Angel Reads

04 Feb

Author Interview: Stacy Reid | Romance Thursdays

Posted by angelreads Author Interviews, Romance Thursdays No Comments

This week on Romance Thursdays I had the chance to interview Stacy Reid. If you haven’t checked out the rest of my interviews in this series be sure to and see what other romance authors have to say. Check out last weeks interview with Candace Harper were we talked about writing LGBTQIA+ romance books are more.

Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books.

Stacy Reid is the author of the Wedded by Scandal series, The Amagarians series, her newest series Sinful Wallflowers and more. You can check out her backlist now.

Hi Stacy, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Thank you for having me! I write sensual and sometimes very hot historical and paranormal romance. I live half of each year in Jamaica and the next half in Canada! I married my high school sweetheart; And I love Chinese historical romance dramas and ice cream. Hate snakes.

My most recent series is the Sinful Wallflowers, which features two of my favorite books I have written to date, My Darling Duke and Her Wicked Marquess. The Sinful Wallflowers follow six friends who are tired of being overlooked, so they decided to grab life with both hands and in the process finding their always and forever type of love.

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

My first set of books were Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys. I devoured these from age 8 onward, and then at 12, I picked up a book called The Flame and the Flower and started my lovely relationship with romance novels. Writing happily ever after is simply a part of me. I cannot imagine crafting a story without an emotionally satisfying ending.

You mostly write historical romances and paranormal romances which can be quite different from each other. Do you have different ways of writing them? Do you feel more comfortable writing one over the other?

They are quite different, but I love writing both so very much! I must give myself space between projects or find that my style bleeds into each other. Even though it is my HistRom that is normally affected. My hero/heroine/situations tend to feel more…powerful/edgy if I am not careful to give myself breathing room when switching subgenres. I also have more creative freedom when I write paranormal romance, and because of that, it feels more fun.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

I love that I can go into a story trusting that I will feel good at the end. I enjoy the journey of seeing or more like feeling two people falling in love. I’ve read a thousand romance books, and every book felt different and filled me with the same anticipation of chasing to the end to find out how the characters found their HEA.

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

Enemies to lovers, revenge, opposite attracts, best friends to lovers, and taboo (stepbrother, age gap.) The genres I enjoy reading in are also the ones I write. 😊

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

I grew up reading Lisa Kleypas, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, Lora Leigh, Nalini Singh, and Kresley Cole. To date, they are my favorite authors. Though I loved these authors, and as a child dabbled with writing, my husband inspired me to write. His steadfast encouragement, support, excitement, and belief in me had an amazing impact on me taking up the pen (laptop) and giving a voice to the dreams in my heart.

What are some ways that you think aspiring romance writers can find their way and spot in the genre?

I think a really good way is to read what is selling in the genre to understand the trope/style/ readers are enjoying. This is not to say write like this; knowing the kind of story readers are demanding is a plus and might spark the creative juice. And not just to read what is a hot seller now, but what were the top sellers last year, and the year before that, or even ten years ago? Read them for fun but to also analyse what made them outstanding. Do not be afraid to connect with established authors. Many I know are amazing and will give great advice or point you in the right direction to get that advice if they cannot help.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

I have experienced people calling what I do trash/mommy-porn to my face and in their reviews. There were times I froze at the shock of their ridicule, and there were other times I had a scathing reply. Even recently, a close friend laughed rather mockingly at my work, and then could not provide an explanation for her reaction. She blustered and mumbled and even seemed angry that I would put her on the spot. I have asked many other people who tried to dismiss my career the reason for their distaste, and their main comeback is that romance books are fluffy with little substance. The most amazing thing is none of these people had read a romance book!

I think a part of the fix is to get society to celebrate romance more, and that should start with us lovers of the genre speaking out more boldly/proudly that we read and write romance. I have met readers who are afraid to admit they read romance because they are fearful of being shamed for it, and I have also met authors with family members who have no idea what they do. Even at times, I am purposely vague about my genre if I sense the person I am speaking with might be unflattering. It is easier said than done, but one of the first steps is to push aside all discomfort (if they exist) and be more candid with our love of the genre rendering those bullies’ negative and unjust criticism to ash.

Our outspoken celebration and love for happy ever afters might invite more curious fascination than existing stigma.

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

Thank you for having me!

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I hope you enjoyed this interview with Stacey Reid. I recently read her Sinful Wallflowers series and I adored it so much and I know I can’t wait to read more. Let’s hope that you do too.

If there is an author that you would like to see featured here, please do let me know. And I will try my best. If you are a romance author and would like to be apart of Romance Thursdays, don’t hesitate to message me.

Have you read any of Stacy Reid’s books before? What did you think of them? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!

About The Author

USA Today bestselling author Stacy Reid writes sensual Historical and Paranormal Romances and is the published author of over twenty books. Her debut novella The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding was a 2015 HOLT Award of Merit recipient in the Romance Novella category, and her bestselling Wedded by Scandal series is recommended as Top picks at Night Owl Reviews, Fresh Fiction Reviews, and The Romance Reviews.

Stacy lives a lot in the worlds she creates and actively speaks to her characters (aloud). She has a warrior way “Never give up on dreams!” When she’s not writing, Stacy spends a copious amount of time binge-watching series like The Walking Dead, Altered Carbon, Rise of the Phoenixes, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, and playing video games with her love. She also has a weakness for ice cream and will have it as her main course.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Website

03 Feb

A Strange Start to 2021 | January Wrap Up

Posted by angelreads Monthly Wrap Up 1 Comment

January was a strange reading month for me. I went into a little slump – which does happen from time to time. So I didn’t read as much as I would love to. My reading was also up and down and I had some great reads, but also a lot of crap ones.

Anyway let’s get into it, here are my reads for January 2021. Like always they are in no particular order.

Dead Man Walking (The Fallen Men #6) by Giana Darling: I did a re-read of this before I wrote my review. This book will not be for everyone and those goes for the series as well. This is the darkest of the 6, and the hardest to read for sure. But I can’t wait to see where more of this world is taken. 4 Stars | Review

Medicine Man (Heartstone) by Saffron A. Kent: I went into this book, knowing that I might not enjoy it, but I kept an open mind. I quote enjoy age gap romances and that part of this book didn’t faze me at all. I finished the book feeling cold. The romance didn’t spark anything for me. The characters feel flat and the story was blah. 2 Stars | Full Review

A Holiday Temptation by Tiffany Patterson: I picked this one up on a whim. I didn’t know too much about it and sounded interesting. And while I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it either. Both protagonists were okay and I liked getting to know their stories. I really enjoyed the fact that it features a disabled protagonist and that made me keep on reading. 2.5 Stars | Review

Deep Redemption (Hades Hangmen #4) by Tillie Cole: I felt like doing a re-read of these, not the whole series, just a few and this is one of them that I picked. This is one of my least favourite of the series though. 2.5 Stars Review

Damnable Grace (Hades Hangmen #5) by Tillie Cole: This is the second re-read of the series that I did this month. This one is a hard read for sure, it’s full of a lot of things – and I have said this before this series is not for everyone. 3 Stars | Review

Bohdi (King’s Descendants MC #6) by Bella Jewel: I was really looking forward to this to the last book in this series. I found both of the protagonist so interesting in their books, but they lacked so much in this one. Nothing felt right. It was boring at times and the characters were flat. I didn’t feel the connection in regards to the romance and I was left hanging for me. 2 Stars | Full Review

Unconditional by Q.B. Tyler: This came up on my Kindle Unlimited recommendations and I thought why not. I didn’t really know what I felt like reading and this sounded interesting. However, I was disappointed. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters, the plot felt weak and I just did not enjoy it. 2.5 Stars | Review

Ever After Always (Bergman Brothers #3) by Chloe Liese: I just love this series so much. I’ve said this before but I don’t read many full contemporary romances but this series is so good! While this is my least favourite of the series, I still love it so much. The characters are fantastic, the romance hit hard and I can’t wait to read more. 4 stars

Custom Built (Fast & Fury #1) by Chantal Fernando: I didn’t know that Chantal Fernando was bringing out another series until I found this one. And I was pretty disappointed when I finished. It fell flat for me. I wasn’t able to really connect with either of the protagonists and while I did enjoy the romance. I didn’t love it. 2 Stars | Full Review

My Darling Duke (Sinful Wallflowers #1) by Stacy Reid: I had heard of Stacy Reid before, but I just never picked anything from her up. But I was asked to review the second book in the series, so I picked up book one. And loved it so much. The romance was fantastic, I loved the plot so much and it has disability rep! 4 Stars

Tangle of Need (Psy-Changeling #11) by Nalini Singh: I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did. I enjoyed both of these characters on their own, but I didn’t know what to expect when they are thrown together. But it was just fantastic and a fantastic book to read in January. 4 Stars

Thunder (Hell’s Handlers MC #10) by Lilly Atlas: I totally forgot that this came out last year and I had to jump on it right away. It was such a fun and interesting read. Obviously, there was a lot of tension and high stakes in this one. But the romacne was fantastic and I loved seeing everyone again. 3 Stars | Review

Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid: As soon as I finished the first book I wanted to jump on this one – and gosh did I love it. If you haven’t picked up this series and want some new historical romance – then pick this one up. I was smiling the whole time I read this one. So much. 4 Stars

The Midnight Lie (The Midnight Lie #1) by Marie Rutkoski: There were some highs and some lows and a lot of thoughts in between. One of my main issues with the book was that there was not a lot happening for a very long period of time – and normally don’t mind the build-up, but this took forever. Add to that, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters really and it made it for a longer read. This was also Ely’s and mine January Buddy Read. 3.5 Stars Full Review | Discussion With Ely

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And those are the books that I read in January! What did you read this month? Did we read anything that is the same? Let’s Chat!

31 Jan

We Rate Our Buddy Reads

Posted by angelreads Buddy Read, Discussions 1 Comment

As Ely and I begin our buddy reads for 2021, I thought it would be fun to go over the books that we have buddy read, rate them and share a few thoughts and overall view. While we didn’t read a book each month, we had some highs and some lows.

You can see what Ely and I thought about The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski in our first buddy read for 2021. Also, don’t forget to check out what we are buddy reading for the next few months. Now let’s get into it.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston | Full Discussion

Angel: This has to be one of my favourite buddy reads and I think the first one that we ever did. This is hands down one of the books I keep on recommending to people especially at work. I did a re-read of it late last year and forgot how much I enjoyed reading it. The romance is great, the characters are fantastic and it’s just a good read. It’s a 9/10 for me.

Ely: This is definitely one of the best ones we’ve read by far. This was the one that started off this whole thing too, as well as really getting me more into romance. I’m hoping to do a reread myself later in the year, but I think I’m going to go for an 8/10 for this.

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore | Full Discussion

A: I had so much fun reading this. I adored Bringing Down the Duke, so I was super excited for A Rogue of One’s Own and I was not disappointed. Like we said in the discussion, we don’t read much Victorian historical romance, but this did it for me. The romance was so damn good and I can’t wait to read more in the series. This has to be an 8/10 for me.

E: This is just such a fun series—it’s really just one that makes me smile every time I think about it. I reread Bringing Down the Duke just before we read this one which was honestly the best decision. This is just full of everything I love—a historical romance, feminism, CATS! I think I have to give this one a 9/10 just for the sheer amount of happiness this brings me.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey | Full Discussion

A: I think this is one of my most disappointing reads. I was really looking forward to it and it just fell flat for a lot of reasons. Contemporary romances aren’t something that I read a whole lot of and I think it’s because I always find the plot to be a low point. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more Tessa Bailey in the future. I have to give it a 3.5/10 and hope that if you do read it, you like it more than us.

E: Hands down, this is the worst one we’ve buddy read and discussed. That’s not particularly hard considering how much we enjoyed most of the others. I think I’m even less of a contemporary romance reader than Angel is so I really, really struggled with this. 3/10.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary | Full Discussion

A: It’s been months since I’ve read this and I still don’t know how I feel about it. I liked parts of it, and I really didn’t like other parts. Like Fix Her Up, I don’t love contemporary romances. I just feel that it isn’t enjoyable for me to grab on to. I thought the romance was okay, the characters were bland and just not for me. This is sadly a 5/10 for me.

E: This was certainly a doozy. Right from the right, we were both feeling super conflicted about it. I honestly blocked out most of Fix Her Up, but I have like flashbacks of this one. I don’t think it was as bad as that one, but it was just missing something. The romance was sweet enough, but there were just a lot of weird moments and things that were a little too convenient. This is probably one of my favourite discussions we’ve done though. I’m also going to give it a 5/10.

The Duke & I by Julia Quinn | Full Discussion

A: I mean do I need to talk about this one much? I loved it. This series is one of my favourite historical romances that I’ve read. And this one just started off the series great. It was a great introduction into the family, into the characters and the ton. I think everyone has watched the Netflix series by now, but pick up the series for sure, because it is fantastic. This is 8.5/10 hands down.

E: Another great one! It’s kind of difficult to give this one a rating now that I’ve read the rest of the series and seen the show, it’s hard to separate all those things. That being said, this is maybe my second of three favourite books in the series, and of course, it does have a special place in my heart just from being the first one. It was a really fun read, and without it, we never would’ve met Anthony so this is an 8/10 for me.

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And there we go! Those are some of the buddies reads that we have done together – and for the most part we have enjoyed our reads so far. I’m excited to see what this year brings.

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts? Have you checked out any of our discussions? Is there a book that you would like us to talk about? Let’s chat!