Sarah: Reading During a Pandemic

Reading During a Pandemic

While reading is my comfort zone, who can focus while the world burns?  I teach at the university level, so reading above and beyond my normal, for-class material, at times, felt impossible since March.  I had to teach, support students, keep up with my own writing and professional development, and administer a program for first- and second-year students with COVID rampaging in our community and an unhinged president raging on twitter (until it was taken away, thank goodness).

One way I wind down is writing reviews for TBQ.  Reflecting on my reading helps me to enjoy reading on a deeper level.  Stories are an important way to understand the world and stories that center women, queer notions of heteronormative love, and have pleasure and a HEA at their center, help me to know the world I want to live in better.  But I didn’t have the bandwidth to do any reviews.  It weighed heavy on my mind. I crafted them as I tried to fall asleep, but actually writing them was impossible.

As I look over my 2020 spreadsheet, I read more than I thought I did and want to highlight the bright spots of my romance reading this year.

Jackie Lau is the author who I read the most from this year. I am grateful to be on her ARC list and received:

• Pregnant by the Playboy
• Her Big City Neighbor
• His Grumpy Childhood Friend
• Her Pretend Christmas Date

I purchased:

• Mr. Hotshot CEO

I love Lau’s writing.  Beyond the couple the books revolve around, she is a master at writing about food and friendships in ways that make you salivate for both.  I love that her books all exist in the same universe and characters are part of other stories as minor characters.  I found all of these books to be great, comforting reads.  I fell for each couple, and the angst was low enough that I was invested but not worried about the characters.  I know that Lau has her reader in mind as she writes and it shines in her stories.  If I had to pick a favorite I would probably choose Pregnant by the Playboy for its opening scene alone...HOT!  Usually unplanned pregnancies are not my forte, so writing one that makes me root for the couple involved was a fun read for me.  You should read her entire backlist, they are worth it!

I read two of Rebekah Weatherspoon’s books last year.  Harbor, which I got as an ARC, and If the Boot Fits, the second of her fairy tale retellings.

Harbor is scorching. Vaughn, Chris, and Brooklyn are on fire together. Weathersoon’s writing is evocative and fun.  Her characters explore themselves and their relationships in ways that make them grow and evolve.  She uses the space of her stories to explore grief, trauma, and being human.  While her story RAFE, holds the #1 spot in my heart, Harbor is a fitting ending to the Beards and Bondage trilogy

I saw If the Boot Fits in Target and bought it as fast as I could! It is the second in Weatherspoon’s Cowboys of California series. This was a low angst, fast read for me!  Sam and Amanda’s chemistry was there right from the start.  Sam’s family ranch was the perfect place for them to get to know one another and Amanda's boss name Dru (after one of Cinderella's stepsisters) is the kind of detail that I just eat up.  This was a solid entry for the Pleasant bothers, but I, like many, are not-so-patiently waiting for Jesse’s story.  I am a sucker for quiet giants who think they can’t find connection.  

I read Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering.  As someone who sets aside time every month to write letters filled with fancy handlettering, I loved how central her work as a lettering artist was to the book.  This was also a love letter to NYC, a place I love to travel, but know it will be at least 2022 before I think about returning.  I liked, but didn’t love this book. It was sweet and wonderfully written. I even have a note to myself that I think it would translate well to TV or movies. This book was definitely a slow burn, but I think it was too slow for me.  I was left wanting to know more from Reid’s POV (the book was entirely from Meg’s perspective).  And while that can work, it left me feeling flat about their relationship.  I was more interested in how the letters and art would translate to the screen than a true investment in Meg and Reid and that is a shame.  I also want to balance this with a reminder that I was reading in a pandemic, and maybe some of my loss of NYC travel and other ways I was grieving a changing world could color my perspective.

As someone whose southern family history includes stories of running moonshine, I one clicked Jodie Slaughter’s White Whiskey Bargain as fast as I could! The Meza and the Hawkins families are rival moonshiners and a marriage of convenience between Javier and Hannah will strengthen both their families as they work against a new threat to their respective businesses.  Every part of this book was like catnip: marriage of convenience with a husband who wants to make it work, a strong-willed woman who knows her mind and what she’s worth, a story about Appalachia that is not white-washed...yes, yes, yes PLEASE!  While not as low angst as the rest of my highlight readings, this one was just so good!  Hannah and Javier need one another, but their alliance is shaky at best.  He’s all in and she has to be convinced, but in the end they are better together.  I loved it!

I learned about author Denise Williams on twitter and followed her in a flash.  She, like me, has a day job in academia, and How to Fail at Flirting is her debut novel. Nya Turner is almost through the tenure wringer just as her university is looking at restructuring and the possible elimination of departments like hers.  She hasn’t been in a relationship since her disastrous ex dumped her and left for a prestigious new job, but not before leaving her confidence in his wake.  Her friends challenge her to try something new and Jake seems like just the challenge.  This story was a lesson in watching Nya get her strength and confidence back.  As someone who works at a university, the politics in the background felt oh so real, a little too real for someone who is not on the tenure track.  I liked Williams’ voice and think this was a great debut book!  I was rooting for Nya and Jake even when their relationship seems really hard, they kept fighting, for each other, for the career they wanted, and the chance at forever.  I loved it!

I am reading in 2021, I think it feels easier, but my semester starts next week so we’ll see!  Here’s to hoping for an uneventful 2021 so I can fall deeply back into my reading world.

~ Sarah

Thanks for this post, Sarah! I know many of us have also been struggling with reading during all of *gestures wildly* this.

What books have been keeping you company lately?

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

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Lillie: The Birth of a Romance Reader

Today I've got something a little different to share from Lillie. She's talking about the most influential book in her Romance Reader Life and how romance novels have been there for her no matter what horrible things the world threw at her.

I know that's something many of us can relate to, myself included. Our particular details may change, our preferred books and authors as well, but almost all romance readers know this story by heart.

By the way, Lillie will be back with a few more guest reviews, including one for Archangel's Sun next month. Stay tuned! :)

The Birth of a Romance Reader (or A Love Letter to Julie Garwood)

Recently on Romance Twitter, a conversation was happening about the most influential books in our reading history. The books that formed us. Ana Coqui tweeted about a blog post she’d written about hers at Love In Panels. And it got me to thinking about the ones that were important to me. As I sat down to make my list I hit a stumbling block because it all came down to one book. I may still do a roundup someday about all the books I’ve loved but I can’t do that without doing this first.

To Sir Phillip with Love: You’ve Got Mail in the 19th Century

Kat's back with part 5 of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series. Buckle up, let's look into Eloise and Phillip's story. Enjoy!

Need to catch up?

• Introduction
• Part One
• Part Two 
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Recap [1-4]

To Sir Phillip with Love: You’ve Got Mail in the 19th Century

Contains spoilers for for Saw 3 and Saw 4 (it makes sense, I promise).

Content note for brief mention of depression and suicide; discussion of sexual assault.

Just Don't Call It Identity Politics: The Bridgertons Books 1-4

Kat's back with an in-depth recap of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series so far (1-4) and how it relates to the HEA/HFN. Enjoy!

Need to catch up?

• Introduction
• Part One
• Part Two 
• Part Three
• Part Four

Just Don't Call It Identity Politics: The Bridgertons Books 1-4

Romancing Mister Bridgerton: Externalized Misogyny, Internalized Misogyny, and #NotLikeOtherGirls

Kat's back with part 4 of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series. Buckle up, let's look into Penelope and Colin's story. Enjoy!

Need to catch up?

• Introduction
• Part One
• Part Two 
• Part Three

Romancing Mister Bridgerton: Externalized Misogyny, Internalized Misogyny, and #NotLikeOtherGirls

Contains spoilers for Lady Whistledown’s identity

An Offer from a Gentleman: Cinderella and Class Politics

Kat's back with part 3 of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series. Buckle up, let's look into Sophie and Benedict's story. Enjoy!

Need to catch up?

• Introduction
• Part One
• Part Two

An Offer from a Gentleman: Cinderella and Class Politics

Content note: Brief mention of sexual assault, description of physical child abuse.

The Viscount Who Loved Me | Dealing with Undiagnosed PTSD

Kat's back with part 2 of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series, and today she's talking about trauma, mental health, and death, all things that come up in Anthony and Kate's story. Enjoy!

Need to catch up?

• Introduction
• Part One

The Viscount Who Loved Me: Dealing with Undiagnosed PTSD

Content note: Discussions of death, traumatic symptoms, DSM PTSD diagnostic criteria




What happened last time: Daphne (Bridgerton Sibling 4) and Simon (the Duke of Hastings) overcame disability (his stuttering) and assault (her cowgirling his sperm into her vagina) to have a HEA.

Disability in the World of the Bridgertons [The Duke and I]

Ready for Part 1 of the Let's Talk About the Bridgertons series? Kat's talking about THE DUKE AND I today. Enjoy!

Please note: This post contains spoilers for The Duke and I and To Sir Phillip, With Love.

The Duke and I: Disability in the World of the Bridgertons

Julia Quinn’s initial offering in The Bridgerton series focuses on Daphne Bridgerton, who is actually fourth in age of the siblings. I haven’t figured out why she goes out of order at two points in the series (Daphne, Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Eloise, Francesca, Hyacinth, and Gregory), but I wonder for the first one if she began writing the story and then the saga developed out of it.

We Need to Talk About The Bridgertons

Today Kat is kicking off a new discussion series on the blog. Think of today as the introduction to it all. The first post will be up next week, and the rest will follow in the coming months as she finishes up each book. I hope you check back for each installment, this should be interesting!

Like many people, I was excited to hear that Julia Quinn’s series The Bridgertons was being adapted into a Netflix series.



Beloved and recognized romance book series? High production quality vis a vis Netflix? SHONDA RIMES?

Who Did It Better . . . On a Pool Table

It's been a while since Jen's last Who Did It Better post but we're back and this is a fun one! Time to find out who did it better . . . on a pool table. Let the fun begin! ;)

Who Did It Better . . . On a Pool Table

Group Review/Discussion: Thrall

Group review / discussion, ahoy! Jen, Kat, and Melinda all read Roan Parrish and Avon Gale's newest queer release, THRALL, and have some thoughts on it. Hope you enjoy! :)

Thrall by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish
Publisher: Philtre Press (September 27, 2018)
Genre: Queer Fiction / Mystery w/ Romantic Elements

Dating Sucks and Love Bites 

Happy couple Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra have begun to garner national attention for their quirky New Orleans true-crime podcast, Shadowcast. When Lucy's brother Harker disappears while researching the popular new dating app Thrall, they're thrown into a real-life mystery. Aided by their social media expert, Arthur, and Harker's professor, Van Helsing, they follow the trail, hoping to find Harker before it's too late.

When their investigation crosses the path of a possible serial killer, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur. And as they race against the app's countdown clock, so does the line between friendship and love. What starts as a flirtatious rivalry between computer-savvy Arthur and techno-averse Van Helsing becomes much more, and Mina and Lucy's relationship is tested in the fires of social media.

As they get down to the wire, the group discovers that nothing on their screens is as it seems—including their enemy.


A modern retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula

Where to Buy*:

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo

More Info:

Author's Site | Author's Site
Add it on Goodreads!

Group Review / Discussion:

Who Did it Better . . . in an Elevator

It's been a while, I know, but Jen has been working hard to get you another Who Did It Better list. And this time, things are getting steamy in the elevator!

Who Did It Better . . . In the Elevator

Elevators are the perfect, ready-made symbol for modern society: they open and close, they go up and down, they can be public or private. It’s fascinating to me how elevators tap into some primal place in our brains---think of all the movies and TV shows where characters meet up, break up, and hook up in elevators. I think most people would agree that having sex in an elevator just sounds...uncomfortable and kinda scummy. Nevertheless, I was easily able to come up with five books with memorable elevator hook ups or sex scenes that were already on my Kindle. So even though the logical part of our brains knows having sex in an elevator wouldn’t be all that fun, they really work as a symbol: for the lure of being caught, the hint of voyeurism, or maybe it’s the chance to act out your very own Will Gardner-Alicia Florrick fantasy (The Good Wife). (Meanwhile, my biggest nightmare is getting trapped in an elevator without my phone because I wouldn’t have anything to read!)


As always, the ratings below are just for the elevator scenes, not the entire book.

Who Did It Better . . . On Thanksgiving

Ready for another edition of Who Did It Better? Jen received a bunch of Thanksgiving holiday romance recs on Twitter a few weeks ago and decided to read them and rank them for you. 'Tis the season of giving, and what better gift than book recs?

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, then I wish you and yours a very happy, stress-free dinner tomorrow! And if you're going out on Black Friday -- either to shop or to work -- be safe and polite.

Now on with the list!

Who Did It Better . . . On Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn’t my favorite holiday---I don’t like cooking and I hate turkey, football, and parades. Turkey Bah Humbug! I’m not a total monster. I am thankful for lots of things, but why celebrate them around a meal that I don’t like that takes days to prepare?



Then I thought, maybe I’d like Thanksgiving better if I had a great Thanksgiving themed romance to read. Of course I talked about it on Twitter and got some great recommendations. But know that I was skeptical: real Thanksgiving stories would be about families bickering and everyone being too full from dinner to have sex.

Let's Talk: Old Books, New Covers....Same BS?

Today Jen's got a Let's Talk for you, all about reprints and changing covers and ridiculous pricing. It's a good one, so I hope you enjoy and join the discussion! 😃

Confusing reprints, Switching images, and Dated BS, Oh My!

Who Did It Better . . . In the Library?

We've got a new post today, and hopefully it'll be an on-going series with more topics to come! Jen's talking about 5 romances that had a library sex scene in them, and rating them from honorable mention to platinum medal. Are you ready to get busy in the library? 😉

All right! This is the first in what I hope will be a continuing series where I compare similar scenes or tropes across romance novels. This particular entry was inspired by a tweet from Sasha Devlin. 

plotbunny https://t.co/wQlxSoW6Gx

— Sasha Devlin (@SashaDevlin) October 15, 2017

I’ve always joked that I wanted to keep a Goodreads list of romances where the couples have sex in a library, but obviously first I had to write a post about it. I hereby open the Library Sex Olympics Games, as judged by me. (To be clear, the awards below are strictly for the library sex scenes, not a score for the whole book.) And, of course, thanks to the folks in Sasha’s thread that suggested books that would qualify in this category. I salute you, good citizens of Romancelandia! 

[Let's Talk]: Borrow, Buy, or Bye

Borrow, Buy, or Bye

You know that stupid game you can play with celebrities called Fuck, Marry or Kill? It’s ridiculous and juvenile, but it’s a pretty good metaphor for how I approach the buying of romance books---only those categories are Borrow, Buy, or Bye. Why is this relevant? Because I did some Twitter ranting about an upcoming Berkeley title that’s priced at $12! TBQ suggested my acquisition strategy would be a good blog post and so here we go.

Discussion: Too Beautiful To Break [Spoilers!]

Today Jen and I are going to discuss Tessa Bailey's newest release, Too Beautiful to Break!

Warning: There will be some spoilers, so if you haven't read it yet and don't wish to have anything ruined, come back and join the discussion after you're done! :)

Too Beautiful to Break by Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Forever (September 26, 2017)
Series: Romancing the Clarksons, 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance

A love of a lifetime . . .

Leaving Belmont Clarkson is the hardest thing Sage Alexander has ever done. From the moment they met, she knew Belmont was the one, and getting up close and personal with him on his family's epic road trip has taken her desire to a new, even hotter level. But there's no way she can go there---not without revealing secrets that could devastate them both.

Losing Sage is not an option. Belmont's heart is hers, has always been hers. He knows she's hiding something from him, but nothing will stand in his way of telling her just how much she means to him. Finding her is easy---saving her from her past could cost him everything.

Where to Buy*:

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo

More Info:

Author's Site
Add it on Goodreads! | Find the Series

Other Bailey Reviews:

Raw Redemption

Too Close to Call

Too Hard to Forget

Too Hot to Handle

Too Wild to Tame

Worked Up

Wound Tight

Our Discussion:

[Let's Talk]: Romance Heat Ratings

Closed Doors and Disappointments

Jen: You all know me since I’ve been publishing reviews here for a few months. However, if you aren’t part of Romancelandia Twitter, you’re really missing out on the real action. The conversations are so rich and interesting, and I’ve met lots of people that have my shared joys and frustrations with romance. Today, we’re going to be talking about whether or not romance should have sexiness ratings---a super interesting conversation that started with a tweet from KT.

Catholicism in Romance: The Lady of Royale Street and Too Hard to Forget

Today's review is a little different -- it's a bit of a discussion and a bit of a review, covering two romances, from two different authors. The connection (besides both being awesome, of course!)? Their inclusion of Catholicism in the story/characters.

The Lady of Royale Street by Thea de Salle
Publisher: Pocket Star (August 21, 2017)
Series: NOLA Nights, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance

From the New York Times bestselling author of the NOLA Nights series comes a rollicking, sexy tale of opposites attracting in the midst of wedding planning.

Alex DuMont is everything his brother Sol isn’t: regimented, serious, and devout. Between twelve-hour workdays, service to the church, punishing daily workouts, and bi-weekly therapy sessions, Alex is, as Sol once put it, “a kettle perpetually whistling as it boils itself to death.” So when Sol announces his marriage to Arianna Barrington, heiress and society sweetheart, Alex is the absolute worst choice to be his best man. Sol asks anyway and Alex reluctantly agrees. It’s only a week, after all, and Alex should be able to stop himself from throttling his big brother for a meager seven days. Probably. Maybe.

Theresa Ivarson is Arianna’s best friend and the maid of honor. A decorated photojournalist who interrupts her globetrotting to stand beside her friend, Theresa is beautiful, witty, and unafraid to speak her mind. So when she is faced with working with the best man from Hell, a Viking who doesn’t know how to smile, is bossy, and about as pleasant as a cactus, the sparks are bound to fly—and not in the good way. To make matters worse, Sol and Rain's wedding planner was hit by a bus the week before their special day, and Alex and Theresa find themselves at the center of a list-ditch effort to pull the wedding together. But when you can’t decide if you want to kiss or kill someone, something’s bound to break.

Where to Buy*:

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo

More Info:

Add it on Goodreads! | Find the Series

Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Forever (April 25, 2017)
Series: Romancing the Clarksons, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance

This time, she's calling the shots.

Peggy Clarkson is returning to her alma mater with one goal in mind: confront Elliott Brooks, the man who ruined her for all others, and remind him of what he's been missing. Even after three years, seeing him again is like a punch in the gut, but Peggy's determined to stick to her plan. Maybe then, once she has the upper hand, she'll finally be able to move on.

In the years since Peggy left Cincinnati, Elliott has kept his focus on football. No distractions and no complications. But when Peggy walks back onto his practice field and into his life, he knows she could unravel everything in his carefully controlled world. Because the girl who was hard to forget is now a woman impossible to resist. 

Where to Buy*:

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo

More Info:

Author's Site
Add it on Goodreads! | Find the Series

Other Bailey Reviews:

Raw Redemption
Too Close to Call
Too Hard to Forget
Too Hot to Handle
Too Wild to Tame
Worked Up
Wound Tight



Jen's Review/Discussion:

[Let's Talk]: Give Us Curvy Heroines + Recs

Curvy. Full figure. Plump. Plus size. Fat. There are many words used to describe characters, heroines in particular, who are not a size 2. What word you use or like is up to you, and changes from reader to reader. As an example, some hate the term fat, which has so many negative connotations thanks to society, while others have proudly claimed the word for themselves.

And much like the words used, the sizes vary, too. Which is great! But remember, you don’t want to give your heroine (or hero) specific sizes and numbers. That is, do NOT say: She was a size 14 OR She weighed 180 pounds. Those are unnecessary and can easily lead to comparisons, intentional or unconscious. “Wait, she’s calling herself fat at 180 pounds? I’d KILL to be that small though!”

For one thing, sizes and weight don’t take into account height and weight, nor an individual’s unique body structure. But beyond all of that, it’s just not necessary to give numbers. Numbers, after all, are a societal concept. Who else tells us that a size 2 is “good” while a size 20 is “bad”? It’s sure as hell not the measuring tapes and size charts!

But that’s getting a bit off subject, isn’t it? Sorry. My point was simply: don’t give us your character’s weight and clothing sizes. You can, however, use your words to describe the body to us. Is it jiggly? Is it round? Is it pear shaped? Apple shaped? Big belly? Wide hips? Both? Neither? That’s all fine to describe, but telling us specific pounds and size is meaningless – while at the same time packing far too much meaning, thanks to society’s messages and views. It’s best to just avoid them (numbers) all together.

The other day, I was reading a book that had been recommended by many for its great fat representation and body positivity (as well as being hot and kinky and just a good book in general). And it was all those things, by the way! But reading it got me to thinking: what other romances are there with fat/plus size heroines? Specifically, body/fat positive portrayals, which are even more rare in romance.

So of course I asked Twitter, and romancelandia came through with some great recs and a lot of great discussions in general!