The Way Back on Wednesday: Alex Markov: Dreamboat or Douchebag?

(originally published on June 3, 2016) 

In another of our occasional series in which we discuss the merits – or lack thereof – of fictional heroes and heroines, AAR staffers turn their attention to Alex Markov of Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Kiss An Angel taps into the classic “arranged marriage” trope. The two protagonists, Daisy and Alex, are blackmailed into marriage by a third party: Daisy’s dad. Daisy agrees in order to avert legal trouble and avoid prison. For Alex Markov, this was his year for paying off big debts, first with his deathbed promise to Owen Quest to take the circus out for its last season under the Quest name, and then by agreeing to marry Max’s daughter. In all these years Max had never asked anything of him as repayment for having saved Alex’s life, but when he’d finally gotten around to it, he’d asked for a doozy. […]

By |2021-09-09T09:04:41-04:00September 8th, 2021|Categories: Anne AAR, Caroline AAR, Characters, Dabney AAR, Dreamboat or Douchebag, Haley AAR, Heroes, LinnieGayl AAR, Maggie AAR, Mary AAR|Tags: , , , |32 Comments
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A Retro Write: Yes We Can! Our favorite Activist Heroines

originally published on February 3, 2017

Women have a long history of standing up for their beliefs, and there are great romance novels starring heroines doing just that. American and British suffragettes (or suffragists), Civil Rights activists, lawyers, writers, organizers, and military rebels – you’ll find all of them here, and more. Let these ladies inspire you to fight for your beliefs, whatever they happen to be.

Caroline Russomanno:

Erica Johnson – Unfinished Business by Karyn Langhorne

Erica, a teacher, is tired of seeing funding diverted away from the neediest and most vulnerable. She protests at the hero’s (a Southern Republican senator’s) press conference and is dragged out by police. This book is set during the W. Bush administration and Erica is a strong reminder that black activists have been working continuously, even when out of the […]

By |2021-06-19T10:14:33-04:00June 19th, 2021|Categories: AAR Shannon, Caroline AAR, Dabney AAR, Heroines, Keira Soleore, Kristen D, Maggie AAR, Romance reading|Tags: , , , , |19 Comments
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The Best of 2020 – Maggie’s List

My best book of 2020 was not a romance, though it did have a romantic subplot. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James was perfection in book form and was the highlight of my reading year. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which also had a sweet romance running through it, was a close second. If you like mystery, suspense and a touch of horror combined with your romance, these are the books for you.

If not, you’re in luck! I also found several absolutely fabulous romance reads and they are as follows: […]

By |2020-12-20T11:09:23-05:00December 20th, 2020|Categories: Best of 2020, Best of List, Maggie AAR, Romance reading|Tags: |24 Comments
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The Lure of the Locked Room – Maggie’s Picks for the best Halloween Reads!

To me, nothing is scarier than reality, especially 2020 reality. While I can blissfully disdain most tales of ghosts, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night, I find it much harder to be blasé about the terrifying things people do to each other. Which is why my perfect scary read is a good thriller, and the last few years have delivered a lot of those. And since we are all by virtue of the unique circumstance of a global pandemic, locked in our own homes, I thought the ideal Halloween read just might be a locked room mystery. Here are some recent releases I’ve loved: […]

By |2020-10-26T15:16:48-04:00October 27th, 2020|Categories: Maggie AAR, Mysteries|31 Comments
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Our Favorites: The Best Romance Novels of 2019

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. […]

By |2020-01-26T16:29:42-05:00January 27th, 2020|Categories: Anne Marble, Best of 2019, Best of List, Best of Romance, Caz AAR, Charlotte AAR, Dabney AAR, Evelyn AAR, Lisa F, Lynn AAR, Maggie AAR, Maria Rose, Romance reading|Tags: |5 Comments
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The Best of 2019 – Maggie’s List

2019 was my year of the B romance novel. Book after book it was a case of “I love everything about this story except. . . .” or “This novel was almost a DIK but. . . .” Fortunately, there were just enough exceptions to that list that I could come up with ten truly fantastic romances that I think almost anyone will love. […]

By |2020-01-02T07:54:31-05:00January 1st, 2020|Categories: Best of 2019, Best of List, Maggie AAR, Romance reading|Tags: |10 Comments
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Coming Soon – The Romances We’re Looking Forward to Reading in September 2019

Difficult to believe as it is, we’re heading into tbe back-end of the year now, as Autumn/Fall will shortly be upon us and we’ll be looking ahead to the books we want to curl up with on those long winter evenings! Before that, though, we’ve got the final days and weeks of summer to look forward to, and here are AAR staffers’ picks for the new releases we’re planning on spending that time with.  […]

By |2019-08-23T20:21:45-04:00August 24th, 2019|Categories: BJ Jansen, Books with Buzz, Caroline AAR, Caz AAR, Eagerly Awaiting, Keira Soleore, Maggie AAR, Maria Rose, Romance, Romance reading, Shannon AAR, Upcoming releases|Tags: , |12 Comments
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Besties and Brujas – Maggie & Shannon talk the Domestic Thriller

Last year’s trend amongst suspense and mystery novels seemed to be the domestic thriller. Books like Lisa Jewel’s Then She Was Gone  or the outstanding Our House by Louise Candlish, focused on families in the middle of a dark crisis. Towards the end of the year, the focus seemed to be leaning more towards friends and the dangers inherent in trusting the wrong people with our secrets. […]

By |2019-04-21T10:09:00-04:00April 22nd, 2019|Categories: Maggie AAR, Mysteries, Shannon AAR|Tags: |2 Comments
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Coming Soon – The Romances We’re Most Looking Forward to Reading in May 2019

There are a lot of romances we’re eager to read coming out in May, but there’s one real stand-out that’s sure to make a big splash, Helen Hoang’s follow-up to her hugely successful 2018 début, The Kiss Quotient. In The Bride Test, she takes the arranged marriage trope out for a spin and we’re sure it’s going to be another hit from this incredibly talented author.  […]

By |2019-06-23T11:59:53-04:00April 19th, 2019|Categories: Alexandra AAR, BJ Jansen, Caroline AAR, Caz AAR, Eagerly Awaiting, EmAAR, Haley AAR, Keira Soleore, Kristen D, Lisa F, Maggie AAR, Maria Rose, Romance reading, Shannon AAR|Tags: , , |11 Comments
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