Hearts & Daggers

Summary : Happy Holidays, folks! To start year 3 of Hearts & Daggers with a bang, we are launching a brand-new special miniseries that is sure to delight Hearts and Daggers readers alike.   We have both been reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas , a mutual favorite author who we celebrated in a previous LoveFest episode. We're excited to share that we will be releasing monthly special...

Summary : Welcome home, friends! Join Holly and Devin today as they discuss books that feature a return to our roots, to going back where we came from (for better or worse). Devin highlights that this trope is common and effective in romances - Hallmark and Lifetime use it constantly. Holly shares that thrillers remind the reader that "home" isn't always cozy and safe but can be the source of trau...

Summary: It's time for another awesome LoveFest with Devin and Holly! This week they discuss Swedish author extraordinaire, Fredrik Backman. Known globally for his stories full of heart, redemption, and seeking meaning in the hardest parts of life, he's been a long-time favorite of both hosts. He sheds light on octogenarians and children, the ignored and the marginalized in his writing and brings...

Summary : Pour yourself a mug of warm cider and snuggle under a blanket for this week's episode - we're hanging out in cabins in the woods! Is the wind outside a soothing background to a great makeout session or the cover for clomping feet coming to get us? One thing we're sure of - our hearts sure are racing whenever protagonists end up in rural cabins. Devin and Holly agree that while the outcom...

Summary: Get those reading glasses on and join us for some extra nerdy energy this week, friends! Holly and Devin discuss Modern Classics today - those works post World War II that created pivot points in the cannon for the Thriller and Romance genres. In this era, ideas about race, gender and class are shifting as readers broadened their understanding of an interconnected world. Sexual liberation...

Summary: Welcome to (ripped out) Hearts and (wooden) Daggers, where today we discuss our fanged frenemies - vampires! Whether you enjoy Edward Cullen at the height of sparky, pop-culture vibes or Bram Stoker's original work, it's hard to top vampires when you think of the best monsters of spooky season. Holly and Devin both appreciate the way vampires are simultaneously sexy and alluring and also...

Summary: Welcome to Spooky Season, friends! Holly and Devin kick their favorite time of year off with a real bang today discussing books with serial killers. One host avoids true crime and scary stories at all costs - the other host has never felt more at home than in October vibes. Both hosts agree that that national obsession with serial killers acts as both an exploration into the muddy waters...

Summary: Grab your beakers and your wolverine traps - Holly and Devin are talking biologists today! The more specific our themes get, the more fascinating we find the comparisons between books in our wheelhouses get; both books have a heavy focus on women in STEM and making careers in male-dominated fields, but while one gets your blood pumping with a fake dating trope, the other has your hackles...

Summary: Howdy, neighbor! Join Holly and Devin today as they discuss a theme that catalyzes some of the most intense plotlines in both their wheelhouses; who is sexier and/or creepier than your neighbor? They agree that the tropes in both horror/thriller and romance stories featuring neighbors are some of their favorites. Stick around at the end for some *spoilers* on Holly's book that blew Devin'...

Summary: Summer is coming to a close and academia is back on our minds. Welcome to our fourth LoveFest, where Holly and Devin talk about Jane Austen for literally longer than they've ever spoken about anything on the podcast before. Born in 1775, Austen received a home-based education and began writing in her teens. Her novels were published anonymously during her short life; she died in 1817 at a...

Summary: Join Holly and Devin as they explore the world of US and international politics on today's episode! While neither of them have read many political books in the past, they appreciated these books specifically for their accuracy, the tension built, and the clear demonstration of the impact politics can have on the lives of those working in those spaces.  Topics Discussed: The Heart (3:23):...

Summary: ¡Bienvenido a Argentina! In our fifth and final stop of the Summer Jetset Series, Holly and Devin spend some time in South America enjoying books set in Argentina. They both agree that South America is underrepresented in books for both their wheelhouses and advocate for readers to seek out books from the continent purposefully, especially in translation. The use of magical elements acros...

