Of Swords and Soulmates

Send us Fan Mail Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, we’re heading back to 1986 for a rewatch of Labyrinth, the musical fantasy cult classic directed by Jim Henson and starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. The movie didn’t dominate the box office at release, but its practical effects, puppetry, and fully textured worldbuilding helped it grow into the kind of comfort-watch that p...

Send us Fan Mail A queer quest, a derpy horse, a rolling pin raised like a sword, and one truly important question: is it gay to kiss your BFF while you’re wildly unqualified for monster hunting? We’re Mari, Kelly, Ashley, and Jonathan, and we pick up a stack of bookish headlines before diving into our Pride Month read, Bromantasy by Marie Roche, a cozy fantasy romantasy that had us laughing for r...

Send us Fan Mail A romance book convention where people line up for tattoos before they line up for book signings sets a very specific tone, and Monster Erotica BookCon fully commits. We’re back from Baltimore with a field report from the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor: how the con is structured, what the vibe feels like on the floor, and why this event has a reputation for being high energy without l...

Send us Fan Mail The Hurricane Wars sets expectations fast, and we had one immediate question: where are the hurricanes? We bring our full reading group energy to Thea Guanzon’s viral fantasy romance, digging into what worked, what dragged, and why a book can be beautifully written while still leaving you feeling like you hit pause halfway through the story. Before we get to the main review, we ru...

Send us Fan Mail Grumpy sunshine is the trope that turns emotional contrast into chemistry and we put it to the test with a brand-new format: we each pick our own book and bring the receipts. Along the way, we hit quick romance community news, including special editions, indie book day hype, and a Netflix adaptation update for a dark romance fan favorite. Then we define what grumpy sunshine really...

Send us Fan Mail A romantasy idea on literal floppy disks. A vampire series with 20+ books and a fandom that can crash a streaming app. A writing process that starts as “movies” in the author’s head and turns into scenes readers swear were pulled from their own lives. We get into all of it with our special guest, J.R. Ward. We talk Crown of War and Shadow and the Kingdoms of the Compass series, in...

Send us Fan Mail A bride gets kidnapped at her own wedding, dragged to a remote island, and the “monster” watching her from the shadows turns out to be the only person who understands her. We’re talking about I Am Dragon, the 2015 Russian fantasy romance film that feels like a Beauty and the Beast retelling filtered through folklore, snow, and surprisingly strong visual effects. Before the dragons...

Send us Fan Mail A demon wall is cracking, a crown is missing, and the only person who can cross the Badlands alive might be the exact person you should never trust. We’re Mari, Ashley, and Jonathan, and we go deep on Crown Of War And Shadow by J.R. Ward, the first book in the Kingdom of the Compass series. If you like gritty romantasy, high-stakes quests, and a love story that keeps asking “is th...

Send us Fan Mail Two characters. Zero escape. That’s the secret engine behind some of the most addictive romance books and rom-com movies, and we’re pulling it apart: forced proximity. We talk through what the trope really means, why it shows up across romance, romantasy, and adventure stories, and how it creates the kind of pressure that makes characters drop their defenses fast. We also share a...

Send us Fan Mail What if aliens tried to rebuild human culture using half-baked research and vibes—and you had to survive it with a lion, two dangerously attractive strangers, and a pink tyrannosaur? We dive into Kimberly Lemming’s Cosmic Chaos debut to unpack how a wildlife biologist becomes the most competent person on a planet that shouldn’t exist, why slapstick can carry real stakes, and how c...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a prince of Hell chases jazz instead of damnation and a sharp violinist sees through his curse? We pull apart My Funny Demon Valentine with a mix of swoon and side-eye, exploring how music, touch, and honesty thaw a heart frozen by centuries of numbness. From smoky club sets to rooftop confessions, this love story leans on found family—four demon brothers who tea...

Send us Fan Mail An axe, a prophecy, and a lie that detonates a romance—this conversation gets heated fast. We dive into Danielle L. Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood and split the table on one core question: can love survive when one partner withholds the truth to keep the other alive? Freya’s journey from repressed survivor to god-touched shield maiden becomes our lens for talking about agency, tra...

