Plot Trysts

Spies! Again! Some more! But in this case it's a spy retrieving a much needed code book from an unsuspecting and bored widow. Meg and Laine disagree on how we felt about Amanda, but couldn't deny the chemistry between the leads. Worth a read!

Laine and Meg usually looooovveeee Sherry Thomas, and this book does have some cute moments and was was sexier than expected. But neither of us could really come around on rooting for a woman who was setting herself and her kids up to life as a mistress of an honorable dude.

This book has a lot going for it, it's just not the plot or the conflict or the secondary characters. This book is, however, extremely sexy. So we liked it.

Spies in Venice! Again! This book is FUN and really leans into the fantasy opulence of high society Italy. The main couple plays second fiddle to the plot here, but in a way that really works and gives plenty of opportunity for jewel porn.

Adrian is the grandson of a duke and the heir to a shipping fortune but his black ancestry can prevent him from inheriting if he can't convince parliament to grant him a legal pass. Enter Lisbeth, who decides the best way to marry is to see your groom for the first time on your wedding day. Funny, historically interesting, and sexy so we definitely liked it.

Laine and Meg enjoyed the tropes and the excellent chemistry between the two main characters. We were more than a little confused by the plot and the emotional arc, but overall thought this was an enjoyable read.

This debut novel is about a woman taking her destiny into her own hands and a man haunted by the choices he's made as a archeologist/spy. So yes we loved it and it's super sexy and Indiana Jones gets brought up so sue us. You should probably read this right now.

We're all for a good childhood friends to lovers plot, but we aren't fans of men who lie or meddling mamas without development. We do love women in sports always, however, even if their books let them down.

Laine and Meg don't know what this book was about, who the characters were, or why so much time was spent on subplots. This book is bad, you guys, but it's also kinda bonkers in an almost Cynster way and you know we're reading the rest of the Ravenels regardless.

This book takes on a lot of tropes in an innovative way while being inspired by Georgette Heyer, which we found very charming. We disagreed on the quality of the conflict, but it's definitely worth checking out.

Sherry Thomas continues to make us like narrative structures and plots we wouldn't care for written by anyone else. We're not sure this qualifies as our idea of romance, but it is a worthwhile read.

Meg loves tinges of fantasy in a romance world, and this new release is a great example of the genre. Elinor has a sixth sense for jewels that her new tiny vampire bestie recognizes as magic. Add in a hot and honorable Earl who thinks he knows what's best for her, and you know we're all in for this fun, romance adjacent series.

The third book in the Burlfriends Series has the excellent writing and boundary-pushing characters we've come to expect from Jen Trinh. We're not sure if we're cool enough for this book, but the believable characters and unique situations definitely got us talking.

This kickoff to a fun series about a family of Regency orphan Robin Hoods sets up Chloe and a Duke. Chloe is super forgettable, the Duke is super proper, and they have to navigate shedding their personas to go after what they really want. The book can be uneven at times, but the fun family dynamics and sexy encounters made it worth the read!

Leader of a secret society of female scientists needs protection from a grizzled bodyguard. We manage to avoid doing our best Whitney impressions while discussing how fun the personal arc was and how let down we felt by the mystery.

Trying to solve a family mystery and find the rumored treasure is much more fun with your super hot ex who is definitely moving on with his life. If only they'd stopped to buy her a sports bra and some clothes that fit - oh and if he didn't have a girl back home. In the end, we thought this was totally fine.

This is a short, sweet, and sexy book. The meet cute was so perfect we both bought into love after one dinner, and the high level of sexual tension didn't hurt either.

We break down the quality of our predictions before the show (low), compare the show to the books (spoilers abound), and talk about what we think will happen with the series going forward (please don't make us watch G or H have sex they are babies).

Laine and Meg had a blast talking about this one! Do we have some questions about Russian titles, how to go on the run, and when desk sex is the right call? Yes. Did we like the Imperial Russian spin on the Renaissance man meets down on her luck lady? Also yes.

This might be the fluffiest book we've ever reviewed on the podcast. If that's what you need right now, we've got you covered with this book that's so sweet it's not only the protagonist's son with a tooth ache.

Laine and Meg talk about seductive seduction and what counts as sex while imploring our heroine to GET SOME ALREADY.

Laine, Meg, and special guest Maria discuss what we loved and what we didn't about the Bridgerton TV series. Spoiler: the aesthetics were very good.

Keeping secrets is bad, but in this case Meg thinks good character development can make shitty behavior entertaining. Laine agrees, if only she hadn't had to endure the main character pointedly not thinking about the problem.

Gregory Bridgerton is Regency JimBob. This episode is pretty much us trying to work out if this even counts as a Bridgerton novel, let alone the finale. Also, Meg meant to say she hated Benedict, not Colin (obvs).

Laine and Meg love Lady Danbury and debate the relative merits of her grandson.