Late Night Reads

In this episode, we dive into the romantasy book The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer Armentrout. We’re covering this book in two massive episodes. This episode focuses on Chapter 33-60 and our in-depth theories, while the first episode covers the first chapter, entitled The Primal through Chapter 32. We highly recommend that you have read all of the books in the Blood and Ash series and all of the books in the Flesh and Fire series before reading The Primal of Blood and Bone. 

During this episode, we chat about what it was like for Sera and Poppy to finally meet, why we’re convinced the draken are prohibited from sharing certain information, how we did not expect Descenters and Ascended to be in the same room, why reckless Poppy needs to chill out for a minute, how we’ll always squeal when Attes shows up, our growing frustration with a certain wolven, and how much we screamed when Isbitch came back (and our extremely unhinged theory about her return after The War of Two Queens turned out to be right!). We also talk about the implications of the prophecy based on the ending of the book and how we believe this entire series has been building towards Casteel becoming the Primal of Death and Destruction, with so many beautiful breadcrumbs along the way. Plus, we spent a significant amount of time discussing our extremely unhinged theories with detailed receipts. We’re talking jaw-dropping theories that will boggle your mind. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the contemporary romance book Pucking Around by Emily Rath. This is the first book in the Jacksonville Rays series. We highly recommend reading the novella, That One Night, before this book for additional context. 

During this episode, we discuss how much we love the uniqueness of each of the three male main characters, why one of us is a Jake girlie, how Rachel needs to up her internet research sleuthing skills, why we loved Tess the moment she appeared on the page, how much character development happened in such a short period of time, why we question what Poppy’s motives were in taking everyone to the club, and how this book will make you binge the entire series. Plus, we spend an obscene amount of time talking about the incredible 20 chapters of spice in this book. It definitely earned its five-pepper rating and made us Google a few things. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

It’s time to share our TBR schedule featuring the books we’re covering on the podcast in November. Each week, we deep dive into a new book, alternating between the contemporary romance and romantasy genres. 

Here are the books on November’s TBR:

• November  5 - The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer Armentrout (Chapters 33-60)
• November 12 - Pucking Wild by Emily Rath
• November 19 - Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer Armentrout
• November 26 - Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the romantasy book The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer Armentrout. We’re covering this book in two massive episodes, with this first episode focusing on everything that happens, starting with the first chapter entitled The Primal through Chapter 32. Our second episode will be released on Nov. 5, covering the remainder of the book and discussing all of our theories in-depth. We highly recommend that you have read all of the books in the Blood and Ash series and all of the books in the Flesh and Fire series before reading The Primal of Blood and Bone. 

During this episode, we chat about how we believe chapters with a title rather than a number are an important breadcrumb,  why we’re convinced there is more to Leopold and Cora than we have previously been told, how we screamed when some of our theories were proven to be true, why we paid a lot of attention to word choice, our musings on what drakens really know and why they’re so vague, and how a certain character was super frustrating (it’s probably not who you think). Plus, we’re sharing some of our theories throughout these chapters as various topics come up, with a full deep dive into theories in our next episode on The Primal of Blood and Bone. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the contemporary romance book Bad for Business by Kat Singleton. This is the second book in her Pembroke Hills Series. The first book in the series is In Good Company, which we’ve also covered with a deep dive episode on the podcast. 

During this episode, we discuss how Ryker and Camille’s history surprised us, why we loved seeing other male characters encourage Ryker to be nicer, the substantial character growth, how much we loved seeing Camille stand up to for herself, why Ryker is our favorite in the Pembroke Hills Series so far, and why we cannot wait to read Jude’s book. Plus, we talk about all of the incredible spice in this book, especially the pool scene and Ryker’s inability to wait 10 minutes. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the romantasy book Rising Reign by Tessa Hale. This is the final book in The Wolves of Crescent Creek series and is a why choose romantasy about wolf-shifters. 

During this episode, we discuss how much we hate everything about the Red River Pack and how they treated Wren, why it was great to finally see Kingston and Ender accept their mate bond with Wren, the surprising new characters that we didn’t expect, the hilarious antics of Franco and Juan, why we need more details on the 72-hour session between Wren and her mates, and why we can’t wait to read the next series featuring Rhys. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we’re joined by Lauren Palphreyman and discuss how she got started writing serial fiction on Wattpad and Radish, the benefits and challenges of being an indie author, and what she’s most looking forward to after getting a print-only deal for The Wolf King series. We also spend the majority of our conversation discussing her romantasy books, The Wolf King and The Night Prince. We chat about how she came up with the idea of the series, Aurora’s character development, the ongoing love triangle between Aurora, Callum, and Blake, the twists she puts in the book to change the reader’s perception on a character, why so few mate bonds are accepted, her favorite line from the series, and what to expect in the next book. 

Also, make sure to check out all of Lauren’s books:

• The Wolf King
• The Night Prince
• Cupid’s Match
• Devils Inc.
• A Circus of Ink

About Lauren Palphreyman

Lauren Palphreyman is an Amazon bestselling romantasy author. She likes to write strong and complicated men who respect women, women who can be soft as well as fierce, and romantasy tropes with a twist.

She is best known for The Wolf King, which has been described as werewolves meets Outlander, has been deemed ‘Best of Booktok’ on Amazon, and was listed as one of 'Readers' Favorite Romantasy Books of the Past 3 Years' on Goodreads.

The trilogy was recently acquired for traditional publication by Wayward TxF (UK), Bloom Books (US Print), and Simon Maverick (English Audio).

​​​​She got her start by writing serial fiction online, and you might also know her from her mythological paranormal series, CUPID’S MATCH, which was one of the top stories on Wattpad, garnered over 70 million ‘reads’ online, and was adapted into a digital pilot for The CW (unfortunately, we didn’t get the full series!).

​​​​She used to work as an analyst in the publishing industry. Now she spends her days writing about werewolves. A Yorkshire girl at heart, she currently lives in Surrey with her partner and their mischievous cockapoo – who steals far too much of her attention (and socks) while she’s trying to write!

Connect with Lauren Palphreyman:

Website: https://www.laurenpalphreyman.com/

Instagram: @laurenpalphreyman

TikTok: @lepalphreyman

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the romantasy book The Night Prince by Lauren Palphreyman. This is the sequel to The Wolf King, the fantasy romance series about werewolves. 

During this episode, we discuss how much we loved seeing Aurora start to stand up more for herself throughout the book, why Callum frustrated us with his behavior, the countless breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout both books, why we are definitely on Team Blake now, and the moment that made us kick our feet. Plus, we chat about all of our theories of what might really be going on in this world and what we think could happen in the next book in the series coming out in 2026. 

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we’re joined by Valerie Pepper and discuss her journey to becoming a romance author, how she was able to write a dozen books in three years, why she loves being an indie author and the challenges associated with it, and why writing a spicy scene takes her much longer than a non-spicy scene. We also spend the majority of the conversation discussing her latest romance book, Worth the Try, featuring a rugby romance where the single dad falls for the nanny. We discuss why she wanted to write a rugby romance, how she incorporates her personal experience in her writing, how the character development for the main female character was almost accidental, and why she likes to have readers go on an emotional rollercoaster in her books. 

Also, make sure to check out all of Valerie’s books:

• The Atlanta Granite
  • Worth the Try
  • The No Try Zone (Coming Spring 2026)
• Guided to Love
  • The Mechanic's Guide to Getting the Boss's Daughter
  • The Widow's Guide to Second Chances
  • The Barista's Guide to the Perfect Steam
  • The Grump's Guide to Chaos
• Lucky in Love
  • Dining for Love
  • Dashing For Love
  • Late to Love
  • Hate to Love
• Scared River
  • Love Potion No. 69
  • Karaoke Chemistry
• Lightning in a Bottle

All of Valerie’s books are available on her website or Amazon. 

About Valerie Pepper

Valerie Pepper writes steamy small-town and sports romance hot enough to fry an egg on. Naturally, she’s an incurable optimist and a firm believer in happily ever afters, even if it takes more than one try. She’s living out her own second-chance romance in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family.  

Connect with Valerie Pepper:

Website: https://www.authorvaleriepepper.com 

Instagram: @authorvaleriepepper

TikTok: @authorvaleriepepper

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorValeriePepper 

Threads: @authorvaleriepepper

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we dive into the contemporary romance book Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws. It’s the second book in the Mountain Men Matchmaker series and focuses on a hate-to-love relationship between Calder and Dakota. This romcom book also has some of our other favorite tropes, including one bed, small town romance, found family, and bad boy.

During this episode, we discuss why we love a good Cat Daddy (iykyk), how we’ll never forget the surprising location Calder runs into Dakota (and our subsequent Reddit searches), why Everly is the ultimate mastermind, how we LOVED the contents of the PowerPoint presentation that Calder created, the great character development, and why we give this book a four-pepper spice rating for the incredibly well-written spice.

Connect with Late Night Reads:

Website: https://www.latenightreads.com/

Instagram: @latenightreadspodcast

TikTok: @latenightreadspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LateNightReadsPodcast/

Threads: @latenightreadspodcast

Email: [email protected]