← Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
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- [00:00]
Sarah McLean
Sarah, everyone.
- [00:02]
Jen Prokop
No time for banner.
- [00:04]
Sarah McLean
Jen and I just had, like, a full banner session. And then at the end, I was like, oh, shit, we should have been recording that, because it was funny. And then she said, no time for banter.
- [00:13]
Jen Prokop
This is. I. No, you know what I am right now? I am the fireman, out opening the hydrant for the.
- [00:21]
Sarah McLean
For the block party.
- [00:22]
Jen Prokop
For the block party. And a zillion books are about to shoot out of it.
- [00:26]
Sarah McLean
Everyone I know that in film this happens. Like, the fire. You see this. You see the firemen come and they open.
- [00:32]
Jen Prokop
Open.
- [00:32]
Sarah McLean
Or you don't see it, but you see, like, a party in New York City or Chicago or, like, la. Like a big. A big party in a big city. And like, a block party, and they open the hydrant, and the hydrant shoots water out and the kids run around in it. And I'm here to tell you that is, in fact, true. And for many years before I got to New York, I thought, like, oh, is it like, people know how to open the hydrant? Like, in my head, I was like, this must just be, like, a thing people in cities know how to do, which is insane, by the way. Like, I now, thinking back on it, that would be mayhem if everyone knew how to do this. But no, you literally get, like, a block party, a permit from the city, and the fire department comes to your block in the morning, and they open it up and they put sprinkler covers on them. So it's like, instead of shooting it out so that a toddler just gets shot across the street. It's like a. Like, more like a shower situation.
- [01:28]
Jen Prokop
That's nice.
- [01:29]
Sarah McLean
And it's very nice. And I've also seen it happen on extremely hot days. Like, the fire department will come out and, like, open it on, like, a few streets, and then people can just go and, like, hang out. So that's cool. That's a cool city thing that happens in movies. And also, I can confirm, happens in real life.
- [01:47]
Jen Prokop
There's a community garden up a block from me, and sometimes it seems like when it's, like, planting season, they will. Yeah, like, attach some sort of hose, and everybody's, like, able to water the garden and get it all started or whatever.
- [02:03]
Sarah McLean
The fire. I'm sure they call the fire department and they're like, we're working in the garden today. This is amazing. There are some things that I think the fire department really must enjoy. I think that's one. And I think. I mean, we all know. I don't know if I've Ever. I know you and me and Eric.
- [02:15]
Jen Prokop
I think they enjoy putting on all of their like work stuff, but with like bare chested and going shopping and apparently novel covers. Come on.
- [02:26]
Sarah McLean
Listen, these men, when they go shopping, first of all, why do you need 15 firemen in the grocery store? They ride up in their giant truck. They like double park outside the grocery store. This is New York City truth. This is real. This is facts. And then they all get out of the truck looking, honest to God, real hot. Like there's something about firemen. Like, listen, you could keep every other uniform. Firemen are very hot. Run in Destiny. Yeah, run anyway. And then. And they just like, they like, everybody is just speechless. Like even the men are like, holy cannoli, look at these guys. And that's why they travel in a pack, I think just to like.
- [03:11]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, right, sure. Create a buffer zone.
- [03:15]
Sarah McLean
I mean, my favorite is one time my daughter was like, oh God, two and a half, three little.
- [03:22]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [03:22]
Sarah McLean
And we lived around the corner from a grocery store and we were coming out of the grocery store and a fire and a particular fireman store coming in had a parking lot. And so there was a truck, like a big fire truck. And of course, like when they're two or whatever, you know, you're like, oh, look at the like.
- [03:39]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, right, of course.
- [03:40]
Sarah McLean
You know, you identify everything.
- [03:42]
Jen Prokop
Sure.
- [03:42]
Sarah McLean
And so you're like, look at this fire truck. And she's like, yeah. And then like the door open and they all like piled out like clowns. And she was like. And she. And then they all like walk past her with like big smiles. Because it's the other thing, the people they send to the grocery store, it's like the 25 year olds, they're all sweet babies, every one of them with a dimple. I don't know, you got to pass a hot test to. To get into the ny.
- [04:09]
Jen Prokop
Working at a school, you know, they have, you have fire drills a couple times a year and they come and you know, that's nice. That's nice for everybody.
- [04:17]
Sarah McLean
Sure. But wait, where was I? Oh, I wanted to say though, so besides, you know, dressing up and going to the grocery store to like, you know, freeze women in their tracks. The other thing that I think firemen in New York City, at least everywhere love doing is when there is a reason to hook up a hose and there is a car in front of the fire.
- [04:43]
Jen Prokop
Oh, yeah. God, that scene in that one movie where they're like, we're just like breaking out the window on the Mercedes.
- [04:50]
Sarah McLean
And the reality is you guys, they don't tow. There's no time. You. They'd have to get a tow truck. So they just break your windows and send this. Send the hose directly through the car. If you park. If you. If you park in a hydrant spot. And I would bet that they fight over who gets to do that.
- [05:06]
Jen Prokop
Oh, heck yeah. Like, maybe they have to. Yeah, sure. Somebody.
- [05:09]
Sarah McLean
It's on rotation. It's my turn.
- [05:10]
Jen Prokop
It's my turn. Like they get to call dibs or something.
- [05:15]
Sarah McLean
Anyway, if you are a. If you know about inner city firemen and their favorite parts of the job, please report in.
- [05:25]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [05:26]
Sarah McLean
Anyway, we're talking about this because firemen are hot and so is summer.
- [05:29]
Jen Prokop
Yes. Well, not here in Chicago. We've had a very cool summer.
- [05:33]
Sarah McLean
I know it's pouring rain here in New York, too.
- [05:35]
Jen Prokop
It's what it is. I can't even get upset about it.
- [05:38]
Sarah McLean
Anymore because in the southern hemisphere, it's not hot. But just go with it, Jen. My God, I was making a nice little segue.
- [05:44]
Jen Prokop
Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry. I have had my air conditioning on once. Okay. Anyway, what we're going to be doing is it's the summer. Yeah. The quarterly New Reads episode. Now, for those of you who are like, my TB is TBR is already too big. I need you to flee right now. Flee for your own safety. We are about to talk about, I am sure, 50 books in the next hour or two. So the rest of you, the thing to also remember is if you have one of those podcasting apps that like, shows you there's too many books to do that. So instead you need to go to the website for this one and there will be a, like, sort of by month. Right. By month of release. And that's how we do it. And then we'll. I'll put them into the photo array in the same order that we talk about them. So hopefully you will be able to find this book and then maybe pre order it for yourself so that it appears later. And you're like, what's this? A gift. You gave yourself a gift from the box.
- [06:45]
Sarah McLean
From you and us. We would like credit. Yes, yes. When you open that box, just be like, oh, thanks, Sarah and Jen.
- [06:53]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, right, of course.
- [06:54]
Sarah McLean
And then anybody around you who's complaining about how much money you spent on books, just say, it was a gift from us. That's. That's from my friends Sarah and Jen.
- [07:00]
Jen Prokop
That's how it works.
- [07:01]
Sarah McLean
Okay, so wait, can we talk about pre ordering just for a second? It comes up every. Every once in A while. And so, and I don't think we always talk about it, but why not talk about it now when you could also preorder one of my books? I mean, just sort of off the cuff. Pre orders are important. We don't all do them. In fact, most of us don't do them because you know what, your money is your money, and you should keep it in your bank account until you're ready to spend it. And you know, things are, things are tough out there. But if you are in a position to be able to pre order, and when I say pre order, I mean I include, like, ask your library maybe.
- [07:38]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [07:39]
Sarah McLean
To make sure this book is on their list. So there are lots of different ways for you to pre order, but if you are in a position to. It is actually really great for authors because the way that structurally the way books work is obviously like, I have a book out now, but I have, I am like right up at, near, nearing the end of a different book. Right. So we're writing the next book. Everything is, we're, we're, many of us are one or two books already down the line. And the sales on our current book or the pre orders on our current book might inspire our publishers to say, buy another book from us or, you know, support us in some way. And so they, if they see that a lot of people are into a book that's on the list in September right now, that means, like, they might put some more marketing money behind it. They might spend a little more time paying attention to that book. Other bookstores might notice. Other readers may notice. So listen, you have to do what you have to do. Pre ordering is not essential. You can certainly come to a book whenever you want. But, but if you happen to be wondering about pre orders, they do in fact help. They do indicate support to the publisher and to stores. And if there's a, if there's an author on this list, particularly a queer author or an author of color who you think, oh, that book does sound good. Pre ordering would be terrific. Again, you can also pre order by ordering from your library or if it's not in your library system yet, contacting your local library system and saying, hey, could you guys order? I'm requesting that you order.
- [09:24]
Jen Prokop
Right, right. And sometimes there's actually like a form for that. And you can also essentially do that Right. On Libby. Right. If you use like the Libby app, if they don't have a book, you can, there's sort of like a menu and you can get to like, I, I'm Interested in you getting this book or whatever.
- [09:40]
Sarah McLean
So it's interesting because in the summer, often I am in a tiny little library in Rhode island which has 32, you know, population 32 the town. But the town is very, very well funded for a reason that you will learn about in the storms episode coming up. And I literally asked them a couple times over the summer, last summer, like, you know, do you think we could get this book? And literally they ordered it and it was just there. So if you live in a small town, just ask your librarian, how do you get a book? And often there is a budget for it.
- [10:14]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, pre ordering is important, and if you can do it, it is a great thing to do. And sometimes people wait around for like Barnes and Noble will have that, like, kind of 30% off pre order.
- [10:25]
Sarah McLean
Oh, and wait, this is a good time for us to talk about Pocket Books.
- [10:28]
Jen Prokop
Oh, yeah.
- [10:29]
Sarah McLean
Pocket bookshop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a standing 15% off. If you pre order a book and use the code pre order and checkout, you get 15% off. So, like, support a local indie. Support an indie that's queer and woman owned, that's anti racist, that's feminist. That's all the good things. And 15% off.
- [10:51]
Jen Prokop
All right, so our plan here today, everybody, is we're going to talk about a couple June stragglers. Right? But our primary focus here is July, August, September. And what we will be doing is essentially, I can't promise the books will be in order, like, right, like in the month. But like, we'll sort of note, okay, we're moving to July. And then if your podcasting app supports it and you look down, you'll see the month, the name of the month, you know, in like a pretty font or whatever. And then you can, like I said, go to the podcast, the. The website, and then all the books we talk about will be there in order. And hopefully that will help you find which one we. Which ones we talked about. So, Sarah, do you want to start? We have a couple June books.
- [11:36]
Sarah McLean
I do. So I want to start. We've already talked about this book a couple of times, but I just want to say out loud that on the 24th, which is MIA Sosa's launch day for when Javi dumped Mari, which is a second chance romance. This one's for anybody who, you know, wants to see a romance that was absolutely destroyed, then rekindled. We love Mia here. She's terrific and a terrific person.
- [12:07]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. In fact, if you are. Are in Chicago, I will be at the last chapter with Mia On I think Monday, May 30 to talk about her new book. So if you're hearing this, come, come join us. It'd be really fun.
