Author: Jessica Pryde

We’re officially halfway through June. The movement continues. My reading has improved; how about yours?

Let’s talk Romancelandia.

News and Useful Links

There’s a new romance line coming soon. I don’t know much about the company developing it, but I hope they’re doing their due diligence to produce quality material.

NATURAL HAIR ON A DRAWN COVER. I love.

How many of these have you read?

Adriana Herrera had some interesting thoughts on writing anti-racist romance and the philosophy of Frantz Fanon. I love Twitter. I really do.

Do you follow Gail Carriger’s books? She just posted a cover reveal and excerpt for her new m/m paranormal.

Talia Hibbert wrote about Kennedy Ryan’s Queen Move. 

Katrina Jackson is doing a pretty awesome giveaway through June 30. You want this.

She also pulled together a list of queer romance by Black authors.

These are great questions to ponder.

There are a bunch of virtual conferences going on this summer, including Romance Slam Jam, which is happening next week. It requires payment, but it looks like they’ve got tiered payment for readers, writers, and folks who want to reserve space for next year.

Who wants a short short?

Beverly Jenkins told us on Twitter that a bunch of her backlist is coming on audio! But we don’t have any info on what titles or when, so I guess we’ll just sit pretty while we wait.

Deals

Know what’s a good deal? Four stories for 12.99. While The Brightest Day is sadly no longer available in digital format (though you can get three of the four stories—Let It Shine, Drifting To You, and Amazing Grace—individually), it’s worth it to get in print if you read it. These romances are all related to Juneteenth, the day we celebrate the last enslaved people learning about the Emancipation Proclamation. Two years later. But that’s a whole other thing to talk about. You can read a bunch of historicals celebrating the day as well as Black love for a pretty nice price.

Recs

Do you know what’s a fun way to get out of a reading slump? Manga. Once you know the right way to read it, a standalone romance manga is just perfect for a couple of hours. The difference in medium activates different mental muscles, I think. Either way, I have been reminded how much I love manga. But…only if it’s standalone.

I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up
Kodama Naoko

I mean, with a title like that, who wouldn’t pick it up, amirite? The premise is definitely one of my tropetonites, medium be damned. Morimoto is frustrated with her parents’ constant inquisitions about her love life. And she knows they’ll have endless things to say about any man she brings home. So when her good friend (who is an out lesbian and—also!—has a pretty huge crush on her) needs a new place to live, she offers to move in and common-law marry her. Their live-in relationship doesn’t particularly start on the best foot, but their relationship slowly starts to build. It’s just…so sweet. Adorable, even.

CW: Bad parental response to f/f relationship.

If the comics medium isn’t your thing, though, I’ve got another delightful, easy, fake relationship story for you. I’ve talked about it before, but hey, it’s been awhile.

Man vs. Durian
Jackie Lau

Peter hates durian, but Valerie loves it. He’s willing to give it the vaguest chance, for her, because he can’t help but like her. And Valerie likes him enough to ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend, because her parents think she’s dating a doctor. Who…doesn’t exist, obviously. There is a lot to unpack about why she doesn’t want to be in a real relationship and why he doesn’t particularly feel like ambition is necessary. But it’s all done in a wildly fun way, just like all of Jackie Lau’s books. You want fun and easy with a side of real, drop into Man vs. Durian.

And of course I’ll take this moment to remind you that Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience is a thing that exists. But will also remind you that there is a strong grief component to the plot.

What are your go-to slump busters? Or your favorite marriage of convenience/fake relationship stories?

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!

Happy Thursday. I don’t have a million statements to make today. I mean. Black Lives Matter. But they will continue to matter through this time. Black stories matter. Black voices matter. And Black love stories matter.

Let’s talk about a few different love stories.

Over on Book Riot

Found family is one of my favorite elements of romance, and Laura pulled together some great examples of how that has played out in queer romance.

I’ve used this space before to talk about Netflix and their adaptations, but I had a few more words to say, too.

Maybe you want to support marginalized romance authors who are only able to publish via Amazon, but you don’t have a Kindle? You can read Kindle books in other ways, too.

This lovely, introspective piece isn’t about romance, but I think we all reach a point where we have to realize we’ve grown out of something, or someone.

I also went a little further in depth about the introduction of the Vivian award by RWA.

Deals

It’s a little higher priced than some books I’d list in deals, but Blaze by Christa Tomlinson is worth the 4.99. It’s a superhero romance (y’all know how much I love those!) and it features a Black Dom superhero saving people around St. Louis. That was enough to pull me in, and all the little pieces (and a few reviews from folks I trust) led me the rest of the way. A lot of these books, if you don’t have Kindle Unlimited, are going to be in the 4.99-6.99 range, and the authors deserve the recognition that comes from actually giving them money. Also, the second one comes out next week and is 99 cents right now.

New Books!

It’s another good week for books. I mean, I don’t know when it hasn’t been. So we continue with the only benefit of 2020: new material to read.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

I’m not done with this one yet, but I can tell you it’s pretty great. Samiah, London, and Taylor first meet after discovering (via Twitter!) that they’re dating the same man. After making quite the scene at the restaurant where he’s on a date with Taylor (after cancelling on Samiah for “work”), the three become friends and make a “no men” pact. That causes a few problems for Samiah, because Daniel has started working a few yards away from her, and he is quite the man.

I’m also excited about some of the other titles out this week:

Why Don’t We Fall In Love by Chelsea Maria
Delay of Game by Amy Stephens
Tonight, We Love by Britt Joni
My Fair Captain by JL Langley
Next In Line for Love by Harper Bliss
Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho (I don’t actually know if this is a romance or just romantic, but it has been marketed towards romance readers like myself so maybe we’ll be surprised.)
Budding Romance by Lara Kinsey
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
Claim the Dragon by AC Arthur (Click through just to drool over the cover, I’m serious)

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 Monday. Black Lives Matter. There are people who menstruate who are not women. There are women who don’t menstruate. Topple all Jim Crow-era statues of Confederate generals and slave owners. Black authors don’t get paid nearly enough for their work, and now we have clear examples. Performative allyship was last week; now’s the time to be authentic.

So how was your weekend?

Let’s talk about books.

News and Useful Links

What’s your favorite first line? This thread has a lot of good ones and I’d love to hear more. (I rarely remember first lines, even when they stand out. That’s what phone cameras are for, though.)

RWA made a statement and action plan specifically for how they will work to make it a more equitable organization. Gotta start somewhere, I guess.

Do you have the Girl, Have You Read page bookmarked? Because they have a list of new releases by week and do some spotlights of individual books on a regular basis.

If you’re still looking for romances featuring activists, Ana Coqui, one of the organizers of RomBkLove 2020, pulled together a Goodreads list.

There’s another Date Night this week.

And East City Bookshop’s Really Reading Romance book club is hosting Mia Sosa on the 19th.

Oh! I forgot to mention The Ripped Bodice’s summer BINGO. Go forth and get some stuff.

Deals

Did a certain event this weekend make you think about Black cowboys? If you haven’t already read the entirety of the Westmoreland saga (I mean, who has actually managed it?) The Rancher Returns by Brenda Jackson is 1.99 right now. It’s the first in the series titled “The Westmoreland Legacy” so I’m pretty sure you can read it without having read any of the thirty million books in the core Westmoreland series. And this one features a wealthy rancher who is returning from active duty as a Navy SEAL to find a woman looking for buried treasure on his land. So yeah. That sounds hella fun.

Recs!

Someone asked me the other day for a recommendation that for me, was a literal unicorn. So I’m asking you: if you know of a historical romance by a male author of color with middle class queer protagonists…hit me up, I want to read it.

So I haven’t been reading much, but I did want to highlight some books I’m looking forward to reading someday, when all our brains have been given the opportunity to reset. In particular, these are books by queer Black authors. I’ve got such a list, books wise, and I can’t wait to have them all in my life. But that’s going to take a few lifetimes, as it currently stands.

Femme Tales by Anne Shade

I don’t know much about this book besides the fact that it’s a collection of three fairy tale retellings featuring Black lesbians/wlw, but that alone made me almost willing to drop the 9.99 that Bold Strokes Books makes us pay for the majority of their ebooks…which if I actually want, I end up buying in print because by that point, might as well. The three stories are riffs on Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, so that’s always going to be fun.

Office Hours by Katrina Jackson

KJ is an autobuy for me, even if I don’t always manage to read the books immediately, as I intend to. This one has an academic setting, which is always interesting to me. Here, two professors fight the academic blues with their fascination with each other. So that’s sweet, and I hear it’s low on angst. I’m all for it. Also, Katrina Jackson often has at least one queer character in her books, but I don’t yet know if that’s true for this book.

Things Hoped For by Chencia C. Higgins

I don’t actually know if Chencia is queer but I need to talk about this book. NEED. I have no idea what it’s going to be about besides a Black butch lesbian rapper and FEELINGS (both of which are shared in Chencia’s Twitter promotion of the book). But how many times do you see a cover like this? How many times do we get a story like this? I can’t wait to get into this world, share life with these people, and just revel in the pure queer Blackness that this book promises to encapsulate. Sadly, it doesn’t come out until next month, so I’m going to have to just pine sadly at the cover.

The Sugar Baby Series by Rebekah Weatherspoon

This one is a bit of a cheat; I’ve read the first novella, So Sweet, which is a literal iteration of its title, but there are two more that round out the couple’s story. Kayla, the protagonist, is in a rough spot financially when her roommate convinces her to go to a Sugar Daddy mixer. There, she meets Michael, an older man who turns out to own the company that runs the app. They take a liking to each other, and soon Kayla is a happy girlfriend who is also reluctantly accepting the patronage of a man who can definitely afford it. While the first book can stand alone, the others build out Kayla and Michael’s romance and probably offer more of the smoking romance and sex we get in the first book.

This is the tip of the iceberg and I obviously don’t know the identities of every author, even the ones who write romances with queer characters. Who are your favorite queer Black authors?

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. It’s still June. I am writing this on Tuesday and have no idea where we’ll be when we reach that day. Black Lives Still Matter. If your Pride isn’t intersectional, then it’s not Pride at all.

There are new books out, so let’s talk about them.

Over on Book Riot

The Lambda Literary Awards were announced! As usual, I haven’t read any of the romance winners. Of course, when I tried to read one of last year’s, I got sucked into a relationship with political and personal interactions that left me needing a shower, and not in a good way. So I’m a bit wary, but I love discovering new queer romances through these categories.

Do you consider yourself a foodie? Cassie pulled together a list of books for you to check out. (It says rom-com, but YMMV with the com part.)

Casey’s lamentation on the words publishers should use regarding LGBTQ+ books is definitely one we share in romance.

I went a little more in-depth about RWA’s announcement regarding The Vivian.

Do you have an ereader that you need to recycle?

Trisha and I got the chance to chat with Tosca Musk, cofounder of PassionFlix.

This list isn’t limited to romance, but we’re always happy to find queer books with happy endings, whatever they may turn out to be.

Deals

If you’ve already managed to read Single AF and the other Social Experiments books by Sherelle Green, might I direct you towards Blessed By Malakai? It starts out with an awful invasion of privacy, but Sherelle Green, in her usual way, takes a vaguely ridiculous plot and inserts humor and depth into it, as well as a fiery relationship. The first in the series is 3.99, and the others range from 2.99 to 4.99. So it’s a pretty good deal if you just want to dive into someone else’s lives and stay there for a while.

New Books

I haven’t had the chance to read nearly as much as I’d like to have, thanks to several hours lost to doomscrolling and general anxiety and dread, but I was able to dedicate some time to a book that’s out this week.

Conventionally Yours
Annabeth Albert

Early in the COVID quarantine period, I wrote about only being able to read geeky convention books. These were mostly YA, but a few adult romances made it in. I’d been holding off on reading Conventionally Yours until closer to the release date, which was perfect for a weekend of earthbound escapism.

This New Adult romance features two young men who rely heavily on their regular Odyssey game play for their own reasons. They’re also considered “big name fans,” being the focus on a YouTube channel called Gamer Grandpa (coordinated by an older gay professor who has pulled together a lovely group of misfits to play the game). When they’re all invited to Massive Odyssey Con West in Las Vegas, they’re all pretty excited. Except for one thing: Alden doesn’t fly, ever. And Conrad doesn’t have the funds to blow on a cross-country flight. When the professor offers his boat of a car for a road trip, neither can say no, regardless of how much they dread spending so much time with each other. Their rivalry is the reason people watch the show, after all, and it is very much not an act.

I don’t read many m/m books by female authors anymore, especially if they’re not queer themselves (Annabeth is, but many others are not). I’m glad I had the chance to sit down with this one, even as I keep an eye on the horizon for the smattering of m/m and m/nb books by queer male authors coming out in the rest of 2020.

CW: bad family relationship related to sexuality; a person falling down stairs (off page) and having to be hospitalized; asthma; depiction of financial insecurity; social anxiety; general anxiety disorder

Other books came out this week, too.

The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole (The audiobook, an Audible Original, released quite a while ago, but if you’ve been waiting for the ebook, here tis! Also, I have no idea if it will ever come out in print but one can hope.)
Basketball & Ballet by Suzette D. Harrison
Marrying His Runaway Heiress by Therese Beharrie
The Best Man Plans by Jaci Burton
Let Go My Gargoyle by Tami Lund (I know absolutely nothing about it but I have never heard of a gargoyle romance before)
Scandalous Engagement by Jules Bennett
A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne

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 Monday. It’s June. Black lives fail to matter. Again. Stonewall was a riot, started by QTPOC.

The show goes on.

News and Useful Links

RWA has announced their virtual conference, which will take place August 28-30. So far they’ve only announced their featured speakers but I look forward to seeing what else they pull together.

If you’ve never had the chance to attend a Shipwreck in person, now’s your chance to do it virtually. This time around? Dracula.

Have you read The Cactus? Reese Witherspoon has signed a deal to produce a film version with Netflix.

And Alisha Rai wrote a captivating article for OprahMag about writing romance as a single person.

Recs

In situations like the one in which we’re currently living, I find myself going in one of two directions. Either I want to read the gooiest of fluff, in which there is hardly any conflict, lots of communication, and several swoonworthy interactions; or I want to read about people with grand ideals and loud voices speaking for the unheard, and also falling in love and landing their happy ever after, whatever that may look like. So I thought I’d toss out some old favorites for those kinds of read. They are mostly books I’ve mentioned before, both here and on When In Romance.

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Fluffometer: 5)

Surgeon Sloan needs a new childcare professional, and she needs one now. Her precocious young twins are skilled at intimidating nannies, and she doesn’t have time to look after them. Rafe is an amazing nanny, and gets along well with the kids. And even better with Sloan. They decide to pursue a sexual relationship thanks to their sizzling chemistry, and things…go from there. There is a minor external conflict featuring Sloan’s ex, but it’s really just like a mug of tea in romance form.

If you like that one I would definitely recommend picking up Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience, but I will note that the fluffometer is lower thanks to a strong grief plot. Or Treasure. I’ll always tell you to pick up Treasure in a moment of need.

Love By the Books by Té Russ (Fluffometer 4)

Featuring a love story between a literary agent and a bookseller, this was my first Té Russ experience. Their slow, easy romance develops naturally, and it’s a fun journey to go with them on. There is some conflict, but it resolves pretty easily.

Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole (Fluffometer 3)

For a book set around the Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights Movement, this book is surprisingly fluffy. Alyssa Cole knows how to establish characters and setting in a way that you are rooting for Soph immediately, and you understand her need to make her voice heard. And the support she receives from Ivan, who has his own reasons for joining the fight for justice, feels right as the novella progresses. There’s a lot of serious stuff, but there’s a great counterbalance of sweetness, too.

And if you like this one, definitely check out Let Us Dream, which is set during the suffragist movement. That one is more a 2 on the floffometer.

Dreamers by Adriana Herrera (Fluffometer -6)

I have a shelf on Goodreads called “Goddammit America.” All four of the Dreamer books are on that shelf. I actually haven’t been able to bring myself to finish the third one, American Love Story, which centers a relationship between a vocal Black activist and the District Attorney that he has the hots for. There is police-related activity that hits harder than the racism in the other two books, so read with care.

The Truth Duet by Tasha L. Harrison (Fluffometer -12)

If you can handle reading a cop hero, Tasha L. Harrison does an amazing job crafting the nature of such a relationship between two Black people in today’s society. It is a story told across two books, rather than a standalone first novel and its sequel. The relationship between Ava, a photographer, and Levi, a police officer, is very strongly developed, but there is heavy depiction of both racism and police violence. So as I’ve said before, read with care.

The Loyal League by Alyssa Cole (Fluffometer -15)

I know, I’ve already talked about Alyssa Cole, but if you really want to read some angsty, violent stuff featuring amazing romances and people who will tear your heart out, these aren’t books to miss. Spies for the Union using their best skills to take out the Confederacy might be the thing to pick up as we support those who do their best to take out their counterparts in the present day.

The majority of these books are relatively inexpensive in ebook format, so I would consider these my deal recommendations for Monday as well.

—
I’ve landed in the space where I don’t want to read anything about people of Earth at all, so I’ve started reading Conquest by Celeste Hart. There are elements of the worldbuilding that are reminiscent of modern technology, but there are also dragons. So yeah, I’m all about dragons right now.

Have you been able to read? If you can, 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!

It’s Thursday again! The last one in May, if you can believe it. I hope everyone had a…whatever the appropriate adjective is for Memorial Day. Poignant? Uneventful? Properly Enjoyable? Food-filled? Whatever yours, I hope it was right.

Since we skipped the holiday, let’s talk about what’s been going on in the world.

News and Useful Links

The Romance Writers of America’s Board of Directors announced a big change: The RITAs are out and the Vivians, named for the organization’s Black founder, are in.

#RomanceClass has a new awesome project!

KJ Charles wrote an amazing post on consent in romance.

This is a cool thing.

Adriana Herrera’s new department store romance has a lovely cover.

Check out this cover and excerpt of Written in the Stars. 

You don’t have to be in DC to join East City Books’ Really Reading Romance Book Club in virtual discussion with Alexa Martin tomorrow night.

And there’s still time to RSVP to tomorrow’s Date Night w/ Alyssa Cole!

Over on Book Riot

Do you like the trope where someone has to keep a secret? It’s one of Casey’s Tropetonites.

Have you entered yet for that Robyn Carr Prize Pack?

Or $50 to your favorite independent bookstore?

Or a year of Kindle Unlimited?

Deals

When was the last time you read a romance retelling of Robin Hood? For me, it was probably Lady of The Forest by Jennifer Roberson, which looking back was HELLA problematic. But I am super excited to get my hands on Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood, which is 2.99. I think the end of the blurb says it best: “Nottingham is a delightful romp rife with bois bearing bows, transmen wielding quarterstaffs, noble ladies loving ladies bawdy bisexual musicians, naughty nonbinary outlaws, and saucy sapphic nuns—in other words, Robyn Hood like you’ve never seen her before.” (Thanks, Amazon!)

New Books!

I was scrolling through Twitter the other day and someone (Love in Panels, maybe?) tweeted “every book came out today” and boy does it feel like this was a hell of a week for new releases. I mean, so did last week, and so will next week, probably. But boy, do we have a bounty of romance.

Pregnant By the Playboy
Jackie Lau

This is the first book in the Fong Brothers series, which is a spinoff of the Kwan Sisters series (Julian Fong is the protagonist of Mr. Hotshot CEO). Here, we meet Marissa and Vince, who are both just looking for a hot night with a stranger at a party and end up signed up for a lot more. While Marissa considers the alternative, she is now the age of the phrase “geriatric pregnancy” and is having this baby—perfectly happy to enjoy billionaire Vince being the fun dad who comes to visit every once in a while. But Vince, who has been drifting since he burned out and sold his company, sees this as the perfect opportunity: a starter family, right there. Now the two just need to see eye to eye on how it will all play out.

CW: Pregnancy, obviously. The main character has had an abortion in the past. There is discussion of a family member who died in an accident and the main character has a panic attack about someone possibly having been in one.

Something to Talk About
Meryl Wilsner

Besides giving me an earworm for the longest time (haha, there’s another earworm), this was definitely a warm fuzzies kind of book. Once it wasn’t a hair-pulling, yelling at the characters to get out of their heads and talk for goodness’ sake kind of book. Jo and Emma have an interesting relationship. Emma is Jo’s assistant, and she goes far above and beyond her job description. When one of those beyond moments leaves her attending the SAG awards with Jo, who is the showrunner and head writer for a hot TV show, a photo of them leads to…people having something to talk about. But Emma is Jo’s assistant, and neither of them feels that way about each other. Right?

CW: there is a sexual harassment on the page with a secondary #Metoo plot that kind of just disappears. Also a bad family interaction.

And of course there’s also:

Until the End by Juno Rushdan
The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy
The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover
Ghosting by Tash Skilton
The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan
Like a Wolf With a Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Dream Maker by Kristen Ashley
The Seaside Cafe by Rochelle Alers
Nothing Compares to the Duke by Christy Carlisle
The Uptown Collection by Ruby Lang (at least all together in a nice bundled package)

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. How’s your week going? I ordered some swim pieces about a month ago (because now it’s hot enough to read on a floatie in the pool…) and finally got notice that they were on their way and they just…keep not coming. So here’s hoping the weekend is looking up. Let’s talk books.

Over on Book Riot

Casey pulled together a list of 2020 romances starring queer women and darnit like I didn’t already have enough books on my list. (Who am I kidding a lot of those were already on it, staring me down.)

Trisha and I both had a lot of thoughts about an adaptation of Danielle Steel’s Safe Harbour.

Thinking about a Kindle Oasis? Here’s a good rundown.

How many of these places do you find yourself reading?

Romance novels (and other books, of course) come in a lot of sizes. Have you wondered why they all exist?

