Tag Archives: 2017 Romance Novella nominee
RITA Reader Challenge Review

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan

Her Every Wish

I had a hard time getting into Her Every Wish, and I know that it’s not about HEW, it’s about me. We all have tropes we dislike—also attitudes, characters, and tone. None of these things was a major issue, yet some shade of each made the novella a slog for me at times, particularly in the opening chapters. Needless to say, my reaction made grading problematic as well. I really love Courtney Milan’s writing. Her … Continue reading Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan

RITA Reader Challenge Review

Tycoon by Joanna Shupe

Tycoon

“Tycoon” is a charming story set in the Gilded Age. I’ve not come across many historicals set in this time period, and it’s a welcome change from the ubiquitous London Season. The novella opens with a “meet cute” – a young woman, Clara, approaches a stranger at a Grand Central Station and addresses him as “husband.” Ted is, needless to say, puzzled, although not so puzzled that he fails to notice how pretty she is. … Continue reading Tycoon by Joanna Shupe

RITA Reader Challenge Review

Let It Snow by Jeanette Grey

Let It Snow

How we ended up here I picked this book because I love a good forced proximity via snow romance. There’s nothing better than a good snow day when you’re all stocked up on food and books and you’re probably not going to lose power. I’d hoped for a novella with good character development pushed along by forced proximity. But this book? It did not do it for me. The okay things Holly and Sam end … Continue reading Let It Snow by Jeanette Grey

RITA Reader Challenge Review

Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

Searching for Mine

This novella would have been much better if I knew less about universities. Ella is….what sort of professor? Adjunct? Assistant? Associate? Is this a tenure-track job? Where was she before this? It really, really matters to professors. Really. The reality is that if she were an adjunct she would probably be teaching a ton of classes, maybe at other colleges, too, scrambling for work to make a living. Was that what she was doing before? … Continue reading Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

RITA Reader Challenge Review

Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

Searching for Mine

Having devoured the reviews in last year’s RITA Reader Review Challenge, I was chomping at the bit to get involved this time around. What better way to discover some new authors? Hence “Searching for Mine” being my first pick, as I wasn’t familiar with Jennifer Probst before this. This book is a novella-length spin-off from Probst’s Searching for… series, which in itself is a spin-off from her earlier Marriage to a Billionaire series. …And it’s … Continue reading Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

RITA Reader Challenge Review

“Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole

Let Us Dream

I don’t know how to start this review other than to say that “Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole is really, really good and you should go and buy it immediately. “Let Us Dream” is the story of Bertha, a black suffragette who owns a club in Harlem in 1917, and Amir, an immigrant from Bengal with socialist leanings and a hell of a way in the kitchen. If you’re sick of upper and upper-middle … Continue reading “Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole

RITA Reader Challenge Review

“The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer

The Husband Maneuver

Marietta “Etta” Hawkins is the twenty-one year-old daughter of a ranch owner in 1892 in Texas. She runs the household and takes care of all the woman-slash-house stuff. Her father is extremely protective and warns all his ranch hands not to even think about “making advances” or they’ll be fired. He has fired several men. Daniel Barrett is the ranch foreman who has been breeding and training mules on the side and is in the … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer

RITA Reader Challenge Review

“Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams

Wild in Rio

I will admit that my first reaction to the book summary was, “Cutting Edge in Rio!” which…might have been jumping to some erroneous conclusions. This is a tricky one for me to review, because while “Wild in Rio” is a miss for me, the writing quality is good and I can see it being a hit for a lot of people. In the prologue set two years before the events of the novella, Padraig comes across … Continue reading “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams

RITA Reader Challenge Review

“Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams

Wild in Rio

While sports romance isn’t my preferred subgenre, I jumped at the chance to read “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams. A romance set at the Olympics? I adore the Olympics! An aside: have you ever had a deep realization that arrived about 20 years later than it should have? Here’s one of mine. Growing up, the only sports I eagerly watched on television were tennis and the Olympics, and I still love them both. … Continue reading “Wild in Rio” by Lyssa Kay Adams

RITA Reader Challenge Review

“The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer

The Husband Maneuver

RITA time is the best time of the year. It’s like Oscar season, except better because instead of pretending like I’m going to sit through a black and white silent film, I get introduced to new awesome books. “The Husband Maneuver” is not really one of those awesome books, but nevertheless, I would never have picked it out by myself, and for that I am grateful. The plot is fairly straightforward: Marietta Hawkins has been … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer