#the kiss quotient series

[crazy-pot-pourri]

[Books] The Heart Principle. L’ipotenusa dell’amore (The Kiss Quotient #3) di Helen Hoang

Titolo originale: The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3) Autore: Helen Hoang Prima edizione: 2019 Edizione italiana: traduzione di Alessia Lini (Leggereditore, 2023) Continue reading Untitled

[pipperoni32-blog]

The Heart Principle

By Helen Hoang / 4 stars

I've adored everyone one of Helen Hoang's books so far. Even with all of them sharing similar themes, the characters are so unique in their own ways, and I've loved their neurodivergent minds.

For this one, there was something even more special about Anna getting her diagnosis during the book that really resonated with me. I have my own medical weirdness, and there's something about finally getting a diagnosis, a name to what you're dealing with, that is such a huge relief. Suddenly, it isn't all in your head. You aren't slowly going crazy, your body isn't failing you in some unknown way. Every little thing you've questioned, times you've questioned your own sanity because of course that couldn't possibly be legitimate, suddenly has a name. A reason. That release of burden is an almost indescribable feeling. Yes, you still have to live with it. You have to change your expectations of yourself, your capabilities and limits. You have to finally be kind to yourself, and accept a new reality. But there's so much peace to it too.

Back to Anna. We start the story with her boyfriend asking for an open relationship. He's sure that she's the one he pictures himself marrying someday, and that she's the one for him. But he just wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try seeing other people first, making absolutely sure. Anna decides he won't be the only one who will see other people, she will too. And along the way, she meets Quan.

They have a disastrous first meeting. Anna panics and hides in the bathroom for half an hour, hoping he'll leave. Somehow, she still manages to run into him on her way out. Their relationship develops over text, and watching Netflix documentaries together, with some adorable exchanges along the way.

We've seen Quan in the earlier two books. He's confident, happy, and unapologetically himself. Now, he's recovered from cancer, but still hasn't come to terms with the changes it's made to his body. He hasn't been with anyone since then. Of course, he just happens to stumble across a girl that has her own issues with intimacy and vulnerability.

In terms of the main relationship, and navigating complex personalities, this is exactly what I expect from Helen Hoang. And it still works - I love every minute of it. I love the ways they communicate well, I groan in frustration when they hold back, unable to find the right words.

Here, we also see another side. Again, Anna's diagnosis on the autism spectrum happens during the book. One of the people she looks up to the most, her sister, tells her she should have never gone to a therapist, and that the diagnosis is clearly wrong. That Anna thinking she's on the spectrum is insulting to people who actually are. Anna deals with not only learning to accept herself, to not think of herself as lacking or a failure because she can't be what people expect her to be, but also with her family dismissing her new reality. On top of that, her father has a stroke, and becomes paralyzed. Anna is the only one who realizes that he doesn't want to be kept in palliative care. She struggles with not only the emotional burden of caring for someone so ill, but the guilt that everything she does goes against his wishes.

There's a lot to unpack in this book. A lot of emotional highs and lows - and the lows last awhile. Anna deals with burnout, and we get a peek into just how serious that can look. How hard it can be on both the person experiencing it, and their loved ones. How long it can take to get back from. I love that this book is about the healing process though, and how you can get back to a normal.

If you've read the rest of the Kiss Quotient series, I'm sure you'll be just as excited with the last (or latest??) installment. And if you haven't tried them yet, please do! Definitely worth the read.

[byunpum]

Experiment 56 [part 2]

Neteyam x Human reader ( like a mix of human and Navi )

and sullyFAM x human reader, why not?

Tw: mmm neteyam baby, reader being mutant, neytiri being a sweetheart-mother, A bit of violence, reference to harassment, A little sad, soft and some Kisses. all the characters are aged up 20's.

POV: Y/N is surprised that it is an indispensable piece for the human race. But for her family…

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

Experiment 56 masterlist | Experiment 56 sequel Masterlist

Note: Omg thank you all for liking the first part, I did not know that all of you would be so interested. Well, well, here I leave the second part, I still don't know how many parts this series has, it all depends on how you react. This part is a little sad, but you will like the ending. From now on I warn you that I am not very expert in this Navi culture, but I did my best. And I'll be using events that happened in the movie, but they won't be exactly the same. And sorry for the spelling. English is not my mother tongue.

"Good morning general ardmore, I request my presence?"." Good morning colonel quaritch, and yes I need you very urgently." Miles took a seat at the table, and gave his full attention to General Ardmore's words. "I have a mission for you, I know you are in search of jake sully, but if I tell you that there is something more precious than the head of a simple soldier who decided to be tarzan?" Miles settled back in his seat," You have to tell me what is more precious?". "Twenty years ago, pandora's team of scientists began a series of experiments. Their goal was to achieve a perfect blend of human and navi. We were tired of transferring our sud quotient into avatar bodies. We wanted to be real. There were many failures, but I understand there was one specimen that survived." Miles was trying to analyze the information, "You're telling me there's a mutant out there? What does he look like?". General Ardmore scales up her touch screen in the air and shows him some models, "She. She's a girl, we estimate her to be in her early 20s. But she is the first of her species. She possesses a human body, but the ability to breathe pandora's air and most importantly her queue."

" A new specie?" miles was a bit in a state of shook, how come he didn't know about this when he still had his human body. "You know so little miles, there are many things that even you and I don't know about. The agency has plans and that girl is the key. She is the center. And the only thing I know, is that when she was a baby she was adopted by sully. "That doesn't surprise me…" a little smirk tugged at Miles' lips." Just find her, bring her back alive. I don't want her to have any bumps. In perfect condition. In addition… you'll find Jake sully. You kill two birds with one shot," said General Ardmore, as she passed him the information on the last location. "Expect nothing less." Miles stood up from his chair, ready to leave home with his group.

And here you are… on the floor. Crying and being held at gunpoint, while your family was also screaming to be released. "ok ok, SHUT UP EVERYONE!!!" shouted miles, as he searched for the beast that had described to him earlier. But their eyes widened, when they saw you. You were beautiful, long hair, beautiful eyes, and your skin was adorned with moles. and yes, just as General Ardmore said, you had the distinguished queue of the navis. Quaritch knelt down in front of you "I had not been told how beautiful you were. Wow…" This was a trigger for neteyam.

Neteyam was right next to you, on the floor. While his head was being pushed to the floor. But when he heard quaritch words, his blood boiled. "Don't you dare touch her!!!!" Neteyam shouted as he tried to attack Quaritch. The man hit him in the head.

"no, please!!! enough!!!!!!!" you scream in fear you don't know what's going on. But you didn't want your family to get hurt. Least of all neteyam. Spider, loak, tuk, kiri and neteyam were tied to a branch. While you were placed in front of them on another branch. "tuk, calm down…. Mother will come for us" says kiri trying to comfort her younger sister. And she was quite right.

Neytiri and Jake had already arrived at the lab area, just a few minutes before you all had run off. Jake knew something was wrong. They entered the forest carefully and that's when Neytiri heard her children's screams. Or not, this was not good. One thing was for sure, you could bother neytiri all you wanted, but don't mess with her kids. She ran off to the spot where she heard the screams, while Jake followed her. When they arrived they hid.

"We have to save them!!!" murmured neytiri to Jake "love, we have to be careful. Let's wait for the exact moment." While neytiri and jake watched the situation from a distance, but the view was not very clear. Quaritch moved a little away from the group of soldiers, so he could call the ship. He needed to get you out of here. At that one of the soldiers began to look at you more than usual.

You were wearing traditional Navi women's clothing. And we all know that these soldiers were not used to seeing women. Neteyam noticed this "stop looking at her you bastard" the man looked at neteyam and approached you. " or what are you going to do?" the soldier started to lift your top "don't you dare…leave me" you were desperate. But this didn't stop him, he took his blade and cut your top, so that your breasts were exposed. Neytiri saw the scene, and if it wasn't for jake grabbing her by the arm and telling her to approach calmly. She would have slit that man's throat. Kiri was screaming, spider is asking her to stop and loak was crying. The scene they were witnessing was horrible. Neteyam is screaming, showing his fangs, pulling so hard on the bindings he had, he was about to dislocate his arm. No one was going to touch you, much less like this.

Quaritch showed up and pushed the soldier to the ground "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!!!!" He yells, as you try to roll into a ball. You felt exposed. Neytiri had teached you to take care of yourself and that no one should touch you without your permission. You didn't understand why that man was treating you like that. "Come on Colonel, we can have some fun with this creature…don't tell me you don't see her beautiful." That was the last straw. Jake fired, and neytiri came out of hiding to use his arrow. It was a strong encounter, but when Jake managed to free Neteyam, he ran to you. He cut the bindings, grabbed you off the ground and ran off.

"run and don't look back" order neytiri as she continued fighting the soldiers. You all kept running, jake and neytiri were right behind you. Once you all made it deeper into the forest, it became difficult for the soldiers to keep up. At that moment, the quaritch team's ship arrived. All the soldiers got on, but there was a warning "Sully …. I'm going to find her, you won't be able to hide her for long." The hairs on the back of Jake's neck stood up, as he was hiding with his family. He looked back, and watched as you were hiding in neteyam chest. You had no clothes on, and your arms and legs had been injured. His heart broke into a thousand pieces.

"Let's go home," Neytiri said, as everyone walked in silence and fear. Neteyam was holding you in her arms, tears were coming down from her eyes. Only images of what those men would have done to you if they had captured you were running through his head. Arriving at the refuge, Neytiri took you from Neteyam arms and went to the hut where her mother Mo'at was. Kiri and tuk followed her, everyone was silent. Jake just looked at the boys, his look was one of anger and sadness.

Neytiri healed and took care of you. She saw how tears came out of your eyes. She knew she could not ease the pain you felt. You had been treated like an animal, you were hurt. "I'm so sorry my dear, I'm sorry" says neytiri as she bandages your wounds and strokes your hair. Kiri and tuk are by her side, comforting you. They shared your pain, they saw everything.

Neteyam was outside the mo'at hut, along with spider and loak. "See!!! I told you it was dangerous to be there!!!" said neteyam as he faced his brother. " Hey, I didn't force you guys to follow me, plus I had no idea this was going to happen!!!" loak tried to defend himself, but neteyam is furious. "Of course not, you never know anything. You risk everyone without thinking about the consequences. Look what they did to y/n. They almost…" "that's enough… we know." Spider interrupted neteyam. "guys calm down, I know what happened was horrible. But we're okay now." Neteyam looked back at spider, oh god… the anger in his eyes was horrible "you… don't go near y/n again, I want you away from her." He looks up and looks at his younger brother "and the same goes for you" Neteyam walked out towards the family hut.

Loak was silent at spider's side. Loak knew his brother was rationing his emotions, he knew how special you were to him. He knew he could ignore what he said, since you and Loak were best friends. But what he said to spider was serious. Neteyam liked spider, but he didn't like your relationship with him. Neteyam had a plan to take you as his mate, but once he heard how norm and Jake said that you and spider would make a good couple. And he wasn't sure if his mother would accept this. Neytiri loved you, but as her daughter. How would she react to telling her he loved you.

It was already evening, Jake entered the family hut. He found Neytiri cooking, you were lying on her chest, sitting on her lap. You were small, so Neytiri had no problem doing her chores with you on top of her. You were of adult age, but to Neytiri you were her precious child. Neteyam was at her mother's side helping her. Jake came over and stroked your head, you were asleep. "She's hurt," said Neytiri. "I know, it was something…" jake paused. "we have to get her out of here, her and our family". Neytiri looked at jake in surprise. "no, you're crazy… here is their home. They grew up here, you are toruk makto" neytiri is trying not to scream, but she was getting flustered." But what's the use of being toruk makto, if those bastards want my family "Jake sits next to neytiri. "but jake where will we go?". Jake looked at neteyam, who was still there, right next to his mother." We'll find a place, we'll be fine. If we stick together everything will be fine."

It was already late and everyone was resting. Neteyam got up from his side, and lay down next to the front of you, he is inches away from your face. He loved how small you looked compared to him. Shit she has me under a spell, he said to himself. As he traces circles on your shoulder. Little did they know, this was his favorite time. Where you could be together, if only in silence. You opened your eyes and saw neteyam, he had a small smile plastered on his face, as he came up to kiss you on the lips. Everything was so quiet and with carefulness. They didn't want anyone to get up and see you guys. You laughed a little, you were still in low spirits. But knowing that neteyam was by your side, calmed your heart. "I'm so sorry ma y/n" neteyam spoke, as his fingers played on your waist, down to your leg. "Don't be like that…you were there. You took care of me ma neteyam" you placed your hand on his cheek. Neteyam relaxes and moves closer to you, as his tail wraps around your leg. You felt his breath on your face, they were so close. "someday… someday" said neteyam "yes, someday", you told him as you gave him another kiss on his lips. Someday you will be able to unite before eywa. But still not the time.

In the morning, tuk woke up earlier than the others, she turned to her left side to look for her older brother. Not seeing him, tuk took a seat and saw how his brother was lying right next to yours. Very close, very warm. She giggled a little and picked up Kiri, "What do you want? It's too early" kiri was trying to get up while wiping his eyes. "Look at that!!!" tuk pointed to the romantic scene between you and neteyam. "aha I knew it… spider owes me lunch." Tuk laughed a little and kiri got up to wake up her older brother, she knew this was secret. so they couldn't let their parents get up and see the romantic scene.

"hey get up!!!" kiri said as she moved her brother, neteyam got up startled. "i…this…is not what it looks like. Y/n had" kiri put his hand on his brother's mouth "shhhh your secret is safe with me" kiri said as he laughed a little. "That scares me."

"Hey!!!!" kiri and neteyam started to play, making you stand up. "hey, you two can shut up." Neteyam laid on top of you and gave you a kiss, while kiri made a disgusted face. The moment was interrupted when Jake started to get up. Everyone straightened up and acted natural or so they thought.

"family, everyone upstairs we need to talk." Jake said as everyone settled down. "What I'm going to say is something important and I want you all ready in 10 minutes." Said Jake stretching, knowing that the decision he was about to make was going to change his whole life.

My sweet tag list: @st4rrry @valeriinee @inutheangel @gielrmn @sloppierjewel @purple7theparty @itscheybaby @ssc7514 @namorslit @ducks118 @tpwkstiles @elli-aesthetics @nao-cchi @uselessbutinteresting @msjae @austynparksandpizza @gamorxa

(tag list is open, just let me know *3*)

p.s: Guys, do you mind if the reading is long? If I make it short, I feel I won't explain myself properly. Even in this one I summarized as much as I could. I hope you like it a lot. Soon part 3!!!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

just read the entirety of the kiss quotient while at work (it's a slow day) and now I have to wait 2 weeks for the sequel to be available on libby 🫠

listen it's SO worth it, the Kiss Quotient is sweet but by far the weakest of the series, Hoang REALLY blossoms as the series goes on. I can't wait to hear what you think of the Bride Test, I was so delighted and surprised by how much I liked it!

[mermaidsirennikita]

Any recs where the hero just takes care of the heroine? Like very Daddy in acts of service and what not doesn’t necessarily need to contain the kink explicitly but just one of those strong men who love to take care of their women?

Sure!

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas is obvi The Example.

But beyond that, I would say:

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang in that the hero is generally very much a caretaker in a very REAL man way, but also because there was a scene where he parallel parked for her and she got so hot over it and I did too

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy! The hero is very much a caretaker (while also being an emotionally messy widower). The heroine has ADHD (which I found well-done) and he initially pulls her into his Christmas mansion because she has nowhere to stay. I'd say they take care of each other, but it's definitely there.

Kate Clayborn heroes often come through on this level—I'd definitely recommend The Other Side of Disappearing has as strong (physically and emotionally) caretaker hero.

Kylie Scott heroes!!!! Omg. The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck has a heroine who's kind of messy and a hero who's kinda grumpy and buys her clothes with his black card and is like "SETTLE," which I love. End of Story has another somewhat surly hero who arrives to help the heroine work on her house, which... And then Deep is an oops baby book wherein the hero initially has a hard time with the news (lmao) but one he straightens up he's very authoritative about caring for the heroine.

Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield, obviously. Which DOES have them roleplay, but also has the lighter, more everyday stuff. And a big age gap.

If you're open to something on the darker side with MMF, I will once again recommend the ongoing Lyonesse series by Sierra Simone. Because all of Sierra's dom heroes take care of their partners, but Mark Trevena, for all that he's a ~villain in many ways, is suuuuch a caretaker. He's strict about aftercare, he cooks for Tristan and Isolde, there's the scene where he helps Isolde into her wedding shoes, there's the scene where he massages Tristan, he carries Isolde around like it's nobody's business (and to be very clear, Tristan is her bodyguard and also cares for her, but Mark cares for BOTH of them). I think that with him you feel the WEIGHT of caretaking but it's also so tender. I was rereading this morning and she's literally like "I'm tired" at a party after... things happen... and he's immediately like "ARE YOU OKAY? DID I HURT YOU?" after being so cold to everyone else lol.

The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan (direct sequel is Rebel King). THIS SO MUCH. Lennix is such a genuinely strong heroine as well, which makes the way Maxim cares for her so beautiful. And then at one point she gets to take care of him in a way I found delightful. Reel also has a great caretaking hero, especially important as the heroine has a chronic illness. He's also a movie director, and he's generally very authoritative which... yes.

This is a dark romance, but in King's Captive by Amber Bardan the hero takes care of the heroine... And it's kinda weird.... Because she's been kept captive on his private island lol.... But I just have a vivid memory of the way he cared for her. And him cooking steaks.

Managed by Kristen Callihan has a wound-tight hero who takes care of EVERYONE and gets all huffy about the hero's resistance to him MANAGING her.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang has an amazing caretaker hero. He's very affirming, he cooks, he loves to tailor things, he also gets AGGRESSIVE in the right situations...

Alright, some more....

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley. Of course. Hart is growly and aggressive and a general menace, but he's also like. Everyone's dad. But Eleanor's DADDY. Will never forget the scene in a book that wasn't even theirs, introducing the fact that they'd been together in the past with him being like "You and your dad need rent money?" and before she could refuse him, tucking cash into her bodice lmao.

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley. The Sound of Music if Captain Von Trapp was a Scottish lawyer with only two (horrible but great) kids and Maria was a street urchin who was stalking him before he hired her.

Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway. This is an amnesia book where the hero conks his head, wakes up, doesn't know anyone, and is like "wait I'VE ONLY BEEN BANGING MY WIFE ONCE A WEEK???" Pre-amnesia, Adam is a (hot) but restrained PROVIDERRRRR which is one type of caretaking. Post-amnesia, he's full everything caretaker as soon as possible. And a great dad.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe. BUT OFC. Lockwood has approximately no money, but he still wants to take Nellie out to eat (and then take her back home to eat), and to swan her about and take care of her. "I'm keeping you, Eleanor" PLEASE.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. All Galen wants to do is buy Hester things and take care of her and swan her about town and line his carriage with indigo fabric (because he calls her "ma petite Indigo". Truly one of THE BIGGEST CARETAKER HEROES EVER.

Lorraine Heath heroes often do caretaking. Waking Up with the Duke comes to mind, The Earl Takes All, Between the Devil and Desire, The Duke and the Lady in Red, The Duchess Hunt... most of them, tbh.

[dhaaruni]

Contemporary Romance Books/Series to Adapt Post It Ends With Us

Sex, Love & Stiletto (series) by Lauren Layne: the fourth and final book in this series, The Trouble With Love might just be my favorite contemporary of all time

Off-Campus (series) by Elle Kennedy: I don't like New Adult on principle but like, you have to understand that Garrett Graham is dreamy

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang: This book manages to be poignant without getting depressing which is a delicate balance!

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa: I love an enemies-to-lovers where the main couple genuinely loathes each other and not just for professional rivalry reasons and this book hits the mark

You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria: I had a real telenovela phase and this book basically feels like a telenovela in the best way imaginable

[writerthreads]

10 enemies to lovers book recommendations

By Chatgpt because I don’t have enough recs sorry!!

1. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

This classic novel follows the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the proud Mr. Darcy as they navigate misunderstandings and societal expectations on their journey from initial disdain to true love.

2. "The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne

Lucy and Joshua are coworkers who share an intense mutual dislike. However, when they're up for a promotion, their relationship takes an unexpected turn, leading to a delightful romantic comedy.

3. "The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren

Olive and Ethan despise each other but are forced to go on a honeymoon trip together. This leads to a series of humorous mishaps and eventually a change of heart.

4. "The Kiss Quotient" by Helen Hoang

Stella, a successful woman with Asperger's, hires an escort, Michael, to help her gain more experience in romantic relationships. What starts as a business arrangement turns into something deeper.

5. "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

In this dark fantasy novel, Jude, a mortal girl, despises the wicked faerie prince, Cardan. But as she becomes embroiled in the treacherous world of the fae, her feelings for him become complicated.

6. "Red, White & Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston

Alex, First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry of Wales have a longstanding rivalry. After a public altercation, they're forced to fake a friendship, which turns into something much more.

7. "Vicious" by L.J. Shen

This steamy romance novel features enemies-to-lovers dynamics between a ruthless billionaire, Baron, and a young woman, Melody, who is determined to get her revenge.

8. "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me" by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa works as a personal assistant to a gruff football player, Aiden. Over time, their contentious relationship evolves into a deep and heartfelt love story.

9. "The Simple Wild" by K.A. Tucker

Calla heads to Alaska to reconnect with her estranged father, who's a pilot. She butts heads with Jonah, one of her father's employees, leading to a tumultuous and passionate romance.

10. "The Flatshare" by Beth O'Leary

Tiffy and Leon share a flat but never meet. They communicate through notes and slowly discover each other's lives, forming a unique connection that turns into a sweet love story.

[bisexualchrissycunningham]

Readers, I am on the verge of giving up on the romance genre. I need people to recommend books that I won't hate.

Please, I'm dying. I just wanna read cute stories about love without a bunch of regressive gender stereotypes or just straight-up abuse. Is that really so much to ask??? Anyway I'm gonna list things I love and hate about the genre and perhaps some of you kind people could make some suggestions based on that?

Romances I've liked: Emily Henry's Happy Place (I actually cried at this one!); Talia Hibbert's Get a Life, Chloe Brown; Evie Dunmore's A League of Extraordinary Women series; Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material; Casey MacQuiston's Red White and Royal Blue (although the politics in this one really turned me off the first time I read it); Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries series (a classic); Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (I love a romance that has a lovable cast of supporting characters and some other elements going on beyond the love story!); Jen Wang's The Prince & the Dressmaker

Stuff I hate in romance: Most enemies to lovers (cause the most recent wave of this trope is primarily men abusing women in some way, but if you've got a suggestion that isn't that, please tell me), when Being Tall is treated as a entire personality for men, generally men being So Large and women being So Smol cause it almost always leans into weird gender shit that makes me uncomfortable, super innocent virginal girls who are almost childlike being "corrupted" by mean fuckboys, the entire dark romance genre (are you seeing the trend about things I hate... lol), Instalove (Chanel Cleeton's Next Year in Havana was SO guilty of this)

Romances I disliked/DNF'd: Abby Jimenez's Part of Your World (the female lead was insufferable!); Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date (some of the character work was interesting but I just got bored with the story tbh); Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan's The Royal We (just SO boring but that's what I get for reading Will & Kate fanfiction); anything that started as R*ylo fic cause they, and Twilight before them, are basically the blueprint for what I find fundamentally un-romantic about a lot of romance (I might be willing to give something by Ali H*zlewood a try, as a few Booktubers I trust have said her writing has gotten better with each new book she's published BUT the word steminist is the most cringe thing I've ever heard so maybe not)

Romances that sound interesting but I've been burned so much I just don't know: Helen Hoang's the Kiss Quotient; Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare; Lyssa Kay Adams' The Bromance Book Club; Olivia Waite's The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series, Nisha Sharma's Dating Dr. Dil

Heeeelp.

