When In Romance

It’s recommendation request time!! Jess and Trisha offer recs to readers looking for soapy drama, storylines related to social justice, SFF without the alpha males, funny and quirky narrators, and more. 

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy (KidsBuzz); and Just the Two of Us by Ryu Hyang with POPPYPUB and KPIPA.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News 

No news on this episode, but Jess did recommend Crash Landing on You (available on Netflix).

Books Discussed

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo

Life is Sweet by Lily Seabrooke

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Thirsty by Mia Hopkins

Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Open House by Ruby Lang

The Undoing by Shelly Laurenston

The AI Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

The Rose by Tiffany Reisz

Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 

So Forward by Mina V. Esguerra

The Bollywood Bride and Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Rumor Has It by Cheris Hodges

Theirs for the Night and Forever Theirs by Katee Robert

Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez

More recommendations still to come, and as always, feel free to send us your thoughts and questions! As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha discuss where “best of” lists come from and what they’re for, and then they do a deep dive into meet cutes – and not so cutes – that includes a pop quiz and some recommendations.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Sorrow by Tiffanie DeBartolo from Woodhall Press; and If The Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon from Kensington Books.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News 

Publishers Weekly has weighed in on the best romances of the year, and Goodreads has asked readers to do the same.  

Send us your recommendation requests for our holiday rec episode!

Books Discussed

His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

I Think I Might Love You by Christina C. Jones

One Last Chance by Therese Beharrie

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh

Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

Play It Again by Aiden Wayne

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Send us your holiday recommendation requests! As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When In Romance is a biweekly romance podcast dedicated to romance novel news, enthusiasm, and romance book recommendations from Book Riot! Join hosts Jess and Trisha every other Monday as they dig into the joys and complexities of the genre.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha do some quick updates, talk about a complicated decision from Harlequin, and recommend romances with great friendships.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Sips by: Experience the joy of personalized tea discovery; and Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News 

Brenda Jackson’s books are getting the adaptation they so richly deserve! [Variety]

And speaking of adaptations, we have a premiere date for the Shonda Rhimes Bridgerton adaptation! [Deadline]

We adore Roan Parish and still have some thoughts about this because more than one thing can be true. 

Jess wrote this great piece on friendships in Black and multicultural romance for Book Riot.

Send us your recommendation requests for our holiday rec episode!

Books Discussed

París Puede Esperar by Marisa Sicilia

Bane by Brenda Jackson

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Sustained and the whole Legal Briefs series by Emma Chase

Meet Cute Club and Kitten by Jack Harbon

The Love Study by Kris Ripper

Thanks to everyone who sends us emails and input! Feel free to keep ‘em coming. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about the end of Audible Escape and why the “all you can read” model is a challenge in romance, and they recommend books with bisexual characters. 

This episode is sponsored by Book Riot’s mystery thriller podcast, Read or Dead; TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; and The Return by Nicholas Sparks.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News

Audible Escape is ending and romance readers aren’t pleased about the new option supposedly replacing it. [Distractify]

But according to The Digital Reader, many romance authors had been frustrated with the service for some time. 

And if all of this sounds familiar, you might be remembering when this happened at Scribd. [The Guardian]

Books Discussed

Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian

Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Better Than People by Roan Parrish

Just Like That by Cole McCade

From Scratch by Katrina Jackson

Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer

Let us know if you have feelings about the end of Audible Escape or favorite romances with bi characters. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about the impacts of the pandemic on romance publishing, brainstorm possible ways it will affect future stories, and share favorite romances by Latinx authors. 

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Book Riot Insiders; the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community, and Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News

Publisher’s Weekly did a few articles on the impact of the pandemic on small and indie publishers.

But romance sales increased this spring…

And a printing backlog is compounding problems.

Trisha also mentioned this discussion about COVID impacts on pop culture from Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Books Discussed

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

The Infamous Miss Rodriguez by Lydia San Andres

His Quiet Agent by Ada Maria Soto

American Dreamer, American Fairytale, and American Love Story by Adriana Herrera

Let us know if you have predictions about how COVID might impact romance and what your favorite books with Latinx authors and characters are. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha discuss the impact Corey Alexander had on romance discourse, check in about Bookstore Romance Day, and recommend romances involving sports. 

