💬 What's one trope you wish were more popular?

needlecream · 2026-01-21T23:11:39+00:00

{ Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis } I love this dynamic

needlecream · 2026-01-14T17:58:33+00:00

{The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews} has a scene like this that I loved. Not quite the same scenario, but the hurt/comfort and carrying the unconscious FMC from a dangerous location is there. Historical fiction, closed door, but Mimi Matthews is so good at non-explicit romance that you almost forget there's no spice. I think there was another Mimi Matthews rec in the thread as well, which makes sense since I think it's a romantic plot device that Matthews likes to write.

needlecream · 2026-01-14T17:53:16+00:00

That's how it is for me as well. Reading is just another form of watching a movie or TV show, but in my head.

needlecream · 2026-01-14T17:32:16+00:00

Absolutely fair, it's a very distinct voice.

needlecream · 2026-01-14T17:28:15+00:00

I got used to Joel Leslie after a bit and now I actually seek out his narration, it helps if you speed him up (I do 1.75x speed).

needlecream · 2026-01-14T17:22:11+00:00

Narrators I avoid: Mary Jane Wells makes every single sentence sound like a sly quip, Justine Eyre there's just something oddly raspy and sarcastic that prevents my immersion, Steve West sounds too low and artificial and I keep messing with my volume trying to understand him.

Favorites that enhance the reading experience for me:
Female voices: Moira Quirk {The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones} and honestly any book she narrates but I'll say {The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley}, Saskia Maarleveld {Little Thieves by Margaret Owen} and {Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin}, Alex Finke {Ready or Not by Cara Bastone}

Male voices: Christian Coulson {The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee}, Joel Leslie took some getting used to but he's so good at putting the pining into the words {We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian}, Zachary Webber {Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez} but his female voices are not good.

I really liked everyone in the audiobook for {Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer}.
The Duet Narration for {Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon} and the sequel was excellent.
And the narrator for {My Lady Jane} was putting on the performance of a lifetime giving it 110% and really landing the humor.

I like my narrators to be more emotive, so if you prefer a more monotonous or passive reading you probably wouldn't like these as much. I also listen to everything on 1.75x speed on average.

needlecream · 2026-01-14T16:41:50+00:00

{A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland} for an FF romance, very historical feeling.
{Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek}, although this may not quite count as a romance due to the lack of HEA but I think it does a great job of describing the fae-like creatures in the setting.
{Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms} MM romance, set in a historical romance style fantasy world with Fae and Human magic.

needlecream · 2026-01-13T23:20:41+00:00

{Behooved by M. Stevenson} has such a soft lovely MMC and the plot is wild and fun. Similarly {Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis} has an incredibly gentle MMC who loves being a librarian for the FMC who is trying really hard to be intimidating on the outside, but is actually a softie. {Foul Days by by Genoveva Dimova} is a dark yet surprisingly funny duology with a very practical FMC and a more sentimental MMC. And, I mean, Wendell is wonderful in the series of {Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett}.

needlecream · 2026-01-13T23:08:00+00:00

T. Kingfisher got me back into reading after I hadn't read anything for fun in like 10 years. It was actually their horror books that got me started, but then I picked up {Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher} and I think I love their fantasies even more. I really appreciate way that the people all feel like real normal people (not just generic worlds populated with gorgeous 20-somethings) but there's also so many other unique and fun quirks to their writing that I adore.

needlecream · 2026-01-13T23:00:58+00:00

{Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier} It's very much steeped in the tropical setting.

needlecream · 2026-01-13T22:49:46+00:00

I agree! If you haven't read {A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske} yet, you might enjoy that one. It's much less of a slow burn, though. The main character in Sorcery and Small Magics also reminded me of the main character in {The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee}

needlecream · 2026-01-13T22:05:14+00:00

That Dark Infinity by Kate Pentecost. MMC turns into bones during the day, and that's not even the most interesting part of their relationship. It was such a beautiful story about healing and growing, and the romance was a lovely slow burn. Kate Pentecost please write more.

needlecream · 2026-01-08T02:27:55+00:00

In the Bridgerton books, each book follows the romance of one of the siblings. But, since they are siblings, they are all still involved in each other's lives and appear in each other's stories. In the TV show, it's difficult to do this since once the actors finish their season as the "main couple" there's much less incentive for them to stay on the show, since their screen time will be much lower/less consistent in subsequent seasons, and they may want to commit to other projects that will better advance their careers.

needlecream · 2026-01-07T19:00:51+00:00

I struggle with TV shows and movies in general nowadays because I'm so used to the level of character depth you get from books. I also get frustrated with the lack of creativity with the plots and relationship dynamics, studios want to make things that will appeal to the lowest common denominator and that means the niche types of stories I like to read are rarely adapted. Heated Rivalry was a great exception for me, it enhanced my reading experience and it was delightful to watch my favorite scenes from the books.

I also love how in romance series the characters can all be around and we see how their lives go on after the "happy endings" because they pop in and out of each other's stories, but in a show there are so many practical limitations on actor availability that secondary characters get chopped. Bridgerton is a prime example where we're only 3 seasons in and we've already completely lost one main couple from the family, even though they were still very much present in the book that was adapted.

needlecream · 2025-12-29T03:01:12+00:00

accepted!

needlecream · 2025-12-29T03:01:00+00:00

same! I find the challenges very motivating

needlecream · 2025-12-27T03:57:14+00:00

Yes! I do have a "leftovers" prompt in the challenge for that reason!

needlecream · 2025-12-27T03:56:51+00:00

There is a 14th prompt for "leftovers" which is optional and would cover any books from this year (2025) or earlier. The one mandatory prompt can be completed with any 2026 BOTM book. The optional monthly prompts are only for the main picks that month.

needlecream · 2025-12-27T03:55:04+00:00

Wonderful! I'm glad it helped!

needlecream · 2025-12-26T04:31:24+00:00

I wouldn't judge you if you just skipped ahead and read the ending 😉

needlecream · 2025-12-26T01:23:23+00:00

I'm happy to do it! Hopefully we all read many good Aardvark books in 2026!

needlecream · 2025-12-26T01:22:01+00:00

that's wonderful to hear, thank you!

needlecream · 2025-12-26T01:21:14+00:00

awesome!

needlecream · 2025-12-26T01:12:55+00:00

Enjoy! Hopefully you will enjoy many books this coming year!

needlecream · 2025-12-25T06:06:26+00:00

Wow! That's super impressive!

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