I started weeping during the first chapter of The Bewildered Bride and never stopped. It’s a poignant, heart-wrenching, and important novel to read. The protagonists have undergone unimaginable suffering, and watching them find their happily-ever-after is both difficult and emotional. Even though I loved the heroine Ruth and her unwavering mission to seek justice for herself and her child, I never warmed up to the hero due to his inexplicable decision to deceive Ruth about … Continue reading The Bewildered Bride by Vanessa Riley →
This post is sponsored by Audible Escape, formerly known as the Audible Romance Package. The Audible Escape subscription allows you to binge listen to thousands of romance audiobooks. You can borrow up to 10 audiobooks from the subscription at a time, return them whenever you like, then borrow more. If you’re new to Audible Escape, you can try it free for one month. Then, a subscription is $6.95 a month for Audible members and Kindle … Continue reading Excellent Audiobooks Inside Audible Escape →
The romance novel has the strange distinction of being the most popular but least respected of literary genres. While it remains consistently dominant in bookstores and on best-seller lists, it is also widely dismissed by the critical community. Scholars have alleged that romance novels help create subservient readers, who are largely women, by confining heroines to stories that ignore issues other than love and marriage. Pamela Regis argues that such critical studies fail to take … Continue reading A Natural History of the Romance Novel →
Help A Bitch Out - SOLVED!
This HaBO request is from Laura and she’s looking for a historical romance: I’m looking for a period romance that featured a rather steamy scene between the hero and heroine in a personal library – or possibly a study? They were definitely hiding near bookshelves, and there may also have been a fur rug of some kind. I can’t actually remember much about the heroine. but the hero was called Alasdair or Alastair I think. … Continue reading HaBO: Steamy Library Action with Alastair →
After listening to Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely and fawning over it in a recent podcast (episode 292, in fact), we at SBTB HQ started discussing famous, recognizable voices in audiobooks. Sarah: Oh my god, Amanda. I listened to a sample of Richard Armitage reading Wanderlust. Jesus Christ. Amanda: RIGHT?! It’s a total ovary punch. Sarah: I think other people’s panties melted, too. JESUS, RICHARD Amanda: Has he spoken in French yet? Sarah: Yeah. Amanda: When Joy and Griffin … Continue reading Actors in Audiobooks →
Are you all ready to harness your collective powers for another Rec League? This request comes from Anna: This question was inspired by your recent Silver Fox Rec League. Could you recommend me some books where the hero is more mature and self-aware than the heroine, and comes to terms with his feelings far quicker than she does, teaching her something about herself in the process? This theme is my ultimate catnip, but I only … Continue reading The Rec League: Mentors →
It’s time for Wednesday Links, where we post some neat things we’ve found on the internet. I’m currently in one of those states where I’m not sure what day it is and when I do figure it out, it’s always earlier in the week than I’d thought. Which is a real bummer. … Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries has a Kickstarter to be made into a movie! It’s already been successfully backed (yay!), but there are … Continue reading Links: Miss Fisher, Lisa Kleypas, & Sylvester →
Squee from the Keeper Shelf is a feature wherein we share why we love the books we love, specifically the stories which are permanent residents of our Keeper shelves. Despite flaws, despite changes in age and perspective, despite the passage of time, we love particular books beyond reason, and the only thing better than re-reading them is telling other people about them. At length. If you’d like to submit your reasons for loving and keeping … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: The Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman →
If you haven’t heard, The Ripped Bodice is putting on an awesome reading challenge this summer. And there are prizes! You can click the link to their site for an explanation of the rules, plus a printable copy of their bingo board. Or! You can check out their helpful tweet: RIPPED BODICE SUMMER READ-ALONG BINGO IS LIVE!!!!Download your bingo card and read more books this summer!#rippedbodicebingo pic.twitter.com/na9zdFGuPN — The Ripped Bodice (@TheRippedBodice) June 11, 2017 … Continue reading Recommendations for Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo →
I read travel guides like any other book. In a world where people seeeeeeeeeeem to think Oh, no, who uses Lonely Planet anymore when you’ve got the internet in your pocket, let me tell you, internet. Browsing through a travel guide is worth your time. You’ll find at least one thing that you may not have found on Expedia’s Top Ten Things to do in London that is clearly a perfect trap set personally for … Continue reading Romance Readers Guide to Historic London by Sonja Rouillard →
At last! A London guide written just for historical romance fans. Or for travelers that want to experience old London. Have you ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of your favorite romance heroine? See grand historic settings from best-loved novels? Or just learn the fascinating backstories of these intriguing places from Almack’s to White’s to Bedlam and more from the comfort of your own home. Now you can! Author Sonja Rouillard has combined her … Continue reading Romance Readers Guide to Historic London →
