Category: Kissing Books

What a week, huh? Thankfully, we’ve got romance to think about.

Over on Book Riot

Got some time on your hands (or just a craving for everything you can get your hands on)? Here are some romance series worth marathoning all in one go. Well, not completely, because you’ll need sleep; but you won’t be able to move onto anything different knowing that more books in the series exist.

I overthink a lot of things, like if I can ever read all the books, and how I don’t review books as well as other people. I also know I’ve caused some insecurity in my IRL friends about how much I read. We’ve all got a lot of fears and doubts about our reading. But Kelly is here to tell us how to get out of that cycle.

In a similar vein, Jeffrey talks about owing it to yourself to DNF. I know there are people who absolutely refuse to stop reading a book. But there are so many books. If it ain’t working, there are countless more for you to try. (Especially in Romance!)

And don’t forget, there are always giveaways you can enter on the website! Right now there’s one for an iPad Mini and another one for a Ripped Bodice gift card.

Deals

Second chance love, a lethal bioweapon, and a race-the-clock partnership filled with distrust and a need for redemption? Sounds like my kind of romantic thriller, right? Juno Rushdan’s Every Last Breath is 1.99 right now, and it’s definitely worth checking out! And now’s the time to get it, because it’s a dense puppy, and the next one, Nothing to Fear is out August 27.

And if you’re interested in the “my date is now my professor” kind of story, Penny Reid’s Kissing Tolstoy is 1.99 for the time being. I love Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers stories, but have yet to venture out into her other universes. I might try to get over my “sleeping with the professor” squick to see if I can enjoy this one. It’s definitely bound to be way funnier than Gabriel’s Inferno, right?

New and Upcoming Releases

A Little Light Mischief
Cat Sebastian

All you really need to know about this book is that the author-sanctioned tagline is “Be Gay Do Crimes 1817.” What else do you need?

I don’t know if she did it on purpose, but this title makes me think of A Little Night Music and thus I read the whole thing with a waltz soundtrack in my head. A nice dance, right? I’ll tell you, though: I got to the epilogue and was a little bit in shock, because I hadn’t realized I would reach the end so quickly. Shouldn’t be unexpected in a novella, but it’s really short.

But so delightful.

Back to the beginning, eh? Alice is a young woman, obviously “gently raised,” who is now living as a companion. Molly, the lady of the house’s lady’s maid, is happily living the straight life, no thefts or swindling for years. The women end up spending a lot of time together, as Alice likes to feel useful. But there’s a reason she is no longer in her family’s house, and Molly sees a way for both of them to gain from the perpetrator’s pain. And each of them might get something else out of it, too.

I described it vaguely because it’s so short, every detail feels like it’s spoiling something, but it’s Cat Sebastian’s first f/f romance so you know it’s going to have the same qualities as her previous books, even at a third the length.

One Day to Fall
Therese Beharrie

This book comes out next Tuesday, and you should be prepared to read it immediately upon its arrival. I haven’t read a book that makes so much sense in a questionable situation since The Sun is Also A Star, which has a similar time structure.

Parker and Sophia are both at the hospital, stressed out of their minds due to their family members’ reasons for being in the hospital. When a series of accidents puts them in each others’ paths (the first time, literally), they find companionship in each other—more so as the day progresses. Each has their own reasons for not being in a relationship, but they can’t help their attraction to each other. They also learn more about each other and themselves as the day progresses.

The day. One day. This takes place in one day. And it works.

Other books that are out now:

Off Limits Lovers by Reese Ryan
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai (If you missed my review on Monday)
One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey (There’s only one bed!)
Chasing Sunset by Missouri Vaun
Heart Unbroken by Andrew Grey
Reticence by Gail Carriger

What are you looking forward to 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!

Today is one of those days that I am grateful for stories. Romances, in particular, are there for us when we need an ending—a satisfying, sigh-inducing, happy ending. The journey that every pair (or more) must take may be harrowing, but in the end, something works out for them. Something works out.

News and Useful Links

Glamour went to RWA, ultimately pulling together a list of attendees’ favorite romances. It’s a delight to read and there are definitely some books I have yet to try.

I still haven’t read Long Shot but I want a copy with this cover. Or maybe I just want to make it my wallpaper for a while. Or something. I want to look at this all the time. And the images Romance Sparks Joy commissioned for their other book club, too.

I don’t know if you’ve been following the conflict between Macmillan and libraries, but it’s bound to impact the way libraries purchase things. RWA has issued a statement about it, knowing that Macmillan’s choice will likely influence that of other publishers.

In happier news, Romance Sparks Joy has decided to continue with their book club!

I didn’t know #JenkinsJuly was happening until it’s over, but this wonderful essay was a great introduction to it.

For the rest of this month, you can enter to win a $100 gift card to The Ripped Bodice on the Book Riot website! (you have to sign up for KB to enter, and you’ve obviously already signed up, but don’t worry; you can still enter!)

Deals

Hey, it’s August, so there are new Kindle deals!

Have you picked up any of Vanessa Riley’s historicals? The Bashful Bride, the second book in the series, is on sale for 99 cents right now! (It’s a perfect time to check all three Advertisements for Love books, as the fourth, The Bewildered Bride, comes out next week.) I haven’t yet checked this one out (though I’m pretty sure I own it) but check out this part of the summary: “Infatuation and a mutual love for Shakespeare might not be enough to bind a couple looking to outrun the chains and secrets of family and the past.” Like…come on. What else do you need?

If you want something completely different—say, a m/m romance featuring dragon shifters?—Sean Michael’s Branded by Flames (and the second in the series, Seduced by the Tide) is on sale! Grab it for 1.99 this month, because the rest of the books’ prices indicate that these books don’t go on sale very often.

