Author: P.N. Hinton

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

It’s the start of the work week as well as the third week in July. This means we’re halfway through the month and the summer. You would think that with being super close to the level of Mario 3 where the sun is actively trying to kill us in my area, the serotonin would be off the chain. But, it’s not true. In actuality, I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. Not sure why to be honest so I’m just waiting for it to pass. In the meantime I’ve been searching for things that bring me joy to help boost those levels.

One is the Loki series. I’m loving everything about it, including the title character. No, I don’t want to unpack what it may mean for my overall mental well-being. Also, Let’s Play is back on WebToon. I may or may not have actually squealed out loud when the Season 3 Premiere launched. If you want to play catch up with it, you have two full seasons and over 100 episodes to do so.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that get you through the day, which get you through the week, which gets you through the month, which gets you through the year. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: self-care is important, so make sure that you’re doing something to make yourself happy during these trying times.

In Book Riot Romance

If you fell in love with Emily Henry’s Beach Read last year, Silvana has got some read-a-likes for you that may peak your interest.

Speaking of read-a-likes, if you’re big into Sarah J. Maas fan you can also check out this list of authors who give off similar vibes, courtesy of Neha.

There’s also this ode to ‘Mass Max’ by Jess for your reading consideration.

Around the Web in Romance

Christina Milian is starring in a new rom-com called Resort to Love coming soon to Netflix and it looks amazingly adorable. I agree with everything that this tweet says with regards to Christina’s recent run in rom-com movies. No disrespect to Meg Ryan, but it’s time we had a new rom-com darling and Milian has the chops to fill those proverbial shoes. And that fact that it’s a woman of color just makes it even more *chef’s kiss*. And, no matter what people may say, everyone, on some level, loves a good punny title.

Summer may be almost over but you can still check these books off your reading bucket list.

If you’re big into YA like yours truly, here is another list of highly anticipated novels is this genre coming soon to a shelf near you.

And, as we are over the midway point of there, here is a round up of some of the best romance novels so far this year.

New Releases & Deals

Some of the new books hitting our shelves this week: How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton (which I loved), While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory, It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, and The Calyx Charm by May Peterson, and Unbridled by D. Jackson Leigh.

As for deals, you can pick these up for $1.99 (deals are active as of the time of writing this newsletter): Next in Line for Love by Harper Bliss, All In with the Duke by Ava March, Forbidden Promises by Synthia Williams, Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, and Just One Night by Kyra Davis.

And if you’re looking for a new device to read these on, don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a Kindle Oasis!

And on that note, here’s where we end our time together for today. Catch up with me over on Twitter under @PScribe801. See ya Thursday.

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

The end of last week was really rough for me, so relaxing was at the top of my list this last weekend. Friday I embraced my love of horror by watching Fear Street: 1994, which I LOVED and can’t wait for the other two. Saturday I went swimming with the teenager and Sunday I dog-sat for my cousin. All that said, I can’t believe we’re already in July. This year is just breezing by like last year didn’t do a slow crawl.

Romance News

This July is the second annual is #JenkinsJuly, a month-long celebration of the career of Beverly Jenkins. This was started by Ana Coqui and celebrates the author’s twenty-seven year career that began with Night Song. In fact, eight of her books are celebrating milestone years. If you still haven’t read anything by her, they’re are a great spot to start from.

There was also a tweet floating around last week that touched on the subject of how one author approached writing about sex between two men and honestly, it was terrible. The author has since deleted her Twitter account but you can still see a screenshot of it here via this tweet from author Jack Harbon. There is a lot to unpack here, more than can be fit into a newsletter with a cap on word count but…this was not a good take.

Around the Web in Romance

Here’s a rundown of some of the must read YA romances coming out from now until the end of this year.

If you’re looking for a few good M/M romances to relax on the beach with, here is a list of contenders.

Here are a few books you might be tempted to marathon in one sitting. I can personally attest for how adorable and awesome How Sweet It Is was.

Here’s my plug to say I hope you took the When in Romance survey and if you haven’t, click here to get it done. It shouldn’t take too long depending on how prolific you want to be with your answers.

Recommendations

I recently had the realization that I am actually a bigger fan of the fake relationship/dating trope than I thought. When I began to look back on some of my well-loved books, it made sense since a lot of those fell into this trope. This leads me to today’s recommendations which are ones that have some thread of this trope. I think it’s a nice mix of historical and contemporary and the ladies mentioned here are some of my favorite authors. Hopefully you’ll find one you haven’t picked up yet, and have some beach reading options. 

That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next Monday to catch y’all up on the world of romance. In the meantime give me a follow over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until next time!

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again.

So, I had a wonderful birthday weekend! It was exactly what I needed. I got to see some of my good friends, got some good food, and ended up buying three new books that I’m eager to read. The books I procured were The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait, Dead Dead Girls, and 14 Ways to Die.

I felt I earned it because it was my birthday and because I finished two books I had been in the middle of over my long weekend. And I started and finished Night of the Mannequins so the reward was warranted.

It tracks logically in my head so that’s what I’m going with.

Around the Web in Romance

The latest episode of the When In Romance podcast is up for your listening pleasure! Among other things, Jess and Trisha discuss how their reading habits have changed over the last year. There is also a survey in the show notes if you want to chime in on how yours may have changed since last year.

Jess also did a nice round-up of contemporary romance novels that feature a visual artist and helped to add even more books to my TBR pile.

I agree with everything that author Harper St. George has on this list about favorite things in historical romances, with the exception of number four. I’ve got hips for days; I don’t need a huge ball gown to embellish them even more. Seriously; small children have bounced off my hip and flown three feet.

Author KJ Charles wrote this blog post about conflict in romance articles and it is a really good read, especially coming from someone who used to edit for Mills & Boon.

Recommendations

Reading KJ’s article got me thinking about how the idea of conflict in romance has evolved since its early days. Nowadays, it’s more of a misunderstanding rather than an outright conflict. More likely, it’s a small omission that comes back later to bite someone in their rear and requires scrambling to resolve and fix.

Personally, I like the misunderstandings that are easily resolved through open communication. Some may feel it’s a bit anticlimactic, but I don’t need a huge dramatic situation followed by an equally dramatic resolution. Conflict resolution is one area where I don’t mind the lack of a huge climax in my romances (wink wink). 

We all know that the key factor in all of these is communication. But it’s easier said than done. This is something that couples have been struggling with since the dawn of time. I know a lot of people sneer that romances wouldn’t have as much of a conflict if the two ‘simply communicated’ but that’s hard to do, especially in the newness of a relationship. That kind of cavalier attitude comes after years in a relationship. And yes, when the open communication happens, a simple resolution normally follows.

That leads me to today’s recommendations. I’m going to include some of the romances that I enjoyed for the story as well as how easily the resolution was resolved. In some cases it was communication; in others it’s just a matter of people knowing more than they let on. In any case, they are still good reads and the ‘conflict resolution’ had me smiling with how easy-peasy it ended up being. I will endeavor to not give spoilers on any of the titles listed though, so the synopsis will be super short.

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I know that there are others out there which have misunderstandings that are easily resolved but here are the few that stand out to me.And that’s all for now. I won’t see you next Monday since Book Riot is off for the Fourth of July holiday in America. If you’re off that day, enjoy your long weekend. Give me a follow over on Twitter @PScribe801. Until next week!

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion into the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

Well, Monday, we meet again. Now, I’m not like Garfield who detests Mondays but we’re not always buddy-buddy. We have a begrudgingly somewhat civil relationship since it’s always inevitable. Please don’t ever ask me if I’m having a case of ‘the Mondays’ a la Office Space though. Someone saying that to me would have me wanting to set fire to something even without stealing my red stapler. 

But…don’t do that either. 

This week should start off a little bit more positively since I’m coming off my birthday weekend. I had a great time relaxing with friends and, yes, I did buy a few books. Sometimes it feels weird buying books when I know I still have a TBR stack waiting at home. Recently, I’ve been in a weird reading mood. It’s not a slump though; it’s more stagnant reading. Books are taking me longer to get through, and this isn’t counting the ones that I’m savoring slowly. I think it’s because on some level I’m still trying to avoid DNFing books. Which isn’t to say that I still won’t, but so far this year I’ve only done that for five books and two of those were within the last week. 

It’s an interesting internal struggle to have. On the one hand I want to finish the books at a higher rate than I’m obtaining them. This includes ARCs provided to me through NetGalley or otherwise. On the other hand, life’s too short to force yourself through a book that you’re not loving. So it’s a mixed bag all around.

