Paper Pages

  Mafia romance has one of the worst reputations in contemporary romance and honestly, I get why. But I also think it is misunderstood. In a nutshell, the biggest complaint usually boils down to this: too much “down and dirty” time and not enough actual plot. And while that criticism isn’t entirely wrong, it’s also not the full story. Mafia romance isn’t bad by default, it’s just been done badly far too often. Contemporary romance has countless subgenres, and the one I’ve defended the most is mafia romance. Unfortunately, a large portion of books in this space feel like recycled versions of a handful of masterpieces. For every mafia romance done well, there are twice as many done poorly, and triple that I wouldn’t touch again. A lot of the time, I can’t help but think: if this book had gone through a stronger editing phase, it could’ve actually been good . Planning a story is easy. Executing it well is not. I’ve never written a novel, puh-lease, I’d probably accidentally pla...

  Here’s the thing: I love to say I venture out and try new things, but I’ve never really specified how often I actually do that. For me , often means maybe once every seven years. For you, it might be every other month, and honestly, I admire that level of bravery. So, let’s break it down. What I will always read, what I’ll skip like a disease, and what I’ll avoid like an ex who suddenly wants to “catch up.” I’m a romance girly through and through. If you put my skin under a microscope, it would be sewn with pink thread, hearts scattered through every stitch, and the word daydreamer spelled out in glowing, deep red. I’d have lace frills surrounding my heart while it pumped out the word love like a neon sign on top of an ’80s diner. I love them all, from small towns to lavish cities. It could be a farmer or a billionaire. The trope could be anything from friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, all the way to arranged marriage — though that one has been scra...