Lynn Spencer Archives : All About Romance

TBR Challenge May 2022 – Tales of Old

For someone who started out their romance reading career with historicals, a prompt like “Tales of Old” is the perfect catnip. Lynn and Caz took this prompt in rather different directions, with Lynn heading way back into the past with a tale of ninth century Vikings carving out a living in what is now Scotland, while Caz headed for Victorian England. So, where do you like to travel for your Tales of Old?

Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri Brisbin

The prompt Tales of Old made me think of medieval right off the bat. I hit my TBR piles eagerly – and ended up DNF-ing a few medievals, so after that experience, I just wanted an author whose books normally work for me. Terri Brisbin’s books usually hit the spot, and while not my favorite […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2022-05-18T08:01:17-04:00May 18th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: historical romance, Reading Challenges, Sebastian Nothwell, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2022, Terri Brisbin|5 Comments

TBR Challenge March 2022 – Grumpy

This month’s TBR challenge prompt of “grumpy” yielded almost an embarrassment of riches. After all, grouchy heroes aren’t exactly a rare find in Romlandia. And grumpy/sunshine romances are having a bit of a moment now, too. Lynn read a recent release that she had been longing to try. That one turns the trope on its head a bit, with the heroine playing the part of the grouch. Caz found a workplace romance starring a grumpy boss, and both books were winners. […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2022-03-15T16:43:35-04:00March 16th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: grumpy heroes, grumpy/sunshine romances, Reading Challenges, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2022|9 Comments

TBR Challenge February 2022 – Fairy Tale

Fairy tale romance – now there’s a TBR prompt that can go in all kinds of different directions. When we talk about romance, we often talk about “fairytale romances.” Lynn and Caz took this one to very different places this month. Caz picked a m/m paranormal with a spin on the Rumpelstiltskin story, while Lynn went with a lush historical that picked up motifs from Little Red Riding Hood. […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2022-02-16T06:58:10-05:00February 16th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: American historical, audiobook, fairytale romance, Linda Winstead Jones, Meghan Maslow, Reading Challenges, TBR Challenge 2022|6 Comments

TBR Challenge January 2022 – Quickie

We’re midway through January 2022, and I still feel like I’m playing catch-up from 2021. Who’s with me? The “Quickie” TBR theme was exactly what I needed because my brain just doesn’t have bandwidth for more. I used this month to try a novella from a 2019 trilogy I’ve been meaning to read while Caz went for some suspense in the novella she selected. Both ended up being solid reads. […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2022-01-18T13:52:14-05:00January 19th, 2022|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: contemporary romance, novella, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2022|13 Comments

December 2021 TBR Challenge – Festive

I love that this year’s TBR Challenge for December is not entirely Christmas. We just have to be “festive” and there are so many ways to do that. This year, Caz went for a magical Christmas story, while Lynn sank into a sweet Hanukkah romance she’s been wanted to read for a while. Both were winners, and we hope you find some good reads, too. Happy holidays! […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2021-12-14T13:36:08-05:00December 15th, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Christmas, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading|Tags: Indra Vaughn, Stacey Agdern, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2021|7 Comments

November 2021 TBR Challenge – Competition

Healing Her Emergency Doc by Caroline Anderson

This theme was a little bit of a headscratcher for me. Off the top of my head, I couldn’t come up with anything in my TBR that might involve competition of any kind. I went combing through my category books, and spotted a medical romance centering on two doctors competing for the same job. Not sure how I ended up with Healing Her Emergency Doc as I’m not familiar with the author, but I decided to give this one a read and see how it went. It went well, as a matter of fact. […]

By Caz Owens and Lynn Spencer|2021-11-17T05:53:39-05:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading|Tags: Reading Challenges, TBR Challenge 2021|7 Comments

June TBR Challenge – Book With a One-Word Title

This month’s TBR Challenge prompt – One Word Title – made me really take a look at my TBR pile. I have a ton of books in the TBR, but as it happens, very few with one word titles. Caz went for a modern-day setting, while I picked up a paranormal historical, and both of us were mostly happy. […]

By Caz Owens|2021-06-15T13:42:26-04:00June 16th, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: Elysa Springer, Reading Challenges, Sandra Schwab, TBR Challenge 2021|3 Comments

April TBR Challenge – Old School

“Old School” is one of those terms that can have a lot of meaning. After all, the romance genre has evolved quite a bit over the decades and different threads of the genre have gone in different directions. I’ll admit that my first thought when I see the term takes me to the 400-500 page books I used to find in used bookstores and library sales back in the 90s. Big, epic historicals definitely still have their appeal for me, though I’m pickier than I used to be. Some problematic features just can’t be glossed over for me anymore. This time around, Caz and I both ended up going in a similar direction, reading old Regency trads from the late 80s/early 90s. At their best, these stories, just like their contemporary category cousins, pack a focused romance into a […]

By Caz Owens|2021-04-21T08:02:54-04:00April 21st, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh, Reading Challenges, Regency romance, TBR Challenge 2021|15 Comments

March TBR Challenge – Book by a Favourite Author

This month’s TBR prompt was a fun one – “a book by a favorite author.” Sometimes the challenge pulls me outside my comfort zone, but this month we just got to work our way through backlists we’ve already been enjoying. Lynn caught up on a high-action romantic suspense series, while Caz read a lovely contemporary m/m romance. Whose backlist do you want to explore next? […]

By Caz Owens|2021-03-16T16:21:08-04:00March 17th, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: Annabeth Albert, favorite authors, Juno Rushdan, Reading Challenges, TBR Challenge 2021|2 Comments

February 2021 TBR Challenge – New-To-You Author

I think folks sometimes underestimate just how huge the romance genre is. I’ve been reviewing romance since I was in my 20s, and I’ve been reading longer than that. Even so, there are still PLENTY of new-to-me authors. Caz tried a new historical, and after several false starts, I made it through a new-to-me romantic suspense novel from 2013. My TBR Challenge pick didn’t knock my socks off, but Caz fared better. What new-to-you authors have you tried lately? […]

By Caz Owens|2021-02-16T18:49:53-05:00February 17th, 2021|Categories: Caz AAR, Lynn Spencer, Romance reading, TBR Challenge|Tags: Emily Windsor, Marta Perry, New-to-you authors, Reading Challenges, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2021|18 Comments