To Read or Not To Read

So excited to review my first historical romance, and a "blind date with a book" pick from a local indie— Ana María and the Fox ! Liana De la Rosa's first book in the Luna Sisters series centers the eldest sister, Ana María, as she attempts to do right by her family but falls in love with Gideon Fox, a politician who has spent his career working to end slavery—a love match in the making! While there was a lot that I enjoyed, like the characters and their motivations and how De la Rosa starts to set up the future books within these pages, I ultimately felt that the pacing did not work in the story's favor.  Liana De la Rosa is a historical romance author who writes diverse characters in the Regency and Victorian periods. Liana has an English degree from the University of Arizona, and in her past life she owned a mystery shopping company and sold pecans for a large farm. When she's not writing, Liana is listening to true crime podcasts and pretending she's a dom...

If I had to pick only three romance writers to read for the rest of my life, Kate Clayborn has cemented herself in my mind for placement on this list (don't ask me to choose the other two just yet though). Beginner's Luck is, I believe, her first published novel, and it's just as beautiful, heartfelt, smart, and real as all the others of hers I read so far. I can't wait for the other two books in the series to print in paperback so I can fall even more in love with Kate's storytelling!   Kate Clayborn lives in Virginia, where she's luck enough to spend her days reading and talking about all kinds of great books. At home, she's either writing, thinking about writing, or—during long walks around her fabulous neighborhood—making her handsome husband and sweet-faced dog listen to her talk about writing. Kate loves to hear from and connect with readers—follow her on Twitter, on Instagram, and on Facebook. Visit her at  kateclayborn.com  to sign up for her newslet...