Category: Kissing Books

Happy Thursday, folks! I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve had a regular Kissing Books. Let’s get back at it!

Over on Book Riot

The Read Harder Challenge is up! I’m so excited to once again fail, but I might even manage to make it about halfway through next year lolsob.

As I mentioned last week, Beverly Jenkins is making history!

Do you use book apps? What do you think of these three romance-specific ones?

It’s a new Wilde cover!

There’s nothing quite like estranged lovers, is there?

Who wants holiday romances?

These non-illustrated covers for upcoming 2020 books are all basically fire. Which ones are you looking forward to picking up first?

Also, I am terrible at remembering to mention When In Romance. It’s getting to be a problem. I give you Recommendations Part Deux: Cozy with a Side of Crime.

Deals

Want to start a series? Home to Wickham Falls by Rochelle Alers, the first in the Wickham Falls Weddings series, is 1.99 right now. Rochelle Alers is a prolific author who I have only had the chance to dabble in, so I’m looking forward to checking out one of her Harlequin category series! This one seems to have several kinds of lovely people clutching in beautiful locations, and I would like to explore Wickham Falls, maybe change the connotations of that name in my brain 😉

New Books!

Oh man, have I got a hell of a list for new books! I managed a couple of pages over the short break, but didn’t do nearly as much catch-up as I’d intended.

Blitzed
Alexa Martin

This third installment in Alexa Martin’s Playbook series was a quick, easy read, and totally delivered—though in my opinion it was the third-best of the three.

Brynn, who we’ve seen at HERS since the start of the series, is a workaholic. She lives for her bar and the people who work there. So when football player Maxwell Lewis, in an un-Maxwell-like move, accidentally causes damage to the space while she’s prepping to host a high-profile event, she decides they no longer need to quietly flirt with each other when he regularly visits the bar. When he finally gets back in her good graces, they agree to be friends—which everyone but Brynn can see through as their friendship progresses between meals and sitcom episodes. The more general conflict is done well, but the Big Conflict is (while expected) a bit too melodramatic for the rest of the tone, and because it arrives so late in the book, is resolved too easily on both their parts. Even with this, it’s a hilarious book featuring lots of amazing characters that I wish we had more of. (Maybe we will, if that Starz project ever gets off the ground.)

I’m (still) in the middle of Neighborly, but here are some other books I look forward to picking up:

The Changeup by Nicole Falls (Big Pitch Feels on this cover)
Everything’s Better With Lisa by Lucy Eden
The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard
Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters
The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson
Twelve Dates of Christmas by Rilzy Adams
The Working Elf Blues by Piper Vaughn

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

It’s DECEMBER. What on earth? Also, hey, it’s Cyber Monday! We’re going to do something a little different this second day of December: a romance gift guide! Some of us have way too many books, and will cry in the bad way if you try to foist more upon us before we’re ready. Instead, use your gift funds wisely with some of these amazing pieces from a bunch of independent retailers!

(Some of these are Etsy dealers who make these for a bunch of genres, some are romance-specific folks, and some…just are.)

Start the year out with this gorgeous calendar. I might have just bought one.

And of course, we always need new mugs for our preferred warm beverage of choice…

If you can’t get enough of Alex and Henry, you can say “History, Huh?” to your coffee every morning. (And uh…if anyone wants to get me one…You know where to find me.)

“Of Course I wasn’t staying up late reading romance novels”

“I’m just going to drink this and read a romance novel”

“Read Romance, Fight Patriarchy” (also comes in an array of other things like tshirts and tote bags)

 

And speaking of warm beverages of choice, The Ripped Bodice has this brilliant Trope Tea with flavors like “This Kiss Was Only Supposed to Be Instructive” and “My Childhood Friend Is Hot Now” 😀

Need to carry your books around? How about a #Romancelandia tote?

Do you know someone who loves surprises? Send them a holiday book box from Love’s Sweet Arrow!

Do you know someone who likes enamel pins? You can get a bunch of different ones from Jane Mount of The Ideal Bookshelf (like this cute Pride and Prejudice one or this gorgeous one for Their Eyes Were Watching God)

And if you want to do something super duper special for a special someone, you can get someone a custom painting (or give them a gift card to get their own) of their favorite book spines to hang anywhere they want. Here’s mine:

(Yes, An Extraordinary Union  is in it. No, I’m not sorry.) (And honestly, if it had been a year later, there might have been more romance in it lolsob)

If that’s a bit pricey, Here’s a great piece of art featuring the best Lisa Kleypas quote.

