Category: Kissing Books

Hoo man, y’all. I hope everyone reading is safe and at your usual level of health today, and if you’re not, that you’re in a situation where that can change for the better. The world has changed a lot since last week, huh?

Let’s make our social distancing the best it can be with some romance.

News and Useful Links

Unsurprisingly, BookLovers Con and Researching the Romance Conference, two romance-specific gatherings happening this spring, have been cancelled. I haven’t heard anything yet about Avon’s Kiss Con Weekend Affair in Chicago, which is set for mid-April, and from what I’ve heard, Girl Have You Met will still be happening unless St. Louis or Missouri limit gathering numbers. The Ripped Bodice also announced late yesterday that they were closing the store to foot traffic starting today, but would be paying their staff and still taking online orders. If you’re curious about other book news and events surrounding efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, Publishers Weekly has been keeping a running list.

Chuck Tingle (Bless) has released two books that are available on his website as PDFs, requesting that the $3 you’d usually spend on his books be donated to some recommended health services.

The Lambda Literary Award Finalists were announced last week, and I have only read one of the sixteen titles in the Gay and Lesbian Romance categories. (Surprise, it was Once Ghosted, Twice Shy. Of course.) (Also, there needs to be at least one more romance category covering everything that isn’t those two parts of the spectrum, but that’s another story).

If you follow Alisha Rai on Twitter, you might have been privy to her tweet about Cake Pop Guy. This is what happened afterwards.

Romance Sparks Joy did their thing per usual.

And for those of you who might be grasping for things to focus on during self-isolation or social distancing:

• Shelf Love Podcast is doing a Decameron Quarantine Romance Book Club series
• Lucy Eden is offering you a free bundle of gooey goodness (I’ve read two of the three; they’re delightful)
• The Ripped Bodice created a Fluff Flowchart with some recommendations. I’m reading one of those titles right now, actually!
• Love’s Sweet Arrow is offering surprise boxes, which can be shipped anywhere as a gift to yourself or someone else
• (The Ripped Bodice was also offering custom care packages but got overwhelmed with orders so they closed the form. You can, however, sign up to be notified when you can order them again.)
• Jordan L. Hawk’s got a free book for you, too
• Olivia Dade showed us the gorgeous cover for Spoiler Alert
• If you are or know someone who would be a great judge for the Ripped Bodice Awards, nominations are open! (Now would be a great time to start working on those 2020 releases)

(Also, if you know of other romance authors who are offering free isolation reads, let me know!)

Deals

It’s been a while since I’ve read Victoria Dahl. I was happy to see that Looking For Trouble, the first book in her Girls Night Out series, is available for 2.99 right now. There are three books in the series and they’re loosely connected to the Jackson Hole and Donovan Family series. (And you might recognize some of the library folks if you’ve read Taking the Heat, which is one of my favorites of hers). Looking for Trouble, though, introduces us to the Jackson Hole library and Sophie, who has a run-in with the son of the woman her father left her family for. So yeah, there’s that. Get ready for a lot of sniping and sexytimes, because Dahl is nothing if not known for her sexytimes.

Recs!

I thought it might be a good idea to just…completely escape from what we’re all dealing with right now. So let’s talk about a few books that exist in worlds that are nothing like our own. There’s always Polaris Rising and A Heart of Blood and Ashes, both of which could keep you busy for extensive lengths of time, but what do you do after that? The lovers in these books might be dealing with some of our same real-life shit, but at least it’s cloaked in stars and sorcery.

The 5th Gender
Gail Carriger

Tristol is a lavender, humanoid being whose hair has a mind of its own. He lives on a space station, in exile from his people. When a ship belonging to his race arrives at the space station in search of the human detective Tristol has a monster crush on, he must help bridge the gap in understanding between the two very different types of people. And also, he doesn’t mind helping Detective Hastion at all.

Erstwhile
HE Trent

While many alien romances seem to stem from the concept of being taken captive by an alien race, Erstwhile and the Jekh Saga begins with a young woman in search of answers about an ancestor who meets a pair of lovers who are also fugitives from the ruling race. (Also, it’s Terrans who are the colonists here, and they act just like we know Earth-born colonists to act. So consider that a bit of a content warning.)

