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Hey hey, folks. Hope you’re doing well this Monday Before Thanksgiving That Isn’t Thanksgiving. To change things up, I treated myself to the week off from the day job—well, the three days I would be working this week—and will hopefully settle in for some reading! (And really, I am historically terrible at taking time off…to the point that my boss was like “just take a day off a week, that’s how much leave you’ve accrued because you never leave this place” and…I’m still not very good at it.) We’ll see. I might end up just watching Romance is a Bonus Book and crocheting another lap blanket (lolsob).
Speaking of bonus books.
News and Useful Links
Romancelandia! Y’all are killing it with the Romancing the Runoff auction! As of writing this on Sunday evening, they had surpassed 300K! That’s over a quarter of a million dollars set to go to voting rights organizations that will support the runoff race in Georgia and democracy in general. And there’s still time to bid! So whether you’re ready to drop a lot of cash for that Kate Spade typewriter bag or an annotated copy of Spoiler Alert or more limited to one of the 25-50 dollar Buy It Now items, you’ve got until the end of November 24 to check it out.
Have you seen the cover for Alexandria Bellefleur’s next book, Hang the Moon? It’s gorgeous!
And speaking of covers, how many (romance) authors do you know who would pose for their own cover? Well now, you know at least one.
It should be no surprise that I backed this sex-positive comics anthology. There are still a few days left if you’re interested.
While it’s not specifically about romance, this is a fascinating look at the world’s reading habits.
Are you ready for Winter Bingo? (I hardly made it through Summer and didn’t even try the Fall one, but you know…)
I have no idea what international shipping costs from the UK, but I wants it precious.
While we’re still going to have to have a chat with The New York Times about their romance coverage, it was satisfying to see The Duke Who Didn’t on the list of 100 Notable Books of 2020. Yes, it was the only romance, which…you know what. You know how it is. Let’s all just roll our eyes and gaze at the pretty Ripped Bodice holiday recommendations display.
And have you nominated your favorite 2020 books for the Swoonies yet?
Deals
Holidays With The Wongs: The Complete Series by Jackie Lau
I’ve talked about the Holidays With the Wongs books many times here, but Jackie has bundled them all into one! You can get all four books plus a special bonus epilogue for 3.99 if you preorder it or buy it this week! That’s a blind date for (Canadian) Thanksgiving book, a road trip plus snowed-in Christmas book, a fake dating Lunar New Year book, and a FWB Valentine’s Day book, all wrapped up with never-before-seen material! You can’t go wrong (I almost punned there and I’m sorry for even thinking of it after I accidentally typed it).
Recs
After reading Carmen Maria Machado’s edit of Carmilla a couple of weeks ago, I have been ready to welcome queer vampires back into my life. I’ve only just set out on this journey, but I’m happy with what I’ve read so far!
Frostbite by J. Emery
Not only is this a queer vampire book, it’s a cozy winter holiday novella! Ezra, a sheltered young vampire who just wants to be considered an adult, leaves home without any way to track him with the help of a witch for a night on the town and maybe a nice hookup. But instead of meaningless sex he gets kidnapped (and easily escapes, he’s not a toddler after all). Alone and wandering through the woods, and very much not dressed for a snowstorm, he comes across an empty cabin and proceeds to…whatever vampires do that is a more elegant version of passing out. Enter Morgan, who is borrowing the cabin from a friend while waiting out the fallout of telling his family (via text!) that he is leaving the family Monster Hunting business to go to community college. When he comes across Ezra, he isn’t sure what to do, but after a bumpy start, the pair warm to each other… They have to; the snow is keeping both of them there for the time being. But what happens when it melts?
While I would have loved to read more about these two, I was happy with what I got. Both characters are very sweet in their own way and their interactions are wonderful and hilarious. It’s a quick read; only 121 pages. And it doesn’t even feel like it’s that long, honestly. It was a great book to pick up when I was in a slump and not sure what I wanted, and you know I love an opposites-attract, literal-enemies-to-lovers story. With chains. Just sayin.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to find another queer snowy vampire/hunter romance, but by god I’ll keep trying. Do you have any favorites?
There’s no Kissing Books on Thursday because we’re closed for the holiday, but I’ll see you all on the 30th. Be ready for something special!
As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!