny, light-hearted book without the angst. The world news is getting the better of your peace of mind and you don’t want any more dark, tragic reads. So, it’s time to turn to romantic comedy. The only problem is, the best romcom books can be hard to find.

When is a romcom not a romcom? When it’s labelled as chick lit, women’s fiction or a romance novel, of course. It doesn’t really matter what category or genre it’s labelled under, in my humble opinion, if it has these essential elements:

At least one main character who is ‘played for laughs’ with a funny voice, witty dialogue or hilarious internal monologue
A central romance or love story (other stuff can also be happening)
A happy ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) ending – ‘everybody dies’ books are not welcome here…

Wacky plot details and accidental misunderstandings are entirely optional! So without further ado, here’s a few of my favourite romcom books, or whatever you want to call them.

Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid

Penny Reid has become one of my favourite romantic comedy authors over the past year or so. I stumbled across recommendations of her writing from a few sources, including the fabulous Kylie Scott, so I thought I was on a winner.

This book is the last (probably?) in the outstanding Knitting in the City series. I have been hanging out to read this one, so much that I tried to pre-order it twice. Take my money, Ms Reid!

Anyhow, Marriage of Inconvenience is the story of Kat and Dan, secondary characters in some of the previous stories. Kat is a secret heiress to a big pharma company and Dan The Security Man is well, a security man! It’s an opposites attract set-up with characters from two different worlds who nonetheless have a real connection from the first time they see each other. Kat has to marry Dan to secure her company and her freedom, fighting off her terrible cousin who’s just after the family fortune.

If you’re new to the Knitting in the City series, I recommend starting with Neanderthal Seeks Human. You’re in for a treat reading about brilliant and eccentric Janie, purveyor of useless but fascinating facts.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I read this one a few months ago and absolutely loved it. The Hating Game is the debut novel from Australian author, Sally Thorne, and she absolutely nails the enemies to lovers trope. It’s very funny, from the moment the two lead characters appear on the page, glaring at each other across the partitions in their fictional publishing office.

The white water rafting, corporate team-building scene is particularly memorable in a cringe-worthy ‘how embarrassing’ way. Highly recommended! I can’t wait for her next book…

Playing House by Amy Andrews

This is an unusual Aussie choice from one of my favourite authors, Amy Andrews (who I’ve shamelessly fan-girled at the Romance Writers of Australia conference more than once).

Playing House is the latest instalment in a series of romantic comedies set in the world of Australian rugby. I absolutely adore her writing, which is both super funny and super sexy. Playing House has a wonderful blend of light-hearted humour around a virgin heroine with a Mr Darcy fixation, a one-night stand and a best friend’s brother trope, and more serious issues which totally snuck up on me — yes, I cried when reading this one. You have been warned!

Don’t be put off if you’re not a fan of sports-themed books or if you don’t really know anything about rugby (Who does? Not this little red hen!) because this is all about the tough guy heroes who have it all in a wordly sort of way, with fame and fortune, but who need love in their lives. The interconnected stories are great fun and easy reading, but start with Playing By Her Rules if you want to read the entire series.

Content warning: this book contains a pregnancy loss/miscarriage that may be difficult reading for some.

**NEWS FLASH** — Amy Andrews has just been announced as a double RITA Award finalist! Congratulations, Amy!

Lingerie Wars by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

An ex special forces operative, Lake Benson, buys a lingerie shop in a remote Scottish town. Because of course he does! There’s a goregeous ex-lingerie model to compete against, and tactics get dirty. I love all the wacky characters in the town who add a great fun element to this book. There are tartan undies and a hilarious fashion show attended by the whole town.

I’m going to continue reading this whole series by New Zealander (from a Scottish background) Ms Henderson, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Girl on a Plane by Cassandra O’Leary

Yes, I included my own book. Shameless self-promotion alert! I’ve been inspired by many awesome chick lit and romance writers and of course, romcom movies. There are quite a few references to these in Girl on a Plane. Careful readers will spot the When Harry Met Sally and Love Actually references, but can you spot more?

