Whoa!mance: Romance, Feminism, and Ourselves

We're back for part two of our discussion of ALCHEMISED by SENLINYU! Be sure to listen to part 1 and take a look at trigger warnings for the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is that a wand base metal in your pocket, or are you just happy to see us again? This episode yr grlz begin their conversation about ALCHEMISED by SENLINYU.You're probably wondering how Helena ended up in a storage facility with most of her memory gone. So is she! And so is the High Reeve. The could-be inheritor of a very evil overlord and the person (zombie???) tasked with finding her pesky hidden memories in order to track down the last shreds of resistance in Paladia,.OR IS HE WONDERING AT ALL?!?! Cue flashback and oh, look at that, they were once in love...can they ever be again?What does hurt/comfort tell us about desire? How can we negotiate our nostalgia urge via FanFic? How do we even talk about this book?Only one way to find out...tune in for PART 1! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We dive into the exquisite love-letter architecture of This Is How You Lose the Time War and ask what happens when desire is literally written into existence. We linger on what it means to love with (or without) a body—across a multiverse full of potential and very real war crimes. Red and Blue, our sapphic leads, slip across timelines and into each other’s hearts in achingly human ways.But let’s say the quiet part out loud: romance does not need literary fiction to legitimize it. Distinct genres have distinct pleasures and emotional beats—that’s not a bug; it’s a feature. Excellent books exist within the genre, and outside it--maybe we just stop trying to collapse the publishing multiverse and let genre conventions function as intended?Come for the yearning and love letters, stay for the unapologetic defense of the kissing books.#RomancePodcast #SapphicRomance #ThisIsHowYouLoseTheTimeWar #EnemiesToLovers #EpistolaryFiction #QueerRomance #BookDiscussion #ScienceFantasyRomance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And now we arrive in Ireland. Finally. To discuss THE GROUND SHE WALKS UPON by MEAGAN MCKINNEY (1994).Ravenna is a social outcast who is also magically bound via geish to the Lord of her home, County Lir. Either Niall, at 20 years her senior, woos her, a lowly peasant, or his family looses the land they occupy in Ireland. What is the point of magic if it is just friendship or whatever? Does good romance determine a good romance, or is it all the other stuff? Is there ever such a thing as a good aristocrat?Trigger warnings: We talk about death and political violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was 2025, really? What did we say we were going to do—and did we do it?In this Year-in-Review episode, we take stock of the year with clear eyes. We revisit the wins, the misses, and the pacing problems from our shelf this year—from Ali Hazelwood’s Deep End to the dark-romance chaos of Nocticadia. We did a shadow-daddy bracket (a rigorous, peer-reviewed process; dissenting opinions noted for the record) that functioned as a useful tool for Isabeau, and found time to accidentally fall head first into the zeitgeist.Who earned the hardest Whoa!? Who took home the most definitive No? And which couples earned space on our mental shelves forever?We close by looking ahead to 2026: what we’re pursuing, what we’re done negotiating, and what we’re leaving behind—because not every arc deserves a redemption. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Man the canons, yr Colonels in the War on Christmas are attacking THE EARL'S CHRISTMAS PEARL by MEGAN FRAMPTON.The titular Earl meets the titular Pearl after her family abandons her in London over Christmas a la (kind of, vaguely) Kevin McAllister. He uses his skills as a Welshman to care for the young miss, even though his ankle like, really hurts and he doesn't even LIKE Christmas that much. Along the way, he doesn't just fall in love with the holiday...Are wealthy twenty somethings in historical romance essentially just teens? What story elements are crucial to a Christmas tale? Are purple prose penises better than just "Penis"?Tune in - we're stokin' fires AND frying' eggs this Yule.______additional sounds in this eppy:sleigh bells_.wav by Stagno sexy funk + strings & piano by kbrecordzz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of our discussion of NOCTICADIA by KERI LAKE yr grls dive into chapters 39 - epilogue. Does the ambiguity of an HEA in horror make it impossible (if already strange) bedfelllows with romance? What is the appeal of "dark" romance and what is the bright side for those of us who don't lean into taboo? TWINS??? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stop twitching, that isn't the fluttering of dusty moth wings in your ear - its yr grls discussing NOCTICADIA by KERI LAKE.Lilia Vespertine is a destitute but extraordinarily hot smart orphan in evil Baltimore who happens to get a mysterious full ride to spooky Dracadia University - a private institution on an isolated island with a 30-year-old tenured professor of...biology? I guess? Let's see if you can guess what he looks like. If you screamed "ADAM DRIVER!!!!!". Yeah. You're right. You got it. They both, unbeknownst to one of them (no points for guessing this one), share a research interest in these specific moths and their gooey babies. But it turns out...sing along it if you know it...that is not the only interest they share. Nor, the only mystery...How does horror work, or not work, with romance? What is the itch that dark romance or taboo romance scratches? Can all this be solved by the appointment or a new Provost? Okay, sure, but what about a more robust student council?Don your velvets. We're putting the slimthicc (ah, those were the days) in Gothic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't be scared! That is just the loud cracking of our ankles over a totally normally recording of Whoa!mance's discussion of THE RUIN OF EVANGELINE JONES by JULIA BENNET.The titular Evie is a psychic medium scammer under the control/support of a Svengali type. Harcastle is a Due under the oppression of his dead father. Plus his hobby is busting fake spiritualists in Victorian London. But, Evie is tempting in that mysterious buttoned-up-but-secret-nudie-photo-past that maybe...just maybe...he'll be doing bustin' of a different kind. Please don't tell anyone that I wrote that.What isn't a gothic romance (shoutout to Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights trailer)? Why would you include a plucky child and/or dog in your novel? What IS good pacing anyway?Touch pinkies and tuck winkies - this seance we're summoning a big ol' Whoa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Shadow Daddy Bracket: Final Four, where our pleasures are interrogated and pitted against one another. Our contenders? Rochester brooding in his attic-bound domestic gothic, Rhysand a fae High Lord wielding sovereignty and seduction, a couple of aristocrats flexing thier authority, and Buffy’s Angel/Spike—vampiric embodiments of tortured desire and ethical ambiguity.But the bracket isn’t just about who wins a romance face-off. We’re also asking: why now? At a moment of resurgent authoritarianism, and renewed assaults on feminist gains, the cultural magnetism of shadow daddies feels especially charged. Join us as we illuminate the shadows and the allure, tackling the familiar pleasures and the deeply unsettling things it may reveal about us.#shadowdaddy #bracket #romance #romantasy #acotar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shadow Daddy's abound. But how do you pick the best one? what would the best even mean? How do you quantify or categorize the shadows and the daddies?Morgan and Isabeau developed a tournament style bracket ranking the shadow daddies of the past, present, and super natural--follow along and make your own! Who will take the crown? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morgan and Isabeau return to the back half of Quicksilver—and yes, the vampires have arrived. With plenty of biting insights, they unpack what makes for a strong first-person narrative (and what can throw it completely off kilter). Then it’s on to the heart of romantasy: shadow daddies and fated mates. Why do some bonds feel electric while others fall flat? She's just the most beautiful mortal in two realms with magical abilities and a seemingly bottomless anxiety spiral. He's a prince, a lord and a tortured big brother just trying to make things right. All the ingredients are on the page but this pound town cake is giving yr grls trouble.Maybe it takes more than magic tattoos and a surly disposition to make the romance in romantasy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re diving deep into the shadowy (haha) corners of QuickSilver—where Saeris Fane finds herself escaping a burning kingdom in the arms of a shadow daddy by the name of Kingfisher. Badass tattoos and appellation aside what makes a shadow daddy? Is it literally just commanding shadows and six pack? Is it the brooding and the martyr complex? Kingfisher checks all the boxes, and with a winning backstory and clear motivation so does Saeris--so what's the hold up?Follow along in this two parter where we unpack what we are really attracted to when our heroines get tangled in the fantasy of female subjugation. We're ready to do the work on this 1800 year old manchild--but is he? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doff your strawiest cap, we're on a summer holiday to Cornwall with "A Shore Thing" by Joanna Lowell.Muriel has been pigeon-holed into presenting on seaweed instead of her preferred botany interests. Thankfully, the English seaside is not only home to many kelps but also one Kit, a painter who Muriel initially admires as an illustrator of flora and later as an igniter of her more...fauna instincts. Kit is finally living as himself (though not out as trans, this is 1888) and doesn't want to...rock the boat. But that's what falling in love is all about! There's a bicycle race as well. When it comes to character development, what's the difference between personal history and personality? What can cozy romances show us about the unique pacing challenges in romance, broadly? And, in this day and age, what does it mean to be tender with the lads? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do...do you hear that? That-that...throbbing hum? Then adjust your speakers! You're gonna wanna hear us discuss THRUM by MEG SMITHERMAN.Astronaut Ami is the lone survivor of a mysterious accident that killed the rest of her crew. It also means she is the lone Earthling guest of the extra-terrestrial calling himself Dorian Gray. I bet you can see where this is going...(no, you definitely can't, actually) (but it is a Happily Ever After?).What are the contours of the sci-fi or horror romance? What are the contours of the gothic romance? What are the contours of sentient object romance while we're at it?Set phasers to OH GOD THE HORRORS THE HORRORS!!!!!!! and tune in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We read the second half and discovered that you can live with a heart murmur, but maybe a romance can't exist well without some critical affection for its main characters. Join us as we investigate the missed opportunities and stumbling blocks holding this "cozy" would be charmer back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a renn fest season and Pride month. Perfect time to chat about chapters 1 through 8 of Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra RowlandTam and Lyford get it on like all the time. Much to Tam's chagrin. Not that it is like a non-con situation, just that he hates how much he likes having sex with the Lord. For...reasons. And pretty much everything else. His god/desses, his little village with a cute downtown, himself, maybe all women. In spite of this (fittingly) he is sent on a quest to like just be chill about it and maybe come to terms with enjoying the company of Lord Lyford. Can a beautiful world, alone, make a story beautiful? Does Romantasy cease without angst (pronounced aughnstuh)? Did your county fair host any good orgies?Please, only drink a reasonable amount of tea before this one. The ep might raise your blood pressure all on its own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well we stood and are now delivering to you part 2:This episode covers chapter 15 through the epilogue of THROUGH A DARK MIST by MARSHA CANHAM, book 1 of the Black Wolf Trilogy.To recap we learn that not only is Lucien Wardieu Lord of Bloodmoor Keep, he is also a highwayman, is not dead in the crusades, and gains a whole new identity as Eleanor of Aquataine's most decorated and loyal knight.But rest assured gentle readers, young Servanne learns to love all of these identities and will passionately join the fight to oust the bastard brother and his extremely sexually liberated consort and restore Lucien to his ancestral home. Or at least that's the project we thought Lucien was on, but as things unfold and the villains lose interesting dimension the back drop of 1991 comes into focus and so too does the cultural war. Is a woman only as good as her perceived potential motherhood? Is this just a big door stop of slut shame? Have we come so far only to hurtle ourselves back onto the dark shores of the 90s?Keep your cross bows handy--there's trouble ahead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What ho! A new challenge faces yr grls as they attempt a new format. An intentional two-parter! This episode covers the prologue through chapter 14 of THROUGH A DARK MIST by MARSHA CANHAM, book 1 of the Black Wolf Trilogy. Lucien Wardieu is Lord of Bloodmoor Keep. Or he is a highwayman. Or he is dead in the crusades. Or he is basically Robin Hood. Or he is basically Satan. In any case, young widow Servanne is headed right toward him - to become his bride and Lady of Bloodmore Keep and/or become his captive in semi-magical woods. Confused? Don't be. One Lucien Wardieu has brown hair and the other one is blond. What does this novel set ca.1194 tell us about life under late-capital in 1991? How can a novel show without telling? Do you think this villainess will shake out to be an interest, fully realized character by the end of the book?Stand, deliver, and don't forget to read