Open Thread for Readers for April 2022
Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general?
So this is part rant and part a request for recommendations. I have been getting more into light contemporaries but lately it seems like at least half the adult contemporary romantic comedies I come across are about (A) fake relationships or (B) enemies/rivals-to-lovers. They of course have their place and I read some, but as a general rule, I have never been a fan of either trope in light adult contemporary romances (enemies-to-lovers works better for me in SFF and historical contexts, and fake dating in YA contexts). But here we are. It is really hard to avoid these tropes. Don’t publishers and authors have ideas for any other conflicts to base a contemporary romantic relationship around? I can think of some.
Anyway, I’d like to solicit recommendations. Can you recommend me some light contemporary romances (not necessarily frothy, just not laden with a lot of angst) with tropes besides fake dating and/or enemies/rivals-to-lovers?
@Janine: if you haven’t already read them, I’d recommend trying books by Karla Sorensen, Claire Kingsley, or Serena Bell. Yes, they do incorporate popular tropes, but they’re not heavy-handed or super-duper angsty (although, keep in mind, I’m an angst queen, so my “light on the angst” could be someone else’s “God, this is breaking my heart!” Lol). I would describe their books as lightly humorous, with amusing moments, but not a laugh-out-loud guffaw festival.
@DiscoDollyDeb: Thanks. I am actually not looking for a guffaw festival, so that sounds good.
Where have all the capital (upper case) letters gone?
When I search Amazon or Scribd, although I use capital letters, the titles and author names which appear in the search field are always lower case.
@DiscoDollyDeb: Hmm, maybe not. I got as far as Serena Bell’s February release, saw that it was fake dating, and groaned.
@LML: Yes, good point. I have been noticing that too. It is convenient but maybe not the greatest example to set for kids who haven’t mastered the basics of titles yet.
@Janine: I’ll second DiscoDollyDeb’s recommendation of Claire Kingsley, though I tend to like her lighter books less… Fighting For Us is my favorite so far. You can also take a look at some of Kate Canterbary’s backlist, but you should probably stay away from the Walsh series – as the content warnings indicate, the characters in those books have been through A LOT, plus A and (to a lesser extent) B are covered.
You’ve probably read Karina Bliss before, but if not, that’s another option.
@Janine, The Billionaire’s Wake-Up-Call Girl was a lot of fun; Rescue Me was, as advertised “uplifting”; I smiled throughout Puppy Love by Lucy Gilmore; and … I clearly don’t read as many comedic contemporaries as I thought.
My favorite romance read so far this year is Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. It’s one of her older books with a high GR rating and long library wait list and is worth the wait. The reverse age gap/younger brother’s best friend plot lends itself to humor. Some may call it an enemies to love but I would argue they don’t know each and therefore can’t really be enemies. It’s has a road trip and a little adventure. One of the GR reviewers I follow has a “if you don’t like this book you can’t be my friend” list. This would be on my list.
@Rose: Thank you, I downloaded the novella in the first book in Kingsley’s series (I know DDD has recommended that one too). I must say her full-length books are loooong.
I have indeed read Karina Bliss and while her books weren’t bad, I didn’t really see what the fuss was about.
@LML: Thank you! I have tried Carolyn Crane aka Annika Martin a few times, the last being with Most Eligible Billionaire (back when it was first published as Most Eligible Bastard). It’s never worked out, even though all three books were highly praised. It’s frustrating because I really like her style of language and in theory, quirky is a thing I love. But it turns out her brand of quirky is a mismatch for me and it’s hard for me to articulate why. But anyhow, she’s not for me. I will take a look at the other two. Who is the author of Rescue Me?
@Jenreads: I saw that on Goodreads. It does look good. I am trying to stick with newer books because reviews of those are probably most helpful to DA’s readers, but I’m going to take a closer look at that one.
@Janine, the author is Sarra Manning. I didn’t realize there are so many books with that title.
