Essays & Musings

What We’ve Been Thinking About

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

the ask@AAR: Can we discuss the term “clean” romances?

the ask@AAR: Can we discuss the term “clean” romances?

November 15, 2019

What should we call books with no sex in them? AAR has a sensuality ratings system but that’s not helpful when you want a single descriptor. (It has five levels…

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Jeannie Lin explains why her latest book isn’t on Amazon. Plus, a giveway.

Jeannie Lin explains why her latest book isn’t on Amazon. Plus, a giveway.

November 13, 2019

I’ve been pretty much sick to my stomach for the last two weeks. I spent over a year writing a collection of steampunk novellas, Tales from the Gunpowder Chronicles and…

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the ask@AAR: What is your favorite romance written this year?

the ask@AAR: What is your favorite romance written this year?

November 8, 2019

Here at AAR, the staff is beginning to make our favorite Best of 2019 lists. Earlier this week, we asked what your favorite non-romances of the year are. Now we’d…

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The best non-romances I’ve read this year

The best non-romances I’ve read this year

November 6, 2019

It was bound to happen. After ten years of primarily reading romance, in 2019, I found myself gravitating away from HEAs. According to Goodreads, thus far this year I’ve only…

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Book A Magical Trip by Maida Malby

Book A Magical Trip by Maida Malby

November 4, 2019

“A book is a magical thing that lets you travel to far-away places without ever leaving your chair.” Katrina Mayer I grew up in the Philippines and coming from a…

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the ask@AAR: What romance novels show consent beautifully?

the ask@AAR: What romance novels show consent beautifully?

November 1, 2019

This week I read a historical romance novella with a love scene that did consent perfectly. Romance novels routinely show–and now more so than ever which is the best–that sex…

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Win a copy of The Modern Break-Up from Daniel Chidiac!

Win a copy of The Modern Break-Up from Daniel Chidiac!

October 30, 2019

Almost everyone has lived through a break-up and, whew, it’s hard. Daniel Chidiac has written a book about modern break-ups and he’s giving one away to a lucky AAR reader….

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Twitter said AAR is the worst. Is it true?

Twitter said AAR is the worst. Is it true?

October 28, 2019

Last Thursday, October 26th, was not a good day for AAR. By the day’s end, many on Twitter—romance authors among them—had tweeted and retweeted accusations that AAR and its readers…

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the ask@AAR: What are your favorite non-traditional historical romances?

the ask@AAR: What are your favorite non-traditional historical romances?

October 25, 2019

In last week’s the ask@AAR, many of you longed for historicals featuring untraditional stories. So we want your recs. What historical romances with non-wealthy, non-aristocrat, non-white, non-heteronormative leads–or any other…

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the ask@AAR: Does Historical Romance have a quality problem?

the ask@AAR: Does Historical Romance have a quality problem?

October 18, 2019

We listen to you, we really do. And we’ve noticed that you, along with several of our reviewers, aren’t all that happy with most – not all, but most –…

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the ask @AAR: What’s your favorite trope?

the ask @AAR: What’s your favorite trope?

October 11, 2019

Secret baby, friends to lovers, amnesia, arranged marriage, opposite attract, road trip romances… there are many tried and true tropes found again and again in romance. Which ones do you…

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the ask @AAR: What book/series/genre do you just not get?

the ask @AAR: What book/series/genre do you just not get?

October 3, 2019

There are books, authors, series, and even whole genres that I just can not, no matter how many times I give them a whirl, find interesting. Last year one of…

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What We’ve Been Thinking About

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