chapters 15 - Epilogue for the next eppy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this whoa!nus listen along as Morgan and Isabeau engage with Time magazine's 50 Best Romance Novels to Read right now (August 2024). You can hear in real time (haha) as Isabeau is faced with the dubious metrics of 'acclaim and social impact'. What books did the list get right? What books did they miss? We cover it all and share our opinions on what Romancelandia really needs. As always come to your own conclusions--just maybe don't make it a listicle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over one frenzied month Morgan read all five of Emily Henry's original adult romance novels. Along the way, she lost herself. She turns to Isabeau to help her trace her way back, though the work and the public and personal reception.What differentiates a romance novel from everything else? And what can we learn from a breakthrough star?Assumptions are challenged. Late capital is contoured. The word "prophylactic" is uttered.Featuring special guest appearance by a piece of loose leaf notebook paper with a completely normal matrix of EH novels!This one is quite different from our usual stuff, but maybe you will still like it (almost unlike Emily Henry novels in every way).Isabeau references Love the One You're With and Baby Proof by Emily Giffin.The Substack post Morgan references is, in fact, a poorly remembered comments thread on this piece. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hold your nose and close your eyes - we're jumping feet first into DEEP END by ALI HAZELWOOD.Scarlett Vandermeer attends real-life American University Stanford on a diving scholarship. Tall, blond, Swedish, heavily-siblinged (ring any bells?) Lukas Blomqvist (...sure) attends the same very real school and is swim team captain. Other common interests include attending medical school someday, working in the lab of a previous Hazelwood main character, BDSM, and Scarlett's only friend/Lukas's secret ex Penelope. Will these two ever be able to don the goggles of love and truly see one another through the stinging chlorine of circumstance? Is real person fic as toxic as it is pervasive? Who are trigger warnings for and what do they actually do and are they as toxic as they are pervasive? For such a clean dive, how did this book manage such a big splash?You can fear the tree all you want, but remember that it is Whoa!mance who will judge you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's an Easter Miracle! Christos Anesti--or in this case handsome dead stranger is risen, in more ways than one! Sacrilegious dick jokes aside--this one has it all! Earnestly weird heroine with a mean brother and rambling estate. Hot stranger who doesn't get why the smart and pretty rich lady is in to him, and you know a monster roaming the woods. This Frankenstein retool by Sally Thorne of The Hating Game fame cooks up a hot mystery on a resurrection slab, and revives Isabeau and Morgan from their reading slump. But the religious undertones don't stop with this come back, nor the problems facing romance and ultimately all of us. Join yr girls for a deep dive as they revisit this author on her new and imaginative swing. No friends of Lazarus required Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isabeau found a romance from a free library--the cover was gorgeous, the title bananas. The premise: a revolutionary American privateer kidnaps a british artisto named Season and then proceeds to gaslight her and the reader about his varied identities against the backdrop of the American War for Independence. Season, a classically plucky coddled only child with ginormous boobs changes her politics, when love opens her eyes to "freedom" but does the book understand it's own 80s hottakes? What does incrementalism get us in the end? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join fan fav and beloved friend of the pod Andrea Martucci from podcast Shelflove as we discuss 2024's 'Your Monster' a love story about female rage and personal growth. This discussion spans personal taste, romance conventions as adapted by other mediums, and of course that great white way: Broadway. As we've said before horror and romance share a wet middle in the venn diagram of genres, but what happens when they're part of the same narrative arc? Hot takes and divergent opinions make pod friends forever Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we tackle Charolette Stein's When Grumpy Met Sunshine, a listener request that's keeping us honest! We've reviewed this author previously and concluded then that we would like to read her again later. Listeners we did. When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a romance that pits supposed opposites against each other with mixed results. Mabel is a ghost writer with a predictable penchant for bright clothes, and Alfie is an ex-footballer from the wrong side of the tracks with a wardrobe like Johnny Cash. How couldn't these goofs fall in love or dry hump at a Beyonce concert? From shared bad dads, to some pretty funny social media mishaps we explore how this particular story’s struggle with its own self-consciousness (a trend in current romance) seems to illuminate something brittle. The weight of modern romance expectations? The translation of fanfic into fic fic? If every trope shines this brightly are we not all blind? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A listener held us accountable. A listener reminded us that at the end of this very episode from 2018 we said we'd be curious what this author wrote in the future. And now, ahead of that discussion of a very new book by this very same author coming out next week, we want to give all of you the context you so richly deserve. Original notes below.____________________At some point we’ve all felt bullied. But did you ever think, as you stared out through the slits of a locker, your new home, that perhaps your tormenter just needed to work through some misplaced sexual desire? That in fact, your personal Roger Klotz was just biding their time to tell you how they really felt? What’s the statute of limitations on attempted murder? Can a novel be both problematic and titillating? Morgan and Isabeau grapple with Letty and Tate’s relationship, barn weddings, and what to do when your mind’s telling you no, but your body, your body, has been reshaped by toxic masculinity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please, no need to swoon - it's just us, talking about MEET ME AT THE ANVIL by KATE PRIOR.Prior isn't just the author's surname, it also describes when we talked about this author re: LOVE, LAUGH, LICH - look it up in the feed where you found this one!Diane is fine marrying Martin - as long as she has her special drawings and her special horn. That is until it isn't fine after one of her frequent faints (courtesy of staring too long at Martin's ruggedly handsome best man and cousin, Liam) interrupts the ceremony and leads to a perspective-shifting goat encounter. She and Liam hit the road to nowhere, or is it...to forever?Does centering the body, even the marginalized body, equal objectification? What has romance writing lost in the fronting of author personalities? Why is it so hard to think of weird parts with novellas?Keep your eye on that goat and your ear on this podcast - they're both wily son-of-a-guns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger warnings abound everyone - sexual assault, dubious consent, Biblical characters of Judas and Satan falling in love, child death and miscarriage, suicide. Tread lightly, be gentle with yourself - it's just a podcast.The Devil is a lie, The Devil is in the details, The Devil is afraid to be vulnerable, The Devil is afraid you can't love him the way he thinks he wants to be loved. The Judas Iscariot (we'll wait while you gather your feelings) and The Devil (yep, horns, tail, etc.) meet in The Ninth Circle of Hell and embark on one of the most complex journeys of mutual self-discovery by way of esoteric billionaire, rakish Duke romance ever committed to pages read by these, your podcast hosts. Along the way, the text dives into a rather comprehensive collection of Bible fan fictions (Dante, Milton, Kabbalah, your most beautiful, tragic Aunt's pet theories...) and creates some of its own.What does romantasy lose in its fear of scope? What does this novel lose in its embrace of stakes? Is this the future liberals want? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morgan and Isabeau are joined by romance author Esme Brett as we discuss In Flight--a romance that took off in the wake of Fifty Shades. In this free wheeling discussion we tackle fanfiction's influence on the genre, the rise of self publishing, and the ethics of depicting BDSM in romance. What are we responsible for? Who are we responsible to? How can we sell more romance novels in New Zealand? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were in the books in 2024 and now 2024 is in the books. Hardest and softest no!s and whoa!s, the places we visited the most in literature, what we did great at and where we came up short. All that and more as we look back on the year that was...2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One last round of eggnog, we're talking "MEET ME IN LOS FELIZ" by KELLY REYNOLDS.Nora accidentally barges in on Bowie peeing and catches feels for the (sort of) Short King. Is king a slur if you're a Brit in LA who inherited a house and tea shop(pe)? Amid the hustle of trying to make it as an actress, Nora makes room for a new love.What makes a novella work? Does normalizing rough sex minimize it? How much are CBD lattes going for in your local area?Pick your exit off the 210 carefully, we're parked in this holiday traffic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ellie from the Butt Out Baby Podcast had the best idea. For all of us to watch Carol (2015) directed by Todd Haynes and then talk about it. Therese gets a funny feeling when she first sees the glamorous Carol, and it isn't just because its Christmastime. But it is the 1950s, and Carol is going through a divorce, and is a devoted mother, and is at least a decade older and a gajillion dollars richer, and it's Christmas! What is it they about the course of true love? Do age gaps matter? Does Christmas matter? And what even happened with that ending!Be sure to tune into this romance-centered discussion of Carol. And, by the way, I like your hat... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Whoa!mance had a nickel for every time we discussed a novel featuring a werewolf who flies personal aircraft, we would have TWO nickels. Thanks for the hypothetical pay raise, COLD HEARTED by HEATHER GUERRE.Grace has to Teach for America her way away from her terrible ex and terribler Chicago. So she makes her way to the small, insular, warm yet secretive community of Longtooth, Alaska. Even thought Grace really sets local boy Caleb's maybe-metaphorical-maybe-literal tail to wagging, he's been burned by City Folk before and he isn't going to be heartbroken again, dang it! When it turns out Grace's ex was worse and more supernatural than just a boring stalker, he's going to have to put his feelings aside...or actually, for some reason, centering them works better?What makes a comfort read comfortable? Is a villain more captivating than the main character a failure in a romance, or just the The Nature of the Beast? Its 10 p.m., do you know how many copies of "Watership Down" are within driving distance of you right now?Turn "Deadliest Catch", we've got something much sexier and equally Alaskan to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here it is, the last chapter. The bow tie. The final thoughts. The Darcy. The Rochester. The end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for some dark romance this holiday season? Sure you are! The days are short anyway. We've got a labrador retriever male main character who makes masked man thirst traps and does some stalking. And we've got a snarky female main character who loves those thirst traps and is looking for a little IRL action.Listen while Morgan and Isabeau untruss this popular bird, get at the juicy bits and carve out what makes this a mega romance audiobook hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pride and Prejudice gets PENULTIMATE! In this, the second to last chapter of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, there are lots of sweet nothings and victory laps to be had. And the conversation begins circling the drain that leads to...romance novels? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darcy and Lizzy need to tell the Bennets what's what Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What webs we weave, indeed! This episode we attempt to unknot that cross-over of the century - the NINETEENTH century that is - PRIDE AND PROMETHEUS by JOHN KESSEL.Mary Bennet decides to take one last crack at life before resigning herself to spinsterhood and two people wind up dead. That's what happens when you pin your hopes to the saddest Swiss nerd at the ball. Especially when they have the kind of baggage that is super tall, speaks at least three languages, has committed murder in the name of loneliness, and is technically their child.Do the major differences of "Frankenstein" and "Pride and Prejudice" boil down to imagination vs. domesticity? Where is the fascination of sex to be found without love and affection? What can be made of men talking about women talking about men? Trigger warnings - we talk about anatomy, sterilization, murder, and miscarriages in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back, and we're going totally medieval on THE FALCON AND THE SWORD by PATRICIA WERNER for the final act of this Ice Wine season.Judith, the most normally named character in this whole book, abandons a convent to find herself in the kingdom of Neustria amongst a bunch of Franks who will never get her as a Visigoth. Along comes handsome-in-a-different-kind-of-white-way, advisor to the King of Austrasia to spark her interest, and then away he goes for the vast majority of the book until he returns in the fourth (eighth?) act to profess his love in the murder mystery cum Medieval slice of life this Romance Novel is. Why did romance in the 90s spend so much effort towards everything but character? What does the centering of small folk tell us about a place and time? What is the difference between Visigoths and Goths?Hope you've got a knee brace, because these Middle Ages are hard on your joints. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Re!mance for an extremely special ocassion. Plus an update on Ice Wine Deux. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naturopathic Practicioner Raven is thrown back into the measured embrace of regular, degular Dr. Jeff when she is accused of poisoning her clients. Because he loves her so darn much, and because it is obviously not her fault, and because it is 1997 and these things just happen, the McSteamy and Holistic Hottie team up to uncover the cause of this mystery illness and get infected with love along the way. Also with the mystery illness.What can a post-AIDS romance novel about disease teach us about Pandemic patterns? Are characters their jobs or is it just the Capitalism talking again? Can a person in 1996 be good, even if they are allergic to salad?Look out - there's gateway drugs in the echinacea! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wherein Darcy and Elizabeth have one conversation and Darcy makes all men, and romance heroes look like fools for the next two hundred odd years. #ThanksJaneAusten Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this chapter Darcy shows up and all the young people go for a walk. On the walk Darcy makes all other romance heroes look like fools, for the next 200 odd years. #ThanksJaneAusten

One last time to Nantucket before the cold winds blow!Free-spirited, head-strong Lizzie trades her youthful exuberance for matronly measure and stead-fastness in exchange for the love of one Tavis Mackinoon in 19th Century Nantuckey. Or...maybe "trades" has too much agency?What was America's perspective on history in the halcyon, Laura-Ashley-strewn days of 1994? How do we honestly feel about "blossoming"? How was the shape of women's identity and autonomy fraying against itselt?Try and remember the difference between port and starboard, we're setting sail in to some choppy waters with this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mr Bennet receives a letter he can't wait to share with his favorite kid. Spiraling ensues Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ice Wine Deux launches LIVE and in style from Love's Sweet Arrow (in Tinley Park, IL) with a real bi-coastal bitch - A DANGEROUS MAN by ROSEMARY ROGERS.Tory doesn't care what her dad thinks, or her uncle, or even Sexy, Dark and mysterious "Texas Ranger" Nick Kincade. But she is forced to rely on the latter as she tries to escape her own Manifest Destiny on an adventure up proto-Pacific Coast Highway. And maybe even, fall in love?What does The Brat signify in the emergence of third-wave feminism? Does a romance hero even need to like the heroine? What IS wrong with a little bump'n'grind?Prepare to ford the river, and chill that red as much as possible. We're getting very wet for this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the dog days of summer start barking, the cubes start clinking. Yr grls are revisiting their ICE WINE project, a time to interrogate texts published by and for a previous generation. This round, we're pouring (over ice, of course):A DANGEROUS MAN by ROSEMARY ROGERSHEAVEN KNOWS by ELAINE COFFMANFEVER RISING by MAGGIE FERGUSONBut Whoa!mance needs your help choosing betweenTHE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL by VIRGINIA HENLEYor THE FALCON AND THE SWORD by PATRICIA WARNERso be sure to vote on our Instagram or email [email protected] is Ice Wine Season - do you know where your Newt Gingrich is? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Knock knock! Who's there? Why! It is Catherine De Burgh! Here to rip Lizzie a new one while Jane and Bingley canoodle in the shrubbery. The worst part is? No one even visits the hermitage. That was here the whole time????A split decision on this chapter folks, with a scathing rating of three out of five stars from one of our readers. Metadrama and metaconflict abounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monty is all set up for one sexy summer when he embarks on his Grad Tour with hot friend he's falling for, Percy. But this would-be teen sex comedy get real weird as Monty and Percy face a vengeful duke, a sinking crypt, a dead alchemists lonely adult children, their own marginalized identities, and falling in puppy love! What does it look like to write conscientious historical romance, effectively? Can anyone tell the difference between an adventure story, a romance, and bildungsroman? And, PLEASE! SOMEBODY! What even is "Young Adult"???Light the braziers and tune up your crystals - we're turning lead into gold for real on this one! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.