Happy Easter everyone. I hope you’ve all had a lovely long weekend and indulged in way too much chocolate, amazing books and great company.

In the Romance, Erotic or Romantic Suspense category for March 2021, we had a total of twenty-eight  (28) reviews submitted across twenty-seven (27) individual book titles written by twenty-five (25) amazing Australian Women Writers. These reviews were submitted by eleven (11) individuals reviewers over the course of March. Thank you once more to everyone who read, reviewed and linked their reviews to the Australian Women Writer’s Database throughout March.

Monthly Snapshot

Of the twenty-seven(27) books reviewed in March, Twenty-five (25) of them were traditionally published and two (2) were self-published.  Twelve (12) of these books were published in 2021, seven (7) in 2020, two (2) in 2019 and 2016 respectfully, three (3) in 2018 and one (1) in 2015. Contemporary Romance was our most popular subgenre this month, with eight (8) individual titles reviewed, this was closely followed by Historical Romance with six (6) reviews, Rural Romance with five (5) reviews, Romantic Suspense with four (4) books reviewed, Literary and Category Romance both with two (2) books reviewed.

March’s top reviewed books was Malicious Desire by Laney Kaye, with both Helen Sibbrit and KTBookBingo reviewing the book favourtably.

This was also our only book this month to return more than one review per title.

March’s top review contributors this month were:

Review Highlights

Malicious Desire by Laney Kaye was reviewed by KtBookBingo and Helen Sibbritt. Helen Sibbritt thought it to be “a compelling story and not for the faint hearted” as it packed “an emotional punch” and KtBookBingo agrees:

I liked the plot with the contrasts between the terror of the abduction, the relief of the rescue, the stress and guilt of the of the aftermath, the uncertainty of justice and the anxiousness of waiting for the kidnapper on the loose; with the undercurrent of lust and romance… The characters made the book for me …”Malicious Desire is certainly not something I’d usually read; especially given that it’s a romance suspense, but I’m glad I did. There’s a lot of grit and the suspense side balanced out the romance for me, making it a great read that I recommend. — KtBookBingo via Instagram

Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews reviewed The Last Bookshop by Emma Young. I urge you if you get the chance to visit Jo’s blog and read her review, as its beautifully written and sells this book so well. Having read her review, I’ve bumped this book up on my own TBR and eagerly am looking forward to diving in to it!

This unassuming new release is something special. Much like the fictional bookstore this story revolves around and the characters to be found within it, The Last Bookshop is not slick and highly stylized. It has far more substance than that. At its beating heart shines a quiet perceptiveness, a gentle honesty and authenticity, that really struck a chord with me. And, I suspect all book lovers will feel similarly.

Yes, The Last Bookshop is a celebration of books, those who write them and those who read them; even the beauty of the physical objects themselves. Bookworms will delight in all the bookish banter between Cait and her band of quirky regular customers… everything from vampire YA, to new genre crime thrillers to The Chronicles of Narnia gets a mention. But in this quietly confident debut, Emma Young’s resonant theme of ‘not judging a book by its cover’ runs far deeper.

Several broader societal issues like the value of diversity, inclusivity and shared cultural experiences, the need to support the public amenities and local businesses that cultivate community spirit and connectedness, and the positive role technology can play in helping those physically isolated feel much less so, are highlighted. —Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews

 

Theresa Smith Writes reviewed The Breaking by Irma Gold in March and although she warns that the book was “not easy reading” due to the multiple scenes of animal cruelty this book is highlighting, her review is glowing full of praise for the “exciting new voice” in “Australian Literature”.  Theresa Smith had this to say about the novel:

Irma Gold’s debut novel, The Breaking, is an impactful work of eco-literature with a sub-plot of angst-filled queer romance. It has broad appeal and has an urgency to its narrative style that matches the gravity of the eco themes it deals with. — Theresa Smith Writes

 

Kick the Dust by Rhonada Forrest was one of many returning titles to to be reviewed in March. Although this book has featured in previous wrap ups before, I wanted to share a bit of Ktbookbingo’s review here quickly once more as this book a lot of big topics that the world is talking at large about still in 2021:

It has themes of mental health, death, widowed parents, toxic relationships, workplace harassment and bullying, entrapment, refugees, racism and vindictive ex partners to name but a few. That’s not to say that it’s all doom and gloom, it’s not. Rather, it’s like a glorious melting plot of themes that do need to be talked about more; mixed with the joys of friendship, close family, love, acceptance, inclusion and a happy ever after. It’s this melting pot that makes the plot so engaging and enjoyable — Ktbookbingo via instagram

 

 

About Me: Hey, I’m Jess from The Never Ending Bookshelf. I’m an avid reader, book collector (sometimes book hoarder) and a hopeless romantic. I live and breathe everything to do with the written word, working by day as a bookseller and by night as a book blogger. You can find me at The Never Ending Bookshelf, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads and on Facebook.