#jessica reads romance

[getfuckedblr]

i have a lot of thoughts about books. like a lot. i’ve kind of been in mourning for a bit at the state of the book market? it’s so hard to find a good fiction book. i don’t want to read hetero smut that borders on abuse, relationships that absolutely are abuse but “it’s ok they’re quirky!”. i read enough of that as a teenager that i have absolutely no tolerance for it now.

i think the second thing i’ve been mourning about it is that booktok actually affects the real life book market? and the ease of publishing has maybe ruined traditional books? it’s so clear when you pick up a book, just by reading the first couple pages, if an editor or beta reader was involved at all. like i’m glad people are able to fulfill their dreams and write and have people read it but your plot and structure is suffering a lack of knowledge. writing is a skill that is always being developed and input and criticism is a very important part of that.

and the last part i think is that i’ve seen so many people on tiktok come back to reading, and that’s great i love that more people are reading! but reading is a skill just like writing, and the ability to engage with a text and use critical thinking is something that’s learned. those of us who never stopped reading have already kind of gone through the reading puberty(?) if that makes sense? we know that a lot of books romanticize abuse, that they might be written by women but can often still be misogynistic, that you might enjoy colleen hoover but the writing and plot is at a high school reading and writing level. and that’s not to shame! easy to read and understand is not a bad thing!

but the way those books have dominated the market is unsettling? where are the books with conceits and developed themes and meanings to be interpreted and books that are able to connect with more audiences? what happened to the high fantasy genre itself?? it’s been sarah j maas-ified that’s what. i don’t want to read porn hiding behind magic. i want to read things that make me think. i can name almost every high fantasy book i read in middle school that shaped my entire world view but i can’t find any today that measure up. and it’s not just nostalgia; i reread them in the last two years. the writing was superb and the plot was thought out and cared for in a way so many of these books now just aren’t. these aren’t peoples babies anymore. they’re cash grabs and repurposed and how quickly can i rewrite this plot in this character and sell it.

so yeah i’m just sad this is what it’s come to.

#books and libraries #fanfiction #critical thinking #reading #writing #colleen hoover #tijan #penelope douglas #sarah j maas #jessica sorenson #hunger games #graceling #incarceron #house of the scorpion #uglies #paranormal romance #smut #wing kink #misogyny #abuse tw #romance #romancenovel

[jessread-s]

✩❄️🪩Review:

Jessica Joyce has given me no choice but to read this annually!

“A Risk Worth Taking” follows Claire Ashford as she prepares to pursue a job opportunity in San Francisco after she realizes how much her cautious nature has cost her. The night before she leaves, she decides to take a risk and spend it with Connor Stella, the gorgeous stranger at the holiday party where she’s bartending. But the weather has other plans, and soon one night with no strings attached turns into an entire weekend. Claire’s new adventure is just a plane ride away, but her heart belongs to the man she’ll have to leave behind.

This was simply the most delightful little novella I’ve ever read. It was only 78 pages and it had me giggling and smiling like crazy!

I am simply in love with Claire (my kindred spirit), Connor (my golden retriever boy), and their relationship. Sparks fly the moment they cross paths and Joyce works her magic to make their connection palpable. Their banter, the way take care with each other, and their physical compatibility made it clear that they were meant to be more to each other than a one night stand and I loved watching that come to fruition!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

#booklr #book blog #book blogger #bookish #book review #book rec #a risk worth taking #jessica joyce #claire ashford #connor stella #one night stand #contemporary romance #novella #adult romance #romance books #spicy romance #bibliophile #read romance #romance reads

[effervescent-hoe]

Two unnaturally beautiful twins, Bella and Beau Cullen start Forks high when their older brother and guardian Carlisle Cullen moves to work at the local Hospital. They're weird, and unfriendly, but Edward Mason can't help but be fascinated by Beau. Similarly, Bella's strangeness draws Jessica Stanley deeper into the mystery of who, or what, they are. How far will obsession compel them with their life, and heart, on the line?

#twilight #riley to the void #my writing #fic ideas #bella swan #jessica stanley #edward mason #beau swan #they arent really swans this time though #i dont know if ill end up writing it but im obsessed w it #creepy vampire paranormal romance! unhealthy obsession! danger! lesbians! #so if anyone wants to read this im very persuadable lol #i promise my other fics are coming. one day. im just a disaster rn

[jeanvanjer]

Heroes giving nicknames to heroines is always a ➕➕➕ but when it’s in another language???

Romance authors, especially historical romance authors, please have your heroes speak more languages.

#Preston calling Katherine reinette is just so 🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽 #Johanna Shupe #The Bride Goes Rogue #even speaking to the heroine in another language is 🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽 #like Dain saying biacmi to Jessica in LoS is still seared in my soul #Morgan from Callaways Fiona & the Enigmatic Earl has his mums tendency to dirty talk in French & he’s definitely better at it than her 😂 #I need to make a list of this #historical romance #romance books #romance novels #reading romance #romance novel blogging

[wannabe-british-fangirl]

~ books read in 2023 ~

#11: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

When ladyroses burn, they bleed.

Rating: 4/5

#a forgery of roses #jessica s olson #2023 reading list #books #book aesthetic #book moodboard #ya books #ya romance #mystery #art #painting #magic #frank discussions and depictions of #chronic illness #mental illness #picture of dorian gray vibes #owlcrate #owlcrate march 2022

[bekah-reading]

104/120

This was a TBR jar pick because to treat myself to a book on my kindle.

5/5

I have a bunch of MC series that I am interested in so as a way to figure out if I want to read them, I went through and downloaded the first book of a few on my Kindle so I can sample them. This was one I found on TikTok, it was called a dark MC romance and I was interested off the bat.

I am so glad I read this. It’s short, just shy of 300 pages, so I read this in the afternoon today.

Reign is the President of the Navesink Bank chapter of the Henchman MC. Summer is a woman who has been taken by a man called V, and she ends up escaping the compound after three months of captivity. Reign ends up finding her and helping her.

This was such a good read. I loved the characters, and the plot was really good. It definitely gives off Sons of Anarchy vibes a bit. The writing sucked me in, and I have no insights as to why, I just seem to really vibe with this one. The writing was simple, but reading this book reminded me of Sick Fux, and I think that helped a lot. I do have some gripes about the way that it was instant attraction on his part, but I’m not going to fault this for that.

It’s also not short on violence and action. This MC is a part of the 1%. So these guys are not afraid to break the rules and bash some heads in.

I know for sure I really want to continue this series. I know there are at least 15 books or so. I’m hoping Reign’s brother and VP gets his own book, that man deserves it. (Edit:After looking into this series it’s 20 books and Cash, his brother is the next book 🥰)

If you have a hard time reading about SA, and s*x trafficking, along with any type of abuse, I will say that you should pass on this. Summer is a very traumatised woman, and she goes through shit, it even gives flashbacks of her time with V and his men.

#booklr #booktok #reading #reading challenge #2023 reading #2023 reading challenge #romance books #dark romance books #reign #henchman mc #jessica gadziala

[pantoranqira]

Simonjess is LITERALLY soulmateism

#every day i am filled with rage that they never got together #like they literally deserve a full romance arc and years of dating (irl) before getting engaged married and having kids together #like thats how much i love them/they deserve each other #anyways i love them soooooooo much theyre everything to me actually #simonjess #the fact that there isn’t a huge insane amount of simonjess/GL 2016 posting all the time is painful to me personally #(not that i post abt it too much either ahduahwhw) #anyways. i really need to read more lantern comics so bad #ive been considering starting gl 1990 for the past few days #bc ik its SUCH a classic #however. i do think hal is boring. BUT ill likely love parallax and kyle(!!!!) so might as well #friends to lovers my beloveddddd #green lantern #green lanterns #simon baz #jessica cruz #blah

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Teenage Vampires Meet Jane Austen

There is a danger of decrying all vampire YA books released in the 2000s as mere Twilight Saga clones, but Beth Fantaskey's (and if ever an author had a vampire novel writing last name, she does!) novel was published in 2000, and Twilight wasn't released until 2005. So please, no comparisons between these two books--they're sufficiently different that they deserve to be discussed on their own merits. Honestly, I kind of wish that Fantaskey's books had blown up and become the mainstream YA vampire duology of the 2000s, but a girl can't have everything. Let's talk the marvelous mix of Jane Austen and vampire lore that is Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.

Right off the top, this book has startlingly excellent adoption representation. Jessica is adopted, and she has a phenomenal relationship with her adoptive parents. She is unconditionally loved and supported, she is happy, there is great parent-child communication, and there is exactly zero resentment or hesitation once Jessica is ready to explore her birth parents--she is supported in that too. She struggles with her adoption circumstances specifically, but even that is handled well--who wouldn't struggle with being adopted as an infant to avoid being murdered alongside their family? I was pleasantly surprised to find such great representation, and it serves the story equally well, given how objectively abusive and cruel Lucius's biological family is. This tends not to be something I see a lot in SFF (you could argue for found family doing similar things, but this is an explicit adoption story in the 2000s, so I think that gets its own literary area), and I loved how well it was handled.

So who are Jessica and Lucius?

Jessica was born in Romania as Antanasia to the Dragomir royal vampire family. However, she grew up as Jessica Packwood, daughter of a university professor and a hippie in Southern America, a mathelete, and a 4H horsewoman who isn't a half bad jumper. She's not popular at school but she has her best friend, her mathelete colleagues, and even a boy who is a little bit interested in her as she learns to be more assertive with her worth and skills--again, supported wholeheartedly by her parents.

Then Lucius Vladescu rocks into town and pulls a Heathcliff out on the moors at her bus stop on the first day of senior year. That absolutely unmitigated dramatic flair is arguably a combination coping and rebellion methodbecause Lucius is the heir apparent to the Vladescu royal vampire family. He's basically a teenage angst version of a combination of Mr. Darcy and Heathcliff, and that in and of itself is the weirdest combination of chivalrous, assholeish, dutiful, and "let it burn." It's unusual for me to say that the male lead in a YA vampire romance is actually fascinating, but watching Lucius try to burn down the status quo as hard as he can while also trying to stop things from catching fire as hard as he can is never not interesting.

In addition to Jessica and Lucius being genuinely interesting characters to follow, the book itself does the weirdest thing where it combines literary influences and allusions to Pride and Prejudice (in the form of Lucius's letters to his uncle and Jessica's resemblance to Lizzie), Wuthering Heights (in Lucius's *gestures broadly* and direct diegetic references to the novel that get a bit close to the heavy-handed line), and Dracula (in the general vampire aesthetics and the Vladescu vibes--I am super not speaking for the Dragomir family vibes, because that is just...yeah). Vampire and Gothic make sense together, but the Pride and Prejudice vibes just take this story and give it a bit of lightness that I wasn't expecting and frankly think works astoundingly well.

Overall, this book was a favorite of mine when I found it in high school, and I cannot recommend it enough. It's part one of a duology, so be sure to follow it up with Jessica Rules the Dark Side.

#beth fantaskey #jessica's guide to dating on the dark side #wuthering heights #dracula #pride and prejudice #vampire #vampire romance #ya books #ya romance #ya vampire romance #high school book #books #books and novels #books and reading #books & libraries #book recommendations

[oracleofmadness]

What a splendid book! Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, enemies to lovers, and the spice! Yes, please!

Penny is a sweet, wonderful character that I instantly fell in love with. Especially because she has a pet squirrel that she loves. Willem is a surly warlock in need of a familiar to help him with casting even though he is not supposed to.

I didn't read the first book, so there were parts of this that made me feel a little lost, but that's a me problem. I really loved this. I love how Will and Penny worked together, especially the spice! Overall, this book left me feeling warm and fuzzy!

Out April 4, 2023!

#book #bookish #books #bookworm #book review #currently reading #read #bookblogger #reading #fantasy #fantasy romance #romance books #spicy reads #spicy books #What the Hex #jessica clare #grumpy/sunshine #enemies to lovers #fake dating

[galwithalibrarycard]

Book Moodboards: The Hollow trilogy by Jessica Verday

“I didn’t know, but I should have... and I’ve been haunted ever since.”

