The Love Study by Kris RipperContemporarySeptember 9, 2020 by CarinaHoopla Audio Kris Ripper has such a unique voice so I was looking forward to this book and wasn't disappointed at all. The Love Study is filled with awkwardness and I'm such a sucker for that in romance. This book explores so much about what does a romantic relationship *need* to look like to actually still be a romance? I loved so much how Declan and Sidney begin the story trying to find someone for Dec to date and have Continue Reading
Mini-Reviews: Scandalous Secrets by Synithia Williams and Sweet on You by Carla de Guzman
Reviews by Melinda Scandalous Secrets by Synithia WilliamsJackson Falls #2Contemporary RomanceAugust 25, 2020 by HQN Books I have just really enjoyed this Jackson Falls series from Synithia Williams so far. It hits all of my soapy vibes that I need every once in a while. This one has a fun twist on the secret baby trope plus has a second chance romance, which I always love. Byron is running for Senate, and in this book, the political maneuvering takes more of the center stage than it did Continue Reading
Guest Post: Writing Single Parent Romance by KD Fisher
I love reading romance epilogues. I adore the cozy feeling of everything settling into its place, the sureness of the couple having overcome the challenges standing in their way. In the epilogue the characters have figured out their life together. Oftentimes epilogues are where you can find the true happily ever after. There’s always some kind of lasting commitment: a new house together, marriage, or, perhaps, even a baby. When I started writing The Secret Ingredient, I wanted to write a Continue Reading
Guest Post: Writing Demisexual Heroes by Annabeth Albert
Greetings! I’m so happy to visit one of my favorite blogs as I celebrate the upcoming release of FEEL THE FIRE. This is book 3 in my hotshot series which centers around smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters, but the series can be read out of order! When people hear firefighters, they often immediately think big rugged alpha type heroes. And I do love writing those characters too, but what I wanted to do here was to explore a wide range of first responders beyond the alpha male stereotype—different Continue Reading
Guest Post: Smexy welcomes author Carla de Guzman
I Hate Lumpia Lemons, in any way, shape and form, make me laugh. They bring me right back to #romanceclass, that time when theater actor Jef Flores sucked the life out of a poor, hapless lemon in the guise of kilig, reading a scene from Camilla Sisco’s “Sumbission Moves”, back when we could still be outside and suck lemons in public. Lemons are expensive, ha! And now they just make me laugh! Lumpia initiates an instant ‘ick’ reflex for me. It reminds me of Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- Reviews for books by Annabelle Greene and Bethany Bennett
The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle GreeneSociety of Beasts #1LGBT Historical RomanceOctober 12, 2020 by Carina PressARC I'm always happy to try a debut author, especially in the historical romance genre, so when I spied the cover and read the blurb for The Vicar and the Rake I jumped on the chance to read an early copy. I think this was a strong debut. There was a lot to like about the characters, setting, and backstory of these once close friends who haven't seen each other in years. Continue Reading
Guest Post: Trope Talk by Annabelle Greene
Annabelle'e debut romance, The Vicar and the Rake will be published on October 12. Annabelle stopped by to talk about the Forced Proximity trope! Romance as a genre thrives on tropes. They’re the secret sauce of every romance novel, creating reliable reader satisfaction and making sure certain parts of the book stick in your brain long after you’ve finished the final page. When I sat down and decided to write my debut romance, The Vicar and the Rake, choosing what tropes to play with was Continue Reading
Exclusive Excerpt: High Heat by Annabeth Albert
Hi! I am so excited to be here on one of my favorite blogs with an exclusive excerpt of HIGH HEAT, my sexy new firefighter romance. This is book two in my Hotshots series about smoke jumper wildfire fighters in Central Oregon, but each book is designed to stand alone as well. HIGH HEAT centers around an injured smoke jumper, Garrick, trying to recover from serious injuries and his sexy new neighbor, Rain who barrels his way into Garrick’s life, complete with a lost dog who needs them both. In Continue Reading
Guest Post: Smexy Welcomes Emma Salah
It’s been my dream to be published since I was a small child. But as a young, black woman growing up in London (vibrant, but expensive London), the concept of being an author was appealing, but being an author was never truly feasible. I was raised on the immigrant idea that I must become either a doctor, an engineer (if you’re a boy, of course) or a teacher. But I couldn’t stop dreaming about characters and worlds that were so vivid I had to write them down. And I didn’t just want to write, I Continue Reading
Guest Post: Office Romances by Jayce Ellis
Jayce stopped by to talk about Office Romance. Jayce's new novel, Andre is out today! Office romances are an, in my opinion, uniquely sexy thing. They’re rife with built-in conflict, but the source of that conflict is what makes them tricky to get right. They’re like fated mates: how do you know the characters love each other for themselves and not because Fate has predetermined they’re perfect together (I’ve read an absolute ton of paranormal and Omegaverse in the past three months and I Continue Reading