Sponsored by M. Lee Prescott, author of the 11 book “Morgan’s Run” Series.
A woman is the last thing on Ben Morgan’s mind as he comes home to Morgan’s Run, then he runs into Maggie Williams on Main Street, prompting vivid memories of a magical night. Father of her beloved five-year-old daughter, he is the last person Maggie expects to have crash into her car and back into her life. She has struggled to forget him and to make a life for herself and her daughter, Emma, the mirror image of her father, who is unaware of her existence. Maggie swears Ben Morgan will never break her heart again.
Welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. Hope your spirit is doing well. I’m P.N. Hinton, your companion through the world of romance. Whether or not this is your first time or you’re a regular I’m glad to have y’all here.
As a quick reminder, there will not be a newsletter next Thursday, as that is Thanksgiving for America. So you’ll only hear from me once that week. I hope that, if you’re celebrating, that next week is full of fun relaxing downtime for you.
Romance Reflection
This thoughtful tweet from Olivia Dade tugged at all my heart strings. Jayne Ann Krentz’s Trust Me was probably the first outwardly contemporary romance novel I read as a young book dragon. And I remember this because I got this book from a student teacher in middle school who had observed me reading in class one day. She left it with a note that basically came down to, “I love seeing young readers, so keep at it. But also pay attention in class and read later.” Which is fair because I was and still am terrible at math.
But being a fan of JAK and her historical counterpart Amanda Quick isn’t the only reason this struck all those chords. It’s because the underlying thought, for me, is that kindness goes a long way. Something that in the grand scheme may have just a few hours on a random day to that author stayed with Dade for years.
This is one thing I love about the romance genre: the willingness to really listen and give back to your fans. Now, that isn’t to say that all romance authors are like that because we know that’s not the case. Nor is it to say that no other genres do this, so please don’t come for me with pitchforks. But I very rarely hear about it happening as often it does here.
Not only did JAK retain a lifelong fan that day, but she also got a reader who would forever sing her praises and recommend her to others. And that is a gift that keeps on giving. Kindness goes a long way and this recollection helped to show that.
Book Riot Romance:
The latest episode of When in Romance with the first round of reader recommendations.
Jess also wrote this round up of cozy romances.
Rioter Isabelle has a wish list for romance novels destinations.
Don’t forget to give a listen to Adaptation Nation, Book Riot’s latest podcast!
Around the Web in Romance
There is currently an auction going on to help romance writer Chencia C.Higgins, who is currently in a tough spot in her life. If you’re an author who wants to donate you can at this link. And if you want to see what is up for auction you can click here.
Entertainment Weekly came out with their choices for the best romances of 2021.
Here’s more from Olivia Dade on why fat representation is important in romance
How much do you love romance novels? Take this fun quiz and find out. I’m a Swooner!
Here’s a list of romance books that one editor wishes was getting more attention. While I believe that the second and last one is doing just fine, I agree with the rest.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Recommendations
Next week is Thanksgiving for us here in America and I am looking forward to it. I’m hoping to see my blood family for the day since it has been almost two years since we’ve all gathered. But, if not, I still plan on a relaxing day watching TV and spending time with my small immediate family.
The older I get, I really do enjoy Thanksgiving possibly over other holidays. The act of cooking and eating with loved ones is always a welcome respite from the rest of the year as is taking a nap after eating and then waking up for round two or more desserts. There’s nothing that is tradition in our family, like waking up early to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, or turning it to Hallmark to start watching Christmas movies while decorating the tree. But still, being with loved ones, for me anyways, is a tradition in and of itself.
Which leads me to the recommendations for this week, which are romances that take place around Thanksgiving. While Christmas still gets more than the lion’s share for romance settings, there are quite a few Thanksgiving ones out there, a trend I hope keeps increasing in the next few years. Because it’s nice to be thankful for what we have before moving on to what we want.
A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau
Nick is loving his single life in Toronto so much that he always reluctantly returns home to Mosquito Bay for the holidays. This year though, a surprise is waiting for him and his siblings since they all have blind dates waiting for them. As Fate would have it, his brother’s date is Lily, Nick’s most recent one night stand, and the one he can’t seem to forget about no matter what.
Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown
Keighley is tired of her aunt giving her mom flack about Keighley’s sexual orientation. So she decides to hire Brooke as her fake girlfriend for Thanksgiving dinner. However, between fake dating, real kissing, and dog napping, both women wonder if this could be the start of something more.
A McClendon Thanksgiving by Sean D. Young
Faith returns home to Chicago, determined to make her fashion designing dreams come true. There she runs into childhood friend, Michael, who has always been sweet on Faith. Still hurting from a nasty divorce, Faith isn’t looking for love at all. Will Michael be able to prove to her that their second chance romance may be a risk worth taking?
And that’s it for today. I’ll be back Monday with another edition of the newsletter. Until then, you can follow me on Twitter under @PScribe801. I hope that you have a wonderful relaxing weekend. Happy reading!