Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
Publishers and Reviewers: The Romance Is Fading Fast
October 21, 2025It used to be that publishers courted reviewers and review sites like ours. Back in the day, my mailbox (and those at AAR who came before me) overflowed with paperbacks…
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the ask@AAR: What love scenes make you swoon?
October 17, 2025Back in 2017, we ran a set of columns asking our reviewers what love scenes in romance novels made them swoon. Reading over them now–you can find Part One here…
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the ask@AAR: What was the golden era of romance?
October 10, 2025What was the golden age of romance? For some, it’s the 1980s and 1990s—the era of Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, and Lisa Kleypas, when paperbacks ruled the checkout aisle and…
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the ask@AAR: What romances have made you roar with laughter?
October 3, 2025One of the great joys of romance is that it offers light when life feels dark. Right now, when stress seems to shadow much of life, laughter isn’t just a…
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the ask@AAR: Where do we go from here?
September 26, 2025Since 1996, All About Romance has been where readers come to swoon, to squabble, and to share the joy (and occasional outrage) of a genre that never stands still. For…
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the ask@AAR: Do You Read Across the Aisle?
September 18, 2025A love story is rarely just about desire. Often, it is also about power—who holds it, who is denied it, and what it takes for two people to meet as…
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What are your favorite romances penned by Hispanic authors?
September 15, 2025It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) which means it’s time to celebrate the full range of romances by Latin authors. These writers bring new perspectives to familiar tropes…
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the ask@AAR: What romances do you read again and again?
September 12, 2025Some romances I enjoy once and set aside. Others I return to, again and again, not because I’ve forgotten the ending–although my aging brain certainly does that far more frequently…
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Dukes are out, dragons, mafia dons, and hockey players are in.
September 10, 2025The latest–always interesting and worth your time–Romancing the Data report is explicit. Last month, Amazon’s Kindle Store added 34,467 new romance titles. Of the Top 100 bestsellers, 63% were self-published,…
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the ask@AAR: Has love become too easy in romance?
September 5, 2025Romance novels have always depended on barriers. At the heart of the genre is the idea that two people want each other but cannot, at least for a time, have…
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the ask@AAR: How do you feel now about marriage of convenience tales?
August 29, 2025The marriage of convenience is one of romance’s most enduring plots. Whether the bargain is struck to save a fortune, secure a future, or escape a scandal, watching two strangers…
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the ask@AAR: Who’s your favorite romantic suspense author?
August 22, 2025I’ve always loved romantic suspense. Done well, it offers the joys of a thriller wrapped around a love story that complements rather than distracts from the danger. Linda Howard, for…
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