Flights of Fantasy – S5: Ep 28 – Current KU Reads Pt. 7
Date: September 16, 2025
Hosts: Anna, Kim, (with Christina via written review)
Theme: The hosts do a spoiler-free deep dive into their latest favorite reads available on Kindle Unlimited (KU), spotlighting a variety of fantasy romance, mafia romance, contemporary romance, sports romance, thrillers, and some historical/highlander picks. The tone is conversational, warm, and overflowing with bookish banter and recommendations, making it ideal for listeners hunting for their next great read.
Episode Overview
This episode is part of the hosts' ongoing "KU Rec" series, where they discuss new and notable reads currently available on Kindle Unlimited. Anna and Kim tackle a wide array of romance subgenres—from small-town love stories and mafia retellings to hockey romance and southern gothic, while sharing playful banter, heartfelt recommendations, and even some “hot takes” on recent book trends. All reviews are spoiler-free, focusing on vibes, tropes, writing style, and emotional punch.
Key Discussion Points & Book Recommendations
1. Intro, Announcements, Spoiler-Free Context
- [01:49] The hosts reminisce about missing the last KU episode, share Patreon updates (bonus content, early access, tier perks), and make clear that all reviews are spoiler-free. Book lists are available in the show notes.
2. Small Town Romance: Tara DeWitt’s Quirky Coastal Series
- Books: Savor It + Left of Forever by Tara DeWitt
- [05:16-14:30]
- Vibe: Small-town, cloudy and misty, think “not Forks, WA but close”, with quirky residents and zany competition.
- Savor It – “Very grumpy sunshine type situation.” [07:07, Kim]
- Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, found family, cooking competition, banter, light grief themes but overall warm & funny.
- Left of Forever – “A second chance romance between a divorced couple, which I have never read before.” [09:01, Kim]
- Notable quote: “To me, this is like a true second chance where it’s like, you guys were married. And now you’re not.” [09:22, Kim]
- Trope: Second-chance romance but older, complex, deals with divorce, co-parenting, real growth.
- Highlights: Emotional but not heavy, “fantastic steam,” meddling siblings, forced proximity road trip hijinks.
- Kim and Anna agree this trend (divorced couples in romance) adds welcome maturity and vulnerability to the genre.
Memorable Banter:
“There is some funny side characters...as they go on this road trip, the family members cancel one of their rooms so they have to share a room.” [11:56, Kim]
“Everyone’s in on it.” [11:56, Anna]
3. Mafia Romance: Neva Altaj’s Perfectly Imperfect Series
- Books: Beautiful Beast (2nd Gen, Beauty & the Beast retelling), Darkest Sins (OG series)
- [17:53-29:31]
- Vibe: Fast-paced, sexy danger, emotionally complex. Features disabled mafia heroes (mute, deaf, PTSD, wheelchair, etc.).
- Beautiful Beast:
- Trope: Beauty & the Beast, Mafia princess meets scarred Sicilian crime lord.
- “She is a hacker...loves to hack into companies...donates money for them.” [21:08, Anna]
- Fun details: Golden gown, “cacophony of noise” as a love-gift, slow burn, sweet undercurrent to danger.
- Darkest Sins:
- Trope: Stalker/guardian-angel, “Dexter meets Bourne Identity.”
- “He’s sweet, but he’s an assassin...” [29:10, Anna]
- Fresh takes: Not truly dark, more a “dark comedy.” The male lead is socially awkward, full of weirdly cute gestures (parsnips instead of parsley for the heroine’s plants).
- “I found myself kind of like kicking my feet under but he’s like an assassin.” [29:10, Anna]
Memorable Moments:
“He, like, breaks into a greenhouse but...leaves money.” [27:57, Anna]
“She keeps taking the same coins and doing it...it’s the same 10 coins over and over again.” [58:54, Anna]
4. Contemporary Romance: Elizabeth O’Rourke’s Favorites Series
- Books: My Favorite Bad Decision, My Favorite Lost Cause
- [29:55-40:14]
My Favorite Bad Decision
- Trope: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, hiking Mount Kilimanjaro together
- “So this starts as like, you’re the last person I would ever want to be here. With, and it turns into, like, maybe you’re the only person I want to be here with.” [33:57, Kim]
- Highlights: Slow burn, witty banter (“Megan Quinn level banter,” [33:37, Kim]), forbidden romance (ex-sister’s boyfriend), with a unique exotic setting.
My Favorite Lost Cause
- Trope: Step-sibling romance (very Clueless), southern gothic vibes, haunted house renovation
- “It’s a haunted house renovation forbidden love story. Very slow burn. Which I think is appropriate, given the situation, you know?” [39:19, Kim]
- Highlights: Slow-burn, tension; adult characters in their 30s for a change; includes a bit of a ghostly element.
Quote:
“You shouldn’t just be jumping into bed with your stepsister.” [39:20, Kim]
5. Sports Romance: Hockey—Stephanie Archer’s Vancouver Storm Series
-
Book: Gloves Off (book 4)
-
[41:25-45:48]
-
The hosts’ unanimous favorite in the series: “Chef’s freaking Kiss...the best, at least in a hockey romance. Enemies to lovers, so good.” [41:55, Anna]
-
Trope: Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine.