         “...I guess I’m the perfect match, then, for a girl who likes to visit the cemetery.”

#my moodboards #litedit #book edits #the hollow trilogy #jessica verday #i havent read these books since 2011 so dont take this post as an informed recommendation #it's a YA paranormal romance from the twilight era do with that what you will #it lives rent free in my brain because the plot aligns perfectly with the taylor swift song Haunted #content to be aware of includes death and suicide mentions and an angsty teen narrator and an ending thats a little fucked up #at least in my memory #it must have done something right to stick in my mind for so many years #as always sources are pexels and unsplash #text source pinterest #my edits

[mrssweethomealabamareads]

I am currently reading...

I Wish You Were Mine by Jessica Peterson, releasing on January 18, 2024!

Don't have it yet.

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3QeCM8i

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/45Fruji

#ContemporaryRomance #AdultRomance #AccidentalPregnancy #AgeGap #FoundFamily #Nanny #SingleDad #SmallTown #SurpriseBaby

#jessica peterson #books and reading #romance books #new books #agegap

[yeoldenews]

A Guide to Historically Accurate Regency-Era Names

I recently received a message from a historical romance writer asking if I knew any good resources for finding historically accurate Regency-era names for their characters.

Not knowing any off the top of my head, I dug around online a bit and found there really isn’t much out there. The vast majority of search results were Buzzfeed-style listicles which range from accurate-adjacent to really, really, really bad.

I did find a few blog posts with fairly decent name lists, but noticed that even these have very little indication as to each name’s relative popularity as those statistical breakdowns really don't exist.

I began writing up a response with this information, but then I (being a research addict who was currently snowed in after a blizzard) thought hey - if there aren’t any good resources out there why not make one myself?

As I lacked any compiled data to work from, I had to do my own data wrangling on this project. Due to this fact, I limited the scope to what I thought would be the most useful for writers who focus on this era, namely - people of a marriageable age living in the wealthiest areas of London.

So with this in mind - I went through period records and compiled the names of 25,000 couples who were married in the City of Westminster (which includes Mayfair, St. James and Hyde Park) between 1804 to 1821.

So let’s see what all that data tells us…

To begin - I think it’s hard for us in the modern world with our wide and varied abundance of first names to conceive of just how POPULAR popular names of the past were.

If you were to take a modern sample of 25-year-old (born in 1998) American women, the most common name would be Emily with 1.35% of the total population. If you were to add the next four most popular names (Hannah, Samantha, Sarah and Ashley) these top five names would bring you to 5.5% of the total population. (source: Social Security Administration)

If you were to do the same survey in Regency London - the most common name would be Mary with 19.2% of the population. Add the next four most popular names (Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah and Jane) and with just 5 names you would have covered 62% of all women.

To hit 62% of the population in the modern survey it would take the top 400 names.

The top five Regency men’s names (John, William, Thomas, James and George) have nearly identical statistics as the women’s names.

I struggled for the better part of a week with how to present my findings, as a big list in alphabetical order really fails to get across the popularity factor and also isn’t the most tumblr-compatible format. And then my YouTube homepage recommended a random video of someone ranking all the books they’d read last year - and so I present…

The Regency Name Popularity Tier List

The Tiers

S+ - 10% of the population or greater. There is no modern equivalent to this level of popularity. 52% of the population had one of these 7 names.

S - 2-10%. There is still no modern equivalent to this level of popularity. Names in this percentage range in the past have included Mary and William in the 1880s and Jennifer in the late 1970s (topped out at 4%).

A - 1-2%. The top five modern names usually fall in this range. Kids with these names would probably include their last initial in class to avoid confusion. (1998 examples: Emily, Sarah, Ashley, Michael, Christopher, Brandon.)

B - .3-1%. Very common names. Would fall in the top 50 modern names. You would most likely know at least 1 person with these names. (1998 examples: Jessica, Megan, Allison, Justin, Ryan, Eric)

C - .17-.3%. Common names. Would fall in the modern top 100. You would probably know someone with these names, or at least know of them. (1998 examples: Chloe, Grace, Vanessa, Sean, Spencer, Seth)

D - .06-.17%. Less common names. In the modern top 250. You may not personally know someone with these names, but you’re aware of them. (1998 examples: Faith, Cassidy, Summer, Griffin, Dustin, Colby)

E - .02-.06%. Uncommon names. You’re aware these are names, but they are not common. Unusual enough they may be remarked upon. (1998 examples: Calista, Skye, Precious, Fabian, Justice, Lorenzo)

F - .01-.02%. Rare names. You may have heard of these names, but you probably don’t know anyone with one. Extremely unusual, and would likely be remarked upon. (1998 examples: Emerald, Lourdes, Serenity, Dario, Tavian, Adonis)

G - Very rare names. There are only a handful of people with these names in the entire country. You’ve never met anyone with this name.

H - Virtually non-existent. Names that theoretically could have existed in the Regency period (their original source pre-dates the early 19th century) but I found fewer than five (and often no) period examples of them being used in Regency England. (Example names taken from romance novels and online Regency name lists.)

Just to once again reinforce how POPULAR popular names were before we get to the tier lists - statistically, in a ballroom of 100 people in Regency London: 80 would have names from tiers S+/S. An additional 15 people would have names from tiers A/B and C. 4 of the remaining 5 would have names from D/E. Only one would have a name from below tier E.

Women's Names

S+ Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah      

S - Jane, Mary Ann+, Hannah, Susannah, Margaret, Catherine, Martha, Charlotte, Maria

A - Frances, Harriet, Sophia, Eleanor, Rebecca

B - Alice, Amelia, Bridget~, Caroline, Eliza, Esther, Isabella, Louisa, Lucy, Lydia, Phoebe, Rachel, Susan

C - Ellen, Fanny*, Grace, Henrietta, Hester, Jemima, Matilda, Priscilla

D - Abigail, Agnes, Amy, Augusta, Barbara, Betsy*, Betty*, Cecilia, Christiana, Clarissa, Deborah, Diana, Dinah, Dorothy, Emily, Emma, Georgiana, Helen, Janet^, Joanna, Johanna, Judith, Julia, Kezia, Kitty*, Letitia, Nancy*, Ruth, Winifred>

E - Arabella, Celia, Charity, Clara, Cordelia, Dorcas, Eve, Georgina, Honor, Honora, Jennet^, Jessie*^, Joan, Joyce, Juliana, Juliet, Lavinia, Leah, Margery, Marian, Marianne, Marie, Mercy, Miriam, Naomi, Patience, Penelope, Philadelphia, Phillis, Prudence, Rhoda, Rosanna, Rose, Rosetta, Rosina, Sabina, Selina, Sylvia, Theodosia, Theresa

F - (selected) Alicia, Bethia, Euphemia, Frederica, Helena, Leonora, Mariana, Millicent, Mirah, Olivia, Philippa, Rosamund, Sybella, Tabitha, Temperance, Theophila, Thomasin, Tryphena, Ursula, Virtue, Wilhelmina

G - (selected) Adelaide, Alethia, Angelina, Cassandra, Cherry, Constance, Delilah, Dorinda, Drusilla, Eva, Happy, Jessica, Josephine, Laura, Minerva, Octavia, Parthenia, Theodora, Violet, Zipporah

H - Alberta, Alexandra, Amber, Ashley, Calliope, Calpurnia, Chloe, Cressida, Cynthia, Daisy, Daphne, Elaine, Eloise, Estella, Lilian, Lilias, Francesca, Gabriella, Genevieve, Gwendoline, Hermione, Hyacinth, Inez, Iris, Kathleen, Madeline, Maude, Melody, Portia, Seabright, Seraphina, Sienna, Verity

Men's Names

S+ John, William, Thomas

S - James, George, Joseph, Richard, Robert, Charles, Henry, Edward, Samuel

A - Benjamin, (Mother’s/Grandmother’s maiden name used as first name)#

B - Alexander^, Andrew, Daniel, David>, Edmund, Francis, Frederick, Isaac, Matthew, Michael, Patrick~, Peter, Philip, Stephen, Timothy

