One year ago we were celebrating #AsianAugust. Crazy Rich Asians was about to hit theaters, creating a showcase for Henry Golding, Constance Wu, and Awkwafina. That same month, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, based on Jenny Han’s novel, hit Netflix.
The ensuing year gave us Always Be My Maybe starring Ali Wong and…
"Beach reads" get a bad rap, but there's not much else I'd rather be doing than enjoying a good book in the sunshine. So whether it's fluffy or scandalous or a total thrill ride, "beach bag books" isn't a literary value judgment, it's about whether or not it's a great way to spend a sunny…
The Ripped Bodice's annual racial diversity in romance report came out last week. Unsurprisingly, the results were dismal. Romancelandia is usually super vocal on Twitter, but this year, the commentary was...muted. I have to admit I wasn't surprised by the results, but I was still disappointed. I came out wondering what I can do as a…
Alisha Rai just revealed the cover for the first book in her Modern Love series, THE RIGHT SWIPE (Avon, July 9, 2019). In line with a broader trend in romance toward illustrated covers, THE RIGHT SWIPE features a pink cover with its main characters shown looking at their phones.
For me, this new cover trend has…
Looking into 2018, I'm planning on the same reading goal I had last year: 52. One book for each week of the year. 2017 was a year I escaped into books and if my most anticipated list is any indication, 2018 will be pretty much the same. Romance and thrillers are dominating the list at…
Alisha Rai’s Forbidden Hearts series is the contemporary romance we need in 2017
In WRONG TO NEED YOU (Forbidden Hearts #2), Sadia Ahmed is a widowed, single mother who runs into Jackson Kane, a man she hasn't seen or heard from in a decade. They were childhood friends, and he happens to be her…
In Hate to Want You, Olivia Kane and Nicholas Chandler’s families have been intertwined for generations. Their grandfathers started a grocery store together and then a series of tragedies put the store solely in the hands of Chandlers. More importantly, it drove a wedge between sweethearts Olivia and Nicholas. But the spark, make that inferno,…
