Promoting and reviewing romance novels one book at a time
Author: professorromance
I teach students to write for college. I love to read writers who write romance. Why not review and promote the writing of people who love to write romance? Win-win for me
He comes off all sweet and charming, but I bet you he’s the best in bed out of all of them.
A LONG TIME COMING, a brand new, standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn will be releasing on January 10th in all formats! Don’t miss the fantastic cover below and get ready to fall in love with this sexy romance with a witty take on a romantic comedy classic, My Best Friend’s Wedding. Steamy, laugh-out-loud, and full of charm, these two best friends heat up the pages while proving true love might be right in front of you.
Yeah, neither has my best friend’s soon-to-be monster-in-law. Ooo, sorry, I meant mother-in-law. Nor has she heard of the term, what the bride wants, the bride gets.
With wedding planning underway and a short timeline, my best friend, Lia, has recruited me to help her battle the snarly beast that is Mrs. Beaver. Not scared at all, I accept the challenge as her man-in-waiting–aka, man of honor–and take matters into my own hands.
The only problem is, with every second we draw closer to the wedding, I’m starting to see my best girl in a different light.
She’s always been beautiful to me, but now . . . I find myself staring a touch too long. My hand lingering for one more minute. And when she’s upset? Allowing her to sleep in my bed.
And before I know what’s happening, it hits me like a ton of bricks. I’m in love with my best friend. Not just in love, but infatuated.
No one compares to her and nothing seems to distract me from that realization.
Not the girl I try to date while I help plan Lia’s wedding.
Not her angry fiancé who thinks I’m growing too close.
And not the looming deadline of her nuptials.
Which means, there’s only one thing left for me to do. Prove to Lia I’m the one she should be with instead. But with the pressure of her engagement, the stress from her soon-to-be mother-in-law, and the breath-stealing nerves running through me, I’m finding it a lot harder to claim the girl than I would like to admit.
Erin Mallon and JF Harding are narrating in duet this sexy romance, and you won’t want to miss their fantastic performances! Grab your earbuds and get ready to dive into this aural sensation!
A LONG TIME COMING will be released on January 10th in a live release on Audible!
ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.
Aubrey Kendrick has dedicated her life to continuing the family legacy. Her time isn’t just money, it’s millions. A workaholic? Yes. According to her ex, she’s married to her job. Is her personal life dull? Maybe. Is her penthouse rather lonely? There’s no time to answer that question.
Too many men have asked her to sacrifice her success to pacify their fragile egos. She’d rather be single than stifled.
Until Landon McClellan strolls into her office and upends her life. He’s as infuriating as he is handsome. He believes spontaneity keeps life interesting and is only happy if he’s rattled her nerves.
Landon is every distraction she cannot afford. But maybe he’s everything she needs.
Download today on Amazon or read FREE in #kindleunlimited
Devney is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her family. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she’s discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop.
I’ve been sitting on this review for too long. Honestly, I finished Penny Reid’s Drama King in one sitting well before the release date. It’s not hard to do if you’re reading Penny Reid. She creates characters who mirror us, even when they are highly successful action movie stars such as Cyrus or buttoned-up bodyguards like Beth. Reading their journeys on the page feels like our own. I’m certain it’s the reason I love her stories so much.
But, as I was reading Drama King, there were aspects of this story about a movie star, gregarious, affectionate, empathic, and his female bodyguard who is decided, planned, and emphatic which are intentional and intelligent. In fact, if you ever walk away from a Penny Reid novel without the realization of her choices as a writer, then you’ve missed her genius. So bear with me as I use my rusty academic brain to point to Penny Reid’s genius.
First of all, Reid has intention with her storytelling. Every piece of writing has a hook, the means to grab the reader’s attention. I teach academic writing, and my students already know their “go-to” hook. For Reid, it’s a well-placed quote by a “somebody” to draw us in. I think, however, that many of her readers miss the purpose of each chapter’s quote. I’ll admit that I too have glossed over these quotes, a vague understanding that the quote serves a purpose. At face value, it highlights the movements of the plot and characters in the chapter. But this is Penny Reid. She’s a cerebral writer, so there’s more. In most of her books, each chapter has a quote from a different source. For Drama King, the quotes were begotten from one source: Aristophanes. This struck me, and I did a deep dive into an academic source *ahem” Wikipedia. Aristophanes was an ancient Greek comedic writer. He was known as the “Father of Comedy.” This is Reid’s first tell: Drama King is a comedy of the romantic variety. That Aristophanes wrote comedic dramas, we can deduce it parallels Cyrus’s career path. Every actor requires an author, and Aristophanes represents this. Even more, if you do your own research on Reid’s references to his comedies in certain chapters, namely Lysistrata, The Frogs, Peace, etc., you’ll find even deeper parallels between parts of those plays and Reid’s characters’ plotting.
You may ask “why.” In the scope of this review of a romance book, why take the time to research and make these parallels? Why spend time underscoring this aspect of the story? Why not spend your time providing the general plotline of this story, tell you why I enjoyed the characters, and offer up the spice level of the book? Well, because to do so, reduces the decidedness of Penny Reid’s authorship. There are distinct reasons why she places quotes at the start of her chapters. To avoid understanding that, reduces her as an author. Maybe it’s just her hook, and there isn’t anything more to it, but I don’t see it that way.
In a world, where people find every way to demean another person’s choices, as readers, it feels imperative to point to the people doing more for the genre we adore. Romance isn’t just smut; it isn’t just “mommy p*rn.” With an author such as Penny Reid, it’s a reflection of people in society. Aristophanes in ancient Greece was using comedy to point to the people of his society just as Reid is underscoring the people of our society. That’s powerful, especially in a genre such as romance that gets boiled down to $ex. Romance is more because authors such as Penny Reid construct it to be. And don’t get me wrong. I love a good smutty book. It does a body good; authors such as Reid allow us, through the scope of her storytelling, to find our struggles represented in the pages of her books. We feel seen, and that’s all anyone asks for in our world.
Now, my proselytizing done, Cyrus and Beth are pure delights. Why? Because Cyrus is a bright, beaming, touching hero. He exudes sunshine. He has golden retriever energy. He cares for and loves everyone around him. BUT…and that’s key. There’s a reason for it. His sunshine hides a wealth of pain. Similarly, but packaged differently, Beth is a planner. She has grump energy, but really she’s organized, careful, and lives to protect others. While Cyrus seems messy, Beth is pure discipline (much to the chagrin of the readers of Drama King). They are clearly opposites, but their scars are similar. Vulnerability is difficult for both, but they protect against it through different means. They are instantly attracted to each other, but Reid takes the scope of most of this story to bring them together, and the pacing is spot on. I love a good slow-burn, and Drama King does this well, ramping up their chemistry to its zenith.
Drama King is also fun, charming, and heartfelt. It has holiday feels without all of the holiday brou ha ha. I adored every bit of Cyrus and Beth’s story, and this book served as another reminder that Penny Reid is a genius storyteller.
Laney Hatcher’s Second Chance Dance is book 2 from her Bartholomew series, and it holds the most delicious chemistry between the Duchess, Patricia, aka Patty, and Miles Basilton. The story follows a disillusioned and dissolute Patricia, a widow and duchess by marriage. Society, namely the marriageable males, see her as a prize, a transaction, to win without acknowledging her as her own person. Miles has recently returned to London society after six years exiled by his family in France. Both Patty and Miles meet at a ball when Miles, overwhelmed by his return to society, takes a moment on an outdoor balcony as a reprieve from the busyness of it. Shortly after finding his way outside, Patricia comes out cursing, not realizing that Miles is there. Miles is beguiled by Patricia instantly. He loves this break in her cold and indifferent countenance, her societal persona, and his journey begins in winning her heart. Unfortunately, the exaggerated and pointed overtures of The Gaggle and the experience of her marriage to the duke have built impenetrable walls around a heart. Will their situationship and his tenacity win her over?
