Things have been mostly quiet here at the old QR HQ, but the only news is good news! Kris's book Scandalous is up for a Goldie in the contemporary romance: mid-length novels category. In place of any new developments, Tara brings an extra official recommendation to the party.

Official Recommendations

From Kris: Pillion (2025)

Kris's official recommendation this week is the movie Pillion. It's the story of a dreary wallflower of a young man who meets a biker and is carried into the world of BDSM. Kris learned a lot from this movie and enjoyed it thoroughly.

From Tara: The Miseducation of Caroline Bingley by Lindz McLeod and The Second Draft by Carrie Byrd

This week, Tara's first recommendation isThe Miseducation of Caroline Bingley by Lindz McLeod. It's the second story in her Ausentatious series, which asks "what if?" about sapphic partnerships among the side characters of Pride and Prejudice. Tara recommended the previous book, The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet, waaaaay back in episode 104 and came away from this one liking it more. In this story, Caroline Bingley asks Georgiana Darcy to teach her how to be a good person, and they find love along the way. The writing nails the balance between sounding period appropriate and remaining compelling for a modern audience (plus it has all the sex scenes that Austen didn't put in, but probably wanted to).

The second recommendation is The Second Draft by Carrie Byrd. Tara adored this one. The only problem is, all the reasons she loved it most are spoilers! What she can tell you is that it's a later-in-life coming out story bundled with a sweet and emotional friends-to-lovers arc. The writing moved her and she thinks it'll move you too.

Works/People Discussed

• Shrinking (Apple TV+)
• Paradise, Season Two (Hulu)
• Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
• The Red Duet (Chasing Red & Catching Red) by Alix Marren

Support & Follow the Show

• Buy us a Ko-fi
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Bluesky
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Get all our links on Linktr.ee