Romance World Recap

Recently, Andrea of the Shelf Love Podcast tweeted about how romance novels shouldn’t be a substitution for sex education. And she’s correct; they shouldn’t be. Some people’s beef with romance is that it portrays an inaccurate view of sex and relationships. However, I will counter by reminding that these are fiction novels and they’re not intended to depict reality. Not every murder mystery gets solved; so by that mindset, there should be just as much pushback against mysteries and thrillers.

Part of the draw is that the sex is always good. Is it sometimes unbelievable? Sure, especially in the olden days of romance. But again, every other genre has a quality or two that in real life would be unbelievable such as cozy hamlets that have a new murder mystery every other month. In real life there wouldn’t be a plucky amateur sleuth. In real life, the town would be on a watch list and most people would get the hell out of dodge.

In real life, sex isn’t always great. Kids interrupt, you’re too tired, you’re not in the mood…the list could go on. And there’s nothing wrong with that because, in my opinion, when you’re in a committed relationship, whether it’s monogamous or polyamorous, you should feel comfortable enough with your partner(s) to have that type of honesty. Sex is not the foundation of a relationship nor does it a relationship make. It can be an enhancer but not always because there are asexual people in very happy relationships that don’t include sex. And that’s perfectly fine.

And not every single romance novel has a fireworks inducing first sex scene. In Jennifer Crusie’s Faking It, the first time Minerva and Davy hook up, she is…well faking it, prompting Davy to stop mid-stroke and say, “You’re not getting anything out of this are you?” Now, the next time is much better, but the first time wasn’t anything to write home about. Intentional bad sex scenes can happen in romance novels too. I make that distinction because unintentional bad sex scenes are a completely different kettle of fish.

Around the Web in Romance

Over on Book Riot, Erika gave recommendations for book about Black Love, something we’ve discussed before, and Isabelle gave some for witchy romances.

If you’re still looking for LGBTQ books, romance or otherwise, peruse this list.

Here is a gathering of some of the most eagerly anticipated romances hitting the shelves this summer.

New Releases and Deals

Some of this week’s new releases include An Extraordinary Lord by Anna Harrington, Paws and Prejudice by Alanna Martin, American Fairy Tale by Adriana Herrera, and Surprise Double Delivery by Therese Beharrie. There are a lot of new releases this week, including re-issues from Linda Lael Miller and the Bridgerton series, so get thee to a bookstore to see them all. 

As for deals, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, Play it Again by Aidan Wayne, and The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale are all currently $1.99. You can also pick up The Forbidden Man, His All Night, and Her Kind of Man all by Elle Wright and all for $0.99. 

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And that’s it for today. I’ll be back Thursday with another edition. As a heads up, there will not be a new one next Monday for America’s Fourth of July holiday. Give me a follow over on Twitter @PScribe801. Y’all have a great week!

Hello again, romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll have started my four-day birthday celebration weekend. So far a BBQ is all that’s planned, but the week is still young. I kinda want to do a book shopping spree. But, I’m well aware of the amount of unread books I have already. So, I may try to be responsible…

But then again it’s my birthday. So, I may still do it. I’ll be sure to catch you up on my purchases next week if it happens. 

World of Romance

I am getting increasingly frustrated with the misconception of what actually constitutes a taboo romance. Some people seem to think that it’s a Cole Porter song and anything goes. Proof in that pudding is this Tweet I found the other day, which referenced the latest ‘taboo’ romance. When that user looked it up, she found out it was about a romance between a girl and her biological father. 

Yep. You read that right. 

As per the normal I’m not going to state what the book is, since we don’t want to even more of a light on it. Books like this do nothing to help work against the stigma that the romance genre already has.

A taboo romance is one between a professor/student of legal age, or a sibling’s ex, or a best friend’s parent. It’s not a parent and child, or brother and sister. That’s not taboo; that’s illegal in most states and it’s a whole lot of *shudder*.

To paraphrase Regina George; stop trying to make incestuous romance happen. It’s not gonna happen.

All that said, I can’t give a lot of recommendations for taboo romance…yet. However, you can check out this list for some books to pick up if it is your cup of tea.

