New Releases I’m Excited About: Late 2021 Contemporary Fiction

Hi friends! Yep. A new book season is upon us!! You know what that means… It’s time once again to wave a ‘we surrender’ flag and squeeze in some more space on our out-of-control TBR lists. Susan (and any other list makers), break out your lists because Late 2021 is bringing TONS of FABULOUS looking books! Let’s get this party started with Late 2021 Contemporary New Releases (September-December).

Here is the schedule of posts for the week so you can zero in on your fave genre!

TODAY: Contemporary Fiction (non-Amish & non-suspense)
Wednesday: Historical Fiction (non-Amish & non-suspense)
Thursday: Mystery/Suspense (non-Amish)
Friday: Amish Fiction
Saturday: Speculative/Youth
Sunday: Non-Fiction

In my continued quest to streamline these posts I’m only selecting a few* I’m most giddy about to spotlight here. A book is featured probably because the cover or author pulled me in and then the blurb confirmed it. (Yes, I’m someone who reads the blurb. I don’t understand you people who don’t LOL.) I’ll also include links to all the September-December 2021 releases, each in their own list by month. You can also keep up with 2021’s new books as I learn about them by bookmarking the ‘2021 Releases‘ page on my blog menu & checking it periodically!

*My definition of ‘a few’ will become extremely questionable by Thursday.

You ready to break out your TBR lists? <cracks knuckles> Let’s do this!

spotlight on titles i’m most giddy about

(click on book title to go to its goodreads page if available)

THE SECRET KEEPERS OF OLD DEPOT GROCERY
Amanda Cox
Revell /Sept 7, 2021

Present Day. After tragedy plunges her into grief and unresolved anger, Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home determined to finally follow her long-denied dream of running Old Depot Grocery alongside her mother and grandmother. But when she arrives, her mother, Rosemary, announces to her that the store is closing. Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a pact to save the store, but Rosemary has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in her footsteps. She has her reasons–but she’ll certainly never reveal the real one. 1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she’s pregnant with her deceased fiancé’s baby. Pressured into a marriage of convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve the family reputation, Glory Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept as she imagined.

SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE
(Restoring Heritage #3)
Tari Faris
Revell /Sept 7, 2021

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.
Jon is trying to prove to the Heritage Fruits board that he, not his manipulative uncle, should be running the business. The board insists Jon find a new owner for the building that will house Leah’s business. To avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s part of the building, Jon strikes a compromise with Leah, and the two go into business together. With her vision and his know-how, it might work. And Leah might realize he’s loved her since high school.

HANGIN’ BY A MOMENT
(Deep Haven Collection #5)
Andrea Christenson
Sunrise Publishing /Sept 14, 2021

The day Jack—formerly Winston Stewart—walked out of jail, he vowed to keep his conviction a secret. Now he wants a new life in a sleepy town where no one knows his name. Deep Haven is the perfect place to start over as a chef. The last thing the former pararescue jumper wants is to get involved. Colleen Decker has already escaped evil once—as a teenager, she was kidnapped by a murderer. But she’s put all that behind her as a trauma nurse in Minneapolis. Or maybe not, because a freak mistake in the ER sends her past crashing down on her. She needs a timeout in her hometown of Deep Haven. She doesn’t plan to stay—even when she’s roped into the job of flight nurse for the town’s Crisis Response Team chopper. But secrets never stay buried in a small town. And when disaster strikes one snowy night, Jack & Colleen both have to decide if the past will destroy them…or if it just might lead them home.

SAVE THE DATE
(A Christmas Romance Wedding Anthology)
Trumbo, Chapin, Havig, Bridgeman, Gabriel, Harrell,
Ho, Prysock, Tang, Thomspon, Ueckermann, Weaver
Olivia Kimbrell Press /Sept 14, 2021

As our guest of honor, you’re cordially invited on a journey through twelve heartwarming and inspirational novellas that will take you from small-town America to romantic Paris, from the sunny shores of Hawaii to New Zealand. Office romances, friends-to-lovers, second chances, and more await you in these stories full of forgiveness, redemption, laughter, and love.

