The Romance Reader Book Tag

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As a romance reader, I was delight to be tagged by Dini. I saw this tag a bunch of times last week, and I thought about how difficult the questions are. BUT, I am going to do my best to answer each question. NOTE: I will be making selections from my recently read books, though I am sure there are many from back in the day that would be great. 

What age did I start reading romance?

I am in the just over 50 demographic, so I have to dig deep for this one. I would say 13 or 14. As a teen, I devoured teen romances. My high school was right across the street from the library, and I would stop in almost daily to pull some romance paperbacks from the teen section. I couldn't tell you any of the names, but they were contemporary romances. 

The college years were my "dark ages" when it comes to reading. Engineering school was hard, and the only books I was reading were text books. Then I had jobs and moming - just no time for pleasure reading. I started book-worming again in 2013. At first, I was reading my daughter's books, but then I got involved with lots of romance reader groups on Facebook, and I followed a ton of romance blogs. Maybe this would be where I really became a romance reader? 

Which romance hero would I want to meet and why?

I seem to love those heroes that a little rough around the edges, some may even call they grumpy, but have hearts of gold. They aren't all about sweet talk, but rather show their affection and dedication via their actions (which we all know speak louder than words). 

I recently read three books where the heroes had these characteristics:

1. Matthias Vaughan from Codename Charming by Lucy Parker
2. August Cates from Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
3. Ryker Matthews from Change of Plans by Dylan Newton

Who are my favorite romance authors and why?

How does one pick a favorite? I have so many auto-reads at this point. If we are talking about most-read, I would say Jill Shalvis (40 books read), Sawyer Bennett (38 books read), and Lauren Layne (33 books read).  Shalvis and Layne always deliver stories that are packed with warmth and humor, while Bennett is my go-to for hockey romance. 

Recent favorites from these authors:

• The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis
• Riggs by Sawyer Bennett
• You, Again by Lauren Layne

Book recommendations for non-romance readers

This is really a struggle. I am almost thinking a women's fiction book with a romantic sub-plot would be the ticket, or a romance book where there is a LOT more to the story than just the romance. I feel like someone picks up romance because they want to be part of these characters' love story. They want to be there every step of the way as they fall in love and get their HEA. A non-romance reader may not want that. They may not embrace certain types of heroes like the alpha male and such, so I would suggest books with more of the cinnamon roll type heroes. The list below are books I have seen tagged as romance even if I did not tag them as that myself. 

• Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman
• The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber
• The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy by Megan Bannen
• Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
• The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Which is my favorite sub-genre and why? 

My favorite, by far, is contemporary. I read contemporary fiction almost exclusively. Of the three options presented (contemporary, suspense, and historical), I read historical the least. It's the total opposite of my norm (contemporary), and I just was never like all the Austen lovers out there. I like reading about people falling in love in present times. Not sure why. Maybe because it's easier to imagine myself in their stories. Who knows? Sometimes I enjoy a bit of suspense, but some of those books tend to lean darker, and we all know I am the light and fluffy fangirl. I don't tend to seek out suspense book, for the most part. 

Are you a romance reader?
Let us know in the comments!