Textual Tension

Hello lovely friends of Textual Tension! It is here; our 150th episode and our indefinite hiatus. Thank you to all friends of the pod (and, frankly, enemies too...if you're hot.) We love you all so much and are so glad and thankful to you all for being on this journey with us!Without further ado, please enjoy episode 150: Gay Mafia. (It's Rae's FIRST mafia romance!)

Who's ready for some nice wholesome fun? What about some wholesome fun in the Scottish Highlands? Well we've got some good news! This week, your Cohost Rachel is telling Margie all about Tessa Dare's When a Scot Ties the Knot! We've all made some mistakes when we were younger; maybe even told a few white lies. But what would happen if one of those little white lies came back to haunt you? And what if he was hot?!

Hello Everyone! We have a very important announcement today. It's truly bittersweet, but we've decided to put the podcast on an indefinite hiatus. We may come back sometime in the future, but after 6 years we've decided to bring things to an end. We'll be continuing to release all of the episodes we already have recorded, but won't be releasing any more afterwards. Thank you all so much for such a good run. We love you all, and we'd love to see you over on the discord!

Hello listeners! How are you?! Well pretty soon you'll be better after hearing Margie tell Rachel about Aidy Award's Chase Me, the first book in her Dragons Love Curves series. Question for you: what color do you like your dragons?

What the Flim Flam?! This book is the Cat's Pajamas! Your favorite Cohosts are going back in time to the roaring...30s? Listen in this week as Rachel tells Margie all about Megaera C. Lorenz's book, The Shabti! Because what's better than an supernatural noir-style mystery? Two absolute cinnamon rolls trying to solve a supernatural noir-style mystery!

We've finally done it! Your Cohosts are finally tackling one of like...3 years ago....but better late than never right?! Listen in this week as Margie tells Rachel about The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood! This week is all about academia, fabulous fanfiction, and Star Wars puns. 

There are two wolves inside of you....but are they actually wolves?! There's only one way to find out! Listen in this week as Rachel tells Margie all about Gena Showalter (and Jill Monroe)'s newest book: The Wrong Bride. Can you figure out who's body is who's? What happens when someone gets really angry? What happens if you just ignore the murder rules? Let's find out together! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   WebsitePlease be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Hey everyone! WELCOME BACK! We missed you! How are you?!We are coming back with a BANG with a GENA. It's Gena Showalter's The Darkest Night. Has Gena actually read Greek mythology? DOES self-sacrifice always work? And...why? Just why Gena?Please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Strap in for the most problematic book Rachel and Margie have ever discussed. This week Margie tells Rachel all about Vow to Protect by J.L. Beck and Monica Corwin. A book full of kidnapping, questionable murder choices, and Mafia purges!Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Who's ready for something wholesome? We sure are! Well...maybe "wholesome" isn't quite right...but we're still in to it! Margie is telling Rachel all about The Penalty Box by Odette Stone! Its sports ball time! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Your Co-Hosts are taking their first foray into the wide, wide world of cryptid romance! Did you know that was a thing? We didn't! At least not until Margie decided to tell Rachel all about Like a MothMan to a Flame by Remy Cavilich! Life is just full of surprises, isn't it?Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

What was that? Did you see it? In the woods? It's a new spooky episode! Margie is taking Rachel camping this time around and telling her all about Sleeping with Sasquatch by Honey Cummings. Make sure you bring your trail cameras and road snacks! 

We're kicking off our short hiatus with a Textual Tension classic! As a reminder, we'll be back with new episodes on Tuesday, October 1! Until then, enjoy this gem from the backlog!Summary: Your co-hosts Rachel and Margie are going back again! Back to the Scottish highlands! Listen in as Margie tells Rachel all about Karen Moning's The Immortal Highlander: yet another entry into the sexy-Scottish-fairy-man genre!

Happy Pride Month...Again! Look, we're not ready for it to be over, so it's not! Your Favorite Co-Hosts are venturing into Gay territory that they've never ventured into before! Listen in as Rachel tells Margie all about The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann. It's wholesome. It's adorable. It sparked some awakenings. Strap in!As a reminder, Textual Tension will be going on a brief hiatus! We will still be releasing episodes from the archive during the interim, but we will be back with new content on October 1! We can't wait to see you then!Interested in learning more about asexuality? We found the Asexuality subreddit and the associated companion websites very helpful!https://www.reddit.com/r/asexuality/https://www.asexuality-handbook.com/home.html

Hello Friends! Before the Gay Council arrests me HAPPY PRIDE! This week, Margie is telling Rachel about Christie Randall's The No-Girlfriend Rule. After our most recent aggressively heteronormative read, this book felt like a fresh breath of gay air. Thank God the baby gays are alright.

Happy Pride listeners! Sadly, this is the opposite of gay, it  is OFFENSIVELY heterosexual, and....incomprehensible. Thank you for being patient for this episode and please enjoy as Rachel tells Margie about Parker S. Huntington and L.J. Shen's My Dark Romeo. 

Praise be! Your favorite Co-Hosts are tackling another Love Inspired book! Tune in this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Protecting Holly by Lynn Bulock. How many computers must a man hack to know himself? It turns out none when He is helping! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Yeehaw partners! Your favorite Co-Hosts are headed out west this week in an EXTREMELY kidnap heavy adventure! Rachel is telling Margie all about Caine's Reckoning by Sarah McCarty. We've got kidnapping. We've got poorly handled trauma. We've got more kidnapping. What more could you want?!Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   WebsiteCheck out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Who doesn't love a good fairy tale retelling? Even better if that retelling involves cinnamon rolls and some crazy twists! This week, Margie is telling Rachel all about The Royal, by Susan Stoker. And before you ask, no. Murder does not a good hobby to haveCheck out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Have you ever wondered how gravity works? Have you ever wondered how electromagnetism works? Have you ever wondered how gravitoelectromagnetism works? Well you're in the right place! You're Co-Host Rachel is coming to the rescue with a very special "mini" episode all about the science we experienced in our most recent episode! Get ready to tackle the eldritch maths! (very little math experience actually needed) 

We're back with another exciting installment of "Is It Gay Enough?!"! As always, the answer is no, but we think we're getting close! This week, Your Co-Host Rachel tells Margie all about Gravitational Attraction by Angel Martinez. Strap on your space pants and get yourself a space snack, because we're going....TO SPACECheck out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

What's your favorite color? Is it red? blue? green?....gold? Your Co-Host Margie is taking us on a journey of self discovery; full of twists, turns, and dragony wings as she tells us all about Dragon Foretold by Eve Langlais! Where will we end up? We hope you can tell us because we still don't know!Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Last time on Textual Tension....Margie was upset that Rachel read a really good book....Today? Vindication. How's that for a dramatic intro? Rachel is redeeming her self by telling Margie all about Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. Because what's sexier than some light impaling?Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Guys, Marvel's got nothing on us here at Textual Tension. This week, tune in as Margie tells Rachel about Odette Stone's Beautiful Russian Monster. Listen, STREET SMARTS: NEVER allow yourself to be taken to a secondary location. Or a third, or a fourth, or a fifth...

Listeners, Rachel has let us down AGAIN. That's RIGHT, she found ANOTHER good book. UGH, honestly Rachel RUDE. How DARE you tell us about Manda Collins adorable AND cozy book A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. Honestly the book was ANNOYINGLY good, with 11th hour kidnappings, labyrinths, and dusty old shed smooches. Rachel, how DARE you. The AUDACITY.

Hey friends! Margie is back with a bang! (ooohhh maybe I should have put that better).This week Margie tells Rachel about Jennifer Snyder's Redemption of a Wolf, and well...look this episode isn't sponsored by Better Help but hey...it could be.  As could the characters. (Don't put your friends down, it's just not nice.)

Happy New Year! And what better way to ring in the new year than with a friend...and also an EXTREMELY gay book. We sure can't think of one! This week, Your Co-Host Rachel is joined by Tiffany of The Ladies of Strange! Listen in as we hear all about The Magpie Lord, by K. J. Charles. Magic? Check. Gay? Check. Sexy tattoos? A thousand times checkCheck out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Have we given much thought to what Charles Dickens TRULY wanted in A Christmas Story? Was he perhaps looking for...an alien romance fanfiction of his work? I think we should at LEAST consider it.Please tune in to Margie telling Rachel about Honey's Phillips's Skruj.

Please enjoy our latest episode! This week Rachel covers Linda Howard's Death Angel. There is definitely quite enough death...and then not death...and almost murdering. And OOOHHHHHH MAFIA BOIS?!?!

Hey listeners! Welcome back to another installment of Margie's Mafia Restaurant Madness! This week we're tackling another Michelle Heard novel: Tempted by the Devil. Get comfy, get your mozzarella sticks, and DON'T go murdering people in your family restaurant. 

Your Co-Hosts are still holding on to spooky season and are insisting on running amok amok amok! So strap in as Rachel tells Margie all about Whispers of the Dead by Adaline Winters! We've got spook. We've got paranormal. We've got religious figures that canonically exist? We've got it all!Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It may be spooky season, but books don't have to be about the supernatural to be scary! This week, Margie is telling Rachel all about H. D. Carlton's Haunting Adeline! A book so scary it made us check our locks three times....And if you're interested in hearing more about Anti-Semitism in modern conspiracy theories, stick around until the end of the episode!If you or someone you know has been a victim of stalking or similar upsetting behavior, please check out the Victim Connect Resource Map to find resources in your area.  If you are interested in learning more about The Stalking Prevention, Awareness Resource Center (SPARC), check out their website here Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It's a throwback everyone! Your Co-Host Rachel had some unexpected travel pop up and it really threw a spanner in the works. So here's a fun throwback that has all sorts of spooky stuff in it! And don't you worry. We'll make sure you get all of the spooky episodes you could want this spooky season. As if this would stop us!Cults? Kidnapping? Werewolves? Could this get any stranger?! Believe us. It can and it will. There might even be some robots that show up. Listen in as Margie tells Rachel all about Captive by Gale Stanley. 

