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- [00:00]
Sarah MacLean
I read this thing yesterday about Whitney Houston, Kevin Costner, and how Kevin Costner is so, like, was so obsessed with her, and I mean, same, like, who wouldn't? I mean.
- [00:14]
Jennifer Prokop
I mean, just shows the man has common sense.
- [00:16]
Sarah MacLean
If Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner got together, Kevin Costner would be marrying up, let's just say, by like, a million. Yeah.
- [00:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Factor of a million.
- [00:24]
Sarah MacLean
But it was like, this whole thing about how, like, when she died, he was like, oh, devastated, a wreck. And, well, he didn't protect her.
- [00:34]
Jennifer Prokop
She had. She really. There's a woman right there in the.
- [00:37]
Sarah MacLean
Title of the movie, and he.
- [00:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Real struggles. I know, Kevin, we blame you.
- [00:44]
Sarah MacLean
I'm glad we got to the bottom of that.
- [00:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Clearly, it was your fault.
- [00:49]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, it's interesting, right? Because I feel like the Bodyguard was a seminal text for us.
- [00:57]
Jennifer Prokop
So, everybody, you have cleverly discerned, but we are about to do a Bodyguard.
- [01:02]
Sarah MacLean
Episode, which, first of all, unreal. That we haven't done one.
- [01:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Unreal.
- [01:06]
Sarah MacLean
I keep checking.
- [01:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like, it's gonna magically appear.
- [01:10]
Sarah MacLean
Like, because, you know, our producer has said to us for about a year, you should do a Bodyguard episode. And every time he does it goes in one ear and out the other, because we've done it already, doesn't remember.
- [01:21]
Jennifer Prokop
That we already did one. And then it became very clear that we have not done one. And so, yeah, here we are.
- [01:27]
Sarah MacLean
Welcome, everyone, to Faded mates. I'm Sarah MacLaine. I read romance novels and I write them.
- [01:33]
Jennifer Prokop
And I'm Jennifer Prokop, a romance reader and editor.
- [01:36]
Sarah MacLean
And what were you going to say about bodyguards?
- [01:38]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, the thing about that movie, though, is the longing in that movie, the angstiness of it.
- [01:45]
Sarah MacLean
Like, a poster.
- [01:47]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, where is the kissing? Where, like, where is the. You know what I mean?
- [01:51]
Sarah MacLean
Like, it's just.
- [01:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Ugh.
- [01:52]
Sarah MacLean
There are moments in my life that I can, like, visually remember. Like, I remember where I was.
- [01:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [02:00]
Sarah MacLean
I remember what movie theater in Rhode Island I was in when I saw just the poster of the two of. I mean, come on. This is all. Before we get to the song. Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston together at last. A combo none of us saw coming.
- [02:24]
Jennifer Prokop
I probably saw that movie a thousand times anyway. Yeah. Maybe we've never done the Bodyguard because it's like, how do you live up to that?
- [02:32]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, it just feels like, yeah, I don't know. I want to dance with somebody.
- [02:40]
Jennifer Prokop
This is not a Whitney Houston episode. But there have been in, you know, since her death, I think a lot of, like, people who've like, written really powerfully about. Right. Like, so there's a New Yorker piece that talks about how her. Like the story of how she sang the Star Spangled Banner.
- [02:58]
Sarah MacLean
Wait, I don't know this story.
- [03:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, really?
- [03:01]
Sarah MacLean
I don't think so. Where did she sing the Stark Spangled Banner? Her.
- [03:05]
Jennifer Prokop
So the story. The thing that's amazing about her singing of it. Google. I was like some big ass. It wasn't like, you know, a Cubs game. I don't remember.
- [03:15]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, she sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
- [03:18]
Jennifer Prokop
At the Super Bowl. I was like, the super bowl or the Olympics?
- [03:21]
Sarah MacLean
Everybody's like, at the Super Bowl.
- [03:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Sarah. Yeah, I was like. I kind of had a moment where I was like, was it the Olympics? No, it was Super Bowl.
- [03:28]
Sarah MacLean
It was in 1991.
- [03:29]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [03:30]
Sarah MacLean
I didn't tell you how old I was then.
- [03:32]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [03:32]
Sarah MacLean
Well, barely even born.
- [03:34]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, well, I was born fine. The thing that's amazing about it is. And, well, it's a she there. She. Okay. I don't know musical words. So everybody. Sorry. But there's a point where she's. Sorry, I don't know musical words at all. She. When she sings, like, the Home of the free. She added, like, a note, I guess. And like, the. And she talks in, like, in this article, it talks about how she, like, saw, I think, a video of, like, maybe Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem and was really, like, inspired by, like, sort of the addition of this note and like, the. This New York article. Like, sort of, like, really, like, weaves a really, like, kind of. It's a short piece. It's not a big long thing about how meaningful it was to have, like, the word free be highlighted, especially by a black artist. It's really.
- [04:26]
Sarah MacLean
Right.
- [04:26]
Jennifer Prokop
It's really a terrific article. And so, I don't know, I just find that I. Or like, there are YouTube clips where people extract all of the music and you just hear her unfiltered vocals. Right. I mean, and it's like, things like that. Because I have no musical training, that in the. When I read them or when I hear them, it's just like, oh, she wasn't just like this, like, pop superstar. Like, she was just a musical tour de force. Like, her musical knowledge, like, her. The way that she understood music was so just, like, above and beyond what, like, Normie's, like, me could even understand. So I do like reading or seeing some of those things because I feel like it just. I don't know. I find. I find it very inspiring, even though. And. And sad.
- [05:15]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. So I am now. I have been Googling while you have been talking, and it is the number one most memorable music moment in NFL history, according to the National Football League and Rolling Stone, and apparently was most. Was very powerful and, like, really struck a chord nationally also because we were in Persian Gulf War at the same time, and terrorists had threatened to target the Super Bowl. So, like, there's a lot of, like, eyes on the super bowl. And she.
- [05:50]
Jennifer Prokop
It's like a big American.
- [05:52]
Sarah MacLean
She did the job because. You know what? Because. Of course she did. Of course she did, because Whitney Houston does the job.
- [06:00]
Jennifer Prokop
So. The Bodyguard. The mo. Anyway, the Bodyguard. The movie. Like, listen, I. There was just, like, a real. That was like a. The Whitney Houston era was like, really for real. And I remember just everybody. I mean, I will always love you. It was just like, everywhere. That soundtrack was everywhere.
- [06:21]
Sarah MacLean
Everywhere.
- [06:23]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [06:24]
Sarah MacLean
And I know it's a Dolly Parton song, but, like, there's no version. I mean, like, Dolly, too, has notoriously said, like, there is no version other than the Whitney version. Now, like, so sorry, everyone, but that just is how it goes. But also, like, it was. She wrote about. I mean, there were a bunch of other songs original on that soundtrack, like, and they were, like, including Run to youo, which I think probably I sang in my bedroom, like, seven to 8,000 times that summer.
- [06:58]
Jennifer Prokop
Into your hairbrush with your microphone.
- [07:00]
Sarah MacLean
Hairbrush. Yes, yes. Probably with, like, a towel on my head to like, make it seem like I had. I had long hair, obviously, because everybody. My. My hair was always tangled, so my mom made me cut it all off. And I mean, listen, I believe. And listen, now that I am a.
- [07:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Mother, you're, like, obviously the right thing to do. Hairbrushing.
- [07:26]
Sarah MacLean
But anyway, so this is my thing. Listen, we're not going to talk about a bunch of, like, old Bodyguard books, but I would say that, like, there is something sort of hardwired into the DNA of American romance connoisseurs.
- [07:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct. From this moment. Yeah.
- [07:41]
Sarah MacLean
That comes from this moment.
- [07:43]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. I would agree. It's great. Maybe I should re. Watch it later.
- [07:47]
Sarah MacLean
Let's do it. I'm gonna download it for the airplane.
- [07:51]
Jennifer Prokop
There you go. Gosh, I. I'm always so afraid to, like, revisit those.
- [07:55]
Sarah MacLean
I know.
- [07:55]
Jennifer Prokop
So, like, some just, like, stay in the ether, and then, like, some just, like, go into the time capsule and you're kind of like. But I believe it's still great. I do.
- [08:05]
Sarah MacLean
But the reality is, is that. Listen, I hate to spoil this 1992.
- [08:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Film for all of you.
- [08:11]
Sarah MacLean
However, the Reality is, is that this book, this film does not. Is not a romance. No, it is a love story. Because Frank, they kiss, and then that's that.
- [08:27]
Jennifer Prokop
He has to go do his bodyguard job. Sarah.
- [08:30]
Sarah MacLean
He has bodyguarding to do for bodyguard reasons. He cannot stay. And so here's what I would say about that. It's probably written by a man. Oh, it is. It's written by Lawrence Gasden. Look, now we're just a film podcast because. And listen, of course it's written by a man. Of course it is. Because a woman would be like, fuck this. Let me write this.
- [08:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Okay. If we were a movie podcast, first of all, would be ridiculous, but, like, what would our movie podcast name be? I had a great idea. Femme Fatales.
- [09:00]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, that's excellent.
- [09:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Right? Faded mate.
- [09:02]
Sarah MacLean
I love it.
- [09:03]
Jennifer Prokop
It's our romance podcast name. But when we talk about movies, we're Femme Fatals.
- [09:06]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, but basically, that would just be like, let's talk about Mad Max Fury Road again. It would be. Here's what we do. We'd have, like, four episodes. It would be like Mad Max Fury Road, Moonstruck, the Bodyguard, apparently, and then Pretty Woman. And Pretty Woman. There it is. And those are the movies we would talk about until they release French Kiss on streaming.
- [09:31]
Jennifer Prokop
Look, we just brought it right back. Okay? So anyway, we've never done a bodyguard episode, which seems shocking to both of us. Now, we do have. I will point out, in our collections, we do have a bodyguard guard collection from Caroline. And the thing that is kind of cool about this one is it is mostly historicals.
- [09:51]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, you know what? And that is a good thing, because I think of bodyguards as being historical. I. I had a lot of historical moments. I mean, but I. Because, again, because I came through historical. Galen Foley's Princess.
- [10:07]
Jennifer Prokop
That's on there.
- [10:08]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, Well, I mean, of course it is.
- [10:10]
Jennifer Prokop
Of course it is. Right? Yeah.
- [10:11]
Sarah MacLean
Classic. And then I have. I have a couple that I think are worth noting historical wise. But you know why? Because here's the thing, and here's the other thing that I would say. There's that Julie Garwood, where there are often. There are a lot of bodyguards in romance. Right? Like, so whether or not they're heroes, this is a separate thing. But, like, there are all the ones, for example, where all the medievals where, like, the heroine is taken from England and then brought to the hero, who is a Scottish laird, or even better intended to be brought to the hero, who's a Scottish laird, but instead falls in love with the bodyguard on the way. Because she is wrapped in his kilt in the cold rain. I mean, and he's sleeping with, like, one hand on his broadsword. Not a euphemism. And.
- [11:04]
Jennifer Prokop
We'Re back to faded mates. Everybody.
- [11:05]
Sarah MacLean
One hand on his broadsword. Yes. Euphemism.
- [11:09]
Jennifer Prokop
And that's the book. And now the book is over. And now story time is over. And then they thatch a roof. Okay, so now I will put. Make sure the link to this bodyguard collection is there, because what's really great about it actually is it's 10 books, and there's a couple historicals and a couple contemporaries and a couple romanticies. Like, it really does, like, give you a really broad view of the bodyguard through a lot of different subgenres. So if you're kind of like, I have a bodyguard romance, that might be something I would enjoy. I've never seen such a thing. Then you could start here along with whatever fine titles we will be.
- [11:48]
Sarah MacLean
But because I did not put Galen Foley on my list. But I do feel that I need to speak to princess for just a moment.
- [11:54]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, fine. You may.
- [11:55]
Sarah MacLean
Because as everybody who has seen us live knows, although it didn't listen, we broke the trend because we did not talk about breastfeeding a baby live in St. Louis. And that is probably because, like, a Midwestern romance hero.
- [12:12]
Jennifer Prokop
I would never.
- [12:12]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, I don't know if he would never. But he certainly would never allow it to be discussed in public.
- [12:17]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure. Now, meanwhile, Sarah. Eric. Eric was like, I'm listening to the audio. Apparently the audio faded. Mace Live does exist. And he's been listening. I, like, really wanted to be like. But to you get to the Midwestern romance.
- [12:31]
Sarah MacLean
No, he's very worried. He's. Right now. He's, like, trying to figure out, like, the sound. How to make. Clean the sound up.
- [12:37]
Jennifer Prokop
Of course. And everybody, it.
- [12:39]
Sarah MacLean
I think it's gonna. We're gonna release that during the hiatus. The hiatus. Anyway. But let me tell you about my experience with princess and why it is also seminal text for me. So aside from the fact that, like, okay, so this. The heroine of this book is a princess. Her name is Seraphina. She is, like, spoil a totally spoiled brat. And he. The hero is Darius. Oh, Darius. The king's most trusted soldier. Of course, he's also, like. Like a assassin. And he's also, like, the head of the guard. And he's also, like, beautiful and charming and perfect in every way. The problem is he has wanted Seraphina forever.
- [13:30]
Jennifer Prokop
Of course.
- [13:31]
Sarah MacLean
Forever. But he can't have her because he's like, he's like garbage. He's garbage on her shoe. And she is a princess, right? And like. But basically he's just like, pledged himself to be her bodyguard forever. And like, he's like, I'll never love another woman. Like, I'll never. I'm just like, now this is me. I'm like a statue. I have. Everything I have is for her. And she is also like, he. She, like, has. Is obsessed with him. Has. Has been obsessed with him since her childhood. But, like, they obviously can't have each other for a million reasons. Anyway, big. Listen. Galen Foley writes a like, big, beautiful, like, verbose, massive. Like, it's just like, the prose is extravagant, the stories are like giant and have massive feelings. Like, they all. There's somebody's always almost dying. Like, everything's chaotic in these books. They are a sort of perfect example of a very particular time in romance where, like, authors were allowed to have 600 pages to just like, run. And at the end, he breastfeeds from her.
- [14:56]
Jennifer Prokop
I was wondering where this was all going. I thought you were gonna say he bodyguards her. He does bodyguard her. Tits.
- [15:03]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, but he like, listen. Again, a moment that I remember, I can remember sitting in. I was sitting in on the grass in my backyard growing up, reading this book. Like, thoroughly delighted that I was reading this historical. Which came out, I mean, I don't know, sometime in the 90s. Oh, no, it didn't. It came out in 2007. No, that's not true. It didn't come out.
- [15:32]
Jennifer Prokop
No, you gotta look at. You gotta look at Goodreads for this, right?
- [15:34]
Sarah MacLean
No, because you're gonna get.
- [15:35]
Jennifer Prokop
If you look at Amazon, it'll get some weirdo. You're like, listen, last week I was wrong about Coldplay, but I was not wrong about the princess.
- [15:43]
Sarah MacLean
I. Wrong about the princess. No. 1999. I was sitting. It must have been summer. I was sitting in my parents backyard and this man, sure, he breastfed from her. And I was like, whoa, whoa, what is this? Except I wasn't like, what is this? Because I had experience.
- [16:04]
Jennifer Prokop
You'd already read Bertram. I've been through Bertree, Sandra Brown and Sandra Brown.
- [16:08]
Sarah MacLean
I knew it happened, but for some reason, like, listen, this is one of those. So enjoy yourselves, everybody have a great time. Galen Foley doesn't write romances anymore. And now she writes fantasy. Oh, straight up fantasy under a different name.
- [16:26]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't know what that is.
- [16:27]
Sarah MacLean
I'll put it in show notes.
- [16:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Everybody put it in show notes. That little mystery, huh? Okay.
- [16:31]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [16:32]
Jennifer Prokop
I read a lot of Galen Foley back in the day, but I don't have a lot of strong. I mean, I think the thing. And you too will get to this point, everybody. You read this many romances and you're like, yeah, I definitely read a lot of that person. I don't remember it. And if I sat down and started rereading it, I'm sure it would all come back to me. Yep. Like, oh, I've read this. Yep.
- [16:51]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, no, she does write under Galen Foley. The book is the first book in the series, I think is called Paladin's Prize.
- [17:00]
Jennifer Prokop
That sounds familiar to me. Okay, maybe just Paladin. Who knows?
- [17:03]
Sarah MacLean
Enjoy yourselves, everybody.
- [17:06]
Jennifer Prokop
This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Hunter Snow, author of Gone Country.
- [17:14]
Sarah MacLean
So Jamie Keaton is a rock star with a reputation. She is thought to be fiery and fierce, just like her songs. And she was never supposed to come into the path of, let alone collide with Clayton Langley, who is a country singer who epitomizes Southern charm. But when a chance encounter forces them to collaborate on a song that becomes an absolute hit, she is suddenly thrust into his universe of cowboy boots and steel string guitars. Problem is, there are some old resentments here between the two of them, as long as well as an undeniable chemistry simmering just beneath the surface. And Jamie's going to have to decide whether to embrace the unfamiliar world of country music she's been dragged into or to stoke the fire of their rivalry and watch the whole thing burn down. Ooh.
- [18:07]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, it sounds like Jamie likes to burn things down, but in this case, I think love is going to temper that. Ur and for those of you who think this sounds like a really fun book, know that our author, Hunter Snow, survived a career in the music industry herself, so she is now living to tell its tales in the pages of her books. If you would like to check out Gone country, it is available in print, ebook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. You can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to the Buy the book if your podcast app supports it. Thanks to Hunter Snow for sponsoring this week's episode. All right, so let's talk about bodyguarding as a trope.
- [18:51]
Sarah MacLean
Sarah this is where I get real basic. Like, I don't, I don't have a lot to say short of like, I want a man to throw himself in front of a bullet for me. Like, I wanted to be like, I'd rather be dead than have you be dead.
- [19:04]
Jennifer Prokop
I think there you go. All Right. You know, it was interesting because I was, I was. I agree. I think it is a very primal trope, right? Like, whatever, whatever. If you don't have this in you, you just don't like this trope. And that's all there is to it. I don't think there's any way to, like, make it this way. And it was funny because I was, I, I, I attempted a bunch of new, newer ones. I found some that I really liked. My journey to sort of, like, always be reading for these episodes and trying to, like, find new books and has been sometimes successful and sometimes not. And in one of the books I sort of discarded. I don't even remember the title or the name anymore. It was funny because someone in one of the reviews of it had sort of mentioned that one of the things they like about it was that it, like, dealt with the inherent problem of the trope. And I was like, what am I.
- [20:02]
Sarah MacLean
About to say is the problem in the room with us?
- [20:05]
Jennifer Prokop
And the problem is, is that like, like, it's just like there's such a power imbalance. And I was like, yeah, that's what makes it great. You know what I mean?
- [20:15]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, because he works for her.
- [20:17]
Jennifer Prokop
No, this. Yeah. Or like, he's going to die. Like, this person has to be willing to die for the other person, but the reverse is not the case. And I was like, yeah, that's what makes it great. I'm sorry. That the power amounts is what makes it great. And since it is almost always, obviously we're talking about, I mean, there are a lot. I actually read a great gay romance that was a bodyguard romance. But, like, if the whole point is that, like, she's the one being bodyguarded, and I can think of a few that are, are not that, then, like, that's the whole point. Like, that's the whole fucking point, everybody. So I just kind of found myself wandering away from that little bit of thought. But I did find myself thinking, I mean, if you don't like bodyguard romance, that might be why, right? Like, I. Maybe you want it to be more equitable or you don't want it to be that. And I am a big piece of garbage blowing around your street, knocking on your door, thinking, yeah, it's not hot.
- [21:14]
Sarah MacLean
Okay? It is. Empirically, it's hot. And let me tell you why. Because this whole power balance conversation, like, my question for that person is, have you ever read a good bodyguard romance? Because, yeah, right. Like, yes, okay, fine. She works for him. I'm sorry, he works for her in this gendered version. Right. However, he is so powerful, like, physically. His strength and cunning and insight, and he has so many. I mean, these are men who are kings.
- [21:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [21:52]
Sarah MacLean
Because. So I read one.
- [21:57]
Jennifer Prokop
I read.
- [21:57]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, I read a whole. I read, like, four. I meant to read one, and then I read four of this series. I read Cynthia Eden's Siri Bodyguard series or four of them. And I mean, like, these are men who, like, they are. Every one of them is, like, former Green Beret. Every one of them is, like, incredibly brilliant, a tech genius. Like, extremely skilled at, like, reading people, very protective, like, will, like, level a villain the moment he gets his hands on a villain. Like, that villain is knocked the fuck out. And so while I understand the, like, innate power difference, I also think, like, that that can be, like, really, really well evened out by both physical power, like, mental acuity, and, in the case of the Cynthia Edenburg books, like, a tremendous amount of, like, intelligent, clever plotting.
- [22:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. Like, yeah. So it's often.
- [23:02]
Sarah MacLean
I'll get to them, I guess, because we're still talking about, like, bodyguarding in general, but like, this. None of the books that I read were.
- [23:11]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, were like.
- [23:12]
Sarah MacLean
And he was hired to protect her. Although I'm fine with that, too.
- [23:17]
Jennifer Prokop
The promise of the premise is, like, right. Like, the bodyguard is going to be, like, physically bought. God, you know, physically. That's like, my job is to physically guard you. Like, to keep your body safe, literally. Right. But a really good, like, an expectation I have of this trope is that the guarded person, right, will find a way to protect something in the bodyguard that they did not know needed protecting some, like, soft part of them. Right. And so it's like, I don't know if that makes sense.
- [23:48]
Sarah MacLean
Right.
- [23:49]
Jennifer Prokop
So it's like. And so the bodyguard, like, enters into the story or enters into the text as being like, I'm the one who is, like, strong and capable and, you know, like, all these things. I don't need protecting. I am the protector. And yet somehow, by the end of it, there's, like, some softness that is revealed by the other person. Right. And so, like, the. The. The change. The bodyguard doesn't just, like, sort of start out awesome and end up awesome. I mean, they can and stay that way. But, like, part of the character arc for the bodyguard is, like, learning to, like, let go of something that they themselves are either protecting about them. Right. I don't know. So it does feel like the emotional breakdown component, I expect. Like, the guarded person is broken down at the beginning, but the bodyguard has to break down by the end.
- [24:45]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. Yes.
- [24:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Right.
- [24:46]
Sarah MacLean
Also. Yes. And the best part of these books is when the person who is being guarded ends up, like, protecting the bodyguard.
- [24:59]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [24:59]
Sarah MacLean
Like, Right. That's the best part.
- [25:01]
Jennifer Prokop
And that's why I was like, I don't. The power.
- [25:04]
Sarah MacLean
That's the part that I like.
- [25:06]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah.
- [25:06]
Sarah MacLean
If it's not in there, I don't want it.
- [25:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Right. And that's the part, I think that, like, the. That's why I kind of was like, well, yeah, there's. The power mounts at the beginning so that when we see them being protected at the end, we understand that they've never been in this position. You know what I mean? Like, of course it has to. That's how the trip works. Right. So it was just, like, a really interesting comment. And, you know, I'm sure this person is just, like, a throwaway comment for them. But I found myself really, like, thinking about it, like, wait. But that's kind of how it has to work. You have to have the imbalance in order for the pendulum to, like, swing to the other side.
- [25:44]
Sarah MacLean
Yes. I'm gonna say something that you're maybe not gonna like.
- [25:48]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, I know. Me or our listeners.
- [25:51]
Sarah MacLean
You, Jennifer.
- [25:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, no.
- [25:53]
Sarah MacLean
So, I mean, maybe not. We'll see. But here's what I'm gonna suggest.
- [25:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay.
- [25:58]
Sarah MacLean
Because we have seen over the last, like, couple of years this kind of rise in stalker romances. And I think there's something in there that is. So I have read a handful of them. We all. Everybody knows that, like, I. Yeah, first of all, everybody knows that I'm much more willing to walk into the water than Jen is on these books. But, like, they're mostly. They just don't do it for me. Right. And I think they don't do it for me for lots of reasons. But what's interesting to me about the, like, the ones that sort of edge toward doing it for me. Right.
- [26:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, I know what you're gonna say.
- [26:34]
Sarah MacLean
Are the ones where he, like, the stalker is also protector. Right. And, like. And it's because. Listen, I. Listen. I don't think stalkers should be romance heroes. However, I think that there is something in the, like, DNA of a number of these books that is, like, asking for readers to. To thread that particular needle, to connect those particular dots and say, okay, he's a bad dude, but also there's a worse dude, and he's going to protect her from that worse dude. Whether or not this works fundamentally as a romance novel, capital R, capital N is a different conversation. But I think there's something in there too of this protector as a concept that if it's non consensual, that's a different thing. Right. Then it's not a bodyguard. But go on.
- [27:29]
Jennifer Prokop
I think that you are correct. I think that the. You know, back in the day.
- [27:36]
Sarah MacLean
Not Nero. Yeah, yeah, Nero. No, Hans. Hans.
- [27:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Hans. Yeah, sure. Back in the day. You mean when he like goes to Mexico or whatever to follow.
- [27:47]
Sarah MacLean
Well, he's also watching her. He's got all those cameras in her room.
- [27:52]
Jennifer Prokop
He goes into her house. Does he have cameras in her house? I don't remember.
- [27:55]
Sarah MacLean
I don't. It's. I mean, whatever it is, his cameras. He's watching that.
- [27:58]
Jennifer Prokop
He's watching her. Sure. Right.
- [27:59]
Sarah MacLean
Okay. And he's like, granted, like the way that. The way sj. Tilly. It's SJ Tilly. Right. The way SJ Tilly sort of like threads the needle on Hans is like he sort of accidentally watches her and then it's like. Then she starts to bring him bad food and then he's like, I'm kind of obsessed with her. Like it's like a. He's stalkering light. Right.
- [28:19]
Jennifer Prokop
I. Okay, I would have to check. I don't think he has cameras in her house. He does break into her house when she's not there and like locks her windows and shit. Yes, that's true. I don't think he has installed cameras in terms.
- [28:30]
Sarah MacLean
No, but like when she accidentally crossbows somebody in the backyard.
- [28:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Oh, that's right. He has cameras on the exterior. But that's. I know, I'm like, we're trying to break this down.
- [28:38]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, I'm certainly not going to be the one to complain about this. I have no legs to stand on. However, like this is what I mean. I'm talking about that kind of.
- [28:45]
Jennifer Prokop
Well, and what I was going to say is, you know, back in the day, for those of you who are new to. To the romance game, there used to be a shit ton and maybe there still are in some pockets, some like romance pockets of cops as romance heroes. And I feel like we. And it's very interesting to me that like we don't get that anymore.
- [29:07]
Sarah MacLean
It's much rarer. You still see it in small town. But.
- [29:09]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, but I. Yeah, she the sheriff or whatever. But I think that what you are describing, I think it's like, you know how like a tsunami, like you know, the earth's crust move and then all the water rushes in and rushes back out. I think that like when cops got removed, stalkers Were put in stalkers because it was like. Well, okay, but we still want to.
- [29:31]
Sarah MacLean
Have this, like, surveillance.
- [29:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [29:33]
Sarah MacLean
Conceptual. Yeah.
- [29:35]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, it's the police state, but it's like romance heroes.
- [29:38]
Sarah MacLean
Well, I mean, now we're. We're. We're going to end up down a rabbit hole, but whatever. It's our podcast. We can everybody. You could. You have choices.
- [29:46]
Jennifer Prokop
Go listen to Feb Fatal. I hear that one's great.
- [29:48]
Sarah MacLean
The immortal words of one of my very favorite BBC commentators. Other channels are available.
- [29:54]
Jennifer Prokop
This podcast is free is how I like to say it. Okay.
- [29:57]
Sarah MacLean
But I think what's interesting. So did you ever watch. You must have. I. How have we not. We must have talked about this episode, this movie, but the Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin movie, the one in line in New Orleans. In New Orleans. What's called.
- [30:14]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't know. I love that movie, though. It's hot. He's crazy now, though.
- [30:18]
Sarah MacLean
Okay. It's called the Big Easy. Of course. Duh.
- [30:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Like, of course. Also from the 90s, probably also from.
- [30:24]
Sarah MacLean
Around when the bodyguard was in 1986. And here's what I would say about this movie is this movie came in the, like, the imperial period of like, the erotic thriller.
- [30:39]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [30:40]
Sarah MacLean
Like, movies were sexy, as in the late 80s and early 90s. Like, also that, like Madonna one with Willem Dafoe.
- [30:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Yep. And the one, everything with Sharon Stone and Glenn Close. To you.
- [30:58]
Sarah MacLean
I don't know what happened, but, like, those movies were so sexy. First of all, these two are very handsome. He's a police officer in He's a Detective. And like it. This is a straight up thriller. Like, there is murder. Like, there's police corruption. I mean, part of why I did like, I do like this movie still. I actually recently watched it. Part of why I. I actually watched it while I was writing Bomb Knockout. Because police corruption. Right. Is like, there is a corrupt police force than it's in this movie. And like, at least they acknowledge that.
- [31:39]
Jennifer Prokop
And he's really. The part that's like, his journey is. He's like, really unaware of it, like, in the course of the movie, essentially becomes aware of just how corrupt the cops are around him.
- [31:50]
Sarah MacLean
And she is an investigator, like in like and like, being threatened by virtue of her trying to clean up the New Orleans police department, which I don't know anything about New Orleans today, but I'm guessing, you know, police officers corruption exists in police departments the world over.
- [32:10]
Jennifer Prokop
But what were we getting at?
- [32:12]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, but there are these great moments in that movie where they misuse the police funding for like the police budget or, like, the police resources for him to find her. Like, there's that great moment where she's running and she gets pulled over. She gets, like, basically, like, picked up by a police officer who's like, well, you didn't stop at the cross work over there like you did. You jaywalked. And she's like, get away from me. And he's like, I'm gonna call that resisting arrest. And she puts her in the. He puts her in the police car and then takes her to a party at this. At Dennis Quaid's house. And then they, like, do it, like, and she's fine with it.
- [32:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. But I mean, I do think that, like, you're right. Of, like, the surveillance state stalker is. We're not putting cops on page anymore. But, like, that's basically what these stalkers are. They're just like, rogue cops.
- [33:10]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [33:11]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, and so I think it's sort of filling of a very specific niche kind of thing.
- [33:17]
Sarah MacLean
Correct. So I guess what we're saying here is we're setting aside, like, there is something kind of in our reptilian brain that is. That fires with all of these kind of, like, protective stories. But we're setting aside stalkers, we're setting aside police officers, and we are specifically focusing on the bodyguard. The. Like, he is. That is his job. He is hired to do the job. Or at least, like, this is a skill that he's willing to offer for free. I actually don't have that many where he's actually paid. This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Lumi Gummies.
- [34:09]
Jennifer Prokop
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- [34:33]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, really?
- [34:34]
Jennifer Prokop
It's hard to focus. And sometimes I just find myself really, you know, just feeling like there's too much on my plate. And so the other night, I was just super stressed. I tried a sativa orange cream cookies gummy to help me sort of just like, lock in and just like, get in the zone where I could focus on one thing at a time without really feeling overwhelmed by the combination of those tasks and the world and my worry. So it was just like A really great way for me to just kind of just remember, like, I don't have to go through this on my own.
- [35:09]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, I mean, they do. They are very good at making you just, like, chill out. So Lumi Gummies are available nationwide. You can 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. If you're interested, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to the Lumi Gummies website to learn more about the gummy experience. Again, that's lumigummies.com code faded mates. Thanks, as always, to Lumi Gummies for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [35:52]
Jennifer Prokop
So I. I have some. They're kind of like, on a gambit from, like, kind of straight up traditional bodyguard to, like, sort of some evolution in, like, the relationship. So I thought maybe we'd start off with the ones that are just, like, pure bodyguard and kind of, like, go from there.
- [36:07]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [36:08]
Jennifer Prokop
So I'm gonna start with Wyoming Bodyguard by Danielle Haas. This is a harlequin. Either romantic suspense or harlequin intrigue. I don't remember what they're called now. It just came out this week or at the end of last month, at the end of July. And what I liked about this one is, well, everybody knows. You know everybody. If you're just like, what is the purest distilled form of trope? What is happening with it in a contemporary, in a. Like a harlequin, right? In a contemporary, in a category Romance. Now, some of this is romance reasons, Madam McKay grew up in this small Wyoming town, and his family owned a local ranch and he went to the military. When he has returned home, and his family has essentially been kind of is being ignored or, like, shunned by everyone else in town because they have sold part of their land to a developer. And that developer has, like, built a hotel and built, like, kind of, like dude ranch stuff, but it's all, like, none of it's local. And so everybody is like, how dare, right? And he has come back to this town and nobody knows, like, the real reason that they had to sell the land. And he's, like, too kind of proud and a little also, like, fuck you to these people. But he really does, like, love his community. This is where he grew up. So this is where he's starting his, like, security firm with, like, his friend. Now I'm like, what is there to Secure, I don't know, but whatever. That's the plot. And Lily Tremont, her family owned the adjoining ranch and there they own like a dude ranch. They have like guest cottages. And the thing that has happened is with the selling of the McCabe. No, the McCabe farm, her family, her family's ranch is now kind of almost going out of business, right? Like, so the, you know, these developers are like undercutting everybody's local businesses. And what happens is, you know, like he goes into the local bar, he's gonna buy, buy a round of drinks. He's kind of like, I have to just like do what I have to do to get the people kind of back on my side. When he hears shots fired from outside. And it is. Someone is firing his shooting at Lily's father, right? So Lily and her dad were walking to the car. Like a truck, you know, goes by and shoots at them. Like it's like a drive by shooting. And he like stays with her and she is just like kind of really shitting him. She's so angry about what is happening to her family business. But she also trusts him at some level because he is like an expert, right? So she hires him, like straight up hires him to like essentially protect her because like then they go back to her house that night after being with her dad in the hospital all day. Someone has broken into the house and has been looking through the office and like, right. So clearly they are in danger. And she thinks, thinks and her father is kind of had been acting suspicious. She wasn't sure what. And so like the two of them are going to work together. But the kind of. The trick here is she says, I don't want you to just protect me. I want you to also figure out why this is happening. And he is like, but I'm not an investigator, I'm not a cop, right? And she's like, I don't care. You know people around here better than anybody. And you know, like, I believe in you. And it turns out that, you know, he and his friend were like seals or some shit like that. And along with, you know, a water landing, they could also investigate a crime. Who knew? So they. This is. And you know what, Sarah?
- [39:53]
Sarah MacLean
I.
- [39:54]
Jennifer Prokop
This book is very great. It is perfectly plotted. It is right, really like boom. It hits the ground running. You know, all the players, all the setup and the. And I. What I like about it is Lily asking he his business was kind of floundering and her saying like, maybe you can investigate too do coincidentally in the state of Wyoming, you Don't need a PI license. It's going to be how very lucky. How lucky. I don't know if that's real. Everybody.
- [40:23]
Sarah MacLean
And here it is. This is how we learn about things.
- [40:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Watch out. Jeopardy.
- [40:29]
Sarah MacLean
That's going to come up. At some point, somebody's. Somebody's gonna be talking about Wyoming to me. And I'm like, well, you know, you don't need private investigators license in Wyoming. And they're gonna go, really? And I'm gonna go, yep. And that is how false. Like we just. Hopefully that's correct.
- [40:44]
Jennifer Prokop
It was a great bodyguard romance. Like, it just really hit all the beats. And because the bodyguarding was about like, not something she had done. I think that was also a nice touch. She had no idea why her father was being targeted, why their ranch is being targeted until they go out and find like meth in like the storage shed. That's. I'm not. That's like a bit of a spoiler. But fine. That's all I'll say. So anyways, Great Wyoming Bodyguard by Danielle Haas.
- [41:17]
Sarah MacLean
All right, nice. Well, I'm going to talk because I already sort of teased it, but I want to talk about Cynthia Eden. So I've talked about Cynthia Eden before. I think she is like really a top notch romantic suspense writer. And I think because like, it's unfortunate because like, I think romantic suspense had like such a massive dip that she doesn't get the kind of constant attention she really does deserve. So she talk about a person who like, knows how to thread a plot. The I want to talk about the Wild Ways series, Wild with an E. The first book of which is called Protecting Piper. And I'm calling it out because it is free always. And so you can go get it for free in E and learn about Eric and Piper. She is his younger brother's best friend and he has wanted her. Like these two have had long stand. This is another one long standing. Crushes on each other. But like, he. He's. She's convinced that he like can't stand her. He never talks to her. Like, you know, you know the vibe. And it's because he's just so freaking into her. And then he find basically like somebody is stalking her. Somebody is like breaking into her house. And her brother basically goes to him and is like, piper needs help. And so he happens to be. He's like an ex Green Beret, an ex army ranger, I don't know one of them. And he owns this life. It's so romance. He owns this like top notch security firm where he's basically celebrity, too. Like, everyone knows Eric Wilde. And I'm like, all right, yeah, okay.
- [43:18]
Jennifer Prokop
Why not?
- [43:19]
Sarah MacLean
And he's like, I gotta move in your house. I gotta live with you. And also, let's. It's great.
- [43:25]
Jennifer Prokop
So anyway, that's the plot.
