Shelf Love: A Romance Novel Book Club

I join The Historical Romance Sampler podcast with Katherine Grant to sample a scene from Lisa Kleypas's Secrets of a Summer Night. We discuss how historical romance has changed since the 1970s and talk about bestsellers and airport books. Also, learn more about Romancelandia Holiday Fairies 2024!Romancelandia Holiday Fairies is a mutual aid effort for the romance novel reader community to support anyone in the community who could use a little material help with purchasing gifts for themselves, or loved ones this holiday season. Learn more:bit.ly/holidayfairiesshelflovepodcast.com/holiday-fairies-Learn more about Katherine Grant and The Historical Romance Sampler podcasthttps://katherinegrantromance.com/historical-romance-sampler-podcast/episode-42-andrea-martucci-reads-lisa-kleypasKatherine Grant on InstagramThe Historical Romance Sampler on Instagram Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton is a 1965 fantasy novel with subtle romantic elements. How does this vintage novel featuring outsider characters compare with today's romantasy? Romance reader Kassi joins Shelf Love to discuss Gillan's journey of identity, empowerment, and agency as she embarks on an adventure: arranged marriage with a were Rider. Would you give up your power for a beautiful fantasy? It's very demure, very mindful — this oldie is a goodie, although there are no unicorns.Discussed: Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton (1965)Guest: Kassi Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Ever wondered why Regencies became all the rage? Or how historical romances shape and sanitize our perceptions of history? This episode delves into how Regency romances displace inconvenient historical truths. A critical look at older 'problematic' romances like Jennifer Blake's 'Fierce Eden' reveals the complexities of characters and settings, challenging the current sanitized romantic fantasies. This audio essay touches upon how modern Regency romance often overlooks deeper societal issues for the comfort of readers, questioning if this trend truly makes the genre better or just more palatable.Read the original Substack essay here: https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/colonizing-history-historical-romance Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Some call it Romantasy, some call it Dragon Corn (except replace the C with a P). Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is hotter than dragon's breath, and so of course we have to see if we can figure out why it's so popular. Sarah Skilton joins me to discuss “love triangles,” indescribable pain that we would actually like described, War College, and how…hot…Xaden…is. Also, is Fourth Wing enjoyable for people with romance or fantasy genre competence? Listen…or die.Discussed: Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosGuest: Sarah SkiltonWebsite: www.sarahskilton.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiltongram/Hollywood Ending by Tash Skilton: https://bookshop.org/p/books/hollywood-ending-tash-skilton/15806212?ean=9781496730671 Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Ever wondered how "The Hating Game" fares in a classroom setting? Dr. Diana Filar is back to discuss her experiences teaching The Hating Game book and film in a class about popular genre fiction. We discuss the challenges of translating romance novels into films, how stereotypes of genres are formed and challenged, and what it's like introducing non-genre readers to romance. Learn about Dr. Filar's approach to incorporating popular genre fiction like romance, horror, and suspense into her curriculum, how class conversations resembled a Battle of the Sexes as they explored texts that engaged with gender in different ways, and why it's so hard to both adapt romance and teach romance novels as a genre in the classroom.Class texts also included Gone Girl, Arrival, and The Exorcist. Guest: Dr. Diana FilarWebsite | TwitterListen to Dr. Diana Filar on the #1 most-downloaded episode of Shelf Love: 092. I've Got No Roots: White Immigrant Assimilation & (Romance) Adaptation  Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Do you love scent marking, some healthy jealousy, and a beautiful and believable mix of internal and external romance in your paranormal werewolf romance? Get your parka and bundle up for "Cold Hearted" by Heather Guerre, the first book in the Tooth and Claw series, in discussion with foremost vampire defender, Dame Jodie Slaughter. We explore werewolves, vampires, Alaska as a transporting setting, depression, Andrea's soft vulnerable belly, and found family and community, highlighting the book's atmospheric setting and rich character development. The conversation delves into the unique elements of limited third-person narrative, the dynamics of jealousy, and the beauty of slow-burn romance.Guest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's Vampire DefenderWebsite | Twitter | InstagramTo learn more about Dame Jodie Slaughter, follow her on Instagram @jodie_slaughter and on Twitter @jodieslaughter. Check out her books, including "Play to Win" and "Bet on It," and keep an eye out for her upcoming sapphic romance, "Ready to Score." Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

