the ask@AAR: Why is the sexiest question in sex so rarely asked in romance?

November 5, 2021

We’ve discussed here how we feel about consent in romance–in general, good–although there are those, me among them, who feel constant questions in a love scene are hard to do…

Read Article

Best re-read? Worst?

November 1, 2021

I love to re-read–I’d hazard that at least a quarter of my romance reading is re-reading books I’ve previously read and loved. I’m lucky–it’s rare I’ve re-read a book and…

Read Article

the ask@AAR: Do we care what heroines (or heroes) look like?

October 29, 2021

In the last three recently published romances I’ve read, I’ve very little idea of what the heroine looks like. The heroes are still chiseled with piercing blue/green/grey eyes, abs like…

Read Article

the ask@ARR: It makes me crazy when fertility is used to punish women–is it just me?

October 22, 2021

–there are spoilers ahead for the Grant County series– I’ve recently just slogged–and, sadly, it was a slog–my way through Karin Slaughter’s Grant County series. I love the Will Trent…

Read Article

the ask@AAR: What do you think about the modern wedding?

October 15, 2021

Recently, a close friend of mine’s step-daughter eloped which did not make her parents happy. Her mother and father felt it was disrespectful to not have them as a part…

Read Article

I’ve read some EXCELLENT books lately! How about you?

October 13, 2021

I have read several truly superb books recently–being on crutches has given me more time to read and I’ve picked, in general, a bunch of winners. The best book I’ve…

Read Article

the ask@AAR: What happens when writers fictionalize the lives of others?

October 8, 2021

I, like much of the writing attached world, have been unable to stop thinking about Dawn Dorland and Sonya Larson whose feud was covered in depth by the New York…

Read Article

What would you like us to review?

October 6, 2021

Thanks to the generosity of publishers and authors, the AAR staff has a wide variety of books they can choose to review. (We don’t assign books–reviewers can pick from our…

Read Article

Best looking on screen couple of all time?

October 4, 2021

A friend came over this weekend and said he and his 22 year old daughter had been discussing this for fun and, no shock, had completely different answers to the…

Read Article

the ask@AAR: Is there a romance canon?

October 1, 2021

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a canon is  a. Literary Criticism. A body of literary works traditionally regarded as the most important, significant, and worthy of study; those works…

Read Article

The Wayback on Wednesday: Riffs on Political Correctness

September 29, 2021

originally published in August of 2000  This feature grew out of Laurie Gold’s 1997 review of a 1997 romance, A Well Pleasured Lady by Christina Dodd, and a subsequent column…

Read Article

the ask@AAR: How do you get your news?

September 24, 2021

I do not watch and never have watched the news on TV. I’ve never watched 60 Minutes, The Daily Show, or the nightly news. This isn’t because I think it’s…

Read Article