Category: Kissing Books

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.

---

Sponsored by Mom’s Perfect Boyfriend by Crystal Hemmingway, a smart romantic comedy told in an addicting, fast-paced style.

Is it wrong to trick your mom into dating a robot? Desperate to get some space from her lonely, overbearing mother, Crystal commissions a robotic “smart companion” to serve as her mom’s ideal boyfriend. A romantic comedy told through texts, emails, and journal entries. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Rainbow Rowell.

---

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.

---

Sponsored by Book Riot’s Amazon store. Shop our favorite summer reads (including some of our favorite books of 2019 so far), bookish accessories, deals, and more.

---

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!

---

Sponsored by Sourcebooks

Exiled Charmer Leena Edenfrell is running out of time. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts—an offense punishable by death—and now there’s a price on her head. With the realm’s most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her heels, Leena makes Noc an offer he can’t refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life. Plagued by a curse that kills everyone he loves, Noc agrees to Leena’s terms in hopes of finding a cure. Never mind that the dark magic binding the assassin’s oath will eventually force him to choose between Leena’s continued survival…and his own.

---

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.

---

Sponsored by Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James

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.

---

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!

Wow hey, happy July folks! It’s getting H.O.T. outside and I kind of just want to stay inside and read like…all the time? Which I would totally do, if I didn’t have to leave my house five days a week for the sake of being able to eat. Urgh.

Let’s talk about what’s been happening in Romancelandia!

---

Sponsored by Some Like it Scandalous by Maya Rodale

The only way Theodore Prescott the Third will survive his most recent outrageous scandal is marry someone respectable and sensible. Like Daisy Swann. But Daisy’s plans do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. Daisy aspires to sell cosmetics she creates, but this scientist needs a smooth talking charmer to make it a success. When a family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, a fake engagement with Theo will make her dreams come true. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.

---

News and Useful Links

There were a few good romance-related articles going around the interwebs in the second half of last week, one of which addressed how romance authors—particularly women of color—deal with harassment on a regular basis. This has particularly been a problem as their online presence provides more access to authors in their personal space.

Another article from bustle came from the point of view of a mother. The title, “6 Reasons Why I Want My Kids to Read Romance Novels.” Good points, all around.

Corey Alexander (Xan West) wrote a compelling article about writing an ownvoices romance with a demiromantic main character on Queer Books Unbound, and really if you haven’t checked out Their Troublesome Crush yet, you really should!

I didn’t know the words Scottish Historical Ocean’s 8 were words I wanted to see together in romance context, but I very much wants it now precious.

Did you see the cover for Alexa Martin’s upcoming book, Blitzed? Cause I’m wildly excited.

I love a good small town romance, but some of the ones I’ve read have been so homogenous. Check out Sil’s list on Frolic of some diverse ones to check out.

I haven’t read any of Pamela Mingle’s books, but this thread has totally pushed her up my TBR!

Finally, this isn’t a romance novel…yet. But I think we all needed to know about it.

Deals!

Have you checked out Katrina Jackson’s Spies Who Loved Her series? So far, there are five of them, and they’re all somewhere around 1.99. The first one, Pink Slip, was fun, sexy, and thrilling, and everything just builds out from there. The most recent one, Bang and Burn, is not a one-off novel, so think before you choose. They’re all just so fun.

If you’re looking to read a few love stories set around a bakery, you’re in luck, because Graham’s Delicacies is a thing that exists. Going back to the universe of Soft on Soft, Mina Waheed gives us multiple HEAs to swoon over. It’s adorable and delightful, and definitely worth the 2.99.

Recs

You know when you’re about to read the newest book in a series and you know it’s going to be hard and emotional and probably make you cry, but you also can’t wait because you’ve been waiting for this character’s book?

That’s what this was like.

Raze
Roan Parrish

If you’ve been reading Kissing Books long enough, you might remember that I read Riven on a sick day, and it was one of those “I know books don’t actually have healing powers, but I legit feel better now” kinds of experiences. Riven was my first Roan Parrish read, even though I’d heard of her before, and I was basically turned into a Fan For Life. Her language is lush, her characters are messy, and her love stories are the kind that make your heart completely full—and probably grow a few sizes, too. The second in the series, Rend, was a total tearfest. It’s no surprise Raze was no different.

While you don’t have to read the first two to understand the setup of Raze, I obviously recommend them (though you can go back and discover Theo and Caleb’s story retroactively, if you prefer). Here, we have Huey’s story. Huey, Caleb’s Sponsor and friend, who owns the bar where Theo and Caleb met in Riven. Huey sees a beautiful young man singing on karaoke night and can’t help but tell Theo, who was once the lead singer of hit rock band Riven before leaving to do his own thing. The band had been looking for a new lead for their tour, and Felix definitely has the chops for it. When Huey tries to get an invitation to audition from Theo across to Felix without sounding like a creep, their own relationship starts to bloom. And when Felix gets his sister the gig instead, they have more time to discover each other. Felix, joyful and chatty, is basically the opposite of the more reticent Huey, but somehow, they make it work. Not without their own problems, though.

I could talk about the workout my face got reading this book as I went from smiling to frowning to no-no-noing and dramatically flinging my Kindle (lightly) across the couch. Or about the number of times I had to stop to have a chat with myself about getting way too emotionally involved in this couple’s relationship. But instead I’ll just say: if you read nothing else in the month of July, read this book.

Okay, that’s not true, because there are so many books to read!

For instance, next up on my list is Care for Me by Bria Felicien, which is book two in the author’s Postgrad series. Much like Huey, Derrick just wants to do his job and mind his business, but we know how that works when a love interest is thrown their way. I’m in the mood for some quiet heroes, even if they end up getting mixed up with their complete opposites in personality. That’s what makes romance so great, right?

FYI: no new Kissing Books from me on Thursday! Book Riot is “closed” for the holiday, which includes newsletters. With that in mind, get ready for a new double issue of new books on Thursday the 11th!

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!

It’s Thursday, and it’s been a heck of a week, probably for all of us, but hey: books! Romances are awesome when everything else sucks. So let’s talk about some great ones.

---

Sponsored by Her Other Secret by HelenKay Dimon

Whitaker Island is more than a getaway. For Tessa Jenkins, the remote strip of land in Washington state is a sanctuary. Fleeing from a shattering scandal, she has a new name, a chance at a new beginning, and a breathtaking new view: Hansen Rye. It’s hard not to crush on Whitaker’s hottest handyman. At six-foot-three and all kinds of fine, he’s also intensely private—and the attraction between them soon simmers dangerously out of control.

---

Over on Book Riot

Which duke should be yours? My inner Hot Mess is very satisfied with my results.

We all know that I love a good Pride and Prejudice retelling (and that there are a million out there). But Emma? Yes. Yes, please and thank you.

Looking for tips to find good local authors? This is a great place to start!

Okay, this is very romance adjacent but literary scarves, y’all.

Deals

Want a two-in-one collection with an amazing cover? Check out Road to Forever & A Love of My Own by Sherelle Green and Sheryl Lister. These are both authors I’ve tried before but haven’t read these two specific books. If you’re interested in these, definitely check out other of Kimani’s two-in-ones, because it seems like that’s the majority of the printing they’re doing right now.

And just because it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned her, reminder that you can read some top notch Rebekah Weatherspoon for as little as 2.99! Check out Fit (which is hella steamy) or So Sweet (which is similarly steamy) to see what kind of story you might like, and then you’re welcome.

New Releases!

Do you know what’s great about some of the recent historicals? Ladies (and other folks) sciencing the shit out of stuff. I’ve gotten my hands on a couple new things where that is at their center, and of course this is a day that ends in Y so of course there are lots of other new books I’m looking forward to reading!

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics
Olivia Waite

This is one of those books that has been talked about a lot over the last week or so, and I can’t help but join in the excitement. Not only did Avon drop this cover all nonchalantly like it wasn’t the first mass market historical (though it did go digital first) with two women on a gorgeous cover, but Olivia Waite is no slouch when it comes to amazing words strung together. So when you’ve got people drooling over the cover and ready to read the book, which I did in a day? Well, you’re going to hear about it, is what happens. In this beautiful, delicious novel (with limited angst, thank goodness), Lucy has gone to Catherine, Lady Moth, with a proposal to work on the translation for an esteemed French astronomy text. Lucy, still reeling from her… girlfriend? …getting married, arrives in London with only one thing on her mind, but can’t help her attraction to her new benefactress. And the feeling, it seems, is mutual. This book really approaches the power dynamic in an interesting and compelling way. There’s also a lot about the nature of science and art, and that alone makes this book magical.

