I can’t believe I’m posting another book haul post, but I accumulated so many new books at the Romance Writers of America Blogger Day that I just had to share them all with you!
For those who aren’t familiar, RWA had their annual conference this past week in Denver, and part of that included a program of events aimed specifically at bloggers. I actually already had plans to visit Denver this summer, but didn’t have anything booked when I heard about RWA’s Blogger Day, so I miiiiight have conveniently scheduled my trip to coincide with it. And I’m glad I did, because it was so much fun!
In hindsight, it maybe should have occurred to me that there’d be plenty of books available at the Blogger Day, but I genuinely didn’t think I’d be coming back from Denver with more than the handful of books I planned to purchase during the literacy signing at RWA, where more than 100 authors gather to sign books and all of the proceeds go to support literacy programs. As it turns out, I came home with 18 books. And that’s with me showing restraint, because there were lots of opportunities to accumulate tons of books at RWA!
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
I actually purchased A Duke by Default and the next two books in this post at an event The Tattered Cover held on Friday night, which I had to attend because Meg Cabot was there and she’s the one who first introduced me to romance. And they had copies of A Duke by Default there, which is one of my most anticipated reads of the summer but isn’t out until next Tuesday! It involves a hero who is a swordmaster and a secret duke and a Hufflegruff, and I immediately read and loved it. You’ll definitely want to pick this up next week!
Counting on a Countess by Eva Leigh
I’ve been eyeing Counting on a Countess for a while because of the gorgeous cover, but what made me cave is the description. I love romances with forced weddings, and the heroine in this one is a smuggler, and it sounds super promising!
Lady in Waiting by Marie Tremayne
Lady in Waiting is another book I’ve been eying because it sounds like a fun read. The heroine runs away to escape a bad marriage and disguises herself as a maid, only to fall in love with an Earl. Another great historical to dive into!
Playing by Her Rules by Amy Andrews
Playing by Her Rules is the first book I picked up at the Blogger Day. I was talking with the author at a mixer and she had a few extra copies, and how can you say no to a rugby romance? I’m excited to read this one!
Intercepted by Alexa Martin
I’ve seen Intercepted pop up a fair amount on social media in anticipation of its release this fall, and while second chance romances aren’t usually my favorite, I’m excited to try this one! Berkeley has been putting out a lot of great titles lately, and I’m sure this is no exception.
Meet the Sky by McCall Hoyle
I had a chance to meet McCall Hoyle at a mixer and really enjoyed talking with her about some of our favorite YA romances, so when I saw an arc of her upcoming book, Meet the Sky, I had to grab it and ask her to sign it!
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
I feel like I’ve heard some early hype for A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but I’m not entirely sure. Regardless, I love a good YA fantasy, and this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, so I’m excited to check it out!
Snapdragon by Kilby Blades
One of the presenters at Blogger Day is also an author, so when she mentioned her book Snapdragon was in a stack at the back of the room, I had to grab one! I don’t often read erotic romance, but I’m excited to give this one a try.
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
Does the new Tessa Dare book need any explanation?! I actually met Dare’s assistant first thing at Blogger Day and mentioned how Dare is one of my favorite romance authors, and when she saw a stack of arcs for The Governess Game out later in the day, she made sure to grab one for me! I might have already raced through this one, too, and it was amazing! I can’t wait for you all to read it next month!
It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday
It Takes Two looked familiar and features a Chinese heroine, plus a competition between the hero and heroine on who can throw a better bachelor or bachelorette party, which sounds like a fun storyline! So of course I had to grab it.
A Good Rogue Is Hard to Find by Kelly Bowen
I know Jenica at Firewhiskey Reader is a fan of Kelly Bowen, so I grabbed a copy of A Good Rogue Is Hard to Find as soon as I saw it so I can jump on the bandwagon as well!
All-American Cowboy by Dylan Crush
As you might know, I’m in the middle of binging Maisey Yates’ Copper Ridge cowboy series, so I’m definitely interested in All-American Cowboy. But what sold me is the fact that if you flip through the pages, you can see a little pig run back and forth in the margin! Such a cute idea, and I definitely have to read the book to see what’s up with the pig.
Southern Spirits by Angie Fox
The cover for Southern Spirits looked fun, and so does the blurb. It follows a heroine who develops the ability to see ghosts and gets caught up in solving a decades-old murder. I’m definitely getting vibes of Meg Cabot’s Mediator series, which is why I decided to take this one home.
Must Love Plague by Shelly Chalmers
The author of Must Love Plague saw me grab a copy of Southern Spirits and suggested that I might like her book, too. All I needed to hear was that it involves female four horsemen of the apocalypse and I was sold!
A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev
I’ve been meaning to read Sonali Dev’s books for ages, so I was really hoping they’d have copies of her book at the luncheon where she was a speaker. After hearing her amazing speech (RWA has some highlights on their Twitter account, and the audio recording is coming!), I’m even more desperate to read her books. Fortunately they had copies of her latest release, A Distant Heart, for us. Did I mention Dev absolutely crushed her speech? I’ll definitely be reading this one soon!
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Tessa Dare was the first author I went to at the literacy signing! Unfortunately she was only signing copies of The Duchess Deal, which I already own and isn’t my favorite among her books, but I still bought a copy for her to sign while I gushed about how much I love her books. I’ll just have to donate my old copy!
Hamilton’s Battalion by Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole, and Rose Lerner
Courtney Milan was signing copies of After the Wedding and Hamilton’s Battalion, and I went with Hamilton’s Battalion because I’ve been meaning to read this for ages! And since Alyssa Cole and Rose Lerner were at the literacy signing as well, I had them sign it too! I’ll admit, I’m very reluctant to pick up all of the fictional retellings of Hamilton that have sprung up, but I love that this is more parallel to Hamilton’s life rather than a direct fictionalization. Plus these short stories sound amazing! I’m excited that the collection includes both m/m and f/f relationships, plus I think Judaism is prominent in Lerner’s story, which I don’t see often in romance.
Untamed Cowboy by Maisey Yates
Of course I had to get a book signed by Maisey Yates considering I’ve been binging her books lately! She was promoting Untamed Cowboy, the second book in her new Gold Valley series, and while I’m a bit over her friends to lovers/unrequited love stories right now (of which this is one), I’m super excited to have a signed book of hers!
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Do you think I accumulated enough books at RWA? I’m still wading out from the stack I got at Book Expo, so I have no idea when I’m going to get to all of these, but I’m super excited! Though let me tell you, schlepping them all back to New York was not fun. I was very spoiled by being able to just carry my books home from Book Expo!
If you’re interested in hearing more about Blogger Day and the signing at The Tattered Cover, stay tuned! I’ll be posting a recap soon.
Oh my goodness, you picked up so many! That’s awesome though!! Can you ever really have enough romance novels? Haha
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Jenica, that’s with me showing restraint! I easily could have gotten twice as many books if not more without even trying. I’ve never seen anything like it.
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