And of course, as we all know…we need diverse romance.

And Black Romance Matters.

What are you getting the romance lovers in your life? Hit me up on social (@jessisreading or jess_is_reading) or send an email to wheninromance@bookriot.com to let me know!

It’s the last KB of November, y’all! I just got home from seeing Anastasia, and now I’m craving some prewar 20th century historical romance. I’ll let you know what I find. 

News and Useful Links

Beverly Jenkins announced last week that her book Forbidden has been optioned by Sony Pictures Television. How much are we jumping up and down, but also hoping she has enough say in production that they get it right? 

Also holy moly was Ms. Bev having a week because THIS COVER. 

Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, put together a list of her favorite 2019 romances for The Washington Post and she was just as distracted by the gorgeous embroidery artwork (by Sarah K. Benning) that graces it as we were. The list is pretty good, too. 

If queer holiday stories are your thing, check out this list of all the queer holiday novellas being published by Ninestar Press this winter. One of them revisits Mark and Gabe from Bumper to Bumper, which I talked about a few months ago. 

I’m not sure we can all handle the vast influx of cover reveals for books we have to wait months for, but it was an exciting week for covers, including the one for the first book in Kit Rocha’s Mercenary Librarians series and the last book in Adriana Herrera’s Dreamer series. And Meryl Wilsner’s debut, out in spring. Oh, and Jessie Mihalik’s next one, too. And that’s not even all of them that dropped this week. 

Did you know you could still get a “History, Huh?” t-shirt?

Jen wrote this great article for Kirkus about the increased visibility of diverse historical romance. We’ve still got a long ways to go, though.   

And in romance-adjacent news, I’m happy to tell you that you can now stream the most recent Great Performances episode, the all-Black Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing led by the incomparable Danielle Brooks, on PBS.org or the PBS app. You’re welcome. 

Deals

If you have been living for Kennedy Ryan titles but have already burned through her most recent duology, go back to 2014 with When You Are Mine, which is 1.99 right now. It’s got the same intensity and feels as her newer books, and a whole three more books in the series. 

Recs!

I love a good Pygmalion story. Blame it on Rex Harrison and my grandmother never saying no to small Jess and the two-tape VHS of My Fair Lady. (Side note: I read George Bernard Shaw’s version in grad school and am not sure which ending I like better. But that’s in part because I hate Freddy more than Higgins. Which one do I want to most unleash upon poor Eliza? Who can say. And Henry’s monologue at the end of Pygmalion is perfect. But ugh, Freddy. See?) 

Um. Anyway. Pygmalion. 

There’s nothing like a twist on the traditional glow-up tale, and the one I read last week is my new favorite kind of makeover: the Rakeover!

My Fake Rake
Eva Leigh

Grace and Sebastian met four years ago at their prestigious lending library and became immediate friends. Even though she’s utterly enmeshed in herpetology and he’s strictly about anthropology, they’ve found that they benefit greatly from their shared geekery. Unbeknownst to each of them, their friendship is supplemented by strong attraction. Of course, neither will tell the other because reasons. When Grace is set upon by her father to find a spouse, Grace can only think of one person, who is unfortunately not Seb. It’s another scientist she has a major crush on….except he sees her as nothing more than a colleague. The only way to score him as a husband before his upcoming expedition to Greenland is to make him see. By having someone else woo her, of course. 

That someone else? Our dear, bespectacled, darling dork Sebastian. Who also has massive social anxiety, if that’s a thing you need to know. But he’ll do anything for Grace, even learn how to be a society rake. Good thing his BFF The Duke is there to help him out. 

This book is sweet, and funny, and sexy; that combination is enough to draw this reader who isn’t usually about that Friends-to-Lovers life. You will be yelling at these adorable idiots for the duration of your stay in Leigh land, but it’ll be so worth it at the end. 

Do you have a favorite Pygmalion-style romance?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Happy Thursday, Folks. November is almost over, and after a weirdly dry Monsoon season, we’re finally getting some wild amounts of rain in Tucson. I hope you’re getting better weather wherever you are.

Over on Book Riot

Ann Foster thought these would be good candidates for holiday movies. What do you think?

She pulled that list together because of this one. No authors of color. At all.

Annika’s got all your romance terms for you, all in one place.

I try my best to keep you up to date, but there are a few other ways to keep track of book releases by date.

Accessories! (I can vouch for the Book Seat, which I happily use when I, too, am not properly seated on my couch.)

Y’all, I almost forgot to mention that Trisha and I did our first of two recommendations episodes. (If you still have rec requests, send them our way!)

Deals

And if you’ve already listened to that episode, one of the books I mention, His Perfect Partner by Priscilla Oliveras, is 99 cents right now. The first in a series that includes Her Perfect Affair and Their Perfect Melody (which is also 99 cents right now), this darling book features a single father and his precious daughter, whose dance teacher has a bone to pick. When parent and teacher meet, there’s something there immediately, but they’ve both got to work a bit on themselves before they can do anything else. This is great if you’re looking not only for books featuring children, but really strong family foundations.

New Books

It’s the last New Books of November! We’re closed on Thanksgiving, but I’ll be back in December with the last breaths of 2019. There are fewer books out this week than there will be next week; maybe it’s because it’s a holiday weekend? I dunno.

Plus One by Christina C. Jones

This holiday short sounds absolutely delightful (and I plan on reading it immediately after I’m done here). Set in the Equlibrium universe, this tiny short (only 44 pages) offers a new story of a pair who live in Mahogany Heights, one of Christina C. Jones’s towns. This couple has great chemistry, even for such a short novella. If you haven’t tried a CCJ book, a short is a great place to start—you get a hint of her humor, her characters, and leave spinning for more.

Neighborly by Katrina Jackson

Have you read any Katrina Jackson? If not, hooo boy. You are in for something. I don’t know if it’s a treat or some burn cream for how much she will set you on fire. This novella is one of her Erotic Accommodations books, which has a *touch* more erotic content than her other books. When two partnered neighbors find themselves attracted to each other, the neighborly thing for their gentlemen to do (get it?) is to support a partner in her need to express that attraction. And since it’s Katrina Jackson, you also won’t be able to escape the feels that are involved.

And of course, there are a few more new releases, too:

Call it One Sided by Daniela Reyes
Fake Date by Monica Murphy
The Princess Plan by Julia London
The Rebel King by Kennedy Ryan
Ten Things My Cat Hates About You by Lottie Lucas
Shelf Awareness by Katie Ashley
Winter Tales by Tiffany Reisz

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

It’s Monday again, and I hope you are ready for a new week! I just sang Carmina Burana five times in the last ten days, so I’m mostly excited to get a break. But my reading list for the rest of the year is coming together! Of course, who knows what will come out of left field, right?

News and Useful Links

Have you screamed about this cover reveal yet? Alyssa Cole’s upcoming spinoff series from the Reluctant Royals (delightfully titled Runaway Royals), starts with How to Catch a Queen and oh man, I can’t wait.

Last year, Suzanne at Love in Panels pulled together all the queer holiday romances from Ninestar Press, which is a smaller queer publisher that puts out some really fun reads. There should be a new one for 2019, but if you’ve been looking for queer holiday reads, this is a great place to start.

And then there’s this cover. This book ticks so many boxes, and I am itching to get my hands on it. Except it’s not coming out until just before Christmas.

And don’t forget the folks at Romance Sparks Joy pull together a nice thread of every week’s happenings on Twitter.

Deals

I just watched Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Bell sing the history of Disney songs in five minutes or whatever, which was a good sign that today’s deal ought to be Tessa Dare’s Do You Want to Start A Scandal. (Yes. I sing the title every time.) It’s 1.99 right now, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re in for such a treat. Charlotte and Piers are great together, and the situations Tessa Dare loves to put her characters in make me cackle with glee. Honestly, if I reread books and had infinite time, this is one I’d pick up every year or so.

Recs!

I know there’s still six weeks left in the year (WHAT), but I’m trying to wrap up my 2019 reading as my ARC inbox starts to get overloaded with 2020 reads. Here are some of the 2019 books I’m looking forward to grabbing (hopefully) before the year ends.

