Category: Kissing Books

Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp. publisher of Dangerous by Minerva Spencer.

First in a series of Regency romances from Minerva Spencer that hits all the notes for readers seeking a fast-paced story, action, unique settings, and forward-thinking characters. In Dangerous, Minerva Spencer has combined the has all the rip-roaring adventure of Mary Jo Putney, the wit of Madeline Hunter, the fun of Tessa Dare, plus blazing sensuality, an arranged marriage of convenience, a possibly murderous marquess, and a heroine who is nobody’s doormat.

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Folks, it almost feels like a new year. The world is still trash, but some kind of way Twitter over the last week has made me feel renewed. When does that ever happen?

News and Useful Links

The RITA/Golden Heart ceremony was last Thursday, and there were definitely some waves:

• Alexis Daria won Best First Book for Take the Lead and I’m so excited for her!
• Suzanne Brockmann was the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award and her speech was fire.
• While it was live broadcast, the recording hasn’t been posted yet. If you’d like to read a transcript, you can do that!
• (Don’t forget: if her speech inspires you, don’t just buy Hot Target; buy a book by an author of color and a book by a queer author.
• I might be compiling a personal list of folks who are now on my Fuck That Shit list if they responded poorly to the messages conveyed.
• See the full list of award recipients.

PBS is producing an adaptation of Sanditon, Jane Austen’s unfinished, final novel, for Masterpiece.

Shonda Rhimes recently announced her upcoming projects with Netflix, and I have mixed emotions about the Bridgertons announcement. Shonda creates universes filled with people of all sorts, and Julia Quinn, however entertaining her books are, does not do that. I look forward to seeing what Netflix does with it?

Buzz Books 2018: Romance is out. Check out some previews from Shelly Laurenston, Priscilla Oliveras, Meg Tilly (!!!), and more.

Another week, another interview from Corey. This time, it’s with Cole McCade. His new book, Over and Over Again, came out this week. 

Libro.fm is starting a new audiobook romance program! Have you checked it out yet?

Passes went on sale for next year’s BookLovers’ Con (the official replacement of RT Booklovers Con) on Monday. Have you gotten yours yet? The lineup is pretty fantastic.

And if that wasn’t enough, it looks like some end might be in sight for #cockygate. The most recent case has ended on a positive note, and it looks like the trademark will be cancelled. Let’s hope all the fallout that has come from this has been contained.

Deals

Delicious Temptation by Sabrina Sol is 99 cents!

Diana Muñoz Stewart’s I Am Justice is 1.99. Sisterhood of vigilante assassins, folks.

If you need more romantic suspense, Susan Brown’s The Crush is 2.99.

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks is 99 cents, too! (If you need fun in your life.)

Over on Book Riot

Romance conventions are awesome. Have you ever been to one?

Why do we love heartbreaking romances so much? (And of course, we mean romances with a definite HEA but break us on the way there.) Let’s talk about a few that really work.

Avon announced a new partnership with RWA: the Beverly Jenkins Diversity Sponsorship.

Romances with Muslim protagonists? Yes, please.

Recs!

Has extreme hype ever turned you off from a book? That’s not what happened to me with this one—I just hadn’t gotten to it yet. But I do know several people who are avoiding it because it’s so popular, and couldn’t possibly live up.

I’m here to tell you that (in this case, at least) this is the wrong idea.

The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang

Stella has a dilemma. Her parents are warning her that they’re ready for grandchildren. They know she doesn’t like surprises, so they want to get her ready. There’s only one problem: Stella isn’t married. She doesn’t have a spouse, or significant other of any kind. She’s not very good at relationships. She’s abrupt, straighforward, and doesn’t always pick up subtle nuances. Many (though not all) people on the autism spectrum display these characteristics.

Stella’s biggest problem is that she isn’t good at sex. Maybe if she’s better at that, she can get the right kind of man. So she hires Michael, an escort working to provide extra support for his family, who’s going through some tough times. Michael is intrigued by Stella, and surprises himself by accepting her proposal to be her sex tutor. But eventually, she wants something more: a practice boyfriend.

That’s right.

A practice boyfriend.

Did someone say fake relationship? I think someone said fake relationship.

So yeah. This one’s magnificent, and definitely gives you that Captain America right-in-the-feels GIF in person.

But.

I will warn you: if you are on the spectrum or have any traits of neurodiversity (hell, even if you’re on the severe end of the introvert scale), there are scenes so vivid they could trigger…something. There’s a scene where Stella suffers from overstimulation, and I had to stop reading for a minute, just to pull myself together. Just a heads up.

(Also, this is definitely not a perfect book; there are a few things that have been brought up in other reviews, like both characters’ shame in their situations—her autism and his sex work. If that’s a thing you don’t think you can read past, this might not be the book for you and that’s perfectly fine.)

When you’ve finished this one, if you haven’t read Talia Hibbert’s A Girl Like Her yet, that’s definitely the direction to go for more #ownvoices rep of an autistic woman. And it has a new cover!

New and Upcoming Releases

Casting Lacey by Elle Spencer (another fake relationship!)
Sweet on the Greek by Talia Hibbert (someday I will stop talking about her but today is not that day)
Cooper’s Charm by Lori Foster
Ghosted by Rosie Walsh
Imperial Stout by Layla Reyne
Brave for You by Crystal Lacy (July 27)
Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid (July 30)
Room Service by Rochelle Alers (July 31)
A Duke By Default by Alyssa Cole (July 31)(!!!!1!!)

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!

Well folks, the world might actually be going to hell in a pretty big handbasket, but we can drown our denial in books. All the books.

News and Useful Links

Let’s start with some adaptation stuff!

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Sponsored by The Traitor’s Ruin by Erin Beaty

A captain with a secret.

A spy with a mission.

A kingdom on the verge of ruin.

Don’t miss The Traitor’s Ruin, book 2 in the action-packed Traitor’s Trilogy by Erin Beaty.

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Passionflix is chugging along with original production, and they’ve released the trailer for their adaptation of Driven, which is going to be their first miniseries. Up next, Brenda Jackson’s Grangers will be adapted, starting with A Brother’s Honor. And they just announced that Sylvain Reynard’s Gabriel’s Inferno (and the follow-ups) has been optioned as well.

While it’s romance-adjacent, if you haven’t watched this trailer for the new Collette movie coming out, you need to.

Have you been keeping an eye on the lineup for BookLovers Con? It’s gonna be so good and I need tickets to be available so I can get them now.

Alyssa Cole and Corey get real.

I’ve talked about the discrepancies between m/m and f/f romance, so it was great to come across this thread.

If you’re reading this early enough on Thursday, you’ve still got time to stream the RITA and Golden Heart awards on RWA’s website.

Deals

Tonight & Forever by Brenda Jackson is 99 cents right now.

Still need to read about a firefighter? Shannon Stacey’s Boston Fire Collection, which collects the first three books in the series, is 2.99.

Naima Simone’s Scoring off the Field is 2.99.

Looking for a good series to read? The Brides of Hilton Head is 6.95! That’s seven books. You know you wanna.

Over on Book Riot

Sil has been super busy! She:

• Pulled together the 50 best Kindle Unlimited books this year, including some amazing romances. Like, I’m even considering trying it out again. (I have so many books, the first time around it has all just gone to waste)
• Interviewed the magnificent Donna Hill about her decades-long writing career and all the things she’s seen alongside it.
• Made us all drool over food truck romances.

Alex talks #cockygate.

And Trisha made me take a quiz.

Did I mention we’ve got a giveaway going until July 31? Win $500 worth of YA, selected by our own Kelly Jensen.

Recs!

It’s been a good week for romance releases, but of course I didn’t get around to them! I did, however, read a couple really great backlist titles.

The Princess Trap
Talia Hibbert

I know what you’re thinking: Jess. You haven’t made it through her backlist yet? And the answer is, of course not! I’ve been spreading them out. This one has been on my radar for several months, but Talia’s cover change was the final straw. This is a heavy one, and needs a million trigger warnings for domestic and child abuse and childhood trauma but is just as well-written as any other of her books.

When Cherry Neita meets a handsome businessman from some small scandinavian country, she has no idea he’s royalty. They have instant chemistry and she is happy to quickly escalate their relationship to the sexy kind. Of course, that’s before an intrepid reporter spooks Ruben into saying that Cherry is his fiance. So now he’s in a pickle. He doesn’t want any more scandal to fall upon his head, so he’s willing to pay Cherry—who is Mad AF—to pretend to be his fiance. She agrees, but wherever they were going with their initial relationship is over.

Damn, right?

So when you’re done with the intensity that is any Hibbert, hop on down to Dareville and giggle with Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare.

The fourth book in her Castles Ever After series (and also sort of a spinoff of her Spindle Cove series), this one includes a stodgy marquess with a secret agenda and the young woman determined to save him from a loveless marriage, even if it’s to her. When they’re caught alone together during a party, they end up with “An Understanding” that keeps her mother in check but allows them to potentially part ways at the end of the house party. This book, much like everything else I’ve read by this author, is just…precious. There is laughter all around, along with some heartbreak (also hey trigger warning for discussion of suicide) and also some aggravated groaning. But it’s damn near perfect, so you should enjoy it!

New and Upcoming Releases

Competence by Gail Carriger
Fire and Granite by Andrew Grey
Acting on Love by Te Russ
Love Machine by Kendall Ryan
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
Sweet on the Greek by Talia Hibbert (July 20) (Yes! A new one! Already!)
Over and Over Again by Cole Mc Cade (July 23)

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 a nice couple weeks for reading, lovers! Most of the regular season shows are over, and it’s pretty easy to just watch the summer shows when I’m eating or doing something else that doesn’t allow me to hold a book. It’s nice to break up every couple books with a new episode of The Bold Type or something else fun. But this is about books, so let’s get to it.

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Sponsored by DREAM LOVER by Stacey Keith

Timid social worker April Roby believes in avoiding entanglements until she meets Brandon McBride, the muscle-bound, motorcycle-riding bad boy, older brother of one of her latest client.  Neither one of them is looking for a fairy-tale ending; but in Cuervo, Texas, they just might get one anyway . . .

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News and Useful Links

The New York Times made a good start in talking about issues with diversity in romance. They name quite a few awesome authors, but could have gone a little further with less-famous authors of color and other issues facing queer romance. I hope there will be a follow-up.

Do you buy books from Smashwords? They’re having a huge sale right now. Never checked it out? Wander around!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COVER?!?!?! (Hint: Cat Sebastian’s got a new book called A Duke In Disguise coming out.)

This is a thing and I have questions. Like, if Harlequin was so interested in underrepresented groups, why did they discontinue their one line that only published books by authors from an underrepresented group? Why didn’t they retain all of those authors when they closed the imprint? Are they making them resubmit proposals? I’m glad that Harlequin/Mills & Boon is reaching out to even more underrepresented people, but I don’t like that it’s after they’d displaced others that already wrote for them.

In other news, is it next year yet?

What are your thoughts on mercenary librarians? You probably want to sign up for info about them, huh?

Deals!

Still Not Over You by Aarti V. Raman is 99 cents.

Several of Christi Caldwell’s Sinful Brides books, including The Rogue’s Wager, are 1.99 right now.

Jayne Ann Krentz’s Sharp Edges is 1.99, too.

Afterburn & Aftershock by Sylvia Day is 99 cents! (Have you seen the movie on Passionflix?)

Over on Book Riot

Ladies with babies, oh yeah.

Prime member? Free money!

How do you use your holds?

Recs!

Are you familiar with the #readmyowndamnbooks reading challenge? It was one I started doing a couple years ago and have never succeeded at. Books I don’t own are such a draw, I can’t avoid or escape them. But sometimes I like to give it a brief try, and this month I wanted to pull a few books off my shelf that would be good to share with you all. They’re all series starters, each of which has at least a few books out. The series aren’t all complete, but they’re all worth starting.

Taking the Lead
Cecilia Tan

If you’re looking for a new series that will just…set everything on fire, you can’t go wrong with Cecilia Tan. A master of the erotic romance, Tan is the author you can always turn to if you’re looking for something where the sex is central to the plot. In this particular series starter, a Hollywood heiress and a rising rock star hit it off almost immediately, and then have a million problems when she can’t come to terms with her own sexual needs. If BDSM isn’t your thing, this series is very much not for you. But if it is…you’re going to have a lot of fun.

Heroine Complex
Sarah Kuhn

And speaking of fun, this series is the complete opposite of the angst-ridden world of Ricki and Axel. Set in a world where superheroes have assistants and live stream their demon attacks, Heroine Complex is almost over-the-top ridiculous but absolutely great at it. When Evie has to masquerade as her boss, San Francisco’s most popular (and most difficult) superheroine, she suddenly has even more problems than cupcake demons on her hands—including unneeded romantic ones.

Lady Bridget’s Diary
Maya Rodale

Yes, this is exactly what you think it is. In the late Regency period, Lady Bridget Cavendish is one of three sisters of a new Duke. But she and her siblings are American, and Lord Darcy is not amused by her callous manners. (You see where this is going.) If you like smart women and siblings who are great for comic relief, this is the book for you. (Also, I’m looking particularly forward to Lady Claire is All That, because apparently I’m all about ladies doing math after the magic that was Courtney Milan’s Talk Sweetly To Me.)

Up next, I’d love to start a few things on my digital shelves, including Farrah Rochon’s Deliver Me, Alyssa Cole’s Radio Silence, and Courtney Milan’s Unveiled. And a million more because I can’t stop acquiring books. But these are a good start, right?

New and Upcoming Releases

Mr. Hotshot CEO by Jackie Lau
Unfit to Print by KJ Charles
My Lord, Lady and Gentleman by Nicola Davidson
The Other Lane by Marla Holt
Pushing Thirty by Necole Ryse (July 17)
Competence by Gail Carriger (July 17)

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 July, folks! I hope your June wasn’t terrible, and let’s get you all prepared to face the month with some romance!

News and Useful Links

That Frolic, always giving us the Good Content. And also this one about Fabio.

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Sponsored by Frolic Media

Frolic is a new media destination dedicated to all things Romance and Pop Culture. Co-founders Sarah and Lisa were both searching for a destination to indulge their inner alpha-heroines and geek out about the little things they love and their life-long obsessions. They couldn’t find it, so they decided to build it. Our mission is simple: We are devoted to building a destination in Romancelandia that celebrates optimism, romance novels and love of books and pop culture. We have daily content on our site from some of the biggest authors, bookstagrammers and bloggers.

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Are you a Passionflix member? They recently decided they had to turn their next film, the adaptation of Driven, into a six-part series, because they needed all the filmed content. That’s dedication to the cause. And also that’s what happens when you own your platform. So high five to them. I hope to see the same care given to their next project, which is the adaptation of Brenda Jackson’s A Brother’s Honor.

Do you follow bookish live-tweets? Fangirl Musings has been doing it for Wicked and the Wallflower and it’s sort of making me sad I’ve already read the book. But also glad I’ve already read the book so I can come across each tweet and be like “YES, that is exactly what I was feeling.” So if that’s your thing, check her out. And then check out her youtube page. (Also, I almost wrote “Wicked and the Wallpaper” and that would have just been the best misprint and also I want that short about a certain couple setting up house.)

Find out where authors who previously wrote for Kimani will be publishing after the line closes.

Talia Hibbert and Jennifer Hallock both wrote really interesting things about people of color in historical fiction. AND Talia might have made an announcement about an upcoming project. So you definitely want to read both of these.  

Deals!

Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex is 1.99 but I’m not sure for how long. So you might want to get it ASAP 😉

Alexis Daria’s Take the Lead is 1.99 for a very limited time.

The Hellion by Christi Caldwell is 2.49 right now!

Christins Lauren’s Roomies is 1.99 this month, too. Read it before they make the movie, you know?

Tiffany Reisz’s The Siren is 99 cents right now. I’ve heard that it’s crazypants, but actually awesome. (I’ve been meaning to read it forever! Thanks for the reminder, Amazon!)

Over on Book Riot

Annika decided that there were a bunch of romcoms than need novelizations, and I definitely can’t disagree with any of these. Hell, I’ll even pull a Levithan and offer to write a couple.

Is a Tiffany Reisz reading pathyway what you didn’t know you needed in your life? Yeah, it is.

Avon True Romance, we hardly knew ye.

Dragon. Shifter. Romances.

Sexy comics. There goes my monthly buying allowance.

Missed the last giveaway? No worries! Now you can enter for $500 worth of the best new YA. Five. Hundred. Dollars’. Worth.

And of course, Trisha and I talked about some stuff. There might have been nudists involved.

Recs!

Today, instead of my mini recs, I’m doing a brief list. I wanted to share some books that end well but are also about folks in love and Making Good Trouble. Some live in our time, some in the past, but they’re always looking to make a difference in their world.

A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles

Meet Silas, whose pamphlets written under the name Jack Cade call for the people to oppose the pressures put upon them by the House of Lords and the rest of the aristocracy. The man he’s been meeting for sexytimes and conversation once a week doesn’t know that, of course. Otherwise, it would make his role in the Home Office pretty awkward.

Loving the Secret Billionaire by Adriana Anders

Veronica Cruz has been hitting the pavement trying to win an election. She’s completely grassroots, knocking on doors with the few volunteers she’s got. When she knocks on Zach’s door, she earns an unexpected supporter and ends up on the path to quite the relationship.

(And of course, check out all three Rogue anthologies, starting with Rogue Desire, where the original version of this story existed (this one has been expanded). So much Good Trouble packed into those pages!)

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan

Free Marshall runs a newspaper written by women, for women. She’s a suffragette, and will continue to be so even when it looks like it’s hopeless. Luckily for her, the snarky, negative man who falls in love with her will stand behind her to the last breath.  

His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington

Victor Aleksandrov is a visiting principal dancer in the United States. While he’s in the US, he’s also seeking asylum, as a gay man very outspoken about the injustices done to his fellow people in Russia. When that asylum request doesn’t turn out as expected, he can count upon a new friend, Isaiah, to marry him. That’s what friends do, right?

Let Us Dream and Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole

Alyssa Cole is not afraid of making good trouble with her characters. Whether it’s a woman using her position as a club owner to educate women in the working classes on their rights for when they finally get the vote, or a young woman finding her voice and joining the Freedom Riders, there’s all kinds of trouble her characters find themselves in. And these are just a couple.

Don’t Feed the Trolls by Erica Kudisch

This is more of a romance-adjacent story about self-discovery, but there is an awesome romantic element featuring a kick-ass love interest who does some kick-ass things later in the book that I can’t talk about because it’s a secret. Just read this one.

New and Upcoming Releases

Cherish Me by Farrah Rochon (THAT COVER THO)
Guarding His Heart by Synithia Williams
Inevitable Addiction by Christina C. Jones
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian (July 10) (YAAAAAY!!!!)
Concerto in Chroma Major by Naomi Tajedler (July 10)
Unfit to Print by KJ Charles (July 10)
The Real Deal by Lauren Blakely (July 10)

OMIGOD Y’ALL JULY TENTH IS GONNA BE AN AMAZING DAY. I might have to take it off just to read. 