“What is a greater expression of love than eating someone else or wanting to consume and have that person in a way that no one else can have?” Dr. Nicola Welsh-Burke joins to delve into the intriguing topic of cannibalism in romance novels. We explore the intersection of food, eating, and sexuality, discuss the metaphorical use of cannibalism in literature, and examine the societal taboos and fascinations with the concept. The conversation touches upon various themes such as erotic vampirism, werewolf lore, incorrect eating, and how these elements are used to explore deeper human desires and fears.Media Mentioned/Discussed:Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis KlauseTooth and Claw series by Heather GuerreWhere the Wild Things Are by Maurice SendakHannibal (TV show)A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. SummersFresh (film) Twilight (books/film)Betwixt the Sheets PodcastKinky History PodcastSex historian Esme Louise JamesGuest: Dr. Nicola Welsh-BurkeDr. Welsh-Burke is an academic and lecturer at Western Sydney University in Sydney, Australia. She's an early-stage researcher in folklore and fairy tales and the romance genre, and her PhD was on contemporary YA supernatural romance, retellings of little red riding hood from the 21st century.Twitter Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

If you've always wanted to hear about a romance that takes place within a traveling circus and features a telepathic tiger, hang onto your trapeze bar: Emma from the Substack Restorative Romance and the Reformed Rakes podcast is here to talk about Susan Elizabeth Phillips' “Kiss an Angel,” a contemporary romance that feels like a historical and features an arranged marriage that leads to circus life. In a highly contentious conversation between rival podcasters, the one thing we can agree on the importance of conflict and character flaws in creating a compelling story.Discussed: Kiss and Angel by Susan Elizabeth PhillipsGuest: Emma, a law librarian and writer at Restorative Romance on Substack, and a member of Reformed Rakes.Substack | Reformed Rakes Website Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Guest: Sarah Rutherford, a romance reader and Associate Professor of Design at Cleveland State University@sarahatschool on InstagramHighlights:The evolution of romance novel covers from the 1980s to the contemporary post-digital age.The significant role of design elements such as typography, color, and imagery in conveying the genre and themes of romance novels.The impact of digital publishing on cover designs, including the preference for stock photography and simplified imagery.How cover designs serve as a branding tool for books and how they contribute to personal branding for readers and collectors.Sarah shares anecdotes about identifying and collecting romance novels based on their covers, highlighting the emotional and aesthetic appeal of cover art.  Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

I was a guest on The Categorically Romance Podcast to discuss my category romance collecting addiction, reading some books from Kiss a short-lived Harlequin line from the early 20 teens, and how not being allowed to read romance as a teen actually made me more obsessed with reading romance. Hope you enjoy this episode and I definitely recommend that you check out the Categorically Romance Podcast if you're not already listening.We read The One that Got Away by Kelly Hunter (Kiss #1) and If You Can't Stand the Heat by Joss Wood.Learn more about The Categorically Romance Podcast: https://linktr.ee/TheCategoricallyRomancePodcast Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

In this episode, host Andrea Martucci embarks on a journey with Dame Jodie Slaughter to the Covering Romance exhibition. The event showcases romance novel cover art by award-winning artist, John Ennis. Interviews with John Ennis and other attendees, including author Nisha Sharma, romance fan Mary Lynne Nielsen, and Fin, owner of Wolf and Kron books, a genre bookstore. Andrea purchases several pieces of cover art and reflects with Jodie on the cultural significance of fandom and passion for the genre.Fellow Traveler: Dame Jodie Slaughter, International Fandom CriticizerWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

An exploration of prison planet romances with Megan Erickson. We discuss Guardian by Emmy Chandler and how it explores issues of consent, agency, and morality through an extreme version of the forced proximity trope. Are these brutal dystopians actually hopeful explorations of humanity and love? Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Romancelandia Holiday Fairies 2023!Romancelandia Holiday Fairies is a mutual aid effort for the romance novel reader community to support anyone in the community who could use a little material help with purchasing gifts for themselves, or loved ones this holiday season. Learn more:bit.ly/holidayfairiesshelflovepodcast.com/holiday-fairies  Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Is shame productive? This question guides part 2 of a Whoa!mance/Shelf Love convo about A Lady of the West by Linda Howard as we discuss the paradox of enjoying highly problematic books.We interrogate our feelings of shame, enjoyment, and the importance of critically dissecting the pleasures derived from reading, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel.Look at your society, look at your life! Along with me and Whoa!mance, in this crossover episode.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau)Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Listen on any podcast app!Listen to part 1 of this episode: episode 150 Shelf LoveMorgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann AguirreandEpisode 089 to Problematize Romanceand108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular)