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh (November 26)

I actually just started reading this over the weekend, but Fortuna, that imperatrix mundi, she got in the way. Once I realized the prologue setup featured an eighteenth-century version of The Breakfast Club, I was all in. And Seb and Grace have not disappointed yet. I’m a relative newcomer to Eva Leigh, having only read my first of her books this year, but I was an immediate convert after Dare to Love a Duke and this one is destined to be even better. And the bookish, anthropology-focused, bespectacled gentleman who learns to be a rake to help the similarly bookish, reptile-focused lady he’s more than halfway in love with to make another man jealous? All the checks.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (November 5)

When we decided that Get a Life was going to be our next pick for the When in Romance Book Club, I made the mistake of setting it aside instead of reading it immediately, hoping to give myself some time and read it closer to our discussion. But who wants to wait for that? Everyone has been raving about it on social media and in other bookish spaces, and I am excited for the banter, the disability rep, and the fiery characters that everyone has been talking about. I currently have it in both print and audio (thanks to Libro.fm) so I’m probably still going to wait a bit so it’s fresh. But not as long as originally planned!

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (December 31)

There has been so much chatter about this book, and I’ve been staring at its beautiful cover for months. I hardly know anything about it, barring love and calligraphy, but all of the promo materials have been gorgeous, and everyone I know who reads farther ahead than I do has done nothing but scream about this book.

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera (December 23)

This [expletive deleted] dares to give us an amazing sounding f/f holiday romance featuring Dominican characters and then isn’t releasing it until December 23? Like how dare she.

A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian (December 10)

Once titled The Duchess Deception, this next book in Cat’s Regency Impostors series brings Amelia Allenby to the forefront instead of stealing the scenes of her friends in their books. This time, she encounters a gentleman in the country who is not telling the whole truth. As I discussed last week, I don’t always do well with love interests lying to each other, but we’ll see what happens here. I have not yet picked up a Cat Sebastian book I haven’t loved.

Blitzed by Alexa Martin (December 3)

I’ll admit: I keep forgetting this one is coming out so soon. This is the third book in Alexa Martin’s Playbook series, after Intercepted and Fumbled, and I honestly don’t know how she can surpass Fumbled. But I’m looking forward to seeing how a date-gone-wrong turned second-chance story plays out in this universe.

***

This isn’t everything I’d love to get through over the next several weeks, but these are definitely the ones I hope are just as amazing as people have said they are. Maybe I’ll be able to read them faster, so I can read more!

What are your reading hopes for the rest of the year?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Happy Thursday, lovers! How many hours of Disney backlist have you watched so far? (I have to admit, at the time of writing this, I have watched zero. But believe me, I’m looking forward to the chance to watch tons. My Disney OTP? Goliath and Demona. All the way.)

Over on Book Riot

Do you like comics? You should check out these cute, swoony ones. (I will personally vouch for My Boyfriend is a Bear, which I recognized from the two panels listed and love with all my heart.)

Lily always reads the acknowledgements, for the same reason many of us do as well.

Do you know how many romance novels started out as NaNoWriMo projects? I don’t either, but here are some books that did (not all romance, but definitely interesting to know).

Need some good autumn spirit? I live in the desert, and definitely miss the leaf-changing of my youth during the months that end in brrr (I’m sorry, that was terrible.)

If you’re a Goodreads user (or just a data nerd) this is an interesting dive into the platform and its future.

Deals

We’ve seen a lot of “marriage-in-trouble” books recently, but the first one I remember reading is Day of the Duchess, which is more of a second chance romance since the pair is estranged and far beyond “in trouble”. The third in the Scandal & Scoundrel series (I do love Sarah MacLean’s series titles), this one harkens back to happenings in the first, The Rogue Not Taken, in which that book’s protagonist pushes her brother-in-law into a fountain. Pond? Something. Said brother-in-law is the groveling husband in this one, trying to get his wife to fall back in love with him. He does it in a really stupid way, but I mean, he’s trying, right? The pair of them are ridiculous. But those two were my first married couple, and they have a special place in my heart. CW for discussion of past emotional abuse and a magical infertility cure.

New Books!

This has been another great week for new releases! I’ve got a couple that I’m really excited for you to read, and some others that I hope to read soon.

Not the Girl You Marry
Andie J. Christopher

It’s not often that I flailingly, excitedly recommend books that I personally Did Not Finish, but this is going to be one of those books. A gender-swapped retelling of the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, this book is the perfect kind of romcom: great writing, witty dialogue, and great character depiction and development, with some steamy sexytimes as a bonus. But as I sat there flying through the pages, I got about halfway through when I just stopped, unable to pick it back up after a little break. I’d forgotten that the hardest part of the movie to watch for me was act two, when Andie and Ben really amp up their deception game in the process of reaching their own personal ends. It was when Not the Girl reached that stage—when both Hannah and Jack have started repeating to themselves how bad they feel about deceiving the other person—that I started to slow down. I love a good fake relationship story, but I need both people to know that it isn’t a real one. So both people thinking the other one thinks it’s real is a dealbreaker for me. But it was so good! Hannah is amazing, Jack is amazing, all their friends and family are amazing; Andie’s storytelling is amazing. If you don’t have a serious liar squick, I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.

I also tore through Ruby Lang’s Open House in a number of hours, having started reading it around 11pm under the assumption that I would just read a few chapters. Fast-forward to 1:45 and I’m reading the Author’s Note and smiling at my pillow. I’d never read anything quite like it before, and it definitely lives up to the first in the series, Playing House. Magda (the realtor showing the house “Ollie and Darling” sort of…break…in the first book) has two tough jobs on her hands: the first is to sell the multimillion dollar brownstone her uncle can’t seem to let go of. The second involves selling an empty lot nearby…except it’s not empty at all; in fact, it’s filled to the brims with a thriving community garden. She and the garden’s tenders—including the very attractive Ty—don’t start off on a very good foot, and she doesn’t know what she can do to help them. Also, she keeps running into Ty and their attraction isn’t going away. At all.

It’s so good, y’all.

Here are some other new releases I’m happy to check out:

No Whisk No Reward by Ellie Kay (I just love all these Smartypants covers)
A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau
Eight Kisses (a holiday anthology)
Changing Course by Brey Willows
Someone Seeking Someone Else by Nicole Falls
Back to September by Melissa Brayden
Christmas Blues by Leigh Jarrett
Just Down the Hall by Alessandra Thomas

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

It’s Veterans Day in the US, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank any vets who read Kissing Books for your service. Let’s talk love!

News and Useful Links

Do you like Robyn Carr? Have you heard that her Virgin River series is getting a Netflix adaptation? I look forward to checking it out!

A TED Talk! About romance novels!

Have you voted in the Goodreads Choice Awards? I’ll admit, I did enjoy some of the books that were listed in the romance category, but the lack of historical romance and the lack of Alyssa Cole threw me lolsob. Needless to say, I might have written in something that covers both of those vacancies.

This is an amazing article by Adriana Herrera about the presence of immigrants in romance. (Also, if you want to preorder her next book—A F/F HOLIDAY FOODIE ROMANCE—you definitely should.)

Sarah MacLean’s got a new merch line coming out in the spring, but she decided to give us a little taste! I’d say hide your wallet, but you’re just going to buy everything anyway.

Rebel Carter wrote this searing piece about why she writes historical romance.

The Bawdy Quickie is ready to ship! If you haven’t gotten yours yet, do yourself a favor.

Do you have PassionFlix? They finally announced the leading cast of their adaptation of Gabriel’s Inferno, which I don’t want to want to watch, but goodness gracious, he is pretty.

Have you seen the cover for Talia Hibbert’s next Avon book, Take a Hint, Dani Brown? It’s so freaking precious. I can’t wait!

ALSO. Sonali Dev is continuing the work she started with Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors with Recipe for Persuasion, which is bound to kill me, I think.

This is beautiful.

Deals

Liana de la Rosa’s To Resist a Scandalous Rogue is 99 cents right now! It’s the second book in the series, but can stand alone. This one features a Viscount running for Parliament and the widow he can’t get out of his head. She’s a teacher, and also Jewish, and the two share a night together before she disappears…so yeah. A bunch of things to tick off your mental checklist. The rest of the series is less than five dollars, so might as well load up on the rest (the first is To Love a Scandalous Duke, if you’re interested).

Recs!

You’d think I’d want to talk about romances featuring folks who serve, but instead I’m going to talk about another kind of service: single parenthood. I’ve come across a couple really good books featuring single parents with delightful little ones, and I am that person who doesn’t hate their existence in romance novels.

