Author: P.N. Hinton

Romance Writers are Not Desperate

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date September 17, 2021

Cover Reveal:

I’m very excited to reveal Amy Lea’s, the Bookstagrammer behind the account amyleabooks, upcoming debut novel Set On You. The synopsis is as follows:

Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym—her place of power and positivity.

Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents’ engagement party.

In the lead up to their grandparents’ wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, she just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.

I don’t know about y’all but I’m very excited to read this one!

Romance Reflection:

There were a few threads going on in the Romance world about whether or not romance writers write romance because they’re “desperate” to have someone regularly say things like “I love you” or “You’re perfect”. As with any statement like that, there was division. But, it stayed civil for the most part, or at least it did from what I saw.

That said, I think the real enemy here is the people who perpetuate the myth that romance writers write romances because they’re “desperate, lonely” individuals who need and want to hear these things everyday as a way to validate them. That is a whole lot of malarkey along with every other single misconception about romance. This stereotype of the romance writer was imposed on the genre but outsiders and outliers and I rebuke it in the name of Romancelandia!

Seriously though. Stop hating. That type of behavior is dependent on the writer and honestly the character. If you have a character whose love language are Words of Affirmation, then yes their love interest is going to make it a point to say that to them. And people who share that Love Language will appreciate it. But if their Love Language, as decided by the author and their creator is Time Spent, then you’ll find a lot more instances of being together outside of sexy times. Personally, I love Parallel Play (generally recognized to be one of the neurodivergent love languages) because you’re still spending time together.

Ultimately it isn’t always a case of a author projecting what they want/ need, and may or may not be getting. It just fits the story and the characters. And that should be taken at face value.

Book Riot Romance:

Here are some of the best manhwa for all romance reader types, courtesy of Silviana.

And CJ has a round-up of some of the best 2021 rom-coms.

Around the Web in Romance:

Jodie Slaughter’s new cover reveal had me at ‘bingo-based sex pact’.

Goodreads interviewed the authors behind three of this season’s swooniest reads.

We got to watch another round of “[Insert Word Here] as romance novel covers”, this time with outfits from the Met Gala.

Another round-up of some anticipated romance reads coming this fall.

New Releases & Deals:

Here are some of the new releases hitting shelves near you this week.

Mechanics of Love by Meka James

When Sparks Fly by Helen Hunting

Kiss and Don’t Tell by Meghan Quinn

The God’s Wife by Lena Austin

Falling for the Underdog by Casey Griffin

The Jock Script byLane Hayes

And here are some of the deals that I found perusing the web. Please note, as always, these were the displayed prices as of the writing of this newsletter.

Summer Heat Anthology is currently $0.99 and will be until the 27th. After that, it will no longer be available at all. So be sure to snag it while you still can.

That Perfect Someone by Johanna Lindsey is showing for $1.99.

Feinted Love by Elle Keaton is currently $0.99

Head to Head by Eli Easton is showing as priced at $2.49

A Taste of Her Own Medicine by Tasha L. Harrison is $0.99

Alec Mackenzie’s Art of Seduction by Jennifer Ashley is $0.99

And that’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back Thursday and in the meantime you can catch up with me on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then!

Kissing Books

Romance is for Everyone

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date September 15, 2021

Sponsored by Love, Radish Fiction: Bite-sized romance you’ll crave.

“I’m Emily Valdez. 24-year-old hired surrogate to Colton Collins—the enigmatic bachelor of the famous Collins family. He’s protective – maybe overprotective – and has high expectations for the woman carrying his child. I said I could handle it. I had no idea what I was getting into.”

Romance News

In “why the hell is this still a thing” news, apparently there was an entire thread on whether or not there should be ace rep in romance novels. In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. The author of the original tweets got pretty vile in the defense of their ignorant stance. And then, surprise surprise, their account was locked down. You can read about the great train wreck in the thread I linked to as well as a great rebuttal on it.

I’ve said it before recently and I’ll say it again; sex does not a relationship make. And, honestly, it shouldn’t be the foundation of any relationship. Is sexual chemistry important? Of course; but it shouldn’t be the only thing there. Is it something that both partners need to be on the same page for? Also yes. But that’s the one of the things you talk about before you enter into a relationship. And you may have to repeat it at various points in your lives together. And again that’s okay. Communication is important no matter what, because that is also what makes a good relationship.

But, let’s not try to shut out our ace and/or allo brethren because that’s just wrong.

Around the Web in Romance

Are you a huge fan of New Adult and LGBTQ romances? Then check out this list of recommendations!

If you prefer your romances on the steamy side, here’s a round-up of reads for you.

Exciting news for Audible and KJ Charles fans!

If you’re looking for some more fairy tale-inspired romances, take a peek at these recommendations from Avon author Charis Michaels.

Recommendations

I’ve mentioned before that my reading habits as of late have been weird. It’s not a slump because I’m still reading. But, for the first time in a couple of years, I’m having trouble following through with books. Part of this is likely attributed to my inability to just have one on my currently reading shelf.

As I mentioned in one of my latest Book Riot articles, I have a lot to read right now, so I feel I have to make a concentrated effort to get through the pile. When you factor in my day job, all the writing I do for Book Riot, and now being a TBR Bibliologist, there’s a lot clamoring for my time. Which is fine because it’s all stuff I love doing.

All that said, there are some days where, after work, I’d rather scroll on TikTok, play mobile games, or watch TV. However, there’s something else I enjoy doing and that’s reading WebToons. I’m still reading, but they’re in short spurts. Do I sometimes marathon multiple episodes in a row and then strongly consider buying coins to Fast Pass? Yes. But, just as often, I’m okay waiting because I also like the antici….pation. (cue Tim Curry Frank-N-Furter gif)

Whether you’re in my same boat reading wise, a lover of WebToons, new to the idea or some wonderful cocktail of all three, I’m going to be doing WebToon recommendations this week. I’ve written about it before for the Book Riot site but it’s still something new for the newsletter. So, I hope that you enjoy this change of pace for this week.

Brimstone & Roses by Mei Rothschild

In order to avoid looking like the sad singleton at her sister’s wedding, Bea summons demon Laz to avoid going solo. Which, yes, is a bit extreme. However, she didn’t read the contract very carefully (always read the fine print my friends) and he is there to stay. I had to boost this one again, especially since Bea, the heroine, is bisexual. Yeah representation! I love everything about this comic. How relatable Bea is with all her insecurities, the little snippets we’ve seen so far of Laz. The chemistry between them is amazing as are the little ways they show each other they care. Because you know, that type of slow build up can be amazing.

Let’s Play by Leanne M. Krecic

Sam is a young would-be game designer who has recently put her first game on an independent gaming website to get her name out there. She’s overjoyed when popular gamer streamer Marshall Law reviews it…only to have him ruthlessly decimate it. To add insult to injury, he ends up moving into the apartment right next to hers. And from there, all kinds of shenanigans occur. What I love about this one is that I honestly have no idea what the couple endgames are. And yes, I said that in the plural form because there are a lot. One warning with this; don’t get attached to any one particular ship.

Warning Label by Thomas F. Zahler

Years ago Danielle was cursed by an ex-boyfriend. Now anytime someone hits on her, they get a literal warning label that details all her flaws and faults; at least by his standard. When Jeff meets her in a bar, he isn’t deterred by this and is determined to help her break the curse and maybe find love along the way. This is an adorable, and completed, web series about learning to accept all the things about the person you love. Because after all, no one is perfect.

And that’s it for today! I’ll be back Monday with the latest in the world of romance, new releases ,and deals. Until then you can always give me a follow over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until we meet again.

Kissing Books

Sapphic September and Bisexual Awareness Month

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date September 10, 2021

Book Riot Romance

Here are a couple of articles from the Book Riot Vault. Please note that these lists may not exclusively be romance.

Up first, we have this one for some of the best Sapphic Books circa 2019.

And then there is this list of books to read in honor of Bi Visibility Day, which is celebrated on September 23rd.

While not romance specific, we have this super awesome giveaway going to win a QWERKY keyboard. It looks and sounds like a typewriter keyboard! If nothing else, enter for me so I can live vicariously through your clacking sounds.

Around the Web in Romance

Another trope I didn’t know I love until it was called out is literally crashing into someone. That definitely makes for an interesting ‘meet cute’ story!

I mean, is this the beginning for some type of awesome romance or what?

I saw this and have to say that I agree with the sentiment to some degree. There’s something to be said about making out and I mean just that. Not foreplay. Not dry humping. Just making out like you used to in seven minutes of heaven if you played that in high school. And hand holding is just sweet, especially in the car or just sitting there watching a movie. Don’t get me wrong I like sex in my novels; but I also enjoy this as well.

New Releases and Deals

Here are some of the new releases headed to our shelves this week!

Not Over You by Jodi Payne

A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Dom Identity by Lexie Blake

Beginner’s Bet by Fiona Riley

Gone But Not Forgotten by Charlie Cochet

Sucker for Love by Jade Jones

And here are some of the deals that I found while perusing the web. As always, bear in mind that these were the prices as of the writing of this newsletter.

cover of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar

The whole Reformed Rakes Box Set by Amy Sandas for just $0.99!

