Fans of Interracial Romance discussion
General Chatting
>
Am I Imagining Things or.....
No, you are not alone. I have more DNFs then ever. I read about 25% of most books and that's forced hoping it will get good. I am now listening to audiobooks of authors (Alexandria House, Alexandra Warren, Lorelei James, Stephanie Nicole Norris etc) that I've physically read already. It's getting so bad I'm about to tap out for a month or two and I read daily. So this is a huge loss for me.
I'm both happy someone else feels the same way and sad that there's clearly an issue with a lot of books out there. I might have to follow your lead and tap out for a month or two.
Lanie you are not alone. Have you read any of Mallory Monroe's books? Hers are pretty good. I fully understand your disappointment.
I haven’t read any books by Mallory Monroe but I will definitely check her out! I just can’t handle another plus size single mom’s surprise triplets by her billionaire chef alpha boss secret prince type books lol.
LOL! Believe me, I understand! Mallory Monroe has a series called the Mob Boss and the heroines are strong black women and one is a lawyer and is married to Sal Gabrini who is one of the mob bosses. The Gabrinis and the Sinatras (no relation to the famous one) are the heroes and they all are married to black women. The author has created a very good series and they are good.
Well I guess I’m going to crack open some of her books!
Oh there have been so many duds lately, I gave up and switched over to sci-fi/fantasy. I check in the group to see anyone has good recommendations but nothing really good has come through yet. If your interested I listed finished reading “I am Eve” by Nicolina Martin, it’s a post apocalyptic story but written quite well. Also Minerva Vesta has two part series called a “Warriors promise” historical/fantasy.
I’ve switched to old school historical romances. Like the kind that your Mom used to read because I can blow through them in a day or so. But I appreciate the suggestions! It looks like Nicolina Martin is on KU so I’ll check her out.
OK so I'm not really active in this group (I lurk) but I do read a lot of IR books, although not exclusively, so this my hot take.I totally agree that there is a ton load of utter crap out there, but there always has been for as long as it is so easy to press 'publish' on any of the sites that are maximised for it, there always will be. Overall I've had an excellent reading year (and yes, I have also read some trash too) which includes plenty of good/very good/excellent IR books so let me share the love (excuse the pun!) from this year alone. Granted they are not all 2020 releases, but new ones are not all there is to choose from.
These are all minimum 3 star reads for me which means that I enjoyed them and the quality was not a problem unless specified otherwise. There is a wide range of different types of story, from light and fun, to laugh out loud funny, to angsty, to hard-hitting topics. They are all black authors too unless otherwise specified, because some white authors prove that with very little effort it is possible to write black women characters just as well as white ones. I'm going to split the post into sub-genres because it would be too long otherwise as I have so many to share.
I've also included both indie and trad pubbed books/authors and some of them do both.
1/3Historical Romance
very very short, not even novella length based on a real-life event that happened in 1508 or thereabouts in Scotland... it's Alyssa Cole so quality is already assured, and she has other HR that I've not yet read as well as all of her CR. She also writes different pairings, not just BWWM.Sci-Fi Romance
The story is of a downtrodden and weak FMC which I know many readers don't like but she does grow and the story is an interesting one. It'is mainly set in a lab and is about genetically engineered soldiers rather than Aliens which are the current trend in SFR.
This one is cheating as is it a BWAM but it is Alyssa Cole again so. It also works as a RS, but as it is about an AI and is futureistic so SF is the primary sub-genre. It is fun and gets twisty about halfway through. The audiobook is apparently fantastic with a whole cast.Romantic Suspense
these are both parts of two interconnecting RS series (the first is about first responders, the second is an MC that advocates for young boys at risk) on KU that also are about older MCs. There is a White Supremacy group that pops up early on in the first series (all of which also feature both cats and dogs and include some on page animal harm) and weaves through both of them but it is not the sole narrative throughout and there are other issues discussed. The author is white but from what I can see, all of her recent books include a racially diverse cast of characters, both the men and the women, and she tackels some difficult topics quite well.
Heartbreaking but hopeful, this deals with the after-effects of a violent crime against the FMC and her learning to fight her demons. With a twist.
despite what the cover says (it's pretty but totally the wrong message of what this story is about) this is not a light-hearted rom-com but a heavy story of an autistic woman who also has some severe mental health problems who ends up getting involved with her shrink. Not really suspense, but kind of... also has a twist. I think this author is a penname of Sienna Mynx.
Whew, now this is a dark romance, with characters who act in very morally grey ways. It's a great story but I struggled with the morality of it. They do not, however, like in many dark 'romances', treat each other in reprehensible ways, it is what they do/plan together that is up for debate. I also read the authors first book White Whiskey Bargain last year and LOVED it from start to finish so I do plan on reading her other books as and when they are released. 
The second in a trilogy that is BDSM (lite I think). Not my usual thing, but I like the author's characterisations. I also read Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny and Xeni by this author last year and whilst that is a separate series, most of RW books are interconnected because of her large group of girlfriends. This is another one where pets, the MMC has dogs, feature heavily and it's a small-town setting with a farmer MMC. I particularly liked this one because whilst BDSM is not my thing, it makes a refreshing change to see a female who is the dominant one in the bedroom. This is an RS series, and the others I've read are not.
2/3Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy (some have more romance than others)
first in an interesting and cute duet about shifters. This first one the FMC is latent and so is almost considered an outcast.
Another UK author, this is an unusual tale where the MMC is the one that needs 'saving'. She also has a few other unusual PNRs some that I read a few years ago.
this is book 2 of a really fun and funny bordering hilarious kind of Xmas themed tale of dimension travelling (as opposed to time travelling!) Fae Knights who are also shifters of various kinds of mythical creatures. Think the Hugh Jackman Meg Ryan movie Kate & Leopold and that is what these poor Knights are like when they land in good old USA, Earth. There's two out so far with two or three more to come and there is a series long arc. Also, they all will include pets (dogs for the two so far) of the FMCs who are actually whole characters in their own right. This one also includes a scene at a renaissance faire where the MMC fits right in! The author is actually a group of authors (assume that they are white but I don't know for sure) and across the many series, there is a vast array of racially diverse characters as well as lots of older MCs and many with disabilities of various types. I'm reading another series of theirs at the moment with magical flying kittens (which is what sold it to me!) but no BW MCs yet. All are on KU.
Whoo, where do I start? This is a standalone as the series was never completed, by one of my top PNR/UF authors who is probably white but sometimes I think she may possibly be a WOC, maybe even a black woman. This book is my least favourite by Shelley Laurenston because there is too much sex for the page count for me, BUT I still love it because the story is signature SL which means it is chaotic, ridiculous, hilarious, multi POVs and like all of hers others is Marmite - SL tends to be a love her or hate her author with not much in between. This an a few of her others are on KU.One of the many reasons that I love her is that she writes POC's (men and women) and black women specifically as people not as 'xx people' as I said here. I've read all of her shifter books, the last ones are much better than the first ones again because of the sex content and also because the later ones are just better quality in terms of the writing (but they are all utterly hilarious) but they do need to read in order unless you don't mind being lost with half of the many characters that pop up in each book, and the further along you are the more confusing it will get. There are a few BWWM and a few AWWM and some of those pairings include biracial characters including one of the MMCs too.
The first three are a SUPERB trilogy different to others because of how racially diverse the whole cast of characters are and is about necromancers with werewolves and witches making an appearance along the way; the first two follow the same couple (BWWM) and are set in Prague and the last one the MMC is the second in command of the MMC in the first ones and he heads off to the US on loan to another necromancer there (AWWM) but includes some BWWM elements and touches on Indigenous mythology. The last is the start of a new trilogy, also set in Prague, which is a prequel to the first and is werewolves and witches mainly.