- [43:27]
Sarah MacLean
That's my description. And then, like, no, she's also being stalked. But, like, the pages. Listen, do I. Did I tear through this book? A thousand percent. Did I read four more books in the series? A thousand percent.
- [43:40]
Jennifer Prokop
Right?
- [43:41]
Sarah MacLean
I have no complaints. But the one especially. Because the one I want to talk about is called. So I. I'm just giving you all. Protecting Piper because it's free. And also, like, it's great. But I want to talk about the Bodyguard Next Door.
- [43:56]
Jennifer Prokop
Amazing title.
- [43:57]
Sarah MacLean
Which. Here's the thing, I. When I'm reading romantic suspense. So there are two kinds of romantic suspenses out there. And I will say I read one.
- [44:08]
Jennifer Prokop
Wait, what are the two kinds of romantic suspense?
- [44:11]
Sarah MacLean
Red is a kind word for what I did for the first one because it was an MMF or an mfm, whatever. A poly romance. And, like, the beginning of it was like, the woman is in his office. Made his heart, you know? And it was like he hadn't had a woman in five minutes. And I was like, oh, my God. And, like, his. It was him and his, like, business partner, and she was like a. I don't know what. I don't want to give too much away because I don't like. As you all know. Like, I don't. We don't like to, like, rag on books. But the point is that we've all read this book. It's sort of like there's a somebody following the woman because they need a reason for the pages to turn. And, like, basically, it's just like a reason for these three to just, you know, hide out in a cabin somewhere and fuck for 300 pages. And there is a time and a place for those books.
- [45:07]
Jennifer Prokop
All the time. I mean, all the time.
- [45:10]
Sarah MacLean
But I did put that down because I was like, now is not the time, time or the place for this book. Because I, too, am trying to, like, read for the. Every episode. And so I was like, well, this is not gonna be it. But the way. And then the other one is like, there's an actual story, like, an actual plot that's happening. And then the, like, romance is happening around it. I know that this feels like that's how it should be, but with romantic suspense, it's not always like, yeah, you never know. Especially when it's like, she's in danger. Like, from what? From some random person who you don't know about until like 300 pages in, right? And it's usually her ex husband. This is not the case for this book. So this is the bodyguard next door. So the heroine here is an art forger. And. Yeah, cool, right? So we meet the hero and the heroine, like, he's just. She lives in like some like, fancy like. Or fancy. She lives in like a warehouse. Like a lofted warehouse or warehouse loft in a city unknown. And he, Mahiro, is a partner in this like, firm, this wild security firm. And he has rented the loft next door. So they are the only two people who live on this floor of the warehouse. And we meet them where he's like moving in with his like his buddies helping him like, bring a couch in. And he is like, he has. And he has like met the neighbor. Met her, the neighbor. And he is like wildly into her, extraordinarily attracted to her. But like, she's made it really clear that like they're just going to be friends. And so he's just like, oh, this is like, I love being her. Like, I want to know her, I want to be around her. Like, I want her my life. But like, it's killing me that like, we can't. She's like, really sad. No, we're just going to be friends. Cut to her. And she of course, is like, oh, my God, I love him so much. Like. And you're like, listen, these two dummies, I cannot wait for them to get their shit together. So. But she's an art forger. And so we learn really quickly, like, why she is not able to like, have a relationship because she's an art forger who is in witness protection because her father was an art forger before her. And he trained her to be like, she basically can paint a Monet that no one realize. Like, no one realizes, like, without technology is not a Monet. Right.
- [47:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Big Thomas Crown Affair vibes.
- [47:47]
Sarah MacLean
Thomas Crown Affair vibes. But so what. What happened when she. What comes to pass is you discover that when they were young, when she was a teenager, she and her father and her brother were kind of like mixed up with some kind of art crime forgery ring. And they would go into places, they would steal the master, leave her. Her forgery on the wall, and then like beat the hell out of dodge, right? So she. Her father was killed, she turned state's evidence, and then she was brought. She was put into the witness protection program. Well, the Book begins. And like, in chapter two, I don't even think it's chapter two. Like, the end of chapter one, Boom. A baddie shows up. And it turns out she's been found. Like, she's been found by the, like, people who ran the ring a million years ago. And they need her to, like, do some. Another fortune, right? And they basically, like, they are. They're threatening her. They're threatening her brother. There's like, the FBI is involved. The FBI is like, you have to do it because, like, then we'll get the information that we need. And of course, the whole time, the next door neighbor who is a bodyguard is like, she does nothing without me. I'm her bodyguard. And so, like, he. She even, like, signs a contract for him. She's like, I think I should have a contract. And he's like, fine. So, like, he gives her a contract, but, like, never takes a penny from her. Like, he's obsessed with her. They, like, you know, I don't know. I mean, like, they have sex like in a bad. In a bad guy's house. It's great. It's really fun. And the truth is that, like, the pages keep turning because you're like, okay, like an art forger heroine is something, like, really interesting. She gets kidnapped at one point, like, with him, like, he's like, you have to. I'm going with her because I go with her. And they get dropped off in this house where she has to do a forgery of a Monet within 24 hours. And it's just the plot moves along really quickly. It reminded me reading actually all of the Cynthia Eden books in this series reminded me of reading a really tight romantic suspense from, like, the early thousands or like the late 90s, like, just where, like, the plot is really perfectly structured and the beats of the book are just, like, terrific.
- [50:22]
Jennifer Prokop
So fun.
- [50:23]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, these go down real easy. You're going to want to read them all. You're going to have a great time. This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by 1001 Dark Knights, publishers of the Duty and Desire collection of uniformed heroes and Bodyguard guard stories by Aurora Rose Reynolds, Kristen Ashley, Kylie Scott, and Rebecca Zanetti. What a foursome.
- [50:51]
Jennifer Prokop
I know. So Duty and Desire is a collection that brings you heroes in uniform, right? Bodyguards, soldiers, law enforcement, People who do whatever it takes to protect the ones they love. These are books that are filled with action, danger, and, of course, steamy romance. Romance Closer by Kylie Scott is part of the Stage Dive series and features. Essentially, they have, like, a new Neighbor. She's a supermodel, and she needs someone to be her bodyguard. It's really sexy. The Rebecca Zanetti story is another one that I really love. And this is the one where we have Noah, who is a vampire soldier. Hello. So these are books that are really going to explore what it means to protect people you love or to be protected. And of course, these are often stories that prove that sometimes the greatest battles are fought with the heart. As always, you might know one or two of these authors, but it's a great way of exploring some new authors to you as you hang out with some of your old favorite waves.
- [52:02]
Sarah MacLean
So if you think you would love to try this Uniformed Heroes and Bodyguard Collection Duty and Desire just might be for you, you can collect it right now on Kindle or in paperback. And if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks as always to 1001 Dark Knights for sponsoring this week's episode.
- [52:30]
Jennifer Prokop
I have one that's also live like best friends. You know what I mean?
- [52:34]
Sarah MacLean
Brother or whatever.
- [52:35]
Jennifer Prokop
And I feel like it's really common in these bodyguard tropes because it's just such a shortcut to, like an emo and to emotional entanglement. Right? So, you know, here is the bodyguard who's like, I just don't feel feelings and I don't feel ways about my thing. But if it's, you know, but this.
- [52:55]
Sarah MacLean
Is somebody I know care about.
- [52:58]
Jennifer Prokop
It just ends up being a little bit different. Although the one I have. Okay, so I'm gonna talk about one that has best friend's brother. This is a gay romance by Annabeth Alpert. It's called Tough Luck. And this is the first book in the A List Security series. And in this series, Annabeth is really like, I'm gonna take these retired Navy seals and turn them into bodyguards. And you know what? How smart you are are. I love.
- [53:25]
Sarah MacLean
What else are you going to do with them? They have a particular set of skills.
- [53:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Exactly. I love your mind. So in Tough Luck, which is the first one, cash is the seal, and he has just. He's like in his late 30s. So he's, you know, put in his 20, 38, maybe put in his 20 years. Another thing I know from romance, which is, you know, 20 years in the military means you get to retire everybody. I'm not sure that that's true. I said that I was joking. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not. But in this case, he's out of the seals, and he's not really sure what he's going to do next. And so his friend has a security, like a bodyguard company, a security company or whatever. And he's actually just like, crashing with his friend for a while. And the book opens with the friend who. I don't remember his name, to be honest with you. Sorry. Everybody is like, my brother Danny is in trouble. And he won't admit that it's trouble. He won't talk to us about it. But he said enough to make me realize that there's something. Something going on. But I have to fly off to do bodyguarding business as the owner of this firm. Will you go check on him? To which Cash says, of course. So Cash, you know, gets in his car and like, drives up to Danny's house in the Hollywood Hills. And Danny, now Daniel, right, who's like, in his mid-20s. So, like, there's an age gap here. Was some kind of, like, really famous actor on, like, a big TV series for years. And he was. He was. Went through recovery. He was addicted to alcohol and drugs. He is not really acting anymore. But because of how much money he made, he has bought this big house up in the Hollywood Hills. And Cash is like this fucking idiot. I just drove right up to the house. Like, there's no gates that. Right. So he immediately is sort of thinking, like, I'm gonna have to tell his brother about, like, how poorly protected this, like, his house is his home. And, you know, he gets there and he sort of like, ring is actually a really funny scene. He brings the buzzer and he's, you know, he'd stopped along the way to pick up some breakfast sandwiches. And, you know, Danny's voice comes through the buzzer like, you know, hello. Just leave it at the door. And Cash says, this is Cash. And Danny thinks he's ordered some other delivery. And he's like, I don't have any cash. So he just buzzes. I don't know, somehow. Then the door just opens and he in catch walks to, like, the courtyard to find Danny doing yoga, but he's naked. And I just was like, you know what?
