Library, Jessica!! They’ve probably got all the Tessa Dare books!

My library's Overdrive account has a bunch of Dare's books, most with waiting lists. Any recommendations for which ones to get in line for?

The only romance authors I read that are writing in a modern setting are Jasmine Guillory and Lucy Parker. Parker usually uses the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it's fun.

Bennett, I would start with either the Spindle Cove books, or the Once Upon a Castle books. Both are fantastic. Her earlier stuff is a little less polished, and her latest series is probably in demand.

Thanks muchly, Any.

Tessa Dare is amazing. I love ALyssa Cole and Sarah MacLean as well.

Do the books have more...plot than the show?

I would say less plot...

Yeah, Shonda introduced some extra complications that were welcome. Although I now think that some of the "extra" in the first season was sort of backstory for what will happen in future seasons - backstory that was not really in the books but fits ok into what was. So I can kind of see how making it into a TV series seemed like a good idea, taking the Fantasy Regency that's there and playing around with it a little.

Having progressed a little farther in the series, I will say that the series structure is pretty clever (which may be why I feel compelled to keep reading). The Lady Whistledown thread goes on for four books and the ones after that are kind of interleaved in time which is interesting, and there are callbacks to previous books and familiar characters pop in to have a pivotal conversation with the current hero, etc. It's not a long arc but it's something.

I think my main objection is that her romantic heroes all seem very the same and are not my cup of tea. Not even an objection it's all just, you know, fine. Very in the okay zone. I can take it or leave it. Except that apparently I have to read the next one and the next one. I'm grateful that it is a complete series and I will actually be done with it, I think.

I will have to check out Tessa Dare, that sounds fun. I think I may have seen Spindle Cove and Once Upon a Castle in my recommendations.

I think I'm more likely to read historical romance than modern, I will have to think about why. There may not be a reason other than that is what I have stumbled upon.

My other issue with modern vs historic is I'm more able to suspend disbelief, with historic. Even if I know something isn't quite historically accurate, I don't have the lived experience to say "Oh my god OF COURSE she wouldn't ride in a barouche with him! This story is completely impossible!" or whatever. Whereas in modern stuff I'm like "WHO DOES THAT? Who talks like that?" (though I do remember treasuring Jasmine Guillory's first book the name of which I'm blanking on, because I was so thrilled that it sounded so real, so much like stuff that people I know would actually say or text, when in a new relationship or flirting with someone)

Yeah, the “who does that?!” factor will take me out of a lot of stories and it makes sense that would be more glaring in contemporary stuff.

Jasmine Guillory’s people are so plausible, I love her books. The Wedding Date? I think that was first. So delicious.

I haven’t dated since the 1990s, so my reaction to unexpected things in contemporary romances is more like, “Huh. I wonder is that’s a thing that happens.” I’m going through a queer historical phase right now (KJ Charles et al), so that’s fun.