Author: Jessica Pryde

Happy Halloween, folks! I don’t particularly partake, myself, but I enjoy how enthusiastic people get about it. It also means it’s officially the start of Nightmare Before Christmas season. Because I feel similarly about film that I do about romance novels: there need to be more love stories about Halloween. :’D

Let’s talk about books.

Over on Book Riot

Carole followed up her deep-dive on fat representation vs. fat acceptance with a nice long list of must-read fat positive romances. I’ve read a bunch of them but have more to check out. How many of these have you read? What do you think about the rep in them?

Sometimes, I love small town romances, and sometimes, I don’t. Laura Marie pulled together a list and I’ve only read one, so I’m looking forward to seeing where my leanings lie in regard to this group that are some of the best.

Hope is all of us, to some extent. (Even me, who hasn’t had a public transit commute in years. Still miss my daily reading time, though.)

Have you heard about our savior, historical fiction?

I hadn’t thought of it this way, but yes. Totally.

HAHA we’re all going to The Bad Place.

Do you reread?

When your favorite author comes out with a new book, what do you do?

Curious about books like Ammonite?

Deals

I know I’ve been talking a lot about a particular Game Changers series, but you might want to check out the one by AC Arthur. Play to Win and Playing For Keeps, the two books out in the series now, are 3.99 each (as of writing this on September 29). The books center friends who have come together to open a sports bar and the interesting relationships in which they find themselves. AC Arthur always puts people in odd situations and these are no different—especially the second one, which has a particularly fun premise.

New Books

I’m still slowly making my way through Well Played because what is even time anymore, but there are some great books out this week that you should check out if you get the chance. There are so many, I’m skipping descriptions this week, but have fun clicking!

Fast Breaker by Chencia C. Higgins

Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt

The Never List by DL White

The Love Study by Kris Ripper

Lay Your Head On My Pillow by Tanzania Glover (Super short but call me a sucker for 90s art and R&B titles)

A Second Bite At Love by Tempestt Chantel

Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

Beauty Tempts the Beast by Lorraine Heath

Now or Never by Nyora René

Roommaid by Sariah Wilson

Her Sweet Temptation by Nina Crespo

To Be Her Girl by Emily Cradduck

In Buffalo With You by Megan Fuentes (This is the first in a series about people falling in love at World Fairs and I didn’t know what I wanted until I wanted it)

Once Dishonored by Mary Jo Putney (Pants!)

Breakfast in Bed by Rochelle Alers

Immortal Angel by Lynsay Sands (New Argeneau!)

Crowne Rules by CD Reiss

The Flaw in Our Design by Monica McCallan

Well. That’s plenty. Reading anything good this weekend?

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!

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Oh hey, it’s the last Monday in September. There are plenty of things going on in the world, and thank goodness we have distractions like romance novels. And romance people doing things we like.

News and Useful Links

Have you read The Duke Who Didn’t yet? Well, if you have, you definitely want to check out Courtney Milan’s food glossary for the book. Eat first.

Beverly Jenkins teased us with an announcement that there would be a hardcover release of Vivid in celebration of its 25th anniversary. But of course, we have to wait for more information.

Two for one deal: Priscilla Oliveras cover reveal.

We’re getting at least one audio novella from Mia Sosa.

And Tracey Livesay is giving us more to read, too.

This is a great article about indie publishing.

And a great rundown on Slate about Alyssa Cole.

How much do you know about the Browne Popular Culture Library at BGSU?

And here are some upcoming virtual author events:

• Beverly Jenkins and Vanessa Riley chatting on October 2
• Sariah Wilson is holding a virtual launch for The Roommaid
• Olivia Waite and Jasmine Silvera chatting with Robin Bradford
• Chat about When No One is Watching with Carole V. Bell and Katrina Jackson

And Romance Sparks Joy collected some other interesting tweet threads and conversations from the past week.

Deals

And speaking of Beverly Jenkins, Indigo is currently available for 2.99. I’m not sure if it’s set at that price or marked down for a brief amount of time, so I definitely recommend getting it while you can. Her books aren’t often on sale and when they are, it’s not all of them, so if you’re a kindle reader, always keep an eye out for lower Ms. Bev numbers. This one is a kind-of-standalone about a woman who was once enslaved but now owns property in Michigan and the Railroad conductor (of the underground kind) who she takes in after he’s betrayed. (Also, this isn’t the cover on the ebook, but I couldn’t help but use it. I mean, look at it. It’s impossible to find a used copy because everybody wants to keep it.)

