Greetings and salutations! Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, here to give you the rundown on the world of romance, including new releases, recommendations, and other entertaining ways to pass your time.
Well we’ve almost made it through another work week y’all and I am happy for the upcoming weekend. Last week my family and I were involved in a car accident that ended up totaling my car. We’re all fine for the most part since the side airbags did their job for my spouse and the Teenager. Now we’re just trying to adjust to being a one-car family for the moment until a new car is procured, which is as fun as it sounds like.
Have you signed up for The Deep Dive yet? This literary publication features writing from Book Riot’s Editorial Staff, and is perfect for both casual and power readers alike. And now is the perfect time to join, since for all of September, brand-new free subscribers will be entered to win a copy of Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler as well as five mystery books. Click here to sign up at no cost and be entered to win.
Bookish Goods
Smut Reader Candle by BriarWick
The temperatures are (hopefully) dropping which means it’s the perfect time for burning a candle and reading. And this one is perfect for curling up on your favorite chair or spot on the couch with the beverage of your choice. Prices are $6.50 for a 2-oz wax melt, $11.50 for a 4-oz metal tin candle, and $22.00 for an 8-oz glass jar candle.
New Releases
Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz
When childhood friends turned enemies Daniel and Liyah end up next to each other on a plane 14 years after their friendship ended, the brief reunion proves that time does not in fact heal all wounds. Soon after, they discover that his marketing firm has been hired by the museum she works at for an upcoming project that they now must work together on. The more time they spend together, the more they talk about what originally lead to their fall out and slowly begin to fall back into a comfortable friendship and, as time passes, into love.
Her Lumberjack Bear Mate by Arizona Tape
When Ella’s latest client at a high-end furniture shop demands she personally pick out the wood for their next purchase, she reluctantly heads to the forest near Bearton to do so. There she employs the skill of Darcy, a local lumberjack, to help find the perfect tree. The two women are complete opposites which makes for some tension-filled meetings. But their encounters also leave them wondering if there is something else simmering under the surface that could be a contributing factor.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
One trope I don’t think I’ve ever recommended here is best friend’s sibling. And this isn’t for any specific reason other than it never occurred to me, likely because I don’t think I ever had a crush on any of my sibling’s friends. There was a 16-year age gap between my brother and me so by the time that I was the age to get crushes, he was out of the house. And my sister’s friends weren’t exactly my cup of tea romantic-wise. Fun guys to hang out with occasionally, but not my type.
I know that it is a huge trope in the romance world and while some of the books that I’ve recommended have had that trope, I’ve never specified it as one. Well that changes today and below you’ll find a couple of books that fit the bill for it.
Being Hospitable by Meka James
When Kiki let her best friend’s sister, Charley, stay with her, she was expecting her solitude to be only slightly disrupted. What she wasn’t expecting was that Charley had become such a flirt and that she would be tempted to respond in kind. For her part, Charley is determined to get Kiki to see her as a sexy grown woman and puts all her energy into showing her how good they could be together.
Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
Despite what the older women in her family think, Honoria is under no illusions about the lack of her musical talent. However, she also knows the only way out of the family quartet is to get married which she is determined to do. And, due to a promise that Marcus made to her brother, who is his best friend, he finds himself joining her in this endeavor. This is all made even more difficult by the very true if unspoken fact that the two are slowly falling in love with one another.
If you’re looking for more Black romance, this list is perfect for you.
You could also try these second-chance romances.
And that’s all I have for y’all today. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday with another romance round-up and in the meantime you can still find me over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then happy reading and stay hydrated.