3/3Contemporary Romance
again by the same author, the first is an aspiring romance author who takes off to Ireland and meets an Irish college lecturer and the second is a college professor (f) and a children's librarian (m). Both really enjoyable in a kind of old skool way (as in a bit cheesy not rapey) wholesome with steam. There is some commentary on race (and in book1 a little about the problems the Irish have hsitorically had) and some other social issues in both books, but not in a heavy way.
The first is a 4 novella series on KU where the first three have different pairings, but this and the last one have an MMF that is BWBMLM. Fun, heartwarming and steamy. The second is by the same author and is two college professors who work in different departments, the guy is Latino. Really sweet story. The author has lots of different types of stories with different pairings too. Some errors but IMO nothing major and the stories being told are more than worth it. 
The first three are trilogy about a group of friends all meeting their lady loves but are all very different with totally separate personalities and challenges to deal with. The third one, although not my favourite for one particular reason, is one of, if not THE best amnesia story I've ever read and is real redemption story of a woman who learns from the mistakes in her 'previous' life. The last one is the first in a new series by the same author that is on my TBR.
is the last and novella-length in a trilogy of dance-saturated (which I loved) books by a Latina author, the first two were about Latina MCs. The whole trilogy is superb, and like the one above, the stories are all very different with each of the characters having their own challenges to deal with, including a couple of things that I, being a complete mess, could totally relate to. But this last one was sweet because it's about the MMC trying to prove himself worthy of dating the grumpy-ish FMC long term and also trying to prove to the grinch that Xmas can be fun in three dates. 
first in another excellent series covering a variety of topics as well as being funny and heartwarming. My fellow Brit, everything this author has written is fantastic. Her last three books were picked up by a big publisher, but even all of her indie stuff beforehand was top quality. She also has a Christmas novella coming out soon which she is publisher indie too. And if you like PNR, her werewolf novella Mating The Huntress is hilarious.
a musician meets an ordinary woman with a narrative about being a plus-sized woman in a relationship with a high profile celebrity under media scrutiny. Includes a hilarious chapter that is the MCs visiting the MMCs grandma who has no filter.
Really cute novella that is almost like a 'day in the life of' kind of story. The meet-cute is in a bookshop and the MMC is a well-read fan of romance! I really liked this until the reveal, but only because I'm tired of that particular type of storyline in romance. 
Possibly a controversial recommendation but this author does tend to cover some taboo topics; the FMC finds out that she has an incurable but not life-threatening STD and this includes commentary about how to live with that, and have safe sex especially at the precipice of meeting a new man. 
The first in a duology about men redeeming themselves during and after doing time. Both did have some things that I wasn't totally on board with in terms of some of the language and a couple of the situations, but, they were both non-violent crimes which makes a change from the murder, GBH and other violent crimes that mostly crop up in these ex-felon stories that we usually see. This first one the guy is actually on house arrest and the second one he has done his time and is trying to come back from it. Probably another controversial rec but a refreshing change to what is normal for similar stories.
I'm going to include my queen Kennedy Ryan's book here because although the MMC is biracial, his Jewishness (his whiteness) is just as integral to his identity as his blackness. This is a fantastic book about real people in real situations and is an epic love story through and through. There is also a really cute scene early on of the two 6 year olds 'getting married'. The author does many different pairings, most of which I'm still to read as this is just the third book of hers I've read so far.
I’ve read that Alyssa Cole book! One thing I will say though, this good book drought has allowed me to broaden my horizons and read things I normally wouldn’t. Thank you for the suggestions!
Lanie wrote: "I’ve read that Alyssa Cole book! One thing I will say though, this good book drought has allowed me to broaden my horizons and read things I normally wouldn’t. Thank you for the suggestions!"Welcome, there's a lot of choice! Which Alyssa Cole one did you read?