Recommendations

Roughly eight years ago, I gave up Pepsi on a whim. And oh my sweet giddy aunt, it was HELL. I had massive mood swings, headaches, feeling hungry all the time. After all that, I decided to cut caffeinated sodas out completely, and haven’t had one since. I still drink Sprite and the occasional energy drink though.

However, at the time I was still working nights with a two-year-old at home who I was still responsible for during the day. I needed something to keep me awake and coffee became my new best friend. Now, I had been a coffee drinker already. Since cutting out sodas though, my love for the beverage has grown. I’m one who loves flavored coffee, iced coffee, blended coffee, etc.

And I’m not alone here. It’s estimated that one billion people worldwide drink coffee. It was the central focus hang out location on Friends. I know it sounds like a T-shirt, but coffee is life. That’s why, for today’s newsletter, I’m going to focus on books that feature coffee or a coffee shop.

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And that is all for today! I hope that y’all enjoy your weekend. I know I will and I will see you Monday with the next edition. In the meantime give me a follow on Twitter under @Pscribe801. Until next time.

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. I hope your spirit is doing well today. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

My birthday is this week, y’all!! I’m so excited for my birthday visits. I’ve found that as I get older, I don’t need or want big parties anymore. And it’s not just related to birthday parties; summer is ripe for family reunions as well. Whenever the idea for one has come up in years past, all I could think was, “It’s going to be loud, outside, overly crowded, and HOT.” Cause you know…Texas. It’s also become tiresome to try to find a date where all my friends can make it. And speaking of friends, another factor is that my friend pool has shrunk over the years. Due to some of the bumps I’ve faced on this road of life, people have chosen to jump off the friendship wagon. I know I sound like some kind of motivational poster, but you know who your real friends are by how they react to those situations. The age of the friendship doesn’t even matter because you can be left behind by a cradle friend. But, I’ve also come to realize that I’d rather have a small group of true friends than an entire fair-weather flock. 

World of Romance

It seems there was another shakeup in the Romance side of Twitter about whether or not a book can be called a romance if it doesn’t have an HEA/HFN. The discourse happened about Heart & Seoul, which I mentioned a few weeks back as being a new release. Full transparency; I haven’t read the book. I don’t read all the books I talk about here simply because, as much as I may want to, I don’t have the time. I do have a day job and, unfortunately, it’s not reading. 

The dissonance seems to be that there isn’t an HEA or even HFN in this one; nor is there any indication that it is a series. As such, many are upset it’s being labeled as romance when it’s really not. Which I understand. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I will die on this hill; if there isn’t an HEA or an HFN, it’s not a romance novel. It can be a romantic novel, though, which is different. One of the articles from Romantic Reads day listed a few romantic books where the couples broke up; but the article was very careful to call these romantic reads as opposed to romances. This may seem like splitting hairs, but that fine line is there. 

Romantic books are books with romantic elements or a romantic theme. But romance isn’t the driving force behind the story like it is with a romance novel. From what I’ve gathered, Jen Frederick’s book is a more of a romantic book. There’s nothing wrong with that, but be honest with the readers. We are a loyal group, but we also do not like literary bait and switches. Don’t try to trick an entire group of readers to make sales because when word of the trickery gets out, it will be hard to get that reputation back. 

Around the Web in Romance

Jess talks here about the allure of slow reading and I have to say I agree; there is something to be said about savoring a read. I am taking my time with a few of the books I’m currently reading, including Kennedy Ryan’s Reel.

As if you need another reason to read The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, here are a few more.

Harlequin beat Hallmark to the punch with an LGBTA holiday romance story with the announcement that Roan Parrish will be writing the very first gay romance novel in a series line. It’s slated to come out this September and looks like it has all the warm holiday feels you could want. I’m not going to lie, I’m super excited for how sweet this book looks. I’m not a holiday person anymore, so I rely on movies and books to help me not be a Grinch and this looks like a great candidate for the job.

Here are some pairings of princesses and romance novels.

New Releases & Deals

Some of this week’s new releases include The Next Mrs. Russo by Jana Aston, Love is All: Volume 4, an anthology of LGBTQ romances, Jock Royal by Sara Ney, and Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella (which, being a Kinsella, may be a romantic book). It also looks like quite a bit of Ms. Bev’s back list is getting the audiobook treatment, including Something Like Love and Wild Sweet Love. So, if you’re more of an audiobook reader, that may be more your jam. 

