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Hello again romance readers. I’m PN Hinton, your companion for the world of romance. If you’re new to the Kissing Books newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again.
I had a great weekend! It was warm enough Saturday to go swimming at my cousin’s apartment, which the teenager loved. Since it’s still early May it’s not quite hot as hell yet so there was a bit of a breeze. We spent a couple of hours out there and ended up calling it when he couldn’t stop shivering. On Sunday, my mother-in-law took me to see In the Heights with premiere tickets she had won.
And Readers, it was amazing. I saw the stage version years ago and loved it. I’m a huge fan of musical theatre and they did a good job adapting it to the screen. The choreography was phenomenal all around, especially for “96,000” where a good amount of it took place in a pool. There were some seeming unnecessary story changes, but nothing took away from the overall enjoyment or message of the movie.
TLDR; I recommend seeing or streaming it when it becomes available.
I also did make it to the wine bar. Happiness all around.
Around the Web in Romance
Don’t forget to enter here for a chance to win a free iPad mini!
Oh wow, estranged friends to lovers? Sign me up for this catnip.
Read about one romance lover’s joy over The Soulmate Equation. Even though it’s on my own TBR, I understand the concern over the book. But sometimes reading someone else’s perspective can add a different layer to things.
From the World of Romance
Recently there has been conversation floating in the Twitter-sphere about how not difficult it is to write a romance. Now, this mindset isn’t anything new; but it’s still tiresome to hear. Romance has always been ridiculed as being trash and its critics consistently and constantly strive to undermine the genre. So, allow me be perfectly frank.
Writing is hard.
Writing on a consistent basis is hard. I don’t care what genre you’re writing in or where it’s published. It’s hard. I went to school specifically for writing and it’s still hard. I love writing this newsletter and am grateful for it. But it’s still a challenge to come up with ideas on what to write about on a bi-weekly basis.
Authors have to write even more than that and and consistently come up with new ideas. Now, critics may scoff that it’s easy or that “It’s their job.” But, is your job always easy? Do you like it when people sneer that “it’s your job?” Or are there some days where it’s a challenge, even if you love it? Authors have these days too too; and then they have to deal with the added sting of people belittling their work by saying that it doesn’t take any effort or talent to do what they do.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what genre someone writes in; they’re still people who work hard at what they do. Just because you don’t like a specific genre doesn’t make it any less. And that is another thing; it’s people who don’t even read the genre who are undermining both its authors and readers.
That would be like me saying that, since I don’t enjoy fantasy, that all those writers are hacks. Someone could rightfully clap back and say, “Well you don’t read anything in that genre, so how would you know?”
Recommendations
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. So, I wanted to take a moment to uplift some of those voices in the romance genre. Of course, I’m a big proponent of reading diversely all year around, no matter what genre you read. And it is something that I still strive to do on a regular basis. But, as with previous months, I also want to acknowledge the importance of these voices in Romancelandia.
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee
Aubrey’s life gets turned upside down when a cake mix-up leads to a harsh review from a food critic who turns out to be a past one-night stand. She is left scrambling to save her business begrudgingly with help from aforementioned food critic, Landon. Will Aubrey be able to ignore her hormones and heart and listen to her head to help her get back to the business she loves. Or will the temptation be too much to bear?
Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai
Jackson has returned home after 10 long years after being cleared of a crime he didn’t commit. He returns to help Sadia, his brother’s widow, with the café she has inherited. When the unspoken attraction between them can no longer be denied, it ignites a steamy affair. But will they be able to let go of their complicated past for the hope of a bright future?
Ice Cream Lover by Jackie Lau
Drew has sworn off ice cream ever since his fiancée left him at the altar and bad-mouthed him in her bestseller. However, he is still forced into the Ginger Scoops ice cream parlor and into the path of owner Chloe. Will Drew allow himself a second chance at love for both a woman and ice cream, or let his past cloud his future?
Of course, there are many more options out there for you to pursue. Even though all these authors are delightful, don’t limit yourself in any capacity.
And that’s all she wrote for now. If you wanted snippets of me between the editions, then give me a follow at Twitter under @PScrie801. Until next time.