Empire of Sand
Tasha Suri

This is technically not a romance; instead it’s a fantasy with strong romantic elements. But I know the romance was very strong and a bunch of my romance-loving reviewer friends have loved the crap out of it. Inspired by Mughal India, this book features a young woman who has inherited magic from her mother, which has led to some interest from the big bad.

What is your favorite method of escaping the real-life issues that can sometimes crop up in contemporary 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!

Well folks, we had daylight savings, a full moon, tomorrow’s Friday the 13th, and my book festival was cancelled. I can take solace in the fact that there are new books out.

Over on Book Riot

The Ripped Bodice Report on Racial Diversity in Romance released on Tuesday, and I had some things to say.

I honestly don’t remember where the title of this week’s podcast came from in our conversation, but it is actually very helpful.

I wanna read all of these.

Do you bujo? These are some great spreads. I wish I was better at forming habits (and had any amount of patience) so I could try some of these, but I’ll stick to being bad at my planner and pretending I’ll actually use my Book Marks journal.  (My spreadsheet, on the other hand, I maintain religiously. Out of sight and all that.)

Deals

I can’t imagine you can have made it through 2019 without me nagging you into buying Once Ghosted, Twice Shy, but now it’s a Lambda Literary Award Finalist! It’s 2.99 right now, and you can read it as a standalone, so definitely check it out. Also if you’re like me and have been wallowing since the discovery that How to Catch a Queen is coming out in November instead of this spring like originally announced, now’s a great time to do a full read (or reread) of the Reluctant Royals series, of which this is the third book and first novella. Or just read it because it’s awesome, that’s perfectly acceptable 😉

New Books!

There are a lot of books out this week that I’m looking forward to reading, and in true Jess fashion, I have read none of them (to be fair, all of my library holds came in last week, including Fall, the third book in the VIP series by Kristen Callihan).

Love Hard 
Nalini Singh

I’ve only read one Nalini Singh book (GASP! I KNOW! But there are so many!)  and all I remember is that it was a train. Wreck. (In a good way.) There was drama, there was passion, and I couldn’t look away. I can’t imagine this one is any less comestible. AND, this one has a single father (Read Harder, anyone?) who is a rugby player. His childhood sweetheart and the mother of his child died several years ago, and the last thing he expects is to run into the old high school friend who is nothing like him.

Undercover Bromance
Lyssa Kay Adams

I didn’t intend to give this one more than a mention, but I wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is very much a split decision book across my trusted review set. There were some who adored it and others who were uncomfortable with the premise. Much like in the first one, the male protagonist takes the lead from friends and romance novels while trying to right a wrong (this one external). However, there are a few reviewers who don’t believe that the core conflict—and the conversation around sexual assault and harassment connected with it—works for the tone of the book. I really like Lyssa’s writing; it’s fun and engaging. But I’ll definitely include a content warning for multiple secondary characters’ sexual harassment and/or assault (both on and off the page). If that’s not a hard limit for you, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Others out this week include:

Femme Tales by Anne Shade
Perfect Timing by Dena Blake
The Mail Order Bride by R. Kent
Snowed In by Lexi Blake
Head Over Wheels by Irene Davis
To the Moon and Back by Melissa Brayden

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 all you folks who were affected by Daylight Savings Time have survived. I mostly have to remember that I’m three hours behind my mom (and the beginning of Primetime) instead of two.

Right. Books!

News and Useful Links

Do you follow #readRchat? They had a great discussion about podcasts last week. Be prepared for a lot of adds to your podcatcher and your TBR.

Jen DeLuca showed us the cover of Well Played and I’m just waiting. Waaaaiiiiting.

As I am for Denise Williams’ debut, How to Fail at Flirting, which looks fantastic. (Also, if you haven’t been following along with her class, you should definitely subscribe and then check out the backlog of Twitter discussions.)

And Jane Igharo’s, too.

Oh, also Renee Dahlia’s.

Kevin Kwan has announced a new book…and it’s coming out way sooner than you’d expect for an announcement in March. (I know he doesn’t technically write *romance* but I know some of y’all liked the Crazy Rich Asians books.)

As a heads up, OverDrive has changed how their ebook and audiobook checkout works re: holds. I know a lot of us use OverDrive through our libraries if they have it, so just know those auto-checkouts aren’t happening anymore.

