It’s a snowstorm, Jen’s from Chicago, and we’re feeling extra qualified to talk about Ice Planet Barbarians! It’s the book, and the series that took the world by storm back in 2015, and we’re revisiting the absolute powerhouse it was then, before it launched an entire subgenre of romance and changed the romance landscape. We’re also talking about Ruby Dixon’s clear skill, her obvious love of the genre, and all the ways she makes us both laugh and sigh.

If you have a favorite IPB book and you want to talk about it, come find us (and other romance lovers) on the Fated Mates Discord, which you can access by joining our patreon. Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along (in March) is Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife by Julia Wolf. Find it in ebook or paperback, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Notes

1. Horsepower is definitely the same as measuring the weight of ice in golden retriever pounds.
2. There’s lot of ways to support the people of Minnesota right now. A good clearinghouse site is Stand With Minnesota. You can also order directly from area bookstores: Tropes and Trifles, Black Garnet Books, or Birchbark Books, or use Bookshop.Org for any number of Minnesota stores. Monarca If you are looking to support whistle production, You can also support other Romancelandia efforts. Bree (from Kit Rocha) is part of a team of people that have printed over 150k whistles this month alone! Romancing the Vote will also be back up this summer, so look for information on that. Along with Monarca, Indivisible is also holding trainings to teach people how to document and record ICE.
3. Get ready, Derek Craven Day is nigh!

It’s February, so lots of upcoming romance events to check out!

1. Feb 12, 2026: Jen will be at Babe’s Sports Bar to discuss a WNBA romance, Rooting Interest.
2. Feb 14, 2026: the Free Library of Philadelphia will be holding a Heated Rivalry Event with Xio Axelrod, Rosie Danan & Joanna Shupe.
3. Feb 21, 2026: Jen will be in Romeoville to discuss Romance.
4. Feb 21, 2026: An online Heated Rivalry Trivia event.
5. March 7, 2026: Sarah will join a group of historical romance authors for Ballrooms & Beyond, a daylong celebration of historical romance at Linden Place in Bristol, RI.

Oh, finally, some notes about Ice Planet Barbarians.

1. Our friend Dani Lacey was the host of Ice Planet Pod if you’re looking for read-alongs.
2. The final girl is a horror trope!
3. Our next read along is Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife by Julia Wolf. Find it in ebook or paperback, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Sponsors

1. Blue Box Press, publishers of new special editions of:
2. Donna Grant’s Dragon Kings novellas
3. Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash, featuring sprayed edges and embossed and glossy cover design elements; and
4. Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunter and Cafferty and Quinn novellas.
5. Learn more at TheBlueBoxPress.com.
6. RomantasyLetters, A new kind of romantic fantasy storytelling, delivered right to your door twice monthly. Use the code FATED to get 20% off your year's subscription. Learn more at RomantasyLetters.com.
7. Denise Williams, author of The Re-Do List, available in print, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
8. Jennifer Vido, author of Simplicity by the Sea, available in print or ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/1/27/s0819-ice-planet-barbarians
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

The brilliant Jayne Ann Krentz, romance trailblazer and royalty, joins us this week to talk about one of her favorite tropes--the shotgun wedding! We're talking all things forced marriage...how it differs from marriage of convenience, how it underscores the inherent conflict in romance, and how it often ends up being more like romantic suspense than one would expect! We also talk a bit about how secret babies (and babies in general) play into this trope. Did Jayne also say something that Sarah had to stop the interview to write down? Of course she did!

If you have favorite forced marriage/shotgun weddings, maybe you want to join the Fated Mates patreon? There, you get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the FM Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local indie, libro.fm, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

The Books

1. The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz
2. Into the Storm by Rachel Grant
3. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
4. Broken Whispers by Neva Altaj
5. The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding by Stacy Reid
6. Because the Baron Broods
7. Stolen Touches by Neva Altaj
8. Mafia Virgin by Mila Finelli
9. The King’s Spinster Bride by Ruby Dixon
10. Ravished by Amanda Quick

Notes

1. Welcome Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick. Her new book is The Shop on Hidden Lane. Listen to Jayne Ann Krentz's trailblazer interview.
2. “Shotgun wedding” is an American phrase dating back to 1929, but forcing people to get married because of pregnancy, politics and patriarchy has been around for a long time.
3. Get your own bank account, women.
4. You can listen to our trailblazer interview with Elda Minger to hear more about the first condom in romance.
5. A romantasy that Jen liked a lot (with no pregnancy plot, that’s why it’s in show notes instead of the photo array) is Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik.
6. When talking about The King’s Spinster Bride, Jen kept saying “epilogue” when she meant “prologue.” I have no excuse for this.

