I watched this Tiktok video (link at the end of post) by an author named Nicole McKeon and it has made me realise that maybe it's not romance as a genre I don't like and choose not read, but it's because there is no yearning in the way she has described it in Pride and Prejudice (there are spoilers if you're reading this).

For those that are more well versed in romance, historical romance, I would love some recommendations to add to my TBR because I have honestly brushed off any romance recommendations because I felt that I was just not a "romantic" person or I find "romantic grand gestures" and "enemies to lovers" tropes too cheesy to be enjoyable. Maybe I'm just not reading the kinds of romance that I like.

For example, I like Rin and Nezha's relationship across the Poppy War trilogy, and Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Aragorn and Arwen in LOTR, and Elphaba and Fiyero in Wicked.

I'll link the video below, but know that you can click on the link and I've removed all tracking from the url, so you won't know my username and I won't know yours (X has watched your video). You can also find her directly her handle on Tiktok is: @nicolemckeon_author and as of today (9/12/26) it's the 1st video next to her pinned one.

Link:https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolemckeon_author/video/7581555898410159374

Edit: Thank you all for commenting and making recommendations! I will get around to responding to your engaging and well thought out comments soon. For those interested, I have created a public shelf for all the recommendations, so you can add them to you own collection.

loveislikebread's Romantic Endeavours bookshelf

How many books do you read at the same time? And how many is to much? 🤣 Most of the time I read up to four books at a time, switching between them, depending on my mood. I must say that I almost never read two books of the same genre at the same time. Otherwise I will mix up stories. 🥲

I am not a fan of deckled edges. I turn pages from the side and they cause problems for me. (I can't seem to get in the habit of turning the page from the top.) So... I chopped them off. I work in a printing & graphics department and we have this big industrial paper cutter that can cut a whole ream of paper in one slice. So I put in my paperback and chopped off the deckled edges. It came out wonderfully! Looks like it was published this way. It does have French flaps that I had to reposition, but a new fold took care of that quite well. I'm pleased as punch. 😊

Does anyone have any good books to recommend reading during a midlife crisis? Reflective books about changing identity or getting comfortable with different life roles? Generally geared to an audience of 40+ years? Fiction or non-fiction.

I wonder if this app has the age range for this type of question, ha.