Galentine's Day recs to celebrate those lady friendships
Because every romance heroine needs her gal pals.
Ah yes, it’s that time again, the time when Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and the trash takes on romance novels start making the rounds. Romance lists that don’t include any actual romance novels that fit the necessary criteria! News pieces that seem to only reference Fabio covers and Fifty Shades of Grey! The completely unneeded take about how romance is Good, Actually (but manages to use terms like “mommy porn” and “guilty pleasure”)! Wade carefully, my friends, for chances are the online landscape will be a bit of a sh*tshow at least until the weekend, and then we have a whole year to live out before the bad takes return and we have to grit our teeth through it all over again.
Anyway, to try and get you through it, I figured it’d be fun to recommend some romance reads in the spirit of a holiday that lands today, in fact, and which was coined by a great little show called Parks and Recreation as Galentine’s Day:
There are so many romances that celebrate lady friendships too (many of which I’ve already recommended on this newsletter), but these three are books/series I’ve either been thinking about lately (on account of having just re-read them) or ones that will always have a special place in my heart because of the relationships that are grown between women, ones that feel just as strong as the romances that evolve on the page.
Note: We’re back to just Indiebound links this week on account of the pesky fact that, apparently, Amazon doesn’t like it when you use affiliate links in newsletters. Boo! As yours truly would not like to get sued, though, it is what it is.
The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren (IndieBound)
(contemporary romance; content warnings for references to gun violence, school shooting, PTSD)
This is a heavy series, but if you’re in the right headspace to read it, it’s a reminder of the power that romances have to give people their happy endings even in the aftermath of significant tragedy. It’s been twelve years since a school shooting rocked the senior class of Long Acre High School, and the survivors of that traumatic incident — dubbed The Ones Who Got Away — have been brought back to their hometown to participate in a documentary. Granted, a good portion of this story is about the burgeoning romance between Liv Arias and her old flame Finn Dorsey and the ways in which they rekindle their connection after so many years apart, but it’s also about the importance of reconnecting with friends too. The survivors of the Long Acre shooting have forged a bond that no one else can understand, and as a result, they all come together to support one another in various ways — and it’s the women especially who encourage each other to pursue dreams they’ve held off on or seize happiness where they can find it. Plus I’m always a sucker for covers that perfectly illustrate a scene from the book, and this one manages to be steamy and sweepingly romantic all at the same time.
The Three Sisters Island Trilogy by Nora Roberts (IndieBound)
(contemporary romance with paranormal elements; content warning for abusive relationship)
I came to this series at the right time — essentially right after mainlining a bunch of Roberts’ mysteries under her JD Robb pseudonym. What I wanted was a solid summer binge read and what I got was a terrific trilogy about three witchy women who only become stronger in their powers and their confidence in themselves once they all end up on the same island. The first book, Dance Upon the Air, feels very much like Practical Magic meets Enough; Nell Channing has fled to the charming Three Sisters Island to escape an abusive marriage, changing her name and her appearance, and even begins to explore her feelings for local sheriff Zack Todd. But her past will catch up with her eventually, and Nell will have to confront what she’s running from — as well as figure out how to break the mysterious curse the island suffers under — with the help of two equally powerful women alongside her own newly blossoming strength. Each book in the trilogy revolves around a different character — Heaven and Earth follows the romance between Ripley Todd, Zack’s sister and local sheriff’s deputy, and MacAllister Booke, a researcher who’s come to Three Sisters to investigate rumors of witchcraft, and Face the Fire revolves around the fiery (ha) Mia Devlin and her second-chance romance with hotel owner Sam Logan, who’s just rolled back into town with the intention to win her back.
The Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas (IndieBound)
(historical romance)
They say you never forget your first Kleypas, and the Wallflowers series was mine. Not only are the romances perfectly swoony as only Lisa Kleypas can write, but the female friendships are so important and crucial! When four ladies standing on the fringes of the dance floor make a pact to help each other find husbands, no matter what it takes, they don’t realize how it will change their lives forever. Kleypas’ banter on the page is unparalleled, and sometimes I have a hard time choosing which of the four books in the series is my favorite. All I’ll say is that the first book involves a scene where the ladies are essentially playing baseball in their underwear and having a grand ol’ time doing it. But really, you should read the entire series and then experience your own conundrum over which of these books is the best one because I still can’t decide.
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.