The whole boss/employee trope can go horribly wrong because of power imbalance issues, and I totally understand that it's polarizing. Readers either love it, or hate it. And I will admit that I've read some TERRIBLE boss/employee romances where my only thoughts were why the employee didn't report the other character to HR for sexual harassment. But, like just about any other trope, in the hands of a great author, it can be all kinds of awesome. These are but a few of those books: 

This tweet got my FULL attention on Valentine's Day because one of my all-time favorite romance novel tropes is morally grey heroes and heroines. I even did a whole post one time about why villains are so much sexier than heroes.  And then there was the time I talked about villains who deserved amazing redemption arcs. And then there was that time I talked about why I loved sexy villains and wouldn't apologize for it. And then there was the time...well, you get the picture. I do love me a sexy villain. So, with that in mind, I wanted to share a list of romance novels that feature characters who have done some villainous things (maybe even for some decent reasons), but still found their happily ever afters--because contrary to what JJ Abrams thinks, when you turn back to the light, you don't have to DIE to find redemption and forgiveness:    

Look, I get it. Student/teacher romance is a really polarizing trope. Folks either love it, or recoil at the mere mention of it. And honestly, I see both points of view. In the hands of the wrong author, it can be rape-y and gross because of the power imbalance and how the characters behave. BUT, that said, I have read some really great student/teacher romances that didn't ick me out or give me any Mary Kay Letourneau vibes at all. Long-story-short, in the hands of an awesome author, even polarizing tropes can be spun into gold. Here are some prime examples:   

After what felt like FOREVER, season 2 of Sweet Magnolias finally aired a few days ago on Netflix. I did a post long, long ago about season 1 HERE.  But here's what I thought of season 2 (NO SPOILERS): 

I have no idea what the weather is like where you are, but where I am, we're experiencing Snowmageddon. So, I thought, what better time to cozy up in front of a nice fire with some of my favorite novels where the main characters are snowed in together? Here are a few of my faves: 

Meghan Quinn is all kinds of awesome. Her books are hilarious, heart-felt, and super hot. And if you're a fan of hers (like I am), you'll know how lucky you are that she's also a fast writer. She's crazy prolific, which is THE BEST. But even though she writes really fast, if you're like me, there's still always that little bit of down time between books when you're stuck thinking...ok, what now? Here are my go-to authors who never fail to deliver on all the same great stuff Meghan Quinn delivers (laughs, sexy times, loveable characters, incredible banter, hot heroes, heroines you'd love to be friends with in real life):   

I've said it in many reviews before. Stalkers aren't sexy. I'm not saying they aren't ever fuckable (cough*Joe from You*cough), but generally, in romance novels, I have a no-stalker policy when it comes to heroes. HOWEVER...there have been exceptions over the course of my reading career. I call them my "sweet" stalkers. They were stalkers who still managed to capture MY heart while they were capturing the heroines' hearts.  So, if you ever found yourself watching You and thinking, man, I'd really like this guy...if only he wasn't so crazy, obsessed, and murder-y, then THIS is the list for you: 

I always check out "best of" lists when they pop up on social media. But when it comes to romance, I see a lot of the same names over and over again. That's not always a bad thing. A lot of those authors that always hit the lists are amazing. I've read romance a long time, though, and I've come across lots of incredible authors who don't pop up all the time on these lists, which I just find inexplicable! Do others not know how great these authors are??? So, with that in mind, here are just a few of the incredible romance authors I want to see on more best of lists going forward:  

One time, my husband and I both had a really terrible flu. He was every bit as sick as I was, but he still made sure I had the good blankets, and he even got up a few times to get me Gatorade unsolicited. To me, that was the height of true romance. (Almost as good as when he cleans the house unsolicited...but I digress...) So, when I saw this tweet from Sarah MacLean, I  couldn't smash the like button fast enough. One character taking care of another in romance novels NEVER fails to give me warm, squishy, swoon-y feelings. That made me scroll through my Kindle history and the interwebs (including this tweet and Fated Mates) to compile a list of some world-class sickbed/caretaker scenes in romance novels. This list also includes books with scenes where the heroine takes care of the sick hero (*chef's kiss*). Hope you enjoy these amazing reads on this fabulous #FridayReads: 

You'll notice that I didn't call this list a "best of". That was intentional. I'm not trying to claim that these books are any better than other ones that were released. "Better" and "best" are so subjective. What I can say, though, is that THESE books made the biggest impression on ME in 2021: 

This series was on my TBR list FOREVER. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for post-apocalypse reads while we had our own kind of apocalypse going on in the real world? I dunno. But for whatever reason, I kept bumping this series in order of reading other, lighter series. I'm glad I finally read it, though. It's...an adventure, that's for sure.  Here are the details:  

There was a trailer for a movie that came out yesterday. It's a movie called The Lost City, and in it, a hot romance novel cover model shows up to save an imperiled romance author from a dastardly villain. He proceeds to tell her he's certified in CPR, CrossFit, and...that he brought snacks. Frankly, he had me at "snacks." It made me think about all the great romance novel heroes who either cook for their love interests, or just go out of their way to make sure they're properly fed. In other words, today's book recommendations list is all about heroes who know that food = love. And without further ado, here they are:

I'll be honest. I wasn't a huge fan of the original Sex in the City. But I watched enough of it to form some opinions. First of all, Carrie was a crap friend and an even worse person. Aidan deserved better. Mr. Big and Carrie (both a couple of big fat cheaters) deserved each other (and I don't mean that as a compliment). Samantha was a better person and friend than she ever got credit for. And finally, Harry Goldenblatt was the best, kindest person on the show and he deserved THE WORLD. So, all that said, I went into the reboot, And Just Like That, with SUPER low expectations. What follows is everything I got out of the first 2 episodes. And just so you know, I'm dropping BIG spoilers (pun intended), so proceed at your own risk:     

There are few things more inspiring than romance heroines who have loved and lost--then found the strength to love again. Here are but a few of my favorite romance heroines who lost who they THOUGHT was the love of their life, only to find out that they still had a lot of love left to give (and receive): 

What's more romantic than a wedding? Romance novels with a wedding theme, of course! And here are some great ones that'll make you want to say "I do"...to one-clicking them, at least: