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.
I had a great time with one of my best gal pals at the Spooky Soirée last week! There were a lot of fantastic costumes; I got to paint a skull and walked away with Eternally Yours after “Speed Dating With a Book.” All in all, it was a great way to celebrate Friday the 13th.
It’s fall y’all and this season is the extra perfect time of the year to cozy up with an engaging book or two. Sometimes though, it can be hard to pick what to read next, and that is where TBR comes in. No matter what your preferred genre is, TBR’s Bibliologists, also known as Bibs, work to find the perfect ones for you to add to your book pile. Sign up here to pick your preferred plan and wait for the recommendations to roll in!
Bookish Goods
Black Girl Reading by ChocolatesStickers
Everything about this sticker screams Black Girl Joy to me and I love it all. The natural hair, the open book, the enigmatic smile. *chef’s kiss* A perfect addiction to anything that you can put a sticker on. $3
New Releases
The Secrets Inside Rose Manor by Latrell R. Morris
Home Care Nurse Rae works for the Rose family in England, taking care of their matriarch, Lydia. She enjoys her time with her patient and the fact that her son William is easy on the eyes is an added bonus. As the heir to the family business, William feels the unspoken pressure to settle down with a family to ensure it continues to be successful. The two are very attracted to each other, but there is a family secret that could threaten this happily ever after before it has a chance to start.
It’s a Fabulous Life by Kelly Farmer
When the new coordinator for the Winter Wonderfest has a medical emergency, Bailey is asked to put her vacation on hold to take up her old role. At first, it doesn’t seem like it will be too much of a hardship, especially when Bailey’s crush, Maria, returns. But disaster after disaster soon finds Bailey on the town bridge, wishing she hadn’t been born in Lanford Falls. Then she meets Clara Angel, a magical drag queen who, aided by some holiday magic, proceeds to show Bailey just how important she is to her hometown. Y’all, I’m on pins and needles waiting for my copy of this to arrive in the mail!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
As mentioned, earlier, my book pick from Bookish Speed Dating was a YA anthology. In fact, a good number of books on my TBR list this month just happen to be anthologies. I just finished and adored A Night of Screams and loved all the stories included there; I highly recommend.
Anthologies can be hit or miss for readers, myself included. It’s very rare to find one where you enjoy all the included stories. They can still be very enjoyable reads, though, especially if you’re short on time and would like to get one or two quick stories in.
With that in mind, today’s recommendations are anthologies/short story collections and yes—they have a paranormal spin to them for spooky season.
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding edited by P.N. Elrod
Weddings can be stressful enough with ‘mundane people’, let alone with the addition of supernatural creatures. Enjoy this collection of stories from some of the most well-known authors in the paranormal subgenre and their own unique take on how nuptials can go right or wrong.
Burning Up by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra, and Meljean Brook
In this collection of four novellas, we are introduced to a vampire warrior who is taking on demonic predators, get to visit Singh’s Psy-Changeling world, meet a solider who finds himself intrigued by his mysterious rescuer, and enter a steampunk world where a woman strikes a possibly terrifying bargain to get passage overseas.
Nora Roberts’ birthday was October 10th! Here are some book recs to help celebrate one of the most well-known and beloved names in Romancelandaia.
If you’re looking for some romances with sci-fi vibes, this last has you covered.
And that is all I have for y’all this week. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday with another edition and in the meantime you can find me still floating around on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated.