Romance Book Tag

The oh-so-lovely Chai @ Like Chai Tea tagged me to do this Romance Book Tag. Never mind that it was (ahem) a month ago. Better late than never, right? Right. 

We all know that romance is my jam. As a wise person once said: If there's not a romance, why bother reading it? Actually it was me that said that. Just now. But let's move on.

There are a lot of questions - 25 of them (25?? What is this, am I back in school being tested??) - but this should be fun. :)

  

first romance you remember reading

I don't have a clue! I've been reading for 40+ years and reading romance for at least 30 years sooo... who knows? I'll take a wild guess, though and say that it was probably something by Danielle Steel that I borrowed from my mother or grandmother. 

last romance you read

Just For Now (Sea Breeze #4) by Abbi Glines

the romance you are most likely to recommend to a newbie

Oooh, tough one. I've never considered myself great at recommendations. I always want people to read the books I love (and obviously they have to love them, too *stomps foot*), but actually making helpful recommendations? Yeah, not so much. I guess I'd go with something on the lighter side and not scare them off with anything too angsty. Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren would be a good choice (I think). 

the romance you are most likely to recommend to another romance reader

I'll go with Love and Other Words. Because as popular as Christina Lauren is, I feel like this one doesn't get enough love.

  

an underrated romance you wish more people would read

How much time do you have? I have so many underrated favorites. But I'll go with Goodnight, Nic by Marley Jacobs. With a measly 72 ratings (and 48 reviews) on GoodReads, it breaks my heart that more people haven't experienced this one. And, because I'm a rebel, I'm going to add a YA option. The Edge of Juniper by Lora Richardson is one I push recommend relentlessly.

an overrated romance you wish people would stop talking about

Oh, so we're getting salty, are we? This is difficult because for me to consider it overrated means I would have had to read the book. And I'm struggling to come up with a book that I consider overrated that people talk about. I'm stretching here, because this one goes back several years, but I remember the Confessions of a Shopaholic series being hugely popular and getting lots of buzz. But I read the first book and just thought... meh. It felt silly and the slapsticky (did I just make up a word?) humor left me unimpressed. 

an auto-buy author

Colleen Hoover. Forever and always. Amen.

an author you used to love that you have since abandoned

Jane Green. I used to inhale everything she wrote. Back when chick lit was a thing and made its debut (c. 2000) I discovered Jane Green. The first novel I read from her, Jemima J, meant so much to me and remains a favorite. But over the years her writing has morphed into bland stories that seem to feature the exact same setting and the exact same character types over and over again. 

    

favorite trope

Many! I have many favorite tropes! Second chance romance, friends to lovers, damaged hero, forbidden romance. I refuse to choose just one. You can't make me.

best book with your favorite trope

Archer's Voice is pure gold. He was a damaged hero - a recluse - and his story broke my heart. But in a good way. 

a book you didn't like even though it has your favorite trope

Misbehaved by Charleigh Rose. It was an age gap/forbidden romance but it just... wasn't good.   

most hated trope

Miscommunication. The Big Misunderstanding. It makes me ragey. 

a book you like even though it has the trope you hate

Nash by Jay Crownover. Saint had an unrequited crush on Nash in high school. When she heard him talking trash, she assumed it was about her and hated him after that. Years later he doesn't know why she hates him and them getting together was way more difficult than it should have been. Even so, I was a sucker for their story because I heart Nash so much. And, other than being an idiot about what happened in high school, Saint was a good person. 

your problematic favorite

First, I just have to say I loathe the word "problematic". It's become such a catch-phrase for anything anyone deems inappropriate in a book. But I'll stop before I get on my soapbox. (You're welcome.) And I'm skipping the question because if I had issues with a book it's doubtful that it would be a favorite. 

a book everyone else loved that has you scratching your head

Isn't this basically the same as question #6? An overrated book that you wish everyone would quit talking about? I don't really understand the difference so I'm skipping this one, too. (The rebel strikes again!)

   

your favorite romancelandia person to follow on twitter

Fact: I'm not a big Twitter user. I go days and days without ever checking it. I mostly follow authors and fellow bloggers on Twitter. I like seeing the bookish artwork Charlie Bowater creates and I'm always amused by Brooding YA hero. :)

a place or person you go to for recommendations or reviews

Sophie @ Beware of the Reader is a professional book pusher and my book twin so I get plenty of recs from her. BookTubers Jessica @ Peace Love Books and Lacey @ Lacey Booklovers also give great romance recommendations.

a book that has a character that reminds you of yourself

This is a tough one. I've never read about a character and thought, "Oh, this is me exactly." But I have seen some aspects of my personality or life in characters. One that comes to mind is Annika from The Girl He Used to Know. Her anxiousness in social situations and her need for solitude were relatable.

romance cover you love

I'm a sucker for a pretty cover. Aren't we all? The Boy & His Ribbon and the UK cover of Who Do You Love are two favorites.

a book you've reread more than twice

I've reread nine of the ten Addicted/Calloway books, but I think I've reread Fuel the Fire more than any of the others.

   

best romance audiobook

Intercepted by Alexa Martin was so excellent on audio. And Royally Screwed by Emma Chase is another favorite. The narration in both was so spot-on and really brought the stories to life.

best romance/rom-com movie

Love Actually (yes, I'm that basic) and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Does anyone else see a Hugh Grant theme? Hmm.

