Romance Books

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I enjoyed The Forgotten Dead by Jordan Hawk in a terrified kind of way. 😂 Seriously scary! Also very casually queer, and with a delightful, light on steam m/m romance between a trans Professor of Paranormal Studies (or some such) and a paranormal investigator who's suppressing his own powers. Made me cry a lil once I was done shrieking. (I am extremely wimpy so YMMV.) [@bookstodon](https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstodon) [\#LGBTQBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/LGBTQBooks) [\#Spooky](https://romancelandia.club/tags/Spooky) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I'm finding My Roommate is a Vampire a fun, easy read, but am unconvinced by the romance. Not feeling the undead chemistry. 😂 Also in The Perils of Lady Catherine De Bourgh, which is rather funny -- Mr. Collins two children are named "Catherine" and "De Bourgh" 😂 -- and I hope we will finally get to a little romance for Miss Tilney and Mr. Darcy, who has taught himself to mask 🙁 in order to court her, silly autistic boy. She already likes you! [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

Queer romance readers, the monthly poll to choose the Queer Romance Club pick for the month closes in less than an hour, and we’re on a tie. Take a look, cast your vote: [https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113172661868946077](https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113172661868946077) More about the club is here: [https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104](https://mastodon.au/@wendypalmer/113144943004145104) [\#QueerRomance](https://mastodon.au/tags/QueerRomance) [#books](https://mastodon.au/tags/books) [#gayRomance](https://mastodon.au/tags/gayRomance) [#LGBTQRomance](https://mastodon.au/tags/LGBTQRomance) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

I managed to get a review finished for the first time since I had covid! It might be just because this was so easy to criticize. 🙄 Stay by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen. [https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/09/22/tbr-stay-by-elle-kennedy-and-sarina-bowen/](https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/09/22/tbr-stay-by-elle-kennedy-and-sarina-bowen/) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I'm reading Stay by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy and liking it, except I am totally earwormed now. [\#JustDance](https://romancelandia.club/tags/JustDance) [#IYKYK](https://romancelandia.club/tags/IYKYK) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtjOSWAw5A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtjOSWAw5A) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I finished Right Where We Left Us, a second chance romance which has some lovely writing and great romantic moments. I was impatient with the characters though, for hiding so much and being so difficult. Might be my mood. Wonderful, memorably romantic ending. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks) [\#HappyEverAfter](https://romancelandia.club/tags/HappyEverAfter)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I enjoyed The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, an older woman/young man romance about a Black woman who gave up her art and interests to help her white politician husband, and has to rediscover herself. The milieu is wealthy socialite families, but the characters are strong and relatable. Lovely writing, though it's a bit claustrophobic how every single character has history with everyone else; I'm surprised her next book isn't a sequel. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

"men always supposed their feelings were much too complicated for any one to understand them." [\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I finished But Not For Me, an oldie by Mary Burchell. It seemed derivative at first, managing to evoke both Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre in the first 15%. And I thought the heroine fell in love without enough build up . But I liked that it had one of Burchell's emotional and volatile heroes; rather than a closed book. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I enjoyed Come As You Are by Jess K. Hardy, a romance with middle-aged characters! (Though still in great shape.) FMC is trying to save her father's ski hill, which her evil corporate ex is trying to buy out (boo!); MMC is a former addict who runs a sober living home and wants his guys to work for her. I liked how hard they work on overcoming their fears and communicating. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

Anyone managing to read? If so, [#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? After many a yawning DNF, I was so relieved to be engaged by New Adult romance A Guy Like Him by Amanda Gambill. (On KU.) Could've used some editing, especially for authorial tics, but the opposites-attract relationship is well drawn, and its progress from a fling to forever feels right. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I enjoyed the dated charm of Across the Counter by Mary Burchell, where the up-and-coming shopgirl gets promoted and gets to eat in the assistant buyers dining room! Which begs the question, how many separate dining rooms did they have?! No huge fireworks, just a nice, slightly angsty fake engagement romance. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I finished Bass-Ackwards by Eris Adderly, which would be an excellent choice for this month's "Bananapants" [#TBRChallenge](https://romancelandia.club/tags/TBRChallenge) . (Alas, I already read a truly terrible Harlequin Presents.) This is very fun smut if you can get past the premise (not everyone can.) The strong characters and sharp writing also make it work as romance. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

