Fated Mates – 08.03: Fall 2025 Preview

Hosts: Sarah MacLean & Jennifer (Jen) Prokop
Date: October 1, 2025

Overview

In this Fall 2025 Preview, the Fated Mates duo, author Sarah MacLean and romance critic Jen Prokop, deliver a high-energy, humor-packed rundown of the most anticipated romance releases for October, November, and December 2025. They highlight everything from cozy contemporaries and high-heat historicals to quirky SFF crossovers and magical hijinks—plus a sprinkle of personal stories, Taylor Swift lyrics, and Beatles fandom. With their trademark candor, they remind listeners these are preview picks based on publisher copy and covers (not full reviews), so expect love for all tastes, genres, and tropes.

Episode Structure

• Early Banter & Housekeeping [00:00–06:16]
• Late September Romance Releases [06:16–15:37]
• October Book Picks [15:37–56:46]
• November Highlights [59:50–86:52]
• December Previews [92:39–108:33]
• Lightning Round Recommendations & Wrap Up [51:01–92:39, 108:33–end]

Key Discussion & Book Preview Highlights

Fall Vibes & Disclaimers

• The hosts indulge in love for autumn, cool weather wardrobes, and upcoming travel (Sarah to Scandinavia).
• On how they choose books for previews:
  “All we’re doing is basically judging books based on cover and catalog copy. Correct? So as God intended.” — Sarah [07:15]
• A recurring motif: They haven’t read most books yet; this is pure, joyful anticipation.

September Sneak Peek with Sarah [09:03–15:37]

• Diana Quincy, The Earl That Got Away
  Second-chance Arab American heroine, high-stakes regret, and a once-spurned suitor who’s now a powerful earl.
• Maggie Weston, Resisting the Forbidden Widow
  “A more Harlequin title you could not find!” — Sarah. Widow heroine, boss/secretary dynamic, and slow-burn longing.
• Megan Frampton, The Scot's Seduction
  Marriage-averse heroine helps women find independence, collides with a grumpy earl over his niece’s debut.
• TK Tucker, The Dreamer and the Deep Space Warrior
  “Predator meets Bridgerton.” Regency meets alien romance. “If it doesn't, it’s a failure on all counts.” — Sarah [15:02]

October Previews and Notable Themes

Spooky, Fantastical, and Monster Romance Picks [15:47–29:40]

• Monster Mash: Series "Monsters in Moonlight" delivers Halloween-themed standalone monster romances.
  • “There's one called Auctioned to the Orc Warrior." — Jen [16:43]
• Kat D. Coffin, Hell’s Heresies
  • Demon poltergeist, DIY exorcism gone awry, accidental rift to hell, and demon love interest.
  • “Don’t you hate it when that happens?” — Sarah [18:51]
• Iman Haririkiah, Female Fantasy
  • Meta rom-com with a bookish, fanfic-loving heroine road tripping to find the inspiration for her favorite ‘book boyfriend’, but brother's best friend takes the ride.
  • “It’s sort of a meta romance about romance and romance about romance novels.” — Sarah [21:30]

More October Swoon-Worthy Picks [29:40–53:56]

• Noel Bailey, Strings Attached
  Cellist on sabbatical, magical island, grumpy council leader warlock creates cozy/magical autumn vibes.
• Amy Andrews, Blue Collar Billionaire
  Republished handyman/billionaire-hero romance. “Secretly a billionaire is really a fun time.” — Sarah [53:57]
• Kate Pearce, Only Rakes Need Apply
  Widow seeks lovers; answers applications. “I just need you to be good in bed.” — Sarah [46:41]
• Ava Wilder, Some Kind of Famous
  Former pop star in a small town falls for a local handyman.

Standout Quotes

• “I love a book that tees it up this way. I have a crush on somebody else… and now, oops, we’re in love.” — Sarah on Pick Me by Victoria Shaw [77:09]
• "Listen, if you, like me, grew up with a certain love of, you know, that cartoon fox." — Jen on The Maid of Sherwood Forest by C.N.N. Bessie [74:23]

November Highlights [59:50–86:52]

• Robin Green, The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose West End theatre rivals forced into a fake relationship for publicity.
• Erin LaRosa, Not You Again Time-loop romance: protagonists relive a single day at a funeral and must break the loop together.
  “You know I love a funeral director.” — Sarah [62:19]
• Madeline Roche, These Violet Delights Scandalous debutante and critical rake, interwoven with family feuds and arsonist mystery.
• Elizabeth Stevens, All Superheroes Need Photo Ops
  Alien superhero needs a PR boost, but might be a supervillain in disguise.
• Emily Krempholz, Violet Thistlewait Is Not a Villain Anymore Ex-dark sorceress struggles for a new life in a magical small town; magical florist hero.
• Jesse K. Satanto, Next Time Will Be Our Turn A granddaughter learns her grandmother’s secret love story for generational queer romance.

