Tropes abound in romance: enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, fake engagement, sibling’s best friend/best friend’s sibling, marriage of convenience, etc. A favorite of many writers is the fling—the lovers agree to a short-term relationship (one-night stand, while on a vacation, for the duration of the project), but of course they fall in love, and by the end of the book, they’re ready for a longer commitment. This is the main theme of the two romance novels featured this month.

A Second-Chance Fling 

In Makenna Lee’s debut, Her Second Chance Cowboy, world-traveling photographer Reese Turner visits Cypress Creek, Texas, to complete a photo assignment and buy back her grandparents’ cottage, only to run into an old flame, rancher James MacLachlan. Reese has sworn off men, intending to focus on her career. James has seen how love can hurt from his parents. Unwilling to risk his heart, he decides to stick to casual affairs.

They agree to engage in a fling while she’s in town. That is all Reese is willing to give to the man who broke her heart once before. That is all James has to offer to the woman who will be leaving to fulfill her ambitions soon. This second-chance affair is only about living out a fantasy, but love has other plans.

Makenna Lee is an award-winning romance author living in the Texas Hill Country with her real-life hero and their two children. Her writing journey began when she mentioned her story ideas, and her husband asked why she wasn’t writing them down. The next day, she bought a laptop, started her first book, and knew she’d found her passion. Makenna is often drinking coffee while writing, reading, or plotting a new story. Her wish is to write books that touch your heart, making you feel, think, and dream.

A Stranded Fling 

San Antonio accountant Claudia Molina follows A Well-Structured Life. Every day is the same, everything is scheduled in her calendar. A broken marriage and her son’s death made Claudia wary of men. Her pristine home, book club, and job are enough. That is, until she meets Blake Campos, truck driver and biker—a most atypical client.

After losing a management position because of a nasty divorce, Blake has a jaundiced view of women. For him, they’re for momentary pleasure. That is, until he unexpectedly bumps into his new accountant Claudia at a motorcycle rally. Until a snowstorm strands them for two days, in one room, with no heat except for what they could generate from each other.

L. M. Gonzalez writes about the loves and lives of Latinas and the challenges of romance the second time around. Her stories, set against a backdrop of strong Latino culture blended with an American lifestyle, are refreshing and capture the essence of everyday Hispanic life. Texas-born and bred, L. M. has been living in San Antonio since 1988, when Loop 1604 and Potranco Road were mostly trees, cows, and one Diamond Shamrock gas station.