Recs!

This past weekend, I participated in Dewey’s 24-Hour Reverse Readathon, which started at 8pm EDT on Friday night instead of the regular Readathon’s midnight. This way, readers on the other side of the globe would be able to participate without losing all of their nighttime sleeping options. I pulled together three books with a theme (have you noticed I’ve been trying to do that more) and was generally successful! I didn’t make it 24 hours—sleep was too important—but I did manage to complete two books and read some of a third…which I went on to finish that day anyway, just outside of the parameters of Readathon. What theme held them together?

I Didn’t Want To Leave My Career In Professional Sports But I Had No Choice

The first book in this is the one that stands out as far as why the athlete left their career, but you’ll understand when you read it.

The Right Swipe
Alisha Rai

If you have read the Forbidden Hearts series, you’re familiar with Rhiannon Hunter. The moment she appeared in the third FH book, Hurts to Love You, I was desperate for her story. She was a wealthy woman who dressed like a tech bro, and who owned her own company. Her personality was delightful in its prickliness, and I just wanted to get into her head.

Luckily for me, Alisha was already planning to give us what we wanted. So in the first book in the Modern Love series, we get to see what happens when Rhiannon decides to give someone a rare second chance.

Rhi had an amazing night after using her own app to find a hookup in a small town, but when she agreed to meet her date again—something she absolutely never does—he never shows up. Not one to forgive a ghoster, she unmatches him and moves on. But when she runs into Samson again at a conference, and he’s the new face of a competitor dating site that she wants to buy, they have a few hurdles to get over in order to see what they could have been. Starting with her understanding the circumstances of his accidental ghosting. And then? Anything.

CW here for discussions of sexual harassment and emotional abuse, threats of violence, discussion of CTE, and everyday racism.

(Also, if you haven’t read Intercepted and Fumbled—particularly the latter—then now is a good time to read them, especially since the third one is out later this year!)

Fix Her Up
Tessa Bailey

Georgie has been in love with her brother’s best friend since she knew what boys were, but he doesn’t know that. And now that Travis is back in town after an injury lost him his shortstop position in the major leagues, she’s not sure what to do about it. As the only person apparently interested in shaking him out of his drunken stupor, Georgie installs herself as A Person Who Cares, much to Travis’s annoyance. But there is a surprising attraction there, and when a job opportunity is opened to Travis, Georgie is the one who puts Fake Dating For His Wholesome Image on the table. He agrees, but there can’t be any sex; there’s only so many codes a man can break or whatever BS.

But of course, that’s not really a thing they can both make sure doesn’t happen.

(And also, the “best friend’s younger sister” damn the patriarchy type thing is responded to perfectly here.)

Evvie Drake Starts Over
Linda Holmes

This isn’t specifically a romance so much as it’s contemporary fiction with romantic elements, but it’s still really a romance. Does that make sense?

Evvie Drake was leaving her husband when she got a phone call that he’d been in a car accident. By the time she arrived at the hospital, he’d already died. Now, a year later, she’s living alone in their house, grieving the fact that she didn’t feel grief. When her BFF asks her to rent out the attached apartment to a friend of his who needs to get away, she’s willing to give him a try. Drew, suffering from what is apparently called The Yips (fascinating to read about, by the way), has been dealing with antagonism from inside and outside of baseball, and he just wants to be where nobody knows him and maybe have a drink and watch some TV. Look at a beach. Eat some lobster. Definitely not get his hopes up about getting his game back. But when he moves into Evvie’s house, they spark up a friendship…which slowly, ever…so…godforsaken…slowly, becomes more. And they’re both lightly hopeful about their futures as the other helps them see it.

CW for gaslighting and occasionally violent ex husband and the apparent unceasing whiteness of Coastal Maine.

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Also I have to throw out that the three non-sports love interests in this trio all have really interesting jobs: Rhi owns a dating app, Georgie is a legit clown, and Evvie does transcription for journalists. Cool, right?

What’s your favorite non-sports sports romance?

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!

Oh hey, what happened to July? How is it August? Where is time and why can’t I grab hold of it for a second?

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Sponsored by Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean

The Year of Hattie is off to a perfect start, until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage, threatening to ruin her plans before they’ve begun. Awakening at her feet, Whit is surprised the woman who frees him is headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price. Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. If they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.

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Over on Book Riot

Trisha and I talked about The Great Big Romance Read and lots of other things on When in Romance this week.

And if you missed it, The Ripped Bodice just announced their new Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

Deals

Did you see that Talia Hibbert announced a new book, Work For It, coming out September 3? One of the characters has already appeared in her work, so you might want to check out the Just For Him series, which is 4.99 for all three books! (Or you can get them individually, but where’s the fun in that?)

New Books!

Oh man, are there a lot of books out this week! I read Brazen and the Beast, today’s sponsor, until I couldn’t read anymore, but there are definitely others worth picking up this weekend (or right now, if you want).

Spellbound
Allie Therin

In a magical New York, a young socialite brings a magical relic to an appraiser who just might be magical himself. In a time when it’s still illegal to both drink and be caught with someone of the same gender, Rory and Arthur have to work together to keep the world from ending…if only they can get along. Jazz, personal telephones, forgeries, and speakeasies set the mood and the tone for this delightful historical fantasy romance by a new author who is growing greatly on me.

All Hours
Andie J Christopher

If you follow Andie on Twitter, you know she has very strong feelings about Stern Brunch Daddies, and the two protagonists of this book seem to have elements of such men. Agreeing to be set up on a date, the pair have a few hurdles to overcome to reach their happily ever after—including an injury that requires one to step in for the other.