Came across an odd sentence in the Harlequin Presents I'm reading for the [#TBRChallenge](https://romancelandia.club/tags/TBRChallenge) . It says the heroine's dress makes her look "very feminine, but hid none of her curves." Might just be a careless way of writing but it implies that the "femininity" of the dress comes from an air of modesty and that demonstrating you have curves is generally considered unfeminine. Unless you do it just right. Weird. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I'm halfway through Behind These Doors, a queer historical (with some polyamory) involving class issues and women's suffrage. One main character is a "nob," the other a reporter who was raised "above his station" and feels like neither fish nor fowl. It was edited by K.J. Charles so you know it's good. :-) On KU, supposed to be part of a series but I think there's only the one so far. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

If you ever wanted a version of Dionysus in Wisconsin that was short, set in 2010, and replaced most of the magic with discussions of philosophy, I've got a new short story out! It's free and full of whimsy (and existentialism). It's a slow burn, friends-to-lovers, dealing with depression, café AU version of DIW. You can find it on my website in both epub and pdf formats: [http://ehlupton.com/extras/](http://ehlupton.com/extras/) It's on Goodreads here: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214203425-dous](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214203425-dous) [@bookstodon](https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstodon) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [#books](https://romancelandia.club/tags/books)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I found Level Up by Cathy Yardley a bit of a slog. She's reworked some of the same themes (career vs love, introversion vs isolation) in later books more successfully, and the geeky elements feel more authentic in her later books too, IMO. (Though perhaps that's just because game design isn't my thing.) Also needed some editing. Not sure I'll continue this series. [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I read The Wedding Dress by Mary Burchell, one of the follow-ups to Under the Stars of Paris and inevitably a bit meh in comparison. The great design house setting is fun but the romantic relationship seems largely based on Daddy Issues. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

Ooo, I saw Alexis Hall's newsletter just in time to buy the new edition of Glitterland for $1.99. Sadly the sale expires in 50 minutes, so sorry I was not more on top of things. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I liked Funny Story by Emily Henry enough to write a review, damn! 😂 [https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/funny-story-by-emily-henry/](https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/funny-story-by-emily-henry/) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

Been reading Forever My Girl by Heidi McLauchlin but giving up and deleting it because the MMC can't have a single thought about a woman that isn't misogynistic as hell. They all want him, they're all trying too hard, they all make him sick. He makes me sick. [\#AmReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/AmReading) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I was up all night 🥱 finishing You Should Be So Lucky. Amazingly, it's somehow not a letdown after the gorgeousness of We Could Be So Good. The themes are around living an authentic life in a highly closeted time, and it's complex and believable. There are tropes too but not obnoxiously or pointlessly. And really well drawn, relatable characters. And pretty swoony romance too. 😂 [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

3 free months of [#KindleUnlimited](https://romancelandia.club/tags/KindleUnlimited) ! Seems to be international. Works for returning subscribers but not current. Link in the link. [https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1cnzoii/free\_3\_months\_kindle\_unlimited/](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1cnzoii/free_3_months_kindle_unlimited/) [@bookstodon](https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstodon) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#bookstodon](https://romancelandia.club/tags/bookstodon)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? Wow, the bleak moment in The Breakup Lists was even worse than I expected, though actually worked really well with the story arc. I found it overall a good read, though too repetitious and with a bit of a deus ex machina ending; I would've like to see the main character really pursue what he wanted. Has what seems like very good [#deaf](https://romancelandia.club/tags/deaf) representation, is very [#queer](https://romancelandia.club/tags/queer) , and very geeky about high school theater. And a sweet romance. [@bookstodon](https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstodon) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