Falling for A Rake
Eve Pendle

I’m not far into this one, but it starts out with a young woman who is on a fern hunt. That’s right, she got a group of people together and decided that fern hunting was a thing. So she and the Rake With The Heart Of Gold(™) who is also part of this expedition fall down a mine shaft and spend the night together, only leaving one option: fake relationship! She doesn’t particularly know he has a HOG, and they both try to suppress their chemistry by being abrasive and aloof. Obviously, it doesn’t work.

Others I can’t wait to get my hands on:

Sweet Heat by Zuri Day
To Resist a Scandalous Rogue by Liana de la Roas
Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
The Seduction Expert by Saya Lopez Ortega
Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James (I haven’t been rushing to pick these up, but that cover…)
Save The Date by Monica Murphy
I Think I Might (Want You) by Christina C. Jones
Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau (HOW DID THIS SNEAK UP ON ME)

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 am wrapping up my time at the American Library Association’s annual conference and I had a blast! I also ended up with way too many books that aren’t even romance for the most part and I’m not sorry. Though my bookshelves will be.

---

Sponsored by Read Bliss, presented by Harlequin.

Read Bliss is your video destination for all things romance and reading! Tune in to Read Bliss on YouTube every Tuesday and Friday for videos by romance fans, for romance fans―including book roundups, author interviews, trope spotlights, bookish DIY projects and more from Read Bliss’s team of romance BookTubers. Watch. Read. Love!

---

News and Useful Links

If you hadn’t heard, Judith Krantz died. She was a pioneer in the modern romance field writing novels like Princess Daisy that were a lot of people’s introduction to the genre.

Also, you know that Bridgerton series Shonda Rhimes is producing? Damme if the Grand Dame herself, Julie Andrews isn’t voicing Lady Whisteldown.

This isn’t so much news as “how great is this” but Sonali Dev, Uzma Jalaluddin, and Soniah Kamal were all in one place and it was awesome.

This is a great history thread.

Have you been thinking of trying a subscription box? Maybe check out the Bawdy Bookworms’ summer box.

Apparently, too many people asked Gail Carriger why she writes sexy books, besides the obvious “because it’s fun, duh” and she has some good stuff to say here.

June (and therefore Pride month) may be almost over, but it’s never a bad time to check out this amazing collection of queer reads.

And I just…I have to share this thread. It’s a must-read, no matter what your opinion on pool tables.

Deals

Looking for a suspense thriller that is also a romance? Hour of Need by Malinda Leigh is 1.99. The top Amazon reviews talk about how it’s swoony and full of character development and feelings, feelings, feelings, so this is definitely the romantic suspense novel for me. Right? Why wouldn’t you want a crime novel that also involves feelings?

Want to read something thrilling in a much different way? Holley Trent’s Three Strikes, which is part of the Den of Sin series, is 99 cents. Old friends? Who might take it further if one of them can bring them around? Yes, please.

Some Books I Talked About At ALA

As I mentioned before, I went to the American Library Association’s annual conference, which considering its size is pretty lackluster when it comes to romance. The publishers kinda push it, and somebody might propose a panel about it, but really it’s not something we talk about, and there aren’t lines on the exhibits floor like there are for thriller, genfic, and youth authors. Which is fine. Whatever. Publishers know we’re going to buy their books anyway, but we talk about more than purchasing at these events.

So while it wasn’t to the scale of everything else, I did get a chance to get my hands on some recent and upcoming books that are either romance or will appeal to romance readers.

The Key to Happily Ever After
Tif Marcelo

If you follow When in Romance, you know that Trisha absolutely loved this book. You might also know that I haven’t gotten to it yet. But a group of sisters running a business in DC while also dealing with love stuff sounds right up my alley to me. I’ll take it.

The Cottage on Rose Lane
Hope Ramsay

This is the first book in a series and Hope actually talked about the second one, but I am very curious about this book. Hope mentioned that she ensures that her small-town romances aren’t homogeneously white, and also don’t ignore racial tension and conflict in the South. This book, in particular, was interesting, since the hero is working to protect his Gullah heritage and land. So yeah, I know very little about this author, but am glad I came across her work (and her, since she’s a very nice person).

