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Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
07.29: Spring 2025 new releases: Teasing Your TBR
01:56:44
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- [00:00]
Sarah MacLean
Well, Sarah, spring is sprung.
- [00:02]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I took the dog. I've been, you know, taking the dog for a walk in the morning and I woke up this morning and I took the dog for a walk and it was already like 65 degrees.
- [00:12]
Sarah MacLean
And he was like, whoa, man, what.
- [00:14]
Jennifer Prokop
The fuck is happening? Two and a half miles later he was like, no, he came in. He just lay down on the wood floor.
- [00:24]
Sarah MacLean
So anyway, it's a perfect day for us to be recording our spring preview. Just as like a reminder, like, basically what we're gonna do is we're gonna talk about books that are coming out in April, May and June. And most of these books we have not read.
- [00:39]
Jennifer Prokop
We just sort of Blanket wreck.
- [00:41]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, exactly.
- [00:42]
Jennifer Prokop
If we have read something, we'll say it. But also, we tend to not editorialize on this episode super a lot because we want to be able to save the books for future episodes where we can talk about them in depth related to a trope or related to a read along or whatever. But I'm excited because there are a couple books on that I have already read and I'm excited. Excited. Yeah, I know.
- [01:07]
Sarah MacLean
Here's my theory because you know, these episodes can get real like wild, not out of control. Is I think we're gonna have to do. Here's my theory. Ready? Tell me is like 30 minutes for each month.
- [01:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. Are you setting a timer? We just have to stop mid sentence. That would be amazing just because otherwise.
- [01:26]
Sarah MacLean
I'm afraid we will.
- [01:27]
Jennifer Prokop
No, it's too much.
- [01:28]
Sarah MacLean
Yes, it can get really long. So.
- [01:30]
Jennifer Prokop
So wait, but can we talk about. I have a new strategy for organiz.
- [01:34]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, okay. Let's hear.
- [01:36]
Jennifer Prokop
I think Eric made you do this too, but I don't know that you did it. But he just came into my office and he put it on my computer. But. So I use a new search. It's not a search engine. A new like Internet browser. Like a. Many people use Safari or Chrome or whatever. I use something called arc. Arc. And Eric recommended it, I don't know, like a year ago. And it has screens on it. Like you have different. So you can swipe and like all the to meet stuff is in one screen. All my book stuff is in another screen. Everything that has to do with parenting. Like all the calendars and school logins and stuff are on another screen. And it has this like great sidebar where you can lock things that like the regular places that you go, that you go, but also keep like collections and folders of things that you use all the time on the Internet. So like you know, so I could have. So for example, like I have the website. I have like our master grid of all the ads that we, that we're going to run. I have our episode guides, like all of that stuff all kind of locked on on the left sidebar of this, this screen. And I realized today that I can create a folder for the preview books and then nested folders underneath. So it has. So now I have like a spring 25 preview and I have a summer 25 preview because I had some July's that I was like, what am I going to do with this? I'm gonna make sure I save them. And now they're all just neatly in folders. So when I come across a book now.
- [03:11]
Sarah MacLean
Nice.
- [03:11]
Jennifer Prokop
I can just dump it into the folder and then it can act as both preview and. Hey Sarah, don't forget to read this one.
- [03:18]
Sarah MacLean
I love it. That's cool.
- [03:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Feeling really good about it. We'll put a link to arc in the show notes everybody.
- [03:24]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. One other thing is if you will remember last time we did this we asked, hey, if you're an indie author, like kind of discoverability can be really.
- [03:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Hard if you're in any kind of author.
- [03:34]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, right.
- [03:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes. Especially indies.
- [03:37]
Sarah MacLean
So we will probably have some indie recs today. Please keep in mind a few things. One is sometimes those change, right? Like people were like I filled this out and at that point I thought it was going to come out. So if it turns out it has a different date, you'll just know and be patient.
- [03:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Just pop it in. Yeah.
- [03:54]
Sarah MacLean
And then also everybody just remember if you are like super inspired to get one of these books then pre order if you are so moved because it really does help an author.
- [04:04]
Jennifer Prokop
It matters. It's hard to explain why. Like I often seem see people on threads going like let me explain why. Yeah, there's no good explanation. It's really about like the publisher seeing that there's a desire for books like this. It can really help especially for books that don't tend to get promotion or purchase from major publishers. So like books by queer people, books about black and brown people, books about a, you know, people with disabilities or historical romance. You know, books that doesn't get, you know, all of those things. Pre orders matter because the publisher starts to see like oh there, there is interest here.
- [04:46]
Sarah MacLean
Indie booksellers have said like if I get a pre order for a copy a book I've like never heard of before, often they'll order two. Like just sort of being like okay, here's One for the person and one for the shelf. There's some sort of potential here. A good way to think about it is like you by pre ordering could help other. Help get that book in front of other people. So we won't belabor that.
- [05:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Wait, before we start, though, can I talk about two independent bookstores that.
- [05:11]
Sarah MacLean
Yes, please do.
- [05:13]
Jennifer Prokop
And that I was involved with this week?
- [05:15]
Sarah MacLean
Yes, I want to hear about it.
- [05:16]
Jennifer Prokop
First of all, we've talked about Montgomery and Taggart already, because we went to Montgomery and Taggart in Connecticut.
- [05:22]
Sarah MacLean
So cute, everybody.
- [05:24]
Jennifer Prokop
This store is so cute. I walked in with my daughter and I were driving home from Providence and I was like, let's take a detour. Let's go to this store.
- [05:34]
Sarah MacLean
You know, it's.
- [05:35]
Jennifer Prokop
It was barely out of our way. It like added 20 minutes to our trip. And what an adorable little. It's like this sweet little cottage.
- [05:44]
Sarah MacLean
So adorable.
- [05:46]
Jennifer Prokop
In the Connecticut. Like, it's like in a little.
- [05:49]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, it's so cute. A little town.
- [05:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, you expect a fairy and a witch to live out there with it. And what's interesting. Did she tell you when. So I went in and I met Elizabeth, one of the owners, and she was so happy to help me and sell me many things. And of course, my daughter, like many children who go into a bookstore with book loving parents, just started stacking things.
- [06:15]
Sarah MacLean
On the counter and you can't say no. I don't know how people say no.
- [06:18]
Jennifer Prokop
No, she did try to sell me. She tried to sell me on buying her a pop socket. Now this child does not have a phone. And I was like, what are you gonna do with this? And she was like, well, I could get this, and then I would need a phone.
- [06:32]
Sarah MacLean
Okay.
- [06:33]
Jennifer Prokop
And I was like, an interesting strategy, but no, so. But that book. Did you notice when you were in there, that store smells so nice? It smells like lavender.
- [06:45]
Sarah MacLean
And like, it's like a romance heroine, like, goes through and makes it perfect every morning.
- [06:52]
Jennifer Prokop
So I, like, walked in and I was like, what is happening? Why is this. Why does this store smell so good? And she said, I didn't ask her that, but I was like, what was this before you were here? Because it is sort of this magical little cottage. And she said, oh, it was like an herbalist lived here. And there's. There is like in the back a really beautiful little garden. And she was like, they GRE all their herbs, grew all their stuff here, and then they would bundle it and sell it inside. And I was like, this store still smells like the herbs that came before. Listen, Tinctures and tonics, everybody. It was great. I was very into it.
- [07:32]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [07:32]
Jennifer Prokop
As we walked out, my daughter said, I would like to live in Chester, Connecticut. And I was like, cool. Well, it looks like. Okay, Rory Gilmore Romance bookstore or at like the art gallery or the coffee shop or the diner. These are your options here.
- [07:49]
Sarah MacLean
Ever since being in that town. So now when I'm reading some small town romance that it looks, I do make it that little town in my mind. I don't know how it works.
- [07:59]
Jennifer Prokop
There are like 10 buildings.
- [08:02]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, yeah.
- [08:02]
Jennifer Prokop
On this little main street. And I honestly was like, this is. And there's like. We kept going. About a mile down the road there was a brewery. And I was like, well, here's where all the heroes work. All the heroines work in town. All the heroes work out here.
- [08:19]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, my God.
- [08:20]
Jennifer Prokop
A good time was had by all. So that's Montgomery and Taggart. They are a romance book bookshop. And if you are looking, let me just for a moment, self promote. If you are looking for a signed copy of a Sarah McLean novel, they just might have one for you. Because I signed about 50 books while I was in there.
- [08:36]
Sarah MacLean
Well, there you go.
- [08:37]
Jennifer Prokop
It was great. I also want to talk about Heartleaf Books, which is in Providence on Federal Hill. Those of you who are Rhode Islanders, if you have been up there. Tartleaf. It is such a cute store. It is run by two sisters, young sisters who, like, decided they were gonna start a bookstore. It is not a romance bookstore, but it has a lovely romance section right by the counter. And a cat, a bookstore cat. So if you're only. If you're specifically looking for bookstores with cats, this one will do for you. And what's cool about this place is it's set like up on Federal Hill, which is the old home of the Providence mafia. And what I love is these like two sisters, like, like queer, feminist, awesome booksellers wandered in, took over an old pizza joint and they were like, and now you get a feminist bookstore mafia. They're adorable. They are so into, like running a bookstore. And it's really a fun place. Head on in there. Pet a cat, buy a book, stick it to the mob.
- [09:51]
Sarah MacLean
Before the mob sticks it to you. That's a very different kind of book. Honestly.
- [09:55]
Jennifer Prokop
That's a Joanna Shute book. Millifanelli is writing Small Town Mobsters. You could just set them. You could imagine them in Chester, Connecticut.
- [10:03]
Sarah MacLean
It is actually her latest series is set in the Hudson, which is close, really close. Seems like the same thing to me.
- [10:10]
Jennifer Prokop
6 of 1, half doesn't have the other. Anyway, I have something else I have to talk about too.
- [10:14]
Sarah MacLean
All right, I'm ready.
- [10:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Constructive information from Eric.
- [10:17]
Sarah MacLean
Oh.
- [10:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh. Welcome, everyone, to Fated mates. I'm Sarah MacLaine. I read romance novels and I write them.
- [10:25]
Sarah MacLean
Correct. All right. I'm Jennifer Prokop, a Roman. I'm like, I don't know.
- [10:30]
Jennifer Prokop
It's too late.
- [10:31]
Sarah MacLean
Correct. It's too late. It's already 15 minutes in. My God. I am Jennifer Prokop, a romance writer and editor, and Sarah has some housekeeping.
- [10:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Eric is our producer and he also runs our website. And he also is the ad guy, and, I mean, real jack of all trades out there, and he sometimes installs new web browsers on my computer. Like a man of. A man of many talents. Eric would like you all to know. And we would like you all to know that we are partnering with a very cool new kind of discoverability buddy website called pagebound, which is. Is very cool.
- [11:12]
Sarah MacLean
It's really cute. Yeah.
- [11:13]
Jennifer Prokop
And like, super cute. And the idea behind it is you go there and you're a book lover and you can, like, talk, you post about the books that you're reading or the books that you're loving, and it becomes ultimately a, you know, a record of how you've read. But it also kind of is small enough right now and I think hopefully will stay community driven in such a way that like, all the other people who also read romance novels see your updates and, like, interact with you, and it becomes this kind of social reading experience online. One of the cool things, though, that it has is these challenges, and so you can head in and you can create a challenge. And Faded Mains has an account head over there and. And join and befriend our account, follow our account, and you can enter one of the faded. You can enter the Faded Mates challenge right now, which is reading our deep dive books and posting them to pagebound. So there's a list of all of our deep dives there. You get awards if you've read, you know, over five, you get a bronze award over 10, a silver award over really cute. You know, you get a gold. A gold, you know, statue. I don't know what you get. You get something fun.
- [12:27]
Sarah MacLean
An Oscar, sure.
- [12:29]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Amazing. But listen, like, we all deserve rewards for how well we read and how big, how many books we read. I mean, I feel like this is the Olympic sport that I would really excel in.
- [12:40]
Sarah MacLean
It feels like as close as you can get to, like, a Pizza Pizza Hut as an adult.
- [12:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [12:45]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, yeah, right.
- [12:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Exactly. And so anyway, that's page bound and that's very exciting. And Eric wanted us.
- [12:55]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [12:55]
Jennifer Prokop
To tell you about it.
- [12:56]
Sarah MacLean
Right. So we'll put a link to that in show notes. And it's cute because he set it up so that you can go on like, little quests. And like, it's like you read the book and you listen to the episode and, you know, talk about it. So it's just like another fun listen. I think we are all trying to figure out, like, the right kind of like social media kind of book tracking experience. And I know a lot of people are moving away from Goodreads or they really like storygraph, but, you know, this is just like another one you can try out that seems to be a little more discussion kind of based rather than just like tracking based. So I think.
- [13:29]
Jennifer Prokop
And also, if you join Page Brown, you'll be a real early adopter. Like you're there. There are not that many people using it right now. It is a very small, scrappy organization. It's built by. By women. And it is totally not related to a billionaire.
- [13:48]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. And correct.
- [13:50]
Jennifer Prokop
I think you'll have some fun at least exploring it. It's one of those things if you're one of those people who's like, I sign up for everything the moment I hear about it. Just in case. You're going to love Page Bound. It's a very fun little place to make friends. But also maybe you have a bunch of friends kind of spread around everybody. I'm talking to the Discord people. And you want like a special place where just you can all create little avatars of yourselves and talk about the books you're reading.
- [14:15]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, Patreon is for you. I just need all the bookie places to be for me right now.
- [14:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [14:22]
Sarah MacLean
So thank you for remembering that. Very important. Okay, so what we're about to do, everybody, is we're doing April, May, June releases. And I think what we did last time and this was successful is we're basically gonna like, just talk about all the April books, then the May books, then the June books. And that way, like, it'll kind of be roughly in order of when they're being released. Before we do that, though, can I mention two March books, like, that came out last week that were indie books and therefore, like, on people who filled out this little form.
- [14:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. And I have one that's not going to be that.
- [15:02]
Sarah MacLean
So we'll just like kind of clean up March a little bit. So we're starting is what I'm trying to tell you. And one more, one last thing, everybody. There are so many. You know, normally if you on special podcasting apps, you can look down and like, see the covers as they go by. That is not going to happen this time. They're just too many. So you can we. I will be very diligent about putting these books in the order we discuss them into the photo array on the the page for this episode on our website. But like, it'll just. If you look down right now, it'll be like March, April. You know what I mean? Like, that's really the best we can do in terms of that because otherwise it would be just, you know, too much.
- [15:49]
Jennifer Prokop
This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Avon Books, publishers of Annie McQuaid's Crash Landing.
- [15:56]
Sarah MacLean
So, Sarah, in this one we have Piper Adams. Look, she is completely, absolutely, 100%, without a doubt over her former boyfriend and listen, love of her life, Wyatt, right?
- [16:08]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm sure she is sure.
- [16:10]
Sarah MacLean
That's what she's telling herself. Look, he broke her heart. And so she did what any woman would do, which is just like kind of shut it down. Build a perfect life and make everything feel real safe. So it is when she is at the airport on the way to her best friend's dest wedding that she runs into Wyatt again, who is also going, of course to the same event. Her flight is canceled. And so Wyatt offers essentially like he's flying there because he's just like one of those adventurous types and offers like.
- [16:39]
Jennifer Prokop
He'S flying his own plane.
- [16:40]
Sarah MacLean
He's flying his own plane. Sarah, what could possibly go wrong except that they crash in the Caribbean and they're.
- [16:47]
Jennifer Prokop
What could go wrong is why it's going to kill this lady on an island.
- [16:51]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, but maybe then it's only one island. Only one island. And Piper, the rule follower, along with adventure driven Wyatt, have to now survive until, you know, they are rescued. And listen, he is taking great care of her. He knows how to build a fire. He looks great without a shirt. What more can you want if you're trapped on a deserted island with this man and. But, you know, super safe. Piper is now not so safe. And neither is this whole situation a perfect recipe for falling in love or falling off the island and into the mouth of a shark. I don't know, but I can't wait to find out.
- [17:31]
Jennifer Prokop
I can say. But something's gonna happen in this book. And that is good. If you would like to know what's going to happen in this book. You can read Crash Landing right now in print, ebook or audiobook. And if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Avon and to Annie McQuaid for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [17:55]
Sarah MacLean
I want to talk about the Witch of Wall street by M.J. ekin because this looks super cute. And that is Miriam is a witch with a very prestigious financial job. Oh, and Nelson is her. Like, she, I mean, she practically lives at the office, right? She occasionally, it says, allows for some fun. Like she'll like turn the computer mice into mice, things like that at the office. But Nelson is her, I think, like an old, like high school rival or something like that. And he is like a real do gooder and the wizard of small miracles. And so what happens is these two kind of have like a night of passion together at a benefit and then there's a little magical misfortune and these two go on a supernatural quest to across New York. And I just thought that sounded really cute. And it's on Ku. So that's the Witch of Wall street by MJ Ekind. Ekind.
- [18:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Nice. I want to say out loud that Vanessa Riley had a book out last week called A Wager at Midnight, which is this like cute rapper where there is a widowed viscountess and a duke who's like obsessed with her. And they basically, she has said, all right, fine, I'll marry you, but you have to find husbands for my two sisters who are both like, chaotic.
- [19:19]
Sarah MacLean
Nice.
- [19:20]
Jennifer Prokop
This is book two, and I assume the duke and the other ladies book are going. The Vicantess and the duke are going to be the third book in the series. But this is one of the sisters who is like a weirdo spinster. Like, she dresses up as a man and she heads off to the Royal Academy to listen to X, listen to speeches on ophthalmology and other medicine. And everybody thinks she's like a quirky, strange person and she's basically like, fine, I'm allowed to, I'm allowed to be quirky and strange and. But she gets unmasked at a lecture on ophthalmology and she suddenly is like rescued from this by this, you know, Trinidadian born physician Steven Carew, who claims her as his cousin. And then of course, like, they're stuck in this moment of like, oh, no, we have to like now pretend. We have to now, like be together a lot. And of course, being together a lot to get over her scandal puts them in constant contact.
- [20:25]
Sarah MacLean
Perfect. Okay.
- [20:26]
Jennifer Prokop
And the Chemistry grows. So that's Vanessa Riley's wager at midnight.
- [20:30]
Sarah MacLean
We love Vanessa here. Okay, so I have one more March. It's March 31st. So it, like, comes out, you know, yesterday. And that is Lush by Tania Montford. And what caught me here is that it is described as being perfect for, like, readers who love, like, soapy, like, 80s soaps and Dynasty and, like, all that stuff. Because I like, love that stuff. So it's the first of the California King series, and we have Laureen King had it all. She's like, beauty, wealth, and she had a secret affair with Reese Ashbourne, who's, like, the brooding heir of her family's sworn enemy. Right? So it's like. Like, the Kings and the Ashbourns are like, you know, big Hatfield and McCoy energy. And so, you know, something happened. She disappeared. He's, like, heartbroken and scarred and all that stuff. I don't know if it's internal or external. Largely doesn't matter. Scars you'll never forget. I'm in. And. But she comes back. And here's the thing, though, is the families are on the brink of ruin, and they think that they can save themselves by marrying an Ashborne and a king together. And so now Laurie Queen has to marry Rhys. And so it's like, chemistry, force, proximity. But all of their secrets that they're trying to hide are also going to come to the forefront. So this, I guess I was just, like I said, really won over by the description of this, because I love a big, like, melodramatic, like, families feuding type story. So that's Lush by Tania Montford.
- [22:11]
Jennifer Prokop
All right, so now we're in April.
- [22:13]
Sarah MacLean
Yes.
- [22:14]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm gonna start with Laquette. So Laquette has a new Harlequin presents out. It's called Royal Bride Demand.
- [22:23]
Sarah MacLean
Terrific. She knows the job.
- [22:25]
Jennifer Prokop
The setup here is Raina is like a normal person in the world. And two years ago, her boyfriend Jasiri proposed to her and she turned down this, like, kind of unexpected proposal. It, like, really wasn' she was sort of like, I don't know quite what's going on here. Like, I'm into you, but are we sure? So he cuts her off basically completely and takes off and brokenhearted, and she's like, well, I don't know whatever happened to that guy? But now we're two years later, and he is now the crown prince of an island nation. Amazing order to become king. Guess who needs to get married? Jen?
- [23:08]
Sarah MacLean
This guy.
- [23:09]
Jennifer Prokop
And here's the thing. Like, he can't just get Married to any old person looking to be a royal, a queen. He needs to marry a person who he has had it. I had it. Like, he. Who he has been into for years. So here he goes back to Reina, the woman who got away, and she has no idea that he's a king. And. But he needs, like, a quickie marriage of convenience. He's basically like, temporary. Temporary. And she's like, okay, well, temporary. And then they get married and then what happens, Jen?
- [23:50]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, I'm sure a lot of good things.
- [23:55]
Jennifer Prokop
So that is Laquette's new Harlequin presents Royal Bride Demand.
- [24:02]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I want to talk about. It's funny because someone was just asking about romantic suspense, and I was like, I love romantic suspense. So I found it very. I also find it very satisfying in times of high stress to read about people in high stress situations. So Juno Rushton, who I think, like, way back, I'd put like, one of her books on the Best of the year, but it just, like, writes great romantic suspense. And these. It's another Harlequin. So this one's Wyoming Double Jeopardy. And in this one, Wyoming Double Jeopardy. Harlequin, why are you like this? It's so polite. Melanie Merritt is an assistant district attorney and Waylon Wright is a detective. So obviously they cannot be together. But some, you know, something happens and it sends his, you know, instincts into overdrive to, like, protect her. And. But he also has to find, like, this assailant. Right? So he's like, I have to find out who did it, but also, I don't want to let you out of my sight. And so, you know, Melanie is, like, letting down her guard, but the killer inching closer. And so we've got this real sense that these two are, like, both in danger from, you know, this outside force, but also, like, can they figure it out and make it together? This is part of the fifth book in her Cowboy State Lawman series, all of which have, like, Wyoming, blah, blah, blah. Right. But this one is Wyoming Double Jeopardy.
- [25:30]
Jennifer Prokop
So amazing.
- [25:32]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. Juno Rushton, like, writes great romantic suspense, knows the job.
- [25:36]
Jennifer Prokop
Job. All right, I want to talk about Victoria Levine's Any Trope but you, which is on not only my April and Spring list, but also my debut list for the year because Victoria is a debut. So this one is another one in the, like, long line. It feels like we're seeing a lot of romance authors as heroines here. Here is a romance author, Margot Bradley, who does not believe in happily ever after, which is rough for her. And so she essentially, whenever she writes a book. Sometimes she secretly writes an ending where they don't get together, but they actually get divorced. And sometimes, like, there's a stalker involved. Like, so. So one day, unfortunately, one of her happily never after documents is hacked and released to the public. And poor Margot gets herself canceled by readers and dropped by her publisher.
- [26:33]
Sarah MacLean
Oh no.
- [26:34]
Jennifer Prokop
So she's like, o, I guess I have to like, figure out a new way. So she decides she's gonna like, change her name, move to Alaska and stay there for six weeks to write a kind of quickie murder mystery. Except this is not Alaska is not for Marco. She's like chased by a moose. She ends up like fleeing from the moose right into the arms of the handsome proprietor of the sort of of distant bed and breakfast where she is staying. And the last thing that he expects is to be basically like running this in out in the middle of nowhere forest. Was. Had a dream job as a cancer researcher, but he's home to take care of his ailing father and he's getting. He basically is excruciatingly bored by this life in Alaska. And then boom, Margo shows up and this one's full of tropes. And these two are forced proximity babies out in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.
- [27:42]
Sarah MacLean
What's gonna happen?
- [27:44]
Jennifer Prokop
And I'm excited.
- [27:45]
Sarah MacLean
That is. It's a great premise. I love it.
- [27:48]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, yeah, that's any trope but you by Victoria Levine.
- [27:53]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I've got Whisk Me Away by Georgia Beers, which, you know, typically I'm not all in on a cooking romance, but I do really like Georgia Beers writes a great Sapphic romance. And I've been a big fan of hers for years. So I just feel like she like just. I'm always really pleased when I write that when I read one of her books. So Whisk Me Away is about these two. Okay, so a famous chef is essentially arranges a retreat and as you kind of have to like apply to like get into it, but people are like really hot to apply because he sort of hints that like there'll be some kind of competition and potentially the winner could like win essentially like his bakery when he retires. Right. So it's kind of like like a little bit of a, like retreat, but also like high stakes. And so Regan Callahan is one of the people applying and Ava Prescott is the other. Regan is an up and coming pastry chef. Whereas Ava has been like working together at like a, like Ava's been working at a high end restaurant in New York and they these Two know each other because they were, like, sort of in a kitchen together where it was all, like, really high stakes. So their rivalry is really high, but they both really want the chance to, like, have their own shop. And so they go on this retreat, and even though their styles are different and their personalities are different, once the competition is on, everything really heats up, including things between them.
- [29:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Nice.
- [29:34]
Sarah MacLean
I really like when it's kind of built into the system. Like it's a retreat, but no, now it's really stressful. You know what I mean? And so I think this has a really cute premise. And I like the idea of, like, sort of there's, like, real stakes involved too, with, like, you know, the opportunity to, like, have your own place. So that's Whisk Me Away by George. Beers.
- [29:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Nice. All right, I'm gonna talk about a hockey romance.
- [30:01]
Sarah MacLean
Perfect.
- [30:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Because do it, Jen. Three words that I know you're gonna be excited for too. I want to talk about. Lainey Davis is playing for keeps, which is a woke up married romance.
- [30:11]
Sarah MacLean
I. Listen, I love it.
- [30:14]
Jennifer Prokop
So the rookie goalie for the Pittsburgh Fury, a hockey team, has finally made it to the pros. Finally. He. And. And in large part because this is really important because his dad also played hockey before him, and now he has to, like, prove his worth to, like, the family, to legacy, etc. But after a game in Vegas, it's.
- [30:41]
Sarah MacLean
Always Vegas, Always Vegas.
- [30:43]
Jennifer Prokop
He gets a little drunk, she gets a little drunk, this woman he's with, and then, boom, they wake up married. Well, now the wife, the new wife is a cellist, which is perfect. A surprise for, I think probably for a hockey player who is like. He's like, she's beautiful, she's talented, she's incredible, and she's willing to move to Pittsburgh to be with me. And that's true love. I know. Listen, so he's. He's struggling to, like, like, get his. Get focused, stay focused. She's struggling to, like, figure out how to make a go of it in Pittsburgh. And, like, they don't really know each other. And on top of it, there are all these people trying to keep them apart. So will they survive? I think probably so. That's. Lainey Davis is playing for keeps.
- [31:37]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I've got one that you are going to be excited about, Sarah, which is there is a new qb, Tyler, coming out in April.
- [31:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, no. It's gonna be so good and taboo.
- [31:49]
Sarah MacLean
And it is called the Nanny is off limits.
- [31:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Ugh. No, she's not.
- [31:56]
Sarah MacLean
And I really feel like it's just all Right there in the title.
- [31:59]
Jennifer Prokop
We don't really need to give you any more about that.
- [32:02]
Sarah MacLean
The nanny is off limits.
- [32:03]
Jennifer Prokop
That's so exciting. And I did not see this.
- [32:06]
Sarah MacLean
I know. It comes out April 3rd. So, so close. And so it says, Rowan Kincaid hasn't dated in over a year. He is a single parent with three children. His wife has. You know, he's a widower. He's exhausted and overworked and desperate for help.
- [32:25]
Jennifer Prokop
What on earth will happen?
- [32:27]
Sarah MacLean
I don't know.
- [32:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Very young nanny will take the job.
- [32:30]
Sarah MacLean
That is corrected. So I don't really have anything more to say about that because I feel.
- [32:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Like I'll be reading that and reporting back. Everyone.
- [32:37]
Sarah MacLean
Of course you will. When I saw this, this was coming up, I was like, I bet Sarah doesn't know. And I was delighted by it. I do not know. Yeah. April 3rd. The nanny is off limits by QB Tyler.
- [32:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Incredible. All right, I've got a historical.
- [32:52]
Sarah MacLean
Great.
- [32:53]
Jennifer Prokop
That is set in Louis, the 14th court.
- [32:57]
Sarah MacLean
I wrote this one down too.
- [32:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Louis, 16th court.
- [33:00]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing.
- [33:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Because Har.
- [33:02]
Sarah MacLean
Tell us the title.
- [33:03]
Jennifer Prokop
Tell us the title. It's called Marriage Bargain with the.
- [33:06]
Sarah MacLean
Yes.
- [33:07]
Jennifer Prokop
And the COVID you guys, is so. It's like Bridgerton. It's like, it's great. Perfect wigs, high hats, big lacy dresses. I'm into it. Anyway, this is. This is by Parker Cole. Parker J. Cole. And here's the deal. So this heiress, there's an heiress, Avina, and she needs to get married to a well connected nobleman to help her ailing father in the court of Louis xvi. And she sort of.
- [33:43]
Sarah MacLean
She.
- [33:43]
Jennifer Prokop
She thinks she's found the guy. And unfortunately, this guy is pretty sneaky and he's definitely not on the up and up. He's gonna ruin her. Well, lucky for her, her friend Dudonne the contemotreau comes, steps in and like, like ends what is about to be a disastrous moment between her and this other potential suitor who isn't a potential suitor at all, except everything goes haywire. And then it turns out that Dudonnet is the one who is accidentally compromising her. And they get caught and they are forced to wed. And of course she's. He is not sort of connected enough to be the right choice for a marriage. She's concerned that she's really screwed everything up. They're headed to the altar. Friendship is in jeopardy. Like, this is a Friends to lovers that has like, actual stakes here. And now she's worried that, like, this marriage of convenience might actually end in her being too much of a burden. To him and not being able to survive like the intrigue of court. So that's Parker J. Cole's marriage bargain with the Conte you are always asking us about. Yeah, historicals that are not set in in the Regency. And here is one, and I'm excited about it.
- [35:04]
Sarah MacLean
This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Lottie R. James, author of A Governess to Redeem Him.
- [35:12]
Jennifer Prokop
Jen, you know that one of my very favorite microtropes is Oops, he's back from the dead.
- [35:18]
Sarah MacLean
I can only click once, Sarah, what do you want me to do?
- [35:22]
Jennifer Prokop
And extra credit if the hero's name is Sebastian. So here we are, right? Juliana Miles has fled her home and built a new life as a governess, believing that her childhood sweetheart has been sentenced to death for murder. So she took off because she couldn't face it. And now Sebastian is back from the dead. He has spent a lifetime running from this unjust verdict. He is tired of doing that, and he is back to prove his innocence. And who better to help him than Juliana, who was there through the whole thing? So Sebastian and Juliana have to work to capture the true culprit, which means not just going back to the past and reliving it, but also confronting all those sexy, searing memories of their passionate history. And this is gonna be a second chance romance that makes people real happy, I think.
- [36:18]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing.
- [36:19]
Jennifer Prokop
A real gift to historicals.
- [36:21]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. Especially because this is a gothic. So if you love the groovy Gothic vibes and a big romance when. When they're solving a mystery, then A Governess to Redeem him is for you.
- [36:34]
Jennifer Prokop
You.
- [36:34]
Sarah MacLean
If your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Lottie R. James for sponsoring this week's episode. Since we're on historicals, I am gonna go back to the Regency for a minute and talk about A Lady's Guide to London by Faye Delacour. And you got this. Looks. I listen, I, like, love everything about this plot. Okay, so Della Danby, everybody thinks she's just, like, a flighty heiress, right? She's got plenty of money. She just doesn't really have any problems because of that. But her closest friend and business partner has a new baby. And so Della takes the opportunity to, like, kind of, like, take on more responsibility at their ladies gambling club. Do I love a Ladies gambling Club? I do. So she has this great idea, which is she is going to get their club added to a popular guidebook of local attractions, and that way people will know they can come and gamble there. Right? So he. She goes to the Viscount Lyman Ashton, and he, of course, has no intention of putting this club in his guide. Gambling has ruined his life. Okay, this was even before gambling apps, so I don't know what your problem is, Viscount. But anyway, she refuses to take no for an answer and basically threatens him, like, fine, I'll put together my own guidebook of fun attractions for women. And so he agrees to collaborate with her on this so that he can, like, pay off his debts with the money they get from this new venture. So, anyway, I just thought this was, like, a really cute idea. I think Faye writes a great historical romance, and they've all been sort of of gambling and, you know, like, sort of. This is the second in that series that has to do with the Lucky ladies of London. So this one is called A Lady's Guide to London.
- [38:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, while we're on historicals, I'm going to talk about Christina Diane, who has a series right now called the Unlikely Betrothal Series. One of them just came out in March called the Viscount and the Wallflower. But in the Duke and the Widow is coming out, and here's the deal. Rosina's a widow who has absolutely no intention of, like, doing marriage again. She lost her husband. She is very content with, like, her life the way that it is, with the exception of the fact that, like, there is one thing, Jen, that, like, is more difficult to find on your own in the Regency. So maybe at a country house party, there's, like, a duke there and they could just, like, have a quick kind of, you know, fleeting, stolen moment of pleasure. Right, here's the problem that's not going to work out for James, the Duke of St. Albans, who has spent his year, years and years hiding behind duty and sacrificing his own happiness. But now that he has this, like, bold, passionate woman who, like, is gorgeous and perfect in every way, like, unwilling to marry him, but, like, perfectly willing to use him for his hot bud. Sure, he is not having it. He wants this woman. And if it is going. And the problem is, is, like, these two people are responsible and public enough that they can't just have a massively public affair. He's like, we got to get married. She's like, like. But do we, though? Anyway, this one is a really. This one is billed as a very spicy novella with more than five explicit scenes.
- [40:23]
Sarah MacLean
So fine.
- [40:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Enjoy yourselves, my friends. That's the Duke and the Widow by Christina Diane.
- [40:30]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I am. Listen, do I Love a great title, Sarah. I do. And so I'm going to talk to you about Naked and Knack Neck by Lolo Sinclair. Knack Neck. N A K. Neck, Neck, N A K, N E K. Which is apparently a place in Alaska. Who knew? Lillian is there. Just really wishing she could find a great tea shop. She'd like some chai. And she's been sent there to study the declining salmon population in Bristol Bay. She's a marine biologist from LA and totally an overhead. But she of course, refuses to admit it. Enter Matthew, a no nonsense fisherman who has zero patience for outsiders. Outsiders meddling in his town's livelihood. But when the local crew that's supposed to be taking her out to see the salmon leaves her stranded, he steps in to help her. So this is supposed to be a one time deal, but these days at sea like turn into like a little romance and also, you know, some bear sightings and stuff like that. And so he's like, maybe there is more to the stubborn scientists than I thought. So tensions rise in the town and Matthew kind of feels caught between like sort of this outsider versus right, what the town wants. And everything's being all turned upside down. So. Well, Matt, risk everything for love. And will their love be strong enough to withstand this brewing storm? So we got an Alaskan adventure, a grumpy sunshine romance, and a great title that would be Naked in Knack Neck by Lulu Sinclair. I'm gonna say it one million times.
- [42:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, well, I want to talk about Kelly Kane. She's got one called Fly by Night coming out this.
- [42:21]
Sarah MacLean
She's great. I love Kelly's books.
- [42:22]
Jennifer Prokop
She's so terrific. So. But this is a really cool one. So Margaret Hawthorne, our heroine is an airline pilot who has. She's descended from Tuskegee Airmen ancestors and her family has been flying ever since. And she loves it. She is kind of the obvious next in line to take over the family business, although her grandfather swears that only male heirs can take on the mantle of the company. Here's the deal. One sort of wonderful night in London with like this great hookup arrives and she realized, but of course there's no future there for her because she has to go back to America and like be a star pilot and fight to run this company. But here's the thing, Jen. This hot English hookup arrives where Margaret is and it turns out that he is a corporate recruiter looking to steal her brother away for his. For the company that he works for. What he doesn't expect is that when he gets there to steal her brother away for the company that he works for. Margaret. His stunning one night stand is there.
- [43:41]
Sarah MacLean
And I love it.
- [43:43]
Jennifer Prokop
So now we've got like the family, the family affair here of will Margaret be able to convince the family that she's able to take over the business? We've got the kind of he's in London, she's in America kind of distanced situation going on. We've got the whole brother in play. Kelly's gonna make it very dramatic, I believe, and this is gonna be very fun. So that's Fly by Night by Kelly Kane.
- [44:08]
Sarah MacLean
I have a romantic mystery by Aisha Saeed called the Matchmaker. And what this is is Nura Khan is a third generation matchmaker in Atlanta. She has a super exclusive clientele and she's 31. And so maybe people would sort of like wonder, is she single? Like how is it that you can be a matchmaker if you are single? But no worries, she has a pre and pretend fiance. Her like childhood best friend Azar is always kind of willing to like step in and like essentially pretend to be her fiance at these big weddings because she's so successful. She gets invited to the weddings, but then the mystery sets in when essentially a really carefully constructed wedding implodes and there's like a bunch of like suspicious and terrifying events. Someone is taking things too far. And so Nura, with Azar at her side, are about to try and figure out out who is trying to destabilize the matchmaking business and potentially has Nora herself in the spot in the their sights. Right. So I thought this would be really fun. I know a lot of people really love like a mystery and so I love the mashup of romance and mystery. So this is the Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed.
- [45:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Nice.
- [45:32]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [45:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, so let's talk briefly about Bridget Morrissey's anywhere you go.
- [45:39]
Sarah MacLean
Okay.
- [45:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Which is if you love that movie the holiday, which we talk about every Christmas because usually there's like a book that's a take on the holiday, but it's a holiday romance.
- [45:53]
Sarah MacLean
Right.
- [45:53]
Jennifer Prokop
We've got one for you that is coming out in April. So a small town waitress, Tatum Ward has never left her midwestern hometown. She lives on this like very cute guest cottage on her parents property and is like wildly in love with a regular at the coffee shop named June and Eleanor. Eleanor Chapman is a kind of like high profile, hardworking, professional woman in the city. And when both women's lives kind of blow up at the exact same time, they decide to do the holiday switch.
- [46:36]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [46:37]
Jennifer Prokop
Eleanor moves into Tatum's cottage and gets wrapped up in the kind of like family drama of Tatum's life, pulled in by Tatum's charismatic older sibling, Carson. And then Tatum ends up in New York City in a high rise apartment. Surprise. With June, the regular who she's got a little bit of a crush on. One week in the city might make it impossible for Tatum to avoid not just her true feelings for June, but her real dreams for her real life. And so there's like befriending reclusive actresses, complicated family stuff here. Will they won't there with Tatum and June. Will they're won't there with Eleanor and Carson. And listen, I'm starting to really be delighted by any book book where there is a. There are two romances at the same time.
- [47:33]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, that is fun. Okay. Okay. We should think about wrapping up April soon. So I don't know how many. I mean I have like a million more.
- [47:41]
Jennifer Prokop
I have Nana left. I have one more.
- [47:43]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, you're gonna do Nana. Perfect. I am going to do then Timothy Janofsky. Once upon you and me, we really liked him of these books here. And so in this one, which is an age gap romance, it says we have Taylor Frost's boss flies him across the country to essentially like prep for her daughter's like sweet 16th birthday party. And like this is like perfect for him. He is really excellent at his job, but he is not supposed to be flirting with the resorts mountain man of a manager, Ethan Golding, because this rugged, beautiful, perfect older man happens to be the birthday girl's father, Amy's ex husband. So I just want you to know that I think this is amazing. And so basically Taylor is like, okay, great, I am falling in love with my boss's ex husband. And this is really, I mean, I don't even know what to tell you about how much I love this. So you know, Amy is going to be a problem here. Like right. This is her daughter's, her daughter's party, this is her employee, this is her ex husband. And so what's going to happen once she shows up on site along with the daughter. And all of this is now like sort of in the fishbowl of this mountain of this resort. So I, I think this is a really great premise. And so this is Once upon you and Me a space, a spicy age gap gay romance from Timothy Janofsky.
- [49:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Awesome. I love Timothy's books.
- [49:31]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [49:32]
Jennifer Prokop
I also love Nana Malone's books and she has something really new and different out which is Like, a commercial novel with, like, a. A really strong romance running through it called Gold Coast Dilemma. And here's the deal. So Ofasua Addo, the heroine of this book, crosses path with Cole Drake, who will become the hero of this book for the first time at this, like, publishing party. They flirt a ton. They're super into each other. They have this, like, kiss that is for the ages that they'll never forget. But the reality is, is that Ofasu is a Ghanaian era, and, like, her parents have plans for her. She is. Has already basically been promised to a man that her brother, that her mother loves. And she's got an enormous kind of Ghanaian wedding that is about to become, like, that is on the books, essentially. So there is no room for Cole in this. But when the wedding kind of goes from fairy tale to spectacle, and she is really trying to soul search around who she is. Like, is she this Ghanaian heiress who's going to get married and, like, do what her parents want, or is she going to choose this other life where she can, like, have the job she wants, have the life she wants, have the community she wants or the friends she wants? In the midst of all of this, Cole re enters. And suddenly, you know, these two have an option. There is this real concrete option for Ofasua that she has. She really does have to make a decision. And this book is really about, like, love and identity and, like, the weight of family and tradition. All things that I love. And I'm really excited about reading this one.
- [51:22]
Sarah MacLean
Okay. I know I said I was almost done, but I'm gonna just squeeze in the last guy you kiss by Carla de Guzman, who I really love, and listen to this one. So Mara Barretto is a florist, and her romantic life has never really been that great, but her baby sister is getting married, so she just feels, like, the pressure to, like, find a man is sky high. So at the wedding, she meets Jay Montanola. He is also single, but he's sort of famous because, like, rumor has it that if you kiss Jay, the person you meet right afterwards is gonna be the one.
- [51:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, I love that.
- [52:01]
Sarah MacLean
And so she's like, well, listen, I better kiss this guy, because then we'll find the one. But guess what? I think Jay is going to be the one. And so, you know, is this. You know, I, like, love it. What a premise. So Carla writes a terrific book. If you have never read one of these romance class books, this is great. And this one is coming from Harlequin. So we've got the last Guy you kiss. Sorry, I know I squeezed that one in. Okay, April, we're done. We're moving on to May.
- [52:34]
Jennifer Prokop
This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Stephanie Rose, author of Just One Favor.
- [52:40]
Sarah MacLean
Olivia and Tyler are enemies, Sarah. They hate each other, and they've hated each other their entire lives because their parents were friends. She had to play. You know, they had to play together when they're kids. And now they have like a sort of an uneasy, you know, sort of like resting state of just, like, being at odds with each other. But he does something really unusual, which is he invites her to be a fake date at his cousin's wedding. And the reason why is because his ex fiance is the bride. And so Olivia is capable of feeling sorry for Tyler. I mean, this would be truly terrible. And she just really is like, okay, fine, we can. I can do this for you. I can, you know, be your fake date for one night only that fake date went for one night, turns into real banging after the wedding. And now, nine months later, in nine months, they're going to have another situation they're going to have to deal with. We'll call it Only One crib, only one set of college tuition, Only one. Lots of things. But she and Tyler are not going to be enemies if they are going to be parents. And so much more.
- [53:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, boy. Well, if you want to read this, Enemy's Lover. Standalone romance with a hot side of longing, sexually charged banter, and a broken hotel bed. Another micro trope I really love. You can read Just One Favor right now in print, print, ebook, audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited if your podcasting app supports it. You can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Stephanie Rose for sponsoring this week's episode. May. Here we go. Well, I'm going to talk about the one that I, like, picked up a couple of months ago because I was like, the COVID of this is just too good. And that is Tara DeWitt's Left of Forever cover. This cover is.
- [54:29]
Sarah MacLean
I didn't even put this on my list because I knew you were going to talk about it. So good. This man has a mustache. So everybody.
- [54:35]
Jennifer Prokop
I mean, if that's not your thing, that's fine. It's not like, I mean, it's a great cover. It's a great cover. Like, if all illustrated covers looked like this, this would make me. I would be very happy about that. So, okay, here's a second chance romance from Tara Ren and Alice Bird fell in Love as kids. And then they had a son when they were teenagers and they like built kind of a life for each other but then they just kind of. It just fell apart. And it fell apart for all the reasons that something like that does fall apart. Now they are divorced and they are in their 30s and Ren runs the bakery in you know, the small town in Connecticut in my mind.
- [55:16]
Sarah MacLean
Chester, Connecticut. Correct.
- [55:18]
Jennifer Prokop
It's Oregon. But whatever, it's all in Jester, Connecticut. And La Ellis is a fireman and they live separate lives and. But they are still like there's no way these two are ever going to end up with somebody else. There just isn't. So their son, their son gets accepted into college and they decide they're going to move him in together and they do this long road trip. You know, I love this. From dropping their son off at college back to their small town just as like sort of a maybe we could make this work. Maybe we could fix it all. Like a real awareness of that. And so they drive through the California coastline and they have these like really beautiful long conversations and like moments where they get to rehash and rewrite and rethink and listen. They have to get over the past and I think they're gonna do fine.
