My new Spotlight feature highlights anything within the bookish world that I feel deserves a spotlight for a few minutes – publishers (or more specifically, imprints!), new or old favorite authors, bookish people/bloggers, covers or cover trends, topics/genres within books, and anything else that should be on your radar.
Forever Romance
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Am I biased about Forever because I love Estelle, their marketing/PR guru? Could be. But honestly, this imprint is one of my very favorites lately. The stories, authors, books – they all speak for themselves… and, of course, my ratings speak to how much I genuinely enjoy their titles.
Forever Romance is an imprint under Grand Central Publishing (Hachette). They focus specifically on romance titles. Forever Yours focuses on ebooks and digital-first publishing. I came to know Forever when Estelle started her position there and it’s been so great to collaborate with her! You may remember during the holiday season when I worked with Forever on the All Hale Christmas Wishes read-a-long. Jenny Hale has been one of my favorite holiday writers for years now and being able to see one of my FAVORITES become a cute paperback through Forever was an awesome experience. Today I’ll be sharing some of my favorite things about Forever Romance, books I recommend (and books still on my TBR!), and why I think you should focus on this imprint for all of your romance needs 😉
Small Town Romance (Including Holiday Stories!)
One of the biggest selling points for me is that they have a section right at the top of their website that boasts “small town romances.” Any reader of my blog is well-aware that companion series set in cozy small towns are my very favorite. There are quite a few Forever titles that fall into this category for me – many I’ve loved, many I still plan to read. They say on their website:
Pack your tote bag for Foreverland.
Small towns, how we adore you. The mom-and-pop shops on Main Street. The curious and caring community (which sometimes include psychic chickens and fudge shop owners). The town folklore! Whether it’s by the beach or nestled in the mountains, small towns give its visitors a chance to recalibrate, connect, and find love.
This year, we are taking you on an adventure as we introduce you to the small towns that span Foreverland—from sea to shining sea. All you need to pack is an open mind and an open heart (and maybe space for your favorite book). See you there!
The site goes on to discuss and highlight some of the small towns you can see in their books. I’ve mostly visited one of these but have all of the other series on my TBR. Here are the towns…
- Angel Falls – local legend that kissing someone on the bridge in front of the angel statue, tossing a coin in, and taking a picture with them means you’ll love them forever
- Sweetwater Springs – nestled in the mountains, a relaxing town for taking a break, falling in love… and probably staying longer than expected!
- Topaz Falls – handsome cowboys, sweet locals, and an adorable Main Street (my favorite kind of place!)
- Harmony Harbor – coastal getaway with a lot of small town holiday spirit
- Magnolia Harbor – charming small town with a heavy focus on sailing and adventuring at sea
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I’ve loved both Sweetwater Springs books. Annie Rains writes such nice romances and the town is the CUTEST. It has the kind of main street/downtown area you want to visit and end up falling in love with. So far, both main characters have extended their stay once they visited 😉
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Bridesmaids Behaving Badly… Like I Want To
I think I’ve done my fair bit of complaining about all of the bridesmaid-ing I’ve been doing in the last few years. I do think weddings are fun and I LOVE supporting my friends, but being a bridesmaid (especially in multiple weddings in the same year, for multiple years…) can be a challenge. Both for planning purposes and financial reasons. For that reason, the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series by Jenny Holiday struck a chord with me… in a too familiar way at first! I have most of the books in one format or another at this point but… have been fully unable to read them so far. Why? I am still knee deep in bridemaid duties… and will be for another year or two. I’ll be honest, I don’t think even the fun/bad behavior from these bridesmaids could pull me from my bridal duty slump. I can’t wrap my head around it right now. However, I have a good feeling I’ll be binge-reading this series sooner rather than later 😉 The reviews are great! There are three main books (pictured below) and two novellas (one before and one between #2 and #3).
All Love All Voices Contest
One of the latest features for Forever Romance is their #AllLoveAllVoices contest. They are committed to a more inclusive publishing program and therefore hoping to get new writers. From the website page about the contest, they say “We’re looking for full-length romance novels and women’s fiction from authors with diverse backgrounds who are promoting diversity in their work. #OwnVoices stories are welcome and encouraged.” They are open to submissions within romance and women’s fiction. I LOVE this and think it’s so important to raise up new voices and experiences! Check out the link above and tweet below for more information about this open submission.
To reinforce our commitment to an inclusive publishing program, Forever invites authors promoting diverse backgrounds & experiences in their works to enter the open submission #AllLoveAllVoicesContest. See link for details & Official Rules: https://t.co/WD68G7MzYK #contest pic.twitter.com/GkpVXTYdWc
— Forever Books ? (@readforeverpub) March 28, 2019
Rom-Coms
Another general category or genre that Forever has are your classic romantic comedies. I read and really enjoyed The Good Luck Charm and am so excited to dive into Meet Cute, her next story! (Also, how cute are both of these covers?! I love that they look so great next to each other!) The third book here, The Friend Zone, is a novel that will make you both laugh and cry – something I definitely am prepared for!
The Good Luck Charm:Â second chance romance with a hockey star
Meet Cute:Â hooking up with an actor and developing a friendship that leads to more
The Friend Zone:Â bittersweet story about being unable to have kids + falling for a guy who wants a big family
Other Genres & Topics
I’m definitely a contemporary romance kind of gal, especially funny ones or those set in cute small towns, so my favorite highlights are above. However, if you like historical romance, Amish romance, cowboy romance, suspenseful romance, and more, they have plenty of other books for you. I promise.
I haven’t even heard of this imprint until now but the books they publish sound great. I also love the cover designs… especially Meet Cute!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Yay!! Hope you check them out.
Many of these books are on my TBR pile already. 🙂 A couple of years ago I too was in multiple weddings every year, and back then my husband and I did not have a lot of money. It was kind of stressful and took a hit to our bank account. I still had fun and loved that my friends wanted me to be a part of their day, but it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshines. lol
LOL AMEN
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