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

 

It’s the last week of June! I hope everyone who celebrates had a good Pride! Let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns).

News and Useful Links

Sarah MacLean blessed us with some stories about her book titles. So many puns.

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Sponsored by Fierce Reads

As best friend and lady-in-waiting to the princess, Branwen is guided by two principles: devotion to her homeland and hatred for the raiders who killed her parents. But when she unknowingly saves the life of her enemy, he awakens her ancient healing magic and opens her heart. Branwen begins to dream of peace, but the princess she serves is not so easily convinced. Fighting for what’s right, even as her powers grow, will set Branwen against her best friend and the only man she’s ever loved – can she succeed?

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Also, she has a brief introduction between The Bareknuckle Bastards and some other fun folks on her website.

New Bingo Love! Also, there’s a really awesome Bingo Love Jackpot Edition graphic novel coming out, this year, too.

Love In Panels has a regular Sci-Fi best bets column. This is a place where there are big holes in my reading, so I’m always happy to see what they recommend.

Have you seen the new trailer for the Netflix adaptation of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? Precious!

And speaking of trailers, there’s word that three Jane Green novels are going to be adapted for Lifetime. Have you read any of her books?

And not to put folks in the angry mood (did you notice I shared a bunch of happy stuff), Jen reminded me of the concept of Lost Cause romance, and yes, it should be disparaged and outraged against to the same extent of Nazi romances. The concept of the Lost Cause—the same movement that led to a million Daughters of the Confederacy monuments spread across the US in the 1920s and ‘30s, that put the idea that land and states’ rights was the cause of the Civil War, that spread the sentiment that enslaved people loved their benevolent masters and hated to leave them—is a dangerous one in which to base any romance. I had already made it a personal initiative not to read slave/master romances of any kind (Captive Prince notwithstanding because the portrayal of their slave/master relationship is horrible, as it should be), and had recently expanded it to books in which slaveowners were protagonists. I haven’t read the book Jen discusses in her tweet thread, just the blurb. But it sure sounds like the beleaguered owner of a plantation is written as a sympathetic heroine, a regular pre-Rhett Scarlett O’Hara. *Shrug.* You know what I say. You read what you want to, but always think about why you like it. Some people will say that this isn’t nearly as bad as Nazis. I don’t have time for it. Now is not the time. It’s too close to home, for any generation. That is not what I go to romance for.

Okay, I’m done. Let’s move on.

Deals!

Karen McQuestion’s From a Distant Star is 1.99.

The Hating Game is still 1.99. You know you want to.

Looking for a movie star romance (featuring a romance novelist heroine?!)? Robin Covington’s Playing the Part is 2.99 right now.

 

Over on Book Riot

Firefighter romances, you say?

Romance readers can relate, I’ll bet.

Silvana put together a list of upcoming romances you really don’t want to miss!

Have you seen Cat Sebastian’s books in Barnes & Noble yet?

OOOOH Werewolves! I love werewolves!

Recs!

Before I get to my regular recs, just wanted to toss out a correction: I noticed that somehow when KB went out last week, Top to Bottom by Delphine Dryden had somehow been turned into A Hundred Thousand Words. And then I remembered that Delphine had pulled her books from Riptide and you wouldn’t be able to buy them. So, so sorry!

Okay, now let’s get down to it. (I’m so sorry. I just watched Mulan.)

When Katie Met Cassidy
Camille Perri

I saw the title of this book hanging about for several months before I knew anything about it besides the fact that it was not being published by a romance publisher and therefore I could not trust it to have an HEA. But I was at a party at RT Con and overheard a trusted publicist talking about a “cute lesbian romance” and immediately inserted myself into the conversation. A few weeks later, I got a copy in the mail, and was excited to sit down and read some loveliness.

It lived up, definitely.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Katie, to whom we’re introduced first. But I warmed up to her pretty quickly, and Cassidy as well. I’ve reached an age where most romance protagonists are younger than me, but these two weren’t that kind of young that you just can’t bear to read because you remember being that young. Their courtship is sweet and their relationships are fascinating. I will echo some people’s thoughts about Katie’s sudden and unflinching change of pace, but sometimes…well, that’s how that goes. Have you read it? What do you think?

Another crossover novel that might be interesting to some romance readers is Austin Chant’s Peter Darling, which introduces us to a bored James Hook doling out routine piracy. A newcomer to Neverland sets Hook on edge, especially when he realizes that the young man is none other than Peter Pan. There is more to the story than a romance, but there is a romantic element that might draw some readers (I’ll admit to realizing halfway through that I just…hate the character of Peter Pan too much to read that much about him, even if the story is about his growth).

I’m also a bit of a ways into TJ Masters’ Bear Among the Books. It’s the first of his books that I’ve ever picked up, and I’m curious about how he’s going to approach the power dynamics of a forty-plus librarian and the barely-legal young man he takes under his wing. I’m always more interested in gay romance by gay authors, (and also books about librarians) so I hope this one lives up!

Also, I’ve been meaning to read Xen’s Shatterproof since I got the new remastered version. I should get on that.

New and Upcoming Releases

Sweet Summer Days by Sheryl Lister
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (in case you missed it the last few times)
Electric Impulse by Angel Hilson
Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
Promised Land by Rose Lerner
The Pursuit Of… by Courtney Milan
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole

So yeah, if you’d been interested in one of the novellas in Hamilton’s Battalion but didn’t want them all, you can do that now. And oh my, look at the covers. They’re marvelous.

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

It’s going to be a short one, folks. We can celebrate some book releases, talk about a few articles around the web, and discuss some great books.

(Also, this is the FIFTIETH issue of Kissing Books!? How’d that happen so quickly?)

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Sponsored by Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon

From award-winning male/male author Josh Lanyon: a librarian finds himself in a plot right out of one of his favorite mystery novels

Librarian Carter is determined to enjoy himself on a Scottish bus tour for fans of mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. His roommate turns out to be John Knight, a figure as mysterious as any character from Vanessa’s books.

When a fellow traveler’s death sparks rumors of foul play, Carter searches for answers, trying to fend off his growing attraction toward John. But as unexplained tragedies continue, the whole tour must face the fact that there may be a murderer in their midst—but who?

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News and Useful Links

I keep forgetting to tell you! Amanda at SBTB decided to fancast Roomies now that it’s been optioned, and I’m all for it!

And speaking of SBTB Amanda, she wrote a very thought-provoking essay about books with guys with guns on the cover, and I have to say I have been having a similar visceral reaction recently. What about you?

