Ever wondered where can you find more books for your very specific catnip? That’s what The Rec League is for! And we’re calling on you, Bitchery, to submit your very niche trope and archetype Rec League suggestions!
First off, you can see a list of previous Rec Leagues here to familiarize yourself with the feature and/or see what we’ve covered previously.
I’d also suggest looking at our Book Finder to see which broad themes we already have resources for. Finding an enemies to lovers historical romance with a spy is child’s play; we want to emphasize Rec Leagues for romances or books which aren’t easily Google-able, like “Supernatural Heroine/Human pairing.”
If you have an idea for a future Rec League, just comment with it down below! Please, no actual answering of Rec Leagues with book suggestions here.
You can upvote great ideas by pressing the little heart button next to each comment.
@Star: YES to the slutty wives/evil exes etc getting their happy ever after!!
@Teev: yeah, agree on the ‘not just the one couple’ but reflected in the world building! We need more fireball throwing heroines ASAP!
Actually, now that I think of it, I haven’t seen this request anywhere – A Blatantly Mary Sue Heroine!
You know, where she’s sooo amazing and keeps getting more and more powerful and absolutely every male she encounters is a supplicant at her feet and she’s plain but actually beautiful or at least mysteriously alluring and of course stunningly modest and acquires new powers/skills at the drop of the hat as the plot requires them.
Bonus points if it’s a romantic fantasy or sci-fi and she can like, dissolve meteorites with her farts or annihilate ancient foes by wagging a finger at them.
Come on, those are funny and entertaining as hell, as long as tey are truly committed to the Mary-Sueness!
1.Adding to the calls for Historical romances set in unique historical setting , both in other places and unusual time periods. Right now I’d specifically like to read historical romances set in the late Victorian era anywhere in the world(like 1870s-1890s late Victorian era) .
2. This is more of a specific subplot craving, but I want romantic subplots that get through the will-they-or-won’t fairly early on and just let the pair be a supportive couple who deal with issues that come up in any long term relationship In a healthy way. Callie Bates’ The waking Land does this pretty well.
@Kris Bock (#75) — I know this isn’t the place for recs, but a ferret plays an important role in Married by Morning, by Lisa Kleypas. Plus, he’s adorable.
I would love to find some romance books set in Ancient Rome, Egypt, or Greece. My only caveats are that they can not be Christian/inspirational and the the author has to at least made a modicum of effort to research the history.
@Rebecca
I believe Megan Hart/Lauren Dane did a couple of joint books together where one of the Heroines and I believe one of the heroes as well were in HR. (Being in HR myself is one reason I get pulled out very quickly of the whole workplace romance/boss and employee trope.)
There were a lot of good suggestions. If I had to think about it:
-historical or contemporary romances set in Italy
-somewhere in the middle of friends and enemies like they were not best friends growing up but were in the same group of friends and playfully bantered but never actively disliked each other
-soccer sport romances (don’t know of that many)
-like a shallow hal romance but instead of it being about looks, the hero notices the shy awkward heroine not because she’s “different” than what he usually dates but because they’re thrown together because she’s the only person he can count on after some kind of setback makes him reevaluate everything.
This falls under Paranormal / Retellings: like ‘cheat the devil’ folktales. One of my favorite fairy tales is ‘Bearskin’. The protagonist isn’t cursed through happenstance; he walks into the deal with open eyes. And, there’s some character development. He uses the coin-producing coat, at first, for hedonism, then after some time, becomes more altruistic. It’s kind of like a spin on the ‘billionaire’ trope? … So, basically, I’d like to see a rec for stories like that, but with more of a relationship between the protagonist and their love-interest. –. Barring that, some stories where demonic forces / bargains are involved. Historic or modern.
Historical romance set in ancient India and/or Mughal empire.
How about disabled characters where they stay disabled at the end of the story? I’ve been burned way too many times by “the Power Of Love has cured you,” so now I’m wary of seeing a disabled character as the lead character in a romance unless I get it confirmed they’re still disabled at the end of the story.
I’d also like to see more cuddle as opposed to sex in a romance. Characters who want to take things slow physically, and those limits are respected.
I almost wish we could start offering recommendations here. I know we were asked not to do that (and I already violated that request once), so I won’t, but I can think of a number of books that fit several of the requests here. Ah well, I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
When several of the rec league suggestions apply to basically everything a writer has published, then what? I doubt I’m the only writer in that predicament.
It’s certainly a challenge to make your work known.
I’d love to read more romances where the heroine rescues the hero. Not emotional rescue, but actual physical rescue, like from a burning building, or she helps him bust out of jail. Examples would be Julie Anne Long’s “The Perils of Pleasure” and Joanna Bourne’s “The Forbidden Rose”.
@Varian:
Listen to podcast 160 for a discussion of this as it concerns blindness, and look at the associated comments for more discussion.
Since we were requested to not give book recommendations, I’ll leave it at that. I would also like to see this as a rec league.
I do not advocate for this kind of relationship IRL, but I love the romance in Lord of Scoundrels where they are at each other’s throats and then suddenly are all over each other with kissing and terms of endearment.