Deals

Looking for some wolves in your life? In anticipation of Season of the Wolf coming out later this summer, all of Maria Vale’s Legend of All Wolves books are on sale! You obviously want to start out with The Last Wolf, the first one, which is FREE for the next few weeks. The second book, A Wolf Apart, is 1.99; and the third, Forever Wolf, is 2.99. So you can get all three for about five bucks plus tax. Not bad for a werewolf saga, right? (Also, if you have any affinity for old languages that include the letter thorn, the first book should definitely be of interest.)

New Books!

This is another week for new books, folks. Whatever you’re looking for, there’s probably something for you.

Real Men Knit
Kwana Jackson

When the matriarchal owner of a beloved Harlem yarn shop dies, her sons are left to figure out what the next steps are. When the youngest, Jesse, wants to keep the shop open when his three older brothers don’t, he enlists the help of Kerry. Kerry, who is mourning alongside the brothers for the woman who was like a mother to the neighborhood. Kerry, who had a massive crush on Jesse when they were younger. Kerry, who worked in the shop when Mama Joy was alive. This’ll be interesting.

And there are a bunch more waiting for readers and their grabby hands:

Leather and Lace by Rebel Carter (The Gold Sky books are FIRE if you haven’t read them, and this is the fifth, and the first one featuring two women.)
Beach Read by Emily Henry (Everyone—literally everyone—is talking about it!)
Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James
Beautiful & Dirty by Katrina Jackson (There aren’t many authors whose books I preorder immediately when I see them announced, but Kat is one of those authors.)
Dirty Charmer by Emma Chase
Stranger Ranger by Daisy Prescott (More Smartypants goodness!)
A Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik (These space opera romances, y’all. Her heroines are just the best.)
The Cowboy’s Claim by Nina Crespo

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 another Monday, folks. I hope everyone’s still doing what they can to stay safe, healthy, and happy, even as things happen around us that probably shouldn’t be. I have been getting better at reading, and I also had my first Zoom voice lesson! Things are looking up, I guess.

Let’s talk romancelandia.

News and Useful Links

The RWA annual conference has officially been cancelled. Finally.  .

Do you like Sherryl Woods’s books? You might not have heard that Sweet Magnolias is coming out on Netflix, and there’s going to be a watch party on Facebook tomorrow, May 19. I’ve never read Sherryl Woods, and am sort of tired of Netflix adapting romance series set in straight, white small towns and tossing in a few actors of color in when the original has none (especially considering the original content they’ve been producing), but Heather Headley is in it, so count me in.

The creators of Frolic have signed a first look deal with CBS. I’m both looking forward to seeing what progress they make but also annoyed that whatever does will probably only be available to watch on CBS All Access because that’s usually how it works.

Did you know this??? Because I sure didn’t.

Alicia Cox Thompson asks “why are romance novels so white?”

And Maya Rodale highlights three new romances she’s enjoyed for NPR.

Therese Beharrie is giving us some magical fairy tale romances!

And Jackie Lau’s got some food pun titles coming our way, too.

Have you read When Dimple Met Rishi and the rest of that series? Sandhya Menon is releasing an adult romance this Fall, and EW showed us the cover.

There’s a new romance bookstore in Laguna Beach.

Do you support authors who have Patreon? Jack Harbon has already revealed a cover for an upcoming book for patrons.

Deals

Tasha L. Harrison’s A Taste of Her Own Medicine, which I mentioned in this week’s When In Romance, is free right now! This book is so good, with a recently-divorced mother of teenagers who wants to make something of herself by taking an entrepreneurship class taught by a brilliant younger man with Winston Duke’s thighs. There’s also a touch of magic, with some witchiness in the family practices of Sonja and her family. Set aside a couple of hours, because you won’t want to stop. Make sure to get it in the next couple days (though the regular price isn’t bad either).

Recs!

I know that, in truth, they never actually left, but I feel comfortable saying that vampires are back! Vampires were my first paranormal fandom—I quickly made the move in high school and college from Anne Rice to Amelia Atwater Rhodes to Laurell K. Hamilton to Sherrilyn Kenyon to Twilight to Black Dagger Brotherhood to Sookie to…well, a lot of other stuff. There are series like the Argeneaus and Immortals After Dark that stayed under my radar until only a couple years ago, and others yet that I haven’t explored. But unless you were a reader focused on paranormals, you might not come across them on your own.

