Zipless

The language of love is forever changing, but a constant theme throughout time has been the use of sexualized words to label women, shame them, and take away their power.  Modern romance novels are one of the ways women are taking back the language of sex, and flipping words and behaviors - once deemed inappropriate - into scenes of empowerment and independence.  Evie Dunmore, historical romance a...

From pillow talk to praise kinks, romance novels have the power to uncover women's deepest desires and bring them to life in the pages of a book.  Allie Martina explores the stories and sounds of taboo, forbidden romances, and independent women from across a century of writing, and tops it all off with an interview with best-selling author Sara Cate. Listener discretion advised.

What is it about forbidden love, age gaps, love triangles, friends to lovers, and steamy sex scenes that women find so timelessly appealing? Do romance novels offer windows into the lives women want, or mirror the lives they already have? With more and more women listening to romance audiobooks, how does narration, depth of a male voice, or cadence in artistic performance affect a romantic scene?...