Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
Episodes
S02.39: Childhood Friends to Adult Lovers
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of readers’ very favorite tropes this week…sometimes it’s friends-to-lovers and sometimes it’s friends-to-enemies-to-lovers and sometimes ...
S02.38: Three Little Mistakes by Nikki Sloane: I Think About Kool Aid A Lot
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking about one of the best writers in erotic romance this week—Join us for a deep dive into Nikki Sloane’s Three Little Mistakes, which...
S02.37: Partner in Danger
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s one of our favorite tropes this week — get your pens out, because we’re talking about about a thousand books that tackle Partner in Danger!...
S02.36: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie: I wanna mash their faces together.
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a Jen week this week! We’re reading Bet Me this week, the book many people put right on the top of Best Contemporary Romance lists — one of...
S02.35: Freewheeling with Sophie Jordan: The "Taking the Finger" Explainer
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie Jordan is back again! She’s got a new book out, The Virgin and the Rogue, and she’s back with us to freewheel about old school romances, ap...
S02.34: Texas! Chase by Sandra Brown: The Original Sexclamation Point
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes there’s a writer who’s so transformative to your experience as a reader that you forget she even was a part of it until you remember, an...
S02.33: Enemies to Lovers with Tasha Harrison
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tasha Harrison is joining us this week to talk about an old reliable trope — enemies to lovers! This is one of those that we return to again and aga...
S02.32: Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl: Perfect Books are Perfect
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back to a more recent book that taught Sarah about contemporary romance, Victoria Dahl’s Taking the Heat. Use headphones for this one, becau...
S02.31: Forced Proximity Romances with Christina Lauren
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’ve got two tremendous guests and we’re coming to you from four different time zones! Coronavirus silver lining — time has literall...
S02.30: Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips : Grandma has her Shotgun
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are feeling really proud of ourselves this week because Nobody’s Baby But Mine was the perfect isolation read for us both. The reread confirmed t...
S02.29: Health Care Workers in Romance
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are very pro health care workers these days — we love all of you…doctors, nurses, EMTs, home health aides…if you know how to work a stethosco...
S02.28: “It’s Sinister, right?! - Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re reading a favorite of both Sarah & Jen — Stephanie Laurens’s Devil’s Bride! We’re so excited to talk about ridiculous (w...
S02.27: Sickbed Scenes in Romance with Kate Clayborn
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah has the flu! She wants you to know it’s absolutely terrible and you should all get your flu shots even though she got one and still got the fl...
S02.26: Women's Friendship in Romance
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking about women’s friendship in romance this week — how it works, why it’s important, and why we want all our romance heroines to ha...
S02.25: Asking For Trouble: Tessa Bailey is the Queen of Dirty Talk
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're mixing it up, talking about an author more than a specific book -- the Queen of Dirty Talk herself, Tessa Bailey. But we're not just t...
S02.24: Quick and Dirty Romance
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s February and it’s winter and it’s grey and dark and we’re all just looking for some books that are quick, dirty and delicious. Or, at lea...
S02.23: Waking Up with the Duke: Lorraine Heath Breaks A Lot of Romance Rules
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it’s one of Sarah’s favorites, and by an author Jen has never read! Lorraine Heath is a master of the historical, and this one is near-...
S02.22: Sarah's on Deadline AMA
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We promised we’d get to the rest of our Holiday AMA questions eventually, and Sarah’s on deadline, so this seemed like the perfect week to do it! ...
S02.21: Old School Category Romance
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This one is a RIDE, you guys! We wanted to do something really fun this week—something that would lighten the mood for us and for you. So, strap in,...
S02.20: Managed by Kristen Callihan: Scottie!!!
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t miss a single moment of our 2020 episodes — subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and like/review the podcast if you’re so inclin...
S02.19: So You Want to Read a Historical
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t miss a single moment of our 2020 episodes — subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and like/review the podcast if you’re so inclin...
S02.18: Born in Ice: The One Where the Hero Smokes
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t miss a single moment of our 2020 episodes — subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and like/review the podcast if you’re so inclin...
S02.17: Pegging Romance with Sierra Simone
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Auspicious beginning, right? Don’t miss a single moment of our 2020 episodes — subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and like/review the ...
S02.16: Christmas Romance Novel Recommendations
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to give us a gift this year, please like/subscribe to/review the podcast in your favorite podcasting platform!We’re back next week with ...
S02.15: Romance Recommendations: Stump Jen & Sarah Part 2
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting platform — and while you’re there, please leave us a like or a review!Next ...
S02.14: Indigo: Ride the Beverly Jenkins Train
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready for Hester, one of Sarah’s favorite heroines of all time — and Beverly Jenkins’s Indigo, which Jen just read for the first time! We’...
S02.13: Best Romance Novels of 2019
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The rest of the internet is obsessed with best of the year lists, so we’re doing it, too! Jen and Sarah have both chosen five of our favorite reads ...
S02.12: Lord of Scoundrels: Reel or be Reeled
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It may be Thanksgiving week in the US, but that didn’t stop us from recording a monster episode about one of our (and all of Romance’s) favorite b...
S02.11: Romance Recommendations: Stump Jen and Sarah
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Stay tuned for the second half of the episode in December! Next week, just in time for your tryptophan induced coma, we’re talking Loretta Chase’s...
S02.10: Amnesia Romance Novels
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Next week, we’re switching things up and running a full recommendation podcast! You asked us questions, and we’re recommending a metric romance to...
S02.09: Sierra Simone's Midwest: Priest
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Priest week! Sarah put Sierra Simone’s Priest on her Books that Blooded Her list, and this episode is a ride! Jen’s reading first person na...
S02.08: Competence & Careers in Romance
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re talking jobs in romance novels—why we love them, when we hate them, what’s the proper work/smooch balance, and what we mean when w...
S02.07: That's Spelled J-E-H-N: Dark Lover
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Woof, you guys. Woof. This week we’re talking a whole different kind of Vampires (not a single one chained to a radiator…we love u, Conrad) — wi...
S02.06: Cinnamon Roll Heroes with Andie J Christopher
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We heard you! You wanted to talk about Cinnamon Roll Heroes, so here we are, and we’re bringing in an expert on the topic (in real life and in ficti...
S02.05: James Malory Gets Bangs: Gentle Rogue
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah picked this week’s read without having read it recently, and she shockingly doesn’t regret it! We’re talking Johanna Lindsey’s Gentle Ro...
S02.04: Novellas with Alyssa Cole
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re talking about novellas with one of the best novella writers around—Alyssa Cole. Join us, along with Alyssa’s tree frogs, to talk...
S02.03: Lisa Kleypas Does Spectacles Better than F. Scott Fitzgerald: Dreaming of You
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We begin the exploration of The Books That Blooded Us with the one that probably least surprised listeners—Lisa Kleypas’s Dreaming of You! We tack...
S02.02: The Alpha in Romance Novels
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we lead into Season Two, and consider the fact that some of our faves are definitely going to be problematic, we’re talking about the alpha hero ...
S02.01 Welcome to Season Two
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're Back!We promised you we'd be back with Season Two in September, and here we are in September, back with Season Two!We've said farewell to S...
Fated Wallflowers/Wicked Mates Crossover Episode!
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In July, at the Romance Writers of America annual conference, we had the extraordinarily good luck to record a crossover episode with Jenny Nordbak &a...
Nine Minutes with Jen
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, yes, we're on hiatus. But we can't stop, won't stop!In this mini episode, Jen talks to her friend Elizabeth about what we can do when someone jud...
Six Minutes with Sarah
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're on hiatus until September, when we'll start Season 2, but here is a quick hi from Sarah, with a story from her trip to the UK that only Fated Ma...
