← Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People
RERUN: S04.38: These Books Bang: The Sexiest Romance Novels
01:17:12
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- [00:00]
Sarah MacLean
Well, this is going to be fun.
- [00:02]
Jennifer Prokop
It is going to be fun. I was surprised at how hard it was, though, so. Me too.
- [00:07]
Sarah MacLean
All right, it was hard.
- [00:09]
Jennifer Prokop
Let's. So let's.
- [00:10]
Sarah MacLean
Headphone. Headphones in, everybody.
- [00:12]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah, God, yes. Like, turn off your Bluetooth.
- [00:15]
Sarah MacLean
Very important. If you're at the car wash or the. You know, I love. They're my favorite tweets and Instagrams where it's like, well, I took my car to be detailed and like, I was listening to the begging episode.
- [00:29]
Jennifer Prokop
It happens. You're. You walk away from the car with your phone, but it's still in range.
- [00:34]
Sarah MacLean
Just be careful. You guys don't, you know, let them fall out on an airplane. I'm reading. I'm reading Julia Whalen, an arc of Julia Whelan's book, which comes out in August. It's called thank youk for Listening. And it's about two audiobook narrators who are, like, trading off, like, chapters in an audiobook and they fall in love anyway, and she. The. The. She's in the very beginning. She's on a plane, and her. Her headphones come unplugged from her, like, ipod, and she's listening to a book on audio, and there's like a small child sitting next to her. And it's exactly where you don't want that to happen.
- [01:13]
Jennifer Prokop
Anyway, and this could be you. So take precaution.
- [01:17]
Sarah MacLean
Headphones in, everyone. Welcome to Faded names. I'm Sarah MacLean. I read RO novels and I write them.
- [01:26]
Jennifer Prokop
And I'm Jennifer Prokop, a romance reader and editor. And this week. Okay, so one of our listeners and a friend of the pod, Julie Block, won the auction Romancing for Reproductive justice, in which you could win a. You know, you pick the Faded Mates topic.
- [01:44]
Sarah MacLean
Yep, it's one of our. We love these episodes. Anyway, let's just pause for a moment and talk about this auction. So it was put together by a bookseller who wanted to do the business, who is just as angry as all the rest of us. And the owner of the Meet Cute Romance Bookshop and Fizzerie, a new romance focused bookstore in La Mesa, California, Becca Title is her name. And she put this whole auction together in like a heartbeat. It was amazing. She just snapped into action. And what she did was ask for donations to the National Network of Abortion Funds, Collectively Power Fund. So when you won your auction item, you made a donation. Thank you to Julie for making the donation for the Creative Mates episode. If any of you missed the chance to be a part of the auction, but still Want to give money to the National Network of Abortion Funds, Collective Power Fund. We will put links in show notes. And you should do that because abortion is. Should be safe and legal. And, yeah, we support it.
- [02:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Help someone out there who needs the funds to get one. And we thank you, Julie, for auction. You know, winning the auction for this really important cause. So she trolled us for a second and was like, I'm gonna have you all do cliffhangers. And I was like, I don't have anything to say about that.
- [03:14]
Sarah MacLean
And Jen was like, the episode is.
- [03:16]
Jennifer Prokop
Jen saying, no, the episode is three seconds long. So then she came up with a really fun idea, which is to talk about sex scenes. Kind of our favorites. Why they're hot, why they work well.
- [03:32]
Sarah MacLean
She also was sort of like. And you're like, the wild. The wildest sex scenes.
- [03:36]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, right.
- [03:37]
Sarah MacLean
Which, when you've read as many books as us, I thought, like, initially, I was like, this is a great episode. We'll be able to do it. You know, this is the problem. Every once in a while, we run late on a week, and we're like, okay, we gotta, like, squeeze in an episode. And the ones that I think are going to be fast and easy are.
- [03:59]
Jennifer Prokop
The ones that are the hardest.
- [04:01]
Sarah MacLean
Never easy. They require so much research. I mean, it's not like this research was difficult for me, but I want to talk about this because it was so difficult that, like, I did have to do research. Like, what are the. What are the scenes I want to talk about? And you had a good idea before we started recording, which was, let's talk about how we.
- [04:19]
Jennifer Prokop
How we.
- [04:20]
Sarah MacLean
How we did it.
- [04:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [04:22]
Sarah MacLean
So, yeah, I kind of had the.
- [04:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Same thing where I was like, oh, that sounds amazing. It's going to be so easy. And then I found myself really kind of stalling out. I mean, almost. It's. It's like. And I think part of it is just, like, the logic of numbers, right? Like, okay, if almost every romance I've ever read has a sex scene, how am I supposed to now, like, sift through my memory, right? Like, I'm a computer, like, fan on my Mac is, like, running hot, right? And I'm just, like, you know, spinning my wheels, trying to figure it out. And so at first I was like, oh, this is gonna be great. And then I quickly became a little overwhelmed. And then I realized that for me, a lot of the ways my brain started working on this was thinking about, like, thinking about almost in terms of tropes, right? So, like, my little list has things like Danger Bang. Oh, shit, it's hot. Beautiful. You know, like voyeurism, bad boys. Oh, no feelings. Because one of the things we say all the time is that, like, really good sex scenes are communicating feelings. Right. Intimacy, a movement or progress forward in the relationship. And so then it kind of started making sense to me that I would be thinking about it in terms of like, oh, where are the books? Where, like, I, like, that got triggered. Right? Like, I really saw it working. So that's kind of the way I did. And then what I honestly started to do was like, just like look through my shelves, kind of look at books. And then kind of I started. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And writing down titles. My big fear is that there's gonna be like, essentially fated mates bias built into it. Like, I've already talked about this before. Me too. And therefore it is conn. In my brain in a way that hasn't happened if I just read the book and have never mentioned it. So I do think a lot of the books I'm gonna mention, probably I've mentioned before, I've already done the work, the pre. You know, work of thinking about these books.
- [06:34]
Sarah MacLean
I agree. And I think that there are not that many books on this list that we haven't talked about at some point in the past. We are now, like, in a position to be able to kind of talk about this differently. I just want to add that I did. So I did not go through tropes, but I did think about, I think to sort them in my head and categorize them in my head. I did it. I think there are probably three buckets, though. I'm not sure that, though. The list is not bucketed. And you should all be prepared because this is just going to be one of our. Oh, my God, mega wreck. Like, and we should also probably qualify, like, check. If you are somebody who needs content warnings, you're gonna need to check all these, like, before you start.
- [07:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I didn't reread for this. I strictly was like, what do I remember? Yeah, pure kind of memory.
- [07:28]
Sarah MacLean
Pure adrenaline. Risk making.
- [07:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Right? Yes.
- [07:32]
Sarah MacLean
So my three are probably. They're bucketed as, like, firsts. Interestingly, like, the first time I. And I think that's probably like a. That's the first time I saw that happen in a book and, like, kind of acknowledged that it could be hot.
- [07:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [07:48]
Sarah MacLean
And then I have like a what the fuck Bucket.
- [07:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, yeah, for sure. Those are fun.
- [07:55]
Sarah MacLean
Those are the fun ones. Those are the ones where it's like, I. What is happening?
- [07:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, right.
- [08:03]
Sarah MacLean
And then I have, like a five alarm bucket. Like, these are like the solid.
- [08:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [08:09]
Sarah MacLean
You know, return to them forever. I do want to say I. While like, there are probably some repeats from that we have, like, talked a lot about in terms of, like, Nikki Sloan is on my list for a very specific book. There are also some. Some authors that I specifically did not put on this list because I was like, we have talked about them.
- [08:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [08:32]
Sarah MacLean
Like, London Hale is not on my list.
- [08:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [08:35]
Sarah MacLean
Even though I think London Hale, and you all know this from our London Hale episode is like a very solid. Like, if you're looking for just a hot read, that's a good one. Tessa Bailey is not on my list.
- [08:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [08:47]
Sarah MacLean
Despite the fact that, like, obviously her dirty talk is a plus.
- [08:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Right. Well, that's it, too. I kind of felt like I was trying to do the same thing, which is circle down to books where maybe we haven't talked about them as extensively or we mentioned them in interstitial. So it's essentially going to get mentioned again. But yeah, I mean, for me, it was really interesting. I definitely. I had those similar buckets. Right. But then I think I also have these, like, trope buckets. Right. So I have. Okay. These people are predictably gonna deliver something hot to you every time. I had. It's funny because I. Although I did think about a couple, like, oh, that's the first time I saw it. They ended up kind of morphing into other buckets. Like, the trope buckets for me. And then definitely, for sure, I have an absolute, like, what the fuck? Every time someone's like, the wildest thing you've ever read, it just rises up to the surface like a whale coming up for air.
- [09:49]
Sarah MacLean
One book.
- [09:50]
Jennifer Prokop
One book.
- [09:51]
Sarah MacLean
Let's start there, Jen.
- [09:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, so I read a book called. I can't even say the title. I'm dying. Okay. It's called Laying Pipe by Kate Allure. And in this book, he's a plumber. She's doing some home renovations.
- [10:10]
Sarah MacLean
Sure.
- [10:11]
Jennifer Prokop
And at one point, he builds her something he calls the drill Doe, which is that he. And I'm like, this actually seems very dangerous. Please don't try this at home. Where he essentially, like, builds her a homemade spreader bar out of, like, his plumbing tools and then attaches a dildo to, like, a drill so it would spin real fast.
- [10:39]
Sarah MacLean
We should also probably say headphones in. And also, don't try this at home. Like, this is like, none of these should be tried at home.
- [10:46]
Jennifer Prokop
No, no. And in fact, that's like A closed.
- [10:50]
Sarah MacLean
Course professional driver situation.
- [10:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, and you know what? Like, so one of my go to people on Twitter is Jennifer Porter.
- [10:59]
Sarah MacLean
Jennifer Porter, who diagrams them all and are diagrammed.
- [11:04]
Jennifer Prokop
I actually was like, I remember her drawing, like, several. Like, the place, her placement on the table, what she thinks the actual thing looks like. And I remember us just, like, cackling. And I read this and was literally like, okay, that both. Seems like it would hurt, right?
- [11:22]
Sarah MacLean
No, it's too much.
- [11:23]
Jennifer Prokop
It's too much. But in terms of sheer. What the. That is like, the tops. If someone's like, what's the craziest thing you've ever read in a romance novel? I would be like, the drill, though.
- [11:34]
Sarah MacLean
The drill. Do.
- [11:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Bam.
- [11:36]
Sarah MacLean
All right, all right. So, like, I can't top that with, like, I certainly can't top that with a contemporary. I mean, and this is where I. Because I think we've. I've definitely name checked what I think is the. The, like, Wildest Sex. And that is that Sadder series.
- [11:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah.
- [11:58]
Sarah MacLean
Amber Sadder series, which I actually have like, gone back to recently because we did an episode with Christina Lauren where I brought those up. And I would highly recommend, like, not reading necessarily these books again. They are not. They are not like, they. They do not age well. Yeah, but so if you are. If. If you again, check your content warnings. But, like, that's the. That's the original two cocks. Like, one. One character. One. One character tucks. It also involves, like, like, the brothers are all involved. There's like, an altar. There's, like, you know, virgin sacrifice. Like, it's. There's a. Not, like, murder sacrifice, but, like, fucking sacrifice.
- [12:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [12:48]
Sarah MacLean
And like, they're like a bunch of, you know, paranormal creatures who they can conjure to, like, have all sorts of things happen. It's bananas and just like, fully bananas start to finish. The heroes, the. The villains of these books are all, like, very much caricatures. And it's just. There's a lot going on in those books. So that's probably my biggest. Like, what the. But I do want to, like, if we're gonna just. Should we just, like, stay in the. What? What? The pool?
- [13:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, for sure.
- [13:19]
Sarah MacLean
Okay.
- [13:19]
Jennifer Prokop
This is a fun one because, like.
- [13:22]
Sarah MacLean
I got a name check. Morning Glory Milking Farm, which feels like everyone on Twitter and everybody in romance has read but, like, bull semen as, like, a human Viagra and therefore not. I'm sorry, not bull minotaur semen as human Viagra. Like, and then the farming of such.
- [13:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [13:46]
Sarah MacLean
Medicine for medicinal purposes. But there's something very, like, sweet and wholesome about that. Like, all those scenes where she is, like, milking him for her job. I mean, again, like, these are just. There are moments in romance history where you think to yourself, like, we'll never forget this. Remember, wow, what a country.
- [14:14]
Jennifer Prokop
Over the year of Morning Glory Milking Farm.
- [14:17]
Sarah MacLean
And then I think that as fated mates, we can't. We can't do this without the blood blow job.
- [14:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's what I was. That's also on my list. Right. Like, this is, like, the trifecta of.
- [14:28]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, the first. It's both. It's all three. Right. Like the. Like that. So this is from. Well, it's from multiples.
- [14:37]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes. Right. So. And for me, even though Lothair has it, I still think Heart of Blood and Ashes is unparalleled.
- [14:44]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, well, that's. That's a hand job. Oh, excuse me.
- [14:47]
Jennifer Prokop
You're right.
- [14:48]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, God, Jen.
- [14:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Amateur.
- [14:50]
Sarah MacLean
That's, like a whole separate category.
- [14:54]
Jennifer Prokop
Obviously.
- [14:56]
Sarah MacLean
No, I'm talking about Lothaire.
- [14:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [14:59]
Sarah MacLean
There is one earlier. There are level jobs earlier in the series, but, like, the Lothaire one.
- [15:05]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [15:07]
Sarah MacLean
In audio is both. Like, I think that is the first time I registered it as, like, a sex act and, like, kind of weirdly, a kink.
- [15:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [15:20]
Sarah MacLean
And then also had a. Like, what the fuck is happening? But of course it's happening in, wow, Kressley's amazing. And then also, like, a five alarm sort of like, oh, this is super hot.
- [15:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Right.
- [15:31]
Sarah MacLean
And then it comes back around. Like, she. I think Cressley realized in that moment, like, oh, this is super hot. And, like, brings it back and brings it back. Including Sweet Ruin, which is your fave, which is my favorite look.
- [15:42]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, sometimes kink is just a kink. It's just hot because it's hot. Right. Yep. It's also one of the reasons. I think it's kind of hard to talk about this stuff. Right. Because sometimes, like, yeah, I was just hot.
- [15:51]
Sarah MacLean
But also, like, a blood blow job isn't necessarily hot to everyone.
- [15:54]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Right.
- [15:55]
Sarah MacLean
And, you know, that's fine if you're out there and you're like, yeah, we. I. We understand.
- [16:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. But I also think it's worth thinking about, like, well, it's like the ultimate vulnerability. So, I mean, I think there's a lot of ways, too, with some of them where I could be like, oh, okay, I get why I think this is hot.
- [16:12]
Sarah MacLean
Trust. I mean, and the truth is, is that, like, sex in books is often about trust. Like, it's Often about, like. And especially in romance novels. We've talked about this before, but it's about, like, characters laying themselves bare for each other, which is why in romance, the sex scenes should be there to move the story forward. Right, right. Because it is about emotional connection. And actually, in both of those situations, in both the Bloodblow Job and the Morning Glory Milking Farm situation and in several of the other books, you can sort of see my, like, this. The seeds of my, like, alpha submissive. How I really like an alpha submissive. Because, like, I. I do like it. Like, I like it when men are forced to.
- [16:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Be vulnerable.
- [16:59]
Sarah MacLean
Like, be vulnerable to heroines.
- [17:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Okay. I have mentioned this one before. Everyone has heard me. Maybe could put this together based on other things. I've. I love it when, like, people that are, like, super athletic and super cut and hot, like, do crazy things. And there's a Cora Seton, Cora Riley book where, like, a Navy SEAL fucks from a handstand position. And I was like, okay, I appreciate that, sir.
- [17:24]
Sarah MacLean
This is one of these legends on Twitter. But, like, I've never seen the title of the book. Do you have the title?
- [17:29]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm gonna find it while you talk about other. Other things.
- [17:33]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, well, here's another one that's again, like, in the blood family, I guess.
- [17:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Blood.
- [17:40]
Sarah MacLean
So the blood hand job that Jen talked about earlier is a Heart of Blood and Ashes. And that's really about. There's so much going on in that scene. It's so great.
- [17:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, and it's like, that one is really, like, talk about taking the finger.
- [17:57]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. There is a series called the Club by Lauren Roe, and I tore through these books. It's a. This is a. This is like. It's four books, and they follow the same. The same hero and heroine. So I guess they're cliffhangers, but I don't actually remember the cliffhangers because you can buy it as, like, a one through four.
- [18:22]
Jennifer Prokop
Got it. Right.
- [18:23]
Sarah MacLean
Or you can not buy it, but it's on KU as, like, all of them together. And so, like, I don't think I. And I came to them late enough that they were not cliffhangers for me. I just sort of like, yeah, right.
- [18:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Read them all.
- [18:34]
Sarah MacLean
Giant thing, the fourth book, and this is actually the first time I've ever seen this done. And I'm not sure I support it, but in this series, I do support it, so I want to qualify this. But, like, so this series has a fourth book, which is basically just an epilogue, but it's not two chapters it's like a whole book.
- [18:55]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, of all the. Yeah, yeah.
- [18:57]
Sarah MacLean
And what's interesting is, like, the prior books all have, like, an edge of. There's. You know, the premise of this series is that the heroine takes a job, like, for, like, a sex. Like a sex club. She's. She's doing, like, admin for a sex club, and she, like, is doing the research on the clients before they get accepted into this club where, you know, they can. They can match up with people in the world. They don't go to the club. They, like, are part of a club, and then they, like, meet partners in the world. So it's like, you know, you fill it. You go. You download an app and you say, like, I want to meet somebody who's into X, Y and Z. And then, like, you meet up at, like, a bar, right? It's like a service, like a dating app, but, like, for rich people. I don't know. So kinky. Rich people. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Point is, she works for this club. Whatever. It's. There's a lot to really love about, like, the setup of this book. But there. There, like, all these mysteries, like, the FBI is involved at one time, and she gets, like, almost murdered at one time. And so, like, that's how the books move forward. They're a little bit thrillery. And then the fourth book is a really, like, intense, emotional romance. Like the sort of final beat. It's like that the entire thing is the third. The, like, the, like, push for them to understand each other, like, emotionally. Like, there's a pregnancy loss in this book. Like, there's a lot that goes on in this. So. Or, no, she. There's not a loss. I'm sorry. She has. She has twins very early, so she has, like, had these premature twins. And as we all know who, you know, have had experience with birth, there's, like, a period of time afterward where, like, you're not allowed to have sex. Like, penetrative sex. And, like, this guy's super into, like, sex. Like, they have sex all the time. And because he, like, can't deal with it, he's like, you know, can. No, I mean, like, he's just hot for her.
- [20:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [20:50]
Sarah MacLean
Right. And so, like. And she's hot for him, but they can't have penetrative sex. And he, like, his trauma, it's very sort of Christian Grey. His trauma is that, like, he saw his mother killed, like, in a bloody whatever when he was a baby or young. And so he has, like, a real problem with blood and she has just had a child. So, like, she is bleeding.
- [21:12]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [21:13]
Sarah MacLean
And he's like, I love you so much and want you so much. And, like, can't bear to, like, live without giving you orgasms. Because that is, like, his whole thing is, like, he wants to just give her orgasms all the. All the time. Thank you. That's great. So he goes down on her in, like, the longest, most intense, all right. Oral scene I've ever read.
- [21:34]
Jennifer Prokop
You go, kurt.
- [21:36]
Sarah MacLean
And he's like. And the whole time he's like, I can taste blood. It's contemporary. This is, like a full contemporary book. And he's like, I can taste blood. And then he's like. And it's, like, turning me on. Like, blood used to make me. Like. Like she is rebirthing me in some way as, like, she's rewiring me with her. Like, I feel like I should take.
- [21:55]
Jennifer Prokop
A screenshot of my face so everybody can look right down right now and be like.
- [21:59]
Sarah MacLean
It's like, okay, very. I feel like I've spent too much time talking about the series. But the point is that, like, this scene is wild because it is. There's so much emotional shit going on in this scene. And I actually don't think it would work if I hadn't read the other three books and, like, wasn't super into, like, the emotional arc of this particular hero.
- [22:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [22:21]
Sarah MacLean
But it is very hot and also very, like, ah, there's a lot. It's a lot here. It's a lot.
- [22:29]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, So I like that it's a lot.
- [22:33]
Sarah MacLean
And it's extremely long, too, which is always a sort of, you know.
- [22:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [22:39]
Sarah MacLean
Interesting choice.
- [22:41]
Jennifer Prokop
Interesting.
- [22:42]
Sarah MacLean
Not bad. Just an interesting choice. So that's. That's Lauren Rose, the Club. And that's number four. It's the culmination. But I highly recommend reading the others first.
- [22:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure. So you can get the full effect.
- [22:53]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [22:54]
Jennifer Prokop
I didn't think we'd start with blood, but we did.
- [22:56]
Sarah MacLean
There you go, Julie. This is what people come for.
- [23:00]
Jennifer Prokop
They.
- [23:00]
Sarah MacLean
They. They. They didn't expect it either, Jen. And here we are.
- [23:04]
Jennifer Prokop
And yet, here we are.
- [23:05]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, but Julie wanted cliffhangers. And look, I just delivered her one.
- [23:09]
Jennifer Prokop
Look at you doing it. You're doing the thing.
- [23:13]
Sarah MacLean
This week's episode of Faded Mates is Sponsored by Melissa McTernan, author of Married to the Fae Queen.
- [23:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Married to the Fae Queen is book two in the Fairy Realm series. But it is a perfect place to jump right in. This is about cricket, who makes a bargain for his friend's happiness. But somehow this Ends up with him being married to the Gold Queen.
- [23:35]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, I love a hero who makes a sacrifice especially for happiness. That's awesome.
- [23:40]
Jennifer Prokop
And for his best friend. Now the Gold Queen's Orla. She can read his every emotion, which he is convinced is pure hatred. But I have a feeling that after being weeks of stuck with her in this palace, things are about to change. Ora has her own problems. Everyone thinks she's going to turn into a mad queen. And forcing this dude to marry her seems to fit the bill. So what is going to happen with. Once she figures out what his real emotions are and once they face that they are trapped in the palace with only one bed, he.
- [24:14]
Sarah MacLean
You can find out more about Mary to the fake Queen or about Melissa's books@melissamct.com or on Twitter or Instagram where Melissa is at. Melissa McTernan married to the Fae Queen.
- [24:29]
Jennifer Prokop
Is available in print ebook and on ku. So we hope that you will check it out. And thanks to Melissa for sponsoring this week's episode of the show. Okay, let me do something that I think exists in real life, but does not often exist in romance. So I'm excited to see it when it does, which is in real life. I hope everybody out here has had this experience. Sex is really fun. Right. And in romance instead, it's often really, like, serious. Right. Like, this has changed my life and it's so intense. Right. And you don't often get, I think, which is a shame, like, people just having a great time. Like, it's fun and they're laughing and it's like a little like, does that make sense? Yep. And so there are two books that I was thinking of. One. I thought of one and then I, like, as I was looking through my list, I think. I think I thought of another, which is I Think I Might Love youe by Christina C. Jones has two characters, Caden and Jacqueline. And this is like a series about three sisters. And I think this is the first one. And there's this whole scene, like, he is just. She owns like, an ice cream shop and she, like, gives him ice cream. He's. He's lactose intolerant and she gives him ice cream that has dairy. And he's like. There's a whole scene where he, like, makes a big deal out of, like, farting on her, which is like, you'd be like, how is this sexy or silly? But you know what? It's. And this is not the sex scene, but it's just like, they are really, like, they have a lot of fun Together. And then when they find, like when they have sex the first time, like, they just are like, like, it's fun. Like, they're laughing. And then there's actually a whole scene where he's like, like kind of like freaking out and the cat gets in bed with them and is like licking his balls or something. Maybe it's like claws in the ass. I don't know. Something. It's really funny. Sarah's laughing. It's really funny. And the. And Jacqueline is like, I know I shouldn't be laughing, but she is cracking up. And I just. It was. I will never forget that. Like, I just remember reading it and thinking, we don't get enough. We don't get enough sex scenes like this where people are just like delighted and having a great time being together and this. And then as I was looking through my lists or like, books I've read, like, you know what I mean? My Goodreads list. Another one that struck me as being kind of similar is actor age Eve Brown, where he discovers essentially her sparkly purple dildo and is like, this looks like fun. Let's give it a whirl. And they like play with it together. And both of those books, I think really had that, like, this is fun. This sex is fun. And I just think that that is something that you don't see as often in romance. You see a lot of like, it's so serious. Right. It's moved me. I'm a changed person. So anyway, I don't know if that makes sense, but.
