A few new romance recs and an ARC giveaway!
It's not quite Friday yet, but maybe this will tide you over 'til then.
It’s been two weeks since the last installment of Kissing Books, and already it feels like SO MUCH has happened. Since I last emailed you all with some recs, we here in the U.S. inaugurated ourselves a new president and everything! Wild. In that time, I’ve managed to actually keep up with my reading, although this is also because I’ve found myself with more free time lately. To make a long story short, I’m still searching for a new full-time gig, but I’ve been able to land a few freelance opportunities that I’m very excited about, and it’s all writing I’m passionate about! So good things, mostly.
But we’ve got some new things happening in this week’s newsletter too, including (gasp) our first giveaway for subscribers! Thanks to the generous folks at Sourcebooks Casablanca, I’ll be picking three people at random to win an ARC of Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder today! (I’m reccing this book downthread, and y’all, it is HOT.) So keep your eyes peeled to your inboxes; we’ll be contacting the winners via email.
Romance-related links you might enjoy reading this week:
Bridgerton Isn’t Bad Austen — It’s An Entirely Different Genre, HuffingtonPost.com; Claire Fallon writes about why reviews referring to this series as “a cliché-ridden period piece or a sloppy historical drama” aren’t approaching it for what it truly is.
A Reader’s Guide to the Novels Behind Bridgerton, KirkusReviews.com; Jen Prokop (aka JenReadsRomance!) writes about how the Netflix series succeeds in following the structure of a romance novel, even if the source material leaves something to be desired.
The Wedding Planner Was An Average Rom-Com — J.Lo Made It Great; Refinery29.com; Anne Cohen writes about the highs and lows of the classic rom-com on its 20th anniversary.
Acting Up by Adele Buck
(contemporary romance)
I haven't read a lot of romances set on the stage (like sports or Western/cowboy romances, it's a subgenre that I need to become more well-versed in as a reader), but what made this stand out for me was the fabulous friends-to-lovers dynamic that author Adele Buck renders from the very first page. Cath and Paul are longtime pals and professional collaborators who embark on a production of a new play at a Connecticut theater with dreams of ultimately taking it to New York; they know each other so well that they can anticipate what the other needs before they think they need it, but they've also been repressing deeper feelings for each other for years. When the catalyst of a disruptive actress cast as one of the play’s leads forces them to confront their relationship head-on, they have to decide whether or not they're willing to risk their professional compatibility to explore their romantic potential. As a trope, friends-to-lovers doesn't always work for me but when it does, it really does; Cath and Paul’s dynamic captures that sweet, unconscious yearning feeling which proves to be an absolute page-turner leading up to the culmination of their romance, perfect once both parties fully realize their true love has been standing right in front of them the entire time. Buck's debut is witty, delightful, sweet, and emphasizes the theme of theater as found family.
Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder
(paranormal/romantic suspense)
Several of us who watched Jon Bernthal as The Punisher in Marvel Netflix’s television series of the same name came to the same conclusion: the man is a romance hero through and through. I’ve written before about how Bernthal’s performance in particular rendered Frank Castle as a tragic figure and gave him a softer side that the comics didn’t always depict, and Snyder herself has gone on record as saying that her hero of Big Bad Wolf, wolf shifter and vigilante Joe Peluso, was in part inspired by Bernthal’s Frank. Reading this first installment in her Third Shift series made that abundantly clear, but where the Punisher’s story will always be somewhat destined to end in tragedy, Snyder’s Puni-shifter (yes, I coined that term and remain proud of it) is really just looking for the right woman to convince him that he deserves peace, happiness and to feel a little closer to human again. When Neha Ahluwalia’s firm is assigned to Joe’s case to help him craft a solid defense, she doesn’t expect to fall for the man with so much blood on his hands — but when members of the Russian mob attack the jail he’s being kept in as payback, Joe and Neha are forced to go on the run together, ending up in the supernatural underworld where an elite team of operatives will stop at nothing to protect one of their own. Their romance hits the ground running at a breakneck pace and takes some time to find enough breathing room, but the worldbuilding and the fantastic cast of characters promises a lot of fun in the sequels to come.
The Sweetest Fix by Tessa Bailey
(contemporary romance)
A surprise Tessa Bailey book drop?! Readers, I screamed when I learned about this, and then in typical me fashion, I practically inhaled it in one sitting, neglecting all of my other books until I had finished this one. Not only is it full of Bailey’s staples as a romance writer (a dirty-talking hero, a fierce and independent heroine), but it made me miss New York something fierce, and I love books with such an immersive sense of place that make you long for that place in particular — even if we’re all limited by how much we can travel right now. Reese dreams of seeing her name in lights on Broadway, but she’s only ever gotten as far as local car shows in her rural Wisconsin town. When she lands a last-minute audition with renowned dance choreographer Bernard Bexley, Reese drops everything for the chance — only for a series of misfortunes to cause her to miss the audition. Looking up Bexley’s son Leo, who runs a local uptown bakery, is a last-ditch effort to turn the situation around, but the moment Leo and Reese meet, sparks fly between her and the gentle giant of a man — and she decides she wants to get to know him even as her lie of omission hangs like a weight overhead. Through sweet treats and even sweeter nap dates (yes, I said nap dates), the two fall hard and fast, but time will tell if Reese will land the role of a lifetime at the cost of a real-life romance.
Kissing Books is a weekly newsletter about, well, exactly what it sounds like, plus other non-romance novels that might have varying levels of smooching in them. Questions? Comments? Reply to this email, or find me on Twitter @carlylane. If you’re reading this on Substack or someone forwarded this email to you, consider clicking that helpful button to become a regular subscriber, or leave a tip on Ko-fi.