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.
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Happy Summmerween! This is the annual combination celebration of summer and Halloween. This word first entered my vernacular a couple of years ago when I was marathoning Gravity Falls with my son. It is something that is also fairly popular in BookTube since there are a handful of related reading challenges going on this month. Either way, it’s a fun holiday and we all definitely could use a lot more of that in our lives, especially at this particular moment.
Before we dive further, this is too important to not give a shout-out. This year marks 30 years since Beverly Jenkins made her debut and published Night Song. Congratulations Ms. Bev!
Bookish Goods
Spooky Romance Sticker by FatedFiction
This sticker is the perfect way to kick off Summerween. Plus, it’s sparkly, and who doesn’t like to sparkle every now and again? $4.00
New Releases
The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
After Marcela’s best friend and long-time crush gets engaged to another woman, she resolves to do everything to keep his happily ever after safe. Her first act is preventing his older brother Theo from confessing his love for his soon-to-be sister-in-law at the engagement party, and getting him to sleep off his drunken state at her place. When they show up together the next day, everyone incorrectly assumes they hooked up. Needing a cover for both of their feelings of unrequited love, they roll with it. But, when a shared hidden attraction rises to the surface, they soon find themselves exploring it together and wondering if this rebound is the real thing.
A Wallflower Never Surrenders by Courtney McCaskill
After Eleanor’s eccentric father sells the family home, she focuses on securing a new house for her three younger sisters and herself. While an invitation to the Countess of Millthrope’s house party will see them housed for two weeks, it is still a temporary solution. When the youngest sister, Pippa, catches the eye of Felix, younger brother of Jasper, the Duke of Norwood, this appears to be the change in luck their family needs. However, Jasper believes Pippa is a fortune hunter and vows to stop the match. What he didn’t expect was that Eleanor would be equally determined to see it through, or that he would soon begin to look at the eldest sister as an option for his wife.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
I mentioned last send that the recommendations this month would be primarily divided between Summerween and Christmas In July themes. As such, today’s theme is vampires. No matter what other types of monsters, cryptids, or other supernatural sweeties we may read about, I’m betting most of us have a special place in our reading hearts for those particular creatures of the night.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
From childhood, Néstor has always loved Nena, the daughter of the ranch owner where his family stays. When an innocent night out leads to violence, Nestor erroneously believes Nena has died and runs away in fear and shame. Years later, their paths cross again with Nena working as a curandera to prove her worth to her father and avoid being married off. But with Nena believing that Néstor had abandoned her all those years ago, their reunion is anything but sweet. Soon, they discover that they will have to put aside their differences to fight not only the colonizers encroaching on their territory but also the unknown creatures that drain the blood out of their victims before leaving them for dead. Only then will they be able to resolve the issues from their past and look toward a possible future together.
Time Without End by Linda Lael Miller
Known as an enigmatic master of illusion with a successful magic show in Vegas, the vampire Valerian seems to have it all. However, beneath his external facade, he’s brokenhearted, having lost his one true love back when he was turned. And even though they’ve always united whenever she gets reincarnated, her violent death at the hands of an unknown enemy always parts them. When Valerian is found to be a person of interest in a series of murders and is approached by homicide detective Daisy, he is shocked to discover Brenna’s current form. He vows to help the detective solve the case and ensure that they will not be tragically parted this time.
While not every witchy book listed here is a romance, enough are for it to merit a call out.
Pick your favorite rom-com and get your go-to coffee order.
And that’s all she wrote for today. If you’re ever interested in what I do between the sends, you can always give me a follow over on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated!