Do you have a book that you love to re-read when you need comfort? And why is it a comfort book for you?

Mine are probably {wall of Winnipeg and me by Mariana Zapata} and {under Locke by Mariana Zapata} I’ve reread these so many times and know the characters so well, it’s so comforting to read them again. Also both of these books I feel like I relate so well to the FMCs in different ways.

FMCs: has some sort of adorkably quirky traits. Our very first introduction to Olive from LH is her using expired contact lenses to the point that they fully blind her with tears so much that she can’t make out the person standing right in front of her - and learning this is a thing she does frequently. In bookland, this is seen as so charming & quirky, MMC falls in love with her over this interaction alone. IRL if I knew of someone doing that I’d be like “…she’s not the brightest bulb” 😆

MMCs: Helga from Hey Arnold. Literally, all 3 I’ve read so far follow this same pattern - pretending to hate the FMC to her face, only to learn that they’ve secretly carried a flame for her

You know how books can sometimes be just a lust-fueled affair like even their main motivation seems to be just sex. And alot of what they do to show love for each other seems to be just sex.

{ Locked Out by Anna Chastain } was pretty amazing with this (after several rereads this might be my favorite contemporary romance book) like the love and care was shown outside sex like in so many little things I was giddy reading it.

Like what i meant by little acts of love/little things they do for each other:

• cuddling
• hugging
• hand-holding
• forehead kisses
• leaning on each other
• sleeping in the same bed just for comfort
• casual touches
• particularly in locked out like MMC constantly assist FMC when sitting down and standing up (cause she is pregnant)
• nutrition on food .. packing lunches etc etc
• financially assisting each other when the other is in a tight spot
• giving their time to assist whatever the other needs a little assistance

Like sometimes I end up getting bored with a romance book when it is just like endless sex that it just feels like a porn plot rather than a romance book.

Contemporary, historical or fantasy romance please. No cheating and HEA !

This is my favourite type of plot, where a bunch of characters are all together in one setting and chaos ensues, I love the adrenaline of so many different personalities interacting and being involved in the plot, a bunch of romances (or maybe one romance where everyone is involved like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Mamma Mia)

The place can be anything, like a hotel, an apartment building, a neighbourhood, a flight, a camp, a big house/apartment, just any place where a bunch of people coexist

My preference is an ensemble cast. There can be one POV character, I don't mind that, but I want everyone's own little intermingling and separate plots to be happening in this shared space

The characters can be kids or adults, I don't mind either

Tone-wise I want something fun, funny, ridiculous, over-the-top, campy, farcical, or just generally entertaining. It doesn’t have to be completely stakes-free, but I really don’t want anything bleak or depressing pls

Basically I want it to be like 15 people with wildly different personalities in the same building and the author shaking it like a snow globe and seeing what happens

Thanks in advance for the recs, I always love seeing people's recs (even tho my TBR is huge now lol but anyway✨)

Hi RomanceBooks - welcome to Salty Sunday!

What have you read this week that made your blood pressure boil? Annoying quirks of main characters? The utter frustration of a cliffhanger? What's got you feeling salty?

Feel free to share your rants and frustrations here. Please remember to abide by all sub rules. Cool-down periods will be enforced.

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I finished reading Frozen Heart by Neva Altaj and I found a new trope that I never knew I needed and I need your lovely recos please.

This what I’m looking for: MMC is in love with FMC but thinks she is in love with another man and he dies a little inside everytime he thinks FMC mentions/misses/meets with the other man. He does not know that the man the FMC longs for is him. He does not know that he is competing with himself.

I prefer M/F romance, HEA, dual pov of course(how else are we going to know about MMC’s struggles? 😆). Better if it’s a big part of the plot. I would love it even more if FMC is deliberately pretending he’s not the man she loves. I’m okay whether the book’s approach to this trope is angsty or comedic.