I humbly asked Morgan and Isabeau to help me understand why A Lady of the West by Linda Howard had a chokehold on my young romance-reading imagination, and they delivered. We discuss how this book has rules for good (white) women, and explores Manifest Destiny, settler colonialism, sexuality, violence, violent sexuality, and being a desirable (white) woman.Button up your white high-necked blouse and gallop on a virile stallion into the wild west with Whoa!mance, in this crossover episode.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau)Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Listen on any podcast app!Morgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann AguirreandEpisode 089 to Problematize Romanceand108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular)

The difference between erotic romance and romance is all about feelings, in particular, where you feel them. Shelf Love's Kink Correspondent, Dame Jodie Slaughter, joins the podcast to discuss A Gentleman in the Streets by Alisha Rai. Only enter if you consensually dare.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's Kink CorrespondentWebsite | Twitter | Instagram

Bisexuality in romance with writer and reviewer Ellie Mae MacGregor (@bisexual_booknerd). When it comes to romance, a genre that explores romantic and sexual desires, what does “good” bisexual representation look like? How can books with or without bisexual representation create worlds that feel safe for bisexual readers?Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Ellie Mae MacGregorInstagram @bisexual_booknerd

I own 91 Candlelight Ecstasy Romances, so it was high time I read one... then I read another 13 for good measure. In December, 1980, Vivian Stephens launched a new line of contemporary category romance at Dell called Candlelight Ecstasy. The line pushed the envelope when it came to sex and sensuality on the page. But how sexy are they and how do these books hold up in 2023? Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Mistress of Mellyn by Virginia Holt is often hailed as responsible for kicking off a boom of modern gothics in the mid-20th century. In this crossover with Reformed Rakes, we ask: is this a gothic first and a romance second? Is our plucky main character in love with the man of the house, or just the house? How does Mistress explore transgression of boundaries, gender, eight-year-olds, and heroines “ahead of their time”?Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: The Mistress of Mellyn (1960) by Virginia HoltGuest: Reformed RakesWebsite | Emma | Beth | Chels

What makes a heroine in romance, a genre invested in exploring how can women be happy in culture? Is the genre a place where heroines create integrated identities that reject binaries of what society tells them to be? Dr. Jayashree Kamble discusses her latest book on romance scholarship, Creating Identity: The Popular Romance Heroine's Journey to Selfhood and Self-Presentation. Shelf Love listeners can use “UShelfLove” to get 35% off the book at Indiana University Press, from now until November 2, 2023. Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Dr. Jayashree KambleCreating Identity: The Popular Romance Heroine's Journey to Selfhood and Self-Presentationhttps://iupress.org/9780253065704/creating-identity/Shelf Love Discount code: use “UShelflove” for 35% between September 15, 2023 and November 2, 2023.Jayashree on Humanities Commons: https://hcommons.org/members/kamble/Jayashree's upcoming New York City book launch events:9/24/23 - https://www.therippedbodicela.com/brooklyn-events9/22/23 - https://aaari.info/23-09-22kamble/Learn more about the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance at IASPR.org and the open access journal where you can find tons of romance scholarship: JPRStudies.org

Four romance reading friends embark on a romance history reading project, based on a BookRiot list, and in this episode, two of them — Leigh Kramer and Hannah Hearts romance — have Flames on the Sides of their Face when talking about the Flame and The Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. To keep things interesting, we talk less about the book itself and more about questions of reader reception and the relationship between the 1972 text and the romance texts that followed. Have we come a long way, baby, or are we still wallowing in the same whirlpool of sludgey emotions?--Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. WoodiwissThe BookRiot list that inspired the project: https://bookriot.com/most-influential-romance-novels/Guests:Leigh KramerWebsite | InstagramHannah Hearts RomanceInstagram | Goodreads

What happens when 35 romance scholars walk into a bar, after hours at the IASPR 2023 Romance Revitalised conference? They share their favorite romance scholarship, and why!Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comThanks to all of the contributors to this episode!Full list of romance scholarship mentioned on Substack: https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/Romance Reader Stereotype research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQzi8fBB0R8

The fabulous foursome (Morgan & Isabeau from Whoa!mance, Dame Jodie Slaughter, Andrea Martucci from Shelf Love) get meta textual as we reflect on our meta podcasting project on Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. What's this episode about? Take a guess from this collection of possible episode titles:Panopticon Alert: Meta Reflections on Dreaming of YouThe Internet Killed RomanceWhoa! That's Some Weird RomanceOur Current Romance PanopticonAlienating Persons in RomanceLove Us or Hate UsHere We Are Now, Offend UsDid you enjoy this podcast?Be sure to listen to episode 140 and 141 before diving into the meta-ness and meta-mess of this text.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Dame Jodie SlaughterWebsite | Twitter | InstagramGuests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau)Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Listen on any podcast app!Morgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann AguirreandEpisode 089 to Problematize Romanceand108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular)