C - Abraham, Anthony, Christopher, Hugh>, Jeremiah, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Walter

D - Adam, Arthur, Bartholomew, Cornelius, Dennis, Evan>, Jacob, Job, Josiah, Joshua, Lawrence, Lewis, Luke, Mark, Martin, Moses, Nicholas, Owen>, Paul, Ralph, Simon

E - Aaron, Alfred, Allen, Ambrose, Amos, Archibald, Augustin, Augustus, Barnard, Barney, Bernard, Bryan, Caleb, Christian, Clement, Colin, Duncan^, Ebenezer, Edwin, Emanuel, Felix, Gabriel, Gerard, Gilbert, Giles, Griffith, Harry*, Herbert, Humphrey, Israel, Jabez, Jesse, Joel, Jonas, Lancelot, Matthias, Maurice, Miles, Oliver, Rees, Reuben, Roger, Rowland, Solomon, Theophilus, Valentine, Zachariah

F - (selected) Abel, Barnabus, Benedict, Connor, Elijah, Ernest, Gideon, Godfrey, Gregory, Hector, Horace, Horatio, Isaiah, Jasper, Levi, Marmaduke, Noah, Percival, Shadrach, Vincent

G - (selected) Albion, Darius, Christmas, Cleophas, Enoch, Ethelbert, Gavin, Griffin, Hercules, Hugo, Innocent, Justin, Maximilian, Methuselah, Peregrine, Phineas, Roland, Sebastian, Sylvester, Theodore, Titus, Zephaniah

H - Albinus, Americus, Cassian, Dominic, Eric, Milo, Rollo, Trevor, Tristan, Waldo, Xavier

# Men were sometimes given a family surname (most often their mother's or grandmother's maiden name) as their first name - the most famous example of this being Fitzwilliam Darcy. If you were to combine all surname-based first names as a single 'name' this is where the practice would rank.

*Rank as a given name, not a nickname

+If you count Mary Ann as a separate name from Mary - Mary would remain in S+ even without the Mary Anns included

~Primarily used by people of Irish descent

^Primarily used by people of Scottish descent

>Primarily used by people of Welsh descent

I was going to continue on and write about why Regency-era first names were so uniform, discuss historically accurate surnames, nicknames, and include a little guide to finding 'unique' names that are still historically accurate - but this post is already very, very long, so that will have to wait for a later date.

If anyone has any questions/comments/clarifications in the meantime feel free to message me.

Methodology notes: All data is from marriage records covering six parishes in the City of Westminster between 1804 and 1821. The total sample size was 50,950 individuals.

I chose marriage records rather than births/baptisms as I wanted to focus on individuals who were adults during the Regency era rather than newborns. I think many people make the mistake when researching historical names by using baby name data for the year their story takes place rather than 20 to 30 years prior, and I wanted to avoid that. If you are writing a story that takes place in 1930 you don’t want to research the top names for 1930, you need to be looking at 1910 or earlier if you are naming adult characters.

I combined (for my own sanity) names that are pronounced identically but have minor spelling differences: i.e. the data for Catherine also includes Catharines and Katherines, Susannah includes Susannas, Phoebe includes Phebes, etc.

The compound 'Mother's/Grandmother's maiden name used as first name' designation is an educated guesstimate based on what I recognized as known surnames, as I do not hate myself enough to go through 25,000+ individuals and confirm their mother's maiden names. So if the tally includes any individuals who just happened to be named Fitzroy/Hastings/Townsend/etc. because their parents liked the sound of it and not due to any familial relations - my bad.

I did a small comparative survey of 5,000 individuals in several rural communities in Rutland and Staffordshire (chosen because they had the cleanest data I could find and I was lazy) to see if there were any significant differences between urban and rural naming practices and found the results to be very similar. The most noticeable difference I observed was that the S+ tier names were even MORE popular in rural areas than in London. In Rutland between 1810 and 1820 Elizabeths comprised 21.4% of all brides vs. 15.3% in the London survey. All other S+ names also saw increases of between 1% and 6%. I also observed that the rural communities I surveyed saw a small, but noticeable and fairly consistent, increase in the use of names with Biblical origins.

Sources of the records I used for my survey: 

Ancestry.com. England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1988 [database on-line].

Ancestry.com. Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935 [database on-line].

#history #regency #1800s #1810s #names #london #writing resources #regency romance #jane austen #bridgerton #bridgerton would be an exponentially better show if daphne's name was dorcas #behold - the reason i haven't posted in three weeks

[staciass]

Pretty decent so far. Not a 5 Star read but it’s okay.

#Jessica Grayson #Bound To The Dark Elf King #Of Fate And Kings #Of Fate & Kings Book 1 #reading blog #reading update #december reads #reading #fantasy romance #fantasy books #currently reading #2023 reads

[dkehoe]

This Chick Read: The Dane of My Existence (A Bard's Rest Novel #2) by Jessica Martin

On the rise lawyer, Portia Barnes, is in her hometown of Bard’s Rest on a summer sabbatical before starting her job as managing partner in Boston. While everyone else in her small town is obsessed with the bard, Portia kind of couldn’t care less. That doesn’t mean that when she spots a land developer’s interest in the island where the big production is set every year, she’s not going to do her…

View On WordPress

#amazon #book review #book reviews #books #contemporary romance #goodreads #Jessica Martin #reading #romance

[libraryleopard]

Adult horror/science fiction/urban fantasy (?) novel about Dawit, a 500-year-old man from Ethiopia who was inducted into an all-male cult of immortality

When he marries and has a child with a human woman in 90s America, he contemplates breaking his brotherhood’s covenant of secrecy to tell his wife the truth about his unnaturally long life

Suspenseful modern-day storyline with flashbacks throughout Dawit’s life 

Nuanced characters and an interesting exploration of what it means to navigate immortality as a Black man

Ethiopian main character & African American main character

Spoiler below the cut

Didn’t love the novel’s treatment of it’s only gay character, though (he gets violently murdered early on)

#this was really interesting i have a lot of thoughts on it #dawit is like kind of terrible but also quite interesting #on one hand nuanced and charming but also ruthless and violent #his wife jessica is also a good character imo #ends up basically being an exploration of a controlling romance through the lens of immortality #i also read this on kind of a whim because my college library had this and i was trying to fill the iwtv void #i think i will probably read the sequel if i can get ahold of it #there was especially one aspect of the ending that confused me #so i would like to see if the sequel clarifies it #my soul to keep #tananarive due #african immortals #lulu speaks #lulu reads african immortals #lulu reads my soul to keep #books #2022 reads

[countingdots-tc]

TEACHER/STUDENT BOOK RECS

*if you want me to add a forbidden romance list, let me know*

𓃠 This is a list with links to books that have teacher/student, age gap, and experienced/less experienced themes that I have read! These are in order from most recommended to least recommended based on my opinion.

𓃠 This will be updated as I read more! Think something should be added to the list, then let me know!

𓃠 To find the Age Gap/TeacherxStudent Movie list, click on the link on my pinned post!

⭐️= highly recommend/changed my life

😇= no smut

🌶️=contains smut

💦=read to really get your rocks off

highlighted=warning

PROFESSOR/COACH BOOK LIST

The Unrequited by Saffron A. Kent-⭐️😇

ProfessorxStudent & mental health themes

Cute little poet embarrassingly falls for her grumpy professor. Beautiful slow burn and perfectly describes what it feels like to want someone and not feel enough for them. She is such a realistic female lead and reminds me a lot of y’all 😂. This is THE teacher crush community book. If you don’t read anything read this!!

The Professor by Invi Wright-⭐️🌶️

ProfessorxStudent

Cute romance by young, new, and self published author. Very relatable female lead. If you enjoyed The Unrequited, you will like this book for all of the same reasons. Quick and easy read, only 240. She isn’t perfect, she clumsy, and I wouldn’t even say she’s socially awkward, she just a normal college student in her early 20s. She’s a fun narrator. This author has a lot of potential and her writing will only get better.

