Whoa!mance: Romance and Ourselves

A first love. A religious cult. A hundred corpses. This week, Morgan and Isabeau join Mara Reed as she tries to outrun the violence of her past and survive in the Lone Star State. But not everything about Mara’s past is bent on her destruction: enter Dr. Ethan Stuart, forensic anthropologist and beefcake who needs Mara’s help to solve a mysterious case. Why Texas? Why violence? What is love? These...

You know that feeling when you’ve been entrusted with your dead dad’s bloodknife to keep the spectral world from culling human victims, but you’re too hung up on getting a little ghost strange from bae to dispatch her to an unknown that’s likely worse than hell? This week, Morgan and Isabeau follow Cas Lowood to Thunder Bay, Ontario on his quest to rid the world of flesh-eating ghosts, chase tail,...

What tempts you? What fixations lurk in the corners of your mind? Is it leather? Lace? Or perhaps...MURDER? This week, Morgan and Isabeau take a carriage ride to Whitechapel, London to meet Darcie Finch, and her mysterious new boss, anatomist and shit artist Dr. Damien Cole. But as whispers and disappearances continue to shroud Damien, Darcie is flayed by the peril of choice: to risk her love, or...

Art. Passion. Surgeries. This week, Morgan & Isabeau explore the fourth installment of Katharine Ashe’s Devil’s Duke Series, The Prince. Is there a purer expression of love than building a prosthetic leg for one’s betrothed? Does the novel’s historical depiction of a culturally diverse Edinburgh resonate as *air quotes* modern or does it have more tokens than a Chuck E. Cheese? Is it time for Roma...

In this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle Damon Suede's Hot Head a pun-tastic m/m romance about firemen in NYC. These friends to lovers just don't know what to do with their feels. There's a lot to cover in this novel, and Isabeau and Morgan flow between the topics of sex work, sexual discovery, and masculinity over the course of this episode. If you like dicks this is the one for you!

In this episode Morgan and Isabeau discuss a time traveling romance. And it's not Outlander. Our modern day heroine (who lives in Chicago!) is thrown back in time and into an entirely different body! She does her level best to figure out the mystery of how she not only swapped bods but also timelines and she has sex on a horse. Morgan and Isabeau dive deep into questions around corporeal identity,...

WE GET A WEBSITE YOU GET A BONER! But seriously y'all check out our brand new, state-of-the-art, all-mod-cons with water and gas included WEBSITE where you can get caught up on all things Whoa! Mance. It's truly a thing of beauty. https://www.whoamancepodcast.com/ And don't worry, this boner is on us.

On this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau interrogate a new medium for romance--Graphic Novels! Wild Rose is a graphic novel retelling of a popular Irish murder ballad. Writer Nicole Slaunwhite is kickstarting a wild Irish ride with a kick ass heroine who kinda gets her butt handed to her in the first issue---but there's big things in our Heroine's future or so says the witch and the tarot cards!...

On this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle series ender and novella "Making it Last" by Ruthie Knox. The last book in the author's Camelot series--The question on the table is: What is romance and how do we know what counts as a Happily Ever After? Where do the genre boundaries get blurry? And perhaps most importantly what turns your crank when you're cranky?

On this week's episode, our last in our Lisa Kleypas Series, Morgan and guest star Sean tackle Lisa Kleypas's stand alone novel "Suddenly You". A novel about a spinster (she's 30) who orders a sexual awaken for her birthday! Listen in as Morgan and Sean dive deep on the surprises of the genre, how lived in and researched the world is--and the awkward messaging mashup of "scrappy" capitalism and bl...

Lisa Kleypas-ter Syndrome Part 2: On this week's episode we welcome back our good friend Kim and talk about what it's like to grow through an author's work, what that does to how we read characters and setting, what that means for how we view the work and cherish it (or not). Romance is special because you can grow up with it, and grow up through it, and sometimes out grow an author--but can you e...

Do you like gaming hells? Bad dudes who become good dudes and heroines who find their voices? US TOO!!! In this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a peculiar faultline in Romancelandia--is "The Devil in Winter" worth the hype and love it receives? Listen and find out where Isabeau and Morgan land on the critical question. Part of our Lisa Kleypas series. Listeners be warned there is discussi...

