Pandemic Reading | Romance Edition

Yall. COVID really messed me up.

No, I don’t mean I had COVID (although I’m pretty sure that super nasty bug I had in January that wouldn’t go away was actually COVID 😩)

I mean it messed me up mentally.

Here were all these people talking about “I’m going to be so creative” or “I’m going to learn a new skill” or my all-time favorite (HATED) was “You should come out of this with a hustle or side business.” 

Real talk: Fuck hustle culture.

Because the last thing that I wanted to do was be creative. My mind and body were paralyzed. I didn’t even watch new movies or catch up on tv episodes that I didn’t have time for. I watched things I had already seen before because I knew how it was going to end.

And that’s when I realized I had COVID depression. As in I’m depressed and mourning my old life because things were going to be forever changed. 

And frankly, I wanted to sit in that for a while.

But then one day the cable and internet went out for a whole day (which is like a horror movie this day in age) and I rediscovered my old faithful and first love: reading.

That’s right before I threw myself into network tv drama (I still wouldn’t have picked Pacey Joey!) and superhero movies, reading was my number one.

I used to spend hours reading. When I was younger, my happy place was the public library downtown. My rule for buying a purse was that it had to fit a paperback book because I always carried one wherever I went. I read when I woke up. I read myself to sleep. I read in the middle of the day. Hell, my first job was at a bookstore and I would read on my lunch break. Growing up I used to get in trouble for reading too much. That’s what level I was on.

And somehow over the years between adulting and working I basically just stopped reading. Like not cold turkey. I would pick one up every now and then. But there was a time I could read 50+ books a year easily. Now I’m lucky if I can get 2 in.

I’ve tried to get back into reading over the years by setting a completely unattainable goal in the Goodreads app every year. But this year I decided I was going to be serious about the goal by setting it super low. Only 20. Like that’s low but let me tell you in my previous busy life, it was going to be a struggle.

And you know what COVID did for me? It made me slow down. And actually read a fucking book. Because what else was I going to do?

First, I downloaded the public library app. Cause as much as I hate eBooks, I settled for easy access. Because a girl has goals yall. 

Second, I went through my Goodreads app and checked my Want to Read shelf. Because while I haven’t been reading books I have become a pro at adding books to that list.

Third, I went to the bookstore and bought some goddamn books.

Lastly, I’m going to let you all in on a secret: I love romance. Books, movies, tv. You name it. And I am cynical AF. But fictional romance? I AM HERE FOR IT.

And here we are. On November 2nd I have successfully read 18 contemporary romance novels. And guess what? I ain’t COVD depressed no more.

So here’s the part where I share with you my favorite romance reads of COVID 2020 in hopes that you will read them, and we can kiki about it together.

The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory

Okay, this is the series that got me on a role. I came across The Wedding Date on Goodreads and said what the hell, I’ll give it a try. And extra bonus it was on the library app. 

And yall, it was cute as hell. It’s just fun and lighthearted. A super easy read made to immerse you and forget your troubles for a while. And I loved it so much I’m currently reading book #4 in the series with plans to finish #5 before the year is over.

The author Jasmine is a black woman and the main characters in the books are all women of color. Be still my swooning HEA heart! (That’s Happily Ever After nerds.)

I honestly want to tell you more about what the books are about, but I also just want you to take my word for it and read it.

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

Here’s another Goodreads rec. And a library app win!

YALL. How did I luck up and find ANOTHER book where the author is a person of color and the main character is a black woman. And a badass boss woman at that. 

Long story short Rhiannon Hunter is the creator of a popular dating app (Get it? Right Swipe?) and the love interest Samson is working for the rival dating app. You can guess the rest.

This book basically made me become an Alisha Rai fangirl and I wanted to read anything she wrote. Be forewarned, I went to check out her back catalog of books and it’s a whole lotta Erotica that I don’t think yall ready for. (Spoiler alert: I read them all. 😇)

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Alas! A real paper book this time. Not gonna lie, the cover and title of this one caught my eye in the bookstore.

In a very untraditional romance novel, the main character is a super famous baseball player who is trying to win back his wife who he recently separated from. 

And when his other teammates find him on the floor of a hotel drunk on the floor, they decide to let him into their secret club: The Bromance Book Club. That’s right, all these players have also gone through marital woes. And they discovered how to fix their marriages by taking notes from romance novels to understand the female mind and what they are doing wrong. That’s right, the answer has always been in the books folks.

I truly enjoyed this unconventional romance and look forward to reading the other books in the series.

So that’s it! Are you a closet romance freak like I am? Trust me, my soul feeds on sarcasm and cynicism. But nothing beats a good ole fashion HEA. 

Tell me what you’re reading, and I’ll add to my list. Only 2 more books to go to make my goal for the year. But just maybe I can go over. (overachiever at heart!)