Loving this re-read 😍

(I'm back here after a year!)
The Dead Romantics is a swoony, heartfelt, wholesome, and unique romance story.
Poston does a fab job of writing the literary world of Florence who is a ghostwriter and Benji, her editor, with nods to the Greats of the romance world.
The romance, the pining, the slow-burn were perfect.
I loved everything about it, but I'm particularly in awe of the storytelling. Many people write books, but few are great storytellers.

How gorgeous is this cover (picture taken by yours truly)? Diving in next weekend!

Re-reading Julia Quinn's The Duke and I from her Bridgerton series for the I-dont-even-know-how-many-anymore time in anticipation of the upcoming Netflix series releasing on 25th of December. #juliaquinn #historicalromance #bridgerton #netflix

This book reads like a movie. And what an absolutely beautiful read! Received it in the mail a few days ago, started reading in the evening and didn't put it down until I finished it in the early hours of the morning. Dear Emmie Blue might be my absolute favorite read of 2020. Lia Louis is such a delightful discovery.

Has 2020 been weird for anyone else? During the thick of the pandemic I stopped reading. I was depressed, couldn't read a single book or watch tv. I was in a bad place, constantly worried and anxious.
I have recently started picking up reading again, but slowly. My habits have changed: I'm reading more physical books now, and not as many as I used to read before. And I find that this suits me.
Hope everyone is keeping safe out there.

A little gem of a read, guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings. Except for the annoying thing I posted about just before, I really liked it! #romantsy

This constant that's-what-he/she-wanted-to-say-but-this-is-what-he/she-said-instead is annoying as hell. Done once or twice would have been okay, but not all throughout the book. It's violent thoughts-inducing. #romantsy

I can't help but draw a parallel between this book and The Kiss Quotient, obviously because of the autism representation in both books. Might not be fair to compare the two, but I feel that The Girl He Used To Know had so much more to give than The Kiss Quotient. I loved this one, that's for sure.
(Also, is it weird that the song Somebody That I Used To Know is now stuck in my head?)
#romantsy

1⭐
My feelings after just finishing this:
• Was that last 10% necessary? Really?
• You keep rooting for the main characters to find their happy ending, and just when you think everything's going to be OK, you get blindsided.
• All that heartache, suffering, and loss for just that one person?
• I skimmed through the rest after that last big thing happened. I just couldn't get over it.
• This would have been a solid 3.5⭐ if not for that last part.

Oh wow I haven't posted in 7 months 😱
Here's a quote (a quoted quote?) that hit me right in the feels from L.J.Shen's latest, The Kiss Thief.
#ljshen #romantsy #contemporary

Believe all the hype people! This is a gem of a historical romance with strong, fiesty Felicity, and dark, broody Devil. #romantsy #historicalromance #sarahmaclean

Very carefully laid-out plot. I dare say, one of the best NR novels from her latest ones. #romantsy #noraroberts #romanticsuspense

I'm definitely going to be in the minority here, but this book wasn't that impressive, not deserving of all the hype. Yes, there's representation of autism (which is practically the only positive thing for me), but then there's this cycle of sex, not feeling worthy, father issues, which keeps going on and on. It didn't feel romantic to me. I really don't get what the hype is all about. #unpopularopinion #romantsy

Novellas: I don't read them, however much I might love the author. My reasons? It's either because novellas are very short (I love lengthy novels with deep characters and well-established plotlines, and those are lacking in novellas), or because I feel that some authors ride the success wave of some novels and continue spinning short stories with the same characters over and over, with no ending - and I hate that! Thoughts anyone?
#rant #discuss

I think I've shelved the last ~10 books I've started as DNF. I was getting desperate, until I landed on Love and Other Words - I LOVED it!
I'm not always a fan of:
- Christina Lauren books, but this one was just what I needed.
- the now/then timelines when telling a story, but this one worked really well.
Emotional, different from the usuals, angsty - strongly recommended!
#romantsy #womensfiction

Bailing nearly halfway through - I just can't deal with the cheating. Though they haven't done it ('yet' I suppose), the emotional investment on behalf of both characters is a big no-no for me. Dude, not when you know that the woman is married. And lady, you should know that some stuff you just don't share with some people - especially people you seem to have a weakness for.
Maybe it's a grey area, but for me this is it. #kandisteiner #romantsy

Part of a duet, "What He Doesn't Know" has raving reviews on GoodReads. So I thought I'd give it a go - even though I hate love-triangles and books that have the same main characters spilling over into another book.
Already I can feel that there's some cheating in there - emotionally or physically. Let's see.
#kandisteiner #duet #romantsy #popular

#quote #lisakleypas #historical #romantsy #theravenels

It took me a whole week to finish this book, and only a day to watch the tv show. Am I the only one who thinks the tv show was better? Sure, the tv show was not exactly the same as the book, though there was a true portrayal of the essential elements. The book was interesting and different enough from my usual reads to keep me hooked. 3⭐ #lianemoriarty #contemporary

Mariana Zapata has this way of spinning tales that really show the love between characters instead of just stating the sentiment. From Lukov With Love is one of my favorites: absolutely strong characters who constantly support each other, witty dialogues, a slow-burn romance. Zapata writes somewhat lengthier stories than what is the norm, but I can truly say that I enjoyed every little bit - a fabulous read indeed. #marianazapata #romantsy

Just finished the latest R. S. Grey - The Beau & The Belle. A fantastic little feel-good rom-com that kept me reading all day! I love this author's humor - it translated really well in the story she told with witty characters Beau and Lauren, in the fabulous setting of New Orleans. My second 5🌟 rating of the year! #rsgrey #romantsy

Lauren Layne is an auto-read for me. Her latest release, Runaway Groom, is fantastic - a smooth realistic flow of storytelling, one which kept me reading all day today. My first 5🌟 for 2018 too! #laurenlayne #romantsy #contemporary

The start (mostly about the hero) was very good - intriguing and interesting. But then I wonder about the purpose of the background story of the heroine - was it really necessary? How different would the storyline have been if she was not who she was portrayed to be? (Not any different in my opinion - she could have been anyone from anywhere.) Around 65% in, I just lost interest and skimmed through the rest.
#alessandratorre #romantsy

First up for this year: a funny, poignant story by R.S.Grey. Why did I wait so long before reading this? I loved the characters and the storyline. Great way to start 2018!
#romantsy #rsgrey #contemporary

Things I loved about this book:
1. Ash. He's such a man: arrogant, entitled, cynical - the ultimate Duke. Beneath that brash exterior hides such a good heart though - plus vulnerability.
2. Emma. Sassy, knows what she wants, is not intimidated by the Duke.
3. Storyline. Loved it!
4. The writing. Beautiful writing that made me pause to appreciate the way the words were strung together.
Tessa Dare does it again! #tessadare #historical #romantsy #5*

Just Sandra Brown doing what she does - delivering a captivating story that keeps you guessing. Fans of Sandra Brown will love it. #sandrabrown #romanticsuspense #romantsy #5stars

Can I be honest here? I love stories penned by Kylie Scott: the Stage Dive series and Dive Bar series were enjoyable reads. However, I'm really struggling with this one - most probably because it's YA and I'm not a fan of YAs. This is definitely a case of it's-me-it's-not-you. I bailed. 🙈 BUT, I'll gladly read Kylie's contemporary books. #itsmeitsnotyou #NotaFanOfYAs #romantsy #readerconfessions

Being a fan of the earlier works of Julie Garwood, I'm sorry to say that this one was disappointing. There's too much recounting and not enough dialogues and back-and-forth between characters. It feels clinical. The emotions don't come through. All throughout I wished that the story-telling would pick up but it stayed bland. #romantsy #juliegarwood

Extremely late to the party, but glad I picked this up!

Ah! Shalvis does know how to do small town and adorable characters. Loved the funny quips, the tidbits from "Tilly Adams's Journal" and the I Love Lucy moments.
The story was extremely engaging. So much engaging that I powered through a headache and stayed up late to finish it! Another one of my current favorite contemporary romance authors. #romantsy #jillshalvis #5stars

Everytime a new book comes out in the Stiletto/Oxford series, I want to go back and read all of them because they're so, so good. And this latest one is what you'd expect from Lauren Layne: another fab installment in a stellar series.
Lauren Layne rates high up in my short list of current favorite authors. She dishes out the best stories. #romantsy #laurenlayne #favoriteauthor #5stars

[2/2] Come Sundown was a win for me - after reading most if not all of NR's books, this book had parts that seemed familiar, and other parts that were completely new. I loved the suspense and the story around it, even more than the different love stories going on with the main characters and the secondary ones. #noraroberts #romanticsuspense

[1/2] The thing that fascinates me the most about NR's stories is the way her characters completely adopt a particular world: The Villa with the winery world, The Reef with the diving world, Birthright with the archaeology world and this one with the ranch world, among many others. And the focus is more often than not on the strong female characters, so much so that the male characters take a backseat. #noraroberts #romanticsuspense #imagefromweb

Loved this one! A little bit of intrigue, a strong-willed, spirited heroine who quite enjoys her freedom, and a moody, opiniated and swoony Duke who started the seduction with revenge in mind but eventually succumbs to her.
The first book in a series that already has me curious about the next books. This one definitely has everything that I love in historical romance. #romantsy #historical #madelinehunter

I am particular about my historical romances - I love it when they focus on the wooing and ballrooms and romance.
I'm also a big fan of Julia Quinn. She's the only historical romance author whose books I've read more than once.
That being said, this book fell a little short for me. Not because of the writing, but because it just lacked certain elements that would have made it perfect for my taste. But still a good story! #romantsy #historical

This one was a very 'meh' read for me. The age-difference thing is cringe-worthy, personally. I felt that there was no character growth really, and nothing much happened besides the love story.
Going back to my Karina Halle shelf on Goodreads, I found that finally, I'm not that much a fan of her stories - the proof being that I dnf'ed most of her books.
But I see that this book is very popular among readers - so please, go ahead and give it a go.

I didn't realise how much I really like Kristen Callihan's New Adult contemporaries until now! I'm a fan of her VIP and Game On series.
The Hot Shot is a win for me - I like how the main characters actually talk through their problems instead of going through a lot of drama for nothing. Great read! #romantsy #kristencallihan

My numbers! 🤗

Has anyone seen Lion? For someone who very rarely sheds tears, I cried during this movie. Silent tears streamed down my face all throughout, it was so heart-wrenching. That kid in the movie - brilliant performance.
I wish people had it going better for them in this world. Truly. Especially kids.
This movie has a special place in my heart.

Exactly what you'd expect from Julie James - smart characters and a great storyline with details showing that the author does not leave anything out. I actually had the book running like a movie through my head - every scene flew smoothly and beautifully. Julie James comes out with such great stories that I wish she'd write faster! #romantsy #juliejames

Lauren Layne knows how to spin a ridiculously good story - and this one is no exception! She just keeps getting better with every book she writes.
Walk of Shame is slightly different from Lauren's usual books - more of a rom-com. The socialite Georgianna is completely lovable, along with the adorable divorce attorney Andrew.
Completely worth staying up late to finish reading their story! 5⭐ #romantsy #laurenlayne

I'm glad I finally got to read something that was actually good after dnf-ing the last 5-6 books I started.
Endearing characters with a consistent plot that kept me interested all throughout. Definitely liked this one better than the first! #romantsy #kyliescott

Starting to re-read this series because I can't find anything of substance that commands my attention! Dnf'ed quite a few books lately. #bookslump #romantsy #kristenashley

The first time I tried to read this, I dnf'ed it. Which was surprising, considerating the fact that I really liked the On Dublin Street series. In anticipation of the second book in this new series, Hart's Boardwalk, I thought I'd try reading this one again. The One Real Thing didn't really work for me - I skimmed through some of it. But it wasn't that bad also, hence the So-So rating. #romantsy #samanthayoung

Liked this one better than the last. I think this is one of my favorites written by Sawyer Bennett. I don't always like what she writes, but the Cold Fury Hockey series is a sure entertaining one that keeps me interested enough to anticipate the next book release. #romantsy #sawyerbennett #sportsromance #hockey

This was the perfect book for me to curl up with in this rainy and windy weather! It's been 3 or 4 months since I've read such a lovely historical romance. So many good points: that first kiss (swoon!), that waltz (melting!!), her quirky character, the back-and-forth between the couple.
A win for me!

Definitely better than the first one in the series!

Re-reading a book released 20 years ago!! #noraroberts