It’s Presidents Day! It’s…definitely not as fun as Valentine’s, but there’s probably still some discount chocolate hanging about…unless the stores already have Easter candy out. Strike that, they definitely have Easter bunnies out already; I just saw a Cadbury Egg ad.
It’s so wrong.
Either way, I hope you’re staying warm and dry, since the onslaught won’t stop, no matter where you are (it’s unseasonably cold and rainy here in the A.Z. so not even I can escape it).
I’ve babbled enough. Let’s talk love, huh?
Sponsored by MIRA Books and HQN, home to women’s fiction and romance series you can fall in love with. Start your #newyearnewreads marathon reading today.
A resolution you can keep past February? Yes please! Harlequin and their blockbuster series authors have got you covered with many ways to start your #newyearnewreads marathon reading.
News and Useful Links
Pretty sure I mentioned this last week, but they still have a long way to go. Whether you live in Chicagoland or not, we can all agree that Love’s Sweet Arrow is something we want to succeed. Let’s make all the romance bookstores happen!
Last week was Romance Week on Goodreads. Did you see their content? I thought this blog post about the “other” lives of romance novelists was interesting. Some of it I knew; much more I didn’t.
Romance = Necromancy. (Not actually, but Jessica Avery said it and now I can’t think of anything else.)
This thread is delightful. You’ll thank me.
I love things that actually take an academic, researched look at things. This article about romance covers takes some liberties, but is mostly good stuff. If you don’t know much about the history of romance covers, you’ll learn a lot. If you think you’re pretty savvy, you might learn something new.
Romance adjacent, but totally exciting. Meg Ryan + Romantic Comedies = GIMME.
So there was some stuff went down at the end of the week and over the weekend about a cis woman getting a huge deal for a book about Dr. James M. Barry. Said author continued to misgender the good doctor, and wanted to turn the man who was definitely a man into a feminist icon instead. So of course, this author got some pushback from the trans community, especially the trans writing community. And this has led to some other conversation about trans representation in publishing. EE Ottoman had some good thoughts about what this looks like in Romancelandia, and I’m still pondering how I can do better at highlighting trans authors writing trans stories. (If you’re looking for some, here’s a good thread.)
Deals!
How about a doctor romance? It’s Always Been You by Elle Wright is 3.99 right now. If doctors don’t draw you in, how about waking up married? The two are friends, so it’s not a romance between complete strangers. Instead, it’s two people who have probably been in love with each other for quite some time, even if they don’t admit it. But instead of getting it annulled, they pretend they got married for the right reasons. So there: how’s that for you?
Have you read A Duke By Default yet? If you haven’t read the second book in Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series, now’s a good time. And if you’re looking for a romance to fulfill the Read Harder task about a neurodiverse character, Portia has ADHD. There’s only so much I can say about this whole series, so I’ll just leave it at that. (Oh. Right. It’s 1.99.)
Recs
This has been a good reading week, so I thought I’d share my most recent reads. They were mostly books that were recommended to me in one way or another, so it’s sort of like I’m paying it forward. Or something.
Thirsty
Mia Hopkins
I’ll tell you: Trisha Brown has been talking about this book forever. I bought it the first time she mentioned it, but didn’t get around to it this week. I had good reason: we decided to make it our When In Romance book club pick for February. (PS, there’s still time if you want to read it and share your thoughts!)
But hoo doggy. This book.
In East LA, we meet Sal, sometimes called Ghost, who has been out of prison for six months. He’s been crashing on a friend’s couch, but when said friend shows his whole ass and his wife kicks him out, Sal ends up at a loss. A neighborhood abuela offers him a place to stay, and Sal is grateful. Who’s not happy with this arrangement? The other occupant of the house, Chinita’s granddaughter, Vanessa. She’s not excited to have a convicted felon and known gang member living in the same space as her young daughter. But eventually, she comes around. Sal is a hard worker, and while he knows he can’t escape the gang life, he’ll hold it off and go straight as long as he can. Especially knowing he’s more worthy of Vanessa that way. When they decide to act on their attraction—just for the two months he’s staying with them—neither is safe from their own emotions.
Or the four-fire-emoji-level sex. Hoo doggie. This is not one to read when someone might be looking over your shoulder. I’ll tell you, though: Mia Hopkins is no stranger to playing with emotions. Be prepared for the whiplash.
Be Mine
Savannah J. Frierson
I mentioned this one in the new releases last week, and this is probably the closest to release I’ve read a book in quite some time. It was so satisfying.
Ingrid owns her house. Which is great because it means she can get some extra revenue by renting out the rooms. The three men who live in the house (while she lives in the carriage house) are a trio of hot, delightful friends who have become her friends as well. They go to trivia, have movie nights, and have a great life. But when Ingrid decides to shoot her shot and ask Ade to be her Valentine, things between the four of them spiral out of hand. And it’s all good for Ingrid.
FYI, if you’re not into MFMM, this is not for you. If you are, this is definitely for you. There’s more that SJF could have done with the relationship, but considering how short this is, it packs a serious punch. There are sexytimes, yes, but also lots of good, important conversations.
Overall, a good way to spend an afternoon. Or any other series of connected hours—because you’re not gonna want to stop.
I’m also just over halfway through A Soldier’s Return by RaeAnne Thayne. I don’t read a lot of small town romances, but she’s coming to my book festival and I wanted to at least know what her writing’s like. It’s a romance between a nurse and the son of the doctor whose practice she works for. He’s also a doctor! The older doctor had to get a couple knees replaced, so he’s taking some time off from the Army Medical Corps (I think?) to work at his practice. They knew each other in high school, even though they were a couple years apart. And now that they’re grown and unattached, well. They know they shouldn’t. Really. They shouldn’t. Really.
ALSO. A reader reached out over the weekend to share some concerns about Willful Depravity, a book I listed in the new releases on Thursday. So if you were thinking about reading it, let me share the reader’s content warning regarding severe fat phobia (not just in the characters, but in the actual writing) and at least one scene that includes the hero circumventing the heroine’s non-consent. The reviews were going up as my words were going down, so I apologize for missing them. Thanks to Agata for pointing it out!
That’s plenty for the first half of the week, yes? 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!