Ready Set Go: Autumn Romances!

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old bookTime again for our most eeeeevil 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.

And no more than two sentences as to why.

Just One.

And our theme this month?

It’s the first week of fall so this month’s READY SET GO Is: Autumn Romances!

What one romance says “fall!” to you? Could be Halloween, could be apple cider, could be a hero obsessed with his slow cooker – what is your one recommendation for Pumpkin Spice Romance?

What autumn romance would you recommend? 

Any genre, but just one rec!

Ready, set, GO!

Mooncakes
A | BN
Sarah: The first one that popped into my mind: Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, a graphic novel that has a lot going on in addition to romance, and is the coziest adorable-est story.

Amanda:  In similar posts, I always suggest Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen, but I’M GOING TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Sarah: GO FOR IT

Amanda: Slouch Witch by Helen Harper. Sarah and I squeed about this one on a podcast. I don’t think it’s set in autumn, but it’s cozy and witchy and a lot of fun.

Sarah: YES this is such a good recommendation. I couldn’t get into the second one but the first one is really charming.

The Year We Fell Down
A | BN | K | AB
Maya:  Ohhhhh, I’ll do a different Sarina Bowen–The Year We Fell Down! It’s about two freshman at college so it totally starts at the end of summer/beginning of fall. And the heroine is disabled and in a wheelchair.

Ellen: I can already tell picking just 1 will be painful :sob:

Duke of Midnight
A | K | AB
For me, historical mysteries and mystery/suspense tinged historical romances really make me feel those fall feelings…so I’m going to pick Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt.

Secret identities! Crime fighting dukes! A strong willed heroine! This might be my favorite Maiden Lane book, actually….

Her Big City Neighbor
A | BN | K | AB
Sneezy: Hmmm. This Ready Set Go prompt is making me realize I don’t often look for that knit sweater-cider-crispy leaf feeling in books.

I’m torn between Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau and The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston.

Her Big City Neighbor for being in Toronto during late summer to fall, and The Winter Witch for going from summer and right into OMG-WHAT-IS-ALL-THIS-SNOW-ARE-WE-GONNA-DIE??????

Ok, I pick Her Big City Neighbor. 

Ok, what about you? What one romance says everything “fall” to you? What one autumn romance do you recommend most? Ready, set, go! 

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General Bitching...

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  1. Arijo says:

    Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite. I’m not sure what season it is set in, but it’s an horror story so it’s chilling and raw, with a spooky abandonned house.

    There is an m/m romance substory. I’m not a big fan of horror, but I liked this book because of the two guys.

  2. Gill says:

    Oh yes, Poppy Z Brite and Missing Mile. I loved the first book, Lost Souls. Not so keen on some of the later ones

  3. TinaNoir says:

    Just a Heartbeat Away. By Cara Bastone. A simmer slow burn romance between a h&h who work at an elementary a school. The start of the school year always screams fall to me and someone on Goodreads described this book as a ‘warm hug.’

  4. KarenF says:

    Always and forever, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. (Granted, it covers about 3 and full years – but it starts with the beginning of the school year and ends at Halloween 3 years later and the majority of the book’s chapters take place in Autumn).

  5. Stefka says:

    Marie Harte, All I Want for Halloween.
    Heroine co-owns a bakery that goes wild with Halloween treats and decorations, though she’s more of a grumpy, no-filter ballbuster than the typical “sweet” baker trope. She goes to a costume party (dressed as Xena!) and has steamy sexy times with a stranger—a semi-famous motorcycle mechanic who has just quit his reality show.

  6. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    Tiffany Reisz’s HER HALLOWEEN TREAT—an oldie but a goodie that Reisz published through the old Harlequin Blaze line.

  7. Barb says:

    Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert. I love love love this book.

  8. Kareni says:

    I’ll give an enthusiastic second to Maya’s recommendation of Sarina Bowen’s The Year We Fell Down; this is my favorite new adult romance. I love the fact that the main characters talk to each other.

  9. Ellie says:

    Going with the obvious: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas–I love the Wallflower stories, and I love Marcus and Lillian’s story.

  10. Kels says:

    Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen! There’s apples and Vermont! It’s my favorite of the True North series

  11. Allison R-B says:

    A Little Familiar by R. Cooper is a romance around Samhain & Halloween, featuring cider, pumpkin carving, baked goods, and a matchmaking ghost. The h/h are a powerful but lonely witch & a human familiar.

  12. HeatherS says:

    I always get fall vibes when I read the plot summary for “Thornyhold” by Mary Stewart. I don’t know that it’s a romance at all, but it’s on my list to read once it actually feels like fall here. South Texas is always iffy on when it will actually start to feel like fall, which is a must for fall reading.

  13. Amy says:

    I read one last week called Falling Into Rhythm by Alexandra Christian. A former rock star and a kindergarten teacher find love while planning a fall carnival. It’s adorable on so many levels!

  14. DonnaMarie says:

    Alice Clayton’s Cream of the Crop gets my vote. Autumn in upstate New York, hot dairy Farmer, heroine who is living large and in charge, cheese. Cheese making, cheese sampling, cheese melting.

    Cheeeese.

    I recently saw a click bait heading about cheese stimulating the same part of your brain as narcotics which makes total sense to me as dairy is my drug of choice.

  15. JenM says:

    Kristen Painter’s Nocturne Falls series is relatively lighthearted PNR set in a town that advertises that itperpetually celebrates Halloween, but it’s really a front so that supernaturals – vamps, werewolves, witches, etc. can actually live normal lives while the human tourists just think they are in Halloween costumes. I’ve only read the first book, The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride, but it was a fun read, and the main characters actually acted like adults and communicated effectively.

  16. Cristie says:

    Seconding the recommendation for A Little Familiar by R. Cooper! I’m gearing up to re-read it the second it gets under 90 degrees here. In fact the entire R. Cooper familiar spirits series is perfect for fall.

  17. Penny says:

    Dissenting opinion on Kleypas’ It Happened One Autumn. Lillian is in no condition to consent to sex with Marcus. In fact it is explicitly stated that she believes it is a dream and after the encounter asks Marcus to tell her it is a dream. Then she passes out, and when she wakes up he strips the sheet away from her (despite her initial protest) and does that thing where the guy cleans away the “mess” with a washcloth that was trendy there for awhile. And he laughs at her embarrassment.

    There is a lot of love for the wallflowers series, which I had never read. So I picked up all the paperbacks earlier this year and settled in for some warm comfy romance… after having read this scene I put the books in my donation stack. I’m thinking I will maybe try some of Kleypas’ books which were written more recently?

  18. Jeannette says:

    The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper. A m/m romance between a med student and the campus landscaper. It’s set in Wisconsin and follows the school year.

    Also Falling For the Omega by CW Gray. Set in an omegaverse Maine town in autumn, it has a plumber falling for the single dad next door, with apple cider, hay rides, and lots of pets.

  19. Dejadrew says:

    Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell! Young adult graphic novel at an autumn festival carnival thing. It’s cute as heck.

    I’m excited to try and check out some of these, the Halloween themed ones especially. I always wished there were more romances about Halloween. Millions of Christmas romances, but Halloween? Noooooo.

  20. Dejadrew says:

    *Rainbow Rowell AND Faith Erin Hicks, whoops, can’t forget the artist.

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