But now, we might be getting a resurgence. Obviously, the new YA novel Crave and Stephenie Meyer’s announcement that she would finally be releasing Midnight Sun have been in the public eye. And there’s an amazing anthology called Vampires Never Get Old coming out in the fall. But there are also a couple other adult vampire romances coming from unexpected places, and unexpected authors—who will bring their readers with them.

Reborn Yesterday
Tessa Bailey

I haven’t read a lot of Tessa Bailey. I have a couple of her books and read the funny but forgettable Fix Her Up last year. But I was so fascinated by the premise, I wanted to see what was going to come from a contemporary author.

Ginny is called “Death Girl” by the ladies in her sewing group, because she is a mortician. She has inherited the Coney Island institution from her father, who died suddenly and left the place 50/50 to Ginny and her stepmother. While Ginny is admiring the beautiful man she is sad to have to embalm, the man sits up, which doesn’t scare her as much as it should. The pair have an immediate connection, but Jonas has to wipe her memories at the end of their time together, because Vampire Rules. But she tells him she’s in danger, and instead of taking her memories, he puts a delightful Russian assassin/vampire hunter on Ginny during the day when he can’t be there to protect her. Because he can’t help but to protect her, and Ginny will milk that need for all it’s worth.

This is definitely an interesting read, but overall it was…good. People who enjoy Tessa Bailey’s writing will enjoy it; people who are regular paranormal readers and have expectations of worldbuilding might find it lacking. It was still enjoyable, if not very fast-paced.

Okay, I lied. I can’t actually think of another new vampire romance by an author who hasn’t written one before. Have you seen any in the wild?

What’s your favorite vampire romance?

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. It’s Thursday, and the first full Kissing Books of the week. What did you think of that cover on Monday? The design corps at Harlequin is just. Chef’s kiss. Let’s talk about stuff!

News and Useful Links

There was a conversation that started from a comment that wasn’t meant with malice, but still made a harmful impact on people who saw it. There is a bigger conversation that romancelandia needs to have regarding the use of genitalia to denote gender, when they are not the same. I don’t even know where to start, so just go read the entire Twitter of May Peterson. Respectfully, please.

And then, just when I was about to wrap up this section, I saw that we were talking about illustrated covers again. I’m not going to link to anything, but let’s just remember that whether or not you like illustrated covers, or whether or not you think they are overly prolific and not good indicators of what type of book you’re about to read, they are wildly important in producing imagery for romance protagonists that might not appear in stock footage. I mean, I would love to see every romance have its own photo shoot like they are apparently doing at Harlequin, but that’s not always the case.

With the conclusion of her Bareknuckle Bastards series coming this summer, it’s no surprise that Sarah MacLean has a new series lined up to start next year. Victorian-era girl gang? Sign. Me. The. Eff. Up.

Sourcebooks Casablanca hosted a virtual chat called “So you want to write a romcom,” and you can watch it on YouTube.

I’ll tell you, I love newsletters. If you want one that tells you what’s happening in the world of  #romanceclass, you can subscribe!

I might have dropped a little too much at this shop, including this read black romance notebook.

And don’t forget about #rombklove.

Over on Book Riot

While the obvious answer to “where do I start with Cat Sebastian?” is to just read all of them, Laura broke down a reading pathway for anyone looking for it.

And we all want some feel-good romances right now. What’s your go-to?

I might have decided to go on a break, Ross-style, with Kindle Unlimited, but you should definitely enter to win a free, yearlong subscription!

Or, maybe you’d rather get an e-gift card to your favorite indie bookstore! (Why not both.)

Deals

If you haven’t yet read Intercepted by Alexa Martin, now is the time! It was a When In Romance book club pick a while ago and has been picked up by Starz to someday, eventually, grace our television screens (or whatever you currently use to watch Outlander), so you know it’s worth checking out. And at 1.99, you might as well, right?

New Books

Oh man, what a week. Such books. So reading. (I have done none; I’m sorry.)

He’s Come Undone: A Romance Anthology
Adriana Herrera, Emma Barry, Olivia Dade, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian

I know very little about the individual novellas in this anthology, but I know about all of the authors, and twitter has been talking about it for weeks. I would have liked to read it before the release date, but alas, alack, that wasn’t in the cards for me. If you haven’t read it in the two days since its release, you should definitely make weekend plans (or if you’re like me, the rest of May, since we’re apparently all either going to latch on and read a million books through quarantine or hardly read at all). Each author has brought their A-game, and I can’t wait until I’m in the mindset to enjoy it again.

