Happy New Year HBs!!!!!!!!!! Mel and Sabrina are ushering in 2024 by recapping Grand Theft NYE by Katrina Jackson! It's horny in here! AND THERE'S A HEIST! Y'all know how much Mel loves a caper. Cleo is here to make an entrance and then a hasty exit... with Mr. Shimizu's heart. Bonus Content: 2nd grade humor, Jessica Hare, getting jokes live on the podcast, Ana Huang's Twisted series, a high speed finger bang, honey badgers, the brand new taste sensation "Squelchers," and so much more! BIG REMIN...
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 339
Hey HBs! Your fave Nic is here with Mel and Sabrina for our annual Christmas movie episode! We signed up for a lighthearted romance and instead we got a lighthearted THRILLER! In this airport Marriott, Christmas Magic has turned malignant. Wishes will be distorted, bodies will be snatched, and cookies will be decorated to be PURPOSEFULLY UGLY gah! No, but seriously, WTF is this movie. Currently, you can stream it on Hulu. Bonus Content: a Christmas song that will steal your whole brain, Cheekbon...
Dec 27, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 338
Hey HBs! This week we're here to recap the YA darling, THE CHRISTMAS CLASH by Suzanne Park! This book is so swoony, funny, moving, adorable, and a big inspire! Chloe and Peter are mired in a years-long family rivalry, but might need to work together to save their family's restaurants from being demolished, along with the mall they call home. Along the way we get romantic, illicit alley dinners, grassroots organization, speaking truth through art, basketball court justice, collaboration as a love...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 337
Hey HBs! Happy Hanukkah to every who celebrates! On this 5th day of Hannukah 2023 we're recapping one of the most adorable (and hot!) books ever, Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell. It's an MM contemporary about a sunshine, pocket-sized 1st grade teacher and the Queen-loving, grumpy bear custodian who wants to resist his charm and just can't. Fake dating, size difference, grumpy/sunshine, protagonists in their 30s, This Duke Is A Virgin, communicating only in grunts, PTSD from military servi...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 336
HBs! We're kicking off our special Patreon series the 12 Weeks of Maas-mas! That's right, for the next 3 (or probably more) months, Sabrina and Mel will be recapping Crescent City books 1 and 2 on Patreon, in preparation for book 3's release in January!! In this episode, we cover chapters 1-12 of HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD and we don't hold back! What is haaaaappening?! How did she wreck Mel in the first 5 chapters? Whyyyyyy??? So, you don't need to do a big reread to get prepped for HOUSE OF FLAM...
Dec 04, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 335
Hey HBs! We're here with our first historical in a while and Sabrina has decided she lives there now. That's right, When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James has stolen our plucky co-host and may never return her! We've got an erroneously-ruined heroine, a supposedly-impotent and very grumpy doctor hero, and an arranged marriage that "doesn't suit." But swimming lessons might just be the key to flooding everyone's basements. Bonus Content: Sabrina quits the podcast so she can devote all her ti...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 334
Hey HBs! Happy Thanksgiving to all our American Listener! This week we're recapping Before Thanksgiving Comes by Marisa Carroll. It was a little heavier than our former Inspirational romance books, but we manage to find the funny! TW: substance use disorder (character currently in recovery), death of a spouse and grandmother (historical), mention of suicide (historical), parentification of a child, teenage drinking, and drunk driving. Bonus Content: cleavage tonguing in the wild, more illuminati...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 333
Happy Veteran's Day, American HBs! We're bringing you book 2 of Suzanne Brockmann's Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series, FOREVER BLUE . A big ol' Navy Seal goes home for his brother's wedding (to his High School sweetheart) and reconnects with the little tomboy he paid no attention to back in the day. Also, there's a murder mystery! And some astonishing police work. Bonus Content: "Is it my meds? Is it my hormones? I don't know, but I'm not okay!", Navy Seals as paranormal creatures, sexual fantasi...
Nov 13, 2023•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 332
Hey y'all! HB Nic is here to recap the sci-fi romance of our dreams! Saving Verakko by the one and only Victoria Aveline! It's road-trip, it's wilderness survival, it's cultural misunderstandings, it's suggested penetration and then ACTUAL penetration. It's delicious. Bonus Content: nervous first date energy, OMG the Victoria Aveline rabbit hole of it all, she was raised by Bear Grylls, he's descended from snakes, is "sway" just intense bff energy?, mates get cool hand tattoos, and so much more!...
Nov 06, 2023•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 331
Happy Halloween, HBs!!!!!! It's our SPOoooooOOOOKyyyyy eeeeeepissooooode! And this is LEGIT spooky! Mel and Sabrina recap Haunted Hookup by Eliza McLane! We've got a heroine in a rut, a hero getting his second chance, and a ghost who wants to wingman hard! She will happily traumatize you in service to her wingmanitude. Wingmanity? You get it. Bonus Content: Sneaky dance parties and operatic belches, the gals CANNOT with the spoop, we considered buddy-reading this book, Sabrina will consider a gh...
Oct 30, 2023•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 330
HBsssssssss!!!! We came to this paranormal series for spooky season. Little did we know, it's actually horny toad season! Meg Anne and K. Loraine throw down in this Why Choose romance full of vampires and shifters and demons and a whole bunch of other things we don't find out about until book 3 or 4! Because, yes, this is another multi-book HEA and, yes, it knocked our socks off. Deal with the Demon is book 1 of The Mate Games: Pestilence. We're recapping books 2-4 on Patreon! The books are amaz...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 329
Hey y'all! It's a bonus episode! To celebrate the release of The Gargoyle from General Management, Mel narrates a scene from the book for you. Enjoy! If you loved this snippet, make sure to get The Gargoyle from General Management ! And the first two books in the series are great as well! Don't miss out on Love, Laugh, Lich and The Orc from the Office ! The above are affiliate links, which means the podcast makes a commission from qualified purchases and you don't get charged more for it! Subscr...
Oct 19, 2023•15 min•Ep. 328
Y'allllll! The Overdue Podcast boys are here to celebrate our 300th episode with us! Mel and Sabrina are joined by Andrew and Craig to recap the new adult romantasy sensation FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros! Come hear us chat about writing to trend, a refreshing heroine, Canadian dragons, and so much more! Did you hear our brand new music by Brittany Pfantz ? It's AMAZING! And our brand new logo was created by longtime HB and author Kate Prior ! Kate Prior's newest book from her Claws and Cubicles...
Oct 16, 2023•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 327
Hey HBs! Happy 6th Podiversary! Kimberly Lemming, Alexis the Sword, Naima Simone, and Sabrina Bradley are here to celebrate in style! We've got Hard Limits Watch, Kinks Watch, Obsessions Watch, and so so so many Would You Rather scenarios! Stay tuned to the end for some announcements and surprises! I'll post a full list of books mentioned on our Patreon ! Enjoy!!!!! Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell all your friends :) Get more content on PATREON!! Sign up for our Newsletter ! MERCH! Teepublic , Chi...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 326
Hey HBs! Sabrina and Mel recap The Professional by Kresley Cole! It's book 1 in The Gamemaker series and poor Sabrina got duped into thinking that's it's chiefly a mafia romance. FALSE! The Russian mafia is certainly there, but this is a BDSM erotic romance of our dreams! We've got stalking for reasons, we've got kidnapping, we've got dry h mping in corn fields, we've got wet h mping in maid's closets, we've got foot jobs under the table, we've got bondage in country saunas! What more could you ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 325
Hey y'all! Sabrina is back to recap Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens ! It's Cynster book 1 and we LOVED it! There's a super decisive hero (tyrant? lol), a strong-minded heroine, and a murder mystery! Bonus Content: Sabrina hyper-focus on fixing her tags in Storygraph, a whole passel of Stephanie Laurens, how do you say "Honoria" and are we French now?, we are Sherlock Holmses now, a mirror fingerbang in an Orangery, and so much more! Lady Loves: Sabrina: Fresh haircut! She feels so good now! M...
Sep 25, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 324
Ooooh, it's our first cowboy book in a minute! Mel and Sabrina recap A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon, which a second-chance AMNESIA romance! That's a tough trope convo to pull off and this book is FANTASTIC! It's the last day of our Patreon fundraiser benefitting the people of Maui! Sign up before midnight ET on September 18th and we will double the first month's pledge and we'll split that donation between the Maui Food Bank and the Maui Fire Relief Fund! Bonus Content: the alien l...
Sep 18, 2023•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 323
Hey HBs! Kim Loraine (AKA Stella Hunter) is here to recap A French Fling by Emily Silver ! We've got an enthusiastic alt girl tour operator and an aloof French driver. If they can get past their first impressions, sparks will fly! And the narration performed by Samantha Brentmoor is brilliant! Bonus Content: Mel's new obsession with Floriography, Kim loves that violets are a sapphic symbol, our latest lumberperson obsession @nicole_coenen , old people have sex and it's totally cool, and so much ...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 322
Hey HBssssssssssss! Surprise! This episode is tardy because we decided to thoroughly enjoy our Labor Day weekend over at HBHQ and wow did school start right after! Very exciting changes. This week, Sabrina joins Mel to recap Dark Lover by JR Ward, the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series! If you love a hate episode, this just might be for you because... let's just say this was a rough first time read in 2023. Luckily, Sabrina is here with her wrap-around-mid-2000's-nostalgia-glasses...