- [55:58]
Sarah MacLean
Everyone owned a house in Hollywood Hills.
- [56:00]
Jennifer Prokop
I probably too would also do yoga naked out in my yard, because why wouldn't you? So it turns out that Danny has someone who kind of stalking him. And it started out in social media DMs, but it had escalated to being like, kind of a scary. Like something scary with some photographs. And then. Okay, so, you know, Cash is sort of like, why don't you put on a robe? Like, what's going on here? It's great. And then the real delivery person comes. So this is, you know, 15 minutes later or whatever, and she is freaking out because there is, like, a dead rat on the gate. And so in that interim point of time, right, like, essentially the stalker has arrived, and Cash is like, I'm. And Dani really freaks out and is very vulnerable. Like, I kind of wanted to play this off, but clearly it's a big deal. So Cash and Danny, like, go to the local Home Depot to get stuff to, you know, like, there's no security camera. And Danny admits that it had worked when he moved in, but he didn't replace it once it went down. And Cash was like, well, did you bother to think that maybe the stalker was the one who. You know what I mean? So they go to the Home Depot, and they, you know, get a bunch of stuff to, you know, like, sort of shore up the property. Whatever. Whatever. I'm like, whatever. And actually, it's great because, you know, Cash is like, I know what to do at Home Depot. And Danny is like, I don't know what to do at Home Depot. What is all this shit? Right? It's great. And what happens then that escalates things really fast is that when they get back to the house within, you know, and they're, like, doing stuff or whatever, within a couple of hours, they get photographs from the stalker who had been inside the house after Cash and Danny left. So the stalker is now photographing themselves in the inside Danny's home. And so Cash was like, well, we have to go someplace private, like my friend's cabin in the woods. And there they go. Now, the part I liked about this, the part back to my whole, like, the bodyguarder, right? Like, Cash is like, I'm not taking any money. Me. I'm just doing this as a favor for a friend. You are really freaked out, and I don't know what to do with myself. And so I'm gonna do this. It's not about money. The part that's really interesting is even though Danny is younger, Cash has. Is very, like, inexperienced with, like, almost to the point where Danny's like, are you on, like, the ace spectrum? Are you demisexual? Like, right? Like, sort of trying to, like, kind of figure out, like, well, what is it? You know? And Cash is like, you know, I have had sex with a couple of women, but I maybe admit I am attracted to men, but it was safer for me in the military to not really explore that and so I just kind of haven't. And so even though there is an age gap, the experience gap runs the other way with Dani being the one who is far more comfortable with himself sexually and is the one who says to Cash, like, I think we should kiss and it's going to be. Be hot. And it was everyone. It was. So that's tough luck by Annabeth Albert.
- [59:13]
Sarah MacLean
She's good.
- [59:14]
Jennifer Prokop
She's so good.
- [59:16]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, I want to talk about the billionaires Bodyguard by Emma Holly. So Emma Holly has written a series. It's like the. She has a billionaire series. Like, it feels like everybody has a billionaire series, but in this one. So this is the last in her billionaire series. And the heroine, the. I'm sorry. The hero is a Hollywood action hero. His name is Luke and he is like, known as. He's like, charming and funny and all his fans love him and he's always kind to his fans and like, everything is great. And he just happens to like, to like, hit the jackpot. And now he's a billionaire because of romance reasons. And he has what that I'm sure many, many people in Hollywood who are huge celebrities have, which is like kind of a. He has a stalker. And there is, though he is not like a hundred percent sure, he doesn't really take it super seriously to begin with. He has started to realize that, like, this is actually getting very serious. Like, this person is in fact a pretty significant danger. So aj, the heroine of the book has like, there's a prologue in this book where AJ is young and she's just like. It's just obvious from the jump that like she. This is. She just wants to be like a protector, defender, like tough guy. Like she is. She's of course she's a bodyguard. So she is. Has. Is a former police officer now she's a bodyguard and she's been hired by. By Luke's To. By Luke to essentially like, save his life and. And keep him safe. And I believe that like in an earlier. I did not. I've not read all of these books, but I think like, in a past book, she saved his. Like, she did in fact save his life. This is another romantic suspense. Like, there is a real sense of like, there is a. A like true threat to Luke. There are several moments where his.
- [61:19]
Jennifer Prokop
He is.
- [61:20]
Sarah MacLean
Is under threat and AJ is working to keep him safe. But also, this is a good example of what we were talking about in the beginning where like, the power differential is very clearly like, AJ has an immense amount of power in these books. Despite the fact that, like, he's obviously the one with the money, the one with the. The looks, the one with the fear, the one with the everything. Right. And I think that that is because Emma doesn't let go of the idea that, like, this woman is technically has a technical skill that is unmatched. And so, like, I think this could easily have fallen into the Competence porn episode because, like, AJ, like, this was AJ's calling and so she doesn't hesitate to get in there when she needs to. And like, her skill and power in this book is very. It's very clear. It's in, and it really reads great. The book is also, like, you know, if you've read any Emma Holly books before, like, it's very sexy. These two are just hot together. I know. Jen, you love it when, like, two people who are very hot have, like, acrobatic sex.
- [62:52]
Jennifer Prokop
I do.
- [62:53]
Sarah MacLean
There is. There is a strength between these two that is really terrific. And I actually really enjoyed, like, there are a couple of moments where the.
- [63:03]
Jennifer Prokop
The.
- [63:05]
Sarah MacLean
The, like, classic bodyguard trope is flipped really well on its head and it's. I had a great time. I had a great time reading it, I think. And I did download one of those other billionaires books for the plane.
- [63:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Sure, why not? Sexy Dangerous by Beverly Jenkins is one of my favorite. She's the bodyguard. I'm sure we've talked about this book before. Also fun if you've only read. Read Bev's Historicals to, like, sort of dive into some of her contemporaries. I think Beverly Jenkins really likes a bodyguard. I feel like a lot of her books have that, like, vibe.
- [63:40]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah.
- [63:41]
Jennifer Prokop
And then she has gender swap bodyguards too. And then like, Rare Danger, which is one of her more recent contemporaries, is not gender swapped, but he. He's the bodyguard. But I think also is like a woman who needs a bodyguard. So, you know, I think a lot of her books have that, like, again, the Protect the Protector vibe. Okay. I feel like I just jumped in there with what I wasn't planning to talk about. But I am going to go on to talk about a bodyguard romance now where, like, the bodyguard has bad intentions. And that's Burn Dreams by Neva Altage. I like this series. You've heard me talk about it because I read them all this year in this one. This is like the sixth or seventh book in the series. Alessandro is a works for the mob, but throughout the course of, like, the previous five or six books, we realized that he has had, like, in a previous life, had been had, like, worked as like a government assassin. And he got out of that life, they all thought he was, like, dead, right? Like, sort of. I can't remember which book. It's revealed. Like, that guy, like, worked with him and he's like, yeah, but he's, you know, too bad he died in that fire. But then this guy is like, watching something happen on tv and he's like, the only person who could have set a fire like that was Oz, right? And so then we get his book. Many books later. And so in this one, Alessandro, right, he's our bodyguard. He has worked for, like, the head of the New York mafia for however long, and he has been essentially reassigned to help out out one of the, like, under bosses to protect that guy's wife. This guy has had several bodyguards watching his wife, and he has not been happy with any of them. And part of the reason this is that he agrees to take Alessandro on is because everyone, no one has ever seen him with a woman. And so they all assume that that means that maybe he's gay. And it is not that. It is that Alessandro instead had a beloved wife who was killed. He was actually, this is back when he was an assassin. He was like, planning to essentially, like, planning their escape from, like, the world of, like, being essentially forced to work for this, like, evil assassin runner. And the day that he was gonna like, finally, he and his wife and they were like, young, right? We're going to, like, run away and kind of like be free. She was killed in a hit and run accident. And he has made it his life's work to figure out who killed her. And it turns out that he, like, right? So, like, he then spent years, like, trying to figure out who did it. And it turns out that it's the husband who's, like, looking to protect his wife. So Alessandro is like, I'm gonna take this job. And then what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna kill the wife. Her name's Ravenna. As revenge for the fact that this man killed my wife. Sure.
- [66:49]
Sarah MacLean
Classic.
- [66:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Classic. So the whole.
- [66:52]
Sarah MacLean
That makes perfect romance sense.
- [66:55]
Jennifer Prokop
And you know what, Sarah? It does. So he is like, I'm going to. I'm gonna. I'm gonna kill her. That's gonna. And then I'll kill him, but I'll make sure I kill her first. So he is tortured, but once he gets into the household, he can tell that there's something very wrong. And at first he reads Ravenna's the way she's. You know, she won't even him. She's very cold to him. He thinks she's just like snooty. She's just like snuck up, stuck up mob wife who thinks she's better than everybody else. But he starts to figure out that she actually is being abused by her husband. She was forced into this marriage and she's never loved him. He essentially like, essentially threatened her family, like, you have to marry me or else I'm going to kill your mom and your brother. And so now listen, if you're one of those people who's like, I cannot stand any cheating in my room and romance books, you probably will not like this because she and Alessandro end up falling in love while she is still married. And but you know, to her it was never a marriage, right? She was forced to marry this man. And so anyway, of course Alessandro's like, oh, fuck now in love with her. What am I gonna do? How am I gonna get my revenge? Damn it. And it's a great story. So I really liked it because I do think the like, right. The bodyguard having ill intent or bad intentions is interesting to me because then it's like, what's going to cause them to change and do the right thing, right? Which is to literally then really protect her. So then there are times when you know, she is under threat for whatever reason because her husband's like a real jack jackass and he's like, oh, I could have let her die, but no, I had to save her. It's fucking great, Sarah. It's like real. Yeah. As you said, classic romance reasons bullshit throughout. But I loved it. It was great.