Down too Deep
J. Daniels

J. Daniels books are hit or miss for me—I read a four star one and then picked up one that was a hate-quit DNF—but this one was definitely a hit. Nathan and Jenna are two single parents who are at two very different points in their lives. Nathan is a workaholic widower with a two-year-old who is finally emerging from the cloud of grief that he’s buried himself in since his wife’s (CW) death by suicide. Jenna has been mostly on her own with her eight-year-old twins since they were born, and has the advantage of being able to work from home when they’re out of school. When Jenna offers to help Nathan with Marley while he runs his restaurant in the hope of cutting back hours and getting to know his daughter.

This is one of those books you can see the flaws in, but can’t help but love. Nate and Jenna are both trying to do their best for their kids, but definitely can’t resist each other. They start out as friends, and try to back away when more comes along. But…well, that isn’t really an option, is it?

Grumpy Jake
Melissa Blue

This novella packs a seriously sexy punch while also making you swoon over a kindergartener. The titular grumpy gus is a father at Bailey’s school, where he has probably dated every available woman at the school where his son Jayden has gone through daycare and is now starting Kindergarten in Bailey’s class. Bailey herself is immediately attracted to the hot, bearded, tattooed healthcare worker, but is less than attracted to his serial dating ways and his attitude. But when they get stuck in an elevator together (STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR TOGETHER YOU KNOW HOW I LOVE THOSE) and start to reveal their truths to each other, their relationship starts to shift.

I’ve also been picking my way (out of order, which kind of hurts) through Erica Ridley’s 12 Dukes of Christmas, the next of which is The Duke’s Bride. It’s got a smuggler hero, his ten-year-old twins, and the French governess who takes the job to gain enough capital to go back to France and recover her vineyard. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

Who are your favorite single parents in romance?

What are you reading this week?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Y’all, it has been a week. And there’s still some left to go. I just want to curl up and read until Doomsday.

Over on Book Riot

Courtney had the chance to see Casey McQuiston and Jasmine Guillory at the Texas Book Festival last month. What did they talk about?

Do you have a favorite audiobook narrator? Tirzah really likes Emily Woo Zeller, who among other great books, narrated The Bride Test. 

Do you get your ebooks through the library? You might have heard that some of those books are going to be harder to get now. Kelly broke down the new ebook embargo that’s happening with MacMillan and its imprints (who publish, among others, Nora Roberts’ newest series).

Deals

Have you read Suleikha Snyder’s Tikka Chance on Me? Well, I’ve got news for you: you can make up for missing out on what one author called a masterclass in novella writing by getting your own copy, which now comes with a shiny new cover! (Look at it. Just…stare, for a moment.) If you are familiar with the book, you might know that Suleikha was inspired in-part by a photo shoot featuring a particular bearded Avenger, and if you know the shoot, you’ll recognize the t-shirt the male protagonist, Trucker, is wearing. Right now, it’s only available digitally…but that’s okay, because it’s also 99 cents!

New Books!

Happy book release week to Lyssa Kay Adams and The Bromance Book Club! Since we talked about that one last week, I’m excited to discuss some other new and recent releases.

Jinx
Phyllis Bourne

Y’all. Trisha (fellow Rioter and my When in Romance cohost, for those of you who don’t listen) has been talking about Phyllis Bourne for literal years, and it has taken me far too long to pick up one of her books. This one is the second in the series, and while there are some event spoilers for the first, it’s perfectly easy to pick up as a standalone. And I gotta tell you:

She. Is. Funny. AF.

Ned is completely head over heels for his next door neighbor, who runs the paint and sip business next to his sports bar and—just like he does—lives in the apartment above it. She’s beautiful, sincere, and smart. And he’s been afraid to make a move. Waverly is similarly afraid, although her desire for Ned is just as strong as his own. But she has a problem: she’s a jinx. Every boyfriend she’s had since a certain incident involving a curse and some historic witch trials has had terrible things befall them after intimacy with her. One guy even moved to Timbuktu to get away from her. She likes Ned a lot, and doesn’t want anything like that to happen to him. But once they get on the same page, Ned—who never did anything if it wasn’t easy—is willing to risk it.

I’m not lying. Some kind of way Phyllis Bourne has taken this rather frightening premise and made it into a romantic comedy. It’s really adorable and now I’m really annoyed with myself for the whole having to read all of her backlist thing.

Thanks, Trisha.