AUTUMN BY THE SEA
(Muir Harbor #1)
Melissa Tagg
Sept 28, 2021

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago. If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter. Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share.

NO ORDINARY CHRISTMAS
(Mistletoe, Maine #1)
Belle Calhoune
Forever /Sept 28, 2021

The quaint New England town of Mistletoe is thrilled to welcome back one of their own, Dante West. Now a famous Hollywood action star, Dante is filming a movie in town to help the local economy, as well as make amends with the people he hurt when he abruptly left Mistletoe all those years ago. Librarian Lucy Marshall isn’t thrilled to see Dante. He was once her best friend and first love until he left her behind without a word of goodbye. When Dante makes her an offer she can’t refuse — use of the library as a filming venue in exchange for a lucrative donation, Lucy finds herself spending a lot of time in Dante’s company. With the magic of Christmas in the air, Dante and Lucy begin to forge a new bond. But can two people leading such different lives find lasting love the second time around?

HER HOLIDAY SECRET
(Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch #6)
Jolene Navarro
Love Inspired /Sept 28, 2021

Six years ago, pregnant teenager Catalina Wimberly left town without a word to protect her childhood sweetheart Andres Sanchez’s future. Now she’s back for the holidays and ready to reveal her secret—she and Andres have a little girl. But as they begin to feel a lot like family, will Catalina turn down her dream job and stay beyond Christmas?

THE SINGLE DAD’S HOLIDAY MATCH
(Smoky Mountain First Responders #1)
Tanya Agler
Harlequin Heartwarming /Sept 28, 2021

Officer Jonathan Maxwell is just as devoted to his job as he is to his two young daughters, leaving zero time for a social life. Until he meets Brooke Novak. The newly hired community center director is a single parent, too, and also part of his latest investigation. Jonathan needs Brooke’s help if he’s going to close his case by Thanksgiving…but she might be the biggest distraction from keeping his mind on his job.

CHRISTMAS IN MISTLETOE SQUARE
Basham, Putman, Rosche, Tysinger
October 1, 2021

Christmas is in the air in Kedgewick Creek, North Carolina, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Will romance find four couples in the month of December or will the pressure to keep the festivities Mistletoe Square is known for keep these couples apart? Find out in this collection of four novellas from inspirational authors Pepper Basham, Cara Putman, Janine Rosche, and Teresa Tysinger.

A FLICKER OF LIGHT
Katie Powner
Bethany House / October 5, 2021

Twenty-one-year-old Bea never expected to move back to her hometown in Montana, especially not as a college dropout with a husband in tow and a baby on the way. She insists the stay at her dad’s is only temporary, until she can get back on her feet. But the truth is, she has no idea what to do now. Mitch Jensen is thrilled to have a full house again, though he’s unimpressed by Bea’s greenhorn of a husband. Mitch hopes to convince Bea to return to school, but she’s changed since her mom died. Everything has changed. How will he take care of everyone all by himself? Grandma June is good at telling stories . . . and keeping secrets. But she can’t hide that her mind is going much longer. If she doesn’t tell the truth about her past before her memories fade away, someone she loves will suffer. But if she does, the lives of three generations of the Jensen family will never be the same.

TACOS FOR TWO
Betsy St. Amant
Revell / October 12, 2021

Rory Perez, a food truck owner who can’t cook, is struggling to keep the business she inherited from her aunt out of the red–and an upcoming contest during Modest’s annual food truck festival seems the best way to do it. The prize money could finally give her a solid financial footing and keep her cousin with special needs paid up at her beloved assisted living home. Then maybe Rory will have enough time to meet the man she’s been talking to via an anonymous online dating site. Jude Strong is tired of being a puppet at his manipulative father’s law firm, and the food truck festival seems like the perfect opportunity to dive into his passion for cooking and finally call his life his own. But if he loses the contest, he’s back at the law firm for good. Failure is not an option. Complications arise when Rory’s chef gets mono and she realizes she has to cook after all. Then Jude discovers that his stiffest competition is the same woman he’s been falling for online the past month.

