A Reviews / A- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Reading Lists / Recommended Reads / Top Ten Lists#metoo / #ownvoices / 1870s / 1920s / 1970s / accountant / Agent/Spies/Undercover / arranged-marriage / Asian heroine / Asperger's / audiobook / book editor / California / class differences / Contemporary / custody battle / dragons / enemies to lovers / epistolary / f/f / Fairyland / fake relationship / family / Fantasy / farming / friends-to-lovers / gods / heroine in disguise / high-school / historical romance / Hong Kong based world / illegitimate-child / LGBTQ / Literary fiction / London / look alikes / mafia / magical powers / Malaysia / martial arts / Mexico / nobleman / Northern Ireland / nurse / POC / POC author / political intrigue / quest / Reading lists / reformed hero / Regency-based world / romantic-elements / roommates / saga / single dad / streetwise heroine / Time-Travel / Vietnam / waitress / war19 Comments
I was tempted to make a list of my favorites among the 2019-published books I read this year. In the end I decided to focus on my favorite 2019 reads (first time reads; I didn’t include books I had read / reviewed in prior years) without regard to their year ... more >
A- Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads#ownvoices / Asian characters / family / Fantasy / Hong Kong based world / LGBTQ / mafia / martial arts / POC / POC author / political intrigue / saga / Wuxia5 Comments
Dear Fonda Lee, Your adult fantasy novel, Jade City (the first book in your Green Bone Saga), has won both the World Fantasy and Aurora Awards for Best Novel, as well as being nominated for the Nebula and Locus Awards. Set on an island with some similarities to Hong Kong, ... more >
B ReviewsContemporary / dirty talk / family2 Comments
Dear Ms. Bailey, It’s no secret among your many fans that you are known as the ‘Queen of the Dirty Talkers’. In a romance world awash with billionaire heroes, your blue collar men are down to earth, ‘tell it like it is’ kind of guys, alpha heroes to the core. ... more >
C- Reviewsbeta hero / closed bedroom door / family / Historical / Regency5 Comments
A horse breeder by trade, Corbin Jonquil is more at home in the stables than in the ballroom of his sprawling estate. Corbin is the quietest of the Jonquil brothers and has always faded into the background, contentedly unnoticed. When a mysterious young widow, Mrs. Clara Bentford, moves into the ... more >
Letters of Opinionculture / family / female friendship / gender / genre critique / heroine / isolation / romantic conflict36 Comments
A few weeks ago I wrote a post on Romance and life philosophies, and during the vibrant ensuing discussion, Liz Mc2 made a great point about how the more Romance novels narrow their focus to just the couple, the less we see of their interaction and engagement with the outside ... more >
B Reviews / B+ Reviews / C ReviewsAnthology / Chicago / Contemporary romance / family / friends-to-lovers / workplace-romance3 Comments
Dear Ms. Dimon, Ms. Barth, and Ms. Burton: Carina Press’s holiday anthologies are fast becoming autobuys for me. I was sorry there was no m/m anthology this year, but this entry in another favorite subgenre of mine, contemporary romance, made up for it. As is often the case, especially with ... more >