Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Contemporary
November 14, 2011 | Monday | 111 Comments
I started this post on 25 October, and put it aside because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. In mid-October, I put Heavy D’s “Now That We’ve Found Love” on my running mix and was thinking about the song and how much I liked it (and Heavy D) while I was out one day. Heavy D died unexpectedly on 8 November at age 44, and the news headline made me remember this post and that I’d never finished it. While I’m still not sure that I made every point I wanted to make (my train of thought while…
read more »
November 12, 2011 | Saturday | 138 Comments
I have an anonymous request for a “Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid” list: Like many of us, I cope with things by reading about them, and I love finding a book about someone who has problems similar to mine and is able to thrive. I was recently diagnosed with a chronic condition that will almost certainly affect the rest of my life. It’s not fatal, and it’s not degenerative, but it is likely to lead to some level of physical disability in the future. I am thus wondering about books with heroines who are physically disabled. I know there…
read more »
November 10, 2011 | Thursday | 64 Comments
Julie Garwood is a romance author whose books often are mentioned along with my very favorite noise, “Good Book Noise.” There are MANY of them, too! She used to write historicals, and now her focus in on romantic suspense. So if you’re looking at Garwood’s books and trying to pick one to read, it can be daunting. My favorite Garwood’s are all historicals. I love The Bride like nobody’s business, and could re-read that book any time, even when I have 2 minutes before the world ends. My copy is in two large pieces. I think it might be time…
read more »
November 04, 2011 | Friday | 46 Comments
Rudi wrote me and said,
“I’m almost ashamed to say this, I’ve never actually read a pirate romance before so I don’t really know where to start.
I was hoping the Bitchery might be able to help me find some awesome pirate romance novels. Dangerously puffy shirts on the cover are a plus.”
Now, we discussed this back in 2006 but it seemed to me that enough has changed in 5 years that we might be able to add to that list. Got any piratical romances you recommend, from then and now?
read more »
November 01, 2011 | Tuesday | 18 Comments
Tiffany is looking for this book she read a long, long time ago: I have a HaBO that has been driving me nuts. In typical late 80s/90s fashion, I don’t remember the book being particularly good, but it has just stuck in my mind. And it WILL NOT LEAVE! It’s a contemporary that takes place somewhere in the Midwest, if I recall correctly. The hero hates models and women who are overly gorgeous. The heroine is a small town mousy girl who left home and comes back all grown up. The hero likes how squeaky clean and sweet she is…
read more »
October 23, 2011 | Sunday | 21 Comments
Ah, the magic wonder of Bonus Materials, Books on Sale, and good buzz - woo hoo! The Color of Magic with Bonus Material: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett [Amazon | BN | WORD Brooklyn] Something Different by S.A. Reid [Smashwords |Amazon Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl [Amazon | Kindle | BN & nook | Kobo | AllRomance | Harlequin.com] I Love the Earl by Caroline Linden [Amazon | Kindle | BN & nook | Kobo | WORD Brooklyn] Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen [Kindle | Kobo | BN] Everything I Know about Love I Learned from…
read more »
October 19, 2011 | Wednesday | 130 Comments
I received an email from reader Maria, who told me about this book and said it was UNREAL in its bizarre badness. So of course I forwarded her description to RedHeadedGirl, who replied, and I quote, “WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY I NEED TO READ IT”. Seriously, you guys. The official book description does NOT even TOUCH the crazysauce that floods this book. This is what it says: Monte Carlo is abuzz with news that Ram Varindha—young, hot and royal—is without a co-driver for the biggest rally event of the year. Though it’s been years since she last saw him, Mia…
read more »
October 04, 2011 | Tuesday | 1187 Comments
Everything I Know About Love I Learned from Romance Novels is out in stores everywhere (or should be!), so let’s celebrate with HUGE GIVEAWAYNESS OF AWESOME! So many authors contributed to EIKAL, and shared such amazing and valuable stories about their own experiences with romance that I wanted to celebrate EIKAL’s release with a GIANT BASKET of every author’s book that I could get my hands on. PLUS, if you’re curious about digital reading, you get a choice of those, too (thanks to Jeaniene Frost for the idea!). Here’s the deal: leave a comment, and tell me one thing you’ve…
read more »
September 28, 2011 | Wednesday | 36 Comments
The interesting thing about Jude Deveraux novels is that for every book someone adored, there’s a nearly equal number of readers who didn’t like it. So it’s difficult to create a recommendation list for early Deveraux books, and I’ve tried to include the balance of comments so that readers who are curious about her backlist can get a sense of what might appeal to them. So, let’s get started! A Knight in Shining Armor [Amazon | Kindle | BN & nook | Kobo | WORD Brooklyn] You can’t be surprised this made the list! This time-travel romance is a little…
read more »
September 26, 2011 | Monday | 16 Comments
It's not a secret that I really like Sarah Morgan's books, and her latest is no exception to the happy sigh reading experience. Polly Prince works at the ad agency her father owns, but in reality, she runs the place because he tends to disappear for long periods of time, usually with a new girlfriend who is Polly's age. This time, dear old dad has run off with Damon Doukakis's sister, who used to be Polly's best friend at school, and both of them are unreachable. Damon is so pissed off, he does what any good Harlequin Presents hero does:…
read more »
September 22, 2011 | Thursday | 0 Comments
It’s podcast time! This week we are talking about what I call “romangst:” angst romance at its finest and most emotional. Jane and I have an intense discussion of romangst and what makes it good & believable, from historicals to Harlequin Presents. We talk about whether the angsty character be healed, and if we can believe that someone who is that fucked up will have a happy ending as functioning or mostly functioning adult. Also: you may notice that at recording time, I had a cold. Enjoy Stuffy Sarah. I even edited out two sniffles, a sneeze, and the possible…
read more »
September 15, 2011 | Thursday | 21 Comments
Stacy is looking for this book, and I am betting she’ll be able to find it. This sounds pretty memorable. I have thought about sending you this HABO a million times (and may have actually done so already a couple of years ago, so forgiveness if I did). This book sounds stupid as hell but I just loved it: It’s a contemporary romance about a woman who owns an art gallery (in Chicago, maybe?) and is secretly sad because she’s the only person in her family who doesn’t actually create great art and she has low self-esteem because of that.…
read more »
September 07, 2011 | Wednesday | 21 Comments
This request comes from Faellie, who is looking for a book she read a long, long time ago.
My HABO is a paperback which I read some years ago and which I think I came across in a holiday rental, because it would still be on my shelves (who am I kidding, in one of my boxes) if it had been my own copy. The book is set in a country village in Yorkshire, in winter because there is a lot of snow around.
read more »
September 01, 2011 | Thursday | 68 Comments
Jude Deveraux is one of the classic names in historical romance, and is one of the first authors I glommed when I discovered romance. I still re-read her books, but for someone who is curious about Deverax’s books, which one would you recommend first? Knight in Shining Armor is among her most-beloved titles, and one of the best time-travel romances I’ve ever read. I never understood why the heroine’s shopping spree only included formal clothing in that one scene (though I still think wool challis skirts are the HEIGHT of posh fashion because of that scene). But then there’s also…
read more »
August 31, 2011 | Wednesday | 87 Comments
This entry was inspired by Abby, who wrote to me and implored, “go to amazon.co.uk and look up Lisa Kleypas. WHY ARE THEIR BOOK COVERS SO MUCH BETTER THAN OURS?!?!?!! I am so upset about this, it’s kind of ridiculous. They just look so much classier! It’s totally unfair.”
Is that so? Well, let’s have a look, shall we? All the pics are below the fold - but the poll, depending on the browser, may be up here.
read more »
