I am a huge mood reader and I’m very picky about things I like and I don’t like in books, so the idea of auto-buy authors is complicated to me.In my mind, “auto-buy” implies that I’ll buy and read their books regardless of the concept or premise, and if I go by that definition, then I don’t have auto-buy authors. What I have are authors that most of the time have concepts or premises that I’m interested in and appeal to my taste, so that’s the reason I read and will continue to read most of their books. But the moment they publish a book that doesn’t align with my taste, I’ll have no trouble skipping it.
I also think that “auto-buy” implies certain consistent interest throughout time. Nonetheless, when I started thinking about who I used to consider my “auto-buy” authors when I started my blog (about 6 years ago), I no longer read books by any of them, mainly because they are all YA authors and I don’t read that much YA anymore. Even thinking about my “auto-buy” authors from a couple years ago, I don’t think any of them are still authors I read from. Reading tastes change all the time (at least mine does), so it’s hard for me to think about authors who publish books that I’ll continue to be interested in in the long run. Still, I do have authors that, as long as my reading taste remains the same, I will continue to read from.
In that sense, I don’t think I have what it’s usually considered auto-buy authors, but I have authors that, at least for right now, are consistently writing books that align with my taste and that I enjoy reading, which is why I have read or want to read most of their books. And those are the authors that I’m going to talk about in this post.
Criteria
Now, in terms of how did I pick the authors for this list, here is the criteria:
I must have read and liked more than one book by them
The books can’t be from the same series
I must have read one of their books in the last year
I have to find most of the concepts or premises of their books interesting
I need to want to read their backlist titles (at least some of them), if they havea any.
I need to have at least one of their upcoming projects on my tbr
Auto-buy authors
Without further ado, here are my “auto-buy” authors + some of the books I’ve read by them:
Ilona Andrews
I read my first IA book in August 2020 and, in just a year and a half, I have read 21 of their books. Also, I’m interested in every single book that they have released and I’m hoping to finish catching up with their backlist this year. Their unique worlds and concepts, easy to root for characters, and captivating storytelling keep me wanting to read their works. They are my favorite urban fantasy writers.
Ali Hazelwood
I have read her debut romance novel, which came out last year, as well as the two novellas she has realized and I have loved all of them. Ali Hazelwood’s compelling writing, humor, characters and tropes work for me. I’m looking forward to read a lot more from her in the future.
Silvia Moreno-García
I have read 4 of her books, I have plans to read her entire backlist and I can’t wait for her next release. Her books are unique, her writing is beautiful, her concepts are interesting, she explores important themes and I love that all her books are set in Mexico and full of Mexican characters.
AdrianaHerrera
Adriana writes romances about Latinx characters and I’m here for all her stories. They are steamy, diverse and well written. I have read 11 of her books, the only things I haven’t read by her are the short stories that she has published in anthologies and one book, which came out in December and it’s on my priority tbr.
Grady Hendrix
I have read two books by Grady Hendrix. His books have disgusting scenes, which is not the usual type of horror I like, but I liked the way he includes these gruesome scenes and, at the same time, incorporates important social themes in his books. I started reading their last release but I had to return the audiobook to my library so I couldn’t finish it, but I can’t wait to continue.
Talia Hibbert
I have read 10 of her books and I’m looking forward to reading her next release. She writes romance books that deal with important themes, full of neurodivergent and Black representation, really steamy and incredibly compelling.
What do you think about the idea of auto-buy authors? Do you have any auto-buy authors?
Hi everyone! While I didn’t have the best reading year in 2021, I did find a few great books. So today I’m excited to share some amazing romance books that I read in 2021 and that I think you should read. I already shared a post withmy favorite books of 2021, which includes all of the books that are not romances, so be sure to check out that post!
Without further ado, here are my favorite romance books of 2021:
I LOVED both of the main characters in Battle Royal, this book included the sunshine/grumpy trope in all its glory, they had so much chemistry but also from very early on the deeper connection was evident. In this book, the main characters are co-judges of a baking show and they are competing for the contract to make the royal wedding cake, which ends up being the perfect set-up for a “dislike to friends to love” romance. I love how mature the relationships in Lucy Parker’s books are, even when they are competing against each other like in this book, and how she manages to write books that don’t have too much drama and angst, but that are still interesting.
The writing in this was really good and the book as a whole was funny and entertaining. Obviously, the whole plot with the royals was a bit unbelievable and unrealistic, but it was fun and I didn’t really care if it was something that would never happen in real life.
Despite all the hype, I was not that excited to read this and I’m not sure why. But I’m really glad I decided to give it a chance because I LOVED it. I usually don’t find that many books funny, but this book actually made me laugh out loud a few times. I really liked both of the main characters, the romance was great, it was a slow burn (in that great way that has you screaming at the character to get together already) and the whole fake dating plotline put them in a bunch of slightly awkward but full of sexual tension situations. Also, it had some good steamy moments.