As for your deals, The Champion’s Desire by Marie Lipscomb and The Only Man by Rochelle Allers can both be snagged for $0.99. If you’re having a bit of wanderlust, the roadtrip romance Dine With Me by Layla Reyne is available for $1.99, as are New Ink on Life and Inked with a Kiss by Jennie Davids.

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And that is all for now. I’ll see you Thursday with another edition. Until then give me a follow over on Twitter @PScribe801.

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

I’ve talked briefly before about my somewhat recent and new obsession with TikTok and how I can lose myself in it for hours. Most of the time it’s funny or bookish related, which is always something I enjoy. But every now and then, there will be something that I need, which will really resonate with me.

There’s one TikToker called mx.deran that I particularly enjoy. At the beginning of most of their PoV videos, they ask the question, “How’s your spirit?” And it struck me this last weekend how utterly thoughtful that question was. 

When you ask someone how they’re doing, you’re likely going to get a very surface answer. Normally the answer is that they’re some variant of doing fine, even if they’re not. I know I do that. When I’m being honest, my normal answer tends to be, “I’m here…that’s about all I can commit to.” or “Not well, but I’ll make it.”

But, when you ask about someone’s spirit, you want a more in depth answer. Because you’re asking about their emotions, their will to keep on keeping on, etc. If someone asks me how’s my spirit, I feel they’re more invested in an honest answer; and I may just give it. No matter what my answer may be, it shows a more genuine interest in the other person. 

So, Reader, let me just say I hope your spirit is doing well. And if it’s not I hope that you do whatever you need to do to help make it better. 

Around the Web in Romance

After a brief hiatus due to the Memorial Day holiday, Jess and Trisha are back with the latest episode of the When in Romance podcast. I especially enjoyed the part about F/F romance novels, including the next book club pick, Wrong Number, Right Woman.by Jae. 

If you like reading about librarians in love, you’re in luck with this list from Jess.

If you’re looking for some M/M romances to celebrate Pride month with, this list has a few good ones for you.

Recommendations

Sunday is Father’s Day. Like Mother’s Day, it’s always a bit bittersweet for me since I lost my father ten years ago. Last year, right before the pandemic hit, my beloved father-in-law also passed away very unexpectedly. I know I’m lucky because, including them, I have had multiple paternal figures in my life. I’m fortunate to have another one who has known me most of my life who is still alive.

I think, sometimes, dads get the short end of the stick. In sitcoms they’re bumbling oafs who barely know how to function, let alone be a parent. Or they’re completely absent. This treatment tends to be prevalent in romance novels as well, which seems a bit unfair to me. Whether he’s a background character or the hero finding romance, it’s always nice to see a good strong father figure (cue George Michael) in a romance novel. With that in mind, here are your recommendations for this week. 

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I know not everyone had a good father or may be suffering from that type of absence in their life, so if you are, my heart goes out to you. But if you still have your father and have a good relationship with him, hug him extra tight for me this Sunday, please? 

That’s all for today. I hope that, whatever you do this weekend, it is relaxing, rejuvenating, and recharging for you. Give me a follow on Twitter @PScribe801. Until next week.

Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a longtime reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

I’m so happy that the new season has started for a myriad of reasons. In addition to the beginning of summer, June is also the start of birthday season! And not just my birthday; a lot of my loved ones are also summer babies. My niece, sister-in-law (mother to said niece), a close friend’s youngest, and myself are all June babies. Then in July, I celebrate with another friend, mother-in-law, and my other sister-in-law. It’s birthday-palooza! I don’t know what I’m doing to celebrate this year though, since I’m still gun shy about large gatherings. More likely than not, I’ll repeat what I did last year with “birthday visits.” With that, I carve out time each day for a set group of friends. Believe it or not, it’s a little bit more relaxing than a big get-together due to less cleaning and noise. I’m still taking an extended weekend for it, though, so either way it will be relaxing.

News From the Romance World

Apparently TikTok just recently discovered the Ice Planet Barbarians series and have been raving about it. Which is interesting, considering the first one came out in 2015. There have been discussions before about the effect of TikTiok on the book world, specifically how books can experience a revival when an influencer “discovers” them, and how they then spread like wildfire. And while I’m sure the authors appreciate the boost in sales, longtime fans have a more cynical approach to the event, which I can also understand.

