Sponsored by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
In the next installment of the Prison Camp series, things get steamy when Lucan, a wolven forced into bartering drug deals for the infamous Prison Colony, meets Rio, the second in command for the shadowy Caldwell supplier. After a deal goes awry, Lucan swoops in to save Rio from certain death. As shocking truths unfurl, Rio is uncertain of who to trust and what to believe—but with her life on the line, true love rears its head and growls in the face of danger.
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.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already Thanksgiving this week. The end of 2021 is really close which means 2022 is just around the corner. I’m sure I’ll have more of an introspective closer to the end of the year but as I was writing this newsletter it hit me that soon I’ll have to remember to write 2022 on things. There’s nothing much planned for the holiday this year for me apart from not having to work, which in and of itself may be worth its weight in gold because everything is busy this time of the year. Absolutely everything.
As we go into the holiday week I also wanted to share something that brings me lots of joy, and that is the song Pretty Much You by Rockapella. Yes, that Rockapella. The one that sang the Carmen Sandiego theme song. Listen to it and try to not at least shimmy. I dare you.
Romance Reflection
Goodreads opened up voting for Best Books of 2021 and, like many others in the community, I was surprised to not hate the nominations in the Romance category. There is also a fair amount of representation there. If anything, it’s going to be tough picking which one I want to vote for since there are more than a handful that I want to win. With the exception of a few, I would be happy with anyone that won.
That said, I would be remiss in not calling out the lack of mass market paperback books or historical romances. All of them are contemporary which is fine. And I wouldn’t want it to go the other way and only have historical romances, because then we might run the risk of having little to no actual representation.
This isn’t to say that I’m unhappy with what was chosen but I know that there were a lot of historical romances that got boosted a lot this year. You would think looking at that list that there were none released in 2021. And there seem to be almost no indie romances. So, it’s one of those mixed blessing things, at least for me.
I’m going to be optimistic for once and say that I feel the nominations this year are a step in the right direction. We still have a way to go for sure. And I still feel that books that aren’t published yet by the time the nominations are open should be in the running as it is highly unlikely anyone actually read them. But, there’s hope.
However, I’m not going to overlook the fact that the Swoon Awards are currently taking nominations. And you can submit as many books as you’d like. So if one of your favorites got overlooked, you can always throw your name in that ring.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Book Riot Romance
Rioter Sil has some romance read-alikes for fans of Ted Lasso.
If you haven’t had the chance to listen to the first two episodes of Adaptation Nation and are traveling for the holiday, now is the perfect time to do it. The first one is on Dune and the second on Casino Royale.
Not romance related but it’s still in the Book Riot vein: we’re hiring an Advertising Sales Manager! Do you like books and comics? Does helping advertisers reach an enthusiastic community of book and comics lovers intrigue you? If so, then this might be the perfect fit for you!! Apply here by December 5, 2021.
Around the Web in Romance
This gave me all the feels. The first time I remember seeing a romance novel was in the hands of my dear Aunt Judy at one of our many family gatherings. She always had a Harlequin in hand and whenever we visited her she would have them stacked on her coffee table. Romance is something that brings, and sometimes keeps family together. And I will die on that hill every time.
And, speaking of romances keeping us together, I loved seeing this tweet from Christi Caldwell about Jodi Picoult. It is possible to promote authors in genres other than your own and I love that getting recognition and call outs.
The way my jaw hit the floor when I saw this cover reveal from Jayci Lee.
Here is a list of Bookpage’s Best Romances of 2021.
New Releases
Whether or not you’re out in the thick of it shopping for deals or purchasing from the comfort of your couch, consider treating yourself with some of these new releases.
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Ignite by Melanie Harlowe (11/22)
Daddy’s Little Christmas by Della Cain (11/22)
Fury of Destruction by Coreene Callahan (11/23)
Mr. Dale and the Divorcee by Sophie Barnes (11/23)
All the Pastor Wants by Rhonda McKnight (11/24)
Kourt-ing by Tracy Gray (11/24)
Bobsledding with the Billionaire by Rose M. Cooper (11/26)
Meant to Be by Chloe Peterson (11/26)
Silver Bells by Carole Wyatt (11/27)
Small reminder that this weekend is Small Business Saturday. While I understand the convenience of chain stores and sites, remember that $50 has more of an impact on a small business than a corporation. So, if you can shop locally please try to. I know I will likely be purchasing a few things from one of my local indie bookstores for some gift ideas.
And that’s all for this week. I’ll be back next Monday with a fresh edition. In the meantime you can follow me over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Have a wonderful rest of your week.