I also loved that it was set in the academic world, it address obstacles that women faced in academia, and, especially, the storyline about sexual harassment at the end was so frustrating and infuriating, but also so well handled.
I read so many mixed reviews of this book, so I didn’t even have it on my tbr. But then I decided to pick it up on a whim and I’m so glad I did. This is the type of second chance romance that works for me, the main characters grew distant from each other because of a misunderstanding but they still love each other, it’s just their pride standing in the way until a prank war breaks loose between them and brings them back together.
I think this book worked so well for me because the pranks weren’t mean or hurtful and they didn’t go too far. The pranks were actually fun and entertaining and this book actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I really liked the main characters, their chemistry, and banter. I do think they were a little bit immature but also they grew throughout the book, so I was ok with that.
This is such a sweet, wonderful slow burn, sunshine/grumpy romance with a good dose of forced proximity, between two strangers that inherited a house and that have to work together to clean it and renovate it. I had a brief moment of thinking I wasn’t going to like the main characters, but it was a false alarm, I ended up loving both of them. And the same happens to them, they have a bad impression of each other at first, but then slowly that changed and it was beautiful to see.
Wesley was so precious, once he got over his shyness and exaggerated grumpiness, he was still grumpy but also kind and sweet. And Maybell is such a genuinely nice, caring character. Wesley and Maybell were wonderful together and once they got together, they approached every situation and misunderstanding with so much compassion and care, which was very refreshing, because there wasn’t some dramatic conflict at any point, they faced obstacles together and got through them. This is not an angsty romance at all, it’s just sweet
This book has a really fun premise, because the heroine’s dad rents the apartment next to hers to the hero because he wants her to marry him, and they end up becoming friends and fake dating to enter a baking competition and things get more complicated from there. I loved the romance in this, I liked seeing Reena and Nadim reluctantly become friends and then seeing that friendship evolve into something more. Nadim was really sweet and considerate, which I find so swoony.
Beyond that, this is really a story about Reena and her journey, she feels like a real person and I enjoyed seeing her work to improve different aspects of her life throughout this book. I always enjoy complicated family dynamics, so seeing her deal with and try to improve her relationship with different members of her family added an interesting layer to the book.
I have loved all the books in the Brown Sisters Series, so it was not a surprise that I loved this one as well, and the fact that it was a dislike to love romance, which I love, didn’t hurt either. The tension between Eve and Jacob gave me life, their chemistry was so evident and their bickering, especially at the beginning, was so entertaining. And once they get together, the way they both accepted and made space for the needs of the other person was incredibly sweet. Talia Hibbert has a talent for writing healthy relationships, which is something I appreciate a lot. Also, this book has some really steamy scenes, but that’s to be expected from a Talia Hibbert book. Beyond that, I loved reading about Eve and seeing her grow throughout the book and figure out what she wanted from life.
What are your favorite romance books of 2021? If you had to choose one romance book that you read in 2021 for me to read, which one would it be?
Hi everyone! I’m super excited for this wrap up because I read a lot of books that I enjoyed, I have been having a very good reading year in 2021 and I’m happy about it and happy to be able to share my thoughts about these books with all of you:
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (4 stars): This is a fun adventure full of Navajo mythology and lovable characters. This was really action-packed and easy to read. I really enjoyed that each one of the characters had different strengths and got to use them to help in their quest.
The Shadow Crosser by J.C. Cervantes (3,5 stars): The disbaility rep in this series left a lot to be desired (for more thoughts, here’s my full review). I still loved the characters, they were so fun to read about, always ready for adventure, funny, and easy to root for. The writing is really good, Cervantes manages to give Zane such a captivating and real voice. I also loved all the Mayan mythology and the adventure in this book was really fun. There were some pacng issues especially at the end.
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan(4 stars): at the beginning of this book this is slow but it still interesting since there’s so much to learn about the world. Then close to the end, the action picks up and it doesn’t let up. This book introduces new bad guys, who are so much more interesting and easy to hate than the nebulous big bad guy of the series. My one complaint about this book, besides the uneven pacing, is that something happened right at the end in terms of the relationship between some of the characters that I didn’t understand and I think it points to a direction that I don’t like.
