Shelf Love: Romance Novel Discourse

Impale yourself on your fate: marrying the Devil can be heaven. Semilore Sobande shares her all-time favorite romance, "Devil's Bride" by Stephanie Laurens. This book has it all: Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Weatherby, a heroine who balances strength and vulnerability, and a hero who might just be Batman in disguise and has a similarly ridiculous name. Discover how this historical romance stands out with its compelling characters, feudal fantasies, and unexpectedly humorous plot twists, all while reimagining the dynamics of power and partnership in the Cynster family saga. Guest: Semilore Sobande https://english.brown.edu/people/semilore-sobande [https://english.brown.edu/people/semilore-sobande]   Learn more about the Ready to Score release event with Dame Jodie Slaughter and Shelf Love host Andrea Martucci on Monday June 9, 2025 at 7pm at Lovestruck Books in Cambridge, MA: https://lovestruck-Jodie-Slaughter.eventbrite.com/?aff=Andrea Shelf Love: * NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff [https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/] | Website [https://shelflovepodcast.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/shelflovepod] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shelflovepodcast/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpr5TNh-BTvsp93ECCvpoFQ] * Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com [Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com]

Morgan and Isabeau from the Whoa!mance podcast join to discuss the 2024 film “Your Monster.” We discuss how the movie explores female rage and personal discovery, drawing parallels with romance novel conventions. We are divided in our opinions: did the film succeed in merging romance and horror? The conversation highlights how individual experiences and tastes shape reception of the film, making for an engaging discussion on the intersection of romance, rage, and narrative structure. - Guests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau) Twitter [https://twitter.com/mance_whoa] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/whoamance/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Whoamancepod] | Website [https://www.whoamancepodcast.com/] | Listen on any podcast app! Morgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann Aguirre [https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-76/076-generous-curiosity-strange-love-by-ann-aguirre-with-whoamance/] and Episode 089 to Problematize Romance [https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-89/089-problematizing-romance-you-cant-consume-your-way-out-of-oppression] and 108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular) [https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-108/she-devil-1989-whos-entitled-to-be-selfish-in-love-life-whoamance-spectacular] Shelf Love: * NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff [https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/] | Website [https://shelflovepodcast.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/shelflovepod] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shelflovepodcast/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpr5TNh-BTvsp93ECCvpoFQ] * Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com [Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com]

Alice Murphy, a historical romance author, joins to recommend and discuss under-appreciated non-Regency historical romance. The discussion touches on Alice's upcoming book, "A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love," and a rich variety of historical romance novels set in diverse time periods and locations. We travel through Ancient Egypt, medieval Wales, 19th century Japan, the Gilded Age, the Civil Rights Movement in the US in the 1960s, and more. This episode is jam-packed with book recommendations! - Guest: Alice Murphy Website [https://www.alicemurphybooks.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alicemurphybooks/] | A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love [https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-showgirl-s-rules-for-falling-in-love/8f7eec5662fdbb0c?ean=9781454959465&next=t&] Not recommended: Redeeming Love Recommended: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL ERA * Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw * Defiant Love by Maura Seger * A Husband for Esyllt by Virginie Marconato 1500S * His Bride by Gayle Callen 1700S * Fierce Eden by Jennifer Blake 1800S * Flame on the Sun by Maura Seger * A Viscount for the Egyptian Princess by Heba Helmy THE WILD WEST AND BEYOND * Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean and Untamed by Lisa Rayne TURN OF THE CENTURY * A Striking Romance by Lindsey Brooks * As You Desire and The Other Guys’ Bride by Connie Brockway EARLY TO POST-WAR 20TH CENTURY * A Manhattan Heiress in Paris by Amanda McCabe * The Companion by E.E. Ottoman * Phoenix Pictures series by Brianne Gillen MIDCENTURY * Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole * A Midnight Feast by Genevieve Turner and Emma Barry * Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley Shelf Love: * NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff [https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/] | Website [https://shelflovepodcast.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/shelflovepod] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shelflovepodcast/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpr5TNh-BTvsp93ECCvpoFQ] * Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com [Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com]

Why do we read Jane Austen but not the authors Jane Austen read and loved? The answer is a BIT more complicated than just "sexism." Guest: Rebecca Romney, rare book dealer and author of the new book, Jane Austen's Bookshelf. Guest: Rebecca Romney Jane Austen's Bookshelf [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Jane-Austens-Bookshelf/Rebecca-Romney/9781982190248] | Type Punch Matrix [https://www.typepunchmatrix.com/] - Do you have a romance collection, or do you just love looking at other people's collections? Learn more about Romance Novel Collection, a new section of the Shelf Love Substack where I'll be sharing YOUR romance novel collections: https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/introducing-romance-novel-collection  Shelf Love: * NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff [https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/] | Website [https://shelflovepodcast.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/shelflovepod] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shelflovepodcast/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpr5TNh-BTvsp93ECCvpoFQ] * Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com [Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com]

Can horror and romance coexist? Friend and author Laura J. Mayo joins me to discuss “Land of the Beautiful Dead” by R. Lee Smith. We explore the complexities of combining horror elements (zombies, staking, the apocalypse) with romantic themes, how this book makes us feel, and unlikable and defiant characters who are forged by context. Is it all a metaphor?! (Yes, of course it is!) Discussed: Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith Guest: Laura J. Mayo Website [https://www.laurajmayo.com/] | Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/thatlaurajmayo.bsky.social] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thatlaurajmayo/]   - Romancelandia Holiday Fairies is a mutual aid effort for the romance novel reader community to support anyone in the community who could use a little material help with purchasing gifts for themselves, or loved ones this holiday season. Learn more: bit.ly/holidayfairies [http://bit.ly/holidayfairies] shelflovepodcast.com/holiday-fairies [http://shelflovepodcast.com/holiday-fairies] Shelf Love: * NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff [https://shelflovepodcast.substack.com/] | Website [https://shelflovepodcast.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/shelflovepod] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shelflovepodcast/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpr5TNh-BTvsp93ECCvpoFQ] * Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com [Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com]