Okay, I’m joking about the annual contest. But this is a blog about reformed brats. They say that reformed rakes make the best husbands. Well, if that’s the case, then reformed brats should make the best wives. After all, they’re both people you should stay far away from. Arguably, they’re both inherently ill-mannered and immature,…
Frequently as romance readers we discuss “conversion kits” – those books we would give a non-romance reader to try to get them to understand the wonderfulness that is our genre of choice. Usually we pick the best of the best because we want to showcase the cream of the crop and prove that we aren’t…
As a kid, I always loved the idea of a fantasy story. I liked the imagination of a world with elves and faeries where magic was possible. One would think that with this kind of an interest there would have been more than enough to keep me reading. There was the Lord of the Rings…
It’s not that the American people don’t think of their veterans all year round. Many of us do, especially when we see men and woman in uniform or hear the news about Iraq & Afghanistan. However there are certain things that cause us to think about them more, like Veteran’s Day or yesterday, the anniversary…
For years, Harlequin Historicals(HH) has been my go-to line for good authors and for access to stories spanning a wide variety of time periods. However, I’ve been noticing that while I normally buy at least 2 or 3 HHs each month, that’s been dwindling lately. And this make sad. I’ve adored this line for a…
Even a casual visitor to the AAR message boards quickly learns one thing: We are an opinionated bunch. And in just about every thread somebody posts about a plot device they loathe. Be it a couple who jumps into bed right off the bat or an arranged marriage, the list of plot devices that we…
The idea to talk about Christmas stories crystallized after several readers posted on the Romance Potpourri Forum asking for holiday recommendations and my completion of a Christmas anthology review. After reading several stories that just didn’t do it for me, I realized that I want a certain type of story around Christmas. AAR staffers have…
When I started compiling everyone’s choices of the December books that they eagerly anticipate trying, I couldn’t help but wonder if the holidays were making us all a little nostalgic. Though our picks for the month still cover a variety of subgenres, we’re definitely heavier than usual on historicals. And among historicals, Carla Kelly’s Coming…
I’ve had one stinking week, complete with jury duty and the kind of work stress it’s hard to even think about. So, what better way to end a week than with our first annual celebration of Sandy’s Top 10 Hot Guys (November 2011 Edition)! Seriously. I just can’t even think about writing a serious blog…
One of my children asked me recently if I’d ever given a book I’d reviewed an A+. I said I hadn’t. He then asked if I thought I ever would. I said yes, that in fact, there was a book I’d reviewed this past year and had given an A- to that I now see…
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