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community; and The Switch by Beth O’Leary.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News

Corey Alexander, who wrote under the name Xan West, has died. You can find their insightful blog here.

You can still experience Bookstore Romance Day via YouTube.

Romance critic @JenReadsRomance put together this map of romance-friendly indie bookstores.

Might be a good time to revisit Trisha’s post on why indie bookstores need to carry romance.

Oh, and listen to our friends Alice and Kim (from whom we shamelessly stole this sports books in lieu of the Olympics idea) on Book Riot’s For Real podcast for nonfiction. 

If you’re looking for more sports romance titles, here’s a list of 100 Must Read Sports Romances, and a few more Jess put together when she was writing about sports romance and white supremacy culture.

Books Discussed

Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West

Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West

Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West

The Changeup by Nicole Falls

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

Neighborly by Katrina Jackson

Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer

So Forward by Mina V. Esguerra

The Hat Trick Series (first book is Off the Ice) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn

The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan 

His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington

The Playbook series (first book is Intercepted) by Alexa Martin

The Nymphs and Trojans series (first book is Shots Not Taken) by Nicole Falls and Alexandra Warren

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

40-Love by Olivia Dade

Let us know what bookstores you love that love romance and which sports romances you’re reading in lieu of the Olympics. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha flag some upcoming romance events, discuss how we talk about who writes and reads romance, and recommend romance series in which you can completely immerse yourself.

This episode is sponsored by Read or Dead, Book Riot’s mystery/thriller podcast, Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha from Tor Books, and TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News

Listeners added Upload and The Baby-Sitters Club to our recommendations in the last episode

The Ripped Bodice Awards are back!

Check out the Summer of Black Love Virtual Book Fair (ends August 14) and Bookstore Romance Day (August 15) 

Information about Sorcha Rowan’s horrifying behavior is here

Publisher’s Weekly interviewed Avi Steinberg/Dana Becker

Some guys started a bromance book club

Books Discussed

The Bromance Book Club by Lissa Kay Adams

The Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins (first book is Bring on the Blessings)

The Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan (first book is The Duchess War)

The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews (first book is Burn For Me)

The Sugar Baby series by Rebekah Weatherspoon (first book is So Sweet)

The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carrigar (first book is Soulless) 

The Gathering of Dragons series by Milla Vane (first book is A Heart of Blood and Ashes)

The Twisted Wishes series by Anna Zabo (first book is Syncopation)

The Seducing the Sedgwicks series by Cat Sebastian (first book is It Takes Two to Tumble)

The Westmoreland series by Brenda Jackson (first book is Delaney’s Desert Sheikh)

The Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh (first book is Slave to Sensation)

Let us know what series have hooked you from the first book (seriously, Trisha is almost done with the Blessings series and needs the recs). As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about things people love about reading romance and then offer some non-romance novel entertainment options that might share similar qualities.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Libro FM; and Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News Discussed

You – yes you! – can attend the virtual Romance GenreCon from the Mid-Continent Public Library!

Books and Non-Book Entertainment Discussed

Tangled

Playing House

The Great

Harlots

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and illustrated by Adrian Alphona

Green Lantern Legacy by Minh Le and illustrated by Andie Tong

America Vol 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez and America Vol 2: Fast and Furtona by Gabby Rivera

Digital coloring, and specifically Happy Color and Color Planet

Sanjay’s Super Team

Purl

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin with pictures by Betsy Lewin

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett

The Bold Type

The Weekend 

Tig

Imagine Me & You

Kissing Jessica Stein

But I’m a Cheerleader

Free Solo

Let us know what you love about reading romance and whether you can get any of those feelings or perspectives through other media. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about all of the many things they liked about Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones and and recommend some favorite romance reads from the year so far – to the extent that they’ve been able to read.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life; Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, from Sourcebooks; and Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter!

News

Book Riot’s best books of 2020 so far is here for your enjoyment and TBR-extending purposes.

Books Discussed

Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

One Last Chance by Therese Beharrie

Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian

Check, Please: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

Let us know what you thought of Getting Schooled (do you need the dark moment??) and what your favorite books of 2020 so far have been. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @trishahaleybrwn), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices