Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the tenth Read Harder task.

I'm just copying over my post from the Read Harder Challenge List post. Also, www.wocinromance.com is a great resource for further recommendations!

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For number 10, I would highly recommend An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole if you're looking for a Civil War romance. Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai is also an excellent read if you want a really emotional and angsty contemporary.

There are also a bunch of romance novels by women of color that I'm planning to read in 2018 that you might be interested in, too. They include:

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev (contemporary)
The Preacher's Promise by Piper Huguley (historical)
The Hidden Blade by Sherry Thomas (historical)
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (historical—one of the classics!)
Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh (paranormal)
Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan (historical)
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole (contemporary—perfect to read before the royal wedding!)
Trade Me by Courtney Milan (new adult contemporary—prince and pauper switch places)
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (contemporary—recced by Roxane Gay)
Love Will Always Remember by Tracey Livesay (contemporary)
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (paranormal)
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (historical Sherlock retelling)

Destiny's Surrender -- I already own this on Kindle so this is a perfect excuse to read it!

I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?

Kelli wrote: "I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?"

Romance is a a new genre for me too & I'm not sure I will like it, but this challenge is for broadening my horizons, right? That said, unrelated to this challenge, my coworker recommended When Dimple Met Rishi. On her advice I added it to my TBR list, only to find out later that it is considered a romance. I'm guessing it won't be overly steamy. The other contender for me is the previously mentioned A Bollywood Affair. I like Bollywood films, so this might be a good way to ease me into a romance novel. If the book is anything like the film genre (where they don't kiss on screen), that might not be too steamy either.

Of course you should really take you advice from folks who know a lot more about this genre and may have read some of the books.

Cry Wolf, which I believe isn't singularly romance. I enjoyed her Mercy Thompson series and this is set in the same world.
I'm also considering The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo and The Jade Temptress.
Whichever one I choose will Not have any bodice-ripping/he held her down and then she liked it/doesn't take no for an answer type activities in it.

As a big fan of the romance genre, I love that BookRiot included this challenge on here, as even avid romance readers can do better about reading authors of color (The Ripped Bodice bookstore conducted a great survey of the number of authors of color published in the romance industry, and it should be no surprise that the numbers are not great).

I'm also hoping it can help battle a number of the stereotypes and misrepresentations about the genre. To those who are skeptical about reading a romance novel, I would suggest checking out Maya Rodale's article That Thing With Hillary Clinton and Romance Novels that appeared in the Washington Post as well as the Racked article Why We Still Call Them Bodice Rippers. I hope you enjoy your foray into what I think is a wonderful genre!

I had never heard of Hate to Want You before seeing it on a few best books of 2017 lists & putting it in my wish list. Then this prompt is included in the Read Harder Challenge?!?! It's a sign that I am meant to read this book. (That's my story & I'm sticking to it! :) )

I think a lot of it comes down to how you define "romance." I originally thought of it in terms of the typical Harlequin-type stories, but I've come to define any book that focuses heavily on a relationship/people falling in love as a romance. So for me, something like When Dimple Met Rishi would work, if I hadn't already read it.

Dani (Dani's Bookshelf) wrote: "I'm just copying over my post from the Read Harder Challenge List post. Also, www.wocinromance.com is a great resource for further recommendations!

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For number 10, I would highly recommend [boo..." Thanks for this great list!

I love romance and read a ton of it. Courtney Milan is a favorite of mine, but I think I am going to go with Private Arrangements.

I never read Romance, but Then Came You looks interesting.

Kelli wrote: "I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?"

Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series (Moon Called) would be an excellent choice, sort of a no-nonsense, paranormal romance genre-bender (though it may be more adventure (55%) than romance (45%)).

The MC Mercy Thompson is half-Native American/coyote shapeshifter and works as a Volkswagen mechanic. While there's plenty of attraction and flirting with nothing explicit "on-stage". Also, Mercy is kick-@$$, slyly funny, and independent in all the best ways.

Solid plotlines, solid characters. I love these books, and if you're new to Romance or not sure about the genre in general, this may pique your interest.

Kelli wrote: "I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?"

There are a lot of romance novels that aren't too steamy and I think many romance readers would be happy to give you a targeted recommendation if you have any additional guidance on what you do like. As people have mentioned, because When Dimple Met Rishi is a YA, it's not very steamy. Of genre romance, Dani mentioned An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole and I would actually recommend the sequel, A Hope Divided if you like historical fiction because I think it's weighted more heavily on the historical fiction side of historical romance. Romance pretty much has every genre covered in sub-genres so feel free to ask for a more targeted recommendation so we can find you something you'll enjoy. Romance novels can get a bad reputation, but there's really something for everyone.

