On some rare occasions, if you’re favored, you read a passage or a scene in a novel so grandly romantic, you’re gobsmacked. You swoon, your heart feels tender and ardent. Whatever is said or happens in the scene, it’s what you’ve dreamed of receiving (and, if you’re extraordinarily lucky, have.) […]
I do my best to keep up with new releases, but my library, my secondhand store, and Kindle bargains slant heavily towards older books. During the year, I love this. I have enjoyed so many wonderful books I missed when they were new. It’s only when “Best of the year” time rolls around that I find myself grumbling that I don’t get to bang the drum about so many of my favorite reads just because they weren’t published this year! […]
One of the strongest and most popular markets in publishing right now is the thriller/mystery market. There is a lot of crossover between mystery and romance readers since women make up the bulk of the consumers of both these genres. AAR has finished our Best of 2019 romance lists and now Maggie and Shannon combine their knowledge to bring you their list of the best of the mystery/thriller market from 2019. […]
Later this month, a friend of mine’s book club which typically only reads very serious books for adults is going to read a romance. They read about the RWA fiasco and have seen the increased coverage of romance in the big name press and so they decide to give one a try. For most, it will be the first romance they’ve read as an adult. […]
On November 15, 2019, the [email protected] posted the topic, “Can we discuss the term “clean” romances?” It was a great question that inspired a lot of discussion not just about “clean” romances but heat levels in general from no-sex to burning hot erotica. During this topic, Caz Owens kindly gave me a shout out, hoping I could provide an industry standard definition for erotica. […]
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, last week, of Mary Higgins Clark, the author of 51 suspense novels all of which were bestsellers. […]
Lately, I’ve been craving a book that will break my heart… and then put it back together again. It’s been so long since I read a romance that made me ugly cry that, honestly, I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Kristan Higgins’ women’s fiction has made me cry–I just reread If You Only Knew and, while doing so, used up a clutch of Kleenex. Circe made me cry but, again, not a traditional romance. The Time Traveler’s Wife destroyed me but, while it is a phenomenal love story, it is most certainly not a romance. […]
The best thing about the long, dark, cold evenings is being able to curl up with a good book! Every month, AAR staffers comb through the lists of upcoming releases to find the ones we think we – and our readers – are most likely to enjoy, and now it’s time to look ahead to the books coming out in February 2020 we’re looking forward to reading. […]
We call this annual column The Best Romance Novels of a given year and it is, but with a caveat. Each reviewer picks a single book she thought was the best – defined as excelling all others. Thus this is a list of individual choices rather than a voted on list by the staff. […]
