Angel Reads

25 Feb

Author Interview: Rebecca Yarros | Romance Thursdays

Posted by angelreads Author Interviews, Romance Thursdays 1 Comment

This week on Romance Thursdays I had the chance to interview Rebecca Yarros. If you haven’t checked out the rest of my interviews in this series be sure to and see what other romance authors have to say. My last interview was with historical romance author Eva Devon.

Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books.

If you don’t know by now Rebecca Yarros is one of my favourite romance authors. I’ve been reading her for years and I think I’ve now read nearly every one of her books. Just a few more to go. She is the author of the Flight & Glory series, The Renegades series, The Last Letter, her recent release The Things We Leave Unfinished and more.

Hi Rebecca, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Hi there! Thank you so much for having me! Hmmm…I’m a military wife (whose husband just retired after 22 years, phew!) who writes emotional romances and women’s fiction. I have about fifteen books published!

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

I love the intricacies of relationships and how one person can really change us for the rest of our lives, and man does romance fit that bill! I love falling in love, and since I’ve loved my husband for the last twenty-one years, I get to feel that head-over-heels feeling with every new book.

You have written a range of different contemporary romances from military romances to hotshot firefighters and musicians and daredevils. What have been some of your favourite things to explore while writing these books?

I wish you could see my face over here grinning that you know that! My favorites have been ones that push my boundaries. The Renegades were super fun because I don’t often write about extreme sports. The Things We Leave Unfinished was my absolute favorite book because I loved researching WWII and exploring the dynamics and damage that comes from a past heartbreak.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

I love falling in love and getting that giddy rush every time I crack open a book. Reading it lets me fall in love over and over again, and writing it allows me to really vent out my own emotions.

**Your upcoming release The Things We Leave Unfinished is a little bit different from other books have you written. From being told in alternating timeline**s and exploring the lives of some new characters. What was it like going into this one? Do you go about it any differently than your other novels?

This one scared the crap out of me. Everything about it was different from a plotting standpoint. I had to make sure each of the stories could stand on their own with fully fleshed-out characters who went on their own journeys, and then I had to layer the stories so they intertwined and enhanced the other. It was a long couple of nights with moving index cards around on my dining room table!

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

For writing, I love a good bad boy who’s a sucker for only one girl, and I really adore second chance, though I don’t write much of it.

When it comes to reading, I lean more toward fantasy and paranormal, so I’m a sucker for all kinds of tropes. Give me the one bed in the hotel, the chosen one, the fated mates, the hero’s journey. ALL OF IT.

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

When it comes to romcom, I love Cindi Madsen. Turning up the heat, I love Gina Maxwell. If I’m looking for angst, I’m grabbing Tijan or Colleen Hoover, and when it comes to fantasy, I’m absolutely in love with Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout. Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan were huge inspirations and I wouldn’t be a writer if it weren’t for Mercedes Lackey.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

I think by broadcasting loudly how much we all love romance. Treating romance like it’s the dirty little secret of the literary industry when in fact it’s one of the pillars holding the industry up is absurd, yet here we are. If every person who loved romance openly talked about it, I think the stigma would vanish…well, except from the insecure folks who balk at a woman exploring her sexuality. Those people will always exist, but I hope they’ll trend into the minority.

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

Thank you so much for having me!

***

I hope that you enjoyed this interview with Rebecca Yarros. This interview was a blast and I love that I get to share it with you.

If there is an author that you would like to see featured here, please do let me know. And I will try my best. If you are a romance author and would like to be apart of Romance Thursdays, don’t hesitate to message me.

Have you read any of Rebecca Yarros books before? What did you think of them? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!

About the Author

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and paleo. She is the author of The Last Letter, the Renegade series, and the Flight & Glory series, which includes Full Measures, the award-winning Eyes Turned Skyward, Beyond What is Given, and Hallowed Ground. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, and an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet. Having fostered and adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping others in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.

Website |Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

23 Feb

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud

Posted by angelreads Top Ten Tuesday 8 Comments

This week I’m sharing the books that made me laugh out loud Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

Well firstly, I would like to say sorry for being MIA the last week and a bit. I ended up in the emergency room early last week. Then had emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder and some gallstones. Which means I’ve spent the last week recovering. I’ve still got a bit to go, but I’ve finally been able to pick up my laptop. But I’m finally feeling that little bit better.

