S08.17: Setting New Year’s Reading Resolutions
As it's the beginning of 2026, we're talking about how we think about our reading years. What kind of strategies does Jen use? How is Sarah (futilely) attempting to control the chaos? Which books are already on our TBR piles for 2026, and how are we structuring our reading year to make ourselves happy and prepare for 49 podcast episodes? We're also talking about some books by romance novelists who are publishing outside the genre this year, so get those notebooks ready!
If you want to talk to more people about reading strategies this year, maybe you want to join the Fated Mates patreon? There, you get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the FM Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local indie, libro.fm, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Notes
Vaccinations are good, actually. In between recording this episode and when it aired, Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, who wrote about her cancer diagnosis in the New Yorker, has sadly died.
It will shock no one to learn that Jen learned about immunizations from books. In her childhood, the book was The Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald, but now we recommend Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green and On Immunity by Eula Biss.
Amazon is forcing AI tools into the kindle books themselves, and it’s all awful! Use your own brains; we don’t know what else to say.
Sponsors
Avon Books, publishers of Emma Alban's Like in Love with You, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Lumi Gummies, microdose gummies available nationwide. Use the code FATEDMATES to get 30% off your first order. Learn more at Lumigummies.com.
Caroline Linden, author of How to Get Away with Scandal, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Allison Bettes, author of Red Flag Warning, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
S08.16: Winter 2026 Preview
Your discoverabilibuddies are back! It's a new year which means we're dropping our Winter 2026 reads episode, in which we talk about the million trillion 2026 romance books coming out in January, February and March (ok, not a million trillion, but enough that Eric came out of his studio this morning with a thousand-yard stare!). As a reminder, we have not necessarily read all these books, but they are on our TBRs and should be on yours!
If you want more recommendations and more people with whom you can discuss 2026 romance novels, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local indie, libro.fm, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited
January 2026 Releases
February 2026 Releases
March 2026 Releases
Sponsors
The Steamy Bookworms Box, a book box, featuring dark and monster romances with special edition covers, original art, stickers and more. Learn more at SteamyBookworms.com.
Lucy Morris, author of Reclaiming His Viking Queen, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
LYX Books, publishers of Selina Mae's Lessons in Faking, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Eve Silver, author of Darkest at Dusk, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
S08.15: Jen and Sarah’s New Year’s Milkin’ Eve
Another year, another chaotic New Year's episode, with one of our favorites, the Lauren half of Christina Lauren! Y'all. When we say headphones in, we mean HEADPHONES IN. This is not for your kids, your mechanic, or Kate. Today, we're getting into the kink Sarah has been dancing around at Fated Mates Lives for years...the one Sandra Brown and Bertrice Small introduced to us, and that Lisa Kleypas and Christina Lauren continued in a grand, noble tradition. Strap in, friends, we're talking lactation kink! You're welcome!
Happy New Year, pervs. We love you.
If you want other people to discuss brand new romance authors with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Notes
Lauren Billings of Christina Lauren as our special guest this New Year’s Eve, but frankly Christina has way too much sense for tonight’s nonsense. There’s a Twilight fic called Vulturi Dairy.
It’s lactation kink, not adult breastfeeding. The AO3 tag is “ABF” just in case you need to know. But it’s been around for a long time, including in classics like Dracula.
The book Lo mentioned that made her say “Honey are you okay?” is Milk for Money by Amber Sunwell.
We are embarrassed not by this episode, but by the fact that we didn’t do any MPreg recommendations.
Read up on induced lactation, which according to the Mayo Clinic “might” be possible.
You can find out more about the Alexa Riley AR Taboo pen name at their website. Be sure to check your content warnings before diving in over there.
Sponsors
Michelle Dayton, author of Every Other New Year's Eve, available in print and ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or Apple Books.
Avon Books, publishers of Stacia Clark's We Who Will Die, available for preorder in print, ebook, audio, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. Get it at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
831 Stories, publisher of fun, sexy romance novellas available wherever you get your books, or delivered to your door via The Ones membership box. Get more information at 831stories.com where you can use code FATEDMATES to get 10% off your first order on eligible products.
The Steamy Bookworms Box, a book box, featuring dark and monster romances with special edition covers, original art, stickers and more. Learn more at SteamyBookworms.com.
Lumi Gummies, microdose gummies delivered right to your door. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
S08.14: Terrific 2025 Romance Debuts
It's that time of year, when we highlight some of our favorite new voices in romance! This week, we're talking about eight new writers who are making us excited about what's to come in historical, contemporary, cozy fantasy and more. Here's to reading them all for years to come!
From horse girls to divorcees, hair stylists to magical tea shop owners, basketball coaches to jewel thieves, there's something in here for everyone. It's going to be great for you!
Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.
If you want other people to discuss brand new romance authors with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.
Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
debut romances
Notes
We’ve realized that Annie Mare is a debut solo penname, but she also writes as Mae Marvel (whose books we’ve loved before!). Sarah’s detective work leaves a lot to be desired, considering Annie’s very forthright with this info! Our goal is, as ever, to bring you great books, so we hope you’ll forgive us this snafu in favor of us recommending a book we hope you’ll love along with the rest of the debuts here!
Check out our Debuts of 2024 episode here.
It’s not frod (Friend + rod), it’s frotting. Here’s the wikipedia page. Sarah apologizes for not knowing the proper spelling.
Jenny Hamilton wrote a terrific piece about sex in Heated Rivalry in this recurring feature on her blog called Anatomy of sex scene.
The non-romance time travel book Jen mentioned was Version Control by Dexter Palmer.
Sponsors
Atria Books, publishers of Ellis Hunter's Blood Bound, available for preorder in print, ebook, and audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Scandals & Swoons Festival, a new historical romance signing event in Orlando, Florida on January 18, 2026, learn more at swoonsfest.com.
Mariah Scarpellini, author of The Titan's Rose, the first book in the Olympian’s Curse Saga. Learn more about the book and help Mariah build a world before her launch.
S08.13 KJ Charles’s The Magpie Lord: We’re Gonna Get to the Tattoos
We’re so excited for our deep dive of KJ Charles’s The Magpie Lord, first in her magical, gothic series, A Charm of Magpies. We talk about the clear chops displayed in this romance --strong plotting, complex characterization, and a beautiful understanding of what happily ever after looks like. And yes, we get to the tattoos. Obviously.
Notes
This is our second KJ Charles deep dive. The first was Band Sinister.
We were lucky enough to speak to KJ Charles about her work and her pathway through romance as part of our Trailblazers series. Listen to that interview here.
It’s been the snowiest start to winter in Chicago since 1978! The Great Lakes can freeze, kind of. Here’s what the Great Lakes ice prediction for this year.
The Ice Fishing town hall meeting, as promised.
Heated Rivalry is great and Jen (and everyone else) thinks you should watch it.
The Magpie Lord was published in 2013 by Samhain Publishing, which shut down in 2016.
You can find all of our 80+ deep dive episodes in the Fated Mates Book Club.
Sponsors
Zara Doyle, author of Bianca and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook, audio or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
Alexandra Cait, author of Storm of Fire, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
1001 Dark Nights, publishers of years of delicious romance novellas and collections. The imprint will shutter in 2026, so head over and load up on print versions of all your favorites right now.
S08.12: Fantastic Romance Series
It's winter, which means that it's time to get cozy, build a blanket nest on the couch, and read a million books one right after the other in the great tradition of our ancient forbears. Today, we're talking about series that deliver one banger after another and, yes, that also bang. We'll talk historicals, contemporaries, and of course, the paranormal series that started it all for us.
If you want other people to discuss great romance series, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.
Notes
Go to Sarah’s site to sign up for her newsletter. Apparently, it’s going to be a snowy winter because of squirrels, the Farmer’s Almanac is over, and social media is ruining your life and your brain, or maybe it’s just your whole damn phone.
Heated Rivalry, baby. Also this fall, the CW has unveiled a bunch of movies based on Harlequin books, including Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell, Mason Deaver’s YA romance I Wish You All the Best and in January we get Season 4 of Bridgerton, and Netflix's adaptation of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation.
Graphic Audio has adapted a bunch of your favorite books, not just Kate Daniels.
Here’s a cool way to look at the connections from Lorraine Heath’s Scoundrels of St. James series.
Sarah misses Romantic Times magazine.
Books Mentioned This Episode
The Sponsors
Zara Doyle, author of Tanya and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook, audio or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Jenny Alexandra, authors of Santa Cutie, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Bailey Seaborn, author of Peppermint Bark, No Bite, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Blue Box Press, publishers of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood: 20th Anniversary Insider's Guide, available in hardcover, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
S08.11: Holiday Romance 2025
The end of the year is nigh, and it's our holiday romance novel episode! We're talking about a collection of romances that are entirely new to us (except for the one moment where Sarah talks about that old McNaught short story that installed all her cold-weather romance buttons). We've got Austen retellings, Regency cats, characters playing with holiday toys, CIA agents and, of course, some sexy Santas. You deserve nice things.
Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.
If you want other people to discuss holiday (or other) romances, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Notes
There are several accounts as to where Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas. Sarah stayed at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which claims it inspired the song (by being the opposite of snowy), but there's also an account that he wrote it in La Quinta, CA at the La Quinta Hotel (not to be confused with just any LaQuinta).
Rassle is a real word, Sarah was just having a moment. Get yourself the 12th edition Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, the first new hardback version in 22 years.
Sarah’s favorite Christmas anthology is not called A Gift of Love (which, lol, that’s gonna be real funny in a few weeks. I’ll report back), it is called A Holiday of Love. You can find links to both of them in the photo array below.
Here’s an article ranking the Friends Thanksgiving episodes.
The gangway vs the jetway. I also learned there is a Chicago-specific meaning of gangway.
Check out our prior holiday romance episodes:
2024, including Sara Raasch, Vivian Mae, Evie Rose, Timothy Janovsky & more
2023, including Holly June Smith, Oona Grace, Kayla Grosse, Tracey Livesay & more
2019, including Adriana Herrera, Delilah Peters, and several anthologies
2018, including Therese Beharrie, a Chanukah anthology, Cecilia Grant, Tiffany Reisz & more
holiday books!