I loved playing with the balance of humour and emotion in this book, and also the themes of travel and finding home. My Irish flight attendant character, Sinead, is played for laughs. Mostly. Aye, there’s a bit of the craick. And some sexytimes.

Romcoms to be read…

I’ve got a huge To Be Read list already, but let me know your romcom recommendations in the comments below!

Note: This blog post was originally published on the Romancing The Genres site, 22 March 2018.

Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop!

Valentine’s Day 2018 Event – Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads

Are you excited about Valentine’s Day? The authors at Chick Lit Chat HQ are, and we know quite a bit about romance, not to mention gorgeous guys and swoon-worthy storylines, which is why we’ve put together a fun-filled event that celebrates all these wonderful things.

That’s right, book lovers, it’s time for the Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop! Starting February 12th, 40+ Chick Lit and RomCom authors will be throwing a fabulous, Valentine-themed bash on Facebook and each of them will be offering a GIVEAWAY–books, gift cards, author swag, and lots of other wonderful prizes will be up for grabs!

But wait, there’s more! You know we have the “yummy reads” covered (this group is nothing if not crazy talented), but what about the “sweet treats?” Hold on to your hats, peeps, because CLC HQ has outdone itself this time. We’ll be giving away not one, not two, but THREE Grand Prizes for this hop and each of those lucky winners will receive a 6-pack of Wicked Good Cupcakes!* And the best news of all? You get to choose your own sinfully delicious flavors. (Commence happy dance now.)

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop on Facebook and join the group page where you can meet and chat with fellow readers, as well as some of the most popular authors in your favorite genres, plus find the lists of participating authors and enter to win one of the Grand Prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tree Love new release celebration prize!

My giveaway** prize for this event includes the following:

One ebook copy of my new release short story, Tree Love
Lightweight cotton scarf in charcoal colour with little gold hearts printed on it
A gold-tone triple strand necklace with a heart pendant
Black metallic heart-shaped jewel box

I might also throw in some delicious heart-shaped, Italian-made Girl on a Plane chocolates wrapped in red foil. Because yum!

Tree Love is releasing widely on major ebook retail sites on 13 February for only 99c or 99p. The universal link to all retailers is here – books2read.com/TreeLove

This story is a tale of first loves reunited, email to trees (no joke — based on a true story too, of email addresses assigned to trees in public parks and people writing them love letters), an artist heroine and urban lumberjack hero. It’s set in and around the beautiful botanic gardens in my home city of Melbourne, Australia. All the fun and swooniness ensue!

My question for anyone wanting to enter my giveaway is:

If your first love fell out of a tree, would you catch him (or her)?

I ended up marrying my first love, so I guess I’d catch him and not let him drop on his head or fall to his death! Hehe, what was I saying? Oh yes, my lovely husband is an absolute sweetheart. We’ve been together for many years and he’s a keeper. 🙂

Comment on the giveaway post on my Facebook author page for your chance to win. I’ll choose a winner on 16 February (Aussie time). This may be 15 February where you live).

P.S. You can also sign-up to my email newsletter to keep up-to-date with my writing, giveaways and to receive a free copy of my sexy romcom novelette, Chocolate Truffle Kiss. Just complete the form on my Contact page.

*Wicked Good Cupcakes only ships to destinations in the United States, so the Grand Prize portion of this hop will not be open to international entrants. However, the 40+ individual author giveaways will be open internationally.

**My giveaway is open internationally but is not sponsored by or endorsed by Facebook.

Heart Note cover reveal excitement!

I’m so excited to show-off the cover for my new romantic comedy Christmas novella, Heart Note.

So, without further shenanigans, here it is!

Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella cover

Cover reveal – Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella

I wanted an image that was fun, flirty, a little bit sexy and very Christmassy. I think the cover designer, the fabulously talented Lana Pecherczek from Author Zoo, did an amazing job.

This novella is the first in my planned Spritzer Chicks series, set in and around a perfume counter in a major department store. So of course it also had to feature perfume as part of the theme.

Thanks also to Rachel’s Random Resources for hosting a cover reveal across social media. Rachel is super efficient and ace!

I hope everyone thinks this cover is as gorgeous as I do. As an author, it’s made me even more excited to finish writing this story and to get it out there into the world for readers to enjoy.

Details

Title: Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella

Author: Cassandra O’Leary

List price: $2.99 (US)

Release date: 6 November 2017

Pre-order now: Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Barnes & Noble (Nook)

books2read.com/HeartNote

Blurb

A funny, romantic comedy Christmas novella, perfect for fans of Love Actually . . . from the award-winning author of Girl on a Plane.

Love is like a fine perfume. The top note draws you in, an instant attraction, but the Heart Note is the true essence. Like true love – a great perfume should be a woman’s perfect match.

At least, that’s what perfume counter manager, Lily Lucas, tells her customers in one of Australia’s largest department stores.

It’s almost Christmas, the store is bedecked with baubles and Lily has about eleventy billion gifts to wrap and sell. She and her team of spritzer chicks are glamorous, professional and hoping they don’t have to wear the hideous red onesies and reindeer antlers the store manager has in mind.

The high point of Lily’s work life is Christos Cyriakos, ex-cop, security guard, possible Greek god. He’s a mystery box she’d love to unwrap. But can she trust him?

All Lily wants for Christmas is to kiss Christos (and more), catch a band of thieves running amok in the store, and live happily ever after. Is that too much to wish for?

***

I hope you’re all looking forward to reading Heart Note!

Lazy Days of Summer sale – 45+ free and 99 cent reads!

Lazy Days of Summer promotional image

Summer? What’s that? As I write, I’m sitting here in Australia in my fluffy cardigan and Ugg boots, but of course it’s summer for my northern hemisphere readers.

Want to laze poolside or on the sand with books that’ll heat you up, sizzle your skin, and melt your heart? Why not steam up your Kindle this summer with romance e-books from some top Aussie and New Zealand authors? Grab a cocktail and pull up a chair!

Lazy Days of Summer Sale

We’ve got 45+ FREE and bargain 99 cent romances to get you through the rest of summer. From sexy or sweet contemporaries to romantic comedy, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense, erotica, women’s fiction, and urban fantasy/sci-fi/fantasy – we’ve got you covered. Full list of Lazy Days of Summer sale books available here.

My romcom novelette, Chocolate Truffle Kiss, is included. Still only 99 cents and a five-star swoony read according to Amazon reviewers. But it’s also FREE at the moment to my newsletter subscribers!

Chocolate Truffle Kiss 5 star promo graphic

Free novelette for newsletter subscribers!

Check out the books on sale!

There’s a whole lot of fabulous authors participating in this sale, including Tracey Alvarez, Nicola Marsh, Louise Cusack, Joanne Dannon, Cheryl Phipps and many more.

Visit the sale webpage hosted by Tracey Alvarez today.

Valentine’s Down Under giveaway – 25+ FREE romance books

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope your day is filled with love and laughter…maybe even a happy ever after. To help with making your day magical, I’m sharing some details of a fabulous giveaway I’m part of this year

Valentine’s Down Under giveaway

Sun, sand & surf – February Down Under is always scorching hot! And so are these 25+ FREE romances set in Australia and New Zealand! From sweet to sexy to smoking, these books will transport you into a world of Down Under Happy-ever-afters.

Download some of your new favorite New Zealand and Australian authors’ free books while you can – visit our host Tracey Alvarez’s website for details.

Simply click on the book covers you wish to download, and follow the Instafreebie site instructions to have your books emailed to you!

Chocolate Truffle Kiss

If you haven’t read my fun romcom novelette, Chocolate Truffle Kiss, now is your chance. It’s included in this Instafreebie promotion FREE along with so many other great books.