So for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday I decided to share some of my favourites books that have made me laugh out loud. The books that have had me in giggles and laughing so hard that snort. Like always these are in no order.

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons #2) by Julia Quinn: This just got me in so many places. There were times that I just could not stop laughing and it was fantastic. This is also my favourite from the series as well. There are just so many things to love about it.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: If you are in need of a good laugh, then this book is for you. It’s a heartwarming standalone that just made me laugh so much. It was full of dry humour and things that normally would not be funny. But here, here it worked so well | Review

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan: Or anything from Rick Riordan. seriously if you are in need of a series that might tear you apart at times, but will also bring you so much joy – then this series is for you. It’s one that I am always recommending and will continue to.

Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey (Check, Please! #1-2) by Ngozi Ukazu: This is another one that just got me. It’s an ice hockey romance graphic series and that just screams me. And this book had me laughing out loud.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: I don’t think I need to talk too much about this one, but it’s one of those books that combines humour and heartwarming things all into one. If you haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend you do.

Love in the Afternoon (The Hathaways #5) by Lisa Kleypas: There are times where I just think back to reading this book and laugh because it’s seriously the best thing ever. There are so many moments that I tried to hold in my loud laugh because seriously it was great.

When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi #1) by Sandhya Menon: I nearly forgot about this one. But there are some fantastic moments in this book that had me giggling quite a bit. If you are looking for a sweet romance that will also give you some great laughs, then this is for you.

Man Hands (Man Hands #1) by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby: While I didn’t love this book, it did make me laugh a lot – and I’ve read most of the books in this series and they are just as good. If you are looking for a good rom-com then this series is fantastic.

Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians #1) by Ruby Dixon: There are some pretty ridiculous and funny moments in this one right here. I don’t know if it’s meant to come across as funny but I had a blast reading this and the following books.

Never Seduce a Scoundrel (School For Heiresses #1) by Sabrina Jeffries: I had to put this one on the lists because it just made me laugh, smile and have a fantastic time. I think this is one of my favourite Sabrina Jeffries books I’ve read as well.

And that is it for this week! What are the books that have made you laugh out loud? Do we share any that is the same? Let’s Chat!

20 Feb

Why You Should Buddy Read | Discussion

Posted by angelreads Discussions, Guest Post No Comments

Hi, everyone! It’s me, Ely from Earl Grey Books, back today with my monthly guest post for you all. Now today we’re talking about a part of the book community that Angel and I love and that’s buddy reading! If you follow one (or both) of us, then you’ve probably seen one of our buddy read discussions—last month we talked about The Midnight Lie over on my blog and we’ll be talking about Never Seduce A Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries in a few days time. But this post is all about sharing some of the reasons you should buddy read things.

It’s Way More Fun To Read With Friends

Angel and I do all of our buddy reads now with the purpose of creating these discussions for you all, but even with that we still share our thoughts as we’re reading just over Facebook. There’s something so fun about getting to scream about a moment in a book without your friends or to tease them about ‘just wait until you get to chapter 16’ or whatever.

It’s A Great Motivator To Finish The Book

If you’re like me and often have thirty million books on the go, buddy reading is a great way to make sure you’re actually finishing books off. If someone’s waiting for you to finish something off, you’re probably less likely to procrastinate it. In the same vein, buddy reading with Angel has made me finish off some of the books I probably would have DNFed otherwise.

Photo by Gabrielle Dickson on Unsplash

Get Things Off Your TBR

Likewise, if you’re really bad at reading the books on your TBR then just make your friend read it with you. I’ve used Angel’s help with this one many times over. Of course, it works best if you have both happen to want to get a particular book off your TBR but it can also work in a best friend picks my TBR kind of way…

Broaden Your Horizons

If you and your friend read completely different things then why not give this a go anyway and try something a little different. This can work if you like the same things as well. Maybe there’s a genre neither of you really read, or maybe you want to try a new author. There’s no better way than to get a friend to come along on the ride with you!

Photo by Angie Aguilar on Unsplash

Make New Friends

Buddy reading is also a great way to make new friends. Along with buddy reading with Angel, I’ve read books with my lovely friends Annemieke and Inge in the past as well as a handful of other friends both online and my non-book community friends too. It’s a great way to break the ice with new people—don’t know how to make small talk? That’s fine because you just have to talk about how the book is making you feel, easy conversation!

So that’s my little list today. Do you enjoy buddy reading? Let me know in the comments.