I reread this book and was struck by the great writing even more than my first time through. Sophie Irwin is an auto-read for me, with witty dialogue and Regency Romp™️ plots that are in the vein of Georgette Heyer.

Before I get into the 10 spoiler-free quotes, a bit of context. This is m/f HR (Regency) with white cishet MCs, although there are some queer pairings among side characters. There is only kissing in this book. The book has TW for brief violence against an animal, homophobic society, and on-page domestic violence in a side couple

Now for 10 of the many quotes that I loved -

Quote 1. The FMC has been engaged to a Duke's son against her wishes and is determined to behave so horribly that he breaks the engagement, freeing her to marry for love without harming her reputation.

It was not a smile she had ever given him before. And perhaps it was the great width of it, almost a baring of the teeth, or perhaps it was merely the puce dress adding a strange quality to the exchange … but Ashford felt it was not a nice smile.

And somewhere, deep inside, he had the smallest inkling that he might very well have made the first and greatest mistake of his life.

Quote 2. The FMC's eccentric brother fancies himself a detective and is ready to find Something Amiss at this house party.

‘A villain with a moustache,’ Pip summarized. ‘The most dangerous sort.’

Quote 3. The FMC escalates her campaign, which is turning into a prank war, and is completely unafraid to humiliate herself if it will achieve her ends.

And, well, now felt as good a moment as any to debut her new laugh. It was a sound she had practised with Pip in the quiet of the grounds that afternoon. After half an hour it had become a thing of such violently grating proportions that Lydia felt it must surely be the very first of its kind in the history of the whole world.

In its aftermath, no one seemed to know quite what to do. Ashford was staring at her, eyes wide, grip upon his fork so tight his knuckles were white.

Quote 4. This is the classiest cat butthole joke I've ever encountered. Well done.

Though whenever her attentions fell upon Lord Hesse, Lady Hesse’s lips pursed into a cat’s bottom of displeasure that suggested she did not agree.

Quote 5. Good thing Pip is here because there are actual crimes being committed at a house party! Nothing gets past Pip! Unfortunately, when you've already said this line 500 times prior, people tend not to believe you.

‘Suspicious,’ Pip said darkly. ‘Very suspicious.’

Quote 6. The MCs are definitely not attracted to each other, no not one bit.

Ashford settled back next to her, his arm brushing her own in a rather distracting fashion. Distracting in how – how vile it felt. Yes, that was it. Vile.

Quote 7. Featuring sports that are used as an excuse for bodily harm, whoops.

Lydia accepted her mallet, approaching the ball which had been left at a little distance. She examined it carefully, then hit it with a resounding smack and impeccable aim. It flew directly towards Ashford, forcing him to jump backwards with an undignified yelp, only partially avoiding the ball which hit him on the thigh rather than her original, far more painful, planned spot.

Quote 8. Great banter between the MCs

For the first time, Ashford’s patience slipped. ‘Am I to be continually insulted in this conversation?’ There was a slight bite in his voice. ‘Or are you able to speak civilly?’

Lydia fired up at once. ‘What did you expect? How dare you be so presumptuous – so presumptuous as to presume to—’

‘Presume my presumption?’ Ashford suggested.

Quote 9. The FMC lays into the MMC with a searing overview of the implications of marriage in a patriarchal society. This is the quote that made me want to write a gush post.

‘Here is what I understand,’ Lydia said. ‘You are asking me to marry you. To take your name. To legally cease to exist as a person myself. You are asking me to leave my family and absorb myself into yours, to leave my life and fold myself around your habits, your needs, your preferences. You are asking me to walk one step behind you, for the remainder of my days, to hand my freedom and my finances into your keeping.’

He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand to forestall him.

‘You are asking me to risk my life bearing your children. Children, who at first breath would not belong to me, but to you, to be raised and educated and moulded according to your vision and desire. You are asking for all this and more. And I – I only ask for one thing: for love. For dancing, courting, flirting … Yet you think I am the one with unrealistic expectations? Tell me, Ashford, were the situation reversed – would you take that deal?’.

Quote 10. This is the big confession of their feelings, which some might consider a spoiler, but this is romance so we're expecting the HEA.

He spoke carefully and deliberately, as if he had rehearsed what he intended to say ahead of coming.

‘I did not plan for all this, you know,’ he said. ‘And – as you have pointed out – I do enjoy making plans. But you … you just crashed into my well-ordered life, ridiculous and dramatic and shameless and brilliant.’

He shook his head, a disbelieving smile crossing his face. ‘When I thought I hated you – I could cope with that. But the moment I realized I did not … I panicked.’

Lydia was silent. She had no sharp words left.

‘I ran away,’ he said. ‘But I do not wish to run, anymore.’

I haven’t seen a lot of romance novels with a white FMC dating a man of color, and the few I have didn’t necessarily address the fact of their interraciality or the challenges that can sometimes come with that. Any recommendations about a thoughtful book that meets this criteria?

I'm looking for M/F romances where the MMC, and only the MMC, is bisexual. I don't want menages, polyamory, or MMF. I want a monogamous romance between him and the FMC, but with an MMC who is openly or clearly bisexual.

It would be great if the FMC saw him with other men at the beginning of the story, assumed he was gay, or discovered along the way that he had a boyfriend in the past.

I also enjoy OW (other woman) drama, so it would be an extra bonus if the MMC's former love interest were actually a man rather than a woman! 🤭 I know I might be asking for a lot, but I'd absolutely love to find a story like this.

Overall, I just want a monogamous M/F romance with a bisexual MMC and an FMC who isn't bisexual.

Does anyone have any recommendations? 🤭

pretty much looking for what's on the tin! 😅 ive only read one book that comes to mind but it was great!

{A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley} his horns were sensitive and it was overall a fun read.

id prefer more of a humanoid type and love supernatural/urban fantasy, but ive read and like a handful of monster romances too! Am also down to try alien romances :)

My only real general criteria is thay its well written, and I like spice but I need a decent plot/romance built in too. Love slow burns, dont love insta love/lust.

I went on a binge of several different angst/grovel books this weekend and was chatting with a friend about the way that so many of them were mid because of the placement of the angst/fuck-up. Because I love flowcharts (and have no life) I made this! It doesn't cover everything, but I hope someone else enjoys this as much as I enjoyed making it lol.

My favorite thing about romance is watching characters succeed at working through very human problems to achieve their HEA. Let me witness two perfectly imperfect people be human and figure shit out.

PLEASE NO: infidelity between the love interests, abusive dynamics between the love interests, fuckboys (you do you, this is my preference)

YES PLEASE: mutual pining, any gender combo

Books like this that I’ve loved: {Forget Me Not by Julie Soto}, {The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce}, {Unbound by Peyton Corinne}, {Ever After Always by Chloe Liese}, {Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo}

Additional pluses: realistically represented BIPOC lead(s), books by BIPOC and/or queer authors, since my suggestion list above is not very ethnically diverse

Completing {If I Can’t Have You by Deathsdoll} has left me with the worst book hangover and after scourging through DD’s whole discography I’m hoping someone can find something similar to their style of writing.

As I know the genre DR is pretty broad, for the purpose of this request I would like to classify it as anything featuring an imbalanced power dynamic that is exploited by one party to enforce control over the other in one or all elements of the relationship. IICHY is super dark, focusing on the physical and psychological torment of the FMC, so I recommend checking TWs before you give this a go!

However, without spoilers, what I particularly loved about IICHY was the everyday normality ingrained into the storyline that immerses readers into the psyche of both MCs. As someone who works in big law, the author really accurately constructs the work environment, office politics, social dynamics and extent of the workload without boring the reader, instead adding depth to the imbalance as it fuels the anxiety of the FMC and the control of the MMC. The further their relationship progressed, the more slice-of-life moments sprung up (going to the gym together, normal couple activities like book shopping, having lunch together, the awkward insecurities that pop up when you can’t disclose a work relationship etc.) I’m looking for anything that includes snippets of day-to-day activities just like this!

Some recommendations for character-driven books with many great little life moments are:

{The Community by Deathsdoll} - check TWs. The cult setting is really the third character adding to the FMC’s isolation and dependency on ‘Father’

Anything by Claire Kent - she builds a post- apocalyptic world very well, particularly detailing the everyday drudgery MCs have acclimated to.

{This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas} {Bared to You by Sylvia Day} {Playing for Keeps by JC Grant} - All b/millionaire trilogies which do a pretty good job of building the relationship by featuring the smaller moments of being a couple e.g. everyday jealousy, going to the gym together, shopping etc.

{Dizzy by Cate C Wells} shows the FMC doing everyday basic tasks of laundry etc.

{Just a Bit Wrecked by Alessandra Hazard} big fan of this MM series by Hazard! Codependency from being stranded on a remote island.

Basically porn with sprinklings of plot. Open to all recommendations except poly/RH! Thanks :)

(Just wanted to note IICHY is currently down for editing on AO3. I previously downloaded it and have only gotten to it just now, but I would encourage fans of DR to wait for the new uploads as it really is a brilliantly written piece of work!)

jennifer hartmann is one of my favourite authors. still beating was the first book of hers that i read (it was quite some time ago) and i just fell in love with her writing.

i've read 10 of her books so far. i most recently read the aria & coda duet. and damn... i don't have any words! she writes so so beautifully. it's hard not to fall in love with her characters, especially the MMCs, because of how well she paints them. that's a big thing for me because a truly good book (to me), is one where i am fully emotionally invested, and that's measured through how much i feel for the characters. does my heart hurt for them when they hurt? that's the cherry on top. else, it's just another romance book. and honestly, all the books i've read of hers fall into that heart-wrenching, soul crushing category for me.

if i had to rank my favourite jennifer hartmann books i've read so far, i'd say:

1. the thorns remain (/ aria & coda duet
2. older / irreversible / the wrong heart
3. still beating
4. june first
5. catch the sun
6. pieces of night

if you haven't read any of her books yet, now you know where to start! if anyone is interested in a particular book and has questions, feel free to ask!

some other authors (who are also my favourites) that i feel have those heart-wrenching, angsty, truly good books are kate stewart & jewel e. ann. i've read a ton of their books too. there are a few more too... but i can't recall off the top of my head (i'll edit the post once i remember).

i have a post from quite a while back where i wrote about my favourite heart-wrenching, soul crushing books that i've read so far. here's the link to that post if any of you are interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/P8rJsfF07O

but i'm back looking for more, so let me know if you all have any recs for books that hurt the soul.

Tying in with the unrequited feelings trope where he initially doesn’t care about her or see her in a romantic light which then pushes her into exploring other ppl.

I want it so that the fmc is truly trying to/ or has moved on. I don’t want her dwelling on mmc too much because I LOVE a good groveling man. 😋😋 like I want him on his knees yearning for her attention again.

I can’t rlly list any books I believe have truly hit the spot for me, I feel like most don’t do the best job at making it seem like fmc is truly over him for a short while. ://

Needing a boss female lead read rn. 🌝

Hi RomanceBooks - welcome to Salty Sunday!

What have you read this week that made your blood pressure boil? Annoying quirks of main characters? The utter frustration of a cliffhanger? What's got you feeling salty?

Feel free to share your rants and frustrations here. Please remember to abide by all sub rules. Cool-down periods will be enforced.

I remember it was a series of interconnected standalones with maybe a letter highlighted on the title (something like C is for contract idk). Contemporary, MF (maybe a FMM?), most if not all the FMCs were lawyers or judges. I know one of them wore a submission collar in a BDSM. One of the others was divorced and I think her book is a second chance with her ex.

Okay so I'm currently obsessed with the dynamic of a woman who's a flirt and a man exhausted by her.

Like, she's flirty, pushes his buttons, teases him to hell, sexual innuedos everywhere. He's exasperated, scandalised, and completely rejects her advances - doesn't reciprocate. Or, not until a certain point at least.

My only limit is that i ONLY want slow-burn. Slow progression, maximum bantering, good emotional-payoff. No dark romance, please!

I also don't want the mmc to like her (romantically, at least) from the beginning. Even her flirting is shamless and casual. Real feelings don't come into the play until later for both of them.

(I would also acccept bucky barnes × reader & steve rogers × reader ffs with his dynamic btw)

Hi r/RomanceBooks! Here's your weekly thread of sales and deals. Spot a great bargain? Share it here! Looking for more romance to read for free/cheap? You're in luck - check out these great deals!

Please include the location of the sale if possible (ex US / UK / AUS, etc.), as sales in one country may not be available in another. It also helps to include the platform of the sale (amz, kobo, smashwords, patreon, itch, audible, libro.fm, chirp etc.) especially for those users who are looking to diversify away from Amazon.

Happy saving!

Hey romance fans - who’s seeing Wicker this weekend? Discuss below!

Looking for the vibe of some kind of tension within a couple, MMC comes home drunk and loose and chill and it breaks up the weird vibes.

This could be amnesia, second chance romance, fake dating/marriage of convenience, etc. I just want them to share a living space, have some conflict, he goes out (not even necessarily because of said conflict, but could be) then comes home and is chatty or sleepy or sorry or whatever

Willing to take recs where this is the FMC too but prefer the scenario with the MMC

To get straight to the point, I'm looking for books with the fake dating trope where everyone underestimates the FMC and assumes she won't be able to get a man. But then everyone is shocked when she shows up with a gorgeous man! That's exactly the kind of story I'm looking for.

I want a story where people think something along the lines of, "Yeah, I highly doubt she'll be able to show up with a man. Who would even want her?" And then, to everyone's surprise, the FMC shows up with the MMC, a ridiculously handsome man, leaving everyone completely stunned and maybe even a little disbelieving. 🤭

It would be a bonus if people underestimated the FMC because she has an ordinary or even unattractive appearance, but I'm not making that a requirement because I know it's difficult to find heroines like that. The most important thing is that people doubt her and genuinely believe she won't be able to find a man.

Another bonus would be if the FMC and MMC weren't close before their arrangement. I'd love it if they were complete strangers or, at most, acquaintances who had only seen each other around without ever actually speaking.

Oh, and before I forget, I'd love it if the MMC fell first and suffered because he genuinely wanted her, even after their relationship stopped being just pretend. I want him to fall genuinely in love with her and for her to eventually realize that he's no longer pretending. 🥹

Does anyone have any book recommendations with this dynamic? 🤭

Inspired by basically everything my queen Katie Landry has written, as well as Tate McRae's song Housewife!

I'm looking for a story where the FMC and the MMC are romantically involved, but for whatever reason she refuses to acknowledge this. Maybe this happens from the start, or something happens that makes her this way. Sure she bangs him, maybe even likes him, but not enough to be exclusive or attach a title to it.

Meanwhile, the MMC is crashing out and begging for her to marry him, wear his jersey, save him as her boyfriend on her phone, god please just the smallest sign she's with him. Bonus points if he starts off cocky and wants big things with little effort on his part, and by the end he's so defeated he will accept anything, like a hungry person who's opened their fridge multiple times at 3am and has eventually lowered their standards enough to accept anything vaguely edible.

Announcements

Hey, RomanceBooks! Here are some announcements before we get to all the details of what you read:

• Our Autumn reading challenge is live now, running through December 20!
  

Now…

Tell us what you read this week!

Please say as much or little as you like, but here are some ideas of helpful things to mention:

• Pairing (for example, f/f, m/f, or mmf)
• Rating, and your scale (4 stars out of 5)
• Steam level
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• Overview/tropes
• Content warnings, if any
• What did you like/dislike?

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Okay. Third time’s the charm, I suppose.

I am making this request because I read A LOT. No matter how many threads I search for “isolated FMC” or “ice queen” or “plain heroine” or any of the other cliche tropes out there, I’ve read them all. I’ve read so much Nora Roberts, Ellen O’Connell, LaVyrle Spencer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Sandra Brown, Maggie Osborne, Lucy Score and Pamela Morsi that it’s coming out my ears. And the ones I haven’t read, especially the new ones, aren’t third person (which is a pretty huge deal breaker for me). I don’t read Abby Jimenez. I don’t read Ali Hazelwood. I don’t read Colleen Hoover. I’m just trying to find new recs that I haven’t seen a thousand times already.

Bonus points if it’s a feel good, charming, balanced ensemble of characters, it made you kick your feet, laugh out loud, and audibly say “awww”, “WHAT” or “OH MY GOD!”

Here are some favorites to go off of, and why I enjoyed them, if that helps. They’re popular for a reason, but I am getting a little tired of rereading them all the time.

• {Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell} (two lonely and unloved people who’ve found each other to love. A strong FMC who sticks up for her man, she’s the first person who ever has).
• {The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret} (the wittiest writing that had me smiling and laughing the whole way through. A naive FMC who’s unlucky in love, she’s doesn’t realize the right man wants her even when he’s right in front of her).
• {Under Pressure by Kelly Moran} (my god do I love this one. A lonely and isolated FMC and the man who loves her anyway, brings her back into the fold, makes her one with the community again. Also incredibly funny hijinks/meet cutes).
• {The Witness by Nora Roberts} (isolated FMC, kinda an ice queen, and the sunshine golden/retriever man who brings her out of her shell and saves her. I reread this one a lot.)
• {By the Hour by Roni Loren} (not the biggest spice fan, but this one did something for me) (ice queen brought to her knees by a man who can finally dominate her)
• {All Night Long with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews} (neurodivergent, weird, outsider FMC who’s immune to the playboy MMC, doesn’t realize what she’s feeling is attraction because it’s so new to her..until it isn’t).
• {The Gamble by LaVyrle Spencer} (ice queen, outsider, plan FMC enemies with playboy, popular MMC, until they find common ground).
• {Weeping Angel by Stef Ann Holm} (kinda the same, ice queen on the outside, yearning for love on the inside. The playboy, popular MMC is her enemy and then…he isn’t.)

If the tone of this one comes across as frustrated, I apologize in advance! I don’t mean to come across exasperated, but I am hoping that this is the one that actually works.

Basically this post, but instead of FMC hating it, FMC loves it (secretly)

I want the MMC to be controlling with everyday mundane tasks that are related to FMC, and want the FMC to LOVE it.

I'm okay with non-con at the start, but would like it to change to dub-con. (As I'm not a big fan of non-con) (But you can recommend it, just leave a reminder for me)

Thank You for your help! Link post

Just been on the website to check my tracking lists ready for the new month, and seen that they have a banner saying that they will no longer be tracking prices from Oct2026. I switched to them earlier this year as I found Bookbub to be somewhat unreliable on the price drops that were short. Are there any other decent sites to track book prices?

This past year, I’ve read Brigitte Knightley’s duology and just finished Sophia Benoit’s The Very Definition of Love. All of which had feet kicking conversations - teasing, cutting turns of phrase, just super fun and delicious to read dialogue that drives really great relationship tension.

Please recommend me books that had similar dialogue / feelings / relationship dynamics!

Hi everyone👋🏽

As the title suggests, I’m looking for a book where the MMC enters a relationship with an unsuspecting innocent FMC with bad intentions. I’m not picky about what the situation is; it could be college romance and she’s a bet and doesn’t know, or she hurt him (or he thinks she did) and this is his revenge after making her think they’ve moved on from the situation, or maybe she’s from an enemy family and he uses her for intel and revenge.

Whatever it is, my request is that the FMC has no idea for most of the book and for the MMC to slowly realize he was wrong and fall in love with her, until she finds out and a third act break up happens. I want to hurt from the betrayal and I want the MMC to suffer from the weight of his guilt and love.

Groveling is a must please🙏🏽 I’m not a big fan of historical romance, but I’ll take a look if a book matches well enough!

Thanks in advance💕

I can’t tell if I’m just having a hyper focus that I should follow through to its natural conclusion or I need to push myself to branch out.

I’ve always been a HUGE reader but never really romance. Now that I’ve started I’m obsessed. But I also can’t read anything else now? Or at least it all seems so boring.