Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

S06.50: Daddy Issues (not the fun kind) with Christopher Rice

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're back with Christopher Rice celebrating one of the longest running themes in romance: Daddy Issues (not the good kind)! Christopher writes romanc...

S06.49 Mafia Romance Reasons

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're back to Mafia books, because it's been a few years since we've tackled this one and the landscape has changed drastically. We're talk...

S06.48: Wicked and the Wallflower: The Bareknuckle Bastards Begin

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's coming up on the end of Season 6, and that means we're talking about one of Sarah's books! We're finishing up (or beginning?) the Bareknuckle Bas...

S06.47: Romance Novels with Paris 2024 Olympics Vibes

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're back this week living Olympic vibes and recommending books with big Olympic vibes! Whether you're drawn to the sports of it all or the France of...

S06.46: Romance and The New York Times Best 100 Books List

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we are doing something a little different, talking about the New York Times's Best 100 Books of the 21st Century, a list that Sarah was ask...

S06.45: Our Favorite Episodes, Tropes we Love, and Books that Take the Finger

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jen and Sarah are together at last (again), and we’re taking your questions! Listen as we revisit some of our favorite past episodes of the podcast,...

S06:44 Summer Romance Bingo Recommendations 2024

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the last few years, The Ripped Bodice bookstore has published a Summer Romance Bingo Card and this year, we're helping you win! With absolutely no...

S06.43: Even Our Hiatus Is a 20 Minute Episode

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're taking a break this week, but we forgot to tell anyone about it. We’ll be back next week. In the meantime, check out Romancing the Vote 2024!

S06.42: Witch Romances (are not just for Halloween)

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who says it has to be Halloween to celebrate witches? It’s 2024 and frankly, we could do with a few more powerful, spell-casting women around here. ...

S06:41: The Devil of Downtown (Yeah, He Is) by Joanna Shupe

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are talking about a full on banger this week — Joanna Shupe’s The Devil of Downtown, which is Sarah’s favorite of the Uptown Girls series (Je...

S06.40: Siblings in Romance Novels

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking about brothers and sisters as secondary characters in romance today — by popular demand from listeners, it’s our sibling episode! ...

S06.39: Summer 2024 Reads

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

School’s out for Jen’s summer and Sarah’s in the final stretch so we’re dreaming of romance beach reads and talking about our massive summer T...

S06.38: Curvy Heroines #3: Curvy Girls Get Railed in Carriages, Too

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of our most popular interstitial topics, we had to come back for a third run at Curvy Heroines this month in celebration of Bridgerton-mania onlin...

S06.37: Weddings in Romance

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gather together your bouquets and boutonnières, wedding season is here! But, in typical Fated Mates fashion, we spend the first 20 minutes talking ab...

S06.36: The Romance Matriarchy: Moms, Grandmothers, and Aunties

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We don’t often talk about secondary characters in romance, but this week, we’re talking about the women who provide wisdom, council and laughs in ...

S06.35: All About Dukes (in Romance)

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This one is for our historical lovers! We’re talking about everyone’s favorite title — Dukes! We get to the bottom of many duke questions, inclu...

S06.34: Marriage in Trouble, the Mercury Retrograde of Romance Novels

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For our forever favorite, Kate Clayborn, our third Fated Mates Live episode! During the absolutely delightful event (we had so much fun!), Kate select...

S06.33: A Mug is a Mug until it's your Boyfriend: Sentient Object Romances

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Headphones in! This is not for beginners. Our second Fated Mates Live episode is live! During the event (which was so so fun we love every single one ...

06.32: Secret Babies, Friends-to-Lovers and More — Books we love with tropes we don’t

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first of three episodes inspired by the incredible time we had at Fated Mates Live in Brooklyn. During the event (which was so so fun we l...

06.31: Romance Novels and Film Adaptation with Yulin Kuang

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re talking about film adaptation and romance novels with Yulin Kuang, filmmaker and romance novelist. We discuss her work as both a sc...

S06:30: Preferential Treatment by Heather Guerre & Alpha Submissive Romance

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re finally diving into alpha submissive romance novels during this deep dive of Heather Guerre’s Preferential Treatment, one of Sarah’s best ...

S06.29: Beauty and the Beast Romance Retellings

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An absolute classic for a reason, we’re talking about Beauty & the Beast today — about the trope itself, about how the 1991 Disney movie broug...

S06.28: HEA or GTFO

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The cornerstone of the genre. The one thing that, when thrown into question, is guaranteed to enrage every corner of Romancelandia. We’re talking ab...

S06.27: Enemies to Lovers

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A classic among classics, we’re talking enemies to lovers this week! We get to the bottom of what we think of as “enemies,” and how it differs f...

S06.26: Himbos in Romance: The Chris Hemsworth Prototype

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes you just have to get to the bottom of something, and that’s what we’re here for. Today, we’re taking an unexpected, unexpectedly thoro...

S06.25: It's Romance Law!

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Y’all enjoyed Romance Science so much, we figured, why not tackle romance law next! This week, we’re discussing wills and trusts, inheritances, gu...

S06.24: All Dukes are Roofers: Renovation Romance with Nikki Payne

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re joined this week by the fabulous Nikki Payne, author of Pride & Protest and this month’s new release Sex, Lies & Sensibility to talk...

S06.23: Casinos, Gaming Hells, and Clubs in Romance Novels

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking about gaming hells! Is it residual Derek Craven love? Probably. Why does Sarah love a casino so much? Why are we so into ladies being ...

06.22: A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re so excited for today’s deep dive on Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot — a sexy, second-chance romance that gave us so many feelings...

06.21: Derek Craven Day 2024 : Heroes who Yearn with Sanj

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s February which means it’s time for the biggest holiday in romance — Derek Craven Day! We’re so thrilled to be able to celebrate this rema...

06.20: It's Romance Science!

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This one is probably as goofy as we get — we’ve spent six years talking about Romance Science, and now class is in session! We’re talking biolog...

S06.19: One Night Stands

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It seems impossible that we haven’t done this one, but we haven’t done this one! We’re talking one night stands—the absolute classic that ends...

S06.18: Firefighter Romance Novels

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is it getting hot in here? It is! We’re talking about firefighters this week — arguably the best of the hero(in)es in uniform because, let’s fac...

S06.17: Fresh Starts and New Beginnings in Romance Novels

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is it getting hot in here? It is! We’re talking about firefighters this week — arguably the best of the hero(in)es in uniform because, let’s fac...

S06.16: Happy New Year: Breeding Kink with Mila Finelli

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s New Years Eve, and that means tackling some of the more headphones-in stuff in the Romance Pool, we don’t make the rules. Ok. We kind of make...

06.15: Holiday Romances for 2023

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s our annual holiday romance episode, and we’re so excited to have you with us! No Santa this year, but we’ve got Toy Runners, audio sexitime...

06.14: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You didn’t think we were going to stay silent during the current dragon frenzy, did you? We absolutely have things to say about dragon heroes, and t...

06.13: Sarah & Jen are Taking Your Questions

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s December, Jen is in NYC, and we’re taking questions from our Discord and Instagram! Listen to us talk about how we read, what makes us DNF, h...

06.12: Best Romance Novels of 2023

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the best and worst task for us, because we read so many fabulous books over the course of the year, and choosing ten is hard, ok? But here they...

06.11: Rend by Roan Parrish & the Lift 4 Autism Auction

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re doing things a little differently! A while back, we donated an episode for bid in the Lift 4 Autism auction, arranged by friend of ...

S06.10: Men in Fur: Aliens, Warlords, and Vikings

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re feeling silly and spicy this week, so we’re delivering the silly, spicy niche content you’ve come to expect from us now and then — we’...

S06.09: Sports Romance with Jessica Luther

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s another sports interstitial! We’re talking sports, balls & sports balls with the brilliant Jessica Luther, sports romance lover, podcaste...

S06.08: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale: Romance Math

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re reading an absolute romance classic — one of those books everyone tells you is a must read, and one that neither of us had read befor...

S06.07: Happy Halloween: Devils in Romance Novels

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jen’s been asking for this for six literal years, and we’re finally doing it! It’s Halloween and we’re talking Devils! Sure, we’ll touch on ...

S06.06: Trailblazer Nalini Singh

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our Trailblazer conversations continue this week with legend Nalini Singh, whose groundbreaking paranormal series changed the game. We talk about the ...

S06.05: Hot For Teacher with Special Guest Lauren Billings

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Oh no! Jen has bronchitis or at least something with bronchitis vibes and her voice is barely with us, so Sarah went rogue and brought Lauren Billings...

S06.04: Sweater Weather: Romance Novels with Fall Vibes

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week is full ✨vibes✨ and we’re not sorry about it. By request, we’re doing a “Romances for Sweater Weather” which aren’t spooky for...

S06.03: Excellent BIPOC Romance Novels for #23for23

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re so excited for today’s episode—in which we topple TBRs worldwide in support of the #23for23 Challenge! Spearheaded by Adriana Herrera, Nik...

S06.02: The Full Banana

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re so excited you’re with us for this season! The first interstitial episode of Season 6 drops today and it’s the full banana, meaning—here...

