Reading Under the Covers: A Romance Novel Podcast

When did the vampire stop being the thing that eats you and become the guy who'd die before he let anything touch you? I went looking for that answer and it happened much earlier than I expected. It was us.

My answer to a TikTok I can't stop thinking about: the monsters we love come out of whatever makes us feel safe. This is how the vampire got there.

If you want to make a whole vampire month (or season) out of this, I put together a free Vampire Personal Curriculum with required reading, a watchlist, games, free resources on vampire folklore and more:

https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/vampire-personal-curriculum/

LINKS FROM THIS VIDEO

- My friend Victoria's series on the bookish scandals of classic authors (Polidori included): https://www.youtube.com/@bibliolifestyle

- Why the paranormal alpha is making a comeback: https://youtu.be/AaTGtoc8EmU

- Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles in reading order: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/vampire-chronicles-reading-order/

- My original Vampire Academy movie review: https://archive.underthecoversbookblog.com/movie-review-vampire-academy/

- My thoughts on The Vampire Lestat season 3: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/vampire-lestat-season-3/

Timestamps

00:00 What the monster we love says about us

01:05 Stage one: Before he was hot. Folklore to Dracula

02:47 1931: Lugosi's fan mail

03:54 The four stages

04:28 Anne Rice and falling for him anyway

08:55 Stage two: restraint (Angel, Edward, Stefan)

11:03 Stage three: the partner (Anita, Sookie, Cat and Bones)

14:18 Stage four: the protector (Black Dagger Brotherhood)

16:37 Why the 2000s made the vampire so popular

18:09 The boom cools off, then BookTok brings him back

21:32 The Vampire Personal Curriculum

BOOKS AND SHOWS IN THIS VIDEO

Shop the whole reading list on LTK:

https://liketk.it/6oTfx

(This is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small commission at no cost to you.)

The Vampyre by John Polidori

Dracula by Bram Stoker (and the new audiobook narrated by Jonathan Bailey)

Dracula (1931), Bela Lugosi

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, the 1994 film by the same name and Queen of the Damned (2002), plus the new AMC show from 2022

John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and the 2008 film

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith and the TV series

Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton

Vampire Huntress Legend by L.A. Banks

Underworld movie franchise

Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris and True Blood

Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost

Jaz Parks by Jennifer Rardin

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

Argeneau Vampires by Lynsay Sands

Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole

Midnight Breed by Lara Adrian

Eternal Hunger by Laura Wright

Bonded by Blood by Laurie London

Vampire Academy (2014 film) and book series

Dracula Untold (2014)

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Bargain of Blood by Vasilisa Drake

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Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

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📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
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3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

I sat down to talk about a 1995 alien romance and ended up in a six and a half year lawsuit. In today's episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, we are diving into Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy. Our July/August Ripped & Ravished Book Club book.

Three words: Highlanders in Space

But then I got curious about what happened to Dara Joy, a bestselling author who simply disappeared for twenty years. That turned into a whole rabbit hole including a contract lawsuit, an argument about whether a book counted as science fiction or romance, a self-publishing attempt that went wrong. And the book at the centre of that scandal sent me looking for where all the dominant women were in 2000s romance.

This episode covers an author's litigation and business history. Everything is sourced and linked below, and I've quoted both sides in their own words.

Timestamps

00:00 The Rabbit Hole

00:53 Book Club Housekeeping

01:41 Meet the Alien Knight

03:02 Sci-Fi Con Fish Out of Water

05:18 Rating and Red Flags

07:11 Writing Style Surprise

09:04 Suzanne's Review, and the Spice

11:41 Series Talk: Rejar

13:14 Where Is Dara Joy?

14:02 The Dorchester Lawsuit Timeline

19:05 The Self-Publishing PayPal Mess

21:33 The Ritual of Proof Twist

25:53 Femdom Market Deep Dive

31:52 Power Dynamics Takeaways

34:01 Wrap Up and Next Pick

Books Mentioned

Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy (1995), Matrix of Destiny #1

Rejar by Dara Joy (1997), Matrix of Destiny #2

Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy (2001)

Holding the Cards by Joey W. Hill (2002), Nature of Desire #1

Natural Law by Joey W. Hill (2004), Nature of Desire #2

The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill (2007), Vampire Queen #1

Truly Helpless by Joey W. Hill (2017), Nature of Desire #10

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (1989)

From the blog

Knight of a Trillion Stars review, including Suzanne's original 2011 review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/knight-of-a-trillion-stars-review/

Rejar review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/rejar-by-dara-joy-review/

Ripped & Ravished Book Club: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/bodice-ripper-book-club/

How to Read Vintage Bodice Rippers Without Gaslighting Yourself: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/read-vintage-bodice-rippers/

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/

My review of The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill: https://archive.underthecoversbookblog.com/the-vampire-queens-servant-by-joey-w-hill/

Jennifer's review of Truly Helpless by Joey W. Hill, quoted in this episode: https://archive.underthecoversbookblog.com/truly-helpless-by-joey-w-hill-2/

Sources

Everything in this episode is sourced. Here is where it all came from.

ON THE DORCHESTER DISPUTE

Dorchester Publishing's public statement, 10 February 2005, archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20070208005519/http://www.dorchesterpub.com/DorchSpecialFeatures.cfm

Dara Joy's own 2005 statement, quoted in Maya Reynolds, "Another Cautionary Tale," April 2007. The original page on her website has since been deleted and is not archived: https://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.com/2007/04/another-cautionary-tale.html

Dear Author, "Authors Behaving Badly: Dara Joy," July 2006. The most detailed contemporary account of the litigation and the self-publishing complaints: https://dearauthor.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/authors-behaving-badly-episode-1-dara-joy/

Dara Joy, "Great news from Dara Joy," 1 February 2008, announcing the settlement: https://officialdarajoy.com/2008/02/01/great-news-from-dara-joy/

Dara Joy's official site and current self-published catalogue: https://officialdarajoy.com/

ON RITUAL OF PROOF

All About Romance review: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/ritual-of-proof/

Mrs Giggles review, April 2002: https://mrsgiggles.com/ritual-of-proof-by-dara-joy/

Beauty in Ruins review, October 2024: https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/book-review-ritual-of-proof-by-dara-joy-sff-romance/

ON ELLORA'S CAVE AND BDSM ROMANCE

Smart Bitches Trashy Books, "Interview with the Folks from Ellora's Cave," 2006: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/stuffwelike/interview_with_the_folks_from_elloras_cave/

Sarah S. G. Frantz, "The History of BDSM Fiction and Romance," in Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey (2012), via the Romance Scholarship Database: https://rsdb.vivanco.me.uk/bibliography/history-bdsm-fiction-and-romance

Joey W. Hill's Nature of Desire series, publication history and book descriptions: https://storywitch.com/series-nod/

Join the Book Club

Ripped & Ravished is our vintage romance readalong. One book every two months, and a podcast discussion for each one.

September and October is Love Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas. She has a new book out in October, Queen of Lombard Street, her first in five years, so it felt like the right moment to go all the way back to where she started.

Join the Ripped & Ravished email track and you'll get the pick, the discussion link, and a bit of context every two months: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/ripped-ravished

And reply to those emails. Genuinely. Reader replies have changed how I've read these books more than once.

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

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Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

June 2026 was my best reading month in years: 22 books, nearly 8,000 pages, and a full-blown C-drama obsession that reshaped everything I picked up. This is Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, and today's my June reading wrap-up: every book and the show that started my new binge.

It began with Pursuit of Jade on Netflix. I fell hard, that man yearns like nobody's business, and once the show had me, I went looking for books that felt the same way. Pull up a chair, this is a long one.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:57 StoryGraph Reading Stats

01:48 C Drama Obsession Begins

02:30 Pursuit of Jade Recap

06:07 More C Dramas to Watch

07:56 Back to the Books

08:05 Regency Pirate Rom Com

09:45 Paris Poly Romance

10:46 Immortality Lyrical Fantasy

12:21 True Crime Thriller

13:47 MM Urban Fantasy Romance

17:02 Small Town Suspense Romance

18:52 Rival Wizards Rom Com

20:26 Magical Vet Academia

22:59 Villain Love Triangle

24:47 Classic Time Travel Romance

26:58 Cozy Quest Romantasy

28:38 Wildcat Dark Stalkers

31:39 Space Mystery Romance

33:11 Grumpy Sunshine Foodie

34:49 Assassin Gothic Dark Romance

37:15 Chinese Mythology YA

38:21 Fake Dating Mooncakes

39:35 Cinderella Inspired Fantasy

41:24 Wrestling Rival Romance

43:43 Gothic Fantasy Yearning

45:47 Death God Fantasy Quest

47:36 Pride and Prejudice Korea

49:16 Wrap Up and Community

Links

Shop the books from this episode: [LTK LINK — shop the books]

Read along & catch up on the blog:

• Summer 2026 Reading Challenge → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-reading-challenge/
• July 2026 Book Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/july-2026-book-releases/
• Summer 2026 Romance Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-romance-releases/
• Summer 2026 Mystery Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-mystery-releases/
• Queer Summer 2026 Book Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/queer-summer-2026-book-releases/

Want the full discussion of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux? We covered it in two Ripped & Ravished Book Club episodes with Becky from Too Stupid To Live → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

There's a book on your nightstand right now with a bookmark stuck about forty pages in. You already know you're not going to finish it and you feel a little guilty about it. That's the summer reading slump. And the way out isn't waiting for the mood to come back. It's a challenge... the fun, low-pressure kind.

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, I break down the Heatwave Cup: the summer edition of Under the Covers' year-long Romanceopoly reading challenge, built for exactly the reader who's stuck. Four books, three months, no spreadsheet, no bingo board. A challenge you can technically win by reading less.

I walk through all four prompts with picks straight from the Discord community plus my own summer TBR for it. The complete rec lists for every prompt, the free printable challenge cards, and the StoryGraph tracker all live on the blog.

Whether you're playing the full Romanceopoly challenge or you just want your bookmark unstuck, this is your mid-year reading reset for your reading life. Come tell us which prompt you're starting with.

Chapters:

• 00:00 The Summer Reading Slump
• 00:55 Heatwave Cup: What It Is
• 01:51 Rules, Dates & Tracking
• 02:52 Prompt 1: Rift Run
• 04:19 Prompt 2: Cursebreaker Clash
• 05:23 Prompt 3: Double Faulted Desires
• 06:41 Prompt 4: Enchanted Rally
• 07:32 Wrap-Up & How to Join

Links:

• Full challenge, all community recs, Storygraph & free printables: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-reading-challenge/
• Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U
• Read with us on Fable: https://utcbookblog.com/CX9IoU
• Check out Romanceopoly: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/reading-challenge

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

"She didn't need the knight. She became the knight."

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, Francesca and returning guest Becky (Too Stupid To Live) close out their two-part Ripped & Ravished Book Club discussion of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux, the 1989 classic that was the May/June bodice ripper pick. This is Part 2, covering chapter 19 through the end. If you haven't heard Part 1 (chapters 1–18), start there first.

This is the half where the tone turns. The rom-com opening gives way to something darker and more Outlander-shaped: a re-love story, a rake at his worst, a heroine who has to win the same man twice... and an ending that asks whether a happily-ever-after has to mean two people standing together, or whether two souls finding each other across time is triumph enough. Francesca and Becky make their case for why it still counts as a romance, then dig into everything underneath it: Deveraux's own note that the book began as a story about alcoholism, the class and privilege threads running through the past, the low spice by modern standards, and the "write the story, not the tropes" argument.

Next up for the book club in August: Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy, an old-school '90s futuristic romance. Subscribe to the Ripped & Ravished email list so you don't miss that discussion.

Come tell us where you land on that ending on social, on the blog post, or by replying to the newsletter.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:32 Is It Still Romance

03:15 Souls Time Travel Love

07:14 Revisions Alcoholism Lens

10:14 Dougless Growth Arc

12:46 Back to Chapter 19

14:10 Rake Nicholas Challenges

16:37 Gross History Details

18:17 Shower Audience Scene

20:22 Women Allies Body Talk

23:10 Closure With Robert

25:15 Choosing Herself

27:03 Nicholas Legacy Romance

29:14 Fanfic What Ifs

31:38 Genre Shift Praise

33:54 Privilege And Class Themes

39:14 Spice And Romance Trends

43:38 Breaking Writing Rules

45:58 Time Travel As Healing

49:07 Tropes Versus Story

55:09 Ratings And Reactions

58:22 Ending And Epilogue Debate

01:02:21 Movie Adaptation Dreams

01:03:31 Podcast Plugs And Next Read

01:04:34 Book Club Wrap Up

Links

• A Knight in Shining Armor on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/
• The Ripped & Ravished Book Club: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/bodice-ripper-book-club/
• Join the Ripped & Ravished email list: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/ripped-ravished
• Becky's podcast, Too Stupid To Live: https://tstlpodcast.substack.com

Hungry for more time travel romance? Start here:

• Time Travel Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-travel-romance-books/
• Time Loop Romance: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-loop-romance/
• YA Time Loop Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/ya-time-loop-romance-books/

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

Twenty-five years ago, Jacqueline Carey published Kushiel's Dart and changed what epic fantasy could do. To mark the anniversary, I sat down with her to talk about how she built the world of Terre d'Ange, why she wrote a heroine who is both a feminist icon and a divinely ordained masochist, and what she wants you to do when the first hundred pages feel like a lot. This conversation also kicks off our year-long Kushiel's Legacy readalong, so whether you have always wanted to read these books or you want to reread them with company, this is your starting point.

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast:

• The coffee-table-book accident that handed Carey an entire theology
• Writing consent as a sacred tenet, and why she chose first person
• Turning the trauma-forged fantasy heroine on its head
• Why she threw out the rulebook on her own prose
• Melisande, and the villain you are not supposed to root for
• Joscelin, Cassiel's Servant, and an easier way into the series
• Her advice for readers intimidated by the size
• "Love as thou wilt," and what 25 years of readers have meant to her

Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:48 25 Years Of Kushiel

01:42 Big Idea Origins

03:14 Writing Phedre Over Time

04:08 Feminism Consent Voice

05:03 Getting Into The World

05:42 Joscelin Retelling Entry

06:35 Building Terre Theology

08:36 Finding The Baroque Voice

10:34 Turning Tropes Inside Out

11:52 Crafting The Cast

12:46 Why Readers Love Melisande

13:35 Parallel Character Arcs

15:35 Returning To Joscelin

17:54 New Insights From Servant

19:10 Read Along Tips Themes

20:15 Love As Thou Wilt

21:00 Legacy And Reader Impact

23:01 Wrap Up And Read Along

Read along with us:

• Join the Kushiel's Legacy readalong: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/kushiels-legacy-readalong/
• New to the world? Start with the reading guide: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/kushiels-legacy-reading-order/
• Read the full interview feature on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/jacqueline-carey-interview/
• Get the book: Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey: https://on.ltk.com/+oMD9q5qkEHc6YwbIv2MSxw (affiliate)
• Readlong email: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/kushiel
• Readalong Discord: https://discord.gg/XdkabCdHYZ

New episodes drop monthly as we read through the series together, so subscribe so you don't miss them, and come talk about each section with us in the Discord. If the show is your kind of thing, a rating or review helps other readers find it.

Heads up: the books, and parts of this conversation, touch on mature themes, including BDSM and the role of pain and consent in Carey's world.

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

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1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, Francesca is joined by Becky from the Too Stupid To Live podcast for part one of the Ripped & Ravished Book Club discussion of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux, chapters 1 through 18. It's a reread for Francesca and a first read for Becky, so you get both seats at the table: the comfort of a book that imprinted years ago, and the shock of meeting Nicholas, ice cream, zippers, and a 1980s dressing room for the very first time.

They get into why this 1989 title plays lighter than the bodice rippers the club usually reads, Nicholas as an alpha who actually listens and learns, whether a naive heroine is quietly making a comeback, and the case for time travel romance as one of the most underserved corners of the genre. Then the chapter 18 cut lands, he's gone the moment she asks him to stay, and everyone around her thinks she dreamed the whole thing. Part two finishes the book.

Timestamps

00:00 Heartbreak Cold Open

00:15 Podcast Intro and Book Club Setup

00:47 Why This Book Matters

02:54 First Impressions and 80s Shift

04:07 Nicholas as Learning Alpha

06:40 Audiobook Vibes and Rake Trope

08:04 Should Authors Revise Books

11:54 Fish Out of Water Comedy

16:49 Midpoint Twist and Gaslit Feeling

18:09 Dougless as 80s Heroine

22:15 Likability and Problematic Moments

27:11 Growth and Stakes Before Part Two

33:17 Simple Yet Deep

34:05 Slow Burn Moments

35:26 Mystery and Time Travel

36:01 Fated Mates Connection

37:21 Emotional Stakes Rising

39:40 Lighter Than Bodice Rippers

40:49 Why Time Travel Endures

42:22 Need More Time Travel

45:25 BookTok and Market Trends

51:09 Dougless and Self Worth

56:50 Happy Ending Reassurance

59:46 Episode Wrap and Callouts

Links

• A Knight in Shining Armor on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/
• The Ripped & Ravished Book Club: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/bodice-ripper-book-club/
• Join the Ripped & Ravished email list: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/ripped-ravished
• Becky's podcast, Too Stupid To Live: https://tstlpodcast.substack.com

Hungry for more time travel romance? Start here:

• Time Travel Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-travel-romance-books/
• Time Travel Mystery Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-travel-mystery-books/
• Time Loop Romance: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-loop-romance/
• YA Time Loop Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/ya-time-loop-romance-books/

Part two, finishing the book, coming soon.

