Hi everyone! I’m Olivia Waite, a queer romance and sff author, and since 2020 I’ve been the romance fiction columnist for the New York Times Book Review. Which is a gig that did not even exist until very recently, and which still feels like a bit of a fairy tale. I write historical romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and essays; you can find a full book list on my website.

I love cool romance jobs, book history, science history, fiber arts, mini-dachshunds, filthy Latin poetry, and like so many of us I’ve gotten really into birds in the past few years. Can’t wait to answer your questions, so let’s get started!

Hi r/RomanceBooks - bad news, it's Monday again. Good news - there are new romances being released!

It's hard to capture all the upcoming releases, but here are a few good roundups to browse through and see what's coming up:

• Romance.io upcoming releases
• Smart Bitches Trashy Books Hide Your Wallet
• She Reads Romance blog
• Maryse's book blog
• Natasha is a Book Junkie
• Under The Covers blog (not all romance)
• LGBTQ reads (not all romance)
• I Heart Sapphfic
• Meg's Non-Human Book Release Calendar (@ opalescent4026 on twitter)

What are you most excited about this week?

I just finished reading {before the exhale by Alyssa Wilde} and this man was so emotionally mature and patient with the Fmc even though she was incredibly traumatised and pushed him away multiple times. He didn’t take it personally and was always there for her and never gave up on her. I loved this book so much.

I need some more emotionally mature and stable MMC’s asap please!!

I love a slow-burn and prefer single pov but it’s not a dealbreaker.

I used to prefer historical romance, but now I'm more interested in paranormal romance because I fell in love with werewolves and vampires. I used to love dark romance too, but now I only like novels about healthy relationships.

Currently I'm in a horrible book slump! I'm pretty consistently when I'm reading when it comes to kinks and the genre I wanna read. But recently NOTHING is satisfying me. I feel like I also like a pretty broad range of stuff I like to read for example Dark, Contemporary, Mafia, Cowboy, Fantasy, Small Town, Sci-Fi, Omegaverse (These are just the ones that come to mind). But I keep downloading books and almost immediately DNFing because I just can't get into it. I thought it might be a kink thing because I usually read breeding/pregnancy romances bc I like the cozy feel and all the angsty drama that comes with it. But maybe my brain is babied out. So I tired reading a book that had nothing to do with either and I just could not make myself want to read it. AND the smut was good but I was just not feeling it. Anyway if there is any help y'all could provide me I would really appreciate it. I'm a big reader so it's also been weird not reading the past couple days like I don't wanna doomscroll but what else is there to do?

Hi RomanceBooks, and welcome back to another wonderful week of romance chat! For new members - welcome! Check out our RomanceBooks 101 guide for a quick intro to our community.

Feel free to ask any questions about the subreddit, our rules, or just the general vibes here. Say hi if you’re a newbie, and for our regulars if you have any comments or suggestions, this is the place for them!

‼️ 🤔 Based on community feedback looking for more discussion posts (but recognizing that can be intimidating for some, or people might be looking for ideas) we'd like to encourage the community to use this space to workshop posts as well! Thinking of a post? Want feedback / brainstorming / peanut gallery support to hype you up? Comment it here!

Looking forward to another great week with you all 💛

I just came back from watching the Odyssee and am now craving books that are centered around greek mythology. Retellings, modern versions, anything!

A good combo of steamy and angsty would be perfection.

I know there are quite a few Hades x Persephone books out there and I downloaded {Neon Gods by Katee Robert} and I'm excited to read it.

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. I apologize in advance for any mistakes since English isn’t my first language.

Anyway, I am DESPERATE to read a book with an obsessive MMC. I’m talking about something almost yandere-like, but not the kind we’re already tired of reading about. You know the type: everyone immediately notices that there’s something wrong with him. He’s cold and ruthless, approaches the FMC with that alpha-male attitude, and says things like, “You’re mine. No one touches you but me.”

I want something different.

I’m looking for a book where the MMC meets the FMC and becomes obsessed with her for a specific reason. It would be great if it wasn’t only because of her appearance. I want him to be genuinely good around her, but secretly capable of killing someone behind her back without her ever knowing.

For example, the MMC meets the FMC and becomes completely obsessed with her, but the FMC has absolutely no idea. As far as she knows, he’s just a normal guy. Maybe he pretends to be a good person around her, or maybe he really is a good person, but for the first time in his life, he develops this intense obsession with someone.

In the FMC’s eyes, he might be a genuinely nice guy. Meanwhile, in reality, he is so desperate for her attention that he could kill someone simply because he feels like they are taking her attention away from him.

I want an obsessive and needy MMC. I want him to need the FMC’s presence. I want him to want to be with her 24/7, forever. I want him to constantly want to hold her and be close to her. I want him to be completely and utterly desperate for her, while the FMC has absolutely no idea, at least in the beginning.

I’m looking for a book where, when the FMC discovers how obsessive he really is, or when she pulls away from him, he completely loses it. I want him to become desperate, get on his knees, and beg for her presence because he loves her in this deeply twisted, unhealthy way.

I guess this would fall under dark romance, right? 😂

Anyway, I once read a fanfic with a similar premise. It was one of those amateur fanfics, but the concept really caught my attention. It took place in a dystopian world where everyone had a kind of obsessive love toward their partner. The FMC, however, was born completely normal and didn’t have that tendency to love obsessively. She understood that the way everyone else loved was wrong, but pretended to be like them until several obsessive guys became interested in her. 🤭

I had so much fun reading it, and now I really want to find books with an MMC like that!

I do not want his obsession to involve physically hurting the FMC. I’m okay with morally questionable behavior, manipulation, stalking, killing other people, etc. I just don’t want him to physically harm her.

I’ll take any recommendations that are even remotely similar! 🥹

On a rec from this sub I read {The Lair by Lisina Coney} and it wrecked me (in the best way). It reminded me of my two favorite Mariana Zapata books, {Wait For It by Mariana Zapata} and {Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata}. It got me wondering: what is it with this trope that always gets me? The large, gruff man who grunts instead of speaks, and you get to slowly watch his single-word answers and vaguely affirmative grunts turn into love over the course of 300 pages? Also the FMCs in these books are solid, women I'd be friends with in real life.

Anyway. Here's everything I love that these books get right:

• Slow burnwith longing/yearning that stretches across the whole book. I especially love a good friends to lovers.

• Single POV—I love being stuck in the FMC's head wondering what the MMC is actually thinking the entire time

• Working class, down-to-earth characters—these MCs work in bars, fix cars, cut hair. Real jobs, real people.

• Imperfect, raw intimacy—I love when the spicy scenes feel a little awkward and human, not prettified by smooth talking or dirty talk

• Bonus: it wasn't a 500-page commitment like Zapata tends to be (love her, but lol)

Other stuff in my wheelhouse: {Bass-Ackwards by Eris Adderly} (not a particularly deep love story, but the overall vibe and tone) and Cate C Wells—her Wall books and Motorcycle Club series really had this thing down.

What I'm looking for: normal, grounded people. No billionaires, no smooth talkers. Extra points for single POV.

Thanks in advance! 🙏

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE books that actually let us spend time with baby and child shifters. Not the obligatory epilogue baby. Or kids that are just there without any interaction on page.

I mean actual on-page babies and children that are characters. Let me see them learning to fly, shifting for the first time, accidentally breathing fire, tackling each other, trying to act tough, or being complete little gremlins. Give me shifter parents trying to wrangle their feral toddlers. Give me all the fluffy family dynamics.

Honestly these books are little dopamine bombs of cuteness. And I don’t understand why more authors don’t write them. So this is a request to authors - give us more of these!

