A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah WeatherspoonContemporary Romance10/26/2021 by Dafina BooksARC Review by Melanie I have always imagined that cowboy romances are not for me. I’m not a huge nature person, have never been big into horses and as such, just assumed that cowboys, as a romance hero archetype, wasn’t really my jam. It wasn’t until Rebekah Weatherspoon released the first book in her Cowboys of California series back in 2020 that I began to question that maybe under the right Continue Reading
Smexy’s October TBR
Angela- It's October! Yay! I'm so ready for fall weather and end-of-the-year releases. Also, I'm gearing up for all the best of and favorite lists. I have a few books I'm excited for this month (a couple I've already read, but want to make sure they are on your radar). The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller 10/12 Historical Romance- I've been looking forward to a new Diana Biller since the moment I finished The Widow of Rose House. I hear this one is quite emotional and I'm here for Continue Reading
Review: If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon
If the Boot Fits by Rebekah WeatherspoonCowboys of California #2Contemporary RomanceOctober 27, 2020, by Dafina Review by Melinda: One of the things I loved is that this book opens with a one night stand on the night Sam wins an Oscar. They have a great time and Amanda sneaks away...with his Oscar on accident, but still! This cracked me up to no end that she wanted nothing to do with him OR his Oscar beyond the one night. I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons, and one of Continue Reading
Smexy’s October TBR
Angela: Hold on tight... I have a LIST. I feel like every book I want to read this year releases in October. (So many I'm not even going to list them all here.) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab 10/6 Fantasy- I've actually already read this one, simply because I couldn't resist. AND IT WAS FABULOUS. This is a story of a woman who makes a deal with the devil in order to be free and have nothing holding her down, only she doesn't exactly get what she expects. No one remembers Continue Reading
The Chicks Gaslighter Album but make it Romance
Melinda and I have been DMing not stop about the new Chicks album since it debuted. We both love it. When Melinda pitched this list to me for a post on Smexy, I couldn't say yes fast enough. In the comments, tell us your favorite song from this album and what romance novel you would match it up with. Huge thank you to Melinda (@MelindaEdits) for this post. The Chicks released their 8th studio album on July 17th and I’ve probably listened to it at least 300 times since then. I can’t Continue Reading
Kini’s Mid-Year Update: What Books I am excited about July – December 2020
Much like Angela I have A LIST. There are just so many good sounding books coming out. And these are only the ones we know about. I am sure more books will be announced for October/November/December that will make it on my list. July: Boss in the Bedsheets by Kate Canterbary 6/26 Contemporary Romance Rapper's Delight by Kenya Goree-Bell 6/30 Contemporary Romance One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London 7/7 Women's Fiction A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee 7/14 Contemporary/Rom Com Dirty Continue Reading
Juneteenth Book Fest
I don't have much new to talk about today, so I wanted to spotlight the Juneteenth Book Fest, created by author L.L. McKinney, happening today, June 19. Including a panel called- Black Love: Writing Black Romance with Farrah Rochon, Beverly Jenkins, Rebekah Weatherspoon and moderated by Alyssa Cole. See the thread below for the full list of panels. About The Festival: Juneteenth Book Fest seeks to use this day of jubilation to boost and celebrate Black American stories and the people behind Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- The Cowboy Edition with books by Carly Bloom and Rebekah Weatherspoon
I don’t read many Cowboy books these days. No real reason, they just kind of fell off my radar. A few weeks back, Forever Romance was doing an Instagram Read-A-Long of Big Bad Cowboy by Carly Bloom. They posted a quote that piqued my interest (that I can’t find now) and I messaged my friend Estelle, publicist extraordinaire at Forever, and said “I’m going to have to read this, aren’t I?” Estelle was kind enough to send me an e-ARC of Big Bad Cowboy. I dove right in. I had already had A Cowboy to Continue Reading
Guest Post- My Favorite Sexy Novellas by Jodie Slaughter
Novellas have always had a special place in my heart. When it comes to romance specifically, I love long, expansive books that allow me to get lost in pages upon pages of a love story. But I’m a total sucker for watching characters get or stay together in under forty thousand words. When they’re done well, they take a much shorter time for me to read, but still manage to give me an entire story to feel satisfied with. When I set out to write my very first romance novella, Just One More, I went Continue Reading
Kini’s Most Anticipated Reads 2020
First I want to mention that almost all of the books that I am excited about are from traditional publishers because they typically release information about new books several months in advance. If you are indie or self publishing a book, we would love to know about it sooner rather than later so we can get it on our radar! Our request form does not require an ARC. Second, most of these books are from the first half of 2020, with a few from the second half as publishing hasn’t released much Continue Reading