Geek Tattoo by R. Cayden for $1.99

Lean on Me by Pat Simmons is $1.99

Solid Soul by Brenda Jackson is $1.99

Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau is $0.99

The Superheroes Union: Dynama by Ruth Diaz is $1.99

The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar by Seana Kelly is $0.99

And that’s all I have for you today. I hope this newsletter either helped to start your Monday off on the right foot, provide good lunch time reading, or was a great way to wind down. I’ll see y’all Thursday. As always, you can catch up with me on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until we meet again!

Kissing Books

Right Does Not Mean Easy

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date September 8, 2021

Romance News

I know it has been over a full week since it happened, but I feel I need to comment on the situation with R.M. Virtues and Violet Gaze Press. Virtues tweeted this out with regards to VGP’s then upcoming monster love anthology. I normally don’t push so hard for reading threads, but here I will because it is essentially a full blow-by-blow. Essentially, VGP had been working on the Monster Love Anthology with Virtues but, in the final hour, they tried to push Virtues out. When Virtues called them out on this behavior, everything exploded. After a lot of truly unnecessary back and forth, VPG did apologize and announce they were canceling the Monster Love anthology series entirely. Bluntly put though, this was handled poorly. And there may be no coming back from this for them.

The way this went down was heartbreaking to see, especially in light of how Romance Twitter, myself included, rallied around the publishing house when they went through their issues with Amazon. After seeing how VGP handled this, a number of established and emerging authors left the publishing company. Many romance authors rallied around Virtues for his bravery in calling out this behavior. But some who were upset about the anthology’s cancellation attacked him.

And I say shame on those authors. It was VGP’s choice to stop the anthology. I understand that a lot of authors were affected by this decision and am not unsympathetic to them. But it was the right call. And as adults, we know that the right call isn’t always the easiest one. Don’t let your reaction to this situation, which is really just a bump in the road, be the reason you can’t find another agent or publishing house. Because if you don’t think that throwing a tantrum in a public space like Twitter can come back to haunt you, then you haven’t been paying attention to the double-edged sword of social media.

Around the Web in Romance

Do romance novels really ruin relationships? The answer is no. But if you want a more in-depth and succinct reply to that question, check out Nikki’s take on the matter

I am all for young love because there is something inherently sweet about it. That said, if you’re looking for more mature love, then this list has got a few good books for you.

Here are some anticipated upcoming M/M romances for September.

If you’re like me and you book on a budget (or at least try to), exciting news: a good number of Katrina Jackson novels are now available on Hoopla!

Recommendations

As much as it may pain me to say, especially after rallying around them earlier this year, I believe that one of the contributing factors to the shadiness behind the scenes with VGP is the sense of false security in not thinking a Black indie author would clap back this hard. Since some indie authors don’t have the spoons or the support to make that type of call out, others may have disappeared into the woodwork. And that is wrong because it is a form of bullying and manipulation.

That leads me to the theme of my recommendations for today: books that appear to be either published by the author themselves or from a smaller publishing company. And I say “appear” because I am adding it if I looked it up on Goodreads and didn’t see a publishing house assigned to it.

Heartbeat Braves by Pamela Sanderson

Rayanne has big plans to revive the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center. These plans are shaken though when her boss’s nephew, Henry, arrives and in a not-so-subtle act of nepotism is given the reins to the project she has been working on. Despite this rocky beginning, the two decide to work together when a crisis threatens the future of the Center and when they do, they find they can no longer ignore the sparks flying between them. I read this book last year as part of the Indigathron 2020 challenge and found it very satisfying. I will give a heads up that, while this doesn’t have a cliffhanger itself, the strings for the other books in the series are dangled, so not everything is resolved. It is also more of a fade to black in terms of the scenes, for anyone who appreciates those types of disclaimers.

A Simple Case of Seduction by Adele Clee

Ever since shr turned down his proposal, Daniel has made it a point to avoid the widowed Daphne. However, when their paths cross again in their vocation as enquiry agents, they find themselves working in close quarters. When they are thrown together to try to stop Daphne’s stalker before it becomes fatal, they find themselves unable to ignore the attraction that had always been there.

How to Be Good by Chace Verity

Rian is a late-night show host who will do almost anything for ratings. In one of his stunts which finds him wearing spandex and a fake mullet, he runs into school teacher Darrell, someone who is content to live well outside the public’s view. Can the two men make it work together despite their drastic differences, especially when a career opportunity presents itself to Rian?