Recs

I’ve been reading Jen DeLuca’s Well Played in snatches when I can, and even though so far only the beginning has been set at Faire, it’s made me think about books to read when you’re missing a type of gathering or destination. I managed to sneak a visit to our Renn Faire before there were any COVID cases in Arizona, but I doubt I’ll be headed to the next one. And then there are concerts and vacations. Obviously if you feel like you’ll be negatively affected by reading about places we can’t go and things we can’t do, read with care.

(These are all books I’ve discussed before in some capacity.)

Meet Cute Club
Jack Harbon

You know what I’ve been missing? Book clubs. Sure, I’ve still been leading a couple for work on Zoom, but god, those silences that you leave for people to figure out what they want to say? They’re so much worse on a computer. But a book like Meet Cute Club is like a warm hug version of life as we knew it. Where people read romances together and let the conversation flow. (And the snacks. And maybe the wine.) This one has the benefit of also featuring some amazing shade and a pretty low level of angst.

Writing Her In (and the rest of the Plot Twist trilogy)
Holley Trent

This whole series is full of fun: concerts, work retreats (okay, maybe not the work part but the retreat part), book signings, and of course, hooking up with your favorite couple while you’re visiting Los Angeles for work. If I was a rereader, this trilogy would be on my regular rotation, just because it’s hard to figure your shit out when you’re starting a relationship with one people, let alone a couple.

(See also: Harbor by Rebekah Weatherspoon, which is a little darker than these two, but has some great scenes out on the water.)

The Changeup
Nicole Falls

Sure, baseball is on television, but if you’re not a cardboard cutout or an MLB employee, you’re not getting into one of those games. So why not enjoy a developing relationship between a ball player and a sports journalist who just can’t get along. Or is there something else brewing?

(See also: Intercepted by Alexa Martin and Off the Ice by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn.)

Syncopation and the rest of the Twisted Wishes series
Anna Zabo

Rock concerts are the best, aren’t they? Sure, you don’t get to hear the music when you’re reading about it, but Anna is great at invoking the feeling of making music and seeing it performed. In all three of these books, there is something about being part of a family, of either touring or recording, and of creating music. They’re also just amazing reads.

(See also: Riven by Roan Parrish, Feels Like Summer by Six de los Reyes, and The Chai Factor by Farah Heron because my dorky behind would totally go to a barbershop quartet competition.)

One True Pairing
Cathy Yardley

I don’t go to cons a lot, but I miss the option to do so (lolsob). More often than not, I’m at library conferences which are similar on the exhibit floor but not really anywhere else. But One True Pairing is a delightful famous fling story about a TV superstar at a small con a-la Supernaturalcon and the local baker who ends up pretending to be his girlfriend for the duration.

Do you read for destination while we can’t do anything? Or do you read as internal/non-contemporary as possible?

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!

(Note for transparency: Beverly Jenkins and Jack Harbon are working on a project I’m leading, among others not mentioned in this issue of Kissing Books.)

It’s another Thursday in September and new books are out! Also, there’s a cricket somewhere in my house and it seems to only want to scream when I’m busy and can’t look for it. Do you have any weird pests that hang about when you’re trying to concentrate? Read, maybe?

Anyway. Books!

Over On Book Riot

If you haven’t seen it yet, Vanessa Riley revealed the cover of her next historical romance, An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler.

Trisha and I talked about the pandemic’s effect on publishing and what that implies for romance (or how romance is the outlier). And we talked about a couple of books and authors.

This is an interesting article about jointly authored novels, although Christine doesn’t talk about romance, where we know there are some author duos who do pretty well for themselves.

This is a mood.

Your chance for free stuff is almost over.

Deals

Have you checked out Rebekah Weatherspoon’s A Cowboy To Remember ahead of the release of If The Boot Fits? It’s 1.99 right now (or available to read with a KU subscription!). It’s the first in Rebekah’s contemporary fairy tale adaptation series, and is a take on Sleeping Beauty. Except this time, it’s a celebrity chef with amnesia caused by a violent attack by a rival. In order to recover and hide the fact that she doesn’t know what seasoning is anymore, she goes back to the place where she spent much of her youth. And the boy she loved is in charge of helping her discover herself again.

New Books!

Oh hey, the 22nd has passed, and now I can actually talk about The Duke Who Didn’t! So let’s start there.

The Duke Who Didn’t
Courtney Milan 

We all scream a bit every time we’re offered a new Courtney Milan book, since she has the ability to release books when it’s right for her and right for the book, instead of on the rigorous schedule that authors who work with publishers are required to. So yes, we might go…a year and a half…without a Courtney Milan book, and even longer for a full length novel (if you’re wondering, it was After The Wedding in 2018). But what a book it was!

