Valentine's Day - Tor/Forge Blog

Fuzzy Forge Reads that’ll Have You Feeling Fond for Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2025February 13, 2025Ariana Carpentieri

Love is in the air and Valentine’s Day is officially upon us! Forge is here to help set the mood, because we have a plethora of lovable characters and stories that are sure to melt your heart. Take a look at the list below to see which heartwarming Forge books you should add to your TBR during this season of love!

1. My Three Dogs by W. Bruce Cameron

My Three Dogs is a charming and heartfelt new novel from the #1 bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose, about humankind’s best, most loyal friends, and a wonderful adventure of love and finding home.

Cameron’s signature style shines in this whirlwind of a novel that showcases how determination, instinct, and love can make a family whole once more.

2. At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

From the USA Today bestselling author of In the Middle of Hickory Lane comes Heather Webber’s next enchanting novel, At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities!

Two women soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted—not by spirits, but by regret. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on—because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.

3. I Will Not Die Alone written by Dera White and illustrated by Joe Bennett

Dera White’s I Will Not Die Alone is a hilarious, feel-good story about the end of the world. Featuring illustrations by Joe Bennett, it is a story full of realistic self-love affirmations for all of us who are just trying to get by, until we die.

4. An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor

Love is in the air in the colorful village of Ballybucklebo, but Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly has a long way to go before meeting his sweetheart Kitty O’Hallorhan at the altar. First, he and his young colleague, Barry Laverty, must deal with their usual round of eccentric patients—and crises both large and small.

5. A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape written by Joe Pera and illustrated by Joe Bennett

The cozy comedy of Joe Pera meets the darkly playful illustrations of Joe Bennett in A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing But Using the Bathroom as an Escape, a funny, warm, and sincere guide to regaining calm and confidence when you’re hiding in the bathroom.

Quizzes / What's New

Which Forge Character Would Be Your Valentine? Take the Quiz to Find Out!

February 13, 2024February 12, 2024Ariana Carpentieri1 Comment

Love is in the air and Valentine’s Day is officially upon us! Forge is here to set the mood because we have a plethora of lovable characters that are sure to melt your heart. Take the quiz to find out which one would be your Valentine this year!

</p> <h2>Personalities</h2> <ul> <li> Chet the Dog from UP ON THE WOOF TOP by Spencer Quinn</li> <li> John Reiff from DEEP FREEZE by Michael C. Grumley!</li> <li> A Hot Dog from RAW DOG by Jamie Loftus!</li> <li> Evander (Andy) Mills from THE BELL IN THE FOG by Lev AC Rosen!</li> <li> Arden Ward from ONE WRONG WORD by Hank Phillippi Ryan!</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>

Lists / What's New

Our Ships Will Never Sink: A List of Tor Staffer’s Ultimate OTPs!

June 16, 2023July 5, 2023Rachel Taylor25 Comments

We have a lot of OTPs (One True Pairings) here at Tor, but today, we’re here to talk about our ULTIMATE OTPs. We asked our staff to tell us about their favorite TDA ships and they delivered.

Check them out below!

Samantha Friedlander, Marketing Assistant (she/her)

My favorite TDA OTP would have to be Esther and Cye from opens in a new windowUpright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Their chemistry leapt off the page and was one of the many reasons why I loved this novella!

Yvonne Ye, Ad/Promo Assistant (she/her)

opens in a new windowThe Stormlight Archive: I ship Kaladin/therapy, and if you’ve met the man, you’ll understand why

Alternatively! For the opens in a new windowTeixcalaan duology by Arkady Martine, I ship Three Seagrass/Mahit Dzmare because I support beleaguered bureaucrat 4 beleagured bureaucrat :))))) If your OTP doesn’t have email work sessions together, do they even love each other?

a cat, Marketing Coordinator (he/him)

My TDA OTP is a match made in magic hell and it’s Talasseres Charossa from opens in a new windowThe Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood and John Gaius from opens in a new windowHarrow the Ninth. Tal is a rogue with a thing for garbage wizards and John Gaius, the Emperor Undying, is the garbage-ist wizard of all. This pairing is literally cursed, but so potent it must be true.

Anna Merz, Publicity Assistant (she/her)

I would like to start this off by saying I for one ship the Marketing and Publicity teams at TDA xoxo

But also I mega ship Samson and Abitha from opens in a new windowSlewfoot. A wholesome Monster/devil love of flower crowns, bees, and revenge.

