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Romance Novels - Blog Posts
so i've been reading a lot of ana huang books recently. and by a lot, i mean the whole twisted series and the first book in the kings of sin series. the way ana huang writes her characters and the way she connects them and the way they flow seamlessly together is something i feel like i will never find in any romance series or books really. i mean i also haven't read a lot of romance. so it could be that. okay so to the real deal ranking the men i've read so far about. I have two lists actually so please bear with me.
what my logical brain which is good at reasoning and has good self preservation says:
1. Rhys Larsen
2. Dante Russo
3. Josh Chen
4. Christian Harper
5. Alex Volkov
what my heart wants:
1. Josh Chen
2. Dante Russo
3. Rhys Larsen
4. Christian Harper
5. Alex Volkov
okay that's that and i understand why y'all hate Josh. but i feel like i understand why he did what he did. and also they were both in the wrong equally as compared to the other books. like i understand what he did was horrible but i can't help it I love him.
as for my least liked Alex, I don't know I just find him very bland and meh. like yeah the sex was a-fucking-mazing to read and I love sweet sunshine Ava. but he just didn't do anything for me. Alex stans don't come for me. i don't hate him completely I promise.
and i cannot and will not stop raving about Dante Russo. he is my ideal man. the man of my dreams. i would sell all my organs if it meant i could have a man like him.
Rhys Larsen is perfect. that's it.
and Christian was an interesting person for me to read. I don't know how to feel about him. like obviously what he did was so horrible. if I was Stella I would chop his dick off. but again it's all fictitious so whatever. i feel like i could not tolerate him. he was more interesting to read than Alex though, since the higher ranking.
I will read the other kings of sin books and keep you guys updated because i love reading romance and smut obviously.
the holy grail types of fanfic
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
I devoured this in like two days. It was a great read and I love that it was more about the couple growing as people together and that the problems were mostly external. Like no stupid third act breakup just for the sake of it like I feel like too many romance books do.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fun to get the little cameos from the OG generation too.
Also, Ryder was top tear! I’m obsessed with him. He’s just my type of book guy.
I had like one thong that annoyed me, which was the fight between Gigi and Ryder where she pushed him to talk about why he was upset and he didn’t want to and then she proceeded to not tell him why she was upset. Like he’d snapped at her which he apologised for, but she was still angry with him for not opening up and just expecting him to know that was the reason she was mad.
She should’ve just communicated that to him. Like dude, come on. She knows he’s not a talker. That he’s not used to sharing shit. Don’t expect him to be a mind reader.
The talk he had with his teammates girlfriend should have been had with Gigi.
But other than that I didn’t have any major annoyances or anything.
I just get frustrated when there’s poor communication😅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
This is a poster for my new romance novel
reaching that point in my fictional universe where my characters are getting older and things are starting to change within their dynamic/lives <<<<
they’re becoming *gasps loudly* adults with responsibilities😭😭😭
i’ve reached what i’m calling ‘the beginning of the end’ of this specific group dynamic in my universe aka the halfway point of my journey to writing book six and i’m kind of losing my mind??? i did not anticipate it being this hard???😭
over 103,000 words written and i’m still only about 60% through book 3…… that’s what i get for being a representative of the thicc book committee
it might also have something to do with the fact that i have nine main characters, tons of important side characters and plots, and lore that runs deeper than a rabbit hole but idk
just changed my already published book covers for a fourth time
ok i’m in desperate need of advice!!!
the window is currently open for character regression for one or two or my characters but idk if should do it or not???
the only reason i’m doubting is because i’m kind of scared to😭 but the opportunity is there and i do think it could be interesting for the plot moving forward.
esp for the two characters i have in mind. god it’s hard to explain without spoiling my story but how do we feel about character regression? should i just say eff it and go for it?
to paint a picture: it’d be one of those instances where a character has reverted back to their old ways because of a “straw that breaks the camels back” moment, but deep down inside, they still care, they’re just trying to cope with all the hurt they’re feeling.
