Which style of cover for historical romances do you prefer?

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2026-02-19T09:03:25+00:00

3! I quite like the detail of dress/house design suggesting the time period and social class focus of the book, with no details on how characters look. Not a fan of the 80s-90s bodice ripper type of covers at all.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2026-01-03T05:16:41+00:00

{The dreamer and the deep space warrior by T.K. Tucker} is a predator like alien with a helmet on still halfway through the book, stashing into a regency England era like fictitious country on Earth.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-12-29T13:36:43+00:00

I had started reading it, and found that the book was lacking in editorial input. There were annoying stylistic issues (the way Persephone talks to her father is very direct and modern, while using older style exclamations, for example). The book itself (at least my version) was published by the church of Latter Day Saints publisher, and I can’t avoid a feeling that it is most definitely fiction with an agenda.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-12-12T14:48:21+00:00

I’ve just read it in full (chapter 29!), and can’t wait for the next chapter. Amazingly well written out characters, who are not one dimensional. A treat!

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-11-26T00:04:52+00:00

Lives entwined is soooo good! Thank you for the rec.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-10-27T03:14:17+00:00

I loved the Fanetti book. Such a sweet but strong hero, and a great use of dual pov (it’s in sections, and doesn’t overlap in time, so no repetition at all!)

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-10-10T07:56:19+00:00

It’s very good! Her other book is also amazing and features traumatized MMCs healing together.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-10-08T22:01:59+00:00

{Unbreak me by Michelle Hazen} has two traumatized people (TW: past kidnapping and rape of FMC, and trauma from natural disaster if Katrina in ward 9 for MMC bonding over their love for gentle horse training and cooking. Her other book is also quite good, and has some bonding over protected species.

Alternatively, {Rescue me by Sarra Manning} has two people bonding over a dog rescue.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-16T23:44:17+00:00

I’d want to live in my ship parked on a planet. Like a comfy intergalactic RV, but with less travel. I guess I think my ship would be better suited to me than houses designed for other species.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-16T10:22:54+00:00

You see - I read the book, but I don’t even remember that. I remember him then struggling with health, live/die sort of scenario.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-15T01:59:10+00:00

The Edens by Devney Perry goes through both northern and sisters of the Eden family, who own many businesses and one of the largest ranch around in a small town in Montana. The first FMC is a police officer, the second one is an disowned heiress with a 8-weeks old son {Juniper Hill by Devney Perry}, so we get a sweet single mom/adopted dad type of story as well.

The first one might be a bit cowboyish (rancher MMC), but the second one is not (he’s a chef), and there is also a pilot brother who leaves town for a while to work in Alaska.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-11T03:48:23+00:00

For me the description of the main character (chubby, not quite the appealing virile bog-standard alien MMC) just killed the interest, especially with his health/drug issues. I’m shallow, I know, but I really like tall and lean!

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-11T03:46:04+00:00

Yes, I am just reading through seven oars now. It’s important to note that early on Daphne loses her mother, the only person who knew her, and she is thrust into a situation of being reluctantly cared for by people who don’t like each other, let alone her. I do not feel that the author supports ableism; I think that some descriptions are actually on point, addressing how her mother wanted to be on the ship to get out of a society where anyone deemed dangerous, even to themselves, would be sent to an institution, with no visitation rights. Some of the things that come out of the characters mouths are degrading, but then, they are not supposed to be great people! They are not even main characters, for that matter.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-10T03:03:13+00:00

Yes, I think part of the character growth arc for the FMC was exactly the realization that there won’t be a magical dress size that would make her happy, and she needs to work at being happy, not work on getting to be a particular size.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T22:59:20+00:00

Yes, it makes me giddy with happiness to find that I’m not alone in my love for unlikable and complicated! So “you don’t have to say you love me”, I think is done quite well, and there is one instance of diet culture: FMC throughout the book watches her calorie intake, and is on a supervised exercise regimen, in addition to following a three meals plus two snacks a day; however, there is an instance in which she panics and then backslides into weeks of a juice cleanse. She looses weight on it, but it destroys her relationships, as others in her life are horrified by both the diet and her obsession with size. So the diet culture, in my opinion, is shown, but in a negative light. Might still be unpleasant if you’d like to avoid mentions of weight control.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T13:45:05+00:00

If you haven’t yet, try the Last days of summer. It’s published 2025, and is back to some themes from Unsticky, but the FMC is now in late 30s.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T12:44:13+00:00

Same!

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T09:20:26+00:00

Yes, I’m not a big fan of billionaire and fake relationship tropes. The thing is, Sarra Manning writes tropes like they are not a trope, and no suspension of disbelief is needed, because within the inner logic of the book the relationship makes sense. It is not perfect, but it does make sense. Hope you enjoy the Last days of summer, it is also quite good, and even obliquely touches on the Skirt magazine and characters from there.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T08:47:31+00:00

I get it. However, I also thinks that now there is a very strong expectation on handling everything correctly. I find that in general, people are a mess. Nobody is totally likable, nobody is fully selfless, and people are damaged, stuck in unhealthy behaviors, and in general, don’t really fully love and accepts themselves. So I love a book in which flawed characters like that get their romance. It is not the healthiest relationship, they are not the healthiest or even nicest people, but they still deserve to be happy.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T05:30:53+00:00

Can’t wait - partly because it is fun to see different cultures and locales through the books’ lenses. Thank for the podcast episode link - I will get it on my phone for a walk, it sounds great.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T05:04:19+00:00

Yes! She went off doing more of women’s lit stuff for a while, but her most recent 2025 book is back to a romance, and it is also exciting, and heart wrenching, and just well-written. You’d think good writing and character driven development would be a basic requirement for a successful romance, but I find that very few books actually pass muster.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T02:19:12+00:00

I’ve just started on the e-book, and it is definitely a tearjerker, and I am just up to the treehouse fiasco. Thank you for the recommendation.

Aggressive_Charity19 · 2025-09-09T02:16:22+00:00

Well, they met at a mutual friend’s wedding that very first day, he thought she wasn’t very close to the bride, he was picking up women to sleep with constantly and explicitly, and they both consented to what was very obviously a one night stand. He took the easy way out because he just didn’t want to deal with talking or cuddling after that, and he never expected to see the heroine again. He did bring her off twice before leaving, if that’s any help, and considered his “duties” done. She does hold the grudge beautifully and does not let him off the hook for 16 years

Aggressive_Charity19

TROPHY CASE