I’ve read the entire reluctant royals series, an extraordinary Union and Agnes Moore’s wild knight.
Lanie wrote: "I’ve read the entire reluctant royals series, an extraordinary Union and Agnes Moore’s wild knight."You really should try The AI That Loved Me then, and if you are a fan of audio (I'm not) try that as it is supposed to be awesome.
What was your favourite of all the ones of hers you've read so far?
IR books have been bad for years. Some have just been worse than others. For me, there are some writers I would not read as their products are subpar from the perspective of reality of plot, grammar, sentence construction, repetition, drawn out sex scenes used as fillers and lack of elegance of language. Yet others find them good. This indicates that personal preference plays a large part in like or dislike of a book and a bad book which should be objectively bad - isn't necessarily so. I do find it amazing how poor a grasp of English so many purveyors of IR have, to the extent that some sentences are virtually incomprehensible. I do make allowances for a misused word or two especially if it is an engaging plot. But when errors rise to correction of near every sentence, then I bail as this destroys the enjoyment of the story.
When I find a good one, I celebrate and reread it from time to time.
I completely agree! I lost cost of the number of books I DNF as of late that had no grasp of sentence structure or correct grammar. I started a book earlier today that I abandoned because not only was the heroine beyond stupid, but the author had no grasp of language. Like I said previously I’ve read books I didn’t like and that’s fine. That’s my prerogative as a reader however they were not awful and riddled with mistakes and weak plots. It seems a poorly written book these days easily gets 5 star reviews.
I’m questioning the basis of my initial issue now. Maybe it’s not just the books that have gotten worse but the fact that a broader audience accepts subpar material. Maybe it’s just more upsetting that so many authors are feeding us trash and telling us it’s caviar and we’re eating it up. There used to be so many good books in this genre I couldn’t read them fast enough. Now it’s takes weeks to find something to sink my teeth into. I do reread good books from time to time but I’m just itching for something new.
And my favorite Alyssa Cole book was a toss up between Duke by Default and Prince on Paper.
Mod
I am not hard on grammar. I want a story. A lot of famous writers has errors in their stories. I have errors in my stories. Everyone doesn't talk the same and as long as I can understand them I am ok.
I am a writer and I am glad that I write stories that I like. I wished that Anne Stuart would write more interracial stories. I wished that Julie Garwood would write interracial stories. I love dangerous bad boy stories.
I’ve never heard of Anne Stuart. What kinds of books does she write and which would you recommend? Also I feel like I should clarify. When I refer to bad grammar I don’t meant typos or the kinds of colloquial liberties that people take when writing dialogue. I mean descriptions composed of awkward sentence structure, synonyms that aren’t actually synonyms, confusing first and third person in the same breath, incoherent inner dialogue and mixing up the use of there, their or they’re for example. When a story is capitulating and has typos the can be overlooked without distracting from the plot but when it reads like a bad middle school book report I cannot focus on anything else because I’m trying to unravel intent. I get that no writer is perfect but a basic grasp of the language a person is writing in is imperative to keeping a readers attention.
I should also add that we live in the age of autocorrect and spell check and sometimes that affects how we write as well.
@ kittykat:I loved "Agnes Moor's Wild Knight" and I hated "Alpha" (which had several editing and plot issues). Of course, all reviews are subjective. :)
Lanie wrote: "I am imagining things or are have good bwwm books becoming harder to find? I’ve noticed since quarantine began books lately have been meh. Almost every book I download these days needs an editor. T..."AGREED!!! I love to support our Black authors, but I won't give them a free pass when they write crap. Rushing through a story riddled with typos, grammatical issues, and plot holes for a quick buck is a big HELL NO from me. Add to that the tired-ass billionaire/secret baby/evil ex-Black boyfriend tropes, and I'm done.
Mod
Also I feel like I should clarify. When I refer to bad grammar I don’t meant typos or the kinds ..."
