The Bodice Rippers Romance Novel Podcast

Jennifer Armentrout, The Dark Elements Series

😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭  It's so incredibly hard to believe it, but here we are!! The last episode of season one and we really cannot begin to express the love and joy we found producing this first season. It has hilarious moments, and steamy moments for sure, but also some fairly in-depth conversations about, well, life. And damn, if we didn't love every second of it. In this, our final episode, we are so truly in love with the author under our adoring gaze, Jennifer Armentrout. Another paranormal romance author (with tons and tons of books. And alpacas), she has created incredible worlds to dive into, not only meant for the young (as she writes primarily for YA), but for all ages. In this episode, we dive into her genius of taking a normal high school experience (starting at an actual school) and layering it with the actual end of the world. Not just the end of the world that we all thought it was when our crush didn't like us back. Preach. Toss in demons, gargoyles, angels, wardens, and a whole lot of sexual tension while trying to save the world, and we surrender all of our time to reading this series! Don't miss out on a chat about seeing things from a new perspective, how every day we get to choose how we show up in the world, and also, the help that authors must need when choosing the actual title of their books. It's a thing. Because sometimes they are the worst. And also, one word: Roth. Delicious. Sexy. Hot. And our go-to guy, favorite character of this series. Let's have more of him. Thanks for joining us and watch out for season 2 coming in early 2022 - now that we've got our feet wet, we are feeling pretty fresh and fly about what's coming next. Until next time, 💋 Krista + Rosemary. Resources + Books Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jennifer Aremtrout Books: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/books/ [https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/books/] Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon: https://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345350499 [https://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345350499] Anna Bradley, The Swooning Virgin Society Series: https://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Ruined-Swooning-Virgins-Society-ebook/dp/B082WRTGSN [https://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Ruined-Swooning-Virgins-Society-ebook/dp/B082WRTGSN]

The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ooo, this was a tough one for us. We both loved it, and struggled with it at the same time. Because while there was lovely writing, it was also disjointed, with a shit ton of love stories but also lacking in some love-depth (and definitely lacking in some deeper sex scenes, if you catch our drift). But we can, and do, appreciate a well-written and new perspective of a romance, and Taylor delivers just that. We also fully applaud an author that can write across genres, delivering various voices across the huge breadth of novels that she has written. In this episode, we go a little more serious, chatting about the  portrayal of marriage from 7 different perspectives, the incredible challenges of being a woman in the 50s loving another woman, and the tragedies that can befall us all as we are flawed, messy, complicated creatures. On the lighter side, we also delve upward into how traditional marriage norms are shattering, and who you love CAN be messy and complicated, and it doesn't have to just be one person forever and always. We touch on new types of love, rebuilding community, and how no matter the circumstances, you can't change your mind about who you love. Grab the Kleenex, and raise a glass to changing out-dated programming and societal norms! Resources + Books Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo] The Immortals Series, Tamara Pierce: http://www.tamora-pierce.net/series/the-immortals/ [http://www.tamora-pierce.net/series/the-immortals/] Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country, Rosalind Miles: https://www.amazon.com/Guenevere-Queen-Summer-Country-Novels/dp/0609806505 [https://www.amazon.com/Guenevere-Queen-Summer-Country-Novels/dp/0609806505]

Bringing Down the Duke, Evie Dunmore

Well, in this episode, things go off the rails just ever so slightly, but can you blame us? I mean, we are talking about the delightful Evie Dunmore, our new Scottish lass girl-crush. And when you are speaking about historical romance, one of our all-time favorites, you can't help but go down the rabbit hole of Hallmark Christmas movies (trust us, it's possible), and things that make you feel like you've just been offered a warm chocolate chip cookie and a massage. Yes. Please. But in this first book of 3 (and a 4th being written), we SO appreciate the time and effort this Oxford graduate took to offer up a really interesting perspective (and history!) of the women's suffragette movement in the UK and how we really had a shit time of if over there. And of course, a really good love story. But on the flip side, Evie, we needed more sex. Like a lot more, cuz the one or two that you wrote were really good, and you seriously left us hanging. But don't miss this episode where we spill all the beans about Bringing Down the Duke, rate the sex scale (again, give us more), and where we chat about everything from how do you balance too much sex and too little, do authors really want to be authors full time (where is the "real" world for them?), and cultural traditions that may seem a little foreign to us. And the sex. Did we mention that? Tune in! And check out the lovely Evie below, along with what we are currently reading this week! Resources + Books Mentioned in Today's Episode: Evie Dunmore: http://eviedunmore.com/ [http://eviedunmore.com/] Crown and Court Duel, Sherwood Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/21060.Crown_Duel [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/21060.Crown_Duel]

50 Shades of Gray

Fan-fucking fiction at its finest. Today we are talking about 50 Shades of Gray, the instant cult obsession creating a huge literary fan base around the world. And even though it's been years (literally) since we've read the series, that doesn't matter. The prose aren't that great, but the sex scenes live on forever - how can they not? But we actually speak very little (well, kind of a little) about the sex, and mostly about how awkward it is to read romance novels in public places (primarily planes which = tight quarters). We do give full credit to James though because despite the terrible prose, she made the BDSM world much more accessible to all of us, and opened up this genre of romance for readers and other authors alike - BTW, Goop is hot on your tail. If Yoni eggs are your jam, stick one up the vajayjay, and let's talk about the following: 1. How James really did make it okay for anything to be okay between 2 consenting adults in the world-oh-sexy time. 2. How do you read romance novels in public, without everyone knowing it?? 3. The fan fiction lead up from Twilight to 50 Shades, and does writing such an instant and global success cause you to never be able to write again? We see you, J.K. and The Casual Vacancy. 4. And Bonus, why the male and female perspective of the world will literally NEVER line up. Ever. Ask our husbands. Or don't, they might not get it. Resources + Books Mentioned in Today's Episode: 50 Shades of Gray, EL James: https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Trilogy-Darker-Freed/dp/034580404X [https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Trilogy-Darker-Freed/dp/034580404X] Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, Jonathon Howard https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer/dp/0767930762 [https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer/dp/0767930762]

Red, White, and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

There are literally no words for how much we love this book. We are in Love. We are in Adore. We are in Enamored. We are Infatuated. We want Casey to write many, many more books before we die, it's just that damn good. If you haven't read this novel, we aren't sure we can be friends with you anymore because pretty much everyone has read this one and if not, they are waiting in the year-long queue in their Libby app to get it! In this episode, we range far and wide on what has quickly become an international sensation and NYT Bestselling book (casual) about an alternate love story reality, where we are discussing the delicious sex scenes to be sure (which make us want to be a 22-year-old boy for a bit of time), but we also cover a huge range of topics because there are just so many amazing things to discuss. Grab a glass of wine, cuz you are going to need it as it gets a little warm under the sweatshirt for this one. We fan ourselves while talking about the following: 1. How anyone can relate to a sexual tension build-up when it's well-written (this is), and it doesn't matter if the main characters are the same sex or how they identify. Indeed, we do a deep dive into how we wish all labels would just be gone and love is recognized as love. Soul to soul. Human to human, and fuck everything else. #loveisloveislove 2. We don't want to be politicians. But we would vote for the Oprah - Dwayne Johnson ticket. 100%. But Casey does make them seem more like real people, which is probably a good thing. Probably. 3. The absolutely brilliant writing being done here, and the incredible realness with which the characters are written. Just a bang-up job from Casey about creating a world that we hope is the norm someday very soon. And the love story will make you swoon, give you all the chills, and feel like that first bit of an ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie. Resources + Books Mentioned in Today's Episode: Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41150487-red-white-royal-blue [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41150487-red-white-royal-blue] The Four Agreements; https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319 [https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319] Twice Tempted by a Rouge, Tessa Dare: https://www.amazon.com/Twice-Tempted-Rogue-Stud-Trilogy/dp/034551887X [https://www.amazon.com/Twice-Tempted-Rogue-Stud-Trilogy/dp/034551887X]