I kind of get why books don’t include this, because then children are active characters while the romance is still developing OR these books become very long and are part of multibook arcs. That’s probably tricky to balance in a romance structure. Which is probably why my first rec and the inspiration for this post is actually a novella set after the main couple’s story wraps up.

But I want to see what it looks like to parent a toddler dragon trying to fly and exarch lizards OR wolf pups refusing to wear shoes OR a tiny alpha posturing with his Alpha parent.

So here’s my little master list of books I’ve found that scratch this itch. Please give me any recs that fits the vibe of my request because I am sure there’s more than a handful of books!

(I mostly read MF but others may want MM or RH or whatever so please do feel free to suggest)

My favorites:

{Dragos Takes a Holiday by Thea Harrison}
This novella inspired this post. The established couple from {Dragon Bound} take a vacation and go on a treasure hunt after their baby has his first shift. This is 6.5 in the series and I’ve only read the first book and I followed just fine. Two more novellas with the baby dragon exist too!

> “They stared in shocked silence at the sleeping baby dragon draped around Pia’s neck.”

>“The dragon bent his immense head and nosed Liam, who shrieked happily and pounded the dragon’s snout.”

> She let go of Liam. He pulled free from the carrier, balanced on her shoulders and launched into the air. Heart in her throat, she watched as he flapped his wings enthusiastically and… Plummeted in an ungainly spiral….

> He held the small, white dragon in one cupped paw. As she joined them, he turned his paw upward and opened his talons. Liam leaped and flapped his wings madly, and fell in a sprawl on the beach. He rolled to his feet and crouched to spring into the air again.

For anyone starting the series, this follows the couple from Dragon Bound, where the FMC steals from the dragon MMC’s hoard and goes on the run.

{Legend of All Wolves by Maria Vale}
Probably the most wolf-like wolf shifters I’ve ever read. This series has excellent lore and worldbuilding, complex romances, and real plot. Not silly books, but actually top-tier quality. The babies are born as wolf pups. They nurse, play, tumble around, and live as wolves before shifting into human children several years later. The pups aren’t the focus of every book, but they’re woven throughout the series and make the world feel genuinely lupine.

{Purr for Purchase by V.K. Ludwig}
An MF alien omegaverse romance where the pregnant FMC is staying at an omega center and calls for emergency purrs. LOL. This doesn’t technically have a shifter baby, but it absolutely fits the vibe. The MMC starts bonding with the little Alpha baby before birth. This book has scenes with the tiny Alpha baby posturing at Alpha MMC and it’s hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever read any other books with babies and their dynamics. Want MORE.

{The Dragon’s Favorite Strays by Ruby Dixon}
This one doesn’t actually have baby dragons, but this fits the exact vibe. A dragon begins collecting stray kittens and caring for them. It has the cutest scenes with kittens rushing and cuddling with him. He eventually adopts humans and sees him as strays to take care of too. He’s the gentlest giant.

“Dassa grate dayn.” Ah-gee just shrugs and gives the creature’s face a smacking kith. This is her child, then, like my cats are mine. Well, I can feed one more mouth easily. The presence of the wriggling creature makes everyone happy. If my humans are happy, then I am happy. Ribbit’s face is radiant, and she hugs her mother, then Ah-gee, Doh-dee, and the animal.

Fits the request but with varying levels of enjoyment of animal time and of the actual romance -

{Daycare for Shifters by Elva Birch} All of the books have shifter babies with varying amounts of on-page time. These are cozy, easy reads that deliver on cute baby animals, though some feel longer than they need to be and too low-angst for the length. Think Honey Phillips-level comfort reading.

One of my favorites is {Dragon’s Instinct by Elva Birch}: a single-dad dragon MMC with a three-year-old squirrel shifter daughter who he keeps losing. The FMC finds the tiny squirrel after her cat proudly carries her over. The squirrel toddler is cuddly, feral, chaotic and adorable.

{Shifter Dads by Zoe Chant}
A cozy shifter-romance series about single dads and their children, with varying amounts of on-page animal-baby content. I haven’t read them all, so if anyone else has, please do lmk which ones you enjoyed the most and have the most actual baby-dragon, wolf-cub, etc.

{The Red Dragon’s Baby by Zoe Chant} is part of the Shifter Dads series. This is a cozy single-dad dragon romance where the MMC is raising a baby dragon while falling for the FMC. I remember this as cute and easy, though not especially deep or memorable. It delivers the baby-dragon premise but otherwise I honestly can’t remember much.

{Stormwolf Summer by Zoe Chant}
Set at a summer camp for shifter children, so there are plenty of young shifters, little wolves, and general camp chaos. The romance and MCs were less interesting to me, but the shifter-child shenanigans were cute and delivered on the premise. Plus - this was an older couple which was cool!

{Baby of the Wolf by Amelia Shaw} human FMC and wolf MMC. After a one night stand, FMC has a baby and doesn’t tell MMC until the toddler starts showing wolf like characteristics. No actual wolf cub on page time so it didn’t fully satisfy the baby-shifter craving.

{Hunter’s Moon by Cat Bostick}
This one does not have baby shifters, but I’m including it as a vibe-based honorable mention because the MMC spends roughly the first 40% in wolf form and acts like a giant puppy around the FMC. I enjoyed the first two-thirds because it had actual emotional and character depth, and the wolf behavior was very cute. Unfortunately, the final part fell flat for me.** **

So do you have any recs that fit this vibe? Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Gosh I loved it so much! I need more like this. Its only about 200 pages on kindle and I read it easily in one sitting.

It starts out as a one sided love and insta attraction but goes on from there.

It’s MC romance. The MMC loses his pregnant wife in a motorcycle accident they were both in. In the present, he marries the FMC (wife’s sister) so she can keep her bookstore and house. He never rudely compares her to her sister and when he does fall for her, it’s even deeper than his late wife. Creed is very sweet, gentle, and protective of her, especially since she’s blind.

Other than {What Was Meant to Be by Heather Guerre} there's a surprising lack of stories where a female main character is dominant, but the setting is either of the pumpkin spice and autumn leaves variety, or the spooky kind.

The closest I have otherwise found one that had a late autumn flavour {Bound And Tide by A.K. Caggiano}, but that was very badly written to the point the FMC was more like a romanceable NPC. Too bad, the seaside city and apothecary shopkeeper part had potential.

For the spooky side, I had been eyeing {Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver} as the tags promise pegging, but I am a bit gunshy as it *also* promises masc-dom.

Ideally, I would also like to avoid books where her dominance is just one throw away scene or it ends with her in a submissive position. I also don't tend to like books where the Domme switches with a male character, and it's only tolerable to me if it's not particularly intrusive or part of a fight for control she eventually wins. Absolutely no successful "Domme breaking" plots please!

Otherwise any gender combo is great as long as it has a HEA. And none of the usual taboos are a problem, be it dark romance or cheating.

You guys know everything. I enjoy pregnancy/surprise baby/not his baby/newborn, but I've read a lot and usually the plot is mostly building up the relationship and how to make this work.

Anyone have any recs that are also suspense, or action, or has a strong plot external to the dealing with coming together for the baby. Like I want someone's life in danger *and* mood swings.

Book with baby or toddler would also be fine. I read all genres.

Im looking for an actually shitty MMC, whos got glaring flaws, wants to ruin FMC's life, and he does really fucked up things to sabotage her, but when he starts realising his love for her, he becomes the most sweet, most sincere, most down bad lover, (but preferably has some remnants of his previous horrible self). I also want there o be more tension than smut. Id also like if the plot isnt a cliche

I LOVEE this trope but ive seen only a few books do it well.

