It's our first installment of Kissing Books guest recs... with JenReadsRomance!
Spotlighting some of the best romance grandmas around.
Note from Carly: Hi, friends! We’re wrapping up the month by introducing our first installment of Kissing Books guest recommendations with JenReadsRomance! When I put out the call to see if anyone wanted to do this, the response I got back was honestly pretty overwhelming — in a good way! So if you haven’t heard back from me yet, have no fear; I’ll be replying to everyone who reached out about wanting to participate and offer recs of their own.
If you don’t know Jen already, you should definitely be following her on Twitter — I know my timeline has been improved by her presence and if you’re looking for a romance-centric podcast in your life, you can’t go wrong with the one she cohosts called Fated Mates (which is linked to below). However, just a heads-up: listening to it may increase the size of your TBR pile by, oh, a million. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Oh, and we’re back to both Indiebound and Amazon links this week!
Hey everyone, I’m Jennifer Prokop, @JenReadsRomance on Twitter, romance correspondent for Kirkus Reviews, and cohost of the Fated Mates podcast with author Sarah MacLean. When Carly said she was looking for guests to write the Kissing Books letter, I signed right up because all I want to do is talk about romance!
When it comes to books, I’m a character reader first. In fact, I used to say that I couldn’t read a book if I didn’t like the characters; and while it may be pedestrian and small-minded of me, it’s absolutely true. Yes, of course I want tight plotting, good world-building, and clean prose — but when I fall in love with a book, it’s usually because of the characters.
I love romance for too many reasons to count, and I don’t think romance authors get enough credit for the incredible character work they do. I’ve always been impressed by how romance authors can use the smallest breadcrumbs of characterization to tee up future books. It’s magic!
Now if you’ve ever heard me talk about my romance journey, you know that I found my first romances in my grandmother’s basement. She died when she was 95, and next month would be her 104th birthday, and I still miss her so much. I think that’s why some of my favorite secondary characters in romance are grandmothers. These are kick-ass women with their own interests, but if needed, they will take the time to straighten out their hapless grandkids with some gentle teasing, pointed advice, and maybe a big hug.
In other words, this one’s for Betty, who I miss every day, and for all of us who dearly miss our grandparents. These amazing romance grandmas make me feel better every time I read them.
Every Road to You by Phyllis Bourne (Indiebound | AMZ)
(contemporary romance)
Ethan Wright is one of those buttoned-up and serious kinds of guys, and he’s very close to his grandmother Carol. Ethan has noticed a change in Carol — he doesn’t like it and he doesn’t approve. He’s convinced that Carol’s relationship with local cosmetics firm owner Tia Gray is a bad influence. When Carol takes off with an old flame — on a motorcycle and headed to Vegas! — Ethan insists that Tia come with him to try and intercept Carol and stop her from making a mistake. It’s a great road trip romance, and Carol’s determination to finally live the life she wants is inspiring and awesome. Tia and Ethan falling in love is a delight and this is a perfect romance. True story: we recorded an episode of Fated Mates and I talked about this book, but the audio file got corrupted (by me! It was my fault!) and so that’s the one that got away.
Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews (Indiebound | AMZ)
(paranormal romance)
I often sell the Hidden Legacy series to readers by telling them it’s like if Harry Potter was for grown-ups and with an amazing love story. Nevada Baylor is the head of her family’s investigative agency and has a special kind of magic that lets her know when other people are lying. She falls in love with the most powerful telekinetic in the world, Mad Rogan. Trust me, it’s delicious and you’ll need to clear your whole weekend to read the series, but Nevada’s grandma Frida is a TANK EXPERT. She literally retrofits and rebuilds tanks and mobile artillery and has her own motor pool. Grandma Frida is the most kickass of all the grandmothers, but still has time to troll and tease Nevada for her crush on Mad Rogan. A+ Grandmother who is also willing to advise you on all your armored car needs.
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (Indiebound | AMZ)
(historical romance)
This is a perfect romance. Jess falls in love with Dain, who is a total rake and one of those dudes who has never met a feeling he couldn’t repress. The whole romance is spectacular, but special shout out to Genevieve, a woman who tore her way through the ton when she was young and is still tearing her way through Paris. Genevieve knows everything there is to know about men like Dain, and she advises her granddaughter, “I advise you to set your hooks and reel him in...This is a man who gets what he wants, Jessica, and if I were you, I should not want him to be the one reeling in the line.” Simply one of the greatest grandmothers in romance and an inspiration to us all.
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.