Sil wrote about the good, bad, and just plain wrong of Latinx romance on Frolic.

Cat Sebastian’s books are going to be in Barnes & Noble stores soon! I’m excited that more people will be exposed to her books, but I’m also anxious about the precedent it’s setting. We’ve already got Avon publishing non-ownvoices authors (who write amazing books) instead of centering the voices of people who write their own marginalities. Now they’re going to be able to say they put LGBT content in stores so their work is done. When we all know it’s not; let’s get all the rep out there.

Speaking of rep, I don’t know if you follow Corey on Twitter or read their blog, but they just started putting together Friday Fluff recs and my TBR will never be the same.

Need some histrom inspiration? I’ve got all kinds of ideas from these images.

Romancelandia merch!

Deals!

A Hundred Thousand Words by Nyrae Dawn is 3.99. I haven’t read anything by this author, but my body is ready.

Priscilla Oliveras’ Resort to Love is 3.99, too.

Xyla Turner’s Take a Knee is also 3.99.

Bollywood and the Beast by Suleikha Snyder is 2.99. It’s not the first in the series, but you don’t need to read them in order.

So hey, remember those sexy Sidhe in Holley Trent’s Viking books? Prince in Leather is 3.99.

Have you been thinking about trying an Alyssa Cole book but don’t want princesses or historical fiction? Radio Silence, the first in her near-future specfic romance series, is 1.99 right now.

And of course, I can’t let you wander over to Amazon without reminding you that many of Talia Hibbert’s books, including Bad for the Boss, are 2.99 or less.

Over on Book Riot

It’s World Cup time! Here are some soccer romances!

Trisha and I (and SARAH MACLEAN Y’ALL) did some talking about taboo and effing Nazis and some awesome queer books. FYI: it’s marked explicit.

Of romance reader interest: Which Bennet sister are you?

I opened our new (hopefully) series about romance tropetonites. What tropes do you always fall for?

Don’t judge a book by the abs (or lack thereof) on the cover.

Do you watch Poldark? I might have to finally start! (It’s still on Netflix, right?)

Recs!

In following with our previous June practices, let’s look at another very underrepresented area in romance: the aroace spectrum.

Thaw
Elyse Springer

Abigail isn’t a lesbian. She isn’t bisexual. She’s asexual, and she’s a little tired of explaining the difference. But when a beautiful supermodel asks her to dance at a party, she can’t help feeling attraction, of the romantic type. Gabrielle is beautiful, yes, but she’s also intense and fascinating. Abigail, a librarian, doesn’t know what the woman might want with her, but they don’t stop at just one date. Of course, like most people, they have their own stuff to deal with, including figure out the whole not-having-sex thing, but if two people can figure everything out, it’s them.

Syncopation
Anna Zabo

Zavier is a Julliard-trained percussionist who has recently left a symphony job after a kinky relationship with the conductor went awry. Mostly, he didn’t act the romantic when the other man wanted, and there was a problem. Now he’s auditioned and gotten into the band Twisted Wishes, whose frontman and lead guitarist he’s known since high school, when he first turned down an invitation to join. Zavier and Ray have instant chemistry, but how long can they avoid each other using the excuse of the band and their personal history? And how does Zavier explain to Ray that he can never fall in love with him?

If you’re interested in more representation of the gray space in both sexuality and romanticism, here are a few more that I’m either interested in trying (but have not yet read myself) or have read over the past couple years:

A Hundred Thousand Words by Delphine Dryden (f/f, BDSM, demisexuality)

Hot Licks by AM Arthur (m/m/m, demisexuality)

A Gentleman’s Position by KJ Charles (m/m, demisexuality)

Finding Your Feet by Cass Lenox (m/f, asexuality)

How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune (m/m, asexuality)

There are a lot of holes in coverage, here, and I know it. For one, Anna Zabo’s Zavier Demos is the first aromantic person I’ve ever seen on the page, in a romance or not. (Also, it’s magical representation. Seriously. Read it.) For another, none of these authors are non-white. That’s not to say there aren’t authors of color writing gray romance protagonists, but I don’t know who those people are or what their books are about. So if you know of either of those spaces, let me know! I’d love to read and share.

New and Upcoming Releases

A Thief in the Nude by Olivia Waite

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (finally!)

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri

Fail Seven Times by Kris Ripper

Cherish Me by Farrah Rochon (June 25)

It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday (June 26)

The Pursuit Of… by Courtney Milan (June 26) (Originally published in Hamilton’s Battalion, but they’re being sold separately now, at staggered dates)

HAHA I’m now laughing because I said this one was going to be shorter. But you know what to do. As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.comif you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!

 

Just when we thought we were out of it for a while, we got pulled back in.

I’m talking about stupidity, my friends.

News and Useful Links

It’s been quiet in the world of all the various hashtag-name-gate weirdness we’ve been experiencing for the past month or two, but romancelandia couldn’t just live in this lovely void of new releases and bingo cards. No.

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Sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp.

It’s summer wedding season and love is in the air. The moment for “I do” has arrived, and all eyes are on the bride…until she turns heel, hijacks a motorcycle, and speeds out of town! Get the scoop on the juiciest wedding gossip of the year when you pick up a copy of A WEDDING ON BLUEBIRD WAY, a collection of intertwined wedding romances by New York Times bestselling authors Lori Wilde, Janet Dailey and authors Allyson Charles and Stacey Keith. Love is in the air at this wedding, just clearly not between the bride and groom! To find out the rest, you’ll have to RSVP to A WEDDING ON BLUEBIRD WAY.

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This time, the publishers had to be the ones to step right in it. Again.

Can we not? You might recall the episode of When In Romance where Trisha and I basically came to the conclusion that people can like what they like and write what they write, but that still doesn’t mean I will applaud you when you throw yet another “good-hearted Nazi” novel at me. I could write tracts and tracts on what that makes any marginalized person think you as a writer or reader might be saying about the concept of Just Following Orders but…now is definitely not the time to be releasing that kind of book. We’ve already got plenty of shit to deal with in the reality we were given. Let’s do the right kind of adversity, yeah? (And this conversation on twitter definitely got me thinking.)(And also this one.)

Also, Jen did some interesting work looking into books that are reviewed by professional publications.

In happier news, Amanda Bouchet is writing a serial novel on Frolic (seriously, if you’re not checking out every single thing on Frolic, like Alyssa Cole’s horoscope recommendation lists, you need to set aside several hours to just wander through it). And speaking of that horoscope list, I definitely need to read Cinnamon Blade.

