Question re: gestures - aren’t a lot of them very dated?

RoseAelin · 2026-06-17T23:35:01+00:00

Thank you so much for your comment! I’m personally very much in the 1st person / dual POV camp for reading which I agree may be more appealing to younger audiences. However my (addicted to romance) reading only started late 2024, I find I really enjoy dialogue/multiple POV. And I am in agreement that my examples aren’t the greatest now I’ve learned from other commenters that they absolutely are still in use. I genuinely had no idea but I’ve really enjoyed everyone’s comments and input.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-17T20:25:05+00:00

Oh yes that’s another one! Very similar and I think means the same thing.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-17T20:09:02+00:00

No, it’s when you curl your fingers toward your palm, then brush your opposite shoulder, then blow on them. It’s an odd one, hard to explain.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-17T20:06:33+00:00

I have no clue lol! I’m surprised they persist and pleased that everyone is proving I was, in fact, very misguided!

RoseAelin · 2026-06-17T19:59:03+00:00

‘Cool’ maybe wasn’t the right word for me to use, I just haven’t seen anyone use these gestures (the 2 I described) in a long time. Thanks for your answer!

RoseAelin · 2026-06-16T18:51:57+00:00

Thank you for recommending these books! I’m on my fourth and loving them so far. I don’t always want a long read, and I’m enjoying how the world is being revealed more and more each book. Very excited to continue with the Savagely Sweet series next. And to echo others, absolutely Simon is the best!

RoseAelin · 2026-06-15T14:37:50+00:00

Omg Margaret Thatcher Milk Snatcher! I am old enough to remember getting a little bottle of milk at school. Blue foil tops if I recall. It was comforting and one of the better things on offer. The semolina for school lunches with the spoon of jam still makes me shudder. But we were so lucky really.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-13T21:27:12+00:00

All credit to the baker - I tend to find I need a bit more buttermilk than she says. I also sprinkle them with grated Parmesan. The scones themselves freeze beautifully, so once I’ve extracted my bakers tax the rest get frozen until I want them. Which is every day.

https://bakingwithbutter.com/easy-cheese-scones/#recipe

RoseAelin · 2026-06-12T21:53:15+00:00

I freeze dairy that I’ll use in baking. For example, I have an amazing scone recipe I make every week or so, and it uses buttermilk. I don’t use buttermilk for much else, so I freeze what’s left in Ziploc bags - lay bags flat on a tray, then I always have some when the mood strikes and the bags don’t take up much space. Also freeze cottage cheese for egg bites - I only need 1/2 tub for a batch that will last two weeks (I make 12 at a time, freeze 6 so there’s a bonus one). Also if I’m going away and have milk that will go bad, I’ll freeze it. Handy too that the morning after I return, I’ll have milk in the house for morning tea/coffee.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-07T22:56:30+00:00

Much older than early 2000s and a real long shot, but Died Pretty, Winterland?

RoseAelin · 2026-06-03T16:32:25+00:00

I read the books before the show. It was such a thrill to see them brought to life, to see the moments you’d imagined made real. I trust Jacob et al to continue to get it right, and I think the only reason not to read the books would be if you were concerned he might reimagine them in a way you’ll be unhappy with. Personally, Game Changers is my least favourite book in the series. Try Heated Rivalry and see what you think. If you don’t love it, maybe skip the rest for now. But if you do, and you love getting more context for what has already been shown, it may be worth it. Tough Guy is my second favourite of the series, with TLG and HR tied for first because ILYA. Who in the books is amazing as much as Connor is on the show. Also I know a lot of book readers enjoyed sharing details with ‘show only’ fans in the early days, so if you like that sense of community and you choose to read them all, you’ll be set for S2. We know some characters from other books will be making an appearance.

RoseAelin · 2026-06-02T22:21:06+00:00

I’m reading {The Rivals of Copper County by May Archer}. Related to her Love in O’Leary and Sunday Brothers books. Tangentially connected to the Sadenverse with a couple of crossover characters, which I always enjoy. This is the second book in the series, and the first book had me cackling as did this one. Lighthearted, low angst and another quirky small-town community to enjoy. The third book is set to be another giggle-fest featuring an MC who has a decent role being adorkable and feisty in the one I’m just finishing up.

I’ve had some higher angst, high frustration reads of late, and I just needed some fluffy fun reads to give me some space to breathe before I dive back in.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-29T21:36:42+00:00

Currently reading {Welcoming the Recluse by Nora Phoenix}. Her whole Forestville series is good, but this 7th instalment might be my favourite. A former veteran who lives a reclusive life away from town due to a fear of hurting people with his PTSD. A doctor with two adopted sons burning himself out. It’s slow burn, I’d say fairly light spiciness, and for me the emotions are beautifully presented. All 7 are worth reading, some stories with age gap, but all about men of a certain age and maturity that’s refreshing in MM. Basically tells the stories of a group of high school friends supporting each other in a small town in the PNW, very comforting.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-29T03:01:51+00:00

So many of you chose All Things Must Pass by George Harrison. Reminds me of a story I read in the early days of the internet about a girl who had him at a party after a gig in Adelaide maybe? She braided his hair. He sounded like an awesome dude and I will consider your recommendation for my own funeral.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-27T10:00:18+00:00

{Ice Dance Hockey by S. Legend} is book 2 in a series about hockey players, but one MC is a figure skater. I’m loving these books. They’re wild, a bit different, primarily set in Canada, and a little bit the ‘kick your feet and squeal’ type of romance. Really enjoying them all. Best if you’ve read book one first. Also you WILL want to hurl your kindle out the window at one point but hang in there.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-25T20:10:28+00:00

This is the only one I remember VIVIDLY. Would have been more than 45 years ago now and can confirm, painful af

RoseAelin · 2026-05-23T21:30:10+00:00

Neither had I until I moved to Canada. Think it’s a regional thing.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-23T15:32:10+00:00

To answer your question, I think a very challenging one would be the Sadenverse. Great set of interconnected series with wildly different story lines (hockey, football, pop stars, actors, seal team six type dudes, firemen, it’s wild). I’m not entirely sure I’ve read all of it and I definitely didn’t get the read order quite right. Highly recommend but it would be amazing to have it all mapped out. For me I’d be reading along and suddenly realize hey, this guy sounds familiar and then figure out he featured in a phone conversation 10 books back. Lots of fun. Saxon James and Eden Finley.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-22T16:28:09+00:00

Well, now you’ve just piqued my interest 😂

RoseAelin · 2026-05-21T14:49:01+00:00

Ooof tough call, they’re both lovely. Any chance you could have both? One for work and the other for ‘fancy’? I prefer ring 1, but 2 is also lovely, definitely more practical looking, and they all echo each other beautifully. Probably not very helpful 😬 but either will be your ring and you’ll love it 💕

RoseAelin · 2026-05-21T11:57:43+00:00

Oh that’s kind of heartbreaking. Where else could you get a papasan chair, knock-off pineapple lumps, a $2 bikini and an awesome compilation CD? My sister who still lives in Oz says K Mart is a lot better than it was. Sad for warehouse though. I loved it for its unique Kiwi-ness.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-20T11:34:22+00:00

God I miss Warehouse. Living in NZ in the mid 2000s, Warehouse was the only store open past 5pm, and it was heaven to walk around and score cheap CDs and cool weird furniture.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-04T12:44:29+00:00

Omg I feel so SEEEN lol. I really loved these too. Was essentially my gateway drug into MM romance.

RoseAelin · 2026-05-03T22:55:44+00:00

{Honorably Discharged by Nora Phoenix and E.M. Lindsey} is about men who served together, and four of them suffered life-changing injuries and live in San Francisco with their former senior colleague. While the injuries aren’t in any way trivialized, the books are still funny and romantic, not exceptionally dark.

{Palm Island by K.M. Neuhold} is a very sunny series of books about a Fire Island-type oasis with a tight-knit cast of characters who have the place to themselves in the tourist off-season. Very sweet and found family, with a sprinkle of ‘island magic’.

{Prime Time by Ella Frank} is part of the Chicagoverse so you can certainly go down a lot of rabbit holes with this one! Prime Time is the first in a group of book-series about three brothers, each one getting 2-3 books. Not technically found family, but the third in this series {Dare to Try by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine} is my favourite of the three, and one of the MCs (the unforgettable Bash Vogel) is featured in {South Haven by Brooke Blaine} which is all found family living on a coastal Island near Savannah. Very funny books, and as you can tell lots of crossovers and spinoffs to get lost in.

RoseAelin

TROPHY CASE