Honestly the best route to see the cover of the new Sedgwicks book is via this tweet by Cat Sebastian. And she has put a name to my new favorite genre of romance 😀

OOOOOOOOHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE, OOOH-OH…Romance…for literacy…on a…prayer? Okay, that didn’t work but keep it moving!

If you have instagram and want to play, The Ripped Bodice has made something fun for you.

And you just…needed to know this.

Deal

Have you read Pamela Sanderson’s Heartbeat Braves? There is a small number of romance written by Indigenous US authors, especially set around Indigenous communities, but this and the subsequent book in the series are great contemporary romances featuring a group of people we are rarely offered happy stories about. The others in the series are all less than five dollars, the fourth having released in May of last year. I’m not sure if it’s still ongoing, but you’ve got plenty to keep you busy for the time.

Recs!

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and I thought it would be a good time to talk about some romances set outside the US, featuring some awesome women. Every woman is awesome in her own way, whether it’s her ability to empathize with a teenager who is trying to find themselves or write steamy romances without punching the man who can’t help but regularly insult her writing.

Emilia Cruz — A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres

Emilia is a badass. Living in a (nonexistent) Caribbean city in the early twentieth century, she writes super scandalous, telenovela-level serials under a pseudonym. Not only does she love what she writes, but she continues to do it even when it is being flayed alive by an anonymous critic (who happens to also be the gentleman falling in love with her…but that’s another story). She’s a suffragist and a women’s rights advocate, which is a lot for the people around her. But she stands her ground and fights for all the things she wants.

Amira Khan — The Chai Factor by Farah Heron

Amira can stand her ground in any situation. Almost. But what can manage to throw her is getting home from Uni only to have a barbershop quartet living in her apartment…well, the apartment her grandmother keeps for her. She hadn’t expected Amira to randomly come home while working on her Master’s essay, but Amira need’s a change of scenery to get through the damn thing. So she and the quartet come to an agreement about sharing the space, and she gets the damn thing done.

Nya Jerami — A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole

Is it cheating if the international nation the protagonist is from doesn’t actually exist? Thesolo is basically Wakanda, so. But Nya is an awesome woman no matter what nation’s royal family she’s a member of, and she doesn’t have to fight any aliens to prove it. Instead, she has to take on the personal guilt of having been part of a plot to take out the leaders of the nation, even though she wasn’t involved in any of the plotting itself. She also has to figure out where she belongs in this new world order, in which her father is no longer there to both plan and run her life. She’s kind, thoughtful, and observant, and sees no problem faking an engagement with a European prince to get both their ways.

Ai Li — Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

A literal badass armed with literal sharp objects that can kill you, Ai Li plots her own kidnapping to escape an arranged marriage with a warlord. Except the kidnapping doesn’t work quite as she’d have liked and she ends up on a road trip (is it still a road trip if it’s on foot?) with the pale warrior who helped her and then lost to her in a fight. She’s got goals for her family and for the kingdom, and will stop at nothing to make sure her family and its legacy is set to rights.

Who are your favorite international romance badasses, and your favorite unsung moment of awesomeness?

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! There are so many new books out this week, I don’t know what to do with myself. Also, there have been so many book announcements for the summer and fall and next year and…

*Deep breath* Let’s talk books.

Over on Book Riot

Have you seen our new site design? We’ve got a new logo and the layouts and stuff have changed a bit.

Do you like those long romances that you can just settle into for a while? Here’s a list full of them.

Mark your calendar for these (mostly) upcoming LGBTQ+ romances! It’s going to be an awesome year.

What do you know about Danielle Steel? I read a good five or ten of her books as a tween/teen and have no idea what any of them were about anymore. But she’s still writing, and if you want to know where to start, look no further.

And this is a really great, thorough, and thoughtful list pulled together by Carole, one of our newer contributors. She has been writing some great stuff and you’ll want to keep an eye out for her across the web.

You’ve got a whole new chance to win a Barnes and Noble gift card! Enter between now and March 31.

Deals

Rogue Desire and all of the other Rogue Anthologies are on sale this week for 99 cents. If you haven’t picked one of them up, each is a collection of five to eight novellas about fighting the good fight. There are activists, politicians, and people just figuring out how to do the right thing in times of turmoil and unrest. There are seven collections! That’s thousands of pages of reading and always feeling like there’s some kind of hope in the world. Because even though I’m writing this on Tuesday night, I would imagine this is the day we’ve reached “rather read hopeful scenarios than punch something” stage. *Heavy sigh*

New Books!