Last Chance Rodeo
Kari Lynn Dell

This is the first book in the Blackfeet Nation series, originally published in 2015 and republished now by Sourcebooks Casablanca. I have no idea if they’ve made any changes beyond probably copyediting, but I hope this new branding and release gets more eyes on a different kind of rodeo story than the ones I’m used to. (To be fair, the majority of rodeo books I’ve read have been Lorelei James, in which there’s often more than one kind of rodeo going on.)

Too Sweet to Be Good
KM Jackson

This is the second book in the Sugar Lake series (following As Good As the First Time) and I’m intrigued thanks to the taste of Alexandrea we got in the first. In this one, she clashes with the grandson of the owner of the vintage theater she is working to fix up, who would rather sell it. Beyond the potential sparks that will emerge in that kind of situation, I imagine the rest of the family is around, and that’s always a joy to experience. If you’re hesitant to pick up a small town romance because they’re so often homogeneously white, this one is worthwhile to pick up.

Others I’m looking forward to:

Feast of Sparks by Sierra Simone

Ship of Fools by Cathy Yardley (more Fandom Hearts, yay!)

Let There Be Light by R. Cooper

Master of Revenge by Sienna Snow

Perky by Julia Kent

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret (which I mentioned on Monday)

How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway

Nothing But This by Natasha Anders

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy by Caitlin Crews (I know I know but that story, okay?)

A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham

Also, I don’t know why, but there are quite a few “Pride and Prejudice Variation” titles out this week.

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!

Well folks, it’s the end of the month, but it’s a brand new day. I’m still riding on a bit of a contact high from #RWA19, and I’m letting it carry me through the rest of July.

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News and Useful Links

In new, noteworthy information: we now have multiple Black recipients of the RITA award, after 37 years of not a single one. At the ceremony on Friday night, Kennedy Ryan’s Long Shot and M. Malone’s Bad Blood were both recipients of the honor in their categories (contemporary and novella). Nisha Sharma’s My So-Called Bollywood Life also won in the YA category, making her the first South Asian author to win a RITA. I have lots of thoughts on this and will probably write something longer, but I am so incredibly happy for them (and all of the winners in their categories). Watch the ceremony. It’s long AF but the speeches are Worth It.

The entire RWA conference (which I basically attended on Twitter) involved a lot of hugging and selfies but also some really interesting panels that the good people of the interwebs have threaded for us. For instance:

• Research strategies!
• “Whose story is it?”
• “Whose story is it?” from another person
• The One Thing About DEI Everyone Should Know

Some amazing folks started the RWA Trailblazers page (and a related video) for the 2019 RITA Awards Ceremony, and it is pretty magnificent.

Remember when Jen decided to read the entire RITA finalist list? She wrote about the experience.

Oh! Also. While RWA was happening we also had the joy of #NotRWA19 on Twitter, where select experts on certain categories gave Twitter-thread lectures and facilitated conversations about specific topics. It’s a fascinating tagdive if you weren’t following along.

And of course, RWA wasn’t the only thing happening last week! The Ripped Bodice also announced The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction! I’m excited to have been asked to be a judge, and am in amazing company. Winners will be announced on Valentine’s Day!

Deals

Speaking of RITA winners, have you read Long Shot? It’s 4.99 right now (or free to read on Kindle Unlimited) and from what I hear, very much worth the effort. I’ve read some of Kennedy Ryan’s other work, and her writing is off the charts magnificent. This one is a difficult read and also has some content warnings so I would definitely check those out before picking it up, but the whole series is definitely Worth It.

M. Malone’s Bad King and the connected Bad Blood (which won the RITA for best novella) are both 2.99. These books both involve weddings: King with one in the future and Blood with one in the past, but they’re interesting takes on familiar tropes.

Recs!

If you’ve listened to the newest episode of When In Romance (or if you know me at all haha), you might be aware of the fact that I love fake relationships. I was excited about The Wedding Date because of it (and the trapped-in-an-elevator bit), and regularly pick up new authors with the possibility of getting yet another one. I’ve been on a bit of a kick with recent ones, and want to throw out a couple favorites, too, just in case you’re looking for some good ones.

Desire and the Deep Blue Sea
Olivia Dade

While I have given her a good amount of my money, Teach Me was the first book I’d actually picked up by Olivia Dade. So when I saw another one of her delightful covers attached to a book coming out so soon after that release, I was already interested. I mean, look at that cover: a guy in glasses and a fat girl in a swimsuit? And something television related? We were already en route to something fun. And then I read the premise: Callie has signed up to go on a reality TV show for some free vacation time, but it’s a couples show and she just broke up with her boyfriend. In a moment of desperation, instead of giving up the show altogether, she tells her producers that she has a new boyfriend! Too bad it’s a man she can’t stand, even though she liked him when they first started working together at the library. Surprisingly, Thomas agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend to spend a week with her. He does what he can to spend time with her already, but this would be uninterrupted. And pretending to be her boyfriend…well, that would be all kinds of nice.

So yeah. Check this out. It’s got Olivia Dade’s already familiar humorous tone, but also approaches things like anxiety and communication, and I was definitely satisfied with some of the conversations that were necessary to make this one an emotionally satisfying ending.

I fell behind this week, as usual, but there were a couple other fake relationship books I have started, but not gotten through yet (in part because I got distracted by Brazen and the Beast and didn’t pick anything up after that happened):

The Perfect Date by Evelyn Lozada

A nursing student and single mom has a few chance encounters with a baseball player who needs to clean up his image, and they start a fake romance that develops into something more.

Tomboy by Avery Flynn

A nurse (another nurse!) does her friend a favor by helping her sick client through the flu (which it turns out not to be) and tabloid buzz puts them in a relationship. When said client wins his first hockey game in ages, he can’t let her go anywhere (not in a skeezy way), and convinces her to be present for every game, even if people might think they’re together.

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret

It’s been a while since I’ve read a historical fake relationship (that’s a lie, I just read Some Like it Scandalous, whoops). I was definitely intrigued by this setup: a woman who runs a matchmaking agency believes she is losing business thanks to the gaming hell across the street. So she challenges the owner to a bit of a war. BUT, when she needs to get away from a former suitor who could do with being dropped down a well, she tells him that Reed, her rival, is her fiancé. What could possibly go wrong?

If you need more, how about checking out some of these:

Under His Protection by LaQuette

That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert

Never a Bride by Megan Frampton

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole

Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa

Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

One True Pairing by Cathy Yardley

Okay I’ll stop now…but seriously fake relationships that *ohnoes* turn into real ones are the best.

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What are you reading this week?

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!

Y’all, I have the sequel to Ashley Poston’s Heart of Iron in my hands and it’s taking so much to leave it where it is until I finish writing this. (I haven’t been reading much YA, but this is a space opera retelling of Anastasia with an Android Dmitri hello.)

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Sponsored by Shadow Mountain Publishing

Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but, since his personal finances are thinner than he’d like, he knows he’ll also need to find a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, he is free to pursue his “perfect woman of over twenty characteristics. Maryann Morrington doesn’t match anything on Timothy’s list—except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can’t be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

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Over on Book Riot

Do you like stories about heroines who are older than their love interests? Check these out.

I’ll admit, I’d forgotten about the Omegaverse lawsuit. But reading up on it? Hoo, doggie.

Romance readers are great at finding new things to read, but just in case, check out this list of places to find more.

Do you like New Adult? Check out these queer stories.

Deals

I was recently reminded about Jeaniene Frost, and I think other people should be, too. If you haven’t picked up her paranormal/urban fantasy about badass half-vampire Cat Crawford, Halfway to the Grave is 2.99 right now. Or if you’re mostly caught up, the most recent release, Up from the Grave, is 1.99. There are currently seven in total, so you’ve got plenty to read.

New Releases!

This week isn’t quite as…overwhelming…as last week was, but there are still so many books and I don’t know what to do with myself!

Dithered Hearts
Chace Verity

I picked up Chace Verity’s contemporary romance Team Phison a couple months ago, if you might recall. And I was smitten. Of course, once I realized that they also wrote fantasy romance, I couldn’t wait to read the next one. And it did not disappoint.

Cynthia isn’t sure about her gender. She doesn’t mind her pronouns, but she definitely isn’t a woman. But she’s not a man. But she doesn’t have much time to consider her options, because her living situation is basically shit. While she still lives on the farm that was in her family, she lives there as an abused servant—her stepmother remarried and her husband is the worst kind of person. Her stepsisters aren’t awful, but she doesn’t interact with them much beyond meals and chores. Her only respite is in Lord Gafford, who arrives before the prince’s great ball to tell her that he is her Fairy Godfather…and also hi, he’s trans and totally gets her gender stuff. (But with a lot more cursing.) He takes her, as his nonbinary child, to the ball, where she gets a different kind of view of both her stepsisters, and makes a friend. A royal friend, who’s not interested in marrying a woman.

That’s right, folks. This is the F/NB/F + M/M Cinderella Fantasy Romance of your dreams.

(Well, after the content warnings: physical abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation. There are others in the front matter, if you need them.)

When you’re done devouring that one in a matter of hours, you can check out some other new releases:

Bodyguard to the Billionaire by Nana Malone

A Rainbow Above Us by Sharon Sala

One Fine Duke by Lenora Bell

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Honestly, everything is coming out on the 30th. Brace yourselves for next week.

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!

Happy Monday, folks! I have been living for these Marvel announcements and cosplay photos, but I know some people aren’t as obsessed with basically every outlet of popular geek culture like I am. (Okay, maybe not every outlet; I didn’t know who Gwendoline Christie was until she donned the Phasma mask.) But enough of that, what about books, yeah?

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Sponsored by Kensington Books

Because duchesses are made, not born… From New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries, one of the biggest names in historical romance, comes the first in a sparkling new series filled with wit and adventure about the ducal sons of an oft-widowed mother, who blaze through society in their quest for the truth about their fathers…and in the process find that love just might conquer all…

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News and Useful Links

I don’t usually share “the tea” as it were but there are a lot of people who are curious about the very prolific author duo Alexa Riley getting a deal with Entangled after their content was taken down from Amazon outlets recently. I don’t know all of the details, but I do know there have been conversations for the past year or so around the ways they have produced as much content as they have, and there was that thing with the plagiarism-adjacent behavior. I’ll wait for more as it comes.

One of the big things that happened last week (if you were curious about my comment last week about Mercury Retrograde) was a restructuring at Harlequin. The company has been split into two business groups, and two well-renowned editors were fired. One of them was Angela James, the Carina Press editorial director who made amazing strides with the digital imprint in the past few years. The other was Joanne Grant, editorial director of series—and if you read Harlequin, you know there are a lot of those. None of us are really sure what’s happening there, but I do wonder what editorial experience this Brent Lewis guy has.

In other sad news of the week, Less Than Three Press is closing. They have produced some of the most delightful queer books over the past few years, and I’m sad to see them go.

