I am an avid reader, and I have been since I was small, when I first learned that the weird little markings on the pages of a book could magically tell my brain a story.
Multiple genres could be considered among my favorites. I like thrillers. Autobiographies. Silly. Sad. Funny. And yes, romance.
I’ve always been pretty specific when it comes to what kind of romance I prefer to read.
With a few exceptions, I usually prefer these kinds of tales to be more on the tame side of things.
I was never one for gratuitous details, despite these kinds of novels being immensely popular with pretty much everyone else.
(My grandmother included–she had a stack of Harlequin Romance novels as tall as me. A stack that as a 9-year-old, I curiously examined, and promptly walked away from as I turned bright red at the thought of my GRANDMA reading those salacious words!)
During the 2023 holiday season, a book called out to me while I was Christmas shopping.
It had been forever since a book had done such a thing to me, while I was not actually looking for one.
It was called “Death” (I credit my widow-brain for my eyes honing in on this one) and it practically jumped into my Walmart shopping cart.
Upon getting it home, I realized it was part of a series, but was thankful that it could stand on its own.
It was a great story, a story that had me hooked right from the get-go.
It was the love story between a seemingly immortal woman and the Angel of Death.
Cute, I thought. I was really enjoying how fast-paced and witty it was.
Then, out of the clear blue, it turned into an absolutely torrid romance novel that once again had my cheeks turning crimson like when I was a little kid peeking at Grandma’s books!
By this time, I was too hooked on the story to abandon it, and ever since reading “Death,” well, I guess I’m a fan now.
But it wasn’t the extreme detail given by the author, Laura Thalassa, during the more intimate sections that got me hooked. It was the fact that her genre is “romantasy,” which is a combo of romance and fantasy.
The characters tend to be otherworldly and supernatural.
Now, I was never really into fantasy either. In high school, The Hobbit bored me to tears. But now, as an adult–a widowed adult who had lost her Beloved, tragically, it all felt more relatable somehow. As if the idea of undying, eternal love could apply to those of us who had lost our partners to another realm altogether.
It has helped me see Bret, who had struggled in life and ended it on his own terms, as less of a “monster,” and more of a tragic, yet beautiful figure, yearning for the forgiveness of the woman he abandoned.
Maybe that’s silly, but when you’re in grief, I say “Anything goes.” You have to do what is going to heal you (so long as it doesn’t harm anyone or anything else, in the process.)
Take those risks, and expand your horizons. You never know which of these new adventures is going to be the thing that helps move you forward in your grief journey.
Before Bret died, I had no idea I’d ever be into novels like these. No judgment, it just wasn’t my thing. (Even as a writer, I have lots of trouble writing –a-hem– love scenes.) I suppose it took my heart being ripped right open to change my perspective on that kind of thing.
Honestly, that changed my perspective on a lot of things.
Just as writing has helped heal me, reading has as well. And if your mind is open to reading steamy romance novels, I highly recommend Laura Thalassa’s work. I am new to romantasy so there are probably other authors out there who have similar styles, I just happen to be familiar with Laura’s work. I am even trying my hand at writing some, myself!
Take a chance. Read that book. Open your heart.
It just may help you heal more than you ever dreamed it could.
About Layla Beth Munk
Layla Beth Munk is a blogger & author who was thrust into this widowhood journey abruptly and tragically on February 11, 2018. Her husband of 12 years had ended his pain once and for all. She soon made the decision that she would not let his final decision define the rest of her life or their daughter’s life, so with her sense of humor at the helm, she started writing about her newfound station in life. Grief waves still get to her, and probably always will, but with the help of her fellow widows as well as friends and family, she has been able to realize her dream of becoming a published author! Layla is so grateful to Hope For Widows Foundation for providing this level of support to her, and so many others! Layla has two amazing children, one who is grown and one who is almost grown. She lives in eastern Oregon and has a wellness & beauty background. Layla enjoys writing poetry, watching anime, and homeschooling her daughter.
Her blog can be found at laylabethmunk.medium.com and her debut novella, 24 Hours in Vegas, is available on Amazon.