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.
It’s April 18th, which this year is also Tax Day. If you haven’t done yours yet, you have until midnight to get it done or extended. We did ours last week and ended up owing, which was not fun. Now granted, it isn’t as much as others I’m sure based on some of the tweets I’ve seen, such as Ms. Bev here. So, that is something to be grateful for but man…it still stings.
I finished Dating Dr. Dil and overall thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m still currently reading Queerly Beloved and am almost done with Out on the Ice.
Romance Reflection:
I know there is a lot of division on whether or not sex is necessary for a romance novel. I know I’ve said my piece on this, which is I don’t think it is since sex is not necessary for a romantic relationship. It can be an enhancer for sure, but it doesn’t make a relationship.
That said, I’ve discovered one thing about me recently which is that I don’t care whether or not sex is in a romance novel. I just want to know going in what the sex scene status is. That way, I can prepare for it. Because if I’m going in and preparing for sizzling times and it’s off the pages, then I’m left feeling a tiny bit bereft.
An example of this is Out on the Ice. Before I go further I would like to say that this surprise was of my own design, since it is stated very clearly on the author’s page that it is an off the pages romance much like the follow up, Unexpected Goals. So I could have prepared myself for it but didn’t. So, it was a lesson to me. When in doubt, always check the author’s web page because most do have those specific call-outs there. Still, I was slightly disappointed to turn the page to the morning after.
That said, it hasn’t taken away from my enjoyment of the book, since I’m still loving it. It’s a great story and I love how Caro and Amy are learning how to be with each other at the point I’m at. And their communication is *chef’s kiss* even when they’re fighting.
Alternatively, there were a few scenes in Dating Dr. Dil that had me feeling like Regine did here. I was not expecting that level of spice in the book, and again, it was probably my own mistake since I was like “Oh it’s an illustrated cover, it will be tame.” How wrong I was. Again, enjoyed it! But it was a surprise.
All of this is to say that you never know the spice level of a book until you get into it. So, always expect to be caught off guard (unless you check authors’ web pages/authors’ notes). It’s a fun experience and something I’m sure will happen again. I’m simultaneously nervous and excited.
Book Riot Romance:
Isabelle has this round up of F/F romance fantasies with an enemies to lovers trope. I know that’s got to be a catnip combination KO for some people out there!
And here is a think piece from Tirzah on the polyamory representation in YA.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Around the Web in Romance:
Katee Robert’s Court of the Vampire Queen is getting a B&N exclusive cover. And I have to say, it is gorgeous.
A scratch off poster for romance novels? Sign me up. I’ll even take authors as long as the creators of this hypothetical poster remember that all representation matters.
While not specifically romance related, as a staunch advocate of the library, I couldn’t not share this article that discussed people tweeting the various ways libraries had saved them over the years.
Take this poll to see how you match up with others on whether or not these popular couples from rom-coms would still be together.
Not sure how I missed this but it’s the second season of Bridgerton on rocks!
See if this build your own rom-com quiz can guess your zodiac sign accurately.
New Releases:
Here are some of the books slated for release this week. However, please bear in mind that these were the dates that were showing as of the writing of this newsletter, and may change due to supply issues and other unforeseen circumstances.
 |
Paint by Numbers by Sheila Fowler (4/18)
Tell Me What You Want by Johana Gavez (4/18)
Her Reluctant Wife by Alexa Woods (4/18)
Something Bright by R. Cooper (4/19)
Crowned by a Mafia King by Kimani Lauren (4/20)
It’s Not the Hookup, It’s the Chase by Elle Wright (4/21)
 |
Honor: The Billonaire Bae by Amber Ghe (4/21)
A New Mantra by Sapna Srinivasan (4/21)
Martinez Brothers Box Set by Mayra Stratham (4/21)
Looking by Katrina Jackson (4/22)
And that’s all I have for you this Monday morning. I hope that your week started off on the right foot but, if it didn’t, then I hope that today was your most challenging day. I’ll be back on Thursday with a fresh newsletter, and in the meantime you can see me posting over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then!