   

favorite heroine

Lily Hale from the Addicted/Calloway series. Love her. And Stella from The Kiss Quotient. I get these women. They are my people. 

favorite hero

I had to laugh because Chai and I share the same two favorite heroes! :) Loren Hale from the Addicted series and Cam Hamilton from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Wait For You.

your all-time favorite romance

What absolute sadist came up with this question? You don't ask a book lover to pick one favorite book! That's madness! But for the sake of the tag I'll play along. If I had to pick one it would be... drumroll, please (which is actually quite unnecessary since you can plainly see the cover of the book right above there)... The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. Oh, the sweet agony of this book. It was sheer torture but in a good way. (That's a thing, right?)

And now I feel like I've been working on this post for 137 hours and my mind is mush. I'm tagging Jessica @ Booked J and Deanna @ Deanna Reads Books but only if they want to do it. And if I didn't tag you and you want to do it... consider yourself tagged. Go forth and spend 137 hours creating your own post. I'd love to see your answers!

Valentine's Book Tag (2019)

I was searching for a fun tag to do for Valentine's and came across this one. 

I'm not sure of the original creator but I found it here.

standalone book you love

A standalone? What is this strange thing you speak of? Do authors still write standalones? I guess I do still read some of those rare breeds and to be all extra I'll even choose one with "love" in the title. Who Do You Love spanned several years and followed two people who I loved and pulled for.

dystopian book you love

I don't talk about this book enough but I seriously loved it. It was one of my favorites last year and received my oh-so-rare five star rating (which is so rare that it's like a rainbow-colored unicorn with sprinkles). This dystopian/post-apocalyptic tale from Jessica Redmerski had me utterly captivated.

a book you love but no one else talks about

I'm going to use this opportunity to sing the praises of a YA contemporary book/trilogy that deserves so much more love and attention. Lora Richardson is just wonderful and she filled this book with everything I love about contemporary YA. 

favorite book couple

I literally just did a Top Ten Tuesday post on my favorite couples. Am I supposed to magically come up with another couple just two days later? Yes? Okay then, I'll go with Ridge and Sydney. I adored these two and felt like my heart hurt right along with theirs as they found their way together. 

a book other people love but you haven't read yet

How is it that I haven't read this? I mean, seriously, what am I doing with my life?

a book with red on the cover

Sure, plenty of things in this one had me rolling my eyes, and America has to be the most annoying character ever, but I still had fun being Team Maxon.

a book with pink on the cover

I read this one back in December and oh my goodness did it ever leave my heart bruised and battered. I mean, just the synopsis had me feeling all weepy, so you can imagine what actually reading it did to me. But it was also super hopeful and left me with a smile on my face.

you're given a box of chocolates.

which fictional boyfriend gives them to you?

First of all, do I even need to answer this one? Do we all not know that my heart belongs to Daemon Black? If not, are you new here?? Secondly, any worthy book boyfriend would know that I don't even particularly like chocolate (yeah, yeah, it's true, now let's move along). But I wouldn't turn down a cookie from Daemon...

you're single on valentine's day.

what book would you read?

what tv show would you watch?

what movie would you watch?

     

First, I'm curious why I'm single. Where did my husband go? Is he trapped under something heavy? Is he away on a secret mission? I'm a bit concerned but for the sake of the tag...

Book: I'll reread Wait For You because Cam + Avery always give me all the feels.

TV: Meh. I don't watch TV so moving on... 

Movie: Love Actually. Nevermind that it's set at Christmastime. Minor details. It's funny and swoony and makes me happy.

you're in a bookstore when you get shot by cupid's arrow. what new release will you love?

It'll break my heart... but I'll love it.

no matter how you spend the day...

 happy valentine's day!

The Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag

I recently saw Heather of Bookables do this tag and thought it looked like fun. 

Because who doesn't like pretty books? 

The original creator of this tag is Book Syrup.

best color combo on a book cover

I have a serious crush on this book cover. The colors are stunning. 

The blues, purples and pinks make me happy.

best typography/font on a book cover

   

I'm a sucker for handwritten fonts. And When Dimple Met Rishi is a perfect example.

And the typography on The Serpent King is so good it's crazy. The font that looks like snakeskin, the falling scales from each letter... STUNNING.

best simple cover

The simplicity of this one is nice but it's the use of the waffles that really appeals to me. It's a perfect nod to Jessie and SN. :)

best end pages

    

Eleanor & Park is my favorite by Rainbow Rowell. The fan-created end pages in the collector's edition give me all the feels and make me want to hug these two little cupcakes.

best map

There's nothing particularly amazing about this map. It's your fairly generic Map At The Start Of Fantasy Novel. But I loved the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy and I was constantly consulting the map to learn where the Courts were situated in relation to one another.

best naked hardcover

The Cruel Prince... naked.

best back cover

I have this 50th anniversary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird and I love how the front cover wraps around to the back, showing both Scout and (I'm assuming) Jem.  

best chapter headers

Unique chapter headers are always a bonus. Why be basic with just a number when you can be fabulous? And the chapter headers in Shadow & Bone are anything but basic. 

best illustrations

      

I loved the illustrations sprinkled throughout Everything, Everything. 

best spine

Photo Credit: @abbie_reads_books

I actually considered using The Problem with Forever as my favorite cover because it's just that pretty. I even have the cover facing out on my bookshelf so I can see it all the time. And the spine is just as gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the watercolor effect, love it all.

favorite cover on your shelves

Since choosing just one favorite seems like cruel and unusual punishment, I managed to narrow it down to three. I love the pinks on the cover of It Ends With Us and the shattered flower fits the story so well. For The Summer I Found You, the heart in the sky (made of... rose petals?) is so gorgeous - again with the pink - and I find it simply stunning. And I love all the covers for the Shatter Me series. So unique, slightly eerie, and so bold. 

Do you have a favorite book cover?

If you want to take part, consider yourself tagged!