Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, your guide to all things romance-related. Thanks for taking time from your day to give this a read! I hope this newsletter helps to brighten up your day just a little bit more.
Make this your most bookish summer yet with personalized reading recommendations from Tailored Book Recommendations! Our bibliologists (aka professional book nerds) are standing by to help you find your next favorite read. Get your recommendations via email, or opt to receive hardcovers or paperbacks delivered right to your door. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Get started today from just $18!
It’s good to see y’all again! If you had a long weekend I hope that you enjoyed it and that it was restful and recharging. Mine was fairly decent and yesterday was the last day of school, which means the Teenager is out for summer break. So, all in all, it’s going well over here.
Bookish Goods
Sit Down and Read Bookmark by KinsBins
Sometimes all you need is a little bit of a firm directive followed by some sweet encouragement to remind yourself to take time for your TBR. $10
New Releases
A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins
When an altercation occurs between exotic dancer Juleesa and music producer Cyn’s latest fling, the life-long besties begin to wonder if there is more between them than a platonic friendship. However, it’s not just years of friendship at risk here as Juleesa is also Cyn’s muse for her musical tracks, which puts their respective careers in jeopardy. This leaves them wondering if a chance at true love outweighs what could happen if it doesn’t work out and if they’re willing to take that risk.
The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan
When Molly inherits a struggling horse barn from an estranged aunt, she first views it as just another burden that she has to juggle. After seeing it, she changes her mind, thinking about how the profits from selling it could help her start her wedding event planning business. However, Shani, her aunt’s friend and the resident farrier, is determined to stop that from happening. As the two women butt heads over the future of the farm and land, feelings soon develop between them and have them wondering if there is a way for them to both get what they want as well as each other.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
If you’re following me over on Instagram, you may have seen when I shared this post from author Jenna Louise Skinner on a reporter from The Spectator and their ugly and fatphobic take on Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington.
I’m not linking to the article since you can see from that snippet there it doesn’t deserve any more traffic than it has already gotten. It screams of fatphobia as well as internalized misogyny and is a disgusting take in 2024. As I’ve stated multiple times, the discourse around Penelope and Colin’s story is whether or not the latter was deserving of the former and not the other way around.
In response to that, I’m going to highlight some books that celebrate plus-sized bodies and show that big girls are deserving of love too. Also, note you can pick up any of the aforementioned author’s books as well and should because they’re awesome.
The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert
After Cherry is caught in a compromising position with Prince Ruben, the latter quickly puts together a fake engagement scheme to help save his reputation. While Cherry is none too pleased with being backed into a corner, she agrees to go along with the charade. When she finds out that his alleged fairy tale life is less than rosy, she becomes determined to help him find happiness in any way she can and soon falls in love with the tragic prince.
Knit, Purl, a Baby, and a Girl by Hettie Bell
After ending up with a positive pregnancy test, Poppy decides that, even though this was not in her plans, she is going to keep the baby. She joins a knitting group to get a feeling of community she is missing from her own family and to start making baby clothes. At her first meeting, there is an instant spark between her and the group leader Rhiannon. However, Rhiannon doesn’t consider herself a family woman and Poppy has a baby on the way. Soon, the two will have to decide if theirs is a fling or if there is a happily ever after in their future.
The Wake Country Public Library will be hosting a Zoom webinar showcasing and celebrating some popular LGBTQIA+ authors and stories. If interested, you can sign up here.
If you’re looking for a book—or two—to pack in your summer beach bag, check out this list!
And that’s all I have for y’all today. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday with a fresh newsletter and in the meantime you can always catch up with my over on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!