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!

The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag | 2019

This is my third year doing this tag and it's a fun one. I like pausing mid-year to take a look back at what I've read in the last six months. Which books have been real stand-outs, which authors have knocked my socks off, and what books I'm looking forward to in the coming months. So let me pull up my GoodReads shelves for reference and we'll get started.

1. BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2019

Always starts with the toughest question! I mean, does anyone choose just one book? (If so, I tip my hat to you. Well played.) I'm not even going to try and choose one. Because all five of these were total stand-outs and 5 star reads. Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner, The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves, Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan, How To Save a Life by Emma Scott, and Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

2. BEST SEQUEL YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2019

     

That's a toss-up between two. (Yes, I'm going with more than one book again. Let's just assume that's a given for the entire tag, m'kay?) Wild Country by Anne Bishop was a fantastic revisit to my favorite urban fantasy world and The Wicked King by Holly Black was a thrilling follow-up to The Cruel Prince. And that ending!

3. A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET BUT WANT TO

   

This question might as well be called Reader Hall of Shame. Because let's be real - those new releases keep cranking out every single Tuesday and maybe some of you speedy readers can keep up but I can't! I won a paperback copy of What the Wind Knows in a giveaway and I kept putting it off so I could read the physical copy. But that's been a couple months now and I should face the fact that it's not going to come. *sobs* I have it on my Kindle so I'll read it that way. Tucker's YA contemporary Be the Girl and another collab from Bowen & Kennedy, Top Secret, are two more that I desperately want to read soon.

4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2019

     

Easy-peasy. Colleen Hoover's Regretting You (December 10) and The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (November 19).

5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Albertalli's Leah on the Offbeat wasn't a bad book by any means. But it wasn't at all what I'd waited and hoped for and ultimately was disappointing.

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE

I downloaded the audio version of Intercepted by Alexa Martin as something and pass the time on my commute. I expected a fun romance and nothing more. Instead I found myself sucked right into the story and was 100% invested in Marlee and Gavin. Absolutely LOVED IT.

7. FAVORITE DEBUT OR NEW-TO-ME AUTHOR

   

When Amber (@ du Livre) told me I had to listen to Long Shot I just shrugged and downloaded it from Hoopla. And was promptly blown away. I immediately downloaded the next book. And then the next. Kennedy Ryan is by far my favorite new-to-me author this year. 

8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

Sweetest/Swooniest Boyfriend Award (aka newest fictional crush) goes to Archer Hale. ♥

9. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Alex Claremont-Diaz. Brilliant, snarky, funny, clever, idealistic, impulsive, romantic. McQuiston created a one of a kind character when she wrote Alex.

10. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

How much time do you have? I cry in half the books I read. ;) But these four come to mind. Ben de Backer in I Wish You All the Best was precious and his situation touched my heart. Morgan in Birthday absolutely broke me. I shed some serious tears throughout that book. Sugar & Gold had two characters who suffered through no fault of their own. And while Built was not a sad book, there was one scene that moved me to tears.

11. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

I think I read this entire book with a big, goofy smile on my face. Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is feel-good romance at its finest. 

12. FAVORITE BOOK-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATION

Ummm... *crickets.* I haven't even been to the theater this year, much less seen a book to movie adaptation. So I'm going to stick with my same answer as last year, Love, Simon, because I've rewatched it several times this year. :) 

13. FAVORITE POST YOU'VE DONE THIS YEAR

Gah! This is always such a tough question. But after browsing six months of posts *yawn* there are a couple that I really enjoyed writing and was happy with the outcome. In March I interviewed author Lora Richardson in conjunction with her release of Vanishing Summer. That was a lot of fun and I loved chatting with Lora. In April I wrote a Top Ten Tuesday post where I talked about things that make me pick up a book. I had such a good time thinking about what tropes and settings and keywords were my kryptonite. And lastly, I was really pleased with my review of The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. I was able to find the words I wanted to share my love for that story. Always a good feeling.

14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU'VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

Probably Girl In Luv by Rebecca Yarros and Jay Crownover. It's just dreamy. 

15. BOOKS YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

      

      

Can I just say All The Books and leave it at that? No? Okay then, here's a teeny tiny sampling of the ones I really, reallllly want to read sooner rather that later.

What's the best book you've read so far in 2019?
What was your biggest surprise or disappointment?