The first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 are here and they might be the strongest opening since Season 1.

SO MANY SPOILERS.

Nikki and Meg break down:

* Benedict Bridgerton as a flawed hero (and why the internet needs to relax)

* Upstairs vs. downstairs storytelling (maids, money, power, respect)

* The Lady Whistledown problem now that everyone knows who she is

* Violet Bridgerton’s late-in-life desire arc (icon behaviour)

* Lady Danbury, the Queen, and choosing your own damn shoes

And be sure to come back in March for part 2 of season 4 :)

How You Can Support The Show

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We’re continuing our march through the Bridgerton universe with Benedict’s book, An Offer From a Gentleman, the Cinderella-inspired romance featuring a masquerade ball, a missing glove, and one heroine who absolutely refuses to become a kept woman.

Listen in for:

* Cinderella romance tropes and secret identity reveals

* Sophie Beckett as a heroine with principles and punch

* Why “I’ll take care of you” isn’t romantic (or is it??)

* Violet Bridgerton as the blueprint

* Book vs show differences and Season 4 speculation

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

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TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

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Share the show with a friend or loved one!

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It’s awards season, romance-style. Nikki and Meg are back with the second annual Tingly Awards, where spreadsheets fear us and yearning reigns supreme.

This episode is a full retrospective of everything that gave us tingles in 2025: books, series, tropes, authors, movies, TV, rereads, rabbit holes, and the unhinged emotional damage we willingly signed up for. Once you do something twice, it’s a tradition. Science.

In This Episode:

* Rereads, first-time reads, and “how did I end up here?” rabbit holes

* Why emotional devastation is sometimes the goal

* Romance as escapism, nervous-system regulation, and personal attack

* Books we never would’ve read without this podcast (and survived anyway)

* The joy of discovering new authors through interviews and themed episodes

And Meg & Nikki’s picks for:

* The Year of the Reread

* Unexpected Plot Twists We Did Not See Coming

* Most Bingeable Authors

* Trilogies That Emotionally Wrecked Us (Affectionate)

* Top Fantasy / Paranormal / “Why Is This Actually So Good?” Reads

* Weird Stuff We Only Read Because of the Podcast

* Favorite New-to-Us Authors

* Romance TV & Movies of the Year

* Best New Series

* Book of the Year

Want to check out our award winners? Note, these are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission on any purchases at no additional cost to you:

The Fall by Tal Bauer: https://amzn.to/3ZlBg9u

A Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams: https://amzn.to/49vROSh

Pounded by Produce by GM Fairy https://amzn.to/49IR0Ix

My Date with An Ampersand by Nicole Parker https://amzn.to/4sJBeWB

Skyland by Kennedy Ryan: https://amzn.to/4qYQZXP

Friendship by Kate Canterbary https://amzn.to/3LC5Cl2

Las Leonas by Adriana Herrera https://amzn.to/49OmOf3

The Atrous series by NR Walker https://amzn.to/3NStT6T

Teachers in Love by MA Wardell https://amzn.to/45hINJX

Love & Steel by Jessica Topper https://amzn.to/3LzghwP

Matzo Ballers by Jessica Topper and Amanda Usen https://amzn.to/4jNAZ8N

The Playbook by Alexa Martin https://amzn.to/4jQiUqz

By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin https://amzn.to/45g8hYb

Soft Launch by Olivia Carter https://amzn.to/4sVftTR

The Wages of Sin series by Neve Wilder & Onley James https://amzn.to/3LzdJyL

Secret Service by Tal Bauer: https://amzn.to/49F3fpn

The Luckless series by Cari Z: https://amzn.to/3ZltLzm

The Year of Us by EM Denning & Kate Hawthrone: https://amzn.to/4jQmz7N

The Jilted Exes’ Club series by Riley Hart https://amzn.to/3LqIjdU

Charmed Away Temp Agency series by Amy Padilla https://amzn.to/4pIPADX

Lovers of the Damned series by Colette Rivera : https://amzn.to/49uTATJ

The Brannon Boys series by Katherine McIntyre https://amzn.to/4sEPjEy

Leather & Lattes series by Katherine McIntyre https://amzn.to/4pKSxUk

Dungeons & Dating series by Katherine McIntyre https://amzn.to/49OmHA9

Raven of the Woods by Mary Calmes https://amzn.to/45F4J1Z

A Matter of Time by Mary Calmes https://amzn.to/3Nu5Gnp

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon https://amzn.to/460xhCS

Atlantic City Most Wanted by Charity Parkerson https://amzn.to/49EsHLO

Sent to a Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me by Jaclyn Osborn: https://amzn.to/4qy3nhR

Adopt a Vampire by AJ Sherwood https://amzn.to/49LvDX9

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez: https://amzn.to/49IMBoN

10 ways to accidentally fall in love by Emmy Sanders: https://amzn.to/4pIktYX

The Edge of Fate by Sheena Jolie: https://amzn.to/45jWAje

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

This week, Meg & Nikki are unpacking the latest Netflix romcom: Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation.

In this episode, they dig into:

* Why this story feels like the romance version of a beef trifle: enjoyable, chaotic, structurally confusing

* Friends-to-lovers, long-term pining, and the danger of resetting the conflict instead of escalating it

* The When Harry Met Sally comparisons and differences in payoff

* The travel fantasy: gorgeous locations, fun moments, and being the best version of YOU while away from home

They also talk adaptation choices, missing connective tissue from the book, and why adult conversations could have solved… basically everything.

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

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Episodes 5 and 6 of Heated Rivalry deliver what can only be described as a masterclass in slow-burn payoff. We get hugs and cuddles, hard truths, loopy Shane declarations, the iconic cottage invitation, and finally (finally!!) two men who sit down and use their words like adults (growth!).

In this third Heated Rivalry episode, Meg & Nikki are once again joined by Andréa Jones to break down:

* Why Episodes 5 & 6 fully deserve being some of the highest rated TV episodes EVER

* The injury → hospital → cottage pipeline and what finally changes between Shane and Ilya

* That music drop, those callbacks, and the slow-burn payoff we were promised

* The “I love you” moment(s) and why language matters here

* What the show gets right that most romance adaptations don’t

* Nikki’s thoughts on finally reading the books (and why she’s FURIOUS at Montreal).

We wrap with big fandom questions, season-wide reflections, and what Heated Rivalry getting this right could mean for future romance adaptations (especially queer ones).

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

What happens when the NFL decides it wants Hallmark’s audience and Hallmark decides it wants football money? You get Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, a G-rated Christmas movie stuffed with snow, Bills Mafia, stadium lore, and enough exposition to qualify as cardio.

Nikki and Meg are joined by Buffalo native and Bills superfan Sara Frandina to break down Hallmark’s second NFL crossover, unpack why Buffalo was the obvious choice, and ask the real questions.

Like:

* Why is this doctor never at work?

* Why does every mystery require a receipt from 50 years ago?

* The “he falls first” trope being wasted on an oblivious heroine

* East Aurora standing in for “small-town Buffalo” (lol)

* Joe Pantoliano quietly acting circles around everyone

* Why this movie could have been 45 minutes shorter and lost nothing

If you came for holiday cheer, you’ll stay for the Bills culture, Hallmark logic, and a surprisingly deep dive into fandom economics.

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

It’s Christmas Eve, which means one thing in the FDSM universe: extremely specific holiday tropes, deeply unserious games, and a shocking number of dead bodies lurking just offstage.

This week, Meg and Nikki dig into the microtropes that make holiday romances and Hallmark movies so bingeable.

Then Meg unleashes not one but two games, including a rapid-fire “Love or Murder?” guessing round and a full-on fantasy-draft-style build-your-own holiday romance.

Yes, ornaments have traumatic backstories.

Yes, someone gets stranded on a bridge. Yes, we absolutely turn the romances into cozy murders at the end.

It’s festive. It’s chaotic. It’s extremely on brand.

If you’ve ever thought, “This movie exists solely to justify one kiss in falling snow,” this episode is for you.