[world-of-wales]

Okay I’m obsessed with the enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience/arranged marriage/ fake dating trope

Recommendations please 🙏

Here you go anon, sorry it took me some time to answer this. I had to open my laptop to get my book lists. A lot of the books have overlapping tropes. If you want any other recs just send me a msg ♡

And most of these are okay and Clean books but a lot of them come with heavy stuff so please check your triggers before you dive into them.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS -

RWRB (Coz that started the whole boom Conversation) - Casey McQuiston

Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurim

Dance of Thieves - Mary E Pearson

Spanish Love Deception - Elena Armas

5 Rounds - Nikki Castle

Brutal Prince - Sophie Lark

To Hate Adam Connor - Ella Maise

Taste - Melanie Harlow

Eleanor & Grey (not exactly enemies to lovers but he's very grumpy and closed off) - Brittany C Cherry

From Lukov with Love - Mariana Zapaata

By a Thread - Lucy Score

Twisted Hate - Anna Huang

Until I get you - Claire Conttreras

Weak Side - SJ Sylvis

Grumpy Romance - Nia Arthurs

Rogue - Greer Rivers

The Summer We Fell - Elizabeth O Rourke

Beauty and the Baller - Isla Madden Mills

Things We never got over - Lucy Score

Mafia Royals (A LOT OF THEM) - Rachel Van Dyken

Heart Song Duet - Jennifer Hartmann

Crow - A Zaverelli

ARRANGED MARRAIGE / MARRAIGE OF CONVENIENCE -

Marraige for one - Ellas Maise

The Windsor Series (ongoing, 3 books out) - Catharina Maura

Terms and Conditions - Lauren Asher

The Penalty Box - Odette Stone

The Buff - Devney Perry

To Love Jason Thorn - Ella Maise

The Wall of Winnipeg - Mariana Zapaata

King of Wrath - Anna Huang

Forever after all - Catharina Maura

Twisted - Emily McIntyre

Fake Empire - CW Farnsworth (or Swansworth)

Sinners Anonymous - Somme Sketcher

First 3 books of Filthy Rich Americans Series - Nikki Sloane

Dark Succession - Katee Robert

Marraige Effect - Karla Sorenson

Beautifully Broken Redemption - Catherien Cowles

Duchess Deal - Tessa Dare

FAKE DATING -

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Cheat Sheet - Sarah Adams

Fix Her Up - Tessa Bailey

Addicted to You - Krista & Becca Richie

Hani and Ishu's guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jagirdar

Redeemed - Lauren Asher

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Overruled - Emma Chase

Play Fake - Maggie Rawdon

That Kind of Guy - Stephanie Archer

The Bodyguard - Katherine Center

The Boyfriend Candidate - Ashley Winstead

First Down - Grace Reilly

The Real Deal - Lauren Blakeley

Happy Place - Emily Henry

Foxe and the Hound - RS Grey

My Life in Shambles - Karina Halle

Twisted Lies - Ana Huang

Blind Side - Kandi Stiener

The Deal + The Risk - Elle Kennedy

Boyfriend Material - Alexis Mall

Faking with Benefits - Lily Gold

The Upside of Falling - Alex Light

Unfortunately Yours - Tessa Bailey

[girlsdads]

Hello! If you like to read, who's your favorite author of all time? What's your favourite book? If you don't like to read, can you recommend me a movie or a music album? :)

Hi anon! I’m really flattered that you thought to ask me for book recs 🥹 Hope you or someone finds this helpful!! 🫶

One of my favorite books of all time is actually a YA novel- A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. Love story with a ghostly twist. Changed my LIFE as a teen. Still holds up as an adult.

My fave from more recent years is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Period drama, Great Depression era, Dust Bowl. Strong female characters. Made me SOB.

My favorite series right now is definitely A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. These books are definitely hate them or love them. EYE personally love the world-building and storyline and hotsexy characters but what do I know 🙄 Would encourage haters to give em a chance.

Psychological Thrillers/Crime/Etc.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. FUCKED ME UP. BLEW MY MIND.

Survive the Night and Lock Every Door, both by Riley Sager. Easy reads, lots of suspense.

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Storytelling at its finest!!!! Anything by Lisa Jewell is perfect.

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund. Deeply chilling and so good. (cw sexual abuse of a minor)

Period Romance

Anything by Cat Sebastian. Most of her books are m/m but she’s got some variety. Tender bodice rippers. (Faves: The Soldier’s Scoundrel 😏, We Could Be So Good)

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. m/m. Fantastic Beasts vibes. Heart-achingly good.

Captive Prince trilogy by C S Pacat. The GOAT. m/m. (cw sexual abuse of minors, very dubious consent situations, sexual slavery)

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley. f/f. We love gay girlbosses in victorian era England.

Contemp. Romance

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. m/m. The Bachelor but give it a gay happy ending.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. m/f. “Practice sex.” Sizzling 🥵

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. m/m. Fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine, all the tropes.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon. m/f. Lots of banter, only one bed 😳

[rockislandadultreads]

Disability Pride Month: Genre Fiction Recommendations

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong.

Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the "reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist" and the "saga of the wicked woman and mad man" unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn't so predictable. Expect the unaccepted.

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

It's 1942 and Willowjean "Will" Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York's best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn't expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian's multiple sclerosis means she can't keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian's very particular art of investigation.

Three years later, Will and Lillian are on the Collins case: Abigail Collins was found bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball following a big, boozy Halloween party at her home—her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed.

