Make Romance Great

BOOM! No, we're not back yet - but we simply HAD TO drop a bonus episode to really wrap up season 1. And what better bonus than to talk about the infamous wingspan? Word of warning: we will use nearly every word for male genitalia that we could think of. So if that's not your cup of tea - consider yourself warned ;)

Books explicitly mentioned in this episode (alphabetically by author):
Ruby Dixon, "Ice Planet Barbarians" (2015)
Finley Fenn, "The orc Sworn Series" (2019)
C. M. Nascosta, "Morning Glory Milking Farm" (2021)
Julia Quinn, "The Duke and I" (2000)
Opal Reyne, "The Duskwalker Brides" (2022)

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.

The one. The only. Arguably the one who started it all (and not just for us). We are wrapping up season 1 by spending this episode talking about Sarah J. Maas and her works. Of course, spoiler alert is on and dear SJM fans - please, be nice, we like her too!

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
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This is the question of everyone's lips, isn't it? IS romance ALL about sex? Can the two exist without one another? Is this the end of the world as we know it or is it just another moral panic rooted in misogyny? Well, not to spoil anything, join us and let's talk about sex (baby).

TW: mentions of rape and discussions of rape fantasies

Books mentioned in this episode (alphabetical by author):
John Cleeland, "Fanny Hill, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure", 1748.
Jayne Ann Krentz (ed.), "Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance", 1992.
Stephanie Laurens, "Devil's Bride", 1998,
D. H. Lawrence, "Lady Chatterley's Lover", 1932.
George R. R. Martin, "A Song of Ice and Fire", 1996.
Tania Modleski, "Loving with a Vengeance: Mass-produced fantasies for women," 1988.
Susan Ostrov Weisser, "The Glass Slipper: Women and Love Stories", 2013. 
Maya Rodale, "Dangerous Books for Girls: the Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained", 2015.

Like what you heard? Why not support us with more than just your time? We promise not to spend it on books!

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.

The Realism of Romance

Isn't it an odd criterion to judge an inherently escapist genre on? Whilst romance can be realistic, this isn't the real thing that its readers look for nor what its writers strive for. We are sitting down to discuss whether romance needs to be realistic, but also, when is the suspension of disbelief going too far (yes, we've strayed into dark romance territory).

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussions of rape, including some graphic one in the context of recalling what was written in a dark romance book.


Books mentioned in this episode (alphabetical by author):
H.D. Carlton, "Hunting Adeline" (2022)
Penelope Douglas, "Credence" (2020)
Elsie Silver, "Flawless" (2022)
Sierra Simone, "Priest" (2015)

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
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As they say, it takes two to tango. And in straight romance, one of them is a man, the hero, the significant other. He's what at least half of the book revolves around. Has he always been like this? Will he ever change? The subject is bottomless well and we have only scratched the surface of the hero of a romance novel, but in the process we have uncovered a lot about where did he come from and where did he go.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mentions of rape and mental health hospitalisation in the context of recalling plot points.


Books mentioned in this episode:
Olivia Dade, "Spoiler Alert," 2020.
Rachel Feder, "The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love." United Kingdom: Quirk Books, 2023.
Abby Jimenez, "Part of Your World," 2022.
Mona Kasten, "Scarlet Luck Series," 2022
Jayne Ann Krentz (ed.), "Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance", University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.
Stephanie Laurens, "The Devil's Bride," 1998.
Beth O'Leary, "The Flatshare," 2019.
Ursula Le Guin, "The Left Hand of Darkness," 1969.
Sarah J. Maas, "A Court of Thorns and Roses," 2015.
Opal Reyne, "A Soul to Keep," 2022.

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
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Time for a positivity break (although stick with us, we couldn't help going on a little rant). This one is all about the things that get us straight in the heart and make our knees weak: our romance kryptonites. There are spoilers within the episode, don't say that we haven't warned you.

Books mentioned in this episode (in alphabetical order by author):
Brooklyn Ann, "With Vengeance"
Jane Austen, "Persuasion"
Kristy Boyce, "Dating and Dragons"
Cassandra Clare, "Infernal Devices"
Laurie Gilmore, "The Strawberry Patch Pancake House"
Mona Kasten, "Scarlet Luck Series": Lonely Heart" and "Fragile Heart"
Susan King, "Taming the Heiress"
Sarah J. Maas, "A Court of Mist and Fury"
Sarah J. Maas, "House of Earth and Blood"
Tania Modleski, "Loving with a Vengeance: Mass-produced fantasies for women," 1988 (originally published 1982), Routledge, London 
Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Anne of Green Gables," "Anne of Avonlea," and "Anne of the Island"
Stacy Reid, "My Darling Duke" 
Margit Sandemo, "The Legend of the Ice People"

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
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You've heard us moan about tropes time and again, you've heard us repeat ourselves that 'it's fine if it's written well', you've heard us rant and rant on the subject, so let's address the issue once and for all. We're diving deep into tropes and emerge victorious on the other side.

Researchers and books mentioned in this episode:
Antti Aarne, Finnish folklorist
Vladimir Propp, Russian folklorist
Tania Modleski, "Loving with a Vengeance: Mass-produced fantasies for women," 1988 (originally published 1982), Routledge, London 

Like what you heard? Why not support us with more than just your time? We promise not to spend it on books!

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.

You've heard it all a million times - and probably will hear a million times more. "Don't read that, it's not good for you," in a flavour of your choice. So whilst we're probably preaching to the choir here, let's bury this myth that romance novels are any worse for you than any other fiction. Because we can't make romance great until we bury that BS deep under ground!

Articles and books referenced in this episode: 
 * Maya Rodale, "Dangerous Books for Girls: the Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained", 2015. 
 * Jayne Ann Krentz (ed.), "Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance", University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.

Like what you heard? Why not support us with more than just your time? We promise not to spend it on books!

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.

Welcome to Make Romance Great. Not again, we're not there yet. And that's why this podcast is here!

In the first episode you'll get to know your hosts: Monika and Paulina, and hear why they embarked on the podcasting journey. Listen on for raunchy laughs, scaldingly hot takes (and so early on - scandalous!), and glimpses into what you can expect from the pod going forward.

Maybe, just maybe, at the end of all this, we will get to the point where the romance novel is great instead of "just" a romance.

Articles referenced in the episode is:

Pamela Regis, "What Do Critics Owe the Romance? Keynote Address at the Second Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance", Journal of Popular Romance Studies vol 2 issue 2.1, Oct 12 2011.

Like what you heard? Why not support us with more than just your time? We promise not to spend it on books!

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.

Listen, it's romance - it's not that deep. Sometimes it's about sharing the love and the appreciation rather than tearing down academics with their knickers in a twist. So we're taking a breather break to talk about some of our favourites: books, authors, tropes, and even couples. Let us know if we share any favourites - or if we've convinced you to try something new.

Like what you heard? Why not support us with more than just your time? We promise not to spend it on books!

Patreon for bloopers and behind the scenes

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All art courtesy of @aga.futa.art.
All music courtesy of Stephen James Rowlatt.