Doing It Between The Covers
A Romance Blog

As you may have gathered I love a good Romance. BUT I also love a good Mystery. And what could be better than combining the two in the form of romantic mysteries. I actually write romance mysteries myself, but here are some of the others I’ve read (and what I thought of them!). I’m also a sucker for a good Cosy Mystery (particularly if there is also a small element of romance involved!).

As you may know, I adore stories featuring strong female protagonists—women who face challenges head-on, uncover hidden powers, and refuse to be underestimated. I love writing such characters myself, but I also enjoy diving into the lives of other fierce heroines. Here are some of my favourite reads with powerful female main characters, each showcasing strength, resilience, and a captivating journey of self-discovery. If you’re a fan of women taking control of their own stories, you’ll find plenty to love here!

Sometimes love isn’t sweet or safe — sometimes it’s brutal, obsessive, and breathtakingly dangerous. Welcome to the dark side of my romance blog, dedicated to the darkest of romance books: stories that dive deep into obsession, captivity, power, survival, and twisted devotion. These aren’t your typical love stories — they’re brutal, confronting, and unapologetically raw. If you’re looking for dark romance novels that push boundaries and leave you questioning everything (and everyone), you’ll find the ones that break you, heal you, and haunt you long after the final page. From captor-captive dynamics to taboo love affairs drenched in shadows, these are the books for readers who aren’t afraid to fall for monsters.

Trigger Warning: I’m not kidding around about these being dark. We’re talking consensual non-consent, violence, torture, revenge, kinks, weirdness, and falling for the raging psycho who happily murders people on a whim. You have been warned!

I’m a huge fan of the classics, largely because many of them are the originators of a lot of our much-beloved romance tropes. Most of my favourite classics are romance novels, or have a romance element, but as you may have noticed I also love a good mystery and a little fantasy, so you’ll find a good mix here!

While there are a lot of romance novels on here (it’s a romance blog, after all!), I do enjoy a non-romance on occasion. Here you will find my reviews of books that lack spice but more than make up for it plot, characters, and writing skill.

Love is love, and I love to read all kinds of spicy romance not just the ones between straight couples. I’m all for inclusivity in every area, race, religion, neurodivergence, disability, whatever. The world is full of fabulous diversity and I enjoy reading about everyone, from everywhere, and every orientation, colour, and culture. Adding a dedicated LGBTQ section to the a romance blog shouldn’t be necessary (in my opinion) as representation of same-sex couple and a range of sexual orientations and gender identification should be the norm. Alas, it’s not. We’re not there yet. But I live in hope that one day we will be, there’s certainly a far better representation of non-binary characters, couples and romantic circumstances than there used to be. Here are some of my favourite LGBTQ reads (romance and otherwise!).

Not everything on this blog is about reading romance (or even reading non-romance!). I know, it’s shocking. But I’m actually a writer, as well as a reader, so here you’ll find my musings on penmanship, writing romance novels, romance tropes, and other writerly topics.

If you didn’t get enough romance already, here’s a continuation of my main romance blog feed, with more juicy spice and epic romance to sink your teeth into.

The Bookstagram community is astonishing in its creativity, bookish obsessions, and inclusive and welcoming nature. I’m extremely glad to be a part of it (albeit in a rather anonymous way!), and like to occasionally showcase some of the best Bookish accounts I come across on the ‘Gram.

And since this is a romance blog, you can expect a fair few (if not most!) of these Bookstagrammers to be into the romance and spice!