← Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
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- [00:00]
Sarah MacLean
I'm feeling like we're being very professional.
- [00:03]
Jennifer Prokop
So profess.
- [00:04]
Sarah MacLean
You know, I feel like people who listen to this episode, this podcast regularly are like, oh, they're in that part of the year. Well, where they are probably procrastinating. Well, Sarah at least is procrastinating. And so she's like, let's get organized. Here are 10 episode topics.
- [00:26]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, I am always like, are we going to run out of topics? But I think the answer is no.
- [00:32]
Sarah MacLean
No. Yesterday I texted you a topic and you were like, perfect.
- [00:35]
Jennifer Prokop
I love it.
- [00:36]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, are they getting more absurd? Absolutely.
- [00:40]
Jennifer Prokop
So is the world. It's fine.
- [00:43]
Sarah MacLean
We're moving a pace, everybody. We still have the capacity to talk about romance for at least one hour. In fact, it's starting to feel like we have the capacity to talk about romance for longer every week.
- [00:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. I don't want to invoke the name of, like, these, like, incel podcasts that. But apparently Joe Rogan is on for four or five hours a day. And I was like, can you imagine? Honestly? Yes, Sarah. Fine, if I didn't.
- [01:10]
Sarah MacLean
But, like, let me just imagine listening to that blow hard for four hours a day.
- [01:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, obviously. But I mean, I did think to myself, you know, what if we all lose our jobs? But I'm still able, free radio style, to talk into the universe. Maybe this summer we're just going to get on for five hours a day.
- [01:29]
Sarah MacLean
Maybe we're going to need some more ads.
- [01:34]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, my goodness.
- [01:35]
Sarah MacLean
By the way, because. Because Eric and I were talking about this last night, you know, in our ordinary Saturday evening conversation.
- [01:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [01:45]
Sarah MacLean
If you are an author and you are out there, there is like, there are like, I think two ads available in March and April. So.
- [01:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, let us know.
- [01:53]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, like, hit us up. Send an email to advertiseatedmates.net or adsatedmates.net I'm sort of famous for creating email addresses on the fly, everyone.
- [02:07]
Jennifer Prokop
And then Eric just is like, well, I gotta make this one.
- [02:13]
Sarah MacLean
He's like, couldn't you look at the website? Like, the address is right there. I could.
- [02:17]
Jennifer Prokop
That's not really our.
- [02:19]
Sarah MacLean
You married me for chaos, my brother. Anyway, welcome everyone, to Faded maze. I'm Sarah MacLaine. I read romance novels and I write them.
- [02:31]
Jennifer Prokop
And I'm Jennifer Prokop, a romance reader and editor. And I am very excited about this week's episode. So, okay, as you all know, we have been doing a really long run of episodes where we have been, like, really heavy reading. Right. Like, we're doing new episodes. We're Doing new books.
- [02:48]
Sarah MacLean
Jen is in a battle of will with Eric.
- [02:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Like, I was like, challenge accepted. But then we were kind of like, okay, we're gonna need to, like, power down a little bit and be. And so there are some topics where you're just like, okay, I have read so much that this is a topic I should like. I'll just find books I've already read. And so we were, like, kind of kicked around ideas. And then I. I'm proud of this. I looked at you and I was like, I got it for you. Ready? And the topic is, he's not a billionaire. Billionaire, because no billionaires. Listen, sorry, it's over now.
- [03:26]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, we. You've. You've lost the plot. Billionaires, well, they've.
- [03:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Because they're going to be trillionaires soon, and then the rest of us are fucked.
- [03:34]
Sarah MacLean
So anyway, I was like, okay, please like romance. Do me a real solid. And do not. No, I'm a trillionaire. Do not.
- [03:44]
Jennifer Prokop
I would never read.
- [03:45]
Sarah MacLean
Billionaire is where we stop here at romance. But, God, somebody's writing a trillionaire romance right now. I just know it.
- [03:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, I was actually kind of, like, interested to talk at the top here about how you went about, like, looking for the books that you were gonna talk about. Cause this is a fun idea.
- [04:06]
Sarah MacLean
Not a billionaire really covers a lot of ground. Sure, it seems like it doesn't, but, like, it really does. And that is because we don't like. But it's interesting because I also cut out anybody who felt like a billionaire. Correct. Did you do that, too? I did, because, like, I. So I basically cut out any book that had a tuxedo on the COVID Listen, this is why we have this cover argument all the time. Like, I appreciate that those of you who are new to the genre are like, I like these illustrated covers. Like, I like these. These bubblegum covers. And listen, I support you. Jen doesn't. But I support you. And I think that's great. But understand that, like, there is a reason why the covers look the way they do. And so if a, like, man with a cut glass jaw and a. And a tuxedo with, like an open bow tie.
- [05:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct.
- [05:09]
Sarah MacLean
On the COVID of a book, he's like, billionaire vibes.
- [05:14]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [05:15]
Sarah MacLean
Like, even if he owns a sex club or runs a mafia, doesn't matter, whatever, he's a billionaire.
- [05:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [05:21]
Sarah MacLean
So I cut out any of those.
- [05:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Well. And like, I think that's like, it's the billionaire archetype. Right. Which, like, obviously, if you don't ever want to breed a Billionaire. Just go back in time and read anything before 50 Shades, largely. I think 50 Shades, I mean, rich heroes existed before Christian Grey.
- [05:42]
Sarah MacLean
It's very difficult to find a not rich hero like in a. Prior to that. Right.
- [05:48]
Jennifer Prokop
But like the billionaire archetyped, the masters of the universe, the. It's all fun and games until 15 years later he's destroying democracy. That whole business really, I think, was hardwired in a very different way with Christian Grey.
- [06:06]
Sarah MacLean
Yes.
- [06:07]
Jennifer Prokop
And I think that's what you're talking about, like the tuxedo, the like sort of lifestyle porn kind of feeling of it. Because like, Bobby Tom was rich, but he was not like that.
- [06:20]
Sarah MacLean
No. I think any Susan Elizabeth hero, Elizabeth Phillips hero, is an. Is a. An acceptable one for this.
- [06:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [06:29]
Sarah MacLean
I also cut out. So I cut out the archetype, right? I cut out all vampire kings. I cut out all, like, I cut out all dukes. There are no titled people.
- [06:41]
Jennifer Prokop
Aristocrats. Right.
- [06:42]
Sarah MacLean
There are historicals on my list, but no aristocrats. And for example, I cut out like kings of. I don't know, like none of my, like bare knuckle bastards would make this list, even though some of them are not aristocrats. You know, like, there are sort of rules that I just. Yeah, it's more like the decision here was very Vibes related.
- [07:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I felt the same way. And then I found myself really being interested in kind of like what bubbled up to me for like, kind of how I was grouping things together. So, for example, I ended up having a group of men who were essentially like at a transition point in their career. Something had happened and the way that they were previously operating in the world was gonna have to change. Right. And so sometimes it's a small business owner or sometimes it's a. You know, I have a rock star. Right. But like. And that guy I'll be interested to talk about, but because he has money, but he doesn't, like, doesn't live like that. Right. And you know, there's no. He had no interest in fame. He was like the bass player. So I think it's really interesting. So I was kind of interested to see how like you had that group of like, sort of guys who are looking to change something about their life. And therefore. But because they weren't like masters of the universe CEOs, they were like walking away from one thing and trying to figure out what was next. And I did not expect that that would show up, but I would say, let me look at my list. At least three or four of my books Essentially have that. Then I was also looking for like, outliers. Like, I have like a mountain man and I have like a college student who is very aware of the wealth of the people surround him, but he doesn't have any. But I would say, like a lot of them, 1, 2, 3, 4, like four or five of them were. I'm transitioning careers for whatever reason.
- [08:50]
Sarah MacLean
So I made a promise on our historical episode that I was going to work on putting historical recommendations into every episode. And so for me, that's where I started. Right. I was like, okay, let's talk about. Let me think about who in historical sort of routinely moves in this direction. Like the kind of he's not a billionaire direction. This is rare. It's not rare, but it is rarer.
- [09:15]
Jennifer Prokop
I think there are people who specialize in it.
- [09:19]
Sarah MacLean
Yes, that's true. There are people who have the, like K.J. charles, for example. Right. Like, I think largely, like you could go to Cat Sebastian and not find, you know, wealth in massive amounts. And so I think, like, there's that. But also I have some other people who I will talk about. And then when I thought about his, when I thought about contemporaries, it was a little bit more like I, for example, I just finished the book two days like last night that I. And I was like, oh, he's not a billionaire. Put that on the list. Right? Like a brand new book that I like that I enjoyed and then. But also I felt like it was, it was. It's a little bit like going back to basics for me. Like, what are the. It was actually not that difficult to pull the like 5 that immediately I knew I wanted to talk about.
- [10:19]
Jennifer Prokop
But.
- [10:20]
Sarah MacLean
Interestingly, not all of them. I thought when we kind of came up with the idea that it was going to be like, oh, all the books I pick are going to be like, about that in some way, like about classic. And basically none of them are like, they're just like about regular people. Regular people falling in love. I want to talk about America versus too, because I think, you know, obviously, like I said, I sort of looked at historicals and I immediately knew some of the people who I was going to talk about. But then I was like, you know, the person who is like the, the sort of owner of this is Beverly Jenkins.
- [11:02]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [11:03]
Sarah MacLean
Because class is so intersectional in the United States. Right. So wealth and Bev writes exclusively about people of color. Like, so of course there is a. None of them are billionaires. Like, yeah, right, of course. And so I think I did not put Beverly on My list. But I feel like we have to say her name because, like, I feel like she almost in many ways, like she invented this corner of the historical genre by virtue of being the first to write historicals about people of color.
- [11:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, and in America. In the American west. Right? In the American west, yeah. Right. So you have black people in the American west who are, like, leaving slavery or, you know, intermixing with Native American tribes and like, it's their descendants. And so, you know, and it's. It. It is really interesting because then in of the books where, like, there's like, in Forbidden, where he's passing. His brother, who is white, is an incredibly wealthy.
- [12:05]
Sarah MacLean
He's a billionaire.
- [12:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Essentially is a billionaire. Right.
- [12:08]
Sarah MacLean
And.
- [12:09]
Jennifer Prokop
And in. But I don't. But he doesn't have that. He is like, kind of sees his brother's money as being essentially something he can, like, use to, like, do good in the community as opposed to something he himself wants. Yes, right.
- [12:30]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. And I think also there. But you said American west, and it's interesting because there are a number of, like, white authors who wrote historical set in the American west when we were coming.
- [12:43]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [12:43]
Sarah MacLean
Like, yeah, in the 80s and 90s. And those heroes are all like, gold prosper prospectors and like, they're billionaires. Right. Like, I would never have chosen a Montgomery or a Taggart for this.
- [12:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct.
- [12:56]
Sarah MacLean
Because I feel like you can't, if you want to have the academic conversation about, like, what it means to be not a billionaire in romance, like, you can't do it without Bev.
