romance

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Spotlight on Nora Roberts

    By Jessica W. There are few authors in literature who are more prolific than Nora Roberts. With over 200 books to her name in 33 years of writing, she’s the undisputed queen of the contemporary romance novel. While people may want to write her off because she writes romances, the work she’s done in the… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Best Bets for Fall

    By Eric G. Every season is a great season for romance books, but there’s something especially enjoyable about reading them as the leaves change, the days shorten, the temperatures drop and the holidays approach. All that’s missing from the following books is a blanket, a fireplace and a hot beverage – preferably pumpkin-flavored. In Your Dreams… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: LGBTQ

    One of the things you’ll find at our upcoming Banned! Books in Drag event at Neighbours Nightclub on Saturday, 9/27 are lots of LGBTQ booklists. Among them will be lists of gay and lesbian romance. Here are some hot gay and lesbian romances to try: Lickin’ License by Intelligent Allah This urban fiction lesbian story… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: 2014 RITA Award Winners

    By Eric G. It’s that time of year again! The Romance Writers of America (RWA) recently announced the winners of the 2014 RITA Awards, which recognize achievements in romantic fiction. The Sweet Spot by Laura Drake Drake’s novel indeed hit the sweet spot, snagging the Best First Book award. The story focuses on bull rider Jimmy… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Cooking Up Romance

    ~posted by Marlene H. We’ve all heard the saying that food is love. It’s the reason that grandmothers start saying, “Eat, eat” as soon as you walk through the door. Food is also love in romance. Culinary romances are fresh, funny, sexy and sometimes make you very, very hungry. Two of the best known food… Continue reading

  • Adult Summer Reading Challenge: Contemporary Romance

    By Selby G. Set in the here and now, contemporary romance novels deal not only with love but also current social issues. Single motherhood, military members with PTSD and illness feature heavily in these works. Contemporary romance can run the gambit from chaste kisses between potential partners in an idyllic small town to drinking too… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Best Bets for the Beach

    Posted by Eric G. I know what you’re thinking: aren’t most romance books good for the beach? Despite this embarrassment of riches, I handpicked some recent, particularly noteworthy novels to slip into your beach bag. The Beekeeper’s Ball by Susan Wiggs In this sunny sequel to one of my favorite romance books of 2013, The… Continue reading

  • Reading challenge for adults: How many romance genres can you read this summer?

    Posted by Selby G. How many genres of romance novels can you read this summer? Romance novels make up roughly 30 percent of the books sold in the U.S. They range from sweet stories about small town girls finding the perfect cowboy to plaid-clad highlanders seducing innocent heiresses and shape-shifting dragons fighting demons and finding… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Making the Roaring 20s Roar

    ~posted by Marlene H. What made the Roaring 20s roar? Or in the case of romance, maybe that should be RAWR! Thanks to Downton Abbey, there has been a revival of stories set in the 1920s, and wow! Not all stories with romance in them are necessarily romances. But romance certainly adds spice to a… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Spell Books

    Posted by Eric G. There is no shortage of romance books featuring witches, supernatural creatures and magical goings-on. One of the most prominent tales of the past few years is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. For fans of this book, the third and final chapter, The Book of Life, is due in July! I’ve… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Mary Stewart, First Lady of Romantic Suspense

    ~posted by Marlene H. Mary Stewart was arguably one of the pioneers of the genre that we now call romantic suspense. Before her, there was gothic horror, where the heroine inevitably does something stupidly dangerous and waits to be rescued, but that isn’t quite the same thing. And there was contemporary romance, where the entire… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Recent Favorites

    ~posted by Eric G. Every month, librarians across the country contribute to LibraryReads, a site that features top ten lists of new, noteworthy books. These lists cover books across all genres that are often missing from other lists, from self-help books to biographies to romance. Here are some recent romance favorites from our nation’s librarians.… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Angels Among Us

    ~Posted by Marlene H. Everyone falls in love. Even angels. Or at least that’s the way it works in paranormal romance. If demons are the ultimate bad boys (and girls) then angels are almost too good to be capable of falling for a simple mortal. Except that in angel romances, of course they do. Sometimes… Continue reading

  • A Literary Cure for Spring Fever

    Posted by Jen B. and Ann G. Ann suggests: Many of us have a literary character who we long to meet in real life.  Mine has changed over time—my first was Harriet the Spy (I wanted to read her secret notebooks).  In Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman, we hear from the people… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Wedding Season

    ~ posted by Eric G. Both of my siblings are getting hitched in the next year, so I’ve got weddings on my mind! In honor of the start of the busy wedding season, I’ve pulled together a list of mostly new wedding-related romance titles. Mazel tov! It Happened One Wedding by Julie James Julie James’… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Can’t-Miss Contemporary Series

    Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins Higgins is one of my go-to authors for smart and humorous contemporary romance, and I find myself suggesting her books to a wide range of readers. Once you start one of her warm, character-rich stories, you’ll be laughing, crying, cheering and swooning – sometimes on the same page! This… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: the Baddest Bad Boys

    One of the great romantic themes is the redemption romance, or how someone who has been very, very good saves someone who has been very, very bad, all through the power of true love. In Regency romances, this was the “reformation of a rake” story. In paranormal romance, a vampire has been the hero of… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Love and Money

    ~posted by Marlene H. As the saying goes, “the love of money is root of all evil.” But to paraphrase another saying, “everybody needs roots.” Or, to put it the way that a lot of mothers do, “it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich person as a poor one.” We always… Continue reading