Ed. note: This is a longform essay, so grab yourself a beverage and settle in. Aarya’s examination of the use of “unlikeable” to describe heroines from Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling universe is terrific, whether or not you’re a fan of the series. Prepare for critical, thoughtful deep diving ahead! … Aarya Marsden is a pseudonym for an Indian-American college student and long-time romance reader. Her favorite authors include Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Lucy Parker, Kresley Cole, … Continue reading In Defense of “Unlikable” Heroines: A Case Study of Three Heroines from Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling Series→
RECOMMENDED: The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White is $2.99! This is historical fiction and Elyse gave it a B+:
Historical fiction is my jam. Historical fiction with a side of trans-Atlantic research flirting even more so. The Glass Ocean didn’t work perfectly for me, but it made me eager for another Williams/Willig/ White novel.
Putting together a Cover Snark post always falls into two categories: we just did one versus I can’t remember the last time we had one of these. There’s no middle ground, despite them occurring every two weeks. No matter, though, because it’s always a perfect time for cover snark. From Becky: I’d like to humbly submit this book for your Cover Snark feature. I think what I like most is the subtlety of composition. The … Continue reading Cover Snark: The Gift That Keeps on Giving→
The holidays are over and spring is upon us. That means we’re all trying to get in the cleaning spirit, especially when it comes to books. We’d love to pass along some of them to all of you! And by some, we mean boxes. Yes, boxes! We have five (5) boxes of books to giveaway! More boxes may be added. We can promise the books included are absolutely new, finished copies, unread, and printed on paper. … Continue reading Another Spring Cleaning: A Grab Bag Giveaway→
Insert Groom Here by K.M. Jackson is 99c! This is book one in the Unconventional Brides series; the rest of the series is also priced at 99c each! Readers recommend this one if you prefer your contemporaries more on the romantic comedy side. However, others felt it was bogged down by too many internal monologues. Have you read this one?
Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas is the romance novel equivalent of visiting an old friend and immediately feeling cozy and welcomed and nostalgic. It’s got witty dialogue, a self-aware and charming hero, a heroine is who slightly too pure for this world (but not so much as to be irritating), and cameos from Kleypas’s original Wallflowers. It’s not a perfect book; the conflict is weak and inconsistent, but I felt so happy and warm reading … Continue reading Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas→
Discussion Time! Is your memory of certain books enhanced by the memory of where you were when you read them? Do you remember the experience as well as the book? Sarah: Absolutely yes. I remember reading a Julie Anne Long historical (A Notorious Countess Confesses – I even remember the TITLE which is a rare thing indeed) on a long haul flight to Australia. I was wrapped entirely in a blanket so the light from my … Continue reading Discussion: Does the Location You Read a Book Enhance Your Memory of It?→
BigStock reached out to us about featuring their portfolio in our entries, and we had so much fun exploring, we wanted to share some entertaining collections of images. There are some seriously talented photographers at work in stock imagery, too. There’s also a lot of gold to be mined when it comes to stock photos. Every month, we’d love to share with you some great, beautiful, or downright silly things we’ve come across on BigStock. … Continue reading Adventures in BigStock: Women for All Seasons→
Today I’m talking with Kristy, known on Twitter as CaffeinatedFae, and Claire Ryan. Kristy is a former bookseller, and Claire is a fantasy writer and programmer, and together, they’ve been taking on the full account of Cristiane Serruya’s alleged plagiarism, which you might have seen being discussed online as #CopyPasteCris. Kristy and other readers, including Jeanna Skinner, have been maintaining lists of the passages from other romance titles discovered inside of Serruya’s books, and that … Continue reading 345. Readers Fighting Plagiarism: An Interview with Kristy Caffeinated Fae and Claire Ryan→
Next week, on April 11, I’ll be moderating a discussion with Sally Thorne, Tracey Livesay, and Mia Sosa at East City Books in Washington, DC. Woo hoo! First, if you’re in the area, please come! It’s free and open to the public, and we’ll be starting at 6:30. I’m pretty sure the closest Metro station is Eastern Market, but I may be wrong about that (I’m not entirely fluent in Metro directions). The title of … Continue reading What Shall I Ask Sally Thorne, Tracey Livesay, and Mia Sosa Next Week?→
