As proud (and known) Reylos, we are ecstatic to finally talk about our love for Ben Solo and Rey on the podcast this week while we discuss THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, a reylo fanfic turned published novel!

Adam Carlsen, a big shot professor, and Olive Smith, a graduate student at his university, decide to orchestrate a fake relationship to fulfill their respective ends (ones that don't involve kissing each other senseless whatsoever, of course!) So, when real emotions start to take root, and their shared love for STEM turns to STE(A)M, things get a whole lot more complicated... But, all good things eventually come to an end and it's not long before Olive realizes that, in the words of Ben Solo himself, academia is a lot more like academi-"ow!"

Join us as we talk about the importance of fanfiction and the extent of its power within popular fiction. We also discuss sexual harassment, sexism and racism in STEM and academia.

Trigger warning: parental death, isolation, fear of loneliness, sexual harassment, sexual assault, anxiety, fake relationship, miscommunication, sexism, and mysogyny.

Book of the week: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Medias mentioned:

Star Wars franchise, created by George Lucas, 1977-2019

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

This week on Romancing the Monsters, we welcome our very first author on the podcast! Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge, joins us to talk about her debut novel. We also pick her brain about all things monsters, Hades and Persephone, Reylo and, of course, we couldn't forget to mention our shared love of Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt!

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

Creepy lakes, dark forests and supernatural forces! Join us as we dip our toes into the atmospheric eeriness of the gothic romance! To protect her brother, Leta is forced to move into Lakesedge, an eldritch estate that is as mysterious and lonesome as its owner. But, a dark force is poisoning the estate and hungering for its heir's blood. All too soon, the corruption is spreading beyond the shores of the lake, and the threat to the life of the boy Leta has just formed a bond with becomes undeniable. Left with no other choice and armed with secrets of her own, Leta must resign herself to ask for the help of the unearthly Lord Under...

Join us this week on Romancing the Monsters, as we discuss the importance of having your own agency to make decisions. We also explore the idea of self-sacrifice and how that affects those around you.

Trigger warning: mentions of underage sex, death, poison, sacrificing one’s self, torture, self harm, bodily harm onto others, and fear of the unknown.

Book of the week: Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

Books mentioned:

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

The second Horseman of the Apocalypse hath awakened! Bring out the swords, don the chainmail and prepare dramatic farewells for your loved ones –– the time has come to go to War! But, despite the dire straits of humanity, could War change its path of destruction if love and passion were to bloom in the throes of chaos?

We explore the tragedy and horror of mass-deaths, the scars that are left by the atrocities of war, and how difficult yet important it is to believe in the power of love despite it all. We also discuss how the end of the world may affect your view of humanity.

Trigger warning: mentions of death, resurrecting the dead, zombies, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, death of children and elderly, pregnancy, power struggle dynamic, and rape

Book of the week: War (Horsemen of the Apocalypse, #2) by Laura Thalassa

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

Can you believe our podcast is already turning one? Yeah, neither can we! Join us this week as we celebrate this momentous occasion by playing bookish games and reminiscing about some of our favorite moments on the podcast so far. Oh, and prepare thyself, things are about to get QUITE competitive in here! Think you can guess who will get crowned as the grand winner?

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

We’re trying something new this week, we have our first guest on the podcast! Join us as we welcome a dear friend of ours who comes with MANY amazing recommendations for us all! We’ve got some mafia romance, the famous minotaur book, some sports romance, and a whole lot of reverse harems!

Trigger Warning: mentions of death, attempted murder, bullying, multiple romantic partners, torture, kidnapping, childhood trauma, sleep running, brutal nightmares, science experiments, living in captivity, emotional reads, and betrayal of a loved one.

Books mentioned by S:

Broken Bonds by J. Bree

Morning Glory Milking Farms by C.M. Nascosta

Pack Darling by Lola Rock

The Plated Prisoners Series by Raven Kennedy

Caught by the Convicts by Jessa Kane

Books mentioned by M:

The Bridge Kingdom and The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata

The Song of David by Amy Harmon and the Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

Books mentioned by Gabby:

Feral by Nora Ash

First Comes Blood by Lilith Vincent

Baby and the Late Night Howlers by Katheryn Moon

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Katheryn Moon

Books mentioned by Seff:

Walking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roarke

The Savage and the Swan by Ella Fields

War by Laura Thalassa

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

Media mentioned:

Le Silence de la Mer ('the Silence of the Sea'), directed by Pierre Boutron, 2004

Loki, created by Michael Waldron for Disney+, 2021-present

Beastars, directed by Shin’ichi Matsumi, 2019-present

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

We’re throwing it back to 2005, where vampires were all the rage and J.R. Ward released her first paranormal book in a fledgling series about, you got it, vampires. This week, we talk about whether this book aged well and if having attempted assault in books is beneficial in character growth or not. Seff also can’t stop talking about a Brother! Spoiler: it’s Zsadist.

Trigger warnings: mentions of rape, attempted assault, death, murder, affects of assault, dubious consent, sexual acts under the influence, body mutilation, loss of parents, and living in the foster system.

Book of the week: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

The time has finally arrived, a new Lisa Kleypas novel has been granted to us by the gods of historical romance! Join us to discuss Devil in Disguise and lust after her heroes for nearly an hour and twenty minutes! We can't help ourselves! We also share our opinions on the characters of the beloved Wallflowers series as they navigate parenthood, scandals and a promiscuous past that may be a blessing in disguise after all...This episode contains a special announcement you definitely don't want to miss….

Also discussed this week on Romancing the Monsters: the social classes of the time and the advantages and disadvantages of such divides for some characters, the importance of giving second chances, what makes a parent/caregiver, as well as the notion of infertility and adoption in the 1870s.

Trigger warnings: mentions of death, childbirth, infidelity, social hierarchy and class, toxic society in the 19th century, adoption, infertility, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), difficulties with conceiving, domestic violence, knife wounds, blood, and attempts on one’s life.

Book of the week: Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

Imagine you have a book on your shelf that’s been waiting to be read, but despite your desire to read it, it keeps getting pushed back and back...and back...until it’s been sitting there for years, lonely and ignored. Well, the three of us decided enough is enough! The time for avoidance is over and the time for reading is now!

This week on Romancing the Monsters, we’re trying something new and facing the monsters of our TBR shelf, whether it's books we're scared will make us emotional, books with too much hype or simply books we're scared might've not aged well, we're about to take a leap and read them anyway! We invite you, our listeners, on this journey, pick an old book off your own TBR and read with us!

Trigger warning: mentions of loss/death of loved ones, abusive environments, BSDM, attempted assault and kidnapping, derogatory term usage, false accusations, and separation from a loved one.

Books mentioned:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

Friend-Zone by Belle Aurora

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Youtube—Romancing the Monsters Podcast

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.

We’re trying something a bit different this week in this completely unprepared conversational-style episode where we let the discussion take us where it wants to. As a result, we tell you our tips and tricks to finding book recommendations, reminisce about our first intergalactic love and gateway to alien romance and go on a (short) rant about the “shame” attached to romance readers, sometimes even coming from those within our own community.

Books mentioned:

A Husband’s Regret by Natasha Anders

Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon

Shades of Darkness by Nicky James

Love Me Whole by Nicky James

Run Posy Run by Cate C. Wells

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Facebook groups mentioned:

Monsters, Demons, & Knotting, Oh My!

Fifty Shades of Fae

Jealous/Possessive Hero Book Group

Romance After Dark Reader’s Group

Deliciously Dark and Taboo Romance Group

OSRBC: Read More Romance

Help Name That Book

Find us:

E-mail—[email protected]

Twitter—@theRTMpod

Instagram—@romancingthemonsterspodcast

TikTok—@Romancingthemonsterspod

Find M:

Instagram & Twitter—@foesandlovers

Find S:

Instagram & Twitter—@butthisbook

Find Seff:

Instagram & Twitter—@prosewithwoes

Romancing the Monsters is a podcast that looks at the monster within: the shadow keeping the characters away from true and absolute happiness. This monster can be a prejudice, fear, insecurity, trauma and so on. We believe that romance novels are as much about one's personal journey as they are about finding love.

After all, love makes us vulnerable and forces us to bare our monsters to another.