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triviareads · 1 year

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Any mafia Romance book recommendations?

I do indeed. All titles are linked to storygraph summaries.

Anti-Heroes in Love Duet by Giana Darling: My favorite mafia books by far. The heroine Elena is an attorney hired by Camorra capo Dante to defend him. Elena's gone through a lot and she's closed off and considered an "ice princess". What I love is that Dante doesn't dislike this aspect of her (he's very into it), but he helps bring her out of her shell. Dante's also a great hero- he definitely falls under the category of "will fuck you up (and fucks hard) but is just a really nice (if morally dubious) dude" and he's very obsessed with Elena. It's very sexy. Would absolutely recommend, as I would the other series Giana has written for Elena's sisters, Cosima and Giselle.

The Professional by Kresley Cole: This one is Russian mafia (mafiya?). Features the iconic kidnapping of Natalie right off of a Nebraskan (?) corn field by mafia enforcer Sevastyan. Basically, Natalie's biological dad is the head of the mafia and Sevastyan works for him, so there's this *forbidden* aspect to it. Natalie just writes really hot stuff (see: the sauna scene, and the one in a Parisian sex club), along with some top-notch banter and some really over-the-top shit.

The Master by Kresley Cole: Funniest of the three books. Cat is a substitute callgirl hired by mafioso Maksim. This book is hysterical(ly hot) for soooo many reasons. For one, Maks likes his sex bondage-heavy and clinical, so when he tells Cat to strip and tie herself up or whatever, she's like "lol nope, you need something more intimate than that" and this man is SHOOK. And then there's this whole freakout he has about her allegedly trying to baby-trap him, so he basically imprisons her in his own penthouse (her revenge comes in the form of shamelessly using his credit card and walking around in a bikini during his business meeting). Oh yeah, and a chastity belt IS employed.

This is the second book in the Game Maker series. The only reason I'm not recommending the third is because the plot got kinda weird for me. But if you're into heroes with pierced dicks, go wild.

Mafia Mistress by Mila Finelli (aka JOANNA SHUPE- and no I'm not over it): See, this is a mafia book where the age gap isn't cringe, and it honestly might be because they didn't marry. In fact, Francesca is meant to marry the head of the 'Ndrangheta's son but then this man, Fausto, obviously can't help want her for himself. Nor can she. At all. Iconic moments include Frankie sexting Fausto from Rome so well he flies over immediately to make her sit on his face, her doing some A+ research on exactly what paparino means, and getting so freaked out about eating lamb that not only does she abstain, in the next scene he gets her a baby lamb that she names Lamborghini.

Sidenote: Apparently Mila has a shop where you can purchase excellent merch like this:

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert: Not *quite* mafia, but Jasmine is a part of some kinda crime family that Jafar is now in charge of by killing her father (yes, this is a series of twisted fairytales). Heads up, there's a lot of CNC in this one. Also a lot of daddy stuff. Also a good amount of sex club stuff (owned by Hades!). It's great. Well-written. Jafar is one of those heroes (anti-heroes?) you really do hate before you love him. I'd honestly recommend every book in this series.

#mafia romance #book recs #giana darling #kresley cole #mila finelli #katee robert #contemporary romance

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tastywordgasms · 2 months

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👀 📚𝔻Uᗴ𝕋 ᑕᗝᐯᗴᖇ ᖇᗴᐯᗴᗩᒪ📚 👀 Heroes and Villains Duet by @natashaknightauthor is Cσɱιɳɠ Sσσɳ . 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝑜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 ᑕᗝ𝒫ꭵᗴᔕ 𝓉𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓎! @natashaknight13

HEROES AND VILLAINS DUET BY NATASHA KNIGHT Genre: Dark Romance / First Love / Jealouss/Possessive / Anti-hero / Touch her and die / Forced Proximity / Marriage of Convenience / Billionaire / Heroine in danger / Divided loyalties / Friends to enemies to lovers / Girl/boy next door / Damaged hero / Damaged heroine / Love at first sight Cover Designer: Coverluv Exciting Cover Reveal! Get ready…

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#Heroes and Villains Duet #Natasha Knight #The Heroes We Break Book 1 #The Villains We Make Book 2

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romantamsxiangshi · 1 year

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Translation of Jenny Tseng's and Roman Tam's 1983 一生有意义 (A Meaningful Life)

一生有意义 is the second of four love duets between protagonists Guo Jing and Huang Rong in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (written by Jin Yong, adapted to television in 1983). For a more extensive summary of the history behind the show, and an analysis of Guo Jing's and Huang Rong's relationship, please see my previous post! 一生有意义 is the theme song of LCH's second season, and I think its lyrics are quite fitting, given how the show now focuses on Guo Jing/Huang Rong as a unit, and less on Guo Jing's own arc.