- [56:15]
Sarah MacLean
I bet they are.
- [56:16]
Jennifer Prokop
That's Tara DeWitt's Left of Forever.
- [56:20]
Sarah MacLean
Okay everybody. I feel like maybe based on my research for this episode that time travel romance might be making a comeback. And I for what, I'm very excited about it. So I'm going to start with here in May time loops and Meet cutes by Jackie Lau. She's been a great romance writer for a long time, but this one looks adorable. So Noel Tom was given some dumplings at the night market and an old woman in the stall said they would give her what she needed most. But what Noelle desperately needs after a long work week was she was like I just wanted some food, right? So. Except now she is stuck in the same Friday every morning. Her alarm goes off at 6:45. The Wordle answer is always happy. And her engineering job, essentially all the work she's done the day for is always a race the next morning. So she's essentially just like stuck. And it's like a workaholics nightmare because she's stuck on a Friday like the weekend will never come. But she every day she meets this very good looking man named Cam and he appears like multiple places in the Friday. He's a brewery owner who is clearly not remembering their meats, the times they meet. But she is Pretty convinced that he is the key to getting this day unstuck. But she has to like, maybe step outside her comfort zone and live a little. But she's also really afraid that if she does escape the time loop, what if Cam is not a part of her future? Which is. Hello. So brilliant. So this is Jackie Lau's time cube. Cute time. Sorry, time loops. And meet cutes. And it is a really cute cover too.
- [58:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, so this is where I want to talk about A YA Romance by Samira Ahmed. Because I think you're right. And there's just something like, in the world. So this is for 12 and up. So you can read Jackie Lau's book, maybe yourself, and then like, re. Have the youngs in your life read this and you can talk about time loops, but. So Arya Patel, the heroine of this book, she likes.
- [58:29]
Sarah MacLean
What's the title of it?
- [58:31]
Jennifer Prokop
The. Oh, I'm sorry. The Singular Life of Arya Patel by Samira Ahmed. So Arya Patel, the protagonist of this book, she's. She is like a scientist. She's super into science. She likes stability, certainty, predictability. She has broken up with her boyfriend. She dumped her boyfriend because she just knew the odds, like, they were probably going to go to different colleges. She knew the odds of them staying together were so slim that, like, it just wasn't worth having a complicated relationship when she could do this. Like real. She could walk a very specific scientific path. Here's the problem. Aria suddenly finds herself falling through parallel universes and she can't explain. Like, literally every day she's waking up in a new reality. Or. And Rohan, her. Her. Her boyfriend and a poem from her English class, like, are following her through every life. Except here's the thing, like, at some point, so she's desperately kind of trying to find her way back, like, from one of these universes, like, to her actual life with her actual people. But she gets stuck in a parallel world that's like, similar to her own, but not quite. Like, suddenly her family, like, gets her and she's. She really loves being a part of this, like, particular version of her family. And she's unable to deny the, like, the like, relationship with Rohan. And even as she understands, like, mentally, this is not me, this is not him, this is not my family. Like, all of this belongs to another version of me who is like a. Another person who is real. And so if I can get. If I can't get back home, then yes, I'll have all this, like, unique happiness, but I'll have taken it away from someone else. Else who, who has built this world, right? So it's this like complex sense of like second chance romance, the, the, all the identity stuff that comes with ya. And it sounds like really fun and I can't wait to read it.
- [60:37]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, so I am going to talk about Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillum. And in this one, Andy has landed her dream job as like a senior book publicist racist. So she's like gonna take New York publishing by storm. Unfortunately, on her first day at the job, she realizes that her biggest new client or like, you know, sort of author she has to like massage and manage and make happy is Jack Carlson. The same guy, Sarah, who ruined her life at university. And so she is like, oh my God, this is terrible. He is infuriatingly hot, incredibly successful, and if she messes up his book campaign, she is out of a job. Right? So. And to make matters worse, although this doesn't sound quite so bad, so Andy, maybe cool your fucking jets with the complaining is they have to go. She has to go on book tour with him for a month, traveling across Europe to some of the most romantic spots, thoughts on the continent. So, you know, she wants to hit him with her car. But I think that they are going to figure out this long lost, you know, this, whatever, these bad feelings between them in fact are going to make a great romance. So that is Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillum.
- [62:00]
Jennifer Prokop
All right, I want to talk about Showgirls Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy, which I'm not going to talk about a bunch today because I really love this.
- [62:09]
Sarah MacLean
You love this book?
- [62:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, and I'm going to talk about it on a future episode. But you know how I said that I'm starting to get really into books that have two romances in them. This is part of the reason why. So this one is for again, for anybody who's looking for a region for a non UK set, non Regency romance. This one is set in gilded age New York. The heroine is Evelyn Cross, who is fat vaudeville performer who is just. The whole world loves her. But as vaudeville is kind of going out of style, she's starting to find that she doesn't really have a place anymore. She's starting to sense that her career is slipping away from her. Thomas Gallier is a theater, a theater guy. He is starting a new theater in midtown Manhattan and he becomes like very obsessed with Evelyn and wants her to headline a new show. The first debut show at this new extravagant theater. The difficulty is that Thomas really also wants to be a man with a name in New York City. And he wants, and he knows that in order for him to do that, he's gonna have to marry. Well, he's gonna have to marry wealthy and, and influential. And so this is sort of a really classic historical setup up. We don't know what's going to happen between the two of them, except we kind of do because the whole thing is wrapped in this really fun contemporary romance between a present day narrator, Phoebe and Thomas Gallier's grandson, great grandson, descendant, who finds a like Victorian pinup photograph in his family collection of artifacts, facts, brings it to Phoebe and that starts their, their romance down a really interesting path because she is obsessed with doing the research around Evelyn. So what you have is the present day romance, really uncovering the past. And it is a really fun read.
- [64:18]
Sarah MacLean
That is so fun and I know that you love that. So look forward. I'm sure people will be hearing more about that one a shot.
- [64:25]
Jennifer Prokop
Showgirls Rules for Falling in love. Perfect.
- [64:29]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I want to talk about Love in Focus by Lila Lee. And here we have a second chance romance between essentially. Okay, so Gemma Cho is a relationship advice columnist and she of course, as one is want to do with such a job, doesn't actually believe that real love exists.
- [64:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Exists.
- [64:51]
Sarah MacLean
She has had like zero luck with the men and women that she's dated. And in fact her boyfriend has just broken up with her. So she's just like, I'm giving up on love, it's fine. But she is paired up with world renowned photographer Celeste Min on a like a project that she thinks is gonna really like, sort of like kind of like further her career. Problem is, is that Celeste is, is Gemma's ex, Celestial. Broke her heart in college and then just like picked up and was gone, moved to another country before Gemma could even like figure out what went wrong between them. And so this is like not just like someone who broke her heart, but like the one who got away. So heightened by the sparks between them, Gemma is like really determined, you know, even though she's like feels these sparks, she's like, I am going to keep this relationship very professional. Um, she's just gonna like do her job and make it perfect because that's what's gonna help her career. But she also discovers that maybe her I don't believe in love was hiding like this, like the true hidden romantic right underneath her. So falling in love with Celeste again is going to really like kind of, I don't know, make her realize why she got into this business in the first place. Place. So that Is Love in Focus by Lila Lee.
- [66:17]
Jennifer Prokop
It's really interesting how many second chance romances there are now. Interesting like and I wonder this we need to have a conversation on a different episode about second chance and like why it might be like back. I know that it's never really gone away but like it really feels like so many books are second chances now. And I'm starting to have an idea idea even as we talk. So I'm gonna stop. Why Everybody, you'll have to come back another episode because we just don't have time for it this episode. But I want to talk about a Simple Twist of Fate by April Asher. Okay, which is a paranormal. A witch and a shifter get a second chance of love in this like paranormal rom com. So here's the deal. Harry Pierce, Harry, short for Harlow, attended her first finding ceremony as a witch when she was 18. And the premise of this find ceremony is like it will lead you to your fated mate. Which it did. Reaching it brought her to Jackson Atwood, cougar shifter in down. But fate had other plans and weirdly it ended up that like it was all wrong it seemed and hair. It wasn't Harry who was Jackson's faded match, but her best friend instead. And so she flipped and like mending her like took her broken heart on the run. She grabbed all her stuff and she took, she beat the hell out of town. Which listen, I don't blame her poor Harry justice for her. Thirteen years later she's back and she's here with, you know, hoping that this town, like this magical town will work its magic on this like half human, half shifter goddaughter who she has, who she's like worried about. But because this, this young, this child has like fire starter abilities that need to be controlled. Anyway, Jackson is there and he is now alpha of his pack. And she, and he, when she shows up, when Harry shows up, he is pretty broken because she tore him apart when she left because guess what? They were faded mates.
- [68:40]
Sarah MacLean
Uh oh.
- [68:41]
Jennifer Prokop
And so. And not only did her leaving break him, it broke the town. There hasn't been a faded match in 13 years. And so the town is in a bit of a state and now they're gonna have to figure their shit out.
- [69:00]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [69:00]
Jennifer Prokop
I love it when that happens. That has to happen.
- [69:03]
Sarah MacLean
Oh yeah, me too. The best.
- [69:04]
Jennifer Prokop
So that's A Simple Twist of Fate by April Asher.
- [69:08]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I'm going to talk about his Dark Vendetta by Caitlin Bream. And the reason I really like these books is these are paranormal Mafia romances. Hello. And so we have Siobhan, who really thought that Luca would be her, like, happily ever after. So, okay, her family murdered his father, and now even though, right, he is like, she's gonna pay the price for this. And so she gets kidnapped and trapped by him. And this is someone that she was. You know, this was her lover. This was someone she thought she was in love with. But, like, now it's like broken hearts everywhere. So it's basically like modern day Romeo and Juliet, except in this version, Romeo is trying to kill Juliet. And so Luca has been given permission, right, to do this to, like, gain vengeance. But I don't know, this whole blood demon thing, and he has to, you know, I mean, her blood umpture is delicious. This whole blood demon thing, I don't know what else you need to know. So I really like the first book in this series. This is the Bonded and Blood series. It was called Her Dark Salvation. But I just. Like, I said the I. The whole idea of, like, mafia plus paranormal is Chef's Kiss. Perfect. So that's his Dark Vendetta by Caitlin Ream.
- [70:31]
Jennifer Prokop
Perfect. I want to call. I want to talk about digging. Dr. Jones.
- [70:35]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, this was on my list too. It's like, what a title.
- [70:39]
Jennifer Prokop
This is such a cute premise. Okay, so Adriana Jones is our heroine, and she is like. Like, she needs to just, like, her vacation's going poorly, and luckily, like, somebody's given her surprise gift. And it's a bracelet full of gems. And so she puts it on and she's like, already I'm feeling better about everything. Except here's the problem. The bracelet was not meant for Adrianna Jones. It was meant for Andrew Jones, who is a renowned archaeologist geologist, who is waiting for this gift. This. It's not a gift. He's waiting for this artifact to turn up because he needs this bracelet to find an ancient lost treasure deep in the jungles of Colombia.
- [71:25]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing.
- [71:26]
Jennifer Prokop
Second problem, Jen. There's been a name mix up here. But also, this bracelet will not come off of Adriana's hand.
- [71:33]
Sarah MacLean
Of course not.
- [71:34]
Jennifer Prokop
And therefore, Andrew has no choice but to drag this woman along with him on his queen quest for, like, this career making Indiana Jones style shenanigan. So here they are going through jungles, crawling through crypts, and these two are gonna do it in the woods. Oh, my God.
- [72:01]
Sarah MacLean
We are so simple. Yes. I love it.
- [72:04]
Jennifer Prokop
The COVID is great. He looks so hunky. Like, in the purest form. Like, I think this hero is probably very hunky.
- [72:13]
Sarah MacLean
Everyone I saw that title and was just so delighted by it.
- [72:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [72:19]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, so I am going to talk about All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stevens.
- [72:28]
Jennifer Prokop
This is true. That's a good. That's a good title.
- [72:30]
Sarah MacLean
Isn't that a great title? This is. Elizabeth Stevens writes a great book. This is part of a new series, the Supers in the City series. And this. Okay, so here's. I listen. So you guys have such good ideas. I love you all. Two decades ago, 48 young, gifted superheroes fell to earth and were marketed into opposing brands, heroes and villains.
- [72:59]
Jennifer Prokop
But never.
- [73:01]
Sarah MacLean
Which is just, like, so perfect. What a great idea, right? And so one especially gruff bad guy is looking to switch teams, and so he needs some PR help, right? So his name is Roland Castile, also known as the Pyro. So he's got a. Swap out his name, Right, exactly. He's got to swap out his name for something better, right? So anyway, PR director Vanessa is going to help him with this, right? So she's like, you got to swap out this name for a better one. Wyvern. Put him in spandex to highlight his body, right? And we need to give this hero in training a heroin, right? And so basically, Vanessa, even though she's really shy, gets talked into essentially, like, being his lowest lane to, like, sort of make the city swoon over them, because nothing turns a villain into a hero like falling in love. So on the other hand, everything seems great until a monstrous supervillain brings out Roland's bad side. But maybe this is instead the chance just to save this woman who, against all odds, is becoming the human love of his superhero life. This one is again, it's called All Superheroes need pr.
- [74:27]
Jennifer Prokop
I love that.
- [74:28]
Sarah MacLean
I cannot wait to read this one. Montlik, give this to me in advance. I want it. It's so good.
- [74:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, I want to talk about Susan Lee's the Romance Rivalry, which is an upper YA about college students. So Irene park is our heroine and has made a career as an online book reviewer with a massive following. She reviews romance novels. Problem is, Irene's, like, not so good with boys. So she starts her freshman year of college, and she decides that she's going to find true love using romance book tropes. That is how it is going to go. Problem is, while she's there, she meets Aiden John. I hope that pronounced that correctly. But who is her online book review rival and her big, biggest nemesis. So he challenges her and he says, all right, you're gonna find love using tropes. I'm gonna do it, too. And the first one. And the first. The one of us who does it first is going. Will win, like, professional and personal kudos. So when the competition, like, takes a turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, Gentleman fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance and Aiden to flip on its head. So I think this probably is also enemies to lovers. Anyway, this one's about Irene tackling college life, struggling to figure out, like, who she is and what she really wants, and of course, falling in love in the balance. So that is the romance Rivalry by Susan Ling.
- [76:10]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, my search for the perfect F1 romance continues. And I am looking forward to Slipstream by Madge Merrill.
- [76:21]
Jennifer Prokop
I was gonna put this on. I have this.
- [76:23]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, me too. I can't. I'm totally excited about it. So what happens here is we have Lila Graywood. She is a serious documentarian, Sarah, but her best friend and business co owner and secret boyfriend, Max, essentially pivots their company to filming the Ignition energy drink racing team, which, hello, that is not for serious documentarians. Now she is thrust into this world. Oh, and then Max dumps her. And so everything.
- [76:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Men who want to keep your relationship secret are the worst.
- [76:59]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. Right. So enter Arthur Bianco, a charismatic and enigmatic F1 reserve driver who's had had a really tumultuous career himself. She is supposed to maybe at the start be documenting his relegation to a backup driver. But together they essentially come up with a plan to essentially take control of the Max's documentary, each with their own motives. Lila, of course, wants revenge where Arthur wants redemption. So they have this alliance and then of course, you've got the glamorous world of F1, and all of a sudden they maybe have to do a little fake dating so that nobody figures out what they're up to. So this is Slipstream, and I think it looks great.
- [77:46]
Jennifer Prokop
So SM La Violette, which is the pen name of Minerva Spencer, has a new book out in May called Catherine. And those of you who follow the Bellamy Sisters series know that Catherine is the 1, 2, 3, 4. The fifth book in the Fifth Sister. And they are. The premise of these books is basically like there are five women who are in a pickle. This is a. This is a Regency. They are. They're all in a pickle. They are trying to save the family estate. And that sometimes means that they have to get married. Sometimes it means that they don't have to get married. There's always like kind of these sisters will do anything to keep each other safe and to like, make sure that they all have a future together the next. The book that comes out in May is Catherine. There is no information about it yet, so I'm just flagging it for everybody because this is the youngest Bellamy and it's going to be fun. And then I also just want to name check and we will for sure talk about it. And Jen has already started talking about it, but Alexis, Daria has a new book coming out in May, the third book in the Primas of Power series, which is Along Came Amore. So basically this is Ava's story. Ava's ex husband has like, peaced out.
- [79:09]
Sarah MacLean
She.
- [79:10]
Jennifer Prokop
And she is left like, kind of high and dry, like, not sure what's. What's happening. So she goes out and. And at a party, she meets a handsome hotelier. And it's all flirty and great and they have this like killer one night stand. And then all of a sudden, they discover that they are both in a wedding together, another Prima's wedding. And then they. They are stuck together, having to keep secret the fact that they know each other from the past and that they've had this like, very sexy time and that they are continuing to have a very sexy time while this is all going on. On. So the big question is like, will Roman Vasquez, the sexy hotelier, be willing to give up his like, no strings, happy, go lucky? Sure, I'm a rake kind of vibe for Ava. And I think it's gonna turn out okay.
- [80:04]
Sarah MacLean
I think so too. Okay, I have another Harlequin romantic suspense. This one called Hunted Through Italy, which sounds great. By Delaney Diamond.
- [80:14]
Jennifer Prokop
Hunted through Italy.
- [80:15]
Sarah MacLean
Hunted through Italy, which is terrifying. I mean, probably someone's gonna have to stop and eat pizza. I have no idea. Okay, so this is a bodyguard romance. So Zaire, Nicholas Nichols. Sorry, is an interpreter. She overhears two men planning an embassy bombing and so she contacts the American. No, she. Of course she's gonna get involved. How else is she gonna find her man?
- [80:43]
Jennifer Prokop
That's not your business in Italy.
- [80:46]
Sarah MacLean
So she. She stop Sarah. She contacts the American authorities in Rome and instead ends up getting accused of murder. CIA black ops agent Atticus Buck Swanson, which, hello, is her escort back to the United States. But a bunch of assassins try to silence her forever. So Zaire and Buck are off on a race against Italy, trying to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers. So now it's like they are going to try and stop a terrorist attack and, you know, hold off the people trying to kill her and fall in love and explore their amazing attraction between them. Harlequin romantic suspense is really fun because it's just like a straight shot of action. And Delaney diamond writes a great book. So this is Hunted through Italy.
- [81:38]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm done with May.
- [81:39]
Sarah MacLean
I am not done with May. I would like to talk very quickly about one by Sophie Jordan, who is a real favorite. She has a book out, Marked by Moonlight. Sarah.
- [81:49]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, she is a real. Yes. I was like, excuse me, Jennifer. She is my very good friend.
- [81:54]
Sarah MacLean
That's why I was really shocked that you didn't take this one first. It was kind of like, what? I didn't.
- [81:58]
Jennifer Prokop
That's so funny. But, yes, she does tell everybody about Mark by Moonlight.
- [82:02]
Sarah MacLean
So this is a paranormal romance. Claire Morgan, it says, has always been a shy one. A shy, mousy teacher, overlooked and unwanted, until one day out of nowhere is.
- [82:15]
Jennifer Prokop
Real good at this. Yeah.
- [82:17]
Sarah MacLean
She wakes up as a new woman, Bold, wild, passionate, and impossible to ignore. Gideon March tells her the reason for this is because she has been bitten by a werewolf.
- [82:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Werewolf.
- [82:27]
Sarah MacLean
But Claire does not want to believe this. She was like, it was just some nasty dog in a back alley. But he is part Sarah. Of a member of an underground society of lichen hunters, and his mission is to kill her.
- [82:43]
Jennifer Prokop
This is all true.
- [82:44]
Sarah MacLean
So Claire and Gideon are bound by a desire they can't resist. And at the next full moon, Claire's soul will be lost forever. Her or Gideon might be forced to kill her, or they're gonna fall in.
- [82:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Love and figure out what can say.
- [82:59]
Sarah MacLean
I have no idea. But Marked by Moonlight is the name of this.
- [83:03]
Jennifer Prokop
That's a reissue of an old paranormal series that Sophie Jordan wrote under a different name, Sherry Michaels.
- [83:11]
Sarah MacLean
And say, I had no idea. I was like, we're joining everyone.
- [83:14]
Jennifer Prokop
You're gonna have a great time.
- [83:15]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, so that was. Yeah, I was, like, kind of waiting around. I was like, what do you mean you're done with me?
- [83:19]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm done.
- [83:20]
Sarah MacLean
What about Sophie Jordan?
- [83:21]
Jennifer Prokop
I know, except I'm not done with Sophie Jordan ever.
- [83:23]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, that's what I figured.
- [83:25]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. June.
- [83:28]
Sarah MacLean
June.
- [83:29]
Jennifer Prokop
All right, well, we got to talk about Jesse Q. Santo's new book, Worth Fighting for, which is the next book in that Disney Meant to be series where they take classic Disney movies and then rewrite them as contemporary romance novels. So you all know Jesse Q. Satanto his name because she wrote Dial A for Aunties, Right. Which everybody loved when it came out. And this is. You can probably tell from the title, worth fighting for a retelling of Mulan.
- [84:03]
Sarah MacLean
Awesome.
- [84:04]
Jennifer Prokop
So Essentially, it's placed in her father's private equity company. She's trying to succeed as a woman in a man's world. And then her father unexpectedly falls ill in the middle of an acquisition. And the family and the other company known for its ultra masculine whiskey brand and the brood of old fashioned aunts, uncles and cousins who run it, is led by a dedicated and overworked Shanghai who will only trust Mulan's father with the future of the business. And so what is a girl to do except pretend to be her father?
- [84:54]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, my God.
- [84:55]
Jennifer Prokop
And this, as you could imagine, is gonna go crazy.
- [85:01]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing.
- [85:02]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't think she first, for what it's worth, everybody. I don't think she does this in disguise. I think it's like over emails and then like now there's a face to face meeting and she's like, oh, I.
- [85:13]
Sarah MacLean
Am honestly delighted by this entire thing. I really am. Amazing. Yeah, she writes a super fun book. So that is terrific.
- [85:23]
Jennifer Prokop
So that's worth fighting for by Jesse Q. Satanto and those.
- [85:28]
Sarah MacLean
That series, I think has just been super.
- [85:31]
Jennifer Prokop
It gets better and better.
- [85:32]
Sarah MacLean
So I am going to talk about Empire of Seduction by our friend Mila Fennelli. This is the second in the New York State of Mafia series. And in this one, actually what is great said in Chester, Connecticut. Said in Chester, Connecticut, the Connecticut State of Mafia. The great thing about this book, everybody, is it is essentially like the kings of Italy meet New York State of Mafia. Because the hero is Vito, which is Enzo's brother. One of Enzo, you know, Enzo, Mafia madman's brother. And the heroine is Maggie, who is like the friend of Val's from the first book. And I don't know, this is, you know, Joanna. I'm just like gonna. I worked on this book, everybody but Joanna, like, little hint has said like she really wrote this one for her. And you can tell because it's just really fun. Um, also, I do not want to give it away, but I'm about to, which is. I was like, I cannot believe no one has ever thought of this before because the bad guys are a motorcycle club. And I was like, how has no one written Mafia versus MC before? I do not know. I. So anyway, this is a really fun book. Really super sexy. It starts off with Vito and Maggie having like a one night stand. And then like, you know, a couple days later, he's like coming up the driveway. She and her brother own a winery and he's like, coming up the winery. And she is. And her brother basically say at the same Time like, what are you doing here? And she looks at her brother and is like, how do you know this guy? Then they had. She and Vito had a one night stand. The next night, her brother lost the winery to Vito in a card game. And now he is here to collect. Oh, it is terrific. And it is Empire of Seduction and the kings of Italy are all around. And I liked it a lot. So that was really fun.
- [87:34]
Jennifer Prokop
All right, I want to talk about Alicia Thompson's new book. You all know Alicia Thompson because she wrote Love in the Time of Serial Killers, but now she's got one called Never Been Shipped. And this is a very, very cute idea set on a cruise ship with a ticking clock. So we've got forced proximity and five days to get it done. Micah, our heroine's relationship to music is complicated because as teenager, when she was a teenager, her band took off after being featured on a popular TV show. But the group were. They were teenagers rangers. And so things went real south real fast and they barely released a second album before they broke up. Now it's 10 years later and the band is reuniting for a performance on a themed cruise, which sounds awful. Like, I just, I. You're like, I can't think of anything I would like to do less than reunite with my ex band on a cruise ship. And anyway, she is. But my Micah's there and she's gonna do her thing. And she is determined to learn from her past mistakes and not let drama or anything get in the way. Here's the problem. When she gets back into the band, John is there. And John, who was the guitarist at the time, has always loved Micah. They were best friends. He had this like, kind of unrequited thing with her while she dated some. Somebody else in the band. And at the time, he like, wasn't brave enough to step up or like take the lead at all. But now here he's got another chance. He's got five days to convince Micah that like, maybe she ought to take a second look at him. Mike. Which he. Which Micah's may be willing to do, except this is not the right time for this. We've got a bunch of band members who hate each other.
- [89:31]
Sarah MacLean
Back, back.
- [89:32]
Jennifer Prokop
The tension's growing. They are going to have to perform. Who knows what's going to happen with these, with this boat out on the ocean. Chaos. Anyway, I really like Alicia Thompson's books and I'm looking forward to this one.
- [89:46]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, so I am going to Talk about writing Mr. Right by Alina Kawash. And you Know, listen, everybody, Sometimes I'm like, I do, like, the research and, like, like this one. I was like, okay, I need to download this immediately because listen to this premise. It is perfect. Okay, so Zia Khan is a legal secretary by day and aspiring novelist by night. She writes stories full of the kinds of characters she loves, people like her. But because she is writing, like, sort of diverse characters, she also has a growing, growing stack of rejection letters. So after getting another, like, sort of thanks but no thanks letter on the eve of her 30th birthday, which is always, you know, like, a real portent in romance, she decides to throw her novel and her dreams in the trash. End of story. That is all there is to it. Except the next morning when she wakes up, there is a flesh and blood version of her meme Muse standing in her kitchen.
- [90:54]
Jennifer Prokop
Terrific.
- [90:54]
Sarah MacLean
His name is Aishik, and it's his job to inspire her to write again.
- [91:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, now, listen, this doesn't happen in real life, everyone.
- [91:05]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, but here is the problem. There is, you know, he's, like, singing karaoke with her and standing up for her work and, you know, like, just, like being a hero. Yeah, but here is the problem. Sarah, as she rediscovers her love of writing, a sheik starts to disappear because his job is almost done. No. I know. Isn't this perfect? So does. Is she gonna basically have to choose between her art and her heart? I have no idea what's gonna happen, but this is a perfect premise. I am delighted by it. It. And this is writing, Mr. Right.
- [91:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Amazing. In June, we are returning to Sapphire Cove. Jennifer.
- [91:52]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, nice.
- [91:54]
Jennifer Prokop
See, Travis Rice's Party of Three is a novella. And, I mean, this time, Chris is bringing the juice, I think. Not that he doesn't usually, but, you know.
- [92:08]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [92:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, the deal. This one is a why choose romance, my friends? Set in Sapphire Cove. Buckley Mitchell is a lovely, wonderful EMT who, like, is just a fixer. He. And he has. He has been really instrumental in a little bit fixing his boyfriend, Mateo. Kanye, who needs to. Who has. Has. Has been sort of coming to terms with his own sexuality after years of repressing his, like, true identity as a. As a gay man. But Mateo hasn't been entirely truthful about this, like, complicated relationship he had a few years back with his best friend from the Marine Corps who saved his life one time. And, like, maybe something went down back then with Mateo and Jeff, but it's not really clear. But now Buckley and Mateo are at Sapphire Cove, and Jeff turns up, and Buckley meets Jeff, and he's not jealous at all. In fact, he's like, huh, now, how could this go? And his theory is, like, I've spent the last year, like, basically helping Mateo get used to his own to, like, his fantasies. And now what if I share with Mateo that, like, my fantasy is, what if all three of us get together and bang it out? I'm sure what if all three of us get together and bang it out is not a line from this book because C. Travis Rice is a great writer.
- [93:55]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, but it's the line in.
- [93:57]
Jennifer Prokop
My head, and that's what it is.
- [93:58]
Sarah MacLean
It's implied. Correct. And that is what matters.
- [94:00]
Jennifer Prokop
So that is Party of Three by C. Travis Rice, who is a friend of the pod.
- [94:06]
Sarah MacLean
I am going to talk about Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen.
- [94:10]
Jennifer Prokop
I love that one, too.
- [94:11]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, this. Gosh, Danielle, you're so good at the job. Okay, so Nina Ford, Sarah is just not going to put all of her eggs in one basket. Basket. Not only because they're $12 a dozen, but because she works multiple jobs, she has multiple hobbies, and she dates multiple men. She's 30. She has never crossed a man who is all the things she's looking for. So, you know she's got a man for once. When she wants to do things that are fun, exciting, she is a man for who when she wants someone confident and humorous, she has a man for when she wants someone intelligent and ambitious. And she has a man for when she wants something passionate and romantic. So she's basically just like, you know, like more of a vibes type of dater. So when Russell Long, her designated fun guy, though, shows her that he's good for more than just thrills, it seems too good to be true. She has found everything she wanted in a career and one job. Has she found everything she wanted in a partner in one man? And then I have to tell you, in what is perhaps the best back cover copy ever written, it says, inevitably her eggs are bound to get cracked like her back. The Scream.
- [95:35]
Jennifer Prokop
That's all you need.
- [95:36]
Sarah MacLean
That's all you need to know about that. So that is Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen.
- [95:42]
Jennifer Prokop
I love it. All right, let's talk about Mia Sosa, who is back. Misos is back with When Javi Dumped Mari coming out in June. And this is so exciting. I'm so excited. Okay, so on the eve of their college graduation, Javier Baez am Marisol Campos swore they would never date anyone the other one didn't approve of. These are best friends. Now, a decade later, Javi has A problem which is he has had this like, unrequited, you know, I love an unrequited love. An unrequited, blah, blah, blah. He has had an unrequited crush on Mari since sophomore year and she's engaged now. And Javi didn't even get the chance to vet this guy. Like, she's basically like, Javi, so great, I'm engaged. Mari is not interested in Jav's dating advice anymore. She waited around for him to declare his love for years and he never did.
- [96:48]
Sarah MacLean
The worst. The worst.
- [96:50]
Jennifer Prokop
And now she has decided that she's going to build a future with this like handsome, delicious bill. Does a Pedro Pascal knock off everybody on the back of the COVID New man who is legitimately interested in committing to her like, this is time. It is time for everybody to be grown up people with jobs here. Javi, though, is ready to confess his feelings, except she's moved on. And he has six weeks to convince her that the marriage that she is about to commit to is a flag flop. Which means he needs to get the business done and done to her, if I will. But listen, this is going to be one of those romances, first of all, Mia is so funny. It's going to be so fun to read. But also, like, if I trust anybody to thread the needle on, how am I going to get my best friend to dump her perfect boyfriend to be with Me?
- [97:50]
Sarah MacLean
Me.
- [97:50]
Jennifer Prokop
It's Mia, so.
- [97:51]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, 100%.
- [97:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Can't wait.
- [97:55]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I would like to talk about a book I am actually really deeply curious to read. Cruel Summer by Maisie Yates. And the reason I am really curious about this is because I think it just sounds like it's taking like really big risks, which is Samantha Parker is happily married, has three wonderful kids living the suburban life, are almost empty nesters when her husband Will asks her for an open marriage. And so this like shocks her and so what she instead proposes to him is that they essentially take like a summer long break. She's gonna find herself because she is sure she, she has no interest in being with anyone but Will. And then, you know, like, they can get back at this at the end of the summer and like see what happens. But instead she ends up having a little bit of a romance with Logan Martin, who happens to be Will's best friend. He is a classic car restorer and he asked Sam to help him drive across the country to like make deliver deliveries. And they've never really had a good relationship. But something about this summer and this trip with Logan really changes things for Samantha and, like, puts her in a different state of mind. And I'm just really fascinated by it because I think it is so easy in romance to kind of, like, see, even in a blurb, like, what's gonna happen. But now it really is, like, what is Samantha going to choose? Choose. So will she go to the kind of familiar stability of her past or choose a thrilling, uncertain new future? So that is Cruel Summer by Maisie Yates.
- [99:44]
Jennifer Prokop
All right, I have two more. Okay, I want to talk about Joanna Lowell, who I just talked about in the historical episode a few weeks ago. Her next book, A rare Find, is out in June. And this one is about an aspiring archaeologist. Another archaeologist.
- [100:03]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [100:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Listen, a trend. We should do that archaeologists. Anyway, Alfredo Marsden has made a major discovery, which is an ancient amulet proving that the Viking army camped on her family's estate. Unfortunately, her nemesis is back from London. And Georgie Redmayne is popular and wonderful and bored to death by everything related to this amulet and the countryside. They run into each other, literally. The amulet gets lost, and with it, Alfreda's big chance to lead a proper excavation because she's a woman. So now she needs new evidence of this sort of Viking activity. And Georgie, luckily, needs some money to get the hell out of Derbyshire, because. Let me say that again. Some money to get the hell out of Derbyshire. That. So the two of them decide that they are going to search for Viking gold together. And listen, these two come from feuding families, but also they're in this together because they both know that this is the only chance they have to get what they want. Want. So they go on this, like, unexpected adventure quest. If I know anything about Joanna Lowell, I know this is going to be a very fun, very bright and sparkly romance. And, yeah, I can't wait.
- [101:36]
Sarah MacLean
Amazing. Okay, so I am going to talk about Gloves off by Stephanie Archer. This is a marriage of convenience, which I love. Hockey romance, which you all love. And so what this is, is we have essentially, Alexi is the grumpiest enforcer in the NHL and brutally handsome, but a total jerk. And what happens is, is there is a bit of a marriage of convenience situation because, like. And it's like, one of those things where, like, he does all the right things when they're out in public. I'm sorry to report, everyone. I have no idea what this heroine's name is because it's not in the blurb. So we're just gonna have to, like, go with this lady. Anyway, so she essentially has to get her inheritance so she's gonna marry this guy and in public they act like besotted newlyweds. Right? So he, he does all the right things like acts jealous of her ex and you know what I mean? You know, and he is the reason he gets roped into this is because he is marrying her for citizenship. So it seems like, you know, like they, they both really have a big vested interest in like getting into this marriage. And so in public they act like besotted newlyweds, but in private they are at each other's throats. But as time goes on it's, it turns out that Alexi is maybe a little more caring and protective and generous than his grouchy exterior would have anyone believe, including our heroine. So this is a guy who said he would never fall in love with her, but he is doing an awfully good impression of it. So maybe their marriage of convenience can be a real marriage after all. So that, that is Gloves off by Stephanie Archer.
- [103:33]
Jennifer Prokop
I have another historical that's not set in the regency in the 19th century, so. Or in, in England rather. I don't. I have another historical that's not set in the Regency in England. I want to talk about Savannah Royals by Lindsay Barrett. This one is a prohibition era heist romance set in Savannah filled with all sorts of like sneaky thieves and other delicious things. So by day Katarina Quinn masquerades as a well bred lady of Savannah. But at night she runs with a ragtag gang of con artists and thieves and she, they set up this sort of plan for her to target it. The, the, this, this like son of one of the great American dynasties he enter. So Matthew De Molin is this charming doctor who Cat seduces really by day as a well bred lady as thinking that she's going to help her gang get it essentially access to this highly exclusive club where they'll be able to mix and mingle with the Rockefellers and the Asters and be able to like you know, Robin Hood their way through the, through the room. Unfortunately, she starts to realize that she kind of likes Matthew and she doesn't want to steal from him and she doesn't want him to be a mark. She wants him to be the real thing. Of course the problem is that out on the street streets there's a war brewing between city gangs and this jewel heist is essential to making sure that that all goes off in Cat's favor. So what's she gonna do? There's a little bit of a love triangle here I think where one of the Other one of the heads of one of the gangs is somebody she's kind of had a thing for since childhood. But now there's Matthew, this like elegant, wealthy man who might be tempting her out of crime time and into something else. Oh, I don't know.
- [105:47]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [105:48]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't know.
- [105:49]
Sarah MacLean
I think you do know.
- [105:51]
Jennifer Prokop
So that's Savannah Royals and by Lindsay Barrett.
- [105:55]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, I have one more. And then you have one more. You should do the Ashley Poston.
- [106:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, you're right. Okay.
- [106:02]
Sarah MacLean
And then I'll do.
- [106:03]
Jennifer Prokop
Take that part out.
- [106:04]
Sarah MacLean
Sorry, we'll take that part out. Okay, so I think we each have a couple more. So I am going to do. He.
- [106:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Casey left it in. Let me say this. Oh, actually I have one more too.
- [106:13]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, perfect. Okay, so I. Yeah, I have. I could keep going all day, but you. Okay, I have. He's To Die for by Aaron Dunn. And in this one we have another romantic mystery. I love this because. Okay, so 29 year old detective Rav Trivetti is the youngest member of NYPD's homicide squad. And everything is looking great for him. He may be a bit of an outsider in the department. He's Ivy League, he's a gay British man and he has a real weakness for designer suits. Although I watch these movies and all these detectives seem to have night suits, so I don't think that's a problem for Rav. But he essentially has like a great solve rate and he's really like rising up through the ranks. So he is assigned to a very high, high profile murder of a record, a record executive. So he's like ready for action. He is not going to be distracted. Even though this kind of case has TV crews and tabloids and social media all over it. And his number one suspect is a very hot rock star, Sarah. And this man, I'm sad to report, has a clear motive but no alibi. And I think it is going to be very dangerous for Rav to be falling in love with his number one suspect. But that is exactly what is happening.
- [107:35]
Jennifer Prokop
But that's not your business, Jen.
- [107:37]
Sarah MacLean
That's simply not my business. I am just here to read this adorable book. So He's To Die for by Aaron Dunn.
- [107:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, well, my last book for June is Ashley Poston's new book. Because listen, Ashley is really great at like these high concept, really fun ideas and she always figures out how to, how to make them work, which is remarkable to me. This one's called Sounds Like Love. And the heroine of this book, Joanie Lark, is one of the most coveted songwriters in music right now. But she has a problem, which is she can't write music right now. I mean, listen, girl, same. It's rough out here. So she decides she's going to go home. Home to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, where, like, she's. She's been drawing inspiration since childhood for music. So she's going home. She's ready. But when she gets there, everything is changing. Like, her best friend is keeping some kind of secret from her, some things up with her mom. Her, like, favorite concert venue is closing. And this is now. Everything is working, except she hears this melody in her head, and she can't quite hear the. The. The lyrics. And she's not quite there yet, but she does hear this, like, very sexy voice that goes along with it. And she can hear in this man's voice that, like, he is also a musician and he is also feeling empty and, like, unable to wr. Right? And she's pretty sure, like, he's a figment of her imagination. But this is an Ashley Poston book. So he shows up in Vienna Shores, and he's like, nothing like the, like, sweet voice that's in her head. He's. He's, like, outwardly really arrogant and guarded. And he's there because he also has been sensing this telepathic connection, and he wants to end it now because he has to finish this song or else. Except here's the thing. Joni's already heard how wonderful he is inside her head. And so these two are gonna have to figure out how they're gonna finish this music together.
- [110:02]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [110:03]
Jennifer Prokop
That is. Sounds like. Love the new Ashley Poston book.
- [110:09]
Sarah MacLean
Perfect. Okay, so I earlier talked about. About writing Mr. Right, and now I'm going to finish it off by Talking about righting Mr. Wrong by Kelly Armstrong.
- [110:20]
Jennifer Prokop
This is a different author.
- [110:21]
Sarah MacLean
It is a different author and a different book with a different.
- [110:23]
Jennifer Prokop
I hope you all go on tour together.
- [110:25]
Sarah MacLean
Yes, exactly. So in this one, listen, I just like it when men have to be restricted to the page.
- [110:33]
Jennifer Prokop
So here.
- [110:34]
Sarah MacLean
Here it is.
- [110:35]
Jennifer Prokop
You didn't know that until right now.
- [110:37]
Sarah MacLean
Until right now. Let me think about it. Say that. Okay. So in writing Mr. Wrong, we have debut author Gemma Stanton. She knows romance readers love a bad boy, and she has a perfect prototype for this novel. His name is Mason Moretti. Now, Mason was a high school hockey God turned pro player who broke her heart, and in, like, a really public way. Like, she just had a crush and it was terrible, but. So she essentially rejects him or, like, sorry, in this book she's writing, she sort of like fan casts him almost as like a hot headed highlander. And she never expected that writers writer her readers would find out on live TV when a morning show introduce like brings on Mason for like a surprise on the air reunion. So this is a problem. Now Mason is an aging hockey player. Player because you know, he's probably 34 and so therefore about to leave the business or whatever.
- [111:36]
Jennifer Prokop
His back hurts.
- [111:37]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, he, exactly. He has a rep for being ruthless on the ice and roguish off of it. But when their meet cute goes viral, he proposes that they like sort of build this momentum to like sort of boost up his like sagging kind of celebrity profile in the sport. So their fictional flirting gets a little too real. And Mason realizes that Gemma like wants to make him a better man and he probably deserves that. So this one is writing Mr. Wrong by Kelly Armstrong.
- [112:09]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh my gosh. Well that sounds really cute.
- [112:12]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. And listen everybody, there are so many of course other books by authors we love that are coming out that we will be talking about in coming episodes. Right. But these ones just seemed like really fun ones for your spring discoverability.
- [112:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Put them all on your list, you guys. Yeah, I mean there are some. I mean I talked about Ashley, but Emily Henry has a new book coming out. There are re releases of all the Christina Lauren books coming this year. So it's going to be really fun. Oh, and there's an alley. We haven't. We didn't even talk about the fact that Ali Hazelwood is like Beyonce dropping an age gap romance in May. But everybody knows about that, so. Sure. Right. Enjoy everybody. We'll probably talk about that in the future.
- [112:57]
Sarah MacLean
I am sure that we will. All right. Yeah, I mean I. Like I said we have so many more books to talk about. There's always new romances coming, but we hope.
- [113:07]
Jennifer Prokop
Tell us about your book.
- [113:08]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, tell us something.
- [113:10]
Jennifer Prokop
There is a link. I don't know what it is.
- [113:14]
Sarah MacLean
That's okay. You are going to put it in show notes and we're gonna put it in show notes. Notes have a book coming out or if you know of a book coming out by an author you love, then go ahead and fill this out. We are really excited and I think we did do a better job this time of like incorporating some of these indie kind of self published romances coming out because of this spreadsheet. So we hope that people will continue to use it so that we can do a great job when we drop our summer reads which will be books coming out in July, August and in September.
- [113:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Who has a book coming out in July?
- [113:46]
Sarah MacLean
I don't know.
- [113:47]
Jennifer Prokop
No one.
- [113:47]
Sarah MacLean
Nobody ever. I know nobody. I mean, somebody important. Yes. That would be your book, these Summer Storms.
- [113:54]
Jennifer Prokop
That's true. It comes out July 8th. So anyway, everyone, we love these episodes because they set up our TBR for the next three months is, I think, what I how I feel about them. I'm Sarah McLean. I am here with my friend Jen Prokop. We are Faded Mates. You can listen to this podcast every single Wednesday, you lucky ducks, wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, here's something fun. If you are a listener of the podcast, which you are, if you listen to this episode, you can head over to faded mates.net survey and take our listener survey and really help us think through what's to come in season eight. What? Season eight of this podcast. It shouldn't take you longer than about 10 minutes to fill it out. You can leave us some little fun notes if you'd like, but we'd love to hear from you. So that's@fatedmates.net survey if you are just like very excited about the idea of just talking to people about romance novels and learning about new romance novels, may we recommend our Patreon, which is available at patreon.com fatedmates that Patreon comes with access to the Fated Mates discord, where other listeners are hanging out all the time to talk about romance novels. 24 7, 365 it's crazy over there, but we love everybody who's over there with us and we want you to join us there. Otherwise you can find us online at, on Instagram, Instagram, on threads and on Blue sky. Or you can head over anytime to see the full massive list of books that we recommend or that we talked about today on on the website@faded mates.net just hit show notes and it'll take you right there. Also follow us on bookbub, where all of these books will be listed. Follow us on other places is just follow us everybody. Pagebound. Like I said, we're at pagebound. This will all these will all be on pagebound. It's exciting. We try to be everywhere. Romance domination. Enjoy, everyone. See you next week.
- [116:21]
Sarah MacLean
Sa.