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski (3,5 stars): This starts slow and there’s not enough Geralt. I love Yennefer and Ciri, so I enjoyed their parts of the story. But the author changed perspectives in a way that didn’t work for me, it felt clumsy and it felt like the characters I know and love weren’t in the book as much. After the slow first half, things picked up so much speed and I enjoyed the action-packed part of this book. The political intrigued, the different players, the different factions was really interesting. The main thing I didn’t like about this was the ending, this handled sexual assault badly.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (4 stars): This was a fun, quick read. Mercy is an amazing main character, strong, compassionate, a bit too reckless, flawed, she was captivating and easy to root for. The other characters and the dynamics between them are interesting and compelling. The plot was entertaining and fast-paced, and the writing was good.
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (4 stars): I liked this one even more than the first one because the plot and the villain are more interesting, darker, and more twisted. I still love Mercy as the main character, she is just very likable, and all the other characters are pretty great too. I usually don’t like love triangles but I’m not disliking the relationships in this one, because I like both guys and their relationships with Mercy and also because it’s very clear who she is going to end up with.
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs(4 stars): I loved most of this book, it was fun getting to see more of the fae and finding out some of their secrets. As always all the characters were great and I enjoyed the way this resolves the love triangle storyline. Now, that ending was fucking brutal. I wish I had seen content warnings before reading, because what happened shocked me, left me reeling and absolutely devastated me. CW: rape
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle(4,5 stars): This is such a sweet slow burn, sunshine/grumpy romance with a good dose of forced proximity. It has great character and very low angst. (Full review)
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan (4 stars): the main characters are very compelling, likable and easy to root for, and their relationship is so sweet. It talks about religion in an intersting way. It’s a bit longer than it needs to be (full review).
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters(4 stars): the main characters have a lot of chemistry, the banter is great and the whole “teach me how to be good in bed” part of the story allows some great representation of communication during sex. The one thing I didn’t like about this book is that there’s a sapphic side character in this book and the portrayal is not great, also the main character outs her to her friends, which sucks.
Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher (4 stars): this is women’s fiction and not romance. It does a great job of ecploring the main character’s personal growth and her relationship with her sister. There’s a romance and it sweet, but I wish they had a bit more chemistry. The ending is heartbreaking and made me cry. (Full review)
Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert (4 stars): Samir was so sweet!!! I loved him and Laura together. And Laura’s character development was incredible for such a short novella. this is a story about healing after an abusive relationship and it depicted that in a beautiful, painful, and very honest way.
Blind Date with a Book Boyfriend by Lucy Eden(4 stars): This was a quick, fun and sweet novella. I usually don’t like romances that take place in one day because they feel unrealistic, but this one I didn’t mind. The characters were great, their chemistry and connection worked really well.
Dance All Night by Alexis Daria (3,5 stars): This was fun, but a bit too insta love-y for my taste. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the plot, which revolved around a deal they made to have three dates that will make her fall in love with him and with Christmas and both of the main characters (especially the hero) were likable and captivating, particularly when they were together.
Well Played by Jen DeLuca (3 stars): This is a weird book because it was easy to read, entertaining and I loved seeing more about the ren faire (even if I wish there was more of it). But I had big issues with it: The catfishing goes on for way too long and it’s treated like it’s not a big deal, the main characters get zero character development, the hero doesn’t grovel enough (or at all) at any point).
Much Ado About You by Samantha Young (4 stars): This was a sweet, low-angst romance. I really enjoyed the way the relationship slowly develops, how the main characters become friends but from the first moments, there’s this attraction and tension between them that they can’t deny. I loved the small English rural town setting and all the side characters were great. Once the characters get together, their relationship was sweet and there are quite a few steamy moments between them throughout the book. My one complaint is that the conflict at the end felt forced, even if it was foreshadowed.
One by One by Ruth Ware(4 stars): This was a very fun and satisfying read. I love how atmospheric it is, how the mystery slowly unravels, and the tension increases. The last part was very intense and I was very invested, but I do think it that the last chase took a bit too long.
What is your favorite and least favorite book of May? Was May a good reading month for you?
Hi everyone! This is a new thing that I’m doing this year, where at the end of each quarter I will talk about all my favorite things of the last three months. I read a lot of good books, watched so many good shows and discovered some great songs in the first three months of 2021, so it was hard to pick my favorites. The only easy pick was my favorite movie, because I watched just two really good movies and the rest were very meh.
This was so captivating, I was completely invested and it made me feel so many different emotions. This book did a good job of including important conversations about feminism, race and privilege. Also, it’s a grusome and disgusting type of horror, which I hadn’t read before, but it was very well done. (Full review)
This book does a great job of exploring political struggles and colonialism. The main characters of the book, Roma and Juliette, felt so real and I really enjoyed their complicated, angsty relationship. Also, the side characters were pretty interesting (full review).
Ijeoma Oluo covers so many topics related to race like police brutality, white priviledge, cultural appropiation and so much more in a concise, clear and very smart way. I learned a lot, especially when it came to ways to reframe conversations and actions that can help in uncomfortable situations when discussing race.
