Devon and Courtney get heated as they rate their top book boyfriends. Some they agree on, some they do not. As always, unhinged hilarity ensues as the conversation gets weirder. No cocktail tonight - just drinks of our own choosing. Sit back, grab your fave bevvy, and enjoy this one.

This one is for those of us who like the action to start immediately. Sorry, not THAT kind of action. Think Hunger Games meets House of Cards. 

This is one of those books that sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. And the twist at the end? You’ll have to tell us if you saw it coming. We certainly didn’t.

Our potion this week is one of our favourites yet! Make sure to tag us if you try it - if you like a whiskey sour, you will NOT be disappointed!

The Nightborn Sour

Ingredients:

2 oz. Bourbon

1 oz. Black Cherry Juice or Cherry Syrup

1 oz. Lemon Juice

Egg White

1 oz. Simple Syrup (if using cherry syrup, omit this step)

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for 2 min (need to froth up the egg white!)

Strain in a fresh glass with ice. Garnish with a cherry!

Have you ever thought, “man, I need a chaotic read with some top-tier spice and scenes that will rip my heart right out of my chest”? If you have, Brimstone by Callie Hart may just be for you!

This wild ride of a novel gives us exactly what we want…furry friends, long-lost besties, and most importantly, some of the most iconic book boyfriend lines in the history of book boyfriends. 

In honour of our furry friend Onyx, and his journey in this book, we created a White Chocolate Raspberry Martini.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Raspberry Vodka 

1 oz. white chocolate liquer

3 muddled raspberries

Sugar covered raspberry for garnish

Add the vodka, liqueur and raspberries to a shaker glass with ice. Shake hard for 2 min. 

Strain into a martini glass. Toss raspberry in lime juice and the coat in sugar. Garnish. 

Sip, and enjoy responsibly!

Stress of the season got you down? Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore is the perfect “snuggle up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and slippers and enjoy” kinda vibe. Truth be told, this book was the perfect remedy for stressful holidays.

We paired this sweet story with a sweet drink - our best pairing yet - the Peppermint Mocha Martini.

Ingredients:

1 oz. Espresso Vodka

1/2 oz. Peppermint schnapps

1 oz. Coffee liqueur

Candy cane rim

Drizzle of chocolate syrup

Rim a martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Combine the vodka schnapps and liqueur in a shaker cup with ice and add a small squeeze of chocolate syrup. Shake hard for 1 min and strain into the candy cane rimmed glass. Enjoy by a cozy fire or as an after dinner treat! 

What do you do when one half of a dynamic duo is shamelessly negligent and doesn't finish the book you were going to review? You chit chat about fave reads of 2025 and TBRs for 2026, of course!

From Devon having the absolutely wrong #1 book boyfriend, to Courtney pleading with Rebecca Yarros to make book 4 boring, this episode has a little for everyone.

WARNING! There are spoilers for MANY books in this podcast. If you do not want spoilers from ACOTAR, The Empyrean Series, Crescent City, Throne of Glass, and the Everflame books, maybe this isn't the episode for you.

Join us in this post-9-to-5, beer drinking, story swapping episode before we're back with a fluffy Christmas episode on December 24! No cocktail today, just a couple of sour beers and good vibes.

Time to watch two grown women swoon over a big, nice-smelling fae dude. 

Join us for our conversation on Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole. Both of us devoured the three books in this series that are currently out, and we are impatiently awaiting book 4. 

This book has everything - badass FMC, intrigue, the dipsh*t blonde non-end-game-guy, hot and broody MMC, adventure…

For our cocktail we decided to put a spin on a whiskey sour - if you try our “Flameroot Sour” make sure you post and tag us!

2oz bourbon

1oz lemon juice

1oz simple syrup

1 egg white

Cranberry juice (the UTI friendly kind - because we care about your health!)

Combine bourbon, lemon juice, simply syrup and egg white in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shaky shake shake. Pour into a glass over ice. Then, pour a cranberry juice float over top. And if you want to be extra like Devon use a cocktail smoker!

To mocktailify this, use an iced black tea, or non-alcoholic bourbon in place of the bourbon. 

Is Kingfisher THE new book boyfriend? And, what exactly are the right words to describe lady bits? These are just a few of the topics covered in this episode of Pages and Potions!

Devon and Courtney dive into the Fae and Alchemy series with a look at Quicksilver by Callie Hart. This beautiful story follows Saeris Fane as she finds herself thrust into a world she never even knew existed.

Our cocktail this week we call "The Alchemist". This surprising and delicious libation is a little sweet (like Onyx), and little dark (like Kingfisher), and a little fresh (like Carrion).

Ingredients:

2 oz gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

Blackberries muddled with fresh basil

Blackberry bubbly or other blackberry soda water

Muddle the blackberries and basil together in a shaker glass, fill with ice. Add gin, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake shake shake! Strain into a fresh glass with ice and top with blackberry bubbly or soda water, Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and enjoy!

To Mocktailify this, skip the gin and add more soda water, like a blackberry basil spritz!

ACOTAR...the gateway drug.

If you're anything like us, someone recommended this book to you and you ended up spiraling into romantasy obsession and too many book boyfriends to count. It's got everything - a badass FMC, incredible world-building, hot fae men...wyrms.

This episode isn't a deep dive but rather a love letter. An ode to a book that re-ignited a childhood love of reading for both of us, and ended up fostering a deep love of all things fictional - especially those of the tall, dark, and handsome variety (sorry, Tamlin).

We've paired today's episode with the "Feyre 75", our take on the French 75 with a fruity twist. Tag us if you try it!

1 oz gin

1 oz grapefruit juice

0.5 oz simple syrup

Shake it up with ice and pour into a glass

Top with sparkling rose

Please note that there are a few technical glitches with this episode! We know they're there and while we're not sure exactly what happened; go easy on us as we're still learning how to edit.

Dark comedy, morally grey characters, and an unhinged love story? Count us in, Brynne Weaver!

Join us as we discuss the dark romantic comedy, Butcher and Blackbird. Warning; this podcast is not safe for work due to explicit language and content, and as always, read the trigger warnings, babes. Devon and Courtney also introduce the drink of the week, an Oreo White Russian, and provide a detailed review of the book's plot, characters, and spicy scenes, while offering their personal ratings and reflections on the book's unique blend of romance and violence. They conclude with recommendations for listeners interested in exploring dark romance further.

Today’s Drink Recipe - Oreo White Russian courtesy of The Food in my Beard https://www.thefoodinmybeard.com/oreo-white-russian/

Honey

Crushed oreos

1.5 oz vodka

1.5 oz coffee liquor

3 oz milk

Use the honey and a small amount of crushed oreos to rim a glass

Add 1 tbsp crushed oreos and remaining ingredients into a shaker over ice

Shake vigorously and pour over ice into rimmed glass

Sip and enjoy!

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

00:27 NSFW and Spoiler Alert

01:51 This Week's Book and Drink

04:21 Book Review: Butcher and Blackbird

07:32 Dark Romance and Unhinged Love

13:34 Spicy Scenes and Piercings

17:59 Exploring the Romance and Spice

18:36 Trigger Warnings and Content Sensitivity

20:00 Rating the Book's Spiciness

22:09 Overall Book Rating and Recommendations

24:24 Drink Pairing Discussion

30:22 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Betrayal. Desire. A kingdom built on lies.

In our first episode of Pages and Potions, we dive headfirst into The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen — where love is as dangerous as war. 💋⚔ Grab our custom cocktail or your fave drink, sip along, and let’s unravel every twist, betrayal, and stolen kiss. 🍸✨

00:00 Welcome to Pages and Potions

00:29 Meet Your Hosts: Devon and Courtney

01:47 Cocktail of the Episode: Storms and Seduction

05:05 Book Review: The Bridge Kingdom

06:35 Plot Overview and Analysis

13:20 Character Dynamics and Themes

18:27 The Intricacies of Ithicana

27:45 Betrayal and Emotional Impact

28:32 Comparing Series and Authors

29:08 World Building and Character Development

29:45 Theories and Speculations

35:40 Spicy Scenes and Romance

37:40 Final Thoughts and Ratings

#pagesandpotionspodcast #TheBridgeKingdom #FantasyRomance