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Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert

Sexy, Diverse Romance

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Radical Romance Novels: Why your Hot Take Stinks

February 14, 2019 by Talia 4 Comments

Some people believe that Valentine’s Day is a holiday of love. Those people are wrong.

Valentine’s Day is actually dedicated to poorly-written and uninformed hot takes on the romance genre, a fact proven year after year when otherwise respectable publications allow reductionist, often misogynistic ramblings to grace their platforms. I would like to take a moment to remind the editors of said publications that ‘hot’ does not necessarily equal ‘worthwhile’. Horse leavings tend to steam, but I wouldn’t recommend smearing them across your desk.

In 2019, it is deeply fashionable to be ‘woke’ but rather distasteful to attempt meaningful action. Performing supposedly conscientious behaviour (such as calling romance novels antifeminist) is the Internet’s favourite form of virtue signalling. Actually disrupting an oppressive status quo, however, tends to land marginalised people in a world of trouble.

Because of this disconnect, I frequently fantasise about apocalypses, revolutions, and other dramatic, YA-worthy events hitting ‘reset’ on society. In these fantasies, I am extremely strong and have impressive survivalist skills which allow me to triumph when society collapses. Also, my skin looks extra shiny and I never run out of Fenty Gloss Bomb.

A birds-eye view of a black person's crossed legs as they sit in bed with breakfast and a book
(Comfortably) fighting the good fight.

But until the highly improbable, Fenty-branded revolution comes, we all do what we can. And for so many romance authors, ‘what we can’ is an impressive amount.

Contrary to popular (or rather, loudest) opinion, romance has been putting in work. It’s a wildly profitable genre dominated by marginalised people choosing how to express their desires—so it’s no surprise that, in 2019, romance is a leading light when it comes to diverse and meaningful representation in literature. That’s not enough to make it unequivocally radical (nothing completely escapes the poison of society’s ingrained prejudices) but it’s a fact that matters.

And today, rather than whining about “omg 80s bodice-rippers!!1!”, I want to celebrate the romance novels that are radical; the ones doing their bit to help effect change. Time to spread a little (respectful and consensual) love…

 

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

Why it’s Rad

Ms. Jenkins is a trailblazer in every meaning of the word, and if you don’t know, you better get to know. I could’ve put any of her books on this list, but Forbidden is the first in my favourite of her series, so here we are. We’ve got a white-passing hero, a black heroine who is honestly tougher than steel (without those harmful ‘strong black woman’ stereotypes that make us seem like an alien species made to be abused) and a fascinating question. Can the benefits of ‘passing’ in order to help your people ever outweigh the personal cost?

 

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Why it’s Rad

In this Peter Pan retelling, ‘Wendy’ is actually a transgender boy named Peter, and Neverland is his escape from a dangerously transphobic world. Yeah. Sit with that for a second. I’m tempted to gush about how incredibly, bone-deep beautiful this book is—I could close my eyes right now and see Neverland before me—but I’m supposed to keep this snappy, so… Peter falls for Hook, Hook isn’t exactly what he seems, and their very queer ending made my heart wobble. Oof.

 

Feels Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

Feels Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

Why it’s Rad

We have a prickly heroine who engages in casual sex, a realistic look at the struggles some wombles (that’s a person with a womb, not a furry, recycling fanatic) go through, and a hero who is actually helpful when period blood gets everywhere. Oh, and did I mention that period blood gets everywhere? Just like in real, nightmarish life? Hallelujah.

 

Thirsty by Mia Hopkins

Thirsty by Mia Hopkins

Why it’s Rad

I have attempted to read a lot of books that deal with gangs and/or organised crime. I have DNF’d 99% of them, because this isn’t edgy trauma porn for me. But THIRSTY’s first-person, single-POV examination of an ex-con’s worries, choices, and struggle to start over is just fantastic. Sal is a wonderfully real and respectfully drawn character.  He’s also a painfully perfect mix of sweet and sexy, and he adores his heroine, Vanessa, which all adds up to one of my favourite romance novels ever.

If I’d included every book that deserves to be on this list, I’d never finish writing any of my own. (There are too many rad romance novels to count, is what I’m saying here.) But, for the benefit of those who want to explore this wonderful genre, here’s a list of my favourite authors, excluding those mentioned above:

Alisha Rai

Alyssa Cole

Cole McCade

Courtney Milan

E.E. Ottoman

Em Ali

Jackie Lau

Jeannie Lin

Jude Lucens

KJ Charles

Katrina Jackson

Kit Rocha

Lydia San Andres

Melissa Blue

Mia West

Rebekah Weatherspoon

Roan Parrish

Savannah J. Frierson

Shira Glassman

Suleikha Snyder

Therese Beharrie

Vanessa Riley

Keep clickin’ til you see something you like. Now, I don’t want to hear another uninformed, reductionist peep out of any of youse. Not! A! Peep!

Love and biscuits,

Talia xx

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Filed Under: Books I Love, Thoughts and Feels Tagged With: Valentine's Day

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    February 14, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    Talia,
    I love your books and I love your recommendations. I can’t tell you how many books you have turned me on to, especially written by women who one way or another, are pushing the envelope. There are at least six on this list to add to my tbr pile, and that doesn’t count adding your audiobooks. Happy days. Love the new website.

    Reply
    • Talia says

      February 20, 2019 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Kathy,
      Thank you so much! I’m so, SO happy to hear this. Next to writing and reading, recommending books is my greatest pleasure and number one hobby! I love to spread the love! Thanks again, and happy reading <3

      Reply
  2. BrandanWH says

    March 24, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    I read Thirsty not too long ago and wondered why I wanted take it off my TBR pile. It was a angsty and sexy and just like Beverly Jenkins, Ms Hopkins know her way around a sex scene!

    Reply
    • Talia says

      March 25, 2019 at 1:28 pm

      It’s so stunning! And yes, you’re right there, haha!

      Reply

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📣SALE ALERT📣 

How exciting, #GetALifeChloeBrown is a Kindle Goldbox selection and for today only the ebook is on sale for $1.99 🎉🙏🏾 

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The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is out today and it is a serious banger. This book shot directly into my KJ Charles Top 3 (alongside Any Old Diamonds and An Unsuitable Heir, obviously). It has: 

- secret identities!

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- also “I’m just a daft sad boi with abandonment issues rambling around the countryside” energy!

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KJ is one of my absolute favourite romance authors and this book encapsulates all the reasons why. Enjoy 😘

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If you’re wondering what I put in my newsletters, the short answer is: chaos. The long answer: what I’ve written, what I’m reading (Casey McQuiston, amongst other things) and little anecdotes like this: 

My fiancé and I moved house this summer, and our new bedroom overlooks the garden. This was lovely when 'garden' meant 'nice rectangle full of flowers', but as winter descended and the flowers met a frosty end, I enjoyed it less.

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Um, no, Talia. That would be silly and extravagant and wasteful. There's no space in your small bedroom for that, and anyway, cut flowers don’t last, so there's no reason to have them in the first place.

Then I reminded myself that everything ends, and the 'experience' part that comes before is sort of... the whole point? 

So I tried something. 

I found a tiny vase, one that would take up no more space on my bedside table than a large mug. Next, I went to the local florist and asked for a single stem of little pink roses, and a single stem of baby's breath.

I cut them up and popped them in the vase. I was instantly delighted. This delight lasted about a week before they shrivelled, at which point I felt quite sad. Then I experienced the singular pleasure of fixing my own sadness on purpose by going out and buying tiny flowers again.

I've been doing this for over two months and it's still working! Sometimes I change up the flowers. My favourite combo right now is two big round-type blooms plus baby's breath. 

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You can grab this from @afterlightbooks and general sale starts 3pm GMT on the 2nd of March. But if you are a subscriber or you purchased the special edition Brown Sisters set, they’re holding a presale - details will be emailed out on the 22nd of February! Either way, make sure you get your copy 😘

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Happy Love Day, gang! I’m still in my “new year new me” era so I voluntarily left the house this month and it went quite well. I even found a few delights to show you: Dani & Zaf at my favourite library, a table of Brad & Celine at my local Waterstones, and some truly fantastic changing room graffiti. As you can probably tell, all this pleases me greatly.

Another thing that pleases me is how well #HSaUC fits the V Day aesthetic. Perfect. Chef’s kiss. What’s making you feel pink and sparkly lately? Let me know 💖

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