Salacious Sips, a drinky book club

The One with the Nipples

This week, the ladies step outside their usual smutty romance comfort zone and dive into a book that's equal parts hilarious, chaotic, and murderous: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. With Laurel as the only host who actually managed to finish a book this week, she takes Claire and 'Stina on a spoiler-light journey through the wildly entertaining world of accidental crime, unexpected twists, and laugh-out-loud moments. The result? Claire and 'Stina downloaded the book before the recording session was even over. Of course, this wouldn't be a Salacious Sips episode if the conversation stayed on track. What starts as a discussion about one book quickly spirals into recommendations, shocking DNF confessions, abandoned series, and all the other books currently living rent-free in our heads. Pour yourself a drink and join us for a chaotic conversation about funny thrillers, reading slumps, and the books we just can't stop talking about. Featured Book: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Books, Booze, & Home Renovations

Life absolutely kicked our asses in May, so instead of attempting to coordinate a proper book club episode, we poured some rum and let the conversation go wherever it wanted. What starts as a discussion that's at least vaguely adjacent to books and booze quickly turns into one of our classic wandering episodes. Along the way, we revisit some favorite topics—including the SJMverse, Heated Rivalry, hockey romances, and other bookish obsessions—before somehow ending up deep in home renovation territory. Laurel is planning a gallery wall. 'Stina is dreaming of French doors and a library makeover. Claire would simply like to stop paying rent. It's a journey. If you've ever sat around with friends, a drink in hand, and watched a conversation spiral from romance novels to real estate dreams, this episode is for you. Grab your beverage of choice and join us for an hour of bookish tangents, questionable priorities, and the kind of chaos that happens when life gets in the way of the schedule.

Budget Batman

The ladies needed a break. ‘Stina’s hungover. Claire’s operating on elder millennial survival mode. Laurel is trying (and failing) to keep this train on the tracks. So naturally, the only reasonable choice was diving back into Leather & Lark — because apparently peace and stability aren’t part of the Salacious Sips experience. What starts as a "simple" episode immediately devolves into absolute chaos. We’re talking quadruple-fisted drinks, unexpected trauma involving beer, pizza, and teeth (trust us…you’ll understand), Laurel attempting to herd feral cats (also known as Claire and ‘Stina), more SJMverse tangents than anyone planned, Heated Rivalry side quests, and enough unhinged energy to concern several licensed professionals. If your favorite kind of book club involves romance books, drinks, chaos, and friends aggressively losing the plot, welcome home. Grab a cold one and join the beautifully unmitigated disaster that is Salacious Sips. Cheers. 🍻📚✨

Stop Motion Build-a-Bear Bat Boys

This week was SUPPOSED to be a Quickie where 'Stina tells the girls about Nora Roberts’ Identity. And for a solid 30 minutes? They really tried. But somewhere between the Palomas, the wine/liquor combo, and one too many side quests…everything completely derailed. Naturally. Instead, the ladies spiral into chaotic discussions about the SJMverse, Tristan & Isolde retellings, why Fifty Shades still deserves jail time, random book tangents, emotional support nonsense, and the general struggle of simply making it through the week.

Pirate UN

Not every book is a hit—and this week, we’re proving it. ‘Stina, Claire, and Laurel dive into Pirate UN, an episode born from pure chaos after reading Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert… and yeah, it did not go well. What started as a hopeful read quickly turned into a rare, unanimous SPIT rating (no sips, no swallows—just vibes gone very, very wrong). Laurel experiences her first Katee Robert read in real time (and lives to tell the tale), Claire makes the executive decision to DNF, and ‘Stina rage-reads her way through to the end. All of this is especially tragic considering how much we loved Neon Gods—which makes this disappointment hit even harder. As the drinks keep flowing, the conversation quickly derails into everything from updates and theories for ACOTAR to nostalgic dives into Harry Potter, plus a candid discussion on what makes worldbuilding work… and what absolutely doesn’t. It’s honest, it’s unfiltered, and it’s a reminder that even beloved authors can miss the mark sometimes.