Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
Westerns AAR Loves
April 18, 2014When AAR ran the Top 100 romances poll, our reviewers blogged their personal Top 10s weekly to share some of their favorites. Since the mini-polls are smaller, we consolidated a…
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Mixed martial arts, football, rugby, tennis, baseball, hockey—oh my!
April 14, 2014Do you love sports romance? Today, Carina Press published six new sports romances, and the authors are here interviewing their sports-star characters. Batter up!
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Reviving the AAR Mini-Polls: Your Top 10 Favorite Frontier/Western Romances
April 11, 2014Back last fall when we were feeling inundated with the Top 100 Poll, several readers asked if we would consider reviving the AAR Mini-Polls, or “Top Ten Polls.” Our rather…
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An interview with Elizabeth Essex
April 9, 2014I recently had the good fortune to listen to Ms. Essex read from her latest novel, After the Scandal, at my local Lady Jane’s Salon. There, I asked if she’d…
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How Pregnancy Changed One Reviewer’s Romance Reading
April 4, 2014I knew pregnancy was going to change my life, but it came as a surprise to me that pregnancy changed my romance reading. I haven’t read books, especially historicals, in…
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Music of the Soul
April 2, 2014Rita Dove said that “Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” I totally agree with that. Whether it is painting a beautiful picture or capsulizing an ugly…
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Jonesing for Jocks
March 31, 2014Currently I am assiduously avoiding sports. Literally. Much of my family is in another room swearing at the television as my husband’s alma mater fights to move forward in the…
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I Wish You’d Come Back Revisited
March 28, 2014What a difference two years makes. Almost to the day two years ago I wrote a blog about authors, or author styles, I wished would come back to us readers. I wasn’t…
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AAR takes on graphic novels
March 24, 2014I’m very excited to announce that AAR will be reviewing romance graphic novels. We’ve reviewed a few in the past, but this will be an organized effort. What is a…
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Five Special Title Lists Open for Submission
March 17, 2014After a brief break we’re happy to announce that this morning five Special Title Lists are open for new submissions: (1) Spies, P.I.’s, & Warriors; (2) War; (3) Cons, Burglars, and…
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When Strong is a Stereotype
March 10, 2014I recently came across this wonderful piece by Sophia McDougall called “I hate Strong Female Characters.” McDougall is not referring to female characters with physical and emotional strength (for instance,…
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Between the Devil and Ian Eversea: A Pandora’s Box
March 7, 2014Dabney is an obsessive Pennyroyal Green reader. Caz is relatively new to the series. Today they chat about Ms. Long’s latest, Between the Devil and Ian Eversea.
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