There are enough books out this week that I haven’t read (some of which I hadn’t even heard of), that I’m sure there are more that I haven’t found. This was one of the biggest release weeks of the year so far across the board, so of course there would be plenty to pick up in romance.

Love’s Sweet Kiss by Sheryl Lister

This is the first book in a series called Sassy Seasoned Sisters and I’m super excited by the series name alone. It tells me everything I need to know: badass Black women who have some life experience under their belts. In this one, Nzinga and Byron, her high school crush, are brought together at a reunion, but Nzinga is newly divorced and unsure where she wants to go with a relationship. Sheryl Lister wrote for Kimani press for a long time before Harlequin ended the line, and I’m glad to see she’s still writing plenty.

Silent Sin by EJ Russell

I have a lot of books by EJ Russell on my list, but haven’t picked up any just as of yet. This one, though, might be the one that changes things. Set during the silent film era, it tells the clandestine love story of a tailor-turned-actor and a chauffeur. I’m sure there’s plenty description of the period with an interesting look at the people and their lifestyles. I also imagine there’s some what they call, ah… “period-appropriate homophobia” but maybe I’m wrong. We’ll find out together.

There are a bunch of other books I’d love to pick up, including a new shifter book, marriages of convenience, some more society intrigue, and (something I absolutely can’t wait to read) queer cheerleaders!

Bring Her On by Chelsea M. Cameron

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Charlie Adhara

Secret Heir Seduction by Reese Ryan

Crowne of Lies by CD Reiss

From Alaska With Love by Ally James

On the Corner of Hope and Main by Beverly Jenkins (Blessings Book 10!)

What new release are you excited for?

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 March, folks! People can freak out about viruses all they want; apparently the end of the world in Tucson is marked by the arrival of twenty gazillion mosquito hawks (crane flies). They are literally everywhere; one flew into the side of my head at rehearsal last night. I used to be all about their survival; but even if they did actually eat mosquitoes, they’re getting on my absolute last nerve.

News and Useful Links

Surprising no one, EL James’s first non-Grey novel, The Mister, has been optioned for some kind of film by Universal. I’m honestly not sure how they’ll be able to successfully translate that one to screen and call it a romantic movie, because you kind of hate the male protagonist’s actions and need to be in his head to feel at all sympathetic towards him.

Harlequin is launching a new campaign under the auspices of “That Harlequin Feeling,” which is all about feeling good, I guess? And you can download two free books from their website.

Piper Huguley announced on Twitter that she would be working with Hallmark Publishing on her contemporary debut…and there might even be a movie involved.

Romance Sparks Joy is reading Desire and the Deep Blue Sea for their next book club. Have you read it? It’s seriously adorable.

Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, Cat Sebastian, Emma Barry, and Olivia Dade have teamed up to put out He’s Come Undone, which just looks and sounds amazing. It’s not out until May, but it’s available for preorder now.

Sometimes I neglect to give Dafina the recognition it deserves, so you should all definitely read this interview with Esi Sogah.

And Romance Sparks Joy pulled together a lot of different things from the far reaches of Romancelandia both last weekend and just yesterday.

Deals

Looking for a new adult campus romance featuring a grumpy, snarky female protagonist who plays bass guitar for a neo soul band? I mean, who isn’t, right? Thanks to Teresa, I’ve been turned on to Jacinta Howard’s Happiness in Jersey, the first in the Prototype series, which is 2.99 right now (or free if you have Kindle Unlimited). Jersey just wants to get through school, keep her scholarship, and play her music. A smiling man was not part of that want. She intends to keep it that way. I look forward to watching this all play out.

Recs!

I’m still making my way through Kristen Callihan’s back- and frontlist (right now I’m reading Outmatched, which is very much a Big Misunderstanding kind of book filled with all my favorite tropes), but I’ve picked up a few other good reads recently, too.

Life is Sweet
Lily Seabrooke

Someone on Twitter (Sarah MacLean, maybe?) asked for romance written by trans women, which is apparently a very tall order. While she wasn’t the only author recommended, Lily Seabrooke’s name came up a number of times, so I had to check her out.

