Rebecca Yarros Archives

Author Interview: Rebecca Yarros | Romance Thursdays

Feb 25, 2021

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.

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Book Review: The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros

Aug 26, 2020

The Reality of Everything (Flight & Glory #5) by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 470
Publish date: 388
Publisher: Entangled: Embrace
ISBN: 9781649370211
Purchase: – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Nook – Kobo

Two years after the man she loved was killed in Afghanistan, Morgan Bartley is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. The reno on her dilapidated beach house in the Outer Banks might be just the distraction she needs to keep her debilitating anxiety attacks at bay and begin to heal her heart…if she can ignore the ridiculously handsome guy next door.

At twenty-eight, single-dad Jackson Montgomery’s life revolves around his five-year-old daughter and his job as a search-and-rescue pilot for the coast guard. He’s no stranger to saving a damsel in distress, and though his gorgeous new neighbor is clearly in distress, she’s no damsel. She’s stubborn as hell with walls a mile thick, and the dog tags hanging from her rearview mirror give him a pretty good clue as to why.

It doesn’t matter that their attraction is undeniable―she swore she’d never fall for another pilot, let alone a military man. There are some wounds time can’t heal, and some fears too consuming to conquer.

She’s a barely breathing heartbreak on the edge of recovery.
He’s a crash waiting to happen.
Together they could have it all…if they can endure the coming storm.

The Reality of Everything:

I received an earc of The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about this book.

I just want to make a quick note, there will be spoilers from previous books in this series, especially Hallowed Ground. I tried to keep spoilers from this book minimal though.

The Reality of Everything follows Morgan Bartley as she tries to move on with life. She is trying to put all the pieces back together after losing the man that she loved. But the ride hasn’t been easy, not even a little bit. When Morgan moves to the Outer Banks, she wants a start fresh. But the grief she still feels two years later is consuming. And then she meets single father, Jackson Montgomery. She doesn’t want to fall for him. She can’t. But sometimes life isn’t always that easy. Especially Jackson is another pilot and Morgan swore she was going to stay away from them.

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Morgan is such an easy protagonist to get along with from the start. I don’t know if it’s because readers have known her from previous books. Or that she is such easy to like. But I love that we finally got her book – though it did hurt. A lot. 2 years after the events of Hallowed Ground, Morgan is still reeling with grief. She doesn’t know what to do with herself. But moving might be the answer. And while she does feel a little more free, her grief still consumers her. However as the novel goes on, the reader can see Morgan grow and learn. She starts to let go. I adored seeing this character growth in Morgan, especially from the first few books.

Jackson was such a fantastic make protagonist. Seriously. Like all the males in this series, they have a lot of passion and that worked in Jackson’s favour. I think Jackson has become one of my favourite male protagonist in this series – ah! He was just so nice. If that makes any sense at all. I can’t even explain it properly, I just enjoyed reading him.

Jackson wasn’t expecting Morgan to come into his life. He has his beautiful daughter and a job that he loves. But the spark between the two is present from the start. But Jackson understands that Morgan has been through a lot. He understands. Morgan doesn’t want anything to do with Jackson, but both he and his little girl have wormed their ways into her heart. There are many ups and downs between Morgan and Jackson throughout The Reality of Everything. And while there was a little miscommunication, it didn’t upset me like it normally would. I adored these two together, they understood one another without even realising they did.

Photo by Jared Lisack on Unsplash

Family and friendship is a massive part of The Reality of Everything. I love reading single fathers in romances and Rebecca Yarros was able to do it exceptionally well here. The relationship between the two was adorable and I loved not only the scenes between Jackson and his daughter but also Morgan. They all fit together so well.

This was a hard read not going to lie. I cried for most of the book. If there is one thing that I can say about this book is that Rebecca Yarros knows how to write grief. She knows how to dig deep and make you feel everything that the characters are feeling. One of the things that I loved about The Reality of Everything and Morgan’s grief was that it wasn’t fixed by love. Morgan had to work to get past the grief and breath a little better. Love didn’t fix anything, but it helped Morgan strive for more.

Grief and friendship are explored throughout The Reality of Everything, but there are a few scenes that stick out to me. They were not easy to read at all. I could feel all the pain from each of the characters. And because Morgan kept a lot of her feelings inside, when they did come out it was…explosive and gosh I just wanted to hug them all. The tension between Morgan and Paisley was raw and real and damn it hurt. Both of them didn’t talk with one another and that was the cause for a lot of the tension. I do wish we were able to see them connect just a little bit more though.

