Story Darlings

We had the honor of speaking with the prolific Sariah Wilson in today's episode! Sariah is the author of nearly 30 romance and romantasy novels, including The Paid Bridesmaid, The Chemistry of Love, and now her debut romantasy trilogy The Eye of the Goddess, which concludes in December with A Curse of Ashes. You may recall Sariah's name on the show because back in May 2024, Sandra read The...

Today we welcome Audrey Goldberg Ruoff to the show! Audrey is the author of the cozy (but steamy) debut fantasy romance novel HOPELESSLY TEAVOTED, which releases today, September 16, right in time for #BiWeek Everyone, go support Audrey by picking up a copy of her novel. And then add the companion novel Vengefully Matched to your TBR! Audrey, it was such a pleasure sitting down to chat with you. T...

We're so pleased to welcome Bea Northwick to the show! Bea is the author of the award-winning twisty gothic romance THE CRUEL DARK and its companion novella LOVER, and today is the release of her sophomore novel BLACKWICKET. In this interview, Bea opens up and shares her inspiration for the nuanced magic system in her latest novel (the FMC, Eleanora Blackwicket, is a curse-eater returning home...

Today, we welcome multi-genre author Jade Kim Monsen to the show! Jade is the author of Milk and Blood, a literary fiction novel about motherhood, and recently, she published her second novel Nylos in the Cache, a YA scifi fantasy that boasts darker themes, incredible worldbuilding and lore, and a diverse cast of characters. In this interview, Jade shares her 10-year journey in writing Nylos—from...

We’re thrilled to sit down and chat with Veronica Lancet, author of Fairydale, House of Cryos, and other dark romance stories! Grab your copy of Fairydale in stores everywhere on 8/19. In this episode, Veronica shares Fairydale’s cozy beginnings, gives us the ins and outs of her backlist and forthcoming work, and talks about that time she got a white Pomeranian—as inspired by her Barbi and the Vil...

A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson—Holy Greek mythology, Batman! We need A Vow of Embers RIGHT NOW! In this episode of Story Darlings, Tera and Sandra talk (chaotically) about everything that happened in Sariah Wilson's debut romantasy book. This is pretty much Tera's dream because she gets to wax poetic on Greek mythology for 90% of this episode. 🤣 Pack your homemade pasteli and join us as we ba...

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L Jensen is the first book in the Saga of the Unfated duology—a Norse-inspired fantasy romance with rune magic, prophecies, tangled destinies, and sloooow-burn tension that burns as hot as Bjorn's axe. 😉 We discuss Freya's marriage to Vragi (and her horrible relationship with her mother and brother), the foreshadowing of the gods at war—particularly Hlin and anot...

Quicksilver by Callie Hart is book one in the wildly popular Fae & Alchemy romantasy series, first indie published in June 2024. The series has since been picked up for traditional publication, as well as sold at auction in a 7-figure deal for possible adaptation at Netflix. The story follows 24-year-old thief Saeris Fane and her 20-year-old brother Hayden who are residents of the water-depriv...

Season 4 kicks off with ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros, an absolute MASTERPIECE of a mid-series book. The word play, the foreshadowing, the questions answered, the banter, the love, Professor Riorson, the chocolate cake, the DRAMA. The best Empyrean book yet! Hope you enjoy our lively discussion on major happenings and some crackpot theories for what's next. We're giving this book 6 ONYX STARS. Join...

Happy book birthday to Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J Tuli! Today, the Darlings discuss the big finale to the Artefacts of Ouranos quartet (otherwise known as the Trial of the Sun Queen books), and it was a CHONKER. Is Lor able to save Nadir and get her happily ever after? What becomes of Nadir and Amara’s father, Rion the Aurora King? And what about Grumpy Gabriel and Tyr—do they find freedom...

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a debut Asian adult fantasy proudly featuring inspo from the Philippines and Filipino culture. With the slowwwwest enemies-to-lovers burn, this is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy that takes its time getting to the "lovers" part of the trope. 😂 Today, we're super excited to talk about Alaric and Talasyn's enemy story, the book's Filipino influence,...

Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole completes our journey of The Kindred's Curse Saga! Well, until Burn of the Everflame is released, anyway. 😂 Honorary Story Darling, Jess Jurhs, joins Tera and Sandra again for some final discussion on everything that happened in book 3. What happened with Diem's coronation ceremony? Does she ever find out who her father is? And what about Auralie—whose side is s...

