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Sometimes love is the deadliest game of all. Elite security personnel Claire and Cooper have been tasked with a mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. But as they risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties? Read Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee, the first steamy novel in her new Richter series.
Hello again KBers. We’re almost there at the Friday night finish line. One of the chat threads I’m in with my in-laws recently posed the question of when does the weekend start. And my response was “Friday at 5:00 pm”. Because that’s how I roll.
Of course, those are ‘banker’s hours’; so not everyone has them. I’m fortunate enough to and I’m super grateful for it, especially since that hasn’t always been the case. My oddest weekend ever there was Monday and Tuesday off, and while it had its perks, I really do prefer at least one traditional weekend day off.
That said, whatever your work week is, I hope that it treats you well. I also hope that you’re ready for your well deserved weekend, whenever that may fall. I’m super excited for this weekend because I get to meet with my book club. Since I got my first Pfizer dose last week, we’re all at least halfway vaccinated now. So, we may shoot for an in-person meet up. Hopefully, we will be able to move back to that permanently next month since I’ll be fully vaccinated by then.
I think this optimism is something that a lot of people are feeling right now. This time last year we were still in what we thought would be a temporary lockdown, not knowing what was ahead of us. Now that I’ve gotten the first of the Fauci Ouchies, I’ll feel more comfortable in more social settings. Which will be great for both the kiddo and me since both of us miss seeing our friends and family in person.
Romance Tidbits
If you haven’t already voted for the next WIR Book Club pick, you may still have the chance to by checking out Jess’s poll here.
Want a sneak peek at the upcoming Rebel Carter release? Well then you’re in luck!
This one is for my second chance romance lovers out there. This love tweet from actor Richard Lawson to Tina Knowles even made me swoon and feel like a big old softie.
Straight from Lady Whistledown herself, Bridgerton has officially been renewed for Seasons 3 and 4.
Recommendations
April has historically been known as Autism Awareness month, but this year the Autism Society of America has renamed it Autism Acceptance month. And I, for one, like the change. I feel that the use of ‘awareness’ makes it seem more like a disease that can be cured. When you combine that with ignorant tweets of people who want to be in the Senate likening it to an epidemic (I won’t link it per usual but trust me it’s gross) it just highlights how acceptance is still needed for people in the neurodiverse community.
This is something near to my heart because my son has ASD. And I won’t lie; it’s hard sometimes. But I wouldn’t change anything about him. I am fiercely protective of him when it comes to how people treat him. While he may not be at the level that other kids his age are socially, he beats a majority of them by a country mile for things like emotional health and cues. So, acceptance is the much preferred term for me as well as using red rather than blue, since that serves to perpetuate the myth that ASD only affects males.
There’s a lot of talk about needing diversity but we forget that means more than just sexual identity, ethnicity, or race. In the past, not as much attention has been paid to people who are different physically or mentally. Often in books, they were relegated to side characters and usually used to show the kindness or goodness of the hero or heroine.
Luckily, this is something that has recently changed in the romance community. We have a lot of prolific writers out there who are neurodiverse and who write characters who are similarly neurodiverse in their books. Relationships are never easy, even with people who are neurotypical. But these books serve to show that being neurodiverse should never be a deterrent or a reason why someone doesn’t get their happily ever after.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
I would be a bit surprised if this hasn’t already been read by a majority of Romancelandia, but just in case it’s my first recommendation. What I really enjoyed is that Helen took from her own real world experience of not finding out she has ASD until an adult. Sadly, this is quite common for women because of the aforementioned misconception that it only affects men. Some of this is a bit painful to read as you can tell Stella is trying to figure out the best thing to do. Luckily, she has a wonderful supportive partner in Michael who is always patient and willing to help. Honorable mention to The Bride Test by Hoang, since that features Michael’s male cousin Khai, who also has ASD.
A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert
I can only speak for myself on this one, but what I really loved about this book was how unapologetically sexual Ruth was. She knew that her small (-minded) town spoke ill of her and her sister, but always let it roll off her back. And Evan was the perfect balance to her grumpiness and was constantly bringing her home-cooked meals. Their slow love was a wonderful trip to go through and a great way to start out this series of books.
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
I believe this one is a favorite among Romancelandia. And while I didn’t love it as much as other historicals, I thoroughly enjoyed the support system Ian had in his brothers. While they didn’t have a word or phrase for it, they knew that their brother was different, and they rallied around him constantly and were there for him. Yes, it’s historical fiction and it’s likely not everyone back then was understanding like them. However, it is still nice to read about that happening in a non-modern setting since there had to be some people who did care and protect people with autism even before it had a name.
And that’s all for this week. Catch up with me over the weeknd @Pscribe801 over on Twitter Until Monday!