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Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.

An interview with Maya Rodale–plus a book giveaway!

An interview with Maya Rodale–plus a book giveaway!

April 19, 2020

Can a scandalized heiress… Beatrice Goodwin left Manhattan a duchess and has returned a divorcée, ready to seize control of her fate and the family business. Goodwin’s Department Store, once the pinnacle…

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the ask@AAR: What, in a sex scene, makes you say “nope?”

the ask@AAR: What, in a sex scene, makes you say “nope?”

April 17, 2020

I am reading a book in which the man nasty talks the whole damn time he and his honey are 1) talking about having sex, 2) having sex, or 3)…

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Tell Me Your Love Story: A Guest Post and a Giveaway from Julie Murphy

Tell Me Your Love Story: A Guest Post and a Giveaway from Julie Murphy

April 16, 2020

When I married my Irish husband an article in the local paper in Boise, Idaho read as follows: ‘A writer of Harlequin love stories could develop a novel from the…

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How’s everyone doing?

How’s everyone doing?

April 13, 2020

Hi guys! How you doing? Anyone got any good news to share? I organized a family Zoom meeting for my very global family and we managed to get my son…

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The Good Time Book Club at AAR: Read Manhunting with us!

The Good Time Book Club at AAR: Read Manhunting with us!

April 12, 2020

The votes are in and we’re reading Jennifer Crusie’s Manhunting! Here’s the summary from Amazon: Kate Svenson may be a dynamite businesswoman—but after three failed engagements, she’s decided she’s hopeless…

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the ask@AAR: Wanna read a book together?

the ask@AAR: Wanna read a book together?

April 10, 2020

We’ve talked about having an AAR book club for what feels like forever and, you know what, it’s time. I made a few executive decisions so we could get started….

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The Wayback on Wednesday: Elizabeth Hoyt pens an epilogue.

The Wayback on Wednesday: Elizabeth Hoyt pens an epilogue.

April 8, 2020

published on January 1, 2008 Earlier this year we presented to you, our readers, in celebration of our tenth anniversary online, parody epilogues. Unlike the PPP Contest, these epilogues are…

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the ask@AAR: What books would you add to our Top 100 Romances list? Take away?

the ask@AAR: What books would you add to our Top 100 Romances list? Take away?

April 3, 2020

It’s been almost two years since we published our last Top 100 Romances list. This list, which AAR has done every five years or so, is a reader generated list–the…

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The Wayback on Wednesday: Loving Problematic Books

The Wayback on Wednesday: Loving Problematic Books

April 1, 2020

originally published on June 13, 2013 Grading books is not always straightforward. For me, there is no rubric, no checklist of Do’s and Don’ts. I have a few deal-breakers, but…

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We’re all in this together–and we’ve got a page to prove it!

We’re all in this together–and we’ve got a page to prove it!

March 31, 2020

Update: Just checking in to see how everyone is doing. Most of us are now living under shelter in place orders for at least the next month. For me, that’s…

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the ask@AAR: What’s the greatest kiss of all time?

the ask@AAR: What’s the greatest kiss of all time?

March 27, 2020

Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. (from The Princess Bride)

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The Wayback on Wednesday: (from 1998) Faerie versus Fairy

The Wayback on Wednesday: (from 1998) Faerie versus Fairy

March 25, 2020

by Mary Jo Putney & Karen Harbaugh (a 1998 Write Byte)   LLB: I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Irish Magic II. It reminded me of a question I’ve had…

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