Do you follow Love in Panels? They just did a queer recommendation list of The Ripped Bodice’s Summer Bingo, and it’s pretty damn awesome.

Because I got a kick out of it, I’ll also mention that romance fans LOVE them some Richard Armitage, and nobody is going to insult their beloved John Thornton. There have been so many “Look back at me” GIFs on Twitter the last couple days, and I’m going to have to hunker down with Netflix soon.

(And of course, I will totally recommend Ocean’s 8 as a very much not romance but absolutely delightful film.)

The novellas from Hamilton’s Batallion are being sold separately real soon, and OMG have you seen the cover of The Pursuit Of?!

Also. Also! Donna Hill announced a new book! A historical romance! But it’s not supposed to come out until 2020 🙁

Deals

Tess Bowery’s Treading the Boards trilogy, including the gorgeous That Potent Alchemy, is back in print, and the novels are 3.99 each.

By the Currawong’s Call, an Australian historical romance offering by Welton B. Marsland, is 99 cents.

Talia Hibbert’s Damaged Goods is out today, and was 99 cents last I looked!

Over on Book Riot

Erin shared some romances she’s excited about this summer.

If you really want to revisit the best of #cockygate, Alex pulled together a nice little rundown, including some bits of the hearing transcript and lots of book recs. None of them are by Fallacious Hardware.

College romance, you say? Yes please. (There goes my book-buying budget for the month.)

And there’s still time to enter that giveaway! 500 dollars to the bookstore of your choice? Who doesn’t want that? (The answer? Me. A, because I’m not eligible to win it so I keep telling myself that B, my house cannot handle that many books.)

Recs!

Wicked and the Wallflower (June 19)
Sarah MacLean

I have to interrupt my originally planned recommendation list to just tell you all about this book. I had Feelings and I’m still not sure about all of them, but I want you to read the book and have those Feelings with me (and share them with me if you’re done).

In this series opener (new series, but connected to the previous one), Felicity Faircloth (familiar if you read The Day of the Duchess) has been cast out by her friends and seeks a husband at her mother’s insistence. Her only requirement? A pulse. But a dukedom would be nice, and the handsome, reclusive Duke of Marwick has even more than that. The only thing in Felicity’s way, the handsome man she only knows as Devil, who tells her he can help her acquire and keep her desired duke.

If only he didn’t have an agenda of his own. Or a terrible attraction to the woman he’s trying to use for his own agenda.

I love Felicity and Devil so much. Devil and his brother Witt are particularly precious. They might be the biggest badass villains in Covent Garden, but they still give kids lemon ices. (I know what you’re thinking: Criminal With The Heart Of Gold is totally not your thing and you’ve said that, Jess. But Felicity. She’s so wonderful. And she deserves someone who cares about her as much as Devil does.)

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

This second week in Pride Month, let’s talk about some romances by and about trans and gender nonconforming folks!

The Queer and the Restless by Kris Ripper – mid-series m/f romance between a trans man and a cis woman. (by a genderqueer author)

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant – m/m romance between a young trans man and his cis, bi colleague. (by a trans author)

Syncopation by Anna Zabo – first in a series m/m romance between two rockers. (by a genderqueer author)

The Doctor’s Discretion by EE Ottoman – historical m/m romance featuring a white trans (intersex?) man and a black cis man. (by a trans author)

Hold Me by Courtney Milan – not #ownvoices but so well done; features a m/f non-white interracial couple!

Roller Girl by Vanessa North – (also not #ownvoices) f/f romance between a trans woman and a cis woman who do roller derby.

Tailor-Made by Yolanda Wallace – (also not #ownvoices) f/f romance between a cis woman and a gender nonconforming androgynous sometimes female identifying person. (by a queer author)

What are your favorite romances by trans and genderqueer authors? Let me know!

Looking for more books than what’s here? Here are a couple resources to find more:

• POC Queer Romance Authors Community Page (click the database to scroll through!)
• Queer In Color
• WOC in Romance LGBTQ page
• LGBTQ Reads
• The Lesbrary

New and Upcoming Releases

A Risqué Engagement by Stephanie Nicole Norris (THAT BEARD, MY HEART)

Playing Fastball by Rachelle Ayala

In Bed with the Beast by Tara Sivec

When in Barcelona by Avery Aston

The Varlet and the Voyeur by LH Cosway and Penny Reid

Sparks Like Ours by Melissa Brayden

Inside Darkness by Hudson Lin

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri (June 19)

Behind These Doors by Jude Lucens (June 22)

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!

Well lovers. It’s been a week. Things have happened, and outsiders have been confused by romance twitter talking about judges and hearing transcripts.

News and Useful Links

Since we last talked, we were waiting on a hearing in which a judge would hear a request for injunction against authors wishing to use “cocky” in titles moving forward. The injunction wasn’t granted, and the transcript (thanks, Courtney Milan!) is quite the read.

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We’re giving away $500 to spend at the bookstore of your choice! Click here, or on the image below to enter:

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RWA (Romance Writers of America) has put out a comprehensive statement about all the diversity issues they’ve been looking into this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing where they go from here. (They also have a statement on their efforts during the continuing ridiculousness that is cockygate.)

The Lambda Literary Awards were recently announced, and winners included one of my faves of this year, Yolanda Wallace’s Tailor-Made.

There’s been some weirdness going on with Kindle Unlimited that I don’t completely get, but Tessa Dare has a good thread about book stuffing, the biggest thing affecting KU and reviews. Amazon has also put some interesting restrictions on reviews so that you can’t post more than five unverified purchase reviews—meaning people who get ARCs from authors (bloggers and other regular reviewers) AND people who don’t reach a certain point in KU books will be limited in their capabilities to review on Amazon. I don’t do that anyway, but I can see this impacting readers and authors to a pretty good extent.

It may be June now, but can we look back on the magic that was #rombklove and remember it when we need it?

Deals

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is 1.99. If you haven’t gotten to it yet, now is as good a time as ever.

Sarah Morgan’s Sleepless in Manhattan is 1.99 as well. If you’re looking for a series to try out, that’s got plenty of books to enjoy.

Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees is romance adjacent, but I know a lot of romance lovers who love it too. And it’s 2.99 right now.

Imaginary Men by Anjali Banerjee is 2.99 too!

Over on Book Riot

Need some military romance? Here are 50 for you to try?

We’re down for more choose-your-own-adventure romance.

I prefer experiencing the whole book at once, but if you like reading excerpts, here’s how to find them.

Trisha and I did some talking.

