Fated Mates – Romance Books for Novel People
- Episodes
- 427
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
The most listened to romance novel podcast, Fated Mates is co-hosted by bestselling author Sarah MacLean and romance critic Jen Prokop. Weekly episodes include romance novel read-alongs and lively discussions of the work of the genre, highlighting the romance novel as a powerful tool in fighting the patriarchy…with absolutely no kink shaming.
Episodes 427
S091.11: True Blue, Stacey Abrams We Love You
We’re still riding that blue wave! We don’t know what you’re seeing where you are, but it’s all blue where we are (upbeat), so we figured we’d cut the romance pie a little differently this week and recommend …
Show notes
We’re still riding that blue wave! We don’t know what you’re seeing where you are, but it’s all blue where we are (upbeat), so we figured we’d cut the romance pie a little differently this week and recommend some of our favorite books that are blue! We have blue covers, characters named blue, characters who vote blue, characters who are blue, and of course, Stacey Abrams, the reason we’re all so happy. We also try to explain what went on last week to our international listeners and honestly — forgive us, civics teachers everywhere…our heart is in the right place.
Learn more about Stacey Abrams’s organization Fair Fight, about the work The States Project is doing for downticket races across the country, and take this as a sign to Run for Something. Sign up to be notified when Fated States phonebanking starts up again.
To talk with other readers about your favorite blue books, join our Patreon, which gets you access to the Fated Mates discord (there’s a special group in there for politically active firebirds), and gets you one additional episode every month.
Blue Books- Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
- Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann
- Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- The Duchess in his Bed by Lorraine Heath
- The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan
- Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh
- Simply Sinful by Kate Pearce
- A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
- Bond of Hatred by Lynne Graham
- Sapphire Sunset by C. Travis Rice
- Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
- The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay
- Lover (Rhage and Mary) Eternal by JR Ward
- A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
- Single Malt by Layla Reyne
- The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe
- Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
- Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett
- Bluest of Blue by Melissa Blue
- Mastermind by Sarah MacLean
- Peculiar Stars by Rebecca Yarros
- Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
- See You Next Tuesday by Kate Stayman-London
- Where You Least Expect by Kaye Blue
- Have Yourself a Billionaire for Christmas by Tracey Livesay
- How the Dukes Stole Christmas
- While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
- Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams
Sponsors- Blue Box Press, publishers of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s A Crown of Ruin: A Blood and Ash Special Edition Novella, now availble in print and ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
- Kristen Jennings, author of Spindle Touched, preorder now in print or ebook at Amazon.
- Lucy Score, author of The Heist Before Christmas, available in print, ebook, audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle +.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/11/10/0911-true-blue-stacey-abrahms-we-love-you
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Democracy Bantr
15:52 AD: SPINDLE TOUCHED
18:10 Cheers to Stacey Abrams!
21:37 Blue Books
23:22 Covers
29:10 AD: A CROWN OF RUIN
35:03 Indigo
37:40 Forever Blue
41:02 Natural Born Charmer
43:39 The Duchess in his Bed
45:56 The Suffragette Scandal
47:38 AD: THE HEIST BEFORE CHRISTMAS
49:49 Forever Your Earl
54:24 Simply Sinful
56:15 A Duke by Default
1:01:50 Sapphire Sunset
1:04:28 Sapphire Flames
1:07:10 The Duchess Effect
1:11:01 Lover Eternal
1:13:34 A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
1:16:41 Single Malt
1:18:53 The Rogue of Fifth Avenue
1:25:07 Forbidden Desire
1:27:33 Have Yourself a Billionaire for Christmas
1:30:14 Blue Blue Blue!
1:33:43 Wrapping Up!
S09.10: Tropes People Love to Hate
(🎉)Sarah headed off to the 831 Stories conference a few weeks ago, and was on a panel about tropes people hate, so of course she brought that conversation back to the pod! We’re talking about babies, about …
Show notes
(🎉)
Sarah headed off to the 831 Stories conference a few weeks ago, and was on a panel about tropes people hate, so of course she brought that conversation back to the pod! We’re talking about babies, about second chances, about virgins, about celibacy and about friends-to-lovers!
Tell us your most hated tropes over on the Fated Mates discord! Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and you also get one extra episode a month from us!
When we recorded this episode, we didn’t know how things would shake out this week, but now we do and we’re having a great day. Hope you are, too!
Books- A Whole Lotta History: One Direction and the Sound that Shaped a Generation by Jason Lipshutz
- Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham-Young
- PS You’re Intolerable by Julia Wolf
- Baby Come Back by Molly O’Keefe
- Lies You Tell by LaQuette
- Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole
- One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean
- Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai
- Nero by SJ Tilly
- The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe
- Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
- Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
- Sapphire Spring by C. Travis Rice
- The Tropoholic’s Guide series by Cindy Dees
- Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
- Lead by Kylie Scott
- The Player by Kresley Cole
- Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan
- Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare
Notes- There are so many shows based off romance novels hitting the screen lately: of course the juggernaut of Heated Rivalry. At Amazon, they have the Off Campus series based on books by Elle Kennedy, The Love Hypothesis based on the book by Ali Hazelwood, and Drive based on the books by Tamara Lush. Also, they have made casting announcements for Butcher and Blackbird and 4th Wing. Here’s the story about Ride or Die and why it might have been cancelled despite its positive reviews and ratings.
- Speaking of TV shows, Sarah has news about These Summer Storms!
- Coming to Nextflixt next month is In a Holidaze based on the book by Christina Lauren, in which Rob Lowe plays someone other than Sodapop Curtis.
- On Friday the 13th, go watch Wicker with Sarah, Adriana, and Ali if you’re in New York; otherwise, have a nice time with your lady at a local theater near you.
- Sarah was at the 831 RomCon in Brooklyn a few weeks ago, and a game she played on a panel inspired this episode. Back in Season 3, we did a Trope off with Christina and Lauren for the release of The Soulmate Equation.
Sponsors- The Nightstand App, a book tracking app for readers. Visit nightstand-app.com/fatedmates for your 7-day free trial, and use the code FATEDMATES for 30% off your annual subscription.
- Penguin Young Readers & Berkley XO, publishers of Charlotte B. Plumb’s Reap & Sow, available now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
- Meghan Quinn, author of Christmas Staycation, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/11/3/s0910-the-tropes-people-love-to-hate
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Romance TV/Movie Bantr
16:25 Harry Styles
20:20 AD: NIGHTSTAND
22:30 Wicker
29:56 Sarah Attended Brooklyn RomCon
36:08 AD: REAP & SOW
38:09 Accidental Pregnancy & Secret Baby
50:55 AD: CHRISTMAS STAYCATION
52:39 Virginity & Celibacy
56:24 Tropes & Microtropes
59:16 Love at First Sight vs Instalove
1:06:07 Friends to Lovers & Second Chance
1:15:43 Flashbacks are a Problem
1:22:55 Oblivious to Love
1:32:34 Wrapping Up
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RERUN: Moonstruck: A Wolf Without a Foot Redux!
It's Election Day and we are just vibrating! We're not the only ones.The first and best way to get through the day is to volunteer. Visit mobilize.us to find volunteer opportunities near (or not so near) …
Show notes
It's Election Day and we are just vibrating! We're not the only ones.
The first and best way to get through the day is to volunteer. Visit mobilize.us to find volunteer opportunities near (or not so near) you.
The second way is to listen to us yammer about Moonstruck.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2022/10/11/s0505-were-moonstruck-on-our-200th-episode
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Start Your Romance Novel Today!
01:42 Our 200th Anniversary!
07:47 Moonstruck's Influence
11:38 The Moonstruck House
15:28 Frozen in Time
17:43 SPONSOR: Grand Central Publishing
20:08 Loretta's Bad Luck
26:48 The Multigenerational Family
32:33 Ronnie
37:39 Love and Loss
39:53 SPONSOR: Alyxandra Harvey
41:28 Marker 12
44:09 Loretta and Ronnie
49:46 Cosmo's Moon
55:58 The Next Day
57:46 SPONSOR: Lumi Labs
58:52 Marker 17
1:01:21 A Night at the Opera
1:06:57 Why do Men Chase Women?
1:11:05 A NIght of Speeches & Choices
1:18:31 A Reckoning (over oatmeal)
1:32:47 Outro
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S09.08: Halloween Grab Bag
It’s demons and death and decorative gourd season, and we’re talking about all of them, along with sewer monsters and twelve-foot tall skeletons and a vampire or two! If you’re looking for a Halloween read …
Show notes
It’s demons and death and decorative gourd season, and we’re talking about all of them, along with sewer monsters and twelve-foot tall skeletons and a vampire or two! If you’re looking for a Halloween read, we’ve got you this week with a little something for everyone. This is the next in a long line of spooky reads episodes, so when you’re done with this one, head over and listen to the rest (a list of them is in show notes!)
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative wraps up this weekend—we’ll be calling Michigan to get out the vote for Abdul El-Sayed ! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
If you’d like to come over and talk about Halloween reads with us, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!!
Books- The Demon’s Curvy Angel by Brill Harper
- Decorative Gourd Season by DL White
- No Bones About It by Cassandra Elizzabeth
- A Date with Death by Kelly Creagh
- What Happens at Nightfall by Lauren Willig
- Fangbanger by Sophia Travers
- Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton
- The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
- Jenny Will Eat You Now by Gillian Daniels
- Die For Me by Shirlene Obuobi
Notes- It’s (finally) Scorpio season!
- We’re talking about Michigan and Maps, which is just our regular brand of off topic nonsense and has nothing to do with this episode. South Detroit is actually Canada, and the Model T was invented by Henry Ford in Michigan, and that’s why all the American car companies were headquartered in Detroit.
- Sarah says you can just watch the end of Ted Lasso for Roy and Keely.
- Luckily, Brill Harper has rereleased Demon’s Curvy Mate on all platforms after we did email, that’s just how hard we are willing to work for you! But you should still get aBrooklyn Public Library card if you want.
- It’s Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers is a classic from McSweeney’s.
- Turns out a lot of classroom skeletons are real, and some schools found out and had funerals for their own Mr. Bones-Jangles. That’s a reference to famous dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and if you’ve never watched his stair dance from 1932, you should.
- If you’re looking for more Halloween reads, listen to our past episodes on: Spooky Stuff, Romance Demons, Devils, Ghosts, Morticians, and the Dead, Manimals!, Monsters, Witchy Romance, and Why Horror.
Sponsors- The Nightstand App, a book tracking app for readers. Visit nightstand-app.com/fatedmates for your 7-day free trial, and use the code FATEDMATES for 30% off your annual subscription.
- Maria Vale, author of Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death, available in print, ebook, audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
- Lucy Score author of The Dead Guy Next Door, the first in the Riley Thorn series, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle+.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/10/26/0908-halloween-grab-bag
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Scorpio Season
03:32 Fated Maps
14:20 AD: MOLLY MALLOY AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH
16:40 The Demon’s Curvy Angel
26:15 Decorative Gord Season
31:22 AD: NIGHTSTAND
33:25 No Bones About It
40:35 A Date with Death
48:41 AD: THE DEAD GUY NEXT DOOR
50:23 What Happens at Nightfall
56:07 Fangbanger
1:02:47 Demons & Diplomacy
1:08:07 The Romance Revival
1:13:26 Jenny Will Eat You Now
1:21:50 Die for Me
1:28:19 Wrapping Up
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S09.07: Why Horror with Stephen Graham Jones and Becky Spratford
We’re talking about the mythmakers again this week with a chat about romance’s sister genre, horror! We’re joined by NEA fellow, Bram Stoker Award winner and bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, and …
Show notes
We’re talking about the mythmakers again this week with a chat about romance’s sister genre, horror! We’re joined by NEA fellow, Bram Stoker Award winner and bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, and librarian and horror expert Becky Spratford. We talk about Stephen’s lifelong love of horror, the way horror reflects the world, the rules of horror and how romance and horror are actually two sides of the same coin. Happy spooky season, book lovers.
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week—we’ll be calling Tennessee to get out the vote for Justin Pearson in the Tennessee 9th, and into Montana to get out the vote for Sam Forstag, candidate in the Montana 1st! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
If you’d like to come over and talk about horror with us, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!!
Horror Fiction, Film, and Television Mentioned in This Episode- The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
- Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones
- Why I Love Horror by Becky Spratford
- Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
- Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews
- The Howling (1981)
- The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Heart Eyes (2025)
- I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
- The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
- The Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones
- Widow’s Bay (2026)
- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
- Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
- Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
- The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Barker
- Scream (1996)
- Sinners (2025)
- Horror for Weenies by Emily C. Hughes
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Headlights by CJ Leede
- This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want by Hailey Piper
- Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison
- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
- The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
- My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
- Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Sponsors- Avon Books, publishers of Emily Rath’s Devour Me, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Piper Rayne, author of Chasing Smoke, available in print, ebook, audiobook at Barnes & Noble, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Meghan Quinn, author of Christmas Staycation, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever you get your books.
- Penguin Young Readers & Berkley XO, publishers of Charlotte B. Plumb’s Reap & Sow, available now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/10/19/horror-with-stephen-graham-jones-and
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Why Horror?
10:10 Goosebumps or Babysitters Club
16:21 AD: CHASING SMOKE
18:51 Tropes & Horror Shorthand
21:16 The Emotionally Satisfying Ending
27:53 AD: REAP & SOW
29:34 A Worthwhile Fight
33:10 The Bully Dynamic
36:12 Comedy and Genre
42:14 AD: CHRISTMAS STAYCATION
44:15 The Stakes in Horror
50:57 AD: DEVOUR ME
54:45 The Literary Circus
59:51 Thee Dread vs. Terror Axis
1:03:14 Cozy andthe Difficulty of Levels
1:07:11 What do you Love? What are we Carrying?
1:21:01 Horror Recomendations
1:31:55 Wrapping Up
1:33:00 AD: CHASING SMOKE
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S09.06: Fated Mates: You Are Our Mystical Battery
This one is very meta (complimentary): Fated Mates (the duo) explains Fated Mates (the trope) on Fated Mates (the podcast). We can’t believe all these years in, we’ve never talked fated mates! We’re rectifying …
Show notes
This one is very meta (complimentary): Fated Mates (the duo) explains Fated Mates (the trope) on Fated Mates (the podcast). We can’t believe all these years in, we’ve never talked fated mates! We’re rectifying that right now with a collection of paranormal romances (and a few that aren’t) that are going to give you a lot of joy. We talk about demons and vampires and alpha’s and ice planet barbarians, star-crossed lovers and soulmates and what it really takes to convince a reader you’re fated.
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week—we’ll be calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
If you’d like to come over and talk about your favorite fated mates romances (or your favorite fated mates podcast), please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Books- Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole
- Wicked Abyss by Kresley Cole
- Rejected by Jaymin Eve
- The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate by Cate Wells
- Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon
- Claimed by The Orc King by Roxy Taylor
- The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
- MacRieve by Kresley Cole
- Hot Blooded by Heather Guerre
- Pack Darling by Lola Darling
- Feral Warriors series by Pamela Palmer
- The Mane Event by Shelley Laurenston
- Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
- Whiteout by Adriana Anders
- Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Notes- Check out our website, especially the list of DRM audiobooks.
- Our first road trip romance interstitial was one that was really important to our evolutions (before we figured out the season numbering protocol!)
- This list of fated mates book on goodreads has nearly THIRTY THOUSAND TITLES, so good luck to you and I don’t actually know how that’s possible.
- It’s a portal fantasy!
- The way you know that Jen doesn’t read Omegaverse is the way she OVER AND OVER AGAIN say that Lilah in Pack Darling was a beta, but I think she was an omega. Sorry! What we do know is that no one in the book was a wolf, and honestly, that’s kind of a win for us?
- What is The Cut (or Vulture, or NYMag) going to say about romance this week?
- Of all the gin joints in all the world…
- Will Liz Lemon end up with Wesley Snipes, her future husband?
Sponsors- Avon Books, publishers of Joanna Shupe’s The Gilded Rose, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Elle Kennedy, author of Bad Idea, preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- Attic Wall Books, publishers of Isobel Lynn’s Godhunter, available now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episdoes/2026/10/12/0906-fated-mates
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 BDE Bantr
03:00 Fated Mates (the podcast) Lore
14:57 How to Choose & How it Works
25:04 Demon from the Dark
29:04 AD: GODHUNTER
31:10 Wicked Abyss
37:21 Rejected
42:33 The Tyrant’s Alpha Rejected Me
46:51 AD: THE GILDED ROSE
49:20 Old School Suffering
53:21 Ice Planet Barbarians
57:21 Claimed by the Orc King
1:00:00 AD: BAD IDEA
1:04:25 The Question of Consent
1:06:50 Hot Blooded
1:14:24 Pack Darling
1:21:13 The Mane Event
1:34:20 Fated Mates in other Subgenres
1:46:47 Wrapping Up
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S09.05: Sweet Treats: Bakeries and Patisseries in Romance
We’re talking about romance with baking and sweet treats today! This is one of romance’s most common Romance Jobs, and we’re getting to the bottom of the appeal of the bakery in romance. Why do we love it when …
Show notes
We’re talking about romance with baking and sweet treats today! This is one of romance’s most common Romance Jobs, and we’re getting to the bottom of the appeal of the bakery in romance. Why do we love it when one character makes masterful desserts? What is so compelling about characters who know their way around the oven? We’ve got historicals, reality tv competitions, magic baking and menage — a little something for everyone this week!
Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a chat with Leah Greenberg, the co-Founder and co-Executive Director of Indivisible, our Fated States phonebanking partner! Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week! We’ll be calling Georgia to get out the vote for Jon Ossoff, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
If you’d like to come over and talk about your favorite romance bakers, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Books- Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
- How the Dukes Stole Christmas
- Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
- The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee
- Fake It Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
- A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley
- Battle Royale by Lucy Parker
- Sweethand by NG Peltier
- Lips Like Sugar by Jess Hardy
- Craving It All by Kati Wilde
- Tart by Lauren Dane
- The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish
- Delectable Desire by Farrah Rochon
- Delicious Destiny by Yarrah St. John
Notes- We’re discussing slang this week: a hilarious explanation of BDE at wikihow, check out urban dictionary for DTF, a fun new online site I just discovered called GenZ decoded turnt, and although the WNBA’s Washington Mystics Young Heaux nickname was covered in the New York Times, by far the funniest official usage of it was during the televised broadcast of a Mystics v. Storm game.
- The Cupcake Guys is a bakery owned by former football players, and it was also a reality TV show.
- We’ve mentioned them a million times, so they aren’t in the photo array, but the two books with baristas that Jen mentioned are Lick by Kylie Scott and Nero by SJ Tilly. The book with a femdomme is Candy by Torrance Sené.
- Learn more about Indivisible and find a local Indivisible chapter to help at Indivisible.org. Join us for phonebanking every weekend between now and Election Day at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
Sponsors- Rachel Grant, author of False Flag, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Tierney Page, author of Lyrics of Summer, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- LJ Andrews, author of The Stolen Crown preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/10/5/0905-sweet-treats-bakeries-amp-coffee-shops-in-romance
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Intro
02:38 Bantr (We Love You Baby Girl!)
14:24 Eric, the DRM King
17:36 AD: THE STOLEN CROWN
19:17 Sweet Treats
26:58 Fake It Till You Bake It & A Legend in the Baking
33:23 AD: FALSE FLAG
35:41 Battle Royale
42:02 Sweethand
47:20 AD: LYRICS OF SUMMER
49:04 The Luxury of Sweetness
53:49 Lips like Sugar
1:01:22 Craving It All
1:07:10 Tart
1:17:33 The Remaking of Corbin Wale
1:20:57 The Draysons: Sprinkled with Love
1:24:57 Baristas
1:28:00 Wrapping Up
1:30:38 Indivisible
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S09.04: Fall 2026 Preview
It’s discoverabilibuddy time! We're dropping our Fall 2026 reads, in which we talk about an outrageous number of romance novels coming out in October, November and December. As a reminder, we have not …
Show notes
It’s discoverabilibuddy time! We're dropping our Fall 2026 reads, in which we talk about an outrageous number of romance novels coming out in October, November and December. As a reminder, we have not necessarily read all these books, but they are on our TBRs — time to pour yourself a cup of something warm, get into a cozy sweater, and start adding to yours!
If you’d like to come over and talk about your most anticipated fall romances, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week! We’ll be calling Ohio (Jen’s hometown) to get out the vote for Sherrod Brown and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
BooksSeptember Releases
October Releases- To Vivian With Love Anthology
- False Flag by Rachel Grant
- The Lost Guardian by Natalia Hernandez
- Vengefully Matched by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
- The Encore Effect by Cara Dion
- Gilded Rose by Joanna Shupe
- Engineering a Love Story by Kathleen Reidy
- Succubus by Kate Fox
- The Fall Fix Up by Karmen Lee
- Brown-Eyed Earl by Jenny Holiday
- Hexes Go Well with Tequila by LeAnna Ehrsam
- Bad Words by Ríoghnach Robinson
- Written in Starlight by Sloan Brooks
- Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia
- The Ruby Ghost by June Calvin
- What Happens at Nightfall by Lauren Willig
November Releases- The Love Operation by Melissa Collins
- Cut to the Ending by Maria Millage
- How to Hate a Prince by Jozette Allah-Mensah
- Sunflower Season by Danica Nava
- The Monster Hunter’s Librarian by Lauren Connelly
- You, Me, and the Conspiracy by Emma Barry
- Thunderstuck by Lissa Layland
- How to Court a Countess by Emma-Claire Sunday
- The Drakon King by Terry J Benton-Walker
- Engaged to the Enemy by Lucy Smoke
- Two Can Play that Game by Zakiya Jamal
- For the Love of K-Dramas by Lyla Lee
- Match of Fate by Annabelle Stehl
- Crash Into You by Simone Soltani
- The Best Revenge by Amy Carol Reeves
- My Neighbor, The Assassin by Michelle Heard
December Releases- A Shy Heiress to Redeem Him by Parker J Cole
- Lovestruck by Andi Epimoni
- Falling for Evil by Celia Aaron
- Just In Time by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka
- Cold Redemption by Nalini Singh
- Triple Threat by Katie Chandler
- Til Quest Do Us Part by Ivelisee Houseman
- Greek’s Dirty Little Secret by Dani Collins
- Off Season by Frankie Caracciolo
- Villain Edit by Rosie Danan
- Zahra, Unapologetic by Mina Zafri
- Lightning and Thunder by Sara Raach
- Almost Perfect by Nicole Snow
- The Lost Ones by Mia Sheridan
- One Step Closer by Laura Pavlov
- Vows and Vendettas by Trilini Pucci
Sponsors- Little, Brown & Company, publishers of Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham’s The Thoroughbreds, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Madison Score, author of Wild About You, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon.
- Emily W. Andersen, author of The Midnight Book Club series. Available in print or ebook at at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/27/0904-2026-fall-preview
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
06:36.500 September Revisited
10:40.000 AD: THE THOROUGHBREDS
12:16.500 October Releases
25:45.500 AD: THE MIDNIGHT BOOK CLUB
28:00.000 More October Releases
36:02.500 November Releases
01:03:18.500 December Releases
01:04:57.000 AD: WILD ABOUT YOU
01:06:50.000 More December Releases
01:29:23.500 Wrapping Up
01:36:40.500 Horny!
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S09.03: Hammered, Nailed & Drilled: Romancing the Tool
As they say on the Discord, this year’s theme is…Themes! This week, we’re talking about hammers, nails, drills, pipes and more — literal characters who are wielding literal (and metaphorical) tools! We’re …
Show notes
As they say on the Discord, this year’s theme is…Themes! This week, we’re talking about hammers, nails, drills, pipes and more — literal characters who are wielding literal (and metaphorical) tools! We’re hopping in the wayback machine to talk about books from the 00s and early 10s, on a continuum of content from “oh this has a whole plot” to “here’s a great one-handed read.” We’ve got plumbers, blacksmiths, contractors and a sentient screwdriver…there is literally something here for everyone.
If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, with or without tools (jk, they all have tools), please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins this week! We’ll be calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
Books- Roller Girl by Vanessa North
- The Scoundrel Falls Hard by Sophie Jordan
- Under Construction by Kate Cole
- Laying Pipe by Kiki Clark
- The Carpenter by Ramona Gray
- Entwined by Kristen Callihan
- Caulky by KM Neuhold
- Hard Time by Cara McKenna
- Kate’s Crew by Jane Rylon
- Laid by Brill Harper
- Screwed by CD Reiss
Notes- This Saturday, we’re calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at 1pm eastern time! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
- Some books about unions and unionizing: Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao, and the 1984 Harlequin American Romance was The Third Time by Rebecca Flanders. Our listener Sylvia suggested two others: Don’t Forget to Smile by Katherine Gillis Seidel and Here Be Dragons by Jenny Redford. These titles are also in the photo array above!
- We did have an episode about renovation romance with Nikki Payne back in season 6 and one on quick and dirty reads back in season 2.
- Unfortunately, it seems Entwined by Kristen Callihan is no longer available for sale. Sorry, everyone!
- Samhain and Elora’s Cave were two early erotic romance publishers that closed and we’ve lost a lot of information about these publishers and their backlist of titles and authors.
Sponsors- Lucy Score, author of The Dead Guy Next Door, the first in the Riley Thorn series, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- HarperCollins, publisher of A.T. Qureshi’s Rider of Dragons, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- MJ Hastings’s Firstborn, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- LJ Andrews, author of The Stolen Crown preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/21/s0903-carpenters-plumbers-and-other-metaphorical-romance-jobs
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Bantr
07:25 People with Tools
15:47 AD: THE STOLEN CROWN
17:30 Organizing Principles
20:44 Roller Girl
27:38 The Scoundrel Falls Hard
32:05 AD: FIRST BORN
33:58 Under Construction
48:14 AD: RIDER OF DRAGONS
49:49 The Carpenter
55:43 Entwined
1:01:51 AD: THE DEAD GUY NEXT DOOR
1:03:58 Caulky
1:12:12 Hard Time
1:19:47 Kate’s Crew
1:27:17 Blue Collar Bad Boys
1:34:23 Screwed
1:42:11 Wrapping Up
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S09.02: Romance by Numbers
This is a fun one! We’re talking romance novels with numbers in the titles today, a wide collection of books from zero to infinity! While we came prepared to talk about four or five books each, we ended up …
Show notes
This is a fun one! We’re talking romance novels with numbers in the titles today, a wide collection of books from zero to infinity! While we came prepared to talk about four or five books each, we ended up playing a little impromptu game where we name books for every number we can. We haven’t reread most of these, but you’ll hear that there are a few peppered through here that we were prepared to talk about. We had a great time, and hope you do.
If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, with or without numbers, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins this week! We’ll be calling Georgia to get out the vote for Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
A Number of Books- Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
- Zero to Sixty by Marie Harte
- It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
- One and Only by Jenny Holiday
- Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
- Goldie and the [three] Bears by Hannah Murray
- Three Dirty Secrets by Nikki Sloan
- Three Way Split by Elia Winters
- Party of Three by C. Travis Rice
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
- Six by Opal Carew
- Holiday for Six by Kelly Finley
- Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory
- The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts
- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
- Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
- Chasin’ Eight by Lorelai James
- Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds
- Eight Seconds to Ride by Ashley James
- The Hell’s Eight Series by Sarah McCarty
- Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
- Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
- Ten by Roxie Riveria
- Ten Hammers by Liz Archer
- Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean
- Twelve Nights by Hope Tarr
- A Duke a Dozen by Shana Galen
- Cowboys by the Dozen by Tina Leonard
- Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
- Fifty Shades of Gray by EL James
- 52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody
- 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
- To One Hundred by Melissa Blue
- The 1001 Dark Nights Series
- 3000 Reasons to Act by Jamie P Bradley
- 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J.
- How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrilyn Sparks
- The Blackout Billionaire Series by Naima Simone
- Infinite by Corinne Michaels
- Love Times Infinity by Lane Clark
- An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton
Sponsors- Harpercollins, publishers of Laurie Gilmore’s Big Bad Wolf, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Orbit Books, publishers of Rachel Gillig’s The Knave and the Moon, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Little, Brown & Company, publishers of Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham’s The Thoroughbreds, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Union Square & Co., publishers of Morgan Elizabeth’s Meet Cute Magic, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/14/s0902-romance-by-numbers
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Bantr
04:23 Sarah Has a Story About Numbers
08:45 AD: THOROUGHBREDS
10:30 Nine Rules
18:00 The Stephanie Plump Series
20:50 From Zero to Two
25:55 AD: THE KNAVE AND THE MOON
27:45 From Three to Seven
43:20 AD: BIG BAD WOLF
45:00 From Seven to Twelve
55:55 AD: MEET CUTE MAGIC
57:50 From 20 to Infinity
1:27:39 Wrapping Up
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S09.01: Cloud Nine: Romance in the Sky
Nine seasons of talking about romance, and no signs of quitting! We’re starting a new season, full of much of our same old nonsense, now with more nonsense, because who needs tropes when you can talk about …
Show notes
Nine seasons of talking about romance, and no signs of quitting! We’re starting a new season, full of much of our same old nonsense, now with more nonsense, because who needs tropes when you can talk about microtropes! Today, in honor of Season Nine, we’re talking about Cloud Nine — both the WNBA star and the feeling you get when you fall in love. We’ve got a whole lot of books featuring romance in the sky — pilots, astronauts, plane crashes, astronauts and mile-high-clubs…and all of them featuring romance that won’t quit.
If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, both in the sky and on land, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!
Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins next week. Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.
Books- The Vegas Top Gun Series by Katie Porter
- On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton
- Wild Card by Elsie Silver
- Beyond the Limits by Katherine Garbera
- The Last Man on Earth by Shae Sanders
- Puck Me Secretly by Odette Stone
- Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid
- Pregnant in the Italian's Palazzo
- Turbulence by Whitney G.
- The Skyland Series by Kennedy Ryan
- The Professional by Kresley Cole
Notes- Fated States is back! We’ll be phonebanking every weekend on Saturdays starting September 19th, but the final weekend before the election, we’ll instead phonebank on Sunday Nov 1 to avoid Halloween.
- The way to find a book club is to read River Town by Peter Hessler and then go to your nearest local indie bookstore and let the bookclub reveal itself to you.
- Find out more about The Sunday Letter Project.
- Pilots have been hot since Top Gun, and not just because of the volleyball scene.
- Natasha Cloud is a baddie and she gave an irrelevant man the business for being transphobic, and Jen thinks she’s a literal hero.
- The Spanish Space Program, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial was created in the 1940s and was replaced by the Agencia Espacial Española in 2021. According to Wikipedia, as of 2026, there have been Four Spanish astronauts.
Sponsors- Harpercollins, publishers of AT Qureshi’s Rider of Dragons, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Rose Prendeville, author of The Unknown Birds, available in print, ebook or audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or with your monthly subscription to Kobo Plus. Use the code FATEDBIRDS at Rose’s website to get a signed print book and 30% off!
- Isabel Sterling, author of With All My Haunted Heart, available in print, ebook or audiobook, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or your local bookstore.
- Orbit Books, publishers of Louisa Carmody’s The Shadows that Listen, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, your local bookstore, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Blue Box Press, publishers of Ashley Eckstein & Samantha Chase’s Lucky 22 and David Eckstein’s Just Enough, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/6/s0901-cloud-nine-romance-in-the-sky
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.49: A Rogue By Any Other Name
It’s the end of Season 8 (what! how!), and we usually celebrate the end of the season with a read along of Sarah’s new book, but since there is no new book, we have no choice but to go back to the beginning of …
Show notes
It’s the end of Season 8 (what! how!), and we usually celebrate the end of the season with a read along of Sarah’s new book, but since there is no new book, we have no choice but to go back to the beginning of “The Casino Series,” which is what Sarah calls The Rules of Scoundrels. We’re reading A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in the series focused on the rakish owners of The Fallen Angel, Sarah’s casino. We talk Bourne, turning around big ships, writing sexy stained glass windows, and what it means to look back on the early part of a career.
Next week, we’re taking a little break, and then we’ll be back with Season Nine of Fated Mates. As ever, we’re so grateful to you for listening, reading and being a part of this community. We’re nothing without you.
If you’d like to spend more time talking about romance novels, join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Notes- The jellyfish thing is a myth, you don’t have to pee on a jellyfish sting.
- All about the amygdala, or Amy for short if you think of her as that messy friend who will definitely lead you astray.
- JB Pritzker talked about the colors of school folders, and it’s A MESS. Feel free to report back on your preferences for folder colors if you, like Sarah, are outraged.
- New York Times hosted a conversation with Tressie McMillam Cottom, Nadja Spiegelman, and Mary HK Choi called “Have We Turned Personality into a Diagnosis?” It’s worth the listen!
- Is it true that Gen Z is this puritanical (the Puriteens!), or are they just worried that everything is cringe?
- JK Rowling is a piece of shit.
- Gambling has always been bad, but it’s especially bad on your phone. Please talk to your kids about sports betting and make sure these apps are not on their phones.
- Crockfords moved a lot of money in the Regency.
- One of the big influences for Bourne & Penelope was Alfred de Vigny’s poem Éloa, ou La sœur des anges about an angel who falls in love with a stranger who turns out to be Lucifer. English translations are tough to find, but here’s a website that has part of it in translation.
- When you think of the The Fallen Angel (the club), you might think of the famous painting by Alexandre Cabanel, but that’s from 1847!
Sponsors- Megan Frampton, author of Demons and Diplomacy, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Madison Score, author of Wild About You, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon.
- Tracy MacNish, author of Of the Ashes, available in print or ebook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Hachette Books, publishers of Jennifer Givhan’s The Sleeping Sisters, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/25/s0849-a-rogue-by-any-other-name
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.48: Long Live Historicals, Volume II
We are once again celebrating a wide swath of historical romances that are recently published and by authors we’ve not talked much about on the podcast! Saddle up, because we’re talking the Titanic, submissive …
Show notes
We are once again celebrating a wide swath of historical romances that are recently published and by authors we’ve not talked much about on the podcast! Saddle up, because we’re talking the Titanic, submissive heroes, heroines against the wall, bodily autonomy and even centaurs! If you’re a historical lover, you’re going to have a great time finding your next read in here, and if you’re not a historical lover, what are you waiting for? We're so excited to be your discoverabilibuddies on this one!
Come talk about your favorite recent historical romances over on our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along, next week, is Sarah’s A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in her casino series. This is one we’ve gotten a bunch of requests for, and so, it will be our final read along of the season. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Books- Across the Living Infinite by Logan Sage Adams
- To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog
- Centaur and Sensibility by Quenby Olson
- The Seduction of Mr Alfred Sainsbury by Lydia Lloyd
- The Magnificent Earl of March by Cecilia Rene
- You Had Me at Heist by Christina Britton
- I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner
- Favors From a Gentleman by Lauren Hayworth
- Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley
- His Awful Grace by Anne Knight
- Earl on Fire by Fe
Notes- Listen to our Long Live Historicals, Volume I here.
- Fill out more about the Romance Novel Collective and fill out their survey.
- There was a salt water pool on Titanic.
- The centaur in The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe is not a centaur or a satyr, but a faun, and his name is Mr. Tumnus. Here’s a primer on the difference between satyrs and fauns. Apologies to the Greeks, Romans, and CS Lewis fans in the crowd. The OG Centaur books Sarah mentioned are also not centaurs, they are satyrs, but they are Holy Cannoli, Batman and by Elizabeth Amber. Proceed with caution.
- Some SFW and NSFW images about centaurs.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/17/s0848-the-new-historicals-volume-iii
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.47: Romance Tattoo
We’re talking tattoos and body art this week! You might not have a tattoo, but odds are you’ve read a few thousand of them, as romance novels love a main character with a message…right on their skin. We talk …
Show notes
We’re talking tattoos and body art this week! You might not have a tattoo, but odds are you’ve read a few thousand of them, as romance novels love a main character with a message…right on their skin. We talk about some of our favorite tattoo romances, about what tattoos represent, why they’re so sexy, and why romance loves a tattoo artist. Every one of these books is a banger…enjoy filling your end of summer TBR with them.
Come talk about your favorite romances with tattoos or about romance in general over on our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along, in two weeks, is Sarah’s A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in her casino series. This is one we’ve gotten a bunch of requests for, and so, it will be our final read along of the season. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Books- The Montgomery Ink series by Carrie Ann Ryan
- The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne
- To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt
- The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
- Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean
- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
- Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert
- Repeat by Kylie Scott
- Written on his Skin by Simone Stark
- Three Dirty Secrets by Nikki Sloane
- Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders
- Permanent Ink by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
- Sin & Ink by Naima Simone
- Reaper’s Legacy by Joanna Wylde
- Hard as it Gets by Laura Kaye
Notes- Tattoos have a long history tangled up with colonization, which is why for a long time they were thought to be stigmatizing. They are definitely more mainstream now, which means tattoo culture is changing which has caused its own clashes, but they also aren’t thought of as class markers anymore.
- All about sextants.
- Merry Inkmas is actually Talia’s second book, her first was Bad for the Boss, which is no longer in print. Jen reviewed both of those for The Book Queen when they were released.
- Check out the secret tattoos collection on our website.
Sponsors- Ellie Devine, author of The Survival Guide to Alexander McBryde, available in print or ebook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- E. Kennedy, author of Thornbird, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Harpercollins, publishers of Spellfire by Agatha WIllow, available in print or ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/10/0847-romance-tattoo
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.46: Photographers in Romance
Why is photography so hot? We’re tackling this question this week, talking about why romance novels featuring photographers work so well and push so many sexy buttons. We’re talking about characters who notice …
Show notes
Why is photography so hot? We’re tackling this question this week, talking about why romance novels featuring photographers work so well and push so many sexy buttons. We’re talking about characters who notice, about characters who are patient, and about characters who carry sexy bags around the world. We’ve got storm chasers, nature photographers, CSI photographers, about darkrooms on boats and even historical nudes! You’re going to have a great time.
If you want to talk more about your favorite romances that feature photographers, or about romance in general, come join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Sarah’s A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in her casino series. This is one we’ve gotten a bunch of requests for, and so, it will be our final read along of the season. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Books- A Duke Worth Falling For by Sarah MacLean
- Best of Luck by Kate Clayborn
- Chase me if You Can by Heather Frances
- Lay it Down by Cara McKenna
- My Dirty Duke by Joanna Shupe
- To The Ends of the Earth by Elizabeth Lowell
- Taming Teddy by Lucy Lennox
- Flight by Laura Griffin
- Three Dirty Secrets by Nikki Sloan
- Managed by Kriste
Notes- The WNBA all star game was pretty fun, and Sky player Sydney Taylor is both very beautiful and very good at basketball.
- Wicker the movie trailer, and our Sentient Object episode.
- Jen had a throwaway line about how “AI has ruined everything” in photography, but just like with everything else, that’s a real concern.
- Up Close and Personal (1996) is a movie with Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer about television journalists.
- According to this timeline from Harvard about the history of photography, the first surviving permanent photograph dates back to the 1820s, but most people probably think of the daguerreotype, invented by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre in 1839.
- Um, in case you need to know what a darkroom is.
- There is a chain of 7 barrier islands in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico, Padre is probably the most well-known.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/3/s0846-photographers-in-romance-books
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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08.45: Judith McNaught's Perfect: Content Warning, the 90's
We’ve been talking about the end (almost end) of this one since we started the podcast, so it seemed high time we did a deep dive on it! Judith McNaught’s Perfect is the most 90s thing we’ve ever read, so gird …
Show notes
We’ve been talking about the end (almost end) of this one since we started the podcast, so it seemed high time we did a deep dive on it! Judith McNaught’s Perfect is the most 90s thing we’ve ever read, so gird your loins for both the best all-is-lost scene in romance, and also Zach, Julie, prison breaks, illiteracy, the Coors corporation, Romance Cashmere, and so so many references to Kevin Costner. It’s the most 90s thing we’ve ever read, without question.
If you want to talk more about Perfect or Judith McNaught, or about romance in general, come join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Sarah’s A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in her casino series. This is one we’ve gotten a bunch of requests for, and so, it will be our final read along of the season. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
- Books
- Perfect by Judith McNaught
- A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
- Remember When by Judith McNaught
- Double Standards by Judith McNaught
- Tender Triumph by Judith McNaught
Notes- Jen said Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead but she meant Adventures in Babysitting, which was a 1987 movie where suburban kids go on a terrifying adventure in the terrifying big city of Chicago.
- We did a deep dive of A Kingdom of Dreams in Season 2.
- Kelly Faircloth sent Sarah an ad for the book from People Magazine. In print versions of the book, there was a letter from Judith McNaught explaining the literacy plot in the book.
- Interestingly, the Coors literacy push was covered by the New York Times in 1992, discussing the push by big companies to adopt a cause and use it to burnish their image.
- Okay, apparently fleece also had a bellwether year in 1993, but let’s be honest, it was Old Navy who made performance fleece happen for most of us and that was 1998.
- In America, our access to Abortion is much worse than it was in 1993 and America still has a devastating epidemic of suicide among queer teenagers, as The Trevor Project explains “LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.”
Sponsors- Frayed Pages by Wattpad Books, publishers of EM Wilson’s Breakup for Two, available in print or ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Meghan Quinn, author of Just for the Plot, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Kylie Scott, author of Runaway Rockstar, available in print or ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or your local independent bookstore.
- E.W. Andersen, author of the Midnights on the Square series. Available in print or ebook at at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/7/28/0845-judith-mcnaughts-perfect-content-warning-the-90s
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08:43: Romance with Magical Elements
The last few years have brought a wave of romances with magical elements—not really paranormal, not really witches, not really contemporary — books where something is just slightly ✨magic✨. Today, we’re talking …
Show notes
The last few years have brought a wave of romances with magical elements—not really paranormal, not really witches, not really contemporary — books where something is just slightly ✨magic✨. Today, we’re talking about those books, how they work, what they’re saying, and how they work in terms of character, plot and POV. We’re also discussing how the books exist on the outer edges of the romance pool.
If you want to talk more about these speculative romance novels, or about romance in general, come join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is an old school contemporary, Perfect by Judith McNaught. Sarah says it has the greatest all-is-lost moment in romance history. Read it to find out if she’s right. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Books- A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
- My Date with a Pair of Gray Sweatpants by Cassie O. Peia
- The House of Now and Then by Edward Underhill
- Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
- Every Version of You by Natalie Messier
- The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz
- The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
- The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
- Losing Sight by Tati Richardson
- Struck Speechless by Tati Richardson
Notes- This year’s men’s World Cup actually broke the Own Goal record with 14 of them. Get ready for the Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year in 2027! So these English fans made up a bunch of chants for a regular player, which is very charming. Speaking of soccer, Mamdani continues to show us all that politicians can just…help make people’s lives better?
- Here’s a handout Jen uses to teach the three genres that fall under the speculative fiction umbrella, and why magical realism isn’t a catch-all or synonym for any writing with speculative elements.
- The pink dress question: how do you decide if your characters need to heal themselves in order to fall in love, or if falling in love is what heals them?
- Matthew Rhys and Matthew Macfadyen are in fact different people, but everyone’s watching Widow’s Bay.
Sponsors- Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
- Lucy Score author of The Dead Guy Next Door, the first in the Riley Thorn series, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Harpercollins, publishers of Sleuths, by Samantha Moody, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or your local independent bookstore.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/7/5/s0843
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.42: Romance Reasons Meet Thriller Reasons with Anders de la Motte
Once upon a time, Sarah went to Sweden and met a thriller writer who likes talking about the rules of writing in genre as much as we do. We’re so excited that to be able to bring Anders de la Motte’s brilliant …
Show notes
Once upon a time, Sarah went to Sweden and met a thriller writer who likes talking about the rules of writing in genre as much as we do. We’re so excited that to be able to bring Anders de la Motte’s brilliant thoughts about thrillers and mysteries to Fated Mates in this far-reaching conversation on romance’s sister genres—thrillers & mysteries. We talk about Anders’s path to writing, about the rules of writing thrillers and mysteries, about the covenant mysteries and thrillers have with readers, and about Mystery Reasons™️. We had the best time with this one — you’re going to love it.
Learn more about Anders’s books at his English language publishers, Simon & Schuster and Harpercollins
If you want to talk more about Genre Carrying the Myth, Jayne Ann Krentz’s genius way of thinking about the work of genre fiction, or about mysteries and thrillers, come join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is an old school contemporary, Perfect by Judith McNaught. Sarah says it has the greatest all-is-lost moment in romance history. Read it to find out if she’s right. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Thrillers and Mysteries Mentioned in This Episode- The Mountain King by Anders De la Motte
- The Glass Man by Anders De la Motte
- The Rust Forest by Anders De la Motte
- Shutter Island by Denis Lehane
- The Usual Suspects
- Widow's Bay
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Columbo
- Poker Face
- Murder, She Wrote
- Knives Out
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- Killing Floor by Lee Child
- Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
- Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
- The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
- James Bond
- Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
- The Wire
- MemoRandom by Anders De la Motte
- End of Summer by Anders De la Motte
- Game by Anders De la Motte
NotesWelcome Anders de la Motte, author of mysteries and thrillers. Many of his books have been translated to English, most recently The Asker series.
Many of the most famous fictional detectives we mentioned are on this list.
In fiction, unreliability is a narrative device meant to purposefully confuse or lie to the reader for the purposes of the story. We’ve argued that it’s more or less impossible to have an unreliable narrator in romance.
A good explainer on the difference between close 3rd (used in romance) and limited 3rd (used in mysteries/thrillers)
MacGuffins and other mystery and thriller tropes and vocabulary.
Sponsors- Jill Shalvis author of Falling Into You, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local independent bookstore.
- Jess Turner, author of The Only Catch, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Hachette, publishers of In the Wake of the Ruined, by Kalie Cassidy, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or your local independent bookstore.
- Oliver Heber Books, publishers of The Forbidden Duke, by Darcy Burke, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books. Support the special 10th anniversary edition Kickstarter.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/7/5/anders-de-la-motte
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Welcome Anders de la Motte
06:45 The Suspense Engine
14:00 AD: FALLING INTO YOU
15:48 The Promise of the Premise
23:16 The Way Mystery Works
30:42 AD: IN THE WAKE OF THE RUINED
32:59 Inverted Storytelling
41:27 Characters in Mysteries and Thrillers
47:14 AD: THE ONLY CATCH
48:49 The Western vs. Scandinavian Hero
1:00:57 AD: THE FORBIDDEN DUKE
1:02:49 Point of View
1:15:43 James Bond
1:18:12 The Department of Lost Souls
1:29:19 Whodunit?
1:36:34 Wrapping Up
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S08.41: Country House Parties
It’s summer, so we’re talking Country House Parties! We’re skulking around, having scandalous meetings in cupboards, getting caught in the rain near the groundskeeper’s cottage, and generally causing chaos …
Show notes
It’s summer, so we’re talking Country House Parties! We’re skulking around, having scandalous meetings in cupboards, getting caught in the rain near the groundskeeper’s cottage, and generally causing chaos during a summer party at an enormous country house where someone is definitely ending up married (or at least ruined). This is another one where we’re pretty shocked we haven’t done it before. Gird your loins, historical lovers!!
If you want to talk more about country house parties, about historicals, or about romance in general, come join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is an old school contemporary, Perfect by Judith McNaught. Sarah says it has the greatest all-is-lost moment in romance history. Read it to find out if she’s right. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Books- Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean
- Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
- Band Sinister by KJ Charles
- Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles
- How the Duke was Won by Lenora Bell
- A Dangerous Man by Connie Brockway
- Forever Your Duke by Erica Ridley
- Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
- Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
- What I did for a Duke by Julie Ann Long
- The Fifth Avenue Rebels Series by Joanna Shupe
- Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas
Notes- It’s officially called The Obama Presidential Center, but you can also call it The Obamalisk OR the Taj Michelle. Whatever works for you! It’s a great place for a first date!
- The tall ships! It’s not the St. Charles, but the St. Lawrence waterways, it’s manmade, because you know, Niagara Falls. We know geography!
- Some people got married at Madison Square Garden and some other people got engaged at the top of the Empire State Building.
- In Tatler, author Lucy Foley wrote about the country house party.
- Noises Off is a farce.
Sponsors- Rachel Griffiths, author of Just for the Season, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, signed from the Ripped Bodice, or wherever you get your books.
- Max Monroe authors of Where I Should Have Been, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or your local independent bookstore.
- Kristin Jennings, author of A Legacy of Magic & Monsters, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Union Square & Co., publishers of Pot Shot, by Laura Piper Lee, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or your local independent bookstore.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/7/5/s0842-country-house-parties
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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BONUS: Sports Romance Rerun + Jen Chats with Gina Prodan Kelly [FIXED]
F1! WNBA! NY Nicks! World Cup! We swear we're not turning into a sports podcast, but we did feel like it's a great time to rerun our most recent Sports Romance episode with the brilliant Jessica Luther. But …
Show notes
F1! WNBA! NY Nicks! World Cup! We swear we're not turning into a sports podcast, but we did feel like it's a great time to rerun our most recent Sports Romance episode with the brilliant Jessica Luther. But first, Jen talks with Cleveland Soccer Group CMO and Cleveland Astra cofounder Gina Prodan Kelly about women's soccer and the World Cup.
GOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Show Notes: S06.09: Sports Romance with Jessica Luther
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S08.40: Summer 2026 Preview
We’re filling summer reading lists and making sure that you have plenty of beach reads ready for whatever your plans are! It’s hard to believe it’s July, but we’ve got another quarterly upcoming romance episode …
Show notes
We’re filling summer reading lists and making sure that you have plenty of beach reads ready for whatever your plans are! It’s hard to believe it’s July, but we’ve got another quarterly upcoming romance episode here to ease the pain of half the year already passed! Here’s a huge list of books arriving in July, August & September 2026—historical, paranormal, speculative, contemporary, a YA or two and a romantic suspense or two, we’ve got something for everyone. As a reminder, we haven’t read most of these, but we have big plans!
If you want more recommendations and more people with whom you can discuss 2026 romance novels, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is an old school contemporary, Perfect by Judith McNaught. Sarah says it has the greatest all-is-lost moment in romance history. Read it to find out if she’s right. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
AUTHORS: Do you have a book coming out in 2026 that you’d like to make sure we know about? Or, are you a debut romance author who’d like to make sure we know about your debut? Fill out the forms here:
June Releases (Better Late Than Never)
July Releases- Seduced by the Werewolf Highwaymen by Eva Leigh
- FIRE on Fire by Lukas Gaines
- Princess Bride with Benefits by Bella Mason
- As Long as it Takes by Jill Francis
- Die For Me by Shirlene Obuobi
- Kiss, Marry, Kill by Cara Tanamachi
- The Paddock Club by Madge Maril
- Affairs of State by Calvin James
- Formula Zero by Meredith Lanzen
- A Date with Death by Kelly Creagh
- Dearest Beast by Felicia Grossman
- Falling For You by Natasha Madison
- The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
- Eclipse of the Crown by AK Caggiano
- Their Summer Rescue by Sera Taíno
- Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment by Leslie Rene
- Foxx by Paisley Hope
- Ravenous by Kresley Cole
- An Education in Longing by Charlotte Stein
- One Shattered Crown by Rebecca Zanetti
August Releases- I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming
- Steelborn by Taylor LaRue
- Embrace by Bal Khabra
- The Cozy Nook Bookshop by Jeannie Chin
- In What World by Bridget Morrissey
- It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You by Lindsay Lewis
- Roped by Saffron Kent
- Don’t Say Mafia by CR Jane
- See you at the Sunset by Susan Lee
- Old Flames by Nadine Gonzalez
- Sex Positive by Brooklyn Rose
- International Relations by Zac Hammett
- Her Undercover Protector by Kayla Parrin
- The Marriage Rebound by Meka James
- Full Throttle by JK Maclaren
- Vow of Eternal Night by Lily Crozier
September Releases- Love Me like a Rock Song by Shelley Jay Shore
- Hexy Beast by Avery Flynn
- You’re the One that I Haunt by Katie Jung
- A Spell of Heart and Havoc by Kristen Vale
- The Alibi Club by Carrie Talick
- The Invisible Roommate by Timothy Janovsky
- From Beijing With Love by Bei Lin
- Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton
- With all my Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
- Isn’t He Romantic by Adib Khorram
- How to Ruin a Rake by Kate Pearce
- Ghost Me, Maybe by Manda Collins
- See you Next Tuesday by Kate Stayman-London
- Game Over by Bella North
- Formula He’s the One by Andie J Christopher
- Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee
Sponsors- Felicia Grossman, author of Dearest Beast, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Juniper Butterworth, author of The King in the Forest, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, or with your subscription to Kobo Unlimited.
- E. Kennedy, author of Thornbird, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Union Square, publishers of This Blade of Ours, by Shalini Abeysekara, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/6/30/0840-2026-summer-preview
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.39: Romance Birthday (Do Men Have Them?)
Is it our birthday? It is not! But who says you need to celebrate a birthday in real life to celebrate birthdays in romance novels? Not us! Today we’re talking about books that focus on birthdays — something …
Show notes
Is it our birthday? It is not! But who says you need to celebrate a birthday in real life to celebrate birthdays in romance novels? Not us! Today we’re talking about books that focus on birthdays — something that you would think would be more common in romance. We talk about birthdays that are cursed, about mistakes made on birthdays, about why heroes don’t seem to have birthdays, and about old reliable — I’m turning thirty, better get rid of this pesky virginity!
Tell us about your favorite birthday romances over on the Fated Mates Discord, where it’s probably someone’s birthday—or at least close to someone’s birthday. The Discord is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Books- Three Little Mistakes by Nikki Sloan
- Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
- Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas
- Nero by SJ Tilly
- Wicked in Your Arms by Sophie Jordan
- All of Me by Tiya Rayne
- Witness to Passion by Naima Simone
- Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott
- Birthday Shot by Rilzy Adams
- The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Notes- You can visit The Book Nook bookstore and go on the Blue Bell Ice Cream Tour if you’re ever in Brenham, Texas.
- This reflecting pool situation, honestly, if someone wrote it into a book would be too heavy-handed a metaphor.
- What is clipping, you might be wondering. Well, something that’s bad, actually.
- Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73!
- We had a whole episode about Ruination in season 7.
- The “turning 3O book” Jen couldn’t think of is Charlie Quinn Lets Go by Jamie Varon. The nonfiction book she mentioned about “being frozen” is Girls Play Dead by Jen Percy.
- Chicago, don’t miss Jen and Sophia Benoit tonight (June 24), to celebrate the release of her first historical romance, The Very Definition of Love.
Sponsors- Lotte James, author of From Rogue to Viscount, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Macmillan, publishers of Julie Murphy’s The Undergrads: Student Union, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- Blue Box Press, publishers of To Catch a Sinner, by Dylan Allen, writing as Lucy Wilson-Tagoe available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/6/23/s0839-birthday-romances
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
00:00 Summer Bantr!
05:51 Romance Birthdays
13:37 Three Little Mistakes
16:40 AD: FROM ROGUE TO VISCOUNT
18:35 Turning Thirty
26:20 Nero
31:26 AD: TO CATCH A SINNER
33:45 Wicked in Your Arms
39:33 All of Me
45:36 AD: THE UNDERGRADS: STUDENT UNION
47:22 Witness to Passion
53:52 Birthday Girl
1:00:17 It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
1:00:42 AD: LUMI GUMMIES
1:07:41 Birthday Shot
1:12:47 The Viscount Who Loved Me
1:16:36 Wrapping Up
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S08.38: Seven Days In June by Tia Williams
We’re back with a deep dive on one of our favorite recent romances, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams! We talk about yearning in contemporaries, about books that have a powerful sense of place, about dual …
Show notes
We’re back with a deep dive on one of our favorite recent romances, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams! We talk about yearning in contemporaries, about books that have a powerful sense of place, about dual timelines, about secondary characters, about lines that stick with us years later, and about how fated mates works as a trope in a contemporary romance.
Tia also has a new book out this month, The Missed Connection. Get it wherever you get your books.
Listen to our Season 3 episode with Tia Williams about writers in romance and head over to talk about Seven Days in June or any of her other books on the Fated Mates Discord, accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Read Seven Days in June at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Notes- Sorry, we’re a Knicks podcast now, everyone. Sarah because of New York and Jen because of Villanova. Sarah did look up that Knickerbocker thing, but we never got back to it. Learn more about how those trousers became a symbol of NYC here.
- Sports curses are bad, just ask Red Sox fans! Spike Lee has really been through it, Jalen Brunson’s interview after the game just shows you a man trying to deal with his feelings.
- The World Cup, we just don’t know anything about that yet, but we’re gonna get up to speed on that, just like all the people of the world getting up to speed on America. Also, feels important to romance that we bring you the news that the Tartan Army cleared Boston out of beer.
- We had Tia Williams on the podcast back in season 3 when Seven Days in June was released. Although there is not a sequel to Seven Days, Shane and Eva are secondary characters in the YA romance with Audre that came out in 2025. Find out more about Tia, and see all her books at her website.
- Come see Sophia Benoit in conversation with us in NYC (June 23) and Chicago (June 24) to celebrate the release of her first historical romance, The Very Definition of Love.
Sponsors- Frederick Smith, author of Love is a Contact Sport, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
- Little Brown & Company, publishers of Lu Chekowsky’s Don’t Buy What I’m Selling: On Breaking Up with Advertising and Finally Learning to Love My Whole, Fat Self, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- The What in the Smut? Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.
- W by Wattpad Books, publishers of Nicole Alfrine’s Brain Games. Available in print and ebook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/2026/6/16/s0838-seven-days-in-june-by-tia-williams
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.37: Road Trips and a Chat With Mary Kay Andrews
This week, we’re visiting with Mary Kay Andrews, a longtime writer and certified badass who we adore for her WTAF Wednesdays and her delightful books. We talk about her writing journey, her decision to get …
Show notes
This week, we’re visiting with Mary Kay Andrews, a longtime writer and certified badass who we adore for her WTAF Wednesdays and her delightful books. We talk about her writing journey, her decision to get publicly, vocally political, and about her new book Road Trip. We had a great time chatting and talking about writing, about research, and about how we should all just take a road trip through Ireland. Of course, we recommend a few books!
Find Mary Kay Andrews (and catch WTAF Wednesdays) on Instagram, Threads, or her website.
Listen to our earlier romance road trip episode from Season 1 and head over to tell us all about your favorite road trips and find an endless list of road trip recs on the Fated Mates Discord, accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Next week, our read along is Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books Discussed- Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
- Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
- This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
- Nevermind the Mistletoe by Louisa Darling
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- The Odyssey, Emily Wilson's Translation
- The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
- This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
- The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Sponsors- Edward Underhill, author of The House of Now & Then, available in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
- Kristina Forrest, author of The Summer Girlfriend, available for preorder in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- Little Brown & Co, publishers of Emily Adrian’s Seduction Theory. Available in print, ebook and audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/6/9/s0837-road-trips-with-mary-kay-andrews
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.36: The Rain Fell in Torrents: Weather Is Genre
We’re celebrating the paperback release of These Summer Storms this week, and that means we’re talking about the weather! We talk about rain and snow and wind and tempests and tornadoes and monsoons, and we …
Show notes
We’re celebrating the paperback release of These Summer Storms this week, and that means we’re talking about the weather! We talk about rain and snow and wind and tempests and tornadoes and monsoons, and we talk about why we all like weather in books so much (hint, it’s because it’s dialed up to 11).
Tell us all about your favorite weather in romance novels and find an endless list of books that are as wild and stormy as you like over at the Fated Mates Discord, accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
- Eleven Scandals by Sarah MacLean
- Struck Speechless by Tati Richardson
- A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath
- Beautiful Russian Monster by Odette Stone
- Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
- Uncharted by Adriana Anders
- Whirlwind by Kayla Grosse
- After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M Lopez
Notes- We are fans of Mayor Mamdani, texting Sarah about the weather. This lady didn’t get the memo, but we hope she’s okay. After this episode was recorded, the Knicks were headed to the MNBA finals, and the Mayor repealed bedtimes for all the kids in New York. Could we love him any more?
- Eric was camping, which Sarah and I imagine is like Ferngully, but it was real rainy.
- Half agony and half hope is from Persuasion, which just goes to show you that you can never read Jane Austen and still get the basics!
- Send Help is a movie with Rachel McAdams and it’s basically light horror, maybe? Idk, Jen covered her eyes a lot, but it was super fun.
- It was a dark and stormy night is from Snoopy, and also an 1830 novel called Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was an aristocrat! He was the first Baron Lytton! Paul Clifford is an example of a Newgate novel.
- Snowed-in is a subset of forced proximity, but the snowed-in is a symbol.
- You can watch People We Meet on Vacation on Netflix.
- Speaking of Crash Landing on You and weather.
- James Joyce was afraid of thunderstorms.
- Sophia Benoit will be with Sarah at Book Club Bar in Brooklyn on June 23rd, and with Jen at Women & Children First in Chicago on June 24th. Sarah will be with Mary Kay Andrews on Long Island on June 12th.
Sponsors- Rachel Griffiths, author of Just for the Season, available for preorder in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, signed from the Ripped Bodice, or wherever you get your books.
- Lulu Morris, author of The Dating Pact, available for preorder in print, ebook, audiobook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- W by Wattpad Books, publishers of Sabrina Blackburry’s Half Wylde. Available in print and ebook from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/6/1/s0836-weather-is-genre-these-summer-storms-paperback
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.35: Sad Boys Who Punch Things with Veronica Roth
This week, we’re joined by one of the greatest, Veronica Roth, whose new book, Seek the Traitor’s Son, features one of her most beloved of tropes: Sad Boys Who Punch Things. We were delighted when she suggested …
Show notes
This week, we’re joined by one of the greatest, Veronica Roth, whose new book, Seek the Traitor’s Son, features one of her most beloved of tropes: Sad Boys Who Punch Things. We were delighted when she suggested we do an episode on this very particular, very delicious romance concept, and of course, we invited her to join us! We talk about how it works, why we love soft boys who are full of rage, and how we stan a hero who is willing to stand back and let his partner be awesome. We also talk about The West Wing & Ladyhawke (makes sense). And of course, we talk about her books!