me whenever i think of a new storyline/plot idea that hits like absolute crack:
help i’m inching closer and closer towards cementing a plot point that’s been planned for sometime now and i’m *dreading* officially writing it so badly omg😭
but as it is written… it shall be done😪 (i’m already sobbing profusely)
insane to think there was a time in my life where my characters didn’t reside in my head 24/7
just tried to outline future chapters and my brain nearly short circuited. my creative mind is not meant to be confined to the chains of bullet points and organization she simply isn’t
the concept of one of my characters being this super smart intuitive guy who can read a room/person with the snap of a finger, but couldn’t figure out the love of his life was keeping a scandalous secret from him is soooo😭
i love when i write out a scene idea (with plans to incorporate it into the storyline) and then i sit at my computer desk to do just that and my characters are just like:
“nah, we’ll take it from here tyvm.”
and i’m just like: oh ok! yes chef🫡
i can’t tell you how many “deleted scenes” i have in my notes app because my characters love to take the wheel from me🙄
just had a #writerscare thinking i astronomically fucked up a crucial part of a storyline in my book series…😁
one of the hardest parts of writing interconnected stories tbh lol the stress of everything having to perfectly align as to avoid even the tiniest plot hole is a lot
thankfully, i figured it out and saved myself from the impending meltdown!
that moment when everything just clicks in your writing or in a scene you’re putting together or an unexpected last minute idea pops into your mind that ends up fitting perfectly with what you wrote >>>>
the excitement that consumes my body is out of this world
does it take anyone else a good minute to get immersed into their fictional world before you can start writing for the day?
like i need to sit in front of my computer with nothing but tumbleweed passing in my brain for at least an hour before i can really lock in.
especially after a solid writing break. i need to re-read the most recent scene i’ve written at least ten times to bring myself back into the character’s mind and feelings
about a quarter through writing the first draft for the third book in my series!
it’s been my fav book to write so far because of all the storylines i have planned, but it’s also been the most complicated to write for the same reason😭
there’s just so much that has to happen — between the main storyline *and* the side plot that it’s literally making my brain feel like this: 🫠
it’s so fun yet so stressful at the same time but hey i love writing!!!!!!😁
being a romance writer has truly warped my perception of love and romance irl in a sense that i have *such* high standards and expectations of what i want in a relationship.
i want a love that sweeps me off my feet and nothing less! it’s too bad basic romance feels like some unattainable holy grail these days🫠
where are the men who yearn and court??? where are they????????!!!!!!!!!
what would be the equivalent of a “childless cat lady” for a writer? whatever it is, i am that
it’s the anniversary of two of my characters today yall🥹 february 7th❤️🧁💜🌙
(yes i’m acknowledging and wishing them a happy anniversary, no that doesn’t make me clinically insane)
happy anniversary logan and rachel, mama (me) loves you and your beautiful love story❤️❤️❤️ u definitely have not been one of my fav couples to write bc that would be so rude of me to admit!!!
do you think your characters would be friends with you irl? honestly, i don’t think mine would be friends with me😭
only because they’ve all been friends since kindergarten — they’re a solid friend group of eight. very found family. they all prefer sticking to their circle and secretly (jokingly) get jealous whenever one of them tries to befriend someone outside the group. (it’s called friendship cheating)
which is fine because i’d totally be too scared to even try and befriend any of them anyway😭 when your own characters are too cool for you
yall one of my characters has the saddest lore, i hate it sm i just wanna hug him😭😭😭 (me acting like i didn’t give him the sad lore in question)
on a more positive writing note — have any of you ever re-read something you wrote and think to yourself:
“okay, i lowkey ate that.”
i’ll be the first to admit i have😭 and that’s a great thing! i’m so used to downplaying myself with self deprecating humor that i’ve forgotten it’s ok to actually be proud of myself for something
does anyone else struggle with making their characters imperfect? or making them have imperfect moments? i find myself scared to do that sometimes. i blame cancel culture😭
the ones that truly do have hearts of gold, anyway. there are a few of my characters that do deserve a couple lashings.
maybe i’m the problem? i tend to care too much what people think sometimes.
i didn’t plan for the telenovela flair some of the characters/storylines in my book series have, but i actually love it so much…
not only does it feel good to represent my latin culture in someway, but it’s also just ridiculously fun to write😭
it adds a layer of unseriousness/comedy that my books need given some of the more serious issues i write about.
the reveals!!! the drama!!! the scandal!!! i’ve somehow created a coming of age version of the tv shows jane the virgin, gossip girl, and friends all at once????
how do you guys decide between two/multiple storyline ideas? i usually write out both scenarios and choose the path that i like better/makes the most sense, but even that isn’t helping this time🫠
help