RIVERBEND GAP
(A Riverbend Romance #1)
Denise Hunter
Thomas Nelson / October 19, 2021

When Katelyn Loveland’s car veered off a winding Appalachian Mountain road, she thought she was done for. That is until Cooper Robinson, local sheriff’s deputy, came to her rescue. And though Katie narrowly escaped her brush with death, she still fell. Hard. She wasn’t the only one. But soon Cooper learns that the woman he’s more attracted to than any he’s ever met is his brother’s new girlfriend—and therefore unquestionably off limits. Yet, despite his best efforts, Cooper and Katie can’t seem to avoid running into each other. Or ignore the undeniable chemistry between them. Soon the stakes of their emotional connection become higher than either of them could have imagined. Katie stands to lose the first family she’s ever had, and a scandal could doom Cooper’s campaign for sheriff’s office. Suddenly they find themselves on the edge of another precipice—and they’re forced to make a decision that could change their lives forever.

MISTLETOE IN JUNEAU
Dahlia Rose
Hallmark Publishing / October 19, 2021

Danni’s a social media influencer who’s way out of her element. She sort-of broke up with her boyfriend-slash-manager, and she escaped her fast-paced life in New York to spend Christmas with an old friend in Juneau, Alaska. Danni takes in the beauty of the scenery and the warmth of the community…and she’s drawn to the local sheriff. Before Declan was the sheriff, he was in the Army. An IED explosion cost him his leg…and his fiancée, who couldn’t deal with the injury. He knows Danni’s a city girl, while he loves the Alaskan wilderness. Could two very different people find what their hearts are looking for?

SNOWED IN FOR CHRISTMAS
Gabrielle Meyer
Love Inspired / October 26, 2021

Ending up snowbound with her ex for Christmas is a shock for Liv Butler—especially when she learns Zane Harris secretly adopted their child. While Liv longs to know the daughter she was forced to give up as a teen, Zane’s girls are his priority, and the widower doesn’t trust Liv to stay after the snow clears. But could she be just what his family needs?

THE PRODIGAL’S HOLIDAY HOPE
(Wyoming Ranchers #1)
Jill Kemerer
Love Inspired / October 26, 2021

When Sawyer Roth is hired to work on his childhood ranch, he knows he has a damaged reputation to repair. Tess Malone, the new ranch owner’s daughter, is the hardest to win over. But as Christmas approaches, Tess and her toddler son find a way into Sawyer’s heart. He lost everything the last time he put his trust in love. Can he risk it all again?

CLAIMING HIS CHRISTMAS INHERITANCE
C.J. Carroll
Love Inspired / October 26, 2021

In her last matchmaking attempt, Zed Evans’s late aunt stipulated he must find a wife–or lose his childhood home. Fortunately, the resolute bachelor needs to be married for only three months. Now he just has to convince Tasha Jenkins to be his holiday wife in exchange for funds to get her dream business started. It’s the perfect plan…until love makes an unexpected appearance.

THE PATH NOT TAKEN
(Kendrick Creek #2)
Ruth Logan Herne
Love Inspired / October 26, 2021

Ten years ago, Devlyn McCabe refused to let her secret–their child–be the reason Ryland Bauer stayed. Now Rye’s back to make an offer on her property, and she can’t keep hiding the truth. Rye will do anything to be part of his son’s life. But he’ll have to reveal the real reason he left if he wants them to become a family…

AFTER SHE FALLS
Carmen Schober
Bethany House / November 2, 2021

Strong-willed Adri Rivera always dreamed of becoming a professional mixed martial artist, but then she fell in love with a man who smashed everything to pieces. When their tumultuous relationship finally comes to a head, Adri flees with their young daughter to her small hometown in the mountains of Pennsylvania. She struggles to regain her independence after so many years under the oppressive influence of her ex, but a job opportunity at a local gym gives her hope that she’ll be able to stand on her own two feet. The one problem? The man who offers it to her is the handsome but hardened Max Lyons–her former best friend and training partner, whom she left heartbroken years before.

