Brielle Adebayo’s simple life unravels when she discovers she is a princess in the African kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé and must immediately assume her royal position. Brielle comes to love the island’s culture and studies the language with her handsome tutor. But when her political rivals force her to make a difficult choice, a wrong decision could change her life.
Hey y’all, welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. I hope your spirit is doing well. I’m PN Hinton, your guide through the roller coaster of a ride that the world of romance can be. If it is your first time here, welcome and if you’re a regular reader, welcome back.
I just got back from picking out courses with my kiddo for next year when he goes to high school. An endeavor that I am not even remotely ready to really accept because it seems impossible. That said, I can’t show this to him since he’s apprehensive about going and no good will come from feeding that fire. So, I have to put on a perky and positive attitude for him. Please send me good vibes for the next few months.
Romance Reflection:
One sentiment that I’ve seen floating around in the last few weeks is that more men should read romance novels because of ‘insert random reason here.’ This is a problem for me for many reasons.
First, just to state facts, there already are a lot of men who already read romance novels. Some even write them. Continuously saying that they need to start just perpetuates an untruth that absolutely no men read romance. We should probably cease having that admittedly sexist mindset.
In addition to that, it’s just narrow-minded and wrong. You can’t force anyone to like anything; that has been proven time and time again. The old adage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it” comes to mind. I know romance is not for everyone and I get that. I don’t mind if someone doesn’t like romance, PROVIDED they don’t give me any guff for it AND they don’t try to force their preferred genre on me.
And why is that? Because when you force something on someone, they’re less likely to enjoy it. This has always been the case with anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s vegetables, amusement park rides, or what you read. When someone has something forced on them, they go in with a resistance mindset. Which means that, even if they do like it, sheer stubbornness may prevent them from admitting and/or trying it again. Whereas if you come to something organically and on your own time, you can form a mostly unbiased opinion.
Now, I can almost get this mindset on some levels. While I’m not the only habitual romance reader in my various groups of friends, I’m one of the few. And honestly I get tired of having to defend it as valid or have to deal with friends deriding the genre. I’ve gone silent and done whatever the Android equivalent of ‘left on read’ is whenever it comes up. So, on some level, there’s the mindset of try it out before you decide you don’t like it. But only if you want to.
All of this is to say that we have got to stop trying to convert staunch non-romance readers. If they ask for a recommendation, by all means give it to them. But telling them they have to read it is a surefire way to keep them from ever wanting to pick one up.
Book Riot Romance:
Rioter Abigail shared with us how Amish romances were her gateway into the genre. I’ve read a few of these myself over the years and have enjoyed most of them.
There’s still time to check out our limited edition Wordle-inspired merchandise. I only recently got into this game and I am eyeing some of these myself.
Around the Web in Romance:
February 15th was Beverly Jenkins’ birthday! Happy belated birthday Miss Ma’am!! You are and continue to be one of the brightest jewels in the crown of Romancelandia.
This cover is on fire and gorgeous. It’s so beautiful I almost want it as a print.
As is this one. The half-cut off faces are a bit jarring but otherwise…*fans self*
EW rounded up some romances that feature reality shows and identity questions here.
If you like tropes and stories centered around party girls just wanting to have fun, then this article has you covered.
Here’s another round-up of romances by BIPOC authors for your consideration.
If you’re wanting romances that feature more mature characters, check out some of the recommendations here.
Take this fun ‘pick red food’ quiz and see how well it matches up with your love language. Mine wasn’t what the official test said my love language was but for what it is worth, it is the one I always thought it would be.
Check out this list of main character dating profiles that Nick of ‘The Infinite Limits of Love’ blog put together based of some 2022 debut authors and their books.
New Releases:
Here are some of the new releases headed our way this week. Of course, remember that these were the dates that were showing as of the writing of this newsletter and that, due to supply demands and other unknown factors, they may be subject to change.
Bound by Her Rival’s Baby by Maya Blake (2/22)
The Adoption Surprise by Zoey Marie Jackson (2/22)
Colliding with Fate by A.E. Valdez (2/22)
The Last Bachelor Left by Christian Cashelle (2/22)
The Rebel’s Return by Nadine Gonzalez (2/22)
I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson (2/22)
Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert (2/22)
Baby Surprise for the Billionaire by Ruby Basu (2/22)
The Last Laugh by Eva Munoz (2/22)
Bending the Rules by Brigham Vaugh (2/24)
Devil May Care by Amy Cissell (2/24)
In the Shadow of Love by J.E. Leak (2/25)
And that’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back on Thursday with more romance reflections, round-ups, and recommendations. If you’re not already following me on Twitter, I can be found at @PScribe801. I hope that your weekend is restful and relaxing and as always full of good reading. See y’all next time.