the ask@AAR: What do we think about Kristan Higgins?

By |2022-08-04T20:40:24-04:00August 5th, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: |

We’ve reviewed Ms. Higgins 22 times at AAR. She’s received eight DIK grades, twelve B grades, and two C+s. Her last seven books have been women’s fiction rather than straight romances, six of which (the women’s fiction) have gotten As. Higgins is famous in Romancelandia for being the nicest woman you’ve ever met (Jenny Holiday gives her a run for her money but Higgins has been around a lot longer.

Higgins sold her first book to Harlequin in 2005. She says she was trying to figure out a way to be both a stay at home mom and contribute to her family finances. So she thought she could write a romance novel and ended up publishing her first novel, Fools Rush In. It was a success and since then she’s sold millions of books.

Higgins was one of the first contemporary romance writers I read–my adult foray into romance was initially all historical. I loved The Next Best Thing, […]

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I F**king Hate Cliffhangers. Do you?

By |2022-08-02T12:23:07-04:00August 3rd, 2022|Categories: Romance reading|Tags: |

Whether it’s on TV–I am currently exceedingly annoyed at Virgin River, Tokyo Vice, and Stranger Things–or in books, I don’t like cliffhanger endings. Nope. Give me a story where–like the TV show Unforgotten, or Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series–where most of the storylines introduced are resolved by the season’s/book’s end. Don’t get me wrong–I love following characters over time but I am not here for having to wait a year to know what happened to them.

So, what are some books with cliffhangers? And am I wrong? Are any worth reading?

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What are you reading?

By |2022-07-30T10:00:33-04:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Reading, Romance reading|

It’s the first of August–where did this year go?!?! Goodreads tells me I’ve read 54 books this year–I don’t count re-reads which comprise about a third of my reading. I just finished Klara and the Sun which I found jejune, boring, and almost impossible to believe that it was written by Kazuo Ishiguro. Critics have loved it. I most certainly did not. I’ve just started Exiles, the third Aaron Falk book by Aussie best-selling author Jane Harper. Thus far, it’s compelling. I’m always reading a romance–right now it’s Katee Roberts’ An Indecent Proposal. I’d decided, after so many at AAR have raved about it, to read the O’Malleys series. I’ve never been a fan of mob romances but you guys said they were good so I’m giving them a try. They work for me as long as I don’t think very hard about what the characters are really up to–the love stories are luscious and […]

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the ask@AAR: What do we think of Susan Elizabeth Phillips?

By |2022-07-28T09:42:13-04:00July 29th, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: , |

AAR’s reviewed Susan Elizabeth Phillips sixteen times–we’ve given her ten DIKs. The lowest grade she’s gotten here is a single C. (That book, Dance Away with Me, also got a B here.) Given that she’s been writing since 1983–her first book, The Copeland Bride, was published under the name Justine Cole. Most romance readers first discovered her in 1991 when she wrote Hot Shot, a remarkably prophetic book about the the rise of the personal computer. Wikipedia credits her with inventing the sports romance and her Chicago Stars series is one of the best selling romance series of its era. Other than The Copeland Bride, we’ve reviewed all but two of her books: Heroes Are My Weakness and Fancy Pants.

When I first started reading romance, Phillips was one of the first authors I glommed. I love stories with secondary romances and she does […]

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AAR Loves… Comfort Reads

By |2022-07-27T12:45:50-04:00July 27th, 2022|Categories: Caroline AAR|Tags: , |

As I’ve been developing our “comfort read” tag, I’ve had time to reflect on the comfort read. Interestingly, while we at AAR label our top grades as “keepers,” I know I personally keep many books which didn’t get a DIK rating. Sometimes, these are books which excel at just one thing (I keep Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s Match Me If You Can entirely to reread the secondary romance). But most often, my keepers which aren’t Keepers (if that makes sense!) are the books I turn to when I need comfort.

Books are often in DIK territory because they’re doing something unexpected. While that’s exciting and valuable for the genre, it doesn’t make me feel cozy or soothed. A comfort read does exactly what you think it’s going to do, and usually just when you think it’s going to do […]

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Coming Soon – The Romances We’re Most Looking Forward to Reading in August 2022

By |2022-07-24T09:04:09-04:00July 25th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Eagerly Awaiting, Romance reading|Tags: , , |

Here we go again, with AAR’s regular look ahead to next month’s new releases.  It’s that time of year when we’re all thinking about heading off for a holiday – or staying at home for one – so maybe our Coming Soon for August will help you to find some good reads to keep you company wherever you are this summer!  As always, this is a selective list, and we love hearing from YOU about what you’re most looking forward to getting stuck into over the coming weeks, so please drop by and let us know in the comments.

Releasing week of 1st August 2022

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the ask@ARR: What do we think about Lisa Kleypas?

By |2022-07-21T18:28:42-04:00July 22nd, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: , |

AAR has reviewed Lisa Kleypas 41 times. We’ve given her twelve DIKs, the last of which was for Devil in Disguise in 2021. The lowest grade she’s ever received here is a sole C in not one but two reviews of Stranger in My Arms. She’s sold millions of books and before Netflix’s Bridgerton, Kleypas might have been the most famous living historical romance author.

Kleypas hasn’t written anything since 2021 although she has released updated versions of her Wallflower books. (Is the Ravenels series finished? Anyone know?) Do you miss her? And if you’re a Kleypas fan, what do feel are her best books? Why? Do you think her work holds up? If you were to recommend just one of her books to a romance reader, what would it be? (My choice: the original version of It Happened One Autumn.) Do you think her work is singular or do you think her […]

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TBR Challenge July 2022 – Vintage

By |2022-07-20T06:36:13-04:00July 20th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: , , |

Back in law school, I used to buy boxes of old category romances at library sales, and I still have many of these hanging around. When I want to try out some 80s/90s romances, these can be great fun. And while we love many of the historicals coming out today, there are some treasures to be found among the old school books as well. This time around, I dug into my category romance stash while Caz tried a vintage trad. Regency. Our results were mixed, but it was a fun prompt to explore.

Handful of Sky by Tory Cates

I always look forward to the vintage or ‘old school’ romance prompt. I usually pick up a Betty Neels or a nineties historical, but this time around, I decided to switch it up. I’m not sure how I originally came […]

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Looking back at the ask@AAR

By |2022-07-18T10:34:08-04:00July 18th, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: |

WordPress tells me I’ve written 138 the ask@AAR posts.

The first one, published on September 6th, 2019, asked what did you think about cartoon covers? Reading through the comments, it appears that AAR readers were, in the large part, not fans. I’m curious–has your opinion changed about them?

The post with the most comments–and these are always my favorite–was published on the 18th of October of 2019. I asked if you thought historical romance had a quality problem and–whoa–did you have a lot to say. Many of you felt it did. These opinions then made some other readers extremely upset. It’s interesting to read the comments. I suspect that, today, we are less comfortable being so open about our feelings which, I have to say, makes me sad.

Other much commented on posts include:

What’s your topic deal breaker?

What kinds of stories would you like to see more of in romance?

and the evergreen

What should AAR do to […]

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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite easy summer dish (to make)?

By |2022-07-15T14:57:35-04:00July 15th, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: |

It’s mid July in the Carolinas and it is sticky and hot. On a good day, I find cooking somewhat onerous. (My excuse? Decades of making meals for four kids and a very busy husband.) After a day of weathering 90 plus degrees combined with 90 plus humidity, making food is about as appealing as having a full Brazilian. And yet, I still get hungry, I still have friends over for lunch and dinner.

So, my beloved AAR-ers, help me out here. What are your favorite simple summer dishes?

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