Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
Episodes
S04.48: J. R. Ward: Trailblazer
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The final Trailblazer of Season 4 is a very excellent one—we’re welcoming JR Ward to Fated Mates! Best known as the author of The Black Dagger Bro...
S04.47: Antiheroines in Romance
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our final interstitial of Season 4 and we’re talking Antiheroines! If she’s a criminal, a grifter, a villain or a generally bad dude, we’re here...
S04.46: Two Girls, One Microphone, Headphones In: Sarah and Jen at Apollycon
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’re getting the full banana this week, y’all, because we were together! Like, actually face to face, across a table in a hotel room! We’re ta...
S04.45: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking about one of our (and many of your!) favorite recent contemporary romances, Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown. We’...
S04.44: Daddy Romance
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Four seasons in, we’re just throwing caution to the wind now. It’s Daddy week! Yes, that kind of daddy. No, it’s not for everyone, but it is for...
S04.43: [Sex on the] Beach Reads
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s July, which means it is officially summer reading time in the northern hemisphere! We’re so excited to share this week’s episode, in which ...
S04.42: Brenda Jackson: Trailblazer
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Brenda Jackson, contemporary romance juggernaut, the first African American romance novelist to hit t...
S04.41: Unputdownable Romance Novels
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We don’t even know, y’all, so this week, we’re doing a little bit of flailing and a lot of talking about books we found unputdownable when we re...
S04.40: Royalty Romance #2
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We were going to do a deep dive this week, but then we read the book and decided that was a hard pass! So, we do a very shallow dive and then get to t...
S04.39: Superhero Romance with Barry Lyga
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking Superheroes! Why is it so rare to see a great romance in a superhero story? Is there really no room for love and capes? Do ...
S04.38: These Books Bang: The Sexiest Romance Novels
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is thanks to Julie Block, the Fated Mates listener who won an episode of the podcast in the Romance for Reproductive Justice auc...
S04.37: Groveling in Romance Novels
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If there isn’t a grovel, is it even a romance? This week, we’re getting to the bottom of one of our favorite moments in a romance novel — the gr...
S04.36: Jude Deveraux: Trailblazer
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Jude Deveraux, an early historical romance author who broke several publishing barriers over her more...
S04.35: Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin: Some Real Hero Sh*t
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking about one of our favorite historical romances, Jeannie Lin’s Butterfly Swords. This is one we’ve mentioned on previous ...
S04.34: Celebrity Romance Novels
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re tackling one of Sarah’s favorite tropes this week — the celebrity romance! We talk about all the ways that her buttons were installed (tha...
S04.33: Something About You by Julie James: Jack’s A Good Name For A Hero
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking about a beloved contemporary romance, the first in Julie James’s FBI/US Attorney series — Something About You. This on...
S04:32: EE Ottoman: Trailblazer
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Trailblazer episodes continue this week with EE Ottoman, the first out trans author of romance novels. EE joins us to talk about his journey into roma...
S04.31: Vampire Romance Novels
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At the request of Instagram, we’re talking Vampires today! We’re doing some deep cuts, returning to Kresley Cole for a minute or two, and then dig...
S04.30: Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking about one of Sarah’s favorite recent historicals, Diana Quincy’s beautiful Her Night With the Duke, which was on our 20...
S04.29: Nora Roberts: Trailblazer
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Trailblazer episodes continue this week with the Queen herself! Nora Roberts joins us today to talk about her longstanding career in romance—fro...
S04.28: Boss/Assistant Romance
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re on a roll delivering interstitials about all our very favorite wild tropes, and this week we’re tackling boss/assistant romances! We’ll un...
S04.27: Nine Questions about Nine Rules
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a Very Special Episode™️ of Fated Mates today, celebrating the rerelease of Sarah’s first book, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake...
S04.26: Jeannie Lin: Trailblazer
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Jeannie Lin, one of the first authors to write historical romance featuring Asian characters set in A...
S04.25: Waking Up Married" Romance
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re still doomscrolling, so we’re still releasing goofy, bantr-y episodes about tropes we cannot quit! This week, we’re talking about a very s...
S04.24: The London Hale Oeuvre
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welp, we’re back in a doom scrolling spiral this week, so why not take a visit to a small town full of hot single dads and firemen? We’re reading ...
S04.23: Fake Dating Romance
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You can’t throw a stone in romance in 2022 without hitting a fake dating story, so we figure it’s time to do an interstitial on it! We’re talkin...
S04.22: Sarah J. Maas on Sailor Moon, Writing Sex and Second Books
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oh boy have we got an episode for you! We’re thrilled to have Sarah J. Maas with us to celebrate the release of the second in her Crescent City seri...