And that’s it for this week. I’ll be back next Monday with the latest from the world of romance for you. Until then, feel free to give me a follow on Twitter at @Pscribe801. See y’all next week!

Kissing Books

More Witchy Romances, Please

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date September 1, 2021

Book Riot Romance

Enemies to lovers and LGBTQ romances? Yes please!

If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover, here is a list of books in that similar vein.

And if you like fake dating with a little extra kick, here is a list of fake fling romances to choose from.

Around the Web in Romance

It’s since passed, but the #TransBook365 was circulating on Twitter on August 30th, designed to uplift trans authors. If you follow the hashtag now, you’re sure to find a lot of good books (and not just romances) to read.

Did you want a pairing of 2021 romance novels as cocktails? If so, you’re in luck.

This art commission, done by the talented Maxx Fergus, for Marie Lipscomb’s Santa Claus Is Going To Town On Me is delightful.

Part of me hates to keep beating this dead horse, but another part recognizes that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Either way, this article is a really good take on why the controversy surrounding the RWA and ‘that’ book was such a big deal.

Here is a a ranking of the Bridgerton novels in terms of sexiness. And honestly? It’s spot on. Sorry Simon and Daphne super-fans; the book was not as sexy as the series. But the clinch still sizzles. I’m glad to see my sweet Anthony got second place because that is still hands down the most hilarious compromising scene I have read in a romance novel. But I totally agree that Francesca’s book is, by far, the sexiest of the eight. I mean it’s called When He Was Wicked, so what did you expect?

There’s still time to bid on auctions to go towards helping Haiti recover from the recent earthquake! I loved seeing the news that, not even two hours in, they were almost a their first stretch goal. Again, I’m always proud of how Romancelandia comes together when it really matters!

Recommendations

So, the cover reveal of The Book Boyfriend really has me excited for this witchy romance. I’m sure just as many of us wanted to have the ability to use magic growing up. From Samantha from Bewitched to Buffy’s Willow, a woman who knows how to wield magic has always had a huge draw. I would wager most girls played pretend at being witches at one point growing up. And it makes sense. Historically, women haven’t had a lot of power. We all know that the reason most ‘witches’ were killed wasn’t because they had magical powers; it was because they refused to fit societal norms. It’s something that is even prevalent now in our day and time.

As much as we’d like to think we’ve progressed so far, we really haven’t. Women are still having to fight for their deserved place at the table because, trust, we bring a lot to it. So, it makes sense that witches would also be prevalent characters. Which leads us to today’s recommendations for romances that feature a witch as the main character.

A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison

On the one year anniversary of her ex-husband leaving her (which also happens to be her birthday), her bakery receives an order to make a cake for his upcoming wedding. So, needless to say it’s not the best day for her. However, she also finds out that she comes from a long line of magical women and it’s time for her to inherit the power. This magic is displayed in her baking and everyone who tastes it is affected, including her attractive new neighbor. This is a cute sweet read and was one of the first I got on my Kindle way back when. If you find yourself enjoying it, there are four more in the series that can be picked up as well.

Breath of Magic by Teresa Medeiros

Between an overly powerful amulet and a broomstick that took a wrong turn somewhere, seventeenth-century witch Arian finds herself in modern times in front of billionaire Tristan, a non-believer in all things magic. That description alone makes this sound like an intriguing one to pick up.

Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks

Selene much prefers books to the judgemental people in her town who are determined to cast all the women in her family, including her grandmother Luna, as evil witches. Aiden is a paranormal investigator who ends up in the town of Brimrock and is determined to uncover the mystery behind Luna, With Selene equally as determined to keep her grandmother safe, the two cross paths and end up falling under each other’s spell.

And that’s all I have for you today. As next Monday is a holiday here in the US, there won’t be a newsletter then but I’ll be back Thursday with the latest in romance news. Until then, give me a follow at Twitter under @PScribe801. Until we meet again!

Kissing Books

Historical ‘Accuracies’

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 27, 2021

Romance Hot Takes

Apparently historical romances have been getting some pushback on historical inaccuracy and it’s a whole mood. Tessa said it perfectly here, but I wanted to chime in with my own two cents. Yes, I’m aware that historical romance isn’t always historically accurate. However, I’m pretty sure that not every forensics procedural show is accurate. I’m also fairly confident that if people in small towns were killed at the same rate and number size that they were in cozies, we would have more towns abandoned than we currently do because people would either stop moving there or move the hell away.