And of course, we’re still having that giveaway! 500 bucks, on us!

Recs!

It’s National Pride Month, and while I read queer romance all the time, I’m making an effort to try to read books by new queer authors (and I’m making a concerted effort to read only queer books this month). Looking for a place to start? Here are a couple I’ve read or am reading so far.

A Seditious Affair
KJ Charles

I started reading this book on my phone while I was in line waiting to pick up a Stocksund chair at Ikea, and perhaps that was why I stopped reading 10 percent in and took months to return to it. It’s got some heft; even as an ebook I could feel the weight of everything happening, all the layers. But once I was done I could see how it might end up on enough people’s favorite list to end up on All About Romance’s top ten of all time list. This book is intense, and emotional, and I wasn’t sure I knew where my heart was when I turned the last page. It wasn’t in my throat, or my stomach, as it had been for the final pages. It had just stopped beating, in need of rest, I guess. But damn, this book.

The second book in the Society of Gentlemen series, this books takes place at the end of the Regency and centers Silas and Dominic, who only know each other as “The Tory” and “The Brute” when they meet on Wednesdays at a clandestine location. They only find out for certain who the other is when Dominic arrives with his Home Office colleagues to raid Silas’s bookshop in search of evidence that Silas is the seditionist writer Jack Cade.

I know.

So there’s a lot to unpack here, including the fact that they have spent the past year using Wednesdays not only to get some kinky loving, but also to talk about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So yeah. Feels. On to the next, A Gentleman’s Position, which features two people I did not enjoy hanging out with until pretty much the end.

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It’s a bit early in the month, so I’m still working on it, but here are some I’m currently reading or will be reading:

Love Bi the Way by Bhaavna Arora (that cover, tho!)

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (published as YA but I would consider it crossover, as the protagonist is in college)

Syncopation by Anna Zabo

Month of Sundays by Yolanda Wallace

Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper (and maybe The Butch and the Beautiful, the second Queers of La Vista book)

21 Questions by Mason Dixon (pen name of Yolanda Wallace)

Pansies by Alexis Hall (which I have out from the library, so I had better get on that)

Jordan’s Pryde by Giovanna Reaves (did you hear me talking about this book in the RT episode of When In Romance? It was so weird but I took it as a sign.)

Sated by Rebekah Weatherspoon

We’ll see what happens.

New and Upcoming Releases

Shatterproof by Xen (rerelease/rewrite)

What Happens in Summer by Caridad Pineiro

The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang

The Bashful Bride by Vanessa Riley

Inside Darkness by Hudson Lin (June 11)

The Varlet and the Voyeur by Penny Reid and LH Cosway (June 11)

Switch and Bait by Ricki Schultz (June 12)

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!

The madness continues, folks, but we’ve got plenty of books to keep us warm. Or cool. Whatever you need right now.

News and Useful Links

Let’s get this out of the way: our favorite “author” has doubled down and is apparently using a personal injury lawyer to help her write documents in her favor for trademark law. Many people have expressed how much this is not a good idea (but I mean, really. She hasn’t had any yet so…) Want to dive all the way down the rabbit hole? Here’s Kevin Kneupper’s complete thread of legal documents.

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Sponsored by Litworld Publishing House

When a witty medical student, Aliya’s life is cut short in a tragic accident, she discovers that she is given another chance at life. She finds herself reborn into the body of a heavy-set Countess named Lilian. Aliya must use her mind and skills in a society where women are oppressed, protect herself from assassination attempts, and build alliances with peasants, sea raiders, members of the Royal Family… and her own errant husband. First Lessons is the first of five volumes in Lina J. Potter’s bestselling Medieval Tale series. Will Aliya forge her own “happy-ever-after?” And if so, at what cost?

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Talia Hibbert got a new cover for A Girl Like Her and it is perfect. Just perfect.

(Also, she went and lowkey announced that she had a Ravenswood novella coming out soon.)

The Deadly Sexy adaptation might be done with filming, but they still need support to get it through post production and out into the world. Curious? Here’s a clip.

Courtney Milan had some really good words on writing (or any kind of creativity, really).

Deals

(Note: Since tomorrow is the beginning of a new month, some of these deals might end tonight. Just FYI.)

Elizabeth Kingston’s A Fallen Lady is FREE right now. (I believe through the end of the week.)

Shame on You by Tara Sivec is 1.99. If you haven’t read her stuff, you’re in for a hilarious treat. (And then you’ll want to check out the books featuring treats, believe me.)

In the mood for a new KJ Charles? The Henchmen of Zenda is 3.99.

And if you’re not yet wedding’d out, Jeevani Charika’s A Royal Wedding is 99 cents. I mean, why not support the people capitalizing on writing the cinderella story of their dreams, right?

Over on Book Riot

Silvana (Sil, if you know her on Twitter) joined us to share some great recs, including awesome romances to read for summer and books to read based on your favorite reality tv.

Casey shared some amusing but unhelpful subject headings.

I talked about some time travel without a Highland rebel in sight.

And of course, we’re still having that giveaway! 500 bucks, on us!

Recs!

I noticed a pattern in my reading this past week, and want to talk about a couple of those books and throw in some recs for books I’ve previously discussed (and some I haven’t) if those are your thing.

Sinner
Sierra Simone

No, the pattern wasn’t hot sex meets theology discussions. In this case, Sean Bell (brother to Tyler, our favorite Hot Priest) meets a beautiful, much younger woman (15 years, but who’s counting?) at a party, and proceeds to tell her all the things he wants to do to and with her. Feels a little sketchy, but she seemed cool with it so we’ll let it slide. It’s only the next day, when he’s got to meet with a young “nun-in-training” (aka a postulant) about a shelter that’s in danger of closing if one of his corporate real estate deals actually goes through. Said postulant turns out to be Zenny, younger sister to his BFF, who he hasn’t seen since she was seven, before their parents’ schism. Zenny is all grown up, and wants to learn a few things about secular life before entering the novitiate, at the recommendation of her mentor. What can Sean say but yes?

Grumpy Fake Boyfriend
Jackie Lau

Will is grumpy. Well, sort of. He just doesn’t like being around people, talking to them, or dealing with them for anything more than brief transactions. Good thing his education (advanced fusion study) and his trade (science fiction where fusion actually works) both allow him to control how much of that he has to do. Until one meeting with his only IRL friend leads him to agree to a long weekend with said friend’s younger sister, pretending to be her boyfriend. Naomi doesn’t want to spend the weekend as the only single person there, expecially with her ex and his new flame. A lot can happen in a few days.

