Did you know that romance novels generate over $1.4 billion in revenue--making romance the highest earning genre of fiction?  Romance novels sold more than 39 million print copies in 2023, which represents a 52% increase over the previous year.  Sales of romance novels MORE THAN DOUBLED over 2021 sales, and last year was the third consecutive year of increasing romance sales.  Meaning: romance readers, we know you're out there, and we've got the book club for you!

Join Julie Iatron, romance devotee, for "Between the Sheets: A Romance Book Group."  We'll gather on Tuesday, August 11th at 6:30 PM in the conference room to discuss "Boyfriend Material" by Alexis Hall.

"Wanted: One (fake) boyfriend Practically perfect in every way Luc O'Donnell is tangentially-and reluctantly-famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship ... and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go."

USA Today bestselling author Alexis Hall writes books in the southeast of England, where he lives entirely on a diet of tea and Jaffa Cakes. You can find him at http-//www.quicunquevult.com/, on Twitter @quicunquevult, and on Facebook at https-//www.facebook.com/quicunquevult

Join Julie to unpack this steamy contemporary and talk characters, happily ever afters (or happily for now), and alllllll the romance tropes!  Copies of "Boyfriend Material" are available at the Borrower Services desk and as an eAudiobook and eBook on the Libby app.  For more information or questions, email jiatron@chelmsfordlibrary.org.  See you on August 11th at 6:30 PM!