Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

We definitely have a hope became reality hangover this morning, but we also have a very fun episode for you today! We're talking romance shorts -- not novellas, not short novels, but actual short stories under 15,000 words (or about 50 pages). We talk about why this is such a difficult goal to hit, about why romance lends itself to longer formats, and about why short fiction is a really great way to keep reading when things feel chaotic. We also chat about Sarah's new short story, a part of the Ladies in Waiting anthology, out this week and providing minor characters from Jane Austen their own happily ever afters. Sarah is joined by romance greats Diana Quincy, Nikki Payne and Eloisa James, among others. Get the collection at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. Also, we want to take a moment to send enormous thanks to everyone who donated to the Fated States Giving Circle at The States Project this year — those donations were gamechangers — last night we expanded our majority in the VA House, and secured a Democratic Trifecta in Virginia! As ever, we’re so proud to stand and fight with you! If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. 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 Ladies in WaitingEmmaThe Bladesmith Queen, Generation WonderA Duke Worth Falling Forasked Threads for recs of romance short stories

Happy Halloween! Please enjoy this episode from October 26, 2022. For more info, including all the books we mentioned, visit fatedmates.net.

It's Halloween which means we're talking about monsters (complimentary)! We've done devils and witches and an entire season on monsters of all ilk, but we haven't done demons yet, and so here we are! Come one come all as Sarah confesses one of her weirdest (charming) kinks and we discuss the age-old adage: "If a demon's horns aren't sexual organs, why are they even there?" We're heading back to the early 00s on this one, so headphones in because who knows what we're going to talk about?! Definitely not us! This week also marks our 7th anniversary, so we're feeling just a little emotional (grateful). Thank you for being with us, whether this is your first episode or your almost four hundredth. We love you. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes some serious Halloween episodessome silly onesdevil is just the most powerful demon in Christian mythologyincubi and succubiTim CurryLegendDavid Bowie in Labyrinth Books Sweet RuinHot as HadesSuccubus BluesDealing with a Desperate DemonPleasure UnboundI Accidentally Summoned a Demon BoyfriendKiss of a Demon KingMacRieveDemon from the DarkA Rogue’s Proposal

It's Gorilla Twins Week! We couldn't be happier to be talking about The Earl Takes All, a book we love so much we gave it a nickname that all of Romancelandia uses now. Whether you're reading it for the first time or the fiftieth, we're so happy to have you. We talk about Jane Goodall, Romance Gorillas, Lorraine Heath's brilliant mind, how she's easily a top-five romance novelist and possibly the best of them when it comes to writing conflict, and just how much we love a bonkers historical. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes The Fated States Giving CircleLadies in Waiting: Jane Austen's Unsung CharactersEmmaWaking Up With the DukeThe Earl Takes AllAdventures in Love & BirdingBirding with Benefitsthe bird situationIt’s Romance BirdIt’s Romance dormouseIt’s Romance PigJane GoodallFamous Last WordsThe history of influenzaVaccines workGo get a flu shotmore information about mountain gorillasJK.It’s Rune Week! Sponsors Charis...

How is it possible we've never done a governess episode? And how is it possible Louisa Darling hasn't been a guest on the pod yet? We're rectifying both of these injustices this week on the pod. We talk about Jane Eyre, The Sound of Music and other primordial governesses, and discuss exactly what kind of buttons these books installed--almost entirely thanks to old school historicals. We also talk about how governess books are some of the only books in which we will suffer a child, and yes, we shout out the nannies, too! Louisa Darling is the pen name of Louisa Edwards and Lily Everett, and the author of Don’t Let Your Dukes Grow Up to be Scoundrels, Where Have All the Scoundrels Gone, and Scoundrel, Take Me Away. Our next read along is Gorilla Twins, AKA Lorraine Heath's The Earl Takes All. Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. (Apologies for the subpar audio quality.) Notes donate to the Fated States Giving CircleLouisa DarlingLeslie Gelbman at BerkleyThe Sound of Musicthe Molly O’Keefe series that included Wait For Itabout Vanessa Riley and wet nurses when we had Kennedy Ryan onour next deep dive will be Gorilla Twins The Books Don’t Let Your Dukes Grow Up to be...

We're thinking about Chicago, DC, and LA this week, and standing in solidarity with the people living and resisting in those cities. While reading isn't action, it can supplement it, and keep us joyful as we do the hard work of standing up. To that end, this week, we're recommending books that feature Chicago, Washington, DC & Los Angeles as settings. We're also sharing resources and ways you can stay informed, help communities of immigrants, and get involved in whatever way possible. Note: We recorded this episode just as the National Guard was sent to Portland, Oregon, which is why Portland-set romances are not included in this episode. Please feel free to share your favorite romances set there in comments or on social media. Tag us so we can share! Our next read along is Gorilla Twins, AKA Lorraine Heath's The Earl Takes All. Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. The Notes Ramón Ayala, the King of the Accordion.There goes your social life. The Gothenburg Book FestivalSimona Ahrnstedt.Crime fiction is a big deal in SwedenCamilla LäckbergAnders de la MotteTerrible awful thingsin ChicagoLos AngelesWashington DC

It's October, which means we're thinking about fall, which comes with spice, heat and hanging out under the blankets! Today, our Fall 2025 romance novel preview, guaranteed to fill your TBR pile. There’s something here for everyone — historicals, contemporaries, a splash of magic, princesses, superheroes, time-travel, widows, F1 drivers...a real ideal dinner party roster. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Books September Releases FasterThe Earl That Got AwayResisting the Forbidden WidowThe Scot's SeductionThe Dreamer and the Deep Space Warrior October Releases Hell's HeresiesFemale FantasyWrecking CaineA Scar in the BoneCowboy, It's Cold OutsideStrings AttachedA Pack for WinterIsn’t It ObviousLondon CallingBackslidePlay You For ItThe Devil She KnowsAll of us MurderersOnly Rakes Need ApplyJulia Song Is UndateableSome Kind of FamousA Star Is ScornedBlue Collar BillionaireOnce Upon a CourtesanClaiming the Princess

Our fave, Adriana Herrera, is with us this week to talk about feminism, romance, and how the two intersect. We talk about the history of the genre, about the evolution of feminism within it, and about what we want from the texts we're reading now, as the world does whatever it is it's doing. Oh, and we recommend some feminist romance, because of course we do. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Welcome back to the podcast, Adriana Herrera. Her first time on the podcast was way back in Season One, talking about Bowen and Mariketa, and then there were all these other times we’ve talked with her or about her books. Her latest project is the After the End kickstarter, which was just ending as this podcast aired. But you might be able to get in on it for a few more days if you act fast. Choice feminism isn’t the way, even if you’re Charlotte from Sex in the City… why did Jen think it was Samantha? Because memory is weird, okay. In 2025, the New York Times reports that 350k Black women have lost their jobs and the goal of the administration broadly seems to be resegregation. We recommend books about feminism below, from beginner to advanced. But we’ve also collected some web-based resources you might want to check out: watch this TikTokthis 1998 paper by Fellows & Razack which first defined the phenomenon.herehere,

Season Eight! How is it possible you're all still here?! We're so incredibly thrilled to have you all with us for another season. We've got big plans for talking to your favorite people, getting under the hood of your favorite tropes, and filling your TBR pile with your new favorite books. We quickly find ourselves in the deep end, talking about craft, criticism, and romance’s place in 2025. But first, we share what we did on our summer vacations. Season Eight. Wowzer. Honestly, we love knowing you're out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Romancing the Craft in Anaheim this fallSpring Flingland of criminalsThis is Love podcast, there was an episode about it!the Night Sky appMartha’s Vineyardtickssharkswithout that musicthe power of the score.AP isn’t doing book reviews anymoremusic criticismfilm criticismless Americans are reading for pleasure.the difference between premise and narrative

Welcome to week two of our hiatus! As we prepare for season eight, we're sharing an old favorite: Daddy Romance! For all of the recs and more, check show notes. See you next week! The Rest patreon.com/fatedmatesfavorite podcast appInstagramThreadsBlue SkyTumblrStop Book Banning episode

