This request comes from Shana: I’ve been rewatching Last Tango in Halifax and craving small town older adult romcoms with a similar whimsical vibe. Amanda: I think Megan Bannen’s fantasy books have a small town feel and older characters. Sarah: Would BK Borison’s books work for this? I think the Lovelight series might fit very well. Amanda: I don’t know if the characters are older than 20s? Someone please let us know in the comments! … Continue reading The Rec League: Whimsical, Small Town Romances with Older Couples→
This Rec Leagues comes from Lara! I’m launching a little project to find really excellent regency and Victorian romances that are self or indie pubbed. It’s a favourite subgenre of mine but it feels like fewer and fewer are being published. So I’m looking for other sources. All suggestions welcome! Sarah: Christi Caldwell writes some lush and sometimes over the top historicals. Mimi Matthews and Alice Coldbreath for sure. According to readers on Reddit, Alice … Continue reading The Rec League: Indie and Self-Pubbed Historical Romances→
This Rec League comes from S. Thanks! Hello! I’ve recently read a bunch of heterosexual historical romances featuring distressingly tall heroines who inevitably end up with heroes happily taller than them. Yawn. Do you have any recommendations for books with short kings instead? I’m open to contemporaries and fantasy as well. Amanda: Tangentially, we had a tall heroines rec league back in 2017. Lara: Judging by the cover image (if I’m remembering right) the hero … Continue reading The Rec League: Short Kings→
Welcome back, everyone! We are so close to 100 of these! I can hardly believe it. I have two romance recommendations this time around. Plus, there’s a memoir and an upcoming non-fiction release. Do you have any book recs to share? Leave them in the comments!
This Rec League was sent in by Kim. Thanks, Kim! I’d love to see a Rec League about celebrity crush romances—where one MC is the celeb crush of the other MC, who is just a regular person. Strongly prefer MM, but I know that may be too niche. I’m really interested specifically in preexisting celeb crushes, not just “one character is a celebrity” plots. Open to actor crushes, sports, music, etc. This request is brought … Continue reading The Rec League: Celebrity Crush Romances→
Welcome back, everyone! This round has a romance and a thriller, plus more nonfiction (as always). I just can’t help myself. Out of the nonfiction, one is more biography and the other is definitely a bummer. Do you have any recommendations to share? Let us know in the comments!
This Rec League is from Rebecca from our podcast Patreon Discord: So I’m really enjoying the Below Stairs mysteries and wondered if anyone has any recs for other historical cosy mystery series. What I like about them is they generally resolve well and have that cosy mystery feel, but they also acknowledge some of the social justice issues of the time. I don’t really like high society stuff, so I like that they’re about working … Continue reading The Rec League: Cozy Historical Mysteries→
This request came from Varian in our SBTB podcast discord (another perk of joining the community!): Okay I’ve got a rather niche request. I don’t even know if this exists in romance novels. BDSM romances with no or very little sex, or where orgasms aren’t the main goal. I miss reading BDSM stories/books, but when I get to a sex scene in audio, the “skip 30 seconds” button gets a workout. Smut sounds very different … Continue reading The Rec League: BDSM Romances with Little to No Sex→
by Amanda · Aug 17, 2025 at 2:00 am · Comments Off on Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 96
Welcome back to Get Rec’d, as we creep every closer to 100 of these things! This time, there’s a mystery and a romance for fiction options. For non-fiction, we have some kinky niche history and an essay collection by trans and gender-nonconforming writers. Get any good recommendations lately? Let us know in the comments!
This Rec League was sent in by Anne: I’ve been re-reading Susanna Kearsley’s books about the Jacobites was reminded about how very unlucky the Stuarts were in their efforts to regain the throne in England. I am interested in books about what might have happened in the Stuarts were successful or if Queen Anne had named her half-brother as her successor instead of her German cousin. On a similar note, I’m also interested in books … Continue reading The Rec League: Alternate History→
This Rec League came from our staff reviewer Shana: Have we done a Rec League on books where the couple’s first time having sex is awkward or bad and they had to learn how to give each other pleasure? I feel like I remember us talking about those romances but I’m not sure what we might have called the Rec League. I love historical married couple romances, and this trope feels somewhat adjacent. Carrie: Jennifer … Continue reading The Rec League: Awkward Sex→