NEVER TOO LATE
(Along Came Love #3)
Susan L. Tuttle
Iron Stream Media / November 2, 2021

(I’ve read this & LOVED it!!!)

Widowed homemaker Rachael Stark isn’t quite sure what comes after her only child leaves for college. To fill her suddenly quiet hours and scrawny bank account, she needs a job. But painful memories prevent her from resurrecting her former art career, and motherhood isn’t much of a résumé. When her best friend needs help recovering from a gunshot wound that occurred in the line of duty, she is there. Finally, someone to take care of. Evan Wayne won’t let his injury keep him from being a police officer. His dedication to protect the innocent stems from the guilt he carries over having failed his childhood friend. What he needs now is to recover and get back on the streets. Instead, he’s handed a myriad of light-duty tasks by his captain―one of which involves heading up the department’s entry into the town’s annual mural contest. He’s not an artist, but he definitely knows one. And he’ll take any excuse to spend more time with her.

RIGHT HERE WAITING
(Deep Haven Collection #6)
Michelle Sass Aleckson
Sunrise Publishing / November 9, 2021

Sled dog musher and outdoor adventurer Nick Dahlquist doesn’t mean to be a loner—he just feels at home in the woods, with his dogs, and also online in his vlogging world, where he’s amassed nearly a million viewers. But he’s just a simple guy, with simple goals—care for his dogs, teach people how to survive the cold, and run the Iditarod. LadyJHawk’s become an online friend he can turn to, and he’s starting to need her more than he’d like to admit. But the last thing he wants is for some random woman to show up on his doorstep… Chopper pilot and Texas gal Jae Lynn Washington has been following Nick’s DogQuest videos and Get Lost in the Woods vlogs since she inherited her deceased boyfriend’s military working dog. Three years later, his encouragement and help as online chat buddies have made her wonder if he could be more than a friend. When Jae shows up in Deep Haven—and on Nick’s doorstep—he’s not at all the man she met online. The last thing she’ll do is tell him she’s really LadyJHawk. Cozy up to this delightful, wintery twist on You’ve Got Mail set in the snowy escape of Deep Haven.

LIKE A SILVER BELL
(Port Willis Romance #3)
Lindsay Harrel
Blue Aster Press / November 23, 2021

Kara Elise Gentry’s trust in men is shattered…especially wealthy ones. But after spending seven years as the wife of a powerful CEO—a praiseworthy man on the outside, but a monster behind closed doors—who can blame her? Now, three years after finding the courage to leave him, Kara is trying to make a life for herself and her young daughter. She’s moving forward, working a job she loves at Boston-based New Dawn Women’s Council, the very non-profit that made her second chance possible. That job lands her overseas in the quaint village of Port Willis just two weeks before Christmas, to oversee the fundraiser that will help to finance and launch their London office. And, like every good fundraiser should, this one includes a three-night stay at a historic English estate and a Winter Ball. Kara has planned for every contingency—except Warren Kensington.

HER CHRISTMASTIME FAMILY
(The Golden Matchmakers Club #2)
Tara Randel
Harlequin Heartwarming / November 30, 2021

Creating new Christmas traditions is a priority for single mom Faith Harper. But the handsome widower next door, police officer Roan Donovan, is struggling to make the season merry for his two girls. Sunny Faith could brighten the holiday for Roan. And the way he protects his daughters touches her heart. Will facing their challenges together unite their families…and build a love to weather all seasons?

HIS HOMETOWN YULETIDE VOW
(A Pacific Cove Romance #4)
Carol Ross
Harlequin Heartwarming / November 30, 2021

Derrick Bright’s baseball career may be over, but his brother’s is just starting—until a scandal threatens to end things. PR specialist Anne McGrath hasn’t spoken to Derrick since he left her eleven years ago. But she agrees to help for his brother’s sake. Escaping the press in Pacific Cove allows them to reconnect. Will she accept Derrick’s vow and make his Christmas dreams finally come true?

