Hey Bookish Boo!

I've been busy with my training for my husband's home dialysis and in between machine beeps and manuals I saw a post on social media from a romance reader that wished romance novels didn't always have happy endings. And not the smutty kind.😜 She said "because life doesn't always have a happy ending."

*Terreece slides into frame dragging a large, ceremonial soap box up a large hill. Climbs on top, clears throat.*

"ROMANCE NOVELS MUST HAVE A HAPPY ENDING OR THEY ARE NOT ROMANCE NOVELS. "

Listen friend, this is a hill I am willing to defile a book on. What makes a romance novel a romance novel by genre definition are two things:

There is a romantic relationship central to the plot.

The type of partner, number of partners, etc does not matter. A poly or why chose romance? Cool. Alien and human? Dope. Is their romance the main draw? Yes? Then you are 50% on your way to being a romance novel.

2. There is a happily ever after or happy for now.

The romantic partners have to ride off into the sunset together. If they break up at the end of the novel, but cherish the time spent it is NOT a romance, it is a love story. Maybe even women's fiction.

Why is this important? Because it is. LOL! It is the expectation of the genre readers and it is what makes the genre special. No one questions that a mystery novel has to end with the mystery being solved, don't question this.

Boy, T is really adamant about this.

Yep. Other genres have their 'must haves' in order to be qualified to be in that genre, ONLY romance has to justify itself. I am not justifying shit. LOL! Romance is romance and that's it. And those are the only two requirements. The window for creativity is wide open for everything else. Literally. That is also what makes the genre so special.

And don't get me wrong, love stories are amazing. And needed. But don't confused the two or decide that it doesn't matter. We will not take off the major guardrail for the genre. It will be total chaos. Asteroids falling from the sky, the stock market crashing, babies crying, "The End is Near" sign guy, books will lose their places and jacket covers and develop book lice. Chaos. We are not doing it. Not on my watch.

*Terreece shakes her fist in the air one final time. Climbs off soapbox. Sits on it. Opens a Snickers.*

In other news - New York was fun for me, less fun for my daughter in some places.😫 She loved the first subway ride from Queens to Manhattan, was less thrilled with the subway as the day went on. Loved Times Square, hated so many people out on the street outside of Times Square. Was over the city by the time we got to Chinatown which is a shame because she studies Mandarin. Really like visiting Hofstra University the next day and seeing the studios where she'd be working on films, less than thrilled I wanted to take her photo in places.😂

Several factors were in play over that 24 hours including the fact it was only 24 hours. With some time to go at her own pace I think she will come to love the vibe of the city, I definitely felt more creative while I was there. She goes back next month with friends and I think it will be a little better. We have one more trip this month - Philadelphia to see Temple University. Any tips for the city?

Check out the featured books below and this month's NEW freebie links at the bottom of the newsletter for your TBR for the week.

Hugs & Books,

No one falls in love in a weekend, right?

An adventure loving professor and a handsome biker walk out of an airport...

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Featured Reads

The Wrong Time

Rule number one in love: learn from the past, and don’t make the same
mistakes twice.

My worst mistake was a secret affair, I have vowed to never, ever to repeat. The fact
it was with my brother’s best friend, should have been a red flag to begin with.
When it ended in earth-shattering heartbreak, the only way to move forward, was to
loathe every single inch of Brandon Johns.

Fast forward three years, and I have rebuilt my life, mending the betrayal that broke
me, and my family. Now governor of a basketball team, success filled a void
in my heart… until the board demanded that we bring my biggest mistake back!

When hell freezes over.

Brandon Johns, the Australian baller who could easily pass as a model with his golden locks and tanned, muscular body. Not to mention those blue eyes that could melt the hardest of hearts—they want him back?
They conveniently forgot he walked out on the team, demanding to be traded.

He broke our player’s trust.

He broke my trust.

Even if he is the answer to our championship dream, I vowed never to see him
again. I promised myself I would never let the man who almost broke me, back into my life.

My only saving grace in this mess is that I have the upper hand—because this time, I’ll be his boss.

Read Book

Courage, Dear Heart

She’ll hate me when she finds out who I really am.

I was a goner the moment I stepped into her flower shop. Jillian Heart is everything I never expected—strong yet fragile, guarded yet full of quiet fire. But loss has left scars, and she’s convinced her heart isn’t hers to give anymore.

Still, beneath the grief, I see her—the mother who loves fiercely, the woman who once dreamed of more.

I want to be the one to show her she’s still whole. That she’s still capable of love… and being loved in return.

But the truth is a storm on the horizon, one I can’t outrun. I have to tell her everything—about me, about what I’ve been tasked to do. And when I do, I may lose her forever. I can’t accept that.

Because she feels like home in a way I never imagined possible, and I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that love doesn’t have to hurt—it can heal.

***Courage, Dear Heart is a second-chance at love romance featuring a single mom and the man who falls for her first. This story weaves together themes of comfort and hurt, love and loss, guilt and redemption, and the healing power of connection. There’s a touch of heartbreak, a lot of heart, and a guaranteed happily ever after. (Tears optional, but highly likely.)

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