Thanks to Ali for sending in this Rec League request that is certainly of interest to the Bitchery: I just read Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey and I really enjoyed the dirty talk by the hero. Can you recommend any more dirty talking heroes/heroines? Sarah: Oh, no…I’m the worst person for this question. Dirty talking during sex in books makes the entirety of my internal organs cringe into oblivion. I’m sorry! Sneezy: Does The … Continue reading The Rec League: Filthy Mouths →

This Rec League comes from Leigh. Thanks, Leigh! I recently re-read an old (though a bit dated) favorite of mine, Finding Laura by Kay Hooper, and it reminded me how much I like the “eternal soul mates” trope: love that happens over and over again through time. It’s not time travel, just two souls who keep meeting, falling in love, living lives, then being reincarnated and fated to meet again, over and over. Another example … Continue reading The Rec League: Eternal Soulmates →

This Rec League was sent in to us by Persephone: I’m looking for books with characters who are adopted. The adoptions might be no big deal or they might be of some importance but the main plot is not about the adoption or the fact that the character was adopted. Amanda: Bolded for emphasis. And Sarah came through with ALL of the recs! Sarah: My brain short circuited with this one because my first thought … Continue reading The Rec League: Adopted Main Characters →

This is another request from our Submit Your Rec League post and it comes from Anne: Characters who compete in local competitions like the neighborhood garden award or a county fair baking competition. Bonus points for a rivalry with a dastardly neighbor that both main characters love to annoy. This one was a little tricky for us, so any and all recommendations are welcome! Tara: The leads join a weekly cornhole game in Beautiful Dreamer … Continue reading The Rec League: Small Town Competitions →

There’s something about this request that made me so happy, mainly because I was completely stumped and the requester, Susan, has a very good point: So many books I read and love celebrate monarchies, all powerful rulers, pack masters, dominant werewolves, vampires, etc. Are there romances, especially paranormals that celebrate consensual government not based on the strongest most powerful man/woman/monster being the ruler? Ellen: I feel like the entire overall arc of the Psy-Changeling series … Continue reading The Rec League: Democratic Systems in Paranormal & Fantasy Romances →

This Rec League was submitted by Kris Bock and we thought the cuteness of pets in romance would be most welcome: Romances where animals have a strong role, beyond simply someone who happens to have a pet. There’s a fair number with dogs, but what about cats, ferrets, rabbits etc? (I’m talking about pets here, not shifters or animals as heroes.) Sarah: Wild on my Mind by Laurel Kerr takes place at a zoo with … Continue reading The Rec League: Scene-Stealing Animals & Pets →

This Rec League was recently emailed to us by Zuzus and we wanted to run it rather quickly, given how we’re about to be knee-deep in holiday romances and Hallmark movies: Are there any books or movies where the heroine escapes a stifling small town to find life, love, and happiness in the big city? With holiday season around the corner, I’d be interested in anything that switches the tired “city people are cold and … Continue reading The Rec League: Reverse Hallmark →

This suggestions comes from Rebecca in the comments of our Submit Your Rec League post: Heroes and heroines with unsexy jobs- e.g. administrators, accountants, city clerk. No lawyer/doctor/architect/owner of charming small business. HR professionals fall in love too! Carrie: Both the upcoming A Princess for Christmas and Get a Life, Chloe Brown have heroes who are apartment building supervisors/maintenance workers and the hero of Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a security worker at a … Continue reading The Rec League: “Unsexy Jobs” →

This Rec League request was sent into us by Elena. Thanks, Elena! I want romances where the heroine is the one who is dark, brooding, and emo instead of the hero. And ideas? Sarah: Ooooooh. Wednesday Addams, please step forward! Amanda: More of a Wednesday Addams-lite, the heroine in Bad Bachelor is a goth/punk librarian. Not brooding, but has the fashion sense. We also have a Books for Your Inner Goth Rec League but those … Continue reading The Rec League: Broody Heroines →

I’m reasonably certain this idea came up in the comments at some point, when we were discussing tropes and what could possibly be the opposite of friends to lovers. However, I couldn’t find the original comment that sparked it. Catherine: I am not entirely sure what Enemies with Benefits looks like, but Julie James does quite a lot of antagonistic but hot pairings which might count. Downside – she writes a lot of FBI agent … Continue reading The Rec League: Enemies with Benefits →