- [13:06]
Jennifer Prokop
I found myself thinking a lot about something like you say all the time, which is like, in a romance, all heroes must be kings.
- [13:13]
Sarah MacLean
They have to be kings.
- [13:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Because it's not that money makes you a king. Sometimes I think that's like a shortcut. And people are like, that's. I'm just gonna say that. That. And then therefore, we'll buy into the fact that, like, money and power go together. But I found myself really thinking a lot about, like, back to America and like, sort of our modern conception. I don't. I don't know if I've ever talked about this, but when I was pregnant, like. Right. A long time ago now, I had a lot of anxiety about, like, myself as a mother. Like, Right. What that would look like. And I mean, I really found myself, like, interrogating and questioning. Like, all of a sudden I'm doing this thing. And what I realized at some point is that my husband was going through something similar, but it was about what it meant to Be, like, a provider. Right. Like, there were ways that he was anxious about things that I was like, why? I'm not worried about that at all.
- [14:16]
Sarah MacLean
That's gonna be fine. Yes.
- [14:18]
Jennifer Prokop
And then I realized, oh, this is Right. Like, that you're dealing now with your programming.
- [14:23]
Sarah MacLean
Patriarchy's a hell of a drug, is where we are here. Yeah.
- [14:26]
Jennifer Prokop
And so I did find myself really thinking about. About that. Like, about, like, okay, so if. And, you know, like I said, these people have different access to, like, money or wealth or community or whatever, but, like, a lot of it is just, like, regular people falling in love. But I did find myself then kind of drifting towards books that I think were, like, grappling with some element of what that might mean to kind of. And like I said, so many of these were, like, men at a change, like, a point in their life where there was, like, a change.
- [15:02]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [15:03]
Jennifer Prokop
And I found myself thinking, like, what are they grappling with? Like, what the future looks like. What does success look like for them? And also, though, that I found myself thinking the reason they are, like, available to find a partner or a new lover at this point in time is because of that change.
- [15:24]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [15:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, it creates some sort of, like, vulnerability, and then they somehow, by, like, stepping out onto, like, the field of, like, I'm making a change in my life, it's like, this possibility opens.
- [15:36]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [15:37]
Jennifer Prokop
And I found myself thinking that. That's really interesting. It was. It just was interesting to me how many books I was drawn to, had that, had that, like, in common.
- [15:49]
Sarah MacLean
Right. Yeah, that's. That is interesting. You know, it's funny because you're right. I say heroes should be kings all the time. And I. I really believe that. I mean, like, yeah, put it, like, put it on my tombstone. That's how I feel. And I can still remember I'm having, like, a moment because I feel like right when we first. First started this podcast, I had. I read what I really believe is the first romance I ever read where the hero was not a king. And I, like, loved it. And it was Mia Hopkins's. Thirsty.
- [16:25]
Jennifer Prokop
An amazing read. Yeah.
- [16:26]
Sarah MacLean
It's tremendous because it's flips the script on, like, what a romance hero can be. Right. Like, this. This here. This hero has been in prison. He was connected with gang violence that was related to his family. He comes out of prison. He's living in, like, the garage owned by the heroine's grandmother, and the heroine and her child are also living in the house. Like, he's really trying to get himself, like, up on his feet.
- [16:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [16:59]
Sarah MacLean
And that's part of the love story between them. Like, the romance between them involves, like, his arc to a new path, a path forward right. From where he's been. And it's remarkable. And I actually hadn't planned, like, this is not. This is all off the cuff because you brought this up. But, like, what's interesting is I feel like that book. And I'm not. I'm not necessarily. I feel like, unfortunately, that's a book that, like, a lot of people read, but, like, it. A lot of people didn't read it. And that's. And I mean, you should rectify that if you have not read it. But what's interesting is that I feel like now, post pandemic, we are seeing many, many more heroes in contemporaries who are not kings.
- [17:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [17:51]
Sarah MacLean
And I think that's a really interesting thing. That's, like, you know, maybe part of what we're talking about with this, like, kind of post feminist hero thing. Yeah. That, like, if they don't have to grapple, like you said, with, like, patriarchy, expectations, power, like what.
- [18:13]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [18:14]
Sarah MacLean
Any of those kind of, like, sticky things that exist in social construct, then maybe, then they're not kings. Right.
- [18:24]
Jennifer Prokop
I didn't pick any of those.
- [18:25]
Sarah MacLean
Me neither. No, this is me just, like, having a thought.
- [18:28]
Jennifer Prokop
If it was sort of one of these, like, kind of cardboard cutout, you.
- [18:33]
Sarah MacLean
Know, listen, like, he owns a bakery.
- [18:36]
Jennifer Prokop
Or not even that. Just, like, he understands that she's perfect and great and wonderful.
- [18:43]
Sarah MacLean
He's not a point of view character in the romance.
- [18:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Or he doesn't have any work to do. He doesn't have an arc, maybe, is.
- [18:48]
Sarah MacLean
Actually what I want to say.
- [18:49]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [18:49]
Sarah MacLean
Do you feel like.
- [18:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Pick them?
- [18:51]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, I. Now I'm sort of thinking, like. And I didn't think about this before, but I wonder if we actually did end up picking books where, like, the hero's arc is, like, significant.
- [19:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Well, that's what I was. I think that's what I was drawn to. Right. Like, so the hero's arc is, like, he's a regular person, but with, like, a really clearly defined arc. Right. I mean, so it's like he's not a. I mean, because the truth is, a lot of billionaires also don't have an arc. Right. Like, they're just there to be rich and, I don't know, order people around. And I. And that's not true, obviously, of every billionaire, every duke revenge.
- [19:28]
Sarah MacLean
No, we're hitting on something. We're hitting on, like, what I need in a book.
- [19:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, right. But I really was like, when I was kind of looking through my list, the ones that, like, I would sort of like be like scrolling by and looking at covers and I was like, this is one where like, the hero is really trying to do something or wants something or. Right. Is really driven to achieve something. But that thing is not really about making more money. Right. And if it is about a business.
- [20:00]
Sarah MacLean
Thing, it still because of something else.
- [20:02]
Jennifer Prokop
Actualization in some sort of way. Right? Yeah.
- [20:04]
Sarah MacLean
It's interesting because I also didn't pick. I didn't pick anything where there was like a quest for generational wealth or quest for like a. I didn't pick anything where like, you could inherit a million dollars if.
- [20:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct.
- [20:21]
Sarah MacLean
These are decent, ordinary kings.
- [20:25]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [20:27]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, and if you're out there looking for a man, everybody like you should be aiming for a decent, ordinary king.
- [20:34]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't ever am like, you know, my husband's a romance hero because he brought me a cup of coffee.
- [20:42]
Sarah MacLean
No, come on now.
- [20:42]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, I don't. I don't really do that.
- [20:45]
Sarah MacLean
Be serious, everyone.
- [20:47]
Jennifer Prokop
I know, but you know what? But I've seen that and I'm sure you have too.
- [20:51]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, and I'm happy that you're happy, everyone. But like, come on, stop setting the bar so low.
- [20:59]
Jennifer Prokop
This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Piper raine, author of Mr. Heartbreaker.
- [21:06]
Sarah MacLean
Jen. A million trillion years ago, our heroine Hailey made a deal with her brother. And it was very simple and a very easy deal to make.
- [21:15]
Jennifer Prokop
She shouldn't have done it though.
- [21:16]
Sarah MacLean
Clearly, don't date my teammates. I play hockey. And she was like, ew, gross. I never will. And that was that. And let's be clear right now. Rowan Landry, who is the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons hockey team, is not her brother's teammate, nor is he any longer her brother's best friend. They were college, they knew each other in college and then they had a falling out and now they barely talk to each other. And also, not for nothing, Kylie and Rowan are not dating. They are just sleeping together. And there is a difference.
- [21:52]
Jennifer Prokop
It's not even the same thing, obviously.
- [21:53]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, the. The deal is still stands. Except there's a problem because there is not a ton of sleeping going on when Kylie and Rowan are together and they really are enjoying. And all of that is fun and games until.
- [22:07]
Jennifer Prokop
Oops.
- [22:08]
Sarah MacLean
Kylie's brother is traded to the Chicago Falcons. Now Roman Rowan is his teammate. Uh oh, and the worst part, Jen Rowan doesn't know that she is his ex best friend and current teammate's little sister. You know, chaos.
- [22:26]
Jennifer Prokop
I. Chaos. I am clicking on correctly right now. So everyone, if you would like to read Piper Rain taking a big swing at hockey romance with a all. Well, I guess it's not a swing. It's like whatever happens with Hockey Stick, I believe in this and a whack. And I believe in them too. There's some going to be some kissing and some icing and all the other hockey stuff is going to happen. So if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Piper Rain for sponsoring this week's episode. So do you want to start with historicals?
- [23:05]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [23:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [23:06]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, let's start with Erica Monroe, who has a series called the Rookery Rogues. And basically, like, this is. These are. This is as like working class hero as. As I think historicals come. And so this is set inside the rookeries of the Victorian era in England. And what I love about these books is they have a kind of very elevated fantasy of historicals embedded in like this world of the rookery. So rookeries are like where they. They were essentially. I mean, they, they came as. They started as like almost slums, right? Like they were, you know, clapboard housing for very poor people. Um, and then they became. They would. They were sort of like in, like, in modern day communities where, like, services are not as good. They began to be like, run by criminals and crime lords who would build essentially a gang to like, protect their turf. And if you lived within it, you might be brought under the protection of these people. So she's written this series, the Rookery Rogues is really interesting because like every one of these, most of these characters are born and raised within the kind of world, the universe of the rookery. They never leave this world. And so this one stealing the rogue's heart, which is the fourth in the series, though I think you can read it out of order. Like, it's just like every other historical series, right? Mina Mason is the heroine and Mina is the daughter of one of these gang members.
- [25:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Her.
- [25:05]
Sarah MacLean
Her brother is. I'm sorry, gang. Gang lords. So, like, he's a crime lord. He owns. He basically like runs one of these, like, rookery gangs and there is a rival gang where she likes. So but when she's like in that turf, she's like constantly protected by everybody in the turf. Like, no one will talk to her. No one will speak to her honestly. No one will touch her. Like, no, she Just has, like, no freedom whatsoever. She feels very, like, locked in. So once a week, she takes herself to, like, the rival gang's turf. And, like, listen, I think this is what. This is a good book to start with, because I think this is going to underscore what we mean by not a billionaire. Because if Sarah McLean were writing this book, she would take herself. This woman would take herself to the rival gangster and then, like, fall for the crime lord and the rival gang, right? Like, that's the logical kind of basic way this could work. But what Erica does here is really interesting because she takes herself every at once a week to a bar, a tavern, in this other rookery, or in this, like, on the turf of someone of this other group, the Chapman street thieves, like, kind of run this turf. And the tavern bartender, Charlie, takes care of her every week, right? And they've, like, grown this, like, friendship. And when we meet her, we meet her inside this tavern begins, boom, right in the right place. She's inside this tavern. Her bodyguard is, like, at a distance because she does travel with a bodyguard. But, like, he's, like, like, chatting up some lady in the corner, and she's at the bar and, like, chat, like, she's, like, having a lovely time. It has this very, like, almost proposition error, a feel of, like, that bar scene in the Proposition where, like, she finally. She feels like she can be herself, right? And. And, like, there's Charlie serving, and it's clear that, like, she has a little thing for Charlie, but, like, Charlie would never, because, like, he knows who she is, right? And, like, he's tied up in this, like, other gang. And then she gets. He, like, gets distracted, and a man comes over who is drunk, and, like, we know how this plays out. And he sort of, like, grabs her and is like. And she's like, I'm, you know, I'm Mina Mason. I'm a Mason. Which in her world would mean something, but here means something completely different, right? And he's like, well, fuck you. Fuck your brother.
- [27:41]
Jennifer Prokop
Ooh.
- [27:41]
Sarah MacLean
Fuck your rival gang. Like, you. In fact, you've just made it more. Made me more interested in attacking you. And he's sort of like, she runs, he chases her. And then, of course, Charlie comes to her aid, of course. And in this moment, he, like, you know, he, like, punches this guy out. Like, he fights for her. He's like. And then suddenly, he's betrayed all. He's betrayed the gang that protects him and his world and his job and his. For her. And he's gotten him. They've now gotten themselves to a place where, like, they're both out of country. And it's really great. Like, it. Erica knows how to write a book. Like, it runs exact. Like, it runs, like, in a perfect historical kind of, like, action way, where, like, the two. It becomes the two of them against the world, which I feel often is a cornerstone of. He's not a billionaire. Like, a true. He's not a billionaire comes like, it's us.
- [28:46]
Jennifer Prokop
It's us against the world. Right?
- [28:47]
Sarah MacLean
It's such a fun series. It's such a fun book. And I don't think I've talked about Erica Monroe very much on the podcast. So, like, historical readers. There you go. There's a new name for you.
- [29:01]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm gonna talk about, I think a book a lot of people probably have heard of, which is by Alice Coldbreath, which is a substitute wife for the prize fighter.
- [29:09]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, that's the one.
- [29:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, that's the one. Listen, I loved it. It's the second book in a series. I read it. You know, I read it. It was fine. I didn't read it in order. And in this book, we have Lizzie, who thinks her cousin's fiance, Benedict, is. Who is this, like, boxer. She thinks he's bad news. I guess he has been in jail, if I remember correctly. He's out, like, they're going to get married. And what happens is, like, I don't. Like, there's essentially, Lizzie sees the, like, reverend doing some, like, stealing money, doing something really, like, fucked up. And she tells her family. She's like, I saw the reverend doing bad thing. And they don't believe her. And Benedict is kind of like. Essentially is like, I can't be with this cousin if she won't support Lizzie. Like, I'm gonna pick Lizzie instead. Lizzie's been thrown out. I need a wife. She needs a place to go. We'll have this sort of marriage of convenience, and I can. We'll work together. And then they end up together essentially at this, like, kind of traveling circus fair type thing where he is in, like, a boxing booth. You know, that's his, like, booth or whatever, and is boxing. And she ends up, like, helping. And it just feels like a very. I mean, they're. The way they come to feel for each other is very carefully drawn, right? And I think that, you know, one of my favorite things is here is this man who is, you know, a boxer. He knows the ways of violence, but when he is with her, he is just so tender and sweet, right? And I think that that Is like, the really, the big appeal of, like, a book like this. It really feels like it leans into. Like, this is what it would be like. Here's how they ate, and here's what it took for her to, like, walk across the whole fair to find the bathroom or whatever. Right. You know, here's the ways in which organized religion has such power over, like, what happens to people. Here's what happens if you try and question that authority. Right? Like, you know, how is it that, like, women alone in the world are suddenly so vulnerable? Right? So I feel like it really, really did a great job with all of that. And also, again, like you said, definitely by the end, for sure, I just felt this sense of, like, it's these two against the world, right? Like, they are each other's team. And it's terrific. And so this is part of her prizefighter series, the Victorian Prize Fighters. And I really, really enjoyed this one. So that's a substitute wife for the prizefighter.
- [32:08]
Sarah MacLean
Nice. That's a good one. That's. I had that on my. Like, maybe this book. I want to talk about a novella, too, because I always think novellas are. We've talked about this before, but, like, I think novellas often can, like, really do a thing in the. It's so difficult to do them well. And when they are done well, they can really do a very particular kind of thing. I want to talk about in the Morning sun by Lena Hart, which is a novella set in post Civil war. It's like 1868. And Madeleine, the heroine, has. So it's Madeline and James. And Madeleine has. She was in, I think, Philadelphia, and then she gets attacked in Philadelphia, and she sort of like, runs from the attack and she goes to Nebraska to. And where she is hired as a schoolteacher in a community in a black school where she is set. She is teaching freed men to read with an eye toward voting in the election of 1868. This was originally part of collection, an anthology called Daughters of a Nation that came out, I want to say, like, maybe in 2016, like, right around when you know everything old is new again, you guys. So she is in Nebraska, and we're told, listen, the classic setup of a very short novella, and this is a very tightly written novella, is that you really can't have two people who don't know each other. Like, it has to be two people who know each other because there just isn't enough space, right? So these two do know each other. It's the second chance. And they knew each other. They were in Love. And Jimmy the hero is able to. He is Canadian. He came from Canada to fight in, like, to. He was living in Philadelphia from Canada. And then like, the moment the war started, he was like, I'm going to sign up. I'm going to go help. And he is in. He has indigenous blood in Canada, and his, like, great great grandmother in Canada was black. And so he is. But he is passing in the United. Or at least like, looks as though he is white. And so he joins the war and then they. And they separate. And she's like, what if you die? And he's like, I'm not going to die. I'm going to come find you. Romantic, right? Stay alive.
- [34:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [34:54]
Sarah MacLean
You know, I'll find you. And then he does. He comes to Nebraska and there's like, great moment where he gets there and he's looking. I mean, there's this very real sense that he's looking for her. But he's like, also been through war in this country that has betrayed him, like, over and over again. And so it really feels very relevant. And he's like, I think I'm gonna go to. I'm going home. I'm gonna go to Canada. I'm going to get Maddie. And then we're going to Canada. And he goes to find her. And there's this. And then he. He can't. He can't find her. And he, like, feel. Jen is so perfect. He, like, feels her. He's like on a street.
- [35:37]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, I love it.
- [35:38]
Sarah MacLean
And like, the air shifts and he's like, she's here. She's close.
- [35:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I love it.
- [35:46]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, historical is the best. So finally. So they meet and it's this tingling, charged moment. And these two are perfect for each other and they are meant to be. Except now Maddie has this much higher purpose. She is there teaching. So first of all, there are a couple things going on in this. I mean, Leah Hart packs so much into this. And it's so great because not only is she a teacher, she can't marry. Right. Like, if you marry, you have to leave teaching. More importantly, there are anti miscegenation laws in Nebraska, so she can't marry a white man either. Right, Right. So there is this real sense of, like, how will this all work? Because she's doing this really important, like, key work. And he's like, fuck this country. Let's go to Canada.
- [36:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Let's go.
- [36:47]
Sarah MacLean
And so there's so much going on in this incredibly tight, incredibly short, very romantic novella. And you will not be unhappy reading it. So that is Lena Hart's in the Morning sun. And I learned this week and just downloaded the rest of them. But there are two others in this series. This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Charlotte Stein, author of My Big Fat Fake Marriage. The audiobook is narrated by Imogen Wilde.
- [37:20]
Jennifer Prokop
So everyone, this, of course, Charlotte Stein, we love her here, Faded Mates, she writes a great rom com. And in this one we have Connie, who has really, everybody had a lot of bad luck with men. She's very suspicious of them. And there's no men more suspicious to her than the ones that seem like nice guys. So she has her on her, okay, very adorable bow tied and suspender loving neighbor named Beck. And her friend at work has essentially, like, he works there at the publishing house with her friend and he, you know, has an apartment next door. And the thing that she's most suspicious about is that she has never met his wife. And she like kind of walks him one day and he appears to have a murder wall, and so she freaks out. And the thing you have to understand is the audiobook of this is so great because Imogen Wild, a British woman with a very nice crisp British, like, delivery of, like, these like, really overly dramatic pronouncements from Connie. And it turns out that Beck has essentially told everyone he's married, but he's not. But he has an upcoming, like, work event where he has to produce this wife. And so Connie essentially, you know, in that way, in a rom com way, ends up agreeing to go to this work event and pretend to be his wife. And of course, what are they gonna find? Sarah? But only one bed.
- [38:45]
Sarah MacLean
Perfect. Charlotte knows the job. I know what they're gonna find because Charlotte knows what I want them to find.
- [38:52]
Jennifer Prokop
It is so cute. And I love the narration because like I said, I just didn't realize, like, give me like a British woman, like, just like giving me that nice, those all those crisp vowels and all that nice dictionary. And anyway, it was a delight and you will love listening to it.
- [39:10]
Sarah MacLean
Well, if you also like nice dictions, then you will really enjoy My Big Fat Fake Marriage. You can pre order it right now in ebook, print or audiobook, Charlotte Stein and Imogen Wilde know how to deliver. And if you hang around after the episode for a special Faded Mates listener treat, you can hear the first few chapters of My Big Fat Fake Marriage. And in special podcasting apps, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to a sweepstakes where five lucky Faded Mates listeners will receive a free copy of My Big fat fake marriage in audio. Thanks to Charlotte Stein and to Imogen Wild for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [39:55]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't have another historical, so if you.
- [39:59]
Sarah MacLean
I do. I have K.J. charles. Charles. Because, I mean, I already mentioned K.J. charles, and I sort of feel like I have mentioned K.J. charles on a few. We sure. Adriana talked about her. I often talk about a seditious affair, which is about, like, a printmaker and a guy from the home office.
- [40:15]
Jennifer Prokop
And the old Diamonds was one of our best of the year back in whatever year that was. So. Yeah, we're.
- [40:21]
Sarah MacLean
Does not care about a billionaire. Like, even when she puts it. When she puts an aristocrat on the table on. On the table, she's like. But really, he's not like an aristocrat.
- [40:31]
Jennifer Prokop
He's not like other billionaires. Yeah.
- [40:35]
Sarah MacLean
So wait, I just want to talk very briefly about Sins of the Cities, which is the series. It's kind of in classic KJ form. Like, she's basically playing with the structure of sensation novels from Victoria from the Victorian era. So, like, there are murders and there's fog, and there's gas lamps, and there's.
- [40:59]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, like, murder and fog. Everybody. Murder and fog.
- [41:03]
Sarah MacLean
It's a murder and fog book, K.J.
- [41:05]
Jennifer Prokop
Please go ahead. And we give you permission to use that as your new tagline. Murder and fog.
- [41:10]
Sarah MacLean
It's like those Jackie Collins sex and shopping books, right? Like, we all understand sex and shopping, murder and fog.
- [41:17]
Jennifer Prokop
They go together like peanut butter and jelly.
- [41:19]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, but this is, like, it's London. And there actually was an. In the 1870s, this, like. Like, London was so gross, you guys. We write so many romance novels set in London, and, like, the river was disgusting, and there was so much coal fog. And in the 1870s, there was a fog that, like, came over London, and it was so thick, people fell in the river. Like, it was, like, the worst. And it lasted for, like, a while. And this is history. This is not romance history. This is, like, real history. So anyway, I know. Listen, it's.
- [42:00]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm sorry.
- [42:01]
Sarah MacLean
I love everything about what's happening. Right? Okay. So this whole series is focused on, like, some. A bunch of dudes who meet at a club that's, like, for people who basically are queer. Right? And so. And my favorite book in this is the second one, which is an Unnatural Vice. But you have to read this series in order. So I'm gonna say you should read an unseen attraction where the hero, Clem, or there are two heroes. One of them is a lodging housekeeper, and he is, like, the quietest, most unassuming, like, please don't drag me into your drama, your murder, and your fog ever. And he. Is he one of his lodgers, Rowley Green, who is a taxidermist.
- [42:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure. I'm not mad about it.
- [42:58]
Sarah MacLean
These are not billionaires, Jen. No, they are not.
- [43:01]
Jennifer Prokop
No one made a billion dollars taxidermy shit. I'm sorry.
- [43:04]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, exactly. Except. So. And they are, like. They have this, like, lovely relationship where, like, they sort of, like, want each other, and they have, like, longing, and they have. They've been, like, kind of eyeing each other, but, like, would never. They would never. And they, like, sit together. They come in from the fog, and they sit together by the fire, and they, like, talk, and they're amazing, and they talk about their work, and they talk about the world. Cause it's KJ Charles, and you're just, like, swept up in this, like, courtship that doesn't. That isn't really a courtship. And then, boom, a dead body turns up on the doorstep.
- [43:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [43:39]
Sarah MacLean
And it's another lodger. And then the two of them are kind of, like, thrust into this, like, mystery of who killed this person? Who was this person? What is going on? There is, like, suddenly, like, a group of, you know, potential. They're, like, nefarious people who. You know, criminals, bad guys, and the fog. And then, like. And so they fall in love, and it's really great. And this one also, like, there's a clear one of these heroes for those of you who are. You're always looking for, like, neurodivergent rep in historicals. This one will. Will deliver that for you. You know, KJ has threads, a very interesting needle with Clem.
- [44:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, I mean, I guess we're going to transition to contemporaries now, but I will admit I'm not sure how to get to taxidermist. Oh, see, wait.
- [44:42]
Sarah MacLean
I can get from fog into contemporaries. So we're going to. We're going to defy our traditional structure. And I'm going to do two in a row, because I'm going to talk about whirlwind. Kayla Gross's new book, Tornado Daddy. Tornado Daddy. And listen, this is hot for teacher. So, I mean, was I gonna read it anyway? Because it was Kayla Gross, obviously. And then I opened it up, and the very first line. Let me just pull it up for everybody, because I was so. You can imagine, like, the excited utterance that came from my. From my mouth. Hang on. Oh, gosh. There's. I've gone to the beginning of this Kindle, and there's like a drink recipe in the middle of this. The beginning of this book is literally a line from the ethics clause of the university he works at. Romantic, sexual or other intimate relationships between faculty and students are prohibited. Well, poor Riker, who literally. You say Tornado Daddy. He is literally called that and so. Or Storm Daddy. I can't remember. But he's like. They joke about the fact that he's like a daddy. Although this is not a daddy romance. She doesn't call him daddy.
- [46:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [46:09]
Sarah MacLean
Anyway, he is a storm chaser and a very, very famous storm chaser. And it is. It begins with the. The.
- [46:19]
Jennifer Prokop
The.
- [46:19]
Sarah MacLean
It's the very end of the semester, of course, because we're threading a particular needle here, of course. And Finley Buckley is his student and his, like, pro. Like, one of the, like, most brilliant storm students. I don't know. I'm literally. I don't know. I don't know any of the terminology. But, like, she studying tornadoes and she wants to be a storm chaser. And she's wanted to be a storm chaser since she was, like, a teenager. And she has watched every YouTube video Riker has ever put on the Internet where he, like, drives his tank into a tornado and, like, whatever. And so Jen. So he's like, she's taking her exam, her final exam, and he's literally, like, watching her, like, repeating, like, the words of the. Of the ethics clause are just, like, running on a loop while he, like, watches this woman who is 23 years old, like, just. And he just, like, is longing for her. Listen, Kayla Gross is great. There's so much about this book to love. But here's what I want to say. If you want a book where often Jen and I talk, like, I. Well, no, often I talk a lot about conflict, right? And I'm like, you just cannot write a romance novel where there is no conflict. They have to have something that is keeping them apart. Kayla does this really interesting thing in this book where what's keeping them apart is the faculty student thing, except that's over now. She's literally. She's won some grant. She's now going to be on his team as his. So it goes from faculty student to boss, colleague. Right. But, like, it's different. It's probably not, but, like, for the purpose of this, it's different. So, like, and they both, like, want each other. He's like. She's, like, curvy and gorgeous. He's, like, cut and stunning. And they just, like, are. I mean, like, two people who are horny, deeply Horny for each other. And they get out. So you sort of know from the jump, the second you're in Finley's point of view, it starts in his point of view and then sick. And you get into her, your point of view. You're like, well, these two just, like, are sick for each other. Except there's a storm coming through. They're in Oklahoma or Texas or whatever. And there's a storm coming that weekend. It's like a Friday. And he is like, I'm so hot for her. I have to just go chase a tornado.
- [48:53]
Jennifer Prokop
I am, like, not even mad about any of this.
- [48:56]
Sarah MacLean
So she then, like, they run into each other outside, and. And she's, like, in her head, like, tracking this tornado, this storm on her phone, and she's like, I'm so hot for him. I think I have to go chase this tornado. And then they're like, wait, are you going to chase the tornado? Cause I'm going to chase it, too. And he's like, well, you can't go alone. You need somebody to go with you. Cause it's not safe.
- [49:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [49:22]
Sarah MacLean
Heroes should be kings. Storm kings. So the. I'm sorry.
- [49:27]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm like, romance is somewhere.
- [49:29]
Sarah MacLean
So wait, Jen, I'm gonna spoil the first chapter of this book because, like, it's so good. So our first couple chapters, and then, like, there's a whole book after, so you won't. You won't mind. So then they go to, like, chase this tornado, and you're like, the tornado.
- [49:42]
Jennifer Prokop
Tear their clothes off.
- [49:44]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, my God. No, that would be amazing. But let me tell you what does happen. Okay? So they're chasing there. So he's like, what are. How are you going to go. And she's like, well, here's my, like, Toyota RAV4. I was going to go in this. And he's like, okay, that sounds fine. And he's like, well, you can. In his head, he's like, I kind of want to drive, but, like, I want to respect her. You drive. So she drives and they drive out into, like, the fucking flatlands of wherever. I don't know. I would never do this myself. It doesn't seem safe. And they're going into. They're driving into the storm, and then this, like, fucking massive tornado forms, and it's coming dead on for them, right? And then it's chasing them. And he's like, you have to turn around. Like, we have to try and outrun it. And like, within seconds, they're like, we can't outrun this. Like, we're gonna die together in this fucking RAV4 in this tornado before we ever fuck.
- [50:45]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm laughing. Yeah, right?
- [50:47]
Sarah MacLean
So he's like, wait. So she's like, we're gonna die. She's like. And it's very like, we're gonna die. And I'm like, what the fuck is gonna happen? What are they gonna die? Because they can't. They all. She writes into this. She writes herself into, like, a really curious thing here because, like, he can't be wrong. He can't be the storm king and also be wrong. And so I'm like, what's gonna happen? So he's like, turn right at this stop sign. Like, there's a lot of chaos. And then he's like, there's a ditch. We have to get out of the car and go lay in that ditch. Jen. They jump in this ditch. She jumps down. He gets on top of her.
- [51:26]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes. Yes, Sarah. Yes.
- [51:28]
Sarah MacLean
They in this ditch while there is a tornado.
- [51:31]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, Sarah. Episode over. Everybody.
- [51:37]
Sarah MacLean
Not a billionaire. Absolutely a king. I found it.
- [51:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, I am so happy right now. Okay.
- [51:46]
Sarah MacLean
Kayla Gross is like, why did I just get 4,000 downloads?
- [51:50]
Jennifer Prokop
You're welcome, because we love you. Okay, so.
- [51:56]
Sarah MacLean
And then it goes on from there. Everyone that's like, chapter one.
- [52:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Romance is unmatched. Okay, so I'm going to pick up the they're out in the Wilderness and talk about Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle. Now, this is. So if you're like, I want to have some sort of mashup between, like, whiteout and, like, these books with virgin heroes, that's what this is. I do feel like my friend Elsa, who told me about this, really did a bait and switch on me by not mentioning the virgin hero. Because when I got to that point, I was like, oh, God. But I think some of you will enjoy it, even if so in this book, Ellie Price lives in Chicago, and she this. So this is like romantic suspense. She gets this phone call from her father who has struggled with mental illness and, like, paranoid schizophrenia. And she hears from him very intermittently, but he calls and essentially tells her he's, like, on the run, and he's gonna go to grandfather's. Their grandfather's cabin. And he's really sorry that he has been such a terrible father to her. And it's a really heartbreaking. It's a really emotional scene. And she is kind of like, I have. This is my father. I have to try and help him. And she's not. She doesn't think he is accurately reporting what is going on. That he's in danger. But she. He has given her enough clues about his location that she flies to Colorado, drives her, like, little, you know, gets a rental car and drives to. I think it's a Simpson, Colorado, maybe anyway, some small, tiny town. And when she gets there, now, I will say she steps out of the car, and she, like, literally, like, falls immediately on her ass because she doesn't have appropriate. Like, she doesn't have. She doesn't have a winter coat, and she doesn't have the right boots. And I was like, okay, this is a Chicago Inn.
- [53:56]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [53:57]
Jennifer Prokop
We do, in fact, have winter weather here quite a bit. I'm sure you've heard. So anyway. But she, like. So she slides across this thing, and this, like, very gruff mountain of a man, like, literally, like, picks her up like she's a little doll and carries her to where she's going. And the entire town is in the, like, coffee shop, like, watching this. And they're like, did George actually talk to you? And she was like, what's going on? Right. So it. She kind of befriends the barista and says. Kind of describes what she's. You know, I'm trying to look for my father. And. And, you know, this woman knows her father's name is Baxter. She's like, oh, Baxter. We haven't seen him in a while. And she sort of, like, puts together that. That he is. Actually, they can only drive so far. And then she has to hike for a couple of days to get to this cabin where her. She thinks her father is. But she's not gonna make it on her own. She's a city girl, and she needs help. And the only two options are this, like, real scumbag who, like, like, tries to break into her hotel room. And George. Right. So George, of course, agrees to take her. And meanwhile, George is the most taciturn romance hero I have ever met. Like, he would put Duke and that one Tessa Bailey book I, like, worked up so much to shame. Like, this man barely talks. And I was like, you know what I. About you. So I will also tell you, there was quite a bit of hiking in this book. I was like, I don't. Why am I reading?
- [55:27]
Sarah MacLean
I was.
- [55:27]
Jennifer Prokop
I was literally like, elsa, what the fuck? I don't.
- [55:29]
Sarah MacLean
Wait a minute.
- [55:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, I don't like to hike. And as it turns out, I don't also enjoy to read about hiking, but there are killers on their trail. And so that's, like, sort of the romantic suspense part. Like, she kind of figures out, like, hey, maybe My father is actually not imagining this. So she and George are like, hiking and making their way and, you know, having fun to sleep in these tiny sleeping bags and, you know, all this business. And, you know, he is really. He's like, takes such good care of her, right? I mean, you know, and. And she's not like an idiot or anything. Like, she's like, you know, walking and keeping up with him in terms of the hiking and stuff. But, you know, she's getting blisters and her feet are too cold. And. And so at one point, she sort of like. And you don't get his point of view for a really long time. And then she kisses him and he's kind of like, what happened? And then we go to his point of view, and that's when you realize that he. He's never been kissed. He's like Drew barrymore at a 90s Rom com, only it's romantic suspense in the Colorado wilderness. So anyway, it's. It's. It's a great. It's great. It's. It does. It is part of a series. I think it's the second or third book in a series. And so, so it. The romance wraps up, but it does end in a cliffhanger in terms of, like, who the bad guy is. And that clearly has carried forward. Like, the barista and her boyfriend were like the here. The couple in a previous book or whatever. So essentially, it's all like the search and rescue people inside this town, and there's like a big bad guy that they don't kind of realize is behind a lot of it. So there is a cliffhanger to, like that part of the story, but not to the, like, romance between George and Ellie. So that is gone too deep. By Katie Ruggle. Lots of hiking.
- [57:36]
Sarah MacLean
This week's episode of Fate of Maids is sponsored by Lucy Score, author of Story of My Life.
- [57:42]
Jennifer Prokop
So Hazelhart is in a bit of a pickle, Sarah, and that is that. She was a successful romance novelist until she had a terrible breakup, and now it is, you know, writer's block time, and she can't deliver this manuscript no matter what she does. So her publisher. Very relatable. Yes, exactly. You're like, too real. Click. All right, so anyway, her publisher is like, if you miss this next deadline, it is. That's it. It's the end for you. So desperate for inspiration, Hazel really does what anyone would do, which is leave Manhattan behind and buy a historic home in a small town in Pennsylvania. Surely. What a plan, right? Not relatable. So anyway, she arrives in tiny Story Lake, Pennsylvania, hoping that name is Destiny and that she is going to get over her writer's block. And you know what's going to help her get over her writer's block? The smoking hot contractor that she has found to fix up her home, which is is more of a spider museum than an actual livable domicile. Weirdly enough, she is also has this home has come with a seat on the town council. So now she's like essentially like one of the village elders, like all the shenanigans in this town and her and Cam have all this insane chemistry and she all of a sudden seems to be not only writing a romance novel, but living in one. What well is going to go wrong? You know, something. And it has to do with Cam and his feelings. What can I tell you?
- [59:15]
Sarah MacLean
Men and their feelings. If you really love a home renovation romance or a fake dating romance, or a small town romance novel romance, then this one is for you. Lucine does not miss. This book is available March 11th. You can pre order it right now in print, ebooks, book or audiobook. And if your podcasting app supports it, smash that chapter title right now and be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Lucy Score for sponsoring this week's episode. All right, well, I went deep into the archives of Sarah's Kindle also for this and I want to talk about Take Me Home Tonight by Erica Kelly, which is a really. Oh God. I. I'm sure I may have talked about this book. Yeah, I think maybe in the past because I. This is the first book that I read that kept me up after I had a baby, if that makes sense. And I think it kind of does. Like there's this moment after like where you're just exhaust like you have a baby, everybody, FYI, you're fucking exhausted because you were dumb and had a baby. And then there's like. Only there comes a point where as like a reader, like I am, I am especially I. I prior to this was somebody who like would just read until three in the morning and finish a book and I just couldn't do it anymore. And this was the first book that I read after my daughter was born where like I stayed up to get to the end of it. And so I have a really a real fondness for this book. I think I've talked about it in the Rockstar Romance. The Rockstar Romance episodes, even though it's not actually about a rock star. Erica Kelly is the author here. The book I just discovered today is She's Gotten the rights back because it's now available in indie, which is great. And so the hero of this book, again, it sort of speaks to us having a conversation. And I hadn't put it out and put it together until you and I spoke during this episode. But these are really hero journey books. Right?
- [61:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Right, right.
- [61:25]
Sarah MacLean
So Calix, the hero of this book, was on the rise. Like, he was going to be a superstar rock star when he was growing up. And, like, he was getting better and better and better. And then his younger brother died of an accidental overdose at a music festival that he was playing at. And his family on Long island, like, out on the East End in the Hamptons, like, the not rich Hamptons, sort of immediately, like, he just lost. He was so consumed with the responsibility of both. He wasn't there to take care of his brother. And, like, now his parents. He has this, like, perception that his parents will always blame him for this, that he has, like, locked down. And now he is a studio musician out at a studio that's on the East End of Long island, and there is a rock band, like a kind of very, very big rock band that goes out to this studio in the Hamptons for the summer to record a new album. And he is a studio musician for them. And they bring out their. Mimi Romano, who is the private chef to the band. And she. Her father, she's, like, kind of doing her own thing. Her father is, like, like, basically, like, what's his name? Like, a Gordon Ramsay type. Like, he owns, like. He's a restaurateur, and he owns, like, a bunch of, you know, really successful restaurants. And she is, like, out there to prove her. She's, like, it's. This is real grumpy sunshine. Although, like, he's really dark and he. And she is, like, bright and, like, full of life and, like, ready to take on the world and prove to her dad that she can, like, do this thing in a different way. And they are so incredibly into each other. Again, like two people who, like, can't help but want each other. And he is so tightly wound and buttoned up that he is gonna fuck this up. Like, there are multiple moments. Like, Erica Kelly takes a lot of risks with this book. There are multiple moments where this man, like, fully fucks it up. Like, walks away. Like, refuses to open up to her. Refuses to even, like, countenance the idea that he might find happiness.
- [63:48]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [63:50]
Sarah MacLean
In this, like, world that he. In this dark world that he feels like he has just, like, ruined all the while her. Her being, like, your Brother, like, of course it's a secret. She doesn't know quite what's happened. But like, when she figures it out, she's like, like, love and life are how we move forward from these tragedies. She is a really remarkable heroine because she's like, no, fuck you, that you're what I want and I'm gonna fight for it. Which is a really, like. Yeah, I love that inspirational, like, kind of lovely thing. And I just. And it's also very sexy. There's like a big, you know, the band is. Is very present. If you like a rock star romance, this will be a sort of different vibe because it's. The perception is a little bit different. And then on top of it, there is a very real, like, grief through line in this book. And I just. I love it. The hero really does go on a full journey. He is in no way a billionaire. Session musician King session.
- [64:52]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm not mad about it. Okay. Actually, that is a perfect transition to a book I read yesterday in the same fashion, which was into the woods by Jenny Holiday. And everybody, I. God, I just have the best time reading this. And what I mean by that is like, everyone knows that, like the romance high you are chasing is I started a book and now I can't put it down.
- [65:15]
Sarah MacLean
Yep, I must read it till 3am yes.
- [65:18]
Jennifer Prokop
I've been immediately swept away. And when you find those books, it's like, it's the best feeling. And that this book did that to me. So if that's what you're looking for, like, I would really recommend this. So in this. And I think it also. Well, okay, let me tell you the plot first, then talk about why it's so great. So Gretchen Miller is a. Owns a dance. Like a dance studio in Minnesota in like a Minneapolis suburb. And she is her. She owns her own business, but, like. And she loves dance. But choosing to own, to like run the dance studio was essentially something she decided really early on in life. Because her. She grew up in like a very. In a poor household. Her mom was a waitress. She grew up in a trailer. Her dad would essentially kind of hold down a job for a while and then just like drift off because he wanted something more. And Gretchen was like, I'm not gonna live like this. And so she was just like, I'm gonna own my own business because I am going to essentially build a life of security for myself and her. And she is getting. She's soon gonna be her 40th birthday. And she is like, sort of feeling that sense of like, Is this all there is? She's like, really kind of channeling that feeling of her dad. And so she decides that, like, what she probably has to do then is like, expand the business. She's gonna, like, buy her own building and she's gonna have yoga and Pilates and dance and. Right. Like, she kind of thinks, like, well, this has worked for me, so I'm just gonna keep continuing down this road. But she gets this, like, really interesting. And she has also decided to, like, leave dating behind. Like, she's just like, I'm so tired of these crappy Tinder dates of putting up with men, and I'm gonna just like, have one last hurrah and just be done with this business as well. 40 is going to be a whole new me. The hero is Teddy Knight. And he has been in a, like a popular, like, like a, you know, he's rich, but he does not act like a billionaire because he was like, not the star of the rock band. He was like the bass guitarist. But he and Scott, who's the lead singer, were essentially the ones who wrote all the songs and were like the real musicians. Like, the other band members have kind of come and go and were not as important, but they had a big public breakup. Teddy like lost his shit and broke a TV and acted like a rock star. And so he essentially gets this kind of offer to go essentially work as an artist in residence at a camp that he assumes is kind of like band camp for adults and doesn't really pay attention. He just needs an exit strategy. And it ends up being like a camp for kids, like for high school kids. And Gretchen is good, has also essentially taken like a last minute job there just to like, sort of give herself like a break. Like, I'm gonna go do this thing for a month and then I'll come back and like, close on the building. And then like, that will be my life. And the thing that I thought was really extraordinary about this book, among a lot of things, is the thing that they end up bonding over is that Teddy also came from a very financially insecure childhood. And these are not things he has really ever grappled with. Both of them. It was just like, I'm gonna get out of this scenario and I'm never gonna look back. But it has left these, like, real scars for both of them. And so Teddy is kind of determined to like, write his own album. And Gretchen really doesn't think of herself. She sort of is replacing a very well known dancer. It's really cool the way, like the the makeup of the camp is that there's like, adults who are these artists in Residents, and then there are counselors and the kids. And the artists in Residents are just sort of there to, like, inspire and mentor, but also to like, work on their own stuff. And Gretchen was like, I just thought I'd sort of like, get away. But what she finds is actually that she loves choreography. And she's always, like, approached choreography from the point of view of like, it's a recital at the dance studio and not I am making art. And Teddy, who has been like a rock star, is now, like, I want to write songs again, but, like, I'm finding that I'm not writing in the same, like, they were like a rock band. And now he's writing almost like 60s style protest folk music. And I really thought the, like, artistic journey that they are both on was really extraordinary. And so she basically says to him, like, listen, you can be my last hurrah. We could have this month together. And he's like, all right, I'm here to just write my album. But they both find that being in residence with other artists is in fact, incredibly generative for who they want to be and, like, what might be next. There is, like a through line of sadness and grief in this book. Like, their shared sort of like, kind of childhood experiences, in fact, are sad, but it didn't feel overwhelming. And I would also say this book is genuinely so funny. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. You know, like, just the banter, the way they talk to each other, like, the funny, like, sort of like things they get into. I truly loved this book and I just found it to be a really. There's a way, like, one of the things that, like Gretchen and the dance girls, because they're all young women, end up, like, sort of choreographing a whole thing about, like, feminism. And Gretchen herself is like, really like, why did I let all these men treat me this way for all these years? I just thought it was spectacular. I thought it was really a truly great example of this is what romance can do. It can really look around at where we are now and say, looks in. The way forward is going to be in making art. The way forward is going to be in community. And it is not about making money. Gretchen has to learn that. And I think for Teddy, I know I've talked about Gretchen a lot, his journey towards really facing what he and his sister went through at the hands of their mother, and his determination to figure out what he wants to be in the music world. Now that he's not like Scott's writing partner and a member of this band anymore. We're just really. I don't know. I think this book is terrific. I love Jenny Holiday, but I felt like this is like watching Jenny Holiday level up. It really impressed me. It's a great book.
- [72:29]
Sarah MacLean
I'm putting it on my list right now. It sounds great.
- [72:31]
Jennifer Prokop
So that's into the Woods.
- [72:34]
Sarah MacLean
I want to just name check to people who we have talked about a lot in the past on the the series, on the podcast. I want to just say if you love a working class hero, like a gets dirty, wears jeans kind of hero, then Brill Harper is for you. Oh. Her books are like very one handed reads, everyone. But it's like drilled and I don't.
- [73:03]
Jennifer Prokop
Know, what are they all dug, plumbed, plumbed, piped. I don't know, whatever it is.
- [73:11]
Sarah MacLean
But those will give you a lot of joy. And then London Hale, who we did a whole episode on. But actually when I. The first thing I thought about when I was like, okay. Because at one point I thought to myself, yeah, I thought oh, maybe instead of like if billionaire is the job, which it kind of is in romance, like no one ever knows what any of these men do, right?
- [73:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [73:36]
Sarah MacLean
Then I was like, what is like, what are the jobs? And I know we're never gonna do a vicar romance or like any of that episode. So like I was like, what about Vickers? And like Julianne Long has a vicar. Like there are some like men of the cloth, right? Not like priests, like people who are allowed to marry. Right. And London Hale has. Has a terrific priest, or not priest. I'm sorry, A terrific pastor romance called Sinful Temptation. And the premise is that it's like 70 pages long. Everybody, you're gonna, you're gonna have a great time. The premise is that the heroine inherits a Christian bookstore slash tea shop and she's like, from her grandmother. And she's like, well, this is not for me, like deeply not for Harper.
- [74:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [74:33]
Sarah MacLean
And she closes it and reopens it as a sex toy shop called Sin. And it is literally next door to the church in town. And so the congregation of this church is like up in arms and the pastor comes over to like meet her and they meet.
- [74:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I love it.
- [74:55]
Sarah MacLean
Very sexy. And he's like a wicked dirty talker and like, you know, that's just, it's terrific. And then ultimately like super duper sex positive. And he ends up like basically doing what Jen loves, which is like just basically Telling off his family in her defense, but the family is the entire congregation, and it's pretty great. So I just want to say both of those names because I think you can't. Can't do blue collar without those. Those ladies.
- [75:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct. Okay. I actually have several more, so. Do you want me to.
- [75:31]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, no, I have more too, so. But I just wanted to. A pause for London Hale. This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by 1001 Dark Knights, riches and romance. A billionaire romance collection. For those of you who are like. Like this episode, it doesn't really slap for me.
- [75:49]
Jennifer Prokop
I need a corrective. Right?
- [75:51]
Sarah MacLean
1000 one night. Dark nights to the rescue.
- [75:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Of course. As always. So, everybody, the thing that's really fun about these 1001 Dark Nights anthologies is they are. What they have in common is like a trope, right? So in this case, we have a billionaire romance collection with four really great titles from authors you know and love. So it includes the Mastermind by Dylan Allen, Hunky Heartbreaker by Kendall Ryan, Charmed by Lexi Blake, and Daring Her Love by Melissa Foster. And so what you're gonna get is, like, four great books from authors. Maybe some, you know, others you're looking to discover, but they. What they have in mind, what they have in common is the. The billionaire trope, right? So you're going to get some. I mean, listen, these men, they have plenty of money, but what they need is love and so sweet babies. The Dylan Allen one, for example, has a X star athlete who has turned into a huge magnate in London. I mean, what more could you want from. From a billionaire romance? So these are like, a really terrific way to like, experiment with, like, maybe you're like, okay, wait, I know one of those authors, but now I'm going to experience the other ones. Or, you know, I remember how much I love Lexi Blake, for example, but it's been a while since I've read a new one of hers. So these are like, great ways to just like, get back in with powerhouse romance romance authors you know and love. And 1001 Dark Nights, those books always slide.
- [77:20]
Sarah MacLean
They don't miss, right? They don't miss.
- [77:22]
Jennifer Prokop
They don't miss. So.
- [77:24]
Sarah MacLean
So if you are interested in trying this billionaire romance novella set, you can do that right now in ebook. Or if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title and go immediately to buy that ebook. Thanks as always to 1001 dark nights for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [77:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, I'm gonna talk about Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon, which is. I think Farrah does sometimes write, like, more like kind of the King vibe, right? Like, he's NFL quarterback and things like that. But in this one, Thaddeus Sims has left the army and is. Has moved back home, I think, to. I think it might be New Orleans. And he has a dream, essentially, that what he wants to do is sort of take his money and he's gonna open a bar for, like, that's kind of the whole idea is, like, the clientele he wants to aim for is veterans, right? So he wants to essentially create a third space, but, like, for veterans. And. But the problem is, is that he has inherited his beloved. Listen, his beloved aunt or grandmother is in an assisted living facility, and she cannot take care of her dog anymore. So he, like, ends up with this dog, and he is just like, I put no. And then this. To me, I was like, like, me, he. And, you know, his grandmother's still alive, so he can't just, like, get rid of the dog, which is. You know, it's not that you should do that anybody, but, like, it's not, you know, she's still alive. She wants to know the dog's in good hands. But the dog has spent all this time at a doggy daycare called Barkingham Palace. And Barkingham palace is owned by Ashanti. And she is, like, like, in some of these books, she is the real entrepreneur. She is, like, ready to turn Barkingham palace into, like, you know, like a. The chain. And she has all these really big plans for how she's gonna, like, make that happen when her dog. I can't remember that dog's name. And Puddin, essentially. Oh, Duchess. Her Duchess and Pudding have, like, a literal, like a Lady in the Tramp moment. But because Barkingham palace has, like, you know, like, doggy cam, so people can watch their dogs while they're at work or whatever. Like, this moment goes viral. And now Thaddeus, who's like, basically, like, I don't. I don't even want the dog to go to doggy daycare anymore, because why am I wasting money on this when I have to save every penny for this bar I want to open? And so they are, like, kind of swept up into this, like, media frenzy, and they end up going to, like, New York together for, like, I don't know, like, the, you know, like the Today show or something, like, as a human interest story. And they're, like, sort of finally, like, give in to this insane attraction they have for each other so far. Writes a really fun book. And I. And I think that this is one that's just, like, super heartwarming. Right. Like, there is a lot of, like, Thaddeus is sort of like, you know, there's family secrets and that they're both kind of struggling with. And so when it comes time for them to, like, essentially, like, commit to each other, like, be a family together, they're both, like, really. I don't know. Like, there's something the other one has that they can really provide. But for Thaddeus, it's, again, that, like, he's leaving the army behind, a place where he was successful and had rules and knew how to follow them. Right. And now everything is chaos, and he is like, I didn't sign up for this. This life. And so watching him try to navigate and sort of, like, become less rigid over time is the real, like, sort of journey of this book, because Ashanti is like, I know who I am and what I want and who, like, and that people should value me. And Thaddeus really comes off as a total prick at the beginning of the book to her, but is on his journey to, like, sort of realizing, like, I'm not in the army anymore. Right.
- [81:50]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [81:50]
Jennifer Prokop
So, anyway, it's a really. It's. If you like Farah. I love Farrah's writing. I've never read a Farrah Rochon book I haven't enjoyed, and this one is really fun. So that's. Pardon my Frenchie.
- [82:04]
Sarah MacLean
I want to talk about Natalie. Kanye, too, because I know that we did a deep dive last year on God. The second. The second one.
- [82:15]
Jennifer Prokop
The second one. Right.
- [82:17]
Sarah MacLean
Hang on. What's it called? A Dish Best Serve Hot, which I think is a perfect example of a kind of like. Of, you know, Natalie's really interesting because what she is talking about in all of her books is gentrification.
- [82:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [82:30]
Sarah MacLean
In a lot of ways. No, not in a lot of ways. In a way. And so the first one. So this series was really interesting because, like, the first one is a really classic, like, Heroin. The heroine is, like, a scrappy chef and trying to, like, make a go of it in the Chicago food world. And the hero has, like. Is, like, just about to achieve, like, greatness in whiskey. So, like, that doesn't. I was like, which Natalie will I talk about? And, like. And then I was like, oh, no, that one doesn't work. Because he's, like, billionaire. Like, if you're achieving the greatness. Greatness in your.
- [83:07]
Jennifer Prokop
In your. In your field.
- [83:08]
Sarah MacLean
In your field, then you're a billionaire. Right. I mean, you're not. You're not a billionaire, you guys, but you kind of are. Right. So, like, off the list, the second one, Santiago, has a. Is, like, a real estate developer, so that's out. Right. But the third one, sleeping with the frenemy firefighter. And so, again, like, kind of, like, what does it mean again? We've done a whole episode on firefighters, so I. I don't want to, like, spend too much time thinking about, like, the. Talking about the, like, what it means to be a man in uniform, because I think that that is a, like, different kind of king. Right. But Leo is a firefighter who has been. He was shot. And so, like, he's, like, really in this, like, mental state.
- [83:57]
Jennifer Prokop
He's in between.
- [83:58]
Sarah MacLean
You're.
- [83:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah.
- [83:59]
Sarah MacLean
Liminal.
- [84:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [84:01]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [84:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [84:02]
Sarah MacLean
So there you go, Jen. So here we are. And now he's, like, going back to work, and he's like. Sophie is. He's like. They've been, like, behind the scenes for, like, forever.
- [84:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Right.
- [84:15]
Sarah MacLean
And it's like, Natalie, if. Listen, this book really delivers. If you've read all three, not because you have to read the first two, but, like, you definitely. And by the time you're midway through the second book, you're like, what's going on with these two?
- [84:27]
Jennifer Prokop
What's going on with these two? Yeah.
- [84:29]
Sarah MacLean
Which is one of my favorite questions to stumble upon as a romance reader. Like, what's going on with these two? Right. So. And she basically is like, this guy has always been. Other stuff has always been important to him. Like, it's always been his job or it's always been his family. She's not an asshole. Like, obviously, she knows his family is important, but, like, she's just sort of aware of, like, she has never been first, because they have been hiding this from her best friend slash his sister. Right. But then on top of it, like, now we're in this place where, like, because they've been hiding this, like, it feels to Leo as though this, like, place where he is is a. Like, all the questions that are consuming him are things that, like, now he can. He can be honest with Sophie in a way he can't be honest with everybody else.
- [85:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [85:29]
Sarah MacLean
And it's really powerful. And so I think.
- [85:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I love that one.
- [85:33]
Sarah MacLean
I just think. I think Natalie's terrific. I think she's really doing something interesting in. In romance, and I don't want to. I know. Did you put this on the best of the year list?
- [85:41]
Jennifer Prokop
I did.
- [85:42]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, so now everybody's heard about it twice. But now.
- [85:44]
Jennifer Prokop
But that's okay. I mean, it's like, from another context. Yeah.
- [85:48]
Sarah MacLean
The two of us, each of us now. But again, I just think, like, that's such a good. I think he is a really great example of, like, a hero who is at sea and finds and love sort of really threading, like, pulling him through to a better place and a better self, which is what I want for these men.
- [86:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Yeah, absolutely.
- [86:17]
Sarah MacLean
Like, I want all romance, basically, everybody. I just want all romance to be about men, like, having to do better.
- [86:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Well. And so. Okay, so I'm gonna. I'm kind of now firmly in the. Like, they're in midlife. One of the. One I've. I have a couple left, but. And one isn't like this, but I have two more that are kind of this, like, you know, midlife crisis. Not crisis, but, like, midlife change. Right. So the next one I want to talk about is Common Ground by Melanie Green. And Melanie writes a great romance. And I think all of them. I would say, like, Melanie is one of those people who I would say is always like, K.J. charles, like, writing regular people doing regular things. Right. This is her beat. And in this one, Gregory Forst, again, is, I think, leaving the military, and he has gonna return to the Texas town he grew up in. And essentially, he has this idea for opening up almost like a ropes course, like, adventure. You know, there'll be ziplining kind of thing. And he really is like, I'm. I mean, he loves the town he grew up in. He wants to, like, kind of revitalize and, like, sort of the tourist industry, like, kind of put them on the map. And another big part of what he wants is that the like. And I think it was like, a fam. The family owned essentially, like a bed and breakfast, like an aunt or uncle or something. And he. He really thought he would be able to essentially buy it because it was in the family. And instead, it has been sold to this woman named Livia Delacroix. Now she has, like, left behind her big city job and has, like, always wanted to open a bed and breakfast and had been really, like, on the hunt for the right property, and it was this one. And so now Gregory is essentially like, but you have ruined my plans. Right. Like, I wanted that. And she was. And she's, like, not going to be pushed around by him and very much in a way, like Teddy. I think that, like, one of the things that I find is true in these books is that they start off so difficult, these men, that things are not going exactly the way they want. And often they perceive, in this case, Livy, he perceives Livia to be standing in his way, where she sees instead that they have an opportunity to, like, work together. Right. Like, essentially, like, well, I can send people from my bed and breakfast to your, you know, thing, and you can send people who are coming into your thing to my bed and breakfast. And, like, why are you. Why are we at odds when instead we could be working together? And so, you know, but he's. He's. And, you know, he's the insider, she's the outsider. She's. You know what I mean? And it should be that, like, she's the fish out of water, but there's ways in which I think she can, like, sort of see the town for what it is, where he has this, like, chip on his shoulder for the way he was treated. And I really think that that is also, like, a really interesting small town romance thing, which is like. Like coming home isn't always easy. Yep. Right. And I think that that is a big part of Gregory's, like, journey is like, what does it mean to come home and have found success somewhere else? But everybody still remembers you as, like, this knuckleheaded kid or however you were as a teenager or the mistakes you made, and even your own family isn't quite supporting you. And I think that it's really a fascinating Roman, because you're really watching him lower his guard and admit, like, you know what? I didn't actually want to run a bed and breakfast.
- [90:09]
Sarah MacLean
What?
- [90:10]
Jennifer Prokop
I mean, like, you know, like, actually, Livia, you are great at this, and I. You're right. Like, we can work together. So it's a. You know, there's like, some bickering about, like, a landline and, like, the border between their two properties and all this stuff. But it's terrific. And I. I just think it's like, a really great look at, like, a successful man who is looking to transition to something new. But, like, isn't that great at being new at something?
- [90:40]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. Yeah.
- [90:41]
Jennifer Prokop
So that's common ground by Melanie Green. This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Megan Frampton, author of the Devil's Charm.
- [90:53]
Sarah MacLean
Megan's books are always so, like, sparkling and delightful, and this is no different. So here we are. We have Lucien, the youngest son of a duke, and Diantha, who is, like, the perfect girl, the perfect daughter of an earl. And the thing is, is that when you're a youngest son of a duke, you get to be a Spare. Which means you're just very good at seducing women and gambling and being a.
- [91:19]
Jennifer Prokop
General looking great in clothes scoundrel about town.
- [91:22]
Sarah MacLean
Looking great in clothes, Exactly. And Lucien and Diantha end up at a friend's wedding, and they share this, like, intense, passionate kiss that kind of rebuilds their brains in a lot of ways. And they are certain, though, that they will never see each other again. Because this can't possibly work, Jen, as their fathers are mortal enemies. Because a million trillion years ago, they were in business together and some shit went down. And now the fathers are out of the picture, but this business partnership that they had has returned and restored itself. And now there's this, like, factory out on the edge of town. The town is London, everybody. And they have to embark together in partnership on a kind of project where they have to save this factory and, therefore, the finances of both of their families. It ends up being a classic Megan Frampton setup that ends with a classic Megan Frampton book full of, like, wild characters and hilarious situations and, of course, lots and lots of smooching and other things while these two dummies figure out.
- [92:34]
Jennifer Prokop
How to be in love. Well, I believe in them. I do. So if you would like to check out the Devil's Charm, the first in her new series, Heirs and Spares, then it is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. If you click on the chapter title right now, you can be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Megan Frampton for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [93:02]
Sarah MacLean
So I have three books that are paranormal adjacent. That. Because I was like, what does it look like? Because I was like, well, all vampire kings are out.
- [93:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Right? Right.
- [93:11]
Sarah MacLean
So, like, one of the questions I always. Whenever we come up with a topic like this, I'm like, well, what does it look like outside of normal people?
- [93:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Right?
- [93:18]
Sarah MacLean
Like, what does that look like in paranormal? And my instinct, obviously, because we're faded mates, is always like, is there somebody in Crestley? Like, has Kressley written this? And so I think, like, your guy. What's his name?
- [93:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah.
- [93:32]
Sarah MacLean
Malcolm. Demon. Demon.
- [93:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Demon in the Dark. No. Yeah. Demon in the Dark. Yeah.
- [93:39]
Sarah MacLean
Like, is that right? Feels right, but Feels right anyway. So, like, you go back and learn about that. We did a whole series on those. But so that was of. That's of interest to me. So first of all, while I talk, I'm putting that question to you, Jen. I'm testing you. Like, what does it look like when they're not. But I have two others that I think I'm not. Again, I'm not one I will talk about more than the other. The other one is Morning Glory Milking Farm, which is really interesting because like obviously every. It feels like everybody and their mother has read this book. But like talk about a hero who like really, truly is not a billionaire. Like he has a job and then he has a second job at the milking farm. And like he's just like a very normal, ordinary person who. Well, not person. He's an ordinary minotaur who like has an ex wife and like goes to the coffee shop. Like he, he's just a very like ordinary man. And like part of what I found to be very joyful about that book is that it's like a real classic small town setup where everybody feels very ordinary despite the fact that they are deeply out of the ordinary. So I would say like, that's a good example of like how. But I also think like this is something that's going on or I don't know what monster romance looks like in 2025, honestly, because it's not, not really my thing. But like when monster romance rose up in what, 2019, I think like we were seeing like orcs and like other characters who like felt very. Not billionaires. Right, right, right.
- [95:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [95:21]
Sarah MacLean
And it was the first time and it, it felt like there was a real separation between paranormal and monster. Because monster felt like ordinary. Right? Regular paranormal felt like, well these people have lived for 10,000 years and like, like are. Have like immense riches and power and wealth. But like that was stripped away in like what rose up in the last like five to seven years in monster romance. So I just want to say that. And then I want to talk about a book that I read a million years ago and I feel like I love, like I really loved it and then, then like never, never talked about it. That is Lauren Sattersby's Rock and Soul, which is a. Mm. And the hero there, one of the heroes is a bellboy at a hotel.
- [96:19]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, interesting.
- [96:20]
Sarah MacLean
And he like has again a sort of like very mid life. Like he just like lives his life and he has his job and then. And he's delivered a room service tray to go to a rock star's. There's like a rockstar staying in the hotel and he gets up there and discovers that the rockstar has died. And there's this like moment in this where he's like, oh fuck. Like this just makes everything worse. Like now I'm. I.
- [96:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Now this. Yeah, yeah.
- [96:59]
Sarah MacLean
Like I didn't. I just like I have this like very Deeply ordinary life. And now, like, it's just terrible because people want to interview me and like, learn about, you know, and they want to hear all the salacious details. And then he discovers that the rock star who died is now haunting him because he has, like, this task that he has to complete. And he's basically like, I need. Like, you're the only person who I can. Who I can interact with. Like, I need you to get me to California. And like. But he still has like, the full experience of rock stardom. Like, he died at the height of his, like, egocentricity. And so it starts with. It's like a very. Enemies to lovers, like ghost human romance, right? Where like now they're on a road trip from the east coast to California. And like, as they go, he.
- [97:59]
Jennifer Prokop
The.
- [97:59]
Sarah MacLean
The. The rock star sort of discovers that he's no. Talk about somebody again. Limnol. Right. Like, yeah, he has no power anymore. Like, he can't use his fame, he can't use his skills. Right. So now, like, he's. He's lost his billions and now he's like, down here in the muck with like, this ordinary person in this, like, like shitty car driving, you know? And so I think this is really, like, this is one of those books. It's like, very charming. The setup is very weird. It's. It's cute and you'll all love it. But also, like, it is. It has a. It does this really interesting thing where, like, when you take a billionaire down a notch and also he's a ghost. So that's why I thought about it because I was like, what about that ghost book?
- [98:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, yeah, I love it.
- [98:52]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing. But I do think, like, this is the question of paranoid. Like, yeah, what does this look like in Paranormal especially? Because, like, part of the promise of paranormal is. Yeah, they're gonna be a king.