Critics really need to stop having expectations of the romance genre and realism that they don’t have for other genres .When people do that, their biasness is really showing. Also, stop saying there’s too much romance in romance. It’s a romance novel; it’s supposed to have romance even if it comes in varying degrees of sensuality.

And in closing, I will leave you with one reason as to why I’m okay with historical romances fudging accuracy every now and then. Syphilis. Safe sex wasn’t practiced nearly as often as it probably should have been in the past and people were more free with their love. So, there was a whole lot of syphilis in history. And no one wants to read about syphilis during sexy times.

As an aside, I also have side-eye for you if you say you’re writing a romance novel where they don’t end up together. That’s not a romance then; that’s a fiction novel. Again, as an example from another genre, it’s not a murder mystery if no one dies. Romances have HEA or at the very least HFNs. I’ve touched on this before but it’s a hill I’ll die on. No HEA or HFN? Then it’s not a romance novel. It may very well still be a good book; it’s just not romance.

Around the Web in Romance:

Cover reveal for The Book Boyfriend by Jeana Louise Skinner. This is giving me a lot of good vibes and I’m here for it. Who’s here for some witchy romances? This gal!

Ohhh what is this announcement from Kennedy Ryan that I spy??? I, for one, am very excited for this. As much as I loved Neevah and Canon’s love story, I desperately wanted to know more about Monk and Verity’s history.

This fan art that Helen Hoang shared on her Instagram for Quan and Anna warmed my heart.

Have you ever wondered about the different Romance Novel Awards out there, aside from the RWA? Rioter Laura’s got you covered! And yes, that one is mentioned even if it has been found lacking in the last few years.

A few reasons why small towns and romance novels go hand in hand.

With all the discussions around monster romances as of late, sharing this TikTok seems more than a little appropriate. His inflections had me rolling y’all.

New Releases & Deals:

Here are some of the new releases headed our way this week.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (read and would recommend)

Simply the Best by Karin Kallmaker

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (currently reading)

To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne

Hijacked by Lucy Lennox and May Archer

Kiss of Fate by Louise Lennox

Give Me a Reason by A.L. Jackson

And here are some of the deals I found. Please remember, as always, these deals were active as of the writing of this newsletter.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke by Megan Frampton is currently $1.99

Grudge Puck by June Winters is only $0.99 (that title alone LOL)

Gruff Touch by R. Cayden is showing at $0.99 (hmmm silver foxes…)

The Seat Filler by Sariah Wilson is $1.99

Something About You by Reese Ryan is $2.99

The Devil’s Garden by Jane Kindred is $0.99

It’s Been You by Rina Gray is showing at $0.99

And that’s all she wrote for now. When I see you again, it will be a new month (Alexa, play “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire). If you need more of me before then, give me a follow over at Twitter under @Pscribe801. Until next time!

Kissing Books

Sex Worker Positive

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 25, 2021

Sponsored by Bombshell by Sarah MacLean.

New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with a blazingly sexy, unapologetically feminist new series, Hell’s Belles, beginning with a bold, bombshell of a heroine, able to dispose of a scoundrel—or seduce one—in a single night. Someone has to keep Lady Sesily Talbot from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb Calhoun needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.

So, I finished The Heart Principle and found it beautiful. Maybe it’s because I resonated with Anna a lot. It could be because we’re both musicians, although I played the (vastly superior) viola to her violin. Maybe it’s because I spent most of my life doing what everyone expected of me. Whatever the reason, I think it may be my favorite in the trilogy. Which isn’t to say the others aren’t good. But, given the option, this is the one that I could see myself wanting to re-read over and over. And, this isn’t to disparage anyone who felt differently because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But, it was a big yes for me.

I hope that you found a fun way to support your local indie on Bookstore Romance Day last weekend. I went to my local one and got to meet Sherry Thomas (for a second time!!) getting a signed copy of Not Quite a Husband in the process. I also picked up Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley and When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri. Much excitement for these books!

Book Riot Romance

Don’t forget to listen to this week’s episode of When in Romance! I’m fairly confident I too had a Dolphin Trapper Keeper and I’m not going to lie; I’m tempted to go buy another one for nostalgia purposes.

Isabelle takes on the different types of points of view in a romance novel.

Amanda’s discusses why she doesn’t particularly enjoy romance series

Around the Web in Romance:

Oh, look, romance novels are still booming. Alexa, play “I’m Still Standing.”

I don’t know where this trend of pairing celebrities and/or shows up with romance covers came from but I’m here for it. Here’s one that Jackie Barbosa did matching up John Boyega with romance covers

Here even more Greek mythology romance retellings.