I had honestly forgotten that The Hating Game had been optioned, let alone remember the lead casting announcement, but this supporting news is worth it.

There is a new romance podcast coming out that I am…very curious about. I don’t listen to many, but I can’t help wonder how this one will go.

I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but if not, check out this precious cover for The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa, which is out in February!

Have you read this profile of Helen Hoang?

Any historians out there? This might be a fun venture.

Deals

Jessie Mihalik’s Polaris Rising was a delightful space opera romp across the galaxy, and now we have to wait months for the next one, Aurora Blazing, to come out. But if you’re looking for more of her badass women and space opera-y goodness, check out The Queen’s Gambit, which is 2.99 right now. The second in the series, The Queen’s Advantage, has been out for a couple of weeks and is also 2.99. Time for more space adventures!

I know I just talked about Trashed by Mia Hopkins last week but did I mention that it was 2.99? Like how can you resist a beautifully crafted, super sexy, wildly emotion-driven book like that when you know it’s only 2.99? (I know, I know. I’m sorry.)

Recs!

I’ve been enjoying the concept of reading On Theme, and I’ve decided I’m going to try it out more purposefully in the coming months. Today’s theme is…

We Live Together And It’s Complicated

The Chai Factor
Farah Heron

I had been hearing a lot about this book, but hadn’t been able to hit the button when it came to the 13.99 Kindle price—while it released in Canada a while back, it didn’t come out in print until this month. And I’ll always lean in the direction of print when it comes to trade paperback sized books, even if the ebook isn’t in the double digits.

The Chai Factor is a contemporary romance featuring a woman who just wants to finish her Master’s paper in peace. Since it’s not working out at the dorms, she decides to hop on the train for an early move-in to her Toronto apartment—which shouldn’t be a problem because it’s the basement apartment in her grandmother’s house.

Unfortunately, her grandmother has rented out the other bedrooms in the apartment…to a barbershop quartet. One of the four is a family friend, and they need somewhere to rehearse for a big competition. Since no one was going to be there, her Nanima had expected it to be fine. Too bad there’s the whole deal where Amira and another member of the quartet had a less-than-exciting encounter on the train in, and she doesn’t like him at all.

He’s very attractive, though.

So yeah, there’s that. There’s also a bit of a fake relationship (with a different character) that could have been a little better built out but I’m not picky and the rest was fantastic. I will include a content warning for sexual harrassment, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, and misogyny. It’s a romance-with-a-message and *some* people weren’t happy being “smacked in the face” with it. (They can stay mad, though.)

The Flatshare
Beth O’Leary

This is a very different kind of story. Tiffy is in a bind and needs a place to stay, and Leon has an unconventional opportunity: he works nights and needs some extra cash, so he’s looking for a flatmate who would get The One Bed on nights and weekends. Tiffy can move in immediately, but ends up meeting Leon’s girlfriend, Kay, instead of Leon himself. The two begin their roommateship easily enough, but begin to leave notes for each other. Reminders and offers of food become more detailed conversation pieces, until the pair run into each other by accident in the bathroom. Things get a touch awkward, but business continues as usual with the notes and the things. It’s lovely to watch the two open up to each other and learn to trust one another.

This one, unfortunately, also requires a content warning. Tiffy is dealing with a gaslighting ex-boyfriend with stalker tendencies, and while no one gets physically hurt, there is some violence. Leon is also Not White (though we don’t get much about that, sadly) and his brother is dealing with some legal issues that are definitely…what’s the phrase? Racially charged? Tiffy is dealing with the results of a long-term emotionally abusive relationship, and Leon has some issues of his own to deal with. But if you can handle that, this book is sweet and every single relationship in it (with the exception of the obvious one) is a joy to experience.

I also started reading See The Light by Kate McMurray, and while I set it aside, it’s definitely worth picking up if you’re a fan of friends-to-lovers stories. Justin has been trying to get his big break on Broadway for years, and it looks like he might get that chance playing a gay teen in the upcoming show See The Light. His biggest supporter is his best friend Max, who has also offered him a couch after Justin’s former boyfriend kicked him out. Of course, Max has also been in love with Justin for a good decade or so, so he doesn’t mind at all. Except he kind of does, because Justin doesn’t feel that way at all. So yeah, YMMV, but you might like it.

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What are you reading this week?

Peeps, I’m writing this on Tuesday, and boy has Romancelandia been feeling that Mercury Retrograde thing. (I know very little about astrology, except signs and various bits of terminology, but from what I hear, this one is a particularly bad one.) Hopefully romance will save us.

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Over on Book Riot

Trisha polled other rioters and pulled together a list of the must-read romances of the last decade. Fifty. Like we could really stop at fifty. (We did, but I’m sure it was very difficult for Trisha.)

I’ve talked about these series starters in Kissing Books, but if you’re looking for a new completed series to devour, these are all good places to start.

This list of activist romances also originated here, but I’ve expanded a little bit.

And Trisha and I got the chance to invite Sarah Wendell, the mastermind behind Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, to co-host When In Romance with us, and we got down to all kinds of shenanigans. (Also, we made a guest appearance on her podcast, Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, just last week!)

Deals

A lot of people have been talking about the newest installment of Robin Lovett’s Planet of Desire series, and the first one, Toxic Desire, is 99 cents right now! You can get all three books in the series for less than seven dollars, or just try out the first one if you’re jonesing for some sexy space romance (which I have been really feeling a lack of, definitely). I love sci-fi, so I’m excited to check these out!

