It’s Bachelor night everyone! Pudding is too busy ordering sushi from Door Dash to care. Pudding: Do I want extra tuna on my spicy tuna roll? Yes. Yes, I do. We’re in Budapest now. The first one-on-one goes to Kaity. Both Kat and Kaity are blondes with wavy balayaged hair, and I’m having a hard time telling them apart. They take a funicular to look out over the city. Zach says he still gets butterflies when … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S26 E7: You and I Remember Budapest Very Differently →
Back in March 2021, librarian HeatherS emailed us about the Classics of Romance hardcover edition: I purchased this signed hardcover copy of Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small about 3 years ago in a used bookstore. It was published in 1996. I thought it was an interesting and unusual edition and think it might have been a special order-by-mail book club of some kind. Any help you or the community can give me would be much … Continue reading HaBO Update: Classics of Romance Edition →

RECOMMENDED: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton is $2.99! Carrie gave this one an A-, but warns it’s definitely not a romance. Definitely skim her review to see if this book is right for you:
This book broke my heart but it also made me so happy.
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This HaBO is from Becky, who wants to find this historical romance: It’s a Beauty and the Beast/Cinderella type regency romance. (Hopefully I’m not mixing up 2 titles!) The heroine shows up to the hero’s house pretty much destitute in a snowstorm or rainstorm and he has a pretty nasty attitude. He won’t put her back into the weather, at least but he is every bit a beast. She might have had a carriage or … Continue reading HaBO: One of Many Beauty & the Beast Historicals →

RECOMMENDED: Miss Lattimore’s Letter by Suzanne Allain is $1.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B+:
This book is grounded in good detail and good characters who undergo believable and meaningful arcs, but it’s basically the warm fuzzy socks of the book world – super comfortable and comforting, completely non-demanding, and not challenging in any way.
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Welcome back to Cover Awe! Cover design by Leah Jacobs-Gordon Amanda: What a sunny cover that definitely taps into my longing for winter to end already. Sarah: That’s a cover I would cross a room to look at. Kiki: This is so beautifully warm that it feels like it is actively glowing—perfect color design. Cover art by Ravven From Joanne: I had this preordered before it had a cover, and it arrived on my kindle … Continue reading Cover Awe: Bright and Golden Colors →

Welcome back, everyone! Let’s talk book recommendations! Isn’t it so funny that I get the urge to do some reading when I’m unable to (i.e. moving and all of my books and electronics are packed). This time, I’ve included a rec from the community plus more genre fiction for us all to enjoy. How about you? Have any recommendations to share with the class?
Threadneedle was not at all the book I expected, but I found myself engrossed in the story even though I was upset by the content. In this YA novel, Anna, who has been taught to suppress her magic by her abusive aunt, falls in with a group of teens who are all too eager to explore their magical skills. As they hex bullies and dabble in romance, Anna must determine whether her aunt is to … Continue reading Threadneedle by Cari Thomas →

Not the Kind of Earl You Marry by Kate Pembrooke is $2.99! I mentioned this on a Hide Your Wallet over the summer and it’s the first in a series. Did any of you pick this one up?
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Not all contemporary romances are romcoms, but many are, and Melonie Johnson joins me this week to talk about both, and about her new romcom, Too Wrong to Be Right. She too wrote a character who works in the funeral industry, so we talk a bit about that, too! The talk about different burial options and discussion of the funeral industry starts at 14 minutes in. We also touch on burnout in the publishing industry, … Continue reading 552. Contemporary Romance, RomComs, and Grief with Melonie Johnson →