- [27:31]
Sarah MacLean
No, it definitely does. And I think that interestingly, unsurprisingly, I have several on my list that are toy adjacent because I feel like that's also. Or like, involve toys because I think that is, again, it's like playful. It is playfulness. It's also about trust. Right. It's like I'm get.
- [27:53]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm.
- [27:53]
Sarah MacLean
I'm giving you the tools. Like, especially with, you know, when your partner, instead of your partner bringing you toys, like, when your partner discovers your toys like they are, you are giving them access to, like, the tools that you find most pleasurable. And so, like, there is something very bearing about that and very, you know, emotionally open about that. Right. So I just want to name check. I'm not going to talk too, too much about any of these, but I want to name check. First things first, I want to name check her night with Santa, which is.
- [28:29]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [28:31]
Sarah MacLean
Look, we've talked about this. I've talked about this book a lot because I think it's terrific. But this is Adriana Herrera's Christmas novella.
- [28:38]
Jennifer Prokop
It's so good.
- [28:40]
Sarah MacLean
It's a late. It's. It's the new mythology of Santa in my house with my child, which is like this. One of the heroines has essentially like, Santa is the family business and she is now Santa. But then. And then she, you know, the other heroine is the daughter of one of the kings of the magi. And like, they find each other in the Caribbean because it's Adrianna and after the day after Santa. And there are many, many, many toys involved in this, like, incredibly hot, incredibly sexy, like, morsel of a book. And it's terrific. But I want. I literally have all these labeled as toys, so I'm just gonna. I'm gonna run through them. My favorite, Lauren Blakely, who, like, you don't hear as much about anymore. But I really love Lauren's books. I think she really. She's one of those people who just like super hits the spot and is nights with him. And he is a sex toy CEO who is like, invented at one point. There's like a rooftop New York City, like, high rise rooftop scene where he's like, invented a new sex toy. And he's like letting her road test it for him. And he's like, it's hot. It's just hot. They're on, like, they're on a rooftop. And he's like, tell me what it feels like. And she's like, holy shit, this is the greatest invention ever. And it's great. Wait, I had another one.
- [30:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Was it Alexis Daria's? Because I thought that was also a really good one.
- [30:10]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, that's. That's such a good one.
- [30:12]
Jennifer Prokop
You had me at ola. Yeah, we did a whole deep dive on that. But that also has a lot of really open communication, like talk of toys, lube.
- [30:20]
Sarah MacLean
It's super hot. Yeah, yeah, I'm a big fan of. And then this one is not this one. The sex toy actually is the inciting incident of the third act breakup on this one. But I just want to nod to it because actually I think the sex across the board in this book is great. And that is Sarah Kate Praise, which we've talked about. We sort of like have danced around on the podcast. And I'm not going to talk too much about it because I think it will come back in a future episode. But that is a great, great book. And it's super kinky. The kink is praise kink, which is like, you know, if you're into like good girl, like, which is super Hot. And there is a, like I love a panty vibrator. It's such a weird thing, but I love that like, you know, oh, maybe.
- [31:09]
Jennifer Prokop
I'd be like, you know, maybe this will be how we try and get from one to one. You'll say something. I'm like, oh, wait, I think I've got that one.
- [31:16]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. Like I just, I. But I really like that because I feel like he's in like often this is a hero heroine thing and she's wearing it and he's in control and like it just happens in the middle of like a dinner party or whatever. And I think that's hot.
- [31:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, for sure. So a person who I think just like writes really hot, like really like great hot books is Elliot Winters and.
- [31:38]
Sarah MacLean
Oh yeah.
- [31:38]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [31:39]
Sarah MacLean
We talk about sex toys.
- [31:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes. And there's two that essentially are kind of have that vibe in just past two and then three way split. In three way split. She owns a sex toy shop and there's a sex swing in the book. And she hooks up with these two men who are like kind of lover. Like essentially like they casually hook up and they're friends but like somehow when she enters in they really become like a threesome. And then in just past two, it's about a couple who are experimenting with opening their marriage. And both of these books are like incendiary levels of hot.
- [32:20]
Sarah MacLean
Bananas.
- [32:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Bananas hot. Yeah. Super, super good.
- [32:25]
Sarah MacLean
So you're getting into. Sorry.
- [32:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. No.
- [32:28]
Sarah MacLean
Do you have more to say about that? No, because that leads us into like maynage. Yes.
- [32:32]
Jennifer Prokop
And I have a few more of those. But you go. And then I can add some of mine.
- [32:35]
Sarah MacLean
So I just want to name check a couple of people because we talked about them before. But like Katie Robert for me is somebody who like her mainage books are terrific. She really knows how to do it. Where often what ends up happening in May Naj books For me, like I love a mainage book but like it often feels to me like the third party in the mainage is like. Or not third party but like there's always one who feels like he is a tool rather than. Or she is a tool rather than a character. Active participant in whatever's going on. Katie does not disappoint. And then there are a number. But if like maynage as like ultimately in a triad or in a like partnership, like a long term relationship with multiple people. If you just are looking for great books where there is a third in some of the scenes. Nikki Sloan does that really well. We did a deep dive on Three. Three.
- [33:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Three little mistakes.
- [33:41]
Sarah MacLean
Thank you. We did a deep dive on three little mistakes, which has a great, like third. A woman is a third in. In the couple's sex life for a little bit of time. Also. Isabelle loves unconventional, also has that. So. And both of those do like, really tackle that, like, menage experience the. The one night menage. The, like third in the. In the moment.
- [34:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Really. Well, yeah, a really super hot one like that is like, I have reread this book a bunch of times because it's just super, super, super, super hot. Jasmine Haynes, who is also Jennifer Scully, has written a bunch of. A bunch of books like, sort of that are like more erotica. And there's one called take your pick. And essentially there's a woman who has. She has like a kind of a long term, like, boyfriend, but she's sleeping with her contractor on the side and the three of them get together.
- [34:51]
Sarah MacLean
Wait, is she sleeping with her contractor on the side in an open relationship or is it. There's there infidelity involved here?
- [34:59]
Jennifer Prokop
No, I don't think it's. You know what I think?
- [35:03]
Sarah MacLean
Would we call it infidelity?
- [35:06]
Jennifer Prokop
I. I wouldn't. But I also think that it's, it's a. I. I'm like, it didn't bother me. But I think if you are at all, if you're at all worried about that, maybe it, maybe it would. Because, I mean, I think for sure he, the boyfriend who is kind of like the Grant, kind of the serious guy, realizes that she is seeing someone else. Like, I don't think it's like that they are. That she's cheating, but she basically is. You know, she's like. He's like, I want to be exclusive. And she's kind of like, yeah, but what about Carl? And he's like, well, why don't we just all. We'll just all do it and then we'll figure it out and they all do it. Nice. All right, I'm sorry. Okay. I also really like a book called Cali Unwrapped by Amy Jo Cousins. And in this one, this is great. Essentially, Callie is our main character and she is going to meet her ex at this pool hall, Gabe. And Gabe has Kate with him, his kind of new girlfriend. But like, it's pretty clear from the beginning that all three of them are treating this pool hall date as like a kind of a checking each other out prelude to a threesome. And then they get in a cab and go home and the whole thing is just like fire. It's great. It's really, really good. And it's a novella, so it's like super short, really fun. But yeah, it's like sort of this thing where it's kind of like Callie's like, am I really into this or not? And then she gets there and she's like, oh, I'm into it and you will be too. And then one of my favorite is All Together by Brill Harper, which I.
- [36:50]
Sarah MacLean
Know we've mentioned before about.
- [36:53]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. And it's. I really like, there's three of them and they each get a point of view section, but it never goes back. It's not interspersed. It's like one of them and then you get the middle from another point of view and then the last part from the third's point of view. And it was really interesting way to do it as opposed to like sort of interspersing the three. So I also thought structurally it was kind of interesting. Also very hot.
- [37:15]
Sarah MacLean
Also that series, that menage series from Brill Harper, if you are into praise kink, I just, just went back to it after I read Sarah Kate's Praise for Reasons. And it's also pretty praise kinky.
- [37:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, there you go. Oh, P.S. i did a little research. That Navy SEAL book is called the Navy seal's Christmas Bride by Cora Seton. And in the scene he's basically like, come over to this wall. And she's like, yeah, like we've tried it before. Right? And she basically is like, he's like, we should both be in handstands. And the heroine thinks that wasn't that unusual. Right. When he shows his wall. But she, she knew she'd have a great time no matter how they did it. I like that spirit. Good job.
- [38:09]
Sarah MacLean
Very supportive. Well, if we're going to talk about athletes and we're going to talk about. Then we have to talk about Tamsen Parker too.
- [38:16]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah.
- [38:17]
Sarah MacLean
And we've talked about again, we've talked about Tamsin on the Pod before because these books are very hot. But she has a whole series set at like, basically the Olympics. They're called the Snow and Ice Games. And the one that we love is Fire on the Ice, which is about a speed skater and a figure skater.
- [38:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Probably the hot. This might be the hottest book I've ever read.
- [38:44]
Sarah MacLean
It's bananas. So extremely great. It really scratches Jen's itch for superior athletes, people with superior bodies doing superior things.
- [38:58]
Jennifer Prokop
You know what else is interesting about that book is, and I'm sure I've said this too, when we've talked about it, this is probably the only book I've read where there's like a polyamorous like, ending, right? It ends with them kind of agreeing to be in an open relationship, but only one of them, the speed skater, is interested. Like the other, like this, the figure skater is like, I'm happy to just be with you, but I also am totally happy for you that you need this. Like, you need more, right? And so it's a really cool ending because I think in real life, not all polyamorous people just end up in closed triads. So I think it's also.
- [39:35]
Sarah MacLean
That's correct. This week's episode is sponsored by Lumi Labs, creators of microdosed gummies, which deliver perfect entry level doses of THC that help you feel just the right amount of good.
- [39:50]
Jennifer Prokop
What is great about these is I have tried, I have like two kind of specific maladies. I've tried these four and it's worked really great for both. One is I have trouble falling asleep. And that has been really helpful to just take one at bedtime. But also I have have restless leg syndrome. And so sometimes in the afternoon, that's something that, you know, I'm kind of dealing with later in the afternoon. And I have taken them at that time and it has been really helpful too.
- [40:16]
Sarah MacLean
That's awesome. Eric said that he's been taking them and finding a lot of focus during the day. So I think depending upon what you get from THC in general, you might be able to find a little bit of that in these gummies. I tried them last week and I was looking for focus, but actually got the sleep, which was awesome. I mean, look, nothing wrong with that. Out like a light, slept like a baby. I'm for it.
- [40:41]
Jennifer Prokop
They do really taste great and feel amazing. You can get them through the mail, which I think is a real benefit, and they are available nationwide. To learn more about microdosing THC, just do a quick online search or go to microdose.com where you can use the Code Faded Mates to get free shipping and 30% off your first order.
- [41:04]
Sarah MacLean
You can find links in show notes, but again, that's microdose.com code fated mates. And thanks so much to Lumilabs and Microdose Gummies for sponsoring the episode. So I want to talk about bondage because I think that often what ends up happening when we talk about erotic romance. Like, often people just like really lean into, like, they think all erotic romance involves bdsm, right? And that is actually not the case. In fact, I would say most of the books We've already discussed, however far into the episode as we are, most of those books are not bondage related.
- [41:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [41:51]
Sarah MacLean
So that just gives you a sense of like, there's lots out here in the pool for you to try. But I do want to name check a few because I think there are. I think for me, like, bondage is often. I think sometimes in the worst sort of case, it can be used as a shorthand, convince you as a reader that the scene is hot, but the scene is actually not that hot. Like, it's not actually doing the work.
- [42:17]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [42:18]
Sarah MacLean
It's not doing the emotional work of like, the sex scene. Like, it's. It's short, it's shorthanding it. And for a lot of us, like, we're making that mental leap ourselves. But there are a few authors who I think have done it really beautifully and I want to sort of name name them. Penny Ames. We did a deep dive on this episode. No, we didn't do a deep dive. I put it on the list last year as one of the best of the year. Penny Aimes, for the Love of April French, is set in a kink club where there is bondage. Like, a bondage is a piece of it. And she is. The heroine is a dom and the hero is, like, kind of learning to be submissive and. And it's wildly sexy. So that's a great one. I also want to name check Audra North. We're never going to do an alpha submissive episode because Jen's not into it. But Audra North's giving it up is another one where he is. He's like a SWAT team leader and he, like, is in control of, like, everything. His family, his. Like, he takes care of his mother and his sister. And like, he's the. He's the guy who, like, has to make sure, like, none of the guys on the SWAT team die. And like, he's a hostage negotiator. And like, you know, he's all these things. He's like, super in control all the time. And, like, all he really wants is to give up control in bed. And it's super hot. That's called giving it up.
- [43:45]
Jennifer Prokop
So similar to that, I would put in Jenny Nordback's his leading lady.
- [43:51]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [43:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Which is. Has another. It's like, you know, he. She is the dominatrix and he is a movie star who is taking on a role where he has to kind of be a dom. It's essentially kind of almost like a very much like a Christian Grey type character that he'll be playing only, like, you know, real intense. And so the movie studio doesn't think he has the chops for this role essentially. And so he and his agent realize that if he doesn't kind of figure this out that he might get fired from the production. So they go and hire this woman to essentially train him. And so that, like, I'll teach you what you need to know. Vibe is super, super great. And this book does it really well because the whole progression is like, I'm learning it for this role, but then I'm also like learning about who I am. And I love that too. Like this, like, multi layered sort of exploration of like, what's going on here. So it's terrific. It's super, super hot.
- [45:02]
Sarah MacLean
Also, it feels like we have to name check the Game Maker series again here. Right? Which is the master is the Chastity Belt. Hello, Chastity Belt searchers. Every once in a while.
- [45:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Every once.
- [45:19]
Sarah MacLean
In a while we look at our, like, Google search terms and like, Chastity Belt romance is always one of them. So hi, everyone. It's unfortunately the same book, but the master's the one with the chastity belt and the game maker is. He buys her like, He's a billionaire. Buys her like easily a million dollars worth of sex toys. So that. And then there's also lots of bondage in that episode. In that.
- [45:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [45:48]
Sarah MacLean
Did I say the Game Maker? I meant the player. The player, yeah.
- [45:51]
Jennifer Prokop
The Game Maker series. It's the Game Maker series. Yeah.
- [45:55]
Sarah MacLean
Yep.
- [45:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, so in that series, it's like this real. I don't know, like this bad boy attraction, right? Like, especially. I would say actually all three of them, maybe more in the first two. This is an interesting thing to me because when I was like a teenager reading like teenage romances, like, I love that shit, right? But as a grown woman, I feel. Right. I feel like it's really hard to sell me on that in like books where it's like male, female, like, I'm just kind of like, whatever, how bad can he be? I mean, I guess maybe that's all of dark romance, but there's a lot of gay romance where this like, forbidden attraction part, like, that has that same, like it rings that same bell, but in a way that is like, really different. And two books in particular I thought were great for this, like, kind of bad boy, like, Mythology is band Sinister by K.J. charles.
- [46:51]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, it's so good and.
- [46:54]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [46:54]
Sarah MacLean
Good book.
- [46:55]
Jennifer Prokop
It's so good and it totally. Right. Like, he's like, I am the good one. And then, like, you know, his magnetic attraction to, like, the guy next door and all, and his band of, like, you know, you know, scoundrel. It's so terrific. And then this is more romance light because it's a mystery series. Adriana recommended them to me, and I listened to them all in audio. The Adrian English mysteries, where Jake is a cop who is closeted, and Adrian is a bookstore owner. He owns a mystery bookstore, and he is super attracted to Jake. And, you know, they're really attracted to each other. But, like, Jake is so. Such a bad boy, right? He's so bad for him. And so those are two books where, like, that, like, bad boy mythology, like, really, really worked for me. And then I was thinking one where it actually. It does kind of work in a male female romance is this Sophie Jordan book, which I love, called Fury on Fire, where Faith is, like, essentially, like, this good girl and her dad or her brother is the sheriff, and she, like, is really insistent. She's going to, like, move out on her own. And she, like, moves into this duplex, and the guy next door, his name is North Callahan, and he has just been released from prison. And, like, she is super attracted to him, even though she knows that she should not be. And it's just so good and so intense. So I would say, like, that's like a. It's funny. It's a trope that is harder and harder to, like, make work for me. But when it does work, it's, like, like perfect.
- [48:38]
Sarah MacLean
So I'm going to jump from Sophie Jordan, because the one thing that we haven't done yet is historicals, okay? And I think that one of the things that people don't fully understand who don't read historicals, is how hot historicals can be. So I want to take Sophie Jordan contemporary Fury on Fire, and also just name check. First of all, I think Sophie writes. Writes a blazing hot book. So if you've never read Sophie's historicals, you absolutely should. The Virgin and the Rogue, which, again, I know we've talked about because we did. An aphrodisiac romance is so hot. The premise is that the heroine gets hold of an aphrodisiac for. Well, she. She's taking, like, a tincture for her cramps. Her, like. Like, you know. Right, her cramps. And to assuage her cramps. And her sister has messed with the, like, the contents of this tincture, and she takes it, and it assuages the cramps, but also makes her the horniest anyone has ever been in their lives. And so she literally like in the middle of the night, finds this. Like, well, finds this. They have a, they have a house guest. It's like super rake. And she climbs him like a tree and he is like, what is happening? And there's like a really beautiful. Like there's a lot of consent in this book too. Like, there's a lot of discussion of like, like he won't because she can't. He figures out very fast. She's like something's on an aphrodisiac. But like then the next day after it's worn off, like they, they are just so hot for each other and it's really fabulous. So there's that. I don't know how many historicals you.
- [50:26]
Jennifer Prokop
Have, but I, I have like, I have two. And again, I think I'm so an EE Ottoman's a matter of disagreement. It's sort of like surprise hot. Like it's, it's like really like there's a simmering attraction between them and it's a novella. And then like all of a sudden in the last chapter, it like, like EE Ottoman basically like just like turns up the heat. Like, like, like the flame just goes whoosh. And I, I love that. Also, I was going to mention, and I'm sure we've mentioned them before, there's a whole historical series by Kate Pierce, the Simply. Right. Which are.
- [51:02]
Sarah MacLean
Well, you like the simply ones. I like the Sinners Club. So there are multiples. Yes. Yeah. She also writes lots of contemporary. She's written like a million books.
- [51:14]
Jennifer Prokop
She's.
- [51:15]
Sarah MacLean
She writes lots of contemporaries and cowboy books. But if you have never read those historicals, they are great.
- [51:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, really.
- [51:22]
Sarah MacLean
Also very worth exploring Nicola Davidson's backlist, which I think is almost entirely on ku, but they are all just erotic novels set in the Regency and very great. And I have to give a shout out here. Well, first of all, can we just like, we're just going to take a, a little detour back into the what the. We did a deep dive on Lisa Valdez's Passion, which just spending any time on that deep dive, you'll realize.
- [51:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, right.
- [51:59]
Sarah MacLean
Why that is in the what the bucket. But also the og what the romance novelist is Bertram, who we have never done a deep dive on. But my first, I think I've said I've confessed this on the podcast. When I was like 13, my sister in law gave me all the sweet tomorrows, which involves a heroine following her. This is deeply problematic, you guys, following her. Her husband, who she like Loves. He's been kidnapped and brought to some location by an evil sultan and she sells herself to the sultan and then he breastfeeds from her. And that was the first time I had ever seen anything like that. It was very eye opening for a 13 year old. But breastfeeding romance novels is a kink. It isn't a lot of them. And Bertrace Small really launched that show for me.
- [53:09]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't even know really where to go from there. Not you. I'm Sarah.
- [53:12]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, you know, look, if that's your thing, we support you here. Faded mates.
- [53:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [53:18]
Sarah MacLean
You can find that in Derek Craven, our favorite.
- [53:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, sure.
- [53:21]
Sarah MacLean
And also Galen Foley. I think it's the princess. This morning I did a little research trying to figure out which one it was, but I'm pretty sure. Sure it's the princess. But it happens in there too.
- [53:31]
Jennifer Prokop
Sandra Brown, I think traffics in that a little bit and all.
- [53:34]
Sarah MacLean
Sandra Brown.
- [53:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. I think if we're. I. I don't even know if we're like making sense anymore, but I have a. I have a. It's basically erotica, right? Like there's some, some folks that I'm like, okay, Nikki Sloan, Katie Robert. But Jane Ryland writes a series of books. The first one I think is called Kate's Crew. And she's like renovating her house and then next door or these guys are helping her renovate her house. I'm not really.
- [54:10]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, I love these.
- [54:11]
Jennifer Prokop
Like there's like four or five of them.
- [54:13]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. And they're all like. And it's like here are three carpenters. And they're all just there for her. They're the butcher, the baker, the candlestick.
- [54:21]
Jennifer Prokop
And they're there for each other. And this has spawned many another series. I just think she's like one of those authors who when they come up on Bookbub because they're cheap. I'll be like, oh yeah, I should definitely buy this just because that way I know I will enjoy it when I need it.
- [54:36]
Sarah MacLean
This is not quite on that level, but. And we've talked about her a lot, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it, but. Robin Lovett, if you like your thinking.
- [54:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Space. The Planet of Desire series.
- [54:48]
Sarah MacLean
A lot of aliens there. A bunch. A spaceship crashes on an alien planet and the whole atmosphere is an aphrodisiac.
- [54:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. Space.
- [54:59]
Sarah MacLean
Enjoy.
- [55:00]
Jennifer Prokop
I'll pick this one up. Okay. Space challenge accepted. I have. I don't. Dubcon can be real. Touch and go for me. Right. So there's A series called the Grab Series by Lolita Lopez that I think of as being essentially like dubcon light, like just a little hint of it. And that is because, like, the setup of the series is that, you know, there's these women on this planet and, like, there's. It starts off with this, like, race and like, essentially they're like cattle almost, and they have to run. And if one of these aliens catches them, like, or grabs them, then they are, like, essentially married off to this guy and this alien, you know, and all of them. So you're kind of like, this is not really consensual, right? Like, they. They have to. They're taken as, like, payment for something that this planet has done. All of the sea. And then they go up to, like, the starship or whatever with these, you know, handsome alien fellows. And all of them also include, like, some threesome scenes. But, you know, and it turns out these are, like, good guys. Like, they're monsters or whatever. But yeah, it's like. So it's like, got those elements of dubcon, but not so much so that it's like too much for me. But it's a great series if you are.
- [56:25]
Sarah MacLean
Now we're off my list, but I think we've gone off the list.
- [56:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure.
- [56:29]
Sarah MacLean
All of us. I mean, I just sometimes I think, like, our listeners, like, these two are really weird. Like, they've read a lot of books. Like, I'm sorry, you guys, we just have. This is what we do. Sorry, but I'm sorry, your dubcon is.
- [56:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Your people love us.
- [56:46]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. If you are wading into the dubcon pool, but, like, you don't want to go full dark romance, like, truly, like, non con. You want to do something where, like, there's either like, light dubcon or dubcon, where. Or like, consensual non consent. Right? Like where, like, the play is or the sex is non consent because they've agreed to it. There is Tessa Bailey and Eve Danger. I said I was going to talk about Tessa, but this is. I'm. This is not. It's over the line because she's co writing with Eve Dangerfield here, who also writes very sexy books. They wrote a book called Captivated where the heroine has, like, the hots for her landlord and has, like, basically like, written an entire graphic novel that no one is ever supposed to see where she is, like, like, taken captive by her landlord and he finds it and then is like, all right, let's do it. We. Let's do this. And they make an agreement that that's what they're going to do. So that's called captivated. It's great. And then like the original for me of these books, the first one that I read and again, like, I'm sure there were some before, but like the first one that I read and the one that I feel like a lot of romance, like thought like the first one that romance writ large found and like really thought about is Lila Pace is asking for it ser series which again, sort of like explores this. This world of consensual non consent is very sexy. And it's multiple books, long same, same couple, multiple books.
- [58:22]
Jennifer Prokop
We might as well mention the Katie Porter series. Right.
- [58:25]
Sarah MacLean
The Las Vegas we were talking about yesterday. Right.
- [58:28]
Jennifer Prokop
And also if you have like now a fighter pilot kink because you saw Top Gun, one of the books, I think the middle one where they're a married couple experiments with. With a sensual. With like consensual non consent.
- [58:42]
Sarah MacLean
There's also an alpha submissive in that. Jen doesn't believe it's real, but I trust you not that book. A different book in that series.
- [58:49]
Jennifer Prokop
And there's also a book in that series that has voyeurism that is super hot.
- [58:54]
Sarah MacLean
And one that has like, like costume play, which I gotta be honest, you guys, like, in the real world, Costume play feels like it would feel like. I mean, I feel like. I like. It feels like it should be. Really. It should. It would make me feel very silly. But like it is super hot in this book.
- [59:12]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [59:12]
Sarah MacLean
And like that I hope, like, I do not mean to offend if costume play is your thing.
- [59:16]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [59:17]
Sarah MacLean
But like it is. It is just a thing that in real life I feel like that would be.
- [59:21]
Jennifer Prokop
I feel.
- [59:21]
Sarah MacLean
I would feel silly. Yeah, well, I think it's very hot in this book. And I actually just recently. What did I read? Shit, I just read a book like this week that had it and I enjoyed it. Now I can't remember what it was.
- [59:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, it's funny that you say that because I feel like I read a chastity belt recently and can't remember that either. Okay. Voyeurism though, I love it. So three books I want to mention. I've mentioned most of these before. I bet I don't care. Clay and Florence in Joanna Shoop's the Prince of Broadway are escaping from cops who are breaking into his casino. And they kind of go through to the brothel next door and there's a peephole and they watch together. Super Hot Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren is basically them fucking in public all over New York City because they both think it's hot. And then a great book called Being Neighborly by Mika James, where she essentially, like, moves into a new place and her neighbor across the way, his doesn't have blinds, look. And he's perfect. Taking care he's having some self.
- [60:29]
Sarah MacLean
I love that tamper. Doesn't have lines. Story.
- [60:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah, it's great.
- [60:33]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, God, it's a great one. Yeah.
- [60:37]
Jennifer Prokop
So good for it.
- [60:40]
Sarah MacLean
Wait, I had another one I wanted to bring up. Let me think for a second. Oh, hot historicals. You cannot talk about hot historicals without talking about Adriana Herrera as a Caribbean heiress in Paris, which is flaming hot. It was out last week, so it is in stores now. Do yourself a favor.
- [61:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. That Eiffel Tower scene will be burned into my brain forever.
- [61:11]
Sarah MacLean
Look, if you've ever wanted a bang on the Eiffel Tower. And who hasn't?
- [61:14]
Jennifer Prokop
Hasn't sure when they're building it. Still being the first ones to christen it.
- [61:19]
Sarah MacLean
Exactly. Also, Sex Club's Joanna Shoop's most recent book is It Begins in a mystery sex club. So.
- [61:29]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, I have a couple more trope topics. Oh, you know, it's a really interesting.
- [61:36]
Sarah MacLean
Like, kind of hot.
- [61:37]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, have you read the Red by Tiffany Wright Rice? So Tiffany Rice writes a really hot book, but that whole original Sinner series has to do with priests, so I can't do it. But the Red is actually this woman who essentially, like, there's almost like this magical kind of. It's, like, really interesting. It has to do with art and fucking. Basically put that in your. I mean, has to do with art and fucking.
- [62:02]
Sarah MacLean
It's great.
- [62:03]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. I have two more, like, big topics. One is. Okay, I guess I should have probably talked about this one when we talked about athletes, but my personal topic was I have one book under this topic, by the way. Enemies to Lovers, where they can beat the shit out of each other. And it's Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reed. It's two hockey players, and it's like, oh, my God. Like, oh, my God, Sarah. I mean, it opens with, like, one of them just, like, kind of waiting around, and then the other one shows up, and it's just like, like, so, like, it's just like Clash of the Titans, right? And it turns out that they have essentially been having this, like, secret affair for years because, you know, they're professional athletes. I think that just recently, like, kind of a. A second book with these two characters came out. I have not read it yet, but this is one of those books. Heated Rivalry is one of those books where I literally do not know a person who has read it, who hasn't said, like, oh, my God, it's so good. All right. I also have. Oh, no feelings.
- [63:15]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, no feelings.
- [63:17]
Jennifer Prokop
And apparently I have a very strange, very particular kink, which is I have tremendous upper body strength, and I'm gonna, like, Micro trope. Micro trope. I'm gonna remember that next time someone asks for favorite microtrope. I'll be like, I have tremendous upper body strength, and I'm just gonna boost you up onto my face. That is Carol Carson's. I can't remember which book it is. You'll have to look down the. The one about the. I've talked about this book before. The Captain's Vegas Vows.
- [63:47]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, yeah.
- [63:48]
Jennifer Prokop
And then also an Aaron McCarthy book, the Fast Track series. It's book number two, and basically it happens, and I'll be like. I was like, okay, that sounds. Sounds good. All right, ready? Oh, no feelings. You want me to do oh, no feelings?
- [64:04]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, let's do it.
- [64:05]
Jennifer Prokop
This is very adjacent to delayed gratification for me. Like, I've been waiting for you forever. Right, so. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh. Because it takes, like, 10 books for those two to finally get together. Sin and Ink by Naima Simone. I've been in love with you.
- [64:21]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, my God.
- [64:22]
Jennifer Prokop
Right?
- [64:22]
Sarah MacLean
So good.
- [64:23]
Jennifer Prokop
I've been in love with my brother's witch widow. Wait for it by Molly O'Keefe. I am in love with my brother's ex wife, and my brother is a scandal. Yeah. Caressed by ice. I am a. I'm a psy and don't have feelings. And now all of a sudden, I do. And then Judgment Road by Christine Feehan, which is just fucking bonkers, but, like, presses every single one of my buttons, like, a million times over.
- [64:56]
Sarah MacLean
All right, I have a. Oh, no feelings one. Marie Donovan's her last line of defense, which is a blaze rip, blaze and is. So. I think I've admitted this on past episodes, but, like, I'm really a sucker for a military romance. So this hero is, I think, a Green Beret, and he gets in trouble with his, like, superior, and he's basically punished by having to take, like, the general's daughter into the woods to teach her survival before she move, like, goes on a trip to South America somewhere.
- [65:40]
Jennifer Prokop
I bet he's gonna teach her something else.
- [65:42]
Sarah MacLean
And so it's like. Like, you know, like she goes into a river and he's like, you're dead of a snake bite. You're gonna die. Like, she's like. And she's, like, extremely competent. She's. But she's, like, not an outdoorsy person. And so, whatever. So they. They're on, like, a camping trip, essentially a survival camping trip for, like, I don't know, a week. And it's like, you know, now there's a Scorpio. A scorpion in your boot. Not a Scorpio. There's no Scorpio in your boot.
- [66:14]
Jennifer Prokop
Watch out for me. I'm in your boot.
- [66:18]
Sarah MacLean
There's a scorpion in your boot. And so they're, like, out in the woods, and he, of course, is, like, very rough and, like, does not feel feelings and. But definitely wants to bang her. So they do bang, and there's this, like, great oral scene on a rock in the middle of nowhere. And then they come out of the woods, and he's like, okay, I feel feelings for you, but I'll never speak of them, God forbid. And so you go on your trip. Trip, and I am going back to work, and we are never gonna speak of this again. And so she does. And he's, like, a wreck about it.
- [66:57]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [66:57]
Sarah MacLean
But the sex is great. And then he's also very broken because he's a big dumb dummy.
- [67:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Big dummy. I like it. Okay, I have one last category ready, which is like. Like. Oh, it's hot. Like, right? Like, where you're just, like. It's just hot. It's hot from beginning to end.
- [67:19]
Sarah MacLean
Hot. Yep.
- [67:20]
Jennifer Prokop
And maybe you're surprised by it. Maybe you weren't expecting it, but maybe it just was. And that is American Royalty by Tracy Ly, which is not out yet. Is out soon.
- [67:32]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, the. The bathtub scene.
- [67:34]
Jennifer Prokop
Hello. That's exactly what I was going to say. He basically. Listen, he. He's just seen the queen and has promised the queen. I am not gonna. Trust me. I would never.
- [67:43]
Sarah MacLean
The real queen. Not queen, the band, not Duchess.
- [67:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. And then he goes back to his, you know, castle or whatever and finds her in the bathtub. And what are promises?
- [67:58]
Sarah MacLean
What are promises to a monarch?
- [68:00]
Jennifer Prokop
I. Listen. It doesn't even matter. It's fine. Then there is, like Lovers do also by Tracy. Right.
- [68:09]
Sarah MacLean
Hammock, which we talked about because we talked about much here on the pod.
