Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

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 Scale™ of taboo romance, why MacRieve is so tough to read, why Sarah thinks it might be Kresley’s best book, and why Chloe is such a badass. There’s a lot of hysterical laughter, and Sarah is preparing for legal action.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. In two weeks, we’re starting Kresley’s contemporary series The Game Makers (we’re reading the books in original publication order) with The Professional. Get ready for Wroth Brother fanfic that Kresley herself refers to as “way sexier” then IAD. Get The Professional at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesThe NECRWA conference always sounds so great!I don't even know where to start with Andie Christopher and her Chris Evans obssession.Avengers Endgame, that ol' chesnut.We stan Sierra Simone, and we love The Sierra Simone Scale™. Check out her two latest, Misadventures of a Curvy Girl and A Lesson in Thorns.Debbie Macomber is a queen of small town contemporary romance.You can't stop me, you can only hope to contain me is a play on a very catchy ESPN phrase from back in the day.Adriana Herrera wrote about how to ethically write about sexual trauma for Smart Bitches. She also joined us to talk about Food Romances & her most recent release.Adriana Anders' Under Her Skin explores a story of a woman's traumatic past, as does Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan.Suzanne from Love In Panels wrote a great explainer about content warnings and why we use them.This is a powerful critique of sexual violence in Game of Thrones.Just last year, two books about women and anger were published: Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly and Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister.More about emotional dysregulation.The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux is an old school classic.Dick flu is definitely some BDE.You'd be surprised about how much writer's advice you can find about the evils of the info dump.The history of the Wingding.There's an entire subreddit dedicated to ranting about Comcast.Yankee Candle will eff a werewolf up.You can listen to Kresley on the Wicked Wallflowers podcast.Snakes on a plane!The story of Sir Walter Raleigh throwing down his cape for Queen Elizabeth to walk over is not historically accurate, but it still makes for a great scene in Shakespeare in Love.The Fifth Element is a completely rewatchable movie.All about the Mothman, who, it bears pointing out, Lothaire says exists.Here's the beginning of Sarah's stalking of Sierra after reading (and loving) Priest.Next time, we're going off road and have decided we'll be reading the first book in The Game Makers series, The Professional. Here's the reading order for the rest of Fated Mates Season One.Lost Limb CountArms and Hands (8)Conrad cuts off his own hand with a rusty axe so he escape the "witched" chains his brothers locked him in. (Dark Needs at Night's Edge)Cadeon has both of his hands burned off in the same scene where he loses an eye. There's description of what Cade's baby fingers look like as they are re-growing. It's...kinda gross. (Dark Desires After Dusk)Sebastian pulverizes most of his right arm during the Hie. He regenerates. (No Rest For the Wicked)Lucia peels all the skin off from her hand in order to free herself from some handcuffs. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)In order to retrieve the ring from La Dorada , Lothaire cuts off her finger. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lanthe and Carrow cut off Fegley's hand so they can use his thumb to unlock their torques. He's later killed. (Demon from the Dark)After receiving Lothaire's heart in a box, Ellie cuts off her middle finger and sends it to him. (Lothaire)Chloe's shoulder is dislocated in the escape from her auction (MacRieve).Chest and Torso (7)Omort severs Rydstrom's spine and punches through his torso in a fight. Sabine saves him and enlists Hag to help heal him. (Kiss of a Demon King)Lucia's neck is broken. She regenerates. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)On Torture Island, Regin,MacRieve,and Brandr are vivisected. It's pretty terrible. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Declan's skin is peeled off by the Neoptera as a child. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Lothaire rips out his own heart and sends it to Ellie in a box. (Lothaire)Head, Face, and Eyes (6)Bowen loses an eye and most of his forehead during the Hie. Mariketa has cursed him and he can't heal until he returns to her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Cadeon loses an eye and part of his forehead and hair when fighting. It all regenerates. (Dark Desires After Dusk)During a rugby match, Garreth has his teeth knocked out and swallows them. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lothaire kicks out La Dorada's remaining eye and throws her over a cliff. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)In the Bloodroot Forest, the tree grows over Lothaire's lips and tongue. (Lothaire)After she gains her immortality, Chloe's hair grows, but she cuts it off every morning. (MacRieve)Horns (2)Cadeon cuts off his own horns to prove to Holly that he is worthy of being her mate. She tells him to let them grow back (Dark Desires After Dusk)Malkolm is captured by his enemies in Oblivion and taken to the city of Ash. The publicly cut off his horns and then intend to kill him, but Carrow saves him. (Demon from the Dark)Legs and Feet (3)Lachlain tears off his own leg to reach Emma. He regenerates. (A Hunger Like No Other)Mariketa's skull is fractured and her leg is torn from her body. She heals herself after Bowen lays on the ground. Ivy grows over her and heals her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Thronos is chasing Melananthe and loses a foot when a portal closes on it. (Kiss of a Demon King)Beheading as a Romantic Gesture (4)The first time Garreth spies Lucia, it's when she shoots an arrow and beheads a kobold. He notices that it's "a fantastical shot" and he's super into it. Later, he helps her pick up the head because he's a real gentleman like that. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Later in the book, they are under attack from vampires and Lucia asks him to help. Garreth promises to "give her their throats" and beheads two vampires. But she's upset about it because of a previous bad experience with cannibalism. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Malkolm beheads men that attacked Carrow in Oblvion, and he throws them to prove he's a worthy mate. (Demon from the Dark)Declan fights and beheads several creatures as they escape Torture Island, including squeezing one dude so hard his eyes pop out and then he twists his head off. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Beheading as a Non-Romantic GestureEllie cuts off Lothaire's head, leaving a slender 1/8 of an inch left. It was kind of an accident, but he deserved it. (Lothaire)Maybe?Does Garreth's losing his connection with his mortal soul count? (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)When Soroya inhabited Ellie's body, she subjected her to a full Brazilian wax. Ellie doesn't realize it's happened until she takes control of her body again. (Lothaire)

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 romance interstitial! Listen to us chat about why we love sports books, the alpha, competence porn and books by Kennedy Ryan, Tamsen Parker, and Naima Simone!Next week, it’s (FOR REAL THIS TIME) MacRieve week with Sierra Simone! We’re so excited, and Sierra is the perfect guest for this sex-driven book! Get MacRieve at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesWelcome back to our guest Jenny Nordbak from the Wicked Wallflowers podcast!Everyone loves a trip to the hairdresser.Here's a list of the RITA finalists, and a link to Jen's new twitter account which tracks her reviews of the finalists.Author Bronwen Fleetwood crunched a bunch of RITA data from the past 20 years, which is how we know there are more winners named Susan (and Elizabeth, Barbara, Karen, Jennifer, Ann, Jill, Linda...) than WoC finalists.Famously, the Hugo Awards also struggled with recognizing the best books in their field.Here's what we are talking about when we talk about how PoC are underrepresented in publishing.Um, actully Sarah, Ulysses is a twitter thread.This week, Sarah told a pretty solid competence porn story about her neurosurgeon on Twitter.Kennedy Ryan has been on the Wicked Wallflowers podcast. Twice.Content warnings for Long Shot.Adriana Herrera, author and friend of the Pod, recently wrote a very important piece for the Smart Bitches about how to portray sexual assualt in romance.Why the Ray Rice elevator video is important.Jen's written about the whiteness of hockey romances for The Book Queen. Don't believe Jen? Back in 2012, commenter #11 left a plea for more hockey romances on this Smart Bitches post. I bet they are happy now.Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Chicago Stars series is a romance classic.There's no crying in baseball.Jen reviewed all of Tamsen Parker's Snow and Ice Games series.Olympics atheletes are busy, y'all.6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon was an amusing 90s pop culture game.Tennyson is a romance heroine and a famous poet.Listen to Naima's interview on the Wicked Wallflowers.Fumbled is a new football romance by Alexa Martin, and it deals with CTE.Get ready for MacRieve.