Sponsors
Jenny Alexandra, authors of Santa Cutie, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
LaQuette, author of The King's Pregnancy Proposition, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Ginny B Moore, author of How the Rogue Stole Christmas, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
William Morrow Books, publishers of Olivia Dade's Second Chance Romance, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
S08.10: The Best Romance Novels of 2025
It's that time of year! We're talking about the Best Romance Novels of 2025. We've chosen ten books that we love and that cover a range of historical, contemporary and paranormal, featuring romance with werewolves and cowboys, vaudeville actresses and vikings, Dukes and the actual Devil.
This year, you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.
We love the idea of you gifting yourself this box (you deserve it!), but maybe you’d like to slide into someone’s text messages with the link as a very excellent gift for you! Or…you can do what Sarah does, and buy the box and spread the love around—sending each of the books to someone on your list or wrapping them up and popping them in your local Little Free Library. Let us know what you end up doing with these fabulous books, and don’t forget to tag us on Instagram or Threads or Bluesky when you unbox!
Check out our “Best Romance Novels” lists from previous years: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. (We were 5 minutes old in 2018 and didn’t do a list that year), and please tell us what your favorite books of 2025 were!
If you want other people to discuss this list with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.
Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
The Best Romance Novels of 2025
The Sponsors
LYX Books, publishers of Selina Mae's Lessons in Faking, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. (We mistakenly called this YA in the ad read. It is New Adult.)
Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
Darcy Green, author of After the Siren, available in print or ebook at Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books.
Zara Doyle, author of Emma and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
S08.09: Our Favorite Romance Microtropes
We had a great week, and so we decided we all need nice things, which means it's time to just talk about the stuff we love in romance. We're talking about our favorite microtropes in romance novels--the things that give us pure shots of joy. There's all sorts of stuff in here: contemporaries, historicals, paranormals, mafia, hockey, tattoos, piercings, kilts, families getting their comeuppance, and much much more.
If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. (You can now gift subscriptions!)
Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Notes
It’s not too early to donate to our Fated States Giving Circle, or maybe you want to Run for Something.
You can check out the Collections page for more great book lists (made by humans!), and we also talked about the breeding kink episode in case you want to see just how unhinged we get on New Year’s Eve…
The Mandela Effect is in fact named after Nelson Mandela.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a researcher who has described universal pleasure centers.
Monkey Island is a real place called Cayo off the coast of Puerto Rico or a video game.
Here’s an amazing dissection of a microtrope beloved by Mary Balogh: stern men who can’t stop skinny dipping.
If you are in Brooklyn this week, stop by on Thursday November 13, 2025 to see Sarah and several other authors from the Ladies in Waiting collection.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
Lily Riley, author of Phoenix's Last Heist, available in print and ebook at Amazon or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
Kylie Scott, author of So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
S08.08: Romance Short Stories and the Ladies in Waiting Anthology
We definitely have a hope-became-reality hangover this morning, but we also have a very fun episode for you today! We're talking romance shorts -- not novellas, not short novels, but actual short stories under 15,000 words (or about 50 pages). We talk about why this is such a difficult goal to hit, about why romance lends itself to longer formats, and about why short fiction is a really great way to keep reading when things feel chaotic.
We also chat about Sarah's new short story, a part of the Ladies in Waiting anthology, out this week and providing minor characters from Jane Austen their own happily ever afters. Sarah is joined by romance greats Diana Quincy, Nikki Payne and Eloisa James, among others. Get the collection at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Also, we want to take a moment to send enormous thanks to everyone who donated to the Fated States Giving Circle at The States Project this year — those donations were gamechangers — last night we expanded our majority in the VA House, and secured a Democratic Trifecta in Virginia! As ever, we’re so proud to stand and fight with you!
If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.
Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
Show Notes
The Ladies in Waiting anthology was released this week, and in the anthology, authors wrote HEAs for minor Austen characters. Sarah wrote about Miss Bates from Emma. Sarah has a few short stories: The Bladesmith Queen, a Medieval short available with her newsletter signup; "Fire That Lasts," and a YA short in the Generation Wonder anthology. The duke who has a sheep is in a novella called A Duke Worth Falling For.
Sarah asked Threads for recs of romance short stories and that’s where many of these stories came from, but there are many more we didn’t get to. So check it out.
There are lots of news articles and independent essays about why people are reading less, college kids are reading less, and children are reading less, But also, the decline of reading has been something we’ve been talking about for years.
Check out the Read Me Romance podcast and Audible Originals for other pieces of original short fiction.
Books Mentioned This Episode
Sponsors
Blue Box Press, publishers of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Official Blood and Ash Coloring Book, available in print at Amazon, B&N, or wherever you get your books.
Avon Books, publishers of Sasha Laurens's When I Picture You, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.
William Morrow, publishers of Akwaeke Emezi's Son of the Morning, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books, with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited, or wherever you get your books.
The What in the Smut? Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.
