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It’s Monday, it’s April 20, and I hope you’re healthily and safely celebrating/medicating in states where it is not legally dangerous to do so. I’m not sure I’ll be able to recover after this week’s episode of Westworld, but I’ve got a lot of emotional backup to help. (Books. I’m talking about books. I have too many control issues for the other stuff.)
News and Useful Links
Donna Kauffman died on April 9 from pancreatic cancer.
Read an excerpt from Talia Hibbert’s upcoming novella, Guarding Temptation, which is an updated, expanded version of a novella previously published in a Rogue anthology.
Do you read on Radish? Katrina Jackson is now publishing a serial Persuasion retelling set in the political world.
Olivia Dade showed us a new cover for her book Teach Me, which is somehow a huge improvement on an already adorable cover.
And I was surprised to see a German romance novel, Your Perfect Year, on the Read The World page, a celebration of world literature put on by Amazon.
Deals
Nicole Falls is offering one of her books for free every day this week! Today (Monday, April 20) is Smitten. While it’s the second book in a series, it can stand alone, like most of Nicole’s books. In this one, Celena has determined after a ghosting that she is going to focus on other things in life. No romance, just focusing on her life. But when she meets Karim, in town helping out a relative, all that goes up in smoke. Check out what other of her books you can get for free this week.
Recs!
Earth Day is this week, so I figured I’d throw out some recommendations for romances featuring environmentally- or botanically-inclined protagonists.
Not Another Family Wedding
Jackie Lau
Natalie is a climatology professor doing her best to lighten her carbon footprint. When she has to return to her hometown for her sister’s wedding, she dreads every minute of it, not just for the potential blowups that could happen between family members, but the constant barrage of people asking when she would be getting married and having kids (the answer to the latter being never). She asks her best friend to come with her to the wedding as her date-slash-support-system, but things happen that lead to the possibility of their situation changing.
Grin and Beard It
Penny Reid
Sienna Diaz is on a shoot in the Great Smoky Mountains when she finds herself unable to get around…problems with maps, I guess? When Jethro Winston helps her out, they get along pretty quickly. They share a similar sense of humor, which is great since Sienna is a comedian. Jethro is a ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and cares a lot about the preservation of the park and the people he works with. And also his family, who are all involved in the land in their own ways (lol).
A Taste of Her Own Medicine
Tasha L. Harrison
Fresh out of marriage, newly divorced Sonja decides to take an entrepreneurship class. Her instructor, Atlas, is not only a great teacher but also a great person—and wildly attractive, too. He thinks her business selling handcrafted soaps and lotions based on some family recipes has lots of potential. But you really want to read this for the interactions with Sonja and her family. These are witchy types who use very earth-based traditions, and they support each other in delightful, witchy ways.
Open House
Ruby Lang
Real estate agent Magda is surprised when the thing keeping her from finishing up her first big job is a community garden, grown on a lot that has been vacant for decades. When the long-lost owner finally decides to sell, it’s up to Magda and the potential buyer to convince the squatters to give up the ghost. But Tyson and his fellow gardeners aren’t giving up without a fight, and Tyson and Magda’s immediate chemistry aren’t going to let a little potential stop them from making cases on either side.
Do you have a favorite environmentalist in romance?
As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!