Becky Yeager, Manager of Ad/Promo & Marketing (she/her)

Kadou and Evemer from opens in a new windowA Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

One is a prince. The other one is a bodyguard. Could I make it any more obvious? Prince Kadou is kind, thoughtful, and anxious. Evemer is loyal, honorable, and reserved. Together they are everything I want out of a couple: a perfect balance of sweet and oh no, he’s hot. They bring out the very best in each other as they contend with conspiracies, a counterfeit crisis, and the periodic assassination attempt. If slow burn and pining are your cup of tea, then look no further than A Taste of Gold and Iron.

Rachel Taylor, Marketing Manager (she/her)

Definitely Caethari and Velasin from opens in a new windowA Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. Arranged marriage trope? Queer romance? Yearning? WHAT MORE COULD I WANT?!?!?!

What is your SFF OTP? Let us know in the comments?

Lists / New Releases / What's New

5 Forge Characters That Would Be the Perfect Valentine

February 14, 2023May 2, 2024Ariana Carpentieri

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! Since love is in the air today, Team Forge decided to put together a list of characters we think would make the perfect Valentines. From some suave protagonists to a few loveably unconventional choices, we’ve narrowed down the list of ideal V-Day date candidates that you’d definitely want to swipe right on!

A hard-boiled detective with a heart of gold? Please sign up Evander Mills, star of Lavender House and the upcoming Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen to be my Valentine’s Day drinking buddy. I imagine popping down from his office to The Ruby in 1952 San Francisco and throwing back a few Old Fashioneds. Maybe later we could head to the hills of Marin County to hang out with his friends, the beautiful queer family at the lush Lamontaine estate.

Jennifer McClelland-Smith, Senior Marketing Manager

Calling all dog-lovers! If you’re someone who prefers the company of canine companions over the human kind any day of the week, then I have a Valentine in mind that certainly deserves a round of A-PAWS. Clancy from Love, Clancy by W. Bruce Cameron is one very good boy who’d promise to love you FUR-ever. He’s sweet, silly, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also super cute! I promise you won’t have a RUFF day with Clancy the dog as your Valentine!

Ariana Carpentieri, Marketing Coordinator

Valentine’s Day is awesome, but Galentines deserve some love, too! I would love to spend a Galentine’s Day brunch with Alyssa Macallan from The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan. First of all, she has impeccable taste and would definitely pick out the best brunch spot. I also have a strong suspicion she would pick up the tab, even if her divorce has her financial situation on the rocks. Most of all, Alyssa needs a buddy, and I think I would have a fantastic time listening to her vent about her ex-husband over some well-mixed bellinis.

Julia Bergen, Marketing Manager

A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape

I think the bathroom—as celebrated in Joe Pera and Joe Bennett’s A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape—would make for a memorable valentine. It’s calming, safe, and not to mention, the perfect place to escape to from all the pressure of a Valentine’s Day gift.

Anthony Parisi, Senior Associate Director of Marketing

My Valentine would have to be the Baseball Stadium Hot Dog from Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus. Oh, stadium hot dog my beloved. Everybody else is cheering for a home run, but I relish only the sight of your slightly stale golden brown bun. Will you be mine for the rest of our lives, or at least 9 innings?

Athena Palmer, Marketing Intern

Extras / What's New

Share the Love of SFF with Our Special Valentine’s Day Greetings!

February 10, 2023July 4, 2024a cat2 Comments

It’s that time of year where love is everywhere and we at Tor Publishing Group are ready to celebrate the only way we know how—expressing love through books! Share the love with our adorable Valentine’s Day cards, featuring pairings from opens in a new windowLegends & Lattes, opens in a new windowBook of Night, opens in a new windowWolfsong, opens in a new windowThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and opens in a new windowOne For My Enemy!

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Artist credit: Alicia Ramos Castillo (learn more opens in a new windowhere)

Order opens in a new windowLegends & Lattes Here:

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Artist credit: Little Chmura (learn more opens in a new windowhere!)