But that's easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins—the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca's relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer's next target.

This is the first volume of the “Pentecost and Parker” series.

Borderline by Mishell Baker

A year ago, Millie lost her legs and her filmmaking career in a failed suicide attempt. Just when she’s sure the credits have rolled on her life story, she gets a second chance with the Arcadia Project: a secret organization that polices the traffic to and from a parallel reality filled with creatures straight out of myth and fairy tales.

For her first assignment, Millie is tasked with tracking down a missing movie star who also happens to be a nobleman of the Seelie Court. To find him, she’ll have to smooth-talk Hollywood power players and uncover the surreal and sometimes terrifying truth behind the glamour of Tinseltown. But stronger forces than just her inner demons are sabotaging her progress, and if she fails to unravel the conspiracy behind the noble’s disappearance, not only will she be out on the streets, but the shattering of a centuries-old peace could spark an all-out war between worlds.

No pressure.

This is the first volume of the “Arcadia Project” series.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

This is the first volume of the “Kiss Quotient” series.

[redheadgleek]

January 2024 books!

I had some vacation this month. I also had an entire week when I was stuck at home without internet due to the ice storm. So I read a lot, mostly very light, fluffy comfort read books.

What I read:

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher. A novella about war as experienced by goblins. As usual from a TK book, a little gory, a lot witty, with some fun characters.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I've read so little of Neil Gaiman's books and I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was quite inventive and I liked how the passing of time was framed.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. It's an odd experience reading a book written by a person who has died. He had a lot of mental health problems, and I'm so sad that the medical world failed him so much.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audiobook). I read the novella last year and have been wanting to read the whole series, but I had already forgotten details, hence the audiobook. It was a great way of seeing things through Murderbot's eyes. I just got the next book from the library, so that will be my next listen, I think.

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson. A very charming book about a woman who scandalized her hometown by writing a book about them. Reminded me a lot of L.M. Montgomery's short stories.

Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson. A book of poetry exploring love and family and gender. So much emotion packed into every poem. Truly lovely.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. I've also not read much of Sir Terry's and everybody has recommended the Tiffany Aching series. It was a lot of fun and had some very unique characters.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. This is not high fantasy, but when the frozen world was coming down around me, this was exactly the kind of escape fiction I needed.

Weyward by Emilia Hart. Three stories woven into one about generations of women who are witches. There wasn't anything that really unique about the book, but it had great atmosphere.

An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz. Not sure I should really count an 18 page essay as a book, but I enjoyed this perspective of the medical system from somebody experiencing complications.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. Okay, it mostly stretched credibility, but I enjoyed the banter between the love interests. And I especially liked the way the MC was dealing with her grandmother's dementia.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn. I enjoyed this one. I appreciated that while it was a "going home to the small town" trope, it also didn't paint that as solving all of the problems.

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver. I started reading this last year and it took me to finish. Some of the essays were gorgeous, some felt unfinished, and others felt like book reports.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang. I nearly DNF at 90% because I was so mad at the "chivalrous" macho possessive behavior of the male character. There was a lot of gender roles and conformity and casual (and not so casual) sexism throughout. Oh the other hand, the sex was plenty and pretty well described.

What I'm currently reading:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. My sister recommended this. I'm about half way through and it's a tale interweaving people from the past and the future. It's at a point where it feels like bad things are going to start happening, so I'm a touch anxious, but it's been excellent so far.

Poverty. by America by Matthew Desmond (audiobook). I'm an hour in and it's utterly horrifying and gutting.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It's a 20 year old book at this time and needs an update, but it certainly makes science understandable.

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.

The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Key. I remember reading this in high school and really liking it (while also feeling dirty because there was some swearing and a sex scene in it). This time though? It's obvious he's channeling Tolkien, the writing is painfully stilted and the premise is weak and I've found out that it's a sort of King Arthur retelling, so I'm just not sure about it.

What I plan on reading next:

Emily Wilde's Map of the Underworld, Tom Lake (audiobook), and The Starless Sea are next on my list, I think.

[pipperoni32-blog]

No one should need a diagnosis in order to be compassionate to themself.

— The Heart Principle

[lucas-koh]

2023 Fic Year In Review

Thank you for the tag @longbobmckenzie and @justtuesdays 💞

2023 was my fourth year posting litg fanfiction, and marks roughly eleven years since I started posting fanfiction in general!