And then of course:

The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel

Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

Embracing Ever After by Sheryl Lister

The Duchess and the Dreamer by Jenny Frame

Scandalous Passions by Nicola Davidson

Beyond Ever After by Elle Wright

Prince of Shadow and Ash by Selina R. Gonzalez

Love on the Night Shift by Radclyffe

The Cupid Guild by L. Penelope

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!

Happy Monday, folks! We’ve got something special to enjoy together today. You all know every once in awhile Kissing Books gets to be the place to show you exciting new covers and good new words. This time, we’ve got a cover for you to ogle and some words to whet your appetite.

About Secret Crush Seduction by Jayci Lee…

She’s done waiting for what she really wants. Aspiring fashion designer Adelaide Song wants to prove she’s more than just a pampered heiress. All she needs is a little courage—and the help of deliciously sexy Michael Reynolds, her childhood crush and her brother’s best friend. But when her secret crush turns into an illicit liaison, Adelaide realizes mixing business with pleasure spells trouble for all her plans…

Jayci Lee writes poignant, funny, and sexy romance. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. She is semi-retired from her 15-year career as a defense litigator, and writes full-time now. She loves food, wine, and travelling, just like her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal. She hopes her books will do the same for you.

 

So are you ready for the cover?

Here it is!!!

Oh gosh, I’m ready for this book already. If you need something to slake your thirst, here’s a short excerpt…

***

Adelaide’s annoyance with Michael cooled off as she drove home, her thoughts meandering down way-back-when lane. She’d fallen in love with Michael Reynolds when she still pronounced her r’s as w’s. He was her brother Garrett’s best friend and she’d worshipped the two of them. After an especially spectacular day of playing pirates, she’d asked her big brother to marry her. He’d gently reminded her they couldn’t get married since they were brother and sister. Naturally, she had to marry Michael instead. At the tender age of four, she’d been too shy to ask him, but she’d vowed to propose to him when she grew up.

It was a good thing she got over her infatuation with him. Otherwise, she would’ve grown ancient waiting for him to realize she was a grown woman when he could think of her only as a “kiddo.” Besides, he had broken her heart when he married someone else during her senior year in high school. 

After his divorce, Michael reclaimed his role as the Song family’s only blond member, but things hadn’t been the same between them. When she came home from college, she tried to talk to him and draw him out. But all that got her was a wall of indifference and ever-growing distance.

She understood what she’d felt for him was a childhood crush. A long-term infatuation. The past didn’t matter anymore. All she wanted was her friend and confidant back, but Michael had shut her out so completely they were no better than casual acquaintances. The loss of their friendship hurt more than watching him marry someone who wasn’t her.

Adelaide growled in frustration and leaned hard on the gas, passing a car with less than a foot to spare. The blaring horn brought some sense back into her. The moral of the day was to prove to the world that she wasn’t juvenile. She was off to a bleak start.

If she wanted to be taken seriously, she had to prove to her grandmother that she was born to lead Hansol just like her brother. Garrett was the business mastermind, but Adelaide had the creativity Hansol needed to reach the next level through innovative apparel.

Michael had made a good point tonight before frustrating her out of her mind with the kiddo bullcrap. With her background in fashion design and sociology, and a mint-condition MBA, she could produce a charity event that would have the guests rushing the stage crying, Please, take my money!

Adelaide wanted to dream sparkly dreams, but the ambitious, practical side of her brain refused to shut up. The big picture for the event was there, but it would be useless without the proper execution. She had to create the hype, connect with the big-name donors. She needed someone with a solid reputation and the right connections to help make the night a success.

Her palms grew damp with sweat and she gnawed on her bottom lip. She knew the perfect person for the job. But he was no different from her family and treated her like an overgrown child.

Besides, he didn’t want to be near her. When they spent time together at family gatherings or social functions, he barely acknowledged her. More often than not, he went out of his way to avoid her altogether. No matter what nice brotherly things he’d said earlier tonight, he still thought of her as a lost cause.

A flash of hurt cut a bright red line across her heart. What was so wrong with her? She bit down hard on her lip and tasted blood, hoping the pain would shock her insecurities out of her. 

Michael wouldn’t want to be personally involved in her project. But that only meant Adelaide shouldn’t give him a chance to refuse. He was going to help her pull off this event, and she would convince him, her grandmother and the world that she wasn’t a spoiled, good-for-nothing heiress once and for all.

Look for Secret Crush Seduction by Jayci Lee, out September 1, 2020 from Harlequin.

***

So what do you think? 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!

And we’ll have an extra-long Kissing Books on Thursday, so keep an eye out!