Whoa!mance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Re!mance for an extremely special ocassion. Plus an update on Ice Wine Deux.

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

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

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

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

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