Chloe Fong likes lists. She maintains her list every day, covering the very mundane to the hardest of tasks: naming the sauce her father has been working on for years and has finally protected. The pair are planning to become the best and only thing known in sauce across England. And the first step is to have jars to sell at the Trials, a three day festival/attraction attended by people from across England and beyond. Including—well, maybe including—Jeremy Yu, who she befriended when they were younger, but who hasn’t come to Wedgeford for the Trials for three years.

And then he comes, and he has a plan. He wants to figure out the best way to tell Chloe who he is…because he wants to marry her. But how do you tell the woman you’ve known for nearly ten years that you’re the absentee duke who owns the entire town and who has several nicknames amongst the townspeople, including The Duke Who Didn’t. But she wouldn’t believe him if he told her all out, because he’s far too charming for his own good. So he offers to pay her to help him make a list of the qualities he wants in a wife. How long will it take her to notice that said qualities are all hers?

This story is the perfect kind of warm hug for 2020. There’s a lot of pining, a lot of longing, plenty of misunderstandings, and some pretty heady emotional angst. But don’t come here looking for that deep, darkest of the dark moment. Also, because of the evolution of the town of Wedgeford, there are very few racially charged moments in a Victorian romance centering two people of Chinese descent, and the worst of it is offpage.

Also, you’re gonna want some bao. Lots of bao. At some point I put the book down and spent way too long looking for gluten free bao I didn’t have to make myself. I was not successful. But that is the only grievance I have with this book. (That and the pacing of “no relationship” to “yes relationship” but that’s a minor thing.)

So yeah. That’s one book.

Common Goal
Rachel Reid

I went on a Reid kick a few weeks ago and was grateful to have had an ARC of Common Goal when I finished Tough Guy. In this fourth installment of the Game Changers series, we circle back to Eric, the quiet goalie and friend from Game Changer, who is trying to embrace his bisexuality after a divorce. He is definitely into Kyle, the bartender at a regular haunt, who is unrequitedly in love with his best friend. But they come to an arrangement after a few friendly conversations…which of course leads to emotions. Oh man, does Rachel Reid do emotions. Get ready. Maybe read this one first.

(I also don’t recall everything that might require a content warning. Apologies. There’s no sexual harassment or assault. Otherwise, I recommend checking out the Goodreads reviews.)

I also recently started reading Well Played by Jen DeLuca, the follow-up to Renaissance Faire romance Well Met. This time around, we get to hang out in the brain of Emily’s fellow pub wench Stacey. So far, I’ve been happy with the guest appearances by Simon and Emily, and am also picking up the rivulets of information that will inform the rest of the story. So far, pretty fun. Looking forward to more!

And then of course there are:

The Black Lion by Victoria Vale (has anyone read this author? Because I am intrigued)

The Guardian by Donna Grant

The Ghost of Hillcomb Hall by Joshua Ian

Behind the Scenes by Christina C. Jones (*distressed groan*)

Love All Year: A Holidays Anthology (another anthology yaaaaaay! And about a bunch of other holidays)

Benched by Sara Elizabeth Santana

Knight of Grand Crossing by Hiram “Shogun” Harris

A Sinful Encore by Lisa Renee Jones

Next Door by Hannah Altagracia

Divorce Retreat by Donya Fenner

Lies and Lullabies by Sarina Bowen

Nashville Days by Julie Capulet

A Flick Between Friends by Shae Sanders

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey (I didn’t finish the second book, but am intrigued by this premise)

Criminal Intentions: Season Two, Episode Seven by Cole McCade

Her Name is Julia by Monica Cristie Robinson

What are you reading this weekend?

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!

The weeks go by, time moves on, and commercials for some kind of Zoom sitcom air during Sunday Sportsball. I guess this is our true new normal?

Let’s talk romance novels!

News and Useful Links

You know that Ripped Bodice shirt I mentioned last week? They have masks now!

I’m still not sure we need another Persuasion adaptation, especially if they’re not doing anything new with it. (I might still be holding onto a now-deleted dream casting of Ruth Negga and Idris Elba as Anne/Wentworth and if you’re not going to give me that, don’t give me anything…as much as I love Shiv Roy.)

Check out CCJ’s new merch.

Have you felt like it’s time to break that glass for your emergency read? Join #rainydaytbr for a quiet reading party.

If competence porn is your thing, this thread is magical.

Finally: there was an interesting mishap last week involving a book called The German Officer’s Girl with a certain insignia flapping on the cover. None of us wanted to have the “No more Nazi romance” conversation again, but we did. And according to the publishers, the cover art is misleading, as the protagonists are a resistance fighter and a British officer. So like, in the future, just a recommendation for anyone writing WWII resistance romance: don’t put German officers and swastikas on the cover of your WWII resistance romance? And if you’re working with a publisher and they put Nazis and swastikas on the cover of your WWII resistance romance? Change publishers.

