Category: Kissing Books

Happy Halloween!

What do you mean it’s only early October?

Okay, fine. Happy Halloween month.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Mary Jo Putney, one of the most critically acclaimed writers of historical romance, brings fans the third novel in her Rogues Redeemed series, where two outcasts must endure persecution and peril through stormy seas if their love is going to survive.

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News and Useful Links

There’s more romance coming to Netflix. I haven’t read Virgin River or Sweet Magnolias. But I hope this (and of course the success of To All The Boys…) means more kissing movies and shows across streaming services.

Do you know about Maya Rodale’s newest, Duchess by Design? Check out this EW interview where she talks about the Gilded Age and subversive pockets.

I didn’t know about Food from the Heart until I saw this instagram post by theromanticbaker. That bread looks amazing, and there are other recipes from authors including Sonali Dev and Susan Mallery.

There’s still some time to get a few of these deals, I think.

Dadbod Austen Retellings. What.

Just click. You’ll thank me.

Deals!

Have you read Act Like It yet? Well, it’s 1.99, so you have no excuse.

Or if you’re looking for the opposite of fake-relationship, how about After the Wedding? It’s 2.49, and while it’s always good to read series in order, you don’t have to have read Once Upon a Marquess first. But you might want to. Because it’s hilarious. (Also, if you finish and want to read about Adrian’s uncles John and Henry? Let me point you towards The Pursuit Of…)

Okay. Done now.

Wait, one more. Deliver Me by Farrah Rochon is free right now. Good way to get sucked into an amazing series.

Over on Book Riot

Have you read all of these? There are a few I haven’t, so I can say newbies are totally in for a treat with this list!

I know it’s not technically romance related, but I’m behind most of these Idris Elba fancastings, even if he’s a touch too old for a few of them (like Thabiso, to be honest). We’d make it work.

Riotgrams are back! I’ve been…really bad at keeping up but what’s new.

I…want to read all of these.

Also, TBR is a thing and you should check it out.

These may be critical nonfiction, but they’re about romance.

We’re having a giveaway for a custom book stamp!

Recs!

This newsletter is already wildly long and overly full of TBR-busters, so I’ll be a bit more brief than I was last week.

Remember when I mentioned way way at the beginning of this newsletter that I was excited for Halloween? Well, I decided to do something different. Instead of a huge list of Halloween themed and related romances, I would do a sort of… feature creature.

Today’s creature? Dracula.

And friends, I guess.

Thrall
Avon Gale and Roan Parrish

If you’ve read Dracula, you know that it is a story told in letters, news clippings, and various other epistolary formats. Thrall is the story of several people, much like Dracula, but it still has central characters to latch onto. You’ve got Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray, who are a couple that does a true crime podcast based in New Orleans. You have Lucy’s brother Harker, who has gone missing (or at least isn’t returning her texts). You’ve got Harker’s dissertation advisor, Professor Van Helsing. You’ve got Arthur, Mina and Lucy’s social media manager, who decides to pursue the good professor romantically while also trying to figure out what’s happend to Harker. And you’ve got Thrall, the local dating app that Harker was studying for his anthropology dissertation. The story is told in google chats, emails, texts, and other alternate texts, but you still get a bit of a spooky feeling. One moment you’re laughing your eyes out, the next you’re on edge trying to figure out what the heck is happening. What you discover is maybe not what you expect, but any more from me would spoil the experience.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good vampire romance that wasn’t part of an overarching paranormal or urban fantasy series (I’ll bet the last one was Meg Cabot’s Insatiable, which was…probably a decade ago), or even a “different” kind of vampire like JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood (similarly, Lover At Last was the last one of those I read). But. One of the Book Riot Insiders mentioned The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter and I’m totally sold.

There’s a dearth in my past reading of vampires of color in romance. (The closest I’ve come is LA Banks, and I…wasn’t really a fan of the first one?) Anyone have any favorites that are actually romantic and not…about soul-sucking demons being evil and needing to be killed?

As a bonus, let’s talk about my favorite Dracula movies. I have…three?

Dracula 2000. Yes. I love this movie. All respect to Gary Oldman, but Gerard Butler was my first Dracula. Also Johnny Lee Miller the antiques dealer. I think this movie might have introduced me to him, too?

Van Helsing. Richard Roxburgh and his weird Romania accent. Hugh Jackman and his crossbow. The brides, kicking ass. (If you listen to When in Romance, you might recall that I took the “which vampire is your soulmate” and I definitely got the Brides of Dracula.)

Dracula Untold. I don’t know why, but I latched onto this one and was really disappointed when I learned they weren’t going to continue the series. It is very pretty.

Then there’s the fact that when I try to recall Renfield the only one that comes to mind is the one from Dracula: Dead and Loving It. I have no recollection of the rest of the movie. Just that Renfield. And no others.

Okay, fun interlude. Back to books.

New and Upcoming Releases

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon (hot male nanny, anyone?)
Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert
Always There by Tiara Inserto (they have to share an apartment omgz)
Project Saving Noah by Six de los Reyes (October 6)
For the Love of Luke by David C. Dawson (October 9)
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young (October 9)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

So it’s fall. That’s a thing it is. You can sort of tell where I live; it’s not deathly hot anymore. I hope you all have some non-hurricane-like fall weather wherever you are.

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Sponsored by Harlequin DARE

She has fantasies… Now he’s bringing them to life! Notorious seducer Thor Ragnarsson runs the scandalous Hotel Viking in Reykjavik, where tourists go to fulfill their wildest fantasies. When straitlaced American professor Margot Cavendish gets snowed in while studying Icelandic sex culture, Thor challenges her inhibitions with some very hands-on research—soon she’s exploring every inch of his delicious body. It’s only one night of passion, but when the snowstorm clears they’re left aching for more…

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News and Useful Links

If you’re a collector of Georgette Heyer novels, there’s a new signature collection, which includes three of her most famous novels. Unlike Crichton and all those other folks whose unfinished works people keep finding in drawers, there doesn’t seem like anything new is happening, so it’s mostly for fans and potential new readers. If you weren’t into her writing before…that’s probably not going to change with some new covers and an introduction or two.

Alyssa Cole wrote a great piece for Booklist’s romance feature! There are some good lists in their romance coverage this month, too.