I think you’d call that a tempestuous relationship. I enjoy those.
I really will shut up after this one.
I really like Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but it tends to not make sense because there’s no real reason for her change of mind and the time frame is too short. However, I once saw a version of it where the male lead seemed to be saying “it’s no wonder she’s like that, everyone treats her like shit so she’s developed these behaviours as a coping mechanism. I’m going to shock her out of it.”
I wouldn’t mind reading something like that.
@BellaInAus:
Smart Bitches Podcast 160 has a mention of you and mea against the world.
@BellaInAus:
Smart Bitches Podcast 160 has a mention of you and mea against the world trope.
And sorry for the duplicate comment everyone.
Probably a bit late to make a suggestion but if like to read some paranormal romance where the heroine is 40+ but NOT written as a comedy. The only ones that I found were written as ‘comedies’ and unfortunately they mostly contain jokes about middle aged, achey knees and stress incontinence (The latter I find slightly offensive because it’s making light of a serious and distressing condition). I don’t mind a few humorous moments but this comedy does come across as one note. If they could leave out the husband ran off with a younger woman cliche then even better.
I’m asking too much! Failing that, less muscular heroes over six foot, I’d like to read a few more real men please!
@BellaInAus: I always think of The Taming of the Shrew as a story of being seen. It’s been a long time since I read it, but iirc there’s definitely a line in there where Petruchio says something like, well of course Kate is acting out, her father so obviously ignores her and favors her sister. Yes, the play is horribly sexist and includes behavior that would definitely be considered abusive today, but Petruchio is the only person who sees that Kate has been marginalized and ignored in her own family. He can also see that she is witty and intelligent, but needs to be with someone who values her for those traits, which he does.
Very late, but LGBTQIA books with heavy angst/hurt comfort. Bonus if they feature amnesia, reincarnation, or trauma (not all at the same time of course…).
I’m soo late to this party, but what about marriage of convenience – beyond the well known “Greatest Hits”? I scrolled through the topics @Amanda linked and didn’t see MOC listed.
Something else I recently realized is [probably] a trope is brides left at the altar…or brides running away from the altar, complete with foofy wedding dress.
@LML, ooh, that’s a good one, brides running away/left at the altar. I also like the last minute secret bride substitution, he thinks he’s marrying one woman, and she lifts up the veil after the ceremony, and surprise! it’s her sister.
@Liz: Ok, I just have to make one recommendation regarding LGBTQI books with amnesia plots: N.R. Walker’s Missing Pieces Trilogy: PIECES OF ME, PIECES OF YOU, PIECES OF US. It’s an m/m romance about a long-established couple and what happens when one of them wakes up from a terrible automobile accident with retrograde amnesia that has wiped out his memory of the past five years, including his memory of his partner and their life together. It’s a beautiful story about ordinary people facing extraordinary events. Probably my favorite book(s) of 2020 so far.
I know this is too late but I’d like some sexy series. Like hot books that have 15 books in the series. I really like to get into a world.
@Amanda:
This large list could also double as a list for future Ready Set Go posts.
I’d love something with a character who choose/chose artificial insemination? I hated the way it was framed in Bittersweet.
Also late (it took me awhile to come up with one!). There was a SB podcast devoted to romances with a Twist a while ago. There was a scientist talking about what are brains do when we encounter an unexpected twist in the plot that makes you rethink everything up until that point. The best authors lay the hints throughout the story that you probably overlooked going in, but you see them on the re-read. I LOVE these romances – Sherry Thomas does it really well in both her historicals and Lady Sherlock series. KJ Charles also did it fabulously in Any Old Diamonds. I was NOT happy with the twist in the female butler/spy book that a lot of people recommend, because it felt like gaslighting to me. It was done less solidly but still fun in Olympia Meets His Match, which I enjoyed very much while reading, but in retrospect probably doesn’t really hold together. Anyway, books with a serious twist. Adjacent book where one of the main characters is really sure how this is going to go but gets gobsmacked other MC and all plans are thrown off course.
Not sure if it is way too late to make a suggestion, but I would love a Rec League or a Ready Set Go for Best YA Love Triangles. While I would hate to read a love triangle in an adult romance, I think I like them in YA because I find them more believable – people that age aren’t sure of who they are and what they want. I also find it fun to pick a favorite and root for them. I was Team Peeta all the way in Hunger Games – I kept telling my husband (who had read the series before me), I would throw the books out the window if she ended up with Gale. And although I am only on the second book of the Throne of Glass series, I was eating up the love triangle between Prince Dorian, Chaol Westfall and Caleana.
Very late to the party but I would love some recs for books where the heroine and their (usually shitty) partner’s parent fall for each other. The only ones I know of are Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglasand Your Dad Will Do by Katee Robert but those are both M/F and what I’d really love is some F/F and M/M books with that plot/trope.
Anyone know if there even are any? I assumed there had to be but Googling has failed me this far.
Ok, here’s a Rec League I’d like to see:
It’s now mid-October, and I need some suggestions. What’s the one book published in 2020 that I should read before the end of the year?
Thank you!