This year's Fated Mates Live was a little different than those we've hosted before, as it was also launch day for Sarah's These Summer Storms! We celebrated in style in the Midwest, hosted by the fabulous team at indie bookstore (and romance lovers), Novel Neighbor and joined by our absolute favorite, Kate Clayborn. So many Firebirds turned out to celebrate with us from across the midwest to help Sarah learn the intricacies of Midwestern Romance Heroes™️, to talk about Derek Craven and others, and to celebrate Storms in style. The audience was, unfortunately, without microphones, so some of the event has been edited from this recording, but we hope you'll get the vibes -- and learn a little about the midwest! (We apologize for the Indiana and Connecticut shade within.) Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us -- we couldn't have asked for a better event, or a better launch day for These Summer Storms. Thank you for reading, for hanging, and for standing in an endless line to meet us and spend a little of your rainy Tuesday with us!

We’re wrapping up season seven by asking ourselves a simple question. Do we like this stuff? Yes? No? Maybe so? We’ll be back in two weeks for the start of Season Eight of the podcast. Honestly, we remain amazed that y’all are with us on this journey. In a world full of madness, you bring us calm, joy and purpose, and we couldn’t be more grateful for you. Thank you so much for listening. While you’re waiting for Season Eight, you’re welcome to join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes The Komboucha Girl was sick of seeing her face back in 2019HozierJohn and Marlena.Eat Your YoungNina Cried Power a playlist of the Nina Cried power songs ties (and other things) was real. the wet problem, not just in romance, I guess.“are we doing this now?”“some lady is going to want to do it her.” spit is important. a quote from a Shayla Black book and this amazing review from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.flat and round characters in Aspects of the Novel (1927).“The second shift”

Joanna Shupe joins us this week to celebrate her new book, The Gilded Heiress, and talk about one of our favorite things—baddies with a heart of gold! We talk about the book, about our mutual love of criminals, of noble scoundrels, of con artists and basically anyone willing to do crime in the name of love. We also talk about how everything Gilded Age is back again, which…ugh. We love Joanna and her book – come see us with her in Chicago on August 28th and in Brooklyn on September 9th. You can get The Gilded Heiress right now in print, ebook or audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Joanna Shupeas Mila Finelli.The Gilded HeiressEmpire of Seductionbook tour starting the week of August 26thwith Jen in Chicago on August 28thPinkertonsBow Street RunnersJoanna’s TikTokTariffsall white town in ArkansasApartheid South Africa

It’s Bodyguard Romance week, which feels impossible, honestly, considering we’ve definitely done this before, haven’t we? According to Eric and also the internet, we haven’t, which means we get to talk for the first time in seven seasons about why Bodyguards work so well for so many romance readers, including us! We talk about the basics – the innate joy of having an Exasperated Man™️ willing to put himself in front of a bullet for you, the absolute delight of the books that turn the whole thing on its head and make the protector the protected, and yes, Whitney Houston. Also, Jen makes a brilliant observation on surveillance culture and how it’s impacting romance. We’re keeping you safe from the baddies this week. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Kevin Costner talked about his feelings about Whitney HoustonDolly PartonWhitney HoustonI Will Always Love Youisolated vocals on How Will I Knowthe Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl in 1991the New Yorker article about it.Carolinea bodyguard collectionThe Big Easy(he’s crazy now)not needing a PI license in the state of Wyomin Books PrincessHansWyoming BodyguardThe Wilde Ways SeriesTough...

We're back with a deep dive episode on one of our favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, Natural Born Charmer. Jen thinks this one marks SEP's Imperial Period, and Sarah's talking about why she looks askance at the term romcom to describe romance novels. We're back on our bullsh*t, is what we're saying. We're talking plot, character, risk-taking, and how romances can feel wildly expansive. This is our last deep dive of Season 7 -- more in Season 8, which begins in September. If you want to talk in depth about specific books, though, maybe you'd enjoy being a member of our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Natural Born CharmerAmazonB&NKoboApple Bookswherever you get your booksNobody’s Baby But Minean episode with Susan in season 3Jen was on Learning the Tropes to talk about another SEP book, Kiss an Angel. the song Hey Ya by Outkastthe song #4 in the top 100 songs of the 21st Century So Farin their imperial period.Sleazy Burt Reynolds guy.Almost Famous (2000) is amazing movieA great thing happened during the baby races halftime showIndiana Fever Sponsors Scarlett Xavier

