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Welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. Hope your spirit is doing well. I’m P.N. Hinton, your companion through the world of romance. Whether or not this is your first time or you’re a regular I’m glad to have y’all here.
This is the last full week of October and this month seemed to both breeze and drag by. I can’t explain it, really. Maybe it’s because it means we’re one month closer to the end of 2021, which has been a rollercoaster of a year. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I’ll take a rollercoaster over a dumpster fire, which is what last year was. But this year wasn’t as smooth as we were all hoping it would be, and there are still two months left. I don’t know what they will bring but I will endeavor to face them head on with as positive of an attitude that I can.
With that mindset something currently bringing me joy is the Happy Color coloring app. It’s a very relaxing pastime.
Romance Reflection
While scrolling through the Romance wing of Twitter, I came across this tweet from the wonderful Katee Robert. Now, I’m not sure if this was a response to something someone else tweeted because I didn’t dig that far back. But, as always, I have opinions on it.
Let’s be honest and just call attention to the elephant in the room: tropes and genre fiction, as a whole, go hand in hand. It’s not just exclusive to romance although some might argue we’re the loudest about our preferred ones. We also tend to be just as loud with the ones that we don’t like. But that’s all it is, a preference. Just because you’re tired of a specific trope or it’s not your bag doesn’t mean it needs to disappear completely.
There are literally thousands of tropes to choose from. And recently some books have even managed to bundle multiple tropes into one delightful package. So, it’s not like you’re going to be left with nothing to read if a specific genre keeps getting published. You just need to look elsewhere.
In the spirit of being transparent, personally I’m tired of the modern billionaire trope. And I say modern because I’ll read a historical novel about a rich person with a quickness. Give me all the dukes and viscounts. But the modern one isn’t just for me and it’s not just due to Mr. Gray. It’s just not for me. But I’m not calling for it to be retired because there are people who truly love it for ‘insert personal reason here’. Different strokes (sorry for that inadvertent pun…) for different folks ya know?
If it is something that you don’t like, just pass it by. Or give it another try. You never know you may have changed your mind. I learned this year that I like the fake dating trope way more than I thought I did.
Book Riot Romance:
If you love romantic royals, then Sil has you covered with this list.
Or if workplace romances are more your thing, here are some recs from Tirzah.
And don’t forget you can send in recommendations for romances from Trisha and Jess on When in Romance!
It’s your last week to buy merchandise to celebrate Book Riot’s 10th Anniversary!
Around the Web in Romance
You may have briefly seen or heard the phrase “NFT and Realms of Ruin” being thrown around on Twitter. What it ultimately boiled down to was a handful of YA authors wanting to have their fans give them ideas of stories that may be used as cannon. So…stealing fanfiction from the writers. Luckily it was canceled shortly after it was announced but the fact that it was there was concerning. While this is not romance related it is definitely adjacent since a lot of the names in Romancelandia had strong righteous feelings on this. Glad to know we’re always looking out for each other, even if they don’t overlap into our sphere.
More romance covers on rocks! Seriously y’all I’m in utter awe of the talent displayed there.
Book Cover Artist Sarah Waites came up with this romance title generator and believe me when I say it is a lot of addictive fun.
I know this is a year out but this announcement of the upcoming Sarah Hogle book gave me life and joy when I saw it. I know it’s a year away but I’m already looking forward to Fall of 2022.
If you’re looking for more Jewish romance novels check out this thread because there are a lot of good books listed here.
New Releases & Deals
Here are some of the new releases hitting the shelves this week. That said, please note that, due to the supply shortage, some of the physical versions of these books may be delayed. So, these were scheduled for release as of the writing of this newsletter.
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With Her Own Two Hands by Tasha L. Harrison
Archangel’s Lightby Nalini Singh
A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson
Strictly Confidential by Donna Hill
The Book Boyfriend by Jenna Louise Skinner
Welcome to Paradise by Lise Gold
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
And here are some of the deals that I found. As usual, these were showing at the listed price as of the writing of this newsletter.
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Sips of Her by Karmen Lee ($0.99)
A Blizzard of Passion by Anne Alperstein ($0.99)
All Screwed Up by Beth Bolden & Brittany Cournoyer ($0.99)
Bridal Favors Series Box Set by Jade Lee ($0.99)
If You Deceive by Kresley Cole ($1.99)
The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara ($0.99)
Her First Desire by Cathy Maxwell ($1.99)
And that’s all for today. I’ll be back Thursday with another edition and until then you can catch up with me on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then!