- [68:52]
Sarah MacLean
I mean, this is the thing is romance, it doesn't it. Romance reasons are plenty fine, right? It's amazing.
- [69:00]
Jennifer Prokop
Amazing. So that's Burned Dreams.
- [69:03]
Sarah MacLean
I talked about, about Kelly Bowen when we did competence porn. And I want to talk about. I talked about the first book, I think in this series. But now I want to talk about the second book in the series, which is A Duke to Remember, which is in fact a bodyguard romance again, with a heroine as a bodyguard.
- [69:20]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah, I remember this one.
- [69:22]
Sarah MacLean
So the premise here is that Elise, our heroine, is this like, remarkable person. She is the co owner of Chigar and Associates, the agency that is basically designed as a fixer agency for anybody in high society who is like, has a problem, like dead body in your house. Call them like your girl can't get. Can't get married. Call them like there's. They have like a, A, A group of people with specific, with special talents. Anyway, Elise, it works undercover for them. She is also an actress, which makes it so that she is very good at, like, chameleoning in and out of situations. She's very good at disguise, all of these things. And she's like. I think if you were to, like, make a list of. I think one of the things about historical is. Is, like, often just heroines just shine. And this is a perfect example of a heroine who just, like, she shines. So she is asked to find. To go out and find Noah Ellery, who is a missing duke. And they know that he's still alive. They know that he has. He is in the wind. They don't know where he is. And. And, like, she's on the hunt for him, so she heads out. And this is because of, like, inheritance reasons. So Noah is, like, out living in the country. He has made, like, a whole life for himself. He, like, nobody out there knows I. You know, I love a secret duke. Nobody out there knows who he is or that he's a real duke. And she sort of turns up and finds him, and she is like, like, okay, I need to get you back to London. And also, by the way, you're in pretty big danger. And he's like, well, I don't want to go. Like, he's kind of a jerk about it to begin with. And then she's like, no, no, no, you. We have to do this. And he. And she's like, and it'll be fine because you have me. Me. And he's like, I don't want you to have any part of this. Like, we're not. We are not doing this. Like, pure exasperated man vibes. And she's like, no, no, no, I'm going because I'm your bodyguard. And he's like, listen, this is perfect, because he is, like, you, a woman, are my bodyguard. Like, impossible. Impossible. Surely you are the one who requires a bodyguard. I am a secret duke and very brawny and burly. As I have been working the fields.
- [72:21]
Jennifer Prokop
For all of these years, I've been working with horses.
- [72:24]
Sarah MacLean
And she's like, there are assassins after you. Like, people want to kill you because a dead duke makes for good money in the. In the long run. And he's like, surely you can. Cannot. Like, you don't have the skills for this. Also, I'm not sure you're telling the truth. So what ensues is, like, a really fun, exasperated man meets, like, brilliant woman. There is a sense of, like, danger because there are these people following them. There are these people after Noah, and there's this just like. Like, it's a delightful historical because by the end you're sort of like, oh, like now they get to be together and like, exasperate all of society together. And it's really fun. I. I saw somebody online talk about how that episode brought them to Kelly Bowen Bowen and that they were now like, down the Kelly Bowen rabbit hole.
- [73:30]
Jennifer Prokop
They're so good.
- [73:31]
Sarah MacLean
Is like, if you haven't tried Kelly Kelly and you are a historical reader and you're looking for like new voices in historical. Kelly doesn't write historicals anymore. Or she doesn't write historical romance anymore. But you're gonna have a great time.
- [73:44]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay, I have one more. Do you have. How many more do you have?
- [73:49]
Sarah MacLean
I could do one more.
- [73:50]
Jennifer Prokop
Okay. And this one is one where he's like, not really actually officially the bodyguard, but I feel like he's doing bodyguarding things.
- [73:56]
Sarah MacLean
Sure.
- [73:57]
Jennifer Prokop
So. And I, I. There's a reason I picked it, so. So it's Ace of Hearts by Renee Rose. And check your content warnings on this one, because I'll get into it. But just like, no, this is like a book you wouldn't. My goofy description is not gonna really capture something pretty serious about this plot. So Pepper is a like a rock star, right? She's young, she's like wildly famous. But she's also her manager, in conjunction with her parents have essentially like made really dumb decisions about her money. So much so that they are like in deep to the mob. And so they have to. This is part of the. That series, Renee's series that I learned about from Joanna that's like set in Vegas with like mobsters. And I think this is like a very light touch Mafia kind of romance. Anyway, so she has in exchange, like essentially the way she's gonna make the money back is by doing like kind of like a veg residency at like a fancy mob owned hotel. The thing that they are have not been told though is she has been worked so hard by her shitty manager that she has essentially lost her voice. And they are planning to like have her like lip sync these concerts and like, and she has like lost her creative muse and you know what I mean? Like, essentially like this manager and her parents have really steered her wrong. And her parents, it's kind of like there's a little bit of a softer reason. Her mom was really sick, but now either way, like, everybody's a little complicit and the like really almost like the way that this woman is not in charge of her own life, her own money, her creative decisions, anything. So Tony Is the guy who's essentially like. Like the right hand man of the mafia guy who's gonna like run the show and make sure she does what she is. Is supposed to do well. Instantaneously. He's like, what the going on here? Right? Like, and the first concert happens and he's like, you're lip syncing, like, what the fuck is happening here? Right? And he quickly figures out that like, no one is taking care of her. So he's like, I'm gonna step in and take care of her. And including like at one point several points like telling the body her actual official bodyguard buzz off. Right? Like he's. He's never doing the job he's supposed to attribute. Tony doesn't like it. And right now I'm going to tell you this book is mostly. And a lot of them. And I was not mad about it.
- [76:28]
Sarah MacLean
Perfect.
- [76:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Very quickly, right? He was like, we're just going to. At this airport bathroom the next. The day after I met you. Because he, unlike her manager and her parents, takes her to see a doctor about her laryngitis. And the best laryngitis doctor is in Los Angeles. Sarah. Even though they're in Vegas, they're going to get off.
- [76:47]
Sarah MacLean
Laryngitis doctor.
- [76:48]
Jennifer Prokop
That's an actual doctor. I'm a laryngitis doctor. Okay. Anyway, so they now. But this. So. But then there's all these great scenes where like, they're like surrounded by fans. And like, he figures out that she actually really loves being with her fans and will say things like, just like, squeeze my arm when you're ready for me to like, kind of chase everybody off. And so he is better at understanding her than anyone else. And then what he figures out is like, when they're having sex, she has like a very like, stress response in a certain kind of position. And it is through this that she realized actually that she has been like, sexually assaulted. And because she was roofied, she doesn't like really have a lot of memories of it. And so it's like kind of like he helps her like, figure this out. That's the part where you need to check your contact warnings. So it's not like he's her official bodyguard, but he is. He does at times like, act as her bodyguard, literally. But also it really is about like the care. Right? Like, I am going to care for you. But she. I think this is also one of the few books though that also plays with how terrifying she finds him. Right? Like his violence is not just bodyguard violence. It's Real violence. Right. And so when she figures, when he figures out who's responsible for hurting her and what she has gone through and the way her family and her manager have not taken care of her, she is really terrified that like he will, that nothing will stop him. So I did, I did think it was really powerful for like, I don't know, like the idea of like what would a bodyguard with no breaks be? Look, look like. So it was great.
- [78:28]
Sarah MacLean
Nice.
- [78:28]
Jennifer Prokop
Ace of Hearts by Renee Rose.
- [78:31]
Sarah MacLean
Okay, so since we're just talking about.
- [78:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Books, we're like, like bodyguarding unofficial.
- [78:37]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah, well, no, this is official bodyguarding but also like a one handed read. A like top notch one handed read. And you know, I'm going to talk about QB Tyler because of course whenever I can talk about QB Tyler, I like to talk about QB Tyler. So QB Tyler of course has a bodyguard romance. The book is called Keep her safe because obviously, what else of course to be obviously it is. So the premise here is that Shay the heroine has been. Is like a, was like a child star, a TV child star. And now she's like, she's everything. She's like model slash television star. Chat slash, like basically like she's on every magazine cover. She's huge. She is at the beginning of this book. So when she turned 18, she was such a massive, massive star. She wanted to have like a place of her own. She wanted to like get out from under her like very strict father or her like domineering manager. Father's like thumb and she, he was like, fine, but you have to have a bodyguard. So this is an age gap romance. Everybody, if it's not for you, it's not for you. And so she got this bodyguard who instantly was like, I'm too old for you. You're only 18. And so, I don't know, some number of years passes. 5, 7. Some number of years pass, right? Damien the bodyguard has been her bodyguard for all of this time. And he is like silent as the grave. Like he's just always there. And the way that QB writes this, God, I love her book so much. Everybody knows that. But so the first, I don't know 10% of this book, Shay is. So we meet Shay, like she has been cheated on by her boyfriend and like it's an emotional thing for her. Like she is upset about it and she like finds out about it. It's like public. It's at a party or something. She walks in on them and like she leaves him and the boyfriend chases her out into the party and like Damian is just, like, there. And there's this sort of sense for the first, like, however long of this book that, like, Damian is just there, like, has always been. And I think this speaks to. We didn't talk about this when we talked about the appeal of bodyguard romances, but, like, there's that, too. The sort of sense that, like, there's. Is, like, a constant, steady, safe presence in your life, right? And so, like, this whole thing happens. She is.
