firewhiskeyreader

Hello my seasonal loving friends! I am delighted to be bringing you the announcement for #SnowInLoveBingo, alongside my TBR that you and I both know I will not read. Honestly, at some point I may have to pull the stats to see just how bad my follow through is. But before we do something that depressing, Aarya, Dani, and myself have gotten together some pretty exciting prompts! I did have to use Canva to make this board again, but needs must. I did not use Canva AI and to my knowledge none of these images are AI, but I am not the most tech savvy so if they are, please just let me know. Updating an image is quick work. (Can you tell I’m paranoid about the creep of AI?)

As always, we ask that you try to be as inclusive as possible when participating in #SnowInLoveBingo, so please capitalize the first letter of each word if you use the hashtag. #SnowInLoveBingo will run from December 1st to February 28th, but if you need more time, who am I to stop you? Please remember that Black Love is defined as a romance written by a Black author, featuring Black characters. Thank you kindly for your consideration! Now to what we’ve all been waiting for… The board! (Also here is the Storygraph link!)

Row One

Prompt One: Birds

This prompt is from Dani, who if you didn’t know, is our resident bird enthusiast. She has loved so many nonfictions about birds, that it makes sense that it has now made its way to being a prompt for us. I am not sure how you can interpret this other than literal birds, but I do believe in creative interpretation, so if you’re more creative than me, please share. For me, I will use this as the reason I finally pick up and actually read The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton, which I own and think is gorgeous. Here’s hoping I find the insides just as lovely as the cover. Let’s ignore that I’ve repeatedly made it two chapters in before wandering away. I have a short attention span. It’s fine.

Prompt Two: Awards Season

Now this is a prompt I want you to interpret SO BROADLY. Okay? I want some of you picking awards season red carpet dresses/outfits and matching them to book covers. I want other people (me) to be literal and pick a book that has been placed on an Awards list. (Not just the Goodreads Choice Awards, people!) But also, take everyone’s top books of the year lists as their own awards, okay? I can almost guarantee if you look hard enough, you can find someone to let you read the book that you want! The California Golden Poppy Awards has nominated If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden, which is a book that I picked up because I love the cover. So hopefully I’ll read that one.

Prompt Three: Champion

Another prompt you can interpret at least two ways… First, the most straightforward, someone is a champion or playing in the championship. Sports romances are easy, but also this is a thing that I feel like is at least somewhat common in fantasy romance too. Or you could read What is Love? by Jen Comfort, which is a Jeopardy romance! I’m sure there are so many options for this interpretation. The other thing you could do, if you have many books you want to read from Awards Season, pick the top book on a list and read that if you haven’t already. Who knows what you could wind up reading? But regardless of your interpretation, know that I support you. I will be using this as an excuse to immediately pick up and read Sin Bin by Chelsea Curto, which is her coach romance and the coach has won at least one Stanley cup, two?, in the series already, so he’s obviously a champion. And he’s about to be the love of my life. I can’t wait for December 4th.

Prompt Four: Audiobook/Graphic Novel

This prompt is so straightforward that I’m not going to provide you any guidance. I did go looking for some more award type things to see if anyone had specific audiobook winners, but the Audies aren’t announced yet for 2025. I looked at the Audible list of their best and I’ve read the ones I was most interested in, so I wasn’t too keen on just picking up a book to pick one up. Then I remembered that Fated Mates released their top romances of the year and one of those is Son of the Morning, which I had started on audio via Spotify, before I got sidetracked by getting on a plane, proceeding to sleep for literally 16 hours, and then getting sucked back into working… Anyway, long story short, I’m going to resume listening to Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi, which is unfortunate because that means I have to wait five whole days before I can pick it back up.

Prompt Five: Mythology

Really wish I wasn’t reading Wild Reverence right now so I could sit it down and use it for this prompt, but alas. Mythology! So much fun. The amount of Hades x Persephone retellings that exist… Such an easy pick. But obviously, there are many other places you could go with this. For example, in Kate Daniels, Kate is constantly having to look up mythology in order to figure out what she’s dealing with. I would even argue in Emily Wilde that you could count those books because Emily is trying to collect and remember folktales, which is just another brand of mythology. Also, not all mythology is Greek/Roman. Obviously. But you know. Just figured I should explicitly state it. The problem is, I don’t know what I’m going to read. I suppose I could finally, years after having read the first one, pick up A Touch of Malice or A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair. I’m not actually sure which one is book two. Oh! Actually, We Who Will Die is coming out in December from Stacia Stark and it would fit this prompt with Roman mythology, I believe. Problem very much solved.

Row Two

Prompt One: Sequel

I don’t know why, but today is a day where I can’t read the word sequel without hearing, “And when I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’mma compel him to include women in the sequel, WORK!” So that’s where my brain is at. Companion novel or regular sequel, wherein sequel could mean the seventh book in a series, I don’t care. As for me, I will be reading… Honestly, not sure. Probably Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade for this one. We shall see though. I do have many other sequels on my list.

Prompt Two: Weapon on the Cover

You can be expansive if you need to about what constitutes a weapon, but y’all know romantasy/fantasy romance has SO MANY covers that fit this prompt. My choice, currently anyway, is The Songbird and the Heart of Stone because there is an… arrow on the cover. I thought it might be a spear, but I think it’s an arrow. Do I know my weapons? No. I do not. Another good option is Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider. Maybe even a better option considering my ARC review is many months past due. Oops.

Prompt Three: Cozy

I know that I put cozy vibes on Fall Bingo so I hope you’ll forgive me for a similar prompt here, but I’m sorry, the ber months are for being cozy and the beginning of the year is for trying to survive, which means you need coziness. So here we are. Again, be expansive with this, whatever is cozy to you. I may actually go with Enchanting the Fae Queen because the first book in that series wound up being so delightful. You haven’t seen my review yet of Wooing the Witch Queen, but believe me, delight was had. And my review is forthcoming. I was working on it before switching over to working on this post actually, which may be why the sequel is at the top of my mind. I believe it comes out in January, so there’s time to get it read before #SnowInLoveBingo comes to an end!

Prompt Four: Country Manor

Do I see the words country manor and immediately think of KJ Charles? Yes. Why? I’m… not entirely sure. But regardless, country manor’s are the setting of many a historical romance scene. Do I know which books on my TBR may feature a country manor? Of course not. After doing a bit of research, I think How to Forget a Duke by Vivienne Lorret may count. Again, I’m sure there are many on my TBR, but who knows? If you have some to recommend, please drop them in the comments. And, if you, like me, aren’t the biggest historical romance reader, I am quite certain there are some renovation romances that we could probably stretch to fit. Perhaps.

Prompt Five: Free (Rumi + Jinu)

If you have seen K Pop Demon Hunters, then you know the soundtrack is perfection. Do I mostly listen to the girls songs? Yes. But, I do, really love “Free” too. You can obviously handle this prompt in a couple of ways, find the forbidden romance that gives you Rumi + Jinu vibes or find yourself a book that feels like it fits the lyrics. Those two things are obviously very entwined, but hopefully expansive enough that you can find something that works for you. “Why does it feel right every time I let you in?” I mean!!!! Tell me you don’t want a book that gives you that. The problem? I don’t know of a book that fits that! I may try Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roark because I’ve wanted to read it for ages and I know that Olivia is dealing with something that has her struggling a lot emotionally. It’s forbidden because it’s a coach/player (runner) relationship. Or I could finally read The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole and hope that it gives me the right vibe. I do think fantasy romance is probably the way to go with this one. But maybe I’ll try both.

Row Three

Prompt One: Revisit

So many options for this for me. But before I get sidetracked thinking through my options, revisit could mean revisiting a book you’ve soft DNF’d or an author you read a long time ago and haven’t returned to. Or if you want to be super tricksy, just reread a book twice. One for revisit and once for reread. Listen, who is judging this? No one. Feel free to stretch it. Ooh, you could also make this work for a second chance romance because they’re revisiting something (someone) they’ve tried before. I’m a genius. Anyway, focusing on what I’m going to try and read for this, my DNF shelf has 111 entries. Many of these are soft DNFs where I eventually got tired of them languishing on my currently reading shelf and nudged them over. I’m probably going to with Training the Heart by Paisley Hope because I just checked it out from Hoopla again for the 80th time.

Prompt Two: Reread

My favorite square! What will I reread? Who knows? The world is my oyster. It will probably be a Nalini Singh or an Ilona Andrews because they’re my most frequent re-reads. But I’ve also been in the mood to reread Reel by Kennedy Ryan before Score comes out. And, actually, I’ve heard such good things about that audiobook, maybe I should read it for that prompt… I actually read it with my eyeballs the first time, if you can believe it. Anyway, we’ll see what I pick up!

Prompt Three: Happy Holidays!

As always, I must insist that you are all aware that there are a multitude of holidays and you are not confined to only winter holidays. That is especially important this year because I have a multitude of Christmas romances that I need/want to read so I need you to know that you do not have to read a Christmas romance. Got it? Okay, now here’s my pile:

• Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
• The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score
• The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (like a Christmakuh situation)
• Second Chances in Port Stephens by TJ Alexander
• Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
• The Holiday Hookup List by Alexis Daria
• Date Night in December by Jacqueline Snow
• A Little Holiday Fling by Farah Heron

Feel free to help me prioritize. If you know of ones that could slot into other squares, let me know.

Prompt Four: Books

I do love books about books. But this could be a book where books are mentioned, maybe books are on the cover, maybe you’re following an author… Who knows? The options are many. Actually, The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer would work well here, come to think of it. She’s an author. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is another option, as is Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade, Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren, and Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler. And those are just the books that are on my physical tbr.

Prompt Five: Secret Identity

You know who almost always has a secret identity? A princess in a fantasy romance novel. I’m kidding, kind of, but also?? You know. Anyway, there are also secret identities in many ways and it doesn’t always have to be hidden from the romance novel. There have been some fun trading places romances lately that I have enjoyed. I could finally read A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, which is a Dani recommendation that I’ve been supposed to read for… Gosh. Five years? Maybe? I also think I could get away with reading Isn’t It Obvious? by Rachel Rumya Katz, which is sort of a You’ve Got Mail vibes book. So we’ll see what I go with. Also, there’s a solid chance that a romantasy that I pick up in the next three months will have this in it because that’s common. We shall see.

Row Four

Prompt One: Secure

I picked secure because in my opinion The Life of a Showgirl shows a secure attachment style for Taylor, which is new, and I wanted to celebrate it. Is that way too parasocial? Probably. But you know, I could have just not told you where this came from. Anyway, my goal is to find a book where there isn’t an underlying insecurity. How am I going to find that? Trial and error. No, but seriously, that’s the idea of romance, right? That the true happily ever after is forever? So in theory this shouldn’t be hard, but I don’t always finish a book feeling like a couple really does allow for each person to be truly themselves, flaws and all, without every wondering if the other person is going to be like, “oops, it got hard, gotta run away now.” So that’s what I’m looking for here. You could interpret this prompt differently though! Maybe you bought a book in one of those sales where you “secured” the book because it was competitive like a special edition. Maybe you just made getting the book a big deal and went out on New Release Tuesday or you placed your hold for it the very second you could and now you’re first on the waiting list at the library. However you choose to interpret it! I look forward to seeing your creativity. I have a feeling In a Second by Kate Canterbary will deliver the right vibe, but I guess we’ll find out when it comes out on December 9th, huh?

Prompt Two: Fangs

Vampires! Or… Idk. There are other monster-creatures with fangs, I’m sure. I will definitely be reading Slaying the Vampire Conquerer or The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent for this one. I may read another vampire book, but I’m not currently aware of any that are high up on my priority list.

Prompt Three: Black Love

Black love means reading a book written by a Black author featuring all Black love interests. Does anyone know if Flirting Lessons would count? It’s a Jasmine Guillory book and she often writes interracial romance, but I’m so intrigued by this sapphic romance that I want an excuse to pick it up sooner than later. Other options are plentiful though, like Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport definitely counts and is my book club book for January so that makes it an even higher priority than it already was. The Secret Crush Book Club by Karmen Lee will likely be read before December hits, but on the off chance it isn’t, that one works here too. We shall see which one I wind up slotting in, but those are three books I think it’s likely I will actually read before February comes to an end.

Prompt Four: Sisters

Whether the main character in your romance is a sister or there are just sisters prominently featured in the book, you can definitely find a book that will work for you. I am thinking it’s high time for me to actually pick up Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese and FINALLY start this series. Truly, it’s been way too long that it’s just been languishing on my TBR and I own all three books in the trilogy. What books would you recommend for this though? Because I’ll be honest, I’m also thinking that a reread of The Governess Game by Tessa Dare would be the funnest.

Prompt Five: Nostalgia

Nostalgia can really be whatever you want, but I actually have the perfect book on my TBR for this. The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa, in which Sam has to return to her family home, and “The 2000s nostalgia from Sam’s old bedroom hits immediately: Fall Out Boy posters, drawers of roll-on body glitter and even her favorite CD player with a mixtape from her best friend, Damon Rocha.” Like, hello? Could it be more perfect? I think not. And it’s about time I actually read one of La Rosa’s books because all of her premises have intrigued me so much.

Row Five

Prompt One: Angelic

So… I still haven’t actually read Archangel’s Ascension by Nalini Singh. I think there’s something about the fact that I know the series is coming to an end that means that I just want to refuse to read it. Why? Who knows, honestly. But anyway, that’s a literal interpretation of angelic. Angelic/angels, same difference. BUT you could also take it in the direction of an angelic character. Again, I’m not here to police you. But if February 28th hits and I still haven’t read Archangel’s Ascension, I am going to need you to police me. Okay? Thank you.

Prompt Two: Eldest Daughter

Hello my other Taylor Swift inspired prompt! There’s a song on Showgirl that is titled “Eldest Daughter,” but it’s also a phenomenon we hear a lot about. I actually just finished Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams which featured an eldest daughter and boy, did that feel like a real thing. My sisters insist that I’m not the most “eldest daughter” archetype and they’re probably not wrong because I moved away and they didn’t, but I was the one in college getting calls from my mom about how I needed to talk to one of them because of whatever they were doing wrong. So, you know. Who’s to say really? I’m not sure if this is the case but I think Witch of Wild Things by Rachel Vasquez Gilliland might work for this prompt and I’m intrigued by Run to the Ground by Katie Ruggle. I do own the first, whereas the second I’m hoping my parents gift me KU for Christmas so I can try it out. We shall see.

Prompt Three: Succession

I googled romance books to read if you like the show Succession and the first thing that popped up was a Reddit thread telling me to read Paradise by Judith McNaught, which it just so happens I picked up on a whim in a used bookstore. What a gift. I think you don’t necessarily have to associate this prompt with the show and it could just be a more generic succession, whether that be taking over for a parent or someone for the company (see Lauren Asher’s Dreamland Billionaire‘s trilogy or Ana Huang’s King of Sloth) or taking over the crown. I also own American Royals by Katherine McGee on audio and while I’m not sure it’s a YA Romance, I do think it has a strong romance through line with the series. It’s one that was recommended by Penguin Random House. What recommendations would you make?

Prompt Four: TBR

As you can maybe tell, I’ve been trying to pull books from my physical TBR for this, but I’m fairly confident we all have some kind of TBR. If you don’t own any unread books (please tell me how you’ve done that), then you can pull a book from your general, “I want to read this” list/place you store that information. I’m going to pull from the pile of books I’m trying to read by the end of the year. At the top of that list is It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard, which is my December book club pick so I’ve got to get cracking on it pretty quickly. I suppose since I’m putting it on this list though I should wait until next week to read it.

Prompt Five: Sci-Fi

Sci-fi romance is not necessarily a sub-genre I’m the most familiar with, but that doesn’t mean I don’ like the books I’ve read from it! What is most important here though is that I use this time to finally read Rules of Redemption by T.A. White because Dani recommended this and I’ve said I would read it for like two years. Meanwhile, the series has jumped into Dani’s reread cycle so you know I’m going to love it! I just need to read it. This is another book where I would like you to yell at me if it’s not read by February 28th, please. Thank you kindly.

Closing Thoughts

And with that, I have given you all 25 prompts! I’m so glad we got to spend this time together. Please feel free to share with me any and all of your thoughts because I am truly so excited to hear what you want to pick up/what prompts you love (or hate!). Also, since I don’t know if I’ll do a #FallInLoveBingo wrap up, what books did you love from that?

xx