Send us Fan Mail A wicked queen, a runaway archduke in disguise, and a library begging to be tamed—this one had us grinning, gasping, and arguing about consent, secrets, and sex magic. We dive into Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgess, a romantasy that flips the script: the heroine is the fearsome protector with a laboratory and a reputation, while the love interest is tender, bookish, and...

Send us Fan Mail New Year, new stacks… and a lot of honesty. We step back from single-title deep dives to survey a full year of romantasy and romance-adjacent reads—what shocked us, what fell flat, and which series rewired our brains. From a YA dragon school that tackles colonial power with heart to a sci‑fi romance that outsmarts its pulpy cover, we spotlight books that prove premise isn’t destin...

Send us Fan Mail A ghost with a deadline. A people pleaser with a past. A Christmas Carol framework that dares to ask whether love can rewrite the rules. We dive into Good Spirits by BK Borison and unpack why this holiday romance feels tender, funny, and surprisingly cathartic. From the opening meet-cute to the late-game goodbye that nearly broke us, we trace how the book balances cozy predictabil...

Send us Fan Mail A stitched body, a bruised heart, and a question that won’t let go: who bears the burden for what we make? We dive into Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and trace its roots from Mary Shelley’s storm-lit summer to a modern, war-shadowed tale about creation, responsibility, and the cost of love. This isn’t just another gothic retelling—it’s a story about breaking cycles, where forg...

Send us Fan Mail Oz isn’t just emerald and glitter; it’s a lesson in how stories get made and weaponized. We jump from Gregory Maguire’s Wicked to the Broadway phenomenon and the record-breaking film to unpack how a green-skinned girl became a political problem, a best friend, and a cultural icon. Along the way, we contrast the novel’s darker theology and politics with the musical’s friendship-for...

Send us Fan Mail What if a convention put comfort, consent, and community first—and it actually worked? We unpack our weekend at the first Monsterotica BookCon in Baltimore, where a color-coded lanyard system, pronoun stickers, and clear badges turned awkward small talk into easy connection, and digital queues set us free from hours of standing in line. From first-timers to seasoned con-goers, we...

Send us Fan Mail Our Romantasy BookCon Orlando 2025 recap takes you inside Orlando’s packed romantasy gathering—where authors, panels, and pop-up shops turned a sprawling venue into a surprisingly smooth reader playground. We break down what scaled well, what didn’t, and the small fixes that could make next year even better. We start with the basics: travel, check-in, and how the con split across...

Send us Fan Mail A crumbling manor, a lost past, and a love that refuses to stay buried—this one had us arguing, laughing, and rethinking what makes a gothic romance actually work. We dive into The Cruel Dark’s 1928 setting, the eerie allure of overgrown gardens and empty halls, and a professor whose grief and magnetism complicate everything. Along the way, we unpack whether the story leans supern...

Send us Fan Mail Love might not stop a war, but it can teach you how to survive one. We head to the 1840s Texas–Mexico border for a deep dive on Vampires of El Norte—a gothic western where a curandera’s courage, a vaquero’s haunted past, and a community’s quiet wisdom collide with empire, folklore, and the brutal math of power. We talk about what the jacket copy promises versus what the story actu...

Send us Fan Mail Entering the bustling world of book conventions can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. Whether you're a seasoned con-goer or contemplating your first literary gathering, navigating these events requires strategy, preparation, and the right mindset. Our hosts share their collective experiences from various book conventions, offering insights from both sides of the table. T...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes the harshest punishment isn't death—it's complete isolation. For creating a sentient plant because she was lonely, librarian Terlu Perna spent six years as a wooden statue, hidden away in a library alcove. But when she mysteriously awakens on a remote island filled with magical greenhouses, she discovers a second chance at life alongside a grumpy gardener who o...

Send us Fan Mail Why do we find ourselves so drawn to stories where characters who initially hate each other end up falling madly in love? The enemies to lovers trope has captivated audiences across centuries, from classic literature to blockbuster films and bestselling novels. In this episode, we unpack what makes this storytelling pattern so irresistibly compelling. First, we break down what lit...

Send us Fan Mail What would dating look like if humans were an endangered species? That's the fascinating premise behind Leon Reilly's "My Minotaur Husband," which flips traditional monster romance dynamics by creating a world where humans are precious, protected, and actively courted by monsters who must pass rigorous screening processes. Our podcast crew dives deep into this...