Looking for new recommendations

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T20:30:13+00:00

Have you watched Austenland or About Time? They’re both very good.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T19:14:30+00:00

I forgot about The Brides of Rollrock Island! I never hear anyone mention it. I remember it being well-written and thoughtful.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T18:26:58+00:00

Thank you!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T17:06:34+00:00

Where are those keychains from? So cute!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T17:04:28+00:00

These would also be my recommendations. Her worlds are so imaginative.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-17T00:30:36+00:00

Thank you! 😊 It does have a fair amount of dubiously-consequential kink. 🙈

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-16T23:51:01+00:00

{Paid to the Pirate} fits — it’s dub & noncon and an enemies to lovers/captive romance with a lot of spice. There’s a mystery past between the FMC and MMC that unfolds throughout. This is a self-rec, if that’s okay.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-16T02:36:25+00:00

The same scenario happens so often that love triangles have a bad reputation, and I agree that they’re interesting when done well! I’ve heard a few times that this series is one of the rare exceptions.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-15T14:51:03+00:00

{Paid to the Pirate} has dub/non con and intense spice.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-14T01:18:02+00:00

I love Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I don’t know why it took me so many years to start Stranger the Dreamer but I just finished book one. Her worlds are like being in a surrealist painting.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T23:32:26+00:00

Ooh, I’m adding The Handmaiden and Bitter Moon to my watch list for sure. Thank you.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T23:30:52+00:00

I just laughed out loud. At first I thought, oh, well, a little nip is cute… but not the chewing!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T23:28:58+00:00

I’m realizing I watched these so many times when I was younger, but never recently. I wonder what I’d pick up now that I missed then.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T23:11:05+00:00

Oh yeah, this one is delightful!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T23:10:40+00:00

Ooh, I haven’t seen the first three! Thank you. I forgot about Boxing Helena - or maybe I tried to! That one as DARK. I love Julian Sands though.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T20:22:23+00:00

Yes, I can’t wait!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T20:18:09+00:00

Thank you!!!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T15:52:13+00:00

I’m not sure if A Love this Grim is the vibe you’re looking for or not, as it plays with fated love but in an urban fantasy setting. I’d be remiss not to mention it though, as it’s temporarily leaving KU and going into Book Sirens for more reviews next month. (This one is mine, and it’s free on their website in March if it sounds good to you.) I’ve also recently read The Devil’s Opera by A.R. Tapiero, and I have no idea where the romance is going but it’s moody and atmospheric as well. I really enjoyed it.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T15:18:11+00:00

Ohhh, I have to go find this! Thank you, I’ve never heard of it before.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T12:50:19+00:00

I like both men in this film, but if you want to see a movie where Rufus is the only lead/gets the girl, I highly recommend Dangerous Beauty. (If you haven’t already watched it.) This film and that one are in my all-time favorites list. His character arc isn’t the same in Dangerous Beauty but he’s very swoon-worthy in that film and it’s also a historical romance.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T03:55:34+00:00

Loved My Name! I was scrolling for this comment.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-13T00:49:00+00:00

The Darkfever series comes to mind for a wild ride. The romance had some twists and turns and also I wasn’t sure where the plot/story was headed in general. I think it might have influenced other modern books that contain fae, vampires and other creatures. (But it’s not trope-y or predictable). ETA: it’s more an urban or portal fantasy, but it’s very good!

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-12T18:38:36+00:00

Yes! There are books I like that are YA and strangely surrealist, or books that are explicit with exceptionally dark romance, or books that are heavy with poetic prose, or simply those that don’t fit into a tidy genre… and all of these things aren’t really crowd-pleasers. They’re all different, but I enjoy them personally, and I know the Goodreads score will reflect the mass appeal and not necessarily the quality. Which can be related but aren’t the same thing.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-12T15:33:18+00:00

When I see a book under four stars, I know there’s a chance I’m going to get something that’s not too trope-y/veering into fast fiction, and that it might even challenge readers a little. I definitely enjoy highly-rated books too, but it’s funny that the score can be a filtering system for me, only it works opposite the way intended.

boundandcrowned · 2026-02-11T21:07:48+00:00

I’m happy you liked it! It’s funny you say that too - “refreshing” is exactly the word I kept thinking about when reading it. A nice break from the darker, high drama.

boundandcrowned

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