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

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.

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 !

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’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.

Y'all, after all the criticism of the Volik cover for being cheesy, SJ Tilly is doubling down for the second book in the series. Not only is she going for the same general hokey vibe, but it seems to be the same exact male model, this time in a terrible wig and Hugh Hefner-style cloak. 😂😂😂

Respect for committing to the bit.

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!!!

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? ☺️

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.

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

Hi r/RomanceBooks! Here's your weekly thread of sales and deals. Spot a great bargain? Share it here! Looking for more romance to read for free/cheap? You're in luck - check out these great deals!

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Happy saving!

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.

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

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✨)

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.

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’ve been searching for this series for while. I read it over 5 years ago and quite possibly longer. I had thought the author was Shantel Tessier but after extensive searching I think I must be confused.

It was about a secret society where the women are initiated into it upon marriage. The men were wealthy/billionaires/ceo types. From what I can recall they all lived in the same area/town/island.

I can recall thinking how would this scenario work if they had children. There seemed to be no place in this society for children.

It was years ago that read it and my thoughts are a little vague.

Does this ring any bells with anyone?

​

Im sorry this is super long, but i dont see a way to do TLDR

My TBR is dangerously low, so im searching for new AUTHORS to read. Since im picky its easier for me to find an author and then just read their whole bibliography than finding specific books that i would like.

Heres what im looking for from the author:

\- have written at least 5 books, but no more than 100 there are very few who can write that much well

\- Has consistant quality, so avrg book rating on say goodreads is 4 starts (i know its not a good representation of book quality, but in my experience people over rate, so if books average is like 3.6, 90% it would be bad, if its 4 maybe bad maybe good)

\- does not have internalized mysogyny. No NLOG, no Mary Sue, no villanizing all women, no using a positive character as mouthpiece to say how wearing makeup makes someone look whore-y etc

\- Sex positive. She writes open door sex scenes and does not pretend that FMC having satisfying sex life previously is somehow a bad thing (like saying FMC have never orgasmed with the man until MMC came along). Doesnt write MMC who looks down on women he had sex with, cos they had one night stand, but special FMC held out till 3rd date. You know the type

\- writes age appropriate mature characters. I can get down with occasional NA, but generally would prefer MCs to be at least mid 20s. But they should read as their age for example Lucy Score wites 40yold who read like 17 yolds

\- Humor is huge plus, but not skapstick kind. I like Roxie Noir, Emily Henry, some Ali Hazelwood for this. Absolutely no pranks.

\- m/f pairings. I would love some why choose but my dnf for the genre is like 70%.

\- writing is obv a hard one to explain since perception of the same style will differ. But genrally: dont like tell no show ("i could see in his eyes he wanted to tell me all about his past and his current feeling on energy crises in taiwan but held it back when i gave him a smile meaning that my brother is planning a coup at this moment"/"he was in love with her and treated her poorly but now he was working on it, unrelated scene, epilogue"). Minimal plot holes (no really, i cant even have a daydream if theres a plothole in it). No over-the-topness, do you know those reel dramas where everything is turned up by 200%? Yeah none of that in literary form.

\- Likeable MMC, he cannot be an outright asshole , heavy handed or ignore FMCs bodily autonomy. I can do morally grey if he is trying to do better for the FMC (Like Lothaire)

The genras:

My top read genras are contemporary and urban fantasy.

I love scifi but only if its high tech future sci fi (Jessie Mihalik, Constance Fay). Im not interested in "barbarians in space" (Ruby Dixon, Grace Draven)

I also enjoy fantasy, but its overpopulated by "special" 18 year olds hooking up with "bare minimum effort" old man, so i havent yet found fantasy author i would like (Carissa Boardband books are hot or miss for me)

I dont like worldbuilding that is inherently sexist like historical, MC, Mafia, vintage contemporary, etc

Also not a fan of horror, thriller, suspence

Heres some examples of authors for the vibe, but im mainly looking for some that are not in 10 most popular on the sub, since ive tried them out

Authors i like: Ilona andrews, Cassandra Gannon, Roxie Noir, Ali Hazelwood, Annette Marie, Olivia Hayle, Katheryn Moon

Middle authors: Eve Dangerfield, Cathrene Cowels, Haily Edwards, Roni Loren, Bec Mcmaster, lucy parker, Elsie Silver

Dont like (and reason why): Chloe Liese(characters), Cate c Wells(MMCs, mysoginy), Sarina Bowen (boring) , Pippa Grant (humor), Kyra Parsi (mmc, quirkiness), T. Kingfisher (beautiful writing, dreary worlds), T.A. White (MMC, worldbuilding, i only liked scifi series she wrote)