Recapping Romantasy

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura get wet & wild as they recap In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy. We argue about whether Jacob Elordi would qualify as a twink and Emma mentions Pirates of the Caribbean way too much for a story that doesn't mention pirates at all. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for In the Veins of the Drowning Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi ! 💗 ⁠⁠ Follow us...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura put on their flannels and try to stay dry in the Den (aka Olympia, Washington)! Mate by Ali Hazelwood is the sequel to Bride, which we absolutely loved. This time it’s human-werewolf hybrid Serena’s turn at alpha love with Koen, leader of the Northwest pack and lover of insults favored by 14-year-old boys. Unfortunately Serena has a lot to learn about wolf life, and the va...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura pack their trunks and enter Phantasma! What’s your greatest fear? Ours is chaotic previously self-published romantasies that get picked up by big publishers and then distributed with no thought or editing! Ophelia Grimm enters Phantasma to save her sister from her own decisions, immediately stumbles into a hot anime ghost, and struggles to not fall in love. Beware the over...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura saddle up with Married to the Alien Cowboy by Ursa Dax! Cherry is a human woman running from a crime lord, and Silar is an alien convict who has agreed to participate in a mail-order bride program for his prison planet. What could go wrong? Cherry and her beloved cast iron pan are about to find out. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for MARRIED TO THE ALIEN COWBOY...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura talk about City of Bones by Cassandra Clare! Is this the episode where we get canceled? God, we hope not! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book and and episode: attempted murder, murder, character death, child abuse, homophobia, kidnapping, memory manipulation (nonconsensual), violence, graphic content, swearing, and haterade. Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura ring in the new year with Ali Hazelwood! SO MUCH ALI HAZELWOOD. We all know Ali Hazelwood was busy in 2025. In today’s episode we cover the three novellas she published (First, Hot For Slayer, Bound) in what appears to be a descent into madness, but in a fun way. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS for the fate of Eleven in Stranger Things. Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi ! 💗 ⁠ Fol...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura break down the 2025 books they loved, loathed, and were just kind of...meh. Expect Ali Hazelwood, Heated Rivalry, and an unusual amount of Shrek. Thank you to everyone who subscribed and listened to us this year! We plan to bring you a fresh batch of episodes in 2026, as well as some fun surprises! Stay tuned... Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi ! 💗 ⁠ Follow us: TikTok:  ⁠r...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura get into the holiday spirit with Krampus, eggnog flavored fluids, and Christmas cloacas! Join us as we recap, "Cry for Krampus" by Aiden Pierce, "Christmas with the Monster" by Sabrina Cross, and "Kissed by the Krampus" by L Eveland. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for the episode and books discussed: strong language, sexual content...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura warp time with Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas! In our longest episode to date (because we couldn't help ourselves), we deconstruct this dark romantasy based on a chaotic blend of Greek myth and contemporary mafia books. What happens when a girl who has never been hugged befriends an invisible snake and unwittingly falls into the path of four men with more neck tattoo...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura are at it again, recapping three spine-tingling monster romances that are sure to delight (and terrify!) you this Halloween! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for books and episode: Twi-Flight by Luna Cantrip: sexual content Moaning For the Monsters by Wendi Guff: sexual content Soul Eater by Lily Mayne: torture, violence, homophobia, death, sexual content Enjoy o...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura cover A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen! This is book 2 in the Saga of the Unfated series. Listen along as Emma loses her mind, Mara keeps it cool, and Tabitha sprinkles in lots of Norse/Viking trivia. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for A Curse Carved in Bone References in this episode: What We Do in the Shadows - The Deacon Dance Murphy, Luke John,...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura recap From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout! Poppy is about to go to Prom and maybe finally kiss her sexy guard Hawke, but somehow it all goes wrong and somehow we talk about hiking through the African desert, whether sleeveless tops look good on men, and why romance authors always seem to compare certain bodily fluids to fruit... This is Part 2 of our FBAA recap. E...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura recap From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout! Poppy is a sheltered virgin who can't drive because she has spent most of her life being "pure" for the gods, but then she gets a new guard, Hawke. He is competent, sexy, and a little morally gray. This is Part 1 of our FBAA recap. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book and episode. Enjoy our re...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura gallop along with Behooved by M. Stevenson! Have you ever wanted your romantasy love interests to be less batty and more horsey? Then Behooved might be the book for you. Join us as we road trip with horse-by-day Aric, heir apparent to a sad, gray kingdom, and Bianca, his reluctant bride, as they race against the clock to crown him king while rooting out the traitors in the...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura are up their usual antics with another round of monster romances! This time we tell each other about demon lovers, furry alien wolf-men, and otherworldly cursed pasta. We apologize in advance. Books Covered: Impasta Syndrome by Calla Myttie Knotted by the Wolf Prince by Delaney Rain I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend by Jessica Cage EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content...

Tabitha, Emma, and Maura duel with Swordcrossed by Freya Marske! Aristocratic anxious-boy Matti learns the finer art of swordplay from ginger goblin Luca, while also trying to save his wool-trading family from financial ruin via an arranged marriage. Come for the promise of sword metaphors, stay for the wool mystery! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book and episode: violence, death...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura finally cover Quicksilver by Callie Hart! We discuss tall dark broody men and argue over whether Carrion Swift should have been the main love interest. IYKYK 😏 EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book and episode: graphic language, graphic violence, sexual content, war themes, and references to sexual violence and sex work Join our newsletter! ⁠ Follow us: TikT...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura have some thoughts about Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana! This book and its absolutely stunning cover promises fae males aplenty, a fully Black cast, and an enchanted library. We are sat. But does it deliver? Listen on for our deranged thoughts on how the publishing industry may need to take a cleansing breath and let romantasy authors write something that isn’t for a...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura chat about the immaculate vibes of Education in Malice by ST Gibson. Vibes include dark academia, sultry poetry, lesbian vampires, collegiate rituals, and a virgin freshman. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book:  Uneven power dynamics, violence, murder, blood, consensual sexual content, substance use, homophobia (mentioned). Join our newsletter! ⁠ Follow us:...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura talk about alphas, omegas, betas, knots, nests, heats, and slick... If you have no idea what any of that means or you loved Ali Hazelwood's Bride but you want to learn about this weird world before she releases the sequel, listen along as we explain how the omegaverse got started, what it is, and why we can't stop reading romantasy books with it. Content warnings for episo...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura continue to be confused by Onyx Storm! Join us as we island hop, but not in a fun way. Meanwhile, Xaden slips into existential despair. Violet’s second signet is a downer. And Dain gets super sexy inexplicably fast. We see you, Dain. We appreciate you. Psst - If you’ve got a Dain/Sloane fanfic recommendation leave it in the comments! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warni...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura put on their flight leathers and do battle with Onyx Storm! In this first part we ask: do you know what’s happening? Because we don’t. Who are all of these people? Why are we doing this? Is Violet actually smart? Is Dain the real hero? And where are these islands, anyway? EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Book Covered: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, book three of Fourth Wing. Conte...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura explore One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, wherein a girl lives in a Tim Burton-esque fantasy land where misty forests kill people at random. Don’t worry, her strapping love interest is on the case! It's just a few days away from one whole year as a podcast! We want to thank anyone and everyone who listens and especially those extra special people out there who subscrib...

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura recap Crown of Midnight, the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas! We might have broken Tabitha this episode as this was the 6th SJM book that we made her read in a year. So listen along as we slowly torture her by trying to convince her that this book was good! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS! Content warnings for this book can be found on the Trigger Warni...

❄️ Happy Solstice everyone! ❄️ Emma, Tabitha, and Maura celebrate Solstice (aka Christmas) with the Night Court in this episode about A Court of Frost and Starlight! Listen along as we discuss classic Christmas topics like misogyny, mansplaining, alcoholism, the ethics of art therapy, squirting, and inappropriate gifts for your friends! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS Content warnings for book and episo...