Romance and Me: Suit Up Baby! – or Protection in Romance Novels

I have had this issue on my mind for some time now and thought it was about time we discussed it, namely unprotected sex in contemporary romance novels.

I think due to the specificities and different rules applying to  historical / fantasy/ paranormal / sci-fi romances, I can live with it if the author fails to mention the couple using any protection during sex. I mean in historical novels that’s a given (even if there were some protective measures even back then), in paranormal/fantasy sci-fi stories the author can bend the rules of her universe so that the issue doesn’t warrant being mentioned: vampires are sterile/ humans and paranormal creatures cannot transmit diseases or impregnate each other, etc. But where I expect the issue of safe sex between strangers and one night stand partners being mentioned and dealt with is in contemporary romance.

I’m aware of how …

Romance and Me: The “My Best Friend’s Little Sister” Romances

There is a favourite trope of mine we haven’t discussed yet and that is the brother’s best friend falling for the brother’s little sister or vice versa. And lately it seems that most of the romances I have read featured this trope.

So why do I like this setting you might ask? Well it’s quite obvious: I LOVE protective and thoughtful men and usually these heroes have grown up with the heroines, saw them when they were little, vulnerable and as friends of their brothers they still feel a bit responsible for the sister’s wellbeing. I just love those scenes when these alpha male heroes get all Neanderthal when an other man behaves irrespectfully with the girl and they step in *Stella fans herself so as not to swoon* And those scenes where the big brother’s best friend hero is trying hard not to think about …

Romance and Me: Science Fiction Romance

Since I started blogging I’ve become much more adventurous when it comes to reading. I’m more open to taking chances and discovering some new genres/subgenres I previously never would have read. Two of my most recent discoveries were the fantasy and sci-fi subgenres.

The way I discovered sci-fi romance was quite accidental: I never set out to venture into science fiction land and read some “weird alien book” (what old, ignorant Stella would have said), it was not a conscious decision on my part.

I simply stumbled upon Gini Koch’s debut novel Touched by an Alien and loved its cover so much that after some internal debating and torturous dilemma (because in spite of the gorgeous knee-weakening cover I feared that as a sci-fi book I wouldn’t enjoy it) I gave in (hail to the inner cover whores 😉 ) and I was …

Romance and Me: Venturing into m/m Land

I am a kinda m/m virgin (you’ll see why the “kinda” below).

Those who have been living under a rock and don’t know what m/m is, here is a very official (insert sarcastic snicker) definition: “m/m stories are romance stories with male protagonists” as in hero&hero instead of a hero and a heroine. 

Lately m/m stories are in a boom and now not just specific publishers like Dreamspinner Press are releasing this romantic subgenre, but mainstream publishers like Harlequin as well (their Carina Press imprint has a wide variety of m/m novels. Be it contemporary, historical or supernatural m/m you’ll find it.).

I first heard of this set-up in romance novels and that it had its own subgenre qualification through blogging: some of my favourite romance bloggers like Sophia from Fiction Vixen and Mandi from Smexy Books are big fans of this subgenre, but until recently, …

Romance and Me: I need my fix RIGHT NOW! or Reading Withdrawal Symptoms

Last week I was between two review books: I have just finished reading a contemporary romance novel and the next book on my reading schedule (oh no, do not think I have a fancy schedule I follow, it is just a thrown together list of books and review dates I have signed up for) was a contemporary romantic suspense story, when I felt like I was suffocating and needed something else. No, it wasn’t because the books weren’t good or were lacking in anything, no it was simply that I overloaded on contemporary stories and needed my historical romance fix. It certainly had physical symptoms like an actual withdrawal: 

– my attention span was that of a fly (all over the place, the book couldn’t hold my interest for longer than half an hour),
– I felt bored with the story, the characters and the romance (I stress once …

Romance and Me: For the Love of a Gladiator

Hey Everyone!

Being the Latin Lover, as ‘Nomen est Omen’ (the name obliges), you might have guessed that I’m a fan of Latin: both the language and the rich historical culture.

So it came as quite a shock when I realized that despite my love for historical romances and interest in Ancient Rome, somehow until very recently I have neither read nor researched HRs set in Ancient Rome. I wasn’t even aware there was such a category (I know, unbelievable!) so I had no idea what I was missing out on.

But then in February I stumbled upon Georgie Lee’s Mask of the Gladiator which I LOVED! Not only was it a terrific story, but it opened a whole new horizon and made me aware of a new subgenre of historical romance. Since then I keep seeing other HRs set in Ancient Rome emerge: My …