Here’s a little taste of Chocolate Truffle Kiss:

Your eyes meet mine, then retreat
Softness behind glass
Let me break your barriers

The poem on the blackboard enticed her to enter. Just like everyday…

Writer, Beth, visits the same café every afternoon, enjoying her latte and a chocolate truffle while scribbling in her notebook. The delicious treats keep her coming back day after day, not to mention the inspiration she finds there – Samuel. The barista is tall, dark and delicious, and his stare could melt chocolate from a hundred paces.

Since her divorce, Beth’s love life has been close to extinct, but the sight of Samuel, his dark, brooding good looks and amazing dragon tattoo, kick it into overdrive. A smouldering volcano waiting to erupt in flames of passion. But Beth knows it’s unlikely he’d go for her, an older woman, when he could have anyone.

Over the course of a week, the tension between them rises almost to boiling point. When Beth’s friend lets it slip that Beth fancies Samuel, in fact she has a mega crush on him, their customer/barista relationship is tested…but could it be more than one-sided? Is Samuel writing the blackboard poems especially for Beth? Could he be watching and wanting her too?

Note: Chocolate Truffle Kiss is a novelette of approximately 9500 words. This edition also contains an excerpt of my debut novel, Girl on a Plane.

Don’t forget to visit the Valentine’s Down Under giveaway page and download your FREE books! Have a happy Valentine’s Day, and happy reading!

Ain’t Love Grand – Romance Australia 2016 conference highlights

For the last four days, I was lucky enough to attend the Romance Australia 2016 conference, Ain’t Love Grand. It was my third conference and probably the most fun!

Below is a Storify wrap-up of my Twitter feed from the weekend, filled with notable quotes, and as someone else told me, lots of impressive cleavage! My writing group pals in the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild (MRWG) were all brilliant as usual, and also looking particularly fabulous…

View the story “Rocking the Romance Writers of Australia 2016 conference #RWAus16” on Storify

Super-dooper highlights

On Friday, the Michael Hague Story Mastery workshop was gold, right from the start. Michael is a Hollywood screenwriting consultant, having worked with the likes of Will Smith on finessing a script. His focus on romantic comedies was right up my alley, and I think I’ll gain a lot of inspiration from that session into the future.

Friday night was the cabaret-themed cocktail party. It was a hoot, and of course it was special to me, as I received my First Sale ribbon, acknowledging that 2016 was the year my first novel was published. My debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was only released about a month ago by Avon Maze/HarperCollins UK, so it’s still exciting and new to be an official author. I found time to chat with other authors and fangirl like a boss!

The morning after the night before was all a bit hard…but once I found real coffee and got going, I enjoyed some fab workshops and also brainstormed some new story ideas with some friends.

Then Saturday night was the big gala awards dinner in the Stamford Grand ballroom. I still can’t quite express how excited I was for my writing group friends who were up for big awards. Samara Parish and Jess Devine were Highly Commended in the Valerie Parv Award, and Chris Weston from the MRWG won! Also Stefanie London was Skyping from Canada, watching the announcement of the short, sexy romance category in which she was a finalist. Well done to all!

The biggest news from the awards was the WIN by MRWG’s own Michelle Somers, in the RuBY Award (Romantic Book of the Year) for her romantic suspense novel, Lethal In Love. Our table erupted into hooting and hollering, even from the ladies phoning it in via Skype. Super-dooper mega congratulations Michelle!

Later we danced the night away, busting out some 80s moves and even a shimmy-shake like my own flight attendant heroine, Sinead. This was on special request from Vanessa Carnevale, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it, because I’m such a shrinking violet on the dance floor… 😉

Sunday was more relaxed, but I have to mention the fantasticly funny and inspirational keynote speech from Fiona McIntosh. She challenged us all to work hard, write like it’s a job (it is), bum in seat and come and get her on the bestseller lists. It’s on!

Now the Ain’t Love Grand conference is over, I feel inspired to finish my manuscript (dubbed the Neverending Story) and get onto something new and fresh. Happy writing everyone!