Sponsored by Amazon Publishing.
Rashid is a young Black man from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, with a complicated life. Looking for an escape from a neighborhood few ever leave, he finds it in Rachel—married, twenty years his senior, and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. It begins with flirtation. It becomes an intense romance that defies the expectations of Rashid’s friends and family. What draws Rachel to Rashid is his need for intimacy—everything lacking in her marriage. But as the fault lines of their relationship become more prevalent, so do the inevitable choices one makes when falling in love. Read Bed Stuy by Jerry McGill.
Welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. I hope your spirit is doing well. I’m P.N. Hinton, your companion through the world of romance. Whether this is your first time or you’re a regular, I’m glad to have y’all here.
There are four more weeks left in December so hopefully you at least got your shopping started. I’m excited because gifts are starting to come in, including what I have planned for my in-laws that I’m really excited to see their reaction for. I finished The Love Hypothesis and one-third of the There’s Only One Bed At Christmas anthology. Am I counting the novellas individually for my Goodreads challenge? Yes. Yes I am. I am also reading The Mistletoe Motive (which is a Kobo exclusive as a heads up) and finally started Hang the Moon, which was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021. The year we’re still in so I made it and it counts. At least that’s my story.
Book Riot Romance
Check our Rioter Sarah’s take on censorship in romance and erotica.
Here are a few enemies to lovers recs, courtesy of Rioter Julia.
Around the Web in Romance
This tweet gave me life and laughter this weekend.
I really need someone to write this type of Sapphic love story.
If you’re looking for some K-drama and romance novel pairings, you’re in luck with this list.
Therese Beharrie did the cover reveal for her upcoming 20th title, which is also her last one with Harlequin Romance.
Speaking of covers, check out this reissue of Sarah MacLean’s Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.
Here’s BookPages Top Romances of 2021.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Recommendations
My goal for my weekly recommendations this month were that they be based on either the holiday that was being observed that week or the upcoming one. Starting off with Hanukkah last week gave me a feeling of confidence that kept me on a high until I realized this week is an outlier. And by that I mean that while I know that there are holidays being observed right now/soon, such as Las Posadas, there are not a lot of romances written around them. So I was left not being sure what to write about.
Until I remembered that, as mentioned in an earlier newsletter, we are in “Best Of” season and everyone is putting their two shiny pennies into what they felt was the best romance of the year. Which got my brain to pondering: what were some of the romances that I really enjoyed this year that I felt went just under the radar? While they were announced and acknowledged, they didn’t get as much publicity as some others. My hope is that this will draw more eyes to them so that they can be picked up and enjoyed.
Without further delay, here are some of the best underrated romances that I read this year.
Love, Comment, Subscribe by Cathy Yardley
I’m starting with the one that I most recently read. Lily and Tobin were childhood and school age frenemies, part of a group fondly called ‘The Nerd Herd’. As children they butted heads, but as adults both settled into the role of being an influence, albeit for different things. When waning subscribers and virtual videos present the opportunity to collaborate, both are hesitant to do so because their channels are so different. However, the chemistry they have (which we all know is really attraction) is undeniable so they go forward with the plan and of course romance ensues. The banter here is hilarious and I love the way their relationship develops from frenemies to friends to lovers. An enjoyable read all around.
For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes
April is a trans woman who is well known in the kink community of Austin, helping folks to move into that world and on to their own happily ever after. She has gotten use to being just a stopover; that is, until she meets Dennis, a recent transplant from Seattle. What starts as an arrangement for ‘just one night’ moves into more and over the coming months we see Dennis and April learn more about each other and themselves to find their own happily ever after. I really enjoyed this book and, as someone with almost no experience in that community I also felt it was a good introduction to the world without being too overwhelming. This book didn’t get nearly as much love as it should have when it was released.
How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton
Kate is an event planner tasked with planning an event for horror writer Drake’s upcoming book launch. While she has focused on weddings in the past, she knows that she is up for the task. And even if Drake takes some convincing initially, he eventually comes on board. As they work together to plan the best event, they get to know a little more about one another and realize that maybe they want to change the rules and roles that have been assigned to them and throw more than a few plot twists into the mix. This book combined love of romance and horror, with Drake being a horror writer, and had me laughing out loud more than once. A really sweet romance that is sure to delight.
And that is all I have for you today. I’ll be back on Monday with the latest romance news and new releases. If you’re not following me already on Twitter my handle is @Pscribe801. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see y’all soon!