Sponsors

1. Lexi Davis, author of Pretty Vicious, available in print and ebook at Amazon or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
2. The Romantasy Letters, A new kind of romantic fantasy storytelling, delivered right to your door twice monthly. Use the code FATED to get 20% off your year's subscription. Learn more at romantasyletters.com.
3. Sotto Voce Scents, candles for the romance lovers in your life. Go to sottovocescents.com and use code FATEDMATES for 10% off your order.
4. Lee Taylor, author of A Satchel of Richards, available in print or ebook from Amazon or B&N.

As it's the beginning of 2026, we're talking about how we think about our reading years. What kind of strategies does Jen use? How is Sarah attempting to control the chaos? Which books do we already have on our TBR piles for 2026, and how do we structure our reading year to make ourselves happy and prepare for the podcast? We're also talking about some books by romance novelists who are publishing outside the romance genre this year.

If you want to talk to more people about reading strategies this year, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local indie, libro.fm, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited

Notes

1. Vaccinations are good, actually. In between recording this episode and when it aired, Caroline Kennedy’s daughter Tatiana Schlossberg, who wrote about her cancer diagnosis in the New Yorker, has sadly died.
2. It will shock no one to learn that Jen learned about immunizations from books. In her childhood, the books The Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald. We also recommend Everything is Tuberculosis by John Greene and On Immunity by Eula Biss.
3. Amazon is forcing AI tools into the kindle books themselves, and it’s all awful. Use your own brain, we don’t know what else to say.

Books

1. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
2. On Immunity by Eula Biss
3. The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
4. The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
5. She Fell Away by Lenore Nash
6. As Far as She Knew by Diana Awad
7. The Duke by Anna Cowan
8. Lady X by Molly Fader
9. The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 12 Edition
10. Alphabet in Motion by Kelli Anderson

Sponsors

1. Avon Books, publishers of Emma Alban's Like in Love with You, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
2. Lumi Gummies, microdose gummies available nationwide. Use the code FATEDMATES to get 30% off your first order. Learn more at LumiGummies.com.
3. Caroline Linden, author of How to Get Away with Scandal, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
4. Allison Bettes, author of Red Flag Warning, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/1/12/0817-setting-new-years-reading-resolutions
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

Sarah's still catching up, but Jen, Adriana Herrera, and Joanna Shupe have seen it and they have a lot to say.

Your discoverabilibuddies are back! It's a new year which means we're dropping our Winter 2026 reads episode, in which we talk about the million trillion 2026 romance books coming out in January, February and March (ok, not a million trillion, but enough that Eric came out of his studio this morning with a thousand-yard stare!). As a reminder, we have not necessarily read all these books, but they are on our TBRs and should be on yours!

If you want more recommendations and more people with whom you can discuss 2026 romance novels, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

January 2026 New Releases

1. Champagne Taste on a Bad Boy Budget by Zuri Day
2. Drive me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
3. Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik
4. A Scandal Changes Everything by Josie Johns
5. Dom-Com by Adriana Anders
6. Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan
7. Janae Sanders’ Second Time Around by LaQuette
8. The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura
9. The Ex Dilemma by Elle Wright
10. Wish I May by Hannah Murray
11. Almost One Night Stand by AJ Pine
12. The Re-Do List by Denise Williams
13. Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox
14. Chasing the Ring by Lauren Rowe
15. Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
16. Playing for Keeps by Alexandria Bellefleur
17. Falling for the Fake Lumberjack by Sara Ney
18. Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum
19. We Who Have No Gods by Liza Anderson
20. Wild Russian Storm by Odette Stone

