Jennifer Prokop 2/28/24 Jennifer Prokop 2/28/24

S06.25: It's Romance Law!

Y’all enjoyed Romance Science so much, we figured, why not tackle romance law next! This week, we’re discussing wills and trusts, inheritances, guardianship, and more than a few HR violations! We also begin the episode with an important addendum to Romance Science (apologies to the Passion fans in the crowd).

There’s still time for you to join us for Fated Mates LIVE in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd, along with Kate Clayborn, Lauren Billings (one-half of Christina Lauren), Nikki Payne, and a roomful of other romance-obsessed listeners for a night of romance shenanigans at a live taping of Fated Mates! While we’re never sure quite how it’s going to go, we can guarantee there will be books, booze and bantr…and you’ll leave full of joy from all the fun. We’ve even got The Ripped Bodice on hand to sell books, and the room will be available for hanging with other Firebirds after the live! Preorder Kate’s The Other Side of Disappearing three days early (and books from everyone else!) from The Ripped Bodice—links, tickets and more info are at fatedmates.net/live.

If you just can’t get enough of us, consider joining our Patreon! You get an extra episode of banter every month and access to the Fated Mates discord, full of people who love romance as much as we do. It’s pretty great, we have to say. Learn more at patreon.com/fatedmates.

Our next read along is Heather Guerre’s Preferential Treatment, one of Sarah’s favorite romances of 2022. Get it at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Show Notes

Listen to the Romance Science episode.

Pride & Prejudice won the 2024 romance bracket, hosted by Ali Parker of the RomEverAfter Pod.

Romance biology addendum: the hymen, the Passion episode.

Romance Law probably started with our love of TV Law: LA Law, Ally McBeal, The Good Wife, and Law & Order.

Books Mentioned This Episode

Emerald Blaze

A Will and a Way

Something Wilder

You Do Something To Me

It Had to be You

Beach Read

Mafia Virgin

A Scot in the Dark

Sustained

My Office Rival

Huge Deal

Bass-Ackwards

Praise

Preferential Treatment

Can't Stand the Heat

The Player

06.13: Sarah & Jen are Taking Your Questions

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, how we met, the books we loved this year (that weren’t published this year), and more. We love these episodes, and not only because they happen when we’re together on Sarah’s couch, but also because we get to talk directly to you!

Next week’s episode is a surprise deep dive, because y’all are wild about dragons! We’re reading Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound, available in print and ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and your local indie.

If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

Show Notes

Get our Best Romance of 2023 book box from Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA. We're excited to be partnering with them on this one!

You know what we meant when we talked about Bart writing on the chalkboard.

If you’ve never been to New York City at Christmas, we would highly recommend it. This year, the windows at Saks were cosponsored by Dior and celebrated the signs of the zodiac, and it’s pretty awesome. But there’s also the angels and the Rockefeller center tree, and the Bryant Park holiday market.

Jen also went to Back to the Future the musical and ate at the place with two bulls, which was actually called Benny John’s.

Tillie Cole has bigger problems then Jen not liking any mention of cults in the books she reads.

Should you DNF? Yes.

If you’re looking for a romance writer’s conference, check out the Chicago North conference in April of 2024.

Some bookish gifts: a Book stand, a bluetooth page turner for your eReader, and get a stand while you’re at it.

Tracey Livesay made a very funny and very perfect video this week about the rise of Romantasy.

Books Mentioned This Episode

Chain Lightning

Bass-Ackwards

Come as You Are

Maybe it was Calhoun

A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter

Hidden

Her Last Line of Defense

Raiders of the Lost Heart

Dark Fire

Driven by Fate

Honeytrap

Never Sweeter

Moonstruck

Strictly Ballroom

Bridget Jones's Diary

Joy Ride

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

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 mean literally. We talk about how difficult it is to thread the needle on romance that starts with sex, about the tropes that lend themselves to this particular theme, about sex work, one night stands, about erotic romance vs. romance, and about how pulling this set up off takes masterful skill with character. There are so many great books for you in here. Enjoy!

After Sarah’s Knockout (preorder it signed, with exclusive FM swag, from her local bookstore), our next read along will be Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or from your local indie.

If you want more Fated Mates in your life, you are welcome at our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

Show Notes

Jen using the phrase “fast, incendiary burn” to refer to books that start with a bang dates all the way back to season 2. The Twitter thread where Funmi compared slow burns to crockpots is here. If I could figure out how to save it (screenshots, I guess, sigh), I would.

We had Nikki Sloane on to talk about taboo romance, but we also like Jennifer Porter’s definition of erotic romance from a 2019 twitter thread, where she said, “I don't think the sexual relationship has to be the conflict. But sex/sexual interaction/etc has to be critical to the development of the relationship….I think their has to be some type of sexual journey for the main characters for a book to be erotic romance…Ultimately, if there is sex in a romance, it should be important to the couple's journey, but maybe in erotic romance, the main characters need to have a sexual or erotic journey of some sort.”

Knockout arrives on August 22! Join Sarah at her NYC launch party (a real party!) and meet new friends at a romance-specific hang on August 24th. Tickets and details here.

Take Sarah's Mastering the Art of Great Conflict the week of August 6th. More info here.

Head to Yale University to take Sarah & Adriana's writing romance class, and to hear Fated Mates & The Black Romance Podcast talk about oral history and romance.