Song:

Lyrics:

JT: 人海之中找到了你 Somehow I've found you in this sea of faces, JT: 一切變了有情義 and everything has changed (1) RT: 從今心中就找到了美 Somehow I've found beauty in my heart, RT: 找到了痴愛所依 and a love both foolish and true. (2)

JT: 人生匆匆心裡有愛 This life rushes past us, JT: 一世有了意義 but love grants it meaning. RT: (啊啊啊此生有意思) (Love makes this life wondrous.) JT: 萬水千山此生有人 A life of ten-thousand rivers and one-thousand mountains yields a single person JT: 相攜又相倚 I trust to hold my hand. (3) RT: (啊啊啊相靠倚) I trust you.

RT: 同聲 One voice, JT: 同心 one heart, RT: 同氣 one soul, (4) JT: 同意 one purpose. Together: 無分彼此 There is nothing that can undo us, Together: 用盡愛與我痴 our love flows towards one another. (5) Together: 與你生死相依 Hand in hand, we will meet life and death.

JT: 情痴心痴 Our love is foolish; our hearts are foolish. JT: 真意愛意 Our purpose is true; our love is true. JT: 此世也永無異 This world will never be the same. RT: (啊啊啊真心永無貳) There is not another I love so much as you. (6) JT: 共闖刀山不會辭 We'll climb a mountain of swords, (7) JT: 英雄俠義 relentless and chivalrous as two heroes. (8) RT: (啊啊啊現仁義) We will be kind. (9)

RT: 同聲 One voice, JT: 同心 one heart, RT: 同氣 one soul, JT: 同意 one purpose. Together: 無分彼此 There is nothing that can undo us, Together: 用盡愛與我痴 our love flows towards one another. Together: 與你生死相依 Hand in hand, we will meet life and death.

JT: 情痴心痴 Our love is foolish; our hearts are foolish. JT: 真意愛意 Our purpose is true; our love is true. JT: 此世也永無異 This world will never be the same. RT: (啊啊啊真心永無貳) My heart is true. JT: 共闖刀山不會辭 We'll climb a mountain of swords, JT: 英雄俠義 relentless and chivalrous as two heroes. RT: (啊啊啊現仁義) We will be kind.

JT: 射鵰英姿青史永留 History will remember our deeds. (10) JT: 英雄俠義 As chivalrous as two heroes, RT: (啊啊啊現仁義) We will be kind.

Translation notes:

(1) A more accurate translation is, “everything is now infused with love and meaning.” But “everything has changed” is passable.

(2) Most other translations disregard the character 痴, which means “foolish/silly/frivolous.” But I think that Guo Jing’s and Huang Rong’s purported foolishness is integral to their relationship—that what can be good and loving for them need not be (and often stands in opposition to) what is rational, purposeful, and planned.

(3) A more accurate translation is, “trust and rely on to support me,” but this phrase can also be read colloquially as “hand in hand” or “holding my hand.” I thought the latter both more visceral and evocative.

(4) 氣, or qi, translates to “breath,” “soul,” “essence,” or “energy.” It’s the primordial force that connects everything.

(5) A more accurate translation is, “I will exhaust all my love to love only you.” But despite all the running gags about Huang Rong’s jealousy, I don’t think this line is very fitting for her or Guo Jing’s characters. Both of them, in time, learn to commit themselves to a greater good and to extend their love towards the people around them. My translation refers back to my translation of Iron Blood, Loyal Heart, and the water that is an analogy for their romance.

(6) 貳 as a character is very interesting: it’s used to mean “two” in banking transactions and legal matters (mainly because the character is so complicated that its writing is an anti-fraud measure). I thought this was a really clever choice in a song about trueness and loyalty.