There are a bunch of other new books I can’t wait to get my hands on either:

Royal Secrets by LR Jackson
Prose Before Bros by Cathy Yardley (I think I mentioned this one last week but that title)
The Art of Possession by Cari Z
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (it’s finally here!)
We Met in December by Rosie Curtis (I still haven’t confirmed that this is true romance but I’ll risk it because CUTE)
Counter Culture by JL Merrow
Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward (I’ll admit I started this one and got distracted, but I still want to know how it ends!)

What are you reading this weekend?

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!

Welcome to November! I like November for many things—national holidays, various changes to the word “November” based on causes (including my personal favorite, which I saw this morning, NOvember, in which the person would be working on saying no to whatever they want), and of course, everyone’s favorite: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short). Who’s writing a novel this month? (Answer: not me.)

News and Useful Links

Whether you’ve read Lush Money or not, this is just a delightful story. (And a perfect prompt for a romance novel, if anyone’s still grasping at a topic for NaNo!)

Speaking of Lush Money, Bawdy Bookworms has a new box, focused on diverse titles. Each box will have a book, an erotic toy, and some additional bit of swag. The first box goes out this month, so be sure to sign up for yours!

We’ve gotten a little more news about the Starz adaptation of Alexa Martin’s Intercepted, the project taken on by 50 Cent and Lala Anthony. The slow trickle of information about this show keeps giving me hope that it will start moving pretty quickly (especially now that both big names are now only flashbacks or ghosts on Power…)

Tamsen Parker wrote this incredible guest post on Love in Panels about writing depressed characters, and what it means when you are also depressed.

And Lyssa Kay Adams wrote about toxic masculinity.

Check out this darling cover and read a bit of Priscilla Oliveras’s 2020 release.

This amazing looking project is already way ahead of their original goal, but you can still back this Kickstarter to get first crack at the finished product.

Deals

It’s a new month, which means new deals!

Have you wondered where to start with Brenda Jackson? She has written over 100 novels, after all. My first Brenda Jackson novel was a Forged of Steele novel, and I’ll never forget it. If you want to start at the beginning, Solid Soul is 1.99 right now, and several other Forged of Steele novels are that price or otherwise under five dollars. And there are a lot of them. The first one I read, Irresistible Forces, is 3.99. If you haven’t ventured into one of Brenda Jackson’s connected worlds…well. Have fun and good luck!

Recs!

I have to share a secret: I really like holiday romances. They’re like regular romances turned to eleven: more of the angst, more of the cheer, just more everything. I recently started my holiday reading for 2019 (I don’t want to start too early) and have quite a few lined up to pick up!

Stocking Stuffers
Erin McLellan

I never thought I would use the word “adorable” for a story about a commitment-phobic sex toy marketer and the Christmas-loving man who can’t get enough of her, but that is legit the only word I can use for this short holiday story. Sasha Holiday hates Christmas; her family never had a real connection to it, and her fiancé left her at the altar on their Christmas wedding day. But she will do what she needs to sell her product, even if that means venturing out to a book club’s annual holiday party to peddle her wares. When she gets stuck at the inn where they meet because of a snowstorm, she finds herself unable to keep away from Perry, the younger brother of her host and ultimate Christmas-loving cinnamon roll. But there are two things that she can’t give him: a happy holiday and a real relationship.

Love in the Stacks
Delilah Peters

This is one of Carina’s Dirty Bits novellas, which means it’s not very long at all and also is mostly sex. If you aren’t particularly drawn to novellas or steamy sexytimes, you probably won’t like this book. Which is too bad, because it’s about librarians.

Poppy’s newest coworker, Ben, keeps to his office in the basement. But when she ventures down into his cave to offer him a holiday treat, she can’t help but notice how attractive he is. And he apparently feels the same way about her, which is how they keep ending up in scandalous situations during the staff Christmas party. And then…they get stuck together overnight.

I’m sensing a pattern in my preferred holiday reading. One Bed for Christmas, anyone?

Either way, I am so excited to read more about snow and food and families and love. Here are some of the ones I can’t wait to pick up:

Holiday by Candlelight by Laurel Greer (Harlequin has well over 100 winter holiday romances this year…but most of them are very Christmas focused)
Christmas Kisses by Farrah Rochon
Dukes, Actually by Erica Ridley
Sugar Butter Flour Love by Nicole Falls (and dammit, now I’m going to be singing Waitress forever)
The Earl’s Christmas Pearl by Megan Frampton
Christmas With the Billionaire & A Tiara For Christmas (this is one of the last few Kimani doubles that will ever be published by Harlequin)
The Christmas Dare by Lori Wilde
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory (It came out way too early, honestly)
A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau (11/12)

Do you like holiday romances? What are you reading this week?

