Smutathon Wrap-up

Let's talk, like real talk...reading romance novels is still taboo. I'm not sure why though. Whenever I hear my fellow readers say "oh, I'm not big on reading romance" but they ship characters left and right I'm like where's the disconnect.

Image Credit- America's Next Top Model Tenor

Do you think romance is cheezy, insta love, no plot, or character development stories where the only focus is to be in a relationship? Well, I would like to say the romance genre has developed and so should your thinking. Yes, I'm scolding you :|

Now, that we've gotten that out of the way, I want to share that I participated in Round 2 of Smutathon. What is Smutathon? I'm happy you asked!!! Smutathon is a week long readathon where the focus is to read adult romance. What I loved about this readathon is one, trying to remove the stigma surrounded around this genre and two the expansive nature of romance i.e. sub genres. Yah, girl didn't even realize there were so many sub genres; even though I've always enjoyed romance. As, I was combing through thousands of optoins I was reminded about my reading tastes. The HEA is not the ultimate goal, but rather strong storytelling with a focus of how the relationship is actually handled. This distinction is important on whether or not I will like the book.

So what did I read for the week? Here's my TBR.

I was intentional about my selections. It was important for me to read diversely and to select books from up and coming authors or indie authors. As you can see, overall I had a great week. I didn't get to two books, which I hope I will get to read before the year's end.

Side note: the 2 star book felt like a novella, not a novel. The pacing felt rushed, like Jackson was moving from one scene to another without really developing the story. Even when the characters were in different countries some of which I've visited seemed one dimensional and as the reader I had to fill in the blanks. With all that aside, the story was still fun and I would pick up another book from this author.

My two favorite books from the week were It's not Just Semantics and Duke by Default. In both cases, the female characters were working through their own personal struggles and the relationship itself was a companion story line. I loved the focus on independence and the renegotiation of independence as the relationships developed. This approach to writing relationship dynamics is why I encourage everyone to read ROMANCE!!!!

If you participated in Smutathon, tell me what did you read. I'm curious to find out how you selected your TBR.

Until the Weekend!