S06.24: All Dukes are Roofers: Renovation Romance with Nikki Payne
We’re joined this week by the fabulous Nikki Payne, author of Pride & Protest and this month’s new release Sex, Lies & Sensibility to talk about home renovation romance and why we all love it so much! Is it because of competence? Yes. Because we like it when characters have to walk through fire together? Definitely. Because of the metaphor for our lives and futures? Absolutely. We talk about all these things, and how Old School historical really did the business on this trope. And — a bonus! Sarah finally gets to talk with someone about Jane Austen!
Nikki is joining us at Fated Mates Live! Join us in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd, along with Kate Clayborn, Lauren Billings (one-half of Christina Lauren) 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
Welcome Nikki Payne, author of Sex, Lies, and Sensibility. She’ll be at the Ripped Bodice on Feb 23, and at Fated Mates Live, along with Kate Clayborn, Lauren Billings from Christina Lauren, and a few hundred Magnificent Firebirds on March 23, 2024. You can get signed copies of her books at East City Books in DC.
Jen had to read A Separate Peace in high school and doesn’t have the best memories of it, to be honest.
The mid-90s were a real high tide for Austen adaptions: in 1995 the movies Clueless and Sense and Sensibility and a miniseries of Pride and Prejudice, and the following year the movie Emma.
A little bit more about the rights of American women to have their own bank accounts, but women’s access to fair credit is still unjust.
A few movies we discussed this week: The Money Pit, Something New, and Baby Boom.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
Avon Books, publishers of Tessa Bailey’s Fangirl Down,
available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
and
Blue Box Press, publishers of Jennifer Armentrout and ’s
Visions of Flesh and Blood: A Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium,
available in print and ebook from Amazon.
Fated Mates Live -- Guest Announcement!
We are so so excited to announce our incredible guest lineup for Fated Mates Live in Brooklyn, NY, on March 23, 2024! Get tickets and more info at fatedmates.net/live!
We’ll be joined by some of our very favorites:
Kate Clayborn, Fated Mates five-timer and author of Georgie, All Along and the upcoming (three days after FML!) The Other Side of Disappearing.
Nikki Payne, author of Pride & Protest and the brand new Sex, Lies & Sensibility, and
One half of Christina Lauren! Lauren Billings (aka Ivy Owens) is coming from the other side of the world (ok, LA, but STILL) to join us—and just might have a few early copies of The Paradise Problem to share!
The Ripped Bodice will be on hand to sell books the night of, but we urge you to preorder your books (especially Kate’s latest, The Other Side of Disappearing, which is available early at this event exclusively) before you come at The Ripped Bodice, Brooklyn website! In addition to these amazing authors, we’ll be joined by some of our favorite people, in general, and by so many Firebirds! We’ve reserved the room at The William Vale for after the event so people can hang, make new friends, and meet the authors.
Get tickets and more info at fatedmates.net/live, and preorder books now from The Ripped Bodice!
S06.23: Casinos, Gaming Hells, and Clubs in Romance Novels
We’re talking about gaming hells! Is it residual Derek Craven love? Probably. Why does Sarah love a casino so much? Why are we so into ladies being wagered by the idiot men in their lives? What makes these places that are so not sexy in real 2024 life so incredibly hot in a) James Bond movies, b) heist movies, and c) historical romances? We’re getting to the bottom of it—or at least, we’re going to talk about books we love. That’s the Fated Mates promise.
We’re betting you’re going to love this one! (see what we did there?)
We also talk about Fated Mates Live! Join us in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd, along with a collection of special guests 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! Tickets and 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
Get Fated Mates Live tickets for March 23, 2024 in Brooklyn.
We think that waking up married is different than casinos.
Derek Craven is of course our favorite casino-owner, but Sarah wrote a pretty famous casino series, too.
In modern times, casinos are owned by giant conglomerates and they are definitely making a ton of money, Especially this past weekend since the Superbowl was in Vegas.
The Taylor Swift Effect is real.
Have we mentioned that there are lots of movies about casinos out there in the world.
“Fuck me gently with a chainsaw” is a reference to Heathers, not a dark romance.
An explainer about fantasy sports and where they are legal.
You can join Sarah and Julia Quinn next Tuesday, February 20, online via Zoom. They'll be talking about all things Bridgerton, about romance, about reading and writing, and taking questions! Register for the free event, sponsored Illinois Libraries Present, and join them!
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
Avon Books, publishers of Olivia Dade’s At First Spite,
available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
and
1001 Dark Nights, publishers of Carrie Ann Ryan’s
Happily Ever Maybe, available in print and ebook from Amazon.
06.22: A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña
We’re so excited for today’s deep dive on Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot — a sexy, second-chance romance that gave us so many feelings, including delight that Natalie is at the very beginning of her romance writing career! Here we talk about taking big swings in romance, about telling love stories against the backdrop of real life issues, and about how this book’s ending might be the closest thing to Kleypas we’ve read in a long time. Get the book at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
We also talk about Fated Mates Live! Join us in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd! Join us along with a collection of special guests 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! Tickets and 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.
