Author: P.N. Hinton

Greetings fellow romance lovers. It is I, PN Hinton, your guide into the world of romance. If you’re new to the newsletter, welcome and enjoy your stay. If you’re a long-time reader, welcome back; it’s good to see you again. 

I hope that your weekend and week so far has been amazing. I did get to meet my book club in person on Saturday, which was my highlight. We’re a small enough group to where it wasn’t too huge of a concern and I’m slated for my second dose next week. So, we all decided we needed the mental boost of seeing each other in person.

The one gray spot that day was that right before I left for the meetup on Saturday, I got a notice that my package containing Jesse of Bowties and Books‘ TBR cards weren’t able to be delivered. I took this to mean that my office was closed during the small window of time that the mail tried to deliver it and resigned myself to waiting. When I got them Monday I was confused why they weren’t delivered Saturday, since they fit right in the box.

The rest of the weekend was rough as hell. On Sunday, allergies smacked me square in my face. I’m talking puffy, watery eyes, coughing…the whole nine yards. Hell, I couldn’t even wear my glasses most of the day since it just further exacerbated the situation. I stayed in PJs alternating between squinting at various YouTube videos and reading.

On a positive side I did manage to finish one book so there’s that. 

Bookish News

This upcoming Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day. For us die-hard romance lovers though that can be tricky because there isn’t always an overlap in the Venn diagram of “Great Romance Selection” and “Indie Bookstore”. I know it can be tricky to find the romance books you want on those shelves. Still, I encourage you to walk into your local one and try to find at least one thing to buy since every little bit helps. And you can always check Bookshop.org to see if your local indie is there as an option, and help them make money that way.

The winner of the next WIR book club pick was announced. Want to know what it is? Well, give this week’s episode a listen (if you haven’t already) to find out.

Talia Hibbert won the AAMBC (African Americans on the Move Book Club) for Romance Novelist of the Year, a well deserved honor. Head on over to their Twitter page to get a list of the other winners.

Due to what other recent articles have said about the romance genre, I was a bit hesitant about this recent Washington Post article. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t condescending. I’m sure a lot of that had to do with the fact that they spoke to some of the authors who were the pioneers in the genre instead of letting someone who has never read romance prattle on about it. 

Have you ever wondered what your romance life would be like if you lived and loved like the Bridgertons? Check out one Rioter’s foray into a virtual romance using the books as a guide.

Reading Recs

The first thing I did when I finally got my hands on my TBR cards was to shuffle through the deck and check out just a few of the prompts. One was an epistolary novel, which is one of my favorite ways of telling a story. I’m not sure why I love it so much, but I know it’s high up there on my list. Below are a few that I have found or read that I feel are good examples of a way to fall in love through letters and other written methods of communication. Please note that while not all are purely epistolary, that this type of written correspondence plays heavily in all the books listed here.

Honorable mention also goes to the various books that make up The Boy series by Meg Cabot. Yes, it’s more than a bit dated but they’re still good, pure, and fun reads.

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And that’s all for now. Hope this weekend treats you well and that I can avoid another allergy attack. If you want to give me a follow, I’m @PScribe801 at Twitter. Until Monday!

Hello again fellow romance lovers! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to crush this coming week. I’m back with some of the latest in the romance world and I have big feelings about both so let’s jump right in.

Last week the RWA announced the finalists for their Vivian (previously known as the Rita) awards after much aplomb. And, while I do extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the finalists…well….I was underwhelmed. Now to be fair I didn’t expect to be overwhelmed, but I expected to be at least ‘whelmed’ (Score for the 10 Things I Hate About You reference). 

I also expected to know more than two or three of the listed books. Don’t get me wrong; I was happy to see the few authors or books I knew on the list. But I feel that there should have been more BIPOC books on the list especially given everything that organization has gone through in the last year. Apparently I’m not the only one as the finalist list has caused a fair amount of grumblings on Romance Twitter.   

In case you forgot some of last year’s shenanigans, here is a quick recap. They tried to cancel Courtney Milan for calling out a racist book. They canceled the then-Rita Awards last year after more stories of mistreatment by their BIPOC authors surfaced. After that, they tried to recover ground by renaming their awards “Vivian,” in honor of Vivian Stephens, a Black woman who was a founder but was never properly recognized in the origin story.

Those last two seemed like desperate attempts to recover the trust that they lost. But, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to work that way since, for many, that finalist list just proves that nothing has changed. And in a world where we like our HEAs, that’s just sad.

In even more Bridgerton news, the latest buzz (see what I did there) was more speculation on why Rege-Jean Page will not be returning next season. It’s been rumored that, even though he was offered a large sum of money to guest star in a couple of episodes, he still declined. Some have taken this to mean that he wasn’t interested since he wasn’t the focal point of the story. Of course, as with all hearsay, take that with a grain of salt. 

If this is true, though, then I get it. I went into the first season expecting to see only Daphne and Simon and ended up with a lot of background stories for other characters. If my memory does serve me, only one or two episodes focused solely on them for the full duration. Otherwise, they had to share their love story.

Personally, I could have done without all that extra for the other characters. I know that the idea was to plant the seeds for the later seasons, but I still could have done without.

Bluntly put, we got a lot of unnecessary fluff plot devices for other characters apart from Simon and Daphne. I went in wanting to see their love story; not the other brothers sowing their wild oats. 

I will say that now that the expectation has been set, this trend better continue in all the other seasons. There was already enough of a division all around when they cast a Black man as Simon. It’s going to be a bad look if he is the only hero in the series that has to share his love story with the other characters. First season set up be damned. 

For Your Further Reading Consideration

I know I’ve said sports aren’t my bag, but if you’re a fan of that sub-genre, check out some of these hockey romances.

Looking for some books to kick off spring? This list is a good place to start.

Also as a treat, here is an excerpt from the recently released Love in Color by Bolu Babalola.

New Releases and Deals

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

The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

Just One Night by Carly Phillips 

Legion of Kings by Danielle James

Sugarlips by Katana Collins

Rescued by the Werewolf by Jules Monroe

There is an Honorable Mention this week and that is The Son of Mr. Suleman by Eric Jerome Dickey, who passed away in January. Most of his works are more romance adjacent, but he has always been one of my favorite authors and it was a sad day when he passed. So I wanted to call out that his final book will be released on the 20th. 

As for deals, No Holds Barred by Stephanie Nicole Norris, She’s Got Soul by Aja, and Loving the Lieutenant by Elise Marion can all be snagged for $0.99 while The Lawrence Browne Affair can be yours for $1.99.

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And that is all for today friends. If you want to catch up with me and maybe see snippets of what I’ve been reading, catch up with me @PScribe801 over on Twitter. See you on Thursday.

Hello again KBers. We’re almost there at the Friday night finish line. One of the chat threads I’m in with my in-laws recently posed the question of when does the weekend start. And my response was “Friday at 5:00 pm”. Because that’s how I roll. 

Of course, those are ‘banker’s hours’; so not everyone has them. I’m fortunate enough to and I’m super grateful for it, especially since that hasn’t always been the case. My oddest weekend ever there was Monday and Tuesday off, and while it had its perks, I really do prefer at least one traditional weekend day off. 

That said, whatever your work week is, I hope that it treats you well. I also hope that you’re ready for your well deserved weekend, whenever that may fall. I’m super excited for this weekend because I get to meet with my book club. Since I got my first Pfizer dose last week, we’re all at least halfway vaccinated now. So, we may shoot for an in-person meet up. Hopefully, we will be able to move back to that permanently next month since I’ll be fully vaccinated by then.

I think this optimism is something that a lot of people are feeling right now. This time last year we were still in what we thought would be a temporary lockdown, not knowing what was ahead of us. Now that I’ve gotten the first of the Fauci Ouchies, I’ll feel more comfortable in more social settings. Which will be great for both the kiddo and me since both of us miss seeing our friends and family in person.

Romance Tidbits

If you haven’t already voted for the next WIR Book Club pick, you may still have the chance to by checking out Jess’s poll here.

Want a sneak peek at the upcoming Rebel Carter release? Well then you’re in luck!

This one is for my second chance romance lovers out there. This love tweet from actor Richard Lawson to Tina Knowles even made me swoon and feel like a big old softie.

Straight from Lady Whistledown herself, Bridgerton has officially been renewed for Seasons 3 and 4.

Recommendations

April has historically been known as Autism Awareness month, but this year the Autism Society of America has renamed it Autism Acceptance month. And I, for one, like the change. I feel that the use of ‘awareness’ makes it seem more like a disease that can be cured. When you combine that with ignorant tweets of people who want to be in the Senate likening it to an epidemic (I won’t link it per usual but trust me it’s gross) it just highlights how acceptance is still needed for people in the neurodiverse community. 