So Tal Bauer’s writing has never quite worked for me. He seems to lean into action and romantic suspense, and while I’ve found his stories interesting, there’s always been something that’s stopped me from fully enjoying his books – the characterization maybe, or believability issues, pacing, fill-in-the-blank. So I started his latest, YOU & ME, not expecting very much. It’s a simple setup: two single dads meet at football practice and get to know each other. A bi-awakening, a slow burn. Tropes I like, what the heck, I have to read *something* before The Long Game drops. Oh my stars, I *loved* it. It’s a good thing I was on spring break because I was Bad Decisions Book Clubbing it like you wouldn’t believe. I loved the main characters and I loved the writing. I loved how Bauer resisted making a villain out of the ex-wife, and I loved how the big misunderstanding that I thought I saw coming from a mile away didn’t happen. What ended up happening, I hadn’t seen coming at all, but in hindsight it fit into the narrative perfectly. And it was romantic the way love stories should be, and when one of the characters veered into melodrama a couple of times, I forgave him because he’d earned it by that point. But my very favourite thing about the book was how Bauer handled faith.
One of the heroes was Mormon; he was branded an apostate when he came out, and has since considered himself agnostic. But faith still saturated who he was as a person, in the very best way. There is no proselytizing in this book; it’s not inspirational in that sense, but I actually believed his faith in a way I seldom do when authors try to write it in. DiscoDollyDeb, if you read this one, I’d love to hear your take on it. My issue with most books of the “Forbidden Love with the Priest” variety is that the priest or similar character of faith goes through the actions of faith but not with the *mind* of faith. I read this one book awhile ago, one of your faves I think DDD and it was a doozy I’ll grant you that, but the priest was so ready and fluent with his F-bombs and gave so little thought to the spirituality of his actions that I just couldn’t believe the characterization. (I’m coming from 40 years of evangelicalism. I’m incredibly biased but am happy to hear dissenting views.) Whereas the Mormon character in Bauer’s book, Landon, is Mormon still. He didn’t leave the church, the church left him.
Anyway, I read the book in a day and a half, and then promptly started it all over again. Thank you, Tal Bauer. I didn’t know how much I needed this.
Eliza, I read Bauer’s latest just yesterday and had a similar reaction: I really loved it!
I’m ex-Mormon, having resigned my membership in the church just a few years ago after a decade-plus of feeling conflicted and ashamed of the church’s teachings and policies regarding women and the LGBTQ+ community. I’m always leery when I see an author writing a Mormon character — in part because errors stand out to me (being extremely well-versed in the history, doctrine, policies, and overall culture — my family has been members going back generations, including early pioneers to Utah) and, in part, because of my own … religious trauma feels like too strong a word for my situation, but my own negative experiences with the church’s doctrine and culture.
I respected Bauer’s portrayal so very much, though. Despite feeling more “burn it all down” (NOT literally!) about the church myself, I can easily imagine a real ex-member feeling/responding the way Landon does after being labeled apostate for owning his sexuality. It’s true that I still carry my 30 years as a member (if we count from my birth) with me in a variety of ways, many subconsciously.
If it had only been Bauer’s decent representation of an ex-Mormon character, I wouldn’t have been that drawn to the book, but I really loved every moment of the story. Now I have a book hangover, haha.
@Janine: Janine, having just come off two fake dating contemporaries, I feel your pain. Rarely does this trope work for me, unless the characters are undercover, and it’s part of their mission. But in both cases it was for silly reasons and got annoying fast. One even doubled down and had the grumpy/sunshine trope, too. It was way too trope-tastic.
@Eliza: I found You and Me on KU and grabbed it. Thanks for the tip— it sounds really interesting, and there’s no fake dating!
@Eliza: I haven’t read any Bauer, but YOU & ME sounds like a great place to start. Onto the tbr it goes. Thanks for the recommendation!
@Janine: So I looked through my GR read books and of the last 10 contemporary romances that I’ve read, 6 of them were either fake relationship or rivals to lovers. So yeah. It’s a thing.
I really enjoyed Roan Parrish’s Garnet Run series – no rivals to lovers or fake dating and not super angsty, but not exactly fluffy either.
@LML: Thanks, I’ve heard good things about Sarra Manning. Mostly in regard to Unsticky, which was kind of controversial and edgy when it came out, but I had more than one friend who liked it.
@Eliza: You and Me sounds really good. I read your comment with peeking through my fingers because a couple of things seemed spoilery, but I’m definitely going to investigate it further.
@cleo: Yeah, it’s a thing for sure. Some of these books are good and done well, but I want to have more options. I will check out the Parrish series.
