Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Publication date: ​08/09/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

This book is pure, sexy, dirty joy. Here's the scoop:

Someone super smart on Twitter this week asked why women/men always seemed to want princes/princesses when the royal bodyguards were RIGHT THERE, looking so hot and being all protective. I have to say, I completely agree. So today, we're going to take a look at some AWESOME royal bodyguards in romance novels who are better than any prince or princess you'll ever find in #Romancelandia:  

This past week on Twitter, some jerk went on a rant about how self-published authors are ruining the book industry for "real" authors like him. Never mind that said jerk used a vanity press to publish his book...or that his overall review rating was in the 2's (his book cover is a crime against humanity, as well). He sincerely felt like his book would get more attention if all the self-published authors just went away. Various other stupid myths regarding self-publishing were spewed. I hope the guy was just an attention seeking troll, but in case he wasn't, in case anyone else agrees with this jerk, I want to make it VERY clear why I (as a reader) love self-published authors and their books and you should, too:  

Sometimes I'm just tired of reality. And that's when I want to escape into a romance novel all about an awesome heroine with magical powers. Here are a few of my favorites:

So, I'm not going to mention the book here by name (because it doesn't deserve any extra attention), but recently, an "inspirational" historical romance that featured a "hero" who led the massacre at Wounded Knee (the one where Native women, children, and old/sick people were senselessly murdered, most likely for revenge following the Battle of Little Bighorn) won a prestigious Romance Writers of America (RWA) award. This comes on the heels of the LAST time a romance featuring a Nazi finaled in the RITA contest (now the Vivian)--and on the 2019 claims by pretty much everyone that the organization and its annual contest was a racist nightmare. I won't recap all the drama, but I thought that maybe it was time to mention that not EVERY character deserves a redemption arc--especially in romance novels. There are some characters who don't deserve a happily ever after. That said, here are the types of characters that I don't think are redeemable, and I'd like to see never again see as heroes in romance novels. Ever. (Please and thanks in advance to all the authors out there.) Here it goes:  

Paranormal Romance
Publication date: ​07/30/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Harper Hall and her band of magical misfits are BACK!!!!

Here's the scoop:

I always see the same authors on just about every paranormal romance list on the interwebs. And while I ADORE Christine Feehan, Ilona Andrews, Darynda Jones, Jeaniene Frost, Kresley Cole, JR Ward, and Nalini Singh, there are other ah-may-zing paranormal romances out there. Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

I did a post way back in January 2020 when season 1 premiered, and I just updated it to include thoughts on season 3. You can check it out HERE, or by clicking on the button below. Happy reading! (and viewing, of course...)

Anyone who thinks that romance novels are all light and fluffy and never tackle any big issues is full of crap. In fact, romance novels with characters facing depression, PTSD, social anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and many other mental health issues aren't at all uncommon these days. Don't believe me? Well, take a look at THESE:    

I try not to engage with toxic folks on social media. Really, I do. But sometimes I just can't help myself and fire off a response that inevitably doesn't do any good. And no matter how well-reasoned, polite, or funny my response is, it won't EVER do any good. Because the fact is that loud, wrong, and toxic people enjoy making others angry. So, from this point on, I will be auto-blocking THESE types of people (and I reserve the right to add to this list at ANY time):   

In times of stress, I comfort read. That means I will turn to my favorite authors and re-read something of theirs--even something I've read many, many times before. These are but a few of those authors:  

Yesterday, some snarky jackhole on Twitter got preachy with authors, telling them not to discount their books to 99 cents (or give them away) because it devalued their work. In the comments, said jackhole went on to say, a) how much he hated authors who tell other authors what to do (and he totally missed the hilarious irony on that one), b) Would never put his precious book babies on sale because he'd rather sell nothing at full price than give his groundbreaking words away for anything less than full price.

Other authors chimed in to agree with the jackhole (no romance authors, I noticed), saying that free and discounted books were ruining the industry. So basically, these folks were saying that authors who give away their work or put their books on sale are basically stealing money out of their colleagues pockets.

I, of course, disagreed and was called a "troll" who didn't care about authors and just wanted to keep getting cheap books. (BIG eye roll) But along with the utter madness and stupidity and entitled snarkiness of the jackhole's posts and comments, he also mentioned that no one EVER  reads a free book. His contention (which I assume he pulled directly out of his own ass after pushing his head out of the way) was that readers just hoard free books and NEVER EVER NEVER read them. Which brings me to the headline question and THIS:      

Sci Fi Romance
Publication date: ​07/09/2021
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

If you're in the mood for something a little different with plenty of sexy times and great world building, then THIS is the book/series for you. Here's the scoop: 

In looking back on all thebook recommendation lists I've done on this site, I can NOT believe I've never done a marriage of convenience list...but...here we are. These are just a few of the great ones I've read and enjoyed over the years: 

Anyone want a quickie? Oh, get your minds out of the gutter. Jeez. I'm talking about quick book reviews, y'all! (Full disclosure: My mind would've gone into the gutter, too. :)  Anyhoo, I don't have much time these days for full book reviews, so here are a few super-short reviews for stuff I've read in the past couple of weeks: