Hey y’all, welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. I hope your spirit is doing well today. I’m PN Hinton, your guide through the roller coaster of a ride that the world of romance can be. If this is your first time reading this newsletter, I’m glad that you’re here. If you’re a regular reader, welcome back; it’s always good to see you.
I have a happiness challenge for you this Monday morning! I want you to think back to the song that was your song as a kid. By that I mean, the song that no matter where you were in the house, when you heard the first few notes you would come running to dance and sing your lungs out. When you remember that song, play it during a challenging time of the day and see if that doesn’t increase your serotonin levels.
In case you were curious, mine was Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”
Romance Reflection:
I saw this tweet the other day and it really stuck with me because I can’t even imagine doing something like returning something that was for charity. That’s a new level of low and there is a super special apartment reserved in whatever their version of the Bad Place is for people who do that.
As I read the rest of the thread though, I found that people do this a lot, which again boggles my mind. I knew that returning digital books was an option because I have seen the option before on a book’s info page. But I never even attempted to do it because, unless it’s a highly anticipated release, it’s rare that I read books right after I buy them. And that is usually reserved for pre-orders, which is also a rare purchase for me.
Here’s the thing; I’m not a big fan of keeping books, digital or physical, that I didn’t enjoy after I finished them. Heck, I’m not even a fan of keeping the ones I enjoyed that I won’t ever re-read again for various reasons. Life’s too short and space is too limited to hold on like that and, while I don’t adhere to the Kondo way of thinking of only having thirty books, the occasional purge is nice, digital or physical.
Let me be clear though; buying books with the sole intent to return them when you’re done is shady.
It’s one thing if you start it and find a deal breaker within the first fifty pages. In those cases, yes, I understand returning it for a refund. You didn’t finish it for whatever reason. But it’s not okay to buy an entire series of books, breeze through them all, then return them for a full refund. This is especially true if the authors themselves have to pay an additional fee when that is done. That’s nonsense and more than a little unkind overall.
If you’re that type of reader, then either just use your library or get Kindle Unlimited. Since it’s a monthly fee and you can gorge on books to your heart’s content, even with the borrowing cap it has. Honestly, the only reason I don’t do that is because I don’t read fast enough to justify the costs.
No one likes every book they read. That’s just a fact of life. But, if you purchase and read a digital book in its entirety and don’t like it, take the L and learn to click with more caution in the future. That’s happened to me in the past, which is why I’m more mindful of my digital purchases. But returning books that you’ve fully read for a full refund is just wrong.
Book Riot Romance:
Here are some romances from the 1950’s for your consideration.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Around the Web in Romance:
Here are some of the M/M romances coming our way in April.
Check out this unboxing Ruby Barrett had for The Romance Recipe.
And if you’re a fan of sports romances, check out some of the recommendations here.
If you’re itching for more Bridgerton quizzes, here are twelve you may have missed. Yes I know the title says thirteen but I also know that I’ve shared one recently, so hopefully that is one you’ve already tried.
Yet another request for more diverse romance adaptations. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Bridgertons but I would also love to see the LeVeq or Westmorelands up on screen as well, especially since they’ve been around longer than the former family.
Frolic’s Monthly Book Crush is none other than Prem from Dating Dr. Dil, which happens to be on my currently reading pile.
New Releases:
Here are the new releases that were slated to be released this week. Please note that, as usual, these were the dates that were reflected as of the writing of this newsletter.
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Secrets from the Heart by Sean D. Young (4/11)
Influenced by Love by J. Nichole (4/12)
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann (4/12)
With a Twist by Georgia Beers (4/12)
No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey (4/12)
Show Queen by Renee Dahlia (4/12)
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Show Me Forever by Layla Hagen (4/12)
What a Match by Mimi Grace (4/13)
His Royal Highness by Stephanie Nicole Norris (4/15)
The Forgotten Dead by Jordan L. Hawk (4/15)
I won’t lie; I’m super excited for No Rings Attached and it’s already pre-ordered.
Well, that’s it for this Monday morning. I hope that it, and your song of choice, helped to start your day and week off on the right foot. I’ll be back Thursday with a fresh newsletter and in the meantime, I can be found posting over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Happy reading!