This is something near to my heart because my son has ASD. And I won’t lie; it’s hard sometimes. But I wouldn’t change anything about him. I am fiercely protective of him when it comes to how people treat him. While he may not be at the level that other kids his age are socially, he beats a majority of them by a country mile for things like emotional health and cues. So, acceptance is the much preferred term for me as well as using red rather than blue, since that serves to perpetuate the myth that ASD only affects males. 

There’s a lot of talk about needing diversity but we forget that means more than just sexual identity, ethnicity, or race. In the past, not as much attention has been paid to people who are different physically or mentally. Often in books, they were relegated to side characters and usually used to show the kindness or goodness of the hero or heroine. 

Luckily, this is something that has recently changed in the romance community. We have a lot of prolific writers out there who are neurodiverse and who write characters who are similarly neurodiverse in their books. Relationships are never easy, even with people who are neurotypical. But these books serve to show that being neurodiverse should never be a deterrent or a reason why someone doesn’t get their happily ever after.

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And that’s all for this week. Catch up with me over the weeknd @Pscribe801 over on Twitter Until Monday!

Hello again! I hope that you got plenty of rest, reading, and relaxing done over the weekend. Also that you’re ready to face this week like the bad-ass that you are! I know that I am ready to face the challenge of this week. A lot of that is because I was able to get my first vaccination last week through my partner’s job. He got it at the same time so we were able to rough the waters (as it were) together. 

Up until the moment where it was actually injected, I’ll admit that I was on the fence about whether or not to get it. Historically, there is a lot of deep-rooted mistrust from people of color towards the medical field. Between the Tuskegee Experiment and Henrietta Lacks, the feelings there are rightfully warranted. Hell, I don’t even go to the doctor for myself even though I’m always right on time for my son. I know that I need to get better at it though, especially with my entire family’s health history. 

In fact, they’re the reason I decided to get it done. I realized that it would help get one step closer to being able to meet with my family for holidays. I miss that so much. A lot of the elders in my family have already gotten at least one dose themselves, if not a full vaccination. I figure if they were able to get over their own concerns, which run deeper than mine, then I figured I could bite the proverbial bullet as well. 

Speaking of vaccinations…

Romance Related Fun

Romancelandia has been fairly tame lately (furiously pounds on all the wooden furniture nearby). One pure thing that happened for us though is that a challenge went around for romance authors. It was the “being vaccinated does NOT mean” with various romance novel plot points. It was great seeing everyone dig into their bag of tropes o’tropes and come up with a unique answer. I’m not sure if Kate Clayborn came up with this or simply shared it, but since it is where I first stumbled across it, I’ll share that thread here.

Keeping with the fun Twitter trends, Really Reading Romance also threw down this gauntlet. The replies were varied on this one and hilarious. Seriously take a moment to look through some of the replies or re-tweets. It took me a moment to figure out my own opinion on this but I came up with one for books and movies. Okay, here goes. *deep breath* 

I’m not a fan of sports romances. At all. I’ve tried multiple times to get into a few but it’s just not for me. Personally, I have an issue with the idolatry that we give athletes, even the truly philanthropic ones. Of course, I’ll recommend and hype them up since I know I’ve done that before. However, chances are I am doing that at the advice of a fellow book dragon whose opinion I trust a lot and not from personal experience. 

My movie related take is that My Best Friend’s Wedding is not a rom-com. It’s a movie about a woman who acts like an entitled, spoiled brat when the ‘back up’ man that she never wanted is suddenly unavailable and tries to break up an obviously happy couple. Best part of that movie (apart from the singing scene) was the brutal verbal reality slap Rupert Everett’s George gives her at the end by reminding her no one is chasing her. Truth hurts, ma’am.

In the hustle and bustle of life and this last year, a lot of us still forget to take the time to stop and be goofy. Sometimes all you can do is laugh. Whether it’s with your partner, kids, friends, or extended family, be sure to take the time to be silly.

From Book Riot and Around the Web

I readily co-sign all the books that Jess listed here and will be ready with the popcorn and adult beverage when/if it happens!

Here are some of the romance novel based movies that are currently in the works.

If you love second chance romances, here are some books to add to your likely already massive TBR recommended by Rioter Brooke.

Do you like a bit of crying with your romance? If so, then here are some recommendations for you.

Check out debut author Ruby Barrett’s (see more info below) take on the Cinnamon Roll Character.

New Releases and Deals

Here are some of the new releases headed our way this week, including a few under the radar ones:

Hot Copy by Ruby Barrett (debut) 

Love So Beautiful by Angel Mystique 

Earn Your Extra Credit by Meghan Quinn

How to Catch a Duke by Grace Burrowes

The Marriage He Demands by Brenda Jackson

And here are some deals to help fill out your digital shelves:

Love Always, Wild by A.M. Johnson is available for $1.99

Holiday Brides by Farrah Rochon, Stefanie Worth, and Jewel Amethyst can be snagged for $1.49

Everything But a Groom by Holly Jacobs is also $0.99

Six More Minutes: New-Year Bae Solutions by A.C Arthur can be picked up for $1.99

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That’s it for now. As always you can follow me @PScribe801 over on Twitter. Until next time friends!

Welcome back, y’all! We’re almost at the end of the first full week in April. I hope that it was a good one for you with equal parts productive and relaxation. Despite the craziness of the world, the last year hasn’t been all terrible in that it has really shined a light on how important mental well-being is. 

I realized early on that, as tricky as it may be, I had to take time for myself to rest and relax. I haven’t always been consistent about this, but I let it go completely. Even if it is flying solo to get a frozen adult beverage to-go or using a bath bomb, I try carve out a little bit of me time each week.

Remember the airplane analogy y’all; if you don’t help yourself first, you can’t help others. 

In things I wish I could unlearn, I discovered that there is a book floating around being advertised as a BWWM abuse romance. 

*eye twitch*

I could have lived my entire life three times over and not wanted to know this. There are so many things wrong with this, where to begin? This is a huge difference from ‘bully’ romance in that there is more damaging connotation behind it. The fact that it is specifically advertised as a BWWM romance is triggering and problematic AF. 

Again let me state that, for obvious reasons, I have no problem with IR. 

My problem is that this book is outwardly being advertised as a romance between a Black woman and white man that is abusive with pride. The fact that it even got written and that it is out there getting recommended means that some twisted algorithm is beyond enraging and saddening. 

Bluntly put, being in an IR is hard enough without nonsense like this floating around the world, romance related or otherwise. While not as bad as it once was, in certain parts of the country, it’s still a dangerous thing. I don’t believe any type of love is superior to one or another. Love is love is love is love. But this is not the kind of love that Romanceladia needs or wants.

This goes beyond any shade of dark romance. It borders on some really twisted, gross form of fetishization. There’s no making this book sound appealing at all. Here’s hoping that it, and the one I’ve mentioned before, just goes away.

And, before anyone says that the critics to this book, which of course shall not be named, are being oversensitive, I pose the following question. Would anyone be okay with this if the races of those genders were reversed?

*sips tea*

Around Book Riot and the Web

In happier news, another WIR book club is in the works. The first step is to vote on said book. Be sure to listen to this week’s episode and then head over to either Jess or Tricia’s social media (or both if you really want to put all your chips on one book) to vote.

Erika Hardison has some African and Asian love recs.

Personally, I never get tired of hearing from or about Ms. Bev. In case you missed it, here is the Forbes article about how she combines history and romance into wonderful books.

If you want a new-to-romance reader’s take on why Talia Hibbert is the bee’s knees, here is your chance.

Recommendations

I had been planning on leaving this type of recommendation for closer to Loving Day in June. But, considering the recent developments in what is being pushed as IR as of late, I think it’s time to shine a light on better IRs out there that you can spend your time and money on.

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And that’s it for me, fellow bibliophiles. I hope that you enjoy your weekend and get a lot of reading done. Catch up with me before Monday at @Pscribe801 on Twitter. Until Monday!

Top of the week, fellow romance readers! I hope this Monday morning finds you well. Mondays are really a hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I wake up very much ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’ a la Maria. Others I wake up like Garfield, detesting every second of the day. It’s always a dice roll how it will turn out. At least the week starts off with a surprise of sorts amirite? 

One particular challenge I faced over these last few weeks was getting the teenager back into the routine of going to school. You’d think only have one week wouldn’t throw us completely off track, and that he would have dived right back into it ready to count down the days to summer break. 

You’d think wrong. 

And, even if we had gotten back into our routine, it would go right back out the window, since this last weekend was a four day one for him. At least it’s the last for the school year so it should be steady from here on out. 

Still, send well wishes my way. 