The thing about situations like this is when someone stumbles upon a new-to-them book, they act like it’s brand new. Ice Planet Barbarians has been an established and beloved series in Romancelandia for a long time. These influencers didn’t find the next big thing; they just became aware of something that was already popular in the romance genre.

And this isn’t to say I expect book related influencers to be aware of every single book that has been published. But I do appreciate a little bit more honesty from them in these situations, especially when it comes to genres that are new to them. In my opinion, it’s better to say they have been sleeping on a particular book or genre. That shows that the book just hadn’t entered their personal orbit yet, rather than making it seem like they personally brought it back from the brink of obscurity. 

All of this is to say welcome to the family; but, remember, we’ve been here a long time.

Around the Web in Romance

Last Friday was Romantic Reads Day over on Book Riot. It was awesome to open up to the front page and see the many different articles dedicated to the genre. If you missed it, be sure to head on over to the stream and catch up. 

Are you ready to rock with some romance novels? If so, Rioter R. Nassor has some recs for you!

Last time I talked a bit about clinch covers, and then I stumbled across this Twitter page. It’s romantic kismet!

Author Bolu Babalola recently sat down with NPR to talk about her recent release Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold. It’s about a 30-minute listen, so, depending on your work commute if you have one, should make for good listening. 

If you’ve somehow never managed to read Alyssa Cole, here are a few good books to start with.

The Ripped Bodice will have signed copies of Helen Hoang’s highly anticipated The Heart Principle ready to pre-order up through September 10th.

If you’re looking for a little more erotica in your life (and who isn’t) here are some of the more popular reading sites out there.

New Releases & Deals

If you’re looking to pick up a new read when you next head to your local bookstore, this weeks’ releases include Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey, The Effing List by Cherise Sinclair, The Layover by Lacie Waldon, and Wicked by Elisabeth Naughton.

As for deals, you can pick up An Unexpected Gift by Ajay K. Pandey and Leather and Lace by Rebel Carter for $2.99. Where Souls Collide by Stefanie Worth is currently $1.49 while Dangerous Lady by Amanda Scott and Sweet Tea and Second Chances by Dylann Crush are both $0.99. Not bad at all.

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And that is all for this week. I hope that this weekend is the recharge that you need. Follow me on Twitter @PScribe801 if you want snippets of me between the editions. See y’all Monday!

Hello again, romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

I am not sure what it’s like where you’re at, but I wish the weather here would make up its mind. It’s either raining or hot; there is no in between. While I know that in the long run I’ll be grateful for the rain, I would like to have a nice in-between for scorched or overly saturated earth. The last time it rained this much that I can recall was well over a decade ago. At the time, I was a toddler teacher at a daycare. I swear, it rained at least three times a week all summer. Which meant no outside time for my toddlers because the ground was too wet or it was raining.

And lemme tell you, being stuck in a room with 10 toddlers with cabin fever should be its own layer of hell. It’s times like those you’re grateful for your co-teachers since at least you have a companion on your own preschool version of Dante’s Inferno. Because it is terrifying.

Around the Web in Romance

I don’t know about y’all, but I really enjoyed this visual timeline of the cover changes for Johanna Lindsey’s Tender is the Storm. I find the changes to be a de-evolution; if you’re going to go clinch, go all the way with it.

Author Cameron Lund wrote on some of their favorite romance tropes and recommended a few of her favorites in each one.

I have a confession to make… I’ve never actually seen You’ve Got Mail all the way through. No worries! I’ll fix it soon. In the meantime whether you’re in this boat with me or a long time fan, check out some of these books that give the same vibe.

There’s still time to sign up for this Avon Love Panel event, scheduled for next Friday, the 18th!

Sadly, if not surprisingly, Hallmark recently announced their holiday movie line-up for this year, and none of them feature an LGBTQ+ storyline. Look, personally I enjoyed The Happiest Season. But, it was very light on the actual romance aspect. I would love to see an LGBTQ+ couple fall in love against the backdrop of small town holiday magic. Get with it, y’all. 

Recommendations

I spoke earlier on clinch covers and the specific timeline for one of the more popular ones. It’s interesting how they all have changed over time. The fact remains that, whether you love or hate them, clinch covers are an essential facet of romance novel history. Now me? I’m a fan. Fellow contributor Silvana had this to tweet the other day, and I am completely on board with it. Here are some of my favorite clinch covers out there for this week’s recommendation. 