This week, yr grls at long last encounter Derek Craven in "DREAMING OF YOU" by Miss Massachu herself LISA KLEYPAS. It is time for Morgan and Isabeau from Whoa!mance to wade into this collaboration with Shelf Love.You probably already know this - but Sarah is a regency country mouse who is secretly a best-selling novelist. Facing the dreaded sophomore slump, she seeks out a real Gambling Hell to research her next novel and instead finds Derek Craven. Derek's a gutter baby cum Cockney made good by establishing the most luxurious gambling den in London. But, it turns out, his personal tastes skew a bit more bucolic if you catch our drift (they fall in love!).What makes a character captivating and why doesn't Derek Craven have any of it? Is the sentimental version of the Culture Wars any more forgivable? It's 10 p.m. - is your child a Perry?Take our "lump of ice" and tune in as we give this "weep and wail" its "early hours". --Guests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau)Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Listen on any podcast app!Morgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann AguirreandEpisode 089 to Problematize Romanceand108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular) Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

Let's talk about Joyce Ashby from Lisa Kleypas's novel Dreaming of You. We delve into the dichotomous portrayal of Joyce as an irredeemable villainess alongside her foil, the redeemable “hero” Derek Craven. We explore the parallel themes of violence, possessiveness, and animalistic sexuality resulting in problematically differing fates and treatment by the text. Belched from the underworld, Defender of Bisexual Villainesses Dame Jodie Slaughter joins Shelf Love in this special cross-over project with Whoa!mance - watch for the next episode, in which Morgan and Isabeau share their conversation about Dreaming of You.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: Dreaming of You by Lisa KleypasGuest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's Expert on Bisexual VillainessesWebsite | Twitter | Instagram

Amanda Cinelli joins me to discuss representation of autistic characters in romance novels. Amanda shares how reading Helen Hoang's "The Kiss Quotient" played a big part in her realizing that she was autistic, and talks about some other romances with autism representation that she loved. We also discuss why representing autistic love is important to Amanda as an author and her writing journey pre and post diagnosis.-Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:The Kiss Quotient by Helen HoangThe Heart Principle by Helen HoangThe Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia HibbertBergman Brothers' series by Chloe LieseGuest: Amanda Cinelliwww.amanda-cinelli.com**https://twitter.com/AcinelliAuthor**https://www.instagram.com/amandacinelliauthor/https://www.tiktok.com/@amandacinelliauthorhttps://amandacinelliromanceauthor.substack.com/about

"Somebody's Trying To Kill Me and I think it's my husband" by Joanna Russ is a brilliant bit of 50 year old scholarship about modern gothics, but I say it applies just as well to romance novels of today.In part one, I explore the theme of passive protagonists in adventure stories. Part 2, the personal is the problematic. In all parts: unpacking heteropatriarchy.Discussed:Adventure Stories with Passive Protagonists:https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/adventure-stories-with-passive-protagonistsThe Personal is Problematic:https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/the-personal-is-problematicShelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Part 2 of the conversation about North and South with Helena Greer. AI generated these action items from the transcript of this episode. AI responses can be inaccurate or misleading.[ ] Schedule a kiss scene between the main characters for modern audiences[ ] Make the male protagonist more sympathetic by toning down his violent behavior[ ] Make the female protagonist more likable and relatable to modern romance audiences[ ] Follow a beat sheet to hit expected pacing and plot points for romance novelsThis is part 2 of the conversation about North and South. Check out episode 136 for part 1.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and North and South the 2004 BBC adaptation starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-AsheSAVE the Cat: https://savethecat.com/Guest: Helena GreerWebsite | Twitter | Instagram | Storyloom Choose Your Own AdventureHelena Greer is a long time librarian and romance reader, and recent romance novelist. She has a degree in mythography and is interested in deconstructing the social context around the decisions storytellers make about how to frame --or reframe-- their stories.

Trains! Fruit! Allusions to Hell abound! Victorian industrialist city mortality rates! Writer, sex educator, and librarian Helena Greer is here to discuss North and South. Did the 2004 BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 1854 serialized novel make the heroine more likable and everyone else less nuanced? This conversation is serialized just like the original text. We compare and contrast the romantic moments in the book and adaptation, highlighting how the adaptation focuses more on negative emotions and drama, while the book emphasizes character growth and acts of romantic love.Shelf Love:NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comThanks to the contributors to this episode:Discussed: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and North and South the 2004 BBC adaptation starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-AsheGuest: Helena GreerWebsite | Twitter | InstagramHelena Greer is a long time librarian and romance reader, and recent romance novelist. She has a degree in mythography and is interested in deconstructing the social context around the decisions storytellers make about how to frame --or reframe-- their stories.

Dame Jodie Slaughter, Feather Fetish Understander, and I recently discussed how The Savage and The Swan speaks the unspoken, what a winged wolf looks like, and whether this book is a metaphor for toxic masculinity and healing generational trauma. This summary below was written by AI using my episode transcript:The Savage and the Swan by Ella Fields is a groundbreaking work of Enemies to Lover literature that combines elements of dark fairytale retellings, a possessive anti-hero, and spicy fae romance. The story follows Opal, a princess in a kingdom at war with its neighboring kingdom, Vordane, ruled by the shape-shifting wolf-with-wings Dade. Opal is forced to marry a human prince to strengthen the alliance between the two kingdoms, but is kidnapped by Dade and must find a way to reconcile her feelings for him despite his shocking act of violence.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: The Savage and The Swan by Ella FieldsGuest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's International Smut HistorianWebsite | Twitter | Instagram

Starting the year off with some cozy re-reads, comfort reads, and short reads to combat the wintery weather and get through winter cold season. I share thoughts on all the books I read in January 2023, including Alice Coldbreath's Victorian Prizefighter series, A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews, His Majesty by Shon, Better Off Wed by Susanna Craig, Hero by Claire Kent, and the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:Alice Coldbreath - Victorian Prizefighters seriesA Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews (novella)His Majesty by Shon (short story)Better off Wed by Susanna Craig (Love and Let Spy series)Hero by Claire Kent (Kindled series)Murderbot series by Martha Wells

We need to talk about Anais Nin and her erotic short story collection Delta of Venus. Did Anais Nin write "female erotica"? Is there such a thing? Have Things™️ changed much since 1941? Noted smut writer Dame Jodie Slaughter is Shelf Love's international smut history correspondent. She schools us on the long history of smut, French people, Choice Feminism, why she doesn't believe in the female gaze, how her work is contributing to the demise of "our value system," and more! We unpack Anais's assertion that "women are more apt to fuse sex with emotion, with love" via Dr. Jodi McAlister's book "The Consummate Virgin," and her theories of compulsory (female) demisexuality. Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's International Smut HistorianWebsite | Twitter | InstagramDiscussed:Delta of Venus by Anais NinThe Consummate Virgin: Female Virginity Loss and Love in Anglophone Popular Literatures by Dr. Jodi McAlister: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-55004-2Hard-Core Romance: Fifty Shades of Grey, Best-Sellers, and Society by Eva IllouzSady Doyle's Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/apr/07/anais-nin-author-social-mediaSherilyn Fenn “MTV Books, Feed Your Head” 1991 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHRo5FAJ3g0 

Arranged marriage trope in contemporary Indian American diaspora romance novels with cognitive psychologist and author Sri Savita.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:Running Away With the Bride by Sophia Singh SassonDating Dr. Dil by Nisha SharmaMarriage Game by Sara DesaiThe Trouble with Hating You by Sajni PatelThe Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie ValeShaadi dot com performance by Awaaz Do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzwhcCeJ4lkGuest: Sri SavitaSri writes romance by night, and by day is a Cognitive Psychologist.Website | Twitter | InstagramForthcoming Short Story: "How to Find Your Footing in France," part of a Wordmakers New Year's Eve holiday anthology.Hôtel d'Amour: A Sweet Romance Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMXV9JG3/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20

A billionaire romance novel that name drops Citizen's United only comes along every so often. Carter Sherman, Senior reporter for VICE News, joins me to discuss Preferential Treatment by Heather Guerre. We talk about power exchange, heterosexual marriage as a transaction, and subverting the single script of the hegemonic BDSM billionaire romance to focus on the fantasy as care & safety as opposed to letting go of control.Romancelandia Holiday Fairies: https://shelflovepodcast.com/blog-posts/romancelandia-holiday-fairiesDiscussed: Preferential Treatment by Heather GuerreOther media mentioned:Hard-Core Romance: Fifty Shades of Grey, Best-Sellers, and Society by Eva IllouzEvery New Year by Katrina JacksonPrivate Eye by Katrina JacksonThe Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat SebastianMarriage: A History by Stephanie CoontzYou're Wrong About Abortion Stories: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1112270/11515738-your-abortion-storiesGuest: Carter Sherman (she/her/hers)Senior reporter for VICE NewsVICE News | TwitterShelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Are men in romance novels granted agency & subjectivity, and do readers have the same expectations for male consent as they do for female characters in M/F romance? Lynell from Weekend Reader has some thoughts on mutual consent in romance, especially as she's binging dark mafia romance with kidnapping plots. What happens when your real life values conflict with your fantasy world values, and how do ideas about happily ever after change as our culture changes? Romancelandia Holiday Fairies 2022: bit.ly/romancelandiaShelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Lynell from Weekend ReaderWebsite | TwitterBooks Mentioned:Sabbatical by Katrina JacksonThat Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion At a Werewolf by Kimberly LemmingThe Spies That Love Her series: Her Only Valentine by Katrina JacksonToying with Temptation by AH CunninghamGeorgia Acadian series by Dria Anderson