In Romance News

Yet another ‘hot take’ article made its way around the Internet and came within our orbital pull. The one was about one woman’s journey into writing a ‘horny’ book about females tailored for women just like her. Fictional women who are empowered by sex and their expressions of lust. It also touched on how much of a shortage there was for books like that in the publishing market. 

*slow blink*

Because you know it’s not like there’s a genre that matches that already. 

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t set well with a majority of Romancelandia. It came across as yet another attack on the genre. The piece came off as wanting to be edgy and discussed wanting to have a literary safe space for women who may be more amorous than others, but it fell on angry ears. And with good reason. The initial reaction that I and many other romance readers had can be summed up by this image that was created by Ally Only Reads. 

In one exceedingly small defense of the article, it doesn’t outright pooh-pooh romance. The same can’t be said for other articles that come out on this topic. But, that doesn’t mean I’m giving it credit. This is because it doesn’t even acknowledge romance or erotica, which, based on the description, is what her novel would be classified as. It’s almost more insulting to not even acknowledge the genre you describe as trying to pioneer.

I’m all for wanting to write a book that speaks to your heart that you weren’t finding. If the options out there aren’t horny enough for you, go forth and pound the keyboards to write one that fits all your kinks. But don’t act like it’s something that is brand spanking (talk about kinky) new. It’s like deciding to put a brand new topping on cheesecake and then claiming that you’re the creator of cheesecake.. 

No, you’re not. You didn’t discover anything new. Yes, you put your own spin on a base that was already there and (ideally) made it uniquely you. But that is not the same as creating it or making it new. 

As per usual, I’m not linking to it here, the reason being that while it’s slightly better than other articles in that vein, it is still a garbage take. 

And also in a bit of maybe not surprising but still heart breaking news, Regé-Jean Page will not be joining the second season of Bridgerton. While we should be expecting the focus to have been off the Bassets, we still expected both of them to be around. Daphne, as a natural Bridgerton, will still be there. Optimistic me is hoping that he will at the very least do a cameo for the Pall Mall scene…which better be in there. *nerd glare*

From Book Riot and Around the Web

Looking to curl up with some steamy vampire reads? Silvana has got your back…or neck, if you prefer, on that.

Easter may have been yesterday, but you can still enjoy the sweets and books recommended here! Even better? Today is also Half-off Candy Day: The Bunny Edition!

For Outlander fans, news broke out that the new book has finally been finished. Here is a quick article for all that is known about it so far.

New Releases & Deals

Here are some of the highly anticipated new releases hitting the shelves this week. 

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan

Life’s too Short by Abby Jimenez

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters

And here are some of the deals I found when writing this newsletter up:

Deliver Me by Farrah Rochon is currently free

He’s Not My Boyfriend by Jackie Lau is available for $0.99

Real Men Knit (Real Men Knit series)n Knit by Kwana Jackson is currently available for $1.99*

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite is also available for $1.99

*Some readers have said this reads more like women’s fiction with a romantic element. But others do consider it a romance hence the reason for the share.

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And that’s all for now. Catch up with me during the in-betweens @Pscribe over on Twitter. Until next time.

Welcome to April! Today is the start of a new month and the next quarter of the year. While I typically view the new year as the big slate cleaner, I also appreciate the mini-start overs we get at the beginning of each month. Even though it’s a smaller refresh, it’s still a chance to wipe away any missteps that were made in the last x-amount of days and try again.

Cue the Aliyah song. 

I know that I am going to view this day as a new opportunity to start over on some of my goals, both work and personal. I hope that you do as well. I know that March was a mixed bag for a lot of people for numerous reasons. March 2022 already has a lot of pressure on it to not be so terrible although, to be fair, the bar for that is going to be really, really low. 

And, if the rhyme most of us grew up hearing holds true, April brings showers. And by showers, I mean catastrophes. But even if that is true, let’s hope that it’s not all gloom, doom, and rainy days. And that May will hold up its end of the bargain by being full of flowers. 

Today is also April Fool’s Day, a holiday which I am not fond of. I dislike jokes or pranks. They make me feel awkward and uncomfortable. If someone wants a surefire way to get me out of their lives, have a DJ play an on-air joke on me. There’s also always a bit of a malicious undertone to those, and you can’t convince me otherwise. 