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That’s all for now, friends. I hope you enjoy this upcoming weekend and get a lot of rest, relaxation, rays of the sun variety, and reading done. If you want, give me a follow at Twitter under @PScribe801. See ya Monday!

Hello again, romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

I am coming off the first week of no school and when I tell you what a difference it makes, I’m not exaggerating. My kiddo is happier, I’m happier…it’s a win/win all around. My workday is noticeably less stressful without having to remind him to stay on task. Now he just has to work on being quiet when I’m a meeting, and I have to make sure that I don’t have total ‘Mom’ face during them.

Happy Pride Month! I know that last year it was celebrated a bit differently than in years past, as we were at the height of the pandemic then. This year, I have been seeing news and reports that some parades were going to return. This will mean members of LGBTQ+ community, or the Alphabet Mafia as they’re known on TikTok, will be able to march together. I’m sure there will be a lot of excitement this year.

Romance News

Oh, Twitter. You never fail to entertain. 

In the span of a couple of days, a few people questioned Beverly Jenkins’s uplifting of Black men in history. This prompted Ms. Bev to post the following tweet, which is what drew my attention to the matter. From there, I noticed other comments especially on the one she posted about Hiram Young. While most rightfully came to her defense, there were still critics trying to clog up her timeline.  

A lot of us romance readers enjoy historical romance. I know that historicals were my introduction to the genre. As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve realized that the research that goes into a historical romance is not equal and that inaccuracies abound. As a result, there are only a few authors who I don’t question on their accurate depiction of history. 

Some of these authors include Courtney Milan, Vanessa Riley, and, of course, Beverly Jenkins. Each author puts in extensive research for their novels. Beverly was the first romance author I read who had recommended reading and an appendix in one of her books. So, for her to be questioned or worse criticized for her continued work in uplifting Black history? 

Miss me all the way with that, ally or not. 

She puts noticeable and consistent effort into educating everyone on the contributions that Black Americans have made. And her work is not unappreciated because we all know that we’re not getting that from public education. And if we do, it’s relegated to February, which, even during leap years, is the shortest month of the year.

I would also like to add that our Founding Fathers were hugely problematic. Washington and Jefferson had enslaved people a-plenty. Alexander Hamilton is considered to be the first politician with a sex scandal, and he has whole Tony award-winning musical (that I still regularly jam out to) about him. The list could go on. 

History is messy and complicated, and as long as we have to continue to learn about the names mentioned above, we should learn about the Black people who also had a hand in America’s history. 

Around the Web in Romance

If you are wanting to celebrate Pride with some romance (and who wouldn’t?) here are some options for you.

I didn’t get to talk about new releases last week, which is a shame since there were a lot of good books that came out. Check out this list focusing on all the LGBTQ releases from then. Be sure to also sign up for our latest newsletter, Our Queerest Shelves, which is also penned by Danika.

There’s still time to sign up for this virtual event sponsored by Carina Press and the Ripped Bodice. It’s hosted by Adriana Herrera, with guests Hudson Lin, Roan Parrish, and Penny Aimes. That sounds like a winner all around.

Happy Birthday to Love’s Sweet Arrow, the second romance exclusive bookstore in America. Give them a follow on Twitter (same name) if you’d like, or just peruse the inventory digitally via their website and support small businesses.

If you’re looking for a supernatural book but don’t necessarily want a monster, here’s a list of romance novels with angels included.

National Donut Day was June 4th. If you missed it or you’re like me with the mindset that every day can be donut day, here is a list of equally sweet books to curl up with as you eat the delectable treat.

There are quite a few exciting releases happening this week! The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian is coming out along with the much anticipated Reel by Kennedy Ryan. Friends With Benedicts (love that title) by Staci Hart is also releasing and Meghan Quinn has a new one, The Perfect Catch.

As for deals, you can snag Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole, The Love Study by Kris Ripper, Julie Garwood’s The Bride and for $1.99. If you’re looking for a sort of slow burn marriage of convenience, LaVyrle Spencer’s Separate Beds can be snagged for $2.99.

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That’s all for now friends! Hope this week treats you well. If you want to give me a follow on Twitter, I can be found under @PScribe801. See y’all Thursday.