Have you felt the kick of TJ Klune’s Wolfsong so much that you haven’t been able to bear moving forward in the series? Well, now is the time, because Ravensong is on a rare sale! The second book in the series set in a fascinating universe of wolves and human packs is 1.99 right now, and you can use the next couple of months to recover before the September 24 release of Heartsong.

New Books!

This week is just disgustingly flush with new books, and I don’t even know what to do about it. (Did you notice I included one on Monday because I wanted space for others today? You probably noticed.)

Trashed
Mia Hopkins

If you have been reading Kissing Books long enough, you know I was a latecomer to the first book in this series, Thirsty. Trisha Brown gushed about it, I bought it, and then let it sit. Then we made it a When In Romance book club pick, and I had to read it. And y’all. It was so good. You don’t have to have read Thirsty to read this one, but it might help you slide into the world of Sal and Eddie, understand their perspective. Because if there’s one thing the Eastside Brewery books have, it’s a different perspective. Eddie, the male protagonist of Trashed, is the younger brother of Sal (the male protagonist in Thirsty), and both have just gotten out of prison after a grand larceny charge. Sal has since gone straight, and done his best to shelter what’s left of his family from the gang that runs their neighborhood; the gang both brothers were highly active in until the whole prison thing. Eddie, too, is hoping to go straight, but hasn’t yet figured out the best way to do it. He’s also (highlight spoiler alert for Thirsty) off on a quest to find his father, who it turns out is alive.

His other quest? The woman he had the best night of his life with very shortly after he got out. She disappeared immediately after, but he runs into her in the most unexpected place: the restaurant where he’s just been hired as a dishwasher. Chef Carmen is no joke when it comes to running the kitchen where she got her start, but something about Eddie regularly throws her off-kilter, to both of their detriments, at times. But they have this spark that won’t let them stay away from each other for long, and when they’re together—man, it’s hot.

I will say this one did not twist my insides the same way Thirsty did. There was a lot going on with Eddie, and sometimes it felt like the romance took a backseat—so much that I wasn’t as satisfied with the ending as I should have been. But that is just me. If you read reviews by people I trust very much, this book is basically perfect. This is otherwise a pretty magnificent piece of fiction, and I still loved every minute of it.

Bumper to Bumper
Gretchen Evans

I would recommend reading this one sooner rather than later, because we discovered this week that Less Than Three press will be closing. (It has been a very sad week!) This quick novella is more extended sexy meet-cute than all-out romance, but it is a lovely distraction from the world.

Gabe, bored in traffic, gets a message on a hookup app from a person whose handle is SilverFoxxx (and you can see where I was like PLEASE TELL ME MORE). The two start to converse on the app, and start to get to know each other on their morning commutes. Then, one day, our Fox wants to meet up…for some stranger sex in a cafe bathroom. I mean, it is a hookup app. But could this be something more than a few snatched conversations and some seriously hot sex? Only time will tell.

But not much time, because it’s only 79 pages.

After you’ve taken an afternoon to enjoy this one, here are some other new releases to enjoy:

Along for the Ride by Mimi Grace
Desire and the Deep Blue Sea by Olivia Dade
Song of Blood and Stone (new extended edition from St. Martin’s Griffin) by L. Penelope
Home Field Advantage by Liz Lincoln
Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (not technically romance but definitely my catnip and I hope it ends well so I don’t cry)
Love and Gravity by Rebel Carter
Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (in case you missed that it was out this week in Monday’s newsletter)
Stolen Desire by Robin Lovett (I haven’t read this sexy sci-fi series but everything I’ve read on Twitter points very much to READING NEXT)
Making Up by Helena Hunting

Jesus, I think that’s enough to get us out of this Retrograde nonsense.

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!

Well, folks. Monday just keeps happening. But I’ve been reading some great books recently and I can’t wait to tell you about a couple of them.

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News and Useful Links

If you haven’t yet heard, The cast of the Shondaland Netflix adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons series (I think, from the articles, that it’s just going to be called “Bridgerton”) has been announced, and the conversation on all avenues is…interesting. From the dog-whistly “just doesn’t look like I envisioned him” to the straight-up racist and uninformed “black people in Regency England were not a thing,” a lot of people had thoughts. Of course, a lot of people were excited or definitely more interested now—Regé-Jean Page, cast to play Simon, the hero of The Duke and I, is an incredibly attractive man, for one. Also, anyone who got prematurely to Still Star Crossed knows how much Shonda cares about the white-centric norm.

But you don’t have to listen to me talk about it; instead read this fantastic post by Talia Hibbert, who is black, British, and a romance writer.

There was another conversation that happened after this announcement, though. And it was about the fact that a book series by an author who purported that including people of color in her books would be historically inaccurate was now using black bodies to appeal to more viewers, or at least a different audience. I admit to being torn. One can only hope that this gateway opens mainstream production companies up to adapting more series by authors of color, instead of taking a brown crayola to another property.

(BTW: If you’re like me and need a little more context than just actor/character names, here’s a great Shondaland thread listing the characters and their actors.)

In other news, are you an aspiring romance writer from an underrepresented group? Check out this new mentorship Harlequin has pulled together.

Speaking of worlds that have been whitewashed in romance: Have y’all seen the cover of Rebekah Weatherspoon’s upcoming Sleeping Beauty+Black Cowboys romance?

I don’t know what’s been going on at The Daily Beast recently, but they’ve definitely upped their game with romance-adjacent content. And this one? Of course we knew sexy romance novels were good for teenage brains. We were some of those teenagers who were learning from them. (Some of us, anyway.)

Oh hey, the Great Big Romance Read is happening again this fall! Trisha and I will be participating on When In Romance, and I’m really looking forward to talking All Things Celestial Mechanics in a couple months!

Deals

If you’ve been thinking “I really need some theater romance in my life” then you really need to get on Act Like It and the rest of Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series. There are…four?…of them now, and the first one is 1.99! The rest are incrementally more, but they’re definitely worth checking out if you like to read romances set behind the scenes.

Or if you want to start a series about a family of position and wealth, The Johnson Family Series is 4.99. This collection of books by Delaney Diamond is the opening trilogy salvo in an ongoing series coming out of Garden Avenue Press, and is definitely worth checking out for the price.

Recs!

It’s not every day you can make such a ridiculous connection between two books, so of course I had to bring everyone’s attention to it. Usually I find something like climate or a similar sport or profession. But no, this one is completely different. I give you:

Guys Named Theo Who Went to Harvard, You Know.

The Wedding Party
Jasmine Guillory

I read this book a while ago and it did not disappoint. The third in the series, this one brings together The Wedding Date and The Propsal in a new way and propels us forward to Royal Holiday, which comes out in October.

But the first thing I noticed was the bespectacled hero who went to Harvard.

Theo and Maddie got off to a rough start. They both said some things about the other, and Theo is one of those guys who’s going to mention he went to Harvard—or at least he was a few years ago at the introduction Maddie won’t let go of, even after they start running into each other thanks to their relationship to Alexa and her whole getting married thing. But they also keep sleeping together, because somebody opened the dam and now they can’t keep their hands off each other and are keeping it from Alexa. Yeah, sure. Good luck with that, folks.

Some Like It Scandalous
Maya Rodale

I was a bit of a ways into this one when the hero—Theodore Prescott the Third—says “I went to Harvard, you know” and actually put my kindle down and cackled. This was the connection I was going to make between Some Like it Scandalous and The Wedding Party? (My initial idea was that they would be between people begrudgingly attracted to each other, which also works. Also, the female protagonists of both books have specific plans for their own businesses and they’re both Good Plans.)

Theo and Daisy also got off to a rough start, though theirs was when they were both thirteen. Theo had a hand in giving Daisy a nickname that would last into her adulthood, and she would continue to hold him responsible for it. Meanwhile, their parents have decided it would be a good idea for them to get married, because Daisy needs a husband and Theo needs to not be scandalous and come work for Family Steel.

The pair go along with the plan, hoping it would help keep their parents off their backs. Theo might have gone to Harvard, but the last thing he wants to do is join the family business. So when he discovers that Daisy’s goals include manufacturing and selling a scandalous product for women (no, not that), Theo wants to be involved.

Too bad they keep kissing each other. Pretending to be engaged or not, business partners don’t do that kind of thing.

Did I miss yet another Theo who went to Harvard? Let me know! 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!

Happy Thursday, folks! There are new books, and things afoot, and I’m excited to talk about them all!

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Over on Book Riot

Black princesses! Not all romances, but very many of them, many of which I have not read, even if I’ve mentioned books or authors before.

Headed to the beach? Take all of these with you.

Alison went to The Ripped Bodice and it was just as magical as she expected. And also expensive. But no regrets, right?

(PS are you playing their Summer Bingo Game? You should! There are Prizes!)

Queer novellas! I’ve read about a third of them and put the rest on my TBR, so be careful out there!

And I gushed about some stuff and Trisha was very patient on our most recent episode of When In Romance.

Deals

Do you know anything about Passionflix? It’s the brainchild of Tosca Musk, and is a production company and streaming service producing new films based on romance novels (and also streaming other things because why not…though I’m very sad Bride and Prejudice is no longer available). Anyway, I’m saying all this because their next release is going to be an adaptation of Brenda Jackson’s A Brother’s Honor, the first in the Grangers series (all of which have been optioned, but they seem to be doing series in rotation). And A Brother’s Honor is on sale right now, for 3.99.

Or maybe you’re in the mood for some rockstars? You’re in luck, as Syncopation, the first book in Anna Zabo’s Twisted Wishes series is 1.99 right now. You might recall this was one of my favorite reads of 2018, and I still think about it sometimes. The whole series is just freaking great, but you’ll have to pay a little more for the other two. I promise: it’s worth it.

New Releases!

As usual, I didn’t get as much reading in as I’d like, but I did enjoy what I read. The big title for the week is a collection of my favorite things: movie star and regular person, fake relationship, Big Misunderstandings galore. I had mixed feelings, but in the end, I enjoyed it a lot.

Crashing the A-List
Summer Heacock

A couple years ago, I was wandering through the stacks of one of my local libraries after a training and caught sight of The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky, and grabbed it immediately. Unfortunately, it sat on a table for three weeks until I had to take it back, but needless to say I was excited to see that the author had written a new book, and oh man, what a premise!

Clara is having a rough year. Her publishing career was halted when a merger led to the end of her position, and now she’s sleeping on her brother’s very uncomfortable couch and cleaning out storage units for a guy who might be a Wise Guy. When she and her BFF uncover some information about a very famous British actor with a six-syllable name known for his BBC detective show and appearances in superhero and assassin movies (hint hint), she accidentally finds herself in a situation she can’t get out of.

I’m going to start by saying I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t completely laugh out loud funny, but I read a lot of it with a smile on my face. But there are a few things that readers might have issues with, and I have to address them. First: it’s so white. Like super white. I was watching Independence Day last week (don’t judge me) and wondered aloud how diverse New York was in 1997. Too bad the aliens killed all the brown people and now New York is just middle class white people in lofts all the time.