GLOW OF THE EVERFLAME BY PENN COLE. The madness continues with the sequel to Spark of the Everflame—the strongest installment yet! We're joined again by honorary Story Darling, Jess Jurhs, and she has some personal offenses to surface with Tera and Sandra. (Don't worry—we're all still friends!) 😂 The trio of Darlings discuss Diem's affinity for power, her poor decision-making skills, and Jess doe...

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole! IS THE KINDRED'S CURSE SAGA OUR NEW FAVORITE ROMANTASY OBSESSION?? I think so! We're joined by honorary Story Darling, Jess Jurhs from Gym Was Cancelled: A Buffycast to talk all-things Diem Bellator, Luther Corbois, unhinged theories, and even Hunger Games and Vampire Diaries lol. Buckle up for the most chaotic book discussion ever, but the good news is that Je...

The Cruel Dark is a twisty, gothic romance by author Bea Northwick and is absolutely worth the read! With the perfect atmosphere for spooky season, swoon-worthy romance scenes and smut, and a twisty ending, you can find it on Kindle Unlimited, order a paperback copy through Amazon, or purchase signed copies and special hardcovers from the author's website. Quick update on the author's special give...

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover. October 1 marks the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so we thought we'd release the sequel discussion to our It Ends With Us episode. In this follow-up book, one year has passed and Lily has to balance her divorce from Ryle, co-parenting with him, and navigating her complicated, newfound relationship with Atlas. Like so many mothers who escape their...

Happy book birthday to A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan! And a big thank you to Avon for the advance reader copy. With Sophie Jordan's considerable backlist of romance novels and YA romantasy, this marks her debut into the adult romantasy genre, and it was a fun ride! If you're curious about the book's tropes, you will find: Forced marriage, enemies to lovers, orphaned MCs, multiple POVs, a sort...

It's time to vote on the Story Darlings Amazon Book Club pick for October! In this episode, Tera and Sandra discuss some of the latest book submissions, which include: Gild by Raven Kennedy, Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, and more! Previous submissions include When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and Fall of Ru...

We're back with The Finish Line by Kate Stewart! This is the third and final book in The Ravenhood series, BUT if you're looking for more discussions on the boys of the 'hood, stay tuned because we may just cover the spin-off series, Ravenhood Legacy, here on Story Darlings for next year! 😉 Where Flock and Exodus were very much focused on Cecilia's story, The Finish Line really centers on Tobias...

We're back with our August Amazon Book Club pick, The Mist Thief by LJ Andrews! This is the third book in The Ever Seas and, this time around, we follow shameless flirt, Prince Jonas of the Alvers, and the impenetrable Skadi of the shadow elven. This might be Tera and Sandra's favorite book yet, and they'd definitely agree that each book continues to get better and better. The Mist Thief is center...

EXODUS by Kate Stewart. How dare you break our hearts like this, Kate (again)! The second book in The Ravenhood series is equal parts devastating and pulse-racing romance as Cecilia is forced to come to terms with being double-dumped, then ghosted, by Sean and Dominic. And on top of putting the pieces of her heart back together, she’ll have to buck and rage against a brash, new man in her life who...

In this episode, the Darlings discuss Flock by Kate Stewart, the first book in The Ravenhood series, which is being re-released under Kensington Publishing. Don't forget to order your copies! This video contains SPOILERS about the sexy, mysterious summer romances of Cecilia Horner, and takes place in the quaint town of Triple Falls, NC. Cecilia is just two weeks from turning 19 when her story begi...

Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster as the Darlings unpack Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, It Ends With Us, and its highly anticipated movie adaptation which stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. We discuss the heartbreaking stories of Lily Bloom, Ryle Kincaid, and Atlas Corrigan and the pivotal moments that made both the book and film unforgettable. From their childhood tragedies to the...

Today, the Darlings are super excited to discuss the sequel to The Ever King by LJ Andrews, THE EVER QUEEN! This installment amps up the fun with more swashbuckling enemies-to-lovers pairings, and we are. Eating. It. Up. Spoilers ahead! 
As always, thank you for listening and supporting the show. Look out for the August Amazon Book Club episode, which will cover the third book in The Ever Seas, Th...

Fate of the Sun King by Nisha Tuli is the third book in the Artefacts of Ouranos quartet! Tera and Sandra discuss everything that happened in this book (with spoilers), and Tera takes a stab at some theories for how this can possibly wrap up. We get several answers to the questions that have popped up since Trial of the Sun Queen, but the cliffhanger we're left with has us chomping at the bit for...