Tempted by the Billionaire Next Door
Therese Beharrie

Jess has been enjoying the view from her window of the beautiful man who has been tending to his yard, but actually meets him when she rushes to his side after what could have been a terrible accident. Turns out he’s fine, and also is the brother of the woman in whose house she is currently living (who also happens to be her best friend). The two didn’t part on good standing, and Dylan has only been back for a week. He’d like to get back into his sister’s good graces, and he’d also like to get to know the beautiful pregnant woman currently residing next door. But that whole best friend of sister thing will probably get in the way. And the whole pregnant thing, if we’re honest.

So, I remember the first time I tried to read a book involving a man and the much younger sister of his best friend. I got a bit squicked out, and I don’t know if it was the narrator or what. But these books are not Rush, and I enjoyed them greatly. So if you’re down for “best friend’s younger sibling” (or in the case of Tempted, “younger sibling’s best friend”), here are a few more you might be interested in:

Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa (you might recall me talking about this before, but it bears repeating)

Her Perfect Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (another younger sibling’s best friend one; in this instance, the younger sibling is a man and the hero expects that his younger brother and the heroine will marry someday)

Clean Breaks by Ruby Lang

Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz (in which the great Tiffany treats us to a relationship in which the hypermasculine trait of overprotective assholishness does not present itself at all in said older brother)

What are some of your favorite younger sibling style stories? Drop me a line! (Especially if you have any that are queer romances? Like, I am not sure I have seen a “best friend’s younger brother” story in which the brother is gay or straight and I’d like to see that kind of dynamic.)

New and Upcoming Releases

Making Up by Lucy Parker
Cocktales by The Cocky Collective
Riven by Roan Parrish
All Up in the Mix by Donna Hill
I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting
Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (June 5)
What Happens in Summer by Caridad Pineiro (June 5)

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!

Hey there folks! I’m back in the hot part of the desert after a refreshing few days without seeing the sun (okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best for me). RT was a blast, and I hope those of you who might be going to RWA (the Romance Writers of America National Conference) and the following Book Bonanza enjoy yourselves as much as I did!

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Sponsored by Penguin Teen

Meet Daisy Winters, an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

The dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

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News and Useful Links

Do you procrastibake? Mia Hopkins does.

Romantic Times is going away. The digital publication, the awards, the conference. Kathryn Falk announced it on Tuesday, declaring the intent to retire. After 38 years, I’d say she’s earned it. With that announcement came a second, closely related one: while RT Booklovers Convention is no more, the first annual BookLoversCon will be happening in New Orleans next May. So we’ll see what happens there. With the number of blogs, sites, and other folks dedicated to reviewing romance, I’m not sure what hole the loss of the publication will leave, but the awards, you all.

Since it was a reviewers’ choice awards, there wasn’t the whole thing with authors having to self-nominate, and therefore there was less gatekeeping when it came to the finalists and winners. I hope there’s going to be a way that can continue. Somehow.

Yes, #RomBkLove continues. Get lost in that hashtag, folks, and kiss your manageable TBR goodbye.

Sarah MacLean is back with her recent favorites.

Penny Reid and forty of her friends are getting together to produce Cocktales, with proceeds going to anyone who needs help with legal fees thanks to #byefaleena.

Steps are being made to get the trademark terminated.

And if you’re not quite Cocky’d Out, here’s the most recent statement from Sam at Set Sail Studios.

And of course there had to be more trademark drama. Heidi McLaughlin’s people submitted an application to trademark the word “forever” (because that is a hardly-used word that can definitely be limited to just that one author) but that clap-back was strong and quick. The author claims she’d had some trouble with identity theft and had intended the trademark to help, but really. Come on. She has since requested the application be rescinded.

Stacey Abrams won the Georgia Primary! I know very little about her platform, but not only would she be the first black woman governor of Georgia, but seriously, more romance authors need to be in charge.

Deals

Alexis Daria’s Take the Lead and Dance With Me are both on sale right now! It’s for a limited time, though, so if you’ve been holding out, now would be the time.

Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken is 1.49 right now.

Marie Harte’s Dragon’s Demon is 99 cents right now. I’ve been noticing more and more dragon shifter romances, and I’m going to sit down sometime soon and just gorge myself on them.

If you dig the dragon thing, Dahlia Rose’s A Dragon’s Promise is 3.99. And there are a dozen more after that.

Over on Book Riot

Trisha and I got to record When in Romance at RT and it was fabulous to look at her face!

Not yet had your fill of billionaires? There are definitely some I have to try on this list!

“Don’t push anyone down the stairs. Drunkenly falling down them yourself is permissible.” Yes, this is advice for fathers in romance novels.

And of course, we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

Recs!

Once Upon a Marquess
Courtney Milan

[CW for suicide and substance abuse/addiction]

With the release of After the Wedding, I realized that I was incredibly behind on Courtney Milan Victorians. When Once Upon a Marquess was on a rare sale, I went ahead and bought it, and picked it out of several books I’d downloaded to my iPad for the flight to RT.

Y’all. It was a good thing my husband was the one sitting next to me. Barely a page in, I was already cackling. Loudly. With snorts. Courtney Milan is masterful at alternating serious family drama (in this case, treason, suicide, transportation, and destitution) with absolutely hilarious scenes involving willful younger sisters and gay avian lovers.

Judith Worth is the oldest of four siblings. Her father, after accused of being a traitor, committed suicide in jail, and her brother was lost at sea after being Transported. Her oldest younger sibling elected to live with a relative, but her two younger ones, both teenagers, are in her care. But Christian Trent, Marquess of Ashford, comes running the moment she writes, and the two embark on a path to solve several mysteries at once—including whether they could ever be what they were.

Now I’m just wondering if I want to devour After the Wedding now or wait until I have more to read afterwards. It’s a hard choice to make.

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In the meantime, I’m reading His Cocky Valet by Cole McCade, because there was no way I wasn’t going to hop into that river immediately. While there are people who might be squicked by the use of “My Young Master” as practically an endearment, so far I am enraptured with the combined approach to young dude getting shit together, learning to rely on someone, learning to run a business, and learning about power dynamics that aren’t quite D/s.

I’m not sure what’s coming after that. I still have to crawl my way out from under the piles of books from RT and the stacks of library books I had waiting for me when I got back.

New and Upcoming Releases

Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie Lau
Rogues Rush In by Tessa Dare and Christi Caldwell
The Controversial Princess by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James (May 29)
Touched by You by Elle Wright (May 29)

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!