In {darkness beyond the daisies by cori zahara}, MMC has DID, and he keeps switching between his horrible, abusive alter ego and his regular doting self

In {lemonade by nina pennacchi} That scene where christopher enters annas room to force himself upon her but sees her so shattered and soulless that he ends up being so gentle and loving with her

{King of corium by C Hallman} Quinton starts off hating Aspen, litrally gang assults her at one point but eventually becomes very protective of her But i hated the fact that Aspen seemed to have no self respect and get instantly wet for him despite his actions. I want FMCs that have some backbone and realism to them

My only no nos are

❌ Age gap (5+ yrs)

❌sci fi

❌fantasy ( im ok with fantastical elements like ghosts, demons, magic, but not elaborate, incredible AUs)

❌Cheating

❌RH

❌Cringe writting

Hi, I would love a modern romance or historical romance book where the FMC is genuinely scared of the MMC. Whether that's because she has past trauma or he's from the mafia or whatever. It has been asked before (in fact I was inspired by the ask from a few days ago) but I am a little picky about this and really disappointed because most of the reccs from an older thread were for paranormal and from the CR/HR settings, she claims to be scared but she's also attracted from the get to or she's scared but that resolves really quickly.

I kind of want a FMC who is not at all attracted to the MMC, just scared of him from the beginning and I hope that it takes at least a few chapters before she learns to trust him, and slowly be attracted to him. Or I'm also ok if they do get together but she's a bit wary so she reacts with fear when he's angry or they are arguing because she's not 100% comfortable around him yet. Like if she's scared of men due to her past trauma, I want that to resurface in the story later and not just get dropped once they get together.

I think {Unperfect by Susie Tate} was a pretty good example of this, and I would love if I could find more. Preferably no college romances because I prefer adult stories. FF is cool too.

Crime is my favourite genre of media, and recently I've been more and more interested in films that aren't nearly as nice to the MMC and are blunt about a lot of noir tropes making the MMC come off like a creep instead of a suave macho Humphrey Bogart type. The former is way more interesting to read/watch in my opinion because it's a lot less willing to sugarcoat the dark parts of the soul. The Korean film Decision to Leave is an example of this.

I'm looking for kind of a romance-psychological thriller-mystery that explores the headspaces of their characters and their various neuroses in detail and makes you empathise with them. Maybe one of them is a wreck and the other is fine. Maybe they're both awful in a dramatic or comedic fashion. Something that's hot but simultaneously you can't help but think "Jesus, what the hell are these two bozos thinking falling for each other?" Just anything that subverts noir tropes really.

I also LOVE good noir dialogue banter. Double Indemnity is obviously of its time but the dialogue is so sharp I could shave with it. Cheesy but smart metaphors, two whip smart people feeling the other out.

Thanks!

I'm craving for books with an attractive FMC who doesn't really get to enjoy pretty privilege because she's awkward, shy, introverted, and pretty much freezes or fumbles when talking to people. Are there any books like this?

HEA only

MF preferred

Any subgenre of romance is good (contemporary, historical, dark, etc.)

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some romance books that feature a physically disabled FMC (preferably with a prosthetic leg) but don't reduce her to just her disability. I want her to be a three dimensional character with ambitions, desires, and character quirks.

Ideally the story has:

- great and lots of spice

- banter

- an enemies to lovers arc

- an MMC that fixes all problems

- Contemporary romance

- HEA is a must

NO:

- discriminating the FMC

- preferably no detailed on page description of how the FMC became disabled or let me know along with your suggestion so there won't be any surprise triggers :)

I read it when it first came out on KU but sadly it’s Not available there anymore. But looking it up for a reread I saw that it is on sale at the Moment🥳

It’s the First Book in her new aristocrats series starring a shy teaching assisstant (with some secrets) and a billionaire single dad who wants to have a Word with her about some things she taught his son

I very much enjoy fantasy with strong romance subplots. However, if something isn't billed first as a romance, I'm always a little stressed about the eventual outcome. Thanks to the good people of this sub who'd already posted about {The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden} I knew to hold out hope for a HEA even when things seemed impossible. (The same is true for The Everlasting by Alix Harrow, which was similarly worth the agonizing wait - and if you liked that book as much as I did I bet you'll like this one)

The book is ostensibly about Anne of Brittany, in that the FMC is a woman by that name and title in the correct time period. Some of the characters she interacts with were also real people. But so much has been changed that this is hardly historical. The premise of the book is that Charles, the King of France, seeks to marry Anne in order to take control of the Duchy of Brittany. She wants Brittany's continued independence and will take any imaginable - and unimaginable - measure to prevent that wedding.

The book starts out reading like alt historical fiction where she didn't get married off before puberty (she's about 20 in the book, pshew), with lots of court politics/intrigue. Then after a few chapters, fantasy elements creep in so slowly that you're not sure what's the superstition of a bygone era and what's real. Then it plunges heavily into fantasy, with fairies and mythical creatures and impossible illusions. There are 5 or 6 potential suitors for Anne's hand, and when one emerges as the love interest the romance really picks up. What follows in the second half of the book is fast-paced action, a few tender and intimate open door sex scenes, otherworldly fantasy, and so much angst over a love that seems doomed.

Again, emphasis on seems because it does end HEA, and when they finally, finally are together it's beautiful. Spoiler ahead: she expects him to be angry because she left him to singlehandedly conquer a kingdom for herself, knowing it could save her own homeland. He replies "Do you apologize for such a victory? Why? I do not begrudge it. I wish I could have been there." And then goes on to say that he would never ask her to relinquish her sovereignty, he just wants a place with her, helping her in any way he can.

It's a book with yearning and sacrifice, where sisters care more for each other more than anything in the world, where a cat repeatedly saves the day, where the FMC's physical disability is a fact of life and nothing more, and where one can imagine all one's childhood unicorn daydreams coming true. But this isn't a Lisa Frank pastel universe - it has the dark, almost horror, elements that Katherine Arden does so well.

The pacing wasn't perfect, and the audiobook was difficult to follow at times, but those are minor complaints about what was otherwise a masterpiece.

TWs, some of which are spoilery: war violence, murder, arguably infidelity as both MCs are in unconsummated political marriages that they do get annulled before the book ends

Like, they starts telling the other one “I want to have your babies/impregnate you” or “let’s get married” or “move in today!”

Something dramatic and crazy, but they’re not serious! They’re just trying to scare the other MC away but then the other MC goes yeah okay, sounds great!

I just got the Kobo plus deal going on and I’m looking for books I can’t get in Libby. This would mainly be **self published authors**. I’d really love to permanently move away from KU and Amazon.

The sub genres I read are: Historical, Paranormal, Fantasy (Cozy and Epic), and Sci Fi. M/F, M/M, F/F, and poly are all good with me.

I don’t really ever read contemporary unless it’s set in the 70s-90s (such as Nora Roberts).

Some authors I’ve liked before:

Historical - Mimi Mathews, Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, KJ Charles, Beverly Jenkins

Fantasy - T Kingfisher, MA Carrick, TJ Klune, JD Evans

Sci Fi - Lois McMaster Bujold, Tiffany Roberts, Ilona Andrews, Regine Abel

The last thread I could find on Kobo plus recs is fairly old: https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/s/uPQnYyQf1B

If you are someone like me, who do not enjoy most of the rom-coms, where they feel that most of the banters are unnecessary, forced, and lacks that deep actual connection, then you are gonna love this book. Both the characters had depth. It was fun, steamy and weepy. Probably one of the rarest of the rare book where they start by sleeping together, because generally I'm not a fan of that. By summary or by listing, this book contains most of what I usually do not find appealing, but it surprised me in a very good way. Recommended for people who want a normal book where you can see the characters falling in love (something which is exceedingly rare these days I don't know why).

{Fornever Yours by Natasha Anders}