Life is Sweet is a nice, fluffy read that is also very angsty? Melissa and Kayla have a great meet-cute: Melissa is a workaholic in search of a gift for her sister, and Kayla owns the candy shop she wanders into for said gift. At the time of their meeting, Kayla has broken one of her machines and needs a hand ebbing the flow of jelly beans. Melissa can’t stop coming back, and after a painful encounter with an ex, both women realize they could help each other with some fake dating. They each have their own Big Bad to deal with, but have each other’s backs through it all.

CW: Mention of past domestic abuse, intimidation, unhealthy work practices, pregnancy, estranged family

She doesn’t have a large backlist, but I hope to see more of her work in the future.

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!

Happy Thursday! I hosted my first Romance Book Club and it was so much fun! I totally blabber way more about books in person, so we’ll see what happens after this month. Do you have a local romance book club in your area? Or maybe looking to start one? Anyway, let’s talk about books.

Over on Book Riot

Isabelle contemplates her romance reader origin story.

I dug around into the idea of Black history and the necessity of romance as a vehicle for telling those stories.

Sil gave us lots of options if we’re feeling a void after Red, White & Royal Blue.

While the PBS adaptation of Sanditon was apparently disappointing, Kathleen wants more.

Want to join a book club but not really a people person? Here are some tips.

Get some short books for the short month and some romances for Read Harder from us on this week’s When In Romance.

There are still days left to win a B&N gift card!

Deals

Sales make for good opportunities to try a new author, and while you might have read the works of Patricia Sargeant, I have not. Right now her book Heated Rivalry is 3.99. Work rivals at an ad agency—one of whom is a former NBA player—have to figure out how to work together when they realize they’re meant to be together.

New Books

There are a few books out this week that I’m pretty excited about, but there’s one that you knew I was going to talk about. You had to have known.

A Cowboy to Remember
Rebekah Weatherspoon

That handsome Black man in the Stetson on the cover of this book ain’t got nothin’ on the Zach Pleasant presented in the book. He’s tall and huge, with a sleek cut and beard. His smile could melt Antarctica. And the first thing he does when he comes back into Evie’s life is make her cry. Not by anything he’s done, of course. He’s been showing up in her dreams, which is saying something, considering she has total amnesia. Like the level of amnesia where I’m not sure how she knows words, because she doesn’t know what things like Target are. Evie is a popular chef on a morning show with a lot on the line if the producers find out, so her agent contacts Jesse and Zach Pleasant, who Evie has listed as an emergency contact. She grew up on their ranch, and they hope she might be able to recover in peace there, and hopefully reunite with her memories. Also, she was definitely pushed down some stairs, but nobody knows who did it except the culprit.

This book has all the draw of Rebekah’s self-published books, from the close relationships and friendships to the quips and jokes. It’s a little longer than her more recent stuff, but the ride is definitely a trip.

Other books that are out this week that I’m excited for:

Blind Date with a Book Boyfriend by Lucy Eden
Forbidden Promises by Synithia Williams
How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks
One Night With the Sexiest Man Alive by Ainslie Paton
Calling on Quinn by Blue Sapphire
An Inconvenient Duke by Anna Harrington
A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert
Cancer Ships Aquarius by Anyta Sunday

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 the last week of February, folks. Anybody doing anything for Leap Day? It’s a Saturday, so there must be some fun happening around the world. I don’t actually know what it is that people do on Leap Day, but I know there’s a romcom (which I haven’t seen) about it? Anyway, let’s talk books.

News and Useful Links

Since last we spoke, the Independent Ethics Audit requested by RWA was completed and the company involved released their report. You can dig all you want into the longer documents, but there’s also an executive report.

Book Riot contributor Carole V. Bell wrote this great article about Black historical romance for Shondaland! How cool is that?

Kickstart Suzanne Brockmann’s new project! This is a great thread about the story and the people involved.

And a reminder that the #RomanceClass Taal Relief Bundle is still available for purchase.

Do you want to see a 1981 Harlequin commercial? I think you do.

Jennifer Prokop wrote a great article for Kirkus about Johanna Lindsey and how we—and the world—look at and talk about romance authors.

…Which is a great lead-in to this AITA that has so much of the internet screaming to throw the whole man away.

This is only sort of romance adjacent, but I know a lot of us romance readers are also fans of “transformative works” as the scholars call them, and this is a fascinating look at what today would be called fanfiction.