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I love laughing; just not at the expense of someone else. Even better if you add romance to that comedy. I know that others feel similarly, since romantic comedies have been a thing for a very long time. While they had their heyday in the ’80s/’90s, the term was coined back in 1971. Furthermore, movies that could fit this description go back as far as the 1920s. So, it’s not a new thing.  

Unfortunately these movies also have a history of being mocked. Which is more than a bit unfair. To have such disdain for romantic comedy to the point of being dismissive or condescending is beyond rude. I am sure this is because it has the word “romantic” in front of it. We all know that romance gets a bad rep for many reasons, but it’s still standing after all these years. 

So, it’s doing something right. 

Rom-Com Recommendations

If you’re wanting a bit more romcom with no pranks in your life, here are my recommendations for you this week: 

Hopefully one of these strikes your fancy and helps to bring a smile to your face.

Fun From Book Riot and Around the Web

If you’re looking for even more recommendations for romcoms, check out this post from the Book Riot archives.

Speaking of romcoms, here’s a fun quiz to test your love of the genre. It’s all in good fun though so don’t put much too much stock into it.

Do you like role reversal in your romances? If so, some of those may strike your fancy.

If you’ve ever wanted to recommend romance books to your friends based on their interest, here’s your chance to shine!

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That’s all for today but, if you want snippets of my bookish life, follow me on Twitter @PScribe801. Until next time.

Hello once again, fellow KBers. I hope that today finds you in a good place across all the checkpoints. The last few weeks of March ended up being extremely heartbreaking, due to some very real world ugliness. We had multiple mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder and it just hurts that this still continues to be an issue. I heard somewhere that last year had the least amount of mass shootings like this but that’s because most of the country was stuck inside. So, it’s not a real victory for me.

If you or someone you know has been affected by these recent tragedies, my heart goes out to you and yours.

Moving on to some lighter topics.

What with the world being grown up grounded for the last year, a lot of bookish people, authors and writers included, wondered how COVID-19 would be reflected in current and future publications. I mean, it was a historical event on a global scale. So, it’s not like we can’t pretend it just didn’t happen. The truth of it is all around us even now as the vaccine is rolling out to more and more people. 

However, there is something to be said for wanting to have a bit of escapism especially so soon after the fact. This was something that we were not prepared for. The last time something on this level happened in America was, funnily enough, in the 1920s. And we ended up doing the same thing with being quarantined, getting mad at being shut in and going on, and it staying around even longer. You would think people would learn from history but alas.

I would argue it was worse then because at least now Internet, e-readers, and streaming services are an option for most. So, there were ways to pass the days that seemed to go on forever and ever. I know I got a lot of reading done as well as started to be more mindful of what I wanted to do for myself and considered self-care. It also let me know that again I’m pretty adaptable all around, which is always a good quality to have.

Still I want to be able to go safely into the freaking outdoors now please.

Regardless of what an author chooses to do I respect it. Talia Hibbert states in the forward for Act Your Age, Eve Brown, that she wrote the book in a COVID-free world. Which I respect. Now, the Brown sisters are also written in what I would call a ‘timeless’ period; meaning you know it’s contemporary but not exactly when it is. So, there is no need to really nail down exactly what year it took place in. I haven’t read any that specifically mention COVID-19 yet, but the year is still young and who knows what my future TBR pile shall bring.

I’ve also noticed from my casual, not-at-all scientific observation, a surge in books taking place in tropical locations, such as Meet Me in Paradise, or book festivals, such as the upcoming No Words by Meg Cabot. The covers of the book even show tropical locations. This is likely an extension of some of the things that we all wished we could have done last year, as well a call of what we hope to do very soon. Which is fair. I was supposed to got to KissCon last year with a friend and well….*shrugs*. C’est la vie.

And then there were some who embraced the pandemic and wrote romance novels around it. You know what story I’m talking about. Now, this isn’t my bag, but I’m not going to yuck someone’s yum.

All of this is to say that whichever way an author chooses to work through their frustration over the last year is between them, their editor, and the publisher. As readers, we are empowered to pick and choose what we read on our own time. So, if you don’t like the blind eye an author may turn towards the year 2020, that’s fine. You can choose not to read their book. Just like you can choose to not read a book that uses quarantine as a new method of forced proximity.

Personally, I’m trying to stay positive that by this summer we may be on the upswing. That’s not just because that is when my birthday is either (although it does add to it), but with the number of people getting vaccinated it is possible. Even if not everyone does it, if enough people do it, then herd immunity will kick in and then we can start trying to live the way we did.