(7) 刀山 translates to “mountain of swords,” and is a phrase that is translated colloquially to “trials and tribulations.” I thought the literal imagery was pretty cool, though, considering that this show (and song!) is rife with swords and mountains both.

(8) I take “relentless” from the previous line, which would be better translated as “together, we will climb relentlessly over mountains of swords.” “Relentless” sounded better as part of this line.

(9) A more accurate translation is “we will be benevolent.” But Guo Jing’s character seems more suited to the simpler, “kind.”

(10) 英姿, or “the image of a hero,” is a really interesting choice to me: 姿, or “figure,” is a very feminine word. Seeing as this line translates literally to, “the figure of the hero who shoots the condors will be remembered in history,” I can’t help but wonder if there’s some genderfuckery going on. I also translated this line as “our deeds,” and not “your deeds,” considering how the rest of the song is about them as a unit. (Also, because I can’t/am not willing to imagine a world where Huang Rong literally sings Guo Jing’s praises.)

I’m realizing how hard it is to translate old Cantopop songs about chivalry, because the stylized and practical lack of pronouns and verbs in Chinese means that most literal translations sound like elementary school anthems played during spirit assemblies (“Strong! Kind! Benevolent! History remembers leaders!”). It also means that translating from Chinese to English is an additive process, as I choose which pronouns and verbs to include, and what tenses those verbs are. In “Iron Blood, Loyal Heart,” I used a lot of future tenses, because Guo Jing thinks a lot of the future (how he wishes he can run away from his responsibilities, how he might best handle his responsibilities). Now, both Guo Jing and Huang Rong have matured, and I choose to believe that they are both more grounded in the present due to their love for each other.

#cantopop #condorheroes #romantam #romantamtranslation #jennytseng #jennytsengtranslation #Spotify #translation

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batmanrogues-scenarios · 2 years

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Okay, so since Music Meister is a new character on your roster, how would he handle a new anti-hero/vigilante who is normally very quiet because they don't like the sound of their voice (either poor self-esteem or was bullied for it) but when forced to talk aloud/sing they actually sound quite wonderful?

Music Meister x Low Self Esteem Reader

Didn't really had opinion on new vigilante since they didn't seem to talk, even when he prompted them

That was until he was stealing and was about to shoot Batman when he heard most powerful 'Stop!' he ever heard

Just looks behind to see Y/N and gets so excited

Why didn't they talk more with this voice? He wants to hear them sing

They manage to not get hypnotized but he doesn't give up

When Y/N realizes he is determined to hear them sing they to do that to distract him

He loves their singing and do a duet with them

He gets captured by Batman but he's too much into his crush to care

After getting closer and realizing why they didn't talk more often he boost their ego

Sings their praises, it honesty embarrassing but at least they talk more! Even if to tell him to shut up

#music meister x reader #enigmacorps #pati writes

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tuiyla · 1 year

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I’m VERY curious about your new midnights gif!! You said you have a lot of thoughts about making it, could you give us a rundown of them?

Oh bless you sweet Anon I'd love to! I was gonna tag rant in the post itself but gifsets often see the tags copied entirely in reblogs so I wanted to save everyone that trouble. I'd love to give a rundown thank you for enabling me lol. Long post ahead but most of it under the cut. Be sure to share any thoughts you have Anon! Or anyone else, talk to me for a potential part two lol.

After seeing the post that I linked to as inspo I know I wanted to do a similar thing for Glee but I'm still just getting into Midnights and wasn't sure about assigning songs to characters. I've made a post or two asking people for their input so I'd like to shout out @sopheadraws for suggesting Sweet Nothing for Brittana on premiere day, @secretlesbianspy for Blaine and Anti-Hero, and for You're On Your Own, Kid @rachelberryy for Rachel and @katyobsesses for Marley. I ended up straight up ignoring a lot of what people have suggested oops haha but I agreed with these pairings. And then it was a matter of choosing 6-7 to actually gif and as I was doing some of them more connections started forming.

So, I start thinking about which Midnights songs to do and immediately I know that Maroon has to be on there because Quinntana doing that is my strongest association. This was fairly straightforward as I had the characters in mind, obviously had a colour set and knew that it would be I Do Quinntana scenes. I briefly thought of other ones but it's always obvious with Quinntana, isn't it?

I liked the imagery of Maroon and lines like "Your roommate's cheap-ass screw-top rosé, that's how" and "I wake with your memory over me // That's a real fucking legacy, legacy (It was maroon)". That latter one made it to the gif though a shortened version because space. I preferred to include the hopeful and less bitter half - well, maybe not hopeful. But the impression that despite the passion and even recklessness of the song it can be something lasting which is what I wish Quinntana was. Taylor songs and Quinntana deserve their own post but I just think the complexities of Maroon fit them well and it has that sort of sexual yet tender quality that's perfect for their two-time (sadly not continued) thing. And as for the gif itself, I'm forever obsessed with shots of them while slow dancing, that contemplation and ease before they throw themselves at each other. But I'm also very glad to have decided at the last minute to include an in-bed shot. I think it adds to the lyric "I wake with your memory over me". Not that they slept that much that night in the first place.

Next was Anti-Hero, which as mentioned I was convinced of for Blaine but long before that I'd already made up my mind that it was a Santana song, too. This a) works well for @secretlesbianspy haha but also b) fits my vision of trying not to make them all solos. That second half worked a little too well because almost all ended up being duets oops but I just think that assigning songs as solos is a little too limiting and duets and group numbers potentially offer more interesting interpretations. And so we have a Blaintana duet that takes place in an interspersed sort of non-diegetic way with both lamenting their lives separately but reaching similar conclusions.

In my mind this would take place at some point in season 4 or 5. I think it mostly fits Blaine in season 4 as he regrets having cheated on Kurt and crumbles under the realization that he can’t be Mister Perfect, maybe leaning into the “oh I’m the bad guy I ruin things” aspect a little too much. Like the dramatic little boy he is. Hence the clip chosen being from Hopelessly Devoted to You. As for Santana, I really like this shot from right before Girl On Fire starts playing because even though that’s ultimately a triumphant moment, it does come after the realization that she has to choose the real world. Over Kentucky, over Lima, over running back to the familiarity of Brittany, she has to choose taking that leap and truly living. And that’s terrifying when she doesn’t believe in herself. That leads us into season 5 which would fit Anti-Hero even more, when her insecurities cause her to go behind Rachel’s back and she doubles down on her bitch persona in the face of Rachel assuming the worst of her. The song fits her better in season 5 when she has that degree of introspection and also guilt about her past behaviour, so I did consider a pre-Be Okay clip where she and Rachel make peace. Ultimately, for aesthetic reasons this worked better but yeah I’m basically thinking New York Santana for this one. Actually you know what here’s a version of this with that alternate clip, as a treat (also different Blaine shot). Not fully coloured and finished so treat it as a discarded draft.

Phew told you this would be long, here comes song number three. As mentioned, You’re On Your Own, Kid read as both a Rachel and Marley song to me so it was an easy decision to use at least Rachel’s clip from their canon duet, New York State of Mind. That gave the whole thing a nice orange colour which worked for the warm to cold colour gradient that was starting to form. Beyond looking good, I chose the Rachel clip as it represents the start of her new life in New York and her stepping into her own. For Marley, a clip from Wrecking Ball fit not only because it had that orange hue but because it was her realizing she couldn’t trust Jake and thus was “on her own.”

The parallels between Rachel and Marley are interesting and less obvious than those between other OGs and their newbie counterparts, but that’s another whole post right there. What makes me think of the two in terms of this song is that vibe of wanting to escape your hometown, feeling insecure there, yearning for a love that will potentially make you stay. Finn and Jake, respectively, neither of whom end up being The One for the girls. And arguably, both Rachel and Marley are better off having had their hearts broken and realizing that they won’t be saved by some popular guy who choose them. “Like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss.” It’s a bittersweet realization that they have to rely on themselves but also empowering for both of them when they step out of previous roles and take charge. Rachel makes it in New York and Marley pursues her passion, supported by but not reliant on Jake or anyone else. Everything you lose is a step you take. Romantic heartache built their character.

Next up was Lavender Haze, which ended up less of a character analysis choice and more just what would be fun if they performed it on the show. From the beginning I had Quinn in mind and then Tina was added for some Quinntina fun, and though I debated until the end I ended up including Mercedes because that’d be an awesome trio.