I loved reading about Eve and seeing her grow throughout the book. The tension between Eve and Jacob gave me life, their chemistry was so evident and their bickering, especially at the beginning, was so entertaining. The way they both accepted and made space for the needs of the other person was incredibly sweet. Also, this book has some really steamy scenes.
I read the 10 books and 3 novellas in a period of 2 weeks and absolutely loved them. The series has an amazing main character, who is strong, smart and compassioante but also very flawed, and it also has so many lovable side characters, I was so invested in all of their stories. The main relationship was a slow burn, dislike to love romance and it was so good. Also, the world and magic system were so intricate and interesting, this series included mythologies from all over the world and it was really fast paced, easy to read, full of action.
MOVIE
Train to Busan: This was a fantastic zombie movie, exciting and action-packed, but also with emotional moments that hit you in the feels. The acting was really good and the characters felt so real, which made me care about them and that in turn made the whole movie more tense and intense because I was invested in everything that was happening.
TV SHOWS
Romance is a Bonus Book: THIS IS A MASTERPIECE. The main character is wonderful and so easy to root for and, while the hero didn’t make the best first impression, he ended up being the sweetest guy. The romance in this is the slow burn friends to lovers romance of my dreams, they were so cute together!! I liked all the side characters and I was invested in all their storylines. Also, the fact that this was set in a publishing house and everyone loved books and talked about books with so much passion made me love this even more.
Bridgerton: this is a fun, fluffy, entertaining show. Daphne and Simon have good chemistry, there’s lovable side characters and Lady Whistledown adds sassy commentary in Regency era style, which makes the show fun to watch. The locations and clothing are beautiful and very distinctive. My main issues with this series is the scene where Daphne takes advantage of Simon and the way that storyline was handdle. Also, the way it handled race left a lot to be desired. (my full thoughts)
Derry Girls: This show is SO FUNNY. The characters in this show are not entirely likable but they are easy to root for and all the messes they get themselves into are so entertaining. I really like the way this show includes the political conflict of Northern Ireland in the 1990s, while the show is not about that, it’s interesting to see how growing up in that political climate affects the lives of the characters.
SONGS
This is my top 6 songs that I discovered in the first 3 months of 2021:
Hi everyone! I haven’t making tbrs for the last few months becayse I was in a reading slump and mood reading seem like the best option, but I’m not in areading slump anymore and it’s time to catch up on some of my goals and some of the series that I put aside because of the slump. So that’s why the tbrs are starting again.
Here are some of the books I’m planning to read in April:
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan: It’s been over a year since I read the first book in this series, so it was time to continue with it. I’m almost done with this and I’m really enjoying it.
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang: I’m so intimidated by this book, Im pretty sure its going to hurt me. I read the first two books in the series in 2020 and I dont want to let too much time pass before finishing it, so it’s time to get to this book.
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski: I have tried to read this before but I wans’t in the mood for it, hopefully now I can finish it and continue with the series.
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse: One of my goals for this year is to read more books by Indigenous authors and I have been failing that goal, so it’s time to start working towards accomplishing it. I have heard great things about all of Roanhorse books and this was the first one to be available from my library..
Oculta by Maya Motayne: I loved the first book in this series, Nocturna, and I have been waiting for this sequel for such a long time, I’m so glad I’m finally going to be able to continue with this story. Release date: April 6th.
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle: I really liked Sarah Hogle’s debut novel You Deserve Each Other, so I’m excited to pick up her new release especially since the premise sounds amazing. Release date: April 6th.
To Love and to Loath by Martha Waters: I loved the first book in this series and I’m really intrigued about the relationship between the characters that are the protagonists of the book. Release date: April 6th.
Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert: I’m one of the co-host for the Accidentally in Love book club this month and this is the book that we are going to read . I’mreally excited since I have read two of the books in this series and I enjoyed them.
What books do you want to read in April? Have you read any of the books on my tbr?
Hi everyone! Today I’m going to talk about the books I read in March, which were mostly the books in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I literally did nothing else with my free time the last two weeks but read these books and it was such a fun experince.
Without further ado, let’s talk about the books
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (4 stars): Roma and Juliette felt so real and I really enjoyed their complicated, angsty relationship. Also, the side characters were pretty interesting and there was a sort of romance between some side characters that gave me life. Also, the way this book explore political struggles and colonialism was fantastic (full review)
The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews (4 stars): I read the 10 books and 3 novellas in a period of 2 weeks and absolutely loved it, I gave all the books 4 or 4,5 stars except for the last one that got a 3,5 but was still a good book. The series has an amazing main character, who is strong, smart and compassioante but also very flawed, and it also has so many lovable side characters, I was so invested in all of their stories. The main relationship was a slow burn, dislike to love romance and it was so good. Also, the world and magic system were so intricate and interesting, this series included mythologies from all over the world and it was really fast paced, easy to read, full of action. Reading these books was such a fun experince. My main issue with this series is that the writing got a bit repetitive because they recounted who all the organizations and charcters were and what happened with them in previous book over and over again throughout the series.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert ( 4 stars): I loved reading about Eve and seeing her grow throughout the book. The tension between Eve and Jacob gave me life, their chemistry was so evident and their bickering, especially at the beginning, was so entertaining. The way they both accepted and made space for the needs of the other person was incredibly sweet. Also, this book has some really steamy scenes.
Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron (4 stars): I enjoyed seeing the main character work to improve different aspects of her life. Also, the romance was really sweet, I liked seeing Reena and Nadim become friends and then seeing that friendship evolve into something more. Also, Nadim was really sweet and considerate. (Full review)
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai (3,7 stars): I like the two main characters and the exploration of complicated family dynamics. I also really appreciated having more traditional Muslim heroine in a romance novel. My main issue with this book is that the chemistry and tension between the characters weren’t there. (Full review)
Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras (3,5 stars): A full review is coming closer to the release date. But for now, I really liked this slow burn, second chance romance. The tension and chemistry between the characters was great. My issues with this had to do with the writing and the fact that I found the hero a bit frustrating.
Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid (3,5 stars): My enjoyment of this series comes in a big part from nostalgia. The characterization of Cletus is very good, even if he can be irratating at times, he has a very strong personality, but Jenn got a bit lost in the background, even when she had some important realizations in this book. The strength of this book is definitely Cletus and Jenn together.
Tarot magicomístico de estrellas (POP) by Amelia Andrade (4 stars): this is an introduction to the tarot but the illustrations in the tarot cards are famous people who embody the essence of the card. It’s done by a Colombian author and illustrator and it’s really cool, so if you speak Spanish and you are interested in the tarot, I would recommend this.
What is your favorite and least favorite book you read in March? What book are you looking forward to reading in April?
Hi everyone! I had planned to talk about my most anticipated releases of March 2021, but when I went to look at my goodreads shelf I realized that most of the books I was looking forward to in March were romance books, so I decided to make a post dedicated to talk about the romance books that are coming out in March and that I’m incredibly excited about.
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after? And most importantly, who done it?
I love cozy mysteries and getting my favorite chracters from a beloved romance series solving the mysteries is a mix that I’ very happy about. I liked the first book in this series, but I did feel like the mystery was missing something, so I’m hoping that Penny Reid’s second attempt at a cozy mystery is better. But no matter what I love the main characters so much that I will be happy reading this.
Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall–with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.
This sounds so good! I love seeing Muslim rep in romance books, even more when the author is Muslim themselves. In a way, this is a friends to lovers romance, which is my favorite trope and I’m looking forward to reading it!
Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.
This is one of my most anticipated books of the year, I have read most of Talia Hibbert’s books, I love her characters and her writing, and the Brown Sisters series in particular is such fantastic. Also, I’m even more excited for this because so many people have mentioned that this is their favorite book in the series.
Their night on the town is a blank, but when Zora Abbott and Dallas Hamilton awaken in a Vegas hotel room, they’re man and wife. With news of the nuptials spreading virally, the high-profile best friends decide to stay married, temporarily. Maybe under the cover of marriage, Dallas can even make his best friend’s baby dream come true. But can their friendship survive their newly unleashed passions?
I just heard about this book today (March 2nd) and I added it inmediatly to my tbr and now I can’t wait to read it. Friends to lovers and fake marriage in the same book??! What else could I ask for? Nothing, the answer is nothing.
Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance.
Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend’s little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather’s will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…
Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement.
This sounds like something I’m going to love, because marriage of convenience is a trope I really enjoy. But if I’m honest, I’m a bit nervous about reading this because I didn’t love the first book in the series, but I didn’t truly dislike it either, so I guess this is my teying to decide if Sara Desai is an author for me or not.
Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has played it safe, refusing to set foot outside the state of Tennessee. Her wild-child younger sister, Sadie, has trotted the globe as a photographer, living off of art and adrenaline.
When Sadie returns from a tough assignment abroad and looks a little worse for wear, Marin reluctantly agrees to a sisters’ spa weekend on the tropical island of Saba. But her lifelong fear of travel is affirmed when Sadie misses the flight, Marin’s luggage gets mixed up with another passenger’s, and an episode of turbulence sends her hurtling into the lap of Lucas Tsai, the handsome stranger who stole her sister’s seat.
For the first time in a long time, Marin has to step outside of her comfort zone as she explores the island with Lucas and learns what she’s been missing out on. With each breathtaking new experience, Marin gets closer to her real self, the man she’s falling for, and the heart-wrenching truth about why she’s there in the first place.
I always enjoy books about characters stepping out of their conform zone and going on adventures, so I’m excited about this one. Also, the sypnosis sounds like the perfect set up for a rom-com and I’m here for it.
After a public meltdown over her breakup from her cheating musician boyfriend, Cherisse swore off guys in the music industry, and dating in general for a while, preferring to focus on growing her pastry chef business.
When Cherisse’s younger sister reveals she’s getting married in a few months, Cherisse hopes that will distract her mother enough to quit harassing her about finding a guy, settling down and having kids. But her mother’s matchmaking keeps intensifying.
Cherisse tries to humour her mother, hoping if she feigns interest in the eligible bachelors she keeps tossing her way, she’ll be off the hook, but things don’t quite go as planned. Turns out for the first time in ages, she and Keiran King, the most annoying man ever, are on the island at the same time. Avoiding him is impossible, especially when Keiran’s close friend is the one marrying her sister, and he’s the best man to her maid of honour.
Keiran doesn’t know what to make of Cherisse now. They’ve always butted heads. To him she’s always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even while he secretly harbored a crush on her. Now with Cherisse’s sister marrying one of his good friends he can’t escape her as the wedding activities keep throwing them together.
When things turn heated after a rainy night of bedroom fun, they both have to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster.
First of all, what a beautiful cover!!! This book is set in Trinidad and Tobago, which is so cool, I have never read a book set there and I’m excited to read the first one, especially because I am from Colombia, which means I live so close to Trinidad and Tobago.
What March 2021 romance releases are you excited for? Are you looking forward to any of the books I mentioned?
Hi everyone! Yesterday, I shared my favorite YA books of 2020 and now it’s time to talk about my favorite romances. I decided to have a separate list for romance because it’s my most read genre, I read 84 romance books in 2020 out of 198 books that I have read so far this year, which means about 42% of books I read were romance.
I only chose one book per author, which was really hard, and I changed the order of these books a thousand times, so just know that I recommend all of them very strongly. Without further ado, here are my top romance books of 2020 organized from my “least” favorite to my favorite:
This book includes both fake dating and opposites attract, which are two of my favorite tropes. The main characters are both so different, Ellie is a very messy dreamer and Darcy is very serious and organized, but each of them is great in their own way and they complement each other so well, they have so much chemistry and they are sweet together. I loved the complicated family dynamics in the book and seeing Elle stick up for herself at the end was amazing. I think the astrology aspect of this book adds a cool and unique element to the story and I really enjoyed it.
I loved the dynamic between the main characters in this book, the heroine is the grumpy one and the hero is soft and nice. They have so much chemistry and the sex scenes are really steamy. My two favorite things about this book are the hero, who is caring, patient, and understanding, he takes the time to get involved with the heroine’s interests, he cooks for her and he looks after not only the heroine but his friends as well. The other thing I really loved was seeing the character development of the heroine, seeing her confront her fears and stand up for herself at the end was wonderful. I also loved that this book is very diverse, the heroine is Black and Autistic and the representation is Own Voices for both of those things.
This book revolves around a marriage of convenience, which is a trope I really enjoy. The hero is a bisexual fat Scotsman and the heroine is a bisexual Black woman. They are both adorable. Xeni has a tendency of blurting out everything she likes about Mason when he’s around her and Mason is so understanding and caring with Xeni. Their relationship is so well developed throughout the book, they meet and there’s an instant attraction between them but it doesn’t become insta-love. They have so much chemistry and they open up to each other and are vulnerable with each other in a way that was very sweet to read about. Also, this book is really steamy.
It’s so rare for me to like both of the main characters in a book equally, but Jasmine and Ashton are both amazing. Jasmine is ambitious, kind, and charismatic, but she is afraid of being alone and she has a track record of dating men who don’t treat her well. Ashton is kind of awkward and shy and he deals with a lot of anxiety, but he’s also adorable and sweet. Their romance is fantastic because they have so much chemistry, but they also have a really strong emotional connection. I appreciated that the conflict in this story feels realistic because it is easy to understand where both characters are coming from. Also,Jasmine and Ashton’s work is a big part of the story, there’s a lot of behind the scenes from the show they are filming and it adds a cool element to the story.
This is a hate to love, slow-burn romance with so much banter. The main character Liya doesn’t make the best first impression not to the love interest Jay and not to the reader, but after a while, it’s easy to see beyond that first impression to how amazing she is. Liya is so strong, smart, and independent, and Jay is so patient and kind. They are both Indo-American and the representation is Own Voices. I think the reason I love this book so much is that it elicits all kinds of emotions, some characters are easy to hate, there are gossiping, cruel people that are so frustrating, Jay is swoon-worthy and Liya’s past awakens so much sympathy. This book gives all the feels.
This is a fantastic hate to love romance that has so many hilarious scenes. Honestly, I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. This book does an amazing job showing how the relationship between the main characters slowly evolves and changes from hate to friendship to love. Sabrina and Nick are adorable together and the best part about this book is that they both act like adults, who TALK to their significant other, don’t assume the worst, and actually trust each other. There is no miscommunication in this book and Lucy Parker steps away from the “romance formula” in the third act of the book, both of those things made this book feel very refreshing.
I really love both of the main characters in this book, but especially Hattie. She is witty, she is charming, she is smart and her fight to be in control of her own life is so impressive and captivating. Whit is great too, he is quiet, caring and smart, and the two of them together are perfection. Their bantering and flirting are so entertaining, they have so much chemistry and Sarah MacLean does a great job of building the tension between them in a way that it’s enthralling. Also, this book is the steamiest historical romance that I have read so far.
1. Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese
The main characters in this book have a frenemies to lovers, slow burn, angsty and emotional romance. The pranks, the bickering, the fighting, the trust, how caring they are, made their relationship fascinating. This book is so emotional since both of the main characters are dealing with difficult situations; the heroine’s mom is gravely ill and the hero is dealing with the lasting consequences of an illness that left him with a disability and that changed his life completely. Those storylines gave so much depth to the story and made this book even more captivating, they even ended up making me cry, which rarely happens. Also, I loved the secondary characters so much, especially Ryder’s family, that I read the next two books about his siblings, loved them both and this series has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.
What are your favorite romance books that you read in 2020?
Hi everyone! Today, I want to talk about rereads. I don’t reread books, I used to reread two series (one is fantasy and one is romance) because they were my favorite series, but the authors of both of them disappointed me recently, so I’m not rereading those series anymore and the only other book I have ever reread is The Alchemist because I read it and then I had to read it again for school.
I realized this year after a discussion with my friends that the reason why I haven’t been rereading books (or rewatching movies or tv shows for that matter) is messed up. In my mind, there are so many books I haven’t read yet and that I want to read, that I have this feeling that re-reading was a waste of time and that I wasn’t being “productive” enough. I read as a hobby, I read because it makes me happy and it gives me comfort, but my way of thinking has been permeated by this capitalist idea that even our hobbies have to be productive and that we have to use time efficiently even when we are doing things for fun.
After I made this connection of why I don’t re-read books, I immediately recognized that I need to change the way I have been thinking about it. I want to reclaim my free time and stop unconsciously accepting and reproducing this capitalist’s view of time. Which is why I started to write down a list of books that I want to re-read and it was so hard to come up with books because my mind keeps telling me ¿do you really need to re-read this book? ¿would your time be better spent reading books you haven’t read before?
But I’m not going to listen to that little nagging voice, I’m going to try to leave that mindset in the past and I’m going to re-read some books in 2021:
Bergman Brothers Series by Chloe Liese: This is a series I started to read in June 2020 and it has quickly become one of my favorite romance series, I think Only When It’s Us is going to be my favorite romance of 2020, so I really want to experience these stories again.
Beard Science by Penny Reid: There’s a spin-off series with the main characters of this book and I read the first book when it came out a couple of months ago and while I enjoyed it, I think I’ll enjoy the new series more if I re-read this book before continuing with the other books. This may become a reread of the entire Winston Brothers Series, but I’m not sure yet.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown + Take a Hint, Dani Brown + A Girl Like Her + Wanna Bet? by Talia Hibbert: Right now, Talia Hibbert is my favorite romance author and since I’m writing my favorite romance books of all time, I need to chose which one is my favorite because I’m going to have a one book per author rule. That’s why I want to reread all my favorite books by her.
Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility & Persuasion by Jane Austen: I love Jane Austen and I have read most of her books. I have also read so many retelling of her books and I have watched so many adaptations, and I think tiny part of the reason why is because I wanted to experience these stories again but I didn’t let myself reread the original books. I think it’s finally time to enjoy these stories again and I’m hoping I’ll love them even more now that 7 years have passed.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: I read these books in 2014, 2016 and 2017 respectively, and I always meant to continue with the series but I never did and then a lot of time passed and I knew that if I wanted to continue with them, I had to reread these books and I kept putting it off, but it’s finally the time to reread them and continue with the series.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: I always think of this book as one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time, but while I remember loving it, the truth is that I don’t remember that much about the story, so I want to refresh my memory.
Do you reread books? Is there a book or books that you reread over and over again?
Hi everyone! For blogmas day 3, I’m sharing my November wrap up. I read a lot of books in November, so I’ll keep this introduction short. As usual, in my wrap ups, I rank all the books I read in a month from least favorite to favorite. Without further ado, here are all the books I read:
MY LEAST FAVORITE BOOK
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (3 stars): I don’t know how to feel about this story. It was not what I was expecting at all and I think I would have liked the story I was expecting more than the story this book actually tells. It did some things I hated and it did some things I liked.
THE OK ONE
American Christmas by Adriana Herrera (3,5 stars): This was short, sweet, and heart-warming. I think the plot was interesting but the ending was SO unrealistic and I wish we got to see the characters actually being ok and dealing with things going badly. I do understand that they deserved a happy ending, but at the same time, I can’t say I loved the ending.
THE ONES I LIKED
Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert (3,7 stars): This was short and sweet. Talia Hibbert did an amazing job handling mutual pinning in a short novella. I liked the main characters and their friends to lovers romance.
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (3,7 stars): I mainly enjoyed this book because Murphy has a big role in it, I really like her friendship with Harry. I like that we got to know more about Thomas, and I also appreciate that we learned more about the different types of vampires. The case in this book isn’t the most interesting, but it is ok.
Death Masks by Jim Butcher (3,7 stars): The beginning is slow and it drags a bit. The books in this series are starting to feel a little formulaic to me. Nonetheless, I ended up really enjoying the second half of the book, the villain this time around is interesting and I always enjoy seeing the recurring side characters.
Burn for me by Ilona Andrews (3,7 stars): I really enjoyed this, but I was expecting more. I like the main characters and their dynamic. But I’m hoping that the plot, world-building and the main character’s powers get more complex and interesting as the series progresses.
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams (3,7 stars): I really liked the friends to lovers romance in this book and the main characters. But I had issues with the romance not feeling- at some points- like the main focus of the book.
THE ONES I REALLY LIKED
Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera (4 stars): The writing in this book is very captivating, I liked the main characters, I think this does a great job of discussing depression and PTSD, but my favorite part of this book is that it’s a love letter to Puerto Rico and that aspect of it made me so emotional.
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (4 stars): I really liked the main character, Camila, the fact that this includes female Fútbol and it’s set in Argentina, the discussions about feminism and femicide, the evolution of Camila’s relationship with her mom, I even liked the romance.
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (4 stars): I really like the way Tessa Dare writes historical romances. I like the characters in this book, especially Emma, I like the whole grumpy/sunshine dynamic between the main characters, and I especially like how steamy this is.
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev (4 stars): I really like Sonali Dev’s writing, I like the main characters and the romance in this book. But my favorite part is the complicated family dynamics, the presence of all relatives in this book adds a lot to the story.
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (4 stars): This book has an interesting but devastating concept and characters that you root for. The last half of this book kept me at the edge of my seat and there was a point while reading when I couldn’t help but think “WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO THEM?!” There were a couple of things that happened towards the end that weren’t that realistic, but I didn’t mind too much.
Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (4 stars): The world-building and magic system are amazing, I LOVE the family dynamics and all the side characters, I really like Catalina and I liked Alessandro more than in the first book. I also really liked their relationship, the romance in this book can be a bit cheesy and over the top, but it wasn’t that bad and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story.
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski (4 stars): I like the characters in this series so much and I love seeing more of them and getting to know them better through these stories. The complicated relationships between them are so entertaining.
4.The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (4 stars): This book is brilliant. I’m not the biggest fan of Military fantasy, but this series does it so well that I’m still really engaged with the story. I LOVE the main group of characters so much and I appreciate the way this book discusses colorism, colonialism, and the role of religion within colonialism.
3. Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean (4 stars): I really loved both of the main characters, but especially Hattie. Her fight to be in control of her own life was wonderful. She was witty, she was charming, she was smart. I LOVED Hattie. And her bantering and flirting with Whit was fantastic. I loved Whit too and the two of them together were perfection.
MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE MONTH
2. The Stange Case of the Alchemist Daughter by Theodora Goss (4,5 stars): I love the characters, monstrous girls are my favorite thing in the world, I love their relationship with each other and the found family aspect of the book, I found the premise and the mystery really interesting, I love the funny and unique structure in which this book is told, I love that it includes characters out of classical stories, basically I love everything about this.
1.Cementery Boys by Aiden Thomas (4,5 stars): This book is SO GOOD! My favorite thing about this book is the main characters. I love Yadriel and Julian so much. Julian is like a puppy and I LOVE HIM. And the romance between Yadriel and Julian warms my heart and makes me so happy.
Was november a good reading month for you? What were your favorite and least favorite books of the month?
Bookish Wanderess 