By request (and because Sarah needed books for her upcoming trip), we're talking about romance novels by Australian authors this week, with a nod to some New Zealanders as well. We discuss how historical romance has much maligned Australia, recommend some absolutely terrific books, many of which we've actually done deep dives on, and we talk about why so many Australian romances hit the spot with American readers. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Our next read along (next week!) is Susan Elizabeth Phillips's Natural Born Charmer. You can get it at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. Notes French Kissbut a lot of criminals did get sent there over an 80 year period from 1788-1868.Romance Writers of AustraliaRomance Writers of New ZealandPort ArthurVictor Gadino illustrated the stepbackDream Fever by Katherine SutcliffeMills & Boon Diana Palmer's 1985 The AustralianThe Australians seriesRaising the StakesCheck out her available titles here.

It's been several years since the last time we talked about the allure of competency in romance, but it's a topic we adore, so here we are again, talking about characters with relentless competence and the characters who love them beyond measure. If you're new here, welcome! We're happy to have you! If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Our next read along is Susan Elizabeth Phillips's Natural Born Charmer. You can get it at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. Notes These Summer Stormsthe Lilly Librarythe Mallow Run vineyardA Walk in the Cloudsyou can grow them in a lot more places than you’d think.Birthrightmanga Dreaming of YoWuthering HeightsThe Airmont career seriesupdate on the search for Amelia Earhart’s planevideo of Delta’s flight crew uniformsan article about love triangles in pop cultureRanger vs Morelli

In honor of tonight's WNBA all-star game, we're releasing our delightful Sports Romance episode from 2023: It’s another sports interstitial! We’re talking sports, balls & sports balls with the brilliant Jessica Luther, sports romance lover, podcaster, and author of Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape and Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan. Everyone came to this one with their own strategy, so we’re talking everything from beach volleyball to hockey, surfing to F1. Of course, we talk about Beckham, but surprisingly, we don’t even say Jurgen Klopp one time. For the full list of books we discussed, visit fatdmates.net. Notes Jessica LutherUnsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of RapeLoving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fanpodcast Burn it All DownRetha Swindellshe recently wrote about the 50th anniversary of "The Battle of the Sexes."Teresa Weatherspoon is the new head coach for the Chicago SkyAllie Quigley and Courtney VanderSlootDawn Staley supporting her playersWNBA pandemic bubblethat dumb mandumb men a spike of interest in the NFLSNL skit with the football players

Our Trailblazer series continues with Pamela Sanderson, the first Native American author to write contemporary romance about Native characters in Native community. Pamela joins us to talk about her writing journey, about her decision to write and independently publish romance, about the need for more Native American romance in the world. We so enjoyed this conversation, and we’re grateful to Pamela for joining us to tell her story. Listen to all the Trailblazer episodes. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. Notes Pamela SandersonKaruk TribePamela also publishes in other genres as Pamela RentzLouise ErdrichN. Scott MomadayJohanna LindsayKathleen E. WoodiwissStephen KingAnne RiceCourntey MilanSarina BowenLove is a War SongDanica NavaAli HazelwoodTessa DareAlexis HallTheory of BastardsThe Only Good IndiansStephen Graham JonesRebecca RoanhorseClarion WestRomancing the CraftThe Dear Author blog

Last night’s Fated Mates Live was so much fun, but now we’re back in your earholes again. It’s time again for our annual Sarah MacLean deep dive (with no spoilers!). As per tradition, Jen asks Sarah a bunch of fun questions and forces Sarah to talk about her book. And it all ends with Julia Whalen reading two chapters of These Summer Storms! It was a delight to see so many of you in St. Louis yesterday, and to everyone else, we’re just as glad you’re here with us today. Notes These Summer Stormsmight not be too late to see Sarah on book tour!Mary Kay AndrewsPark AvenueSarah shared her ballot. a long history of being associated with big money.ended with the same list of questionsBy The Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary LifeThe Second ComingIt’s a Love StoryCan’t Get EnoughFull Bloom Sponsors Kylie ScottWildflowers: An End of the World romanceAmazonBarnes & NobleKoboApple BooksBookshop.org1001 Dark NightsMidnight Myths and MagicAmazonMina BrowerA God of Moonlight and Stardust