Thank you for joining me for this round up as we take a stroll through the October edition of the Erotica, Romance and Romantic Suspense fields. Our romance readers have continued to provide us with such an abundance of new titles to discover within the genre. We did see a slight dip in our stats this month, the first time since April. Upon breaking down the stats, October saw 28 reviews submitted, of 25 books and 23 authors.

Popular and new releases

This time around we didn’t have a book that could be awarded the firm romance favourite for the month. However, three books this month received more than one review.

The first book up on the pedestal is a brand new release I personally have on my review pile, A Model Wife, penned by Maggie Christensen. A Model Wife was reviewed by two of our most prolific reviewers, Brenda and Helen Sibbritt. Here is a taste of what Brenda had to say:

I thoroughly enjoyed the topical subjects that Ms Christensen has tackled in this book – sexual harassment; same sex marriage – and the blending of families. A Model Wife was a satisfying read, with real life, everyday characters who could easily live next door, or in the next street over. An excellent book which I highly recommend.

The second book to clock in more than one review in October was Dressing the Dearloves by Kelly Doust. This book is also one of my contributions to the challenge this month. I loved this one, as I’m sure you can see from my review!

This is a novel that I cherished for the time I spent reading it. There is plenty to keep readers absorbed; from the mystery, intrigue, romance, historical references, family politics and of course the fashion!

The third firm favourite this month was Ellie Marney. Two of Ellie’s books, All Fall Down and All the Little Bones cropped up in October. Thanks to the wonderful reviews logged in by Emily of A Keyboard and an Open Mind and Tien’s Blurb, I was introduced to this author and her writing. Ellie Marney’s books sound like great reads. These books have also been featured in our Young Adult round up by our fabulous editor Nadia King.

A little sub genre seems to have cropped up in our challenge reviews this month, which was quite interesting! Theresa Smith’s review and interview with the author of The Football Whisperer, Mel Rowe, was just so enticing that I immediately sourced a copy for myself! Meanwhile, Claire Holderness, introduced me to A Whole New Ball Game, by Lauren K. McKellar. If you are looking for a contemporary romance with a sports twist, both these books come highly recommended.

I would also like to draw your attention to Laura Boon’s The Millionaire Mountain Climber, a new release hot of the press. It was reviewed by one of our star reviewers this month, Helen Sibbritt. Helen states:

This is a fabulous debut for MS Boon, sensual and action packed in such a beautiful setting the French Alps, the characters are strong and are sure to win your heart and friendship, there is witty banter and a sexual tension that will keep you turning the pages as you get to know two Aussies living away from home.

Books in a series

The Echo Springs quartet, a romantic suspense infused series continues to enthrall our challenge members. In October we saw reviews for this series from Mrs B’s Book Reviews and Helen Sibbritt.

Returns

In October we saw more great reviews clocked in for previous round up favourites:

• Burning Fields by Alli Sinclair reviewed by Tien’s Blurb
• The Lost Pearl by Emily Madden reviewed by Nicole
• In At the Deep End by Penelope Janu reviewed by Claire Holderness
• Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman reviewed by Carolyn Scott

Pre 2018 releases

Moving onto romance books that were published prior to 2018. This month we saw just a couple, The Drifter, by Anthea Hodgson, published in 2017 which was reviewed by Nadia King.  Moonlight Plains by Barbara Hannay, published in 2014, collected a review this month courtesy of Claire Holderness.

Romantic Suspense

Thank you to Brenda, who this month introduced us to a fantastic new romantic suspense novel. Out of Mind by Kendall Talbot, is the second novel in the maximum exposure series. I’m hoping to add this one to my runaway pile of books at some point after reading Brenda’s glowing review. According to Brenda:

The beauty and danger of the Canadian Rockies shines through, while the determination of the MC is admirable. A thoroughly enjoyable romantic suspense, which is oh-so-heavy on the suspense (just as I like it!) Out of Mind is one I highly recommend.

Erotica

Erotica proved to be a well received sub genre this month. My pick for this round up is Getting Even by Avril Tremayne. With steamy moments, emotion and humour, this one proved to be a winner for Helen Sibbritt.

Short Stories in Romance

Although the historical romance genre was not represented this month in the form of any reviews, a short story romance collection made it’s way to the challenge this month. Thanks to Eleni for her review of Little Gems Short Story Anthology 2009: Turquoise, by Romance Writers of Australia Inc.

Self Published

It is time to give paranormal romance some time in the spotlight this month. This month Soul Stealer (The Anomaly #3) received a five star review from Eleni. Clearly it is well worth investigating Anna Hackett’s work if you are a fan of paranormal style romances.

Thank you for joining me yet again for my showcase of what our wonderful challenge participants have reading by the way of romance over the last month. A special thanks goes out to all those who continue to support the work we do by adding such thoughtful and varied reviews to the challenge website. Next time you sit down for a cuppa, don’t forget to check out the vast array books and authors we have been reading via our books reviewed page. Roll on November!

About me: I am a mum of two young boys, an early childhood teacher, a dressaholic, second hand book stall owner, book reviewer and a self confessed book geek. In 2016, I turned my passion for reading into my own blog, Mrs B’s Book Reviews. I blog daily and love nothing more than to showcase books by our talented crop of Australian women writers, especially rural romance, along with a number of other genres. Check my reviews out at the following sites, Mrs B’s Book Reviews, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Twitter.