Hear Elysabeth Grace & Katrina Jackson in conversation: a recording from Black Romance and Historical Spaces presentation put on by the Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University on November 5th, 2022. This episode is a co-release with Black Romance Podcast, hosted by Dr. Julie Moody-Freeman.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveNEW! $1 Patreon tier “Here for the Discourse” - for those of you bummed by the decline of TwitterSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comBlack Romance Podcasthttps://blackromancepodcast.libsyn.com/Center for Black Diasporahttps://las.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/center-for-black-diaspora/Pages/default.aspxKatrina Jacksonhttps://www.katrinajacksonauthor.com/Elysabeth Gracehttps://www.elysabethgrace.com/

Breaking News! Harlequin Associate Editor John Jacobson is here to give the scoop on Harlequin's newest, currently unnamed line of sexy new contemporary romances. We talk about Harlequin's intentions, hopes, and dreams for the line, and also talk about the unfulfilled… gaps in the market, especially for younger readers who want to imagine their own unique, personalized, non-normative happily ever afters.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: John JacobsonTwitterHarlequin.submittable.comwriteforharlequin.com

Classic fairy tales Cinderella & Beauty and the Beast may have gotten their Disney-fication, but there are many ways to slide your feet into these glass (or are they fur?) slippers, and romance novels love to play with these tropes. Writer Renee Dahlia and podcaster Philippa Borland join the podcast to discuss and fairytale retellings, reversions, and subversions in romance novels.-Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:Pod Culture Oz Episode: https://podcultureoz.com/ep11-fairytales/Fairy Tale Retellings resource: http://www.reneedahlia.com/2021/07/25/fairy-tale-retellings-updated/Guests:Renee DahliaWebsite | Twitter | Instagram | BooksPhilippa BorlandListen to Pod Culture Oz | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

What is beastliness? Little Red Riding Hood stories used to be tales of warning for young women to manage their sexuality in the face of the dangerous beasts of court, who were smooth on the outside, but hairy on the inside. In the 21st century, paranormal teen romances use enchantment to transform the beasts into objects of desire. Dr. Nicola Welsh-Burke, a scholar of fairy tales and romance, is here to discuss hot wolf boys, brooding Byronic figures, pseudomarriage and pseudovirginity, hot villain discourse, and why young women need beastly men to unlock their sexuality.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Dr. Nicola Welsh-BurkeTwitterDr. Welsh-Burke is an academic and lecturer at Western Sydney University in Sydney, Australia. She's an early-stage researcher in folklore and fairy tales and the romance genre, and her PhD was on contemporary YA supernatural romance, retellings of little red riding hood from the 21st century.fDiscussed:Nicola's Texts:Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie StiefvaterSister's Red by Jackson PierceLow Red Moon by Ivy DevlinRed Riding Hood, the novelization of the 2011 filmThe Toast: A Day In The Life Of A Brooding Romantic HeroAarne-Thompson-Uther indexLittle Red Riding Hood is: ATU 425Famous Folklorists & scholars:Angela Carter: “hairy on the inside”Charles Perrault: “smooth-faced wolves”Countess d'Aulnoy: coined the term “fairytale”Cristina Bacchilega: “the fairy tale web”Dr. Jodi McAllister: The Consummate VirginDr. Christina Seifert: pseudovirginityThe complex fantasy (Diamond, 2011): to have the bad boy, to never come to harm, to have his wildness for one's self.

