That’s Amore: Some of My Favorite Romances

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since it worked out that Valentine’s Day falls on my usual posting day this year, I thought it would be fun to go over some of my favorite romance that I’ve read and reviewed on this blog.

Let’s do a Top 10 List! 

Check it out below the cut.

Merry Old England

 As I mentioned in my last post, I was on vacation and part of it was spent in London. I was also on vacation last week or else this would’ve been posted sooner. Still, I would like to highlight some books I’ve read and reviewed that are set in England.

(I probably should’ve done this as the post when I was in England and saved the summer books for this post but oh, well).

After going through the books I’ve reviewed, I realized I’ve read a lot set in England. And I already excluded Jane Austen. So I’m going to narrow it down to my top 5 books set in England.

Wish me luck! 

Mid-Year Check In!

 Happy July!

Half the year has come and gone. And I’ve done a lot of reading and reviewing in that time. While I’m still finishing the latest book I’m reading, I’ve decided to take a lot at my top 6 reviews for this year so far.

So here we go!

1. The Space Between by Mete Deserve – 38 views

2. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – 28 views

3. Wildland by Rebecca Hodge, The Duchess by Wendy Holden, The Last Piece by Imogen Clark, Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells, and The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (5 way tie) – 23 views

By contrast, here are the 3 reviews that have received the least amount of views:

3. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn and The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano (Tie) – 15 views

1. We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride and Jo Piazza – 8 views

There we are! If you haven’t had a chance to check out any of these reviews, please go ahead and do so.

For the rest of the summer, I am holding off on reviews and will likely be posting other book-related content, though there may be at least one week where I don’t post anything. I am on vacation for the last week of July and the first week of August then again the third week of August. So I think reviews will resume in September.

I hope you enjoy the other content I’ll be posting.

And I hope you have a happy summer! (Or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). 

My Literary Boyfriends

Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!

I will admit that I do not have a Valentine this year. Well, scratch that. I don’t have a date. I was part of a gift exchange in one of my fandoms, so I technically had a Valentine.

Anyway, since this is a blog dedicated to books, I thought I would talk about some of my favorite male characters—or my literary boyfriends, as it were.

1. Fitzwilliam Darcy: I don’t think there’s an Austenite who doesn’t wish Mr. Darcy was real. There are many who misinterpret why Mr. Darcy is so generally well liked—it’s because he’s rich! It’s because he’s good looking! It’s because he’s an ass and women just really like assholes instead of nice guys! And it’s really none of those. It’s because Mr. Darcy respected Elizabeth and changed how he treated her, especially once she called him on his behavior. He didn’t try to defend himself, though he did offer his side of the story in some cases while owning his own behaviors in others. He didn’t demand she give him a second chance. He respected her wishes to stay away. That’s what women want—not for someone to change for them, but for someone to respect them.

2. Nathaniel Bonner: For those unfamiliar with this name, I would encourage you to read Sara Donati’s Wilderness series. She was inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, so he is basically her Jamie Fraser. He is a passionate and loyal man, ready to do anything he needs to do to protect those he loves. He’s also not threatened by strong women and is attracted to them. He’s also a loving and amazing father, even raising his daughter as a single father for a few years.

3. James: He’s from the next book I will be reviewing, Wives of War. A bit arrogant and something of a flirt when we first meet him, he proves to be a kind and loyal man. Even though he loves Scarlet, he stands down when he finds out she’s engaged to his brother. He supports her, though, when she needs it and treats her like an equal person, not some possession.

4. Remus Lupin: He’s my favorite Harry Potter character and I threw the seventh book across the room when I realized he didn’t survive the Battle of Hogwarts. (Though I figured none of the Marauders were getting out of the series alive after Sirius died). He’s a gentle soul, smart, and he really cares about Harry as well as his students. Remus can be serious but enjoys himself as well, enjoys spending time with family and friends.

5. Faramir: While he’s a Ranger, Faramir is more of a scholar than a soldier. It’s even noted that Denethor didn’t understand why his youngest son spent more time with books and learning from Gandalf rather than practicing. Faramir is wise and noble, a good man who wants to do what is right for his people and for Middle-earth. He’s also gentle but definitely strong, which made him a good match for my favorite character, Eowyn (in my opinion. I know others disagree and I respect their reasons). I definitely wouldn’t mind finding my Faramir one day.

Those are my literary boyfriends. I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day or at least enjoys all the discounted candy!

Moonlight Musing

Who are your literary boyfriends/girlfriends?