- [81:25]
Jennifer Prokop
He.
- [81:25]
Sarah MacLean
They. She and this boyfriend have been together for, like, three years. He's also a massive celebrity. So, like, there's a pr. The PR of it all is mixed in here. And she. Basically, there's this great moment, like, right at the very beginning where she's like, I'm ready to leave. I want to go alone. And Damian's like, like, cool, let me get my. Like, get in the car. And then he's like, so, is that over? And she's like, no, it's not over. Like, we've been together for three years. And also, like, this is business. Like, we. I can't just end it. Like, there's. There's PR to be managed. There's, like, a whole. Like, it doesn't work that way for me. And he's like, this. Like, this guy mistreated you. Like, it's my job to protect you. You, like, you're not safe with him. And she's like, that's adorable, but that's not really, like, a real thing. And then. So then it, like, progresses. And then, like, there's this great moment where she's, like, out with a friend, and her friend is like, you know this guy that's always with you. Like, you see how he watches you? And she's like, yeah, that's his job. He's supposed to watch. Like, hey, idiot.
- [82:33]
Jennifer Prokop
Not like that, babe.
- [82:35]
Sarah MacLean
He wants to do you.
- [82:36]
Jennifer Prokop
You.
- [82:37]
Sarah MacLean
And then, like, there's a sort of, like. It's like the vermouth bottle waved over the martini. A stalker plot in this book where, like, somebody's after Shay. But truly, what's going on here at this point is, like, very quickly, Damien and she, like. I mean, it's. This is like an incendiary burn. Like, these two, once they get.
- [83:01]
Jennifer Prokop
Hold it.
- [83:02]
Sarah MacLean
Once they, like, actually lock eyes on each other. I mean, he's wanted her forever, and she's just, like, suddenly, like, oh, my God, it's him. It's always been him. And it's great. It's super sexy. I mean, there is a big age gap, but I don't Care. And I have read this book multiple times, and I have a great time every time.
- [83:23]
Jennifer Prokop
See, there you go. Keep her safe, Sarah.
- [83:27]
Sarah MacLean
So that is QB Tyler's Keep her safe.
- [83:30]
Jennifer Prokop
She says baby Tyler night. You might say she will always love him. Fine. She's going to bring it right back. Bringing it right back.
- [83:46]
Sarah MacLean
She's gonna run to him.
- [83:48]
Jennifer Prokop
Correct.
- [83:49]
Sarah MacLean
It's the greatest love at all.
- [83:52]
Jennifer Prokop
I'm gonna watch that tonight. All right, everybody, listen. Season seven.
- [83:58]
Sarah MacLean
We should have been working on that. We could have done that. We could have done. Done better. We could have done more Whitney Houston songs.
- [84:04]
Jennifer Prokop
Yeah. You know what? Sometimes it's Listen Fem F Tells. Thank you for listening to Fem Fatals.
- [84:14]
Sarah MacLean
No, people are going to want us to watch it for, like, sure. You know, I don't know. We'll do a special episode for the. For the Patreon.
- [84:22]
Jennifer Prokop
Watch it on the plane. You're going to be on the plane for 800 years, is my understanding.
- [84:27]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, we watched Lord of the Rings together that this week, which is a lot of hours of tell of. Of movie, but actually, we. I had a great time. It's. This is a great movie. And Viggo Mortensen can get it, man. That man can get it. I mean, I've said that for seven seasons, so it's great. I'm super into it. I feel like we talked about Eastern promises at some point on this, because that's another one where I mean, that dark romance. Girlies, you are sleeping on Eastern promises.
- [84:58]
Jennifer Prokop
You know, it's funny because somebody was on Blue sky last week. Like, I love memes that it's like. Like, what's your most memorable action scene? And I was like, the bathroom scene in Eastern promises. 100%.
- [85:09]
Sarah MacLean
Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, point is, Vega, Mortensen does a great job in those Lord of the Rings movies. And. But my daughter, like, I mean, like, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Like, all she wanted was kissing in this movie.
- [85:25]
Jennifer Prokop
She was like, okay, but where is the kiss?
- [85:27]
Sarah MacLean
Where are these dummies gonna kiss? And, like, she had no interest in Liv Tyler. Tyler. Which I don't blame her because Liv Tyler just, like, lays on a bed of fairy dust the whole time. Like, there is a there. And there is, like, a very strong woman warrior in these movies. And, like, poor baby, she doesn't get bigger, though. She doesn't. She can't be queen.
- [85:49]
Jennifer Prokop
A man wrote that.
- [85:51]
Sarah MacLean
Multiple men wrote it.
- [85:52]
Jennifer Prokop
Yes.
- [85:54]
Sarah MacLean
I will say somebody came into my DM on Instagram and was like, there aren't Enough women in the Lord of the Rings. And I was like, ma', am, I can't help you with that.
- [86:05]
Jennifer Prokop
I did not write it.
- [86:06]
Sarah MacLean
She was kind of mad at me, I think. And I was like, I. I don't. I'm not a Tolkien.
- [86:10]
Jennifer Prokop
I can't help you. Listen, part of the reason I read romance is because to, like, even out the wide disparity in these things in other parts of media.
- [86:18]
Sarah MacLean
What upsets me is, like, if fantasy is like Lord of the Rings is men are so into it. There's so many people who are so into Lord of the Rings. Like, why not more kissing?
- [86:27]
Jennifer Prokop
We get Superman. That's it. 20, 25. Get one movie of kissing.
- [86:30]
Sarah MacLean
The best. Everybody go watch Superman again. It was so good.
- [86:33]
Jennifer Prokop
And sinners had some.
- [86:34]
Sarah MacLean
Right? I still haven't seen that. I can't watch that on the plane, though.
- [86:37]
Jennifer Prokop
I don't think you cannot, because these are men who enjoy eating, Sarah. That's what you need to know about that.
- [86:42]
Sarah MacLean
Oh, well, see, nobody told me that. I'm going to move it to the top.
- [86:46]
Jennifer Prokop
See, everybody was like, it's a horror.
- [86:48]
Sarah MacLean
Nobody told me somebody likes a meal in it.
- [86:51]
Jennifer Prokop
Somebody likes a meal in it. Okay. Anyway, someone gets directions and instructions on how to. How to. How to do it well.
- [87:00]
Sarah MacLean
How to have a nice meal.
- [87:02]
Jennifer Prokop
How to have a nice meal. All right, you gotta wrap this up. We're gonna get fired by, you know, we.
- [87:08]
Sarah MacLean
We. This podcast is free.
- [87:10]
Jennifer Prokop
This podcast is free.
- [87:11]
Sarah MacLean
Listen, Everybody. I'm Sarah McLean. I'm here with my friend Jen, Pro Cop. We are fated mates. We are coming up on the end of season seven of this bullshit that you come to every week, and we love you for it. Thank you so much. You can listen to us every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Tell your friends about bodyguards and why we like them. You can find us online@betamates.net there. There's a full list of all the books that we talk about, including like, like, information on, say, the Big Easy or the Bodyguard or, you know, whatever fun facts we turn up about Big O Mortensen this week. If you have Twitter, we're not there.
- [87:56]
Jennifer Prokop
I was like, whoa, I know. If you have Twitter, stop. Get off Twitter. Save yourself.
- [88:01]
Sarah MacLean
That's where fascists are. You should leave it. Threads and Instagram also probably have fascists, but we are there faded mates. Pod Blue sky. We're there, too. We are faded mates there. And if you really like just talking about romance in all forms, come hang out with us on the discord. To do that, you have to join the Patreon that you can do@faded mates.net Patreon that gets you access to the discord where a thousand other people are just hanging out talking about romance and it's kind of fun. You also get a special episode once a month of Jen May bullshitting about whatever we're thinking about Whitney Houston. And if you are in the world and thinking about the fall and thinking about election season, stick with us through the fall. We're partnering with Run for Something and the States Project to raise money for down ticket races all around the country to make sure that we can lock in some state level legislatures to ensure that gerrymandering like what they're trying to do in Texas doesn't happen in other places. There will be more about that in the fall and we would love to have you in the fight with us. You can learn more about that@fatedmates.net fadedstates and what else Jen, you doing anything?
- [89:25]
Jennifer Prokop
Just trying to live Sarah.
- [89:27]
Sarah MacLean
Just just trying to live, she says. Sydney area Faded Maters I am going to have a meetup on Tuesday, August 26th at a romance bookstore in Sydney. You'll find information about that on our Instagram and I'm going to pop it in the discord everybody. And also maybe we'll put it in chat show notes. If this is this episode out before then it is.
- [89:54]
Jennifer Prokop
This episode comes out on the 13th.
- [89:57]
Sarah MacLean
Terrific. Sounds good everybody. I hope to see you in New Zealand and in Australia if you're around for those conferences and if not in Austria in Sydney on the 26th and very soon we are coming at you with season eight Wild Wild.
- [90:19]
Jennifer Prokop
We love you all.
- [90:21]
Sarah MacLean
Bye.