Deals

It’s still February, but if you’re gearing up for March, you can get The Ultimate Pi Day Party for free! Jackie Lau is one of my favorite contemporary authors right now, and her Baldwin Village books are so delightful, full of fun, puns, and food. So much food. This one also has math jokes, so if you’re looking to expand your holiday reading, have at this one before March 14 happens and you’re out of luck.

Black History Highlight

Here’s another good BGSU Pop Culture Library thread on Black romance, this time about author Chassie West, who wrote romance and occasionally wrote in other genres. (She was even one of the Carolyn Keenes!) She wrote some romances featuring Black characters, and many more with white characters. She started out writing YA, but then went on to publish Unforgivable, the first adult romance by a Black author with Black main characters, for Silhouette.

Recs

You ever have an author on your radar so long, you’re sure you’ve had to have read one of her books? That’s what happens anytime I hear Kristen Callihan’s name. I can pull up clear images of the covers of some of her books, some of which I’ve owned for more than half a decade. But now I actually do have to go back and read them all, because I made a rookie mistake: I checked out the first two books in the VIP series from the library. And they have holds on them. So I had to read them instead of waiting until the day they were due and renewing them.

So I read them. Back to back. In three days. And I hate that I don’t have the next one.

Idol

The first book in the series has one of my favorite Meet Disasters. A drunk man carves his way through Liberty’s lawn in the middle of the night, and she sprays him with the hose. They develop an antagonistic relationship that gradually becomes a reluctant friendship when it turns out he’s renting the house across the street, but he doesn’t immediately tell her that he’s the lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands in the world. He’s recovering from trauma from his friend and fellow band member attempting suicide, and is also afraid of his relationship with Libby turning into something different from what it’s become.

There’s a lot more to this story, but Killian and Liberty have a love story for the ages that also includes a good look at what fame means and who wants to live in the limelight. It’s also where we’re introduced to Scottie, one of the protagonists of Managed, which is tropetonite city. I’m talking grumpy-sunshine, sharing a bed, I-cuddled-with-this-guy-on-a-plane-and-turns-out-he’s-sort-of-my-boss tropetonite. (Plus another one that I want you to discover for yourself.) But definitely start with Idol.

There’s a lot of content that informs the rest of the series and how the protagonists act (and in Managed’s case, how one of the protagonists is reacted towards), and you’ll be able to get through the other books without it, but be better off with the formative knowledge. There’s also a third book, Fall, about Jax, the band’s lead guitarist and said suicidal friend, which I hope to get my hands on soon. A fourth book lives on Goodreads but the release date says 2019 so we’ll see what happens with that one.

CW: discussion of suicide, mention of clinical depression and recovery, drunk driving, death by drunk driver, sexual harassment and non-rape sexual assault on the page.

If you like this kind of book/series, might I point you towards:

Riven by Roan Parrish

Feels Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

Listen to Me by Kristen Proby

One True Pairing by Cathy Yardley

Trade Me by Courtney Milan

Syncopation by Anna Zabo

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

Flashed by Zoey Castile

(These are all tagged “famous flings” on my Goodreads account, where I’m trying to do better at categorizing by trope.)

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!

Another day, another dollar. Another book. (We wish.) How’s your reading month going? I haven’t finished many books this February, but man, have I started some good ones!

(It’s a short one today, sorry folks.)

Over on Book Riot

If you’re interested in audiobooks but don’t know what books to try, here’s a list of recommendations.

But wait, there’s more! Here are some audiobooks that you can check out on Audible Escape if you decide to subscribe.

Alison did a recap of the Ripped Bodice awards, if you need a reminder 😉

And if ongoing series are the thing holding you back from reading historical romance, here are some completed series for you.

Still time for that B&N gift card!

Deals

If you like paranormal and supernatural romance but you think it could be less white, check out Seressia Glass’s Shadow Blade for 99 cents. You know the line “never fuck with an antiques dealer” from Dracula 2000? Kira is way cooler than Johnny Lee Miller. She’s a Shadowchaser, and right now there’s a 4000-year-old Nubian warrior who she has to align herself with because there are bad guys looking for the dagger she’s currently in possession of. It’s technically an urban fantasy series, but we’ve had that conversation about the difference between romance and urban fantasy…well, I don’t think we have, but needless to say, if there’s a romantic element in urban fantasy, I’m gonna talk about it at some point. Until I fall behind and realize the author has written far more books than I’ll be able to catch up to. Nobody in particular, just a general feeling. Anyway. Onward.