In less fun news, there’s been some…stuff…happening on twitter regarding an anthology, and we’ve had to have that conversation about representation and the ever useful Jeff Goldblum/Ian Malcolm quote: [people] were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. The gist is a group of white romance authors wrote an anthology of novellas featuring Asian heroes. I haven’t read any of the novellas included, and I couldn’t tell you if they felt squickily like fetishizing. I don’t particularly care about that right now. It’s about the fact that nobody in that group of people thought: hey, maybe we should consult an author or two of Asian descent, maybe even invite them to join our anthology. They thought it was perfectly fine to publish a collection about people in a marginalized group written completely by white women, using comparisons to #ownvoices books like Crazy Rich Asians and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before to promote it. It was this last that really hurt. Don’t use own voices titles when there are none of those same voices anywhere near you. Just don’t.

When this was mentioned by authors from various marginalized groups on social media, some authors—both involved and not involved in the project—took offense. The response was unfortunately not surprising, as it was a microcosm of how a number of marginalized authors are treated regularly. Obviously, not by everyone; there are voices of reason in every group. Not surprising, but still disappointing. Two steps forward; one step back.

Now that I’ve got us all depressed, let’s go read this article from the New York Times. It’s good, I promise.

And for some serious joy, Counterpoint just came out and this is seriously the best way to get into it. I read it ages ago and kind of want to read it again just so I can go back to hanging out with these guys.

Deals!

You can preorder Talia Hibbert’s new paranormal romance, Mating the Huntress, for 99 cents. I think the price might go up after it releases, so now’s your chance!

Looking for some short reads? Suleikha Snyder’s new story collection Dil or No Dil is 2.99.

Have you ever thought to yourself “I wonder what an Amish retelling of Beauty and the Beast would look like”? Belle by Sarah Price is 1.99.

Over on Book Riot

I stan Jessica Avery. Like, so hard.

Your favorite vampire love stories. Well, mostly love stories.

Quizzes are fun, even if you’re not really looking for a next book to read.

Dana talked about feelings and it was beautiful.

Trisha and I talked about things while I wasn’t feeling well and it was very much not beautiful. But we still want to hear from you about Butterfly Swords!

Are you following #fallreadathon2018?

Recs!

In just under 12 hours, I’m getting on a plane. I have a touch of travel anxiety (who am I kidding? I’m not going to sleep tonight) and I like to think about worst case scenarios. It’s a thing. But it always makes me think about one of my favorite opening scenes in one of my favorite funny novels.

Can You Keep A Secret
Sophie Kinsella

Do you like funny, outspoken heroines? Emma is definitely one of those. But her life becomes wildly embarrassing the moment she discovers the CEO of her company is the man she spilled all of her secrets to on a flight when she thought she was going to die. (Yeah, these are the connections I make.) The second-hand embarrassment continues throughout this book, but somehow, even though I absolutely cannot stand books, movies, or television in which your embarrassment for a character is so severe that it hurts, I couldn’t help loving this one.

I do have to be clear that Can You Keep a Secret isn’t categorically a romance; it’s technically what we would call Chick Lit—but it ends with an HEA so I’m keeping it.

This book is on my “fun-and-funny” Goodreads shelf, and I think both of those are things we all need right now, don’t you? If you want to just gorge yourself on joy and laughter while the rest of it goes to shit, here are some I always go back to (I’ve obviously talked about some of them here before):

Trade Me by Courtney Milan

Poor first generation student and rich white boy trade incomes and situations. What could go wrong? In the meantime, what could go right?

Cinnamon Blade by Shira Glassman

A superhero and the woman she is super into try to date. World saving happens.

A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert

A comics artist and the former soldier who moves in across from her get to know each other over the food he won’t stop bringing her.

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

“Dear fake fiance that I created because I have severe social anxiety, I’m sorry, I have to kill you.” Real man shows up. Fun ensues.

Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl

A romance advice columnist meets the new hot guybrarian and they immediately hit it off. She needs some help with the whole romance thing.

Truth or Beard by Penny Reid

When a book starts out with Sexy Gandalf and mistaken identity, you never know what might happen next.

Tell Me Something Good by Jamie Wesley

Radio rivals have hella chemistry, and everyone, including their network, knows it. So of course, they get put on air together.

Nuts by Alice Clayton

Food people make food innuendos. That’s really all you need to know.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

If you like your food innuendos slightly more highbrow and Victorianly witty, Alexia and Lord Maccon are spectacular at them.

Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec

Okay, so I apparently have a thing about food.

The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

I gave this book to my mother about ten years ago and she wouldn’t give it back.

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There. That should last us until the next bit of horrible.

New and Upcoming Releases

Not Another Family Wedding by Jackie Lau
Counterpoint by Anna Zabo (this book is the greatest, y’all)
Thrall by Roan Parrish and Avon Gale (alternate format, anyone?)
Couldn’t ask for More by Kianna Alexander (October 2)
Consumed by JR Ward (October 2)
The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas (October 2)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

How’s your September going? I’ve been making my way through the first season of Timeless, which really could use just a touch more kissing but is otherwise pretty fun. And it’s a fun way to learn about things like the Murder Castle.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

National Bestselling author Nicole Helm returns with the fourth installment in her down-to-earth, warm-hearted and compelling Mile High Romance series – this time with a cowboy twist! Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, rugged Gracely, Colorado is famous for big-sky beauty and small-town community. It’s a perfect place to take a deep breath, start again—and even plunge into the kind of love that lasts a lifetime. When Cora took a job as a wedding planner, she certainly did think she’d be the one getting hitched!

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News and Useful Links

Have you heard? Bea and Leah Koch, the ladies at The Ripped Bodice, have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures. There hasn’t been any lengthy information on what they’ll be doing, but from what I’ve read, they’ll be using their knowledge to help Sony produce some awesome romance content.

Do you have Amazon Prime? They recently introduced Prime Reading, which is basically KU Lite. There’s a select grouping of titles available to Prime account holders, and you can borrow up to 10 titles a month. I’ve had a look at the romance offerings, and they’re not too bad. Have you tried it out? Let me know what you think!

And speaking of Kindle Unlimited, Talia Hibbert reviewed a few worthwhile KU titles on Frolic.

Vice did something dumb. Seriously, you’d think someone would do some research before publishing something like that.

This looks like the cutest thing ever and we should make sure it gets made.

Deals

Interested in a queer retelling of Persuasion? Jenny Holiday’s Undue Influence is 3.99.

If you’re looking to start a new Rachel Van Dyken series, Dirty Exes is 1.99.

It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale is 1.99. With a title like that, how can you resist?

Holley Trent’s newest fae romance, Prince in Leather is 1.99 right now, too.

