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A Romance Novelist's 2022 Reading Year in Review
Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean and now lives in New York City. When not at work as a trauma therapist, she writes stories with unapologetic happily-ever-afters about people who look and sound like her people. Her books, which The New York Times has called "sweet and thoughtful, but delightfully filthy too," include the contemporary Dreamers series as well as historical romance like 2022's A Caribbean Heiress in Paris. Her latest title is On the Hustle, available in the U.S. now.
We asked Herrera to share her 2022 year in reading. Check out what she loved this year and what she's looking forward to in 2023!
We asked Herrera to share her 2022 year in reading. Check out what she loved this year and what she's looking forward to in 2023!
Goodreads: What are some trends or themes you are noticing in romance this year?
Adriana Herrera: The past couple of years have been groundbreaking in romance, and it’s hard to answer this question without addressing the BIG APP in the room. A massive new trend is that of books going viral on TikTok. TikTok, or more specifically BookTok, has brought many new readers into the genre. And though largely more readers in the genre is always welcome news, the dynamics of BookTok can feel like a winner-takes-all environment.
That being said, romance moves fast, and there are always exciting new iterations of subgenres to pay attention to. First off, I am very pleased to see a lot more spicier lesbian romance in these romance streets. Please, please, please give me all the super-sexy sapphic love stories! Some excellent and high heat reads from this year are D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia Higgins, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake, and Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner.
A second, and particularly thrilling, trend to watch is romance embracing genre mashups. Some standouts of 2022 for me are: Sally Thorne’s Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match, which blends Thorne’s sharp wit and humor with historical romance and horror. The result is interesting and fresh, and I am crossing my fingers for more authors to take risks like this. Other mashup romances I’ve loved are The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen, The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, and Something Wilder by the powerhouse duo Christina Lauren.
Finally, a trend that I truly hope to see lots more of is diverse romance in subgenres besides contemporary. I am loving seeing paranormal romance with Black witches and mermen, like Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin or the utterly wonderful The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Even historical romance, which has long lagged behind other subgenres in embracing diversity, is inching toward exploring settings other than Regency London and characters whose lived experience goes outside of the predominantly cis, het, white British aristocracy. Some examples are Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy, set in a Regency London where people of color have been historically present in high society, another is Lisa Rayne’s Never Cross a Highlander (please go look at that cover!), and finally Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage by Lydia San Andres, set in the Dominican Republic in the early 19th century.
AH: I have two sets of answers! One is new-to-me authors, and the other is debut authors I’ve loved.
A new-to-me author is Heather Guerre, who came via a friend’s recommendation. Her billionaire/kinky romance Preferential Treatment was one of the most refreshing reads I’ve had this year. The heroine is an absolute baddie, and I was tickled to no end by the way she challenged her billionaire with conversations about politics, wealth, and philanthropy DURING their sexy times.
Another new to me author is Jeannie Chin. Her Blue Cedar Falls series is GREAT. They have a very old-school, small-town romance feel, but with all the modern sensibilities I need. The latest is Return to Cherry Blossom Way, and it is a solid read.
As far as debuts, there are some real winners this year. I already mentioned Celestine Martin’s Witchful Thinking. There is also Natalie Caña with her wonderful foodie, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating-with-meddling-abuelitos rom-com, A Proposal They Can’t Refuse. Claire Kann’s The Romantic Agenda is another fake-dating gem. The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson is a love letter to body positivity, with an unforgettable plus-size heroine and the lingerie line of my dreams. Digging Up Love by Chandra Blumberg is another delightful sweet romance between a paleontologist and a baker. There is also Ava Wilder’s How to Fake It in Hollywood—Ava’s voice is phenomenal, and the chemistry between the protagonists is incendiary. I am very curious to see what she does next. Last but not least I must mention Nikki Payne, who has written one of my favorite retellings of Pride and Prejudice. If you do not have Pride and Protest on your Want to Read shelf, you really need to get on that.
GR: Looking ahead, what predictions do you have for romance in 2023? And are there any 2023 titles you can’t wait to read?
AH: My hopeful prediction is that newcomers to the romance genre do indeed branch out beyond the limited set of books they are being served by TikTok algorithms. I hope they get curious and begin to explore the vast diversity that exists within the genre, whether that is books written by authors of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, or delving into other subgenres like historical paranormal, romantic suspense, and everything in between.
We are living in a time of viral books, and until more books by BIPOC and other marginalized authors get their moment, I have some suggestions for those who have read some of the current megahits and are hungry for more romances like them! If It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is one of your favorites, give Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan a try. For anyone who devoured It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey with all that phenomenal banter and delicious sexy times…then look no further than The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa. If your jam is Emily Henry with her emotional and swoony romances, then you need to give Alexis Daria a try. You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adios are a great place to start! If you crave the crackling banter and adorably hapless heroine of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood—or just want all things fanfic—give Olivia Dade’s Ship Wrecked a try. If you like your romance a little dark and a lot sexy, try Mia Hopkins’s Tanked, the third in her Eastside Brewery series.
Books that I am most excited about next year:
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles
Ana Maria and The Fox by Liana de La Rosa
The next installment in LaQuette’s Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club
Sorry Bro by Taleen Voskuni
For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
GR: What were some of your favorite 2022 books?
AH: This year I found myself reaching for (and returning to) books that engaged in larger conversations about feminism, the world, and community. We are in a moment where the personal is the political, and I am looking for books with happy endings for protagonists who are not only showing up for themselves but for their communities. People who are healing, living loudly, and with courage…all while falling in love and hopefully having amazing sex!
This book made me rethink everything I thought a romance could do. It completely unpacks the shame in a forbidden/taboo romance and puts that love right in the light. It is a beautifully queer book, raw and vivid. A true triumph. Feyi, our heroine, has begun to date five years after tragically losing her husband in a car accident. But when she meets the father of the man she’s dating, things get very complicated.
Angelina Lopez redefines the alpha heroine in this phenomenally sexy romance. I loved the history that Angelina gifts us about the long heritage of Mexican Americans in the plains of Kansas. The love story of Alexandra Torres and Jeremiah Post is not only about the two of them, but about a town and a family that learns to reclaim its history and legacy. This is a brilliant, sexy, challenging romance, and I hope more people give it a chance.
There is no doubt that when it comes to historical romance, Sarah Maclean knows exactly what she’s about. She gives me my feminism just like I like it, strident, unrelenting, and if I’m lucky…explosive. This second installment of the Hell’s Belles series starts off…not with a bang exactly, but with a gang battle, at a wedding. It only gets better from there. Adelaide Frampton is the sweetest thief you’ll ever meet, and her hero, the Duke of Clayborn, is a top-tier dreamboat. The pining is epic, and there is not a second bed to be found in all of Britain in this one. Need I say more?
Romance with reality-TV settings is practically its own subgenre now, but this one gives us two women of color, body positivity, culture, family drama, and ultimately the joy of getting to read about two people who are absolutely perfect for each other falling in love. I devoured this witty and sexy rom-com and truly hope this is what the future of romance looks like.
If you read romance, you know Christina Lauren, as they have been killing it in the genre for a long time now. Something Wilder is a book that showcases what can happen when seasoned, talented writers take a risk and it pays off magnificently. This electric, fast-paced, adventure romance does everything right. It starts with one of the most exquisitely executed meet-cutes I’ve ever read and continues with plot twists and turns that had me reading long into the night.
Do you know what I want in my royal romance? A force-of-nature heroine who rules the hip-hop charts with her empowered bangers and a prince who falls hard and fast for her magnificence. That is what I want. Fortunately for us, it is precisely what Tracey Livesay gives us with Dani “Duchess” Nelson and her Prince Jameson. Fans of Meghan and Harry need look no further.
This book is the romance equivalent of a fluffy, cozy blanket wrapped in a gothic setting. Mika is a wonderful heroine, who after a lifetime of isolation and making herself small finally arrives in Nowhere House, a place where she can finally bloom. Her romance with the adorably grumpy librarian Jamie is achingly sweet, but what I fell hardest for were all the quirky residents of Mika’s new home.
For those who love a book that comes from the fandoms, Everina Maxwell’s phenomenal sci-fi series had its origins in Kirk/Spock fanfic. Everina plays off the shameless scamp (Hello Kirk, you scoundrel!) with the broody, serious love interest (All hail Spock!). The first in the series was a fast-paced romp full of intrigue with phenomenal chemistry between the two heroes, and Ocean’s Echo, is just as fantastic. It has Tennalhin, a socialite mind reader with a penchant for shameless flirting who is put under the care of the dutiful Lt. Suri. Sparks fly, and not at all in a good way…at first.
GR: And what are some backlist romances you think readers should pick up now?
AH: This answer really depends on how far back you want me to go! The best thing about romance is that there is something for everyone, and if you are fortunate enough to be a curious and adventurous reader, then you are in for a lifetime of bookish joy. There are just too many books that people absolutely must read, so I’m just going to name the first ones that come to mind.
If you like fantasy and feminism, then you must read A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane. This book has one of my absolute favorite heroines, ever. The third and last book in the series, A Dance of Smoke and Steel, comes out this month.
If you like your historicals queer and with a little horror, KJ Charles’ debut novel The Magpie Lord is essential reading. Set in Victorian England, this quick and thrilling romance involves Lucien Vaudry, an earl who comes back to London after a 17-year-long exile in China, only to find out he’s been cursed. To his rescue comes Stephen Day, a very squirrely witch who has every reason to hate him. Absolutely first-rate banter and the steam is *chef’s kiss.* While we are on historical, Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase is canon for all historical fans. If you don’t know Jessica Trent, then you are missing out in a big way.
In contemporary I would heartily recommend Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn, the gold standard in the fake-dating trope, as far as I’m concerned. The same goes for Tracey Livesay’s Like Lovers Do in the friends-to-lovers department. On a side note, this year I gifted myself with a reread of Susan Elizabeth Philips’ backlist, and I advise everyone to do so. The woman is a contemporary romance virtuoso. There is truly no one who can do what she can. The woman invented sports romance, for goodness sake! If you have never read her, two of my favorite are Heroes Are My Weakness, which is basically a modern gothic, except the heroine is a down-on-her-luck ventriloquist…yes you read that right. The other is Kiss an Angel, which is a throwback, but the hero is a circus manager and heir to the Romanov empire, and the heroine talks to tigers.
A final recommendation is the wholesome and super-sexy For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes. It is a wonderful contemporary with a trans heroine. I loved the way the BDSM community was portrayed in this book, and April French is a phenomenal heroine!
Tell us about your romance reading in 2022. What books did you love best? Share them with us in the comments below!
Check out more of our year-in-review coverage:
Check out more of our year-in-review coverage:
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Dec 24, 2022 09:31PM
adding so many to my tbr
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