Hey, it’s Halloween! Enjoy the evening in whichever way you prefer—out and about trick or treating or hiding in the dark with your own bowl of candy goodness—and if you’re in a place that has celebrations for All Saints and All Souls, enjoy those the same way.

Over on Book Riot

We at Book Riot love our reading pathways! Check out the Christina Lauren one if you missed it last week, and now we’ve got one for Tessa Dare!

In search of new ways to read and eat at the same time? Here are some tips!

Dana dropped some knowledge about preorders and why they’re important. I know I don’t often mention books that far in advance, if at all, but it’s definitely something worth reading up on.

Do you use Libby to listen to audiobooks through your library? Check out these hacks to up your listening game.

Deals

Today’s the last day of a lot of deals, so I’ll drop a couple that you should definitely check out before the clock strikes twelve.

Have you read any Lucy Parker? If not, you’re in luck, because Act Like It is 1.99. It’s the first in a delightful series, the fifth of which (Headliners) comes out in January. So now is the perfect time to pick it up and see if you want the rest. This one is a delightful enemies-to-fake-relationship-to-lovers story between two actors who are both in hot water. Lainie is the respectable one, though, and if people think she’s taming the ultimate bad boy, it’s good press for both of them and the play they’re in.

If you haven’t yet read Cat Sebastian’s first m/f romance (though it’s no less queer than her others) A Duke In Disguise is 99 cents. Verity runs a bookshop that keeps in the black by publishing some stuff that they probably shouldn’t, especially since her brother is an outspoken radical. Her BFF is an illustrator who’s basically been in love with her since they were kids, and also, it turns out to everyone’s surprise (including his)…the heir to a duke. So that’s always fun.

New Books!

So I jumped the gun a little bit this past weekend and did some reading ahead. You all know how I don’t like doing it. But I finally decided that I wasn’t going to torture myself anymore waiting to read this book, even though it doesn’t come out until next week. Go ahead and preorder it now, and you’ll be happy it’s in your hands on Tuesday.

The Bromance Book Club
Lyssa Kay Adams

If you feel like you’ve been hearing a lot about this book, it’s because you have. It’s been inspiring a lot of excited squeeing since well before summer, and I’ve just been trying to hold off on reading it too far in advance. I just…couldn’t wait any longer.

When we meet Gavin, he’s drunk out of his mind. His wife, Thea, wants a divorce, and he’s living in a hotel room. His friends—and some other guy he’s not even friendly with—decide that they need to help him, and bring him into the fold. The first rule of book club is you don’t talk about book club and all that. Using romance novels, these men have all found their way to the right language and clear understanding of how their lovers want to be treated, both in and out of the bedroom. They invite Gavin to do the same, and give him some assigned reading.

Gavin and Thea are in more trouble than he ever knew, and this is the story of them falling back in love—and doing so to a much deeper level. There’s also a bonus for the reader: we get to see a few chapters of the book Gavin is reading. It’s being touted as a romcom, but it’s definitely more serious leaning, as funny as some parts (and the whole premise) are.

Do you know what this book did? It made me decide that marriage-in-trouble stories are the only kind of second chance romance I’m really drawn to. I don’t mind a story of lost love reuniting a decade later, but there needs to be a huge draw for a story about someone who did something very bad and is trying to redeem themselves. I want the protagonists to have not quite reached that point, and The Bromance Book Club is that kind of story.

CW for discussion of parental neglect, marriage trouble, verbal insults of a person with a speech impediment, and a very heterosexual universe.

I’m also excited to pick up some amazing-looking new books:

Jinx by Phyllis Bourne
The Earl’s Christmas Pearl by Megan Frampton
Someone Seeking Someone Else by Nicole Falls
Learn My Lesson by Katee Robert
The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan
Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan (You’re going to hear plenty from me about this one!)
Awaken The Dragon by AC Arthur (November 4)
Beard Necessities by Penny Reid (November 4)
Prose Before Bros by Cathy Yardley (November 4)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (November 5)

This next week is just a bombardment of riches. And this isn’t even everything coming out.

As usual, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!