Show Notes
On March 16 2024, Jen will be at the Forest Park Library for an event called Book Buzz. Use this link to register. It’s all about romance, and Natalie Cana, Nicole Falls, and local Forest Parker Maria Monroe.
Selective mutism is a type of anxiety disorder.
Humboldt Park is a Chicago neighborhood that has been ethnically Latine with the largest Puerto Rican population in the city, for a long time. The gentrification described in the book is a real problem facing the neighborhood. If you were inspired by this story, you can support La Case Norte, a real Humboldt Park organization that supports homeless teenagers.
This whole Arrested Development thing about Army was very funny, just trust us.
The Rock having a tea party with his daughter is very adorable.
February romance articles are coming, including one written by Jen for Kirkus.
You can sign up for the virtual conversation with Sarah and Julia Quinn, hosted by the Illinois Libraries (which includes Oak Park) on Feb 20th, 2024.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
The Meet Cute Bookshop, a romance bookstore in San Diego, CA
find them online at meetcutebookshop.com
Blue Box Press, publishers of Legacy of Temptation
by Larissa Ione, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
or wherever you get your books.
and
Meghan Quinn, author of The Reason I Married Him, available in print and ebook,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
06.21: Derek Craven Day 2024 : Heroes who Yearn with Sanj
It’s February which means it’s time for the biggest holiday in romance — Derek Craven Day! We’re so thrilled to be able to celebrate this remarkable man—born in a drainpipe, named himself, turned to a life of spectacle stealing—with all of you! This year, we’re so excited to have friend of the pod and of Cravens, Sanjana (follow her on TikTok at baskinsuns), to chat with us about her landmark research: A Comprehensive Categorization of Kleypas Heroes. We laugh, we get serious, and yes, we even talk about Zachary Bronson. — calm down, Bronsonettes.
Also — it just feels right that we’re announcing Fated Mates Live on Derek Craven Day! Join us in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd! Join us along with a collection of special guests 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! Tickets and info are at fatedmates.net/live.
Next week, we’re deep diving on Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot. Find it at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
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.
Show Notes
Welcome Sanj. You can find her on TikTok or twitter. Her “Comprehensive Categorization of Kleypas Heroes” below went through several iterations during the pandemic, you're looking at v4. Lots of people have organized their thoughts about Kleypas characters, we also liked this one that’s a Venn Diagram.
Kate Clayborn joined us in 2021 to address a deeply silly list of questions and scenarios submitted by Magnificent Firebirds. It is absolutely worth a second listen.
In 2023, we dropped That’s So Craven. And then there’s our Dreaming of You read along.
If you’re looking for hard data about what Derek Craven would or would never do, or just want to browse some absurd memes, the official Derek Craven Day master page has you covered. There are a few new memes this year and an answer to an important new question about Derek shopping at Winterborne’s.
Finally, the YouTube version of the 2021 Derek Craven Day episode will light up any display from phone to TV with an exhaustive list of Derek Creaven would/never scenarios. You can turn down the sound and just have it loop all day long. It’s very possible that only Eric thinks this is a good idea, but you never know.
Oh, and this.
Books Mentioned This Episode
S06.20: It's Romance Science!
This one is probably as goofy as we get — we’ve spent six years talking about Romance Science, and now class is in session! We’re talking biology, human physiology, astronomy, neurology, urology, gynecology, obstetrics and dermatology. Basically, we’ve studied this enough to hold multiple MDs & PhDs. If we’re ever on a plane and someone needs a doctor, we’re volunteering. Love doctors count, right? We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording.
Our first read along of 2024 is Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot. Find it at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
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.
Notes
Two brothers who are both in the NFL, that’s romance science. Kylie Kelce seems pretty cool. Too bad we missed her book.
On twitter, you can check out the Male Scent Catalog, and Jen has talked about this flower thing, too.
Conveniently, Jen wrote a review of the book where that guy had Periwinkle eyes, it was called A Very Private Love by Melinda Cross.
What are Palazzo pants, you might be wondering.
When it comes to superheroes, everyone is beautiful and no one is horny. Believe it or not, that’s not even how we ended up on Christopher Reeve as Superman.
You should definitely pee after sex if you have a vagina.
There is a huge difference between a million and a billion, or here’s [another way] to see it11, or another way.
Jen is obsessed with lens wipes, and you will be, too, if you try them.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
1001 Dark Nights, publishers of Just One Summer, a Dirty Dare Series Novella
by Carly Phillips, available at Amazon.
and
Pippa Grant, author of The Bride's Runaway Billionaire, available in print and ebook,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
S06.19: One Night Stands
It seems impossible that we haven’t done this one, but we haven’t done this one! We’re talking one night stands—the absolute classic that ends up being a part of so many chaotic, wonderful romances. We’re talking about how they work, why its so important for them to make sense in the context of the story, and how the best authors inject emotion into one life-changing moment (often) early in the book. Enjoy!
Our first read along of 2024 is Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot. Find it at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
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.
Notes
- It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the The rom com brackets are out, hosted by Allie Parker of the RomEverAfterPod.
- Joy Ride was a great movie, even if Jen bungled the plot description. She was excited, okay!
- Sarah and Jen have been doing some other fun reading. Sarah read Jess K Hardy’s forthcoming Lips Like Sugar and she also got some cool paperbacks from the inlaws: Gift of Fire and A Coral Kiss by Jayne Ann Krentz along with Nora Roberts’ Charmed. Jen and Ernie were reading Reacher short stories.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
1001 Dark Nights, publishers of Rock Chick Rematch by Kristen Ashley
available at Amazon.
and
LJ Evans, author of After All the Wreckage, available in print and ebook,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
and
Jo Brenner, author of the Bad Heroes Series,
beginning with You Can Follow Me and now complete with Meet Me In the Dark
available in print or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
S06.18: Firefighter Romance Novels
Is it getting hot in here? It is! We’re talking about firefighters this week — arguably the best of the hero(in)es in uniform because, let’s face it, there’s something pretty sexy about someone who will run into flames to save a stranger…let alone to save you. We’re talking about primordial firefighters, about patriarchy (obviously), about the difference between city firefighters and smoke jumpers, and about about the nature of a love interest who puts themself in danger for a living. All that, and they can dead lift you, too.
Our first read along of 2024 is Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot. Find it at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
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.
the firefighter books
Notes
You can watch some movies and shows about firefighters and paramedics: Backdraft, Chicago Fire, and Sky Med.
Here’s a snipped of the scene from Backdraft where they break a car window to get the hose to the hydrant.
Wildland firefighting is dangerous and often underpaid, and the Marshall Project has written extensively on prisoners forced into these jobs. Also, here is a first person account of two men who used emergency fire shelters to survive a wildfire.
Firefighting demographics are actually pretty bad in Chicago, and here’s a libguide (a library designed portal for collecting links/info on a certain topic) from the University of Illinois about this history of women in firefighting.
Too bad about Charmed by the Alien Vampire Firemen!
Sponsors
Jo Brenner, author of Meet Me In the Dark,
available in print or audio at Amazon,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
and
1001 Dark Nights
publishers of The Wild Card: A Rivers Wilde Novella by Dylan Allen
available at Amazon.
S06.17: Fresh Starts and New Beginnings in Romance Novels
It’s January, which means we’re all being inundated with resolutions and new beginnings, which might be your thing and might not…but you can’t deny that a character tossed into a fresh start makes for a great romance. Today we’re talking about all the ways characters start over in romance—after heartbreak, after failure, or with an eye toward a different life. Whatever you decide to do with your January, we hope these books are a part of it. Happy New Year, Firebirds!
Our first read along of 2024 is Natalie Caña’s A Dish Best Served Hot. Find it at Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.
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.
Show Notes
Perhaps you want to brush up on some other New Year's traditions in the next 355 days to get ready for 2025.
Google is so bad now, and here are a few different explainers.
Our next deep dive will be A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Cana.
Sponsors
Max Monroe, author of Cluelessly Yours,
available in print or audio at Amazon,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
and
Desiree M. Niccoli, author of Follow Me to the Yew Tree, coming January 30, 2024
Available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and Kobo.
and
1001 Dark Nights, publishers of Dragon Kiss by Donna Grant
available at Amazon.
S06.16: Happy New Year: Breeding Kink with Mila Finelli
It’s New Years Eve, and that means tackling some of the more headphones-in stuff in the Romance Pool, we don’t make the rules. Ok. We kind of make the rules, and this is the New Years Eve service we provide. Today, we’re talking breeding kink in romance with one of our faves, Joanna Shupe! She’s here in disguise though, as Mila Finelli, author of absolutely fire mafia romances, including her latest, Mafia Virgin, which features this particular trope and is a full on delight.
As usual, we start out giggling and then get serious as we try to get to the bottom of this very specific thing that seems to have had a recent resurgence in romance. We do patriarchy, body autonomy and heteronormativity, then get into the provenance of this particular romance trope, and finally to the but why tho part of the discussion with a minor detour about spelling. We net out at…well, just give it a listen. But for the love of all that is holy, put your headphones in.
Happy New Year, Magnificent Firebirds. We love you a lot and hope that 2024 is the best year yet. xx Jen & Sarah
Show Notes
Welcome Joanna Shupe, who writes mafia romance under the name Mila Finelli. The 5th book in the Kings of Italy series, Mafia Virgin, is available now.
Our New Years Eve episodes are always...interesting. Listen to past years:
In 2021 we released the Season 2 Ted Lasso Roy Kent lovefest on New Year's Eve, but we were still pandemic-ing, so please don't blame us for the detour in brand that year. We came back with a bang in 2022, and now, in 2023, we're the full banana, as surely you can agree.
If you haven't listened to the trailblazer episode with Elda Minger, you should.
Joanna mentioned this article from Salon about young conservative men and the tradwives fantasy, and a recent CNN article about the phenomenon.
breeding books
Sponsors
Meghan Quinn, author of He’s Not My Type,
available in print or audio at Amazon,
or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
and
Lucy Morris, author of Snowed in with the Viking,
available at Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble
or your local independent bookseller
and
Avalon Griffin, author of Unbound By Shadows
available at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
