Fans of Interracial Romance discussion

Halfway point of the year to see where am I with IR reads

January

Cover:
Book: Choose Me: a novella
Author: Kim Golden
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary novella
Rating: 2 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - Starts out strong, good polished writing, but heroine was frustrating. She was too preoccupied with race for my taste and made the book feel heavy.
My Full Review Here


Cover:
Book: Before Forever
Author: Nina Perez
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary novella
Rating: 4/5 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - Last installment of a 6 part series. 5-fantastic stars for the series, but 4 for this installment. Felt a bit rushed.
Series review here

Cover:
Book: The Throwaway Year
Author: Pepper Pace
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - Not the emotional punch I have felt with some of her books, but I appreciates that she writes outside the box a lot. Pace is definitely original.
Full review here

February

Cover:
Book: The Laughing Assassin Assassin's Diary
Author: Jennifer Willows
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary/Thriller/Erotica
Rating: 2 stars
Heat: Explicit
Quick Impression - Started off sooo strong. I weep for the possibilities. Second half of the book imploded. Felt like I was reading two different books between first and second half.
Full review here

Cover:
Book: One Shot Too Many
Author: Nikki winter
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary novella
Rating: 4 stars
Heat: Hot
Quick Impression - New to me author and this little novella sold me on her. Loved it. Wanted it to be longer. It led me to read longer books by her....

Cover:
Books: Beauty and the Barracudaand What a Bear Wants
Author: Nikki Winter
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary (BaTb), Paranormal (WaBW)
Rating:3.5 stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - Funny. Dialogue and characters were snappy and witty. Always 'ON'. Enjoyed the stories and writing would have liked the books to step back and luxuriate a bit more in the characters.
Double Shot Full Review

Cover:
Book: Destino
Author: Sienna Mynx
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - Hard time connecting with the heroine. And the book focused so much on plot that I felt the characters developed solely for the purpose of plot movement.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: My Nora
Author: Holley Trent
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - New to me author. Writing and ideas were interesting but did not feel like they translated into a cohesive story. That said, I am intrigued by her style and would try her work again.
My Full Review Here

May
Cover:
Book: A Race for Redemption
Author: Serenity King
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - New to me author. Race car driver heroine is what attracted me to the book.. Romance felt lacking in conflict, though, and characters seemed like they could have been deepened a bit. Wanted something more... Will try author again.
My Full Review Here


Cover:
Book: In the Moment
Author: Vallory Vance
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary novella
Rating: 2.5 - stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - New to me author. Completely blanked on this book. Had no idea what it was about had to read my review to remind me. Interesting set up but insta-lust/sex derailed it. Odd pacing.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Kiss of Fire
Author: Lavender Parker
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4 - stars
Heat: Explicit
Quick Impression - Loved it. Loved the romantic conflict. Loved the class conflict. Loved the character development. Chemistry was great. Classic case where author did a lot of 'showing' rather than 'telling.' Took a star off for the preoccupation with sex early in the book. Felt bludgeoned by it.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Tethered
Author: L.D. Davis
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4 - stars
Heat: Hot
Quick Impression - Angsty goodness. Really enjoyed it. Author really built the love story. I was always convinced these two were IT for each other. Took a star off because 70% of the book was spent while the H/h were in their late teens. I don't read YA romance because it squicks me to read young teens having smexy times.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Books: Beyond the Breaking Point and Broken
Author: Zena Wynn
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating:4 stars
Heat: Sensual to Hot
Quick Impression - Soaptastic awesomeness. Liked the second book a bit better than the first one. Good meaty relationship read. Wondering is a third book is happening?
Double Shot Full Review

June
Cover:
Book: Autumn and Summer
Author: Danielle Allen
IR: BW/WM & WW/WM
Genre: Chick - lit
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: mild to sensual
Quick Impression - Cute but kinda disappointing in some places. Best friends each get a romance, Summer's storyline was more satisfying than Autumn's.
My Full Review Here

June

Cover:
Book: Midnight Play
Author:Lisa Marie Perry
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 - stars
Heat: mild to sensual
Quick Impression - Good story, strong relationship, the football element isn't just wallpaper, some of the plot involves the front office, marketing and PR aspect of football ownership
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Love through pain
Author: Ancelli
IR: BW/LM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 2 - stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - Starts off strong but back half of book became a series of sex scenes and unbelievable coincidences. Inconsistencies and some factual errors also mar story. Warning: this book contains a scene of sexual assault.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Wolf's Haven
Author: Ambrielle Kirk
IR: BW/WM
Genre: PNR novella
Rating: 2.5 - stars
Heat: Hot (i think, don't honestly remember)
Quick Impression - I could anticipate every beat, every decision, every plot movement before it happened.
My Full Review Here