Summary: Add some Seoul to your day and join Holly and Devin in South Korea for today's Summer Jetset Series episode! While neither of them have made it to Korea yet, they have both fallen in love with the country, the culture, the vibrancy and K-Pop. They appreciate the country for its massive pop-cultural influence in both music with KPop, KDramas and K-beauty trends and fashion - it's exciting...

Summary: Bienvenue à Coeurs et Poignards, where today we'll be armchair traveling to France for the next episode in our Summer Jetset Series! Both Holly and Devin have spent quality time in the country already; Devin is francophone and has lived in both Paris and Bordeaux, and Holly visited the south of France on her honeymoon (on top of other visits!). They agree that French culture resonates wit...

Summary: Welcome to the second stop of our Summer Jetset Episode Series! Today, Holly and Devin are lucky enough to armchair visit a country neither of them have been able to see in person yet - India! A country much larger than it is often portrayed on maps, they are both drawn to the geographic, cultural, and culinary variety of the country. While neither have read a ton of books set in India, t...

Summary: Ciao, bella! Welcome to the first stop on our Summer Jetset Series - Italy! Today Devin and Holly visit Venice and Positano together to understand the close relationship between love and death in Italy. Since the time of Shakespeare, the country has been a place of passion in literature (second only, perhaps, to France). They agree that regardless of your prior experience visiting the cou...

We're coming to you today with a quick announcement - our minisodes will be going on hiatus for the summer! We'll be giving ourselves a little extra free time this season and plan to bring our minisodes back bigger and better than ever soon.  In the meantime, our main episodes will continue on their usual bi-weekly cadence to make sure that you all have what you need about genre fiction books and...

Summary: Welcome to Tinseltown, folks! This week, Holly(wood) and Devin dive into the glitz, the glam, the seedy underbelly of the symbol of the entertainment business. Holly recently moved closer to the epicenter of celebrity, while Devin has always been terrified to visit - intimidated by all of the people who figured out how to get famous. They find that across genres Hollywood has always held...

Summary: "In this episode, we explore the capabilities of ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, to come up with romance and mystery synopses. Our hosts, Holly and Devin, will be using ChatGPT to generate plots and storylines for their very own romance and mystery novels." And that was ChatGPT, too! Continuing these show notes using our boring human brains… Holly is fascinated and intr...

Summary: Pack your carry-on and get the heck outta town - this week, Holly and Devin break down books centered around a weekend getaway. They agree that putting protagonists in a brand new environment acts as a fantastic plot and character development catalyst - but of course the outcome of lighting that fuse could be murder or makin' out, depending on genre. Get ready for some armchair travel on...

Summary: Do you wish you could read more, or start building a new habit of reading? Today, Devin and Holly discuss how they prioritize reading amidst their crazy schedules and lives. Their top tips are: Audiobooks ! While you're on a walk, at the gym, cooking, running errands, or cleaning - pop on an audiobook. Both Devin and Holly are not sensory snobs and absolutely count listening to an audiobo...

Summary: Happy National Autism Awareness Month! Today, Holly and Devin discuss books with neurodivergent protagonists. They agree that all kinds of diversity in books are not only important but provide a helpful and enjoyable window into the lives of folkx with whom you haven't interacted (yet). Holly shared some key things to look out for in neurodivergent writing - avoiding stereotypes, ensuring...

Summary: SPOILER ALERT! This minisode is a deep-dive with Holly and Devin after they finished reading A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas and they do *not* hold back. If you haven't read the series or this book yet, we highly recommend that you go back and get caught up before listening! Holly and Devin's key points were: Silver Flames was clearly a transitional book in the series: there was...

Summary: Lights, Camera, Action! In our case, sometimes the action is steamy and other times involves more knives and screaming. Devin and Holly discuss books that take place on set today, and agree that the pizzazz and magic of making films or TV shows add a fun dimension to books across genres. Devin highlighted the focus for romance authors on the "everyman" character getting their spotlight -...

Summary : Holly spent much of her childhood dressing and acting like Wednesday Addams - so her passion for mysteries and thrillers should be no surprise. But how did she get into the genre she's now so passionate about? Read below to learn more and understand how to follow in her footsteps:   Holly fell in love with mysteries early in life, keeping a notebook à la Harriet the Spy and binge watchin...