Romance Roundup: April Edition

Welcome to “Romance Roundup” where I share mini-reviews of 3-4 romance novels that I’ve read recently. This month’s edition includes a K-Pop band, a romance set during the Civil Rights Era, and an opposites attract novella.

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Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder (2020)

Synopsis: He’s the bad-boy biker. She’s the good girl working in her family’s Indian restaurant. On the surface, nothing about Trucker Carrigan and Pinky Grover’s instant, incendiary, attraction makes sense. But when they peel away the layers and the assumptions–and their clothes–everything falls into place. The need. The want. The light. The laughter. They have more in common than they ever could’ve guessed. Is it enough? They won’t know until they take a chance on each other–and on love.

Review: Tikka Chance On Me is a novella that I’ve had on my backlist for quite a while. This sweet and very steamy novella follows the story of Pinky who is stuck in a very small town working at her family’s restaurant. She had to put her life on hold because of a family member’s illness and now she feels as if her career, as well as her life, is at a standstill until she meets Trucker. I like this novella because it had a meet-cute trope but also diverse characters and opposites attract narrative that really hooks the reader in.

There were plenty of steamy scenes and also sweet moments because they share a lot of cute banter about Marvel trivia and exchange lines from Broadway shows. It made the dialogue fun and entertaining. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the Indian food that Pinky’s family makes in the restaurant (it sounded so delicious!). This is definitely a stronger work from Snyder for me compared to reading the 1st installment of the Bollywood Confessional series and I actually liked this style of story and the writing a little bit better.

Final Verdict:

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Scandalized (Backstage Pass #1) by Tara Frejas (2016)

Synopsis: Fi Legaspi is living the dream working in Seoul as a road manager for one of South Korea’s hottest bands, East Genesis Project. Until she isn’t.

When she finds herself in the middle of a scandal and a hostile fangirl witch hunt, Fi seeks the comfort of home, and to her surprise, not the person she had been pining for years. All too suddenly it’s no longer her career on the line, but also her heart. Will she walk away from everything that matters to her or fight to keep her dream alive?

Review:

Scandalized is an entertaining novel about romance, life in the limelight, and music. Centered around the fictional K-pop group East Genesis Project, the story follows their road manager Filipina (Fi) as she helps the boys on the road and in their careers. But things become more entangled as scandals arise within the group and are linked to the group and Fi’s heart is torn due to her crush on one of the band’s members.

As an avid K-pop fan, this synopsis drew me to reading this novel. however, I felt it was much richer than just a K-pop or a boy band romance novel. I didn’t feel the narrative was overly cheesy the and the characters felt very real and genuine. I liked the camaraderie between Fi and the band members and how they really work together. You see the hard work that she’s put into their careers and how they kind of work together as a family and not just as a business. I also appreciated that it goes through the ups and downs of the entertainment industry and the repercussions that people face. This is a fun K-pop filled novel that any K-pop or music fan will enjoy and reading it reminded me of my favorite K-pop band which is Day6 (a group that you should definitely check out).

Final Verdict:

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Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole (2016)

Synopsis: Sofronia Wallis knows that proper Black women don’t court trouble by upending the status quo, but it’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is in full swing. Sofie’s spent half her life being prim, proper, and reserved—as if that could bring her mother back—but the nonviolent protests happening across the South bring out her inner agitator.

Ivan Friedman has devoted his life to boxing, loving the finesse of a well-delivered punch and the penance of receiving one. His family escaped from Europe before the horrors of WWII, and Ivan decides to help fight injustice in their new country, even if it goes against all his instincts as a fighter.

When Ivan and Sofie meet, they realize that their pasts are intertwined and—with the sparks that fly between them—perhaps their futures will be too. With everything in their society lined up against them, will Sofie and Ivan be able to beat the odds? Or will their chance at love be destroyed by the tumultuous times they live in?

Review: Let it Shine is a historical fiction romance novella from one of my favorite romance authors. It takes place in the Civil Rights era with the backdrop of the Freedom Riders. The main character Henrietta is reconnected with make lead, Ivan. They grew up together and working together as activists for racial equality brings them together again. I appreciated how grounded in historical events this novella was and the story felt flushed out. It’s balanced with lighter moments and heavier moments that show just how violent these sit-ins and protests could be.

The novella encapsulates heavy activism but also manages to seamlessly weave romance into the tale. I appreciated how the novella discusses race, conflicting cultures, and speaking up for what you believe in, and was unapologetic about the brutality of racism. Some scenes were very vivid (so please be aware of this trigger warning). This novella was so written and gripping from the beginning. I liked the aspect of the leads reconnecting even after a painful past.

Final Verdict:

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What romance novels have you read lately? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have any recommendations feel free (particularly #ownvoices novels) to share those as well.