February 2026 New Releases

1. Falling for the Rabbi by Jennifer Wilck
2. Skate it Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
3. Subatomic Love by Shannon Kirk
4. Over and Over by Becky Hunter
5. Whispers and Wildfire by Claire Kingsley
6. The Lovers by Kristen Cast
7. One and Only by Maurene Goo
8. Only Friends by Lydia San Andres
9. The Regency Switch by Helen Gaskell
10. It’s All in Your Head by Sabina Nordqvist
11. Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell
12. A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray
13. In Her Spotlight by Amy Spalding
14. Get over it, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake
15. Personal Bodyguard by Danielle Haas
16. Free Falling by Jill Shalvis

March 2026 New Releases

1. Rears & Vices by EM Caro
2. Stolen by Her Viking Enemy by Roxy Harper
3. Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong
4. Sparring Partners by Erin Rose
5. Fallen Hero by Riley Edwards
6. The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa
7. A Change of Pace by JA Stevens
8. A Lady for All Seasons by TJ Alexander
9. Casually Yours by Vivian Jia Lac
10. In My Tudor Era by Kate Bromley
11. Second Chance Duet by Ana Holguin
12. It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely
13. Thirty Love by Tom Vellner
14. Convenient Wife Conditions by Rebecca Hunter
15. Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan
16. Things That Break Us by Michelle Heard

Sponsors

1. The Steamy Bookworms Box, a book box, featuring dark and monster romances with special edition covers, original art, stickers and more. Learn more at SteamyBookworms.com.
2. Lucy Morris, author of Reclaiming His Viking Queen, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
3. LYX Books, publishers of Selina Mae's Lessons in Faking, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
4. Eve Silver, author of Darkest at Dusk, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/1/5/0816-2026-winter-preview
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

Another year, another chaotic New Year's episode, with one of our favorites, the Lauren half of Christina Lauren! Y'all. When we say headphones in, we mean HEADPHONES IN. This is not for your kids, or your mechanic, or Kate. Today, we're getting into the kink Sarah has been dancing around at Fated Mates Lives for years...the one Sandra Brown and Bertrice Small installed, and Lisa Kleypas and Christina Lauren continued in a grand, noble tradition. Strap in, friends, we're talking lactation kink! You're welcome!

Happy New Year, pervs. We love you.

If you want other people to discuss brand new romance authors with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Books

1. Sunny Chandler’s Return by Sandra Brown
2. Another Dawn by Sandra Brown
3. All the Sweet Tomorrows by Bertrice Small
4. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
5. Fresh Cream by X Callisto
6. The Milky View by Luna Stark
7. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
8. Milking the Rabbi by Violet Dare
9. Bigger by Casey Cane
10. A Splash of Cream at the Alabaster Cafe by Astra Rose
11. Morning Glory Milking Farm by CM Nascosta
12. The Wild One by Daisy Jane
13. Father Knows Best by Daisy Jane
14. Mountain Daddy’s Milk & Honey by Elena Dawne
15. Daisy Unchained by Elena Dawne
16. PS. You’re Intolerable by Julia Wolf
17. Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren

Notes

1. Lauren Billings of Christina Lauren as our special guest this New Year’s Eve, but frankly Christina has way too much sense for tonight’s nonsense. There’s a Twilight fic called Vulturi Dairy.
2. It’s lactation kink, not adult breastfeeding. The AO3 tag is “ABF” just in case you need to know. But it’s been around for a long time, including in classics like Dracula.
3. We are embarrassed not by this episode, but by the fact that we didn’t do any MPreg recommendations.
4. The book Lo mentioned that made her say “Honey are you okay?” is Milk for Money by Amber Sunwell.
5. Read up on induced lactation, which according to the Mayo Clinic “might” be possible.
6. You can find out more about the Alexa Riley AR Taboo pen name at their website. Be sure to check your content warnings before diving in over there.
7. Rob Lowe!