Romance News

Let’s hear it for more books featuring older romance couples!

Frolic put together a list of contemporary romances that may have been missed in March!

Yes, more Bridgerton. Here is one writer’s choices for the steamiest (or funniest) lines from the entire series, including the second epilogue collection.

New Releases

Here are some of the new releases hitting the shelves this week!

Custom Made by Chantal Fernando

Knit, Purl, a Baby, and a Girl by Hettie Bell*

Sweethand by N.G. Peltier

The Rebel by Kendall Ryan

Back in the Burbs by Avery Flynn & Tracy Wolff

*I read this one as an e-ARC and it’s super sweet. However, there is a lot of body shaming in it from the narrator’s mother.

Deals

As of the writing of this newsletter, here were some sweet deals I came across!

Breakfast in Bed by Rochelle Alers can be picked up for $0.99

The Remaking of Corbin Wales by Roan Parish is available for $1.99

Second Chance on Cypress Lane by Reese Ryan is available for $2.99.

The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas is $1.99

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That’s all for now friends. Feel free to follow me over at Twitter under @PScribe801. Until next time!

Hello again, KBers! I hope that this last week has treated you well. It’s the second to last one in March and honestly, this month seemed to fly by. Especially in comparison to last year which seemed to drag on endlessly and last the whole year. I suppose a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was on vacation last week, which again was much needed. I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and read to recap some of the highlights of the romance world for you. 

Romance News:

Every time I think that people will stop treating the romance genre like the proverbial red-headed stepchild, something happens on the Internet to surprise me. Apparently there was a new publication, called The Shift Magazine, slated for production that was going to focus around the reviewing of romance novels. And I say this in the past tense because, according to their site and after a few controversial tweets, they’ve now paused production and “hope to launch in the fall.” 

I didn’t get a chance to look at the site before the placeholder message was put on. However, based on the screenshots that were floating around, it’s a safe bet that they wouldn’t have been too successful. Between making what I’m sure they thought was a novel and pioneering statement that romances didn’t need a happily ever after (they do), their questionable parameters, and their own admission that their initial review requirements could be viewed as narrow-minded….they were sunk before they even had a chance.

And, upon further investigation, their Twitter account is locked down and protected. *Cardi B voice* That’s weird. 

Alas, screenshots are forever.

Among other things, Jess and Trish played “Is it romance?” on this week’s episode of the When in Romance podcast. And yes for the record…The Mummy is a romance and needs a re-watch soon.

Here’s a quick quiz on what to read next, based on your Zodiac sign. I have an ARC of the one for me, and I am taking that as the universe’s way of not so subtly telling me to pick it up next. 

The consistently amazing Stacy Abrams spoke with SXSW about how being in politics influenced her romance writing.

Recommendations:

One of my current obsessions is the webtoon Lore Olympus. I really can’t articulate how awesome this series is. This unique take on this tale is so inventive and the artwork is amazing. And the author/artist is very good about giving trigger and content warnings for specific episodes. Which is amaze-balls. 

Sidenote: It’s not a spoiler when someone does this; it’s a kindness. 

This has always been one of my favorites of the Greek tales. In the more popular version of the myth, Hades kidnaps Persephone and there is a certain amount of Stockholm Syndrome there. And she’s sad and doesn’t eat and eventually Hades is ordered by Zeus that she has to be returned to Demeter, provided she hasn’t eaten anything.

Right when this decree is being made, Persephone suddenly decides to nom on something. And when she finally breaks her fast, she picks the pomegranate; a fruit that is so difficult to eat, it is like the food equivalent of Fort Knox. 

And I’m not exaggerating. The first time I ate one I got super frustrated at the amount of effort it took. After that experience, I began to have questions. She could have had a plum, or an apple. But nope, she chose a pomegranate. Poet Danielle Michalleni touched on this in her haunting “Persephone Speaks” poem where it turns the myth around and says that she chose to eat the fruit.

Now, I do understand that the idea behind the myth is to explain the changing of the seasons. But it’s still, if you’ll pardon the pun, food for thought. And with that in mind, on to the recommendations for this week! Which, surprising no one I’m sure after that introduction, is Hades and Persephone retellings that I was able to find when searching on the interwebs.

Honorable mention goes to sigeel’s Punderworld, which is also available on the Webtoons app.

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That’s all for today friends. If you want more snippets of me in between the newsletters, follow me on Twitter @PScribe801. Until next time!