In 2023, I…

Started/worked on the following chaptered WIPs:

The Kissing Handbook (Hamish/MC, The Kiss Quotient inspired AU)

Where The Tulips Bloom (Lucas/MC, childhood best friends to lovers. Didn’t post any of it but I’ve made significant progress and hoping to finish and resume posting in 2024)

Wrote/completed the following one shots:

Old Lovers in Laundry Rooms (Shannon/MC)

See You Soon (Roberto/MC)

Belladonna & Salt (Jake/MC)

Apple of Discord (Astaroth/MC)

Every Single Cut (Lucifer/MC)

Gold, (Lewie/MC)

Frankincense, (Bobby/MC)

and Myrrh (Hamish/MC) as the Three Wise Men series

Airplane Mode (Roberto/MC)

Letters to the North Polo (Levi/MC)

Wrote/completed the following chaptered fics:

Devil in Her Dreams (Lucas/MC)

Lavender Haze (Henrik/MC)

Reached the following milestones:

Over 1,000 total kudos

Over 400,000 total published words

Over 20,000 total hits

Whiskey on Your Lips reached 11,000 hits

Wrote ~190,000 words in 2023, published 118,046 words

I also:

Wrote for 9 different LITG LIs, and started publishing Heaven’s Secret fic where I wrote for 2 LIs

Posted two older tumblr exchange fics to Ao3

Read 35 new fics

Made a bunch of new fandom friends

I’m tagging @sparxaf @chroniccomicobsession @ellegreenwxy @logan-writes sorry if you’ve already been tagged!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Saw that you mentioned the bride test—have you read the kiss quotient? The premise is interesting to me but I’m worried it would be handled poorly so not sure if worth the read

I read it like several years ago on the recommendation of a friend, well before I was a regular romance reader. I think at the time some of it struck me as excessively cringey or awkward in ways that I wouldn't bat an eye at now, just because I wasn't accustomed to the genre at the time? I do think it's still the weakest of the trilogy, but it's not uncommon at all for the first book of a series to be the least steady while the author figures out their shit so that's not really a huge criticism, I'm just not as enamored by it as I am by Bride Test and Heart Principle. it feels a bit more formulaic, comparatively, but it's still quite charming and I like how Huang writes sex, so it's still a thumbs up from me.

[mermaidsirennikita]

any recs with disabled heroines? Even with any scarring? I think I’ve read only a few both Lyndsay Sands and Cristina Dodd had a blind heroine (sands she’s not completely blind) and for scarring there Again the Magic (ult fav) and some Highlander book by Maya Banks. I was wondering if you knew anymore? We get varying heroes (though “plus sized” heroes are never written 😭) but never heroines.

You know what dude, this is a really good point. Why don't we see as many disabled heroines indeed. Lol I've never read a canonically bipolar heroine, fwiw.

(The answer is Bad.)

So, recs I have:

Charissa Weaks's excellent Witchwalker series, starting with The Witch Collector. There are several POVs and couples, but the MAIN MAIN heroine, Raina, does not speak with her voice. She was born that way, she speaks with sign language (the author, I believe, has a personal connection to sign at least) and it's a big part of the series, actually. I really like it, and one of the things that makes her have an initial connection with the hero, who she hates because of who he is, is that he can speak her specific sign language. So she knows someone she knows taught him.

The heroine of A Holly Jolly Ever After by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy has narcolepsy, which, among other things, has helped her parents have this kind of like... suppressive, really rough control over her. And the book is about her breaking out of that!

The Convenient Engagement by Emily K. Murdoch wasn't for me, but not because it was bad... The heroine in that book only has one hand. I believe she was born without the other.

The heroine of Lorraine Heath's The Outlaw and The Lady is blind. It's hugely plot important, actually. This book definitely has a very dated plot point, I will say, that I think was very well-intentioned for the time lmao but.... EEEEEEH. It's one of those books where I'm like, "Damn, this is well-written, but this one thing makes me not recommend it often". But otherwise it was very good.

Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt has Phoebe, who is blind. Truly an excellent book, and if you read Maiden Lane you see Phoebe several times before her own book, and you see her progressive vision loss until she's where she is in this novel.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert has a heroine who suffers from chronic pain. It's kept her from getting out there, until she's finally like "fuck it" and enlists her hot neighbor to help her.

The heroine of Kennedy Ryan's Reel has lupus, which I'm pretty sure she gets diagnosed with over the course of the book. It's pretty emotional, and I felt like it was handled well (as someone who doesn't have lupus, to be clear).

Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks (not the one you mentioned above lol, which is Never Seduce a Scot) has a scarred heroine. How she got her scar is very traumatic, so TWs all over for SA, but this was a really good hurt/comfort romance.

The Duke Redemption by Grace Callaway has a scarred heroine (it's a gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast book) but I'm not gonna lie... I get it... BUT HER SCAR DOESN'T SOUND THAT BAD LMAO

In terms of more chronic illness/federally recognized disability (in the US) content, the heroine of Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood has diabetes, which is plot important.

Neurodivergent heroines:

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner has two heroines, one with ADHD and one with (as we later find out) autism.

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard is a historical romance with a heroine who has ADHD, I think...? But it's not recognized in the moment, obvi. I THINK. It might've been the hero. I know it's one of them. Now I'm self-doubting.

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy has a heroine with ADHD.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert has an autistic heroine and an autistic hero.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang has an autistic heroine.

Hyacinth by S.M. LaViolette has a neurodivergent heroine who I BELIEVE is meant to be read as having autism (this is a historical and a favorite of mine).

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese. A contemporary Much Ado About Nothing retelling with a heroine on the spectrum. (The hero might be too, actually.)