Want to play along? Grab the “Write Your Own Romance” guide here: https://linktr.ee/firstdatesandsoulmates

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

This week, Meg and Nikki head back to small-town romance heaven with Norah Pritchard, author of “If You Were Mine”, the winter installment of her Northfield series. Think runaway bride, grumpy sheriff, snowed-in forced proximity, meddling aunts, and a Christmas tree lot that absolutely understands the assignment.

They talk:

* Grumpy/sunshine as an emotional ignition device

* Forced proximity, snowstorms, and why winter beats hurricanes every time

* Alpha heroes, protective instincts, and the fine art of emotional repression

* Why tropes are not the enemy and why leaning into them works

* Checkov’s Handcuffs (yes, really)

Learn More About Our Guest:

https://norahpritchard.com/

https://www.instagram.com/norahpritchard/

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

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Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

This bonus episode exists because the fandom demanded it. And because Episodes 3 and 4 of Heated Rivalry emotionally drop-kicked us into the boards.

Nikki, Meg, and Andrea are back to break down the tonal shift of Episode 3 (Hunter), the rise of Scott “Softest Boy Alive” Hunter, then spiral into Episode 4 (Rose), where the tuna melt scene detonates the emotional core of the show. First names are said. Panic ensues. Everyone suffers.

Tune in for:

* The difference between “can’t come out” and “won’t communicate”

* Why the women of this series are the best people in the room and deserve everything

* The bisexual green couch, frotting discourse, and why nobody gets Shane a ginger ale

* How the show visually tells us these idiots are in love long before they admit it

* Why the final club scene is cruel, perfect, and deeply personal

This episode contains yearning, pining, black sweatpants, and more emotional repression than a locker room in 2014.

Listener discretion advised. Emotional damage guaranteed.

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

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Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

In this holly-jolly chaos-fest, Nikki once again interviews Meg’s romance writer persona Bailey Seaborn to break down Making Spirits Bright, the 2.5 novella in the All or Nothing universe.

Expect:

* FULL SPOILERS from not only this novella, but also Peppermint Bark, All Twerk No Play, and early glimpses of Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright

* An exhausted COO with a fixer complex who desperately needs a nap

* A burned-out whistleblower bartender rediscovering her confidence

* A meet-cute that is 0% drunken hookup and 100% “why are you in my bed?”

* Tinsel, feelings, unresolved grief, and Connor finally learning self-care (begrudgingly)

* Background drama from Kate, Nick, Grace, Alex, and Victoria that tees up Book 3

This episode is guaranteed to make your cinnamon-spiced holiday latte feel underdressed.

What We Cover

* How Connor went from “silent spreadsheet king” to full protagonist

* Why Hannah’s backstory flips the small-town trope on its head

* The ethics of caretaking when it becomes your entire personality

* The emotional grenade that is Connor’s grief arc (bring tissues)

* How Making Spirits Bright bridges Twerk No Play → Playwright

* Easter eggs and timeline chaos from books 1–3

* A sneak peek at early cover options and Bailey’s design choices

* Why squishy men who know the five stages of grief are superior

Making Spirits Bright Release Details

Release Date: December 5Price: $2.99Sale: 99¢ from December 11–13Where: Kindle Unlimited + Amazon purchase

Meg’s strategy corner: if you’re a KU reader, grab it there and then buy it so she gets both KU page reads and the sale. Iconic behavior.

For the bonus epilogue from Peppermint Bark + the first three chapters of Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright …Visit baileyseaborn.com (or here’s the direct download link)

📣 Support the Podcast

* Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Substack

* Leave a rating & review to appease the algorithm deities

* Follow us: @firstdatesandsoulmates on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube

* Merch: TeePublic

* Take our

* Become a Substack supporter for bonus episodes & early drops

💌 What We’re Shipping This Week

Meg: Her ARC readers — the real MVPs fueling the indie romance machine.Want to join the ARC list? Email [email protected] or sign up for the bonus episode at baileyseaborn.com and reply to that email to let me know!

Nikki: The Thorn and the Spire by Catherine McIntyre — a dark, spicy, supernatural Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling with demons, casinos, curses, and a library scene worthy of feral screaming.