Deals

It’s fall! I’m so excited for autumn, even though I don’t live in a place with changing leaves anymore (sadness). The cover I always think of when I think of Fall is Changing Colors by Elyse Springer, the fourth and final book in her Seasons of Love series (YES I KNOW). It can stand alone, but the other two I’ve read, Thaw and Heat Wave, are both delightful and similarly inexpensive at 2.99 each. (I have heard that Whiteout, the first, is pretty spectacular, but I was not into the type of deception at the center of the story. Total case of Your Squick Is Not My Squick, so check it out!)

Recs!

You’ll be happy to know I finished The Roommate and it was utterly delightful. Very much #romancesowhite, but you know.

As I mentioned, I’m excited about fall. Sure, here in the A-to-the-Z that just means fewer 100-degree days, but the feeling is there. The merchandise. The leggings. The scents. The food I can’t eat. The warm fireplaces and the hot chocolate. …Okay, that’s not for a couple of months. But still. The warm fuzzies are coming, and I’ve got a few books that will work perfectly for that feeling.

Her Halloween Treat
Tiffany Reisz

The only category romances I’ve read by Tiffany Reisz (maybe the only ones she’s written?) are all holiday books. She’s got one for Halloween, one for Thanksgiving, and one set during the December holidays. But Her Halloween Treat is my favorite of the three. Joey has had quite the shock—turns out she’s the woman on the side, say what? So she takes refuge at the family cabin, which is remote enough, except for visits from a family friend. A hot family friend. A hot carpenter family friend. And there’s no weirdness about him being her brother’s best friend or them having lots of rebound sex. It’s a lovely story that doesn’t quite get as raunchy as the books she’s more known for. But it’s got her quality storytelling and that’s all that matters.

sugar butter flour love
Nicole Falls

I love that Nicole Falls has found her place in the land of the novella. This one is about former home ec partners who…don’t get along. But they are corralled into participating in a holiday cooking competition and have to figure out how to work together again. Much like the rest of her holiday-connected stories, this one is fun and funny with a nice dose of sexy and a heavy heaping of title-related competence.

What about you? Do you go for a specific feeling in the fall? Fall books specifically?

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!

It’s Thursday, and Thursday means I get to talk about new books. And some other stuff. But mostly new books.

Over On Book Riot

Carole took a really great deep dive into fat representation vs. fat acceptance. Not every story is for every reader, and obviously some people are fine with seeing either public humiliation or extensive insecurity in the fat character. But I think she has some good points.

And Sarah looked closely at Jane Austen.

How’s your relationship with your TBR?

Win free money.

Or a lot of free stuff to put in your ears.

Deals

Sometimes finding a deal is about taking a chance on a new author. This time around, that author is Nyri A. Bakkalian, and the book is Grey Dawn: A Tale of Abolition and Union. It’s a supernatural dual storyline(ish) tale of trans people living in two different centuries. I’m super intrigued and willing to dish the lofty price of 5.99 to support a new-to-me trans author of color who writes very much my kind of thing.

New Books

This has been a heck of a week for books! A lot of them weren’t romance, but a lot of them were. Let’s talk about stuff that’s out this week.

The Roommate
Rosie Danan

It will be no surprise to anyone that I haven’t finished this book. But I have just reached the first…sexual encounter…and so far the whole book has been just delightful. Clara is a very straight-laced, laminator-loving socialite from the East Coast who has moved to LA to start over and also maybe get her oldest friend to see her as something other than a friend. But when he peaces out immediately upon her arrival and leaves her with the guy subletting his master bedroom, she’s got a whole new life to figure out. And the guy she’s sharing a bathroom with? Turns out he’s an…adult entertainer. And he wants to help her realize her pleasure is the most important thing.

…I know, right? The prose in this book is delightful, and the characters are already so dynamic. I can’t wait to read more (and by the time you’re reading this, I might have finished it).

There’s also:

Make a Scene by Mimi Grace (that cover, amirite?)

Just One Taste by CJ Birch

Summer Fling by Té Russ

Naughty Brits by Sarah MacLean et al

Earn Me by Nia Arthurs (ooooh, a marriage reconciliation romance! You know I’ve been looking for those!)

Only One Bed Volume 2 by Marie Lipscomb et al

The Beat Match by Kelly Siskind

Out of Her League by Renee Dahlia

Semi-Sweet On You by Erin Nicholas

The Wedding Secret by Kianna Alexander

Crown of Darkness by Bec McMaster

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox (time for the Gothics to come out and play!)

