Whoa!mance

Break out your graphing calculators for this one y’all. Celebrated for its depiction of a non-neurotypical heroine, econometrician Stella Lane is on a quest to become a more competent lover when family pressure nudges her back onto the dating field. Enter Michael Larsen, a Vietnamese/Swedish sex worker and breadwinner for a large family and ailing mother: who better to help Stella spend her audacious salary on a trial run at intimacy? But despite the cutesy cover and inclusive narratives, there’s a kernel of Romance’s dark foundation lurking in this reverse Pretty Woman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well if it isn’t another twofer. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are taking a trip to the flower shoppe with the first installment of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series, a novel set in the world of Baroness Orczy’s notable 1905 work The Scarlet Pimpernel. In Willig’s novel, graduate student Eloise is finishing her dissertation when she stumbles upon a communique of the notorious and as-of-yet unmasked Napoleonic-Era British spy, the Pink Carnation. Subterfuge. Disguise. Intrigue. And a hand job in a boat that gives Madame Bovary’s famous carriage ride a turn for its garter. Plus, donation tips to help realign the pain of Quasimodo’s recent furlough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a Whoa!mance double whammy this week y’all! Not only are Morgan and Isabeau joined by the brilliant and talented Melonie Johnson, but we’re getting a guided tour of Melonie’s all time favorite romance novel: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. Imagine if Flowers for Algernon and A Beautiful Mind were study buddies with benefits, with the bulk of the sadness exchanged for more divide and multiply. Additional ingredients include: dukes, quakers, and at the lord’s behest, openings. Plus, we get the scoop on Melonie’s upcoming trio of novels from the source herself. Summer 2K19 can’t come soon enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s a little bit of everything y’all. We got murder. We got Las Vegas. We got snakes. Morgan and Isabeau are joined by friend and OG Las Vegan Marie to talk about the first installment of Deborah Coonts’ Lucky O’Toole series. Did we mention the swingers? Did we mention the porn stars; and oddly, the prudishness? It’s a tour de force of repressed desires with a hard on for justice. A very, conservative hard on. Recommended for those who’ve never seen their own selves naked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re going hard this Pisces season with some more fresh caught fish fuckery y’all. Have you ever wanted to fuck Ariel, but also Tinkerbell? Does repackaging sex as “joining magic” help or hurt one’s chances of getting a little fin? How old were you when you gave or received your first body job? This week, Morgan and Isabeau are going off the deep end for this mermaid/angel sexcapade cum theological smorgasbord that defies explanation, genre classification, and its own internal machinery. We promise you’ll never think of waterbeds the same way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If The Shape of Water tickled your sashimi, Melissa Broder’s New York Times dubbed “romance novel for intellectuals” The Pisces will either turn you pescatarian for life or give you full blown mercury poisoning. This week, Morgan and Isabeau plunge romance’s murky depths through the depressive eyes of Lucy, a newly single academic, as she navigates the choppy surfs of Tinder, group therapy, pet care, and the dexterous tongue of a merman. Can you smell that fresh salt air? Catch of the Day: MP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When something is deemed a watershed moment, that something denotes that a larger thing is forever altered; often the phrase suggests a positive evolution or advancement. But what do we do when the thing that allowed for growth and expansion, is, in retrospect, more akin to a stagnant pond than a shimmering crystal lake? This week, Morgan and Isabeau travel back to 1972 to relive the groundbreaking release of The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss: a tome that elevated Romance to a new apex in the cultural zeitgeist. But the world reflected in F&F is fraught to say the least. We’re breaking out the big guns for this one y’all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you miss us? We were taking a brief sabbatical in the north woods of Ontario when we stumbled upon a seductive stranger. Full in form and stature, an imposing specimen really, with many *ahem* physical attributes that left us feeling replete in both mind and body. The richness of his fur alone… hair, hair of coarse. Course. Dammit. His name? Yes yes, well we didn’t quite get that far. You know how throes of passion go, so lacking in formality. And with all that solitude to penetrate. Oh Bear. Dear! We need a swim to clear our heads. This one is for our neighbors to the north, and all your enticing wildlife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're taking a break from languishing in our post-JANEuary bliss to share some exciting news: Whoa!mance has a Patreon! What does this mean? Well, because capitalism is a scourge to creative minded people who value the humanities and using one's time to cultivate art and ideas, we are asking you, our devoted listeners and supporters, to help sustain this project in any way you can. In return, we will honor your support with shoutouts, gifts, book recommendations, and even the chance to pitch a novel you've always wanted us to cover. It's a win/win, and all for as little as the price of coffee.Click the link below for more details - and see you next week for BEAR!https://www.patreon.com/join/2348544? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We did it y’all; we’ve been through the now, the then, the if only, and the as if; it’s been a month dedicated to yr grrl Jane; a celebration of her influence, and an inquiry into the resonance of her scope. But we would be remiss not to guide it all towards the inevitable confluence of meeting the indelible force herself; the matron of Romancelandia; the true essence of all things that send your heart and situation aflutter: it’s Persuasion by Jane Austen. For you, by you; thank you now and always. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JANE-U-VERSE - n. the world(s) expanded within and beyond Jane Austen’s novels as imagined by her readers through the act of emulation. This week, Morgan and Isabeau explore selections from A Certain Persuasion: Modern LGBTQ+ Fiction inspired by yr grrl’s novels, featuring stories by Julie Bozza, Fae Mcloughlin, and JL Merrow. It’s about the space between the novels; the nooks and crannies of potential intrigue; the nagging notion of a lingering ‘what if’ actualized. We’re going back in on fan fic for this cherished month of yr grrl y’all so plz don’t flame us ok? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crash positions listeners: it’s a JANEuary charm bomb. This week, Morgan and Isabeau pour one out for the chaste and stationary in their discussion of the classic Jane Austen adaptation and sleepover film par excellence, Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling, and its lackluster bedfellow, Emma, directed by Douglas McGrath. What is a proper distillation of this novel’s essence - is it the tragedy of a trapped mind? Does a modern retelling highlight its comedic elements? Did Alicia Silverstone and Gwyneth Paltrow become Emma in real life? Where do you stand on Emma? Cuddle up with your favorite sexy step-brother for this one y’all because it’s movie night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Listeners, prepare to enter a tale as much yr grrl Jane as it is yr boi Aldous because this week Morgan and Isabeau are taking a trip to the other worldly. It’s Persuasion, generations after an event called "the Reduction", where love continues to blossom through the cracks of a biologically-enhanced hierarchical class structure. How does the framework of a mother text allow its children to run amok? Are epistles a creative crutch? Is alluding to it as “butterflies” an appropriate way for young-ish adults to discuss teenage sexuality? If we only had two syllables to describe this episode they'd be: it good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s JANEuary in this beautiful New Year of yr grrl, and we’re going all in out the gate y’all. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are breaking off a little preview of Ibi Zoboi’s P&P remix, Pride, named the Great Big Romance Read of 2018 by the Ripped Bodice. It’s about being a castaway in the throes of youth culture. It’s about that-trendy-new-place-in-an-up-and-coming-neighborhood. It’s about Mr. Darcy’s relationship to the trope of the manic pixie dream girl. It's a modern telling of P&P with... teens. It’s all killer and no filler party people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dismissive actions. Furtive eyes. Arguing and making out in the rain. Hate fucking that becomes love fucking. This week, for a special Boxing Day Boner, Morgan and Isabeau unpack the classic Romance trope of enemies to lovers through the lens of the indelible 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Darcy. Gazebos. And displeasure turned titillating. Snuggle up with this cozy Boner and get ready because JANEuary, came early. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether they’re kicking you and your loved ones off their property, enjoying a solitary brood on the snow swept moors, parroting Ebenezer Scrooge, or simply trying to run a successful newspaper, it seems Dukes are everywhere these days. This week, Morgan and Isabeau explore the men beneath the titles in How the Dukes Stole Christmas, an anthology of novellas by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, and Joanna Shupe. Can love coexist with wealth? Is Heiress Alone just Home Alone with more vitamin D? Does magic shortbread show up on a drug test? It’s a festive Duke down with all the trimmings. Eat and be merry! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We said we wouldn’t do it. We said we’d never talk about Jane Austen on this show. She’s played out. Old hat. But this January, get ready for the faceoff you never thought possible, because it’s JANEuary motherbitches. Morgan and Isabeau are coming fully loaded with genre spanning Jane Austen inspired content, commentary, reviews, Clueless; the whole gamut.But we want YOU to decide what Jane Austen novel to feature for JANEuary! Is it Emma? S&S? P&P? Northanger Abbey? Start thinking about where your loyalties lay, because this January is all about yr grrl Jane.Vote here: https://twitter.com/mance_whoa/status/1072983335704637440 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tenured and bespectacled Roseleen White, Professor of Medieval Studies, has just discovered a rather peculiar sword. Tethered to the sword is Thorn, a Viking warrior who may be summoned at will and is at the mercy of its wielder. Could this immortal and immaculate being be the key to Roseleen’s career advancement and *removes glasses* her sexual awakening? Do you think I look hotter with my glasses on or off? *puts glasses back on* On. *removes glasses once more* Off. No? This week, Morgan and Isabeau unpack the complexities of the culture wars, discuss eyeglass appropriation, and marvel at the novel’s internal adherence to the ethics of time travel. I can’t tell if you’re nodding - are you nodding? You’re just a gorgeous blur. *puts on glasses yet again* Well? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, two burgeoning podcasters recorded what was to be a true and undoctored account of their mental and emotional experience reading A Christmas to Remember featuring stories by Lisa Kleypas, Lorraine Heath, Megan Frampton, and Vivienne Lorret. Sadly, the recording and its sentiments were never recovered. Now, Morgan and Isabeau are back to reignite those lost feelings of arousal and outrage with a passionate reenactment of a previously unreleased Whoa!mance classic. This never-before-heard deluxe edition includes: digitally remastered shots at the patriarchal coding of feminine beauty standards, an in-depth analysis of the capitalist rot beneath Santa’s suit, and takes categorically hotter than roasted chestnuts.This episode is a perfect stocking stuffer for feet of all shapes and sizes - available now while supplies last! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanksgiving is a time for indulging in corporeal comforts to distract from the guilt of America’s colonialist origin; the type of bad feeling that requires four distinct potato dishes and the gladiatorial sport of football to placate until bear baiting bubbles back into the zeitgeist. Why else would Debby choose to satisfy her most carnal of appetites in the warmth and safety of her childhood bed, the aroma of turkey fat thick in the air, her family moving about below? What could be better? What could be more repressed? What does your ideal penis look like? Morgan and Isabeau want to know; contains meat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.