romance | Grace A. Johnson

of blades & thorns

the official blog of author grace a. johnson

project reveal | where the sky meets the sea

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 268 min read

project reveal | where the sky meets the sea

Happy Monday, folks! Back in June, I shared my intentions for my platform and my current writing projects—and y’all insisted I divulge...

185 views20 comments

my top tips to authentic romance part ii

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 88 min read

my top tips to authentic romance part ii

Well, folks, I'm four months overdue, but I made it. The second half of my top tips to writing authentic romance. If you missed my...

97 views8 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Mar 258 min read

my top tips to authentic romance

If you haven’t noticed, I am a major advocate for authentic fiction. It’s what I love to read, and it’s become my value proposition, my...

132 views7 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Feb 148 min read

what is romance & why is it important?

I know, I know. That’s a majorly loaded question and one that could be interpreted a thousand different ways and thereby answered in a...

154 views18 comments

review | the mermaid's tale by l. e. richmond

Grace A. Johnson

Nov 1, 20234 min read

review | the mermaid's tale by l. e. richmond

⭐⭐⭐💫 I’ll be honest. That ending thoroughly ticked me off. I cannot believe I didn’t expect that cliffhanger!!! Now, I don’t have...

100 views14 comments

review | the cost of the crown by joy crain

Grace A. Johnson

Oct 16, 20235 min read

review | the cost of the crown by joy crain

⭐⭐⭐💫 If you’ve ever wondered what a Netflix royal romance would be like in book form…this is it. The Cost of the Crown was possessed all...

62 views4 comments

review | a dare and a prayer by julie lessman

Grace A. Johnson

Oct 14, 20236 min read

review | a dare and a prayer by julie lessman

⭐⭐⭐⭐ She did it again, guys. Julie Lessman knocked it out of the park once more with her latest release, A Dare and a Prayer. I’ll be...

51 views8 comments

spotlight | a dare and a prayer by julie lessman

Grace A. Johnson

Oct 2, 20234 min read

spotlight | a dare and a prayer by julie lessman

If you've been following me/this blog for long, you'll at least know this one thing: I absolutely adore Julie Lessman. Both as an author...

104 views17 comments

coming soon | the cost of the crown by joy crain

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 25, 20232 min read

coming soon | the cost of the crown by joy crain

Let's face it. It's hard to resist a royal romance. From the political intrigue and glittering grandeur to the beautiful balls and...

46 views2 comments

guest post | difficult fiction (and why you should read it) by m.c. kennedy

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 15, 20235 min read

guest post | difficult fiction (and why you should read it) by m.c. kennedy

Hello, hello, all! I'm super excited to have M.C. Kennedy on today! She's got a wonderful post for us, which I think will inspire and...

44 views5 comments

romance rants & writing wonder | spirit & script podcast

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 14, 20231 min read

romance rants & writing wonder | spirit & script podcast

Who here loves listening to people ramble about pretty much nothing for more than forty minutes? *crickets chirp* Oh. Well. In that...

80 views6 comments

book spotlight | a bird in the snow by m.c. kennedy

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 13, 20233 min read

book spotlight | a bird in the snow by m.c. kennedy

Oh, yes, fourteen months after the original release of her first book, A Wolf's Rose, M.C. Kennedy is BACK! In case you missed it, she...

37 views4 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 12, 20233 min read

book spotlight | like a ship on the sea

If y'all haven't heard me sing the praises of Kellyn Roth yet, have you been living under a rock??? Well, rock or no, you're about to...

43 views8 comments

the girl in the pages | heard in silence anthology

Grace A. Johnson

Sep 11, 20233 min read

the girl in the pages | heard in silence anthology

If you haven’t heard about Heard in Silence (see what I did there? 😉), then you’re missing out! This anthology is chock-full of tender,...

56 views13 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 14, 20236 min read

introducing...of storm & sea

Back in February of 2022, I had the offhanded idea to host a romance-themed short story contest, based on the prompt “tell me you love...

651 views40 comments

release day | springtime in surrey anthology

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 25, 20236 min read

release day | springtime in surrey anthology

I know what you're looking for this summer, dear reader. You want stories that are full of vintage vibes, sweet romance, a splash of...

45 views8 comments

guest post by andrea r. cox | strangers to romance...in a novella

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 7, 20234 min read

guest post by andrea r. cox | strangers to romance...in a novella

Raise your hand if you love strangers-to-lovers! Of all the tropes out there, there's nothing quite like the classic strangers-to-lovers...

59 views13 comments

guest post by kellyn roth | arranged marriage romances are always dirty...right?

Grace A. Johnson

Jul 5, 20237 min read

guest post by kellyn roth | arranged marriage romances are always dirty...right?

If you've stuck around my blog long enough, you've no doubt discovered that there is little in regards to blogging that I like more than...

113 views15 comments

new release | trouble in dry springs by kristina hall

Grace A. Johnson

Jun 15, 20232 min read

new release | trouble in dry springs by kristina hall

I don't know if there's any author quite as prolific as Kristina Hall. Not only does she release upwards of three books a year, but each...

41 views6 comments

project reveal | something bright & beautiful

Grace A. Johnson

May 23, 20237 min read

project reveal | something bright & beautiful

Over a year ago, I typed “The End” (or, more accurately, “dead”), completing my third (published) novel. Since then, I’ve written a few...

147 views27 comments