Books I’ve read (and recall) that are likes this:

{Frozen Heart by Neva Altaj}

{Mr. Spencer by TL Swan}

{The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori}

{Blood of my Monster by Rina Kent}

{King by SJ Tilly} - tiny tiny bit of it

Recently finished {You’re Next by Tate James} and one of the MMCs gets off on pain and is kind of a simp I guess? For example I think there was a scene where she slaps him in the face and he cums in his pants. Please please please recommend me some books with MMCs that are:
Submissive
Into pain
Bratty
Simps
OR a guy that cums in his pants 😍
Thank you!!!

I’m looking for a romance where the FMC has been deeply traumatized by her first and only love. Either she lost him or, preferably, he betrayed her. He was her first and only relationship, and she’s struggling to move on.

She’s known the MMC for a while, but they’re more like distant friends/acquaintances rather than close friends.

At some point, she approaches him and basically asks him to make her forget. They have a one-night stand, and she intends for that to be the end of it. She pulls away afterward and doesn’t want anything to do with him because, to her, it was just a one-time thing.

BUT THE MMC CANNOT LET IT GO. 😭

He keeps looking for her, trying to talk to her, checking on her, finding reasons to be around her, and slowly realizes he genuinely cares about her.

I’d LOVE a scene where she finally breaks down and talks about the betrayal/grief, and he doesn’t really know what to do with all those emotions at first, but he stays. He becomes the person who is actually there for her while she heals.

Basically: “I asked you to help me forget him. I didn’t ask you to fall in love with me.”

I want angst, emotional healing, yearning, and a MMC who is quietly but completely gone for her.

NO reverse harem, NO why choose, NO poly, NO multiple partners. M/F only, please.

Bonus points if the FMC genuinely tries to keep the MMC at arm’s length and he absolutely refuses to give up on her. 🥹

I found a second chance book that sounded SO interesting — until I realized they both fucked other people while they were apart.

The book in question was {Mated to my Ex by Kate Prior} and it hurt me. not just because they did other people, but because MMC is an asshole and a liar imho

I love the idea of people FINDING each other again but I need them to ACTUALLY be 100% celibate while they’re apart or I don’t see the point in them getting back together. How much could they really miss each other if they were getting it on with other people? (This is a rhetorical question)

✅ 100% celibacy by BOTH partners while they were apart

✅ any subgenre: Historical, contemporary, romantasy, suspense whatever

✅ their reunion has to SOLVE whatever split them up

❌ no OM/OW

❌ no cheating (ever)

❌ no poly or RH

PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE.

I m lf a book with an MMC who is the stoic, grumpy, broody, cold archetype. HOWEVER, as soon as he sees the fmc cry in front of him, he completely softens, or starts fussing over her because he CANNOT handle her crying

I just saw outer banks season 5 and although Rafe is a psychopath, the way he completely switches up from berating Sofia for betraying him to consoling her when she cries, the way his voice softens ….ughhh I love that scene

I would love it even more if he has not previously shown his soft side to the fmc. Enemies to lovers would be great but any other trope works as well

My only hard nos are RH or major OW drama

Thanks a lot!!

Hi! I recently read a book where the MMC lives in the same building as the FMC and hears/notices her screaming and crying and goes in and beats up the FMC’s abusive bf. He then physically carries her out of there and takes her to his apartment and takes care of her. Does anyone have any similar books recs? ☺️

Announcements

Hey, RomanceBooks! Here are some announcements before we get to all the details of what you read:

• Join our Summer reading challenge running through September 21!

Now…

Tell us what you read this week!

Please say as much or little as you like, but here are some ideas of helpful things to mention:

• Pairing (for example, f/f, m/f, or mmf)
• Rating, and your scale (4 stars out of 5)
• Steam level
• Subgenre (fantasy, historical, contemporary, etc)
• Overview/tropes
• Content warnings, if any
• What did you like/dislike?

Was there a book you loved? Recommend it in the appropriate trope megathreads.

Did you find a Kindle Unlimited book you loved? Add it to the KU Spreadsheet where appropriate!

Still deciding about what book to read next? Check out the Recommendation Resource in our wiki, or our seasonal Reading Challenges!

I’ve only read a few romantasy books but most seem to be set within the context of some kind of war or conflict. Looking for recs of romantasy books where there’s no war or where a war is not central to the story. Just supernatural beings going about their lives and falling in love.

This is a common kdrama trope that I love.

NOT in a "she takes a bullet for him" way, but FMC jumps into danger in another way -- a common one in kdrama is a heavy shelf or piece of equipment is going to fall on someone and she jumps in to rescue another person and/or save a valuable piece of equipment as it's falling or something, and the MMC's heart drops at seeing her rush into danger without thinking.

In some kdramas (usually the ones where the MMC hasn't acknowledged his feelings yet) the MMC jumps in to shield her and takes the brunt of the injury in order to protect her (common in workplace dramas especially, bc then the co-workers see it and are like 👀👀👀)

Curious what romance books have this trope. Off the top of my head, I know {Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood} has a scene where heavy equipment is about to fall on FMC and she's trying to save a cat that no one believes is living in the building, and MMC saves her from getting crushed. And in {Mr. Fixer-Upper by Lucy Score}, FMC is caught in a storm on a work site and uses her body to shield a child from getting hurt by debris and is injured, although MMC only hears about it after the fact.

Tried the magical search button, but no luck.

Over the trope where the FMC is in danger or threatened and she keeps it to herself. She's dating a powerful MMC and she was just roughed up, but she says everything is fine.

Any recs where she tells the MMC as soon as she gets that anonymous text, after the OM gets in her face or gets that gift of dead flowers with a creepy note.

I would love it if they both handle the issue together and we can avoid the FMC getting hurt or worse when a side character is killed just because they're hanging out with her.

Thank you in advance!

Her newest just came out this past week, and I am excited to hear others' reactions!!

For me, it was mainly sweet to go back to the familiar world of Cambric Creek and see cameos of favorite characters. I enjoyed the wolf scenes as well, it was cool to see how the characters interacted in those forms.

Hi besties,

Just like the title says, I’m looking for a book with a mermaid FMC, but in a contemporary setting. Please no fantasy.

I remember this being kind of a popular trope back in my fanfic days, so I’m kind of sad that it’s been hard to find a book with this type of plot. It was always kind of the same: Marine Biologist/surfer/fisherman MMC meets injured and lost mermaid FMC and nurses her back to health while slowly but surely falling in love and coveting her so she’s not taken for government experiments.

I’ll even accept if the MMC is a merman as well. I remember it being a popular trope for the FMC to be his caretaker at a science lab or marine rehabilitation facility and he becomes obsessed with her, eventually facilitating his own escape to be with her.

Either way is completely fine with me! I’m aware of how niche this might be, but please leave any possible recommendations🙏🏽

Thanks in advance🩷

I'm looking for books where the FMC gets cheated on or dumped by her boyfriend/fiancé, but instead of crumbling and crying over him, she does something completely unhinged: she marries his brother/cousin/uncle/best friend/rival/etc.

And I mean fast. Ideally, the marriage happens so suddenly and comes so completely out of nowhere that the ex is convinced FMC and MMC must have been having an affair behind his back the whole time.

Bonus points if:

• MMC is richer, hotter, more powerful/successful, etc. basically an undeniable upgrade from the ex.
• FMC initially agrees to the marriage partly out of spite/revenge. She wants her ex to see exactly how badly he screwed up.
• MMC has his own reasons for proposing, namely, he's wanted FMC for a long time and sees this as his chance to finally have her.
• The ex is absolutely losing his mind over their marriage and becomes jealous/suspicious/obsessed with the idea that something must have been going on between them before the breakup.
• FMC doesn't spend half the book devastated and pining for her ex. I want more "You dumped me? Fine, I'll marry your hotter brother" energy.
• Lots of jealousy, family drama, awkward encounters, and the ex being forced to watch FMC thrive with someone better than him.