Hello again! I’m writing to y’all today, back home, with just a few more days left in my vacation. While there is more than a little bit of bittersweetness to that, the time off did exactly what I wanted it to do, which was give me a boost in all aspects of my life. I’m also planning on a mini-vacation solo later on (shhhh don’t tell my son though) so that is something else to look forward to. 

During our vacation we went to a drive-in which was a completely new experience for me, and I loved it. We saw Raya & the Last Dragon and it was amazing. Yes, it is currently on Disney+, which I do have, but there was something magical about seeing it on the big screen. I also really loved the new short Us Again. It was a sweet story about a couple who realizes that age doesn’t hold them back from having fun, which, considering my recommendations from last time, seemed fitting. I know that it was animated but the dance sequences were also awesome. Just a pure, sweet story. 

As for Raya…wow, just wow. The voice actors were amazing and the story was engaging. It was also beautifully animated and I loved the story. As much of a die-hard romance fan as I am (bit of spoilers here), I also appreciate stories where the princess doesn’t need to end up with a prince. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling but I do heartily recommend it. 

Bookish News:

This book announcement came across my Twitter timeline and caused a whole lot of feelings. Just to be crystal clear: the Tweet I linked *is not* by the author who wrote the book; I just heard about it from her first. And everything about this is just unsettling.

Clearly, I’m not against interracial romance, but the title alone causes an unpleasant knee-jerk reaction. When you couple that with that flag on the cover, not to mention the disclaimer about the cover model when you go to the product page? It’s a mood, that’s for damn sure. 

I know that there are tons of books that have ‘mafia’ and ‘redneck’ in the title, which is also triggering for some people, especially as some of them also have the flag on the cover. But this book goes all in on the problematic scale in choosing the word it did as the title. Then it triples down by calling itself a Romeo and Juliet retelling. It’s just…a mood. And not a good one.

I remember a few years ago when we were simply engulfed in redemption romances for n*zis and that was a whole big bowl of nope for me. Hopefully this won’t bring in an influx of supremacist romances or anything like that.

Plus…Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, y’all. It specifically tell us that in the play’s prologue. No clue why they’re still touted as a couple to aspire to or why we still keep wanting to use them as a couple goal. If you want an example of forbidden or rivalry love, use the Hatfields and the McCoys. At least some of them are still here.

Moving on so as to not end this section on a complete downer.

The Ripped Bodice was back in the Romance section of the Twitter-verse due to a response critique that romance bloggers Nick and Ari wrote. This year, the Diversity Report caused a lot of division, so this rebuttal, as it were, isn’t entirely unexpected. After Nick’s original tweet, the Koch sisters did reach out and respond that they were preparing a statement. So, there has been progress made in that regard.

I touched on this as well in a previous newsletter. Again, I want to reiterate that my concern isn’t intended to be an attack but constructive criticism. Having questions about how the numbers do or don’t work doesn’t mean you can’t still support this awesome business. Those two ideas can be mutually exclusive. To put my own personal spin on what the Shelf Love podcast said, I love that my hairstylist can tame my curls and help color pop in them. But I wouldn’t want her to perform heart surgery on me.

Talia Hibbert’s latest, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, hit the NYT Bestseller list! I’m sure this is a surprise to no one who has read any of her books but it is still good news to hear. I’m reading this right now and I’m loving every moment of it.

From Book Riot and Around the Web:

Brooke wrote a wonderful article about what makes a good sex scene, interviewing well-known figures in Romancelandia. Of course, body positivity and consent are up there, but there are other factors and opinions that may surprise you. It’s a great read so be sure to check it out.

If you’re participating in the Read Harder challenge this year, be sure to read over this list of romances that feature trans and/or nonbinary characters, since some of those may satisfy a prompt or two.

Sara Desai revealed some of her favorite fake-romance movies. I just finished her latest, The Dating Plan, and had a great time reading it. Don’t let the fact that you haven’t read the first one keep you from reading this one, if you have been on the fence about picking it up, since that isn’t necessary. Although now I do want to go back and check it out.

New Releases:

Here are some of the upcoming titles that will be hitting the stores this week. 

Wild Rebel by Laurelin Paige

One More Time by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

Hard Luck by Sarah Ney

Crazy Hearts by Amber Kelly

Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee

That’s all for today. If you want a little bit more of me between the newsletters, follow me on Twitter @Psribe801. Until next time.