Historical romance is a guilty pleasure of mine. Hatcher’s capacity to draw compelling characters of this time period while also ascribing them to contemporary issues attaches them to her readers. As Miles and Patty develop a situationship and draw closer together, a process that Hatcher takes her time in doing, you find yourself compelled forward into their story. Both Miles and Patty must deal with societal expectations through different lenses. Patricia married a duke under the guise of her becoming the diamond of her generation. However, in choosing societal expectations over love, she’s lost in the disdain of her situation. Miles eschewed the expectations of his father as a young man and earned an exile from his friends and mother. On his return to London society, he lives in the shadow of his father’s disappointment. As they battle against other people’s intentions for them, they find companionship and love for each other. Through their journeys, readers must learn that living for yourself and with your own rules is necessary to forging an abundant life. Hatcher deftly crafts characters who reflect her readers even in the realm of historical romance.
Adding to this character development is the enticing universe formed in the Bartholomew series. As Miles and Patty navigate their journeys, they are surrounded by ancillary characters who add layers to this world. From Patty’s best friend, Lady Mary, to her sister, Emery, the heroine in book 1 of this series, to Genevieve, her youngest sister and the anticipated heroine in book 3, you want to know the stories of all of these characters. Patty’s brother, Silas, along with Emery’s husband, Augustus, and Miles’s best friend, Daly, act as wizened guides for his journey, especially in the moments when he must remedy the issues of their relationship. Even though this world exists in the past, Hatcher makes us want to inhabit this world in the present, which is why I will continue to read her stories.
My only criticism of Second Chance Dance is its pacing. There are moments when the story reads slow, and the push and pull of Miles and Patty’s journey can feel repetitive in those moments. However, I highly recommend this story especially if you’re a fan of historical romance. I suspect you’ll struggle to leave this world at the story’s end and want more stories just as I do.
Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde’s Natural Disaster is an action-filled gallop of sensuality. This is the world of the Morellis, a world rife with danger and mayhem. What began in the first books of this series, The Crash and Force of Nature, continue in this story. Carter, Theo, and June are put through a daunting number of situations, one more dangerous than the next. Add to that a combustible chemistry that burns over each situation. This is one punch after another of action and danger, and it ends with another explosive cliffhanger and more questions about Carter’s situation than one has patience for. The pacing and the intrigue of Natural Disaster are its strengths; its character development and stark style are the reasons for my 4-star review.
I am ready for more of the Carter, Theo, and June saga, anticipatory for the moment they collide with the infamous Morellis. This reader can’t wait for the forthcoming Tropical Storm.
Corinne Michaels has revealed the cover for Keep This Promise!
Releasing: January 23, 2023
Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
Photographer: Nicole Ashley Photography
I’m about to lose everything.
My home. My name. My future.
My husband was involved in something that could cost us our lives, and on his deathbed, he demands my daughter and I flee Britain.
I had no idea he found her biological father, Holden James, in Rose Canyon, and that’s where we’d start over.
The moment we see each other, feelings I’d long forgotten rush over me. Holden doesn’t hesitate to care for us. We find ourselves reaching for each other, even when we should hold back. His smile warms me, his arms protect me, and against my better judgment, I fall for him. All the possibilities of a future are threatened by a looming past.
I’m being hunted, and it’s just a matter of time before someone finds me guilty of crimes I didn’t commit. Whatever trouble my husband was involved in won’t evade me forever.
I am trying to keep my promise and stay for Holden, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before we have to run.
My name was Sophie Pearson, but I vanished, just like my hope to ever find love again.
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
Drama King, an all-new swoony, hilarious, opposites attract standalone holiday romp from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is now available!
Stuck with her off-limits, taciturn, hunky movie star client during a sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve, an extremely capable and highly professional bodyguard must keep him alive and warm without letting the tension building between them get too hot.
Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan can’t thank her best friend enough for helping her land the job of her dreams. After being relegated to second-string security for politicians in DC, being hired as an undercover personal security specialist by a giant Hollywood studio is exactly the kind of action she’s always wanted.
Until she meets her first assignment.