S04.21: Sandra Kitt: Trailblazer
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Annnnd….we’re back! This week, we’ve got a new Trailblazer episode: Sandra Kitt—the first African American author at Harlequin (Rites of Sprin...
S04.20: "Break In Case of Emergency" Romance
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to romance reading sisters Cait & Kara for their donation to the Romance for Haiti auction last year, and for this fabulous episode idea! W...
S04.19: Passion by Lisa Valdez: The Romance Equivalent of "I Have an Extra Stomach for Dessert"
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we’re talking about a historical that we like to think of as the full banana. A descriptor which, now that we’re typing it,...
S04.18: Jayne Ann Krentz: Trailblazer
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Jayne Ann Krentz, who has done it all: writing for Vivian Stephens, writing historicals, writing cont...
S04.17: Roy Kent Redux, Happy New Year!
01 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s New Year’s Eve and that means it’s time for a special episode of Fated Mates! Also, Ted Lasso Season 2 is complete and that means it’s ti...
04.16: (Short and) Sexy Christmas Recs
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Holidays are about traditions and it's a Fated Mates tradition to rerun the previous year's holiday episode. So here we are! This year, we’ve added ...
S04.15: Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back to paranormal romance this week — and so excited! It’s been literal years since we’ve done a deep dive like this one, talking about...
S04.14: Elda Minger: Trailblazer
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Trailblazer series continues this week with Elda Minger—author of contemporary and historical romances, including Untamed Heart, which is the fi...
S04.13: AMA with Questions from Piper Rayne
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re joined this week by author Piper Rayne, who is two authors! Elizabeth Grace (Piper) and Michelle Lynn (Rayne) have written dozens of wildly tr...
S04.12: The Men at Work Trilogy by Tiffany Reisz: Thanksgiving is a lot
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s autumn which means it’s time to start talking holiday seasons and holiday romances here at Fated Mates, so this week, we’re talking about o...
S04.11: Vincent Virga: Trailblazer
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re continuing our Trailblazer episodes with Vincent Virga—author of the Gaywyck trilogy, the first m/m gothic romance, and one of th...
S04.10: Beverly Jenkins: Trailblazer
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re continuing our Trailblazer episodes with Beverly Jenkins—the first Black author of historical romance featuring Black main charac...
S04.09: Best Romance Novels of 2021
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for our favorite episode of the year — the one when we topple TBR piles! It’s our Best Books of 2021 episode — ten books that got u...
S04.08: Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2021 has been kind of a mess, honestly, and Sarah hasn’t been reading as much as usual, because *waves hands at the world.* But Hana Khan Carries On...
S04.07: A Conversation with Rare Book Dealer Rebecca Romney
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re thrilled to have Rebecca Romney with us! Rebecca is a rare books dealer and the woman behind The Romance Novel in English, a 100-lo...
S04.06: Monster Romance with Jenny Nordbak
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking minotaurs and spiders and orcs and gargoyles…it’s Monster Romance week at Fated Mates! Jenny Nordbak of the Wicked Wallflowers and...
S04.05: Radclyffe: Trailblazer
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re continuing our Trailblazer episodes with Radclyffe—author of lesbian romances and founder of the LGBTQIA+ publisher, Bold Strokes...
S04.04: Ravished by Amanda Quick: The difference between fossils and Fossils
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At some point, we were going to have to talk about fossils, right? Ravished is the bluestocking book that started it all for Sarah, and an absolute cl...
S04.03: Secret Baby Interstitial
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re doing a big one this week — secret babies! We’re talking the babies and the pregnancies—and why they are such a juggernaut in romance. W...
S04.02: Sandra Brown: Trailblazer
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Trailblazers conversations begin this week with the brilliant, fearless Sandra Brown—aka Erin St. Clair and Rachel Ryan. We talk about everythin...
S04.01: Welcome to Season Four: Trailblazers and More
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Season Four starts today, you Magnificent Firebirds!Season One gave us a full lAD deep dive (if you’ve never read Kresley Cole’s Immortals After D...
Fated Mates LIVE! Bombshell Launch Event
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We promised you fun stuff while we are on Hiatus, and here we are! Last week, more than 700 of you joined us for a Fated Mates LIVE to celebrate Sarah...
S03.54: Bombshell has Landed!
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah has a new book out, so Jen is playing host this week, and Sarah is playing guest, and Jen is really extremely good at it…so pour yourself a gl...
S03.53: Sports Romance with Farrah Rochon
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re joined by Farrah Rochon, author of The Dating Playbook, to talk sports romances! We talked sports way back in season 1 (links below), bu...
S03.52: Assassins and Hitmen in Romance
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Surprising absolutely no one, we love an assassin here at Fated Mates! We basically love any character who has been through the wringer and also can k...
S03.51: Mistresses, Courtesans, and Cheating in Romance with Adriana Herrera
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Adriana Herrera, a FIVE-TIMER, joins us this week to talk about the third-rail of romance…infidelity! We’re talking about cheating, and about all ...
S03.50: Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian: a Perfect Modern Historical
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re nearing the end of Season Three and we are so happy to be reading one of the most delightful books in modern historical romance, Cat Sebastian...
S03.49: YA Romance Novels with Nicola Yoon
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two episodes this week! Huzzah! Today we’re joined by the extremely delightful, extremely brilliant Nicola Yoon to discuss her extremely romantic ne...
S03.48: The Ted Lasso Interstitial: Is Roy Kent a Romance Hero?
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Hang on,” we can hear you saying, “isn’t this a romance novel podcast?” It absolutely is, and that’s why we’re dropping a very special ...
S03.47: Taboo Romance with Nikki Sloane
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Taboo Romance week! We’re thrilled to be joined by Nikki Sloane, whose books we’ve adored for years here on FM. We talk about what makes a ...
S03.46: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Interview
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are so excited to have absolute romance legend Susan Elizabeth Phillips with us to discuss every fangirly question we had for her! We talked about ...
S03.45: Dark Romance: Monsters Need Love, Too.
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We promised you an episode on Dark Romance and truthfully we’re pretty proud of how well we’ve delivered. We’ve got Kenya Goree-Bell, Nisha Shar...
S03.44: The Stage Dive Series by Kylie Scott: #HeroesWhoEat
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back to read alongs this week! We’re big Kylie Scott fans here at Fated Mates, and we talked about her Stage Dive series all the way back in...
S03.43: Writers in Romance with Tia Williams
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re welcoming Tia Williams, author of the wonderful Seven Days in June, to talk about her delicious book, about writing writers, about romances se...
S03.42: Fantasy Romance with Zoraida Córdova
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Zoraida Córdova (aka Zoey Castille) joins us to talk about fantasy romance and why it is so hard to find it in the romance pool. We talk a...
Bonus: 99% Invisible Podcast on The Clinch
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Monday Surprise! We’re so excited to share last week’s episode of 99% Invisible with Fated Mates listeners this week — Sarah’s favorite podcas...
S03.41: Spy Romance with Nana Malone
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You are in the right place! Your eyes do not deceive you! We’re actually talking about spy romances this week and no Sarahs were harmed during the d...
S03.40: Tangled Lies by Anne Stuart - Who Flies in White Linen?!
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing our conversation about Bright Bananas on the Romance Tree — this week we’re reading an extreme oldie, Anne Stuart’s Tangled Lies, fam...
S03.39: The Soulmate Equation & Trope Death Match with Christina Lauren
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is release week for some of our favorite people, and we’re here to celebrate with them! Join us for a wild conversation about the books Jen refer...
S03.38: Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas: She's Good
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking Sherry Thomas’s beautiful, unrequited love/marriage of convenience story Ravishing the Heiress this week — we’ll talk about angs...
S03.37: Widows in Romance
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re toppling TBRs this week with widow romances! We’re talking widows of all shapes and sizes…from virgin widows who murder their husbands in ...
S03.36: Whiteout by Adriana Anders: You and Me Against the World
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re tackling Romantic Suspense and reading one of our favorite books of 2020, Adriana Anders’s Whiteout! We talk about all the things...
S03.35: Second Chance Romance with Priscilla Oliveras
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Priscilla Oliveras to talk about second chance romance and her new book (out next week!), Anchored Hear...
S03.34: Captain of All Pleasures by Kresley Cole: There's Only One Bunk
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rounding the corner on Season Three, and we’re missing Kresley Cole! This week, we read a book neither of us have read before — Kresley’s Captai...
S03.33: Age Gap Romance
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Silver foxes, May/December, older heroines/younger heroes. Look, Sarah’s buttons were installed young, OK? We’re talking age gap romances, how the...
S03.32: You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria: A Textbook for Human Relationships
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We named Alexis Daria’s You Had Me At Hola one of the best romances of 2020, and for good reason. This week, we’re talking about how great romance...
S03.31: Morality Chain Romance
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re so thrilled to be talking morality chain romance! We’ve owed this episode to Katee Robert for nearly a year, and we have no excuses for how ...
S03.30: A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh: It's Grown Up!
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re headed back to 2007 this week, to talk about Mary Balogh’s A Matter of Class, which Sarah’s editor gave her as assigned reading when she w...