If you’d like to continue the conversation about sad boys who punch things or about Veronica’s deep backlist, please join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books- Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth
- When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
- Shadow’s Claim by Kresley Cole
- Lothaire by Kresley Cole
- Managed by Kristen Callihan
- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
- The Professor by Charlotte Stein
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
- The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin
- Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
- Wait For It by M. O’Keefe
- Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Notes- Veronica Roth’s newest release is Seek the Traitor’s Son, the first in a dystopian fantasy duology with a strong romance subplot.
- We love the follow sad boys: Toby Ziegler, Angel, Fox Mulder, Tobias from Animorphs, and Rutger Hauer from Ladyhawke.
- The Sixth Faction is coming soon!
Sponsors- Piper Rayne, author of The Hotshot, available in print, ebook, audiobook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Rose Prendeville, author of A Faire Affair, available in print, ebook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Blue Box Press, publishers of Dylan Allen’s beautiful new print editions of The Daredevil, The Mastermind & The Wild Card. Available in print and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
- Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/5/18/s0835-sad-boys-who-punch-things-with-veronica-roth
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.34: Historical Romance with Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera
We are thrilled to have two of our favorite people with us today to discuss one of our favorite genres! Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera, the masterminds behind the AH2 Kickstarter of Historical Trailblazers …
Show notes
We are thrilled to have two of our favorite people with us today to discuss one of our favorite genres! Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera, the masterminds behind the AH2 Kickstarter of Historical Trailblazers are here to talk about all the ways historical romance is unmatched! We talk about the new Historical Trailblazer special edition box set that AH2 launched this week, about the power of historicals, and about some of our favorite historical romances, past and present.
The Historical Trailblazer Box Set of books, including Indigo by Beverly Jenkins, Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin, The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles, Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, and (of course) Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. The box set includes stunning hardcover editions, gold foil, sprayed edges, original artwork and letters from the authors. Learn more at the AH2 Kickstarter page.
If you’d like to continue the conversation about historical romance, please come join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books- Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
- Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin
- The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
- Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
- Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
- Passion by Lisa Valdez
- Night Hawk by Beverly Jenkins
- Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
- Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell
- My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas
- Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens
- Provoked by Joanna Chambers
- A Deal with the Devil by Alyxandra Harvey
Sponsors- Blue Box Press, publishers of Larissa Ione’s Legacy of Desire, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Juniper Butterworth, author of The King in the Forest, coming soon in print, ebook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Elle Kennedy, author of The Off Campus series, beginning with The Deal, now a television show on Amazon, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
- Dawn Banks, author of The Spreadsheet Situation, available in print or ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, free with Kobo Plus, or wherever you get your books.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/5/11/historicals-with-ali-hazelwood-and-adriana-herrera
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.33: Ian Mackenzie is DTF: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
We’re deep diving into one of our favorite historicals from the 00s today — Jennifer Ashley’s The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It’s a great follow up to our Paris episode last week, but we also talk about how …
Show notes
We’re deep diving into one of our favorite historicals from the 00s today — Jennifer Ashley’s The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It’s a great follow up to our Paris episode last week, but we also talk about how Ashley really wrote the heck out of this book. We talk about widows, about sex in historicals, about autism rep in historicals, romance families, and the way this series electrified us as readers. This book is a straight up banger.
If you’re interested in learning more about the AH2 Historical Trailblazer Kickstarter, featuring beautiful, hardcover special editions of Lord of Scoundrels, Indigo, The Magpie Lord, Butterfly Swords and Dreaming of You, head over to the Kickstarter page and sign up for updates!
If you’d like to continue the conversation about The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie or any of Jennifer Ashley’s other books, please come join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Notes- Check out the AH2 kickstarter, partnering with Fated Mates and Julia Whelan’s Audiobrary. It goes live next week!
- Dua Lipa met her fiance Callum Turner because they both were reading the same book, Trust by Hernan Diaz. Dua Lipa’s book club is called Service 95.
- You, too, might enjoy reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. Or Reacher. Or Murderbot. Jen is thinking of going to bedazzle a copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl, but is that too silly?
- Dorchester Publishing was a house that published mostly mass market paperbacks, and it shuttered shortly after the publishing of The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. The editor of the book, Leah Hultenschmidt, is now at Forever.
- There’s a new-ish translation of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson that you might like. Xenia is the ancient Greek word for hospitality, and Wilson talks a about how the word comes from the root xenos, meaning both stranger and friend. Maybe if we were all a little more open to those we don’t know, things would be different.
Sponsors- HarperCollins, publishers of Laurie Gilmore’s The Daisy Chain Flower Shop, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
- Michelle Ruoff, author of A Summer to Stay, available in print, ebook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Jennilynn Wyer, author of All Our Next Times, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/5/4/0833-the-madness-of-lord-ian-mackenzie
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.32: Paris Romance with Kate Clayborn
We Love Paris in the Springtime and we love Paris in The Paris Match by our very favorite, Kate Clayborn. Today, we’re talking about the City of Love itself, with Kate! We talk about the magic of the City of …
Show notes
We Love Paris in the Springtime and we love Paris in The Paris Match by our very favorite, Kate Clayborn. Today, we’re talking about the City of Love itself, with Kate! We talk about the magic of the City of Lights, about the weight it has in romance, and about the mythology it carries with it whenever it’s included in a book. Yes, of course, we talk about Jessica and Dain, but we also celebrate Kate’s new release, The Paris Match! We’re also covering sex workers, chocolatiers, cigarette smokers and heroes who gnaw off their own legs, the Champs de Elysee be damned. Thanks, as always, to Kate for joining us and putting up with our shenanigans.
If you’d like to continue the conversation about Paris, please come join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Notes- Welcome Kate Clayborn. Her first episodes way back in Season 1 were about Siblings’ Best Friends and then Sexclamation Points!, and since then, she’s been on about a million other times.
- Cormac McCarthy has some strong feelings about punctuation and Random House doesn’t like the interrobang, but Sarah’s a rebel.
- Green screen technology has come a long way. In this interview, Heated Rivalry cinematographer Jackson Parrell describes how he used the technology in the show, including the scene on the beach in Tampa. Cinematographer Valentina Vee did a really interesting set of videos talking about the use of green screen technology in the show.
- The Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet about place that Sarah quoted is Time Does Not Bring Relief.
- Kate wrote a round up for People magazine about great books set in and about Paris.
- Jen heard about Puppets by Jenna Ryan after being tagged in an Instagram post by WendieReads. But in digging around, Jen discovered the Passages podcast did a deep dive of the book in 2025.
- You can read more about the puppet theaters of Paris in this New York Times article from 2019.
Sponsors- Elle Kennedy, author of Love Song, available in print, ebook, audiobook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Claire Wilder, author of Nailed, available in print, ebook and with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
- Blue Box Press, publishers of Donna Grant’s The Dragon Chronicles, beautiful new print editions of seven books in the series, including Dragon King, Dragon Fever, Dragon Burn, Dragon Night, Dragon Claimed, and Dragon Lost. Available in print and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
- Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/4/27/0832-the-paris-match-by-kate-clayborn
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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S08.31: Trailblazer Ruby Dixon
This season, we’re expanding our traditional Trailblazer series to include the romance writers who are trailblazing today. Our first guest on this branch of the legend tree is Ruby Dixon, author of the Ice …
Show notes
This season, we’re expanding our traditional Trailblazer series to include the romance writers who are trailblazing today. Our first guest on this branch of the legend tree is Ruby Dixon, author of the Ice Planet Barbarians series. Ruby joins us to talk about how she became Ruby Dixon, what inspired the Ice Planet Barbarians series, how she thinks about writing this ever expanding world, the business of the Barbarians, and what’s next. We’re very grateful to her for making time with us.
If you’d like to continue the conversation about Ruby Dixon, her work and the Ice Planet Barbarians, head over to join the Fated Mates Discord, which is accessible to our Patreon subscribers. By joining the Patreon, you meet other Fated Mates listeners and get an extra monthly episode from us. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along is The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Notes- Welcome Ruby Dixon, bestselling author of the Ice Planet Barbarians series.
- Authors, Publishing Professionals, and Influencers Mentioned: author Anne McCafferty; author Edgar Rice Burroughs; author Andre Norton; author Bertrice Small; author Julie Garwood; editor Cindy Hwang; Ellora’s Cave authors Evangeline Anderson, Laurann Donner, and Jaid Black; author R. Lee Smith; Dani Lacey’s Ice Planet Pod; TikTokker and now author Charlotte Swan; agent Holly Root; Ruby’s writing group, Alexa Riley, Kati Wilde, & Ella Goode.
- Books and Movies Mentioned: Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel, Last of Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, Amarna Sunset by Aiden Dodson, Beneath the Sands of Egypt by Donald Ryan, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, Villain Origin Story by Ruby Dixon, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
- For more Ruby Dixon, check out our Ice Planet Barbarians deep dive.
Sponsors- Little Brown & Company, publishers of Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham’s The Academy, available in print, ebook and audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or wherever you get your books.
- Lucy Score, author of Mistakes Were Made, available in print, ebook or audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. Get it wherever you get your books.
- Lumi Gummies, Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
The Rest
- For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/4/19/0831-trailblazer-ruby-dixon
- If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
- Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
- If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.
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