The Art of Romance Reading: A Personal Approach

When it comes to romance reading, I'm a bit of an anomaly. Unlike many book lovers, I don't have a one-size-fits-all approach to my reading preferences. In fact, I tend to gravitate towards certain types of romance novels over others, depending on my mood and the current season. This might sound strange, but bear with me as we delve into what makes this romance reader tick.

**100 Matte Covers**

One thing that's become a non-negotiable for me when it comes to book covers is the matte finish. I've always been a fan of matte finishes over glossy ones, simply because they're easier on the eyes. When you're showing off your books on camera or in person, a shiny cover can be quite distracting. Plus, as someone who's seen their fair share of bookstagram and YouTube reviews, I know that a matte finish is just more visually appealing. So, when it comes to choosing new releases or purchasing used copies, matte covers are a must-have for me.

**Reading Alone vs Buddy Reads**

Another aspect of my reading habits that might surprise you is that I tend to prefer solo reads over buddy reads. Now, don't get me wrong – I do enjoy the camaraderie and support that comes with sharing books with fellow readers. However, as life gets busier and our schedules become more hectic, I've found myself gravitating towards solitary reading experiences. This could be due to my busy schedule or simply because I value the quiet time to myself, but whatever the reason, solo reads are where it's at for me.

**Small Town Romance vs Dark Romance**

When it comes to choosing a new romance novel, I have a clear preference: small town romance over dark romance. There's just something about the charm and intimacy of a small town setting that speaks to me on a deep level. Whether it's the quaint Main Street or the cozy coffee shop on the corner, there's something undeniably appealing about being transported to a place where everyone knows your name. Of course, I do enjoy dark romance every now and then – there's just something about the intensity of those brooding heroes that gets my heart racing! But when it comes down to it, small town romance will always be my first love.

**Series Reading: Sprint or Marathon?**

One question that often arises in discussions with fellow book lovers is whether you should read a series all at once (marathon) or tackle individual books one by one (sprint). As someone who's been known to devour an entire series in record time, I'm a bit of a sprinter. There's just something about the thrill of discovering new characters and storylines that makes me want to speed through each book as quickly as possible. Plus, let's be real – when life gets busy, I need my reading fix ASAP! Of course, this doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate a marathon read every now and then... but if I had to choose, sprinting it would be the way to go.

**Hero Type: Alpha or Sweetheart?**

When it comes to hero types, I'm a bit of an alpha girl at heart. There's just something about a strong, confident male lead that makes my heart skip a beat. Whether he's leading the charge in a battle against evil or simply taking care of his loved ones, there's something undeniably appealing about alpha heroes. That being said, I also have a soft spot for sweetheart heroes – those quiet, introspective types who win hearts with their kindness and vulnerability are always welcome in my book club.

**Multiple Books at Once**

One habit that might surprise readers is that I often juggle multiple books at once – both physical and e-book copies. With the demands of everyday life, it's not uncommon for me to have one physical book on hand (usually a favorite or an upcoming release) while simultaneously downloading another e-book onto my Kindle. This might seem like a lot to handle, but I've found that having multiple books at once helps keep me engaged and interested in reading. Plus, let's be real – it's always fun to have someone else to chat with about the latest plot twist or character development!

**Heroine Type: Fatty or Damsel?**

When it comes to heroine types, I'm firmly in the camp of "fatty" heroines. There's just something about a strong, independent female lead who can take care of herself that resonates deeply with me. Whether she's facing down villains or simply navigating everyday life, there's something empowering about seeing a woman take charge and own her own agency. As someone who grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I know firsthand what it means to be a powerful heroine – and that's something I'll always root for in a romance novel.

**Romance Tropes: Slow Burn or Insta Love?**

Finally, when it comes to romance tropes, I'm often torn between slow burn and insta love. While there's just something about the intensity of those early moments that gets my heart racing – whether it's the fiery passion or the tender vulnerability – I also know that a well-crafted slow burn can be just as satisfying (if not more so). So, while insta love might get all the attention in some readers' eyes, for me, it's all about that elusive sweet spot where the tension is palpable and the payoff is worth it.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday i'm going to be doing a tag video it's the this or that tag romance reader edition so this is this or that tag romance styles i don't i wouldn't say i'm like 100 a romance reader 50 romance like 40 thrillers and mysteries and then 10 kind of literary fiction you know i'm kind of all over the board but i do read a fair bit of romance not a bunch of indie ones but kind of maybe mainstream ones i hope that's okay but i thought this would be fun to do because they are honestly some fun questions so let's get into them first up is cliffhangers or happily ever after without a doubt happily ever after i am that kind of girl when i finish a book i want to know that the characters are going to be okay and that i don't have to worry about them again um cliffhangers i could see if i'm reading a series like a romance series particular like sarah j maas series or things like that cliffhangers are acceptable in that case but honestly i don't read that many series like at all so if i had to pick one happily ever after would be a thousand percent the way to go then we have hardcover or paperback this one's interesting to me because i still read a lot of my kindle but if i had to pick one i would say paper bag it's just easier to read and they're lighter i know that's crazy but i like i mean i am a person that i don't follow the rules when it comes to physical books i do dog gear i will kind of bend it i have kids they destroy my books it's okay i think a book really shows if it's well-loved or not if you will unless you buy it for like just like collector's purposes okay so if i had to pick one i would say paperback probably even though the look of hardbacks are just so stunning uh i'm checking my choice paperback angsty or cutesy oh this honestly depends on my mood oh there's a lot of times where i want a good angst romance you know kind of maybe or forbidden romance or angsty characters and stuff like that and there's sometimes where i want a really just light fluffy cute romance so this one this one would have to depend on my mood honestly right now i'm kind of feeling an angsty mood there's a lot going on in my life right now that's so stressful that just maybe no maybe i want some cutesy stuff i don't know this is a hard question it really goes day by day today what am i feeling i'm feeling a cutesy romance today that's what i'm feeling because my life's so stressful right now i just want kind of a cute fluffy romance so right now is cutesy probably next week will be angsty you know tomato tomato that kind of thing up is standalone or series with romance books since it's all about romance books standalones i really don't read a ton of series unless they're kind of series where like a character was in a previous book you don't have to read the last book it's kind of you know you can read it if you want to you don't have to so romance books 100 standalone i will always pick that always here's a fun one book talk or bookstagram so i have a tick tock do i use it no i watch things on it occasionally i know booktalk has exploded which is just it's insane it's amazing but it's insane i feel too old for it so i'm gonna have to take books to grand i've been on bookstagram for a long time when it was just pictures now it seems to be reals and booktalk is obviously dominating the space where it's videos and i've actually been making a fair bit of bookish reels lately um not anything like super like um creative just you know typical kind of things if you will but i've been really enjoying making them and maybe i'll transfer them over to booktalk one day i don't know but i really enjoy bookstagram i find a lot of recommendations on there i like watching my friends stories on there but i do also enjoy booktalk they have some good recommendations especially for indie books if you're into indie books book talk is a great place but for me personally i would have to go with bookstagram so we have people or object on cover so this is a fun one because i have two covers right here the books i just reviewed both of them have people this one also has an object on it i will always pick people um it's been a trend especially in the last like five years or so i would say that we've had illustrated covers with people on them and i've been digging that trend a lot of people have it it catches my eye which is i think great i also think it's really opened the romance um genre a lot when they start doing those covers again because i don't know i think just with the bright colors it catches your eye and the illustrated people on them i enjoy people on the cover i just think it's cute like when i look at this i'm like this is a cute cover and i look at this one it's a cute cover we have people on it they're just smaller but there's people but i also enjoy objects on the cover but i mean it should be like illustrated or not i do like people on the cover i know new releases or bad clips this is hilarious because this whole year i've been really focused on backlist books i've done a challenge where i read 22 backlist books in one year and i've been really bad the past couple months because of my life as i've said before um for romance books in particular i will say new releases i like to stay up to date with romance books for new releases um i have found some backless books for romances but if i had to pick one or the other i would probably pick new releases and i know as i've said like you know i'm focusing on backless this year i'm clearly lying apparently and then we have a tbr or free-for-all so a couple years ago up until a couple years ago i was a tbr girl i am a very structured person um i like setting a list at the beginning of the month deciding which books i'm going to read and kind of stick to that list because i figure i put a video up you're relying on me as a viewer to be to tell you what i thought about those books i know that's not technically how it goes i know you guys really will just listen to whatever i talk about what books but for me i just like that structure um and then i got partnered with my second child it's like no all bets are off so it's a free for all for me i am very much a mood reader nowadays i do focus a lot on new releases but i still mood read there's some days where i'm like i'm feeling a romance today and there are some days i'm like i want a really hardcore thriller you know so i am very much in the camp of no more tbrs i don't know if i'll ever do them again honestly i do still write to be completely transparent here at the beginning of the month i still do write a list of books i would like to read this month do they all happen no it's definitely not a strict list as my tbr videos used to be it's very much of if i can get to these great if not great and lately i'll be honest with you it i haven't been getting to a lot but either way free-for-all for this question open door or fade to black and if you're not familiar with this these terms in romance world it means open door means that steamy scenes galore pretty much like you get to go the door the bedroom door is not closed when those happen let's just say that it's open for you to see and fade to black is clearly you can see two characters getting to that point but when that point happens we kind of go to the next chapter the next day if you will so you don't get the steamy scenes kind of their cleaner romances if you will and if i'm honest with you open door i like a good romance scene i like a good steamy scene i like a lot of plot in my book too so i don't want to read a book just for the steamy scene so yeah i do like the steamy scene so i'd have to pick open door for this one audiobooks or e-books for me 100 e-books i don't read audiobooks i know a lot of people do and i think it's great i don't have time to because number one when i'm in the car my son listens to music like he's very knows exactly what he wants to listen to one day's gin blossoms the next day it's peppa pig or the next day after that it could be 80s you know he's got a very wide palette when it comes to music i think that's awesome but i don't have any control over the music in the car and even when i'm home if i try to if i try to listen my child asks for about 50 things all at once and then i have a toddler now pretty much so i just don't have the focus for audio books so ebooks for me 100 all of the way the next one just says kindle or not 100 kindle i read a lot on my phone like a lot i've just now the past few months started getting back into physical books because like i said my youngest child is just turning one if you can't believe that neither can i this year has literally flown by um so but i still read a lot on my kindle app so kindle 100 i love it i never thought i would say that back in the day if you would have told me like six years ago you would read oh kindle i would be like no you're wrong you're not raw matte or glossy so this is for covers i'm gonna say 100 matte i do not like glossy covers they just have that shine on them especially when you're showing them on camera it just gets you know that kind of thing glossy i meant matte it's just easier to show also my husband's name is matt so there you go double point so matt all the way buddy read or fly solo fly solo i feel like i don't talk to any of my book friends anymore because we've all kind of strayed in different directions some of them are not even on booktube anymore which is totally understandable we all our life changes in the blink of an eye um i do like buddy reads when i do get to do buddy reads i do enjoy them but it's been a while since i've done it say i 100 right now fly solo i read alone next up we have small town or dark romance again like the previous one cute or angsty it depends on my mood today i'm feeling like a small town romance because your girl needs some light and fluffy things in her life because i feel like there's a lot stressful things going on but next week actually with the fall coming up it will be all dark romance i love a good dark romance oh my gosh but i do love a good small town book i even did a video on books and small towns so i feel like i have to pick this one next up is sprint read or marathon a series if i had to pick a series for romance i would like to sprint read i don't need to read them all at once i feel like i feel like i would be good with sprinting them instead of like marathoning them i feel good about that answer i think that's what i'll stick with alpha or sweetheart hero oh crap again this is like a alpha i'm gonna say alpha i do like reading a really strong male character like a guy that takes charge but also has a sweet side to him but a kind of like an alpha guy i do really enjoy that but i also love a sweetheart guy too though this is like what day it is today it's alpha day i'm picking it off read multiple books at once or one at one time for this one i do multiple i cannot believe i'm saying that because i've always been i'm a one book at one time person but honestly my son has my phone a lot because he's listening to music or he is like taking videos of himself let's see yes look at all these these are all videos that my son is taking of himself just talking things like that so he has my phone a lot so when he asks my phone i don't read my ebooks even though i have a kindle that makes no sense either but i have a physical book that i read when that happened so i am reading two books at once but that is my max i cannot go any more than that or my brain will explode okay so two books one ebook always and one physical book always that is what i do fatty or damsel and distress heroine a baddie a hundred percent your girl grew up with buffy okay i like to see a girl save herself a girl that's like i know what i'm doing i don't need you i'm good you can help me if you want but i'm fine okay buffy was my role model still is so fatty this is no day of the week one it will always be batty the last question is slow burn or insta love oh i love a good slover in romance oh my gosh the anticipation you feel is so it's just rewarding when it happens when they finally realize they finally have that kiss or that touch of hands or you're like i love that moment i would have to pick slow burn but i also do love insta love i do enjoy them like when they just look at each other it's like they know but if i had to pick one to read a lot it would be slow burn because it's just the build up the build up is everything it makes everything just so much more worth it when the payoff comes you get what i'm saying so i'd have to say slow burn for sure so there you have the this or that romance reader edition i'll leave all the questions down below in case you want to answer them i would love to know what you thought and what your answers are especially if you're like me if you're like small town or dark romance it would have to be what day of the week is for me what am i feeling today please tell me i'm not the only one that feels like that i can't just pick one to fit for forever i would have to pick one for today the next one maybe for tomorrow depends on my mood i'm such a mood reader now it's ridiculous i hope you enjoyed this video and as always thank you so much for watching byetoday i'm going to be doing a tag video it's the this or that tag romance reader edition so this is this or that tag romance styles i don't i wouldn't say i'm like 100 a romance reader 50 romance like 40 thrillers and mysteries and then 10 kind of literary fiction you know i'm kind of all over the board but i do read a fair bit of romance not a bunch of indie ones but kind of maybe mainstream ones i hope that's okay but i thought this would be fun to do because they are honestly some fun questions so let's get into them first up is cliffhangers or happily ever after without a doubt happily ever after i am that kind of girl when i finish a book i want to know that the characters are going to be okay and that i don't have to worry about them again um cliffhangers i could see if i'm reading a series like a romance series particular like sarah j maas series or things like that cliffhangers are acceptable in that case but honestly i don't read that many series like at all so if i had to pick one happily ever after would be a thousand percent the way to go then we have hardcover or paperback this one's interesting to me because i still read a lot of my kindle but if i had to pick one i would say paper bag it's just easier to read and they're lighter i know that's crazy but i like i mean i am a person that i don't follow the rules when it comes to physical books i do dog gear i will kind of bend it i have kids they destroy my books it's okay i think a book really shows if it's well-loved or not if you will unless you buy it for like just like collector's purposes okay so if i had to pick one i would say paperback probably even though the look of hardbacks are just so stunning uh i'm checking my choice paperback angsty or cutesy oh this honestly depends on my mood oh there's a lot of times where i want a good angst romance you know kind of maybe or forbidden romance or angsty characters and stuff like that and there's sometimes where i want a really just light fluffy cute romance so this one this one would have to depend on my mood honestly right now i'm kind of feeling an angsty mood there's a lot going on in my life right now that's so stressful that just maybe no maybe i want some cutesy stuff i don't know this is a hard question it really goes day by day today what am i feeling i'm feeling a cutesy romance today that's what i'm feeling because my life's so stressful right now i just want kind of a cute fluffy romance so right now is cutesy probably next week will be angsty you know tomato tomato that kind of thing up is standalone or series with romance books since it's all about romance books standalones i really don't read a ton of series unless they're kind of series where like a character was in a previous book you don't have to read the last book it's kind of you know you can read it if you want to you don't have to so romance books 100 standalone i will always pick that always here's a fun one book talk or bookstagram so i have a tick tock do i use it no i watch things on it occasionally i know booktalk has exploded which is just it's insane it's amazing but it's insane i feel too old for it so i'm gonna have to take books to grand i've been on bookstagram for a long time when it was just pictures now it seems to be reals and booktalk is obviously dominating the space where it's videos and i've actually been making a fair bit of bookish reels lately um not anything like super like um creative just you know typical kind of things if you will but i've been really enjoying making them and maybe i'll transfer them over to booktalk one day i don't know but i really enjoy bookstagram i find a lot of recommendations on there i like watching my friends stories on there but i do also enjoy booktalk they have some good recommendations especially for indie books if you're into indie books book talk is a great place but for me personally i would have to go with bookstagram so we have people or object on cover so this is a fun one because i have two covers right here the books i just reviewed both of them have people this one also has an object on it i will always pick people um it's been a trend especially in the last like five years or so i would say that we've had illustrated covers with people on them and i've been digging that trend a lot of people have it it catches my eye which is i think great i also think it's really opened the romance um genre a lot when they start doing those covers again because i don't know i think just with the bright colors it catches your eye and the illustrated people on them i enjoy people on the cover i just think it's cute like when i look at this i'm like this is a cute cover and i look at this one it's a cute cover we have people on it they're just smaller but there's people but i also enjoy objects on the cover but i mean it should be like illustrated or not i do like people on the cover i know new releases or bad clips this is hilarious because this whole year i've been really focused on backlist books i've done a challenge where i read 22 backlist books in one year and i've been really bad the past couple months because of my life as i've said before um for romance books in particular i will say new releases i like to stay up to date with romance books for new releases um i have found some backless books for romances but if i had to pick one or the other i would probably pick new releases and i know as i've said like you know i'm focusing on backless this year i'm clearly lying apparently and then we have a tbr or free-for-all so a couple years ago up until a couple years ago i was a tbr girl i am a very structured person um i like setting a list at the beginning of the month deciding which books i'm going to read and kind of stick to that list because i figure i put a video up you're relying on me as a viewer to be to tell you what i thought about those books i know that's not technically how it goes i know you guys really will just listen to whatever i talk about what books but for me i just like that structure um and then i got partnered with my second child it's like no all bets are off so it's a free for all for me i am very much a mood reader nowadays i do focus a lot on new releases but i still mood read there's some days where i'm like i'm feeling a romance today and there are some days i'm like i want a really hardcore thriller you know so i am very much in the camp of no more tbrs i don't know if i'll ever do them again honestly i do still write to be completely transparent here at the beginning of the month i still do write a list of books i would like to read this month do they all happen no it's definitely not a strict list as my tbr videos used to be it's very much of if i can get to these great if not great and lately i'll be honest with you it i haven't been getting to a lot but either way free-for-all for this question open door or fade to black and if you're not familiar with this these terms in romance world it means open door means that steamy scenes galore pretty much like you get to go the door the bedroom door is not closed when those happen let's just say that it's open for you to see and fade to black is clearly you can see two characters getting to that point but when that point happens we kind of go to the next chapter the next day if you will so you don't get the steamy scenes kind of their cleaner romances if you will and if i'm honest with you open door i like a good romance scene i like a good steamy scene i like a lot of plot in my book too so i don't want to read a book just for the steamy scene so yeah i do like the steamy scene so i'd have to pick open door for this one audiobooks or e-books for me 100 e-books i don't read audiobooks i know a lot of people do and i think it's great i don't have time to because number one when i'm in the car my son listens to music like he's very knows exactly what he wants to listen to one day's gin blossoms the next day it's peppa pig or the next day after that it could be 80s you know he's got a very wide palette when it comes to music i think that's awesome but i don't have any control over the music in the car and even when i'm home if i try to if i try to listen my child asks for about 50 things all at once and then i have a toddler now pretty much so i just don't have the focus for audio books so ebooks for me 100 all of the way the next one just says kindle or not 100 kindle i read a lot on my phone like a lot i've just now the past few months started getting back into physical books because like i said my youngest child is just turning one if you can't believe that neither can i this year has literally flown by um so but i still read a lot on my kindle app so kindle 100 i love it i never thought i would say that back in the day if you would have told me like six years ago you would read oh kindle i would be like no you're wrong you're not raw matte or glossy so this is for covers i'm gonna say 100 matte i do not like glossy covers they just have that shine on them especially when you're showing them on camera it just gets you know that kind of thing glossy i meant matte it's just easier to show also my husband's name is matt so there you go double point so matt all the way buddy read or fly solo fly solo i feel like i don't talk to any of my book friends anymore because we've all kind of strayed in different directions some of them are not even on booktube anymore which is totally understandable we all our life changes in the blink of an eye um i do like buddy reads when i do get to do buddy reads i do enjoy them but it's been a while since i've done it say i 100 right now fly solo i read alone next up we have small town or dark romance again like the previous one cute or angsty it depends on my mood today i'm feeling like a small town romance because your girl needs some light and fluffy things in her life because i feel like there's a lot stressful things going on but next week actually with the fall coming up it will be all dark romance i love a good dark romance oh my gosh but i do love a good small town book i even did a video on books and small towns so i feel like i have to pick this one next up is sprint read or marathon a series if i had to pick a series for romance i would like to sprint read i don't need to read them all at once i feel like i feel like i would be good with sprinting them instead of like marathoning them i feel good about that answer i think that's what i'll stick with alpha or sweetheart hero oh crap again this is like a alpha i'm gonna say alpha i do like reading a really strong male character like a guy that takes charge but also has a sweet side to him but a kind of like an alpha guy i do really enjoy that but i also love a sweetheart guy too though this is like what day it is today it's alpha day i'm picking it off read multiple books at once or one at one time for this one i do multiple i cannot believe i'm saying that because i've always been i'm a one book at one time person but honestly my son has my phone a lot because he's listening to music or he is like taking videos of himself let's see yes look at all these these are all videos that my son is taking of himself just talking things like that so he has my phone a lot so when he asks my phone i don't read my ebooks even though i have a kindle that makes no sense either but i have a physical book that i read when that happened so i am reading two books at once but that is my max i cannot go any more than that or my brain will explode okay so two books one ebook always and one physical book always that is what i do fatty or damsel and distress heroine a baddie a hundred percent your girl grew up with buffy okay i like to see a girl save herself a girl that's like i know what i'm doing i don't need you i'm good you can help me if you want but i'm fine okay buffy was my role model still is so fatty this is no day of the week one it will always be batty the last question is slow burn or insta love oh i love a good slover in romance oh my gosh the anticipation you feel is so it's just rewarding when it happens when they finally realize they finally have that kiss or that touch of hands or you're like i love that moment i would have to pick slow burn but i also do love insta love i do enjoy them like when they just look at each other it's like they know but if i had to pick one to read a lot it would be slow burn because it's just the build up the build up is everything it makes everything just so much more worth it when the payoff comes you get what i'm saying so i'd have to say slow burn for sure so there you have the this or that romance reader edition i'll leave all the questions down below in case you want to answer them i would love to know what you thought and what your answers are especially if you're like me if you're like small town or dark romance it would have to be what day of the week is for me what am i feeling today please tell me i'm not the only one that feels like that i can't just pick one to fit for forever i would have to pick one for today the next one maybe for tomorrow depends on my mood i'm such a mood reader now it's ridiculous i hope you enjoyed this video and as always thank you so much for watching bye\n"