Angel Reads

08 Oct

Author Interview: Helen Hardt | Romance Thursdays

Posted by angelreads Author Interviews, Romance Thursdays 3 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Romance Thursdays interview with Helen Hardt. If you missed last weeks interview with Hallie Alexandra, please do check it out. It was fantastic talking with a debut historical romance author.

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.

I’m so excited about this weeks interview because it’s none other than Helen Hardt. Hardt is a #1 New York Times best-selling author has published across genres from contemporary to paranormal romance. She is the author of multiple series including; the Steel Brothers Saga, Blood Bond Saga and The Temptation Saga. Her newest novel, Follow Me Darkly was published in September this year. Now let’s get into the interview.

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

Hi, and thank you for having me! I’ve been published since 2008, but I didn’t hit a list until 2016. All of my published fiction is romance. I have one non-fiction book out as well.

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

Back in 2006, I decided to get serious about my writing. I was working on a young adult fantasy, but then I picked up a Nora Roberts book for a plane ride. I read a ton of romance when I was younger. But at that time I hadn’t read any in about ten years. I was hooked all over again, and I decided romance was what I was meant to write.

You write a range of romances, including writing across sub-genres in romance. Why do you like writing a range of different romances?

Yes, I’ve written historical, paranormal, and mostly contemporary. I love all romance genres, but my contemporary is the most popular with readers, so I stick with that sub-genre for the most part. I love writing across genres because it gives me a lot more creative latitude as a writer. In the end, though, I want to give my readers what they’re clamouring for, so I stick mostly to contemporary.

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

It’s an escape. You’re eventually guaranteed a happy ending with romance. These days, I think everyone is looking for an escape into the pages of a good book!

Most of your series span across several books. Why do you prefer to write longer series? Do they always start that way or do they become longer as you writing each book?

I love writing series because I get to know the characters better with each book. Sometimes ancillary characters become so big that I have to give them their own books. In addition, readers love series. They appreciate getting to know the characters better as well, and they love learning what they’re up to in subsequent books.

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

As any of my readers will tell you, I’m a huge fan of the tortured Alpha hero. Almost all of my heroes fall into this category. As for heroines, I like them strong and full of spunk. One trope I love is fated mates, and I’m not just talking about paranormal. Almost all my books use this trope. Call it insta-love or love at first sight. It’s the same thing.

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

Some of my fangirl-moment-inducing authors are Diana Gabaldon, Nora Roberts, Sylvia Day, and Lisa Kleypas. But no other author inspired me to write. That was my father, and I wrote my first story at age six.

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

I guess I look at this a different way. Romance is the bestselling genre of fiction in the US. Yes, some people look down on romance. So what? It makes people happy. I’m proud of what I do. I’ve had readers tell me that my books got them back into reading. One reader even told me that one of my books saved her life. That’s pretty powerful.

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! I enjoyed being here. Please check out my brand new series beginning with Follow Me Darkly which was published September 29!

About the Author

#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of romantic fiction, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Goodreads

07 Oct

Book Review: Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros

Posted by angelreads Book Reviews No Comments

Muses & Melodies (Hush Note #3) by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 307
Publish date: October 6th 2020
Publisher: Yarros Ink, LLC
ASIN: B0867PLCKB
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Kobo – Apple Books

If I can keep Hush Note’s leading guitarist, Nixon Winters, on the straight and narrow for the next six months, I’ll finally get my own band to manage—assuming we don’t kill each other first.

The egotistical, irritating rock star is fresh out of rehab, but it’s obvious his demons followed him home—and now I’m sleeping down the hall. I’ve watched him self-destruct every summer, and with album deadlines and tour dates looming, I can’t let it happen again. My career is in his hands.

But tattoos can’t cover every scar, and I’m starting to see through his trademark, irresistible charm to the damage beneath.

Everyone wants the rock star.
I’m falling for the man.

If he doesn’t let me in,
he’ll never break the cycle—
And when these six months are up,
I might be the one left broken.

Muses & Melodies:

I received an earc of Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’m going a little backwards in my reviews for this series. I’m reviewing this one before the second book, but that review will be coming next week. You can check out my review for book 1 Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen now.

I always know that it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster when I pick up a Rebecca Yarros book. I know that I’m going to be torn to pieces and hurt a lot – and I wasn’t wrong here. Muses & Melodies is emotional and it hurts. But it’s also a fantastic read.

Muses & Melodies follows the last member of the band and lead guitarist Nixon. His life hasn’t been easy, to deal with his demons Nixon turns to the party lifestyle of a rocker of women, alcohol and drugs. But he wants to get himself clean, not only for himself but for his band. Zoe has had to watch Nixon slowly fall apart, but with him fresh out of rehab, she has the job of watching him. Making sure he doesn’t fall back into old habits. But being stuck together isn’t easy, and when Nixon’s walls start to break and Zoe starts to see the real him. But she is only going to be here for 6 months, and when it’s over will she be left broken.

Photo by Caio Silva on Unsplash

I really enjoyed Zoe as a protagonist. She was fierce, strong and independent. I liked that she not only pushed herself but those around her. But I also loved that she had weaknesses. That she wasn’t superwomen or perfect. She was real. I’ve talked about this before, but Rebecca Yarros know how to write honest and real characters and Zoe is no different. She is honest and real. The reader gets to see her grow throughout Muses & Melodies and it was fantastic.

Nixon was a complicated character. He isn’t something that you can fall in love with right away. He has a lot of demons and that plays with who he is. It was interesting trying to figure out what caused these demons that Nix has and as the novel goes on we slowly start to see some of it. And as he starts to let go on some of those he lets others in.

The romance had many ups and downs. There is a lot of angst in this one. And while I don’t normally love it, Rebecca can write it so well that I do. There is the slight use of the fake dating trope and gosh did I love it. It just made everything so much better. I loved seeing what Nix and Zoe bought out in one another. They pushed each other to be better, but also pushed to move past their demons and try and live a good life. It’s intense at times and there were many mistakes made throughout Muses & Melodies, but it’s also a journey.

Photo by henri meilhac on Unsplash

Many themes are present throughout Muses & Melodies. Nix has a lot of demons that have taken over his life and because of that, he has become addicted. I think the way that addiction was explored throughout the series and the book was well done and explores the many ups and downs of recovering. Muses & Melodies also explores the idea of family and how it’s not always made up by people with that share the same DNA. I loved that we got to see more of the Hush Note crew it and how they wanted to support not only Nix but Zoe as well.

I loved the Hush Note series as a whole. It was a great rocker romance series and exactly what I needed. I liked that each author took a band member but it still felt like a while series that connected perfectly. I do wish we got to see each member more in books that weren’t their own, but it wasn’t a massive deal.

Photo by Sebastian Ervi on Unsplash

Overall, I loved reading Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros. It was a great ending to this series and wrapped up everyone quite nice. This faking dating romance is hard-hitting and emotional at times, but it’s also beautiful. It explores overcoming, finding and believing in yourself and also that sometimes it’s okay to get a little help. Nixon and Zoe were perfect for one another. They balanced each other, they pushed each other. But they also loved one another. If you are looking for a new rocker series then pick up Hush Note, you won’t be disappointed.

Have you read the Hush Note series yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite rocker romances? Let’s Chat!

06 Oct

Book Covers That Give Me Fall Vibes

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 8 Comments

This week I’m sharing the covers that give me fall vibes and colours. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

While we are in Spring here in Australia, I do love Fall or Autumn as we call it. So today I’m sharing covers that give me fall vibes, from the colours to things that are on the covers. I just went through all my read books and picked. Enough of all this, here are the covers that I just love and remind me of fall.

Circe by Madeline Miller: As soon as I thought about this post, this cover jumped right out at me. It’s the contrast of the orange and the black that gives me the fall vibes for sure.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo: This is another one that as soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect of the post. It’s the dark purple with the orange that gets me. And the contrast of all the colours.

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes: The colour and orange and fall just go together and this cover is all orange for me.

Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare: If this doesn’t scream fall I don’t know what does. From the colours contrast to the falling autumn leaves. It all fits for me. I love the use of the green here as well, it breaks up the orange of the hair and leaves.

On the Rocks (Becker Brothers #1) by Kandi Steiner: The way the sun hits in this book just reminds me of fall right away. The way that it hits the people on the front, the glow.

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers #2) by Lisa Kleypas: This reminds me of fall for many reasons including the fact that it has autumn in the title, but also the colours used, the way that the garden looks. It’s pretty stunning if you ask me.

Long Way Home (Thunder Road #3) by Katie McGarry: I love the contrast of pinks and oranges here. It fits the fall theme perfectly for me. Again the sun plays a part is casting some gorgeous colours.

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand: Again I don’t think I need to say too much about this one. It’s all fall for me. The colours, the leaves, it’s fall through and through.

When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi #1) by Sandhya Menon: There is something about orange and all that always works and it’s again present here. I like that it isn’t all orange, but there’s enough to make it stand out.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick: I’m not too sure why this reminds me of fall. Maybe again it’s the way that the sun hits the book and the shadows of the flowers/tree. It just works for me.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. What are some the covers that give you fall vibes? Do we share any that is the same? So let’s chat!