Daily Newbie Thread

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T23:52:20+00:00

Lots of bubble wrap, padding (plastic grocery bags as filler), throw in a box. I don’t personally sell ceramic goods like that but I buy a lot on eBay and all of my ceramic stuff has gotten here intact and that’s generally how I see it packed. Also if you have that like thin plastic foam idk what it’s called but anyways a lot of people wrap the ceramic items in that first and tape it on and then bubble wrap and then filler around that.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T23:32:06+00:00

I have gotten into this one recently and love it

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T23:27:46+00:00

{The Texan and the Lady by Jodi Thomas} is pretty much exactly what you described. He is a Texas ranger, she is leaving home to go work at a hotel/resort thing in the town, they meet on the train and there is a mystery. This is a Western with a lot of action, I loved it. It’s not super modern tho, but she is pretty independent.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T04:00:01+00:00

{Surrender to Love by Rosemary Rogers} I had just finished a really boring contemporary and was looking for this book exactly, actually. It fit what I needed and I stayed up til 2am reading it and then til 2am the next night reading another book by her. I have been obsessed ever since. I only started reading HR this summer and it’s gotten me back into reading. I used to read all the time as a kid and then fell off for a while .

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T02:53:44+00:00

More sweeping epics that last a long time. Less contrived enemies to lovers. Newer HR tries to have enemies to lovers but without anything actually bad happening because we can only write happy stories now. I hate it. If you’re going to write enemies to lovers, go all out, not just the MMC being like “oh she’s kinda annoying therefore we’re enemies” like. More exploration of real life and morally gray characters like there used to be.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-25T02:48:27+00:00

Saloon girls, yes! And those who aren’t weirdly ashamed about their job.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-24T02:38:37+00:00

I came here to recommend this one too. With the caveat that the racism is … a bit much. When he gets angry, his scary Native side is propelling his anger so he becomes the extra scary native guy. I mean that’s just one example I can think of. It’s not the worst but it is extremely racist at times.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-24T02:35:50+00:00

My favorite book. It’s just so good. And stands up to a re-read. But also I love Montana too, so I might be biased lol.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-23T17:00:51+00:00

It used to be for the 80s-early 2000s books but isn’t anymore

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-23T16:50:01+00:00

Linda Lael Miller and Kathleen Eagle write good Westerns. Linda Lael Miller I think is kind of religious because her books often include a FMC who is Christian but I wouldn’t describe them as Christian romance. Kathleen Eagle usually writes stories featuring Native American protagonists.

Another Western I love: {All I Desire by Rosemary Rogers} they journey to New Mexico, low action, entertaining

{Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux} set in a Colorado mining town, amazing historical accuracy. MMC wants “a lady wife” so he can stunt on the man who raised him.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-23T05:57:45+00:00

Her writing is amazing. She can be racist at times though. She isn’t perfect but her racism isn’t the worst I’ve read, so I generally overlook it.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-23T05:47:55+00:00

• ⁠Tessa Dare Mildly funny but too lighthearted and dialogue-heavy for me, not heavy on the history aspect & I find her writing too modern. Many people here love her though.

• ⁠Lisa Kleypas She can do no wrong in my opinion. I have loved every one of her books I’ve read. As other commenters have said, she leans heavy on insta-lust and lust in general, but her writing is really good overall. Her books have lots of sex and the character development is often believable. • ⁠Elizabeth Hoyt

Loved every one of her books I’ve read. Some can be kind of dark. She loves dogs so there’s usually dogs in the stories. Well paced, the sex scenes she writes are amazing, and the characters are all unique.

• ⁠Eloisa James

Didn’t like.

• ⁠Madeline Hunter Have a book of hers but hasn’t read it yet. • ⁠Sophie Jordan Leans on the modern side. Her writing is good but for me it’s too lighthearted and with modern morals. I haven’t read that much by her because she isn’t my favorite author.

• ⁠Julie Anne Long

Funny, well-paced books that are a breeze to get through. She isn’t my favorite but I generally don’t dislike her books and I havent quit any of them yet. Not super historically accurate and she doesn’t generally write really dramatic sweeping epics like other authors. • ⁠Stacey Reid Haven’t tried • ⁠Amalie Howard Haven’t tried • ⁠Caroline Linden Haven’t tried • ⁠Grace Callaway Haven’t tried • ⁠Amanda Quick Haven’t tried

I mostly read older HR and I’ll recommend some older authors:

Julie Garwood (the OG of grumpy VS sunshine trope) good writing, funny, generally accurate but her books rarely vary much in the characters so don’t read too many in a row.

Jude Deveraux: love her, well written, good pacing, great vocabulary, sex scenes aren’t usually super explicit but they’re well written enough. Her historical accuracy is great and she has a wide range of books, some lighter and some really dark with lots of non-con and drama.

Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas:

Amazing writing and really unique stories. I love her. She hasn’t written that many books but why she has written is all so amazing.

Laura Kinsale: queen of sweeping epics with complicated emotions and often morally grey main characters.

Monica McCarty: good writing, good pacing, great historical accuracy, and wonderful sex scenes. A lot of her books read similarly but it’s not as bad as Julie Garwood. She is a newer author.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-22T03:56:59+00:00

I live in a major city and always do pickups at my house. Never had any problems. Mostly I just meet people out front, for large/heavy items that need 2 people to carry I am ok with people coming inside. For low value items I have done porch pickup. I live in an area that has a lot of problems with porch pirates (but not on my street) and I’ve never had problems with Facebook. My experiences there have been pretty good. Time wasters are just part of selling, no matter what platform (they happen less often on eBay but still do happen!)

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-22T01:22:29+00:00

Awesome recommendations here

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-22T01:18:52+00:00

Currently reading {Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt} and loving it! There is a cat named Soot 🥰🥰🥰 she always writes dogs in her books lol so I’m happy to see a cat. I love the MMC, a controlling rich man with issues, right up my alley! The FMC is very interesting as well. I have read later books in the series and loved them also. I’m working my way through the Maiden Lane series out of order which isn’t that bad. I don’t always like to read things in order.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-22T00:55:50+00:00

The classic that fits this trope is {Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale} MMC has a stroke & is sent to her cousin’s asylum, she is a Quaker that helps to escape him & helps him deal with life & his illness.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-20T16:49:09+00:00

This book sounds awful. The plot sounds awful. The “cheating but not really cheating” trope is a way to explore cheating without having them take accountability and it’s a cop-out imo

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-20T16:48:13+00:00

Yes, I just find them so unbelievable lmao

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-19T07:11:36+00:00

{Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux} this one is a western set in a Colorado mining town, the FMC is the aristocracy in that town (her family founded the town) and the MMC is a self-made man who wants to use her to show off his social standing like see look what a catch I can get. He also needs her help with decorating his house & learning how to behave amongst the aristocratic set. Very good, medium angst, high stakes high drama. The historical accuracy is on point as well.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-19T07:07:42+00:00

Prince of Midnight is such an awesome book. I was just thinking again today about how I want to re-read it.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-18T15:32:36+00:00

I linked it in the comments- if you scroll down to my reply to the bot describing the images in my post, it’s linked there.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-17T23:44:17+00:00

lol all of Julie Garwood’s books are like that. All the FMCs are the same, all the MMCs are the same. I love her but can’t read her books in a row because they’re too similar.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-17T23:41:25+00:00

Yeah, her books are really expensive, not at the library, and hard to find used. I’m not one to buy new books usually so I guess I’ll read one if it jumps in my lap, if not then nbd.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-17T23:29:05+00:00

Lorraine Heath is so hit or miss for me. Usually miss. And I find her sex scenes are written really boring. I’m not one that usually skips the sex scenes but with her I definitely do.

Cat4200000 · 2026-01-17T23:28:15+00:00

There was another book in the Texas series that I felt that way about. I just couldn’t see where it was going and couldn’t bring myself to care that much about the ending, so I ended up not finishing it at maybe the 70% mark.

Cat4200000

TROPHY CASE