19: I Don’t Know; She’s a Witch: Wicked Abyss
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fated Mates returns with Season Two in September — don’t forget to like & subscribe in your favorite podcasting app so you don’t miss a sing...
18.5 : Antiheroes in Romance: Interstitial
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting platform so that you know the moment we start Season Two (in early September)!N...
18: We Got to the Bag of Severed Heads! Shadow's Claim and Shadow's Seduction
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting platform — and while you’re there, please leave us a like or a review.We’...
17.5: This isn't a podcast; this is a Brazen and the Beast hype video
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Next week, we’re tackling the Dacians in two weeks with a two-for-one episode featuring both of these Lothaire spinoff stories, Shadow's Claim (feat...
17: Sexclamation Points! - The Player!
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our favorite person, Kate Clayborn, is back with us to wrap up the Game Makers series with THE PLAYER! Join us as Sarah explains all the ways that the...
16.5 : Royals Romance with Nana Malone
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re talking all things royal! Join us with the fabulously fun Nana Malone to talk about kings, queens, princes and princesses, royal wed...
16: Was It as Good For You as it Was For Me? Sweet Ruin
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
IT’S HAPPENNNINNNGGGGG! Sweet Ruin, Sarah’s favorite book in the IAD series, is finally here and she is BEYOND EXCITED to talk about her favorite ...
15.5: Epistolary Romances
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Love letters are the best because they’re personal and honest and raw and beautiful, and this week—by request—we’re talking about all the diff...
15: How Is She Even Able To Walk? - The Master
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back with The Game Makers Series this week — talking with the wonderful Sophie Jordan about her favorite book in the series, The Master! Sta...
14.5: Space Romance - There Are No Wallflowers in Space!
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it was destined to happen sometime—we’re taking the show intergalactic! This week we’re talking about space romance and why it’s totally...
14: Thronos Should Get the Hell Over Himself: Dark Skye
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We are back from vacation and Torture Island is back — surprising no one more than us! It’s Dark Skye week, Lanthe & Thronos are doing some we...
13.5: Freewheeling with Sarah and Jen: We’re Big Mad
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Y’all asked for more rants, and boy do we have some for you this week! Alabama passed a terrible law, Georgia and Ohio are right there with them, an...
13: Can Eastern Promises Viggo Mortensen Get It? - The Professional (Game Makers)
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Game Makers Series! Kresley’s first foray into contemporary begins with The Professional, which is some kind of book, y’all. Originally releas...
12.5: Small Town Romance
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Small towns! Jen (Chicago) and Sarah (NYC) do not understand them IRL, but we are talking about them in fiction this week! Listen to us talk about the...
12: Do Not Let the Lykae into the Yankee Candle Store: MacRieve
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
MacRieve is here and so is friend of the pod, Sierra Simone! We’re so excited to talk about The Full Kresley, what makes erotic romance, The Simone ...
11.5: Sports Romance with Jenny Nordbak
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a sports ball fan?! Do we have romances for you! We’ve got the brilliant Jenny Nordbak from The Wicked Wallflowers podcast back for a sports...
Periods, Pizza, and Point of View: Another AMA with Jen & Sarah
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jen and Sarah were together in the same city in the same room and just couldn’t pass up the chance to do a real-deal AMA while looking at each other...
11: Woof. Hope Your Headphones Didn't Fall Out! - Lothaire
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lothaire is here! We’re so excited, we don’t know what to do with ourselves, but FYI, this is a longer episode than usual -- so get ready! We're t...
10.5: Fake Engagement Romance
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This one has to be a top-ten universal trope…were talking fake engagements! Listen to us chat about why ladies love a fantasy, the royal wedding, ma...
10: Declan Chase is Kinda Trying: Dreams of a Dark Warrior
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mr. Vivisection is here, and it’s a whole lot! Regin the Radiant is on Torture Island, and just her luck, the guy running the whole show is a berser...
9.5: Food Romance
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Adriana Herrera joins us again to talk food romances and Sarah is very excited. Adriana’s debut food romance, American Dreamer, is on she...
9: Torture Island!!! - Demon from the Dark
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Torture Island is here and we could not be more excited! Demon from the Dark is Jen’s favorite book in the series, because she loves poor, broken Ma...
8.5: Gateways to Romance - Interstitial
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You’re new to romance, where should you begin?! This week, Jen and Sarah are talking about good gateway romances, and we’ve got four that we think...
8: Triggering the Chastity Clause: Pleasure of a Dark Prince
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back with the werewolves this week, with one of our very favorite books in the series, Pleasures of a Dark Prince, featuring Garreth MacRieve ...
7.5: Scotland Historical Romances
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Scotland week, Lads and Lassies! We’re talking about the great green jewel to the north of England, where the ladies are bold and the lairds ...
7: Ghost Pepper Town: Warlord Wants Forever & Untouchable
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’re tackling the novellas this week, and finishing up the Wroth Brother Quartet with The Warlord Wants Forever (Nikolai) & Untouchable (Murdoc...
6.5: Freewheeling with Joanna Shupe: Enemies to Lovers Romance
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re having a fun, far-reaching conversation with the wonderful Joanna Shupe—who loves Kiss of a Demon King a whole lot, immediately s...
6: Reclaiming the Unlikeable Heroine: Kiss of a Demon King
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best loved books in the IAD universe, this week we’re talking about Kiss of A Demon King, the completion of the Demonarchy Duology, starr...
5.5: Road Trip Romances
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve got Doritos, a stack of Cosmo sex quizzes and an epic mixtape ready to go — Sarah and Jen are talking about road trips and the inevitable sm...
5: That Vessel Business: Dark Desires After Dusk
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
DEMONS ARE HERE! We’re talking Dark Desires After Dusk, starring Cadeon Woede (Prince of the Rage Demonarchy) and Holly, his human fated mate ...
4.5: Curvy Heroines in Romance
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year, Fated Matesers (This isn’t a great name for us. We need a better name—someone name us)! We’re back, it’s 2019, new year, new u...
4: A+, Would Risk Haunting: Dark Needs at Night's Edge
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Book 4 is here and so are ghosts! We’re talking Dark Needs at Night's Edge, starring Conrad (the most tortured of the Wroth vampire brothers) ...
Horns, Claws, or Wolf Hologram: An AMA with Sarah & Jen
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the holidays, and whether you’re the type to hole up on the couch and read, or go for a long walk to escape, we’ve got you covered. Get rea...
3.5: Holiday Romance
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the Holiday Season™️, which means it’s time to talk about Holiday romances! Get ready because there are A WHOLE LOT of books in this show...
3: A Great Lay or All the Knowledge in the World: Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We’re three books into IAD this week, and it is happening! We're joined by the brilliant Adriana Herrera to talk Wicked Deeds on...
2.5: Brother's Best Friend Romances
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Next week we’re going to get into Werewolves and Witches with Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, but this week, we’re so excited to talk best fri...
2: The Best Led Zeppelin Song is by Pink Floyd: No Rest for the Wicked
28 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We’re two books in this week, reading No Rest for the Wicked, starring Kaderin the Cold-hearted and Sebastian Wroth, participating in the Talisman H...
1.5: Escort Romances
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We know you’re getting excited for No Rest for the Wicked, but before we talk about vampires and Valkyries, let’s talk about escort romances!Show ...
1: We're Gonna Come Back to Biting - A Hunger Like No Other
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah & Jen talk A Hunger Like No Other, why reading Alphas in 2018 is a tricky situation, how Kresley instantly changed the game with Lachlain Ma...
.5: Rock Star Romance
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
While you're reading A Hunger Like No Other, we're bringing you off-week romance recommendations, on themes! Join us this week for Rock Star Roma...
Intro: A Wolf Without A Foot
23 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Fated Mates! Author Sarah MacLean and critic Jen Prokop launch their fan podcast about Kresley Cole’s Internationally bestselling paranor...