I wasn’t hell bent on including this in the set but at this point I realized these were the first 5 tracks of the album bar one (more on that in a bit) and I just like the idea of the three girls owning this song. Again, this has less profound reasoning and is more vibes based, but I’d like to think that this is their way of establishing their own agency in their respective relationships and in general lives. All three have been stripped of agency one way or another, often relating to relationships, and this is them saying that they just wanna do what they wanna do. All have previously given a damn as to what people say, to varying degrees, but in a sort of #girlboss move they band together and defy that. I was also originally thinking of turning it into a romantic Quinntina AU thing, before I made the choice to include Mercedes. Read it in that way if you’d like. I just like the vibes of this one basically even if I like this gif the least. It could have maybe used more work but to be honest this was one of the ones I wasn’t that invested in.

Now that I’ve realized I had tracks 1-3 and 5 on here, I thought, okay, let’s get Snow On The Beach up on here. Mostly because at this point I knew I wanted The Great War in here so it could be a “the first 5 tracks + 1 extra from 3am” sort of thing. But then Sweet Nothing happened, more on that in its own section.

So, Snow. I went back and forth but upon the 10th or so listen I decided on Samcedes. It was that “falling in love at the same time” message that settled it because I don’t think the same can be said for any other couple. And I like the whole “yeah it’s unlikely but it works and it’s beautiful” vibe plus the chosen lyric really settled it. I look back on Prom Queen as one of my favourite Samcedes moments, their origin story and something that really sells me on this song being the one for them. The chosen lyric reflects Mercedes’ initial insecurity but also how they both felt at some point, yet everything still fell into place and they still worked, for the time that they did. It’s that magical vibe that I associate with their first evening together.

With the first five down I knew I wanted a plus one, that ending up being The Great War for Klaine. I initially thought of Labyrinth but that didn’t feel quite right and looking over the lyrics of The Great War did. Frankly I’m surprised to see sets of Klaine with other songs and not this. I didn’t want to include songs from 3am at first but this fit them and the plus one theme so The Great War it was. Initially in a turquois colour but yellow won out.

More so than any other song on the album, it’s the message of overcoming difficulties and still ending up together that makes it a Klaine one for me. Their struggles and the fact that they overcame them is often stated as a reason why people are drawn to their story and in all its angstiness I think this song describes that. Overall there are a lot of bittersweet songs on this album and ones of heartbreak and lost potential, whereas Klaine are about overcoming, so. And the bg clip is of them getting back together in A Wedding whereas the second one of from the last episode, right before we see them 5 years later as a representation of that overcoming. Once I chose the lyric I also thought of and made an alternate version for the second clip being their wedding kiss and thematically I still like that better but this worked better aesthetically.

So, we have the first five and even the plus one but hold it, I couldn’t just do a Midnights set, potentially my only one without including the association between Sweet Nothing and Brittana. The more I listened to this song the more I liked it for my favourite couple. Did it mess a bit with my original colour scheme, yes, and did I feel a bit weird including Santana three times, maybe. But at the end of the day these are my choices and I’ll choose Santana any day, so. Even though it makes the thematically organized part of my brain mad I had to include this.

This fuchsia colour really makes sense for them imo (even though I also tried it in yellow), the colour I usually associate them with. The wholesome and calm domesticity of the song immediately reminded me of season 6 fluff Brittana. I thought of a season 1 clip as well that I had on stock for, uh, other TS set reasons (coming soon) but I decided on season 6 choices. The hug from 6x06 has such a wholesome vibe to me and is easy to work with, and then choosing their little moment from Home was also easy. As they share this adorable moment they sing “there ain’t nothing that I need” which feels very fitting with Sweet Nothing, and of course the feeling that they’re each other’s home. All of this felt so right to me that despite it throwing off the little theme I planned for the set I couldn’t not include it. Having this Brittana association exist was more important than some arbitrary theme to the set that still sort of exists anyway. Very happy with this song and scenes choice.

Aaaand that is mostly it, though I also have thoughts on Midnight Rain which I almost included as a Finchel song. I know, I know, it’s already full of duets but I think that one really fits them and it’s track six which would continue the theme. I can also see a dark blue colour for it which would mean turning Anti-Hero lighter so Midnight Rain could fit between that and Lavender Haze. In the end though, I decided 7 gifs were enough and also tbh I just don’t think I acre enough about Finchel to give them a gif and a song off Midnights. I have even more thoughts on colours and alternate clips but this is long as is, so, all for now. But as you can probably tell I’d gladly go on some more haha. Please do send thoughts if you made it all the way through!

#anon #projecting taylor onto glee #glee asks #ask and you shall receive haha #i don't think i have a tag for gif explanations so uhm #gif explanaton #there that will do #thank you for enabling this anon #Midnights #please read this it's 2am

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chickawah23 · 2 years

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Initial thoughts on MidnighTS

Jack’s production on this album is my favorite thing about this album and that is saying a lot. It is so cohesive in unique ways. I love it. Lyrics wise, it’s layered and every play through and read through is something new. I have some lyrics I’ve already noted. I can’t wait to keep listening. Vocally, I actually like a lot of the choices she made on this album. She flexes her range and she makes some really cool choice harmonies. Her cadence for the most part is really a star on this album. She’s fitting full sentences in these rhymes. The overall album. This one doesn’t feel like it has to be listened to in order other than Mastermind being the last song. Maybe my thoughts on that will change as I listen over the weekend.

Here are my initial thoughts on each track:

Lavender Haze

I like this.

Lmaoo swifties’ homophobic projection comes back to bite them. But I bet they already deleted all their hate videos and death threat posts/comments.

Maroon

Interesting. This song feels like it’s tied to Dress and Cornelia Street.

Anti-Hero

“It’s me, hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.”

I like this song a lot. One of my favorites

This and Mastermind tie together in my mind and it is an interesting area to explore.

Snow on the Beach

Lmao I know some of y’all were probably pissed at Lana just doing harmonies lol

I really like this production. It feels like there is a muffled ticking clock at the beginning and the end. Maybe it’s picking a steel bridge guitar or banjo idk. But I like it.

You’re on Your Own, Kid

This song grows on me with each listen. The way she sings the verses reminds me of how Hayley Kiyoko sings in “well…”

Midnight Rain

I like the production the warped reverse is an interesting loop. I like this song. I like her cadence through this song.

Question…?

.👀. Kissgate. I like how this song builds. I like this song.

“And what's that that I heard? That you're still with her? That's nice, I'm sure that's what's suitable and right, but tonight.”

Vigilante Shit

.👀.

Bejeweled

I need to hear this a few more times. I like her cadence.

Labyrinth

I liked this on the first listen. I loved it on the second. The lap(or chest) pat beats in the production. This is one of my favorite right now.

Karma

This song is interesting. I like the production. I would drive with my windows down to this production.

Sweet Nothing

I like this song like I thought I would. Her cadence on this song will make this a great song to play as a duet piano instrumental.

I love the pulled back wind instruments. Great work. Please Taylor don’t say anything to ruin this song for me. Or do. Idc it’s your work.

Mastermind

I love this production. One of my faves. I love this song. I honestly love this song. One of my favorites. This song is great. That transition into the chorus is perfection. Great closing song. Love it.

I’m exhausted so my thoughts are rambly and will likely change with a full rest.

#ts midnights stuff #music #ts midnights

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garglyswoof · 1 day

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Oh which Giana darling books have you read? I’ve only read her anti-heroes in love duet which I did actually really like but I did read it when I was craving a mafia romance. Elena is a true ice queen nd just their chemistry and tension and was insane! They were both really each other’s match too 🥹 and the smut was good 😂

Have you read her fallen men series? I keep wanting to try it but it’s such a big series that it seems intimidating.

But “hmm this is not very good but i'm still enjoying it” makes so much sense! I’ve felt that way about some books I’ve read too and even given some of them 5 stars if I’m being real. But could definitely see that being the vibe with Giana Darling books too so I get it

So this is going to be not the response you expected, but really just a Treatise:tm: on romance books and my relationship with them. doing a read more bc i am verbose

When I read a romance book that I really enjoy, it will never be my favorite book. I can love it, but I know both intellectually and emotionally that it is not something that will stick with me through time. Even books that do attempt to tackle more serious issues simply do not have enough time to do that justice in tandem with a typical romance plotline.