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, I walk you through everything I read in May 2026: eleven books, two five-star reads, and a lot of summer-ready picks that go beyond what BookTok is talking about. There's dark Hollywood romcom with revenge, a Paris fake-dating soccer romance ahead of the World Cup, a Loch Ness Monster shifter, a cozy vampire murder mystery with Interview with the Vampire energy, and two amazin five star books I'll be preaching about: a witchy urban fantasy and a biker MC second chance that wrecked me. Then a quick look at three June releases already on the must-read TBR.

Timestamps:

00:00 May Wrap-Up Teaser

00:53 Reading Stats Snapshot

02:05 Dark Hollywood Revenge

04:48 Paris Fake-Dating Soccer

06:28 YA Ghost Rivals Mystery

08:28 Hockey DM Meet-Cute

11:33 Off Campus Reread Thoughts

14:33 More Soccer College Vibes

16:06 Sapphic Vineyard Book Club

17:55 Loch Ness Shifter Buddy Read

21:31 Cozy Vampire Mystery Getaway

24:50 Five-Star Witchy Urban Fantasy

28:56 Five-Star Biker Second Chance

36:43 June Must-Read New Releases

41:40 Final Recap & Goodbye

Links

• Most Anticipated June Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/june-2026-book-releases/
• Romanceopoly Reading Challenge → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/reading-challenge
• Romanceopoly Monthly Study Sessions → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/romanceopoly-2026-study-sessions/
• Off Campus TV show review → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/off-campus-season-1-review/
• Join the Discord → https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U

Tell me what you read this month and how Romanceopoly's going. Comment on the blog or reply to the newsletter. Mid-year Romanceopoly review coming soon.

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

If Interview with the Vampire broke you, these 6 books are what to read next before Season 3 (The Vampire Lestat) premieres June 7 on AMC+.

Each book hits a different part of what makes ITV so consuming:

- toxic immortal romance & gaslighting

- sapphic gothic atmosphere, opulence, and the cost of survival

- Victorian shadows, obsession, and the feeling of being watched

- queer longing, vampire politics, slow burn ménage

- Lestat rockstar energy, 1970s paranormal horror

- camp, humor, cozy paranormal mystery

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U

📚 Books in this episode:

✦ A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

✦ House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

✦ The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia

✦ Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

✦ The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle

✦ Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning

📚 Full list of 11 books coming soon on the blog

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Need More Lestat Vibes

01:47 What Makes the Show Hit

02:33 Dowry of Blood Pick

03:54 House of Hunger

05:04 The Poisoner

06:45 Politics and Queer Longing

07:50 Rockstar Devil Deal

09:08 Vegetarian Vampire Mystery

10:46 Wrap Up and Next Steps

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

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☕ Support the Show:

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📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

Paranormal romance, fantasy romance, romantasy, urban fantasy. What's actually the difference? In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, I'm breaking down the four categories that cover all of speculative romance fiction and giving you the three questions that sort any book correctly every time. No more guessing. No more conflicting labels. Just a map that works.

Is ACOTAR paranormal romance? Is Shadowhunters fantasy romance? Where does Romantasy actually live? We're settling all of it.

📖 Full Paranormal Romance Guide: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/paranormal-romance-genre-guide/

📖 Full Fantasy Romance Guide: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/fantasy-romance-guide/

📖 Fantasy Subgenres on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/popular-fantasy-subgenres/

Genre vs Trope vs Category video: https://youtu.be/oz7iyAjpi_c

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Three Question Sorting Method

01:16 Question One Setting Matters

02:14 Made Up Worlds Romance Test

03:23 Romantasy Marketing Myth

04:45 Our World Creatures Check

05:50 Paranormal Romance Essentials

07:37 Urban Fantasy Versus PNR

10:39 Creature Types Tropes Not Genres

12:21 Cheat Sheet Recap

13:40 Q&A Wrap Up And Next Video

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs

Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost

Haven Ever After series by Hazel Mack

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

✨ Loved the episode?

Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕

💌 Talk to Me:

Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.

☕ Support the Show:

Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.

📚 Stay Connected:

1. Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
2. YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
3. Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!