- [12:23]
Sarah McLean
So can we just say I, I would. I did not realize this, but if you have seen the Materialists and you really enjoyed it, this is a book for you because it is a similar. What I love is in the first paragraph of the description of this book, it says, you know, Marisol is, is, is engaged to a Pedro Pascal knockoff and her like childhood sweetheart, falling apart hobby comes in, like gets in the mix. So if you enjoy that vibe, there you go. Which, you know, who doesn't enjoy a Pedro Pascal vibe? You're gonna love this.
- [13:04]
Jen Prokop
Okay. I have a YA book for June and I think it's. I like that we're kind of trying to do a couple of those in case you're looking for a book either for your kids or like a YA reader in your life or maybe just you want to buddy, read with your own kids. This one is called Best Summer Ever by Jessica Consolo. And it has like sort of two kind of young women as like the main character. So like Jenna, who just really, you know, is like a real Virgo type, she's everything in control and doesn't like making decisions. Everyone's making plans and moving on, right? Like, and she's just like, I don't like this. So she decides to essentially throw a big like week long end of summer extravaganza at her family's lake house just to like sort of cement her place in like the school hierarchy. What could go wrong? And I think a lot of like kind of friendships tested and things going on, including Olivia, who's just found out her long term boyfriend has cheated on her. And so she is looking, looking for. Right. So like that's kind of like two of the plot lines that are gonna like all happen together at the big. Best summer ever, week long. Oh boy. I think a lot of things can go wrong as an adult. I read these and I'm like, oh, girls, just be safe. But it looks really fun and I think that that might be a really great book for you to look at with your kids. So. Best Summer Ever by Jessica Consolo.
- [14:33]
Sarah McLean
Okay. Also out this week is this is a new author for me, but Lily Moore, or I don't, I think it's probably pronounced Lily. Lily Moore has Keeping the Countess out this week. This one is Jonah Sinclair, who is a reverend but also has survived the deadly streets of London with two well trained Fists. So, you know, I'm kind of for it is is headed for revenge. His father's been killed and he is about to just like give up reverending in order to get revenge because those two things do not go hand in hand. So he takes a position as a tutor in the Earl of Rochford's estate and believing that there is something there on this estate that will lead him to his father's murder. But instead he finds himself drawn to the Earl's abandoned countess who is struggling to defend her crumbling estate, to protect her child, and to resist this sexy fist wielding revenge man.
- [15:54]
Jen Prokop
Amazing. I'm not even mad about it.
- [15:56]
Sarah McLean
Okay, so that is Keeping the Countess by Lily Moore.
- [16:00]
Jen Prokop
Okay. I have. Okay. Everybody knows I'm like super into the fact that time travel seems to be back.
- [16:09]
Sarah McLean
Yeah, it really does.
- [16:10]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. And one of the things that's really interesting about it is like the first wave of time travel was like people going back and a lot of these are people coming forward. So in this. An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward thorn. Scarlet is 39 year old witch who can't find love in the 17th century. She's got a local matchmaker on it, a arsenal of powerful love potions, but she just can't make it work out until she essentially brews a potion that backfires so spectacularly she is hurled 350 years into the future, landing in a bustling city where her once isolated cottage is now a historical museum. Which I think is really smart.
- [16:54]
Sarah McLean
Amazing.
- [16:55]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [16:55]
Sarah McLean
And so amazing.
- [16:57]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. Isn't that great? And I'm really excited to read this one. And this one is like I said, out now and I'm just like, yeah, so she's. I just think that's great. I'm really excited to read that.
- [17:09]
Sarah McLean
Really fun. Wait, tell me the title again.
- [17:11]
Jen Prokop
An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward. So you.
- [17:18]
Sarah McLean
I'm writing that down. I could check show notes later everybody. But why would I do that? Do as I say, not as I do.
- [17:28]
Jen Prokop
I don't even know what to say about that, Sarah.
- [17:30]
Sarah McLean
Okay, my last one for June. I'm really intrigued by this because I have followed Katie Storino on Instagram for years. Katie is a plus sized influencer. She's in her 40s and she's kind of famous on Instagram for doing the like plus size the look posts where like she'll take a celebrity like fashion plate or like a paparazzi photo and then she will like she'll style herself that way. And show you like basically like how this work, this look can look good on like on a larger body too. I love her. She is somebody who like is such like so body positive. Like she's like, she's like if you love color, like wear color for swimsuits, like be happy in your body because this is the world that we live in and it's crazy and you should be happy. So she has written like a. It seems like it's. It is romance sort of edging into commercial fiction. So the protagonist is recently divorced.
- [18:40]
Jen Prokop
Name of it, Sarah. Sorry.
- [18:41]
Sarah McLean
Oh, I'm sorry. It's called Sunny side Up.
- [18:43]
Jen Prokop
Okay.
- [18:44]
Sarah McLean
And Sunny the name, that's the name of the character. She is like, she is has just is recently divorced. She is. Her little brother is getting married. She has to go to the wedding by herself. Like we find her in Bergdorf's swimsuit department just like looking for anything plus size. It's impossible. She is great. But she's like she is. Her business is great, her work life is great but like everything else is a little bit chaotic. And so this book is really about like her going to like figuring out who she is but with the help of Dennis, her charming and down to earth mailman or perhaps Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size inclusive swimsuit brand a reality. So like, sounds like this might work if like you're interested in There Are two again, the Materialists is here. It's like two kind of decent people and, and how did. Whatever happens. So I'm not sure how romancy this is but I will say I really like Katie's whole brand on Instagram. I think it's really authentic and has I say that because like it's years and years in the making. But I don't know, I don't know her. But this seems like it'll be fun. And I did download it and I am going to read it. That's Sunny side Up by Katie Storino.
- [20:14]
Jen Prokop
In case you're more like the materialist. But make it three would be Party of Three by Christopher Rice. Right.
- [20:20]
Sarah McLean
C Tries right on my list too.
- [20:22]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. And that one comes out I think end of June. Right. Might be out this week. So we've got Buckley Mitchell, a charming, warm hearted emt. He already has a. Or he's just the boyfriend Mateo Keno needs to help him sort of like. Right. Like Buckley's been really repressing his true self and so but Mateo has like a complicated relationship situationship with his best friend from his Marine Corps Days. That's Master Sergeant Jeff Braxton. And so it looks like these three are going to figure it out. Which really, honestly is the only way a love triangle needs to end is in all of you in bed together. So that's Party of Three by C. Travis Rice. And that is part of the Sapphire Cove kind of world. We've talked about those books a bunch.
- [21:13]
Sarah McLean
I love that.
- [21:14]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [21:14]
Sarah McLean
And. And I cannot wait to read it. So.
- [21:17]
Jen Prokop
Also, Harper St. George has Eliza and the Duke out this month. In case you're looking for historicals.
- [21:25]
Sarah McLean
This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Kara Kentley, author of Another Summer.
- [21:31]
Jen Prokop
Ten years ago, College sweethearts Miles and Avery were the perfect couple. They met working at a lakeside resort in Maine and it was like perfect, magical summer. They were like blueberry pancakes and maple syru. But by summer's end, things had turned sticky and Miles abruptly ended things. And they haven't spoken since. But now they are both successful people, self made millionaires. I love this. So, so regular with a regular little M. And the owner of this resort suffers a family emergency, and both Avery and Miles have the opportunity to go back and help essentially keep the resort afloat for the summer. Avery's had a tough go of it. She has had to leave a cheating fiance, and she just is kind of just wants to play it safe and she doesn't really have the mental energy to give Miles what he wants, which seems to be a second chance. He's now a tech entrepreneur and a semi famous serial dater living in New York, and he really feels like Avery was the only woman who's really kind of understood him and he really wants to make amends and make up for those past hurts. But she is determined to keep him a canoe paddle distance away. So what's gonna happen when Avery and Miles discover that maybe they do still have feelings for each other? Is this the summer they figure out what they really are? Friends, lovers, enemy? Or just exes who couldn't make it work?
- [23:03]
Sarah McLean
Well, if you love a contemporary second chance romance with ghosted exes in a small town and pining because Maine is the Pine Tree State, Jen, then you just might love another summer. You can find it right now in print or in ebook. And the COVID of this book is so pretty. It's this beautiful, pretty watercolor, so make sure you check that out too. If your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Cara Kentley for sponsoring this week's Episode.
- [23:38]
Jen Prokop
Sarah, it's on to July.
- [23:40]
Sarah McLean
July. Ok, going to start. Hang on. I'm going to pull up my whole.
- [23:44]
Jen Prokop
My whole list. Exactly.
- [23:46]
Sarah McLean
Oh, my God. We got to move. We got to move.
- [23:48]
Jen Prokop
I know. That's what I'm saying. I was like, no time for banter. And we talked about firemen for 10 minutes.
- [23:54]
Sarah McLean
You know what? Sometimes I get distracted by firemen. I don't know what to say. Okay, I'm going to start with Enemies with an Earl by Lizzy. Cause so this one is out July 15th and this, the. The tagline for this is an Earl really shouldn't sleep with his valid. Or should he? And my thing is he absolutely should as long as everybody's having a good time. So Felix Jennings, our Earl, has spent his life guarding his family's safety and his preference for men. And now he's sort of stuck with a man who he has been attracted to for a long time, for a week, and is. Is kind of scared that he is going to not be able to keep control. Unfortunately, this man makes a full ass of himself and Felix does realizes that he just doesn't want to be a part of this. That said, his valid and best friend is with him. Also can't stand this handsome Earl. And Sam the valet is forced to. To help him, kind of help Felix keep his secrets and keep away from this man who he's had a crush on for so long. And this is the two of them falling in love and working out the fact that they not only work together, but also are two men in love in. In the Regency. So that's Lizzy causes enemies with an Earl.
- [25:29]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so I have the Summer you are Mine by Jill Francis. And everybody, the cool thing about this, I'm not gonna lie, is that Jill is a huge Fated mates fan. So we have, I have a, a copy of this and I think it's really cool to think about all of the people out there listening to the podcast who are like, I'm gonna write one of these. I think it's awesome. So in this one, it's a second chance romance between Ellie and Chris. Now, they had a teenage romance because they both, both their families are from Italy's coast. And so now it's like 15 years later and they are returning to this town for the wedding of her grandmother to his grandfather, which I like, really love. So Ellie and they're both kind of in like a real transition point in their lives. Ellie had a career ending hot mic incident. Chris is a retired Olympic swimmer, which I also am really interested in. And he has faced some accusations that he's been doping. And so there's just, like, a lot going on with both of them. And so as they return home and sort of, like, kind of rekindle their teenage kind of romance into an adult affair, they have to figure out, like, what they're gonna let go of, how they're gonna figure out, you know, kind of who they both really are and what happened all those years ago and rediscover love together. So that is the Summer your Were Mine by Jill Francis.
- [27:01]
Sarah McLean
I am going to talk about Give Me a Reason by J.C. lee, which is out July 29th. And this is. We've talked about J.C. before. We. We love her books here. And this is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion that's got, like, a K drama twist. So this is a K drama. Actress gets a second chance with the man she left to save her family. And now she's got to work up some courage to apologize, reckon with the past, and risk her heart on forever. So it's been 10 years since Anne and Frederick were together. And to save her father from bankruptcy, she dropped out of college. She pursued an acting career in Korea. And she left him. She stopped him from. She sort of. It sounds like she. Harry and the Hendersons. This guy to keep him from following her, ruining his own plans. But now. So he talk about firefighters, though. He followed his dream. He's a firefighter in Culver City. I bet a Charming. I bet he's got a dimple. And now she's back to Los Angeles, and they are in the same wedding. And it is going to be very difficult for these two to avoid the past and make the Future. So that's J.C. lee's. Give me a Reason. The COVID of this book is so sweet.
