Romance friends, I need your help. My interest in reading romance was sparked after a few romance-themed episodes of Pop Culture Happy Hour. That was followed by the NPR 100 and a few articles on the feminist-affirming qualities of romance as a genre. I also realized that it's a genre that I have no experience in reading, save some of Meg Cabot's contemporary work that I read as a teenager. (I suppose reading copious amounts of fan fic in college would qualify. There are differences, though, and that's a discussion for another day.) I always assumed the genre was a bit silly and light and that it lacked the lyrical language that I tend to demand from my books. Hearing about romance from some smart women whom I am admire made me realize that I have no right to judge. So I stand humbled and corrected and with no idea where to start. 
 So I decided to dive right in. I went with the first in Tessa Dare's Castle Ever After series because Ashley recently listened to Romancing the Duke and loved it, plus Tessa Dare's name came up during the PCHH discussion. The experience of reading romance for the first time felt very much like when I delved into comics. I don't know all of the conventions just yet and I don't quite know what to expect. I think I like it in theory, but I need to find something that really clicks with me. I am humbly asking for your help, dear friends, in finding my next pick. Here's what I liked and didn't like about RTD to guide your recommendations. 
 Cons 
 --I switched from the audiobook to the paperback about halfway through. I found some of the scenes with Izzy's eager, bright-eyed neighbor to be too treacle-y for my taste. I appreciated being able to skim past those parts. (On the pro side, though, Izzy and her neighbor had almost nothing in common, but they did not fall into the rival trap. I love seeing lady friendships blossom. S/O to Leslie and Ann.) I also didn't love the narrator, but I am crazy picky about my audio books. Besides, I liked being able to blaze through to the end. I was willing to spend two or three hours with the characters, but seven hours was stretching it. 
 --I don't know what I like to read about in terms of relationships, but Izzy and Ransom's romance never felt super romantic to me. I think I was hoping this would fall under the trope of "characters hating each other but really loving each other." Izzy was always pretty on board with Ransom, even if she drove him nuts. Maybe that's what bugged me about it. 
 --This is not a spoiler, but vaguely nsfw, so I'm putting it behind a tag. (view spoiler)[There were times where parts of Izzy's, um, anatomy were referred to as odd or cutesy things. Like, her vagina was referred to as her "sex" and I wasn't crazy about that. I know that writers can't have things be too clinical or too modern (especially in a pseudo-historical context), but there seems to be a dearth of good words for female anatomy. Somehow the male member gets, like, a thousand variations. I blame the patriarchy. (hide spoiler)] 
 Pros 
 --Isolde Goodnight was a wonderful leading lady. Funny, confident, and game. Maybe a bit too prone to swooning? Ransom was fine--tortured, stubborn, and totally overcome by his unexpected feelings for Izzy. 
 --RTD had a good level of steaminess for me. Not overly explicit, but definitely not mild. 
 --Duncan, the Duke's valet, was delightful. I love charming side characters. 
 --The pseudo-historical context was fine, but not my favorite. I'm pretty sure I don't care about paranormal/supernatural, suspense, or anything involving Navy SEALs. I know I like contemporary (as long as the characters are likable). Surprisingly for me, I've read a few jacket copies for books about the leads meeting through a sports team that sounded pretty cute. 
 --I loved that we got to see both Izzy and Ransom's POVs. Is this common? 
 --The twist at the end was fairly satisfying. 
 --The writing was often very good. I mean, it was still a bit silly, but Dare is obviously a talented writer. 
 --I had a lot of fun reading it, especially when I switched over to the paperback. 
 Where to next?