Sep 07, 2023•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 321
Hey y'all! Alexis the Sword and Kimberly Lemming are back to finish our recap King of Flesh and Bone by Liv Zander! If you haven't yet, go listen to Part 1 before finishing this episode. We're about to go topside with our plucky heroine and our psychotic god (ie sad, sad boy) and that might just include a little more twisting! We're not going to get the HEA for these two in this book, but we'll be recapping Queen of Rot and Pain for Patreon , where we'll get the most satisfying HEA!! Our annual ...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 320
Woo! Alexis and Kimberly Lemming are here to recap King of Flesh and Bone by Liv Zander! It's a dark romance featuring a scrappy, oath-keeping midwife and a selfish, dramatic god of the dead. Did we mention it's pretty dark? WE LOVED IT SO HARD. But! Trigger Warnings: in this episode, we discuss death, suicide, murder, glib mentions of domestic abuse, very very dubious consent (at best), violence, sexual violence, and forced servitude, so take care. This is part one! Part two will be coming next...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 319
Hey HBs! Meredith is here to recap A Lady Awakened by Cecelia Grant ! Wow we loved this book, and part of that was because of all the mixed feelings we had about it during the reading experience. This is a brand new premise to us and we've never seen a historical like this before. Ahhhh! It's so good! Bonus Content: #justiceforthatpig, a very principled, prickly heroine, and so much more! Need something awesome? Commission a cozy gift , visit her etsy store , or hire Meredith to generally make y...
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 318
HBs, Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is here! We're recapping Dragon Called by Cassie Alexander and Kara Lockharte! It's Paranormal Dragon Times, there's a magic cat, and a badass nurse heroine! Buuuuut, it's a cliffhanger. I know! I'm sorry! Part 2 of this book will be on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Podcast feed on Friday! And then books 2-4 will be recapped on our Patreon this week! So you'll get the HEA (and tons more shenanigans) there. Bonus Content: Monster ICE, migraines are ...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 317
Hey HBs! Kiran and Lynn Camden are here! They started as listeners and now, years later, we're great friends! They're also long-time besties. We recap Trashed by Mia Hopkins and WE LOVED IT. It's told compeltely from the hero's POV which, Lynn points out, puts him on a "heroine's journey" a la Gail Carriger in a way we've never seen. The characters are vivid, the prose is complex, and the spice is SPICETACULAR. Y'all. Read this book. Bonus Content: the awkwardness of audiobooks with pals, The He...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 316
Hey HBs! Naima Simone is back to recap Smut by Karina Halle! Two twenty-somethings who hate each other are forced to write their final project together and... it goes really well! Then they start writing erotic romance together under a very secret pen name. There's a lot of (very realistic) romance shame that we didn't love, but the book was soooo good! Bonus content: Naima's daughter got her first tattoo, the Lion King is becoming a theme with us, Melody knows she's Pumba, Mel was a pig farmer,...
Jul 24, 2023•2 hr 17 min•Ep. 315
Hey HBs! Shante is here to help Mel recap Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai! Supremely private Katrina has just gone viral for a fictional meet-cute and the only one who can save her is her bodyguard and crush. Can their escape turn into a steamy meet-cute? Bonus Content: men who leave their trash for someone else to clean up, sexy eyebrows, presidential pardons, and so much more! Lady Loves: Shante: watch shows or movies while facetiming with people you love! Mel: If you can, just do the thing that...
Jul 17, 2023•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 314
Hey romance lovers! Cathy Yardley is here to recap the Netflix rom-com A Tourist's Guide to Love! Starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Scott Ly and set in Vietnam, this movie is GORGEOUS! The romance is top-notch, the eye-contact is meaningful, and kisses are GOOD! Bonus Content: GenX romances with feral introverts, condescending boyfriends with punchable faces, "is the CEO friend also the stepmom in The Parent Trap??" (turns out, Missi Pyle and Elaine Hendrix are actually two different people. Who k...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 313
Naima and Mel are back to finish the recap of Amazon Prime's My Fault. These two kids try to stay away from each other and they just CAN'T! We can't blame them! Bonus Content: these two are less discreet than Naima AND Mel.. it's impressive, deconstructing translated dirty talk, Smoking Stubble Man of the Chin Clan, telepathic driving plans, and so much more! If you want more step-sibling romance, read Naima's book Passion & Ink ! It's sooooo angsty taboo good! NEW AUDIOBOOK ALERT: Get Toxic...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 312
Hey HBs! Naima Simone is back to recap the movie My Fault, based on a novel by Mercedes Ron! Whew, this movie is hilarious! Stepsiblings, "gangs," and so much more! Bonus Content: Watching these movies with your daughter, a guy named Owen, learning to drive, playing tricks on your kids, vroom vroom cars, gang names, and Father's Day cards. Naima mentions the Mzani Youth Choir! Check out when they got the gold buzzer and singing Circle of Life ! Part 2 is next week! Make sure you check out Mel's ...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 311
Hy HBs! Meredith is hereeeee and she has brought us many treats! We're recapping Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (who is maybe the overall winner of any NaNoWriMo ever?). This high fatasy with low stakes is EXACTLY what I needed! Who knew I would love 300 pages of watching someone slowly build a coffee shop? There's themes of reinvention, found family, finding your place, the zen of an honest day's work, and so much more! Plus, two! Perfect! Kisses! Bonus content: now Mel understands why ...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 310
