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It’s the first full week of July and whoo man 2020 is not letting up. I hope you all have some source of joy in this mess, because nobody knows what the summer still has in store for us.
Let’s talk about romance novels.
News and Useful Links
Do you like audiobooks? Beverly Jenkins announced in a recent newsletter that a bunch of her backlist romances would be coming to audio next year. Titles include Deadly Sexy, Bring on the Blessings, and Midnight, among many others. Who’s excited? (Also, you definitely want to check out #JenkinsJuly on Twitter and Instagram.)
Speaking of Ms. Bev, she’ll be making an appearance at the next Date Night on Friday. The lineup is stacked.
And if you like to get a head start on your events, this Romance Buzz Books closer to the end of the month is looking to be a lot of fun as well!
The Jane Eyre retelling we dreamed of.
Holley Trent went and dropped another one. If you’ve been hankering for paranormal westerns, The Angel’s Fire is for you.
This is a great thread of romance-related Patreons to support (and add to, if one you know isn’t there).
EE Ottoman gave a great talk about writing historical romance centering queer and trans characters, and the research behind it.
I am loving all the romance fanart I’ve been coming across! Here’s a great one from Olivia Dade’s 40-Love, and here’s another one from Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Romance readers, man.
Know what else I love? Romance scholarship. Give me all the essays/book chapters.
Did you get caught up in the 365 Days fervor? Oprah mag made a list of erotic romances for you to check out.
Deals
Have you read Gail Carriger’s contemporary paranormals? The Sumage Solution, the first in the series, is 99 cents right now! It’s got a similar feel to her Parasolverse books, but is set in an alternate modern day in which magic and shifters exist. There is something slightly different about the universe that makes me think it’s not directly related to the Parasolverse; it’s more like one jump over in the multiverse, where some things progressed the same, but others didn’t. But there’s a precious werewolf pack that’s not like the others, and every single wolf is a bebe I want to cuddle and give snacks.
And bonus deal: If you haven’t yet read it (or maybe you have but now you want to own it?) The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is 1.99 right now. Everything says “for a limited time” so I don’t know if it’s for the next few days or maybe for the month of July. Either way, it’s such a great book and I want everyone to read it.
Recs
Do you listen to When in Romance? If you’re like “Jess, what the heck is that awful pun” or you just don’t think about podcasts at all, don’t worry about the action steps at the end of this recommendation. If your answer was a resounding YES or enough curiosity that you might decide to pick it up at the next episode, join us in When In Romance Book Club!
Getting Schooled
Christina C. Jones
We’re reading Getting Schooled, the first book in the Wright Brothers series, and Trisha and I will be talking about it (including your thoughts and questions) when we record on Thursday, July 9. It features a student getting his degree after serving in the military and the grad assistant in his Black Lit class (and also all of their family and friends, who are all completely hilarious). They have quite the contentious relationship, and have a fun way of rudely flirting with each other. Okay, it sounds weird, but it’s done so well. If you decide to join us (or not join us and just read the book because you want to), I recommend getting the complete Wright Collection, because you’re not going to want to stop there. There are three full novels and a Christmas novella, so you’ll have plenty to read. And then, if you haven’t read CCJ before, you will be happy to discover that her backlist is over fifty books long.
So if you’re interested, give Jason and Reese a try, and tell us your thoughts! Catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com. And feel free to drop a word if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!