Junior novels were early romances for young readers, published in the 1940s-1960s. Learn from expert guest Dr. Amanda K. Allen how the didactic and heteronormative messages in these novels make a lot of sense when you consider that they were created to respond to demand from librarians and schools for “bibliotherapy” texts to “teach teenage girls how to be women,” which included winning that class ring and becoming besties with the popular girl who you're not sure if you want to be or date.Guest: Dr. Amanda K. Allen is a professor of children's and young adult literature.Guest: Dr. Amanda K. AllenPersonal Website | Twitter | Academic WebsiteAmanda K. Allen researches American teen girl romance novels of the 1940s-1960s (known as "junior novels" or "malt shop books") in connection with the professional network of women (editors, librarians, booksellers, critics) who produced and distributed them. She also publishes on fan studies.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Funmi's Beverly Jenkins collection is complete, and of course it includes the queen of Black historical romance's young adult romances that were originally published in the short-lived Avon True Romance line in the early 2000s. We discuss Belle and the Beau and Josephine and the Soldier. Did these romances hit the spot for early aughts tweens? And why do we feel like the parental gaze is peering over our shoulder while we read it?-Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: Avon True Romances by Beverly JenkinsBelle and the Beau (2002)Belle (Kimani Tru reissue)Josephine and the Soldier (2003)Josephine (Kimani Tru reissue)Guest: FunmiTwitter | Instagram | Funmi in Fine Books & Collections magazine

Jess joins Shelf Love to discuss the Sunfire romance that shares her name: Jessica by Mary Francis Shura. This historical teen romance from 1984 centers on a highly-competent, independent Kansas teen in 1873 and her many suitors: is the mad man who wins her heart the right guy or is he just the one who gets along best with her bad dad?-Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:Jessica by Mary Francis Shurahttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/841052.JessicaGuest: JessListen to Jess on Episode 047: Rose Lerner Double Header

Sunfire, a historical romance series for young adults, debuted in 1982 with two books by Candice Ransom. 40 years later, Candice pulls back the curtain on her process and how Scholastic editor Ann Reit shaped the series, which was many young readers' first taste of romance packaged in a girl's adventure story.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Candice RansomWebsiteCandice's Blog post on Sunfires with pictures of retro promotional material

A brief overview of romance for young adult readers throughout time, with a focus on the romance series boom of the 1980s and the reverberations into the early 2000s. Wildfire, Sunfire, Sweet Dreams, Oh My! But some people haven't always been on board with young people consuming age-appropriate romance.-Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comResources:Allen, Amanda K. “Young Adult Romance.” In The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Romance Fiction. Routledge, 2020.Madsen, Christine Terp. “Teen Novels: What Kind of Values Do They Promote?” Christian Science Monitor, December 17, 1981. https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1217/121749.html.Wagner, Elaine. “Protesting Sexist Materials: You Can Make a Difference.” Interracial Books for Children Bulletin 12, no. 3 (1981). https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=article&did=Literature.CIBCBulletinv12n03.i0003&id=Literature.CIBCBulletinv12n03&isize=M&pview=hide.“Interracial Books for Children Bulletin: Special Double Issue on Preteen and Teenage Romance Series,” 1981. https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=header&id=Literature.CIBCBulletinv12n0405&isize=M&pview=hide.Grinnan, Dabney. “At the Back Fence #145.” All About Romance. Accessed May 24, 2022. https://allaboutromance.com/author-interviews/at-the-back-fence-145/.Moss, Gabrielle. Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction. Quirk Books, 2018.Source: re: Tracy West https://twitter.com/BGSU_PopCultLib/status/1093949394444009473?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed&ref_url=notion%3A%2F%2Fwww.notion.so%2Fandreamartucci%2FIntro-to-Young-Adult-f46e4a1c012c4d7b983599bcb84564e4Source: re: Vivian Stephens & Jackie Weger book: https://teachmetonight.blogspot.com/2015/02/thoughts-inspired-by-conference-race.html

Lucy Hargrave shares her research into the history of queer romance. While Lucy dates published narratives of fictional happy endings for queer characters back to 1906, she charts the evolution since then in 5 significant time periods with different political, cultural, and technological climates. Plus, Lucy shares some results from her quantitative research into modern readers and writers of queer romance books.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comGuest: Lucy HargraveTwitter | Instagram | YouTubeLucy Hargrave is a third year PhD student at the University of Birmingham researching Queer Romance Novels of the 21st Century. Her research explores the queering of the romance genre through a combination of literary critical and social science methodologies to analyse how queer romances rework heteronormative structures. She also produces content to help future and current PhD students on her YouTube channel, Lucy Hargrave.

