Hey HB's! This week Erin is telling Melody all about Tikka Chance On Me by Suleikha Snyder. It's a delicious novella about a motorcycle club enforcer (or so we think!) and the dutiful daughter working at her parent's Indian restaurant. After months of eyeboning, they learn that the only thing this Chris Evans lookalike might love more than samosas is the Heroine. Bonus Content: Sing Movie takeover, the Lunar Eclypse in Alaska, Doggy Genetics, how we'd handle a cease and desist order (with champa...
Feb 18, 2019•49 min•Ep. 69
We're BAAAAAAAAACK! It's Erin. It's Melody. TOGETHER AGAIN! In this episode we chat a bit about what we did over maternity leave, but mostly we talk about all about the books we read (listed below) and the 2019 HB Reading Embrace! - Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert - A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert - Untouchable: A Small Town Romance by Talia Hibbert - Just For Him Complete Series by Talia Hibbert - Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh - Fair, Bright, and Terrible by Elizabeth Kingston - A Court of Mi...
Feb 11, 2019•58 min•Ep. 68
It's our final guest-hosted episode and our first all-lady romance as Erin and her friend Liz dive into And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane. This is a steamy contemporary about two actresses on a Law and Order-style TV show -- one that can't stop being a total bitch, and one that can't stop getting horribly injured. It's fitting that this was our first, because it seems to be the first lesbian romance for a lot of romance readers! If you've ever thought about or read Law and Order: SVU ...
Feb 04, 2019•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 67
Hey HB's! Tanya's here with Melody for the final part of Cat Sebastian's A Soldier's Scoundrel! Jack and Oliver figure out the mystery of the stolen letters, have some VERY SEXY sexy time, and get their HEA. Bonus Content: *Bing Boong Bong* Anal Sex with Tanya, Talent Boners, Melody's inability to say the phrase worcestershire sauce, Sara N's personal library, and how to be a good friend with a library. Lady Loves: Tanya: Three lady-led TV shows that are great! The Bold Type on Freeform, Imposte...
Jan 28, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 66
Hey HB's! It's the next episode of maternity leave line up, featuring TANYA! Oh that's right, Tanya from A Knight in Shining Armor fame and glory. Don't worry, she says her piece here. This week, we're covering part 1 of A Soldier's Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian. It's a queer romance featuring an injured veteran gentleman and a criminal-turned-fixer from the streets. Will they solve the case of the Lady's missing letters? And will they be able to suppress their own desires long enough to do so with...
Jan 21, 2019•52 min•Ep. 65
Hey all! We have a special guest for you! JENNY NORDBAK FROM THE WICKED WALLFLOWERS CLUB PODCAST! *squeee!* Jenny and I talk all about Priest by Sierra Simone. A gorgeous tale about a Priest who's tempted for the first time when he meets a new resident in town. He's got a six pack and a dominant side, and while she's looking for direction for herself, they just might be each other's salvation... or undoing. The squee is real in this episode, y'all. Melody might reach pitches only dogs can hear a...
Jan 14, 2019•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 64
Oh HBs, do we have a treat for you! Erin and Sara Netzley of The DC TV Report podcast sit down to gush and giggle over Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren, a sweet(but hot) contemporary with more internal conflict than we could handle at times. This one features overworked scientist Hannah and her older brother’s hot friend, Will. If you like outspoken heroines and reformed players, this one is for you! BONUS CONTENT: “Nerd Lingo with Sara,” names for hats, the merits of having a murdery boyfri...
Jan 07, 2019•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 63
This week Erin teamed up with her friend of fifteen years, Cole, a straight man and novice romance reader, to read The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert. It's a romantic suspense story set in the seedy world of Boston's Irish mafia (or underground?). Do you like Logistics with Erin? Because this episode is basically a two-hour rant about how the mafia and FBI work, with some high praise for *very* good sexytimes, banter, and dirty talk! Plus, we've got in-depth discussions of the critically accl...
Dec 31, 2018•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 62
It's here, it's HERE, the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! The stockings are hung, Melody is wrapped in her Reindeer Onesie, knowing the Reindeer Mafia will protect every HB, and we've got basically unlimited access to ALL THE CHRISTMAS LOVE MOVIES. This episode we recap Christmas Wedding Planner. There's, you guessed it, a plucky wedding planner, a PI who's not afraid to ruin everything, and a mystery surrounding the groom-to-be. Will two actors with absolutely zero chemistry fall in lo--WAIT, ...
Dec 24, 2018•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 61
Hey HB's! We got into the Christmas Spirit by reading two novellas within this anthology called Heiress Alone by Joanna Shupe and Meet Me In Mayfair by Tessa Dare! Each of these wonderful novellas are tied together by Sarah MacLean's family shortbread recipe and they are just as scrumptious as your favorite holiday cookie. Patrons should stay tuned for our recaps of the other two novellas, because those will be coming soon! Happy Holidays! Bonus Content: Our Christmases: David makes eggnog by ha...
Dec 17, 2018•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 60
Hey HB's! We finish up our discussion of Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips! Bonus Content: Alaskan earthquakes, month-long Christmas for very pregnant Melody, more stories of Rooster the Dog, our demand for discernible lady orgasms and maybe some goddamned foreplay, Melody is almost defeated but then goes ape-shit over depictions of disordered eating, gaslighting, that time Erin got 3 pairs of FUBU jeans because her mom was MAKING A STATEMENT, and so much more! Self-Love Recommenda...
Dec 11, 2018•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 59
Hey y'all! I feel like we haven't hated something for a MINUTE. Well, get stoked because we... didn't like this very much. We've got a hot mess heroine that was even too much for Melody and a douchenozzle hero who thinks he wants a wife, but is really looking for a personal assistant/status enhancer he can take to the bonezone. Will they see that they're perfect for each other? Probably. Will they be right? WHO KNOWS; THIS IS ONLY PART ONE. Content Warning: clumsy and sometimes downright gross t...
Dec 04, 2018•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 58
Heyyyyyyyyy HB’s! Many of you have requested books from Sarah J. Maas’ series A Court of Thorns and Roses and we are here with book 1! Book two will follow after Melody’s maternity leave. We meet Feyre, a human girl who’s taken on the burden of providing for her fallen family, and Tamlin, a Faerie High Lord who needs to win her heart in order to break a curse and save the world. Book 1 is such a BEAUTIFUL introduction to this world, but it’s also super dense. We may have fudged some details here...
Nov 26, 2018•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 57
It’s the mostly tingly time of the year... That’s right everyone, we read CHUCK TINGLE! In this episode, we recap Seduced by Dr. Bigfoot, Attorney at Large and Space Raptor Butt Invasion. Can Mark handle his attraction to a mythical creature who’s a lawyer AND a doctor? Will Lance have to spend have to spend his entire time on the planet Zorbus alone, or will he be able to warm up the cold-blooded creature he meets there? Come with us on these journeys to self-discovery, new sexual horizons, and...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 56
Hey HB's! This week on Heaving Bosoms we're finishing up our coverage of The Highlander Takes a Bride by Lynsay Sands! Are you on pins and needles about how he stealths her for the second time? Do you want to know who's trying to kill Saidh? Are you super invested in #justiceforFenella, #justiceforMilly, or Melody's new addition #personhoodforMilly? WE HOPE SO. But, spoiler alert: you're only gonna get the first couple. Our hashtags sadly didn't trend in time for poor Fenella or Milly. But mostl...
Nov 12, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 55
Happy Monday, HB’s! This week we’re heading back in our fiction time machine to HIGHLANDER TIMES with The Highlander Takes a Bride by Lynsay Sands. Melody really loved this reading/listening experience. Erin would describe it as two sociopaths falling in love. If you like a Scottish Brogue combined with red hot sexy times, some murder, some intrigue, a whodunit, and a TRADITIONAL HIGHLANDER FINGERBANGING, then this book is for you! Bonus Content: #justiceforFenella, #justiceforMilly, *Bing Boong...
Nov 05, 2018•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 54
Happy Halloween Week, HB's! This week we're coming at you with a sexy, spooky special: Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert. We've got a devoted Werewolf who just wants to impress his mate, and a bloodthirsty Huntress who's determined to prove her ability to slice and dice... her aforementioned mate. It's DELICIOUS! Also, Talia, we're serious: did they, or did they not, eyeball that fingerbang? Bonus Content: *Bing Boong Bong* Culture Time with Erin and Melody, our thoughts on where you should a...
Oct 29, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 53
IT'S BEEN A YEAR!!!!!!! We're so excited! In this episode we go through some listener emails, do a couple of Melody's Kryptonite: Top 5 Lists, and generally talk romance, the podcast, the cult, and YOU! Thank you so much to all you listeners, all you patrons, and everyone who has made this past year so amazing for us! Bonus Content: Top 5 Heroes of books read on the podcast, Top 5 fictional characters overall, romance as escape, therapy, and a reminder that your feelings and emotional landscape ...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 52
Hey y'all! Thanks for your patience and understanding! Here's the wrap-up of our convo about The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata. As Erin puts it, its the tale of two never-nudes who enter into a marriage of convenience, or, a slow burn with... very little burning? Bonus content: Comic Con NYC, essential oils, Erin's engagement photos, our thoughts on who a guy is REALLY assaulting another dude for in "your name" (hint: it's never actually about you), the downside to Michael always thi...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 51
This week, in part one, we cover The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata. It's a "slow burn" with a former personal assistant turned full-time graphic designer and the Canadian football star who wants her back in his employ.. or life? Will they get together after a scheme to commit marriage fraud together? This is, indeed, a slow burn. Emphasis on slow? We... tried to love this novel. And it didn't quite work. Bonus Content: Curly girl tricks, *bing, boong, bong* Antihistamines with Erin, ...
Oct 08, 2018•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 50
This week we finish up our discussion of A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole. Part 2 takes place IN THESOLO! Can Ledi solve the puzzle of the disease outbreak while learning more about her homeland and, perhaps, taking her place as it's future queen? Can we handle Thabiso's disney eyes and talk of happy endings? Can we handle the cave sex? Bonus Content: Erin's at-home London Fog, a quick discussion called "what are lattes," one woman shows, the most romantic socks EVER, Melody's theory that don...
Oct 01, 2018•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 49
Hey HB's! We're here with Part 1 of Alyssa Cole's A Princess In Theory. It's Book 1 of her Reluctant Royals series and SUCH A GREAT READ. We've got Naledi Smith, a public health grad student with 3 jobs and a good head on her shoulders because she was a life-long foster kid and knows she can only rely on herself. Then there's Thabiso Moshoeshoe, her long-lost betrothed, an African Prince, and a person she's never even heard of. He's determined to find out why her family disappeared and was never...
Sep 24, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 48
Hey HB's! This week we're all getting treated with an interview with Tessa Dare! We chat about her new release The Governess Game, as well as her upcoming anthology How the Dukes Stole Christmas, her as a writer, reader, and political being. There's more about duck sex, themes in The Governess Game like healing and grief, education, early childhood development, learning through play, inspiration from her own life, amazing women she's come across in her research, her auto-buy authors as a reader,...
Sep 17, 2018•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 47
Hey HB's! This week we read After We Fall by Melanie Harlow. It's a contemporary novel with a soul-searching, rich girl heroine and an emotionally isolated widower who's still navigating symptoms of PTSD. There's a farm. There are attempts at chores. There are accidental meetings. There are dubious outdoor decisions outdoors. There's some peeping. There's some excellent dirty talk. And TREE SEX. Oh yes. Bonus Content: Erin is SO SICK! Rooster's probable Telegram Company. Melody's Bubble Bath. Th...
Sep 10, 2018•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 46
This week we've got an especially tasty little morsel: The Red by Tiffany Reisz! It's an erotic fantasy novel about a fiery gallery owner who's in debt and on the brink of losing everything and the mysterious man who wants to help her save it... for a price. He's not interested in her soul, though, he's interested in her BODY. Yum! Bonus Content: Ember's newest skill, Erin's trip to IL, wedding dress shopping, a discussion on using the term "whore" in the most empowering and delicious way, recla...
Sep 03, 2018•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 45
Hey HB's! Happy Monday to you! Were you missing our personal brand of hate in your life? NEVER FEAR! We're here to deliver in this monster episode covering Split by JB Salsbury. It's about a girl who comes back to her small AZ town in disgrace after assaulting a colleague and the man she meets with Dissociative Identity Disorder and a mysterious, violent past. Will there be disclaimers? Yes. Will there be laughing through rage? Yes. But what more can we do when one of the heroes LITERALLY TRIES ...
Aug 27, 2018•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 44
Here we go with Part 2 of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper! Will they figure out who's attacking locals? Will there be super sperm? Will we have more opportunities for *bing boong bong* Wildlife Safety with Erin? All that, plus realistic truck sex! Bonus Content: Melody's volunteer tomato, how condoms only work if they're used 100% of the time, and much more! Self-Love Recommendations: Erin: Smartypants vitamins. The serving size is SIX gummy vitamins! Melody: Have what you cra...
Aug 20, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 43
This week we're bringing you part 1 of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper, one of Erin's favorite books! We've got a Mississippi transplant in Alaska and a hero who's begrudgingly attracted to the outsider. She's fleeing her overbearing hippy parents, he's got a furry secret. There's intrigue, there's murder, there's baking, there's a whole kaleidoscope of fabulous side characters. There's deep, fiery passion. There's *bing boong bong* What Sex Position Is This? with Melody. Bonu...
Aug 13, 2018•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 42
Hey y'all! This week we have Teagan Hunter's Millenial delight, Let's Get Textual. It's got a wrong number meet-cute, two sarcastic, adorable characters, a baby goat, Harry Potter boxers, wholesome yet sexy strip teases, a whodunit, BAD Titanic jokes, questionable Dorito placement, and some low-key social justice issues. Bonus conent: PIG ROOOAAASSTTTT, Melody's bottle baby goats and her knowledge of goats as snuggle partners, some Erin snark on bonding over universal experiences, our shared HAT...
Aug 06, 2018•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 41
Hey All! We are so appreciate that you've been so understanding about our hiccup in programming, but a plastic shard getting lodged in your cornea doesn't happen every day. Poor Erin! Luckily, Nickie from The Things She Does offered to allow us to publish her interview with Melody so you didn't have a huge lapse in your feed! We talk romance novels, the value they bring to the world, feminism, sex education and pleasure education, being a mom, "balance" or lack thereof, and so much more. Enjoy! ...
Jul 30, 2018•55 min•Ep. 40