Gabriel’s Inferno by Slyvain Reynard-⭐️😇

ProfessorxStudent

Such a good dark academia book. Beautifully written and actually has a movie adaptation. I would definitely recommend this if you want a realistic couple but a bit more serious. Characters have so much depth

Off Balance Series by Lucia Franco- 💦

CoachxStudent

Warning: female lead is age of consent NOT legal age.

If you want something really forbidden and fucked up, read this. If you want the MOST insane sex scenes, read this (MINORS STOP). I really don’t even want to add this series to this list but for the girls who wanna go there, have fun. I started this when I was still in high school, read the 3rd one as an adult, it’s not as easy to read now. Take that info as you please

Lessons In Sin by Pam Goodwin-🌶️

TeacherxStudent with 18 Y.O female lead

Troubled rich girl gets sent off to a catholic boarding school and falls for the asshole Dean of the school. Smut is pretty good, plot works. I’m not going to say it’s bad, I think whether or not it’s enjoyable depends on the person. It wasn’t bad, I just wasn’t obsessed. If you’re just trying to live vicariously through her (aren’t we all), then it works!

Teach Me by L. L. Ash-🌶️

ProfessorxStudent

Really good start, and I do mean GREAT start… I just feel like the sex scene came too soon (Ch. 9/32) and it threw me off but I also like SUPER slow burns. It’s still a good book. I enjoyed the male love interest, Professor Harlo. They’re cute together. Grump and Sunshine.

Dark Notes by Pam Goodwin-

TeacherxStudent & themes of abuse

Probably DNF-ing

AGE GAP BOOK LIST

Something In The Way Series by Jessica Hawkins-⭐️😇

Sister’s Boyfriend/Husband & “I saw him first”

Most beautiful romance series I’ve ever read, best written books by Jessica Hawkins. I recommend all of her other books. Lake is 16 when she first meets Manning but nothing sexual happens between them for another 3 books until she’s in her 20s. Beautiful slow burn with characters full of depth.

Sinner by Sierra Simone- ⭐️💦

Brother’s Best Friend & religious themes

Amazing character creation and mapping. These characters feel real! This book is about “teaching” a girl about sex before she becomes a nun. It’s not just a bang bang, hump hump book. It has heart and it really good. If you enjoy religious themed romance, you may enjoy Priest by Sierra Simone too. I didn’t 💀

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas- 💦

Ex’s Dad

Most popular forbidden romance so whatever you’ve heard about it, dump it. This might be the most tame book on this list. Pacing is good, well written main character. Insane amounts of smut but it doesn’t drive the story forward so feel free to skip it if you get tired.

Love Unexpected by Q. B. Tyler- 💦

Ex Stepdad & parent death

This book is HOT! However after the first few scenes, I got a bit tired of the smut. Well written enough female lead with a rushed ending. However if you just need something to read and not despise it, it’s good enough.

Strictly Off Limits by Jessica Hawkins-🌶️

Dad’s Best Friend

Jessica is my favorite author so I’m a bit biased but she definitely isn’t a smut writer. This novella would’ve been better without smut however it isn’t super present and doesn’t really drive the story forward so don’t feel like you’re missing anything if you skip the smut!

The Doctor by Nikki Sloane- 💦

Ex’s Dad

personally didn’t care for this book, smut starts off way too quick and I’m more of a slow burn girl. It is a novella however, it was still too quick. However! You may love it <3

𓃠 If I’m not reading fast enough for you and you want to see what I will be reading in the future here is my Amazon TBR, have at it!

𓃠 If you want to see a more organized bookshelf of what I’ve read, here is my Goodreads!

#male teacher crush #teacher crush community #teacher crush #tc feelings #tc thoughts #tc community #male tc #tc crush #tc update #female teacher crush #female tc #male teacher x female student #teacher crush imagine #teacher crush blog #teacher attachment #teacher love #teacher x student #teachers pet #student x teacher #teacher crush tik tok #romance #forbidden love #forbidden romance #forbidden romance book #romance books #book reccs #teacher crush book #bookblr #book review #book recommendations