I finally finished a book, thank Maude! After almost DNF'ing Wildfire because it seemed too similar to Icebreaker, I gave it another shot and wound up liking it considerably more than the first book. The characters are sweet and relatable, and the summer camp setting is cozy. Even the inevitable references to the romance genre were less annoying here, because the heroine actually learned something from her reading. 😂 [\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#Romancelandia](https://romancelandia.club/tags/Romancelandia)

Friends, [#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I finished The Other Side of Disappearing and think it'll be one of my top romances of the year. I loved the plotting, the richness of the themes and the really satisfying way things came together in the end. Also read The Brunellesci Baby because what's a vacation without a Harlequin Presents? It's a pretty good one, tropey but with some individuality. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#Romancelandia](https://romancelandia.club/tags/Romancelandia)

Friends, [#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I read Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley. Ping [@SuperWendy](https://romancelandia.club/@SuperWendy) -- it's a 1950s historical set in a "from the old country" American neighborhood! A divorced mother dealing with a lot of social pressure & stigma falls for the sweet and sexy contractor installing her gloriously 1950s kitchen. I enjoyed it very much. Available for free by subscribing to Hadley's newsletter: [https://janehadleywrites.com/](https://janehadleywrites.com/) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I've been catching up on series I previously DNFd. Read Duke of Desire by Hoyt -- still way too emo and icky for me, I should've let it lay. Reading Cross Breed by Leigh -- ehh, she sucked me in. Also started Expiration Dates by Serle but I'm finding the structure frustrating. I want to know what happens now, not what happened every other time! I suppose it will make sense as a novel, so maybe I should save it for another time. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

# Synopsis When Nar’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy? Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on Nar’s double life—the closing event banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave, determined to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life. # My review Bisexual romance!! Bisexual romance is special. There’s your good old straight romance, also known as romance with no adjective in front of it. There’s your gay and lesbian romance, sometimes including a painful coming out, with recent examples including Rana Joon and the One and Only Now and The lesbiana’s guide to Catholic school. But bisexual romance? How do you make a character bisexual in the first place if they’re only going to have one romance, huh? Easy − remind us that they’re bisexual. Remind us that they’re looking to date and don’t really care about the identity of who they’re dating. Make them break up with someone and make up with someone of another gender. Tell us. It’s fine, you know − showing bisexuality can be hard. Telling us « hey by the way, I’m dating you but I also like guys! » is great. And very well done in this novel, too − although there are painful outing and coming out stories because, well, it’s 2024 and queer novels still don’t allow their characters to just be happy. And speaking of painful coming out stories: this one is based on identity. Like in the two books I quoted above, our narrator, Nar, is a second-generation American. Her Armenian identity is incredibly important in the novel: after breaking up with her very very white boyfriend, Nar allows her mother and auntie to rope her into Armenian-Armenian dating life and commits to trying to find the perfect boyfriend (or girlfriend, she adds silently) at one of the cultural events. Except, of course, 90% of the cultural events are about the genocide, which doesn’t make for great date material. Nar’s first thought of « I’m so tired of everything being about the genocide » gets revisited several times throughout the novel, with our girl getting closer to her own culture and understanding that history doesn’t have to only be about grief. I love the way she reconciles with her heritage and starts feeling like a real part of « the community», and every single one of the sometimes complicated and painful steps that lead to that. Also, the book is actually really good − I’m not just impressed with the theme, the romance was really nice and the characters were lovable or hateable or, in some cases, very much both.

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I finished A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, which reminded me a bit of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston -- both use a fantastic scenario to engage with some lesser known history. This was often sweet and funny, and the tributes to 1920s Harlem and Black musicians are lovely, but the tone mixture of goofy romcom and high stakes fated love didn't gel for me. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [\#Romancelandia](https://romancelandia.club/tags/Romancelandia)

I've got a little time before I clock in to work, so let's catch up on some blog reading, shall we? [#RomBkBlog](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomBkBlog) toots are incoming [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) a.gup.pe

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? Mentioning Erin Satie got me to check and see if she had anything new out, and I found a suspenseful fantasy novella about an imprisoned rebel leader/witch being rescued by friends (or a lover?) she no longer remembers. It's not very well rated, which I hope doesn't mean it has a sad ending or something. :-( Possibly just that it's not her usual genre. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I just finished The Oak and the Ash by Annick Trent. I thought the first in the series was good but had plotting issues; no complaints about this one! Realistic portrayal of the lives of 1800s queer working people, with a sweet, slow burn romance. (Hard to have anything else for them!) For a comp I'd give Erin Satie, because of the focus on period technologies and intellectual interests. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

OMG, the mmc of Role Playing by Cathy Yarley uses a fleshlight. That's breaking such a verboten romance rule I hadn't even realized it was a rule. (He is demi-sexual and not sex-averse and it is such good rep!) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I've been having trouble concentrating, so broke out my emergency Cate C. Wells, The Stone Wolf's Rejected Mate, and it's doing the trick. I like how her romances are kind of old skool -- the drama and angst can be really cathartic -- but without the annoying tropes and outdated writing styles of many older romances. Old skool for the modern reader. 😂 [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

I [#read](https://romancelandia.club/tags/read) Finding A Purple Unicorn by Sean Michael ([#book](https://romancelandia.club/tags/book) 3/Starting Over). This MM single dads [#romance](https://romancelandia.club/tags/romance) is by far my favorite of 2024 so far. It was fun & [#reading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/reading) it went by fast. TW for custody argument, ex drama, & a neglectful parent (not a main character). Also some bdsm/spanking references. No need to read the first 2 [#books](https://romancelandia.club/tags/books). 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 [#romancelandia](https://romancelandia.club/tags/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [https://amzn.to/3OUXqdU](https://amzn.to/3OUXqdU)

Time to catch up on belated [#TBRChallenge](https://romancelandia.club/tags/TBRChallenge) toots. This month's optional theme was Furry Friends. [#RomBkBlog](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomBkBlog) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading) ? I started a Mary Burchell, Tell Me My Fortune. Fun cast of characters. So far wondering what on earth he sees in her... Also started Scrap Metal by Harper Fox but it's a bit heavy for my current state of mind. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

[\#TBRChallenge](https://romancelandia.club/tags/TBRChallenge) Day! February's Theme: Furry Friends I read about aggressively horny shapeshifters! Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston [https://whiskeyinthejarromance.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-pack-challenge.html](https://whiskeyinthejarromance.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-pack-challenge.html) [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [#bookstodon](https://romancelandia.club/tags/bookstodon) [#RomanceBooks](https://romancelandia.club/tags/RomanceBooks)

[\#WhatchaReading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/WhatchaReading)? Betrayal/remorse is my romance catnip and historical My Deceitful Duchess by Aydra Richards is a pretty good one. (Not as OTT as Exit, Pursued by a Baron.) But I was irked by the "romance hero Aspergers" portrayal, partly because it's such a cliche and doesn't go into any of the real issues, and mostly because if you're going to write an autistic love interest, take the opportunity to have him react in different ways! cont. [@romancelandia](https://a.gup.pe/u/romancelandia) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks)

I [#read](https://romancelandia.club/tags/read) A Masquerade With a Marquess ([#book](https://romancelandia.club/tags/book) 8/Lords of Temptation). The blurb is a little off - the MMC does marry the FMC knowing she's blind, but also for all the wrong reasons. TW for jealousy and paternal abuse. I may follow up with more from the series, not sure yet. [#regency](https://romancelandia.club/tags/regency) [#romance](https://romancelandia.club/tags/romance) [#romancelandia](https://romancelandia.club/tags/romancelandia) [#reading](https://romancelandia.club/tags/reading) [@romancebooks](https://lemm.ee/c/romancebooks) [https://amzn.to/3wdlrX7](https://amzn.to/3wdlrX7)