Over on Book Riot

Vampire romance giveaway, you say?

What are your bookish habits, weird or otherwise?

Here’s a rundown of the big differences between KU and Prime Reading.

Recs!

The fall brings certain sounds to my living room, and I can’t help but joining up with them in my own way. While watching football isn’t my personal delight, I don’t despair its existence, and I still want to spend those three…or nine…hours with my gentleman. So while he’s paying close attention to every play, I spend the time between the moments when he hits my leg and tells me to watch a replay enjoying a novel or two. But what’s football without sports romance?

On the Line
Liz Lincoln

When Carrie finds herself without her wallet at the grocery store, the hot, Thor-like giant buying bananas and tampons behind her pays for her groceries. When she discovers the feminine products are for his twelve-year-old daughter, she immediately steps in to correct him, and a relationship is born. Too bad their flirty texting is interrupted by Carrie’s need for a job and Thor Sean’s need for a nanny. Carrie is obviously the best candidate for the job, sharing passions and interests with young Maddie. But that means no more flirting with her new boss. But she can’t help the feelings she develops for the man she’s getting to know, and the girl she’s growing to love.

Precious, right?

I don’t know what it is, but I really do love football romances. The first one I ever read was Blitzing Emily by Julie Brannagh, which involves a fake relationship and an opera star—so you know I was all over it. The rest of the series is similarly entertaining, and also relatively diverse, considering.

Another fun series is the New York Leopards trilogy by Allison Parr, starting with Rush Me. The heroine is an academic and it’s delightful.

Robin Covington’s His Convenient Husband provides us with one of the few m/m stories starring a football player. There’s also a Russian dancer and a precious genderqueer teenager.

And of course, the newly released Intercepted (which is going to be our second When in Romance Book Club read in about a month!) looks pretty great.

(Not to mention Swagger the next Milwaukee Dragons series, which features the delightful Marcus James, whose brief appearances in On the Line left me wanting more.)

New and Upcoming Releases

The Breakup Plan by Tia Kelly

Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh

Professor Feelgood by Leisa Rayven

More than Crave You by Shayla Black

Mostly Sunny by Jamie Pope (Sept 25)

Not Another Family Wedding by Jackie Lau (Sept 25)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

We’re well and settled into the month, and it’s been relatively quiet. I hope all my east coasters are taking care and have found shelter from the storm.

News and Useful Links

How many romance podcasts do you listen to? Here’s a great profile from Frolic. (And of course, if you haven’t already, check out ours! This past week, Trisha and I talked about that plagiarism issue I mentioned a while ago, and then announced our first When In Romance book club pick!)

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Sponsored by Flatiron Books and The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Sabrina contends with in Rebecca Serle’s utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List. When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.

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This is an important piece about domestic violence in romance, even if you think differently about the opinions expressed.

I am living for this cover.

Have you watched the trailer for the film adaptation of Beverly Jenkins’ Deadly Sexy? They’re trying to boost the number of views in hope that it gets picked up by a distributor. Let’s do our part!

Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe and Sophie Jordan announced a new christmas anthology coming out in October.

New Tif Marcelo!

I missed this the first time around, but here’s an interesting article about self-realization and understanding.

Deals!

Is it ever not time to read a Jayne Ann Krentz novel? The Pirate is 2.49.

Tell Me by Abigail Strom is 99 cents. If you’ve been meaning to read a recent RITA winner, it’s a good one to start with.

Who can resist a romance between an author and the leading man set to play out the part in the adaptation of her novel? Look no further; Playing the Part by Robin Covington is 2.99.

Over on Book Riot

What’s your next steamy read?

Are you ready to have your TBR completely murdered? Laura put together a list of 50 must-read m/m romances. I added tons of books to my want-to-read list. The few that I’ve read were pretty awesome too.

Some of the best books we read in August were romances. What was your favorite?

Kamrun interviewed Eloisa James and it was as fun as you’d expect.

And we’re giving away a 6-month subscription to OwlCrate Jr. Check it out!

Recs!

I realized a couple of days ago that I’d been recommending a lot of contemporary romantic comedy and historical fiction, meaning I’d been leaving a large piece of romance to the wayside: specfic.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, specfic is the shortened version of speculative fiction, which is basically anything outside the realm of reality. Paranormal? Specfic. Post-apocalyptic? Specfic. Alternate history with dragons? Specfic.

Obviously, I’ve mentioned some before, but I’d been neglecting them. The most neglected of all?

Radio Silence
Alyssa Cole

Y’all, this was the first Alyssa Cole book I ever bought. Before A Princess in Theory, before An Extraordinary Union, before Let it Shine and even before Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight, I bought Radio Silence and its corresponding books. There was something about the original cover that drew me, before I knew anything about Alyssa Cole beyond her name and profession. But I hadn’t picked it up. Thinking back, I think I wasn’t ready for post-apocalyptic romance, even though I knew it would have a happy ending. Same reason it took me so long to pick up Beyond Shame—the darkness wasn’t something I sought. If you haven’t noticed, I lean towards fun and funny, even in situations that are not. So when I realized I hadn’t really covered any specfic of any kind recently, I sought one of my rainy-day reads. I try to have an Alyssa Cole novel on-hand, just because. So this was a good place to start, especially in an area that I’m not as well-versed in.

In a near future New York State, the power has gone out and no one knows why. There’s no radio, no cell service. Nothing from the government. At first, it was just a matter of waiting, but then people got desperate and it went Book of Eli pretty quickly. Arden and her best friend/roommate John travel from Rochester to John’s family’s cabin in the middle of nowhere, but get waylaid by some other desperate travelers. When John’s brother Gabriel saves them from who knows what, there begins a push-pull relationship between Arden and her savior, who is also a pain in the ass.

Y’all know how I love stories that start with the hero being a pain in the ass.

You’ll just have to read it to know what happens next.

If you’re interested in more speculative fiction, you can always look at old editions of KB (because I know you’ve saved them all) for my reviews of books like Highland Dragon Warrior by Isabel Cooper,The Viking Queen’s Men by Holley Trent, and Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis. There’re tons more, though, so I hope you endeavor to explore.

What’s your favorite specfic romance?

