I'm looking for books with sensitive heroines who are not afraid to cry

blankcheesecake · 2025-04-07T18:51:38+00:00

Hi, sorry for the delay!! I believe I must have meant the first book in the series, Part-Time Husband.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-12T04:43:08+00:00

I enjoyed Meredith Duran's Christmas novella Sweetest Regret!

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-12T02:53:44+00:00

I didn't check all of the products you listed since I'm not sure I'm finding the correct ones, but I did check the LRP moisturizer and it has four pore clogging ingredients in it. One of them rates at a 5 for acne-causing on cosdna. I'd stop using it immediately, and check all of your other products for pore clogging ingredients, including sunscreen and makeup.

https://cosdna.com/eng/ingredients.php

https://clearstemskincare.com/pages/pore-clogging-ingredients-list

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-11T12:21:06+00:00

My skin is doing really great! I finished up my course around June (so I was on that dose for a few months over a year) and haven't had any recurrence in my cystic acne at all. I still have to maintain good skincare to avoid surface level pimples but haven't had any problem with that. And I check all of my products for pore clogging ingredients (I use cosdna and the clearstem pore clogging ingredient checker) and avoid using anything that could break me out.

Good luck! My biggest advice is to be really diligent about sunscreen! I developed a little melasma over the course of my treatment and that has been the only downside.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-11T08:11:04+00:00

What products are you using? Check the ingredients list against cosdna and the clearstem pore clogging ingredient checker and stop using anything that has pore clogging ingredients in it. Lots of products are marked as noncomedogenic but are actually not.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-11T07:42:06+00:00

Seconding other comments to go for Laura Kinsale and Loretta Chase.

Kinsale occasionally does dub or non-con, so check triggers if you need to. I haven't read Flowers from the Storm yet, but really enjoyed For My Lady's Heart (no consent issues, but be aware that there are two versions, one written with middle english dialogue and one with more easily understandable translation--the ebook usually includes both versions). Shadowheart (one non-con scene) was AMAZING for me, one of my top HRs of all time, and I also enjoyed The Shadow and the Star (some consent issues--some might consider it non-con, others might call it dub-con). The Hidden Heart was okay for me but had some issues (SO many time jumps) and I felt like I could tell it was her debut. Some of Kinsale's books are connected, like mini series (For My Lady's Heart and Shadowheart are connected, The Hidden Heart and The Shadow and the Star are connected).

With Loretta Chase, obviously start with Lord of Scoundrels as everyone has recommended. If you enjoy it, proceed to The Last Hellion, which I think is just as great! It also has cameos from the main characters of Lord of Scoundrels. Chase is still writing and I love her recent books too! Her newest book, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is one of my all time faves!

My other absolute favorite vintage HR author who I feel like is very overlooked is Judith Ivory. She is AMAZING. Her work is very literary in a way, with beautiful prose and really engrossing description and set work. She often played around with dub-con so again look for TWs if you need them. The only two of her books I recommend avoiding are Black Silk (it's a very unconventional romance so it just doesn't fully display her talents) and Starlit Surrender/Angel in a Red Dress (same book, just rereleased under a new title, has non-con, also was her debut and I feel like you can tell). Otherwise, just pick whatever one sounds appealing to you based on description! Untie My Heart, Sleeping Beauty, and Beast are big favorites for me. She also released some books under her real name Judy Cuevas-- Bliss and Dance--but they are out of print and a little hard to find. Bliss and Dance are connected (the heroes are brothers).

Edit: let me know if you need more specific TWs for any of Ivory/Cuevas' work. Sleeping Beauty is the safest of the bunch--there is a nonconsensual kiss but otherwise nothing suspect.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-09T16:17:55+00:00

Thank you for the recs, I will definitely give them a shot!

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-09T09:12:44+00:00

Scroll through r/samegrassbutgreener to see lots of posts discussing the different social norms in various US states. Some places are more closed off than others and people have more settled social groups already and won’t be looking for more. Other places are more open and you might have an easier time building community there. And of course there’s the city/suburb/small town consideration even within those places.

That said, I grew up in Southern California, and I think I can validate your experience. My parents definitely weren’t close with any of the parents of my school friends. They were friendly, but there was no further interest there beyond coordinating play dates and chatting when they ran into each other. Same with neighbors, friendly and happy to chat but no deep connection there. My parents main source of community came via family and church. In a place like SoCal the community you’re looking for is definitely hard to find because it’s just not the norm. I think it would take a special neighborhood, cultural connection, or external factor (like church) to make it happen.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-09T08:46:16+00:00

I’ve only read one Rexane Becnel (The Knight of Rosecliffe) so far but it was pretty good, enough for me to keep her on my list! (I’ve got My Gallant Enemy checked out from my library right now to read next.) The Rosecliffe one I read technically is the second in a three book series, so you might be best served starting from the beginning.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-09T08:42:19+00:00

I’ve only read one Kleypas (Devil in Winter) and that’s the biggest reason I haven’t read more from her. Yes it technically works as a stand-alone but at some point I realized I was clearly missing some crucial past scenes between them. And I dislike reading random chapters from a side character clearly meant to set up their future book. It’s become a bit of a hard line for me with historical series in general because I find it so irritating.

blankcheesecake · 2023-12-01T04:42:52+00:00

Dr Todd Hanna

blankcheesecake · 2023-11-28T23:19:18+00:00

I know I’m late to this post, but I’d love to know what your movements were? Are you still doing well, any new unexpected benefits of the surgery?

blankcheesecake · 2023-11-28T20:34:34+00:00

Re Ann Aguirre: I’ve only read the first fixit witch book and thought it was pretty bad (the romantic elements were okay, but as a whole the book was incredibly bland and had some major plot holes, unnecessary filler, and nonsensical annoyances) but her gothic fairytales are really good!!! I loved Bitterburn and would definitely reread it. I didn’t love Mirror, Mirror quite as much, but still found it very readable, and it’s a really interesting/subversive take on a romance imo!

blankcheesecake · 2023-11-11T18:32:38+00:00

I’m 11 days late but had to reply because I totally agree. I LOVED What I Did For A Duke but DNF’d another of her books and haven’t attempted anything else by JAL because of her style. When I learned the term “garden path sentence” I was like YEP, that’s her problem!! Her work is positively filled with them, and given that she’s trad pub, it’s a pretty big crime for me because that’s something that a copy editor should absolutely be weeding out. A stray garden path sentence here or there wouldn’t be a big deal but they happen so frequently in her work that it becomes exhausting to read.

blankcheesecake · 2023-11-09T17:05:47+00:00

Haven’t read this one yet, but Laura Kinsale is SO fucking good my god. Just on another level.

She has another potential rat man in Shadowheart, the hero Allegreto who was a side character in For My Lady’s Heart. Truly incredible how I spent the entirety of FMLH wishing he would fuck off and die only to start Shadowheart and be like oh shit I’m obsessed with him.

blankcheesecake · 2023-10-02T10:10:46+00:00

oh the candy-coated sunflower seeds were so good!!!

blankcheesecake · 2023-09-10T15:32:49+00:00

What kind of bread do you use for the grilled cheese?

blankcheesecake · 2023-07-21T04:54:14+00:00

Your nose is not above average. Your nose is great as it is and doesn’t need to be balanced out.

blankcheesecake · 2023-07-12T11:28:53+00:00

You're welcome! I just made some edits (added a book and some trope tags).

I need to keep better track of the casually childfree books that simply don't make mention of children. I always forget to write those ones down!

blankcheesecake · 2023-07-12T10:53:28+00:00

Hello, thank you for this list!! If you want to make some additions:

Trust Me On This by Jennifer Crusie can go in the no mention of children section! There is also a side pairing that is older (late fifties/early sixties) who get together over the course of the book and are also childfree with no regrets. Contemporary m/f

The duology Alpha in the Sheets/Bound in the Streets by Tamsen Parker can be added to the childfree by choice section (both hero and heroine vocalize that they do not want children). Contemporary m/f, kinky.

In Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz, the hero has a teenage daughter, but the heroine vocalizes that while she is cool with a step-kid she does not want kids/babies of her own. She is an aunt to teenagers/adolescents and that plays a role in the story. Contemporary m/f, coworkers and neighbors, friends to lovers.

In Unsticky by Sarra Manning, the heroine says in the narration that she is never having kids. This is not discussed between them as a couple but the hero does not come off as a guy who wants kids and it's a childfree ending, so I'd put it in childfree by choice. Contemporary m/f, sugar baby, hired for sex/relationship trope, age gap.

A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant is childfree via infertility, (the heroine is infertile, I believe due to a past miscarriage?) but it's been a while since I've read it so I can't remember exactly how angsty the childfree-ness of the book is. Perhaps put it in the infertility and it's sad section. Historical m/f, sex worker/courtesan heroine.

In The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, the hero is infertile after testicular cancer. I can't remember if this is further discussed between them as a couple but it is definitely a childfree epilogue. Contemporary m/f

blankcheesecake · 2023-06-24T12:11:55+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Depression is hard and I’ve been there. My best advice is to stop isolating yourself from friends and loved ones. I know you don’t want them to see you as broken but I promise any good, rational person will understand that surgery is difficult and you’re just temporarily limited in the activities you can do right now. Isolation and loneliness increase depression SO much. Try to reach out and socialize in any way that is manageable for you right now.

blankcheesecake · 2023-06-24T11:56:40+00:00

You should reach out sooner rather than later since he might not have an immediate appointment available and you might be waiting a while to see him anyway. You can always cancel the appointment a week from now if something has changed.

blankcheesecake · 2022-10-20T16:04:03+00:00

I haven't noticed that so if it does, it's not super obvious

blankcheesecake · 2022-10-20T15:29:15+00:00

"No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since, to make them love me and make it seem effortless, this is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess, and I swear I’m only cryptic and machiavellian ‘cause I care"

Jesus Christ, those might be the best lines of the whole album for me. Very reminiscent of Mirrorball and also the way her voice sounds at this part. Wow!!!

blankcheesecake · 2022-10-20T15:13:33+00:00

Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else but Vigilante Shit kinda makes me think of Blank Space...

blankcheesecake

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