We weren’t sure we were going to do fall bingo this year since things have been kind of crazy lately, but Jenica decided she wanted to go ahead with it and I was more than happy to help! Things were extra busy for Aarya right now, but hopefully we can get her back for winter bingo!! 

It’s always so much fun to put these boards together and think of a bunch of different prompts, and I know it’s kind of cliché to say that this one is my favorite so far, but it’s really true! I can’t wait to get reading and check off this board.

Check out the announcement post on Twitter, where we’ll be most active talking about what we’re reading and what we recommend! As Jenica highlights in that thread, we ask if you participate that you be inclusive by using alt text on images and capitalizing the first letter of each word in the hashtag, and make sure that all the main characters and the author are Black for Black Love! There are some amazing interracial romances out there, many of which are written by Black authors, but those don’t meet the established definition for Black Love.

Meddling Characters

Meddling characters are the best in romances! I love a good grandma or aunt or other side character who schemes to make sure the two main characters are thrown together! Nothing actually springs to mind when thinking of something I want to read, though, so I think this is one of those prompts that I’m 100 percent certain I’ll check off without trying, but I can’t tell you what it will be just yet!

Dancer

I’m almost positive I will use The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller for this one! The heroine is a ballerina, and I know I’ll read it as soon as it comes out in October because I love The Widow of Rose House so much. Like, I’m so positive I’ll read this that I’m not even planning to mention another book here.

Series Continuation

I wasn’t sure what to read for this one at first, but I’ve been meaning to finally finish Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, and this is the perfect prompt for that! I still have The Suffragette Scandal and Talk Sweetly to Me, so it’ll probably be one of those two. Though there are sooooo many books that could easily be used here instead!

Sweater Weather

I love the idea and the vibe of this prompt, but I’m kind of at a loss as to what to put on my TBR! Obviously the easiest way to go is something where they’re wearing sweaters on the cover or the cover generally gives a sweater weather vibe, like Hearts on Hold by Charish Reid (which I mention again further down). Actually, I suspect any back to school or Halloween/Thanksgiving book would give great sweater weather vibes. Oh, and football romances maybe, too, since football season is primarily in the fall! But like, maybe I’ll just pick a book that I read while cuddled up in my own sweater?? Because it doesn’t get more sweater weather-y than wearing a sweater and drinking tea while curled up with a book!

Latinx MC

A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daris is definitely the first book that comes to mind for this prompt. I do have to admit, though, that while I’ve loved everything Alexis Daria has written, for some reason I’m not excited for this book? I’m hoping that will change once it’s out and more people are talking about it! Another option is Swing Batter Swing by Zaida Polanco, which I picked up a while ago after someone was talking about it on Twitter because it sounds really good, or Delicious Temptation by Sabrina Sol, which I have been meaning to read for ages and still haven’t done?? I have to admit, beyond these three, the number of adult romances with Latinx MCs by Latinx authors on my radar is deploringly short, so I think it’s time to go on a book hunting spree to make sure I have lots of choices!

Astrology

I’ve actually been meaning to read Alexandria Bellefleur’s books for a while now, and this is great motivation to finally do that! Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, features a heroine who’s an astrologer, so that book is perfect for this prompt.

Friend Rec

I mean, I mention books that Jenica recommends so often, it’s only natural that I’ll wind up reading a book for this prompt that she loved! I’m thinking maybe Scoring Off the Field by Naima Simone, which I know she adores. I also never did read Still by Kennedy Ryan and really should since Jenica got me started on the Grip series in the first place! 

Black Love

Ok, so I bought Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins to read for #JenkinsJuly, but it is September and I still have not read it yet. *hangs head in shame* So I’d like to read that this fall, though A Reunion of Rivals by Reese Ryan is also on my radar, plus this is a great reminder to pick up some more books Rilzy Adams or try out Christina C. Jones. Soooooo many options to pick from here!

Character Description You Love

I really enjoyed our prompt last spring of an unusual scent because I had a lot of fun paying attention to the descriptions and sharing them, so I’m looking forward to this one, too! It’ll be fun to see what I wind up noticing and ultimately decide to pick for this square!

Witches

There are sooooooo many witchy books coming out this fall that would be perfect for this prompt! I’ve been meaning to read Alexis Daria’s Audible exclusive, What the Hex, and I’m looking forward to The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, so I think I’ll end up using one of those here.

Hyped

So as I’m writing this, the minotaur milking book is the most hyped thing on Twitter? I’ll admit, it’s not something I’ve felt the need to wade into, so unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be using that book for this prompt. I think maybe I’ll read Love Scammed by Rilzy Adams? It’s been a while, but that book really made the rounds on Twitter earlier this year. I picked up a copy, but never got around to reading it. A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane also comes to mind, which I also bought on sale because of Twitter hype but haven’t read yet, and the same for Going Nowhere Fast by Kati Wilde. Although the fun thing about this prompt is that you never know which book will take social media by storm next!

New Release

I’m so excited for Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh I can hardly stand it, so that’s definitely the first one that comes to mind for new release! Though I have a slew of new releases on my radar for this fall, and I tend to buy random new releases because of Twitter that I later read, so I can definitely use those. There are also a few newer releases on my kindle right now, like The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, which both came out earlier this summer.

HEA

I love having this square as an option for when I read a romance but don’t know what square to count it for! No matter how my bingo board goes this fall, I can guarantee this box will get checked off!

Reread

I’ve been slowly working my way through Tessa Dare’s backlist this summer and am planning to continue this fall, so I will definitely be rereading some of her books and can count those for this prompt! I’m also rereading Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series, so maybe I’ll wind up using one of those here instead. We’ll see!

Library Book

A good chunk of my reading is via library books, so I love that there are so many different ways this prompt can go! I can tell you The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret is currently on my library hold list, so maybe I’ll use that one. Though I also like the idea of reading a book with a library book in it, which makes this the perfect prompt to finally read Hearts on Hold by Charish Reid, which was actually on my fall bingo TBR last year and I still haven’t read!

Pumpkin

I initially started panicking about what to use for this prompt because I have no idea how to track down books with pumpkins in them, but actually, there are so many ways this can go! Obviously you can do something that has a pumpkin on the cover (or is just pumpkin-colored — I could totally see using an orange cover for this prompt!) like A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau, but I suspect a lot of books mention pumpkin spice lattes in them if you want to use one of those! (I read Pumpkin Spice Lover by Nico Rosso last year if you want a specific rec.) Or maybe you’ll stumble across a book that uses pumpkin as an endearment? But I think anything that gives you fall/Halloween vibes could totally count even if they don’t specifically mention pumpkins, though I would be rather surprised if a Halloween romance didn’t. I actually mention Big Bad Cowboy by Carly Bloom in a different section, but I know that’s a Halloween romance, and I did a keyword search for the work pumpkin, and sure enough, there’s a pumpkin patch mentioned in it! So I think I’ll use that or the Jackie Lau one, personally.

HGTV Vibes

I had no idea what to use for this prompt, but Jenica mentioned in her TBR that Ruby Lang’s Uptown series would be perfect for this, and I’ve been meaning to read those! I bought the novella collection when it came out last summer since I love that the books involve NYC architecture, so I should really get on that! Though Renovation of Love by Meka James sounds really good, too!

Sapphic Rep

Ooooo, another prompt where I have tons to pick from! I have Leah Johnson’s Rise to the Sun on my physical TBR shelf since I loved You Should See Me in a Crown so much, so that would be a great pick for this prompt (it could also work for Black Love!). I’ve also been meaning to read A Treason of Truths by Ada Harper for literally ever, or I could use The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite here instead. 

Sub-Genre You Rarely Read

I think this prompt is a fun way to read into different subgenres! Strange Love by Ann Aguirre is one that comes to mind because I don’t really read alien romances, but I’ve heard great things about this one. And maybe I’ll finally, finally pick up Reverb by Anna Zabo, which I’ve heard amazing things about and have been meaning to read for ages but haven’t read because I’m not big on rockstar romances (though this is also a bodyguard romance, which I do enjoy!). Also, despite loving both fantasy and romance, I rarely read true fantasy romance, so maybe I can finally pick up The Blacksmith Queen by GA Aiken, The Orchid Throne by Jeffee Kennedy, or Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven. Or maybe I’ll wind up going more the thriller route and finally read Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone? Or do a cowboy romance like A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon or Big Bad Cowboy by Carly Bloom? Who knows??

Woman in Tech

Ok, so I picked this prompt because I changed careers recently and am now a software engineer, and the lack of women and other marginalized genders in tech is NO JOKE. And yet, I have no ideas off the top of my head for this prompt. *cries* I shared a few recs on Twitter here, and then went digging for some ideas of my own. Earth Bound by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner sounds PERFECT. The heroine is a computer scientist working on the space race! I’ve been meaning to read this series and have the first book, so this sounds like the perfect choice. A couple of others that are on my radar are Remedial Rocket Science by Susannah Nix and Playing for Her Heart by Megan Erickson.

Book by Fave Author

This is another great prompt for me to use a book by Tessa Dare or Nalini Singh for, though Ilona Andrews’ new novella is making me think I need to read the Kinsmen Universe books soon! I’ve been saving some of their backlist for a rainy day, but I’m super tempted to just fly through it all, so we’ll see what happens.

Sick Bed Scene

I’ve actually kind of been thinking about rereading some of Cat Sebastian’s books lately, and Two Rogues Make a Right has an excellent sickbed scene (or scenes, since one of the heroes has a chronic illness). I was struggling to come up with some more ideas for this, but then realized while doing some research (which I shared here) that this is super common in romances and I will likely fill this out without trying! That said, I realized in the course of my research that Lucy Parker has this in several of her books and I’ve been meaning to read more from her, so I think this is a sign that I finally need to read Act Like It!

RED

If I didn’t help put together this bingo, I would probably use this prompt as the color red and go with something that has a red cover or red dress. But because I know Jenica is obsessed with Taylor Swift and this prompt was inspired by the rerelease of the album Red, I feel like I have to do a TSwift-inspired book for this prompt! In her TBR post, Jenica mentioned The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, which I’ve been looking forward to, so I think I might use that, too! Though she also mentioned The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale, which also sounds really cute! We’ll see if I wind up using one of these or go in a different direction altogether!

Forehead Kiss

Hmmmm, I don’t think I’m going to pick a book in advance for this one. It’ll be fun to read along and pay more attention to forehead kisses going forward! I actually didn’t even realize that Battle Royal by Lucy Parker and All the Feels by Olivia Dade, which I reviewed together here, both had forehead kisses until I looked, so I think this is more common than I realized.

Jewish MC

Ok, so I think this is the perfect opportunity to finally read Hot Rabbi by Aviva Blakeman! I keep seeing it mentioned on Twitter, and I’m excited to check it out, especially to see what I think about it in comparison with The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan, which also has a rabbi for a hero. Though I came up with a bunch more ideas when putting together this Twitter thread! The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer in particular sounds really cute.

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I LOVE a good list, but for some reason when it comes to bingo, I think it’s kind of fun to not plan for everything and see where things go, so I’m really pleased to have a mix of planning and discovery with my #FallInLoveBingo TBR! This is by no means a strict TBR, so if you have any suggestions for these prompts that you think I need to read, feel free to drop them in the comments!

And if you’re planning to participate yourself, be sure to check out the hashtag on Twitter for more ideas and recommendations, and to see what other people are reading! In addition to the idea threads I linked in this post, I also made a thread with some ideas on how to interpret these prompts that you might find fun and/or helpful. And I might make a few more idea threads yet, too, which you’ll be able to find by looking for the hashtag. You can also start your own thread if you have a bunch of ideas for a particular prompt, or ask for help if you’re struggling to fill one!

Let me know in the comments if you’re planning to participate in #FallInLoveBingo, and feel free to drop any recs/posts/TBRs of your own! We hope you join us and have fun!!