- [68:13]
Jennifer Prokop
Taken hostage by Kinky bank Robbers by Annika Martin.
- [68:17]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, my God.
- [68:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Bliss sandwiches.
- [68:20]
Sarah MacLean
We've talked about this one, too. It's so nonsense, and I love it.
- [68:23]
Jennifer Prokop
It doesn't even. Like that entire book is romance reasons. And it's fine.
- [68:27]
Sarah MacLean
It's so ridiculous, and I love it.
- [68:29]
Jennifer Prokop
I love It. And then here's. Here's an interesting one. Rosie.
- [68:34]
Sarah MacLean
Rosie Dannon.
- [68:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Rosie Dannon is the roommate. Yes, but in. Okay. The roommate is the first book. The Intimacy Experiment is the second book. But in between, at some point, she wrote, like, a little, like the newsletter scene. Yes. Where the heroine from book two joins the couple from book one in a threesome. And it's like, we love to see it, Rosie. It literally came to my ears.
- [69:02]
Sarah MacLean
I don't know where you get it. I think you might be able to get it on our website. We'll have a look.
- [69:05]
Jennifer Prokop
Look, I think I have a PDF of it somewhere, because that's what happens. And if that is the case, I will put it in show notes. But, yeah, I just remember to ask Rosie first. Well, I mean, I'm gonna ask Rosie first, obviously. Oh, wait, I have one more. Okay, this is real old school. Lover, Rage and Mary. Lover, Rage and Mary.
- [69:27]
Sarah MacLean
Right? Oh, my God. We didn't talk about any of those. I'm gonna talk about my favorite, too.
- [69:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. And Lover Ragin. Mary. He essentially is. He shares his body with, like, a dragon or something. Whatever. And. And he's really worried that, like, he will not be able to keep the dragon in control when they finally do it. So he has his brothers chain him to the bed so that he will, like, not change into, like, the dragon thing. And listen. It's great. It's all hot. All of it. That entire book is everything I want in the world. Love Her, Rage and Mary. I don't remember its real name. It's the blue one.
- [70:06]
Sarah MacLean
Hang on. I don't know. Which one is it?
- [70:10]
Jennifer Prokop
It's.
- [70:10]
Sarah MacLean
I can never remember.
- [70:12]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, that's because we'll just say what the actual people are, and then I.
- [70:16]
Sarah MacLean
Can'T remember her name either. Hang on, I got to think for a second. Well, who's the he? It's Revenge is him.
- [70:21]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good one.
- [70:23]
Sarah MacLean
What's her name, though?
- [70:25]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't remember either.
- [70:26]
Sarah MacLean
All right, Elena. Got it.
- [70:27]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [70:28]
Sarah MacLean
Okay. Well, my favorite of those books is Lover, Revenge and Elena. So she's a nurse. And he's a sympath. He's the king of the sympaths. Right. So, like, he, like, deeply cannot feel feelings.
- [70:43]
Jennifer Prokop
Amazing. Right?
- [70:45]
Sarah MacLean
And so he, like. So. And there is, like. There is a phone sex scene in that book that just. I mean, my Kindle blew up. Like, I had to get a new Kindle. It was great. And then there's, like, he's, like, afraid to feed from her like, he won't feed from her. And like, the. The way that the world building there is, like, they have to feed like you're. You feed from your mate and he won't feed from her. And when he finally does, it's like. And then, of course, when they do feed from their mate, they get, like, sure hard ons. Like, I mean, they get. They get like yardsticks made of iron.
- [71:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, my God.
- [71:33]
Sarah MacLean
And it's like. I mean, you want to talk about somebody who just, like, just un. Like, peels off her skin to, like, pure ID energy and writes J.R. ward. It's J.R. ward, Junior Ward.
- [71:48]
Jennifer Prokop
I had one. Oh, okay. I'm gonna. Okay, here's what I hear. So I think we should end. I want us to talk about, like, what's something you've read, like, real recently. Because all of these have been, like, things that have really been, like, in the vault, right? Like, I've read these books a long time ago or whatever, so that I.
- [72:05]
Sarah MacLean
Keep coming back to, like, books you keep coming back to, Right?
- [72:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. This week I'm reading Waylon by Theodora Taylor, and there's, like, big spoiler alert, everybody.
- [72:16]
Sarah MacLean
He.
- [72:18]
Jennifer Prokop
She saves him. She's a nurse practitioner, and he's, like, shot, and she, like, essentially saves him. And then she. He's recovering in her home, but she's really worried. She doesn't really trust him, so she's, like, handcuffed him to the bed. And then he agrees to be her teacher, like, sex lessons. And then she, like, is like, I can't be with you because. Because, you know, I'm gonna. I need to marry a doctor and move to the suburbs and buy my yellow house. And it turns out that she's so, like, on her literal wedding day, Waylon appears in the church, right? And, like, saves her from her. This man she's gonna marry, who, of course, is bad, and that he beats the shit out of this guy. And then they have sex against the wall in the church while she is in the wedding dress that she's gonna be used. Like, that was gonna be for another man. And then this guy, like, wakes up while it' Jalen's like, shut the up. I'm busy now. And I've got to tell you, I wasn't mad about any of it. In fact, I was like, this is literally the best thing I've ever read in my life. So there you go. A new classic, everyone. A new classic.
- [73:27]
Sarah MacLean
So I am. I mean, I already mentioned the. I mentioned the Sarah Kate book praise, but also, you did not mention the second book in that series which came out like two weeks ago called Eyes on Me, which is a lot of you on Instagram want us to do a stepbrother romance and I a stepbrother interstitial. And I don't think we are going to do stepbrothers. Like, whatever. It's complicated.
- [73:49]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [73:50]
Sarah MacLean
But this one is for you if you like stepbrothers. He's significantly older than her, so like they didn't grow up in the same house, but he, you know, but they have known each other since she was a teenager. He had no feelings for her whatsoever at all. Like pure nothing. And then. But he's super into voyeurism, which is, you know, I expected Jen to mention it then, but she didn't.
- [74:13]
Jennifer Prokop
She didn't.
- [74:13]
Sarah MacLean
If I will, I failed. It's called Eyes On Me. It's very new. And he like goes on to like a essentially like an only fans style site. And he discovers that his stepsister, who is now, you know, a grown woman is doing an onlyfans site. And so then he like, like pretends to be like. He like, it's like, it's like, it's like if you've got mail, we're super kinky. So he is both the, the dude who she's, you know, she is performing for on Only Fans and her stepbrother in real life who she's had a crush on for a long time. And then there's a. The next one is Mainage and it comes out into weeks.
- [74:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, well, that's exciting. Okay, here's one that ties that all together then. Goldie and the Bears by Hannah Murray. She is going up to this cabin, she's going to start her only fans type site. And these, this man and his business partners are there. There was some sort of booking problem on the, you know, on this.
- [75:22]
Sarah MacLean
And they're in a relationship. The two dudes.
- [75:24]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes, exactly. God, it's so hot. And they're like, we will help you film.
- [75:29]
Sarah MacLean
You know what I love? I love it when the mainage is like the two dudes are already in a relationship together and then like the, the third. And then I love it when one of them is like, here's a microtrope. I really like where he's like, he's like, I'm gonna tell you what, like you do this to my partner because he really likes that. Like, I like it when one of them takes like full control.
- [75:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. And in this case I think there's three men. So turn three men.
- [75:54]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, is there three? Gosh, I forgot about.
- [75:56]
Jennifer Prokop
What a hero.
- [75:57]
Sarah MacLean
I forgot about that third one.
- [75:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Heroes for Our Time. That's all you need to know about that. Super, super hot. I feel like I could probably do this all day at some point.
- [76:05]
Sarah MacLean
I know we got it but we do have to pull the trigger because we are running late this this week. So that was a good solid hour and 20 minutes and we're really happy to have been here for all of you as always, you can find us on faded mates.net or find us on Twitter Aided Mates or on Instagram Aided Mates Pod. Thank you to our sponsors Lumi Labs and Melissa McTernan for sponsoring the episode. As always, you guys, the best way for you to support Faded Mates is to support our sponsors. Don't forget to if you order from lumilabs, use Faded Mates as your code for a discount. Thanks so much.
- [76:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Have a great week everybody.
- [76:52]
Sarah MacLean
Have a great week.