Like a classic Rebecca Yarros, there are some pretty intense moments throughout The Reality of Everything and the intensity was high for sure. But she can write them so naturally that it doesn’t feel out of place.

Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash

Overall The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros was a fantastic read. I cried, I laughed and I smiled. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and written exceptionally well. It’s the perfect way to end this series and wrap up all those ends that we wanted to know. The Reality of Everything explored grief, family, and friendship. It looks at moving, falling in love, and remembering.

If you haven’t picked up the Flight and Glory series, please do. They are tough to read but they are also beautiful military romance series that explores the good and the bad.

Have you read The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros yet? What did you think of it? Will you read this one? Have you read the rest of the series? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

Feb 25, 2020

Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 400
Publish date: February 25th 2020
Publisher:Entangled: Amara
ISBN: 9781640638167
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are?

Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we’re willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.

Great And Precious Things:

I received an earc of Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros via the publisher for review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Going into Great And Precious Things, I knew that I was going to be torn apart. Rebecca Yarros really knows how to hurt me. I’ve cried in nearly every one of her books. I’m not even joking here, she knows how to tear me into little pieces and leave me there. And I was right because Great And Precious Things really did tear me apart – but gosh was it beautiful.

Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros follows Camden Daniels comes home from war. And he doesn’t get the heroes’ welcome. No, he comes back to a town that hates him to the core. That despises him and wants him gone. But he knows he has to push that aside because his family needs, even if his father hates and doesn’t want him there either. Because Camden killed his brother. The town knows it, his father knows it, and Camden knows it. There is only one person in the town that Camden is there for. But it’s also the one woman he could never have.

Olivier Guillard

Camden was such an interesting protagonist. It’s not often that I read books with a male protagonist at the forefront. If they are a protagonist, it’s normally because they are the love interest. But Camden was front and center and that alone intrigued me. Yarros has a real good knack of writing characters that have fantastic arcs – and Camden was no different. The reader gets to see Camden go on a journey. A journey that is long and hard. Not only does it have to deal with the grief of losing his brother, but also the guilt that he was the one responsible.

Sometimes it was really hard being in Camden’s head. He is filled with guilt and with how everyone is treating him in town, that takes its toll. But I also loved seeing Camden’s soft side. The reader is really able to see that he feels everything and that really shapes Camden into the person that he is. And while at the start he let everyone in town walk all over him, as the novel goes we get to see Camden let the guilt go and stand up for himself.

Willow was such a nice female protagonist in Great And Precious Things. I loved that she didn’t take over the novel. She was able to stand her own. Like Camden, the town has really influenced the way that Willow presents herself. But, Willow has also been through a lot and she has to try and work her way out of those things. Willow was really easy to get along with. She felt very real while reading the novel, she had her faults. But that is what made her such an enjoyable character.

freestocks

The relationship in Great And Precious Things had many ups and downs. But it was beautiful. Camden and Willow together, just fit for me. They worked. There weren’t any ifs and buts. They just did. One of the things that I loved most about the romance was that the ‘climax’ in the book wasn’t because of miscommunication or because of Camden or Willow. It’s not often you see that in a romance novel and it was great. I adored that Camden and Willow had so much history, it made for this rich romance that I got swept up in. Their connection was spot on.

Another thing that Rebecca Yarros does extremely well is exploring the notion of family, and things were no different in Great And Precious Things. While I normally prefer the representation of good family dynamics, sometimes there need to be representations of bad families. Both Camden and Willow have a lot of trouble with their families, but it was also nice to see them both try and work things out.

Another major focus of this book is the notion of Alzheimer’s. Camden’s dad has been suffering for a couple of years before he arrives back in town. It was really hard to read certain scenes in Great And Precious Things, because of the way that Camden’s father reacts. Most of the time he can’t stand the sight of Camden and that was really hard to read. Because the reader is able to see that Camden loves his father and wants what is best for him. Even if it’s breaking his own heart. I think that Rebecca Yarros was able to represent the ups and downs of Alzheimer’s throughout Great And Precious Things. And gosh did it hurt at parts.

Sorina Bindea

Overall, Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros is heartbreaking, beautiful and just so good. It explores the notion of guilt and grief, as well as a fresh start. Camden and Willow were perfect protagonists that each had their own story. Rebecca Yarros knows how to tear me apart and she did again. The romance in this one is so perfect, it’s a friend to lovers, to absolutely perfect. If you are looking for a romance that is haunting, but also beautiful, then this is for you.

Have you read Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read anything else by her? Let’s Chat!

Rebecca Yarros