I feel your pain..I just looked though my library and have not enjoyed a romance in a long time…mostly reading gardening books rn..so I can’t remember if victoriaGoddard has been mentioned here.. I do enjoy her books which really are about love if not romantic love…I also read a super creepy book the echo wife…really maybe about the perversion of love…and although not fiction..or romance I loved shira gills minalista. I first love sf/f, then romance but in a terrible rut and so have expanded my reading scope.. good luck..will follow this thread looking for some leads
I find a lot of books on Hoopla that step out of the romance trope mold. Not all of them are good but they are free. Some of them are also KU reads. My favorite last year was Finding Love at Mermaid Terrace by Kate Forster. If you like Jane Lovering or Jill Mansell, you may like this less melancholy romance. I also really liked Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell by Lilac Mills. This book features an older couple and a hoarder as a romantic hero.
Anyone looking for some new writers (or new stories by old favorites) might consider the NIGHTINGALE anthology. It was just released today and includes 50 new stories by some of Romancelandia’s favorite authors. Plus, all proceeds are being donated to charities that are helping people in Ukraine. It’s $7.99, which I know is pricey for an ebook, but for 50 new stories (and a worthy cause), I think it’s worth it.
Nightingale Amazon link
I second @Sue’s recommendation of Victoria Goddard as I enjoyed her The Hands of the Emperor.
@Sue: I think the publishing industry is playing it more safe than it used to as profit margins get narrower. It’s a vicious cycle IMO because the dwindling options in terms of tropes limit the audience in turn. For what it’s worth, I am still having a lot of success with adult fantasy–it’s probably my most successful genre right now. I’m also reading more books with queer characters than ever before. It’s not just that they’ve captured my imagination (although they have)–more are being published and there is a lot of creativity flowing into those books, probably because of that. I feel bad that I am reviewing a lot less m/f romance because I know some of DA’s readers probably want that, but it’s harder to find m/f that interests me right now.
@Kareni and Sue–I will look into Goddard.
Now that you clued me in to all the fake relationships, I’m seeing them everywhere! Pass, pass, pass….
@Eliza: I know! As I just told Jayne earlier today, now that I’ve seen it I can’t unsee it.
@Jenreads: I haven’t read Jane Lovering even though Jayne really likes her books, mainly because of the overly-cute titles and covers. I don’t know what it is but the “[noun] and [noun] at [cute place name]” titles (not just Lovering’s but any book with a title that fits within that title trend) are an immediate nope for me. I haven’t read a single one so it’s not based on a bad experience. It’s just that the titles and covers make me recoil.
@Kareni: Thank you, I will look into Victoria Goddard.
@Eliza: I really got burned on Tal Bauer’s romantic suspense and promised myself not to touch his books ever again, but this does sound tempting thank you.
@Sirius: I know what you mean. I tried a few of his romantic suspense titles and they were either a “no” or a “hell, no” for me. He’s got a couple contemporaries, The Jock and The Quarterback which I enjoyed a little more, but even with these I rolled my eyes several times. In my opinion he’s worked out all the kinks in You & Me, and if this is a trend I hope Bauer keeps on going because he does have solid writing skills.
@Eliza: Thanks for the recommendation, Eliza! I finished You and Me over the weekend, and it was sweet and lovely. No fake dating, no reality shows, no enemies to lovers, no big misunderstandings. Just two decent people dealing with stuff who miraculously find each other and build a relationship step by step. Real and touching and heartfelt.
@Eliza: will definitely check it out thank you.
I HAVE to recommend a contemporary romance series I am obsessed with – “Morgan’s Run” by M. Lee Prescott (https://mleeprescott.com/). These truly are the perfect vacation reads. I recently read (Book 12) “Tom’s Ride” and I have been daydreaming about it – lol. If you’re interested in sexy cowboys combined with contemporary romance, this series is right up your alley! Tom Jacobi uproots his life and moves to a new town, after a painful divorce. It’s here he meets Grace, the conflicted daughter of an alcoholic father. Grace attempts to keep the family hardware business alive while tending the needs of her father. The characters and the story felt plausible and super relatable. You can’t help but feel sorry for Grace but are also rooting for the budding romance between her and Tom. Super heartfelt and wonderfully written. Check out this series (however – the books can be read on their own too….) Happy reading and thanks for letting us share our recommendations and book grievances here! Great idea
@Bianca P: Thank you!