Here are our five picks for the month of May.

McQuiston conceived of the novel before the 2016 election, and the world has changed significantly since that time.

is a dashing hero with the perfect splash of tortured past and roguish charm.

May Romance Column Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev CR: HarperCollins The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Uptown Girls, #1) by Joanna Shupe CR: Avon Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel by Casey McQuiston CR: St. Martin’s Griffin

Credit: HarperCollins; Avon; St. Martin’s Griffin

Trisha has wrestled with years of guilt over a friends betrayal that threatened the balance of the entire family.

When Trisha stumbles into D.J.

It is probably physically impossible to read this book and not be starving after a chapter or two.

Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel by Casey McQuiston CR: St. Martin’s Griffin

St. Martin’s Griffin

Those passages are Jenkins best the bruising truth of how hate refuses to die laid bare on the page.

Jenkins also is there to remind us that love wins in spite of everything.

Val and Drake refuse to have their spirit or their love bowed by the challenges they face.

The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Uptown Girls, #1) by Joanna Shupe CR: Avon

Instead, they work even harder to provide a better future for themselves and those less fortunate than them.

Hawkins has a breezy writing style that radiates warmth, wit, and heart.

But the book often lacks stakes.

Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev CR: HarperCollins

Rebel: Women Who Dare by Beverly Jenkins CR: HarperCollins

HarperCollins

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins CR: Penguin

Penguin