News
We have had some interesting developments since last week.
First, NPR was doing so well, and then they did this. Courtney Milan was regretful about having expanded her recommendations to non-black POC, but really, how could she have known the reporter would pick the one person who wasn’t black. Alisha was unaware the reporter would be framing it around anything besides the general diversity problem, or she would have stepped aside. NPR eventually apologized for their misstep, but leaving out black voices when you’re talking specifically to issues relating to black authors was a big editorial mistake.
Sponsored by the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Flirting, Sabrina Jeffries.
The moment spymaster Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Aurore of Chanay, he’s positive her royal persona is a ruse and that she’s actually Monique Servais, the mysterious actress he met three years before in Dieppe. But as he pursues his suspicions, he uncovers a plot of attempted assassination and betrayal that could very well destroy his career, expose his own secrets…and ruin the woman he’s rapidly coming to love.
And then All About Romance posted a 100-book-long list of top romances of all time…that had no books by black authors on it. The discourse around their revision of the list and the poll that produced it also led to a good conversation around the term POC and when to use it.
In happyland, Alyssa Cole wrote this magical essay for Bustle about princess stories. (Also, if you missed her list of princess books to check out, here tis!)
Also, I saw the hashtag #RomanceWakandia on twitter and I need every black romance from the US and other nations ever to somehow to be linked to it. Don’t ask me how, but it’s gonna happen.
Deals
Savannah J. Frierson’s Go With Your Heart is 99 cents.
The Viking Queen’s Men by Holley Trent is FREE right now, and the rest of the series is all 3.99 or less!
Jamie Wesley’s This is True Love is 99 cents.
Hometown Hero: Boys of Brockview by Sasha Devlin is also 99 cents.
Over on Book Riot
It’s National Library Week! Not only are we giving away a Kindle Fire, but there’s plenty of library related content. And check out this list of librarian romances from last year! (ALSO. I finally found one: a librarian by an AOC. The second book in the Sea Port series, the first of which I peddle below, features a librarian. What are your favorites?)
In a hurry? How about some erotic short stories?
Lacey had a guy friend visit The Ripped Bodice in her stead (because she lives very far away). He didn’t explode upon entry.
Trisha and I talk about some stuff on When in Romance.
And don’t forget to enter to win 15 of the year’s best mysteries so far!
Recs
This has been quite the week of reading for me. The two books I finished are both four-alarm-fire hot and the one I started is probably not going to be any tamer.
Priest
Sierra Simone
This book is one of those that was once destined to hang out on my Want to Read shelf forever, until it repeatedly came up on the Insiders forum. When it was finally a reduced price, I decided to get it, and then we decided to read it for one of our chats. So it was time to try it out.
And y’all. This book. It’s not for everyone. I’ll just…tell you what she says in the author note:
There is sex, more sex, and definitely some blasphemy.
You’ve been warned.
Yeah. So if lots of sex and some seriously uncomfortable locations for sex (it’s right there in the blurb: “I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church.”) are your thing, give this one a try. Here, we have Tyler Bell, Catholic priest in a small Missouri town, and Poppy, a potential convert who has never been to confession. The two have immediate chemistry, leading to a few issues for Tyler. He loves his work, but he is also unwilling to let go of the vowbreaking sex (and potential love?) he has with Poppy. My biggest problem is actually that Poppy is a less developed character than Tyler, in part because he’s the narrator of the story. But if you’re interested in a bizarre intersection of theology and sex, this book is definitely for you.
CW: discussion of suicide, childhood and sexual abuse. And, you know, sex in sacred places.
From Scratch
Katrina Jackson
I came across this book on Twitter on Saturday afternoon and found myself immediately downloading it. I didn’t get to it then and there, but when I found the time, I was ready. The first few pages are a bit jarring, but the author picks up her stride pretty quickly. In this novella, Mary moves to the tiny town of Sea Port to start afresh after an unsatisfying life as a college professor. In her endeavor to win the town’s support for her bakery, she runs into Santos and Knox, old Marine buddies and BFFs who have since moved to Sea Port to become the fire chief and a member of the small police force. The three have an immediate chemistry, and Mary—surprising herself—isn’t shy about her desire to become involved with both of them.
Short, hot, and approaches morality from a very different perspective than Priest.
CW: discussion of child abuse, drug abuse, and homophobic violence.
(Also, From Scratch is one of those books that doesn’t currently have a romance ranking but has an erotica one. Figure your shit out, Amazon.)
I just started Unmasked by the Marquess, which comes out next Tuesday. A genderfluid heroine trying to get her childhood friend married and a stodgy Marquess butt heads in Cat Sebastian’s first M/F romance. And of course, since it’s Cat, she went ahead and made it hella queer. I can’t wait to get back to it! (Which I’m gonna go do now, byeee.)
New and Upcoming Releases
The Art of Love by Suzette D. Harrison
Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa
One Unforgettable Kiss by AC Arthur
Beauty and the Biker by Jamila Jasper
My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris
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!