While Composing Love by Audra North might look like a conventional contemporary romance, in a lot of ways, it isn’t. There’s the primacy of work, even something as formal as what I might term “calling”. The hero and heroine are both enmeshed in questions of identity and ability as they relate to the world and
It’s been a while since I did a Saturday Snack Time post, but there have been sooo many good things that I stumbled upon this week. So today just called out for one. So here’s a quick selection of links that that stood out, accompanied by Maple Bacon Doughnuts (recipe here) that I made for
Steampunk romance is tricky. I generally want to like it more than I actually do. From a genre romance perspective, it seems like it would be a powerful combination to add a fantasy or science fiction element to alternative history: all the atmosphere of a historical with none of the rigidly defined social conventions or
Thanks to a new reader, I found out that October is Queer Romance Month. The kick-off was yesterday so you can go over to Joyfully Jay and read all about why queer romance is better than cats. Yes, those cats. The furry kind. It’s very funny. As a very new reader of queer romance myself,
Alexis Hall’s Glitterland is a flawless gem of a novel. Certainly the best thing I’ve read all year. Maybe one of the best things I’ve read ever. When I start ranking books in my head, it approaches Prince of Midnight, my favorite Laura Kinsale book and Stardust, my favorite Neil Gaiman book. So I think
Aside from the first romance novels consumed in utter stealth beneath my covers after midnight while still in high school, I’ve always been a pretty open romance reader. I mean, I’m not shy about cracking a vintage Harlequin while waiting for the bus or pulling out my Grace Burrowes at the doctor’s office. My female
Disclaimer: If zombies, threesomes or Jello salads make you squirm (and not in the good way), you may want to back out of this post immediately. The book I’m discussing this week is probably one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read, romance or otherwise. It’s by Charlotte Stein, whose work I have long enjoyed,
When I first heard about Anne Calhoun’s Afternoon Delight (out tomorrow) on Twitter a few months ago, I was super eager to read it just based on a single phrase: food truck. I’ve read several of Calhoun’s books and she has never disappointed. Add in a heroine with a food truck and a sexy paramedic
I have some rules for my kitchen. I mean, I guess not every cook is like this, but all the serious home cooks I know have pretty much the same ones. It’s pretty funny how similar we are actually. The reason I mention this is that sometimes I read books about chefs and, well, side-eye
