Hi! I’m Lorelai Tarlow, a romance author and avid romance reader. I review romances I like (positive vibes only) to help spread the love. I’m happiest when I can dive deep into an author’s backlist, so my blog is a great place to find great books you might have missed.
My favorite books make me laugh while I swoon, so if you like romantic comedy, you’ve come to the right place. More Bridget Jones’s Diary than 50 Shades of Grey.
If you want the next review in your inbox, sign my email list! I won’t spam you or send you lots of emails (I’m waaay too lazy to write lots of emails).
I’ve created a little rating system to help you find your next favorite read.
The laughter scale
There are lots of good romances out there, but the ones that make you laugh out loud are the best. Here’s my three-part humor scale.
The spiciness score
Okay, let’s come out and say it: this is about how much—if any—sex is in the book. My happy place on this scale is the third level—lots of spice but I’m not exclusive. I hang out with many types of romances, as long as no bodices get ripped. One ripped bodice, and I’m out. Consent, consent, consent!
Tropes and genres
Romances fall into an ever-expanding number of overlapping genres, including:
- Romcom
- Contemporary
- Historical
- Queer
- Romantasy
- Small town
- Holiday
- Hockey (Why is this such a big category? I don’t know, but I will read every one.)
- YA
- And so on.
Within each genre, romances fall into tropes or types. Some common tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Second chance
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Fake dating/marriage
- Only one bed/room
- Thrown together/reluctant strangers
- And so many more.
What I’ll share with you
I’ll let you know the particulars and what I liked about each novel I review. I want to share books I think you might want to read, so it’s positive reviews only. You might love something I don’t like, so I’ll keep it to myself.
And I’ll try to avoid spoilers, although—spoiler alert—every romance has a happily ever after or at least a happy for now. It’s why we love them!