- [28:32]
Jen Prokop
Oh, yeah. That was a good cover.
- [28:33]
Sarah McLean
Well, yeah, I'm excited for this one.
- [28:36]
Jen Prokop
Okay.
- [28:37]
Sarah McLean
All right.
- [28:38]
Jen Prokop
I'm gonna talk about. I'm not even really the pretense of me trying to connect these. Sometimes I'm like, I'm just gonna talk.
- [28:43]
Sarah McLean
About this one next.
- [28:44]
Jen Prokop
Okay. I'm gonna talk about Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho. And in this one, we have a rival.
- [28:51]
Sarah McLean
I have that one, too.
- [28:52]
Jen Prokop
See, of course, we have also another real cover. Right. So it's Rivals to Lovers Romance, where we've got kind of two lawyers in. Charles has always played by the rules. He was an outsider at his, like, posh London board English boarding school, and now he's, you know, but he, like, figured it out and like learned that world and now he has a high pressure job at a really big corporate firm in London. And so you know, his job is his life and he likes it that way. Until she shows up and she is Korea. She has her long term boyfriend has broken up with her. She feels really like trapped in her legal career and needs a fresh start. But it turns out this new job is at the same firm as her work nemesis. She just keeps running into him. You know, they've at you know, legal stuff or whatever. And so now he's her office mate and. And so they are trying to figure out how to like work together with navigating their real kind of enemies vibe when it. But her boss keeps hitting on her and so he agrees to pretend to date her essentially to like give her some cover there. So all of a sudden these enemies are friends and then something else. So that's behind frenemy lines.
- [30:17]
Sarah McLean
Nice. So I want to talk about how freaking romantic by Emily Harding. You all maybe know Emily Harding as one half of the duo that wrote The Emma of 83rd Street, Anne of Avenue a series like Elizabeth V. Stampton. But this is Emily's first solo book and it is the, the, the tea up here is very cute. So Beatrice is our heroine and she's a lawyer and she is like pretty pissed off about a lot of things including like the wage gap and repayments, the student loan scandals and other things. But this is what makes her such a good friend. Like she is just like she is somebody who like she just feels like there is justice to be done in the world. So when her best friend, her best friends break up and, and file for divorce, the divorce proceedings get real ugly and she ends up having to pick up the pieces. But she needs to first get like rid of her anger in the situation. So she storms the off office of Nathan Asher, her friend's ex husband's divorce lawyer and she tells him exactly what he can do with his divorce petition. And. But what ends up happening is of course these two end up meeting again after this embarrassing. This embarrassing or she does a great job I think telling him exactly what he can do with his divorce petition. And then she shows up at her loss at her office a few days later because now he is her new colleague and he, they have to work together and he ends up being like kind of smart and handsome and patient and all the things that he should not be if she's going to officially hate him forever, which is what a good friend would be would do. So that's Called How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding. And that is out. I don't know. July 1st. July 1st.
- [32:29]
Jen Prokop
Okay. All right, so I'm gonna talk about One More Time by Emily S. Morris. Remember on our Second Chance episode, we said there's a ton of second chance. Here we go. But one of these is that. Okay, so Lucy Rollins and Nikki Broome, who had like this unbelievable one night stand back in the 90s, and he was a big, like big rock star. And he wrote a song about it. And then like for months everyone was trying to figure out, like, who is the girl in this song. But now it is three marriages later for Lucy, 28 years later for the two of them, and she like runs into him in all like a hallway out. You know, they're both going to this destination, a glamorous destination wedding. And it kind of feels like fate. Like maybe that one night stand has a real chance of becoming something real all these years later. So, right. Is it finally time to press play on a relationship? Not just this like big dramatic thing? So the girl in the song becomes the girl for real, only she's a woman now. So that is One More Time by Emily S. Morris.
- [33:43]
Sarah McLean
Jen?
- [33:44]
Jen Prokop
Yes.
- [33:44]
Sarah McLean
Welcome to Fate of mates. I'm Sarah McLean. I read romance novels and I write them.
- [33:53]
Jen Prokop
I'm Jennifer pro cop romance reader editor. And we're still in July. Take it away, Sarah. We don't have time for that.
- [34:00]
Sarah McLean
No time for introductions.
- [34:02]
Jen Prokop
No.
- [34:02]
Sarah McLean
I hope, I hope the theme song is currently playing.
- [34:06]
Jen Prokop
That'd be amazing. You know, we talked about a rock star. We could talk about these summer storms for a minute. Since it's July.
- [34:11]
Sarah McLean
It is July. I do have a book up. Let's talk a book about a book that is also out on July. So when your storms pre order comes through, maybe you'd like Alyssa Sussman's totally and completely fine to come through as well. You know Alyssa from Funny you should ask, but this it. This book is about Lauren Parker, who is in who lives in a small Montana town. And she has played a lot of different roles in this town. She's been a teenage hellraiser. She is the sister of superstar Gabe Parker, and she is now sort of a tragically widowed single mother. She never cared much about what people in this town thought about her, but she is dealing with some pretty significant grief over the loss of her husband and she feels like pretty adrift. Of course, Alyssa loves a celebrity romance and so do I. So thanks to her brother, on the set of her brother's new movie, she meets Handsome actor Ben Walsh. And they have instant chemistry. And Lauren realizes that it's been a long, long time since she has felt, like, truly seen, since she has, like, had big feelings for somebody. And while she really wants to, and her instinct is to dive headfirst into this romance, the reality is that, like, now she's got other. Other things that are. That are ish. At issue here. She is still grieving her husband. She has a child, and now she has to balance, like, the small town of it all, the rumors, the complications of fame, celebrity, Normie. I love it. And her daughter's unpredictable moods and response to all of this. So can this be, I think an unsuspecting fling? Or rather, is an unexpected fling, like, even remotely possible? And what happens when, like, it's not a fling. It is actually something real? So that is Alyssa Sussman's totally and completely fine, and it is out July 8th.
- [36:26]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so you're talking about celebrities, so I'm going to talk about Love is a war song by Donica Nava. In this one, we have Muskegoe, pop star, and, like, real famous singer Avery Fox kind of becomes a joke after posing on the COVID of Rolling Stone in a feather war bonnet. And she meant it to be a statement of her success about being a Native American singer, but instead turns her into a pariah, and everybody's calling her a fake. So, you know, she. Her career is at a standstill, and so she decides to go kind of back home to her grandmother Lottie's ranch in Oklahoma. And she hasn't lived on the res before, the reservation before. And so she's, like, gonna go to work and earn her keep. But the man who runs Lottie's ranch despises her and wants her gone. And that is Lucas Iron Eyes. This, the Red Fox Ranch has been his home since he was 16. And he, like, really is, like, one of those guys who just, like, keeps it really tight. He has rules that he, you know, he's just all about the horses, preserving the culture and just, like, sticking to himself. And though to have a pop singer who is just, like, like, you know, a big, huge personality on the ranch, he just can't get her out. He just wants her out of there, and he really wants her out of his head. So these two are going to have to, like, kind of save the ranch, and he's gonna really, like, help her get back in touch with, like, her roots as a Native American, as an Indian. So she's like. It's purely transactional. No horsing around. But what's gonna happen? You will find out when you read Love is a War Song.
- [38:07]
Sarah McLean
So since you started talking about pop stars, I've got a bunch of, there are a bunch of pop star books coming out or music adjacent books coming out. So we should talk about August by Regina Black. Regina wrote Art of the Scandal, which lots of people have, have really loved. And she's back with a new book. So here's the premise. Luke Randall, the hero here is a former country music heartthrob who is like kind of a one hit wonder. He wrote a. He, there's a song he's, he is most famous for a song called Another Love Song. And he has to play it like anytime he plays. And now he goes once a week to this like interstate motel off like just somewhere like off the highway. And he has to sing this song like basically once a week to a group of people in a motel. It's the only money he really, he still gets. But he gets this opportunity to open on tour with his childhood idol, a 90s era black country music star, JoJo Lane, who is being in inducted into the Country Music hall of Fame. The concert that he's been asked to open on though is in a small town in Arkansas, a town that Luke left when he was a kid and swore he'd never return to. And going back means he has to face not only his childhood and his past, but JoJo's daughter, August Lane, who Jen wrote the song oh boy, he's always claimed was his. So when Luke shows up, it's 10 years later. The betrayal is keen and August doesn't want to make amends. Instead, she wants to expose him and say yeah, and tell the truth about the song that he stole. But she'll keep quiet if they can co write a new song together and he has a chance to perform it at her mother's concert. Something that will launch her mother, launch August into her own career and change her future and write her future. So these two have to work together. They're a secret. There are lies, there's a, a juicy past. And I think probably a pretty juicy present too on the table here.
- [40:35]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I'm gonna talk about Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez. And this one starts out for anybody who has ever been like so fed up with their job that they just wish they could just like quit on the spot and walk out. That is what Lily Lyon does. She essentially is on a company retreat in Miami and it's like real corporate and you know, lockdown and she's wearing an uncomfort suit even though it's like a million degrees outside. And a newcomer is sort of given credit for like all the work she's done and she just like, looks around is like, I don't want to do this anymore. And she just like quits her job, walks out and then decides she doesn't even want to go back to New York. So instead she finds a sort of like long term Airbnb rental in a beautiful like art deco building on Miami Beach. And across the hall, her across the hall neighbor is Benedicto Romero. And Ben has won a McGenius a MacArthur genius grant for his work in translation. But it turns out the two things, the things that these two have in common is actually a love of romance novels. So she is like writing a review on like a Goodreads type platform and he is responding to her reviews and they figure out that they like, both love romances and they decide to start a like romance book reading club in the building.
- [41:58]
Sarah McLean
Adorable.
- [41:59]
Jen Prokop
It is a great book. It's really fun. If you love romance. The tight, tight, like tight knit community of like people in the building, like sort of start joining in and then because of the social media frenzy around this, they end up having a romance podcast. Fine, I'll allow it. It's really cute. Ben and Lily have a great romance and it's just like a great book about community and romance itself. So that's Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez. This week's episode of Fated Mates is brought to you by Pocket Bookshop, an eclectic feminist bookstore owned and operated by three best friends from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- [42:46]
Sarah McLean
So I've talked a million times about Pocket. We've talked about Pocket. We love Pocket. It's one of the cutest independent bookstores in Pennsylvania. In this beautiful big old Victorian house. They have a huge romance selection and this very great opportunity for anybody who wants to support an indie bookstore where if you pre order any book at all, and I talked about this at the beginning of the episode, but I'm going to talk about it now because they have an ad with us. If you pre order any book from Pocket and you use the code pre order on checkout, you get 15% off your pre order, which is pretty great. Like this is the way that you can support a cool indie bookstore that loves romance and is just like putting good into the world regularly. What's more is if you still haven't pre ordered these summer storms, you can do that and get it signed from Pocket. I'm Gonna head down there on July 6, the day before my release week begins. And I'm gonna sign all the copies of these summer storms that they have. You can pre order storms or any romance novel or any book in general that isn't out yet right now at the Pocket website and use the code pre order and you'll get 15% off everybody.
- [44:10]
Jen Prokop
You can check out Pocketbook Shop at their website, which is Pocketbooks Shop. So there's like a double S in there dot com. And then at the top of their site they have a current pre order campaign where you can find the information about these summer storms as well as subscriptions, surprise boxes, and lots of other great things. If your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to the website. Thanks to Pocket Bookshop for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [44:41]
Sarah McLean
Kate Meter has a new book out.
- [44:43]
Jen Prokop
I know.
- [44:44]
Sarah McLean
Sweet Thing Book 1 of the Chicago Players hockey series. So enjoy everybody. I'm very excited. So this is a single dad nanny age gap hockey romance. So if you love any of those tropes, you are about to get them in the very best way from Kate, who is an absolute pro. Lars, our hero has just found out that he is a father. His one night stand a while ago one night stand shows up and says you've got a kid and then hands him his brand new daughter and he immediately has to like get it together. So she what he does is he goes looking for somebody who can travel with the team and be a nanny for him and he finds her in the daughter of his teammate and closest friend because of course he does and she. So he hires Adeline to be his nanny and take care of his baby. And while he is hockeying around the country. Except she has had a crush on him forever and now she is having to deal with the fact that she is really down bad for her dad's best friend. Listen, did I immediately one click this? I immediate I am trash for like three of these tropes. So it's going to be a great time. I know that to be true. That's Kate Meader's sweet thing and it's out July 15th.
- [46:33]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I am going to talk about a historical best luck bride by Laura Lee Gerke, who has been around for a long time. Yeah, right.
- [46:49]
Sarah McLean
Great at the job.
- [46:50]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. So let me hold on everybody. Okay, so this is the third book in the Scandal at the Savoy series. So this is a Victorian romance where an unlucky lady finally believes that her fate is changing until the rake that broke her heart returns to town. So K. Matheson is our heroine. Her first engagement failed her. Her second was ruined by gossip about the first. And she's basically resigned to being like, listen, I'm a spinster and it's fine. But an American millionaire has offered for her hand and she's like, all right, I finally landed myself a live one, or at least a rich one. But the scoundrel who broke her heart arrives in town with his own fiance. His name is Devlin Sharp. He's finally become a success and he's not gonna let an old flame derail all his of hard work. But they come back and they get back together and all of a sudden a searing kiss threatens both their wedding plans and their futures. And maybe K is going to be the bad luck bride all over again. So that sounds great and I just think Laura Lee Gerke writes a great one. So that is.
- [48:07]
Sarah McLean
She really, really does.
- [48:08]
Jen Prokop
Bad luck bride.
- [48:10]
Sarah McLean
Okay. Elliot Fletcher, who writes writes these modern day Scott contemporary romances is has the second book in her McCabe Brothers series out July 8th. The book is called Scotch on the Rocks. And it's an opposite, an opposites attract romance between our heroine, who Juniper, who is, has a very clear rule which is she doesn't look, talk or think about McCabe brothers like they are trouble and she just, it's best if she steers clear of them. Except it's very difficult for June to follow her own rules considering one of the brothers is in love with her best friend. One is her ex fiance and the third is super hot small town hero Callum McCabe. Which means that this romance is about a woman and her ex fiance's brother. Another trope I just can't get enough of. So what happens when Callum starts popping up everywhere? Especially when Juniper is at her most vulnerable? Feels like she's gonna have to break some rules. So that's scotch on the rocks out July 8th, lots of things out July.
- [49:33]
Jen Prokop
8Th, lots of things out July 8th. Okay, I have. Oh, this one sounds honestly really fun. It's called Roll for Romance by Lenora woods and it is a Dungeons and Dragons romance. And I think that sounds nice.
- [49:49]
Sarah McLean
So I have another one later in the, in the summer I think.
- [49:56]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so in this one, Sadie Brooks Fox has lost her marketing job. She leaves New York City to spend summer with her best friend in small town Texas where she is going to join his Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It's the perfect distraction while she like basically like gets her life together. And the best part about it is in the game, she is Jaylee, right? Like a powerful human cleric blessed by the goddess of luck. And in real life, she's just like, my luck has run out. And she meets Noah Walker. He is a bartender roped into joining their party as the character Lauren, who is an adventurous and charismatic loot strumming elf. So essentially, it's like their characters are gonna fall in love, just as they also fall in love. But I think one of the problems is that Noah never stays in place for long. She has a new opportunity in New York. But do they. Have they both found something in Texas worth staying around for? So I don't know. I just think that sounds really fun. Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods.
- [51:05]
Sarah McLean
Lucy Score has a book out also on July 8th. Everybody not part of the plan is coming. This one is for. I mean, everybody loves Lucy. I'm just making sure you all know that. July 8th, there's something coming for you. A photographer who is a love em and leave them bad boy with a leather jacket, motorcycle, and sexy as sin grin. And Emma Merrill, who is a feisty brewery manager who refuses to be impressed by his charm or the fact that as a photographer, he's just like, in and out, no strings attached. She's looking for love. He is looking for one night because relationships lead to heartache for him. Jen.
- [51:53]
Jen Prokop
Poor baby.
- [51:54]
Sarah McLean
Poor baby. So he's only in town to get his mojo back. And guess who brings his mojo back for him.
- [52:03]
Jen Prokop
All right, I have one more, I think for July, and that is. And there's more, but I'm gonna say the Soulgazer, which is a romantasy about a rakish pirate. And I was like, I want to read this. Okay, so unfortunately, she's got that name that's like, Irish and I don't know how to say shore. She.
- [52:26]
Sarah McLean
Oh, Sorsha.
- [52:27]
Jen Prokop
Sorsha, sure. She has been cursed from childhood with like, a real, like, volatile magic. And she basically, the only way she lives with it is by, like, locking it in. And then one, she's really afraid it'll break deep free. And like, one day it does. And so she. Her parents essentially are so horrified at this that they offer her hand to the cold and ruthless Stone King. And she's like, I gotta break this curse. So she seeks out the Wolf of the Wild. He's a feral silver tongue pirate. I just stopped reading right there and was into it. And so anyway, these two Sorsha and Faolin are gonna like, run off to the pirate world, try and control her magic, figure out what's wrong with her disgraced father? Her betrothed? The betrothed is chasing after them. And the only thing failin says is if you want on this ship, you're gonna have to marry me first. Bam. That is the Soulgazer by Maggie. Maggie Rapier.
- [53:31]
Sarah McLean
Cool. I have a YA historical that I just want to tag, which is the Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabel, also out July 8. And it's billed as Bridgerton meets the Davenports, following a young black woman trying to balance her independence with her future in 1860s London's high society. So Stella, our heroine, has been sort of banished from etiquette lessons. She is unsure of her future. She dreams of being a writer. She was wants to be independent. She doesn't want to get married or go into servitude, which are the options for a kind of brash, dark skinned girl in London in the 1860s. But her late mother's former employer summons her to London and tells her that he intends to bequeath this brilliant Stella with one of his great estates. And this is is freaking life changing. Unfortunately, there is going to be a legal battle when his family finds out about this and it would all be easier if Stella were married. So she and her cousin Olivia head into London society to basically like navigate a season and find love. And they. What they find, or what Stella finds is Nathaniel, her childhood best friend, who's like something of a rake, but maybe willing to help Stella sort the marriage market thing and all the kind of intriguing opportunities that come for a young woman of means in 1860.
- [55:10]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so go. Sorry.
- [55:13]
Sarah McLean
If you are interested in ya historicals or if you have a young person in your life who might be really interested in learning about historical romance, this looks like it's a great, great entry point into the wide world of the historicals that Jen and I read when we were far too young to read them.
- [55:32]
Jen Prokop
All right, I actually lied. And I have two more I want to talk about really quick. You said ya. And CB Lee, who is one of my favorite YA authors, has a new book out called Coffee Shop in an alternate universe. In this one, a geeky overachiever who's determined to save the world through science and troublemaking essentially, like lashes out against her destiny and she like falls in love at a magical coffee shop where two different universes sort of collide. And so Brenda is the one who essentially is like, you know, my Internet's going out right before an important scholarship deadline stumbles into Cat's family Coffee shop. And she's like really like blown away by how cool and confident and awesome Kat is. And so these two young women kind of cannot stop thinking about each other without like, essentially though they are from different universes, so they need to find a portal where they can meet to go on a second date. I really love C.B. lee's YA books.
- [56:29]
Sarah McLean
They're great.
- [56:30]
Jen Prokop
And then I forgot about this one, which is a forbidden alchemy by Stacy McEwan, which was pitched to me as being something like Peaky Blinders meets the Six of Crows.
- [56:47]
Sarah McLean
And I was like, came online.
- [56:49]
Jen Prokop
She sure did. And I knew that she would. And so a forbidden alchemy has like, essentially starts off with two like. It starts off with like two 12 year olds essentially. They are like whisked away from the shadows of their mining towns to discover their magical potential and they like discover this grand elemental magic that they have. And Patrick wants to go back to his Craftsman family, but his extraordinary physical strength serves him in like the mines. And then it turns out that like, of course it's like years later and Nina and Patrick end up on opposing factions. And I just was like, as soon as I heard Peaky Blinders, I was like, really in, in a hardcore way. So that's a forbidden alchemy by Stacy McEwen.
- [57:39]
Sarah McLean
This week's episode of Faded Maze is sponsored by KKDEX Jenner, author of Again Scoundrel.
- [57:46]
Jen Prokop
Here's a second chance romance set during the Victorian era. When American heiress Violet Goodwin comes over from New York to London, she has an almost kiss with a dashing young captain Alistair Crawford.
- [58:02]
Sarah McLean
I love an almost kiss.
- [58:04]
Jen Prokop
Who does it. So they are both kind of starry eyed young dreamers and there's no way that they have any chance of a future together because they both have their own plans. It's now three years later, Violet is back in London. She has sworn off marriage in favor of her mission, which is she's a nurse and she is really determined to help bring about better like, maternal care. And this of course is very forbidden because a young unmarried lady shouldn't even.
- [58:31]
Sarah McLean
Know anything about giving birth, how babies are made.
- [58:36]
Jen Prokop
How dare Violet? How dare. So, and Alistair, who was once a hopeful naval officer, actually worked for the East India Company. So he is back, disillusioned, nearly penniless, and basically drowning all of his disappointments in vice. He's got a buddy. They're hoping to launch their own trading company, but they're going to need some an influx of cash. And what better way to do that Sarah than find yourself a beautiful young American heiress to wed. So. But Violet is not really interested in giving up her independence for a man who could really break her heart. And Alistair has to now decide is he gonna fight for his future or for the woman he can't forget.
- [59:19]
Sarah McLean
You can find out exactly what Alistair is gonna do right now in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. For those of you who do not subscribe to KU, you can get this book right now for $2.99 if your podcasting app supports it. You can click on the chapter title to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Kay Denner for sponsoring this week's episode. August.
- [59:44]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, we're ready for August.
- [59:46]
Sarah McLean
All right, let's start with Heartstrings by Ivy Fairbanks. So I talked about Ivy. Gosh, Ivy's just a great person. But I also talked about Ivy when we did our death episode because she wrote Morbidly Yours, which was set in a funeral parlor. This is in the same world as Morbidly Yours, but I don't think it has to do with the funeral parlor. So Low Valdez does not believe in second chances. She has survived cancer and life is too short to spend time on anyone who has wronged you. Like, if you wrong her, you're out of the club. But the so she has moved to gal to Galway, Ireland for medical school. And she was not looking for love. Except she meets Aiden, a gorgeous, tattooed, mandolin playing lawyer. Pause. Just everybody let that sink in. He's all the things. And they fell hard and fast. Passed when she moved there. But Aiden was given this like incredible opportunity to move to London and record an album and he took it and he left her and broke her heart. And it's been two years and a successful album later. Every song he writes is about her. The one he. The one who got away. And every single time Low hears his voice on the radio, she is simultaneously longing for him and also furious that he broke her heart. No second chances. Except they are maid of honor and best man at a weekend long Irish Castle wedding.
- [61:29]
Jen Prokop
Jen, what are you gonna do?
- [61:31]
Sarah McLean
And I mean, sexy mandolin player, I mean, are you gonna do.
- [61:36]
Jen Prokop
Listen, what are you gonna do? I just.
- [61:37]
Sarah McLean
They're gonna bang in a castle, Jen. That's what they're gonna do.
- [61:42]
Jen Prokop
Okay, fine.
- [61:44]
Sarah McLean
So that's Heartstrings and it's out August 12th.
- [61:47]
Jen Prokop
All right, everybody. There's just not enough marriage trouble and marriage and trouble out there in the world. But now we have a promise of Forever by Cheryl Lister. So Terri and her husband John had a whirlwind marriage. A real fairy tale of a first year. They moved to this place called Firefly Lake. They made amazing friends. But over time, John's legal practice and Terri's work as an ER nurse have made them kind of like ships passing in the night. And Terry really can tell that like their marriage is just, it's over, it's not gonna work. And so there was an unexpected tragedy. You know, she was in so much pain, they couldn't figure out how to talk about it. And so Terry gets his attention in the worst way by walking out. And so John is really shocked, ready to do anything to get her back. And he leans on their new friends in their supper club to like help, you know, him figure out how to like take her out on dates, improve their chemistry, is as hot as ever. And that there it is. Not too late for them to figure it out. So Cheryl has been an author who is around. Been around, right. For a long time. She's written for Harlequin for a long time. This one is from Forever and I'm really excited about it. So this is a Promise of Forever by Cheryl Lister.
- [63:13]
Sarah McLean
Eva Lee has a new book out this this summer called the Sea Witch. She's moved from historical into a kind of magic fantasy pirate. A romantasy world. This book is billed as like Pirates of the Caribbean with like romance and female rage. And that sounds great to me. So Alice Tanner, our heroine has been condemned as a witch and sentenced to die. So she uses her innate magical power to flee puritanical New England. She steals a ship, Jen, and she becomes captain of the Sea Witch leading an all female sorcery wielding pirate crew. The Colonial Navy is in hot pursuit. The navy fights for a hold on the Caribbean and tries to get her ship. And they will do anything to to end witches. But when this Ben Priestley, a headstrong naval navigator, is inadvertently captured by these lady pirates, he ends up up revealing more about the strategy of the Navy and sends them on a quest that will help everybody in this scenario except the Navy. And so they're going to brave backstabbing pirates. Tropical islands, monster filled seas. And they're going to have to learn how to trust each other because can witch on the run and somebody who works for the government actually work together?
- [64:57]
Jen Prokop
All right.
- [65:00]
Sarah McLean
Okay.
- [65:01]
Jen Prokop
I am going to talk about. Oh gosh, Tara Pammy, she writes.
- [65:08]
Sarah McLean
I love Tara Pam. She has a new book out.
- [65:11]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, it's so exciting. I know. It's Harlequin Presents called His forgotten wife life. I'm like, I don't know what else you need to know.
- [65:22]
Sarah McLean
So that's a real Terrapami. Tee up.
- [65:25]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, it is. A fake engagement. Amnesia, Greek billionaire romance. Bam. What else do you need?
- [65:30]
Sarah McLean
Oh, my God.
- [65:31]
Jen Prokop
I'm not sure. Nothing. Okay, so it. Listen to this. Listen.
- [65:37]
Sarah McLean
Tell me.
- [65:38]
Jen Prokop
The boss secretly wed her, then forgot.
- [65:42]
Sarah McLean
No. Yes.
- [65:44]
Jen Prokop
So Aries Demetrius wakes from a coma to find his family scheming to steal his company. The first call he makes is to his loyal assistant, Dolly Singh to demand that she become his fake fiance to protect his business empire. Except his accident has made him forget he is he has the accident made him forget that they are already married. Unlike Aries, Dolly remembers every excruciating detail. Their clandestine wedding, her mortifying confession that she was in love with him. And she. So she can't refuse the proposal because she doesn't want to relive it. And so what is she gonna do? She just goes along with it. And I honestly read this and was screaming complimentary. So Tara Pammy knows how to write a book. His forgotten wife. Amazing, comes out August 26th.
- [66:38]
Sarah McLean
I want to talk about. You've got a place here too, which is an anthology of romance shorts by black writers. And each of the stories is set against the world of an hbcu. And it is great. I tore through it. There are so the writers in this anthology are. There are so many names that you. That you know and you love. Elizabeth Acevedo, Carla Bruce, Ebony Liddell, Farah, Roshan Kennedy Ryan, Nicola Yoon, and many others. I just want to call out a couple of them. Elizabeth Acevedo wrote this really beautiful short story that's written in verse. It's all in couplets, which is amazing. And then Nicola Yoon's short was all told through syllabi, course syllabi and like, other things, like the objects related to courses. And then of course, there's a Kennedy Ryan that is so sexy. And there's a Pharaoh Sean that's so romantic. This is. We've talked a million times on the podcast about how much we love anthologies, and this is just a great example of something that, like, get your hands on this and then find yourself 10 new writers that you've never read before.
- [68:03]
Jen Prokop
Amazing.
- [68:04]
Sarah McLean
So that is called you've got a place here too, and it is out August 12th.
- [68:10]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so I'm going to talk about the Leather and Steel series by Cher Terayas. And I am like, as far as I can tell, she's independently published. And so the first book is out already. But, like, our spreadsheets seem to indicate that, like, a second one might be coming out later this summer. So the first book is called Steelhorse Horses, Leather Roads, and this is a black. A black cowboy series, which. Cowboys are so hot right now. And so obviously everybody's going to want to jump right on this. So Kara McKay or Kara Mackie, sorry, left Lily Georgia in her rearview mirror years ago. She was chasing real big dreams, and small town was not going to do it. And a man there broke her heart. Corey and Dimitri. And he stayed because he had a family ranch. There was a legacy that he wasn't allowed to forget. And so, you know, what happens, of course, is that Kara is going to come back to town and they have to figure out, like, are we reopening these old wounds? Right. The past is so tricky and terrible. And so this is essentially the. The history of the town, like, and. And their own history threatens to really, essentially, like, wreck this new chance at love they have. And so Kara especially is like, is she going to keep running or is this finally a chance for her to come home? And so this is part of the. That first book is. This is. Is called Steel Horses, Leather Roads. This is part of the Leather and Steel series. And it looks like this is the. A series where there will be potentially other ones coming out. So everybody, I just wanted to, like, highlight, because cowboy romances are real hot right now.
- [70:02]
Sarah McLean
So. So there are so many.
- [70:05]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, exactly.
- [70:06]
Sarah McLean
Coming all summer long. Like you're going to see cowboys. Yeah, the whole summer in bookstores.
- [70:11]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. And so this one is indie and I think will be really fun. And I might not have this in the right month, but I think it is available now. So that is Steel Horses, Leather Roads. It's a good title.
- [70:27]
Sarah McLean
That is a good title. Okay, I want to talk about the Fortune hunter. Hunter. Let me say it again. The Fortune Hunter's Guide to Love by Emma Claire Sunday. This is Harlequin Historical. So Lady Sylvia is in financial ruin, and she has a very clear plan to get herself out of it, which is she's going to move to the seaside for the summer, where there will be a ton of wealthy men just holidaying and desperate for wives. Right? She will strike a deal with her local. With a local farmer, Hannah. There, Hannah will help her bag a rich husband. And then she, in return, once she has received Hannah's help and achieved, like, wealthy husband's status, she will then fund Hannah's dream of opening a cheese shop. So this all seems totally reasonable. So the two of them are gonna like, charm their way into local luncheons, parties, balls. But there's a problem, Jen, because suddenly Hannah doesn't just want a cheese shop, she wants Sylvia too. And so the two of them start to fall for each other. But what about this fortune hunting scheme? Sylvia's still in financial ruin. And what's gonna happen when the two of them can't keep their hands off each other? So this one is for anybody who likes cheese and lesbians. And so I think Sharon in our discord is going to be really happy with this.
- [71:57]
Jen Prokop
I mean, I think everybody likes cheese and lesbians, honestly. Oh my goodness. Let's go for it. Okay. Amazing.
- [72:04]
Sarah McLean
All right.
- [72:04]
Jen Prokop
You're welcome.
- [72:05]
Sarah McLean
Sharon, I thought immediately of you.
- [72:07]
Jen Prokop
I mean, sometimes you just know the right person. The right book for the right person.
- [72:10]
Sarah McLean
Like this book is for Sharon.
- [72:11]
Jen Prokop
Okay, so here is my big fat vampire wedding by.
- [72:17]
Sarah McLean
Just put that one on here too, Gadziala.
- [72:20]
Jen Prokop
And this one is, it has a great tagline. Vampires live forever. So do his in laws. So this one is a supernatural rom com with Adam's family vibes. Pandora has real problems. She still lives with her parents. She's working a dead end, a dead end job. And oh yeah, she's a vampire who must get married by her birthday in three months or she will not inherit the ancient family fortune. Only catch, of course, is that she's single. So she manages to find perfect fake husband, her work Crush, Victor, a PhD student with a mountain of student debt. So she basically is like, look, we'll get married, I'll inherit, I'll pay off your debt and then I'll divorce you. And he's like, great, sounds awesome. But he. Until Victor realizes that she is a vampire. So we've got a big fat vampire wedding looming and this promise of till death do us part feels all of a sudden real more intense on Victor's part. So this one just looks really fun. So that's my big fat vampire wedding.
- [73:28]
Sarah McLean
Well, we're going to go from vampires to zombies.
- [73:31]
Jen Prokop
Sure.
- [73:32]
Sarah McLean
Olivia Dade has her long awaited zom rom com coming out this week. This week, this summer. And the tee up is of course very Olivia. So there's a zombie outbreak for the first time in in two decades. And Edie Branstrup, who is just like a decent great person, is like, I better save my neighbor. Like, I better check on my neighbors. So she heads over to try and save him, only to be saved by him and to discover that he's actually a like centuries old, very grumpy Vampire. So Gaston, that's his name. He's like, very protective of her immediately. And he's like, you have to stay in the bunker with me until like, the people outside, like, figure out what the situation is with the zombie breach. But Edie's like a good person and she's like, we have to save as many people as possible. All of our neighbors are going to get killed if we don't help. And he's like, like, oh, my God. Fine. I guess I will help you. Listen, this is the vibe I want. Just full exasperated vampires. So they unravel a conspiracy. Somebody's setting the zombies loose on the world. They've. They amass a host of like, lovable allies. This sounds like really a sort of textbook Olivia Dade book. If you love Olivia's writing, congratulations. You're welcome. There's a new Olivia date this summer.
- [75:06]
Jen Prokop
All right.
- [75:07]
Sarah McLean
That is Zom. Rom Com.
- [75:09]
Jen Prokop
What a. What a title. Okay, so Kiss and Collide by Amanda Weaver is a. Listen, an F1 book. I think we're still.
- [75:18]
Sarah McLean
We're.
- [75:19]
Jen Prokop
We're all. We're in it, right? Okay, so in this one, fast talking, red lipstick wearing Violet Harper isn't looking for love or anything that takes her out of the driver's seat. She is a PR professional. She's got hookups all over the world. She doesn't need to be catching feelings for a man. But when she has a hot one night stand with a freewheeling Formula one driver named Chase Navarro, she's like, well, that was great. And then she becomes. She takes a job with his underdog racing team and discovers that he is their newest driver. So all of a sudden, their one night stand turns into a workplace romance dance. Chase wants to just drive cars and, you know, win the Formula one. I don't know if that's what you call it when you do that, but.
- [76:05]
Sarah McLean
What Formula one.
- [76:06]
Jen Prokop
He wants to win the Formula Ones. Yeah, that's right.
- [76:10]
Sarah McLean
I don't know how that works.
- [76:11]
Jen Prokop
Listen, what do I know about this sport? Nothing. So anyway. But Violet is forcing him in front of the camera, making him the new star of Formula one. What's gonna happen? I bet they're gonna figure it out.
- [76:24]
Sarah McLean
Incredible.
- [76:25]
Jen Prokop
So that's is Kiss and Collide by Amanda Weaver.
- [76:29]
Sarah McLean
Joanna Shoop fans, it's time. It's time. The Gilded Heiress is here or will be here in late August. And this one is a retelling. It's like if Anna. It's a retelling of the Lindbergh babies slash Anastasia, but with a Classic shoop hero who is just like a con artist and a rake and a scoundrel and perfect in every, every way. So it's 1880. A baby is stolen from the wealthiest family in America. A ransom of massive proportions is offered and or or not. Nobody ever asks for a ransom, but the like reward of massive proportions is offered and the family never gives up hope. And then 20 years later, a girl, Josie, who was raised in a children's asylum, ends up on the streets, learns how to take care of herself and her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, including Leo Hardy har blah blah Leo Hardy who instantly sees her and sees an opportunity to use Josie and pass her on off as the missing baby from the Pendleton family from years earlier. He is has a reason to take revenge on the family. He wants the money. And he is not above using this girl and lying to her to get what he wants. Except what happens when maybe she actually is the missing baby and they are definitely falling for each other. This book is blazing hot. First of all, everybody's gonna have a great time with it. And it's Joanna Shue finally back with a new a new romance, new historical that's called the Gilded Heiress.
- [78:33]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I'm gonna talk about here for a good time by pay Moth at war, which is a rom com where okay, so Po has a publishing career that basically any writer would kill for. Her first novel, sold at auction, became a number one international bestseller and is be turning into like a Netflix film now. What does she have? A massive case of writer's block and she's on deadline for her second book. She is really like I don't even know what to do about it. So she sort of panics and books a two week getaway at an exclusive island resort for her and her very hot best friend's way. And there I'm sure Sarah, she will be inspired to write her name next bestseller. But wait, wait for it. The vacation of her dreams disintegrates in a flash when the resort is taken over by a group of masked women who are very armed and very angry.
- [79:29]
Sarah McLean
Why?
- [79:30]
Jen Prokop
I don't know. But what happened? For the they have a reason, Sarah.
- [79:35]
Sarah McLean
I mean it's 2025. Look around Sarah.
- [79:38]
Jen Prokop
Throw stone. So as they try to leave the island before the group can track them down, Po and Z suddenly themselves facing the kind of conflicts that only come up well when you're trapped in a life or death situation on a remote island with your very hot best friend. So this sounds great and I'm really looking Forward to this book here for a good time by pay mo that war. This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Lumi Gummies. Consistent, mellow, and super delicious, Lumi Gummies are specifically designed to make you feel good, not stoned. Whether you're looking for an end of day de stressor, a midday mood boost, or help getting the best sleep ever, Lumi Gummies has a strain that's right for you.
- [80:22]
Sarah McLean
For the last, like, couple of weeks, I've started having like, kind of nighttime hot experiences, not the good kind. And I think, like, it's either stress or, or the, the time marching in my life. But, but I, I woke up one morning and I had, like, really had a rough night. I hadn't slept very well at all. And I thought to myself, like, I, I, this is unsustainable. What, what can I do to stop it? And, and I'm not ready to hear that. There's nothing I can do to stop it. You guys don't come at me for that. But I did Google it. And apparently one of the things that you can do is try a THC gummy. And I just happened to have a jar of Lumis in my house, so I took a gummy that night and I slept great. And so, you know, I know you've.
- [81:12]
Jen Prokop
Used them sleep, big time sleep for me.
- [81:15]
Sarah McLean
I know Eric sometimes uses them to sleep well. I've also used them to like, chill out. I have actually, like, if I've had a, like, particularly bad day at the gym and I'm sore, I've used them for that. So, you know, people find a lot of different ways to use these gummies. I find that they're great because they actually don't make you feel stoned. They just like, do the thing you need them to do.
- [81:37]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, they're awesome.
- [81:38]
Sarah McLean
In fact, that one didn't put me to sleep, that one that I took the other night because I then watched two episodes of House.
- [81:44]
Jen Prokop
But you were just chill and it was nice.
- [81:46]
Sarah McLean
It was great.
- [81:46]
Jen Prokop
Lumi Gummies are available nationwide. Go to lumigummies.com, that's L U M I gummies.com and use the code faded mates for 30 off your order. Again, that's L U M I Gummies.com code faded mates, lumigummies.com code faded mates. And thanks to Lumi Gummies for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [82:08]
Sarah McLean
Oh, I'm gonna talk. It's not Dungeons and Dragons, but the tagline of it is Dungeons and Dragons meets Ali Hazelwood. Which is why I was like, I have a Dungeons and Dragons book on my list. I don't. I have Sarah Raasch on my list, which has. She's now been on, like, multiple lists of mine recently. Because she's the one who wrote the. Like, the. Like the kings of all of the kings and queens of all the holidays. Of the holiday romances. Yeah, Right. Which I was very charmed by. So this is her new book. It comes out August 26th. It's called the Entanglement of Rival Wizards. And the premise here is that these are graduate student wizards in, like, Wizard. Wizard University, and they are forced to work together without killing or falling for each other. So there's Sebastian. Love it. Name is destiny. Sebastian is a human and the first of his family to pick college over the military. There's. I'm going to pronounce it wrong. Elethyor, who is half elf. Elf and a pretentious asshole. And then they are basically this up for the same research grant. They are finally analysts for the same research grant. And Sebastian is sort of pissed because, like, he's a human. And, like, this. This, like, Elithior is like, old money. Has been. You know, comes from old elf power. And, like, basically is like, I am smarter than you and better than you, and I want this grant. And. And Theo, which is what we. What we're going with as a nickname for this elf, is in his shared lab space with his projects and also just, like, being hot and distracting. So he. They are in a fight. They are in a battle for to win this research grant. And also possibly just, like, in a battle to, like, resist how sexy they both are. Listen, as you all know, I'm on the record for being very pro characters who are half assuming elf.
- [84:28]
Jen Prokop
So, sure, we all have our kink.
- [84:32]
Sarah McLean
Am I gonna have a great fucking time reading this book? I definitely am. I've loved all of her other books. I'm excited about this one.
- [84:39]
Jen Prokop
All right, so we have some more Pining on the Table, and that is With Love is an open book by Chandra Blumberg. And in this one, Mia Brady is a romance author whose books really take off and become bestsellers, and then it becomes a hit TV show. And again, we got some writer's block on the T. Um, but. So her fans are really clamoring for, like, the next book, but her. She's been. Her heart's been broken, and she can't. It's getting in the way of her. Her writing. Her writing. So her best friend is Gavin Lane. He is Mia's ride or die bff. He's been by her side through it all, and of course, he has the most hardcore case of pining anybody's ever seen in a romance novel. So she is like, okay, he'll, you know, do whatever I want. So she has no idea, of course, how he feel. And so she pitches this idea to him, which is like, let's test out tried and true love tropes, right? Like romance tropes together to, like, sort of, like, help spark the idea of how to write the next book. Only of course, Gavin is like, yeah, but I'm really in love with you. So, you know, poor Gavin will figure it out. So that is. Love is an open book by Chandra Blumberg.
- [85:59]
Sarah McLean
The final Luna sisters book from Liana de la Rosa is out in August. August 26. Gabriella and his Grace. Gabriella is the young, rebellious daughter of the Luna sisters, and she is looking for freedom. She does not want to get married. She does not want to settle down despite her father's expectation. And so she ends up, like, taking off after from a mob of British pseudo and landing herself on a ship. Bad luck for everyone but Gabriella and Sebastian Brooks, Duke of Whitfield. The ship is bound for Mexico. Sebastian is on this ship too. It's his last chance to get to Mexico and rectify his family. Something that's up with his family estate and their dwindling coffers. Except he can't focus on that because Gabriella is there being hot and windswept on that ship, as ladies are want to do. That's why you don't let ladies on boats, everyone, because they get hot and windswept. And so she's looking for some help in escape, in pulling off this great escape from her father. He agrees to assist her, and these two are in close proximity on a boat. And it's gonna get sexy.
- [87:19]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [87:20]
Sarah McLean
So that is Gabriella and His Grace from Liana de la Rosa.
- [87:24]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I have. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan. A playwright named Eve Ambrose has a rise. She's like a. A rising playwright, but her personal life is falling apart. And so, desperate for a fresh start, she breaks up with her fiance, cuts off her parents, and heads to the Tennessee mountains. But she's basically just been telling everybody that she's to be on a writing retreat. And really what she's looking for is to just kind of, like, hide away from the world and like, kind of recover from this really difficult year. Writer's block, all this stuff. So she instead meets her single dad, neighbor Jamie Gallagher. And he's just come off a really hard custody battle. He's restructuring his life, and he's just like, I don't really have time for a new romance, given what he's been through. So these are just two wounded people finding love in, like, a small town and just trying to rebuild their lives. And so this new romance is going to shake up his family dynamics. It starts to become more serious, and that really scares Eve. And so, you know, is she ready to risk it all and find love again? And. And this is just like a really deeply emotional kind of one of those books where it's just like, all the angst is just, like, rolling through every page. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan.
- [89:03]
Sarah McLean
Erica Ridley has a new book coming out in August. It's called A Waltz on the Wild side. Jacob Winchester is like, like the soft, nuggety centered Winchester brother or Winchester family member in a family of vigilantes who are hired when the authorities don't want to get involved. And so Vivian Henry, advice columnist, is. She can't stand these Winchesters. The Winchester family, they are. They just, like, flaunt the law. They flaunt their privilege. They have. They basically just do whatever they want. But the problem is, is that when her beloved cousin goes missing and the authorities aren't that interested in helping her, Vivian has no choice but to, like, go to the Winchesters. Well, they assign Jacob, sweet baby poet Jacob, to help her. And he at first is very much, like, not that interested in doing any of that help. But then he finds he actually really admires Vivian, and he is actually pretty curious about what happened to her missing cousin. So the two of them have to sort of work together to save the day and also find out how far they're willing to go to be with each other. So that's Erica Ridley's A Waltz on the Wall Wild side.
