When In Romance

Jess and Trisha discuss some more RWA work, takeaways from a Juneteeth Book Fest panel on writing Black romance, the delight for all readers in reading queer romance, and offer some favorites for Pride Month.

This episode is sponsored by Hey YA, Book Riot’s own podcast about all things young adult lit; Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community; and TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations, Book Riot’s personalized reading recommendation service, which now has gifting!

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News

Please take a few minutes and fill out our survey! You could win an ereader!

RWA is working to support Dreamspinner authors who are owed money.

Here’s a great longform piece from Vox on the racism in RWA and how a new board is trying to turn things around.

Learn about the Juneteenth Book Fest and then watch the “Black Love: Writing Black Romance” panel!

Books Discussed

Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Just Like That by Cole McCade

That Could be Enough by Alyssa Cole

Lord of the Last Heartbeat by May Petersen

Two Rogues Make a Right and It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

The Craft of Love by EE Ottoman

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Every Dark Desire by Fiona Zedde

Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones (read it now for our book club discussion in the next episode!)

Let us know what you thoughts of the Juneteeth Book Fest romance panel and what thoughts and questions you have about Getting Schooled! 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).

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Jess and Trisha talk about the impact of anti-Black racism in publishing, an RWA awards decision, and books we love by Black authors. Plus! We announce a new book club pick!

This episode is sponsored by Hey YA, Book Riot’s own podcast about all things young adult lit; Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community; and TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations, Book Riot’s personalized reading recommendation service, which now has gifting!

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

#PublishingPaidMe has illustrated the systemic racism in publishing.

Lee and Low helped quantify it by posting their data about the appallingly low number of Black authors and publishing professionals.

RWA has dropped the RITA and replaced it with the Vivian, a new award named for RWA founder Vivian Stephens.

Books Discussed

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert

Pink Slip by Katrina Jackson

Wherever You Are Are by Elle Wright

So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon

In Case You Forgot by Frederick Smith and Chaz Lamar

Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones (read it now for our July book club discussion!)

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.

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Jess and Trisha talk with Passionflix founder and CEO Tosca Musk about romance adaptations, managing fan and author expectations, and what being a “producer” actually means.

This episode is sponsored by a Taste of Sage from Harper Paperbacks; Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev and William Morrow paperbacks; and TBR: Book Riot’s service for Tailored Book Recommendations, now available as a gift!

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

Take a peek at Gabriel’s Inferno or one of the other romance novel adaptations on Passionflix.

Books Discussed

Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

The Ravenswood Series (the first book is A Girl Like Her) by Talia Hibbert

Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

The Driven series (the first book is Driven) by K. Bromberg

Fighting to Breathe by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You can find Tosca and Passionflix on Twitter and Instagram at @toscamusk and @passionflix, and 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).

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Jess and Trisha talk about the importance of inclusive language, have MANY thoughts about an adaptation of Safe Harbour by Danielle Steel, and recommend a few more readalikes and some romances that are set entirely in one location.

This episode is sponsored by Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers, made by Book Riot and Abrams; TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes; and Stay with Me from author Becky Wade.

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

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News

The GLAAD Media Reference Guide might be a useful resource for a lot of us.

Safe Harbour – with a “u” – may be the romance adaptation you need right now. It also very much may not be.

Books Discussed

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors and Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

One Last Chance by Terese Beharrie

American Fairytale and American Love Story by Adriana Herrera

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Sleeper by Kayley Loring

A Taste of Her own Medicine by Tasha L. Harrison

Do You Want to Start a Scandal? by Tessa Dare

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Candy Hearts by Erin McLellan

Proper English by KJ Charles

Bear With Me by Lucy Eden

Keep sending us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss, and let us know what your favorite single setting romances 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.

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Jess and Trisha chat about remote romance author events, share their thoughts on the adaptation of Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella, and offer read-alikes for some of the books and series they talk about most.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes; 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

Info about the May 1 Loyalty Bookstore event with Alyssa Cole, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Sharina Harris, and Mia Sosa is here! (Doesn’t look like there’s a video up at this point, so keep an eye out!)

Can You Keep a Secret? may be the romance adaptation you need right now…maybe.

Books Discussed

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert

The Princess Affair by Nell Stark

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai (scheduled for release on June 9, 2020)

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

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

How to Talk to Nice English Girls by Gretchen Evans

Life is Sweet by Lily Seabrooke

Being Hospitable by Meka James

Keep sending us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss, and let us know what WIR faves you need read-alikes for. 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.

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Jess and Trisha discuss some recent RWA developments, review the adaptation of Beverly Jenkins’s Deadly Sexy, and recommend some favorites by Ms. Bev.

This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot's subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes; Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community; and Sourcebooks’s Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert.

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

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News

RWA has a brand new Board of Directors and one of the first orders of business was to offer some apologies.

Deadly Sexy on Amazon Video may be the romance adaptation you need right now.

Books Discussed

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Do You Want to Start a Scandal? By Tessa Dare

Reverb by Anna Zabo

By Beverly Jenkins:

Keep sending us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss, and let us know what you’re reading to take care of yourselves these days. 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).

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Jess and special guest host Jenn Northington (Co-host of Book Riot podcasts Get Booked and SFF Yeah! and all-around person of awesomeness) talk All Things Austen and Austen-related. They discuss Jenn’s participation in a Regency RPG, Drunk Austen’s VirtualJaneCon, share recs for Austen retellings, and talk about an Emma adaptation that people don’t talk enough about.

This episode is sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations; Book Riot Insiders; and Libro FM.

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 has a story stream collecting all of our bookish COVID-19 coverage.

Check out Good Society, the Regency Role Playing Game.

See the rundown of VirtualJaneCon, which was held over the weekend of March 28-29. Many of the video presentations are linked there or on Drunk Austen’s Facebook page.

See if there’s an event like Jane Austen Night at the Woodlands near you.

Books Discussed

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sanditon by Jane Austen

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (referenced)

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

If I Loved You Less by Tamsen Parker

Sophia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Longbourn by Jo Baker

Well Played by Katrina Ramos Atienza

And check out the 2009 adaptation of Emma starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller.

There was also some Clueless discussion.

Check out the interview with 2020 Emma director Autumn de Wilde on the Novel Gazing podcast.

Watch that version of Emma. 

Here’s the Great Emma-Off from Gail Carriger’s blog.

Keep sending us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss, and let us know what you’re reading to take care of yourselves these days. As always, you can find Jess and Trisha (and Jenn!) at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading and @jennIRL), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @iamjennIRL).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jess and Trisha know that things are super weird and rough right now, but they’ve got some ideas and book recs for romance fans. They also discuss the annual Ripped Bodice report on the State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing.

This episode is sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations; The Honey-Don’t List from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners, Christina Lauren; and My Way To You by Catherine Bybee.

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 has a story stream collecting all of our bookish COVID-19 coverage.

If you want to support authors who have new releases out, the Book Riot Insiders New Release Index can help you find them.

And if you want to (and can!) support local bookstores, lots are delivering and/or shipping. We mentioned The Haunted Book Shop and The Ripped Bodice, but there are others!

Speaking of The Ripped Bodice, the annual racial diversity and inclusion report has been released, and Jess offered some reflections on it.

Virgin River on Netflix may be the romance adaptation you need right now. And these are the adaptations you may need ASAP.

Books Discussed

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Rafe, Xeni, A Cowboy to Remember, So Sweet, and Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Team Phison by Chace Verity

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

And feel free to check out this episode of WIR with Rebekah Weatherspoon for more fluffy reads.

Keep sending us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss, and let us know what you’re reading to take care of yourselves these days. 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.

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Jess and Trisha talk about some maybe promising RWA news and a literacy fundraiser, romances about people overcoming obstacles, and stories that grab you right from the start.

This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community, and Flatiron Books, publisher of Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore and Anna K by Jenny Lee.

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

Here’s a list of those running for RWA positions courtesy of Melanie Greene.

Donate or spread the word about Romance for Literacy!

Books Discussed

Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert

Think of England by KJ Charles

Thirsty and Trashed by Mia Hopkins

Fit by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Idol,  Managed, and Fall by Kristen Callihan

Something About You by Julie James

Bear With Me and Blind Date With a Book Boyfriend by Lucy Eden

Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon

Proper English by KJ Charles

White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter

Send us your recs for what romance adaptations we should discuss! 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.

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Jess and Trisha discuss the way the RWA debacle somehow keeps getting worse, celebrate the Ripped Bodice Awards, offer you some short reads for this short month, and toss out a couple of romances that fit the 2020 Read Harder Challenge.

This episode is sponsored by Book Riot’s Read Harder 2020 Challenge, The Handsell, and Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas.

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

The entire RWA board resigned.

You can read the RWA audit report for yourself, but you should definitely read some of the reactions to it as well.

Here’s a thread from the CIMRWA chapter (And quick clarification – as of our recording, the board of that chapter had voted to bring a vote of dissolution to their membership and the results of that vote aren’t public yet, so we don’t know yet whether they’ve voted to dissolve.)

The Ripped Bodice awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction have been announced!

Books Discussed

House Rules by Ruby Lang

Team Phison by Chace Verity

Baggage Claimed by Alexandra Warren

Unsolicited Duke Pic by Nico Russo

Taken by Charlotte Stein

The Heart is a Universe by Sherry Thomas

White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

The Good, The Bad, and the Dad by Jaxon Knight

Send us your favorite short romances and the romances you’re Reading Harder in 2020! 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.

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