February Audiobook of the Month

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I have a great romance audiobook suggestion for you! And guess what? It is also an award-winning title - having been selected for the 2017 Reading List!

Click on the For Listeners tab to find this month's suggestion and scroll down for other audiobook titles. You may also want to check out the Audio Publishers Association list of finalists for the 2017 Audie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Audie Awards Gala on June 1, 2017 in New York City.

August Audiobook of the Month

I decided I wanted to try a Romance title this time but had experienced difficulty in the past in finding a recorded Romance that took me 'beyond' reading the book. So I went exploring and stumbled across a contemporary title (not my normal romance genre cup of tea) that was well-reviewed and had dual narrators to boot! The almost, but not quite, over-the-top voices had me laughing in enjoyment as the characters (also) stumbled into romance!

As always, check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll up and down the page to discover other suggestions for your listening pleasure. 

February Audiobook of the Month

Keeping Valentine's Day in mind, the February selection is a Historical Fiction novel with a touch of romance. Hope you like it! :-)

Check the For Listeners tab for new audiobook suggestions each month. 

100 Books for the Romance Reader

If you are a Romance reader or have customers who are always looking for another Romance title, NPR has a list for you and/or your customers!

Check out: Happy Ever After: 100 Swoon-Worthy Romances

The list is divided into eleven (11) subgenres with each including series (spotlighting one title as a good example) as well as single titles. There is something for everyone, so scroll through the full list of Historical, Classics, YA, Suspense, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Inspirational, Erotic Romance, Contemporary, and Category romances. (You may know that last one better as Harlequin romances.)

The article even has a link to a printable list which you can take to the library and use as a reading check list! Thank You NPR for adding that useful little tool. 

The discussion(s) among the Comments are interesting as well.

Love is in the Air! Romance Reading Suggestions

Hearts & Roses! Chocolate & Strawberries! A date with your honey! This is the day to celebrate love and relationships. 

Romance fans may like to explore the genre through reading and there are plenty of titles to choose from. During February readers can find up to 20 suggestions on the "Explore a New Genre: Romance" board on Pinterest. Five titles are added to the board each Monday throughout the month so you can pick one or all to read! 

If the list of titles looks familiar, scroll down to the Romance Genre book talk suggestions list under the Book Talk Titles tab. :-)

After Valentine's Day, keep love in the air by reading a Romance novel.

Have a favorite Romance title or reading one right now? Share the title and why you enjoyed it through Comments.

'Explore a New Genre' Pinterest Board

If you haven't already seen it, check out the new genre board being posted by staff at St. Charles City-County Library District (MO) on Pinterest.

Each month a board will be posted exploring a new genre with five (5) titles added each Monday; 20 titles in all to choose from, read, and enjoy! For February the titles are, of course, all about Romance and there are ten (10) great romances on the 'Explore a Genre: Romance' board as of today with more to come throughout the month! Another board for a different genre will be posted in March - providing an interesting way to discover new titles all month long!

These Pinterest boards are inspired by an idea in The Romance Readers' Advisory: the Librarian's Guide to Romance in the Stacks by Ann Bouricius (2000). In her book, the author proposes a 'Five Book Challenge' as a method for learning about any new genre. She suggests reading five (5) titles a year in a genre as great way gain a closer understanding of what the genre about and why reader's enjoy it.

Crystal Gardens / Amanda Quick/ Audio Book 9 discs/ Romance

Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick is not your typical historical romance as the main characters are plagued with paranormal gifts that prevent them from leading a normal societal life.

Our protagonist is Evangeline Ames, a female author and private investigator who has left London for the calm life of a country village after an attempt on her life. Her employers have forced her to take time out to recover her wits, enabling her to work on her novel.  However, trouble seems to follow wherever she goes, and when we first meet her she is fleeing out of her window from a man who wishes to murder her. This second attempt on her life sees her escaping from her cottage onto the grounds of Crystal Gardens, the country house owned by the mysterious Lucas Sebastian.  Whilst our heroine is investigating who could be behind the attempts on her life, Lucas is trying to discover who murdered his uncle, the previous owner of Crystal Gardens.  It becomes clear that their investigations could be linked, making Lucas and Evangeline work together to decipher the truth.

Crystal Gardens is for readers who enjoy their historical romance with strong paranormal elements. This was my first experience with the paranormal-romance genre and I found I enjoyed listening to this book on audio. The narrator had a very dramatic way of reading it, though sometimes her voice sounded a little odd (especially when she narrated the male characters).  Her British accent was authentic and each character sounded distinctive.  Quick's books seem to lend themselves well to audio books. Her style is very focused on the mystery components, but the romance seemed to take a bit of a back seat at times.  That is not to say that the romance wasn't good. It was. I just expected more. I do feel that she emphasized the paranormal elements a bit too much, using the term 'psychical' excessively. Readers get the point about the paranormal energies and she could have added depth by building up the story in other ways. Descriptively, Quick excelled in her portrayal of the Crystal Gardens and its otherworldly atmosphere, truly transporting the reader there.

This title is the first in the Ladies of Lantern Street Series.

Similar Titles:  Touch of a Thief  by Mia Marlowe, Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster, Firelight by Kristen Callihan

Any Duchess Will Do / Tessa Dare / 375 pages / Romance

Tessa Dare has crafted one of the most pleasurable books I've read. If you’re looking for a fun, sexy Historical Romance, then you’ll not want to miss this! I thought it perfect escapism.
Oozing humor, it’s filled with witty dialogue and the banter is ever flowing. It also has very sensual love scenes and offers a story that flows faultlessly from beginning to end. There’s no wading in; from the get-go it grabs you and will have you laughing out loud and anxious for more. This talented author touches on one of the most devastating losses anyone could experience, and yet the tone and mood is perfectly balanced carrying the reader forward. I loved it all!

The story begins:  Thirty four year old Griffin Eliot York, eighth Duke of Halford, better known as Griff to his friends and family, is determined to stop his interfering mother’s plans to see him wed. In her latest scheme of kidnapping and spiriting him away to Spindle Cove, he finds the perfect solution. When told to choose any of the ladies with a promise issued that she’ll have them shaped into “Duchess” material within a few weeks, He turns the table. Instead of a proper lady visiting this quaint sea side town, he chooses instead a local; twenty-two year old Pauline Simms. She’s the daughter of a farmer, serves as barmaid at the tavern and her first impression left much to be desired. It doesn’t take long before Griff and his mother learn there’s much more to Pauline Simms than her untidy first impression. This is a very lovable heroine. It’s rare to find a hero and heroine that add equally to the enjoyment of a romance. When that happens, it’s like finding gold. She’s smart, gutsy, feisty, determined and has a dream for better. Life hasn't been easy for Pauline and with the secret deal Griff offers, she finally can envision a future of brightness for not only herself, but her special and much loved younger sister.


Part of the Spinster Cove Series:  1-A Night To Surrender   2-A Week To Be Wicked  3-A Lady By Midnight   4 - Any Duchess Will Do

Similar titles:  The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn,  The Cynster Novels by Stephanie Laurens,  The Survivors' Club Septet by Mary Balogh

The Black Hawk / Joanna Bourne / 304 pages / Romance

     Romance isn't my usual stomping ground. I am extremely picky when it comes to things like plots and believability. The Black Hawk is fourth in a series following spies for France and England during those countries' wars and disputes. Adrian Hawkhurst was a boy with no family or name and was taken in by the King of Thieves in London. Eventually he was caught and the government turned him into a spy and a very good one at that. He rose to become the Head of the British Intelligence Service. Justine DeCabrillac was a French count's daughter and saw her family destroyed by the French Revolution. After serving time in prison, she was taken under the wing of a famous Madam who actually was a spy. Both Adrian and Justine had come across each other during their various missions. Sometimes they worked in concert and others against each other.
     Our book begins after Napoleon has been utterly defeated and Justine has retired to England to be an ordinary shopkeeper. But her instincts warn that something is happening - various people around the city of London have been stabbed. Justine decides she must tell Adrian and when she leaves her shop in a downpour, she is viciously stabbed and left for dead. She makes it to Adrian's headquarters and the mystery starts from there. The narrative switches between the present day and the past. The plot is tightly drawn often referring to earlier missions from the earlier books but that isn't a problem. Of course the murderer is figured out and stopped. And our spies fall in love. A tightly woven plot with not a lot of graphic words. Some scenes that will make chaste readers uncomfortable but the majority will be satisfied.

Reading connections: The Escape by Mary Balogh, The Captive by Grace Burrowes, The Secrets of a Scoundrel by Gaelen Foley.

Romance Book Talks

The Readers' Advisory Training program will hold a Romance book talks session on Wednesday, June 25th. The meeting, which is open to all staff, will be held at the Kisker Road Branch and begins at 9:00 AM.

Book talks are a great (and quick) way to learn about titles in any genre. Come on over to Kisker, share tips and/or insights into this VERY popular genre, and listen to your co-workers talk about the Romance titles they recently read!  

A list of some of the titles which may be book talked is available under the Book Talk Titles tab. 

Genre Study Program - ROMANCE

On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the Readers' Advisory Training program will begin its study of the Romance genre. The benchmark title is DARK WITCH by Nora Roberts and participants will be listening to the  audiobook version read by Katherine Kellgren.

Dark Witch is the first in the author's 'Cousin's O'Dwyer' trilogy and centers on the youngest cousin from America. Iona Sheehan has come to Ireland in search of Irish ancestors and hopes to learn more about some mysterious and uncontrolled powers she seems to have inherited from the O'Dwyer's. Little does Iona know that there is an ancient family curse and romance waiting for her as well. 

For more about Dark Witch check under the Benchmarks tab and scroll down to the section on ROMANCE.