Cyrus Malcom can’t thank his agent enough for arranging a blind date with seemingly the woman of his dreams. After spending the past several years playing all the parts and climbing all the ladders, the lonely mega movie star finds himself actually enjoying a night on the town for the first time in ages when he meets the gorgeous, funny, and genuine Ryaine O’Rourke.
Until she shows up at his studio meeting the next day with a completely different name.
A world-wide press tour and too many late-night parties later, Beth simply needs to get through a short, one-day visit during the Christmas holiday, and then she’ll be free of Cyrus Malcom’s confusing hot looks and cold shoulders for good.
But just as they leave the airport, it starts to snow . . .
‘Drama King’ is the second book in the Three Kings Series, is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy, and can be read as a complete standalone.
“Do you want to listen to music?” I asked softly. “Or talk radio?”
“No, thank you,” he said shortly, shifting in his seat again while he kept on staring and frowning out the window. “You’ll need to take a right when you get to Old Whiskey Road.”
“You don’t want to go through downtown Alenbach?”
“No. I’ve seen it before.” His response was uncharacteristically irritable.
Fighting a bout of nerves, I considered my next question, or whether I should ask a question.
One popped in my head and I wondered if it was too personal. But you know what? I decided, to heck with it. I wouldn’t see Cyrus again after today, not in any meaningful way. If he clammed up, so be it. I had nothing to lose.
I waited another mile or so, then asked, “Do you miss it?”
—at the exact same time he demanded, “Why did you pick me up?”
Stiffening at the hostility in his tone, I redoubled my efforts to focus on the road and responded calmly, “I was already here and the studio asked.”
I got the sense he was waiting for me to continue. When I didn’t, he asked, “That’s it? There’s no other reason?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, my thoughts drifted to the watch in my pocket. “What other reason would there be?” I hedged, testing the wiper controls to see if it had a higher setting. It didn’t. I felt like we were creeping along at this point and we’d be lucky to make it before nightfall.
His eyes still on me, he grumbled something I missed, then asked, “Do I miss what?”
I considered saying, Nothing, forget it, but my reasoning for asking the question was still sound.
“Do you miss Texas? Do you miss being close to your momma and all these wide-open spaces? The culture out here?” I went back to chewing my bottom lip, feeling unaccountably nervous. Carefully, I slowed the car and turned onto Old Whiskey Road. This was the bypass road for Alenbach, which was still some thirty miles ahead.
The snow seemed to thicken while I waited for him to answer. We traveled another mile and I glanced at Cyrus, our eyes connecting for the first time since he’d arrived at the Austin airport.
I absorbed the shock of it, breathed through it. Meanwhile, he stared at me, some combination of puzzled and stunned.
Braving another quick look, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I believe that’s the first time you’ve asked me a personal question directly.”
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I struggled with how to respond, and eventually blurted, “That can’t be true.”
“It is. What do you know about me?” The question sounded like an accusation. “We worked together for four months and not once—not once—did you make any effort to know me. Why is that?”
A hot, spiky feeling pressed uncomfortably outward against my skin. The truth was, I knew more than I wanted to admit. “I—I know plenty.”
“Really? How? Are you a mind reader? What am I thinking right now?”
My breath wanted to hitch. I wouldn’t let it. I tried to focus on my irritation, not this strange sense that I’d let him down.
“Go ahead,” he demanded. “Tell me what I’m thinking.”
Glancing at him, I saw a deeply furrowed brow, glinting narrowed eyes, mouth tugged down at the corners, jaw set. Cyrus looked more like his character Asmodeus than himself—a beautiful, surly, smoldering fallen angel instead of a happy-go-lucky sweetheart with too much energy and charisma.
“Well?” Cyrus pushed.
“Well, obviously you’re angry with me.”
“That’s right, I’m angry.”
“Fine. Be angry then!” I yelled.
“I don’t want to be angry with you!” he shouted back. “I want to be the opposite of—oh shit”—he braced his arm against the dash—“Stop!”
I saw the deer right before Cyrus did. It was huge. Despite my frazzled state of mind and his insistence that I do so, I did not stop. I didn’t swerve either, though every instinct screamed at me to yank the wheel to the right.