In general, the prose used in contemporary romance is very run-of-the-mill. There are no lines that make me stop in my tracks because of the beauty of them (like i've read in many a romance fanfic). It is to be easily consumed and appreciated. I love romance books so much, I read them nightly. But goodness, the prose runs the gamut from "oh wow this is really bad but im still enjoying it" to "wow, this writer does pacing very well, has some funny lines, and has made efforts to explore some emotional depth". It never hits "I need to share this quote with everyone I know because it struck me to my core."

Good (and even bad) romance is more about dialogue vs setting, about the moment of falling instead of an intricate plot, and about two people coming together vs. deeply examining each of them on their own. It is about page turning oh my GODDDDD the tension is unreaaaaaaaal vs holy shit that was such a well-written story and im blown away

That being said, we all have the tropes and character archetypes we love. To actually bring it around to your ask, Darling writes pretty good alpha males (though I prefer JT Geissinger's, if you're looking for pseudo-mafia romances) and that's why I enjoyed her books. In fic and books, I am a sucker for things i would not accept in a million years in a real human guy lmao. Many people do not get past the student/teacher aspect of the first fallen man book, but that's a trope i somehow devour despite it being anathema irl. You can frankly read them out of order (@accidental-rambler will tell you no way lmao. yes kate, i still think of you when i think about reading things out of order XD).

So that's what i mean. published romance is for tropey goodness, for light and frothy reading. If i want more emotional depth from my romance, then i will most likely find it in fanfic, because the established nature of the characters allows for far more indepth examinations of feelings, of how the past we've seen in canon affects them emotionally, of these thoughts and feelings that really...matter to me. In fanfic, Ive also been with the character more and have the deep connection already there, and it allows me to dive into their headspace with ease so fics just have a cheat built in lol. Romance books just dont have the time to do that and still tell their story. Also, sometimes I just am not looking for plot in a romance???? I'm just looking for feelings or smut, and the plot is actually in the way lol. Published romance authors can't quite win with me.

In summary, I love romance, but I struggle with my perception of it and perspective because it just doesn't feel deep enough. It's something I continue to work through. Thanks for letting me partially do it here.

#idek what this is lmao #anonymous #fanfiction #romance #p.s. i went with firekeepers daughter for my monthly pick

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dargeereads · 13 days

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THE VILLAINS WE MAKE BY NATASHA KNIGHT Release date: April 23rd Series: Heroes and Villains Duet, book #2 Genre: Dark Romance / First Love / Jealous/Possessive / Anti-hero / Touch her and die / Forced Proximity / Marriage of Convenience / Billionaire / Heroine in danger / Divided loyalties / Friends to enemies to lovers / Girl/boy next door / Damaged hero / Damaged heroine / Love at first sight The Heroes and Villains Duet is COMPLETE! “You can’t marry him if you’re already married to me.” Step into the gripping world of The Villains We Make, the final book of the Heroes and Villains Duet, by Natasha Knight! Unravel the tale of possessive anti-heroes and dangerous love. Available Exclusively in KINDLE UNLIMITED! Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3U7SZhM Amazon INTL: https://geni.us/wsz5G Audible US: https://bit.ly/4b7gAWv Audible UK: https://bit.ly/3QdPlBA Apple Audio: Coming Soon! Start the DUET TODAY! Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3UEYAhA Amazon INTL: https://geni.us/oAPX Audible US: https://bit.ly/3TONZhX Audible UK: https://bit.ly/4cQgSTo Apple Audio: https://bit.ly/3xODu6F Blurb You can’t marry him if you’re already married to me. That was how Silas Cruz proposed to me—more like demanded, really. He didn’t exactly give me a choice. He’s dark, jealous and incredibly possessive. And he’s just one of the villains in my story. I used to think he was my hero. Still, there’s one thing I know for sure. Whenever I need him, whenever I’m in danger, he comes for me. He’s proven that time and time again. Now, the game has changed, the stakes life and death. But loving Silas may be the most dangerous thing for me. Because he’s the man who holds my heart in the palm of his hand. About Natasha Knight: Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away. Connect w/Natasha: Website: https://natasha-knight.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheKnightSpot Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatashaKnight13 Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@natashaknightromance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaknight13/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/natashaknight13/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6478732.Natasha_Knight Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/natasha-knight Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DWdlEu NL Signup: https://natasha-knight.com

#The Villains We Make #Natasha Knight #Release Blitz

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