Yay! It’s 2021! We’re ready to put 2020 behind us and look forward to another year of smut adventures. (aka, year three of The Smut Report)
To get the year started with some positive energy, here are some of our goals for the next year.
One Book I Definitely Want to Read This Year:
Erin: The Craft of Love by E.E. Ottoman
It’s been on my Kindle for months and my TBR for longer than that!
Holly: An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole
I thought the first two books in this series were really remarkable and am curious to see what Cole does with the final installment of this trilogy about Civil War Union spies.
Ingrid: Unmasked by Her Lover, by Mary Lancaster
The first book in this series almost broke me with the sweetness and humor. This is the fourth book, and I can’t WAIT to read it.
One Topic I Definitely Want to Write About This Year:
Erin: Well, I could finish any of the dozen pieces I’ve started (Dukes v. Billionaires, anyone?), but I’ve been thinking a great deal about “problematic content” in romance, so I think I’ll meditate on that instead.
Holly: I’ve had this post about the politics of Imaginary Benevolent Monarchies stewing in my head for literally 18 months. I think it’s about time I stopped thinking about it in vague terms and actually wrote it down.
Ingrid: I want to write about more trends and current events. I’d love to dig in with some sweet graphs and data and really pick apart what’s going on with romance publishing.
One New Author I Definitely Want to Try This Year:
Erin: Kate Clayborn probably writes catnip for me if I just bump her books that I’ve already acquired to the top of my TBR.
Holly: Vanessa Riley. In doing all of this reading and thinking about smut, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I just really love historical romance, but that I want books that feature people who aren’t dukes.
Ingrid: I want to read Nalini Singh!! So many positive reviews and I’ve read nothing yet…
One Trope I Want to Discuss for a Buddy Read This Year:
Erin: I feel like a Morality Chain or redemption of the antihero discussion could be interesting. Sometimes Morality Chain can be dreadfully eye roll inducing, but the concept of redemption through love is extremely pervasive.
Holly: Bedding the Boss. There’s definite potential for serious ick-factor here, but when it works, this trope can lead to all kinds of interesting power dynamics which would be great discussion fodder.
Ingrid: Is it a discussion if we just fangirl over how Grumpy/Sunshine is the best?
One Miscellaneous Reading-related Goal That Will Make Me Happy This Year:
Erin: I’m going to keep track of where I see books I want to read so I can remember who to thank (positive thinking!) by the time I actually read the book.
Holly: I’m working on DNFing books that don’t work for me. I have limited time to read and I want to actually enjoy the books I spend that time on.
Ingrid: I just want to count how many books I’ve read and get caught up on Goodreads reviews.
The Smut Report 
@Holly – Laura Frantz is an author I discovered this year who writes romances set in colonial and Federalist America. Still some social class exploration, and not steamy, but enjoyable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ugh, sorry – not this year, but in 2020.
LikeLike
Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to check her out!
The only colonial romance I remember reading was a Revolutionary War romance and the heroine was a redhead named Felicity and I just kept thinking about the American Girl dolls and…that did not work for me.
LikeLike