Hello Romance Reading Friends! How have you been?

I have been using Library Thing to track my reading, but haven't been in this group for a long time. As I'm sure it has been for you, 2020 was a long year for me in more ways than the obvious. I just wanted to say hi and see who still checks in here once in a while. Maybe we can get back to talking about books and reading and romance again.
Melanie

>1 sdbookhound: Hi! I haven't been nearly as active on LT this year as I have been in previous years. And I'm finding it a little harder to stay interested in my reading. But that's more to do with changes in my job than anything 2020-related.

I've read a few romances in the past six months. There was a brain candy choice, a Heyer, a cute contemporary, and a so-so historical. Not sure what I'll read next!

Would love to hear what you and others have been reading.

- Hope

Hi everyone! I still pop into this group occassionally, but I haven't read any romances in a long time—I don't have the attention span for it right now. In fact, I gave away boxes of books that were just sitting around collecting dust a few months ago. I hope they are in a good home.

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for awhile now and I did post a lot of romance reviews for the 75 books challenge in that group awhile back. I mostly read romance when I do books for pleasure reading but I am often swamped with nonfic for school/work. I really prefer the old Mills & Boon but in rereading some of them lately I realise they often don't age well... but I'm always open to recs for a good book to escape into before bed. :D

Hope - Glad to see you. Sorry to hear your job has been stressful. I hope that straightens out and you start to enjoy reading again. I too went through a non-reading period last year. Mine was also personal/family related. I like the term "brain candy" I read quite a few of those too. Keeps me reading and distracted.

Starlight - Glad to see you. Are you reading other things than romance, or just not really reading? I get it. I'm glad you are checking in.

Genesis - Nice to meet you. What are Mills & Boon? I too like to read before bed. Have had a lot of insomnia in the last year.

As for what I've been reading: So far a few favorites for 2021 How to Fail at Flirting, I Will Always Write Back (not a romance but consider the audio book as it was super), Love at First, Maybe One Day

I have not really jumped on the historical romance bandwagon. I like a few, but haven't really read very many in the last while. I am also trying to get into audiobooks so that I can listen when I'm doing other things around the house. I find I have to really like the voices to even begin to listen.

Well, that's all from me to end February.

Melanie

Mills & Boon were the lead publishing company for romance in the UK before they were purchased by Harlequin. A lot of their books can now be found under Harlequin Treasury titles. Betty Neels was a good, clean author who did over 100 books for them that I like.

It's been awhile! Most of the novels I've read this past year feature elements of romance in the story.

I love seeing a little activity in this group!

Things are looking up for me - I'm retiring at the end of this school year! My husband has been retired for 5 years; his retirement plan was to fish, which he does on a regular basis. Guess that means my retirement plan is to read!

>3 starlightgenie: I set several books free a year ago or so. I gave them to a local service group which sells at various events held in town. I'm kind of afraid that I won't recognize them and will buy half of them back!

>4 genesisdiem: I hear you about the books not aging well. I've got a few that I loved "back in the day" - for me, probably the '80's and '90's - and when I've tried to reread them . . . I just can't because they did not age well at all.

>5 sdbookhound: I have to have some brain candy! Those are the books that are pure fluff and not a lot of substance. They clear my head and make room for some books that I love!

So has anyone read anything really good - romance or otherwise? Last year, I did not have any five star reads. I don't know if that says more about my attitude, or if I just didn't do a good job picking books.

>6 genesisdiem: Thank you for explaining. No wonder I wasn't familiar with it.

>7 princessgarnet: Welcome Princess Garnet! Nice to meet you. What are some of your favorites in the last year?

>8 Hope_H: Yay! on your retirement Hope. Are you a teacher? I used to teach but stopped when I got married to join my husband's family business. I couldn't go back. We are trying to semi-retire but I found out that means we are busier than we were before.

2020 Reading - Here are a few. I discovered Kayley Wood who also writes under the name K. L. Bryce They are younger on the edge of New Adult characters, but I enjoyed them a lot. I'm waiting to see what she comes up with next because she finished her two series.

Non-Romance If you have never tried Allen Eskens I really love his books. He is a Minnesota author. Start with The Life We Bury. It is not a difficult read. The main character is a college student who takes on a project where he is interviewing a man who doesn't have long to live and has also been in prison for murder. He tries to find out who really committed the murder. There is also a fun relationship with the girl next door who wants to help as well as family drama that makes the story interesting.

Happy Reading Everyone!

sdbookhound - Oh yes I forgot to add I'm reading manga (Japanese comics) ebooks from the library, the ones that are heavily based on romance. ;)

genesisdiem I love collecting old M&B/Harlequins, but it's been a few years since I've read one. There's a lot of hit or misses, but it feels so good to find a 5-star read.

Hope_H this is my fear as well. Have to check my Librarything catalog often when I shop for books!

princessgarnet hello! :-D

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Green is my favorite color!

All of a sudden I have a bunch of ARCs to read. I started NetGalley last year and have a few from there and I also got some recently through Bookish First as well as a few from Library Thing Early Reviewers. I had better get reading. Most of the time I like them, but sometimes not. Those are the hard ones to review.

Melanie

I have just added a few "on sale" Amazon books (mostly .99) to my ereader. They're usually updated monthly and are a good mix of genres. I find that sometimes it's a start to a good new series but often I get what I pay for...

This haul had RaeAnne Thayne, Carla Neggers, Jennifer Probst, Jessica Hart, Dee, Henderson, Zane Grey (more Western than Romance to me), Sarah Wilson, Jessica Steele, Carol Higgins Clark.

I did get the new Cassie Miles, Emma Hart, and Julia Justiss also.

>13 sdbookhound: Maybe we should start a new thread for reviews of what everyone's reading in case anyone needs a rec?

>14 genesisdiem: I pick up quite a few free and discounted books that I see mostly on Book Bub. Sometimes I find a good one. I have a lot that I haven't touched yet, but they are sitting there waiting. I have read a few of those authors and heard of most of them. I hope you find some gems.

There used to be a monthly "What are your reading?" thread. We could do one of those where we leave reviews or recommendations. What does everyone think? I'm willing to put one up every month OR just start one thread for the year. I'm not an admin. just willing to try to keep the discussion going.

I just finished The Invincible Summer by Mariah Stewart which is coming out on May 1st. It is more a women's fiction rather than straight romance, but I really liked it a lot. It is the first book in a new series. The main character is a 58 year old woman who has lost her husband and is drawn back to her hometown after attending her 40th class reunion. Of course there is a second chance romance with her high school boyfriend. There are 2 close friends, 2 daughters to the main character, Maggie that I see as future stories in the series.

Do you enjoy women's fiction that has a little romance, or do you prefer a book that is more romance? What do you think the difference is between women's fiction and romance?

I just finished Beach Read by Emily Henry which was somewhere between romance and women's fiction - I found that I really enjoyed the parts that felt like a rom com and then the book lost me in the last third or so when it dealt more with the heroine's family relationships and grieving before trying to U-turn into a "romance" style ending. Not because both stories weren't good, but because I felt a bit bounced around in tone.

>16 Caramellunacy: I think there are a lot of people who agreed with your opinion of Beach Read. I read it last year and really did love it. I love romance, but I also love some women's fiction. I'm interested to see what I think of her next book.

I just finished an ARC of We are Inevitable by Gayle Forman. It is YA and I really did enjoy it. I'm working on my review and finding it a little more difficult to write than most.

In the meantime I'm listing on Etsy and listening to an audiobook. I have an intro to Audible Plus account right now and I just found Natasha Boyd on there. I had already read Accidental Tryst but thought it would be fun to listen to. I liked the narrators a lot and remembered why I enjoyed the book when I read it a few years ago. Now I'm going to try something else by her.

Have a great week everyone.

I had fun listening to Accidental Tryst so I started listening to her Butler Cove series. It is more new adult than I usually like and quite a bit of angst AND a cliff hanger so I continued on and am now on book 4 of 5. LOL. Sometimes I don't even know why I get sucked in. I also finished one other ARC called Still Crazy by Judy Prescott Marshall. I had mixed feelings about it. I liked things about it and was compelled to keep reading but it had some stuff that had me confused and frustrated too. She has another book coming out in the series so I think I'll try that when it comes out.

Work is getting in the way of recreational reading! I have around 50 pages to finish in a study of the Astor men - When the Astors Owned New York - and the then on to something more fun.

Being too busy to get much reading done hasn't stopped me from buying some new books, though. Lucy Clarke has a new mystery/suspense book out, Victoria Helen Stone has a new one out today, and, during our spring break week, my husband and I went to Galena, and visiting the bookstore, he actually suggested I buy a book. I think he was suffering from temporary amnesia, forgetting the stacks of books on the dining room table and on the bedroom floor. He NEVER suggests buying a book! So I am now the owner of Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead. I'm going to try to get that read once June starts and school is over!

>19 Hope_H: Yay for you! You will be ready when the time comes for fun reading. I've been reading a good amount, but am looking forward to being able to work on flowers outside and other projects I have my eye on for summer. We are trying to be semi-retired so that is my excuse to read more I guess even though I'm not getting other stuff done. I'm also reading to try and distract myself from stressful stuff. Sometimes reading works and sometimes it doesn't. Have a good rest of the week. We hope to visit my mom on Easter Sunday at her assisted living.

Melanie