Seeing the cover reveal for Marie Lipscomb’s upcoming holiday romance, Santa Claus Is Going to Town On Me, written M.L. Eliza, gave me the biggest grin this weekend. And the title y’all…

There was also a cover reveal for Rake I’d Like to F… I don’t know about y’all but that cover model is looking at me is giving me feelings.

And, finally, there is a lot of scary truth in this Tweet that touches on OnlyFans cracking down on sex workers. Something like this can be a slippery slope. What’s to say that this won’t branch out to censoring romance and erotica books, and what genres or tropes can be published. It could be an easy jump to make and Romancelandia should be more concerned with this.

Recommendations

Following the last news snippet mentioned above, I wanted to highlight a few romance where a sex worker is part of the couple for this week’s recommendations. This type of work is nothing new to our society. It’s a career that women, men, and nonbinary folks all partake in. And there should be no shame in it, especially when it is between consenting adults. While I did not set out to make it this way, as happenstance would have it, they’re all different types of sex workers in the books mentioned. Unintentional as it may be, it works out since it shows just how much of a field this type of work covers.

Hotline by Quinn Anderson

Zack becomes a phone sex operator to help make ends meet when real life obligations began to loom over him. He does a pretty good job of rolling with the punches and thinking on his feet with his various clients, no matter what they may want until smooth-voice baritone John begins to call. As the two men begin to talk more, Zack wonders how wrong it would be to meet in real life. When Fate presents this opportunity to them, both men give in, but find it harder than they planned going back to the way things were before this chance encounter. This one sounds very interesting because it is a man who is the phone sex operator rather than a woman. This unique take will definitely make for a steamy and wonderful read.

Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

College freshmen Alexis is surprised to find that her new roommate is also the stripper who was at her sister’s bachelorette party. Trisha (stage name Treasure) is equally as surprised but delighted to run into her again. Will the two women be able to overcome their fears and insecurities and embrace the new love they found?

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan

Ex-adult star Noami and Rabbi Ethan come together in a business partnership of convenience to help bring Noami’s dream of taking her sex-positive platform to higher learning. As they work on the Modern Intimacy seminar series, the attraction between them builds until it can no longer be ignored.

And that’s it for this now. I hope that your upcoming weekend is fantastic, restful, and gives you the boost you need to kick butt next week. As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter under @Pscribe801. Until next time.

Kissing Books

Acknowledge the Problem

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 20, 2021

Book News:

In yet another example of “what the actual heck were you thinking”, another non-POC author went on a rant about racism. (Please note I’m not linking to them at all but a tweet where I say snippets of said video). I’ll admit that I didn’t even know who this author was until after the drama started. I can’t even say if there is romance in their novels. What I can say though is I doubt I’ll start seeking their books out. I mean, I’m all for having your own opinion on things; this is not me trying to say she can’t have her own.

However, I really hate when people say, “I don’t see color” because you’re lying. Whenever we’re asked to describe someone, that is one of the first things we say or what their ethnicity is. Seeing someone as a person of color doesn’t make you a racist; it means your eyes are working because you’re observing a noticeable trait about a person. Treating that person differently because of said race is what makes you a racist.

When I hear people say that phrase, I don’t think they’re paragon of virtue or an ally. What I hear is that they’re intentionally ignoring race because if they call attention to it, then they also have to acknowledge that there are systems in place around the world that were implemented purely to keep people who don’t look like themselves down. Especially here in America. In recent years, calling attention to this has been equated to being unpatriotic which is utter shite. You can still love something or someone while simultaneously acknowledging their shortcomings. Again, that just shows that your eyes and brain are working as they should.

I feel this way about everything; movies, books, music, etc. I’m actually not one of those who throw the baby out with the bathwater people. I don’t vilify people if they like a specific form of entertainment as long as they can admit there are problematic issues with it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; old school romance is problematic AF. But there are some from that era I still read because I can acknowledge that the roots aren’t great. It’s also why I try to remember to give a disclaimer every time I mention one in the newsletter so you know going in what you may be able to expect.

Enough of that unpleasantness. Onto happier topics!

Around the Web in Romance:

Between the Romance for Haiti fundraiser and Romancelandia for Afghan Women, Romancelandia is really stepping up and showing out to help our fellow human beings, as we are wont to do. I know that we as a community have our fair share of in-fighting, since we’re passionate people, but we really do come together when we need to and that will always make us awesome.

Rioter Mariela created this list of sixteen of the best contemporary romance novels since 2016.