- [90:32]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I have My Best Friend's Earl by Bethany Bennett in this one. Listen, Constance Martin is like, I'm going to do anything I can to avoid a boring life. She walks her cat on a leash in Hyde park and is called off her wedding at the altar. Listen, if you've never tried to walk a cat on a leash, you just don't know how hard that is.
- [90:52]
Sarah McLean
Especially in Hyde Park.
- [90:53]
Jen Prokop
My Hyde park there. This is London side Park.
- [90:56]
Sarah McLean
Oh, yeah. You have a Hyde park, too?
- [90:58]
Jen Prokop
Yes. So she called off her wedding at the altar because she was like, that would have been boring. So when her aristocratic friend comes to the store She's a bookseller asking for her. Her, like, help to overthrow her own fiance. Constance is like, oh, that sounds exciting and fun. What could be better than getting rid of a stuffy aristocrat? Well, that stuffy aristocrat is Oliver Vincent, the Earl of Southwind. He likes everything orderly and logical. Everything's fallen into place. He's just gonna marry the girl next door because it's just a business deal after all. And so he keeps getting distracted by her chaotic, awesome best friend, Constance Martin. And so she thinks marriage should be an adventure, and he thinks love should be a transaction. What is going to happen when this Virgo falls in love with this Gemini? I don't know. I just made up those. I just made up those. But I feel like. That's right.
- [91:54]
Sarah McLean
That. That sounds right. It's fine.
- [91:56]
Jen Prokop
So that is my best friend's Earl by Bethany Bennett.
- [92:00]
Sarah McLean
How many do you have left? We should really be moving.
- [92:02]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, no, I'm. I'm done with August. Ready for September.
- [92:06]
Sarah McLean
I only have six in September.
- [92:08]
Jen Prokop
I have quite a few in September.
- [92:10]
Sarah McLean
So I must have more Septembers.
- [92:13]
Jen Prokop
Let. Let me go ahead and start with. Okay, remember I said it's all about time. Traveling to the property present. I'm going to talk about time for you by Elizabeth Davis. In this one, Daphne Griffin is a resident in at the ER and she out riding her bike when she essentially runs into a man who has appeared out of literal thin air. Physically, he's fine. Confused very. Because he claims that he is Henry McDonald's from Edinburgh, Scotland, 1885. And so these two are basically literal star crossed lovers. Because she, as they get closer, is like, maybe he is not lying and he really is a time traveler. And Henry though, is not just like chilling in this time. He is desperate to get back home. His widowed mother and two sisters are going to lose the family business if he's not there. But the marvel of 21st century life are in fact pretty groovy. So he is falling for the irresistible Daphne, but he really is desperate to get back home. So these two have to figure out where the heart belongs. In time for you by Elizabeth Davis. Perfect.
- [93:43]
Sarah McLean
Well, I'm gonna just change the. The temperature.
- [93:48]
Jen Prokop
Fine.
- [93:48]
Sarah McLean
And talk about Ruby Dixon's new book. Listen, Ruby Dixon is writing about Minotaurs now. And I don't hate it. I don't. And this book is the sequel to last year's Bull Moon Rising. So Gwenna has always considered herself a normal person. Like she is a former servant and she just wants a steady job with The Royal Artifactual Guild, so she can make some money, send it home to her mom like, and just like, be special. Be not special. She is definitely not a necromancer. That would be impossible given how necromancing is forbidden upon penalty of death. So if the dead keep coming to her and asking her to necromance them, well, she is going to ignore them. And that is just how it is. And the reality is that she's got this kind of. So they're Taureans. It's the Minotaur. The Minotaur. These are the Minotaur people in these Ruby Dixon books. So now she's got this Taurean who's, like, big and super sexy and extremely flirty. His name is Rapper. They slept together one time, and now he wants more, but she does not have time for that. She's trying to focus on work, but he won't go away. And he is on a secret mission that she is critical to because he's pretty sure she is out there stealing artifacts. So these two. He's investigating her. She's trying to ignore him. Him. They're definitely hot for each other. It's gonna. It's gonna be great. It's Ruby Dixon. It's gonna be sexy, and there's gonna be gonna be horns and penises are gonna have weird stuff attached to them. It's gonna have a great time. You're gonna have a great time. You're gonna have a great time.
- [95:45]
Jen Prokop
I don't even know what to say about any of that.
- [95:46]
Sarah McLean
Okay. I mean, it's true.
- [95:48]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, it is true. All right, so I'm gonna talk about it had to Be him by Adib Quorum and this is. Is a great sec. A romance, a second chance romance that has, like, a really unexpected twist on it. So Ramin has proposed to his. His boyfriend, and instead of getting a yes, he gets dumped in public for being boring. And so, bent on proving, like, everybody wrong, he books himself a solo trip to Italy, where he runs into his old high school friend Noah. Now, Noah is in a rut. He's been divorced. He's become a bit of a homebody, and his. His ex wife insists, like, you have to come and join our son on this holiday in Italy. And then instead, he runs into this former classmate who has aged like a fine wine. And as a teenager, these two are really fascinated with each other. But now, as a grownup, he realizes, okay, this was a crush. And so Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. But, you know, he's really. Ramin is afraid, like, will Noah, you know, is Noah ready essentially to be part of my new adventurous personality? And can Noah is. Can he be the supportive partner that Ramin deserves? So as the days count down on their fabulous trip, can they make love last without the magic of Italy helping them along? That is. It had to be him.
- [97:14]
Sarah McLean
Adib. Another terrific person.
- [97:15]
Jen Prokop
Oh, gosh, yes.
- [97:16]
Sarah McLean
Just, it's nice when good people are also good writers.
- [97:20]
Jen Prokop
Like, what a gift.
- [97:22]
Sarah McLean
So, okay, Jen, I want to talk about Dead Poets Sorority, which I have.
- [97:29]
Jen Prokop
Listen, what a title.
- [97:31]
Sarah McLean
If you give me nothing else, please just approve me for this book because all I want to do is read it. In case you didn't know, you guys, we mostly have not read these books. Like if we've read them, we say we've read them, but. Oh my God. Are you ready for this?
- [97:44]
Jen Prokop
Tell me you're giggling. I love it.
- [97:48]
Sarah McLean
So, okay, I'm going to tell you. First of all, I'm going to tell you what the tagline of this book is, which is Roman isn't romance, isn't dead, but he is. Okay, wait.
- [97:56]
Jen Prokop
Perfect.
- [97:57]
Sarah McLean
Student journalist Emma Reeves is going undercover on her university campus to investigate a secret society which is resurrecting long dead literary icons.
- [98:10]
Jen Prokop
Amazing.
- [98:12]
Sarah McLean
She expects to discover nothing more than like a group of bored college girls with Ouija board boards. But what she actually ends up doing is accidentally summoning the spirit of the poet, Nathaniel Harker, who is a 19th century poet who then starts to just like follow her around because she's resurrected him. He is a besot. He is besotted. He is constantly writing love poems. And while like she's, she's like, cool, this is the article of a lifetime time. She quickly discovers that like Nathaniel's actually really lovely and she's kind of likes having a low struck, tortured poet following her around. As they fall for each other. She realizes the sorority is into the fa. Like has discovered that she accidentally summoned the spirit of this guy and they need to get him back, I guess, and send him home to the 19th century. So the question is like, can she protect him him or is she going to lose him forever? I will say my asterisk on this book is. It is published by Avon Books uk. And so sometimes these don't end in like a romance. They're like.
- [99:25]
Jen Prokop
Yeah, they're kind of more like women's fictiony.
- [99:28]
Sarah McLean
Yeah. So I'm just going to say it is billed as a romance and who can say? But listen, I'm in amazing. We're all going to have to figure out the ending together. So that is Deadpool Poets Bed. Dead Poets. That is Dead Poets Sorority by Sophia Shelley.
- [99:48]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I love it. You know what I have, I have kind of a similar vibe here in the Haunting of William Thorne by Ben Alderson. And in this one, William Thorne essentially has his life all planned out until his long term boyfriend Archie cheats, breaks his heart and kicks him out. So actually. Wait, William kicks Archie out? Okay. So then tragedy strikes and Archie is killed instantly in a car accident. This has made William just like tortured and riddled with guilt. And he finds out. It is made worse when he finds out that he inherits a manor in a quaint village left to him in Archie's will. So he's basically like, oh my gosh, this is terrible. His only ally is Edward, a seemingly friendly local with secrets of his own. But there is a malevolent spirit roaming the manor, one that wants to drive William out for good. But William actually is instead really uncovering the heartbreaking tale of two men who were in love in the 20s. And what William wants to do is essentially like, find peace for the spirit and ease, you know, his haunting once and for all. So we've got Edward and William working together to like, sort of figure out what's been going on here in this haunted house in this tiny little town. So that is the Haunting of William Thorne by Ben Alderson.
- [101:19]
Sarah McLean
Nikki Payne's book comes out in September. September 16th. The Princess and the PI. This is Nikki's taking a whack at like the mystery romance, like romantic mystery. So in this one, Fiona is. Her brother has died and she is convinced that there is something, some nefarious stuff that's happened, related to it. He had created a really brilliant invention for a corporation and then the corporation, like stole it, claimed it as their own, and then he died mysteriously. So she has become a kind of online sleuth. She's Princess PI on Reddit and she is using all her sleuthing skills to like, figure out how she is going to exact a little bit of revenge and steal back this invention. Of course, this lands her squarely in the crosshairs of Maurice Bennett, who is an actual PI and he is, he. He ends up sort of coming to, to help Fiona when she finds herself as part of her cockamamie investigation, accused of murder. He turns up willing to help, even though he's like, pretty jaded and doesn't usually invest emotion into his clients. Fiona's pretty hot. She's pretty Great. She's pretty brilliant. And he's gonna. He's starting to feel real emotional for her. The issue is that though she needs Maurice's help to clear her name, she has some conditions. She wants him to help her figure out what really happened to her brother's invention. What really happened to her brother? Maurice isn't thrilled with this, but late night stakeouts are pretty tempting. And so they're chasing a killer. They're chasing some corporate. Corporate espionage. And these two are ultimately going to definitely chase each other. Nikki pains the Princess and the PI.
- [103:24]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I have a Harlequin intrigue called Tracing Her Stolen Identity by Katie Metner. In this one, Skyler Sullivan no longer exists. And the reason why is because there's been a diabolical plan. Someone is targeting her. They obliterated her identity, and then they're going to frame her for crimes. But the thing is, there's no way she could have literally, physically done this because she physically committed the crime in question, because she's in a wheelchair. And like, basically the whole thing doesn't add up, right? So she turns to the one person she can trust to bring back memories of a night 14 years ago when she lost the boy she loved. That's Reece Palmer. He failed her once. He vows that this time he is going to protect her with his, like, his life. And this. He's a cybersecurity expert. Expert. So he's going to find out who it is that is targeting sky and make them disappear forever. And give these two a second chance at love. So that is Tracing Her Stolen Identity by Katie Mettner.
- [104:30]
Sarah McLean
Christina Britten has a new book in her Wimple Street Widows Society series. It's called To Heist and To Hold. This one's about a vigilante widow and. And a casino owner. So I'm for it. Heloise Marlow has. Is a widow and she is just like a curious person. She's a former blacksmith. She was a fencing instructor. This is not a person who, now that she's a widow, is just going to sit around. So she joins the Wimpel Street Widow Society, which is a secret group of women, you know, dedicated to balancing the scales of justice. And she takes on a mission, which is to seduce the owner of the gaming club Dionysus and gain access to the Den's inner workings. She's very happy to put her body on the line, though, Jen, because Ethan Sinclair, who's running this club, is pretty effing hot. So he is trying to clean up this club like it was Bad news in there. But his when his brother was running it. But now his brother's out of the picture and rumors are swirling that like Ethan just can't hold it together. Like this club is is still going to be just as crooked as it ever was. Ho starts poking around and instead of telling her to like get the heck out, he's like, what if I let her poke around and then I can get a better sense of what people are really saying and what they really think is going on in here. Um, so they're both kind of lying and being mysterious. But we all know that lying and mystery and mystery make for pretty sexy times. So that is Christina Britton's to heist and to hold.
- [106:15]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I've got Honey and Heat by Aurora Palette. This is a enemies to lovers romance. Her name is Cynthia Kumar. She always wins and she knows exactly what she wants, which is to be the heir to her father's multimillion dollar business. Except her father just chose his successor. And it's not her. What it is is her one night stand. I know. His name is Rohit Patel and Rohit has just landed the opportunity of a lifetime. His future is on track. The woman he spent a one night stand with could be the love of his life. Except now that that's his boss's daughter and she hates him. So when Kumar and she hates and when. So when Kumar Construction falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see this tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. And so all of a sudden these two enemies are going to work together to essentially save the company and save the day and fall in love with each other. That is Honey and Heat by Aurora Palette.
- [107:19]
Sarah McLean
Why don't you do another one and I'll find one in between.
- [107:22]
Jen Prokop
Okay, I am going to talk about We Met like this by Casey West. This is essentially can a swipe right turn into swept away? Margo Hart is a hopeless romantic. That's why she wants to be a literary agent. She's going to bring romance to the world. So she's like, dating apps are not good. That's just not how you're going to fall in love. So she wants a love story that's going to be like the book she reads, right? She's going to like a mixed up coffee order a mistaken identity. And so she's not going to tell the story where she just swiped right. That's how she found her future husband. The problem is that her most consistent relationship over the last several years is with Oliver, a guy she keeps Rematching with. On every app that they're on. But they've been on a date and it was a disaster. So they deterred, basically, they're like, we're just going to be friends. Their epibanter is really great and sexy, but, like, there's no way this is like a real thing. So. So on a day where she meets Oliver again, everything goes wrong. And so Oliver's basically like, let's just try and maybe like, figure this out and maybe we're the right ones for each other. So I think this just sounds really fun. It's called We Met like this by Kasie West.
- [108:44]
Sarah McLean
I have one that is out for sure by September. I just don't know when it's coming out. Louisa Darling Things. Third book in her. Is it Five Mile House. What's it called?
- [108:59]
Jen Prokop
The series. Sure.
- [109:00]
Sarah McLean
I should get it right. Hang up.
- [109:02]
Jen Prokop
Like, I don't know, Sarah, who has.
- [109:06]
Sarah McLean
Time for knowing about the series titles?
- [109:08]
Jen Prokop
I mean, we can't get title titles right.
- [109:10]
Sarah McLean
No, Dukes in Disguise. That's a much better series title anyway. Okay. Louisa Darling's third book in her Dukes in Disguise series is called Scoundrel, Take Me Away. And it is out probably July, but I don't know. So I'm putting it in here. It is. Delicious. This is Lucy Lively, the youngest sister of the Lively sisters and her romance with the highwayman, the gentle rogue.
- [109:43]
Jen Prokop
It's so great, everybody. It's so good. Perfect.
- [109:47]
Sarah McLean
Talk about a book that's going to give you so much joy because, like, it's filled with, like, all the best things of historicals. You. You've heard us talk about Louisa Darling before. Jen actually edits these books and Luis is a friend of mine. But also, you can just trust us. Like these are. We would not steer you wrong on this. Basically, this is for anybody who loves an amnesia plot, but also who loves, like, missed mistaken identities. This is like, if he is jealous of himself, there's a little of that vibe in here because he is both the highwayman, the gentle rogue, who Lucy is wildly in love with, and the Duke of Thornbury, who is who she cannot stand. And so as the gentle rogue, he gives her, he tells her, like, she should hang out more with the. The Duke. And she's like, oh, fine. And he's like, if you hang out more with the Duke, then I'll come see you again. And she's like, well, okay, fine. Then if I get to hang out with the gentle rogue, I'll hang out with the Duke. And then he gets jealous of himself and it's so perfect. But also he gets clubbed over the head and like there's amnesia. And then she pretends to be his. Like she has to pretend to be his wife. Like it's the whole thing and it's so fun and. And you're gonna have a great time. So that is. Scoundrel, take me away. Also, the audiobooks of all these are written by Mary Jane Wells, which.
- [111:12]
Jen Prokop
What a. What a life, right? Okay, I am going to do. Okay. A real zombie. Another zombie book. I don't know what's happening. Everybody dating after the end of the world. Oh, wait, this is October 1st. Nope. I like slide. Okay, I'm gonna have to wait. You're gonna have to wait, everybody. Okay, I'm instead going to do Charlie quinn. Let's go. September 30th in by Jamie Varon. In this one, Charlie Quinn has spent her life playing by the rules. And in a real romance classic, she is approaching her 30th birthday. But on that day, instead of being the best day ever, she is laid off. Her boyfriend's leave leaves her because she's too predictable and she spends the night with violent food poisoning. This is rock bottom with such. Such stunning velocity. She can't even really make sense of how it all happened. So she goes back to her childhood home in la where her little sister makes a bargain with her. She's basically like, you're a control freak and I'm a free spirit for a month. You're just gonna do whatever I tell you to do, like learn to live like me. So Charlie agrees, basically because she's not gonna let her little sister get the best of her. But what happen? She has a serendipitous encounter with her high school crush. Crush that leads to a month of steamy, no strings romance. Charlie's like, hey, maybe this. This vibe where I'm like, letting go is a good one. So can she loosen her grip, let go of her past, and finally say yes to a bold and exciting new life? That's Charlie Quinn. Let's go.
- [112:53]
Sarah McLean
I actually have one more, Jen, because I'm not. Because we're not going to do do romance about dead people or related to death for a while. So I just want to get one more in again.
- [113:03]
Jen Prokop
Sure. Do it.
- [113:04]
Sarah McLean
As you all know, I like it. So I want to talk about Caitlyn Moss's mourner for hire. So Va Dori is a professional mourner. So for a fee, she'll come to your funeral and cry and whisper like Past, like, tell people that you were amazing. Whisper an invented story for yourself. Spin tales of like, your legendary life. Like it's a job that keeps her moving. She likes this because she doesn't. You know, obviously this is the kind of job that works for somebody who, like, would prefer not to think too much about their. Their real life and their past. So a wrong turn leads her to a roadside bar and a mojito soaked night with a bartender, Dominic, and something. She shifts and she really likes him, but she can't. This is not a possibility for Veda. So she takes off and a year later is hired to attend a funeral, only to discover that the deceased is Dominic's mother. And his mother has left her a generous piece of her estate to come to the wedding and do her job. He knows what she does for a living. When she turns turns up, he thinks she has conned her mother, his mother, out of all of this. The truth is Veda has never even heard of this person. Like, has no. Like has no connection with her, with his mother at all. Except the problem is that she intends to leave and like, slip away and just let, like, disappear so that he gets everything. But the late Annabelle Dunn has other plans and instead decides to haunt VAY data until she completes a list of posthumous demands that throw her back into the. The path of Dominic. And the two of them are gonna fall in love thanks to ghosts and death. And that is for Sarah, but it is not for Jen.
- [115:00]
Jen Prokop
I support everybody on this ride. I do. I do. Okay, one last shout out if you loved Honey and Spice by Bolu Babaloa. The next book in the series that has the same characters is out this September. I think it's called Sweet Heat. And so that was. I know so many people just really loved the first one. And so getting a chance to sometimes revisit the second book with the same characters is always such a treat. So that one is coming out soon. Moon as well. All right, perfect. Are we done, Sarah?
- [115:39]
Sarah McLean
I mean, I think we've done the job. Two hours in, you've got, you know, 50 or so books to read.
- [115:47]
Jen Prokop
I told you it would be like a fire hydrant worth the books we've kept you.
- [115:52]
Sarah McLean
We are keeping you in books. And that's like. And next week we're gonna recommend more books. So listen, we are. Are just succeeding here.
- [116:03]
Jen Prokop
Listen, the world is on fire, but here is a flood of books to keep you feeling good.
- [116:08]
Sarah McLean
It's true. We do. I. Speaking of the world being on fire, I just want to call out Zach Walls, who came to Faded States and is married to romance novelist Chloe angel, has announced a bid for state for senate against in Iowa. Joni Earnest Ernst, that terrible fucking person.
- [116:29]
Jen Prokop
And we are gonna phone bank out of that.
- [116:32]
Sarah McLean
We're gonna. We're gonna phone bank the hell out of it because romance shows up for romance.
- [116:36]
Jen Prokop
Yes.
- [116:37]
Sarah McLean
Also, Zach is darling. He came to Faded States. He answered our questions. He was. He's so great about referring to himself as Mr. Angel when he's around us, which is what we like to hear. We like a man who knows his place, but also we like a man who's gonna run for Sarah Senate.
- [116:54]
Jen Prokop
Yeah.
- [116:54]
Sarah McLean
And oust Joni Ernst. Zach Walls is terrific. So stay tuned, Faded Statesers. Listen, you can head over. If you are looking at the world going, what can I do? Listen, there are lots of different things you can do. And we know we've been pretty quiet since the election. And the truth is, like, that's because we've just been kind of.
- [117:15]
Jen Prokop
Yeah. Scared and upset and overwhelmed out here. We got to fight.
- [117:18]
Sarah McLean
Okay, here's what we'll say. We are so excited about this. If you think you'd like to try phone banking this year or next year, head over to faded mates.net faded states and sign up on the newsletter you'll get. There's a form you put your email address in. You'll get an email from us when we have things up and running. But we are definitely going to phone bank for Zach if you are out there and you are right, running for. For state something or school board. You know, Jen and I promise that if you're running for school board, we'll give you a thousand dollars to help you. So let us know. Keep us posted. Fill out the form, get registered, register to vote in. In New York City. I think it's the 25th. So we're done, I think with the. The primary elections done. But make sure that you're ready to go because there are big elections this year in your hometown. So get. Get registered to vote and we're going to come back around. I'm Sarah McClain. I'm here with my friend Jen Prokop. We are fated mates. You can find us every Wednesday wherever you get your. Your podcasts. You can find us online@thetamates.net look, this is important for today because if you go and you click on faded mates.net and you click on Episodes no and you click on show Notes, you're going to find a full list. List of all the books that we talked about today. Which is great. So head over there and do that. While you're there, you can explore some collections. Also, I have a book coming out in two weeks. It's called these Summer Storms. I hope you'll love it. And there are still tickets to Faded mates live on July 8th in St. Louis. So head over to fatedmates.netlive to see the St. Louis dates and go to Sarah McLean.net tour to see all the other tour dates that I'm on for these Summer Storms. Thanks so much everybody. We love you.