As you know, I cut WAY back on doing book reviews. The why of it was a long story, but just because I'm not actively reviewing lots of books, doesn't mean I'm not finding great books. With that in mind, here are some awesome romance reads I've discovered lately that you should consider picking up for #FridayReads/#WeekendReads. Enjoy: 

The top 10 acceptable reasons to bother a romance reader while they are reading (or an author while they are writing) are:  

Small town romance has always been one of my favorite tropes. The forced proximity, the quirky neighbors...it's all very Doc Hollywood (an older movie, but one that has some AWESOME comedy and romance in a delightfully quirky small town). So, that said, here are 16 of the best small town romances I've ever read:  

Heat level: I dunno. Didn't make it that far. 
Contemporary Romance/Rom com
Publication date: ​02/22/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: I dunno.

I haven't DNF'd in a while, y'all. And I certainly haven't DNF'd anything that I felt the need to rant about in a while. But, here it goes:  

Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Publication date: ​05/14/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Not to long ago, I asked for bodyguard romance recommendations where the person being guarded wasn't a whiny a-hole who decided to "teach the bodyguard a lesson" by trying to make his/her job harder. Well, I found one!! Here's the deal: 

Once upon a time, a literary agent told me writers shouldn't even bother creating romance heroes and heroines over 29 years of age because "no one wants to read about old people having sex." Needless to say, that agent was a douchecanoe of the highest order. And also, she was WRONG. Because here are some awesome romance novels with characters who are over 35 (you know, for those of us who prefer "seasoned" and "mature" reads): 

Contemporary Romance
Publication date: ​05/18/2021
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

 There are so few books that surprise me, y'all. I mean, I'm OLD. And not just in years. I'm an old, OLD soul. I have seen things that can't be unseen. So, when I'm reading in bed (at 9pm after taking my multivitamin, because, as I said, I'm OLD) and something makes me sit straight up and say, "Holy crap!" so loud that I startle the dogs, that's really saying something. This book did that exact thing. (The dogs are still a little edgy at bed time as a result, but we're working through it. But I digress...) Here's the spoiler free scoop:  

Look, I like a sexy bad boy as much as the next romance reader. (Not alphaholes, though. I HATE those.) But I also REALLY enjoy nice guy heroes. And contrary to what some of y'all might think (I'm looking at you, alphahole fans. Not in a judge-y way, though. No judgement here) nice guy heroes CAN be super sexy. Don't believe me? Then check THESE out:  

Trust me, y'all, you won't want to miss THESE: 

I really love bodyguard romance. Always have. But I've noticed something that often happens in this trope that REALLY annoys me.  Here it goes (takes deep breath): 

It's shocking how hard it is to find rom coms these days that include sexy times! And rom coms that deliver sexy times AND hilariously snarky banter? Well, those are even tougher to dig up. That said, here are some of my all-time favorite, go-to authors who never fail to deliver on comedy, sexy times, AND snarky banter: 

So, the other day on Twitter, this question was posted:

I laughed out loud. You put THAT question over THAT photo and you wonder what we all see in this guy? Ha!!! The article goes on to talk about how awful The Darkling from Netflix's Shadow and Bone series is and how he's every bit as evil as Joffrey on Game of Thrones. And just to be clear, this person isn't the only one on the interwebs to go off on a rant about why I shouldn't like this character or hope that he gets a redemption arc and a HEA ending.  The morality police and pearl clutchers are out in FULL FORCE against this guy. Frankly, the whole thing makes me salty. You know why? Because I like sexy villains and I REFUSE to apologize to ANYONE for it. Here's why:  

For some reason, I just can NOT get enough sexy, nerdy characters in romance novels. Maybe because I'm a nerd myself? I dunno. The point is, I've read some GREAT books about scholarly, bookish, and downright nerdy characters in romance novels, and I'm here today to share them. You're welcome: 

Romantic Comedy
Publication date: ​04/30/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

I am ON A ROLL with the great rom coms this week!! Check it out: 

Romantic Comedy
Heat Level: N/A. No sex in this one. 
Publication date: ​04/27/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

I honestly can't say enough nice things about this book, but Imma give it go anyway: