Permission to read kilig books in 2022: Steamy-sweet books from #RomanceClass
It’s 2022 and we’re entering year three of a very different way of living because of lockdowns and a global pandemic, and you know what? It’s okay to be a reader seeking kilig in February. Or all year. Kilig works.
I happen to be a romance author and publisher so this is my “work” even when it’s not Valentine’s Day, and I just want to affirm your feelings that seeking this kind of reading is valid, and if the books make you feel like there’s good in the world—you are not alone.
Why is that? Because books that are categorized as romance genre must have a romance main plot and a satisfying romantic resolution (often called the “happy ending”). We get to watch/read/create situations where people learn to give each other the love they deserve. That’s powerful stuff—and difficult to write well.
A lot of stories get sold to us as romance but they’re about everything else but the romance, and that sucks. It’s not unreasonable to expect kilig and love from these books—and I have recommendations from independently published Filipino romance authors (part of the #RomanceClass community) to fill up your February and beyond:
Start Here: a #romanceclass anthology.
If the Dress Fits (Carla de Guzman).
One Night at the Penthouse Suite (Bianca Mori).
The Doctor Is In Love: a medical romance anthology (Angeli E. Dumatol, Celestine Trinidad, EK Gonzales, Suzette de Borja).
Truth or Dare (Brianna Ocampo).
Start Here: a #romanceclass anthology.
If the Dress Fits (Carla de Guzman).
One Night at the Penthouse Suite (Bianca Mori).
The Doctor Is In Love: a medical romance anthology (Angeli E. Dumatol, Celestine Trinidad, EK Gonzales, Suzette de Borja).
Truth or Dare (Brianna Ocampo).
CLOSE
The Doctor Is In Love: a medical romance anthology
By Angeli E. Dumatol, Celestine Trinidad, EK Gonzales, Suzette de Borja
Do doctors have time for love? Reading this anthology of four romance stories (three are M/F, one is F/non-binary) there are reminders that many of them really don’t. There’s a lot of work, responsibilities, and rest to be juggled with any kind of romantic life.
But every story makes a case for why those who care for us actually deserve some fun—and healthy kilig—in their lives.
If the Dress Fits
By Carla de Guzman
Carla de Guzman’s book about plus-size Martha and her best friend (to lover) Max gets a new life, updated in 2021 and now with an audio edition narrated by theater actor Jef Flores.
The addition of Max’s point of view brings so much rich detail to a story first told in only one POV—knowing how much he loves her throughout the book doesn’t take away from the reading experience. More certainty, more love actually leads to more kilig.
One Night at the Penthouse Suite
By Bianca Mori
Cora's dad has died and she assumes her role as CEO of the family corporation. Stephen is still a manager at a BPO and is wondering what her corporate game of thrones means for regular old middle-management him, if he is a help to her or just gets in her way.
How do their lives even mesh? The book shows us how, and it’s so good to see two strong and capable and good people be hot together.
Start Here: a #romanceclass anthology
This anthology, available primarily on Amazon but also now in more retailers, is all stories of first encounters. Ten stories, all M/M, F/F, F/non-binary, exploring where and how happily ever after starts.
As it turns out, there are many ways—in friendship, travel, casual hookups, or just seeing someone in a new way.
Truth or Dare
By Brianna Ocampo
One of the hottest books on this recommendation list, but also a really sweet one, because those two qualities can co-exist in a story!
Cassie and Santino have been friends for a long time. Romantic feelings are there too, but the fear of ruining “the friendship” has been too great…until Cassie shows up with a date, who stirs up not just jealousy, but curiosity as well.