Talia Hibbert and Penny Aimes, author of the most anticipated upcoming For the Love of April French will be chatting about said book via a Virtual Event at Love’s Sweet Arrow on August 29th. I just started this book an hopefully can have it finished by then!

If my library card looked like this, I would carry it from city to city until it literally fell apart.

Here is a list of some of the sexiest books from 2021. I can concur with a few of these (looking at you Act Your Age, Eve Brown and Neon Gods!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this lesson in etiquette courtesy of Edwina and Rafe, the main characters from Christ Caldwell’s latest, Along Came a Lady.

And we have this roundup of some summer rom-coms to end the season with.

New Releases & Deals:

Here are some of the new releases we have to look forward to this week.

Brides of London by Vanessa Riley

Foolish Hearts by Synthia Williams,

Blind Date With a Spare Heir by Yahrah St. John

Head Over Tentacles by K.L. Hiers

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Charmed by Laura Pavlov

The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn

And here are some of the deals that you can try to snag. As always, please remember that these deals were active as of the writing of this newsletter.

After the Wedding by Courtney Milan is available for $.0.99.

My Fallen Saint by J. Kenner is $0.99.

Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh can be snagged for $1.99.

Going Down by Barbara Bell is also $1.99.

Get a Life Chloe Brown is currently showing at just $1.00.

Changing Lines by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey is going for $0.99.

Seducing My Guardian by Katee Roberts is also showing at $0.99.

And that’s all for now. I’ll be back Thursday with another edition of the letter but you can always catch glimpses of me over on Twitter under @Pscribe801. Until then.

Kissing Books

Flawed is Beautiful

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 18, 2021

Around the Web in Romance

Rioter Megan gave us a few recommendations for New Adult Romances to indulge our taste for the genre.

Claire also has a round-up of books similar to Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

Don’t forget that Saturday is Bookstore Romance Day! Our own Jessica Pryde will be hosting this panel on Sunday, the 22nd, so you can look forward to extending the celebration all weekend!

Here’s an interesting article from author Thien-Kim Lam about how her sex education started with romance novels

As a fan of romance novels and The Golden Girls, I really enjoyed this thread.

Katee Roberts wrote about her dream cast for Neon Gods and…I’m totally here for it.

Author Christina Britton was a guest-writer on Nick of The Infinite Limits of Love’s Blog with her recommendations of romance novels featuring scarred characters.

Cover reveal for Something Fabulous, the latest from Alexis Hall.

If you need a beginner’s guide to sci-fi romance, then this list is for you!

Recommendations

Britton’s article helped prompt this week’s recommendations. We as a society seem to have this unsettling obsession with everything being perfect and having no flaws. I’d like to say this is something that extends to just women, but men are also subjugated to this kind of scrutiny. The cruel memes disparaging Brendan Fraser and comparing how he looks now to how looked almost thirty years ago are the ones that readily come to mind and it just sucks. People are people and shouldn’t be expected to be perfect.

Scars are interesting because they always have some type of story behind them. I have a scar on my elbow from scraping it across a broken car antenna. My son has a scar on his chest from his live-saving open heart surgery he had at four months old. It doesn’t make either one of us less beautiful. I love that this is something that more romance authors are realizing and are implementing this into today’s stories. With that in mind, here are some of my recommendations for you in that regard.

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

I want to say that this was my first full-length novel form Dare, since everything prior to that were novellas. However, I’m a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, which this certainly is, down to the hero being scarred, which means by society’s standards he is a beast. This is a really sweet romance about a woman who is on her down after the death of her father trying to start over but keep her optimism and love of fairy tales alive. Plus, it has the healthy dose of humor and banter that Dare is known for and is definitely re-read worthy. Which I may do soon now that I think about it.

Battle Scars by Meghan O’Brien

Iraq war veteran Ray returns home with physical, mental, and emotional scars from her tour overseas, the lone survivor of a hostage crisis. Struggling to deal with her unwanted celebrity status on top of everything else, she finds comfort in her therapy dog, Jagger. When she walks into Dr. Carly’s vet clinic, the women strike up a friendship that could bloom to more if they can both overcome the pain of their pasts. I am recommending this one not just because there is a noticeable dearth of F/F romances but also because there is a definite lack of books representing females in the military at all. And both of those representations need boosting,

Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones

When Reese accepts a new position as a grad assistant, she crosses path with Jason who is a combination of intelligent, handsome…and rude. Jason, at 28, has already had some real-life experiences that left him scarred and with a prosthetic leg. So, he is focused on just moving on to the next phase of his life after graduate school and not the female population matriculating school with him. Or so he thinks. This is a story about two passionate people who won’t back down from a fight and may find out that they work better as a team than as opponents.

And that’s all I have for y’all today. Remember to stay hydrated and masked if you go out this weekend to celebrate Bookstore Romance Day. I’ll be back with y’all on Monday with the latest edition. Give me a follow over on Twitter under @PScribe801. Who knows? I may be posting pictures of my own haul from Saturday.

Kissing Books

Bookstore Romance Day

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date August 13, 2021

Sponsored by Sandra Brown’s new historical thriller Blind Tiger.

The year 1920 comes in with a roar in this rousing and suspenseful novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown. Prohibition is the new law of the land, but murder, mayhem, lust, and greed are already institutions in the Moonshine Capitol of Texas. It’s there that young widow Laurel Plummer and Deputy Thatcher Hutton will find themselves on the opposite sides of a moonshine war, where the blood flows as freely as the whiskey.

So apparently KU had a deal for books trending on TikTok and of course Ice Planet Barbarians came up. My spouse asked if I read them and I told him no because, while I appreciate the popularity and the fanbase, it’s not my speed. He decided he was going to listen to the first one to see what it was all about. I told him to give me live reactions as he read. This should be fun.

Bookstore Romance Day:

This Saturday is the third annual Bookstore Romance Day! We all know that romance is like the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the publishing industry, which isn’t fair especially considering it is sometimes the genre that “keeps the lights on.” This day was created to give independent bookstores a way to celebrate the readers and writers of romance books.

Look, I know sometimes it can be a struggle since not all indie stores sell romances. And if they do, their catalog is a bit small or mainly focused on one or two author’s backlogs. Still, I urge you to visit your local one this day, if you can, and make a purchase. Even if they don’t have anything there or aren’t doing events, you can still support them by ordering from their site or, if they have it, their Bookshop.org affiliate. Believe me, I love Barnes & Noble as much as the next bookdragon. And, as I got a membership as a gift last year, I shop there more frequently now. But I have also made it a point to shop at my local women-owned independent bookstore on this day for the last two years and will continue that tradition this year.

Romance News:

Speaking of Bookstore Romance Day, Astoria Bookshop has quite the impressive line up for a panel that is going to take place on that same day. I really appreciate the diversity here, not going to lie.

I am a gal who loves romance novels that are set in bookstores, since it combines two of my favorite things, so I was super stoked to see this list by Jess. My TBR pile on the other hand…I also enjoy that this is on the same wavelength as Bookstore Romance Day.

There’s not a whole lot of information out on this just yet, but the teaser for this romance bracket is delightful. You can also check out the site directly although it’s still in the process of being fleshed out. All I know is I’m excited to see what books are put up and voting on this, especially since I’m sure it will be more accurate of what the Romance community actually likes. (coughs in RWA and Goodreads Choice Awards)..

Want a fun way to pick your next romance novel? Silvana has you covered with this gif she made on her Twitter page.

Check out this awesome body-positive cover for Taj McCoy’s Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell. I’m always for a book that promotes self-love.

Rebekah Weatherspon signed an exclusive deal with Audible to write a ‘joint custody dog owner romance’. This sounds delightful!

Here is a round-up of even more M/M romances to curl up with in your reading nook.

If you’re a fan of Tasha L. Harrison and audiobooks, you’ll be pleased to hear that A Taste of Her Own Medicine is now available in that format.

Looking for places online to read some steamy erotica? Here you go!

I really enjoyed reading this take on the differences between the ‘enemies to lovers’ and ‘rivals to lovers’ trope. Either way, I still love both but agree that there are distinct differences between the two.

And speaking of enemies to lovers, this run-down of one writer’s first experience watching the iconic 10 Things I Hate About You was quite the journey.

New Releases & Deals:

Some of the releases hitting the shelves this week are:

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon (I can’t wait for this one personally since I thoroughly enjoyed The Boyfriend Project)

Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau (yay another M/M romance!)

Greeking Out by Collette Davison (M/M romance aboard)

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker (CW/TW for grief)

Dragons After After by Louisa Masters (DRAGONS!!)

And here are some of the book deals I found. All the books listed below can be clicked on for the low price of $1.99. That said, please note, that these deals are active as of the writing of this newsletter and may change by the time it is published.

The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard

Careless Whispers by Synthia Williams.

Game Changer by Rachel Reid

The Pleasure Trap by Niobia Bryant

One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey

And that’s all for today. I hope that your week starts off amazing and fantastic and look forward to seeing y’all again Thursday. As always, you can give me a follow at Twitter under @PScribe801. Happy reading!