I started reading romance novels when I was 12 or 13. I remember reading them and thinking they were enjoyable but they weren’t about people like me. Nearly all of the characters were non-disabled, as well as being white, cis and heterosexual, and the few characters that were disabled were villains. […]
Last Thursday, October 26th, was not a good day for AAR. By the day’s end, many on Twitter—romance authors among them—had tweeted and retweeted accusations that AAR and its readers are racist, sexist, and ablest. […]
I’ve known for a while that of all the reviewers at AAR, my opinions of books most closely align with fellow reviewer (and my editor) Caz Owens. In fact, her reviews are one of the ways I found our site in the first place! These days, we’re often reading and reviewing many of the same books, and sometimes duking it out for a book we both want. […]
Talk about an overwhelming prompt! This month we are challenged to read a contemporary romance for the TBR Challenge, and that leaves readers with an embarrassment of riches as contemporaries have been in high supply for the past few years. I ended up choosing a sports romance which I had seen recommended on Twitter, and Caz went with an m/m contemporary that turned out to be a winner as well. […]
Authors and readers alike seem to love series. When an author builds a compelling world, one cannot help wanting to revisit again and again. So, with this month being series catch-up month on the TBR Challenge, we both went back into beloved series. Caz went with a gritty mystery that is one of a series following an m/m relationship while Lynn read one of the Rannoch/Fraser novels, a historical romantic suspense series that follows the leads’ marriage of convenience as it develops into love.
Paternity Case by Gregory Ashe
Paternity Case is the third in Gregory Ashe’s series of novels featuring two detectives based in the small Missouri town of Wahredua, Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset. These are gritty, complex stories that are practically impossible to put down once started; the mysteries are twisty and really well-conceived but […]
Once upon a time there was a romance novelist who blithely signed up to retell Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Once upon a time there was a romance novelist who was an idiot.
That would be me.
I’m kidding – kind of. […]
I’m a greedy reader. If I like a book, I tell every person on earth (who will listen) about it and insist they read it right away, regardless of the types of book they tell me they like, or even if they (god forbid) tell me they ‘don’t read romance.’ And if the author has a back catalog and/or the book I loved is the start of a series, I buy or borrow the other titles right away, regardless of price, and I move those books right to the top of my TBR pile. Very little will deter me from a binge, even though I’m always sad when they come to an end. #sorrynotsorry
Not too long ago, I picked up In the Wreckage, book one in Hailey Turner’s Metahuman Files series. I can’t remember who recommended it to me (I owe that person a big THANK YOU), but […]
We’re rounding out Pride Month with another selection of our favourite queer love stories, all of them celebrating the truth that Love is Love is Love. And as ever, we’d love to hear from you about your favourites, so please drop by and tell us about the awesome queer romances YOU love.
Glitterland by Alexis Hall
I love Glitterland. The ultimate romance of opposites.
The Essex vernacular is most often commented on in this novel, but it is a vital component, and one I found very entertaining.
However, Alexis Hall’s accurate portrayal of depression is inspired especially juxtaposed with characters who are fizzy and full of life. The innocent wisdom of Darian is so adorable and undercuts any sense of Ash’s intellectual fustiness.
For me, the Essex accent heightens Darian’s vulnerability and innocence. […]
LBGTQ+ PRIDE is celebrated in many countries throughout the world in June, and here at AAR, we’re doing our bit to celebrate the idea that Love is Love is Love and that romance is for everyone by choosing our favourite queer fiction and queer romances. We could all have chosen more than one (or two!), but these are the ones that have stuck with us over time and to which we return again and again.
What are your favourites? We’re always ready to be switched onto new books and new authors, so jump into the comments and let us know!
The Last Herald-Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
This wasn’t the first time I encountered a gay protagonist, but I’m including it because many readers have admitted it changed their lives. LGBTQ+ […]
A kiss can lead to so many unexpected things…especially one that takes place under the mistletoe. Join authors Killian B. Brewer, Pene Henson, Erin Finnegan, Lilah Suzanne, and Lynn Charles as they explore the most tantalizing literary kisses and their lasting impact in books in this new series, Standing Under the Mistletoe with Interlude Press. Every day from December 4th to December 8th, HEA USA Today, The Book Smugglers, LGBTQ Reads, All About Romance, and The Mary Sue will feature a new article from each author of the LGBTQ+ holiday themed collection, If the Fates Allow (out now from Interlude Press).
This is the one for All About Romance. Woo hoo!
I’m cheating.
I know, I know. There is an unbreakable rule in romance novels and that rule is: No cheating. That and, of course, the all-important happily ever after rule. […]