Ready, Set, Go: Virtual Travel – Fish Out of Water Romances

Time for the most evil recommendation feature we have: READY, SET, GO!

Here are the rules:

We pick a specific sub-genre, trope, or type of romance, and we have to make ONE recommendation for that type.

ONE.

ONLY ONE.

And no more than two sentences as to why.

This month, I was chatting with the crew at Bitchery HQ about which of many options to choose from, and Shana said, “Travel romances, or Fish out of water, since no one can go anywhere?”

HELLO. Yes, please. I am sure many of you have had your travel plans cancelled, altered, or scrapped in the planning stages, so let’s travel virtually through our romances shall we?

What travel or fish out of water romance would you recommend? 

Any genre, but just one rec.

Ready, set, GO!

Sarah: This is one of my favorite sub-genres, as I love to travel and I love romances where a character is immersed in a different world or culture. This summer we were booked to cruise the Mon & Brec canal in Wales, then spend a day in Amsterdam and a week in Beaune, France, but alas, not so much. We remain healthy,  and want everyone else to remain healthy as well, but it’s a bummer. So I am HERE for this topic.

One romance that I love for the low-conflict story and the immersive cultural detail: Just This Once-Escape to New Zealand, Book 1, by Rosalind James

Of course, I have more ideas now that I’ve said that!

Shana: I  love cultural misunderstandings, so travel romances are my jam. I’m going to go with the alien/human romance Strange Love by Ann Aguirre.

Elyse reviewed it, and I adored it. The heroine is a human who the alien hero accidentally kidnaps, and she spends most of the book adapting to life on another planet. I don’t think you can get much more fish out of watery than that.

Amanda: Since Shana already picked hers, I’m going with The Write Escape by Charish Read. I grabbed this one after Shana’s lovely review and the quaint Irish village descriptions are so vivid!

Aarya: Okay, I know that I recommend Carla de Guzman a lot, but I’m recommending her again because Chasing Mindy is lovely. It’s not your usual “visit all the grand tourist spots in Paris” book because they’re both broke and wandering Paris on a very cheap budget. Many folks have Paris as a dream-like destination on bucket lists. The book’s depiction of Paris (a beautiful city, but not dreamlike perfection) is close to my own Parisian adventure in 2017.

Sarah:  I loved the few days we spent in Paris, but the “P” in Paris stands for Poop. Because folks don’t always clean up after their dogs and so every street is an adventure.

Aarya:  People kept telling me, “Oh, you have to go to their Michelin-starred restaurants! The most amazing food in the world!”

Me, a vegetarian: looks at menus and prices of restaurants

Me, a college student with infinite student debt: I shall survive on croissants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Sarah: Those croissants are heckin’ good though. And speaking of Paris, and therefore France, I loved the “Amour et Chocolat” series by Laura Florand, especially the second one, The Chocolate Kiss, which takes place on an island in the Seine, and features a LOT of scenery and dessert porn.

OK, what about you? Bring me your one, most excellent-est recommendation for travel or fish out of water romances!