Second (and this is basically a content warning and slightly spoilery): our introduction to Caspian is…not very good. He doesn’t present himself as a particularly good or caring person, and it’s kind of hard to like him. He eventually comes around, and the section that Romancing the Beat author Gwen Hayes would call “maybe this could work” is actually quite endearing. But the dark moment is spurred by something that I wasn’t completely certain they could come back from, and had there not been a certain conversation I would not have been satisfied by this HEA at all.

So I guess just read with caution :shrug emoji:

Now that I’ve spent a million years talking about that one, some new releases I’m excited for:

Dithered Hearts by Chace Verity (that cover, amirite?)
The Chai Factor by Farah Heron (I was totally going to pick this up on Tuesday but none of my local booksellers had copies! WTH?)
Extra Credit by Zaida Polanco
Seduced by Second Chances by Reese Ryan
Only Ever You by CD Reiss
Awakened by Moni Boyce (oh, I want to read now it but also cliffhanger)
Two Nights in Paris by Delaney Diamond
Desire and the Deep Blue Sea by Olivia Dade (July 14)

Also bonus if you’re interested in owning Alyssa Cole’s An Unconditional Freedom in hardcover/large print, that’s available for purchase now. I love my paperbacks, but I kind of want that set of covers, too.

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!

We’re back from BR’s day off, and I’m excited to get back into it.

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Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was triumphant by any measure, and a duke has proposed—but before marriage, she longs for one last adventure. No gentleman would agree to her scandalous plan—but Lord Jeremy Roden is no gentleman. He offers a wager. If she wins a billiards game, he’ll provide the breeches. If he wins…she is his, for one wild night. But what happens when Jeremy realizes that one night will never be enough? In the most important battle of his life, he’ll have to convince Betsy to say no to the duke.

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News and Useful Links

There was a thread by Katie Mingle that went viral a couple weeks ago, and now you can hear more about it on NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Do you want to take part in some romance research? This is a quick survey worth taking.

Pink Heart Society announced the winners of their 2019 Reviewers’ Choice Awards!

Sil pulled together a fake engagements thread to save us all. I…haven’t read any of those so I’m in trouble.

And I will continue to be in trouble because Cat Sebastian wrote about some favorite mid-century romances on Love in Panels.

Rebekah Weatherspoon revealed a cover that will murder us all.

Honestly, so did Farrah Rochon.

And while I’m not quite dying about this cover, the premise has killed me. DID YOU SAY PARANORMAL HOCKEY ROMANCE. I am dead.

Jasmine Guillory’s going on tour for The Wedding Party and guess who’s going to be chatting with her in Phoenix? (Hint: it’s me.)

Finally, I would very much like to read the romance novel based on this commercial. It doesn’t exist yet, so somebody needs to write it.

Deals

Have you ever read any Molly Harper? She writes pretty funny, quirky paranormal romances, and the first in one of her recent series, How to Date Your Dragon, is 1.99. If you’re looking for something to fill the void of the Southern Vampire Mysteries (and you’ve already read Midnight, Texas), this is definitely a series to check out.

If you still haven’t picked up A Princess in Theory, it’s 1.99 as well! The Reluctant Royals series is now complete, so now is definitely a good time to start. Just be prepared: there are three novels and two novellas, and you’re gonna want to devour them all once you’re done with Princess. And then of course, the rest of Alyssa Cole’s backlog. Trust me.

Recs

I picked up a few books recently that both had a similar theme: rivals. They are all different kinds of rivals, living in different kinds of communities. But they’re all vying for something tangible, whether it’s about personal pride or something huge. And I realized that while I often seek out books featuring the enemies-to-lovers trope, in which the protagonists legitimately don’t like each other, there is something to be said about the rivals-to-lovers trope: there’s hella chemistry everywhere you turn.

Rival Princes
Jaxon Knight

I didn’t know I needed a darling pair of theme park princes in my life, but I’m glad I gave some time to Nate and Dash. In the lovely Fairyland, Princes Valor and Justice are part of a foursome of royals often found offering photo ops for park visitors. While Dash, Prince Justice, has worked his way up through the ranks, landing his dream gig, Nate, the new Prince Valor, was interviewing for a park greeter job when his interviewers excitedly told him he should audition for the long-empty role. When Nate arrives on the job, he charms everyone, but Dash is worried about his place—and a potential upgrade—being usurped. While the two can’t help but be attracted to each other, Dash goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure he comes out on top. And not in the fun way.

This is a quick read from a new queer author, and I was excited when it landed in my kindle (I will admit that I’d forgotten I preordered it, so it was like a present!). I’m looking for more tales of Fairyland!

Sweet Heat
Zuri Day

Heads up: eat before you read. Our protagonists, Naomi and Marvin, have both just entered a competition to win a food truck and fifty grand to get their business started. From the moment they bump into each other on the first day of the competition, neither can stop thinking of the other. But the nature of the show, external elements, and both contestants’ drive to win get in the way of their potential relationship. But they could just wait it out and see after one of them wins, right?

I have to admit: this is my first Zuri Day book, even though I have several on my shelf. I’m glad to have picked up this one, as it really showcases her way with words, her ability to build out an unlikely plot, and all the ways she can make you laugh. This is also another author who drops readers into a community that is unapologetically black, and we get to feel the way that influences relationships, family, and—of course—food

I also picked up The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman recently, which features a secondary love story between Nina and her biggest trivia rival. I’m not very far into the book, but we’ve already gotten to experience the sideways glances from a distance, denials of liking each other, and each one’s drive to beat their opponent. The primary story is about Nina—painfully introverted Nina—discovering she has a huge family after her bio dad dies, so a heads up for anyone who might not want to read that.

What are your favorite rival romances?

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!