Rosie Danan is my favorite contemporary romance writer out there today, and Villain Edit is another excellent work of hers. What I love about her stories is that they feature complex female characters, not the easily likable sunshine heroines many associate with the genre. Instead, the heroines in Dana’s books might be prickly, or ambitious, characteristics frequently viewed negatively in women. Harper, the FMC in Villain Edit, is a career-oriented former reality TV producer (her and her boss reminded me of the main characters of the TV series UnREAL) who avoids relationships and is struggling with unemployment. Some could easily classify her as manipulative or cold, but she’s multilayered and interesting.

Same goes for the MMC, Gabriel, a vampire with lethal power who is actually starchy and a softie, not what you’d assume for a vampire hero. And the setting is an old folks’ community in Camarillo, and as a Southern California girl, I never expected my favorite outlets-and-Applebee’s road trip stop to have a starring role in a romance book, but here we are. The writing is superb, and the humor is smart. Villain Edit is amusing and sweet, and it’ll circumvent your expectations.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to my latest obsession. This is THE book to read this fall.

It’s got witchcraft, familiars, a demon, a love quadrangle, a New England college setting, secrets, and betrayals. It feels fresh and exciting. It’s definitely a bit weird.

This is contemporary paranormal fiction/fantasy, so don’t go expecting a happily-ever-after romantasy. There’s a toxic relationship at the center, and it’s heart-wrenching (think of the romance in The Favorites by Layne Fargo). The story offers poignant takes on codependency.

Some characters’ actions will frustrate you at certain points, and yet all of them are likable in their own way, though complex and flawed. Cleo is a goth girl, a complicated grumpy heroine who’s self-sacrificing and has a vulnerable heart underneath her sarcastic, mean, tough girl demeanor. Wes is the artsy, emo rocker boy who seems like an ideal book boyfriend, but he has his own issues. Ollie is a golden retriever of a man, and Bailey is the sweet, innocent foil to Cleo, though they’re not perfect either.

The ending is somewhat closed but also leaves potential for future mysteries, and I, for one, would love to see more from this world and these characters. I want more for Cleo.

The Dramione vibes are strong in this quaint amnesia romance.

Molly, the FMC, is a bookworm who was an overachiever. Aster, the MMC, was a bully and rival during their shared time at boarding school. Molly was poor, Aster was a prickly rich boy. Molly suffers a stroke and loses memory of the last 6 years… years in which she apparently fell in love with Aster and married him.

The two have a close circle of meddlesome friends who help bring the two back together after Molly’s strokes. She’s at first very cold to her husband, and there are some good heart-wrenching moments. Later on, the story starts to run out of steam as Molly and Aster get back together, and the big reveal at the end is quite clear from the beginning, though it doesn’t have the emotional impact I expected.

The story is interspersed with flashbacks to Molly and Aster’s time at boarding school, and while some color into their background is appreciated, I wish we had more glances at their time in college and subsequent relationship instead.

This book definitely carries over a Harry Potter feel. This is set in the contemporary world without magic, and yet the main characters went to a random boarding school in Connecticut and took random classes that sound nothing like real high school classes. They go to some unnamed prestigious college (we don’t know what they ended up studying or getting their degree in). The setting and world is not thoroughly described. It ends up feeling hollow, a common occurrence I’ve found with fanfic adaptations.

Nevertheless, Once, Again, Always is a welcome addition to the amnesia/second chance romance subgenre, and it has the perfect cozy vibes for autumn.

Entertaining, though the secrets gimmick is overplayed. "Oh, I have a secret, Acker, but I'm not going to tell you now for reasons, and then I'll finally spill the info at moment more convenient to the plot at a later time" (example: info about Sam). The writing continually withholds key reveals to have surprise moments later, but after Metal Slinger, it has lost some of its impact.

The first half is strong - all of that juicy tension between Jovie and Acker even when they're apart - but the back half starts to fall apart. Acker kidnaps Jovie to take her back with him... and then he proceeds to keep her chained to a bed and completely out of the narrative for a good chunk, only to eventually release her so she can have her big final battle moment... and there was no clear good reason any of that.

And for how horrible Edmond and the others were, and the violence and scheming... the battle was pretty easy at the end without any major sacrifices. I wanted more of an emotional punch.

An entertaining, uplifting romance/women's lit book that isn't afraid to show cringe-worthy moments that feel real to life but are not something you usually see in romance. Solid anxiety and OCD representation.

I really liked the author’s debut novel, It’s Different This Time, so I had to check out her latest, Let’s Kiss and Tell; plus, it’s set in L.A., and I love that rep in romance books.

Let’s Kiss and Tell definitely feels fresh despite having the well-worn trope of fake dating. Usually there’s a grumpy/sunshine dynamic and he’s a reformed player, but in this case, the FMC is a promiscuous, confident writer of a taboo topic, and she’s never been in love and doesn’t do relationships. The MMC, on the other hand, is coming out of a long-term relationship. They’re evenly matched in terms of personality, but each carries emotional damage from relationships, both familial and romantic.

I can see how romance readers may struggle with this one. There’s other man/other woman drama. The FMC and MMC both sleep with someone else after getting together (not cheating, just while they were either non-exclusive or separated). It may be a bitter pill to shallow and doesn’t look like a perfect storybook ending, but that’s closer to life. This is a s-x positive story with a modern perspective.

I appreciate the book, but I just wish there had been a little more chemistry between the main characters. The FMC is a firecracker, but I didn't get much from the MMC.