My two favorite romance novels of the year were Hold Me and Hate to Want You so I honestly cannot recommend them highly enough. Hold Me is the sequel/companion to Dani's TBR'd Trade Me and follows Maria, a trans Latina woman with a secret blogger persona where she creates various ways the world could end and uses science to do it, and Jay, an Asian American man who is very into SCIENCE and eschews human connections, except to this woman he only knows online. Did I mention that Jay is bisexual and it's on the page? Yes. Courtney Milan is probably one of my favorite authors and I cannot recommend her Cyclone series highly enough. Generally speaking though, I recommend all of Alisha Rai and Courtney Milan's work and I've read virtually all of it. Rai's independently published works are definitely on the steamy side, with her latest series published by Avon still being hot, but not quite as explicit. Milan writes sex scenes as well, but I would say her work is on average less steamy than Rai's. And both always do consent between the hero and heroine so well because they're wonderful humans.

Rebekah Weatherspoon and Alyssa Cole are authors I would recommend for very different reasons. Cole's historical romance set in the Civil War has already been discussed and both Dani and I are excited about her upcoming release. She also has many novellas if you're more interested in a quick read. Witherspoon writes quite steamy contemporary romance like Haven, which are great if you're interested in BDSM and trauma victims (it's really good, I promise, I just don't really know how else to describe the two major themes of that novel...). Sonali Dev is another author I would recommend. I've enjoyed the books I have read by her and am looking forward to her 2018 release.

Santino Hassell is a Latinx romance author who writes m/m romance that come highly recommended if you would prefer. Some, but not all, of his romances are sports romance. He also has a series he co-writes with Megan Erickson where, at least the second book, features a Veteran and something about gaming, I think. It's on my TBR!

These are a few that I haven't read that I either own and am excited about or that I'm really looking forward to in 2018:
Alexis Daria - Take the Lead (dancing reality TV show)
Carla de Guzman - The Queen's Game (fake dating trope)
Alyssa Cole - A Princess in Theory (and book three in her Civil War series)
Alisha Rai - Hurts to Love You
Tif Marcelo - North to You (our heroine owns a food truck and her high school crush is back in town before he ships out; my heart is already happy)
Suleikha Snyder - Bollywood and the Beast (a diverse Beauty and the Beast retelling is hard to pass up)

Okay, I'll stop now, but really, there are so many options! I'm really excited for this challenge.

Jenica wrote: "My two favorite romance novels of the year were Hold Me and Hate to Want You so I honestly cannot recommend them highly enough. Hold Me is the sequel/companion to Da..."

Thank you! This is super helpful!

I've never read "romance" as a genre before, because I'm super uncomfortable with reading explicit sex scenes - I read A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson last year and I liked that, and I suppose quite a few of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles books could count since they are retellings of fairy tale romances, so does anyone have recommendations with a similar tone to either of those? (Any gender/orientation is fine)

Last year's read harder challenge was the first time I actually read a romance novel, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, so I'm actually really glad to have a push towards another one. In fact, I already read Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole since the challenge was announced, which is too early to count for 2018. I might read Signal Boost, the second in the series next year so it will actually count!

I'm also considering Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai, The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho and Topaz by Beverly Jenkins, which would also count for the western category. While generally I do like steamier romances, I've also wanted to read When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

Oh, The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo isn't steamy at all and it's delightful. I wouldn't count it as a genre romance but probably close enough for the purposes of the challenge.

I'll ask romance twitter for more suggestions of non-steamy romance.

I also recommend The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. It's a lovely book.

Dani (Dani's Bookshelf) wrote: "I'm just copying over my post from the Read Harder Challenge List post. Also, www.wocinromance.com is a great resource for further "

Thank you so much for this list with the type of romance included! Romance is not on my radar, so your list is a great help!

I don't have a specific book for this challenge, but it'll most definitely be something on my Kindle Fire. Out of all the free books I've gotten from Amazon this year, there's a good chunk that are POC romances. I just can't think of any off the top of my head until I actually look at my Kindle, lol.

Eujean2 wrote: "Kelli wrote: "I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?"

Romance is a a ..."

I loved this book. I would categorize it more as a YA but I guess it qualifies as romance.

Hi Guys. i was wondering if The Blood of Flowers
By: Anita Amirrezvani would fall in this category. thank you

When the Moon Was Ours is by a Latina woman, and has a lovely (non steamy) romance. I don't know how strict BR wants us to be about genre romance or not.

Riah wrote: "Last year's read harder challenge was the first time I actually read a romance novel, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, so I'm actually really glad to have a push towards another on..."

Radio silence looks pretty good. I'm going with that book. Thank you for the suggestion!

Julianne wrote: "Eujean2 wrote: "Kelli wrote: "I hate romance novels. Well, hate is a strong word. I guess I've never read one. Anyone have recommendations for a book in this category that isn't too . . . steamy?"
..."

I don't see why being YA would exclude it. I personally would see any book that focuses heavily on a relationship/people falling in love as a romance.

Rachel wrote: "I don't see why being YA would exclude it. I personally would see any book that focuses heavily on a relationship/people falling in love as a romance. "

Romance fans tend to get tetchy about that, because our genre often gets exploited by people wanting to go where the money is. And Book Riot is generally very supportive of the romance genre. So the goal might be to focus specifically on that.

Piper Huguley has been recommended to me as a romance author of color whose books aren't steamy.

I've just started Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. So far, I love it!

Bookho wrote: "I've just started Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. So far, I love it!"

I learned about Beverly Jenkins a few months ago, and am excited to read one of her books for this challenge! Here's more information about her:https://www.npr.org/2015/07/29/427416...

Along with comics, another category I'm super unexcited for.
Romances ugh.

I *want* to say Alisha Rai's A Gentleman in the Street qualifies for this.

I think I am going to read Love in the Time of Cholera

This will probably be one of the categories I complete super early into the year. I have Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins (who I have never read before) out of the library right now, and I purchased a copy of An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole that I am eager to get to. Whichever of the two I get to first will be what I count for this category.

Does anyone have a queer book that qualifies in this category? I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but I can tolerate LGBTQ romance a lot more than straight.

Ideally, I'd like to double-dip with both the 10 PoC romance and the 21 Mystery-by-PoC/LGBTQ categories. So...advice would be enjoyed! I see a lot of PoC romance, and a lot of Mysteries featuring PoC or LGBTQ characters, but none that have:

- LGBTQ romance
- Persons of Color
- Mystery subplot

I had Glutton for Pleasure Glutton for Pleasure recommended to me, so I am going to give it a try. I've only read 3 romance novels in my entire life... lol

Elise, I've asked around and Signal Boost sounds like it would fit your requirements.

Just wanted to reiterate that Dani's Bookshelf post at the top has excellent suggestions!

Piper Hughley writes non-steamy historical romance that has inpirational elements. I'm a big fan. A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole is excellent as suggested already. K.M. Jackson writes a fun contemporary brides series. Beyond that, I echo the recs for Sonali Dev (contemporary with a literary bent), Nalini Singh, Beverly Jenkins (any of her historicals and she has a few contemporary series too), Alisha Rai (steamier contemporary), Sugar Jamison, Farrah Rochon,

You can find regular POC romance suggestions on the Women of Color in Romance twitter feed @WOCinRomance https://twitter.com/WOCInRomance They frequently post book sales too, so you can buy for a cheap price :)

Elise wrote: "Does anyone have a queer book that qualifies in this category? I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but I can tolerate LGBTQ romance a lot more than straight.

Ideally, I'd like to double-dip with b..."

I have Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances by Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole, and Rose Lerner. Alyssa Cole, a POC author, has a story in this featuring F/F POC historical romance.

Megan wrote: "Along with comics, another category I'm super unexcited for.
Romances ugh."

What do you typically read? I love to find romance recs for people who say they hate it. I used to say that too ;)

I'm going to read Behind the Bars by Brittainy Cherry. I know nothing about this book, but downloaded it without a thought because I have loved everything she has written. The Air He Breathes was a really nice surprise that I found on Kindle Unlimited last year and then I quickly read everything she has published.

Stephanie wrote: What do you typically read? I love to find romance recs for people who say they hate it. I used to say that too ;)

Would you help me, too? I prefer bittersweet endings, which excludes almost all romance. I usually read SF, historical fiction, and literary. The last straight-up romance I read was in middle school, about a pioneer woman who was raised by an Indian tribe. I also read most of The Clan of the Cave Bear series, which became more of a romance as the series went on. I guess I have a thing for women roughing it in the wilderness. :)

For people who hate romance ... I would totally recommend finding a book that falls into the Paranormal Romance category ... PNR almost always has lots of action to go with the steamy bits and if you're squeamish about the steamy bits, find one that's more Urban Fantasy like Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson or Alpha & Omega series. (both have MCs that are Native American) Mercy Thompson is a super slow burn romance and is totally fast-paced and action packed! Alpha & Omega takes place after Anna & Charles become mates but most of the steamy parts take place in "fade to black" interludes.

This is an easy one for me. ;)

I'm reading Glutton for Pleasure. It's been on my tbr and in one of my favorite genres.

Huntress I'm reading this one.

Not a fan of romance. Going with Behold the Dreamers for this one.

Melissa wrote: "For people who hate romance ... I would totally recommend finding a book that falls into the Paranormal Romance category ... PNR almost always has lots of action to go with the steamy bits and if y..."

I love the Mercy Thompson series but never thought of the books as romance! Interesting.

Others have already recommended Alyssa Cole, but she's another good one for people who don't like romance but enjoy historical fiction. She bends a lot of the expectations/rules of the genre, and I'm reading the second book in the Loyal League series for this challenge. She definitely writes romance, but the story took place during like... the actual Civil War, not some idealized vaguely-based-on-history version of it. Plus, it was a quick read, so if you truly end up hating it you won't be stuck with it for long.

Stephanie wrote: "Megan wrote: "Along with comics, another category I'm super unexcited for.
Romances ugh."

What do you typically read? I love to find romance recs for people who say they hate it. I used to say th..."

Historical fiction
Biographies
Non-fiction

I did like Outlander--I guess I like romances that aren't romances?
Like there's so much more to the outlander books than just romance.