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’s faces! You asked, we answered…but get ready. There are some weird things in here (mainly said by Jen). Next week, it’s MacRieve week with Sierra Simone! If you think things got weird this week, just you wait! Get MacRieve at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesAt KissCon, Sarah and Sophie Jordan hosted a session called "Bananas Books" and friend of the pod Beth took notes and listed all the titles.Jen's Best Friend Kelly runs The Resistance Button Club, makes avatar buttons, and also designs stickers and swag for Romancelandia.You can see the signed copy of Wicked Abyss on our insta.Jen wrote about making new TBR collections for her Kindle on Twitter.Soren is one of the characters in Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series.Check out the IAD fan Facebook group.Check below in the photo array for the Kleypas books with talismans.Fridging is a comics term, and this explainer uses Deadpool 2 to explain the history of this problematic trope.Close 3rd person point of view is very common in romance.Unreliable narrators are very uncommon in romance.Here's how to make a Chicago-style hot dog.A quick primer on archetypes.Next week, we're talking about MacRieve with the magnificent Sierra Simone.Sarah's newest book, Brazen and the Beast, comes out in July and you should pre-order it now!The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/4/15/115-ama-with-jen-amp-sarah If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 talking morality chain romance, how Lothaire is a pure ass but incredibly funny, and how Ellie is pretty much the only mate he could ever have. Also, we love Nix & Lothaire a lot.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.In two weeks, one of our favorite people, Sierra Simone, is joining us to talk about The Full Kresley, and MacRieve! It's going to be a great time, we promise. Get MacRieve at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesLearn about tone-policing so you won't make Jen mad.Maybe we haven't recommended audiobook narrator Robert Petkoff to you enough.Justine Eyre is the audiobook narrator who was nominated for an Audie for Sarah's book Never Judge a Lady by her Cover.Love Between the Covers is an amazing documentary about romance, and you might be able to find it on Netflix.Everyone knows the difference between hardback and paperback books, but learn the difference between mass-market and trade paperbacks.During the Lothaire bus tour, Kresley wrote her fans this Facebook letter about the experience.Paul Marron is a very handsome man.The morality chain trope.Other famous series with villains-turned-heroes include Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers (Devil in Winter), Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane ([Duke of Sin])10, and Sarah's Scandal & Scoundrel (Day of the Duchess).Italy discovers what happens when everyone is raising a mammone.Lothaire breaks his life up into tasks, sort of like Hugh Grant in About a Boy.When Robert Downey Jr. starred at Sherlock Holmes, he can forecast the moves his opponents will make in a fight.On Twitter, Melanie did a very thorough count of all the times Lothaire punched a wall.Lothaire is very funny. Andie Christopher, friend of the pod, is very pro his cock slapping gnomes joke.Old Friends is a very sweet song by Simon & Garfunkle, even if you aren't learning to play the ukulele.Check out the Romance Sparks Joy read-along on Twitter and Facebook. Get M. Malone's Bad Blood for the April 15th Read!MacRieve will be next, and Sierra Simone will be joining us!Lost Limb CountArms and Hands (7)Conrad cuts off his own hand with a rusty axe so he escape the "witched" chains his brothers locked him in. (Dark Needs at Night's Edge)Cadeon has both of his hands burned off in the same scene where he loses an eye. There's description of what Cade's baby fingers look like as they are re-growing. It's...kinda gross. (Dark Desires After Dusk)Sebastian pulverizes most of his right arm during the Hie. He regenerates. (No Rest For the Wicked)Lucia peels all the skin off from her hand in order to free herself from some handcuffs. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)In order to retrieve the ring from La Dorada , Lothaire cuts off her finger. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lanthe and Carrow cut off Fegley's hand so they can use his thumb to unlock their torques. He's later killed. (Demon from the Dark)After receiving Lothaire's heart in a box, Ellie cuts off her middle finger and sends it to him. (Lothaire)Chest and Torso (7)Omort severs Rydstrom's spine and punches through his torso in a fight. Sabine saves him and enlists Hag to help heal him. (Kiss of a Demon King)Lucia's neck is broken. She regenerates. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)On Torture Island, Regin,MacRieve,and Brandr are vivisected. It's pretty terrible. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Declan's skin is peeled off by the Neoptera as a child. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Lothaire rips out his own heart and sends it to Ellie in a box. (Lothaire)Head, Face, and Eyes (5)Bowen loses an eye and most of his forehead during the Hie. Mariketa has cursed him and he can't heal until he returns to her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Cadeon loses an eye and part of his forehead and hair when fighting. It all regenerates. (Dark Desires After Dusk)During a rugby match, Garreth has his teeth knocked out and swallows them. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lothaire kicks out La Dorada's remaining eye and throws her over a cliff. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)In the Bloodroot Forest, the tree grows over Lothaire's lips and tongue. (Lothaire)Horns (2)Cadeon cuts off his own horns to prove to Holly that he is worthy of being her mate. She tells him to let them grow back (Dark Desires After Dusk)Malkolm is captured by his enemies in Oblivion and taken to the city of Ash. The publicly cut off his horns and then intend to kill him, but Carrow saves him. (Demon from the Dark)Legs and Feet (3)Lachlain tears off his own leg to reach Emma. He regenerates. (A Hunger Like No Other)Mariketa's skull is fractured and her leg is torn from her body. She heals herself after Bowen lays on the ground. Ivy grows over her and heals her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Thronos is chasing Melananthe and loses a foot when a portal closes on it. (Kiss of a Demon King)Beheading as a Romantic Gesture (4)The first time Garreth spies Lucia, it's when she shoots an arrow and beheads a kobold. He notices that it's "a fantastical shot" and he's super into it. Later, he helps her pick up the head because he's a real gentleman like that. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Later in the book, they are under attack from vampires and Lucia asks him to help. Garreth promises to "give her their throats" and beheads two vampires. But she's upset about it because of a previous bad experience with cannibalism. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Malkolm beheads men that attacked Carrow in Oblvion, and he throws them to prove he's a worthy mate. (Demon from the Dark)Declan fights and beheads several creatures as they escape Torture Island, including squeezing one dude so hard his eyes pop out and then he twists his head off. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Beheading as a Non-Romantic Gesture (2)Ellie cuts off Lothaire's head, leaving a slender 1/8 of an inch left. It was kind of an accident, but he deserved it. (Lothaire)In the fight with Ruelle, MacRieve and Munro's mother is beheaded by a envenomed vampire boy. Their father then beheads the vampire. Ruelle is also killed. (MacRieve)Maybe?Does Garreth's losing his connection with his mortal soul count? (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)When Soroya inhabited Ellie's body, she subjected her to a full Brazilian wax. Ellie doesn't realize it's happened until she takes control of her body again. (Lothaire)The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/4/8/11-lothaire If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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, marriages of convenience, and books by Elle Kennedy, Talia Hibbert, Chelsea M. Cameron and Kate Clayborn!GIRD THY LOINS, LOTHAIRE IS NEXT!A jumbo episode with this jumbo jerk face dreamboat! Get Lothaire at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie…and if you’re an audio lover, you are not going to want to miss Robert Petkoff on this one — Jen hearts it baaad.Show NotesAna Coqui is the force behind #RomBkLove.The twitter thread where Mary Lynn Nielsen perfectly described the fake engagement trope.In historicals, the trope is usually called marriage of convenience.Chelsea M. Cameron vs. Chelsea Cameron.Garrets are empirically great romance heroes.Kate Clayborn joined us for our Best Friend's Sibling episode.The royal wedding of Harry & Meghan was so delightful. We wish them many years of happiness.New adult is a genre descriptor that not everyone loves, but there are lots of wonderful NA romances.She's All That is a 90s teen romance starring Freddie Prinz Jr. and Rachel Leigh Cook."That Six Pence None the Richer" song is called Kiss Me.2 historicals that Sarah mentioned this week are His at Night by Sherry Thomas and Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James.Lothaire is next. We can't even.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/4/1/105-fake-engagement-interstitial If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 berserker reincarnate who she’s loved in five earlier lifetimes. Declan Chase is a highly controversial Kresley hero, and Dreams of a Dark Warrior is a book Sarah and Jen always skip on the reread…but this week, we’re talking about it and *gasp!* we’re kind of on #TeamDeclan by the end?! UP IS DOWN! This episode, we’re digging into the way Kresley builds characters and lays the brickwork for the rest of the IAD series. We’re talking about torture, about childhood, about packing for the end of days, and about Lothaire’s Guide to Wooing Women. We’re joined by the wonderful Sarah Hawley, co-host of the Wicked Wallflowers podcast, and Declan-stan.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. In two weeks, strap in because Lothaire. Is. Here!!! We’re so excited we don’t know what to do with ourselves, but FYI, this is gonna be a double episode for SURE. Gird your loins. Get Lothaire at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesIn Salman Rushdie's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories, juggling is often used as a symbol for storytelling.There's not much better than a snowed-in romance. Or maybe marriage in trouble is more your speed."That just happened" is a quote from a very funny scene of a movie with Alec Baldwin called State and Main.Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the single sexiest hate fuck ever filmed. /fans selfThe heist movie slow walk is iconic.Villains as heroes: hard to write, delicious to read.Sarah Silverman interviewed a woman who escaped from the cult of The Westboro Church.Revenge is a good plot.Talia Hibbert had to quit this one.The Lord of the Rings Ring is super fancy. And super creepy.Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame has a TED talk. Of course he does.Welcome to Sarah Hawley from The Wicked Wallflowers PodcastKylo Ren is Han & Leia's jerk son. Presumably he'll get a redemption arc, but the jury is out on whether he deserves it.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a good book and a great movie. Don't at Sarah (MacLean).The Morality Chain trope, and some romance examples.White Satin by Iris Johansen. "I think it's time for beer," is what FDR said after while the country was deep in the Great Depression before he sent word to Congress that he wanted to end Prohibition.Lothaire is coming, and just clear your whole day for what will likely be a three hour podcast. Also, maybe you want to brush up on The Odyssey (free for Kindle).A huge shout out to Heather Pagan, who helped us with medieval French and edits the Anglo Norman Dictionary. Here’s the official translation of the Medieval French, along with some fascinating notes on historical swearing, which you all know is our favorite! Go copulate with a pig - Va foutre un porcel! (literally, go fuck a pig). Unless the joke is that they are being formal (ie. copulate and not fuck) in which case: Va couvrir un porcel!You defend that rampart female? - Femme / Dame, defendis tu le terrail?To the death, prick*! - Jusqu'a / A la mort, ribaud! OR Jusqu'a / A la mort, paillard! OR Jusqu'a /A la mort, pautener!* There are lots of words for penis/prick in Old French, but I don't have any evidence that they were used as insults (and that's a whole 'nother book about when we began to use genitalia as offensive words...) I've chosen to translate it with a bunch of words that mean 'jerk'. The words I used are all ones that end up being borrowed into English (ribald, pailliard, pautener) for someone who is base / rascally / a scoundrel / someone of low status etc.Thoughts (or why you never ask an academic for a translation...) We actually don't know overly much about medieval swearing. What we know about language use during the period is based on what was written down, and what was written down (gross generalization ahead) tended not to be 1) direct / indirect speech or 2) of a less formal register. Nevertheless, we do have some record of what people said, and in some cases, how they would curse each other. A lot of these curses were be religious in nature - damning them, accusing them of bad faith etc. We have one amazing set of texts, referred to as the Manieres de Language, which were an early type of phrase book for Englishmen wanting to learn French in the late fourteen century. These include my favourite section - insults! So this is mainly what the translation is based on - though insults of the time were a bit different. Here are some from the phrase book (translated): You're lying, you evil bastard; Go hang yourself, you bastard; Go away you bloody son of a whore; You will pay!; Kiss my ass (I am very pleased that this has been the eternal insult!); Kiss the devil's ass; Go to the devil!Lost Limb CountArms and Hands (6)Conrad cuts off his own hand with a rusty axe so he escape the "witched" chains his brothers locked him in. (Dark Needs at Night's Edge)Cadeon has both of his hands burned off in the same scene where he loses an eye. There's description of what Cade's baby fingers look like as they are re-growing. It's...kinda gross. (Dark Desires After Dusk)Sebastian pulverizes most of his right arm during the Hie. He regenerates. (No Rest For the Wicked)Lucia peels all the skin off from her hand in order to free herself from some handcuffs. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)In order to retrieve the ring from La Dorada , Lothaire cuts off her finger. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lanthe and Carrow cut off Fegley's hand so they can use his thumb to unlock their torques. He's later killed. (Demon from the Dark)Chest and Torso (5)Omort severs Rydstrom's spine and punches through his torso in a fight. Sabine saves him and enlists Hag to help heal him. (Kiss of a Demon King)Lucia's neck is broken. She regenerates. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)On Torture Island, Regin,MacRieve,and Brandr are vivisected. It's pretty terrible. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Declan's skin is peeled off by the Neoptera as a child. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Face and Eyes (4)Bowen loses an eye and most of his forehead during the Hie. Mariketa has cursed him and he can't heal until he returns to her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Cadeon loses an eye and part of his forehead and hair when fighting. It all regenerates. (Dark Desires After Dusk)During a rugby match, Garreth has his teeth knocked out and swallows them. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lothaire kicks out La Dorada's remaining eye and throws her over a cliff. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Horns (2)Cadeon cuts off his own horns to prove to Holly that he is worthy of being her mate. She tells him to let them grow back (Dark Desires After Dusk)Malkolm is captured by his enemies in Oblivion and taken to the city of Ash. The publicly cut off his horns and then intend to kill him, but Carrow saves him. (Demon from the Dark)Legs and Feet (3)Lachlain tears off his own leg to reach Emma. He regenerates. (A Hunger Like No Other)Mariketa's skull is fractured and her leg is torn from her body. She heals herself after Bowen lays on the ground. Ivy grows over her and heals her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Thronos is chasing Melananthe and loses a foot when a portal closes on it. (Kiss of a Demon King)Beheading as a Romantic Gesture (4)The first time Garreth spies Lucia, it's when she shoots an arrow and beheads a kobold. He notices that it's "a fantastical shot" and he's super into it. Later, he helps her pick up the head because he's a real gentleman like that. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Later in the book, they are under attack from vampires and Lucia asks him to help. Garreth promises to "give her their throats" and beheads two vampires. But she's upset about it because of a previous bad experience with cannibalism. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Malkolm beheads men that attacked Carrow in Oblvion, and he throws them to prove he's a worthy mate. (Demon from the Dark)Declan fights and beheads several creatures as they escape Torture Island, including squeezing one dude so hard his eyes pop out and then he twists his head off. (Dreams of a Dark Warrior)Maybe?Does Garreth's losing his connection with his mortal soul count? (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/2/11/10-dreams-of-a-dark-warrior If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 shelves now. We talk about the book, the pull of the food romance novel, and why nourishment is sexy. Also, Sarah basically name checks her whole favorites shelf.Next week, it’s full Torture Island with what is probably the most controversial of the IAD books—Dreams of a Dark Warrior. Declan Chase—torturer extraordinaire is our hero, Regin the Radiant is the woman he’s been trying to love for a millennium, and we’re full bananas in the lead up to Lothaire! Get ready! Get DoaDW at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie. Don’t forget that the Audible versions of IAD are on sale right now -- and WORTH EVERY PENNY! Listen on Audio!Show NotesWelcome back Adriana, and if you didn't hear her on our Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night episode, you should check it out.The concept of love languages comes from 1995 self-help book The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. It's a little soft for us. We prefer this additional list of love languages, from McSweeney's.Adriana talked about her grandmother bringing a pot of Sancocho from the DR to family in New York, and here's a twitter thread where Adriana makes a pot with a friend.American Dreamer came out at the beginning of the month, and the sequel American Fairytale comes out in April. Find American Dreamer at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books or Kobo.The dull thuds you're hearing in this episode are Sarah's phone falling off her desk. She is convinced her phone is defective because it falls off flat surfaces every day. She has fantasies of finding Jony Ive's phone number and texting him lists of everything it falls off every day.Next time you're in Brooklyn, you should visit the Smorgasburg.Find a Michelin star restaurant to try if you're so inclined.Just kidding about the Soylent Green thing. Really.Jen interviewed Mia Hopkins last year when Thirsty came out.The song Jude was singing was Latinoamerica by Calle 13. You, too, can find great music on NPR.A romance has to have an HEA or HFN, but a love story doesn't. Don't at us.An interesting think piece from The Common Reader about how we view competence in men and women.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/3/18/95-foodie-romance-interstitial If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 Malkom, the vemon with a heart of gold, and his fated mate, Carrow, our second witch, whose powers come from other people’s joy. This episode, we’re digging into the worldbuilding of the second movement of IAD — Torture Island. We’re talking about innocence and how it is a great motivator, what saves a heroine from being unlikeable, why bathing is sexy, and how we really would like it if more men offered up the heads of our enemies as tribute. As always, there’s a lost-limb count and Lothaire-Watch!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. In two weeks, get ready for the most (we think?) controversial of the IAD books — Dreams of a Dark Warrior, when Declan Chase, unknowing berserker and magister of Torture Island, gets paired with Regin the Radiant. Get DoaDW at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesIn the 1976 movie Rocky, one of the things he consumes during training in a glassful of raw eggs.Jen loves books about nuclear weapons and nuclear disasters, and the mindset of the Order is very much that of mutually assured destruction during the Cold War.In Buffy, it was called the Initiative. Angel, Riley, and Spike were her boyfriends on the show, but in the comic there are other lovers.Your brain isn't fully cooked until you're 25!Duolingo helps you learn languages, but if you're in a hurry just drink down somebody's blood.Sarah's friend Natalie Parker's book is called Seafire and it has the most gorgeous cover.Book Riot makes the case for a Romantic Horror subgenre, and Victoria Helen Stone wrote about the relationship between romance and suspense.Some information from Pew about rural vs urban living in America.Adventures in Babysitting is an 80s movie all about the horrors of some kids and their babysitter getting into trouble in the big, bad city of Chicago (or, as Jenny Holiday & Jen call it: Dirty Toronto).You can tell a lot about a culture by its parenting.Pygmalion and Encino Man.Some directions for any tailsman-making endeavors.Lore parenting tips aside, Jen wrote once about how human parents can talk to their kids about sex.Maybe 28 Days Later isn't the best metaphor for IAD, but it's a scary movie.Jen loves it when heroes grovel.A vemon is a vampire/demon hybrid; Venom is a Tom Hardy movie.If Jen knew photoshop, she'd be putting Malkolm inside a Sweet Valley High circle... Demon Love!Yao Ming is very tall compared to Kevin Hart, but Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet are much better fancasting for Malkolm and Carrow.Friend of the Pod Adriana Herrera was on our sister podcast Wicked Wallflowers last week.Lost Limb CountArms and Hands (6)Conrad cuts off his own hand with a rusty axe so he escape the "witched" chains his brothers locked him in. (Dark Needs at Night's Edge)Cadeon has both of his hands burned off in the same scene where he loses an eye. There's description of what Cade's baby fingers look like as they are re-growing. It's...kinda gross. (Dark Desires After Dusk)Sebastian pulverizes most of his right arm during the Hie. He regenerates. (No Rest For the Wicked)Lucia peels all the skin off from her hand in order to free herself from some handcuffs. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)In order to retrieve the ring from La Dorada , Lothaire cuts off her finger. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Lanthe and Carrow cut off Fegley's hand so they can use his thumb to unlock their torques. He's later killed. (Demon from the Dark)Chest and Torso (2)Omort severs Rydstrom's spine and punches through his torso in a fight. Sabine saves him and enlists Hag to help heal him. (Kiss of a Demon King)Lucia's neck is broken. She regenerates. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Face and Eyes (3)Bowen loses an eye and most of his forehead during the Hie. Mariketa has cursed him and he can't heal until he returns to her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Cadeon loses an eye and part of his forehead and hair when fighting. It all regenerates. (Dark Desires After Dusk)During a rugby match, Garreth has his teeth knocked out and swallows them. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Horns (2)Cadeon cuts off his own horns to prove to Holly that he is worthy of being her mate. She tells him to let them grow back (Dark Desires After Dusk)Malkolm is captured by his enemies in Oblivion and taken to the city of Ash. The publicly cut off his horns and then intend to kill him, but Carrow saves him. (Demon from the Dark) ** Legs and Feet (3)**Lachlain tears off his own leg to reach Emma. He regenerates. (A Hunger Like No Other)Mariketa's skull is fractured and her leg is torn from her body. She heals herself after Bowen lays on the ground. Ivy grows over her and heals her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Thronos is chasing Melananthe and loses a foot when a portal closes on it. (Kiss of a Demon King)Beheading as a Romantic Gesture (3)The first time Garreth spies Lucia, it's when she shoots an arrow and beheads a kobold. He notices that it's "a fantastical shot" and he's super into it. Later, he helps her pick up the head because he's a real gentleman like that. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Later in the book, they are under attack from vampires and Lucia asks him to help. He promises to "give her their throats" and beheads two vampires. But she's upset about it because of a previous bad experience with cannibalism. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (Pleasure of a Dark Prince).Malkolm beheads men that attacked Carrow in Oblvion, and he throws them to prove he's a worthy mate. (Demon from the Dark)Maybe?Does Garreth's losing his connection with his mortal soul count? (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/2/11/9-demon-from-the-dark If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 work for readers who’ve never dipped a toe, but are open to things from dukes to magic, the America West to kinky London and everything in between.Next week, it’s Jen’s favorite IAD book, Demon from the Dark! Malkom Slaine is a demon living alone on another plane…until witch Carrow Graie comes to fetch him. Get DFTD at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie. Don’t forget that the Audible versions of IAD are on sale right now -- and WORTH EVERY PENNY! Listen on Audio!Show NotesNext week, it's Demon from the Dark since we already talked about Pleasure of a Dark Prince!Derek Craven is our favorite and since it's our podcast, we don't have to listen to anyone talk about St. Vincent.A librarian who excels at reader's advisory is a wonderful thing to have in your life.Check out Jen's website for targeted romance recommendations.John Warner is the biblioracle, and he's an amazing advocate for educators and the teaching of writing. He's also one of the key players in The Morning News Tournament of Books, which is literary blood sport par excellence.An explainer about American-style universtiy course numbering.Jaime Green is the New York Times romance reviewer and we love her.One of the most hilarious twitter accounts is all about the smells of romance.The Georgette Heyer chronotope and its limits explained.If you are interested in knowing the "beat for beat" way a romance is built, you should check out this book by Gwen Hayes.The ton, the modiste, and Bond Street.Everyone loves a read-alike, but the problem is finding them.The Governess and rake tropes are beloved by romance readers, and Tessa Dare's The Governess Game is an excellent example of the trope in action.Lol, you can't fool Jen. She is absolutely not googling "sex swing."Hillary Clinton said some things about romance novels, and Romancelandia wasn't having it.NPR's Codeswitch wrote about Passing in America.Sarah isn't the only one who learned about history from romance novels.Jen described her angst vs. stakes theory in this post.Alexander Chee is a delight, but Jen hated A Little Life more than any other book she's ever read, so just enjoy this Nicole Cliffe thread where a million people dunk on it.The Sex House for sale in PA was the best 2019 story. Don't believe us? Read this interview with the realtor.Epistolary novels are interesting; but Jen, Melinda, and Kat talked in this review about Thrall by Roan Parrish & Avon Gale and whether or not epistolary novels work in the age of the internet. (Edited by Sarah to add: Epistolary novels are the tits and anyone who says otherwise is F- wrong.)The bass line in question.Jen and Sarah really hate cliffhangers.Andrew and Illona Gordon are a husband and wife writing team and Jen would probably read anything they wrote (as long as there were no cliffhangers.)Tom Hardy as Mad Max and fancast as Derek Craven, Mad Rogan, Rune, etc.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2019/3/1/85-gateways-to-romance-interstitial If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