Fangirl Jeanne answers the question: Why might people, and women in particular, find serial killers to be romantic figures in dark romance in a hetero patriarchal capitalist, racist, etc. society? We discuss the Darkly, Madly Duology by Trisha Wolfe, a dark romance with 2 serial killer main character antagonists.-Guest: Fangirl JeanneWebsite | TwitterJeanne's tweet thread on the power fantasy of being the singular focus of a powerful man present in Romantic literature and fan fiction: https://twitter.com/fangirlJeanne/status/1507407313220485122?s=20&t=Esqbm4RcOJtUeqnB58DInwShelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord by becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed:Darkly, Madly Duet by Trisha WolfeBorn, Darkly & Born, Madly

Readers weigh in on killers in romance novels (AKA people who un-alive other people) and I challenge myself to see if the distasteful elements in the Darkly, Madly duology (discussed next episode!) showed up in less-egregious ways in texts I did enjoy. Also, more thoughts on power, gender roles, and the desire to conquer a protector.Responses from Antagonist April social media prompts:Books with MCs who killKiller PollWhy Bad People Do Bad Things Fangirl Jeanne's tweet thread on the power fantasy, discussed in this episode Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Antagonist April: discussing killers in romance. Fangirl Jeanne is back to continue our discussion of Manacled, a dark romance fan fiction story. What is the appeal of enemies to lovers? How do readers wrestle with justification for killing in romantic stories, and how does Manacled explore a romantic relationship, not just a romantic fantasy for an individual? How does creating within communal systems, as opposed to capitalist ones, enable different kinds of stories?This is part 2 of 2 discussing Manacled. Check out episode 116 for part 1.Content Warnings: the text we discuss is a dark romance fanfiction and we discuss how the text handles rape, war, violence, and genocide.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: Manacled by SenLinYu (Dramione AU Fanfiction)Manacled - Chapter 1 - senlinyu - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]Guest: Fangirl JeanneWebsite | TwitterJeanne's tweet thread on the power fantasy of being the singular focus of a powerful man present in Romantic literature and fan fiction: https://twitter.com/fangirlJeanne/status/1507407313220485122?s=20&t=Esqbm4RcOJtUeqnB58DInw

Antagonist April: discussing killers in romance. Manacled by SenLinYu is a wildly popular dark romance fanfic with Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, that remixes alternate universe Harry Potter with Handmaid's Tale. Fangirl Jeanne joins me to discuss how war is hell, what it means to be a killer in a world where there are fates worse than death, and the appeal of the murderous antagonist hero. What does it help us understand about conceptions of masculinity and emotions as well as feminine desirability within patriarchy? This is part 1 of 2 discussing Manacled. Check out episode 117 - out now - for part 2.Content Warnings: the text we discuss is a dark romance fanfiction and we discuss how the text handles rape, war, violence, and genocide.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comDiscussed: Manacled by SenLinYu (Dramione AU Fanfiction)Manacled - Chapter 1 - senlinyu - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]Guest: Fangirl JeanneWebsite | TwitterJeanne's tweet thread on the power fantasy of being the singular focus of a powerful man present in Romantic literature and fan fiction: https://twitter.com/fangirlJeanne/status/1507407313220485122?s=20&t=Esqbm4RcOJtUeqnB58DInw

Data scientist Dr. Andrew Piper joins Shelf Love to share how data science can help the romance community answer the big questions that close reading can't answer. Andrew's the director of McGill University's .txtlab, a laboratory that uses machine learning to ask questions like why do people enjoy the work they love? And once we empirically quantify what's going on here, he asks us to think about what we'd like to do about it. Guest: Dr. Andrew PiperWebsite | Twitter | Enumerations: Data and Literary StudyAndrew Piper is Professor and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University. He is the director of .txtlab, a laboratory that uses machine learning and data science to understand literature and culture.Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comTweets discussed in this episode:@katrinaJax: “is it me or are there so many more white romances this year and being announced? like... a lot...”@momonoki8: Who is critique use of blonde, pink lips, thinness, small waists and blushing cheeks etc in contemporary white-led romance novels? @ShelfLovePod

Swan Song (2021) is a movie that forces us to confront the "After" part of Happily Ever After. Shelf Love's Sad Media Correspondent, Dame Jodie Slaughter, is here to discuss lax security at cloning facilities, the ethics of cloning, the aesthetics of the future: pretty much anything that allows us to avoid the banal truth about our own mortality.Content Note: discussion of death and mortality.-Discussed: Swan Song (2021)Guest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love's Sad Media CorrespondentWebsite | Twitter | InstagramCheck out Fair Fight Action! Thank you to Cynthia for bidding on the quilt I donated to Romancing the Vote and for supporting Fair Fight!Shelf Love:Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLoveSign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com