Dear Reader;
The last half of 2021 proved to be an especially busy time, and although I found lots of time to read, I didn’t find time to blog. I posted a series of tweets (@CanLitRomance) signal boosting the CanLit Romance books that I’d loved and hadn’t blogged about at the end of the year, thinking that I would have time in early 2022 to properly blog.
Ha hahahaaaaaaa! Yeah, no.
Instead, I’m expanding my tweets with this post. In June.
I love each and every book I mention, they were a hug for my pandemic-and-life-in-general weary heart. If I don’t wax romantic about some it’s largely due to the fact that it’s been several months (or a year, now) since I read the book, and I can’t remember the details to wax romantic about it. Those fond feelings remain, it’s just that the details are fuzzy, and this is why I am an avid re-reader.
Each section is author-specific, in alphabetical order by last name. Cheers to your TBR pile!
Vivian Arend: The entire Six Pack Ranch series (12 books*). Thanks to Zoe York for the rec and Kobo Plus for existing. It was with this series that I really, really got my need-to-read back into high gear in July 2021. These are not standalones, each book weaves various stories throughout so that although one romance is the highlight, other characters’ stories are just beginning or strengthening. I think you could easily read them out of order, but if you want the full story you have to start at the beginning. I’m looking at the list of titles and trying to choose some highlights, but it’s really hard! Haven, Shelter and Freedom immediately stand out in my memory. I think this means I have to read them all again, right?! Also: Rocky Mountain House is a real place in Alberta, which I didn’t know until my friend told me that her in-laws used to own a ranch there. And they say Romance isn’t realistic. HA!
*11 books. I skipped Rocky Mountain Angel because from the description I could tell that it wasn’t for me at the time. I’ll circle back to it eventually.
Vivian Arend: Borealis Bears, Takhini Shifters (audiobooks). It had been a long time since I’d read any paranormal Romance (other than Nalini Singh), and these books were a fun re-entry. I love that Vivian tackles tough subject matter without going into so much detail that I fall off the emotional cliff and can’t climb back up.
Vivian Arend’s Heart Falls series (plural): A Rancher’s Heart; A Rancher’s Song; A Rancher’s Bride, The Cowgirl’s Forever Love; The Cowgirl’s Secret Love. Obviously I’m a new VA fan for life and am just making my way through her entire back list with no regret (and no end in sight, hooray!). Heart Falls connects with Six Pack Ranch, but you don’t have to read one to enjoy the other. I do recommend starting with Six Pack Ranch then heading into the various Heart Falls series. Again, I can’t choose favourites, I love them all. I have no idea how Vivian keeps track of all of these stories, but she’s brilliant!
Ainsley Booth + Sadie Haller: Retrosexual. Dear Reader, I need to confess. This wasn’t the first time I’d read this set-in-Canada novella. ‘Twas neither the second. It was the THIRD TIME. I love it. Mature couple, reigniting the spark with some role play? Sexy times? TRUE LOVE? Just read it. Do it. You’re welcome.
‘Nathan Burgoine: Handmade Holidays (audiobook). This Ottawa-based time-lapse tale follows friendship and love across many years. I cried, Dear Reader, I cried. And laughed (let me tell you that the joke about Barhaven LANDED), and swooned. I am actually typing this to you while still on the floor from where I melted upon finishing it four months ago. Love it. Narrator Giancarlo Herrera is at the top of my faves list with Angela Dawe and Jennifer Ikeda. Wow. Village Blend is calling my name on my Kobo right now: tea AND Romance ‘Nathan Burgoine-style? Yes, please!
Cathryn Fox: The Playmaker. I’m always looking for hockey romance and this was a lovely audiobook. I liked the playful push-and-pull between Cole and Nina, and how careful they are with each other. Really beautiful. And any book in which one of the characters is a Romance writer immediately has my attention (please comment with recommendations!).
Farah Heron: The Chai Factor. I blogged about this one, but I wanted to mention it again, because it’s worth mentioning again and again! I’m so looking forward to Accidentally Engaged and it creeps higher up on my TBR every day, to my delight. I am reading her YA, Tahira In Bloom, at the time of this post, and I’m in love with that one, too.
Jenny Holiday: Paradise Cove. I knew this book was going to be Heartbreak City going into it, and decided that if I was going to ugly cry my feelings out at #PandemicLife, I might as well do it with Romance, and this was just what Dr. Nora ordered. If you’re looking for a way to explore grief in a gentle manner with the promise of an HEA, this book is for you. Really, this book is for everyone. I admit, I thought this one might be too heavy for me, and that’s the last time I’ll doubt Jenny Holiday. (So, you’re saying I should read it? Understood!)
Helena Hunting: Kiss My Cupcake; Meet Cute (audiobook); A Kiss For A Kiss. Helena is one of my favourite authors, and these books were on brand. Kiss My Cupcake is a funny enemies-to-lovers that really goes all in, in terms of the “enemies” part. Blair has a kinder heart than I do, but I am also older with much fewer fucks to give these days, and I hate April Fools day, so that might explain why I held her in high regard for taking Ronan’s prank war in stride. Moving along to the next book, this was a re-read of Meet Cute, this time in audiobook fashion after Editor Maria read it and praised the narration for days. She was right (of course)! I love this book. Beware: it sounds like it could be a romcom, but it’s not a romcom; Helena is so good at marrying angst with a lighter touch to the point that I’m not afraid to follow her down any angsty Romance plot (stares pointedly at Little Lies). And then there is my beloved A Kiss For A Kiss: forever a favourite for the swoony hugs alone! I adore that Hannah and Jake are in their 40s, have grown kids, have established careers, have to work out a long-distance relationship and so many other struggles. THE FEELS IN THIS BOOK. I’ve already re-read it. Love.
Marie Landry: Hung Up On You. Cuteness OVERLOAD! This slow burn friends-to-lovers was such a delight because first they became friends on the page, and usually that part of the story is established by the time we get to Chapter One. Such a cozy read. Highly swoony and sexy in a slow-burn swoony-then-sexy way (a.k.a. the best way) (kidding! all the swoony and sexy ways are the best ways however they happen). I MUST read more Marie Landry (cue TBR pile falling over)!
Jackie Lau: Her Big City Neighbor and Her Pretend Christmas Date (audiobooks). Victor is grumpy, Amy is sunshine, and together they are so freaking cute that I just can’t EVEN. I did not want to press pause on this book at all, which didn’t surprise me given my infinite love for The Ultimate Pi Day Party. Then, in Her Pretend Christmas Date, Tom plays the role of Charlotte’s pretend boyfriend for Christmas and THE GINGERBREAD COMPETITION lmao! As always, totally starving while reading Jackie’s books. Note to self: must stock excellent snacks. And can we take a moment to appreciate Jackie’s title choices? To the point, cheeky, tropey goodness.
Rosanna Leo: A Good Man; An Irresistible Force; A Reluctant Attraction. Powerful emotional journeys that didn’t completely destroy me. A balm for my sad soul, right when I needed it. And hot. So hot. Not even mad that I didn’t start this series until all three books were available so I could binge read. The series is set in various southern Ontario areas, GTA and Muskoka if I recall correctly. Nothing I recognized (I used to live in Toronto and stuck to my general neighbourhood, as one does), but that just means I need to do some more southern Ontario travelling. Oh my gosh, I should do a CanLit Romance book location tour…oh EDITOR MARIAAAAAA!!! WE ARE GOING ADVENTURING NEXT YEAR!
Note from Editor Maria: OMG! WHEN? I’ll drive so that you can write it all down!
Alyson McLayne: Highland Thief. I started reading The Sons of Gregor MacLeod series when it debuted, and it has been a wonderful visit to the Highlands each and every time. Each novel contains a bit of mystery, a Highlander found-family bond, and of course everything Highlander Romance readers love about Highlander Romance. I was so sad that this series was over, but it sounds like we’re going to get a bonus novel!
Melanie Moreland: Bentley; Aiden; Maddox (audiobooks). I love that each book contains, in addition to Toronto and swoony romance: Feelings! Action! Drama! Mystery! Looking forward to reading the rest in the Vested Interest series. Many thanks to all the readers out there who recommended this series to me anytime they heard that I love it when Romance is set in Canada.
K.D. Richards: Pursuit of the Truth. I used to read Harlequin books voraciously and I clearly need to get back into that habit. I love the intrigue, I love Nadia’s fashion, I love Nadia and Ryan’s chemistry and I love that they didn’t rush things, but didn’t super slow-burn either. Love! I found another K.D. Richards book at the grocery store a few weeks ago and snapped that up without even reading the back cover.
Melanie Ting: Snowballed. It should be SnowBAWLED because I sobbed while reading, in between swooning and laughing. Another book that examines grief and takes the reader along for the ride. This one did wreck me a bit, but put me back together in a timely manner. Look forward to the many goat antics. Make that goats, PLURAL! Melanie’s ability to dedicate a good portion of the story to technical hockey talk at a high level without sounding like a textbook is phenomenal. LOVE this book!
This concludes the alphabetically-by-author-last-name ordered list of What I Read This Year But Didn’t Blog About for 2021. My heartfelt thanks to all the Romance authors out there, CanLit or otherwise: I would be lost without you.
Love From,
The True North
P.S. I’m aware that my reading list isn’t nearly as diverse as it could be, particularly in regards to LGTBQ+ and Indigenous authors and stories. I strive to do better.
P.P.S. If you have a few dollars and would like to contribute to the website fees for the directory, please buy me a kofi, thank you!
HEA Canada: A CanLit Romance Hub 