Song of Blood & Stone
L. Penelope

This isn’t a new book, or even a new-to-me book. The copy I got signed by the author is a previous version of the one that has been revamped and extended, soon to be released by St. Martin’s Griffin (who is doing some super awesome work to move up in the playing field of romantic stories published by the Big Five). But I can never walk away from this story of love and magic in an alternate 1920s universe, because damn. Of course I can’t.

First Earl I See Tonight
Anna Bennett

An artist and a grumpy earl do what they can to not fall in love and do it anyway? Sounds like the perfect book for me, seriously!

Welcome to Moonlight Harbor
Sheila Roberts

Once again, this wasn’t the book I got my hands on, but it is the first in Sheila Roberts’ most recent series, and that’s honestly the best I can do. I have no idea what this book or series is about because the author is so hilarious that I couldn’t keep track between her story and the story therein. Just know you’re gonna laugh your face off if her written word is anything like her presentation style.

Evvie Drake Starts Over
Linda Holmes

This book, which comes out this week, sounds like a combination of self-discovery, family relationships, and romantic relationships that we often categorize as “women’s fiction.” But there’s definitely a strong romantic element in this book that keeps showing up in my face and probably will continue to do so for a while. Did I mention it starts with Evvie planning to finally leave her husband, only to get the phone call that he’s been killed? And an athlete (not her husband) with a case of the Yips? So put all that together and see what you get.

Obviously, I have a huge problem with willpower, so I grabbed way more books than this. But you’ll probably hear about them as I read them, or at least pretend to.

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!

It’s almost summer, and I can’t figure out if I want summer lovin (have me a blast) or to pretend it’s Christmas and very cold. Good thing we have books and I can do both!

---

Sponsored by Lulu’s Café by T. I. Lowe, new in mass-market paperback from Tyndale House Publishers.

When Leah Allen, a damaged young woman, is given a chance to reclaim her life in a small South Carolina town, she must reckon with the dark secrets she left behind. Soon Leah meets Crowley Mason, the most eligible bachelor in town. Crowley is wary of Leah’s mysterious arrival, but despite his reserve, something sparks between them that can’t be denied. Can Leah allow herself to truly love and be loved, especially when her first urge is to run?

---

Over on Book Riot

I’m still not over my incapability to say the word Patreon, but Trisha and I talked about books, people who make them, and people who peddle them on When In Romance.

Laura pulled together romantic books for the introverted MBTI types, which included a combination of romances and other romantic stories. She also made one that is mostly romance for the extroverted MBTI types.

Shireen explores what The Chai Factor means to her as a reader and a Muslim.

If you’re new to Kissing Books, you can check out some of my older content, either about books that make you hungry or royals who’ve found themselves in situations.

And between now and July 15, you can enter to win a Kindle Oasis.

Deals

Have you finished Kennedy Ryan’s Hoops series? Do you now find yourself in need of more of her stuff? Check out Flow, the first in her Grip series, for 99 cents. The others aren’t very expensive either.

Or if you’re looking for the newest combination of sexy and funny, Kendall Ryan’s Junk Mail is 3.99. Sexy selfie, wrong number. Do I have to say more?

And if you have not yet had the chance to read one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole is 99 cents this week! Enjoy a belated Juneteenth celebration with Sofie and Ivan and their fellow Freedom Riders.

New Releases

This was another good week for books, and I even managed to read a couple of them this time.

Hither, Page
Cat Sebastian

When Cat started hinting that she was working on a personal project away from the norm of her oeuvre, many of us were intrigued. When she started bandying about the tagline “Agatha Christie, But Make It Gay”, we were actively grabbing for it. When she let me see it before release date, there might have been actual squealing.

And when I managed to read the damn thing before its release date? Yeah. That was great.

Leo Page is an intelligence officer for one of the…shadier organizations in His Majesty’s service. While he spent most of his time abroad during the bloodiest war the world had ever seen, he’s now been dispatched to a small village where a charwoman has been murdered. Once there, he encounters the town’s young doctor, who might have pulled a bullet out of him in France. The pair are immediately drawn to each other, even though Leo’s work means he has to equivocate at every turn. Regardless, they each work to their own abilities to figure out what happened, particularly as James works through his own PTSD.

If a (pretty bloodless) murder mystery is less your thing, maybe check out The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale, which was pulled from its previous release and released with Carina Press this week. When Juilliard student Sawyer auditions to play fiddle on Victoria Vincent’s summer tour, she is delighted to discover her passion for music again. She also discovers her passion for Vix, the band’s lead singer and Sawyer’s first crush, or so she supposes. She’s only just admitted to herself that she’s attracted to women very recently, and Vix offers a friends-with-benefits style introduction to the sapphic pleasures of the flesh. But their friendship (and whatever more it may become) can only last the length of summer, after which Sawyer has to figure out where her heart lies. This is the first solo Avon Gale title I’ve read (I’ve read books she’s written with authors like Piper Vaughn and Roan Parrish), and I like her style. I’ll definitely check out more of her solo stuff.

Other new titles I’m looking forward to checking out:

Stay for Awhile by BriAnn Danae

Parental Guidance by Avery Flynn

Undercover Affection by Charlene Namdhari

Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale

Two Nights in Paris by Delaney Diamond

One Monsoon in Mumbai by Anitha Perinchery

But first, I’m gonna finish watching A Discovery of Witches.

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! It’s almost officially summer, which means lots of three digit days pretending I’ll read outside but really I’ll just open the blinds and sit under the ac.

---

Sponsored by Crazy4Fiction

LULU’S CAFÉ: Leah Allen is running from a dark past but might just open herself to love. FIVE DAYS IN SKYE: Your next Scottish book boyfriend: Chef James MacDonald. WHERE DANDELIONS BLOOM: An adventure-filled romance novel set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. THE CROSSING AT CYPRESS CREEK: A young man looking for adventure on the Mississippi frontier meets his match.

---

News and Useful Links

Harlequin is moving to TV. So far, it’s Canadian TV, but I look forward to seeing how that trickles into the rest of the world.

I’ll admit I forgot about this list until Adriana Herrera shared it a few days ago. If you’re looking for new authors to check out, or are yourself a queer author or aspiring author, check it out. It’s a great thing to be part of a community.

This isn’t technically romance news because [insert “I don’t know her” GIF] but if you haven’t heard, Nicholas Sparks is Terrible. And the statement he made in response was…very much not great. We’ve known that the “love stories” Sparks write are homogeneously white and straight, and that doesn’t really set him apart from romance, to be honest. But man, to be that outright racist and antagonistic towards queer teenagers who just want to form a community. Man. And you don’t even have to read the story, just the emails. His own words are damning enough.

Deals

If you’ve got a need for another Persuasion adaptation, check out Jenny Holiday’s Undue Influence, which is 99 cents right now. This is the familiar story featuring a vineyard owner and a celebrity chef, and it was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards.

When was the last time you read a World War I romance? Look no further than Girls on the Line by Aimie K. Runyon. The first (two-star) review on Amazon says this book is “perfect for feminist wannabes” and that the “feminist rhetoric comes through loud and clear” and thanks dissenter for selling this book to me! It’s also 1.99 right now (and free to read on Kindle Unlimited, which I will get to in a sec). If you like that one, she’s also got a book about the famed Russian Night Witches, called Daughters of the Night Sky, which is *also* 1.99.

Recs!

My birthday is coming up, as is a long work trip, and I finally decided a few months ago that the next time the Kindle Paperwhite was on sale, I was going to take advantage of it. I’ve been an ereader for nearly a decade, but have been doing that reading on my phone and two different generations of iPad (we’re an Apple house). But even the iPad mini is pretty heavy, and changing the settings to white text on a black background only goes so far with glare and blue light squinting.

I also decided to take advantage of the free three months of Kindle Unlimited that you can add on, and started using it even before I got the Kindle itself. There had been several books that I’d wanted to check out that I hadn’t gone after yet, and look, there they were all, sitting pretty. I’ve made it through two books already (one I enjoyed, the other not so much) and I’ve got an ongoing list of books that I want to check out.

Kitten
Jack Harbon

I’ve followed Jack on Twitter for a while, and have picked up a few of his short stories. Seeing the cover and premise for Kitten drew me from the moment he announced it, and it was kind of the option that tipped the scales for me in getting KU. Kit is just out of college and sleeping on his sister’s couch while he looks for a job. The one he lands is as an assistant to Roman, a demanding ad exec who can be a handful in every way. The attraction between them, though, transcends that.

Kitten could have used another round of editing or two, but it’s got good bones. It had been sitting passively on my list until I saw a tweet from Jack about his personal contemplation of whether it was too black and too millennial—and I almost bought the damn thing on the spot. Instead, I got KU, and devoured this puppy. There’s drama, and melodrama, and there’s so much adorableness all my teeth fell out. And during it all, Kit is one of the most authentically written black gay men I’ve gotten to read in romance, and I can’t wait to read more of Jack Harbon’s work.

Other books I immediately pressed Send on from KU and am excited to read:

Falling for a Knight by Té Russ

IRL by Lucy Lennox and Molly Maddox

A Love So Soft by Chelsea Maria

I Think I Might (Love You?) by Christina C Jones

Single AF by Sherelle Green

And I’m probably downloading more as we speak. What are your favorite Kindle Unlimited reads?

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!

This has been a monster week for new books, I’ll tell you that! Let’s talk about what’s been happening this week.

---

Sponsored by This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, from Epic Reads

CJ’s never lived up to her mom’s ambition, and she’s perfectly happy just helping her aunt, Hannah, at their family’s flower shop. She doesn’t buy into Hannah’s ideas about flowers and their hidden meanings, but when it comes to floral arrangement, CJ discovers a skill she can be proud of. Then her mom decides to sell the shop—to the family who swindled CJ’s grandparents when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII. Soon a rift threatens to splinter CJ’s family, friends, and their entire community; and for the first time, CJ has found something she wants to fight for.

---

Over on Book Riot

For those of us looking to dip into romance manga, (maybe read some for Read Harder?) Silvana did some of the Lord’s work.

As you might have noticed, we’re pretty big fans of Sarah MacLean here on the Riot. I might have had the chance to chat with her for a whole damn podcast episode, but I’m still a *touch* jealous that Angel got to interview her about Brazen and the Beast.

And go check out Book Riot’s Amazon storefront—we’ve put together a selection of our favorite books and bookish stuff for summer!

Deals

Our deals today are actually two new releases! Anthologies that are definitely well worth their prices:

The first volume doesn’t seem to be available anymore, but you should definitely check out Love Is All: Volume II, a collection of eight new stories from authors like Xio Axelrod and Mary Calmes. Proceeds are going to an unnamed LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

If you’re looking for a collection of brand new second-chance romances centered around weddings and marriage, Once Upon A Wedding is 99 cents right now! It features novellas by eleven bestselling authors, including Priscilla Oliveras, KM Jackson, Sonali Dev, and more!

New Releases!

There have been a million books out this week that I have absolutely not read (or at least not finished) but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to read them because they all sound so freaking great.

The Perfect Date
Evelyn Lozada

A single mother working her way through nursing school and a suspended party-boy baseball player cross paths and sparks fly. But they still have their own stuff to deal with.

The Friend Zone
Abby Jiminez

Kristen and Josh have a meet-awful that involves a fender bender and a stolen t-shirt, only to discover that their best friends are getting married. Also, she is planning a life without children and he wants a big family.

Waiting for Tom Hanks
Kerry Winfrey

Annie is waiting for that 90s kind of love, who met you at the top of the Empire State Building or called you Shopgirl. She might get her chance when she starts working on the set of the next big blockbuster.

Mixed Signals
Mia Heintzelman

Julie and Nico don’t meet in the best of terms, but their every encounter brings them closer together.

Fix Her Up
Tessa Bailey

A party planner and a house flipper pretend to date, and it doesn’t seem like the off-limits BFF’s younger sister thing is a problem?

The Chai Factor (ebook June 11, US print July 9)
Farah Heron

Amira moves back home to work on her grad-school thesis and is very annoyed by the barbershop quartet that has rented out her grandmother’s basement. (But, there’s only one guy that Amira can’t seem to stand.)

Square One
LA Witt

Holden wants a good relationship with his kids, but he’s got to compete for their attention with their hot new nanny. (If you don’t read employer/employee romances, this is a good place to start, because Porter works for Holden’s ex-wife.)

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune
Roselle Lim

Natalie has moved back to San Francisco after the death of her mother, and has to adjust to life in her close-knit community. There’s also a magical element that I don’t know much about.

In Case You Forgot
Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar

Kenny and Zaire both move to Hollywood to start their lives over.

Fear of Falling
Georgia Beers

Singing superstar Sophie James is ready to take control of her own life and career, much to the chagrin of her new manager.

Take the Edge Off
TA Moore

Joe is in town investigating some menacing emails, and the only person he can really connect with is his driver Cal.

Like I said: a million. Are you reading any of them 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!