Love Me Always by Peyton Banks et al (I tell you, romance anthologies are just popping up)

A Dangerous Kiss by Francis Ray (new paperback release)

The Holiday Detour by Jane Kolven

Show Me by Sharon C. Cooper

Hex, Love, and Rock & Roll by Kat Turner (I haven’t read this author but I am letting myself judge fun by its cover)

Forever, I’m Ready by Jahquel J.

Dance Until the World Ends by Davina Lee

The Pingkang Li Mysteries Complete Collection by Jeannie Lin

What are you reading this weekend? I want to read ALL THE THINGS but will probably sob in agony of having no time to read instead.

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!

Well, September is moving like August did, apparently, because it can’t possibly be halfway through the month. I managed to fall into Lucifer after an aborted start when it was first airing. I have no idea where it’s going, and that kind of works for me.

Let’s talk books!

News and Useful Links

First and foremost: this shirt. You want to preorder one.

Check out this podcast interview with Vivian Stephens.

One of those things we missed last Monday was a response from Courtney Milan regarding some Omegaverse nonsense.

Also, somebody had fun with photoshop.

Alyssa Cole was busy for release week, with profiles in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and more. When No One Is Watching is definitely a suspenseful thriller, but she’s Alyssa, so there’s a romantic element to it.

This is a great essay about reading romance as someone who is demisexual.

Your regular reminder that Dreamspinner is still in deep shit. I won’t tell you not to buy their books, but I won’t be recommending any until they figure out how to pay all of their authors, not just the ones who have lawyers.

Romance adjacent: there’s a new Pride and Prejudice musical available to watch on Prime video. I can’t tell you it’s great, but it’s fun to watch. Once.

Similarly romance adjacent: Have you seen the trailer for the new Rebecca movie on Netflix?

Want a preview of Suleikha Snyder’s next book?

This podcast episode could probably make you cry.

And there’s still time to RSVP for this East City Bookstore event with Rosie Danan and Christina Lauren.

Deals

Looking for some fun historical suspense? Slippery Creatures, the first book in KJ Charles’s Will Darling Chronicles, is 99 cents right now! Set after World War I, there’s some intrigue and spycraft alongside a growing fondness that could be destroyed by betrayal. But it’s KJ Charles, and we know she can always bring a story around.

Or if you want to start feeling the autumness, maybe it’s time to grab Mating The Huntress by Talia Hibbert, which is an adorable novella about a werewolf and his mate…who happens to hunt werewolves. And she is having none of his courtship. It’s precious. And 99 cents.

Recs!

I haven’t picked up a paranormal for a while, but I finally got my hold in for one I had been waiting for, and it didn’t disappoint.

The Enforcer Enigma 
GL Carriger

If you haven’t picked up the San Andreas Shifter books, you’ve got some fun ahead of you. Enforcer is the third in the series, and features two clueless dumbbells who are completely in love with each other and don’t know what to do about it. Judd is an old werewolf, older than Saturation even, and he has been in a lot of packs. He’s completely gaga for Colin, the smallest wolf in the pack who doesn’t think he deserves to be loved, and especially not by Judd. But when a new security job and a friend of Colin’s collide with a shocking revelation, everything else gets tangled—everything but Judd and Colin. Well, they get in a different kind of tangle, but even then, they both are sad to think it’s temporary.

And you all know how those go.

My next read is The Demigod’s Legacy by Holley Trent. I can’t tell you how many Masters of Maria books I’ve bought, but this is the first one, and I feel like I should read these in order…in part because I tried reading a related novella and kind of had no idea what was going on or what the world was like. So yeah, this one is gonna be a readthrough with 9 in the series. So far. I love Holley Trent’s worldbuilding and you know, with the whole Lucifer thing, I’m in the mood for some angels, which I know will eventually appear.

What are you reading this week?

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!

Howdy folks. I hope you had some time to rest if you are in the US and celebrate Labor Day, and if you’re not, hope you had a good weekend. Either way, I hope you managed to get some reading done, if you wanted to. It took me four days to read a book I could have downed in one sitting, but…you know, that was my own fault. Mine and Tim Riggins’. (That was a Friday Night Lights joke. I’m still not done with that cursed show.)

Since we skipped the holiday, I’m saving up the news links for Monday’s newsletter. There wasn’t a whole lot that happened, even though the notable events were definitely doozies. In the meantime, here is Keanu Reeves as romance novels.

Over on Book Riot

Queer. Sports. Romance. You know you want to check out this list. 

And look. Reading t-shirts.

Not all Urban Fantasy has romantic elements in it, but some of the best does. This list covers the gamut of UF, but there are plenty that will draw you in with some swoons. 

And you’ve still got time to enter to win fifty bucks to your favorite indie.  