New Books

No Parking
Valentine Wheeler

This isn’t a brand new book, but it is new this month, and I’m excited about it. Marianne is a bakery owner with a parking lot problem: the spots in the lot she shares with the rest of her building are always taken by people going to the restaurant next door. It’s a petty annoyance, but I’m willing to overlook it for the sake of the bisexual protagonist nearing 60 and her Egyptian love interest. Who is near the same age. There is also a power outage. And snow. And food. That’s all I know about it now, but I have high hopes. We’ll see.

Other books I’m excited about that released this week:

Meat Cute: The Hedgehog Incident by Gail Carriger (this is a Parasol Protectorate prequel! Even though it’s just Alexia and Conall’s first meeting, we know all will end well. I’m so excited!)

Behind the Sun, Above the Moon edited by Brooklyn Ray (this is a sci-fi anthology centering the nonbinary experience, and includes nonbinary romance author Anna Zabo. Not sure about the other authors and can’t confirm romance/HEA for all stories)

One Last Chance by Therese Beharrie

Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas

Hard Ride by AM Arthur

Far from the World We Know by Harper Bliss

Unequivocally, Blindly, Yours by B. Love

I can’t wait to get out of this funk and read more! Maybe the longer days will help.

What are you reading? 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!

What’s up, love lovers. Happy Monday, or Presidents Day, or Washington’s Birthday, or Washington/Lincoln Presidents’ Day, or whatever today is where you are. If you’ve got the day off, hope you’re spending it with a book. If not, hope you’ve got some time to yourself at some point.

Oof. It’s been a week.

News and Useful Links

Let’s start with the good stuff:

The Ribbies were announced! The first annual Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction recognized nine books by seven authors and I am so glad it’s done! (I was in the inaugural judging panel, which was amazing, but also have you ever tried to read as many romance novels published in a single year as humanly possible? It’s hard.)

If you like The Mandalorian, you’re gonna like this new sci fi romance series from Jessie Mihalik. Or so that’s the word. We’ll have to wait a couple years to find out, sadly.

Harlequin is expanding their Love Inspired line, so if you’re into or interested in inspirational romance, have at it.

I know Valentine’s Day is over, but this is just so sweet.

This is a really interesting look at Georgette Heyer and the current state of Regency romance.

And this is just effing delightful.

And so is this!

This is just super cute.

In less exciting news, the entire RWA board resigned and there is a special election for the remaining voting members to choose new leadership. They have brought on a DEI expert who looks to know her shit, but there’s also the possibility that CIMRWA (Cultural, Interracial and Multicultural Chapter of RWA) will disolve. :shrug emoji:

Deals

Have you read any Kristen Callihan? I’ve seen her name a lot recently, and have a good number of her books or have checked them out (I have Idol and Managed right now), but I haven’t actually read any of her books. One that has been on my list for years is Firelight, which is 1.99 right now. It’s the first in a fantasy series that has elements of Beauty and the Beast. Always exciting for me.

Black History Highlight

Black Romance history highlight this time! This thread from the BGSU Pop Culture Library (which has one of the most amazing collections that I can’t wait to visit in a couple months!) gives us a little insight into the life and work of early Arabesque author Gwynne Foster, who started publishing later in life. They must have sent some of that dust through the computer.

Recs!

Now that the Ripped Bodice Awards have been announced, let’s talk about some of my favorites!

Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience
Rebekah Weatherspoon

It’s no surprise that this was a book the majority of the judges loved last year. Not only is it tightly and well-written, with excellent character development and a good story, but it’s fun! Xeni starts with grief, so you wouldn’t expect to have moments of brilliant laughter alongside those of deep sadness and thought. But Rebekah masters it with the skill of someone who has been doing this for a long time.

The Dreamers
Adriana Herrera

So I know American Love Story is the one actually being recognized, and that is a hell of a book. But all three of the released books (and I imagine the fourth, which is out…not soon enough) are pretty great. I actually brought my rating for American Dreamer down after reading American Fairytale, because Goodreads doesn’t have six stars, and I liked the second a smidge more than the first. The people in Adriana’s stories are heartfelt and lovable.