S03.29: Your Romance Questions Answered
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah is *still* on deadline (WE KNOW), but we’re answering your questions about romance novels, publishing, writing and more. In this episode, we’...
S03.28: What makes a Romance Novel a Romance Novel?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, so it’s that time of year and Sarah is on deadline, which means we’re just kicking our next read along episode down the road until she’s don...
S03.27: Retellings in Romance Novels with Kate Clayborn
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by the fabulous Kate Clayborn — the first in the Fated Mates five-timer club! — to talk about about retellings in romance and to cel...
S03.26: What to Read if You Loved Bridgerton
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So you watched the Bridgerton Netflix series and you've torn through the books, and now you're desperate for more historical romance while you wait fo...
S03.25: The Blackout Billionaires by Naima Simone: They actually do it in the foyer
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are talking about Naima Simone this week — and honestly, we could have picked any of Naima’s series to read because she’s just. that. good. W...
S03.24: It's Derek Craven Day and We're Going Through Some Things
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Derek Craven Day! We’re wearing our t-shirts and buttons, and spending a whole lot of time talking about what Derek Craven would and wouldn’...
Bonus: Rerelease of Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas (2019)
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re releasing a new episode on Thursday with guest Kate Clayborn in honor of Derek Craven day, so today we’re rereleasing our Dreamin...
Fated Tropes AMA!
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Back in July we had a very fun crossover episode with Erin and Clayton of Learning the Tropes. It was a delight and you should absolutely listen to it...
S03.23: Curvy Heroines Redux
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly two years since our first Curvy Heroines interstitial, which was short and sweet, we’re back with another that is longer and more meandering,...
S03.22: For Real by Alexis Hall: Jen had to Google Some Things
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 2021, and we’re back on the reading train with one of Sarah’s favorite erotic romances ever, Alexis Hall’s For Real. We dig into sex on ...
S03.21: Prom Is Cancelled: A Chat with Sex Columnist Sophia Benoit
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re thrilled to be joined by the fabulous Sophia Benoit, sex columnist for GQ magazine and romance novel lover! We talk about romance, ...
Jessa Kane New Year's Eve Extravaganza
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
WELCOME 2021!As is customary on Fated Mates, we’re releasing a special New Year’s Eve episode that requires headphones if you’re in mixed compan...
Another AMA with Sarah and Jen
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the Holidays and the end of 2020 and we don’t really know what’s happening, but Eric is keeping us honest with another AMA! This one was re...
S03.20: Romance Families
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's the holidays and we're talking family romances because many of us are with our families or thinking about them this week. No matter whether you h...
S03.19: The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn: Because everyone else is doing the Bridgertons
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
BRIDGERTON is nearly here! Make sure you have batteries in your remote and your Netflix subscription is up to date, because on 12/25, Julia Quinn’s ...
S03.18: Julie Garwood Interstitial: Damnit, Sara! (Not our Sarah!)
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we tried something a little different—recording a live interstitial episode! We’re talking about Jen’s formative queen, Julie Garwood...
S03.17: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: Lucy! Obviously Danny didn't send the roses!
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There aren’t many recent romances you can point to and categorically label as game changers, but Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game definitely fits th...
S03.16: Best Romance Novels of 2020
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Best Romance Novels of 2020! It’s the best and worst task of the year for us, because we read so many AMAZING books over the course of the year,...
S03.15: Menage Romance with Katee Robert
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s getting colder out there, so we’re getting hot in here! We’ve got the fabulous Katee Robert with us to talk about ménage romance and why...
S03.14: Our 100th Episode! Fated Mates Live
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
ONE HUNDRED EPISODES! You’ve seen us through Immortals After Dark, through Books that Blooded Us, and through a presidential election, so if there w...
S03.13: Fated States Author Recommendations
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The last six weeks have been rough, but Fated Mates listeners and a wild number of Romance Authors made them easier by being a part of Fated States, o...
S03.12: The Immigrant Story and Joy in Romance with Adriana Herrera
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The fabulous Adriana Herrera is here for her fourth time to talk about Joy! We had a great time with one of the greatest people this week — talking ...
S03.11: Comfort Reads with Dani Lacey
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s comfort read week! What makes a comfort read, why do we turn to them, what do we want from them, and why on earth do blue aliens fit the bill?!...
S03.10: Mafia Romance Novels with Nisha Sharma
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, as part of joy month, we’re joined by Nisha Sharma, author of The Takeover Effect and The Legal Affair, to talk about her favorite trope ...
S03.09: Christina Lauren on FanFiction and Romance: Blissward is How it Should Be
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s joy month! We’ve got two of our very favorites with us — Christina Lauren is here with us to discuss fan fiction, romance, their romance or...