A SMALL-TOWN CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE
(Widow’s Peak Creek #3)
Susanne Dietze
Love Inspired / November 30, 2021

When she inherits a beautiful historic house, nurse Leah Dean knows selling it could solve all her problems. But there’s just one catch—she and co-owner Pastor Benton Hunt must cohost the Gingerbread Gala in the home first. As Christmas approaches, Leah and Benton grow closer, and parting with the house—and each other—is not as easy as they thought…

THEIR YULETIDE HEALING
(Bliss, Texas #4)
Mindy Obenhaus
Love Inspired / November 30, 2021

Foster mom Rae Girard’s determined to make her children’s first Christmas with her the best they’ve ever had—and she’s shocked when the town scrooge, attorney Cole Heinsohn, offers to pitch in. Rae’s young charges have melted Cole’s heart, and he wants them to experience the special day he never had. But when disaster strikes, an imperfect holiday might bring them something better: a family…

RECLAIMING HOPE
(Hooper Island #6)
Carolyn Miller
Celebrate Lit Publishing / December 7, 2021

Callie Steele might be a bit… focused on work, but despite what her employers say, she enjoys her well-ordered, productive life. When she’s sent to meet the owners of an estate requiring post-hurricane landscaping, Callie meets their son, Kai Brody, a super-chilled pro surfer, who is as opposite from her as they come. Though initially smitten, Callie knows a relationship with Kai is a bad idea—a very bad idea. Kai, however, can’t help but be intrigued by someone who challenges him to make something of his life again. He’s determined to pursue her, if she’ll give him half a chance.

ROMANCED BY THE HERO
(Heroes of Freedom Ridge #12)
Liwen Y. Ho
December 15, 2021

As Head of Security at Freedom Lodge, MacGyver Spark is used to protecting people. Since losing his fiancée in a car accident, he’s gotten good at protecting his heart as well. Determined to focus on his health and recovery, he’s kept himself busy with work and AA meetings and also far, far away from the opposite sex. Romance book blogger Amy McCormick isn’t one to wallow in self-pity. Born blind, she’s always tackled challenges head-on and been grateful for both the peaks and valleys of life. Except for her current valley—getting dumped by her first love—that has her questioning her faith and the future. Escaping to Colorado for a snowy, guy-free Christmas sounded like a good plan, until Mac shows up and challenges all her beliefs about men.

A COWBOY TO RELY ON
(Wyoming Ranchers #2)
Jill Kemerer
Love Inspired / December 28, 2021

Still processing his grief, Jet Mayer is shocked to learn his late brother had a secret wife and child. Though he’s neck-deep running his family’s ranch, nothing will keep Jet from supporting Holly and little Clara. But Holly wants to follow her own path—even if Jet’s the steadfast man she once wished for. Can they somehow reconcile their dreams to make a forever life together?

THE BREAKUP PROJECT
(Original Six Hockey #1)
Carolyn Miller
December 29, 2021

As the twin of hockey’s hottest forward, romance-loving Bree Karlsson is used to being ignored, leading to a New Year’s resolution to not date any athlete in her attempt to find Mr. Right. But what happens when the man who might prove to be her personal Mr. Darcy is her brother’s hockey-playing best friend? Mike Vaughan might be happy playing in Boston, but he’d be even happier if Bree could one day see him as more than a good friend. He agrees to help Bree with a special project in the hope she’ll finally see him as something more. But when a misunderstanding ends in a Valentine’s Day disaster, Bree realizes that her breakup project may have broken her friendship with Mike in two. Can she ever redeem her mistake?

add these to your wish list

all the new releases by each separate month
(amazon affiliate links used)

my most very favorite covers?

(because I have to narrow it down somehow lol)

Make sure to like & comment on this post and enter my monthly giveaway for THREE books of your choice from my duplicates stash! After you’ve liked & commented, claim your entries HERE.

What about you? Which Late 2021 Contemporary New Releases are you most anxious to read? Which covers are your favorites?

If you don’t see your book mentioned here OR in my amazon lists, I apologize! It’s impossible to keep up with all the books LOL! Please feel free to leave your release info for Christian / clean fiction in the comments.