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure
Courtney Milan

This novella about a pair of women who have dealt with enough shit in their lives and choose to do something about it is a sheer delight. When Miss Beauchamps arrives at Mrs. Martin’s home seeking payment for Mrs. Martin’s nephew’s stay at her boarding house, the pair instead plot to make his life just a little bit miserable. His nickname is The Terrible Nephew, after all. He’s made both of their lives miserable enough already. Oh, and as is the way, our elderly lesbians fall in love along the way.

The Reluctant Royals and The Loyal League and Everything Else
Alyssa Cole

It should be no surprise that I can’t choose a favorite when it comes to Alyssa Cole’s books. A Prince on Paper is definitely my favorite of the full length novels released last year, though my favorite Reluctant Royal book is definitely Can’t Escape Love, which sadly didn’t make it into the final list. An Unconditional Freedom was absolutely spectacular, of course, and hard, and intense. (My favorite of those will always be A Hope Divided, but they’re all just…so good). While the Loyal League books are masterfully done and probably the only Civil War era books not written by Beverly Jenkins that I will ever pick up, the outright queerness living in the Reluctant Royals world edges it out. I realize that part of it is the setting, though, so we can just pretend they’re equally amazing series that have now been wrapped up. Sort of.

(How to Catch a Queen, the first book in the Reluctant Royals spinoff series, The Runaway Royals, is available for preorder now. By the way.)

This is not to say that Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Trashed weren’t favorites of the year. I still think about Trashed on a regular basis and thrust Chloe into people’s hands as they walk by. (Note: I have not actually read The Austen Playbook.)

It’s hard to pick favorites when you loved them all.

Which was yours?

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!

How’s your week gone, love lovers? I hope it’s been reasonable, and kind of warm. Whichever Alentine you celebrate, enjoy it safely!

Over on Book Riot

Have you been thinking about reading Courtney Milan, but weren’t completely sure where to start? Well, this probably isn’t actually going to help, but it’s a nice rundown of her books. Go ahead, writhe with indecision for a bit.

Meta romances are cool. What’s a meta romance, you ask? Oh, just a romance with romance in it.

Speaking of Alentines, Trisha and I talked plenty about the various ways to celebrate.

Queer AF M/F romances, at your service.

Do you use a book tracker? Book Riot’s got something new for you to try out.

And there’s still time to enter to win a B&N gift card!

Deals

If The Worst Best Man left you wanting more DC-area (I refuse to use DMV) love with awesome family dynamics, The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo is 1.99! There is even wedding planning involved, so it can really scratch an itch if you’ve got it. Now’s a great time to get it, and be prepared for the release of Once Upon a Sunset in early March.

Black History Highlight

No book highlight today, but you should definitely check out the Wikipedia page for Vivian Stephens, founder of Romance Writers of America and longtime romance editor. It’s a recent addition to the site, and the most information gathered about her that I’ve seen on the open web. Fun fact: At one point, she was Beverly Jenkins’s agent!

New Books

Lots of good-looking books out this week! I’ve even read one lolsob

House Rules
Ruby Lang

This is the third book in Ruby Lang’s Uptown series, but each one can stand alone. (But if you haven’t read the other two, I definitely recommend checking them out.) Here, ex-spouses Simon and Lana run into each other while looking at apartments. Simon still lives in the rent-controlled 500 square foot apartment he inherited from his father, and Lana is new to the city on a trial job. She finds an amazing apartment but isn’t completely able to cover it so…she calls Simon. They are both over the age where people—even in New York—commonly have roommates, but the apartment is perfect, and so they tentatively start a new partnership. The tension is palpable between the two, but they’re determined to go no further than sharing space…and hardly that. But prolonged exposure and years of history can lead to other things.

And of course, Just One More by the great Jodie Slaughter comes out tomorrow. It’s going to be one of my favorite Valentine’s Day romances for a long time, I think. (If you missed my rec of it on Monday, check that list of Valentine’s Day romances out!)

Other books I’m looking forward to reading:

All Mine by Savannah J. Frierson (The sequel to last year’s Valentine’s Day book, Be Mine!)
All Geek to Me by Allie York
No Parking by Valentine Wheeler
Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis
And This I Swear by Stephanie Nicole Norris
The Bedroom Experiment by Kendall Ryan
Out of Practice by Carsen Taite
Taking a Shot at Love by KC Richardson

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!