Order opens in a new windowOne for My Enemy Here:

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Artist credit: Chris Sickels – Red Nose Studio (learn more opens in a new windowhere )

Order opens in a new windowWolfsong Here:

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Artist credit: DracoKiro (learn more opens in a new window here)

Order opens in a new windowLegends & Lattes Here:

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Artist credit: Rosie Fowinkle (learn more opens in a new windowclick to know more)

Order opens in a new windowThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in Paperback Here:

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Order opens in a new windowBook of Night Here:

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Lists

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with our Favorite Relationships in SF/F

February 13, 2018May 10, 2024torforge1 Comment

The term shipping doesn’t just refer to boats or how fast you can get your package. These days, it also has meaning in relationships—fictional ones, that is. Ships are the couples from fiction, whether books, tv, or movies, that you desperately want to get together in a romantic way—whether the creator intended them to or not. Over time, fans have created some pretty famous ships (cough*Harry-and-Draco*cough) and some super bizarre ships (Elsa and Jack Frost, really?). Many have gained a life of their own, with fan art, fan fic, and more.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we started thinking about our favorite relationships as well as our favorite ships in science fiction and fantasy. We’re celebrating the holiday by sharing our list with you! What couples are your list?

Phèdre nó Delaunay and Joscelin Verreuil

opens in a new window One of the things we love about Jacqueline Carey’s opens in a new windowKushiel’s Legacy series is the number of relationships to wish for, root for, and cry buckets over. Alcuin and Delaney, Ysandra and Drustan, Phèdre and Hyacinthe, Phèdre and Melisande, Phèdre and Joscelin…okay, really Phèdre and anyone who can make her happy. But we polled the Tor staff, and found that most of us were rooting for the opposites attract relationship of Phèdre, courtesan to kings, and Joscelin, warrior-priest and sworn virgin (at least, at the beginning). Those crazy kids belong together, and they prove it by supporting each other through increasingly dire and dangerous situations, all the way to the ends of the world.

Mat Cauthon and Tuon (Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag, Daughter of the Nine Moons)

opens in a new window The Wheel of Time is full of relationships, both good and bad. How could it not be, with 14 books spanning years? And while Rand and his relationship with Elayne, Aviendha, and Min was fun to read, our favorite relationship in WoT is the one between Mat and Tuon. The scene where Mat accidentally marries Tuon (be careful what you repeat three times in fantasy novels, guys!) made some of us laugh, and when she finally completes the ceremony, there may have been tears. Their elaborate courtship dance in between, and the sense that Tuon is always one step ahead of Mat, just makes their romance even better.

Baru Cormorant and Tain Hu

opens in a new window Sometimes you just want a relationship that makes you cry. Amid all the politics, intrigue and plot twists that made The Traitor Baru Cormorant such a fantastic read, the budding—and forbidden—romance between Baru Cormorant and Tain Hu was definitely a highlight. Two ruthless, competent women who begin on opposite sides, but come together to start a revolution against an ever-growing colonial force—what more could you want? Of course, love in wartime is never easy, and there are plenty of hidden agendas at play that make it even harder. Fair warning: not every favorite romance has a happy ending.

Eddi McCandry and the Phouka

opens in a new window This classic urban fantasy is both a slice of rock life in the 80s (you know Prince was totally one of the fey), and a delightful story of learning who you are accompanied by a wonderful romance. We’ve all been Eddi McCandry at some point—juggling the one-two punch of a bad ex and trying to figure out your life—and the Phouka is a babe.

Richard St. Vier and Alec

opens in a new window Not only is this a wonderful, tangled world of duels fought with swords and over tea in parlors, but the heart of the story is the tangled, snarled, tricky, unlikely and utterly swoon-worthy pairing of a sword for hire and his difficult inamorata. Fireworks, banter, tension (all kinds), and so much more in a beloved m/m pair. As Jo Walton says in her opens in a new windowTor.com review, is Richard and Alec’s relationship love, or is it a duel? Finding out is part of the fun.

Nienna and Ulmo

opens in a new window Two literary characters who we think deserve one another are Nienna and Ulmo from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. Nienna is one of the Valar, whose purview is grief, mourning, and mercy, ever turning sorrow to wisdom. While Ulmo, the Lord of the Waters, is the Vala who was fondest of the Children of Ilúvatar (Elves and Men). But like Nienna, Ulmo is a loner. All the other godlike Valar were married—why not these two?

Quick Ben and Kalam

opens in a new window If ever there was a “they argue like an old married couple” in Epic Fantasy, it is Quick Ben and Kalam. One is a trickster mage who might be the most powerful magician around, the other is an Assassin that really distrusts magic. They’ve been together since they were rebels fighting the empire, so long that they’re reached the pinnacle of couple-dom in fiction: they can finish each other’s sentences.