Did you know deer kill more people than any other animal? Snakes and sharks have nothing on Bambi. Some people think they’re cute, I blame Disney for that. They’re not cute, they’re dumb. If you’re unfortunate enough to see them in the road, stop only if it’s convenient and you spot them from a distance and it’s not a winter hellscape outside.
But since this one appeared like a serial killer in a snowy slasher flick, I didn’t stop. I pressed gently on the brakes, slowed, and braced for impact. It came with a forceful, bone-shaking boom. Airbags deployed, filling my face and vision. The jolt of it caused my foot to press harder on the brake—rookie mistake, I should’ve removed my foot—and that’s when the shit hit the fan.
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
Snowed in with her off-limits celebrity client. What could go wrong?
Drama King, an all-new forced proximity, mistaken identity, romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is now available!
Stuck with her off-limits, taciturn, hunky movie star client during a sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve, an extremely capable and highly professional bodyguard must keep him alive and warm without letting the tension building between them get too hot.
Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan can’t thank her best friend enough for helping her land the job of her dreams. After being relegated to second-string security for politicians in DC, being hired as an undercover personal security specialist by a giant Hollywood studio is exactly the kind of action she’s always wanted.
Until she meets her first assignment.
Cyrus Malcom can’t thank his agent enough for arranging a blind date with seemingly the woman of his dreams. After spending the past several years playing all the parts and climbing all the ladders, the lonely mega movie star finds himself actually enjoying a night on the town for the first time in ages when he meets the gorgeous, funny, and genuine Ryaine O’Rourke.
Until she shows up at his studio meeting the next day with a completely different name.
A world-wide press tour and too many late-night parties later, Beth simply needs to get through a short, one-day visit during the Christmas holiday, and then she’ll be free of Cyrus Malcom’s confusing hot looks and cold shoulders for good.
But just as they leave the airport, it starts to snow . . .
‘Drama King’ is the second book in the Three Kings Series, is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy, and can be read as a complete standalone.
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
Second Chance Dance, an all new enemies-to-lovers historical romance from Laney Hatcher, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!
I never wanted to be the catch of the season. Not anymore. But when you’re a wealthy widow who presents a challenge for all the fortune hunters in London, it’s difficult to stay out of the spotlight.
Miles Griffin has returned to London. Before he can find his footing in Mayfair, he’s made an unexpected enemy of me. But something happens when we battle across the ballroom. Our passions flare, and I burn like I never have before.
I’m determined to avoid marriage, but perhaps an arrangement with the handsome earl is not out of the question.
Just when the future seems brightest, secrets and surprises threaten everything we’ve built. Miles must make a choice between the man he was and the man he wants to be. And I need to decide if I’m willing to risk more than just my heart for a second chance at happiness.
Book #2 in the Bartholomew series follows the enemies-to-lovers romance between two lonely hearts desperate for a change. Second Chance Dance is a full length historical romance filled with charm and wit, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
Laney Hatcher is a firm believer that there is a spreadsheet for every occasion and pie is always the answer. She is an author of stories that have a past, in a language of love that’s universal. Often too practical for her own good, Laney enjoys her life in the southern United States with her husband, children, and incredibly entitled cat.
Natural Disaster by Skye Warren & Amelia Wilde is now live!
Carter Morelli had a plan when he left London: deliver the wildlife photographer and then complete his secret mission. Except a lethal enemy has watched their every move. They tampered with the plane, leaving them stranded on a deserted island.
And they kidnapped June Porter, the innocent photographer.
In order to save her, Carter must confront the mysterious man in the jungle.
Who is he? Savior or betrayer?
He has no choice but to face the greatest enemy of all: the powerful feelings that draw him toward both June and Theo. Those feelings might kill them all.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play!
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
Amelia Wilde is a USA TODAY bestselling author of dangerous contemporary romance and loves it a little too much. She lives in Michigan with her husband and daughters. She spends most of her time typing furiously on an iPad and appreciating the natural splendor of her home state from where she likes it best: inside.
Professor Romance 