I don’t even know where to start today, y’all.
The world still sucks, and we still have romance. I had this whole section written about the NYT article that came out last week and some awesome people’s responses to it, but I’d rather just skip to the happy parts. You want my opinions on the other stuff, hit me up. Let’s look at the good stuff in romancelandia.
Sponsored by Amazon Publishing
Anything But Love by Abigail Strom
Socialite Jessica Bullock can’t catch a break. After a lifetime of chasing perfection, hoping to please her parents, all her hard work is set to pay off. But on her wedding day, her fiancé leaves her high and dry. Humiliated, she finds her calm, cool facade beginning to crumble…until an unexpected wedding guest, her childhood best friend and crush, offers to help her pick up the pieces.
Some authors got together to do something for disaster relief. Will you donate?
Jezebel interviewed Alisha Rai and she has some bitching things to say.
We’ve got a Romance Resistance going on. And there are so many books on this list that I haven’t managed to read yet. Why are there so many books?!
Want to lift someone up? Support this start-up publisher of inclusive speculative fiction and romance. They’re gonna go places, if we can help them reach their goal!
This is romance adjacent, but I know we’ll all love watching Idris Elba read erotic fanfiction about himself. Oh my.
In adaptation news, Passionflix is chugging along with original projects, including The Trouble With Mistletoe, and their most recent addition to their streaming collection is Somewhere in Time. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. (I’ll admit I haven’t read the Matheson, though it’s been on my list for years. I imagine it’s just as good but does it have Superman and Dr. Quinn? NO. It does not.)
Have you tried out this Jane Austen game? I don’t know how I feel about it.
How about this podcast? I feel like romance readers would enjoy it. It sounds fun!
Okay, enough links. DEALS!
Hot Cop
by Laurelin Paige is 1.20 right now.
And you can get Rochelle Alers’ The Inheritance for 2.99.
And hey, it’s hockey season! Get in the mood with Changing Lines.
Mariana Zapata’s Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is 1.99, too, if you’d rather have rock stars in your life.
Over on Book Riot:
I know I said I wasn’t gonna talk about the article but Amanda.
Erin loves Chesapeake Shoresfor people who love it just as much. And she’s got some book recs .
I was wandering through a nice, long list of time-travel romance and noticed there are very few with black leads. I knew exactly why.
It’s a bit of old news now, but did you know Google Search will now reveal if the ebook you’re looking for is available at your library? Unfortunately, it looks like it’s only for libraries that have OverDrive, but it’s still handy!
Okay, now, a couple recs.
The Duchess Deal
Tessa Dare
This book. This book just made me so happy from start to finish. Even during the part I was vocally exclaiming about punching Ash in the face, I was still enjoying the crap out of myself. Let’s go with the opening scene between our hero and heroine: Khan, the Duke of Ashbury’s loyal, long-suffering, droll butler, informs him there’s a woman at the door wearing a wedding dress. Ash thinks that’s just perfect, as he’s just written the words “I need a wife” in a letter to his solicitors. So when the woman who arrives is a seamstress asking to be paid for her labor after the woman with whom he just broke off an engagement never picked it up, Ash leaps on the case. He can pay her…or she can marry him.
With a hook like that, can you see where I was just thrilled? Close proximity, getting to know each other, sex in the library—it’s like Beauty and the Beast but without the whole forced imprisonment thing. Though the concept of marriage of convenience as its own type of long-term jailing is briefly touched upon. And I’m going to tell you: you’re going to be in love with Khan by the end. I know Tessa is working hard to get this series going, but I would not cry if she decided “hey, I think I’ll write a Girl Meets Duke 1.5 novella all about Khan.” (hint hint nudge nudge)
Take the Lead
Alexis Daria
THIS BOOK, y’all. I have no idea why I was crying at the end of this book. Well, actually, I do. It was an emotional rollercoaster and the feeling and the dancing and the resolution and even the acknowledgements got me all in my feelings. I felt very fragile and vulnerable and couldn’t pick up another book for several days.
So what’s it about? Gina is a professional dancer on The Dance Off, and we meet her as she’s headed to Alaska with a camera crew to meet her new celebrity partner. He’s a giant, lumbering, gorgeous wild man whose family has a reality tv show about living in the bush, off the grid. Think Ryan Hurst in Outsiders, but a little better groomed. And with way fewer issues. If you’ve seen Dancing With the Stars, you know the process: dance competition, eliminations, behind the scenes rehearsal footage. Apparently showmances are also a thing on competition shows, and the producers want it to look like Gina and Stone (yes, that’s his real name) are it for the season. Gina doesn’t want to fake a romance, since it never goes well for the woman involved, but their chemistry has other ideas. This is Alexis Daria’s debut novel and boy…I can’t wait for more from her. The feelings just jump off the page; the dance scenes are vivid. This is definitely going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…between Alexis and my wallet.
And if you’re looking for romance by Latinx authors, here are seven more!
That’s it for recs this week, but hey how about some new and upcoming Releases!
His Perfect Partner
, Priscilla Oliveras
Drop Dead Gorgeous, Juliet Lyons
To Love a Scandalous Duke, Liana De La Rosa
An Unsuitable Heir, KJ Charles
Her Dream Come True, Jamie Wesley
The Love Experiment, Ainslie Paton
One Summer Night, Caridad Piniero
Sightlines, Santino Hassell (October 9)
Hooked, Cathy Yardley (October 10)
Hamilton’s Battalion, Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole (October 17)
Crazy in Love, Crystal B Bright
Not to mention it’s getting to be that time: all the winter holiday books are coming out! Maybe we’ll have a look at a couple soon. I’m gonna try to read The Trouble With Mistletoe before the Passionflix release, but otherwise, I’ll wait until after Halloween to start thinking about holly and snow.
That’s probably enough for now, huh? In the meantime, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!