Anthologies & Cozy Mysteries

• Sarah contributed to "Ladies in Waiting," an Austen-inspired collection [86:13] “It is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.” — Sarah [85:13]
• Emily W. Anderson, The Midnight Book Club
  Magical bookstore — book characters come to life at midnight.

December Preview [92:39–108:33]

• Amy Lee, The Bodyguard Affair Prime Minister’s wife’s assistant, secret romance novelist, and fake-dating the PM’s bodyguard to squelch scandal.
• Alexis Hall, Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot Winner Bakes All book three. Baking show, new love, and WWII queer history woven into Sapphic romance.
• Fallon Ballard, Something Wicked Macbeth meets Moulin Rouge in a murdery, magical politicking romance.
• Bryn Donovan, Her Time Traveling Duke Museum worker’s spell brings a historical duke into her apartment.
• Amy Carol Reeves, How to Grieve Like a Victorian Grieving widow goes full Victorian—mourning dress, lockets, only paper letters—and may develop more-than-friendly feelings for late husband’s best friend.
• Shailing Gandhi, Love Letters for Other People Cyrano-style missed connections and second-chance love in rural Indiana.
• Sparks Fly by Zakaya Jamal Sex club V-card hijinks, accidental CEO/employee romance with career-threatening stakes.

Notable Moments & Esprit

• Personal Stories: Sarah recounts her husband's magical New York moment with Paul McCartney — “Paul McCartney just getting out of a taxi right in front of me… and then a surprise concert in Times Square!” [04:41]
• Jen’s Chaos Reading:
  “I'm a chaos reader. So I read this book. I’ve not read a single one other in this series.” [24:53]
• Geeky In-Jokes:
  “If the Monster/Regency book doesn’t go into smashing, it’s a failure on all counts.” — Sarah [15:02]
• Pop Culture & Trope-spotting:
  “There are a lot of keywords here for beta mates listeners … Cozy Creek… family bakery… single dad firefighter neighbor keeps rescuing her.” — Sarah [56:46]

Memorable Quotes and Timestamps

• On Judging Unread Books:
  “All we're doing is basically judging books based on cover and catalog copy. Correct? So as God intended, right?” — Jen and Sarah, [07:15–07:18]

• On Outrageous Mashups:
  “Predator meets Bridgerton… What if I took Predator and Bridgerton and smashed them together? That’s the vibe.” — Sarah, [13:34]

• Meta-Romance Commentary:
  “It’s sort of a meta romance about romance and romance about romance novels.” — Sarah, [21:30]

• On Tropes:
  “Widow takes out an ad: I don't need you to talk. I just need you to be good in bed. And his longtime friend is like: prove it.” — Sarah, [46:41]

• On Being a Sucker for Specific Plots:
  “You know I love a book about love letters.” — Sarah, [105:09]

Lightning Round Quick Recap (by Theme)

• Historical Romance:
  A Scar in the Bone (Sophie Jordan), Only Rakes Need Apply (Kate Pearce), A Most Worthy Husband (Fay Delacour)
• Magical & Paranormal:
  Hell’s Heresies (Kat D. Coffin), Violet Thistlewait Is Not a Villain Anymore (Emily Krempholz), Reluctant Reaper (Mary Janice Davidson)
• Celebrities & Small Towns:
  Some Kind of Famous (Ava Wilder), Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot (Alexis Hall)
• Contemporaries with a Twist:
  Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside (Maisie Yates), How to Grieve Like a Victorian (Amy Carol Reeves)
• Meta- and Bookish Romances:
  Female Fantasy (Iman Haririkiah), Isn’t It Obvious (Rachel Runya Katz), The Midnight Book Club (Emily W. Anderson)
• Romantasy and SFF:
  Son of the Morning (Akwaeke Omeze), The Devil She Knows (Alexandra Bella Flor), All Superheroes Need Photo Ops (Elizabeth Stevens)

Additional Resources

See the episode’s show notes at fatedmates.net for covers, plot blurbs, and clickable links for every book mentioned. Collections arranged by trope, recs from favorite authors, and connections to the Fated Mates Discord and political fundraisers are also available.

Final Thoughts

The Fall 2025 Preview is a trove for romance fans: hilarious, expansive, fiercely welcoming of all subgenres, and replete with Sarah and Jen's infectious enthusiasm. Perfect whether you want “sexy aliens, cozy magic, Sapphic slow-burns, billionaire handymen, or time-loop funerals”—there’s a future favorite for every listener.

“Go read something great—or tell us about it.” — Jen [111:32]

For more, subscribe to Fated Mates wherever you get your podcasts, or dive into their website for lists, community, and more bookish goodness!

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