Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been a romance author for two decades now, and a romance reader for decades before that. Itā€™s my favourite genre to read, critique, and write, closely followed by paranormal reads and mysteries. Iā€™ve had the good fortune to win several awards for my romance novels, including a Gold Medal and an Irwin. My limited-release novellas have also been long-listed for ā€˜Best Romanceā€™ and ā€˜Best Historical Romanceā€™ many times. Iā€™m a compulsive researcher too! I spend hours poring over old maps and out-of-print glossaries. I also visit graveyards quite a lot to learn names and life spans, and the how so many stories end.


I wrote

The King's Mistress

By Clyve Rose,

Book cover of The King's Mistress

What is my book about?

Thrown to the wolves by her father, Lady Lydia Clifton faces a forced marriage and all the brutality that comesā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Persuasion

Clyve Rose Why did I love this book?

This story showcases two people getting over themselves. This is a theme in many of Austenā€™s works. She doesnā€™t believe in the ā€˜renovate your partnerā€™ thing and honestly, Iā€™ve never seen that work in real life. What we have here, are two people who inspire each other to emotional bravery, constancy, and vulnerability (in the 1800s ā€“ I give them a little grace for this).

If youā€™re not familiar with the story, know that the couple were once engaged, and the lady was persuaded to step away. Eight years pass, and true love holds true indeed ā€“ but there are egos to clamber over, and self-worth concerns to conquer. These emotions arenā€™t new. Austenā€™s story still resonates because our hearts arenā€™t all that modern. Hearts still hope, and hope still counts.

By Jane Austen,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Persuasion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 17.

What is this book about?

'In Persuasion, Jane Austen is beginning to discover that the world is larger, more mysterious, and more romantic than she had supposed' Virginia Woolf

Jane Austen's moving late novel of missed opportunities and second chances centres on Anne Elliot, no longer young and with few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she was persuaded by others to break off her engagement to poor, handsome naval captain Frederick Wentworth. What happens when they meet again is movingly told in Austen's last completed novel. Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension,ā€¦


Book cover of All They Need

Clyve Rose Why did I love this book?

This contemporary romance touched me deeply. The heroine is coming back from an abusive marriage. We find her leaning heavily on her family as she re-established herself personally and financially, having left the high life of the city ā€“ and the mess of her divorce ā€“ behind.

The domestic abuse issues are mostly handled off-page. The protagonistā€™s internal dialogue resonated with me a lot. Same goes for her hero, whoā€™s going through a rough time with his family as well. I liked how insecure they both were in parts ā€“ and how leaps of faith were made on either side.

Mostly, this novel reminded me that learning to trust intimately again takes time and patience. It helped me reflect on my own situation and to be kinder to myself.

By Sarah Mayberry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All They Need as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After all Melanie Porter has been through recently, it's time to put her dreams first. And she starts by opening a vacation retreat outside of Melbourne. As she considers her next step, the unexpected happens. One of her guestsā€”a friendā€”the very attractive Flynn Randall makes it clear he's in pursuit.

Mel is definitely tempted. Who wouldn't be?

But Flynn comes with strings that could derail her plans. First, he's part of the world she eagerly left behind. Second, he's ready for a commitment, while she's still embracing life on her own.

A resolution seems impossible until Flynn proves that she'sā€¦


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Book cover of The Colour Out of Space

The Colour Out of Space by H. P. Lovecraft,

What would you do if a meteorite landed in your own front yard? And not just any meteorite, but one that turns out to be some kind of mysterious force that will drain the life out of you and your surroundings?

Illustrator Sara Barkat lends her vision to H.P. Lovecraftā€™sā€¦

Book cover of It Started with a Scandal

Clyve Rose Why did I love this book?

Lord Lavay is determined to recapture his familyā€™s fortune. His housekeeper is just as determined not to fail her fatherless son. Drama and growth ā€“ the best ingredients of the most moving stories.

This novel was the first one I read in the Pennyroyal Green series from this author. I almost gave up writing then and there because she wrote so well, so powerfully that I doubted my ability to become as good as her. This novel now serves as my measure, against which every romance novel is placed ā€“ including my own.

The way her characters are drawn on the page, the way they move through their own journeys, and still come together at the end, is seamless. Great characters, flawed and relatable. Excellent plot and pacing, including the world building.

By Julie Anne Long,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It Started with a Scandal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword, and a stone-cold conviction: he'll restore his family's fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach-when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green. An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. She is shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, and her survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper toā€¦


Book cover of It Ends with Us

Clyve Rose Why did I love this book?

This book isnā€™t a romance. Itā€™s too real ā€“ and too devastating ā€“ for that. Itā€™s part of a series and I read this book first and the prequel story afterward so if youā€™re planning to read this one, I recommend reading the first one too, and in advance. There are some references I feel Iā€™d have understood better if Iā€™d read the books in order.

The main characters are all relatable in that theyā€™re flawed and not always aware of it. The protagonist seems the most aware, but I think thatā€™s just because we get the whole story from her perspective. This feels like a slice-of-life novel and I donā€™t usually enjoy those. I can say, the writing is excellent and itā€™s a satisfying read.

By Colleen Hoover,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked It Ends with Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town where she grew up-she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn't hurt. Lily can't getā€¦


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Book cover of The Finest Lies

The Finest Lies by David J. Naiman,

A mysterious stranger traps teen siblings in a precarious game where each must overcome their embittered past for the other to survive.

This suspenseful, yet winsome novel explores the power of family and forgiveness. But take heed. The truth can cut like shards of glass, especially for those whoā€™d ratherā€¦

Book cover of Pack Bound

Clyve Rose Why did I love this book?

This paranormal fated mates romance is a thrilling read. Itā€™s part mystery, part romance, and with enough supernatural elements thrown in that I got to lose myself in a world of witches and werewolves.

The two clans formed a pact centuries ago in order to ward off an evil that wasnā€™t destroyed ā€“ just dormant, and itā€™s coming back. The were-clan and the witches must work out how to protect themselves and their world, and quickly.

I loved the pace of this story. I admired the speed of the action and the moments between high-intensity scenes that allowed me to catch my breath as a reader. Perfectly plotted with an intriguing premise, I read it in a single sitting.

By Leisl Leighton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pack Bound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One Pack, one Coven, a destiny intertwined...

Five hundred years ago, facing extinction, a group of powerful witches united to create a pact with the Were to save Witch-kind. The pact expelled an ancient evil, known only as the Darkness, that blocked the Were from their wolves. With the Darkness destroyed, the Packs and Covens grew strong as they thrived beside each other in their brand-new world.

But the Darkness was not destroyed.

Skye Collins has been brought up to fear her magic and shy away from Witch and Were alike. But when Jason McVale, the Alpha of Pack McVale,ā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The King's Mistress

By Clyve Rose,

Book cover of The King's Mistress

What is my book about?

Thrown to the wolves by her father, Lady Lydia Clifton faces a forced marriage and all the brutality that comes with the Earl of Basingstoke. She must flee and has only one way out of England: disguise herself as Martha Dale, mistress to the Romany king. 

King Valkin Brishen discovers her subterfuge and the possible harm to his people, yet when his men find a lovely English maid on the run who claims to be his mistress, anger battles with more than curiosity over exactly why this English rose is fleeing with such haste. Her flight speaks of courage, but her deceit could put his people in peril. And more, he wonders if it's worth the risk to his heart if he takes her under his protection.

Book cover of Persuasion
Book cover of All They Need
Book cover of It Started with a Scandal

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