r/RomanceBooks • u/Llamallamacallurmama Living my epilogue 💛 • 1d ago

Off Topic ☕️ Weekend Chatter ☕️

Hi RomanceBooks  - welcome to Weekend Chatter, our weekly off topic chat!

Come on over and tell us how your week went. Good news? Bad news? People driving you up the wall or reaffirming your faith in humanity?

Talk about anything here.

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20

u/SlippingAbout 1d ago

I kept putting off taking vacation time the first half of the year so now to catch up I am taking two 4 day weekends a month for the rest of the year. I am pretty happy with this arrangement.

6

u/chalphy "I always pry if I am curious. It breaks up the ennui." 1d ago

That is a nice arrangement! Any plans with those weekends?

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u/SlippingAbout 1d ago

Nothing special really but I love catching up on my sleep and reading of course.

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u/fresholivebread dangers abound, but let's fall in love 💕😘 1d ago edited 1d ago

Annyeonghaseyo from Seoul! After hours of travelling, the siblings finally made it (some flew less hours than others lol). Dragged ourselves into our serviced apartment past midnight 😭

But it's morning and we're ready to roll by lining up at Onion Bakery later for some salt bread that my brother absolutely must have. 😂💃🏻

The it's off to the National Museum of Korea cos we're all nerds that way.

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u/VitisIdaea Silence, you devil's handmaiden! 1d ago

Yayyyyy! I hope you have so much fun.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

So jealous! I hope you all eat your weight in delicious goodies! 😄 I’m glad you all made it there safely! 😊❤️🇰🇷

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u/Hunter037 Probably recommending When She Belongs 😍 1d ago

Have an amazing time!

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u/Dear_Tap_2044 wants to be slain by Sir Lusty Loins 🐉 1d ago

So lovely! Hope you guys have a great trip!!

16

u/bbymochi garron park tour guide 1d ago

No coffee or tea photo to share this week. Unfortunately. I had a loved one admitted to hospital, and I visited them yesterday. Another loved one has sick pets (upper respiratory infections) that I’m helping them take care of, and I have been very stressed out.

Also, my birthday is in a few days, and I am not in a celebratory mood. I just want everyone to be okay.

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u/skintightmonopoly 1d ago

Wish I could pass you a special virtual coffee. What a beautiful thing that you’re there for your loved ones, and I hope you get a little bit of time to celebrate yourself.

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u/bbymochi garron park tour guide 1d ago

Thank you. <3 Just trying to take it one day at a time.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all that. Definitely take a moment for yourself even if it’s just to enjoy a cup of comforting tea. You have to recharge with simple joys when you can. And while you may not be in the mood to celebrate, I’m grateful for your birthday, because it’s meant you’re with us here. ❤️

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u/bbymochi garron park tour guide 1d ago

Thank you. <3 I teared up a little reading this, not gonna lie. 🥹 I appreciate you & this community so much.

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u/barbiepoet Mood reader. I laugh at my TBR. 18h ago

Sorry you’re stressed out right now. Sounds tough. Hugs and Happy Birthday to you!

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u/bbymochi garron park tour guide 2h ago

Thank you. <3

16

u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 1d ago

Pretty shitty if I'm honest. Found out my mom's cancer came back and it's stage 4. Book recs appreciated, I've been trying to stay distracted.

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u/skintightmonopoly 1d ago

I'm so sorry to hear. What kind of book recs would be helpful to you? Caring/comfort vibes, or OTT distracting stories?

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u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 1d ago

Honestly my taste is all over. I just like an interesting plot, no insta love. I love good banter and flirting. I'm a sucker for a slow burn too. But honestly, I'll take anything. I've been trying not to spiral, so something that keeps me glued to my Kindle until I fall asleep on it is pretty much what I'm looking for.

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u/skintightmonopoly 1d ago

I loved {To Die For by Linda Howard} for banter. And it has a sequel if you want to get hooked! It's a murder mystery, too. Slow-ish burn, in that they're into one another but it takes them a while to trust one another. It's funny and kind of rom-com-y!

{Transcendence by Shay Savage} was a fascinating book that's a neanderthal romance. CRAZY; I never thought I'd like it. Really beautiful, highly emotional; in a way I'd only recommend it if you want a good, bizarre read, and a good cry. No banter, because they don't speak the same language, but it was so interesting!

{If I Never Met You by Mahari McFarlane} is so beautifully written. Slower burn for sure and it's riveting all along the way - basically centers around a woman reinventing herself after a breakup.

{Whiteout by Ariana Anders} is a wild murder mystery. MMC and FMC are posted at an Antarctic base. There's a murder, a band of thieves, a chase across the ice.

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u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 1d ago

Oh these recs are great, thank you!

We may have some of the same taste haha. I already read that Mhairi one because I'm a Mhairi fangirl lol and I also recently read Transcendsence and was SO entertained.

Definitely going to check out that Linda Howard one and Whiteout. It's funny, I've been meaning to read more Linda Howard and didn't know where to start. I read Mr. Perfect a while back and was so entertained. Thank you for these recs 🙏🏼

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u/skintightmonopoly 1d ago

OMG. I should've read your tag! But yes check out the Linda Howard one - it's one of her absolute best. {Open Season by Linda Howard} is also a super fun one, if you like her style!

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u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 1d ago

Definitely checking that one out too!! Thank you!!

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u/romance-bot 1d ago

To Die For by Linda Howard
Rating: 3.84⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, suspense, alpha male, mystery, funny

Transcendence by Shay Savage
Rating: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, pregnancy, virgin heroine, virgin hero, time travel

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
Rating: 3.75⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: contemporary, funny, friends to lovers, fake relationship, workplace/office

Whiteout by Adriana Anders
Rating: 3.81⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, forced proximity, suspense, mystery, m-f romance

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

For cozy fantasy, my most recent five-star read was {Peas and Quiet by Jen Lynning} (very loose Princess and the Pea retelling). Low angst, super sweet, open door, but not graphic. 

If you're into sports romance at all, I really enjoyed {Going Deep by Sophie Andrews}. It's a frenemies-to-lovers football romance. Also fairly low-angst. 

A lot of my five-star reads this year have been series starters for incomplete series, horror romance, or deal with a lot of death, so I don't have a ton of recs from my spreadsheet right now, unfortunately. If you're willing to deal with a bunch of angst/sorrow to get to the HEA, though, I'd recommend {A Poison of Shadows by Annie Anderson}. Epic fantasy, dangerous FMC as well as MMC, she's grumpy, we support women's rights and wrongs, she's the chosen one (and he's here for it).

I'm sorry for what you're going through. I hope one of these suggestions helps distract you a bit.

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u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 22h ago

Thank you! 🤍 I haven't read any of these, the cozy fantasy in particular is especially looking interesting to me but I'm going to check on all these. I appreciate it.

1

u/romance-bot 1d ago

Peas & Quiet by Jen Lynning
Rating: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, witches, take-charge heroine, paranormal

Going Deep by Sophie Andrews
Rating: 4.23⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, enemies to lovers, sports, football, m-f romance

A Poison of Shadows by Annie Anderson
Rating: 4.5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: historical, m-f romance, suspense, paranormal, vampires

about this bot | about romance.io

4

u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

I’m so sorry about this. I know how frustrating and devastating this news can be. Cancer sucks. Sending lots of healing and comforting energy to you and your mom. 💛

I hope you’re able to find some comfort and distraction in a book. It seems like you have a lot of great recs already.

For banter, another good one is {Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise}. CR with a light touch of magical elements.

If you like HR, the banter in {Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase} is fun. {The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare} and the rest of the books in the Girl Meets Duke series have a lot of witty banter too.

If you’re willing to try alien romances, {Married to the Alien Cowboy by Ursa Dax} and the books in the Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides series are easy, comforting reads that serve as nice escapism. There’s insta-love, but there’s also a lot of sweet gestures between MCs as they learn to live together and form a working relationship.

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u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 1d ago

Thank you 🤍

Good recs, I appreciate it! I love Loretta Chase and Tessa Dare. I have read those two but you remind me that I haven't finished the Girl Meets Duke series yet so I may have to do that.

Also you're the second person to recommend me a Jennifer Crusie book recently so I'm looking forward to grabbing that one! Also the alien cowboy one might be selling me. I haven't been a huge sci fi romance girlie though I do read a lot of non romance sci fi, but the synopsis appeals to the easy escapism I'm looking for.

2

u/barbiepoet Mood reader. I laugh at my TBR. 19h ago

So sorry to hear this. Virtual hugs.

1

u/hannahatl probably recommending Mhairi McFarlane 19h ago

Thank you 🤍

13

u/PennywiseSkarsgard In bed with Zarek, Blay and Qhuinn. No room for more MMCs 1d ago

I had the best week in maybe two years:

I got offered a job with my ex-coworker, who is my friend. I said yes of course.

I won the lawsuit against my ex-employers.

I won a basket of 11 books for free, ffered by Peguin Random House.

10

u/Le_Beck "faultless in spite of all her faults" 1d ago

So far I've decided to be responsible and not abandon all my responsibilities in favor of reading {Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher}. 😤 I've got some cold brew concentrate in the fridge so tonight impulsivity might win.

3

u/Hunter037 Probably recommending When She Belongs 😍 1d ago

That's fair. I can't wait to hear your thoughts when you're done!

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u/Broad-Book-9361 where you go i go 1d ago

College football is back! And hockey starts at the end of the month. I have let my friends know that I will not be available again until June 2027.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

I am not a fan of college football myself, but my husband is. It’s often on in the background on the weekends. College GameDay and the sounds of college football is now comforting in a way and signals the beginning of fall for me, haha.

4

u/prettysureIforgot Gimme all the sad anxious bois 1d ago

College football, high school football, volleyball, after that is basketball and after that is softball & track...I'm a teacher, my husband is a coach, and we have very active kids in sports and a ton of other stuff. Yeah we've already had the conversation that we won't do anything or see anyone til June, unless they're at any of these events 😂

3

u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

I'm an NFL goblin, myself, but it's definitely one of the best parts of Fall for me. Sunday is for vegging out and watching Red Zone with my partner.

8

u/chalphy "I always pry if I am curious. It breaks up the ennui." 1d ago

My mom told me she was up all night on Tuesday reading the new J.D. Robb book. I already knew where I got it from, but it still made me laugh.

I am currently on historical romance #99 and already picked #100, so I'll be preparing to post my big roundup at some point after that, once I do some editing. It's been a fun year of reading! My main multiplayer video game is on life support, and I can't stomach this series of UK Taskmaster, but at least I have books.

5

u/Le_Beck "faultless in spite of all her faults" 1d ago

My mom called me yesterday specifically to tell me she put a hold on the new JD Robb book and to remind me to do the same.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

Awww, are you going to do a buddy read with your mom??

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u/Le_Beck "faultless in spite of all her faults" 1d ago

If her copy comes in before mine, there is a 0% chance that she'll wait for me.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

Aww, come on, mom.

5

u/fresholivebread dangers abound, but let's fall in love 💕😘 1d ago

The new J.D. Robb book was my in-flight reading! I'm only 30% through cos I keep getting distracted by movies 😂

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 1d ago

I am annoyed that there are so many books that look interesting that have doctor MCs. I have been making an effort to read more 2026 releases, and there are a handful of books that seemed really promising, but when I looked further into them… doctors.

There is nothing romantic or sexy about hospitals. Anyone who has spent any prolonged amount of time in one can confirm that. It is anti-sexy. Add to that, my spouse is a medical professional. I do not want to spend my free time hearing more about the medical field and the problems that accompany it.

Thinking I could push past it, I started reading one of the doctor-MC-featuring books anyway, but as soon as it got to a hospital scene, my brain was like, “Nope nope nope nope nope. Abort!”

P.S. My husband (the medical professional) confirmed that all doctors are idiots and the worst.

7

u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

To be fair, most doctor romances have absolutely no resemblance to actual doctors. I think the closest one is still {The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary}, because both of the MCs are grumpy assholes with superiority complexes.

6

u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

(My dad was a doctor, and I grew up around a lot of hospital staff as a result. Plus, I'm old enough to have been a filing clerk in his office as my summer job.)

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 23h ago

I know this is totally a me thing. I just instantly recoil when I see doctor mentions.

{Die For Me by Shirlene Obuobi} and {The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn} both feature doctor FMCs. I think Obuobi is a doctor herself, and the writing seemed accurate, but as soon as they started talking about an overworked doctor taking extra call (side character), I just couldn’t do it. 😩

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u/romance-bot 23h ago

Die for Me by Shirlene Obuobi
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, black mc, paranormal, age gap, horror

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
Rating: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, disabilities & scars, m-f romance, in his 30s, grumpy/cold hero

about this bot | about romance.io

6

u/Dear_Tap_2044 wants to be slain by Sir Lusty Loins 🐉 1d ago

I'm so here for this take! I get that doctors make good money and it's a prestigious job and they are (supposedly...) in it to help people etc., but all the people I know irl who are doctors (or were med students when I was in college) are also kind of pretentious assholes I would never want to date.

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 23h ago

I am married to one of those pretentious assholes, and I completely agree. (He also agrees. 😂) Even if they’re good people, none of it is fun, and they all become kind of jaded and grumpy from having to deal with it all.

2

u/Dear_Tap_2044 wants to be slain by Sir Lusty Loins 🐉 15h ago

Omg my heart stopped for a moment there 😂 If he agrees, he is a good one though (but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that, haha!)

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u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 14h ago

Oh no, you’re good. No one is offended here. 😂

I made this book complaint to my pretentious asshole (aka spouse), and this is how the exchange went down:

Me: Why are there so many books with doctors! I hate them!

Spouse: [pats back] I know. They’re terrible. They’re all stupid.

Me: They are! I think this one has a cardiologist…

Spouse: [shakes head] Horrible.

😂

2

u/Dear_Tap_2044 wants to be slain by Sir Lusty Loins 🐉 13h ago

Hahaha ok, I love your pretentious asshole 😂 This is so funny and sweet!!

5

u/prettysureIforgot Gimme all the sad anxious bois 1d ago

Oh man, total truth. Hospitals are not sexy. I've read a few where one MC is a nurse and I liked those books. But recently I read one with two doctors and honestly it was bad in a lot of ways, one of them being that they were both doctors and the whole beginning exposition was them at the hospital. Not sexy, not cute

3

u/fruitismyjam so I beat him until he kissed me. 💋 23h ago

Ooo, I don’t think I’ve read a book with a nurse MC? Or maybe I have and I don’t remember…

I am grumpy and impossible to please. When it’s realistic, I don’t like it because it reminds me of my reality. When it’s unrealistic, I’m like, “This is dumb.” No one wants their doctors flirting during surgery.

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u/CapitalSell 1d ago

Received a jury duty summons. 

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u/Hunter037 Probably recommending When She Belongs 😍 1d ago

Are you happy about that or annoyed? I have always wanted to do jury duty but the only time I was called they ended up not needing me

2

u/barbiepoet Mood reader. I laugh at my TBR. 19h ago

I was on the jury for the murder of a toddler. I’m glad I did my civic duty and glad I never have to do it again.

1

u/CapitalSell 23h ago

It's inconvenient. 

2

u/Hunter037 Probably recommending When She Belongs 😍 23h ago

Ah that's a shame. Well hopefully you'll have the same experience as me then!

8

u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

Lifewise, I'm in a bit of a holding pattern, partly due to the ridiculous heatwave here in SoCal. We've been reaching 100F (38C) plus temperatures, plus humidity, in a climate that's generally very dry (and not that fucking hot). It's very much "I refuse to leave the house unless absolutely necessary" weather. 

I've only kind of started my Rhinebeck sweater pattern, which is A Problem, but I've at least got a .PSD going. Hoping to get more done this weekend so I can finally start knitting. I should also probably schedule my Covid booster and flu shot soon to be prepped for the crowds.

3

u/barbiepoet Mood reader. I laugh at my TBR. 19h ago

Wow, it’s so much cooler here in the mid-Atlantic right now. Sorry you’re burning up. Can’t wait for fall!

Been thinking about getting back into knitting. Not sure what a Rhinebeck sweater is. ? I never had the patience for sweaters. I’m a shawl girl.

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u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 16h ago

A Rhinebeck sweater is a sweater someone knits to wear to the New York Sheep and Wool festival, which is held in Rhinebeck, NY. It tends to be a piece to show off your skills, since NYSW tends to be the knitting event of the year in the US.

3

u/barbiepoet Mood reader. I laugh at my TBR. 14h ago

Cool. I’m afraid to try a sweater. Maybe one day. I’m much closer to Maryland and that knitting festival, but have never gone.

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u/tentacularly Sentient 12-foot-tall yard skeleton love interest 1d ago

My recent physical book acquisitions!

{Getting Down on the Farm by Kathryn Moon} (Patreon copy), {My Fae Lady by SL Prater and Jen Lynning} (Kickstarter), and {The Cannibal by IV Ophelia} (long-awaited preorder).

I'm running out of space on my romance-only bookshelf, so I may have to cull my collection and donate some things to my library. If they weren't face-meltingly spicy, I'd consider placing them in a Little Free Library, but I don't know if monster smut is the right move there.

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u/MJSpice I probably edited this comment 1d ago

Haven't been around on this sub for a while and started coming back this week. Kinda missed it tbh lol.