Plot Trysts

We both thought this was a cute concept, even if Meg is a self-proclaimed Wine Grinch. We would have loved a bit more from both of these characters, but the ending makes it worth the read.

Not only does April get to go out with a hot celebrity from her favorite TV show, it turns out he's secretly been her online BFF all along. Olivia Dade is a great writer and this story is VERY well crafted. Laine was a little bothered by their poor communication skills, but the ending is adorable enough to make up for it.

Laine and Meg talk about kissing your future wife next to your cousin’s body, very stupid nicknames, and familial justice. Buckle up, this one is wild.

Meg and Laine gush about perfect books, talk about what it means to be ruined, and don't question what keeps happening to their clothing even a little bit.

Meg and Laine talk about doll funerals, non-penetrative sex, and science that isn’t botany.

Laine and Meg talk about wedding tropes and scars. Also cats.

This book is so full of tropes there's no way we got them all. We both agree this is light reading with great cooperation and heat between the main characters,.but disagree on whether or not that's a good thing.

This bachelor-esque tale was right up Meg's alley, and we both loved the way these men fell in love. The author does a great job outlining the trigger warnings, and we suggest you read them.

Laine and Meg go back to the beginning with the Mating Habits of Scoundrels to see where it all began. We love a good road trip romance, but this book has a few too many of our pet peeves to be a favorite. The series premise remains excellent, and we'll definitely be reading more Lorret.

Laine and Meg are joined by special guest Natalie to discuss the most recent in the Grand Palace on the Thames series. The series' charm remains as strong as the heroes and we definitely recommend this one.

Somehow Laura Lee Guhrke manages to take some of our least favorite tropes and turn them into a downright charming book with complex and consistent characters. It's hot, too!

This Fairytale retelling hits all the right spots for us. Whimsical and funny with two characters who cannot stop making out? Mirror mirror on the wall, that's our favorite thing of all!

Laine and Meg some of our favorite outtakes, romance musings, and excerpts from our conversations with the Lit Wallflowers!

This book has some fun takes on tropes we've seen before (gambling hells, debutant siblings) but has one glaring point of historical inaccuracy that you either make peace with or you'll be in for a bumpy ride. Potentially our favorite take on the capitalist feminist (not to mention the steamiest), we recommend this for anyone willing to look past the inheritance law shenanigans.  

The last Scottish brother is married off and this book did not go down as Meg or Laine expected. Both of us were charmed by Coll, and neither of us were charmed by his parents or brother in law.

We are huge Boyle stans so it hurts to admit this one didn't work for us quite as well as the first two books in the series. We loved Roxley's crazy aunts and the premise of a mustering, but the wider plot was hard to follow. Luckily it veered into "so weird I'm just along for the ride" so we still had fun with it. 

Meg and Laine are joined by Shani from Romance at a Glance to discuss the second book in the Palace of Rogues series. There's a lot to love with this book, but the debate about if gems or real estate are the better gift is the true substance of the episode.

We actually managed to keep this one spoiler free in the beginning and very clearly notate where the spoilers start, so those wanting a preview without knowing the mystery of Keir's parentage can safely listen. Turns out Scottish cinnamon rolls are the intersection of both of our types, so we spend most of this review swooning over Keir and his beard. 

Lolly is super lucky that the strange man who heard her sneeze happens to share her politics and be super hot and be super into her because God knows that's not what dating is usually like.

The Russian gets a character and boy does Meg like him. Having Vlad write a romance was a stroke of genius and put a new spin on the romance-reading crew. Laine got caught up in issues with IBS, sports stuff, and sex-trafficking but still thinks it's worth a read.

A spy falls for a Countess who recently opened a hotel with her dead husband's mistress in a former brothel. We had a lot of fun with this one and totally bought the chemistry between the main characters!

Laine really likes this book. Meg can't stop talking about plumbing. We agree that the interpersonal narratives are better than the external plot.

This road trip/fortune hunter book was a worthy successor to the first book in the series. It had a ton of our favorite tropes, but not enough carriage sex (TBH).

Elephant stampedes are super romantic, dontcha know?! Seriously, we were very into this couple and loved the setup of this conflict. We could have done with a bit more cooperation in the end, but this book is sexy regardless

Look, this isn't our favorite Kleypas. The main couple certainly has its moments and this might be her best use of former characters yet, but ultimately we had a few too many issues with this one to sing its praises. Not even library negotiation sexytimes can make up for diet culture bullshit and sexual assault. And feet, but that might just be Laine.