A few good reads to cozy up with this December
And yes, we do promise some level of romance in them; what would we be without that certainty?
Hi, new friends and constant companions! We’re in a new month, which means some good books that are perfect for curling up on the couch with. I know I’m not the only one who’s been enjoying some significant vegging time and not just because ya girl is still currently unemployed, eep! The good news is that I’ve got a few irons in the fire on the writing front, so I might just be living the freelance life for a little while as I attempt to nail down something more in that full-time vein — and that means you’re going to see my byline popping up at a few new outlets over the next couple of weeks! I’m really excited about it, since some of these places have been on my dream pitch acceptance list for forever and a day, and what’s more, some of them are even romance-related pieces! Things to look forward to!
Romance-related links you might enjoy reading this week:
Romancing the throne (or the rise and fall of Barbara Cartland, Princess Di and the Royal Fairy Tale Legacy), Jezebel.com
How a Group of Romance Writers Raised Almost Half a Million Dollars for Georgia’s Runoff Candidates, Vogue.com
November’s Hot Stuff romances bring mischief, star-crossed lovers, and hot dukes, EW.com
This Is the Year To Finally Accept While You Were Sleeping As the Perfect Christmas Movie, Esquire.com
Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan
(contemporary romance)
First of all: if you’re not reading McLellan’s So Over The Holidays series, you need to get on that pronto, but if you’re looking for a timely place to get in with these fantastically delicious and fun novellas, there’s no better than the first one: Stocking Stuffers. Sasha Holiday (note the irony) is so done with the holiday season after getting left at the altar on Christmas Eve — but as the marketing expert for Lady Robin’s Intimate Implements, she’s been the one tasked with trying to sell some adult toys at a romance book club’s Christmas party. When a snowstorm traps both her and the other book club members in at their meeting place of choice, the Winterberry Inn, Sasha figures she might as well take advantage of being trapped to have some fun with one of its hottest members: beardy, gorgeous beta hero (and brother to the innkeeper) Perry Winters. But when the snow starts to melt and feelings begin to spark amidst all that no-strings fun, will Sasha and Perry be able to go their separate ways? Or will Perry be able to successfully convince Sasha that they should go for it all year round?
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
(contemporary romance)
I said this on Twitter, but this book has been living RENT-FREE in my head since I started it and it’s been there ever since I finished it too. This is one of those romances where I simultaneously could not bring myself to put it down while dreading coming to the end of it because I didn’t want it to be over. Whether you’re a Pride & Prejudice superfan or just looking for a delightfully quirky, steamy f/f romance, you really can’t go wrong with Written in the Stars. After an absolutely disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell wants to make sure her well-meaning brother doesn’t try to set her up ever again — so she lies and says his latest effort, pairing her off with astrologer Elle Jones, was a smashing success. Unfortunately, that means the two of them are going to have to pretend to date to at least get through the holidays, agreeing to let their arrangement expire on New Year’s Eve, but we all know what happens when fake dating enters the picture amidst some very real chemistry. (And I’m talking CHEMISTRY, with certain scenes I’m still thinking about weeks later.)
The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill
(fantasy with a romantic element)
Blame the fact that my husband and I absolutely made the chaotic decision to mainline all five Pirates of the Caribbean movies in as many days recently, but I was looking for something that emphasized the seafaring element of that franchise while also offering a fabulous heroine and a world that paired magic and realism and pirates and naval heroes and ANYWAY, enter The Bright and Breaking Sea, which hits so many of my buttons that it’s frankly kind of unfair. Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for wayward girls, has risen through the ranks of the Isles’ Crown Command to become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte’s fleet. Her ship (the Diana!) has managed to pull off some daring escapades, in part due to Kit’s own magical affinity to the throughline currents that run through the sea itself. But when the queen sends Kit on a special, top-secret mission with a partner she never asked for — Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe and war veteran — Kit must learn how to share command with someone she’s not even sure she likes very much, for the fate of the Isles may be at stake.
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