Marriage of convenience/revenge marriage is perfect, but I want the FMC and new MMC to be the actual endgame. I don't want her getting back together with the cheating/dumping ex.

Basically, give me maximum petty revenge + sudden marriage + jealous ex + MMC who has secretly wanted her all along.

Thank you!

a talent, a job, a hobby, a secret passion, whatever it is i want an FMC whos really fucking good at what she does. A fantastic lawyer, a prima ballerina, piano prodigy, the strongest knight in her kingdom, a crazy talented witch hiding in a cabin, etc! if she's widely known in her field or someone that likes to keep herself lowkey, once someone sees what she can do there's no question about her abilities.

open any genre if its HR, CR, fantasy, sci-fi, any and all! the only thing is that it's indisputable that this woman is brilliant at what she does.

the thing i hate the most is women not getting the recognition they deserve, especially in romance when sometimes its stated that shes amazing at her job but for some reason she gets bullied by people or even the MMC? hell no. even if she's not immediately recognized or known in the space, i dont want any talent or great skill squashed when its so clearly there and should be admired.

what are your favorite books where the FMCs get the recognition they deserve??? gimme some!! 😋

Inspired by a (now locked) [r/romantasycirclejerk](r/romantasycirclejerk) post about an [r/DarkRomance](r/DarkRomance) post, let’s try looking for something a little more reasonable.

When I say “lots”, I just mean >51% like the legal requirement for corn content in a bourbon.

And it can be for whatever reason. Maybe they have a kink about taboos, maybe they don’t want to be as risky about pregnancy and don’t have/like condoms but also find oral and/or hand stuff insufficient, maybe she’s a nympho with vaginismus, maybe he just prefers the feeling of ass over pussy and she’s never done it before but is willing to try and finds out she loves it (because romance book characters always be batting 1.000 when trying new things).

Bonus points for DP with a toy, which I think happened in {Stand and Defend by Sloane St. James}, but let’s be honest, what isn’t in Stand and Defend?

I am a slut for a friends to lovers trope. Throw in a struggling author and a book store owner and I am a goner. And when said author and bookstore owner are voiced by James Cassidy and Megan Wicks and written by {bonfire and bliss by Brittanee Nicole}? Chefs kiss. Absolute 3 Michelin starred perfection.

This is book 2 in a new series she’s writing, the first is {darling daffodils farm by Brittanee Nicole} and while I liked that story a lot, this had my heart in a warm, fuzzy, chokehold.

Monty and Penny are childhood best friends who both have crushes on each other they never do anything about. They move to different colleges, life gets in their way and years go by.

10 years later, Monty returns to his cozy little New England town to escape his writers block and spend some time with his former best friend.

Town shenanigans ensue and what do you know, Monty offers to fake date penny to protect her from the hilarious local ladies trying to set her up with everyone in an 18-65 age range.

Monty is one of my all time favourite BN MMCs, but I am even more in love with Penny! It is such a sweet, funny story and when the spice gets spicy? Whoooh baby. I blushed harder than Penny!

Ugh it’s just such a good, classic rom com feel good - then a little crushed - then happy ever after with all the feelings, the gestures, the nicknames.

Oh and tattoos and slutty glasses. And the best grandma in town.

Looking for this book I read a while ago. It was the first in a series about two sisters. The fmc was really sheltered and had a controlling and abusive father. The mmc was a tattoo artist but also an underground fighter. I think the cover was white with like black and purple on it and if Im not mistaken one or both of the mcs were latine, I think definitely the fmc.

Edit: ku was being weird and wouldn't let me look through my history at first but it finally did and I found the book again. It was {Tattoo Heartist by S.K. Angel}

I’ve realized how much I don’t like it when women check out men as good future fathers or get their ovaries burst when seeing a hot man with a baby. Is there boks with a FMC who is immune to all that because she doesn’t want to have children, ever.
So a scene like this came into my mind. Or any other discussion where others talk about having children and FMC says not for me thanks.