Deals

Have you read Olivia Waite’s Feminine Pursuits books? You can start with the first, The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics, for 1.99 right now. Lucy needs to get away from her life, and she takes that chance by going to work for a Countess who needs an astronomy text translated. And while she might be her patron and therefore her employer, their dynamic is nicely presented in this story. And there’s a lot of talk of science and writing damning the patriarchy. The second, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, is just 3.99 if you want to read about beekeeping and ladies wearing trousers. 

New Books!

That books I said I finished over the weekend? Well, it’s not a release for this week. It actually comes out on the 22nd, and I’m just gonna recommend you pre-order it now so you can read it immediately. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I loved the mess out of Courtney Milan’s The Duke Who Didn’t and want you to do so, too.   

Okay, new books.

Love on Repeat
D. Rose

I love a story where music brings people together, and I’ve heard good things about this one. It features two people who have really figured out their careers and are ready to move forward with that element of their lives. But then they meet, and the world is sex on its axis. Because being in love makes life even better, on top of having awesome careers. But of course, things and people like to get in the way. 

And then there are others:

Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau

Shadows in Death by JD Robb (I know it’s not technically romance but it’s always of note)

Fuel My Fire by AS Wilson

Older by Pamela Redmond (this is a sequel to Younger, which I never read but enjoyed as a TV show, and it looks like it’s going to be “contemporary fiction with romantic elements” but I felt like I had to let you know it existed)

Trust Fund Fiance by Naima Simone (paperback release)

Don’t Hex and Drive by Juliette Cross

Love Untainted by Mel Dau

The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean by Tara Lain (those are definitely head-turning words)

In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk

Lady of Jeffrey Manor by JS Cole

A Touch of Stone and Snow by Milla Vane (the book came out a while ago, but now you can listen to the audiobook—I listened to the first one, and Nicole Poole is fantastic)

Second Helpings by Brandon Witt

Reading anything good this weekend?

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!

It’s September 3. I can’t think about today’s date without “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” being stuck in my head for days at a time. You’re welcome.

(If you don’t know it… You’re welcome.)

Let’s talk books.

Over on Book Riot

If you’ve been having trouble reading books (or even if you haven’t!), comics are an amazing change of pace. Check out this list of romance comics—same story requirements, just a different medium!

And speaking of comics, this is a tempting list of queer webcomics. Obviously, not all stories are love stories, and not all of these are romance stories, but there are a couple we should all definitely check out.

This is a nice rundown of the difference between New Adult and YA.

And while this covers a wide swath of Jeopardy! history, there is a great perspective here about romance in particular.

A new month means new giveaways! You can enter to win a full year’s subscription of Audible. Or a copy of Sandra Brown’s Thick as Thieves.

Deals

If you haven’t read Jackie Lau’s Holidays with the Wongs novella series, you’re in luck! A Match Made for Thanksgiving is free for the rest of the year, and the other books in the series, set around Christmas, Lunar New Year, and Valentine’s Day, aren’t very expensive. The first book is tons of fun, and you get to know the Wong siblings (and parents, and their completely adorable grandparents) and get to drool over a lot of food descriptions, much like you would in most Jackie Lau books.

New Books

I saw somebody post something on Twitter on Tuesday. The gist was…did every book come out today? Or are the rest coming out next week?

Seriously, y’all. September 1 was a heck of a day for books, including When No One is Watching, Alyssa Cole’s debut thriller. I won’t talk about it much (even though it’s awesome) because it’s technically not a romance, but just remember, Alyssa is just an awesome writer no matter what the subject.

Best Laid Plaids
Ella Stainton

Ainsley can talk to ghosts. Or at least, that’s what he says, and he’s fallen into a life of professional disgrace because of it. Joachim, a vet studying delusional thinking, shows up with a desire to see all of the haunted places that maybe Ainsley can do his thing, and the pair—neither really trusting of the other, both with something to prove—start to grow on each other.

I saw the words Scottish and period and ghost and came running (not really, because I am behind as usual). The key is, this is all kinds of tropetonite and I can’t wait to read it!

And of course, I haven’t read any of these, either:

Secret Crush Seduction by Jayci Lee

The Holiday Detour by Jane Kolven

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore (I will note, I did read a review last week about there being an Evil Gay Villain trope and some questionable colonizer ridiculousness, so keep that in mind)

Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae

The Angel’s Desire by Holley Trent (yeah, she just keeps randomly dropping new books and then being like oh hey)

Here For You by Pat Simmons

Never Let Me Go by Kianna Alexander

Trust Fund Fiancé by Naima Simone

Trolling Nights by Savannah J. Frierson

A Bond Unbroken by NJ Lysk (I know nothing about this author or their writing, but I am very intrigued by Omegaverse lesbians outside of fanfiction)

The Playboy Alien Prince by Aria Starling (no, but really: why are they always blue?)

Hearts on Lonely Mountain by AM Heath (I’m trying to branch into inspirational/Christian romance that doesn’t beat you over the head with it, and maybe a period novel set in a rural environment could work)

A Winning Season by Rochelle Alers

Crowned For My Royal Baby by Maisey Yates

The Maverick’s Baby Arrangement by Kathy Douglass

Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray

M4M by Rick R. Reed

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!

I can’t even.

News and Useful Links

Twitter exploded this weekend. Again. I don’t even know where to start. There was a review of Amalie Howard’s The Duke’s Princess Bride posted on Goodreads and Medium, which I’d seen several days ago, acknowledged the reviewer’s concerns, and moved on, not expecting it to be the impetus for an implosion that might have lasting effects on the online romance community. But the fact that a white reviewer wrote a highly critical review of a book by an author of South Asian descent struck a nerve with some people, and the conversation spiraled into a wildly divided conversation—some speaking about who is allowed to critique authors of color and the high expectations laid upon authors of color compared to white authors, while others worked to maintain the conversation about that specific critique of that particular book, and the fact that the reviewer’s concerns were valid. The conversation got incredibly heated, leading to some reviewers going private or deciding to no longer be reviewers, work many of them have put their time and hearts into for free. Some authors apologized for derailing the conversation or speaking wrong, but as I write this on Sunday night, I’m still not completely certain if this can be fixed. If nothing else, Amalie Howard made a statement about revising the book (which is not yet out) based on the criticism, which by the end of the weekend had been echoed by at least one South Asian reviewer.

In case it needs to be said: yes, AOC are often held to a higher standard than other authors. Yes, there are white people who will nitpick and dogwhistle books by authors of color. Yes, there ought to be more conversation about the wildly white subgenre of historical romance and where all of these dukes get their land and money and the fact that it’s mostly ignored in the text. But in the case of this particular book—which has a male protagonist who is a colonizer and plantation owner and a female protagonist whose inner monologue is colorist and casteist, and in which the male protagonist was a member of the imperialist organization that was responsible for the deaths of members of the female protagonist’s family—from the quotes I’ve seen, the sensitivity displayed by the initial reviewer is basically what we’ve been asking white reviewers to show for years. She noticed things that could be harmful to readers of color—especially South Asian readers—and listed them. I could talk this in circles for days, but that’s already been done.

There were other people in the world this past week, though.

Mainly: WE’RE GETTING A BLESSINGS TELEVISION SERIES!!!!!!

Rioter Carole had a nice conversation about When No One is Watching with debut thriller author Alyssa Cole.

The Romance Writers of America conference was virtual this year (obvi), and while the recordings are currently only available to registrants, scrolling through the hashtag gives some nice insight on some great keynotes and workshops.

Have you listened to this new podcast about Black romance?

Debut author Kelly Farmer wrote about realizing your sexuality when you’re older and her new book, Out on the Ice.

This is tonight, but there’s still time to RSVP.

And these are delightful!

Deals

I don’t know how long it’s going to be, but Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry is 1.99 right now. It’s the second in the series, but is definitely the best of the books, and you can probably read it without having read the first one (which I mentioned a few KBs ago). I devoured this whole series this week, and I don’t usually read hockey books and try to limit my m/m by female authors, even if they’re queer (and I don’t know if Reid identifies that way). But this book. Y’all. If you are an enemies to lovers reader, you need this book. Ilya and Shane. I just can’t. You have to experience it for yourselves. And then read the rest of them.

Recs

If you’re looking for something short and sweet, you should dive into Christina C. Jones’s Mahogany Heights books. They’re of varying lengths, actually, but you can always find a new novella when you’re digging through CCJ’s backlist.

Me + Somebody’s Son
Christina C. Jones

I should have finished this in a night, but I got distracted by Friday Night Lights and took an additional sitting. That show is riveting.

Anyway. Haven is a bookseller new to the Heights. Well, she went to school in the next town over, but it’s been a good decade since she’s been back. She has a real problem with guys: she just wants one night stands, but they keep coming back asking for more. When one does so with a lovely bouquet that she feels inclined to rid herself of, she decides it’s too pretty to completely lose and goes to the flower shop they came from to get an arrangement of her own. It’s there that she runs into August, an old friend from college. They’re obviously immediately into each other (and sort of always have been?) but there’s that whole caveat where Haven doesn’t date. So what do they do now?

In true CCJ fashion, this is a brief but delightful dip into the heads of two smart and interesting people with the weirdest family problems (nothing traumatic, I promise). This is a great couple of hours of palate cleanser and fun.

What are you reading this week?

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!

Well, folks. It’s Thursday. I’m more grateful than ever for romance novels, because the world sucks so bad. I hate it here. But we’ve got these lovely little packets of joy and serotonin to stare at for hours at a time, so hooray for that.

Over on Book Riot 

Trisha and I talked about the impact Corey Alexander made on the romance community. And recommended sports romances.

This is a fascinating dive into a book I haven’t read that also isn’t a romance. But. It’s a look into a long distance relationship that looks a lot like what some COVID relationships might look like. I’d be curious to read a romance take on it.

Is this your coffee table?

You’ve still got time to enter the giveaway for a gift card to your favorite indie bookstore…or a year of Kindle Unlimited. I mean, you could end up winning both, you never know.

Deals

Do you want something fun, funny, and sexy…that also addresses the concept of sex work and the change technology has made on culture? You might want to drop a couple bucks on Fans Only by B. Love. This friends-to-lovers story about a pair looking to do online sex work together until they’ve “met their financial goals” is definitely for those of you who like to watch sex complicate things between friends.

New Books

It’s another good week for books and I got so distracted by hockey that I haven’t started a one of them, but I am super duper excited for these to be in the world.

Better Than People
Roan Parrish 

I did actually read this one, a long time ago, for my conversation with Roan and others for Bookstore Romance Day. (I will be honest, I forgot its release date.)

Jack often prefers the company of his menagerie of pets to that of most people. Sure, he likes his brother, and has some friends, but if there’s one thing he knows, people will betray you. But when he falls into a ditch after chasing one of his more skittish dogs, he has to find someone to spend the quality time with his pets that he can’t with his badly-broken leg. But an app for pet lovers introduces him to Simon, who also prefers pets to people.

Mainly because they don’t laugh at or insult people who are just trying their best.

Simon has such severe social anxiety that he has trouble getting his words out, even when he wants to. His quiet intensity is immediately intriguing to Jack, who finds him beautiful, as well as the Pack. The two slowly bring out the best in each other, while also helping each other realize the best parts of themselves.

CW: severe anxiety and panic attacks; selective mutism and other neurodivergent behaviors; frustration and depression related to injury; checked ableist language; discussion of past parental death;

Here to Stay
Adriana Herrera

I’m also pretty excited for this one, in part because of the setup of the relationships—not just between love interests, but a whole found family. I know what it’s like to be a transplant in a new town that has a whole different environment, different weather, different people, and to find your people. So when I saw that the center of this story was about folks like that, I was all in. And of course, it’s Adriana. So I’m ready to pick this one up and live in it for a little while.

But wait! There’s more! (So much more!)

The Sugared Game by KJ Charles

Birthday Shot by Rilzy Adams

The Rose that Got Away by Christina C. Jones

The Wedding Date Disaster by Avery Flynn

Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay (and now I’m singing Xscape, thanks Tracey)

Who Wants to Marry a Duke by Sabrina Jeffries

You Lucky Dog by Julia London

Priya’s Ex by Sookh Kaur

Touch Me Gently by JR Loveless

Whoa by Alexandra Warren

Season of the Wolf by Maria Vale

Scandalous Secrets by Synithia Williams (Oh, I read this one, too! Interesting setup—it’s technically a second-chance romance, but only for one of the characters)

A Winning Season by Rochelle Alers

The Flapper’s Scandalous Elopement by Lauri Robinson (More flappers! This is the sister I’m most intrigued by!)

The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery by Su Young Lee

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea by Kerrelyn Sparks

The Sound of Serendipity by Cynthia A. Rodriguez

Fairy Suited by Rebel Carter

Middle Ageish by Shirley Goldberg

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (I know it’s not technically a romance but I know a bunch of y’all love this series and might have forgotten it was coming out)

Entangled Pursuits by Brenda Jackson (A NEW BRENDA JACKSON BOOK)

Taunting Callum by Kristen Proby

Firefighter Shifter’s Second Chance by Naomi Sparks (look, that’s a lot of words that mean things, okay?)

Ancient Enemy by Katie Reus

Can’t Help Falling by Cara Bastone

Trade Deadline by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn (which I mentioned last time but just in case)

The Reason Is You by Nikita Singh (this one isn’t actually new but it came up in my scrolling and is probably not well known, and if I have to sing that blasted song over and over you all have to come with me…jk I love that song but it sticks, huh?)

Okay goodness gracious I’ve stopped shopping when my eyes are bigger than my stomach now. There’s so much stuff, I hope you find something fun to check out for the weekend! And guess what? Next week is September!

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!