Reset Reading Month

Sometimes, you stop eating vegetables and have doughnuts for dinner.

In March, I read four books in the less-than-critical-thinking category.

I'm not a staunch "hard read" reader, but because I read a lot of non-fiction, people are sometimes surprised by my high opinion of books like Heated Rivalry and An Unexpected Kind of Love.

After all the reading about literary theory, the history of god—lowercase g due to the nature of the writing, not disrespect for anyone's beliefs—and other such topics, my brain wants a candy bar. That candy bar is a romance with what I interpret as low stakes.

Now, I have feelings about the drinking-from-the-firehose amount of smut that's being published. I was against sex books in general for the longest time, but when I realized writing these books is the second fastest way to earn money as an independent author, I started investigating.

I found author R.S. Grey early in my research—yes, research—and I'm so glad I did! Her books are smart, funny, and have wonderful happily-ever-after payoffs. My favorite book of hers is Arrogant Devil.

While I was exploring the genre, I noticed a lack of girl-loves-girl and boy-loves-boy books that had the same feeling—fewer romantic comedies. This was years ago, mind you. These books are everywhere now. Lucky you!

I've dipped in and out of the genre over the years, but it had been a while since I let myself read something that wasn't a heavy lift.

So in March, I just went for it, first finding a new genre entirely called healing fiction. I read Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum and was so comforted and relaxed by this book that I couldn't jump into anything else for a few days. Everything else felt like a tax on my cortisol levels, so I just waited for the reading feelings to come back.

When they came back, they wanted love, so I read An Unexpected Kind of Love and When London Snow Falls by Hayden Stone, who is now my favorite romance author.

The way they write their characters is so clear and personal. I felt like they were real people. They were flawed just the right amount, the way people are. The books were sweet and, yes, spicy. But listen, you should go for the sweetness, stay for the spiciness, but reread it for the freaking fantastic descriptions of people and places.

There is a scene where our two main characters are at a club. The description is only a couple of pages, but it transported me. It tapped into memories of going to clubs when I was in my 20s, and it just hit me right in the memories.

Love.

Then, like everybody else, I read Heated Rivalry, and I get the hype. While I'm partial to Hayden Stone's writing, Rachel Reid is no slouch. She takes us through time, and we feel it.

She has an excellent way of building chemistry between characters that doesn't feel forced. It feels realistic, which is probably why everyone loves the book so much.

Anyway, that's where my brain went in March. Less theory more feelings. Honestly, I'd do it again.