New and Upcoming Releases

Soft on Soft by Em Ali
Passionate Rivals by Radclyffe
Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Honestly, this is the last time, I swear. At least…for a while.)
Swagger by Liz Lincoln (September 18) (Dat cover tho)
More than Crave You by Shayla Black (September 18)
Queen of Hearts by Sheryl Wright (September 18)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

How is it September? It was just June, I swear. But I am happy for Fall release season. As someone who doesn’t leave near many deciduous trees, it’s really the best way to watch the seasons change—well…that and pumpkin spice.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Bridesmaids meets Magic Mike in Stripped, a hot contemporary romance set in New York City from exciting new Latinx voice Zoey Castile. Skilled, sculpted, and sexy, the men of adult entertainment are the kind of guys a woman reserves for her fantasies, not her reality. But is there more to these professional hotties than meets the eye?  Robyn Flores is about to find out when she discovers a sequined thong in her laundry and her upstairs neighbor Zac comes to collect. The next time he turns up unexpectedly? He’s the stripper at her best friend’s bachelorette party!

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News and Useful Links

Heard about Romance Class but not sure what it is? Check out their new website! (And here’s a nice rundown of what’s there by resident RC author Mina V. Esguerra.)

Are you a writer? Anna Zabo is giving an online workshop on worldbuilding.

Alyssa Cole’s most recently announced novella looks like everything I’ve been waiting for. Forreal. Is it 2019 yet?

Another LA Review of Books essay! This time, it’s by Cat Sebastian. (They’ve got a whole romance-themed issue out, FYI. They’ve put a few of them up on the site.)

Did you know Alexis Daria used to be a cosplayer?

Learn more about Talia Hibbert, including the fact that she’s going to be expanding her author name pool for different subgenres what.

And I haven’t done a lot of digging on this new app, but it looks like there might be a new way to read romance (and other things).

Deals

Have you read Sophie Jordan’s contemporary romance? If you’re looking to try one out, Beautiful Lawman is 99 cents right now.

If you’re looking for a fun mystery with an element of romance, Denise Grover Swank’s Deadly Summer is 1.99.

TJ Klune is one of those authors whose names I know but whose books I keep not reading. Well, Wolfsong is 1.99 and someone on Amazon called it the best shifter book they’ve ever read. So I bought it.

And if you’re looking for some good romantic suspense, Piper J. Drake’s Hidden Impact is 1.99 right now.

Over on Book Riot

What’s your romance audiobook match?

I don’t have a KU membership, but I might consider it for these books (many of which are already on my to-read list anyway).

Have you voted on a book for the first When In Romance book club?

And come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

Recs!

As we pass Labor Day and the joys of summer, now is a good time for some summer nostalgia, right? It’s not too late? I hope not, because I’ve got some recs that are great for the Dying Sighs of Summer (she says from Arizona, where it’s finally dropped to the low nineties).

Feels Like Summer
Six de los Reyes

While this book opens at a summer music festival, Summer Storm, the majority of the book takes place in Manila. But that’s okay, because the real meaning of summer is acted out in that part of the book: three months of making the wrong choices for yourself and taking advantage of a situation that is only supposed to be temporary. Then, the days get shorter, the nights longer, and you yearn for those days.

Okay, Feels Like Summer isn’t quite that maudlin. Sorry.

Jett is a woman who gets what she wants. And after taking a deal to be an up-and-coming lead singer’s girlfriend for five minutes (a far too brief fake relationship, in my opinion!), she and said singer, Adrian, hit it off and spend the night together. It’s…not a great night. But when Adrian shows up to apologize, they decide to endeavor on a no-strings sex-only relationship to help him get over his ex, the reason Jett was needed at Summer Storm in the first place. She doesn’t do dating, and Adrian is pretty great in bed, so this is perfect for her. And it’s going to end, which is always good. Right?

If you finish that one and are looking for another intense, sexy book about a summer rebound fling, check out Elyse Springer’s Heat Wave.

And if the brief time at the music festival puts you in the mood for more of that setting, well the first thing you should do is read more of the Summer Storm books, including Sounds Like Summer (the first book in the Summer Storm series) and Summer Crush (which features novella by Reyes, Jay E. Tria, and Tara Frejas).

Then, once you’ve read those, check out Body Rocks by AM Arthur. The whole Off-Beat series is darling AF, but this one takes a lot of advantage of the music festival setting.

Conversely, if you want some sweet summer love between childhood sweethearts with some nice beach action, definitely pick up Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert. It says “Ravenswood 1.5” but it’s a whole damn book. (I say “sweet summer love” like it’s not angsty as all getout. It’s angsty as all getout. but so darling and precious.)

And if you’re looking for writers going at it with their words and people getting dumped intp bodies of water, look no further than A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres.

What are your favorite books of summer?

New and Upcoming Releases

Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling by Jenny Holiday
Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Stripped by Zoey Castile
Kiss the Girl by Tara Sivec (and yes, it’s named after a Disney song for a reason)
Bastard Prince by Nana Malone
Made to Hold You by Elle Wright
Second Time Sweeter by Beverly Jenkins
Sugar Vol 1 by Matt Hawkins, Jenni Cheung, and Yishan Li
Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Sept 11) (Yes, that one is finally coming out)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

There’s a long weekend approaching in the US; how are you going to spend yours (if you have regular weekends)? I don’t know how much reading I’m going to do, but man, do I have to catch up.

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Sponsored by Harlequin DARE

A deal with the devil…

But who comes out on top?

Imogen Hargrove agrees to go on a date with notorious womanizer Caleb Allbrook if he’ll dig up dirt on her sister’s cheating fiancé. After leaving her own two-timing ex, Imogen is determined to save her sister from heartbreak. Caleb might be tempting…seductively charming, even. But Imogen won’t make the same mistake twice: no more playboys!

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News and Useful Links

So I learned a lot about a lot of things this week, including the history of the author Alexa Riley. Suffice to say, there were a lot of tweets and subtweets about plagiarism, what’s acceptable in Romancelandia, and how many releases in a short period of time is just way too many.

There’s an interesting article in the LA Review of Books, which was fascinating to my Humanities Major brain (“acolytes of Adorno” snort) and a delight to my romance-loving heart. It’s kind of “academy lite” as far as content and approach, though, so go in prepared.

Speaking of academy lite, this post about clergy in romance is interesting.

I somehow missed that there is a charity anthology (not solely romance, but with some romance in it) called Somewhere Out There that is in support of immigrant families. My Old Millennial heart is crying with delight (and will be singing songs from An American Tail for days).

Talia Hibbert has the word. (Also, have you picked up Untouchable yet?)

Romance-themed coloring books? Yes please! Penny Reid is putting out what I hope is just the first of many coloring books based on romance novels (It’s called the Knitting in the City Coloring Book so there’s no confusion what it’s related to). She also announced a crochet and knit pattern book, which will be released at the end of November. I might have to pick up some needles again!

Helen Hoang shared her dream cast (or casts, really) for The Kiss Quotient and it did not disappoint.

Deals

A bunch of Helen Hardt books are on sale, including Craving, the first book in her Steel Brothers Saga.

Are you one of those people who’s just been meaning to read The Bronze Horseman forever? It’s 1.99 right now.

In the Flesh by Sylvia Day is 1.20, if you’re looking for a new Sylvia Day book to read.

Over on Book Riot

Jessica Avery had few things to say to people who think of romance as popcorn.

Kamrun wants you to celebrate Romance Awareness Month with these picks.

Trisha and I talked about stuff, including the first ever When In Romance book club! Do you want to join? Tell us what book we should read first! (So far, the vote’s leaning in the direction of Intercepted by Alexa Martin.)

This is your ABSOLUTE VERY LAST CHANCE to enter the Recommended Giveaway, which ends tomorrow (August 31). Get 16 awesome books by or recommended by authors who have appeared on our Recommended podcast.

Recs!

Do you follow Sil on Twitter? Or maybe read her stuff on Book Riot (as Silvana Reyes)? You should. I do, and sometimes she gives me total FOMO when it comes to her excited reviews of awesome books. While I tend to read more backlist with some frontlist thrown in, she reads tons of frontlist books, sometimes way in advance. So when she started squeeing about this book, I was sad. But I did it, I got to it almost before it was actually released.

Stripped
Zoey Castile

Robyn Flores is having one of those days. Months, really. Okay, years. As an elementary school teacher, you’d think she’d have her life more together, but she’s more Bad Teacher than Stand and Deliver. She doesn’t want to be, but she can’t seem to get her act together and be more like her BFF Lily. It all comes to head when Robyn gets the wrong laundry. How does she realize it? The spangly thong and tiny tank top she pull out first are definitely not hers. And then her downstairs neighbor shows up with her laundry to swap. Her super hot, very ripped downstairs neighbor. Who it turns out is a stripper. Which she finds out at Lily’s bachelorette party.

Hoo man.

So this sounds like an awkward novel, and it sorta is. When we meet her. Robyn is the kind of woman nobody wants to be, and sometimes it’s hard to watch. But everything comes together in a pretty magical way.

So if you like this one, may I recommend some other romances with one-word titles starting with S:

• Swagger by Liz Lincoln (Out September 18) – the second book in a sexy new football series

• Shipped by Karrie Roman – two actors get cast in a new show based on a popular book and become the biggest Ship on the planet

• Seared by Suleikha Snyder – a BDSM chef stepbrother romance? Yes, please.

• Shatterproof by Xen – a suicidal artist makes a deal with an ancient fae. New and updated as of June 2018
• Sustained by Emma Chase – a gritty lawyer, a beautiful woman, and six kids make quite the combination

Want more? Check out Static, or Smut, or Strings, or Sweat. There are more still that I just don’t have the brainpower to list. So many S words. So many books.

New and Upcoming Releases

Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper (originally published by Riptide, but Kris pulled and rebranded them. Those covers!)
The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
A Stallion Dream by Deborah Fletcher Mello (Sept 1)
Made to Hold You by Elle Wright (Sept 1)
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (Sept 4)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

It’s been mostly good news this week (with a few minor…hiccups), and I need to read faster because there’s so much good stuff hanging down the pipeline.

News and Useful Links

Alyssa Cole is teaching an online romance writing class! If you’ve got 300 bucks to spare (not a bad price point, honestly), you’d be learning from one of the best.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Misfortune begets second chances in USA Today bestselling author Sally MacKenzie’s brand new Regency-set series, filled with her signature wit, warmth, and humor. Scandal does not define the “fallen” ladies of Puddledon Manor’s Benevelolent Home. Instead, it’s a recipe for an intoxicating new future as the women combine their talents to operate their own brewery and alehouse.

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Tessa Dare left us something nice on her website.

Amazon shared their best romances for August.

In this EW article, Christina Lauren shared that, in part because they wrote the original before the most recent election, they are updating the screenplay for the film adaptation of Roomies to reflect our times better—with things being what they are, having a white undocumented immigrant might even come across as tone deaf nowadays. There’s also lots of good stuff about romcoms coming back to the movies, and the fact that romances are great content for them (who knew, right?).

Courtney Milan is giving us Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure in October and I’m super excited. If you’ve read After The Wedding you know Mrs. Martin is The Best.

Maya Rodale put some summer reads together on NPR.

And if you think Talia Hibbert’s fiction is fire, you should check out her most recent essay. *snaps*

Deals

Do you want ridiculous cute steampunk in your life? If so, How to Marry a Werewolf is definitely a thing you want.

JT Geissenger’s Burn For You is 2.49. I haven’t read it but remember reading the squeeing when it first came out.

Did I mention The Duchess Deal is 1.99? Because The Duchess Deal is 1.99.

Mariana Zapata’s Kulti is 1.49. If we’re talking pages per dollar, that’s basically the best deal on the planet.

Over on Book Riot

Our favorite BR contributors have given us some peak content this week:

• Escorts and strippers? Don’t mind if I do.
• Necromancer romances. Yes, that’s a thing, and yes, they’re awesome.
• Follow these romance authors on Pinterest!
• I uh…may have put together a must-read erotica list, which includes a whole section on erotic romance. Some of the titles might be familiar, too…
• Yes, there was dick soap.

Have you ever been curious about how to delete books from your Kindle or Kindle App? (Or maybe you bought something by accident and need to return it?)

Also! There’s still time to enter the Recommended giveaway! You have until August 31 to take the chance to get 16 awesome books featured on the Recommended podcast. So check that out, definitely.

Recs!

I realized recently that while I have an endless TBR I’ll never be able to catch up on, there are books (or types of books) that I always have on hand to read when I need them. Maybe I’m having a bad day, or I’m not feeling well. Some romances practically have healing powers when it comes to reading them on sick days. Then of course there’s the books I am interested enough in to read but can also easily put down—those are perfect to have on my phone for times when I don’t have or can’t logically pull out a book.

The Sick Day Read

I always keep one backlist title by favorite authors around, just to have something to grab when I’m not feeling well. Sometimes, I want something heartwrenching and angsty, because I already feel like crying. Other times, I need something so ridiculously funny, I find myself smiling and laughing through every wheeze and cough. I’ve shared some of these with you before; books like Roan Parrish’s Riven and Courtney Milan’s The Heiress Effect. I also felt this way about Talia Hibbert’s Damaged Goods, which was such a great read for a bad morning.

This weekend, it was Say Yes to the Marquess.

In the second book of the Castles Ever After series, we meet Clio Waitmore–I mean, Whitmore—who has been engaged for eight years. (Spoiler not spoiler, I’d already read the book featuring the man she was originally engaged to, so…) Her husband-to-be is finally coming back to England after several years abroad, and she has finally made up her mind: she’s not getting married. She just needs his brother Rafe, the current executor of his estate, to sign some dissolution papers so she doesn’t have to actually confront Piers upon his return. But Rafe refuses to sign, determined to convince Clio that she wants this marriage. All he needs is a week at her castle to lavish her in lush wedding preparations.

The Pick-Up Anytime

I cycle through phone-books in lengthy cycles. Three or four months, at least. These are the books I read when I don’t have my current read on a lunch break, or I’m waiting in line, or I’ve just found myself with some time on my hands but it would be awkward to have a physical book or my ipad in my hand. That’s when I go back to that book I can pick up anytime. It’s not boring, but it’s not one of those books you have to devour or your brain will hate you. Sometimes, it graduates from phone-book to the devouring kind, like KJ Charles’ A Seditious Affair. That one started out slowly enough that I could read it in lines, or at IKEA. Then, wham! I was reading it for hours and hours and hours. Others that have had this position on my phone include Robin Covington’s Playing the Part and Mina V. Esguerra’s Future Chosen.

Right now, it’s Riley Hart’s Faking It.

Gary and Travis live in an apartment complex that is very much a gay community. So when Gary’s ex boyfriend (who moved in with a younger man across the hall) mentions that he saw Gary with Travis, a hot neighbor who had actually been hooking up with Gary’s roommate, Gary goes with it. Travis, hearing this conversation and feeling the need to save Gary, approaches with an unexpected move. And then all of a sudden Gary and Travis are “boyfriends” and have to do things like, I don’t know, actually know each other. Madness ensues.

I’m only about 25 percent into the book, but so far it’s helped me get through a few lines, two shorter-than-expected lunches, and a random solitary dinner at the mall. The chapters are short enough that I’m not usually left in a lurch smack in the middle of a scene, but long enough that the story does progress as I slowly inch forward. It helps that it’s one of my favorite tropes: fake dating. So I already have some investment, and want to see it through, bit by bit.

(I realize that this is how some of you read in general, and I salute you for being able to stitch everything together on the regular.)

What are your go-tos?

New and Upcoming Releases

Beautiful Skin: A People of Color Anthology
From Here to You by Jamie McGuire
All the Way by Kristen Proby
Fire and Water by Andrew Grey
Stripped by Zoey Castile (August 28)
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (August 28)
Nine Years Away by Stella Torres (August 30)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

We’re halfway through the month and I’m counting down the days to September. Not only will it be cooler soon, but there are tons of books that come out at the end of this month and the early part of next month! Meanwhile people on twitter have thoughts, and I can’t keep up.

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Sponsored by Harlequin DARE.

Caleb might be in charge of Lily’s safety, but when they’re confined to her Silicon Valley mansion, she’s the master. And keeping his hands off her is bringing Caleb close to the edge of control…

I live my life by simple rules. Protect the innocent at all costs. And no sleeping with clients. Those are the promises I keep as one of LA’s go-to fixers. I’d never falter on rule number one, but my latest client is making that other one hard to follow. Handling her stalker should be a walk in the park—keeping things professional, not so much.

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News and Useful Links

I’m gonna tell you a not-secret. I am addicted to fanfiction. Maybe not quite Cath-style let my life fall down around me, but it’s kind of close. I have not opened AO3 in some time—not since the day I closed all my saved tabs and turned off my laptop in preparation for the move to Arizona, but I fell off the wagon last week. You see, Cat Sebastian has been on a Bucky Barnes kick, and she’s been sharing some pretty intriguing plot points so yeah…wagon, bye bye. But if you’re looking for some interesting reads in which Bucky Barnes either reads or writes romance novels, check out her twitter feed. 

We Need Diverse Romance has more options for your collection.

Corey has some food for thought about polyam romance.

This cover reveal is just magical. I can’t wait for the series to come out!

#IsThisARomance?

Romance author Kristan Higgins has been taking some heat this week (well, really, for several months) for her most recent book. I haven’t read it, and don’t plan to, but if you want to know more, I will give you these two perspectives:

• Sarah MacLean talks with the author and discusses her own body issues
• SB Sarah left a heartfelt DNF review on SBTB

Do with them what you wish.

Deals!

Have you read Pretending He’s Mine yet? It’s 99 cents!

At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec is 1.99. Her books are hilarious.

If you’re looking for a new Regency author and haven’t read Sophie Barnes, The Duke of Her Desire is 1.99.

Did you like Love on My Mind? Tracey Livesay’s The Tycoon’s Socialite Bride is 2.99.

Over on Book Riot

So you might recognize this content from this very spot, but not only did I make it so you can share it with your friends, but the actor I was talking about finally got a name on the Harlots IMDb page so I found his Instagram. I’m not usually a stalker but hoo man.

Did you read Sunfire romances? I deliberately remember finding Roxanne somewhere and being completely fascinated by the Hollywood Golden Age.

Nikki pulled together some Christian romances to start with and I’ve got some reading to do.

And Trisha and I talked about stuff, but sadly fewer books than usual.

Recs!

Y’all, I couldn’t help it. I know that The Governess Game doesn’t come out until August 28, but I had to pick it up. It was calling for me and I couldn’t ignore it.

The Governess Game
Tessa Dare

Alexandra Mountbatten sets clocks. With her handy chronometer that she sets by Greenwich time regularly, she contracts with the wealthy (or more, their housekeepers) to keep their clocks on time. What she doesn’t expect is to use what she expects to be the servants’ entrance to fall into the grasp of her Bookshop Rake, with whom she had an encounter in one of my favorite scenes in The Duchess Deal. (Do you know how much I love Alexandra? I love her so much. So much.) The Bookshop Rake, or Chase Reynaud as he is actually called, has two hellion wards who need a governess, and through a miscommunication and an unfortunate chronomocide, Alexandra ends up in said role. Well, what do you expect to happen when you put the two of them under one roof?

I ate this book. Ate it right up. It’s got all my button checkers: humor (the cackling kind); ridiculousness; sexy sexy consent; telescopes; cinnamon rolls in wolf’s clothing; and of course, Ash. So yeah, you’ll want to read this right when it comes out.

And now I want to read more “I love your darling, terrible children who just need love but you’re ridiculous” kinds of books. Or anything like them. Lucky for me, Talia Hibbert’s Untouchable just came out!

Others I’ve loved include Bombshell by CD Reiss and of course It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian. And I am pretty certain I saw somewhere on twitter that someone is writing a sexy man-nanny book. (I refuse to call them a manny. Refuse.)

I DID. IT’S REBEKAH Y’ALL.

What are your favorite nanny/governess books?

New and Upcoming Releases

Untouchable by Talia Hibbert (just in case you missed that bit before)

The Shape of You by Georgia Beers

Soul of the Pack by Jenny Frame

Wild Thoughts by Delaney Diamond

From Here to You by Jamie McGuire

When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath

It’s a short one this week and I’m sorry about that, but really, do you need me to tell you about any more books just yet? Let’s all give ourselves time to catch up. (Cause that’ll happen. Totally.)

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

Happy Thursday, Loves! We’ve had an overabundance of riches when it comes to new books, happy news, and public clapbacks this past week.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

One by one, the Morgan men find themselves returning to the northern California ranch where their troubled pasts first began. Together, they have a chance to leave the past behind and forge a new future based on brotherhood, hope, and love. In this fifth installment of bestselling author Kate Pearce’s popular Morgan Ranch series, Rio Martinez’s long and winding road has brought him to a legendary Western ranch—to the brothers he calls friends, and a woman who could change his roving ways…

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News and Useful Links

We try to keep up with diverse new releases, but it’s hard to catch everything, right? Well, Suzanne from Love in Panels, Thein-Kim from The Bawdy Bookworm, and Jen of Jen Reads Romance fame got together to build this bit of magnificence.

IS IT 2020 YET?!?!?

Were you a little confused by the Kindle Unlimited book stuffing business? Bree tried to make it a little more clear.

That cover. Whew.

And speaking of book announcements, check out the summary of the new Mia Sosa book coming out!

It’s been a while since we’ve had Deadly Sexy news, but hey! It’s a trailer!

And speaking of adaptations, the rights for ALL THE THINGS have been bought for The Kiss Quotient! *please do the rep right**please do the rep right*

Also, the new Driven adaptation is coming soon to Passionflix!

So Cosmo and Audible are doing a thing. Know anybody interested?

Need a new shirt? This #weneeddiverseromance campaign is going until Monday!

Deals!

Peeps! The Duchess Deal is 1.99! Get it before The Governess Game comes out!

Looking for a new family saga? Elle Wright’s Touched By You is 1.99, as well!

Or how about a new, well-established paranormal series? Cynthia Eden’s Burn For Me is also 1.99.

Curious about Selena Montgomery, the romance author persona of Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams? Well, her book Reckless is 3.99 right now.

Over on Book Riot

Angel’s got a new obsession, and we’re totally behind her.

When you start comparing heroines to the great Elle Woods, you’ve definitely got my attention.

And also, don’t forget to enter to win 16 books featured on the awesome Recommended podcast!

Recs!

If you couldn’t tell from the subject line, I wanted to talk about a couple dukes. We all know that there are more dukes in romance than there are people in the state of Rhode Island, but we love them for it. There are all kinds of impossible dukes: tall, short, stodgy, rebellious, gay, straight, somewhere in between. I have never bothered to crack an early nineteenth-century Debrett’s, so I really have no idea how many dukes there might have been at one time, but we’re drowning in them, and I love it. We do need to talk about the fact that in romance, Regency and Victorian England apparently have more dukes per capita than people of color, but that’s a very long treatise for another day. Let’s talk about a couple of my recent favorites (this will be no surprise).

A Duke By Default
Alyssa Cole

In the second Reluctant Royals book, Ledi’s friend Portia has taken an apprenticeship to a brusque Scottish swordsmith. Portia herself needs time to figure her own stuff out, and believes that this endeavor is a great start to Project: New Portia. Unfortunately, with an apprenticeship that starts out with your new boss forgetting to pick you up at the train station and then you accidentally pepper-spraying him because you think he’s attacking someone, what can you really expect? The way the relationship evolves is really about each protagonist coming to understand themselves more, and the people around them. (The people aroud Portia and Tavish, by the way, are wonderful and I love them and wish they had their own books—even the ones already or about to get married.) But Portia can get hyperfocused on a project, and her research on the history of the building Tavish inherited at age 18 leads them to a startling discovery: Tavish’s birth father, who he never met, was a duke. The last thing Tavish wants is to have to interact with the aristocracy, but he could do so much for the people with the power. Oh Tavish. Sweet, gruff Tavish.

How the Duke Was Won
Lenora Bell

If you’ve followed me long enough, you know that romance-by-deception is one of my limits. Not a hard limit, but it has to be really fascinating for me to move past it. And when Jenn Northington tells you that this is like My Fair Lady meets Willy Wonka, you push on that limit a bit. James, Duke of Harland, is just out of mourning clothes and in search of a wife. He has not really been prepared for the life of a duke, but after the deaths of his father and brother, he’s the one in charge. He’s also a chocolate magnate and wants to fight for the abolition of slavery. He’s come back from Trinidad with a Venezuelan business partner posing as a cook and a daughter of mixed racial heritage who is obsessed with her castanets. He invites four women to his estate to vie for his hand, so that he can have a mother who will treat his darling Flor right and a father-in-law who can help him lower tariffs for cocoa farms that don’t use slave labor.

And we haven’t even gotten to Charlene, the daughter of one of those potential fathers-in-law and a courtesan. When her half-sister’s mother shows up at her house late in the night offering her the means to get out of Covent Garden if she just…pretends to be her half-sister for a few days, Charlene can’t pass it up. She could get her sister the education she needs, help people like the young, hopeless women she sees every day, escape the heartless men who just want to own her. What’s deceiving one heartless aristocrat to never again have to evade the rest?

And thus begins a reluctant duke—who owns an actual chocolate factory—challenging contenders to make it through unscathed.

I know, right?

(Also, I might have made hot cocoa when I finished this. Yeah, it’s summer, but I live in Arizona and indoor temperatures lie somewhere between arctic and the surface of Saturn.)

Who are your favorite dukes?

New Releases (as in they’re all out now!)

