u/GothicMarmalade

I have this problem where I find a lot of romance books to be written in this cheesy type of way. I'm always cringing when they say "I love you" or call her "princess" or "perfect" (btw I don't get the obsession with the word perfect). I don't think I've read more than two books where I liked the sex scenes.

It always like "dark fantasy" and the guys are misogynistic trash cartoon villains or cheesy wattpad boys. And am I the only one who thinks male POVs are awful? Like I don't have a degree in male psychology but I always feel like you know, the male veterinarian wearing a wig to appeal to a dog. I'm the dog.

Sorry if this sounds like hate. I just want to find romance books I can read in peace. Not every book has to be for me, but I'd like at least one.

The closest book I found was {Generic Romance Story} but I didn't like the couples. But then I read {Generic Fairy Romance Story} and I liked the couples but the writing was too cheesy!

I still can't find a single book I enjoy. I feel like I'm going crazy being the only one who thinks all romance books are bad. But I love romance books! I've never read one I liked, but I love them.

Challenge level: impossible. A fantasy or paranormal RH where there is no SA. Not as a backstory, not during the book, not to side characters or one of the MMCs. Please. I'm finding it emotionally taxing reading about it so often and I need something where it isn't even on the cards.

I need to talk about the Fifth Nicnevin. I just finished book 3 and I need to scream.

>!Bram is dead, I'm absolutely gutted. I am sick of hearing about how Caed is the worst thing since the Devil, because he ... was forced not to help Rose by his father's use of his true name, and at no point has anyone - him or Prae or Bram - told Rose this. !<

>!Meanwhile I'm supposed to believe Drystan is better than him. Drystan just got her brother killed! He knew Eero was conspiring, and he told no one! Worse, he gaslit Rose into believing she was wrong when she figured it out herself. He is cruel and awful to her and meanwhile all Caed did was have trauma and a terrible father that caused him to make mistakes.!<

>!Also Bram is dead. I'm not handling that well. I was completely in love with him as a character and he deserved better.!<

>!EDIT: Also I am getting really tired of people telling Rose not to kill people who hurt her friends and family; and of people in general not telling Rose *anything*. In three books, she's learned how to control her Aura and nothing else.!<

Seriously, someone spoil it for me, does it get better? How the heck can it be fixed because I don't know that I can buy the HEA at this point.

I really enjoy the trope of "rejected her, then they have to grovel to make it up to her". But I feel like half the time, the reasons for the rejection feel really don't make a lot of sense or are too trivial.

One of the best I've read recently was {Knot A Bed of Roses by Roxy Collins}, where they rejected her >!sort of accidentally because their talent manager/uncle told both sides lies so his clients didn't pack up and stop pursuing their careers to be with her.!<

Whereas like, {Klutz by Sedona Ashe} it just felt really unreasonable that they'd reject her and then do it repeatedly for such a simple reason. Honestly I didn't want her to forgive them ever. . . . I still finished the series tho so I don't know what that says about me.

But anyway, I'd love some rejection stories where even if the men are pigheaded, it makes sense from their perspective. Could be rejected soulmates, or OV scent matches, or a fantasy arranged marriage the men refused to hold up their end of. or just "he dumped her when they were college sweethearts and now he wants to make it up", anything like that.

I really really need more epic / high fantasy RH in my life. Stuff like {Queen's Line by Kathryn Moon}, {Ambience by Sierra Knoxly}.

Its own world - not paranormal or an alternate version of our world.

Has magic, and maybe fantasy species too as a bonus

Feels big/epic/has lore/worldbuilding

Preferably politics/scheming/court drama, that sort of things.

I'd count {Given by Amy Pennza} too.

I realised today literally the only time I seem to see a plus size MMC is if they're a bear shifter. Which is fine, at least its something. But wondering if there are any RH with plus size MMCs who aren't bear shifters?

I love a found family books and I need more of that. Usually a bunch of characters who come from bad backgrounds (abusive parents, given up for adoption, lost their parents young etc) who meet and make each other their found family. Usually in RH obviously this includes the polycule but I love when there are also like, friends and allies who are part of it too. Maybe even a whole village of fun characters, Love stuff like banter, hanging out for family breakfast/dinner, all of them living together in a big house (or castle or fortress or magical pocket dimension, whatever), adopting a dog, adorable Christmas scenes, planting a vegetable garden or planning a nest - all of it.

For example, while I would consider {Baby + the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon} a found family story - none of the men or Baby have close family, they have friends who aren't part of the pack and who pitch in and are part of things, they renovate the strip mall together etc.

Stuff like {Liminal by Marie Mistry} {Pizza Shop Exorcist by Dakota Brown} {Highland Hideaway by Lily Gold} but I need more.

Um so I read a book recently where the FMC puts one of the MMCs in chastity ({Arcanist by Marie Mistry}) and now I want to see more of that. Got any recs?

I'm a lover of a properly fleshed out world, and I must admit I have DNF'd so many books because the world didn't make any sense. So I'm eager for some worldbuilding that feels consistent and interesting. Like, I want "this is so good a world I'd read more books in this same world if they wrote them"

My own recommendations, where I enjoyed the worldbuilding, would include

{Queen's Line by Kathryn Moon} - I love how the magic plays such a key part in the plot.

{Queen Takes Knight by Joely Sue Burkhart} - Yeah it's sort of ridiculous but it never contradicts itself and takes time to delve into things.

{Rut Bar by Alexis B. Osborne} - I love that this series takes some time to give serious thought about institutions and entertainment that'd exist in an Omegaverse world.

{Ambience by Sierra Knoxly} - Great ambience (pun intended), and the culture of the kingdom was clearly thought through

{Given by Amy Pennza} - The worldbuilding was inventive and played a big role in the plot.

So, a trope I quite like is when, either before they meet or after they bond, mates have matching marks. Not just bites, I mean like tattoos or body markings or something. But I don't see it very often outside of Ao3. Anyone got any recs?

Anything is fine except academy.