July

Cover:
Book: Freeing Carter
Author: Nyrae Dawn
IR: BW (biracial)/WM
Genre: YA/NA - Contemporary
Rating: 4 - stars
Heat: none
Quick Impression - Really enjoyed this and I don't usually like NA. Well done, smart, nicely written. Carter and Kira were great characters.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Taste of Lacey
Author:Linden Hughes
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 1 - stars
Heat: Explicit
Quick Impression - A decent story struggled to rise above some the leaden tropes it labored under. But the absolute worst are the sex scene. Prolific and really rather crude. The 1-star I gave this book was for the hero alone.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Lakota Dreaming
Author: Constance Gillam
IR: BW/NAM
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 3.5 - stars
Heat: mild
Quick Impression - Strong, atmospheric writing. Takes place on a Lakota reservation. Dabbles in some haunting dreams and ancestor-y stuff.
My Full Review Here

Cover:
Book: Forgive Me Father for I Have Loved
Author: Tianna Laveen
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 - stars
Heat: Mild to Sensual
Quick Impression - First part dragged, felt impatient for the story to really hit its stride. Hero was much more fleshed out than heroine. I had a few issues with some of the religious aspects of the story, but still overall liked the book.
My Full Review Here





Taking a break from IR for awhile so I prolly won't get back to posting reviews til closer to the end of the year. Unless something spectacular comes along.

Cover:
Book:His Woman
Author: Sam Crescent
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Novella Contemporary
Rating: 1 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - This was bad.
My Full Review here


Sept

Cover:
Book:25 to Love!
Author: Joye Johnson
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Chick Lit
Rating: 4.5 - stars
Heat: Mild
Quick Impression - Funny. Well written. Interesting.
My Full Review here


Cover:
Book:Wolf Bite
Author: Heather Long
IR: BW/WM
Genre: novella Paranormal
Rating: 3.5 - stars
Heat: Sensual to Hot
Quick Impression - I like this author. She is one of the few who I can read a novella and not feel like I didn't get a good story. World building in this is very good and I like how she's building the series.
No Review


October

Cover:
Book:Natural Beauty
Author: Leslie Du Bois
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Chick Lit
Rating: 5 - stars
Heat: Mild
Quick Impression - Smart storytelling with a very clever hook. Funny and informative. I want more books like this. Not using the hair metaphor, but the vibe of the book is just very lively and the storytelling is just flat out intelligent.
My Full Review here

Cover:
Book:Stone Cold Knockout
Author: Lavender Parker
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4 - stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - This book moved this author from 'maybe look up more' books by her to 'definitely get more' books by her.
My Full Review here

November

Cover:
Book:Broken Open
Author: Lauren Dane
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 - stars
Heat: Hot to Explicit
Quick Impression - Slow boil, inner conflict romance. Lots of intensity and chemistry between leads.
My Full Review here

December

Cover:
Book:The Sweetest Taboo: An Unconventional Romance
Author: Harper Miller
IR: BW/WM
Genre: BDSM Contemporary
Rating: 4 - stars
Heat: Explicit
Quick Impression - Very much outside my comfort zone. Not a lifestyle I can quite comprehend but the book took pains to show it. Leaving aside the D/s part of the relationship I found the couple had good chemistry.
My Full Review here


Cover:
Book:Incarcerated
Author: Inger Iverson
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Sensual
Quick Impression - I was skeptical about the 'racist' hero. Book worked, but didn't have the depth it could have.
My Full Review here


Cover:
Book:With This Ring
Author: Aliyah Burke
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Hot
Quick Impression - Cute. Short. No real romantic conflict.
My Full Review here

Cover:
Book:Flower in the Desert
Author: Lavender Parker
IR: BW/NAM
Genre: Novella Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 - stars
Heat: Sensual to Hot
Quick Impression - Novella that felt fuller than a normal novella. Strong connection b/t h/h. Great story. Good construction. Rating reflects the fact that 2nd half felt rushed and could have benefitted from longer length. But third book by this author this year for me and shows that she has a deep bench of stories and ideas. Looking forward to more of her stuff.
No Review

Cover:
Book:An Inconvenient Desire
Author: Alexia Adams
IR: BW/WM
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 - stars
Heat: Mild to medium
Quick Impression - Very much patterned after a Harlequin. Some decisions made by H/H felt odd but typical of 'romance novel characters'. Made me remember why I don't read Harlequins very much anymore because real life logic doesn't seem to apply. But this was an easy, quick, unobjectionable read.
No Review.

Tina

Thanks for this list: Some I have read and others I have glanced at but wasn't too sure I wanted to read. Your synopses have helped with my should I read decisions.