Buckle up Buttercups because on this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau deep dive into secret babies, body shaming, body hair of all kinds, but most of all romance. Listen in as we unpack our feelings about lies, masculinity and bikini lines

Whoa!mance wants to know! We've got questions and you've got answers! Morgan and Isabeau pose a series of questions that we are dying to hear our fans answer! Let us know what you think about Lizzy Bennet's hair, what man smells like, and your fav word for penis--you'll be featured on the podcast!

In this episode Isabeau talks to author Donna Thorland about her craft, and romance across mediums. If you loved the TV show Salem, Buffy, and are interested in the reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch this is a good episode for you. If you've noticed that romance tropes are migrating toward your fav TV shows--you're right! We talk about that! And we talk about what it means to keep hope alive in t...

Ever wonder what Romancing the Stone would have been like with a strong neoliberal bias? Unlike the big hair, there's a lot about the Reagan era that doesn't hold up no matter how much spray you lacquer on. This week, Morgan and Isabeau take Wild Orchids by Karen Robards to task for its worldview and experience some unexpected trickle-down titillation. Dedicated to all the far flung Midwesterners...

Hey There Listeners! Do you love conversations about consent, safe sex, and revolutions internal and otherwise? Well this star spangled episode is just for you! Morgan and Isabeau break down Donna Thorland's Mistress Firebrand and get into the nitty gritty of french letters and french kissing. It's so much fun you might throw your tea in the harbor!

In this episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle some of Isabeau's particular tipples--namely 1776 Fanfiction, America in general, and what it means to want to love things that are problematic. If you've ever had questions about fanfiction, what Mr. Feeney did before Boy Meets World, or if you're looking for a safe harbor in an increasingly bleak place--this episode is for you. Conduct Unbecoming: https:...

In this special episode Isabeau interviews long time friends Nigel and Maarouf about the time in their early twenties when they read a romance novel out loud to each other. The novel? Paradise--by Judith McNaught a snazzy bit of 90s Regan Romance--bootstraps and all. This second chance scorcher takes place in Chicago--and boy howdy does it deliver. Boardroom brawls, blackmail, letters gone astray,...

In this episode Morgan and Isabeau welcome a dear friend to discuss one of her favorite romance novels. In this particular discussion we tackle cultural appropriation, colonization, and of course always female empowerment. If you've ever watched The Mummy and thought "IT ME!" this is the episode for you! Travel to the sun swept sand dunes of Colonial Egypt (yikes) and get whisked away into hilarit...

It's our Sweet Sixteen! And on this week's episode we talk about Courtney Milan's delicious and scintillating "The Suffragette Scandal". Do you love men with damage? Do you love women with gumption? This book is for you! Let me tell you what Free is Victorian England's His Girl Friday and Morgan and Isabeau freaking love it!!!

On this episode Isabeau and Morgan tackle a sea monster of a Classic in Johanna Lindsey's A Pirates Love--Readers be Warned this book deals explicitly with sexual assault----as our producer said it really puts the rape back into rape and pillage. It's a lot. So take care of yourself listener. However if you want to brave the tides with Morgan and Isabeau on this classic anchors away me hearties! L...

For this episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a western! Do you love cowboys, history, and sex positivity? Got secret hots for the country doc? This book has it all! Tell us which bit was the best bit - whoamancemail@gmail.com

Whoa! It's Whoa!mance's first ever author interview! Listen as Isabeau fangirls all over one of her favorite authors--the Rita Award Winning Caroline Linden. Curious about how Caroline broke into the field? The first romance she ever read? Or how she writes smutty periodicals for her hilarious and strong characters? Listen and find out--we cover everything from Happily Ever Afters to diversity in...

If you love the sound of the ocean, sexual awakenings, murder plots, candles and late 19th century New York--this new Whoa!mance is just for you! The Grandfather of Queer Romance is a gothic stunner of sensual delights. Loosen your cravats m'lovelies this one gets good.