Sponsors

1. Michelle Dayton, author of Every Other New Year's Eve, available in print and ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or Apple Books.
2. Avon Books, publishers of Stacia Clark's We Who Will Die, available for preorder in print, ebook, audio, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. Get it at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
3. 831 Stories, publisher of fun, sexy romance novellas available wherever you get your books, or delivered to your door via The Ones membership box. Get more information at 831stories.com where you can use code FATEDMATES to get 10% off your first order on eligible products.
4. The Steamy Bookworms Box, a book box, featuring dark and monster romances with special edition covers, original art, stickers and more. Learn more at SteamyBookworms.com.
5. Lumi Gummies, microdose gummies delivered right to your door. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2025/12/30/s0815-its-new-years-milkin-eve
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

As per tradition, Eric's here to introduce a holiday episode rerun. Cheers! 🎅

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2022/12/12/s0513-here-comes-santa-claus
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

It's that time of year, when we highlight some of our favorite new voices in romance! This week, we're talking about eight new writers who are making us excited about what's to come in historical, contemporary, cozy fantasy and more. Here's to reading them all for years to come!

From horse girls to divorcees, hair stylists to magical tea shop owners, basketball coaches to jewel thieves, there's something in here for everyone. It's going to be great for you!

Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.

If you want other people to discuss brand new romance authors with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

The Books

1. The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie
2. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
3. Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare
4. Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
5. Savannah Royals by Lindsay Barrett
6. Play You For It by Samantha Saldivar
7. The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths
8. Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift

Notes

1. Check out our Debuts of 2024 episode here.
2. It’s not frod (Friend + rod), it’s frotting. Here’s the wikipedia page. Sarah apologizes for not knowing the proper spelling.
3. Jenny Hamilton wrote a terrific piece about sex in Heated Rivalry in this recurring feature on her blog called Anatomy of sex scene.
4. The non-romance time travel book Jen mentioned was Version Control by Dexter Palmer.

Sponsors

1. Atria Books, publishers of Ellis Hunter's Blood Bound, available for preorder in print, ebook, and audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
2. The Scandals & Swoons Festival, a new historical romance signing event in Orlando, Florida on January 18, 2026, learn more at swoonsfest.com.
3. Mariah Scarpellini, author of The Titan's Rose, the first book in the Olympian’s Curse Saga. Learn more about the book and help Mariah build a world before her launch.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/S2025/12/15/0814-2025-romance-debuts
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

We’re so excited for our deep dive of KJ Charles’s The Magpie Lord, first in her magical, gothic series, A Charm of Magpies. We talk about the clear chops displayed in this romance --strong plotting, complex characterization, and a beautiful understanding of what happily ever after looks like. And yes, we get to the tattoos. Obviously.

Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.

If you want other people to discuss great romance series, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Notes

• This is our second KJ Charles deep dive. The first was Band Sinister.
• We were lucky enough to speak to KJ Charles about her work and her pathway through romance as part of our Trailblazers series. Listen to that interview here.
• It’s been the snowiest start to winter in Chicago since 1978! The Great Lakes can freeze, kind of. Here’s what the Great Lakes ice prediction for this year. 
• The Ice Fishing town hall meeting, as promised. 
• Heated Rivalry is great and Jen (and everyone else) thinks you should watch it. 
• The Magpie Lord was published in 2013 by Samhain Publishing, which shut down in 2016.
• You can find all of our 80+ deep dive episodes in the Fated Mates Book Club.

Sponsors

• Zara Doyle, author of Bianca and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook, audio or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Lumi Gummies. Go to lumigummies.com and use code FATEDMATES for 30% off your order.
• Alexandra Cait, author of Storm of Fire, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• 1001 Dark Nights, publishers of years of delicious romance novellas and collections. The imprint will shutter in 2026, so head over and load up on print versions of all your favorites right now.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2025/12/2/0813-the-magpie-lord
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

00:00 Wintr Bantr

08:17 Discor Bantr

14:40 AD: BIANCA AND HER WOLF

16:43 Best of 2025 Book Box

20:25 KJ Charles

28:36 The Samhain Publishing Story

32:10 AD: STORM OF FIRE

34:17 The Samhain Publishing Story

36:24 The Magpie Lord

43:19 It's Bad Magic

48:06 AD: 1001 DARK NIGHTS

50:19 Two For Joy

59:28 AD: LUMI GUMMIES

1:01:05 Curses & [in]Fluences

1:10:53 The Romance Pacing

1:19:51 Sex and the Ether

1:31:01 The End

1:40:42 Outro

It's winter, which means that it's time to get cozy, build a blanket nest on the couch, and read a million books one right after the other in the great tradition of our ancient forbears. Today, we're talking about series that deliver one banger after another and, yes, that also bang. We'll talk historicals, contemporaries, and of course, the paranormal series that started it all for us.

Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.

If you want other people to discuss great romance series, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.

Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

Notes

• Go to Sarah’s site to sign up for her newsletter. Apparently, it’s going to be a snowy winter because of squirrels, the Farmer’s Almanac is over, and social media is ruining your life and your brain, or maybe it’s just your whole damn phone. 
• Heated Rivalry, baby. Also this fall, the CW has unveiled a bunch of movies based on Harlequin books, including Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell, Mason Deaver’s YA romance I Wish You All the Best and in January we get Season 4 of Bridgerton, and Netflix's adaptation of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation. 
• Graphic Audio has adapted a bunch of your favorite books, not just Kate Daniels.
• A graphic of the Beverly Jenkins universe.
• Here’s a cool way to look at the connections from Lorraine Heath’s Scoundrels of St. James series.
• Sarah misses Romantic Times magazine.

Books

• Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
• The Game Maker Series by Kresley Cole
• Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
• The Cynster Family by Stephanie Laurens
• Pennyroyal Green by Julie Anne Long
• The Beverly Jenkins Universe
• The Game Changer Series by Rachel Reid
• The Irish Shifters by Theodora Taylor
• Temperance Falls by London Hale
• His Duchess’s Lovers by Elizabeth Roubaix
• Scoundrels of St. James by Lorraine Heath
• The Toronto Series by Farrah Heron
• Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
• The Undone series by Payton Corinne
• Fast Track Billionaires by Amanda Cinelli
• Bourbon Brothers by Reese Ryan
• The Shieldmaiden Sisters by Lucy Morris

Sponsors

• Zara Doyle, author of Tanya and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook, audio or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Jenny Alexandra, authors of Santa Cutie, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Bailey Seaborn, author of Peppermint Bark, No Bite, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Blue Box Press, publishers of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood: 20th Anniversary Insider's Guide, available in hardcover, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2025/12/1/0812-bingeable-romance-series-update
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

The end of the year is nigh, and it's our holiday romance novel episode! We're talking about a collection of romances that are entirely new to us (except for the one moment where Sarah talks about that old McNaught short story that installed all her cold-weather romance buttons). We've got Austen retellings, Regency cats, characters playing with holiday toys, CIA agents and, of course, some sexy Santas. You deserve nice things.

Don't forget--you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not in the box. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box.

If you want other people to discuss holiday (or other) romances, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

Notes

• There are several accounts as to where Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas. Sarah stayed at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which claims it inspired the song (by being the opposite of snowy), but there's also an account that he wrote it in La Quinta, CA at the La Quinta Hotel (not to be confused with just any LaQuinta).
• Check out our prior holiday romance episodes:
• 2024, including Sara Raasch, Vivian Mae, Evie Rose, Timothy Janovsky & more
• 2023, including Holly June Smith, Oona Grace, Kayla Grosse, Tracey Livesay & more
• 2022: Here Comes Santa Claus
• 2021: Short & Sexy Christmas Recs
• 2019, including Adriana Herrera, Delilah Peters, and several anthologies
• 2018, including Therese Beharrie, a Chanukah anthology, Cecilia Grant, Tiffany Reisz & more

Books

• Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
• Christmas in Coconut Creek by Karissa Kinword
• Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell
• Yours for the Season by Uzma Jalaluddin
• The Holiday Hookup List by Alexis Daria
• Make My Wish Come True by Caroline Linden
• Claiming His Christmas Wife by Dani Collins
• An Heir for Christmas by Caitlin Crews
• The Rescue by Julie Weaver
• Christmas in Spite of You by KC Mills
• Saint and the Queen by Desiree
• Date Night in December by Jaqueline Snowe
• Santa’s Baby by Lacey Hawthorne

Sponsors

• Jenny Alexandra, authors of Santa Cutie, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• LaQuette, author of The King's Pregnancy Proposition, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
• Ginny B Moore, author of How the Rogue Stole Christmas, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• William Morrow Books, publishers of Olivia Dade's Second Chance Romance, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2025/11/23/0811-holiday-romances
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.