Heaving Bosoms

Hey HBs! Mel and Sabrina are here with LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS by Anita Kelly! This queer contemporary romance is set on an amateur cooking show. Dahlia is a divorcee who quit her job to be there and doesn't quite know how she'll pay rent if she doesn't win the $100k prize. Meanwhile, London is the show's first non-binary contestant, this is their national coming out declaration, and they want to use the money to start a non-profit to support queer kids where they live. They may be competitors, but they're attracting HARD from the first moment they (literally) bump into each other! Y'all, the gender, sexual orientation, and label representation in this book is AMAZING! We loved it.

Bonus Content: Sabrina gives us a #NemesisWatch 2024 update, the gals give dating advice to all the queer listeners out there (based on reading list data!), the gals want that cow story gosh darn it, Sabrina is the head of a Pinky-Heavy Household, and no one had to draft an angry spice level letter they would never (ever) send, and so much more!

Please check out today's sponsor:

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Mary McMyne is out now in all formats, so go get this sapphic romantic fantasy historical set in Shakespeare Times!!!!!

Lady Loves

Mel: Hey, you know those half-finished projects that are languishing around your homestead? Getting them done is going to feel great! Mel had a fern she needed to divide and plant and hosting a 4th of July get-together was the perfect push to make it finally happen. Amazing!

Sabrina: Do you have a giant project hanging over your head that you're borrowing worries over? Just starting it helps SO MUCH! Slay that dragon, y'all.

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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Hey HBs! We're here with the second half of THE SPYMASTER'S LADY by Joanna Bourne! Our couple is on a fall-in-love trek on foot all the way to London and boy does Annique feel guilty about being attracted to boy Grey and Robert... little does she know, they're the same bloke! Come with us as we finish our journey through spy times!

Bonus Content: Mel gets recognized by a mom at her school, the gals ruminate on tips of icebergs, Sabrina is an angry boomer about JUST GOOGLING IT, and so much more!

Please check out today's sponsor:

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Mary McMyne comes out on July 16, so go preorder this sapphic romantic fantasy historical set in Shakespeare Times!!!!!

Lady Loves:

Mel: Return your library books via Hoopla and Libby when you're done, don't wait for the auto-return. Someone like Sabrina might be out there gnashing their teeth waiting for it.

Sabrina: pay attention to and celebrate the "little happies" in life. Does your Pineapple Bubbly tab say "hi u?" THAT'S ADORABLE.

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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This includes affiliate links, which means that when you purchase through them, the podcast gets a tiny kickback without costing you an extra cent!

Hey HBs! We're here with THE SPYMASTER'S LADY by Joanna Bourne! It's great to be back in France Times with an extra dose of intrigue and nefarious plots! We meet Annique, a 19 year old lifelong spy and Grey, the second in command of all the British spies right after the French Revolution. They are undoubtedly enemies who can't trust each other, unless they find out they've got way more in common than either of them think. Except for killing. She doesn't kill on purpose, he'll kill anything no problem.

Bonus Content: Sabrina is a monster in a heat wave, Mel is familiar with Les Mis, ok?, Sabrina is being abused by another local Libby user (just RETURN the book when you're done!), Mel skipped straight to the third book, Annique is supremely competent, field surgery and hypnosis, cats on hot tin roofs, and so much more!

Thank you to this week's sponsors!

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Mary McMyne comes out on July 16, so go preorder this sapphic romantic fantasy historical set in Shakespeare Times!!!!!

THE TREASURED ONE by Hannah Levin comes out tomorrow July 9, so be sure to go get this brand new romantasy quick quick!!!!!

Lady Loves:

Mel: Have fruit out! It makes snacking so much more healthy and delicious!

Sabrina: Nongshim Shin Black Instant Ramen! It's spicy and beef and delicious. Cook it as-is, or dress it up with fancy veg and eggs!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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MERCH! Teepublic, Chicaloo Kate, Redbubble

Instagram: @heavingbosoms

Twitter: @heaving_bosoms

This includes affiliate links, which means that when you purchase through them, the podcast gets a tiny kickback without costing you an extra cent!