-
Features a grumpy older player (Alexi) and the tough, independent team doctor (Georgia).
-
Spice: Off the charts—“The spice was so good. Like, no notes.” [42:41, Anna]
-
Banter: “Are you okay? Because this man is gone for this woman...and in her head she’s like, this asshole is checking on me.” [42:49, Anna]
Recommendation: Can be read as a standalone, but reading in order adds to the build-up and character arcs.
6. Thriller/YA Suspense: Julie Soto’s Thrashers
- [45:51-48:42]
- Vibe: Pretty Little Liars nostalgia; elite high school friend group, a suspicious death, mysterious journals, possible ghostly activity.
- “This is very Pretty Little Liars. If you are like, oh, I missed that show before it kind of went off its rocker...” [46:14, Kim]
- Supernatural/Thriller elements: Eerie messages, strange accidents, journals surfacing, unreliable narratives, light scares but not graphic.
- “There was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming that I really enjoyed.” [48:08, Kim]
- Great for fall/spooky season.
7. Historical/Highlander Romance
- Books: When a Scott Ties a Knot (Tessa Dare), The Bride (Julie Garwood)
- [49:13-59:41]
- When a Scott Ties a Knot –
- “Adorable! Amazing!” [50:25, Anna]
- Socially anxious heroine fabricates a fiancé; real Scottish captain shows up with his men to claim engagement and her castle; “There’s spice, love, tension...I’ve read it through three times.” [53:20, Anna]
- Banter about letter-writing, lobster mating experiments, side characters
- “He’s like, personally offended that she killed [him in her fictional letters].” [51:48, Anna]
- The Bride:
- (Not on KU)
- Highlander/English arranged marriage, 1100s setting, “Cinderella aspect,” backbone of heroine Jamie, a light murder-mystery/whodunit subplot.
- “A historical romance with a whodunit—I am intrigued!” [59:27, Kim]
- Notable for historically accurate portrayal of women’s rights (or lack thereof).
- (Not on KU)
8. Ongoing Bookish Banter and Magnolia Parks Love
- [59:41-61:37]
- Anna and Kim gush over reading the Magnolia Parks series by Jessa Hastings, describing it as a reading experience that “becomes your whole personality” and offering bonus discussions on Patreon.
- “It’s not at all Throne of Glass, but it’s like you start off this journey with these characters and you’re with them for five books and they’re long...by the end you feel really attached.” [60:53, Kim]
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On divorce romance:
“To me, this is like a true second chance...you guys were married. And now you’re not.” [09:22, Kim]
-
On mafia romances with a twist:
“But, of course, as she’s working on the firewalls, she’s purposely kind of taking a longer time because she’s getting to know him, and he’s kind of trying to understand why he has these, like, feelings for her.” [22:31, Anna]
-
On book series trope fatigue:
“Sometimes for a Mafia, I just want that. I just want it to be tortured souls who, like, fix each other.” [29:50, Anna]
-
On banter in hockey romance:
“They literally have hate sex. And it’s hot...There were just enough angst with also sprinkled sweet moments and, like, him being observant of what she needs and tending to those needs...” [42:45-45:00, Anna]
-
On nostalgia and the thrill of group reads:
“It’s really fun to like relive it through your friends reading it. Cuz there’s so many ups and downs, so many roller coasters, so many reveals.” [61:22, Kim]
Episode Highlights (with Timestamps)
- [05:15] – Tara DeWitt’s small town series intro
- [09:01] – Second-chance (divorced couple) romance trend
- [17:53] – Anna spotlights Neva Altaj’s mafia series with unique heroes
- [27:57] – “He leaves money when stealing plants”; unique sweet-stalker trope
- [29:55] – Elizabeth O’Rourke “Favorites” series—high tension, adult protagonists
- [33:37] – “Megan Quinn level banter” in a mountain-climbing enemies-to-lovers romance
- [41:25] – Gloves Off by Stephanie Archer—the trio’s unanimous romance pick
- [45:51] – Julie Soto’s thriller Thrashers—Perfect for Pretty Little Liars fans
- [49:13] – Historical romance fun with Tessa Dare and Julia Garwood
Closing & Show Notes
- All discussed books are listed in the episode’s show notes, including a special section for upcoming TBRs.
- Listeners are encouraged to check Patreon for bonus episodes, exclusive content, and full-length book chats (especially for Magnolia Parks).
- For ongoing recommendations, Instagram and TikTok are the best places to connect for reviews and live updates.
If You Only Have a Few Minutes...
- Want lush, bantery small town romance? Dive into Tara DeWitt’s duology.
- Craving unique mafia heroes and high emotion? Anna says Neva Altaj’s series is your new obsession.
- Need swoon and steam? Archer’s Gloves Off is the hockey romance to beat.
- For fans of nostalgia and thrill: Try Julie Soto’s Thrashers for PLL vibes.
- Love historical yearning? Don’t skip Tessa Dare’s Scottish shenanigans.
Final Toast:
“Until next time, cheers and happy reading!”