Anne Stuart has historical romance books and contemporary romance books. I like her Ice Series. I love books about dangerous bad boys. My favorite dangerous bad boy Ice hero is Kilian, followed by Reno. Kilian is white and his heroine is white. Reno is Asian and his heroine is white.
Anne's interracial couple are AMWW. I wish she would write one about a BWWM.
Lanie wrote: "I completely agree! I lost cost of the number of books I DNF as of late that had no grasp of sentence structure or correct grammar. I started a book earlier today that I abandoned because not only ..."You nailed it perfectly when you stated "a broader audience accepts subpar material."
If you were to read some of the 5* reviews, you will notice they are as badly written as the books they are praising. No wonder then they find such books great.
Lanie wrote: "I’ve never heard of Anne Stuart. What kinds of books does she write and which would you recommend? Also I feel like I should clarify. When I refer to bad grammar I don’t meant typos or the kinds ..."
We get you. One of my favorite series is not perfectly written as there are a few misused words. I overlook these because the books are entertaining; sexy without being raunchy; full of chemistry and hilarity between all the characters.
I reread the series at least twice per year.
Like you, the issue becomes when I have to correct every sentence or when the sentences simply do not make any sense or when their and there are misused throughout the book or when the choice of tenses are blatantly incorrect.
I suspect many writers write just as they speak and if you listen to many people carefully as they speak, you will soon realize that many do not have a grasp of the correct use of the English language.
And I wish some writers would just stop using Google translator to translate into other languages. You are butchering the peoples' language.
I’m so glad I’m not alone in noticing these things! And as I mentioned before autocorrect and spell check play a part. They check if something is spelled correctly not context. Half of the messages I’ve typed in this thread have autocorrect typos, but I’m also not writing book! And if half these books had proper editors someone would be able to catch these mistakes before the books were published. I not only expect better but I want readers to expect better so we can get better books.
Lanie wrote: "I’m so glad I’m not alone in noticing these things! ...I not only expect better but I want readers to expect better so we can get better books."Preach, Lanie. Preach! Amen! Let the church say amen!!!
Monique wrote: "@ kittykat:I loved "Agnes Moor's Wild Knight" and I hated "Alpha" (which had several editing and plot issues). Of course, all reviews are subjective. :)"
Ah, ok. I don't recall the details of Alpha that much, but I found the story and concept interesting enough. I never did review it though which makes me think that it wasn't too bad for me.
I understand all of your frustrations ladies, and I have many of them myself and more which is why I'm very particular about the books I choose, many of which is by the actual titles. There are certain title choices that authors make that I steer clear of as I know that it's going to be a nonsense story even if it is perfectly written. But I dont think it's getting worse, I saw tons of trash being sold on amazon (an in many other places) years ago and just think it has been a steady problem ever since that will continue so long as anyone is able to publish on those platforms.But I am very drawn to unconventional (for romance) plots that many readers (of IR and not) would never even consider and more realistic type characters and situations so that explains some of what I listed above. For that reason I can accept minor issues with the writing quality as the vast majority of people writing those types of stories are indie authors (and not always self pubbed - sometimes small presses are not very good with editing either) and even more than that, they are much less likely to be any of the bigger and well established professional indie authors who are actually making a living from their work. But like everyone, I do of course have limits, and unfortunately, much like you all I've read far too many that breach those limits.
In terms of the IR books that I find subpar, I tend not to mention them at all for the most part. Not because I want to support them, but because I don't want to further prop up that type of work or as there are many people who will read a book just to trash it, especially romances, I don't want to lead people to bad books JUST to do that. Only the very worse of the worse, or those that I find the content to be offensive (again, all types not just IR) will I actively mention and even then only in certain circles because I don't want to feed into the long held 'mainstream' belief that black folks can't write good romance books. Clearly many can't - that is a given - but many published authors of all races can't and are too lazy (or sometimes is it just not having enough resouces?) to do the work properly and actually even just learn the basics of the craft before publishing.
Of those 32 books I listed, and bear in mind these are not reviews just a quick overview of what they are about, I'm curious to know if any of them are of interest to anyone in this thread, or if you have thoughts about any that you may have already read.
Forgive me if a couple of 'subpar' ones crept in, any that did were not so bad as to ruin my personal exerience of an otherwise interesting or even enjoyable story or I just don't recall those details of them.
I appreciate everyone’s comments. Honestly I may just start creeping on everybody’s reading challenge page to get suggestions! I will say that I don’t believe all current bwwm books right are trash or that there aren’t some hidden gems (albeit with stupid titles or bad covers). Just the overwhelming majority. If I read a book that’s really bad I will review it. Not so much to trash the book per say but to warn people. If I see 4/5 stars, I don’t read the reviews, I read the book to discover the magic myself. But 1/2 stars? Then yeah I’m going to see what people are saying didn’t work. I write reviews to say hey you may be insulted by this book, you should be insulted by this book, this book is unfulfilling. I do not however write reviews for books that I didn’t like for no reason other than preference. If it’s well fleshed out and I wasn’t feeling it, that’s fine not my cup of tea. I just want people to understand that I know personal preference is different from no this book was actually terrible. I realize people who write any book work hard. But a lot of them need to work harder.
@KittyKat-Regards your list of book here are the impressions of the ones I read:
-
- Fun, short and very good. One of the First Alyssa Cole's I ever read. She is a good writer who as a very diverse bibliography. One of my other favorites of hers is
which is set in the 60s during the civil rights movement and the heroine (bw) and the hero (a Jewish man) participate in the freedom rides. She is always a good bet!
- I wasn't very fond of this one. I thought as a sci-fi book it had an interesting premise. But as a romance it was a major miss. The hero was a bystander in his own story. The villain got way too much POV and headspace. The heroine's trauma was dialed up to 10. I tried another book by this authorand realized she just isn't the author for me. Too much trauma drama and some really ratchet components.
The two Freya Barker books I have not read, but I downloaded them to read! I've only read her Portland, ME series (The third book
is IR ). I liked it a lot and always meant to get back to her. She writes what I call 'grown folks books'. Books that you can sink into and are meaty and well written. Thanks for the reminder!!I actually liked Rebekeah Weatherspoons' first book in her BDSM series much better
. I thought there was a lot going on under the surface and hit a lot of emotional centers. I have actually re-read that one a couple of times. I thought her male nanny book was super fluffy and forgettable.Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken is a queen! She isn't for everyone because she is so over the top. But I adore how unabashedly multi-cultural she populates all her worlds. I often recommend her novella ""The Wolf, The Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe" (ir BWWM) that is in the
the anthology. An underrated gem!The
was cute.
- This book was THE TRUTH!!! I have worked in Academia all my professional life and it is rare to get a romance novel that gets higher education from the perspective of the faculty right. The inner workings, the politics, the whole aura. She nailed it. The only problem with this book for me was... I could not sit back and just enjoy the romance in it. The heroine was way too stressed and she made me stressed. LOL.I loved
. Another underrated gem. FYI -- she wrote an essay about her experiences with racism in the romance industrythat is just... UGH!!! It is why I want to really support black writers in this industry whenever possible.I've read most of Tracey Livesay's work. Most recently I read
. I loved how emotionally available the hero was. But felt the romantic conflict felt belabored. She a good writer who tells good stories. I find her books are a nice way to spend an afternoon or two. But I am never temped to go back and re-read and honestly have to read the blurb to remember what they were about sometimes.
- I wanted to like this. But I kept getting pulled out of the book by how illogical the characters acted. They were not new, but acted like it too much.
This list is exactly what I needed! Thanks
Greetings Lanie, et al. I believe that the advent of eBooks, the fly-by-night publishing companies, Indies, and Kindle Unlimited books ushered in a slew of sub-par tripe masquerading as quality IR books. The clamor for IR books, especially BWWM, has vastly increased in my opinion. Since the demand is so high, some “authors” have decided to capitalize on this phenomenon, and I suspect it’s done largely for monetary gain. As a result, we get unmitigated substandard drivel. And, we buy it, the “author” gets paid, and we are left feeling cheated and shortchanged. I, for one, have begun to fight back in several ways: 1) by sending those books back to Amazon for a refund, even if it’s past the time limit; 2) by reporting poorly written KU books and other books for which I can’t get refunds; 3) by refusing to buy or read books with titles such as “The White Alpha Millionaire’s Black Baby Mama’s Secret Quintuplets (Black Baby Mama Series, Book 1).”
I agree wholeheartedly with Justine, Monique and Lanie concerning these books where grammatical errors and other more egregious butchering of basic rules of grammar, punctuation, and incorrectly used homophones abound. Further, the IR books where sexual content overtakes meager plot lines, stories that have no discernible plot and glaring inconsistencies, etc., all serve to diminish the book. I read for my enjoyment, not for any other reason. I do point out these things in my reviews of IR books as well other fiction in any genre. Some of my reviews can be harsh, but so be it. There are too many books that are given 5 stars that should never have seen the light of day! Readers deserve a fully justified negative review for these atrocious offerings. That way, potential readers can make a more informed decision whether they will take a chance and give it a go or whether they will skip it.
This subject that Lanie raises has me thinking that we should reprise the threads asking for 5 – 3.0 star IR reads in 2020, and those 2020 IR books we feel missed the mark-rated 2.5 stars or lower (including books read in 2020, but were published In prior years).
@SassafrasfromAmoazon, let me just say I’ve read your reviews. Many times. And I love them. There are certain reviewers who’s reviews I can count on and you are definitely one of them. Also my tablet is named (yes my tablet has a name) Sassafras and sometimes I see your reviews and think wait did I write a review for this book? I almost exclusively use KU because my book appetite is voracious and I can afford spend the amount of money required to feed my habit. If I know for a fact the book is going to be good I will buy it, but I rarely do that anymore. I completely agree that there should be a thread not only sharing good books but also consistently good authors. That old adage you can’t judge a book by its cover is almost no longer true. If it features the same rotation of a guy in a suit photoshopped next to an awkward pregnant random woman with somebody’s else’s smiling kids copied and pasted, trust me it can be judged alright.
Mod
I have been trying to get into ebooks, but a lot of them don't hold my attention, no matter the genre. I just don't read interracial books and I am having a hard time finding good interracial books.
I haven't written a review in a while. I will one day, as soon as I find a book that's worth my time writing a review about. When I write a review, I write how I feel about a book. I don't write a review to convince people to read the book or make them not want to read a book. I don't let other people's reviews move me. The person is writing how they felt about a book. They probably hated the book and it might be a book on the topic that I like reading and I might read the book and like it.
I know what you mean about the cost of books. I almost exclusively do digital books now, after having run out of room for physical books. I turned my 2nd bedroom into a library and even that was overflowing. Eventually I had to downsize for a move and only kept books important to me. Digital opens me up to free downloads, KU and digital library loans. When I do buy actual books it’s at garage sales or used book stores. Regardless of where or how I get my books, I’m always looking for a book that resonates with me. Regardless of the genre I want a book that holds my attention, makes me care about the characters and stirs emotions whether it’s humor or pain etc.
Mod
Well you can’t tell me that and not tell me the name of the book! Which Suzanne Brockman book should I start with????
It is her Troubleshooter series. I believe she is somewhat responsible for catapulting Navy SEALS into popularity in the romance genre. The first book is The Unsung Hero. Sam and Alyssa's romance simmers in the background over five books before they get their own Gone Too Far. You really can't go straight into their romance novel, though. You really need to read the books in order to get the full experience because a LOT happens to them over the course of the preceding five books. After they get together they pop up as a happy alpha couple in later books and quite a few of the little novellas. They have a lot of face time in All Through the Night and make a front-and-center role again much later in the series in Hot Pursuit which.