S06.01: Trailblazer Jackie Collins

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Season Six! How is this even possible!Season One gave us a full lAD deep dive (if you’ve never read Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark, general e...

Season Six Starts This Week!

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s a short one — our first episode of Season 6 is a trailblazer (AND A GREAT ONE) — so here’s a little glimpse of where we’ve been durin...

Hiatus: Sarah on Failure to Adapt

09 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Season six is almost here, but not quite yet. To keep you entertained, we’re sharing Sarah’s latest appearance on the excellent Failure to Adapt p...

Hiatus: Jen and Sarah's Likewise Chat

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re still on hiatus, but we’ve got more goodies for you. We recently stopped by Likewise for a chat, and they were gracious enough to let us sha...

Hiatus: Five Minute Firebird with Christina Lauren

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re on hiatus this week (next week, too!), but we miss you, so we’re bringing you treats! On our Patreon, we host a short-video conversation ser...

S05.49: Knockout: #TommyGoBoom

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah has a new book out, so as is tradition for our last episode of the season, Jen is playing host, and Sarah is playing guest, and we’re talking ...

05.48: Grumpy/Sunshine Romance: Exasperated Man™️

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking about a classic trope that we’ve somehow missed over five seasons — Grumpy/Sunshine! Of course our favorite brand of this particul...

S05.47: Fairy Tale Retellings with Zoraida Córdova

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking fairytale retellings today with Zoraida Córdova, the author of Kiss the Girl, a new retelling of The Little Mermaid. We talk about th...

S05.46: Fast, Incendiary, Burns: Romance Novels that Start with a Bang!

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a million degrees and no one has time for slow burns right now, y’all. This week, we’re talking books that start with a bang — and we mea...

S05.45: Emotional Navy SEALs: Divorced Main Characters in Romance Novels

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After literal years of requests for this one, we’re finally tackling the divorced main characters in romance! We talk about romance between grown up...

S05.44: New Romance Novels For Summer 2023

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about books we’re excited about this Summer! We’re toppling TBRs with books you can get now, books you can preorder, books ...

S05.43: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer with Christina and Lauren

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go back to the OG DNA of the contemporary boom of the early 2010s today, with a read along of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, with fabulous fan fic w...

S05.42: The Bride by Julie Garwood: A Primordial RomCom

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We were devastated to learn of the passing of Julie Garwood, honest to God romance doyenne, last month. Garwood installed many of our buttons, and the...

S05.41 Worldbuilding in Romance Novels

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking about worldbuilding this week, and you’re getting a glimpse into Jen and Sarah’s everyday non-podcasting romance chatter. This one...

S05.40: STEM Heroines in Romance Novels

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s heroines in science week here at Fated Mates! STEM heroines are having a resurgence in romance, in no small part because of the rise of “STEM...

S05.39: Trailblazer Mary Balogh

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Trailblazers conversations continue this week with historical romance juggernaut Mary Balogh, whose decades-long career has shaped the Regency rom...

S05.38: Prologues & Epilogues in Romance

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to believe it’s taken us this long to do a prologue and epilogue episode! We talk about beginnings and endings and why they exist and wh...

S05.37: Fated Mates Live

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In March, we had the absolute best time with some of our favorite people at Fated Mates LIVE in Brooklyn! Here, for your enjoyment, is the recording o...

S05.36: The Best Kisses in Romance

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking kissing today! So simple and so powerful, there’s no doubt that that first kiss in romance is always an important one. This episode ...

S05.35: Trailblazer Loretta Chase

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Trailblazers conversations continue this week with the brilliantly talented Loretta Chase, who we adore, and not only because she wrote one of our...

S05.34: Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re talking about one of our very favorite romance novels, Sarah Mayberry’s absolute banger, Her Best Worst Mistake. We talk about ho...

S05.33: Bingeable Romance Series

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a number of conversations and requests, we’re talking about the best long-running romance series today! We’ve got something for everyone —...

S05.32: Runaway Brides in Romance

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s runaway bride week here at Fated Mates and we’re delightedly traveling down memory lane to talk Julia Roberts, Sally Field, the importance of...

S05.31: Stealing Midnight by Tracy MacNish: A+ Fresh

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Finally, the read along we’ve been promising! We’re so excited to talk about Tracy MacNish’s Stealing Midnight, a gothic romance from 2008 that ...

S05.30: Christine Feehan: Trailblazer

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re sharing our fantastic conversation with trailblazer Christine Feehan, an undeniable force in the rise of paranormal romance in the ...

S05.29: Spring Romance Recommendations: Sarah & Jen fill your TBR

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We were together for the first time in a while, so we decided to record on Sarah’s couch! We answer questions from the audience at Fated Mates Live,...

S05.28: Women's Friendships in Romance with Sophie Jordan

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sophie Jordan is back again! She’s got a new book out, The Countess, the first in her Scandalous Ladies of London series, featuring a true Regency s...

S05.27: Teachers and Librarians in Romance

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking about teachers and librarians in romance today, but don’t worry — not hot-for-teacher kinds of teachers and librarians (someday, S...

S05.26: Dueling in Romance with Chels: Duels are Never Having to Say You're Sorry

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pistols at dawn, y’all! We’re talking about duels today — what they are, why they exist, who fights them, their rules and why they’re so darn ...

S05.25: Masquerades in Romance

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking Masquerades! Is it the Phantom of the Opera? Is it Amadeus? Is it Jude Deveraux’s The Raider? We don’t know but man we love a masq...

S05.24: Technology in Romance

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It feels like you can’t turn around these days without stumbling into a story that’s a little unsettling about technology and how we’re all livi...

S05.23: Books We Wish We Could Read Again for the First Time

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every once in a while, we decide we’re going to do an episode about books we just really really really like. Books we want you to really really real...

S05.22: Trailblazer K.J. Charles

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re welcoming KJ Charles to Fated Mates for our next Trailblazer episode! Known for her work helping to bring queer historical romance to t...

Fated Mates Live!

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s happening LIVE, in New York City! Join Jen, Sarah, and an absolutely fire lineup of special guests for a Fated Mates LIVE recording, in person,...

S05.21: That's So (Derek) Craven

04 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Derek Craven Day 2023—empirically the best romance holiday of February—and we’re celebrating in traditional fashion by talking about why ...

S05.20: Shifter Romance: Manimals!

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve been asking for a shifter interstitial, and we like to give you what you want. Today, we’re talking manimals! We go back to the beginning a...

S05.19: Homecoming Romance with Kate Clayborn

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Seven-timer Kate Clayborn returns to the Fated Mates studio (lol, jk there is no studio) to talk about about going home again in romance and to celebr...

S05.18: Harlequin Category Romance Interstitial: The Romance Industrial Complex

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We don’t talk enough about category romances, and that is a big mistake. This week, we’re changing that — discussing the power of the category r...

S05.17: Catherine Coulter: Trailblazer

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re thrilled to share our next Trailblazer episode this week—we had a great time talking with Catherine Coulter about her place in romance histo...

5.16: Snowed-In Romance

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year, Magnificent Firebirds! Our first episode of 2023 leans into winter — we’re talking snowed-in romances! What makes snowed-in differ...

S05.15: Omegaversity: Class is Now in Session with Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As is customary, we’re celebrating New Year’s Eve here on Fated Mates with some of our favorite people in a fully headphones-in episode! Pour your...

BONUS: Sarah's appearance on Failure To Adapt

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah recently joined Red Scott and Maggie Tokuda-Hall on their excellent Failure To Adapt podcast to discuss the Jane Austen’s Emma and Amy Heckerl...

Bonus: We Wish You a Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year of Books

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Happy happy holidays — our gift to you this weekend is a little bantr, a lot of book recs, and a wish that you get everything you want this holiday ...

S05.14: Band Sinister by KJ Charles

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s our final read along of 2022, and we’re so excited to be talking about KJ Charles’s Band Sinister — one of Jen’s favorite books (she wo...

S05.13: Here Comes Santa Claus

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the Holiday Season™️ and for some reason 2022 Holiday Season has brought romance a sleigh full of Santa romance, which may or may not be a ...

S05.12: Twinterstitial: Twins in Romance

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

TWINS! For two romance readers steeped in 80s romance mythology, it’s hard to believe that it took us five seasons to have an interstitial on twins ...

S05.11: Best Romance Novels of 2022

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Best Romance Novels of 2022! It’s the best and worst task of the year for us, because we read so many fabulous books over the course of the year...

S05.10: The Diamond Dogs Book Club: Romance Novel Recommendations for the Ted Lasso Cast

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two seasons ago we promised an episode where we recommend romance novels for each of the characters in Ted Lasso. Sarah’s brother is holding us to i...

S05.09: Hold by Claire Kent: There is Nothing Soft in this Book

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve talked about this week’s read along so much it’s kind of impossible to imagine that we haven’t read it with y’all, yet! But here we ar...

S05.08: Iris Johansen: Trailblazer

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Iris Johansen, who began writing category romance in the heyday of the format at Loveswept. During he...

S05.07: Spooky Stuff! Halloween Romance

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s spooky season and that means we’re reading spooky stuff! We recommend some of our favorite recent witches and demons and incubii and ghosts a...