- [99:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure. So I guess I would say maybe the last one I want to talk about. Although I feel like I should just mention that really terrific Losing Sight by Tati Richardson, which just came out, which is. The hero is an optometrist and his wife has died. And she was the one who like, kind of ran the business, was the office manager. And he was so devastated and heartbroken.
- [99:31]
Sarah MacLean
Where she has magic glasses.
- [99:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, right. Yeah, exactly.
- [99:34]
Sarah MacLean
And I.
- [99:35]
Jennifer Prokop
And like sort of his journey to kind of like, who am I? Is not just who am I now that my. Like, I'm really struggling in my business, but, like, my wife has gone. I have to refine myself. And I talked a lot the first time I talked about this book. I talked a lot about how much I love the heroine of this book and kind of all of the struggles she was facing. But like, like, this is a terrific romance for him as well, right? Like his journey to sort of being like. And you know, like, she's kind of like a TV reporter and he's like, am I like, kind of like good enough for her? So I want to just like mention that one that was on my list as being another one that had this sort of like he is at this like crossroads in his life, but it's because his wife died and his marriage ended. But he's still, you know, a young man in his 40s. Like, what am I going to do for the rest of my life? I loved this book and really think. And you know, the first time I talked about it, I can't. Oh, it was like the characters over 40 episode, but it was not out yet. And I know a lot of people just don't want to pre order but it is out now. And I thought to myself, this would be a great time to talk about Gideon and sort of his journey. So I wanted to mention Losing Sight. So that kind of of puts an end to kind of straight up kind of contemporaries. But I did want to talk about like sports romance because I feel like, like you, I was kind of like, what would be the.
- [101:03]
Sarah MacLean
What does it look like?
- [101:04]
Jennifer Prokop
What would it. What does it look like? And so I want to talk about Unloved by Peyton Corinne now I really love. This is like now a two book series. And her first one was Unsteady and I really thought it was terrific. And in this one, he is like a king in the sense that he is like, you know, a star player on the hockey team. And he on campus they're like seniors in college. Everyone knows who he is. And so, you know, he. On the face of it, it looks like he is a billionaire essentially. But once you get into his point of view, you actually realize all of the ways in which that is like a facade. And I think that I would. I would say that like right now, if you are looking for an angsty romance that is really character driven, then Peyton Corin is writing books that I think are doing this better than anybody right now. And so his deal is that like number one is that he has severe learning disabilities. Not just dyslexia, but dyscalculia. Dyscalculia. So he like really struggles. He's like, you know, it's kind of like, you know, at one point there's this sort of flashback to him and his mom when they first get this diagnosis when he's in middle school. And he was like, mom, but I thought if you weren't good at reading, you were good at math. But so his mom was like his champion. And she. She died at the beginning of his college career. And so he has really, truly been on his own. And his father is just like a real dirtbag who is. Now that he's a senior and maybe gonna get drafted onto an NHL team, has sort of reappeared, hoping to essentially, like, get money, you know what? Like, whatever. Like, essentially like looking to ride his own son's coattail. And so Matt. Matt Frederick is his name and everyone calls him Freddie. Ends up hooking up with Ro Sharif, who was like the kind of best friend of the heroine of the first book. And she's his new tutor. And he has been. He has been assigned a group of tutors, like, you know, tutor every year. He qualifies for, like, you know, this tutoring support. But like, instead these people, like, made fun of him or didn't help him. And she is like, the only person who really, truly, like, is like, I. What Wait, he. What's going on here? Why haven't we helped him the way that we are supposed to? And so they end up. It ends up being great. Like, she's kind of had a crush on him all along. And they had this, like, moment freshman year that he doesn't really remember. And then like this past summer, there was a moment where she was really drunk. And they have a moment that he remembers, but she doesn't. But they just kind of find each other. And she feels like a real kind of outlier and a loner in some ways at college too. But I found like, his journey to sort of like self sufficiency to be. To being really like, he was masking all of his kind of playboy. I'm too cool for this behavior was really hiding how afraid he was that he was gonna get kicked out of school because of his grades or. Yeah, right. And then he would have nothing or if his father takes advantage of him again. And how hard it really is for young men without adult men in their life to. To like, make their way. Right? Because he's like, looking to other young men and they're like, rich or they have money or they have supports that he doesn't have. And so he and Ro find each other and again, like, really, like, form this team. One of the things. This is kind of a spoiler, but I so, like, skip the next minute. But at the end of the book, he. In the epilogue, he has changed his name to her last name and essentially like adopted her parents as his family. And I was like, hell fucking yes. So I don't know. It was great. I loved it. So that's Unloved by Peyton Corinne.
- [105:33]
Sarah MacLean
Well, I mean, I think we did the job an hour and a half. I think this was really fun. Cause I think it was funny how many books. I was like, oh, what about that? And then I was like, no, not that one. And I was like, there was no good reason in a lot of ways. But like, ultimately having this conversation, the vibes crystallized what I was really looking for here. Everyone. If you are in Florida this weekend, March 1st, then I will be in Fort Myers at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival with Julie Soto and Ali Hazelwood on Saturday. So please join us there because we'll be talking about romance. And bring your kids because there's like a whole kids section at this reading festival and you can hear YA and middle grade authors talk. It's going to be a really fun time and hopefully the weather will be good and. What else? What else is going on, Jen?
- [106:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, I don't know. March will be here and that's a good thing.
- [106:38]
Sarah MacLean
Okay.
- [106:39]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't know. I don't really have much to say.
- [106:41]
Sarah MacLean
I.
- [106:41]
Jennifer Prokop
Listen, I'm just trying to.
- [106:42]
Sarah MacLean
Jen has two weeks off in March and that's. She's aiming. She's aiming for that.
- [106:47]
Jennifer Prokop
This coming weekend, Sarah will be in Florida talking about books and enjoying the weather. And I'll be in my basement writing great reports and feeling sorry for myself.
- [106:55]
Sarah MacLean
So it's. Well, yes, you will, but you're coming here.
- [106:58]
Jennifer Prokop
I am going there in March. Yeah, I was like, you know what, we should like, like just get somebody to let us open their bookstore and in the evening and, you know, just have a hang. Yeah, Like, I'm gonna be right around the corner from the Strand. Can't we call them? Can't we just be like, jen and Sarah will be here.
- [107:18]
Sarah MacLean
Jen and Sarah are coming? Well, I mean, they'll be like, who? Excuse me, we're the Strand.
- [107:27]
Jennifer Prokop
And I'm like, yeah, but we're faded mates.
- [107:31]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. So listen, I don't know, maybe sit tight, New York. Maybe we'll have a drink somewhere and you can come and hang. Anyway, if you have a not a billionaire hero that you want to recommend to us, please let us know. You can do that@betadmates.net in show notes. You can leave us a comment by the way, faded mates.net is where you can find all of the books, every single one that we talked about in this episode. Just click on show notes. You can see everything that is there. And Jen does that every week and it's comprehensive and people seem to enjoy it. And you can also find us on blueskytamates, you can find us on threads@betamates pod, and you can find us on Instagram thetamatespod. Jen is also very active on Blue Skies, so you can just hang out with her there. And if you want to hang out with everybody who listens to this podcast, you can always join the Patreon and get access to the Discord, where several thousand people hang out and talk about romance all month long, all week long, all day long. You can do that by joining us@fatedmates.net Patreon and that not only gets you access to the Discord, but it also gets you access to one extra episode a month where Jen and I just like banter. Sure, it's literally called banter. Plus this week, don't forget to hang out and get a sneak peek at the audiobook of My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein. Thanks to macmillan Audio for that. And don't forget to check show notes for a link to the McMillan Audio Sweepstakes where five lucky listeners will receive free audiobook copies of My Big Fat Fake Marriage. Thanks to macmillan Audio and Charlotte Stein for sponsoring this week's episode. All right everybody, we're almost there. It's almost done, Almost. February is almost over, the show is almost closed, and we'll see you next time week.
- [109:38]
Jennifer Prokop
Bye everybody.
- [109:45]
C
I try to be okay with living across the hall from the seemingly nicest man to ever live. But the problem is, the nicest man to ever live makes being okay with that very, very hard. And not just because he accosts me every morning in the elephant elevator with a well, hey there neighbour. Or keeps trying to give me really elaborate pies for some unfathomable reason, or constantly wears bow ties so big and bright I half expect them to suddenly squirt water in my face. No, mostly it's this one simple fact. Niceness this intense is always a scam. Or at least it's always been a scam in my experience. I mean, take the last decent seeming guy I went on a date with. He did nothing but talk about himself, then insist I have a salad instead of the steak I ordered before finally trying to strong arm me into accepting that he pay for dinner. Then when I didn't invite him in he brought out an itemized list of all the grand great things he'd done and furiously read it aloud to me at the door, as if he'd paid for sex in advance with an offer to settle the bill, or the kind advice he'd given me on losing weight, or the fact that he'd let me choose the restaurant so now I had to pay up. And he's not the only one I remember suffering through a date with, or having to work alongside, or accidentally ending up stuck with at a party. One nice guy brought me a can of Pringles at my sister's birthday and then tried to lock me in a random bedroom. Another felt that praising me in a meeting meant I should return the favour with a blow job in the supply cupboard, and it made zero difference that this man had told me he was married. A lot of the time married nice guys are even worse than single ones. They harbour secret, seething hatred for their wives under a veneer of jovial sweetness and hollow laughter, like the laughter he aimed at me the other day when we passed each other in the hall and I asked how his wife was doing without him over there in America. And he did this big ha ha ha, like I told a joke instead of asking a question he clearly didn't know how to answer. I swear it felt like he was three seconds away from telling me he had abandoned her so he could be free to screw me.
- [112:19]
Jennifer Prokop
Me.
- [112:20]
C
Even though I never said I wanted to screw him. So I think it's understandable that I'm nervous. And that goes double when I step into the elevator, like always, ready for another day of creating terrible marketing copy for companies that feel like they've been made up to fill in gaps on dying social media sites. And the nicest man alive seems just a little bit different from normal. He says, hey there, neighbour, as the elevator doors seal us in just like usual. But neighbour sounds different somehow, like it's been hollowed out and all that's left is the shell of supposed cheeriness. So I glance at him, you know, just to see if I imagined it. And there are other signs of a shift in him. Tiny details like that enormously thick black moustache of his not being quite as neatly groomed as usual, or that tidy hair of his kind of seeming a little bit more sideways than it typically does. Plus I don't think he has ironed that line down the front of his trousers like always. And when I say always, I mean always. In fact, once I saw him with the same thing down both legs of a pair of jeans. But not today. Today, for some reason, he's missed it out. And missed out things are always something you should be on your guard for with suspiciously nice men. Most often it means they've moved from the pretending to be decent so you'll have an affair with them stage to their resentful that you're not immediately falling in love with them era with a side order of being absolutely horrible to their poor wives. And anything can happen once that's the case, doubly so, I think, when I realized something else about him.
- [114:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Thank you for listening to this clip provided to you by macmillan Audio. To hear more, look for this title wherever audiobooks are sold. Hold.