Bonkers Romance

Katee Robert is here! Robin's here!

And we’re recapping The Winter King by C.L. Wilson! This special episode is dedicated to Temple member Robin's late mom, Elaine, who was a romance reader and all around badass. We wish we could've known her, but we're honored Robin came to join us to celebrate her with a delightfully bonkers book that includes an aphrodisiac, weather magic, and an ice king who demands one of the daughters of his enemy as his wife...he just isn't specific enough about which daughter!

Be sure not to miss Katee's latest, Wicked Beauty, which is out June 7th, but if you preorder it now through Inklings bookshop you get ridiculously hot art along with it! It's the next book in her Dark Olympus series and features Helen seizing her destiny and knocking Achilles and Patroclus on their asses as the three of them discover sizzling chemistry.

We'll be back next week to recap Dark Mafia Prince by Annika Martin with Johanna Shupe!

As always, if you’re looking for more bonkers in your life, check out The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

We’re joined by Steffanie Holmes to recap Devil’s Day Party by C.M. Stunich! It’s our first bully romance and we didn’t expect to be so charmed by it!

Be sure to also check out Steffanie’s latest, Poison Ivy (out May 5), which is the start of a brand new series for her—one you’ll especially enjoy if you were intrigued by the bully sub-genre!

Our After Care recs were:

Mel: Bone, Marry, Bury Podcast

Steffanie: Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride Around the Globe by Dean Nicholson

Jenny: Vikings: Valhalla! Not The Last Kingdom! Vikings Valhalla!

Trigger Warnings for this book: suicide, violence, gun violence, homophobia (and homophobic slurs in the text).

And just FYI - the swords don't really cross on the page.

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

Dark Mafia Prince by Annika Martin

We’ll be back next week with Katee Robert to recap The Winter King by C.L. Wilson!

As always, if you’re looking for more bonkers in your life, check out The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

Sarah Wendell joins us for Part 1 of A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon—a book so delicious, Jenny was bouncing in her chair like an eager puppy dog. Part 2 will be available on Smart Bitches, Trashy Podcast on 4/15/22, so don't miss it!

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be covering in upcoming episodes:

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

We’ll be back next week with Steffanie Holmes to recap Devil’s Day Party by C.M. Stunich!

As always, if you’re looking for more bonkers in your life, check out The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

We’re joined by Sophie Jordan to recap The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary—one of our favorite enemies-to-lovers romances of all time! It’s bonkers how fearlessly Kate pushes the characters to be mean to each other, all the while walking the tightrope of never making us hate either of them! Also—hate sex. So much exceptional hate sex.

Sophie’s latest, is The Rake Gets Ravished. I’m not going to try to do it justice…instead I’ll just drop this from the blurb and let you make the right choice: No one trifles with Silas Masters. Even if he could forget the dark-haired seductress who undid him, he can't allow anyone to steal from him. He will hunt down the sultry woman who haunts his dreams and show her just how sweet payback can be.

Her next book features a lady blacksmith and a spectacularly sexy cover and she told us seeccccretttts about it that we can’t tell you, but you can hear her mercilessly tease us at the end of the episode.

Our After Care suggestions were:

-Peacemaker on HBO

-The Last Kingdom on Netflix

-The Gilded Age on HBO Max

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

Devil’s Day Party by C.M. Stunich

We’ll be back next week with Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books to recap A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon! Jenny was so delighted hearing about it that at one point Sarah (accurately) described her as an excited puppy.

As always, if you’re looking for more bonkers in your life, check out The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

Juliette Cross joins us to recap Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven!

If you’re a fan of Khal Drogo, you’ll love this one! Luna agrees to marry an alien barbarian king to save her brother and frankly, hits the jackpot. We get tail bondage, tattoos in the best places, and nipple paint as formalwear!

Juliette’s latest is Parks and Provocation—an enemies-to-lovers small town romance that sounds delicious! Be sure to also check out the romance podcast she has with her niece—Smart Women Read Romance!

Our After Care suggestions were:

-Love is Blind, which we’ll be recapping for the Temple!

-Smash and Grab by Maz Maddox

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

The Worst Guy by Kate Caterbary

We’ll be back next week with Sophie Jordan to recap The Worst Guy by Kate Caterbary! IT’S SO GOOD! Hilarious, bonkers, enemies-to-lovers. You need it.

As always, if you’re looking for more bonkers in your life or want to hear the full version of this episode, check out The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Follow Juliette: @juliettecrossauthor on Instagram | @juliettecrossauthor on Instagram | Juliette's Facebook page | Juliette's Facebook group  | Juliette's Website

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

We’re joined by Nisha Sharma to recap The Initiation by Nikki Sloane!

This book had us all questioning who gave Nikki Sloane permission to write this and the answer is that she’s exactly the kind of brave author we started the podcast to celebrate. We revel in the intrigue, sexual tension, and (ahem) the ritual it eventually builds to. We bow down before Nikki Sloane.

Nisha’s latest is Dating Dr. Dil, a sexy, hilarious, clever reimagining of The Taming of the Shrew that turns it all on its head in the most brilliant way. If you’re a member of The Temple of Defiant Joy, also be sure not to miss the two bonus episodes we’ve done with Nisha because she gives the best bonkers recs!

Our After Care suggestions were:

-The Blindfold Club series by Nikki Sloane (currently, you can get the first three FREE as a boxset!)

-Write Better Faster by Becca Syme

-Encanto

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

The Worst Guy by Kate Caterbary

We’ll be back next week with Juliette Cross to recap Captive of the Horde King! The first portion of the episode will be available publicly, but to hear the whole thing you’ll need to be a member of The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

We’re joined by author Roxie Noir to to recap Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk!

Our After Care suggestions were:

A Society of Gentlemen series by KJ Charles

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

The Initiation by Nikki Sloane

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

The Worst Guy by Kate Caterbary

We’ll be back next week to recap The Initiation by Nikki Sloane with Nisha Sharma!

If you want more bonkers in the meantime, there’s a ton of bonus content in The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Follow Roxie on @roxienoir on Twitter, @roxie_noir on Instagram, and Roxie's Facebook group!

Mentioned in this episode:

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

We’re joined by one of our favorite BookTokers, Hillary (@bookishhill), to recap Love and Monsters by Raven Flanagan! Our minds were blown in the best possible way when Hillary shared her path to becoming a bonkers romance reader and the journey she’s been on for the last year!

This absolute delight of a book features a human who finds herself accidentally transported to a monster world where she gets chucked into a dungeon with a demon who has many redeeming qualities for a cellmate. Not only can he efficiently deal with her period in a way we’re frankly jealous of, but he’s (ahem) massively well endowed and can procure things like hot baths while locked in a dungeon. We laughed excessively while recording it and we hope you will too while listening, but don’t be fooled—we adored the book!

Our After Care suggestions were:

Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux

It Ain’t Me, Babe by Tillie Cole (all the trigger warnings, seriously…you’ve been warned!)

Love and Leashes (Netflix tv show!)

For links to all the books we mentioned, check out the show notes on our website!

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

The Initiation by Nikki Sloane

Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

We’ll be back next week to recap Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk with Roxie Noir!

If you want more bonkers in the meantime, there’s a ton of bonus content in The Temple of Defiant Joy!

You can follow Hillary on TikTok or Instagram!

@bookish.hill on Instagram Hillary's Website

Mentioned in this episode:

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

RM Virtues joined us to recap The Mummy! Jenny got to watch this Romancelandia favorite film for the first time and it was a delight!

We fangirl over R.M., discuss why this film is in fact a tri-awakening rather than a bi-awakening, and generally flail at the magnitude of bonkers this swashbuckling romp pulls off.

For proof that Jenny did in fact once wear suspenders made of bondage tape out in Vegas...or for links to the books we discussed, check the show notes on our website!

Follow RM's Website : @rmvirtues on Instagram | @rmvirtues on Twitter

Our After Care suggestions were:

Signs (the movie)

Three Simple Rules by Nikki Sloane (currently FREE on Amazon!)

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

The Initiation by Nikki Sloane

Love and Monsters by Raven Flanagan

Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

We’ll be back next week to recap Love and Monsters by Raven Flanagan with Hillary from one of our favorite Booktok accounts—BookishHill!

If you want more bonkers in the meantime, there’s a ton of bonus content in The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Mentioned in this episode:

September in the Temple!

- This month we're back with Katee regaling us with more Fertile in My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dungeon (and we discover an actual hard limit for Katee!), and Hannah Whitten is going to stop by to give us all her best spooky season recs.

Temple of Defiant Joy

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

We’re joined by Robin Lovett to recap The Mabon Feast by C.M. Nascosta!

We delve into Robin’s thoughts on bonkers books and why none of us should carry any shame about them—as well as her thoughts on author core stories. Then, we recap the delicious snack that is The Mabon Feast, a sexy romance between a socially awkward witch and a very charming (and hot) spider centaur. What exactly is sloshing with his shimmering release? It may not be what you’re thinking!

Robin’s latest is the fourth book in the glorious Alien Quarantine series. If you missed our recap of Alien Quarantine Rescue, you can find it here. Invisible Quarantined Alien is absurdly spicy and hits all the delightfully bonkers notes we’ve come to expect from Robin Lovett!

Our After Care suggestions were:

-The Thornchapel series by Sierra Simone (look, that’s at least the third time a guest has recced it and if you still haven’t given it a chance, I don’t know what it’s going to take! Read it!)

-The Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

-One True Pairing by Cathy Yardley

If you’re reading ahead, here are some of the books we’ll be reading in upcoming episodes (though the schedule isn’t set yet):

The Initiation by Nikki Sloane

Love and Monsters by Raven Flanagan

Unhallowed by Jordan L. Hawk

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

We’ll be back next week with R.M. Virtues to recap The Mummy (film)…Jenny has never seen it! For links to all the books we mentioned, check the show notes on our website!

If you want more bonkers in the meantime, there’s a ton of bonus content in The Temple of Defiant Joy!

Follow Robin's Website: @LovettRomance on Instagram | @LovettRomance on Twitter | Robin's Facebook page

Mentioned in this episode:

Pirates are waiting for you!

Six brand new bonkers pirate books you can read THIS MONTH from Katee Robert, CM Nascosta, Naima Simone, Andie J. Christopher, Jenny Nordbak, and Nina Saxena! Plus, foiled special editions with sprayed edges, gorgeous art, and so much more! Don't miss it!

Dangerous Tides!

September in the...