Sweatpants Season by Danielle Allen (hoo doggy that cover)
Marriage of Unconvenience by Chelsea M. Cameron
Covet by Rosanna Leo
Surprise Baby, Second Chance by Therese Beharrie
Bad Reputation by Stefanie London
Last First Kiss by Nicole Falls
The Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting (I’ll be honest, I forgot she had a new book coming out!)
Down With Love by Kate Meader (Divorce lawyer+wedding planner? Yes please!)
Just to Keep You Satisfied by Sam J.

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

It’s August! The air has changed here, and I can see the end of the hottest of the hot. Well, at least in the weather; I’m still actively seeking out the hottest of the hot when it comes to books 😀

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Sponsored by One Small Thing, new from Erin Watt, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Royals series and When It’s Real

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. So, when she sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, Beth is thrilled to make a secret friend. Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and looking for a second chance, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get. Now Beth has a choice to make—follow her parents’ rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

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News and Useful Links

If you haven’t gotten enough of Amazing Speeches That Happened At RWA, you’ll want to listen to Sonali Dev’s speech, which went up online just a little after last week’s KB went out. It’s personal and heartfelt and she is not at all afraid of calling people out. Have tissues handy.

This is one of the most poignant and upsetting responses to Suzanne Brockmann’s speech last week.

Can You Keep a Secret? No, really! Sophie Kinsella’s magical Can You Keep a Secret (my favorite of hers!) is being adapted for film! I’m excited.

How about a lovely Ode to the Romance Novel?

PS, new account to follow!

Deals!

Ana Tejano’s Keep the Faith is 99 cents through 8/15!

Have you read Jay Northcote? His Second Chance is 3.99. He writes a lot of queer romance, but this one is worth checking out if you’re looking for #ownvoices trans rep.

Been in a baseball mood? Lucky Break by Holley Trent is 1.99. Or you can get the entire Reedsville Rooster series (5 books) for 10.95.

Have you read KJ Charles’s newest yet? Unfit to Print is 2.99. (Also, one of the heroes would probably be part of my recs list if I had just…gotten to it on time?)

Over on Book Riot

And IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIeiiiiiiiiiiiiiieiiiiiiiii….okay. I’m not Whitney Houston. But I do love a bodyguard.

I don’t read nearly enough medievals, and I really should. At least I’ve got some recommendations on where to start.

I was busy last week! Jenn Northington and I recorded a special romance edition of Get Booked, and of course Trisha and I talked a lot about Intercepted by Alexa Martin. It’s a thing.

And we’re having another giveaway! Get 16 awesome books featured on the Recommended podcast! Enter by August 31.

Recs!

So. Harlots is back (and magnificent as always) and I noticed that one of the new characters was a great stand-in for the hero of the novel I was reading at the time. It also made me think about some of the other fine black men in historical romance, and I’d love to share some of my favorites with you!

Elijah Sutton – Be Not Afraid by Alyssa Cole

If you haven’t read Alyssa Cole’s way-too-short novella set during the American Revolution (and the first instance in which we meet Elijah, whose granddaughter goes to visit Eliza Hamilton in That Could Be Enough, one of the novellas from Hamilton’s Battalion), you’re in for a treat. Elijah is a Revolutionary, and he meets Kate—who is working for the British—on the battlefield in the dead of night. He’s fascinated by her, but she doesn’t have time for him and doesn’t understand him, either. Nor he her, to be honest.

Sam Fox – A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian

Sam is just trying to live his life and run his pub, but his future sister-in-law needs to find out some information about a painting she posed nude for ages ago. Intrigued, he stalks the old codger’s house, only to encounter the new resident of the home instead. Hartley is not happy to have inherited the home from his godfather, but he’ll take it. Intrigued by the needs of his would-be burglar, Hartley offers to help find said painting. Sam is hesitant, but really, what can you do when a rich knob decides he’s going to start a project? Also, Sam. Sam is my favorite. He is considerate and empathetic, even when he’s being proud and stupid. He picks up on things and is all around just a good man.

This is the one I was reading when I came across the fine looking young gentleman offering his services to Charlotte Wells in Harlots. And while the character in the show is nothing like Sam, he presents a good enough figure to stand in my mind’s eye (especially once he started doing barroom prize fights).

Logan Yates – Destiny’s Embrace by Beverly Jenkins

Whoo man. This list could be all heroes from Ms. Bev’s books, but Logan was my first. Gruff but loving; a community man who will do basically anything for his mother. He works with his hands and can’t help falling in love with the woman he hired to come West in order to be his housekeeper. Logan develops as a man and a character throughout the entire Destiny trilogy, and it’s great to watch the oldest brother let go a little bit.

Adrian Hunter – After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

Oh, Adrian. The most darling man who does the wrong thing for all the right reasons. When he is forced to marry Camilla at gunpoint, his immediate next step is to make sure they take the right steps to get an annulment. Not because Camilla is horrible; no. In fact, he finds her attractive and likes her enough. But he wants a choice. He wants the love and marriage his parents had, where they would give up anything and everything to be together.

(Bonus for his great-great-uncle John, whose love story is one of my favorite long, slow burns told in too few pages. You can read that in The Pursuit Of…)

Golden Worth – A Delicate Affair by Lindsay Evans

If you haven’t checked out the Decades historical romance series, you’re in for a treat. The books, each written by a different author, capture the lives of black people as they lived in each decade of the twentieth century. In this, the first one, Golden is a young man from the South who has made his way to Washington, DC in order to realize his dreams of being a popular ragtime musician. He doesn’t have time for women, and makes that clear to the beautiful debutante who approaches him outside the club where he plays. But the two can’t seem to keep away from each other. Meanwhile Golden’s star is rising, and he has to figure out how to keep being a good man through it all.

Honorable Mention: Soap – Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger.

This book (and the other three in the Finishing School series) is YA, but tons of fun, and Soap is just The Best. You just have to read it.

There are so many more black men from historical romance that I am anxious to meet, but whose stories I haven’t gotten to yet. For instance, Virgil Smithson from The Preacher’s Promise sounds like a heck of a man. Carter Thibedeaux from Kianna Alexander’s Love’s Lasso sounds pretty great, too. And Isaac Caird from That Potent Alchemy just sounds fascinating.

And of course, I’m super anxious for Daniel’s story in An Unconditional Freedom, the third book in Alyssa Cole’s Loyal League series.

Do you have a favorite?

New and Upcoming Releases

Roughing the Kicker by Eden Butler
What Happens At Con by Cathy Yardley
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole (I started it but haven’t finished it yet *cries*)
Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham
Acting on Love by Te Russ

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!