Category Archives: General

Team TBR Challenge Review/Rant: 暴君请放手 by 一抹初晴

暴君请放手 by 一抹初晴
(Tyrant, Please Let Go aka “Beauty’s Fault“) by Yi Mo Chu Qing
Beauty's Fault Hoopla Audiobook Cover

他擁有絕美的容顏,卻因此淪爲仇人的玩物;她爲報救母之恩,替他承歡於他的仇人身下。終有一天,她助他得以飛出囚籠,重獲新生。本以爲可以從此自由,誰料他殘忍下手,揮劍刺向她的胸膛。“怎麼,想離開我,回到他的身邊去?”他絕美的脣角掛着陰鷙的冷笑,長劍的劍尖上還淌着殷紅的血。他的劍,怎會刺進她的胸膛?這樣的結局,是她始料未及。他冷冷地指着她:“你逃不了!我不會放過他,也不會放過你!”
He has a beautiful face, but because of this he becomes the plaything of his enemies; in order to repay the favor to her mother, she acts his body double and makes nice with his captor on his behalf. One day, she helped him fly out of the cage and regain his life. She thought she could be free from now on, but who would have expected him to be so cruel that he stabbed her in the chest with his sword. “Why, do you want to leave me and go back to him?” There was a sinister sneer on the corner of his beautiful lips, and the tip of the long sword was dripping with red blood. How could his sword pierce her chest? This ending was something she had never expected. He pointed at her coldly: “You can’t escape! I won’t let him go, and I won’t let you go!”

First of all … I spent too much time hunting down the actual book blurb, and “translating” it – TBH I obviously used google translated and edited what it spit out … What it says in Hoopla is this:

“Canon grave” is based on Jiang Feng as the main line, wrote about the jiangs pawnshop in three hundred years throughout the country. The story took place in different times. The Jiangjia Pawnshop before liberation and the Jiangjia Pawnshop after liberation were staggered.

… which is obviously fucking wrong. Also I started listening to the book in my car so it’s not as if I could’ve tried to find the source material and plug it into a translator. Anyway I’m salty AF. Especially since all the [Chinese] sites I’ve found it on label it as a romance. A ROMANCE! NO!

While the prompt for the TBR challenge this month was “furry friends” I’m ignoring it because I need to rant. (Also I considered writing a review of a book I enjoyed that had a dog, but look … I need to talk about this goddamn book more.) Calling the … I don’t even want to call him a “male lead” – even in my notes I just called him “dude” other than my descriptive “13 year old shitprince” … anyway, calling him a dog would be an insult to dogs. And not just because I LOVE dogs. I felt insane while I was listening to this book. I didn’t DNF it because I’d DNF’d like eight books over the weekend – so many that I didn’t even bother putting them all into GR. I kept listening because the first part was ok, and more I kept hoping it’d get better. I kept thinking, “it has to get better, right? Everything is going to turn around.” Well, I WAS WRONG. I think this might be the most “what in the goddamn fuck” book I’ve ever read in my life. Continue reading

A Working List of Black Romance Authors

Hi friends! I have to admit I’ve largely been away from the Romance community and reading for the past year or so – so I’m sure there are many more names to add to this list. Please let me know who you/they are! Thank you!

My apologies if there are any errors. (As always if someone wants to be removed from the list, let me know and I’ll be happy to do so.)

Happy reading!

Limecello’s 2023 [Reading] in Review

Hi friends! So ALBTALBs turns 13 this year! … The site is older than some of your children! … 😅 if the people I’m thinking of are still even checking this site/clicking links …

First of all I unfortunately am still dealing with a lot (so many 😭) health issues, so I’ve still got that GoFundMe Campaign – if anyone is willing to donate or even share the link I’d so appreciate it: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-limecello thank you!

Anyway, I did very little reading in 2023 Just a smidge over 50 books. There was that whole miserable surgery thing. Mostly I watched Chinese dramas, and if you’re curious as to what … here’s my MDL list. A few of them I watched long long ago, some I watched at the end of 2022, but the vast majority I watched last year. However near the end of the year I picked up reading again … but translated Chinese romances. And I’ve been having a grand old time.

However, I’m here to do my annual “Read in Review” or whatever – I really need to come up with an “official title” … without further ado, my 2023 reads! It was a lot of re-reads for me at first. That’s what the asterisk indicates. The “♪” means it was an audiobook read.

January
*On Fortune’s Wheel/The Tale of Birle by Cynthia Voigt
*Kincaid by Laurelin Paige
The Thief Who Loved Me by Cynthia Eden
Deck the Halls by Cynthia Eden
Division 11’s Princess Agents by Xiao Xiang Dong Er
Taken by the Horde King by Zoey Draven
Throne of the Horde King by Zoey Draven
Mine Tonight by Christina C. Jones
*The Satin Sash by Red Garnier
*Anonymous Acts by Christina C. Jones ♪
Kraving Tavak by Zoey Draven

February
Tempest by Beverly Jenkins ♪
Kiss Me This Christmas by Cynthia Eden

March
[Who Rules The World] 且试天下 (Qie Shi Tian Xia) by 倾泠月 (Qing Ling Yue)
*Downfall by Evelyn Sola
Defeat by Evelyn Sola
*Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
*The Winter King by C.L. Wilson
*Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
*Teacher’s Pet Wolf by Kati Wilde

April
Touched by Ice by Cynthia Eden

May
Do Me by Sheryl Lister ♪
The Legend of FuYao by 天下归元 (Tian Xia Gui Yuan, World Convergence)
Love Me by Delaney Diamond ♪
Show Me by Sharon C. Cooper ♪
Queen of Barrakesch by Delaney Diamond ♪
Field of Pleasure by Farrah Rochon ♪

June
Spacer’s Cinderella by Adria Rose

September
Somebody’s Wife by Robbi Renee ♪
Devoted by Evelyn Sola
Desire in His Blood by Zoey Draven
Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by Myeongseok Kang

October
All the Feels by Olivia Dade ♪
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren ♪

November
Marriage of the Di Daughter by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke)
The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke) – which I reviewed
Rebirth of a Star General by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke)
The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke)

December
The Job of an Imperial Concubine by 月下蝶影 (Yue Xia Die Ying, Butterfly’s Shadow Beneath the Moon)
Greetings, Ninth Uncle by 九月流火 (Jiu Yue Liu Huo, September Flowing Fire) – which I reviewed
Don’t Be A Favored Concubine by 九月流火 (Jiu Yue Liu Huo, September Flowing Fire)
It’s Better To Be the Empress Dowager by 九月流火 (Jiu Yue Liu Huo, September Flowing Fire)
A Mistaken Marriage Match: Mysteries in the Imperial Harem by 浅绿 (Qian Lu)
The Yandere Came During the Night by 風流書呆 (Feng Liu Shu Dai, Casanovanic Bookworm)
The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband by 漪光 (Yi Guang)
After Marrying the Disabled Crown Prince of the Enemy Country by 新了个喵 (New Meow)
Xiao Qi, Wait (小七,且慢) by 悠若清风 (You Ruo Qing Feng)
The General Wants to Hug and Sleep and 千草 (Sleep by Qian Cao)
The General’s Genius Daughter by 灼华 (Zhuo Hua)
I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister-in-Law by by 九月流火 (Jiu Yue Liu Huo, September Flowing Fire)
The Imperial Guard’s Revenge by by 九月流火 (Jiu Yue Liu Huo, September Flowing Fire)

I also want to add in my “defense” these c-novels are hefty. I might have mentioned one of the chapters for Empress was like over 30,000 words, I believe the author’s notes for Guard said the novel was over 700,000 words … so yeah. And that was without any side stories/epilogues if there are any, which I hope there are! There’s a lot going on – AND I’M LOVING IT. In fact most these books also have extra/side stories, which are more epilogues or vignettes, and I’m really sad when translations don’t have them. Anyway I wrote the English titles, not bothering to look for the original Mandarin, but for author names I tried to do both. How it works here is I put the original Mandarin, then the pinyin (pronunciation/”romanization”), and then sometimes they translate the names and added that too. As you can see some of the titles are … interesting. Some things don’t exactly translate well, and sometimes that’s part of the fun.

Anyway if anyone is interested in c-dramas or translated c-novels, I HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOU! 😄

I hope everyone has a lovely new year and that 2024 is the best for all of us yet! ❤️

A List of Native American Romance Authors

Hi friends! November is National Native American Heritage Month!

If you’re new to A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet (ALBTALBS) I used to have guests for the Smithsonian Heritage Months. Now, every year I post a list that I try to keep as updated as possible.  I always hope to see this number growing, and more books to look into.

Xio Axelrod
Maggie Blackbird
Marcella Bell
Christina Berry
Isobel Carr/Kalen Hughes
Pamela Clare
Louisa Cornell
Robin Covington
Kari Lynn Dell
Cynthia Eden
Yasmine Galenorn
T. J. Michaels
Danica Nava
V. S. Nelson
Alex Powell
Sharon Sala
Pamela Sanderson
Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA)
Dee Tenorio
Kristine Wyllys

As always if you fall under this umbrella and want me to add you, or know someone who could/should be added, please let me know! (And on the flip side, if you want to be removed, let me know that as well.) … Also I know at least one of the authors is Canadian – but you know, North America. (I’m still not quite sure how to split or not split international authors …)

A Drama to Delight Your Cold Little Black Heart. Team TBR Challenge Review: What’s Wrong With My Princess

General Murong Qiu Yu was infatuated with the second prince Li Mo, she aided him in seizing the throne. However, she was betrayed and killed by Li Mo and her sister Murong Xin Er. After being reborn, Qiu Yu found herself back on her wedding night with the seventh prince, Li Jian. Qiuy Y decided to join forces with Li Mo’s rival, Li Jian, to ensure that Murong Xin Er and Li Mo face the punishment they deserve… – source, MDL


I followed the TBR Challenge Prompt for “once!” This is a new to me scriptwriter (Luo Man Ying) – which isn’t something I usually check, but I did here. It’s also fitting because the story is the best part of the drama. What’s Wrong With My Princess is one of the most satisfying revenge stories I’ve seen. It’s a short drama so definitely not big budget, but definitely worth watching. I think I’ve seen both lead actors in other dramas previously, but ironically the one who I’d be most interested in seeing again was a character I hated – the SFL. (I chalked it down to the directing and good acting – her character is awful.)

When it comes to Chinese dramas the way lead characters are discussed are “Female Lead (FL),” “Male Lead (ML),” “Second Female Lead (SFL),” “Second Male Lead (SML),” and occasionally there’s a third FL and ML. Although ML and FL are always the hero/heroine, it’s not the case for SML, SFL, etc. – just they also get the more developed stories and longer screen time. There are some trigger warnings needed for the beginning – although it’s so unrealistic and absurd seeing it at least for me wasn’t that big of a deal – in fact I kept thinking and even said “that’s not how this shit works” but it was so awful it’s one of those “I don’t mind it’s wrong” things. The evil characters kill FL’s child in utero… right as she’s going into labor. It’s deeply fucked but that’s the point and why she comes back so angry and determined to exact justice. There’s also the dark history (or purported history) of consorts and concubines doing this sort of thing in the palace in order to grab power for themselves or preserve power … so it’s slightly less “what the FUCK”/more common to see to a native audience than to a Western audience.
Continue reading

A Working List of Latinx Romance Authors

Hi Friends! It’s Latinx Heritage Month 2023! Technically Hispanic Heritage Month by law, and I’m not educated enough to get into this discussion – I just want to highlight the romance authors I know of who fit under this umbrella. ALBTALBS celebrates Smithsonian Heritage Months this way – but in the past we had guest posts and such so you can read them via the tags, particularly Smithsonian Hispanic Heritage Month – there’s a lot of good content there! 

Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list – just who I’ve found. I’m trying my best.

And, if you missed them, you can find a list of Black Romance Authors here, as well as a list of APIA+ Romance Authors.

Lily Anderson
Carmen Baca
Natalie Caña
Sela Carson
Zoey Castile/Zoraida Córdova
Mary Castillo
Rebel Carter
Aleera Anaya Ceres
Andie J. Christopher
Chanel Cleeton
Claire Contreras
Alexis Daria
Liana De la Rosa
Taylor V. Donovan
Diane Escalera
Carmen Falcone
Barbara Ferrer aka Caridad Ferrer
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Johana Gavez
Cat Giraldo
Leora Gonzales
Nadine Gonzalez
Adriana Herrera
Isabel Ibañez
Dominique Laura
Julie Leto
Angelina M. Lopez
J.L. Lora
Evelyn Lozada
Ofelia Martinez
Mimi Milan
Janelle Milanes
Diana Muñoz Stewart
Laura Taylor Namey
Priscilla Oliveras
Berta Platas
Caridad Pineiro
Alana Quintana Albertson
Rosemary Rey
Elizabeth Reyes
Lilliam Rivera
Roxie Rivera
Danni Rose
Yamile Saied Méndez
Inés Saint
Lydia San Andres
Lynda Sandoval
Yaffa S. Santos
Jude Sierra
Sabrina Sol
Mia Sosa
Ada Maria Soto
Milly Taiden
Dee Tenorio
Allie Therin
Piper Vaughn
Jonny Garza Villa
Ismée Williams

As always – If you fall under the umbrella and aren’t listed let me know – I want to add you! I know I’ve definitely missed a lot – I haven’t been up to much this year, so please let me know who else is out there! <3

A List of Asian Pacific Islander [American] Romance Authors

Hi friends! It’s that time of year again! Welcome to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

Like previous years, the upper list is “North American” Romance Authors … which sure SAPAHM/APIAHM is for the USA but … I’d posit someone living in Canada [maybe? generally?] has a closer cultural experience than someone who has never lived in N. America? And for the latter, diversity in reading is always good, yeah?

Melia Alexander
Bella Andre
Tessa Barbosa
Grace Callaway
Jax Cassidy
S.A. Chakraborty
Gloria Chao (YA)
Jeannie Chin
Mary H.K. Choi (YA)
Sylvia Day
Sara Desai
Sonali Dev
Piper J. Drake
Pintip Dunn (YA)
Vicki Essex
Hafsah Faizal (YA)
Eilis Flynn
Jen Frederick
Maan Gabriel
Jeanette Grey
Jenny Han (YA)
Karen Harbaugh
Farah Heron
Helen Hoang
Mia Hopkins
Amalie Howard
Uzma Jalaluddin
Julie Kagawa (YA)
Soniah Kamal
Coleen Kwan
Thien-Kim Lam
Ruby Lang
Jackie Lau
Loan Le (YA)
Jade Lee aka Kathy Lyons
Jayci Lee
Hudson Lin
Jeannie Lin
Lisa Lin
Marjorie Liu
Gennita Low
Tif Marcelo
Maida Malby
Sandhya Menon (YA)
Courtney Milan
Tara Pammi
Suzanne Park
Sajni Patel
Cindy Pon
Tara Quan
Alisha Rai
Amara Royce
Sophia Singh Sasson
Nisha Sharma
Royaline Sing
Suleikha Snyder
Jesse Q. Sutanto
Cecilia Tan
Cara Tanamachi
Sherry Thomas
Melanie Ting
Julie Tieu
Gita Trelease
Jen Trinh
Neely Tubati Alexander
Lillie Vale (YA)
Grace Wen
Fortune Whelan
Preslaysa Williams
Cathy Yardley
Jennifer Yen (YA)

International Asian Pacific Islander Romance Authors
H. Bentham
Halina Cabrera
Catherine Dellosa
Carla de Guzman
Six de los Reyes
Mina V. Esguerra
Elizabeth Galit
Georgette Gonzales
Agay Llanera
Arlene Manocot
Chris Mariano
Nicola Marsh
Bianca Mori
Farrah F. Polestico
Kate Sebastian
Nalini Singh
Camilla Sisco
Marian Tee
Jay E. Tria
Celestine Trinidad
Ekaterine Xia
Ines Bautista-Yao

Aidee’s Anticipated Books of 2023

*EN: Aidee sent this list on January 5, all delays are my fault.

Anticipated Books of 2023

First, this list is late because I was struggling to track down books I was truly excited about. However, it was like a slow snowball, because I now have more than ten books I’m looking forward to, and I’m sure there will be many more I grab throughout the year that aren’t on the list. As always, these books are not in order of how thrilled I am about them, but they are loosely in order of when they are supposed to be released into the wide world (presuming nothing funky will happen that affects release dates).

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert book coverBradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (which is already out if you are reading this list)

Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children Book 8) by Seanan McGuire *This book is also already available 

Happily: A Personal History-With Fairy Tales by Sabrina Orah Mark *This book is also already available 

Furious Heaven by Kate Elliott

The Keeper’s Six by Kate Elliott *This book is also already available 

Rogue Familiar by Jeffe Kennedy

Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus #4) by Katee Robert *This book is also already available 

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas *This book is also already available 

Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond *This book is also already available 

Backpacking through Bedlam (InCryptid Book 12) by Seanan McGuire *This book is also already available 

Ana María and The Fox by Liana De la Rosa

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Witch King by Martha Wells

Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang

Resonance Surge (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 7) by Nalini Singh

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

A Dance of Smoke and Steel by Milla Vane

Ana María and The Fox (The Luna Sisters Book 1) by Liana De la Rosa book coverA forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.

Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.

Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now, as a member of Parliament, Gideon is on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all—a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore.

But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection . . . but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?

S.O.S.

Hi friends,

[Apologies if you already saw this – the original post went live while the host was moving things so the site was down for some time, so I’m re-upping it as new. Especially since I need a lot of help/lot more than I had anticipated.]

You may or may not know but … the site was down for a while – the hosting company had to make some changes and it was a big mess … and I’ve also got a lot going on.

It’s mostly explained in the GFM post and updates so … I literally cringe even asking this, but if you’re able to help at all, I’d really appreciate it. “Please help Limecello.”

Or if you prefer Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Limecello

Or buying actual items, I was advised to create a registry and I did once I found someone to collect and get things to me since I’ll be down for the count. You can find it here.

I really appreciate everyone’s generosity – Romanceland is so giving and wonderful – and the support. <3 People sharing the links to things directly for greater reach – all that helps if someone doesn’t have the budget to give money. (Which I obviously understand.)

So, thank you all for your patience.

~*~

As for a new/current update … I’d thought the robot wounds had stopped bleeding but they have not, unfortunately. My eye has been twitching for over two weeks now, and on average I’m getting about 3 hours of sleep a day. It’s rough going, but I’m trying. And I really appreciate everyone keeping me company and being so kind. Thank you. ❤️

Team TBR Challenge Review: The Blood of Youth


Blurb: As a disciple of the Lei Clan, Lei Wu Jie can’t wait to prove his worth as a hero, but as a novice who has only just entered the martial arts world, the path to becoming a true hero is difficult, at best. Undeterred by the challenges that lay before him, Wu Jei makes his way to the great city of Xue Yue, certain that his time there will mould him into the hero he so longs to be. Unfortunately, his trip to Xue Yue is waylaid by an unfortunate mishap at the Villa of Fallen Snow.

As proprietor of the Villa, Xiao Se has all the looks of a wealthy innkeeper, but he can barely afford to keep the inn open. Struggling with his business, Xiao Se is less than pleased when his establishment is damaged by the antics of a young, wannabe hero. Demanding he makes amends for the damage he caused, Wu Jei can think of only one way to appease the grumpy Xiao Se, and that is to take him with him. With no other options, the two set off together without any idea of what fate has in store for them.

Befriending several people along the way, including Wu Xin, Sikong Qian Luo, Tang Lian, and Ye Ruo Yi, Xiao Se and Wu Jei soon find themselves caught up in an adventure far greater than any of them could have imagined. While facing countless dangers, the group stumbles upon a trail of clues that tie one of them to a battle for the throne that took place over a decade ago. The question is, is the intrepid hero ready and willing to take his rightful place as the leader of the people? And where will the brotherhood go from there?

I really enjoyed this show. I started writing this review when I was rewatching (again again) and on episode 6 where there’s a lot of great humor. The Blood of Youth has such a badass ending. The theme for the March TBR challenge is “baggage” and boy howdy does our (main) hero have a lot of it. The most eyebrow raising aspect is – and … get ready to mark your calendars because this is rare – ignore the “romance” in it. Truly it’s terrible. I recoiled from my screen during most the “romance” scenes 😅. I liked the great balance of this series between plot and serious matters and humor, as well as the great relationships that are displayed. Really in my opinion it’s a buddy epic, and a journey of the hero “re-discovering” himself. It’s a bit of a wuxia fantasy – there are a lot of suspension of disbelief elements (basically people flying, near sentient weapons etc), but just go along for the ride. It’s a good time. Continue reading