I had so much fun this week discussing In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath with our resident expert and Harlequin Historical (RIP) hype woman, the ever lovely Pam (@pammie823_reads)!

We chat about what makes Lorraine able to pull off a bonkers plot like no one else, her writing historicals to fit and subtly comment on current cultural and political circumstances, making love triangles acceptable, exploring hard topics like domestic violence without flinching, and making us feral for all the little romance moments readers of the genre love!

Pam has a great reading guide for all of Lorraine Heath’s historical romances that you can find here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMAylBLxvhn/ it details some of her favorites like Passions of a Wicked Earl, and tells you the order in which you should read her books.

Find (and follow!) Pam on Instagram and TikTok

First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.

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This week I am joined by historical romance author Colleen Kelly! We discuss Colleen’s novella, A Midsummer Night’s Duke, as well as what we love about Historical Romance, including—high vs. low stakes, the virgin hero trope, and of course, Bridgerton!

You can get your own FREE copy of A Midsummer Night’s Duke when you sign up for Colleen’s newsletter

The Duke’s Somerset Sins, and anthology with novellas by Colleen, Anne Knight, Kay K. Denner, and a preface by Ambriel Wrenn, will be released on February 13, 2026 and can be found here

First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.

Support First Encounter:

Patreon

Follow First Encounter:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod

Instagram: @first_encounter_hr_pod

TikTok: @first_encounter_hr_pod

Follow Andie James:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/

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In our first deep dive into a classic of historical romance, how could we read anything other than Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels? What's not to love about a heroine who literally shoots the hero? Jessica Trent is indeed the GOAT of heroines, and I had a fantastic time discussing her, as well as what makes this book a classic of the genre, with Meg—hostess extraordinaire of the Plot Trysts podcast

Read Lord of Scoundrels

First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.

Support First Encounter:

Patreon

Follow First Encounter:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod

Instagram: @first_encounter_hr_pod

TikTok: @first_encounter_hr_pod

Follow Andie James:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/

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I absolutely LOVED this conversation with Alexandra Vasti and Felicity Niven, both incredible historical romance authors. In this episode we talk about what readers love in HR, what we may need to do in the genre to bring in new readers and keep it alive in Traditional publishing, and what makes both of their own books so readable and memorable!

You can find out more about Alex and her books, as well as sign up for her newsletter (and get a free novella!), on her website: https://www.alexandravasti.com/

The Halifax Hellions, a duo of novellas about the Halifax twins, Margo and Matilda, which we discuss in this episode, will be released in paperback on February 17th!

Felicity Niven has a free prequel novella to her Lovelocks of London series, When Ardor Blooms, that you can get when you sign up for her newsletter on her website: https://www.felicityniven.com/

We discussed her debut novel, Convergence of Desire, in this episode. It can be found on Amazon or read in Kindle Unlimited with a subscription

Alex and Felicity lead discussions on a variety of Historical Romances through their Facebook reading group, The Ungovernables: https://www.facebook.com/groups/458348103108031

First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.

Support First Encounter:

Patreon

Follow First Encounter:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod

Instagram: @first_encounter_hr_pod

TikTok: @first_encounter_hr_pod

Follow Andie James:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/

Instagram: @andiejamesauthor

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Theme Music by TheJayMan

In this Introductory episode, host Andie James discusses why she is starting this podcast—focused on Historical Romance—and how it will be structured, with fellow Indie Historical Romance author Lindsay Barrett.

First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.

Support First Encounter:

Patreon

Follow First Encounter:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod

Instagram: @first_encounter_hr_pod

Threads: @first_encounter_hr_pod

TikTok: @first_encounter_hr_pod

Follow Andie James:

Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/

Instagram: @andiejamesauthor

Threads: @andiejamesauthor

Logo designed by Books and Moods

Theme Music by TheJayMan

Welcome to First Encounter, a new podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author.