What do you get when you combine an uncharted island full of hot, hunky men, one shipwrecked woman, and Mermen? Not what you think! This week, Rachel is telling Margie all about Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. You can have as many guesses as you'd like to try to predict where this book goes. You'll be wrong every timeCheck out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It begins. The swift descent into spooky season. We're not excited AT. ALL. So not excited, in fact, that we're covering our first werewolf book of the season! Your Co-Host Margie is telling Rachel all about Sharon Ashwood's, Possessed by a Wolf. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is giving us Dean Winchester in Law and Order and we're intrigued...Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

We all love a good comfort book every once in a while. And that's exactly what we have for you this week! Your Co-Host Rachel is telling Margie all about her favorite romance novel: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews! We've got some great world building, some snarky characters, and some social commentary on wealth disparity. What's not to love?!Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Aliens. Smash or Pass? That's what your favorite Co-Hosts are trying to determine this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Mina Carter's, Alien Mercenary's Bride! The year is sometime in the future probably. The planet is somewhere out in space that's definitely not Earth. It's all still probably controlled by Disney. Will our heroes survive capitalism AND the trials of love?! I guess we'll just have to wait and see...Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It's been a while since your Co-Hosts have been to the ocean. Even longer since we've been UNDER it! Tune in this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Dee Henderson's, Undetected. What will we find 20,000 leagues under the sea? Probably some bad science....Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It's time for our roaring 20s! Well....30s....Rachel is telling Margie all about Amanda Quick's, The Lady has a Past: a noir-style book full of fast women and sexy men in suits. What more could you want?Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It's Pride take two baby! Your favorite Co-Hosts are taking a nice, wholesome adventure into the realm of LGBTQ+ romance this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Alexis Hall's, A Lady for a Duke. Because honestly, who doesn't love a good story about loving, accepting people falling for each other and making each other better people?  Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Happy Pride!! Your Co-hosts are kicking of the most colorful time of year with a listener recommendation! Rachel is telling Margie all about Lianyu Tan's, Captive in the Underworld. Much like Persephone, we just can't seem to stay away from that pesky Hades!Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Hello listeners! Caught in a...tenuous romance? This week, Margie gives Rachel all the deets on Chelsea Cain's Heartsick. Can it be considered a romance at all? Are some romances just abusive? Are we reading too much into these books? Does this smell like chloroform to you?! What's tenuous? Why is Margie editing?! Tune in!

Kidnappings, strip clubs, and diamond heists oh my! Your favorite Co-Hosts are taking a trip to the desert as Rachel tells Margie all about Partners in Crime, by Alisha Rai. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but this book is going to stick with us for a good long time!Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

What qualities do you hate most in a partner? What would someone have to do to make you want to set them on fire? How much privilege is too much? These are the hard hitting questions that your favorite Co-Hosts will try to answer today on Textual Tension! Join in as Margie tells Rachel all about The Stopover by T L Swan. A book full of annoying "Alphas" and the women that have to put up with them.Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

In a podcast full of problematic books, how can one stand out? Your Co-Host Rachel is about to find out! Listen in as Rachel takes Margie into some wild places as she tells her all about Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins. Strap in y'all! It's a crazy one!Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Okay, but not really....Bass Pro shop probably doesn't want anything to do with the gods. But you know who does? Your Co-Hosts Rachel and Margie! Margie is telling Rachel about Scarlett Sinclair's A Touch of Darkness. Sure it's wildly popular on book-tok, but will we like it too?Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

What do you get when you cross dust bunnies, crystals, and FrEqUeNcIeS? Siren's Call by Jayne Castle! Rachel is taking Margie to alien worlds full of paranormal harmonies and singing monsters. But the real question is...what type of monsters?!Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

What sort of rabbit hole have the Textual Tension Co-Hosts gotten themselves in to today? Why a deeply controversial one of course! Armed only with research and a dead look in her eyes, Margie is telling Rachel all about Ladies First, by Liberty Adams. Join us as we strive to answer the burning question: Will romance novels ever be great again?Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

It's a valentine's day miracle! Your Co-Hosts Margie and Rachel are joined by Abbie and Kelsey of Fairytale fix to unpack a truly wild tale. Rachel is telling everyone about The Mermaid's Knight by Jill Miles. Fairytale retellings, time travel, and warlords. What could possibly go wrong?Check out Fairytale Fix!Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Hello All! Your Co-Host Rachel is back from a long trip and...still recovering...Who knew jet lag sucked? We're hopping in to your feed with a throwback to one of our favorite episodes! We'll be back in two weeks with a brand-shiny-new episode! Maybe with friends? I'll never tell!Holy Angels Batman! Rachel and Margie are headed off to Heaven, with a few stops at some seedy early 2000s nightclubs along the way. Rachel tells Margie all about Gena Showalter's Wicked Nights.Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Just how bad does a partner have to be before they are un-datable? Where do you draw the line? Your favorite Co-Hosts are attempting to answer that question this week as they tackle Captured, by Michelle Heard. It turns out for some people, pretty bad is still just fineCheck out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website