Hey HBs! We're here with our first Nora Roberts book, THE VILLA! It's winerytimes and the Giambelli matriarch is here to shake up with corporate structure! But also intrigue and murder with no less than 3,000 characters. And in this head-hopping 3rd person book, everyone (and we mean EVERYONE) gets a POV moment. Plus, not one but two romances!

Bonus Content: Pebbling as a love language, Treat Lifestyle, whimsying math, and so much more!

A note on audio: Mel's audio is wonky in the first 40 mins of this episode, but vastly improves after that! So sorry, tech issues have been figured out for future eps.

Lady Loves:

Mel: Pebbling! Sometimes it's all I can manage.

Sabrina: Find a new routine when something's not working. S needed a new trigger to get her into "work mode" now that she's full-time WFH and putting on a tiny bit of makeup is helping her do that!

Thank you to this week's sponsor! A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Mary McMyne comes out on July 16, so go preorder this sapphic romantic fantasy historical set in Shakespeare Times!!!!!

Go bid on all your romance faves at Romancing the Vote 2024, including a chance to guest-host an episode!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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Hey HBs! Mel's here with gueesstttssss! BFFs of Mel and the pod Jenny Nordbak and Katee Robert (of Bonkers Romance) are here to recap the movie Challengers, starring the one and only Zendaya. Jenny and Mel had no idea what they were in for and BOY did this romantic psychological thriller deliver. It's so sexy! And messy! And mean! And baffling! And we loved it.

Just a quick note: Mel had some ridiculous audio and recording issues, so (even with a lot of intervention) the sound quality isn't up to our usual standards, but she worked hard to make the best of it and get you this excellent episode!

We're at the tail end of Bonkers' 2024 Kickstarter THE BLACK ROSE AUCTION, so don't miss it! They've curated 6 incredibly sexy fairytale retellings centered on an illicit auction with special edition books, swag, and so much more! The campaign ends on June 26th, 2024 at 5pm PST!

Lady Loves:

Jenny: Karen Marie Moning's upcoming release THE HOUSE ON WATCH HILL!

Katee: the horror romance THEN EARTH SWALLOWED OCEAN by Shiloh Sloane. Check the CWs because it's DARK and TWISTY and WTF!

Mel: The Ultimatum South Africa on Netflix and the Black Rose Auction! Seriously, go back the Kickstarter before it's too late!

Want more of Jenny and Katee? Visit their websites, subscribe to their newsletters, and follow on social media!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell all your friends :)

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The above includes affiliate links, which means that by purchasing through them, you support the podcast without spending a penny more.

Hey HBs! We're here with masterpiece of sorcery! Emma Hamm's WHISPERS OF THE DEEP took every single one of Sabrina's phobias and said we shall overcome with seggsy swooniness! It's a monster romance between a merman and a human deep, DEEP under the sea. Like, in the vast deep. He kidnaps her to get information that his people will use to destroy hers, he thinks every part of her body is disgusting, and this can only end in one of their deaths... unless she teaches him how to kiss! Get stoked, y'all.

Bonus Content: Mel takes sleep terrorism to new levels, Sabrina literally overcomes all of her worst fears for this book, and so much more!

Don't miss out on our Patreon-Only events! This Friday, June 21st, is our author hang with MA Wardell at 8pm EST! And NEXT Friday, June 28th, is our next watch party of the Lizzie McGuire Movie! Patrons at the $10 level and up get to attend live and everyone else can watch it back!

Lady Loves:

Mel: Audiobook Box Sets and Wood Chippers! Mel borrowed a legit-eat-everything-wood-chipper and used those hours outside with her noise-cancelling headphones to listen to audiobook box sets on Hoopla! Big thanks to Erika Wilde and Carly Phillips for their box sets of Made for the Mafia series, the Indecent series, and the Complete Book Boyfriend series. YOWZA!

Sabrina: The second book in this series SONG OF THE ABYSS. It's Daios's book!!!!!!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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This description includes affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, a small portion goes to support the podcast, but doesn't cost you a penny more!

Hey HBs! We're here with a contemporary sapphic romance! It's a fake relationship extravaganza with a buttoned-up couple's counselor and a cool, alt actor.

CW: Mel got really triggered by this book, so look out for discussions of disordered eating, diet culture, rampant fatphobia, and more.

Bonus Content: Mel cut her own hair!, where is all the roller skating the cover promised?, moaning in front of strangers in the workplace, and more!

Lady Loves:

Mel: Cut your own hair and liberate your neck if it's hot! And DNF if you need to.

Sabrina: using technology to be a chaotic neutral gremlin. The person who did this is a champion.

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

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Hey HBs! We're back with another book we didn't know was part 1 of a 4 part series with the same couple. WHOOPS, but no regrets. BENEATH BLACK SAILS by Clare Sager is a historical fantasy pirate adventure with a famous pirate queen and the pirate hunter sent to take her down. This heroine is brash and fun and we can't get enough of her.

Bonus Content: we're hot messes who got suckered!, this dedication slayed us, this took Mel back to Dangerous Tides, he's the epitome and she's the definition, Sabrina drops the beans, Valor is the main character in all our stories, we're gonna riot, and so much more!

Lady Loves:

Sabrina: super duper freezing cold water. 'Tis the season!!!

Mel: THE BLACK ROSE AUCTION Kickstarter by Bonkers Romance! I decided to step away from the project this year, but Jenny and Katee have done AMAZING things with this collection of books! Each one is a fairytale retelling set at an illicit, underground auction and, y'all, they've leveled up. The art, swag, and book design are so sleek and classy, and the tagline "morally gray and getting darker" makes me drool. You have to check it out! It launches tomorrow, June 4th, so don't miss it!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell all your friends :)

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Hey HBs! This week we've got a delicious contemporary lesbian romance: D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins! This perfect morsel has so many things we love! Reality TV, fat rep, queer rep, overcoming religious trauma, loving and eccentric families, and WOWZA the spicy times are faaaantastic. This is a hard recommend from us!

Bonus Content: Mel just like her drinks dry, Sabrina can't handle a mid-recording puck of Mexican hot chocolate, Mel fancast this book: D'Vaughn is Susie Dahl and Kris is Mal Wright, Mel can't shut up about The Ultimatum: Queer Love, butch lesbians in short-sleeved button downs, Sabrina is frozen by reality tv chatter, and so much more!

Lady Loves:

Sabrina: We started recording one year ago! And having to read all of these books so closely has added a wonderful layer to her experience.

Mel: We got a wonderful review that called us "saucy, cheeky, and oh-so-deliciously naughty" and I'm DEAD!!! THANK YOU to everyone who reviews us online!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell all your friends :)

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Hey HBs! We're here with the contemporary Scottish romance ON DUBLIN STREET by Samantha Young! It's Edinburgh, it's family tragedy, it's basing life decisions on great bathtubs. There's an emotionally skittish heroine, an alpha hero who's eight years older, a friends-with-benefits arrangement, and a little too much boundary pushing for Mel's complete comfort. And we knew this before, but we pinpoint one of the ways subgenre impacts reader expectations!

Bonus Content: eyeball cupcakes, trip planning, Veronica's Dragon, Mel's a hypocrite, subgenre matters, Sabrina's gets caught being a creepy old lady at the car wash, never meet a mortal man, tackling with blow job jokes, alphas with emotional intelligence, and Anirbas makes her glorious return!

Lady Loves:

Sabrina: Gatorade in tiny bottles! It stays super cold the whole time she's drinking it, which is delicious!

Melody: the nostalgia-fest of Two Friends Big Bootie Mixes! Listening to volume 11 facilitated the best workout class she's had in a long time!

Make sure to check out Mel's new podcast Bonkers Romance! 

Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell all your friends :)

Get more content on PATREON!!

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MERCH! Teepublic, Chicaloo Kate, Redbubble

Instagram: @heavingbosoms

Twitter: @heaving_bosoms