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 and Lucia the Huntress, a Valkyrie who is burning it all down. This episode, we’re discussing the way this book wraps up the first movement of IAD and preps readers for what’s to come (SPOILER: IT’S TORTURE ISLAND), we get into how the books are becoming more political, we update the lost-limb count, begin Lothaire-Watch, and dig into why it’s just plain futile to try to stay away from a werewolf mate on the night of a full moon. More than all that, we’re interviewing moon expert Summer Ash about moon business, and Jen is beyond excited.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. In two weeks, get ready for vivisection, because it’s happening on Torture Island, and we’re doing a reread of Jen’s favorite book in the series, Demon From The Dark! Malkom Slaine is a demon living alone on another plane…until witch Carrow Graie comes to fetch him. Get DFTD at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, or from your local Indie.Show NotesThis article explains "the heir and a spare" and also has a lot of Prince Harry. Fine.It's an astronomy heavy show, so learn all about The Big Bang.Ah, the double entendre.All about how goals are scored in rugby.Turns out there are lots of myths about gods and cannibalism.Chastity is one of the seven virtues, but the seven deadly sins sound a lot more fun.Is it really necessary to link to Fifty Shades of Grey?The "he-cession" recession.Women and the second shift.The Cooler stars WILLIAM H. Macy, obviously. Robert H. Macy isn't even a thing.The Amazon rainforest is truly amazing, but Brazil's new president Jair Bolsonaro is removing legal protections from the rainforest.A man who tried to contact a legally protected island tribe died in the South Pacific last year.Indiana Jones and lots and lots of snakes.Lara Croft Tomb Raider is a 2001 movie with Angelina Jolie, but here's a great explainer to the entire Lara Croft franchise.El Dorado myths and details.Jen's idly curious if Charlie/Isabel character is a nod to the Brazilian Travesti culture, but she doesn't know enough about it to be sure.The Wonder Woman "Godkiller" is a sword, not an arrow.In two weeks, we'll be discussing Malkom & Carrow in Demon From the Dark.Welcome Summer Ash! Please check out her blog Startorialist, which brings science and fashion together.More about moon phases and the baby moon/dying moon way of remembering if the moon is waxing or waning.The Dreamwakers Program helps classrooms all over the country skype with scientists and STEM people. So cool!No, you can't blow up the moon.What If! is a great collection of XKCD columns, including Jen's favorite about whether or not you can swim in a pool with spent nuclear rods.Jen really loves books about nuclear disasters.Light pollution is the worst.Check out the Sky Guide app.More about Haley's Comet and the Bayeux Tapestry.Astronomy on Tap is worth checking out.The moon is amazing. Look up!Lost Limb CountArms and Hands (5)Conrad cuts off his own hand with a rusty axe so he escape the "witched" chains his brothers locked him in. (Dark Needs at Night's Edge)Cadeon has both of his hands burned off in the same scene where he loses an eye. There's description of what Cade's baby fingers look like as they are re-growing. It's...kinda gross. (Dark Desires After Dusk)Sebastian pulverizes most of his right arm during the Hie. He regenerates. (No Rest For the Wicked)Lucia peels all the skin off from her hand in order to free herself from some handcuffs. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)In order to retrieve the ring from La Dorada , Lothaire cuts off her finger. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Chest and Torso (2)Omort severs Rydstrom's spine and punches through his torso in a fight. Sabine saves him and enlists Hag to help heal him. (Kiss of a Demon King)Lucia's neck is broken. She regenerates. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Face and Eyes (3)Bowen loses an eye and most of his forehead during the Hie. Mariketa has cursed him and he can't heal until he returns to her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Cadeon loses an eye and part of his forehead and hair when fighting. It all regenerates. (Dark Desires After Dusk)During a rugby match, Garreth has his teeth knocked out and swallows them. (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)Legs and Feet (3)Lachlain tears off his own leg to reach Emma. He regenerates. (A Hunger Like No Other)Mariketa's skull is fractured and her leg is torn from her body. She heals herself after Bowen lays on the ground. Ivy grows over her and heals her. (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night)Thronos is chasing Melananthe and loses a foot when a portal closes on it. (Kiss of a Demon King)These Lingering QuestionsDoes Garreth's losing his connection with his mortal soul count? (Pleasure of a Dark Prince)