I agree with Arch they are an awesome couple. Sam is in the top five of my book boyfriends.
Ok so 19 books in that series is a huge commitment. But then again I’ll probably be sitting in my house trying not to get sick until about March so they will keep me from getting bored.
Mod
Laine, you don't have to read the series. Gone Too Far is Sam and Alyssa's HEA book and it was the first book that I've read. When I bought the book from the library, I didn't know it was part of a series. I've never heard of Suzanne Brockmann and to be honest, the book didn't catch my attention at first, well it wasn't holding my attention. I had things going on and I've picked it up to read and only read a few pages and put the book away. It wasn't until a week or two later that I've read something online about Gone Too Far being a story about a BWWM and that made me rush back to the book and I'm glad that I did. After reading it, I went to the library to pick up the next book - Flashpoint, thinking they were going to be in it, which they were only mentioned in it. Little to say, I was disappointed, until I've found out about them being in previous books, so I've gotten the previous books from the library and later found them at book sales. I love their short stories too. Yes, Sam and Alyssa is Suzanne Brockmann number one couple and she has written short stories about them too.
Whew ok good to know. I’ll start with that one and go from there. I may want to read them all who knows? Thanks!
Mod
You might want to read them all, to see how Alyssa and Sam met. They couldn't stand one another. I think it would be safe to say the theme for them was enemies to lovers. In my eyes, it was love at first sight for them, but you couldn't tell that, because their enemies status. Sam was the boy in school that liked to pull the girl he liked hair to make her mad.
You don't have to commit t all the books. LOL. IMO, the first six are the best. A tight series with the core group and the sixth book, Sam and Alyssa's, imo, makes a great conclusion. But of the course the series just kept going adding all these extra people.But if you want a shortcut... I'd say start with the second book The Defiant Hero in the series if you are reading for Sam and Alyssa. The first book they meet each other but don't interact that much. The second book is when they really take off. The third book Over the Edge is my hands down favorite of the series and has huge developments in their relationship. Then if you want you can skip to their book. And then skip forward to Hot Pursuit. And then you can track down the little novellas. I think there is one book where they are all compiled in one book.
I guess I have my November reading sorted lol. Thanks!I’ve already completed my reading challenge but I’m about 80 books behind what I read last year. Half of it was working from home and being busy and the other half was not having a commute to read through.
Lanie wrote: "I guess I have my November reading sorted lol. Thanks!I’ve already completed my reading challenge but I’m about 80 books behind what I read last year. Half of it was working from home and being bu..."
I have noticed that I have not read as much as I did because of the lack of commuting. Usually I catch up during the holidays, but not this year as I have spent more time following the ridiculous political situation in the country.
Fans of Interracial Romance
Books mentioned in this topic
Over the Edge (other topics)Hot Pursuit (other topics)
The Defiant Hero (other topics)
All Through the Night (other topics)
The Unsung Hero (other topics)
More...
I feel like there used to be a time when authors like Tiffany Patterson, Theodora Taylor and Xavier Neal we’re putting out books that were considered the standard for engaging and engrossing books. Now people who have stories to tell but not necessarily the means to do so are pumping out ridiculous books that seem to be turning the genre into a playground of rich men and instant lust stories.
I’m not saying all bwwm books are subpar but I’ve been nothing but disappointed the last few months with the pickings. There have books I’ve read that I didn’t like but they were well thought out and edited properly. Lately they seem almost insulting to the reader. I’ve had more DNF this year than ever before.
Seriously is it just me or has anyone else noticed this? I apologize if anyone finds this offensive, I’ve just become frustrated in my search for quality bwwm and I would love to hear other people’s thoughts or opinions on the matter.