Almost-erotica is on sale at your local Costco, readers. At least that's where Katie found this Ali Hazelwood oyster of a book. Yes, oyster. You don't read this kind of story because you want to read something, the same way you don't order oysters because you're hungry. Check this one out if Deep End wasn't quite satisfying and you like your heroine a little less emotionally available. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198716261-not-in-love Similar Books: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood https://www....
Apr 23, 2025•10 min
Could The Wicked King be improved with more romance and would it help this series appeal to a broader audience? Or would it distract from the political machinations and world-building? Our takeaway: Holly Black can do no wrong, but secretly, we're just romance devotees masquerading as romantasy readers. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032887-the-wicked-king?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_15 If you do like your world-building with a touch more emotional angst, check out The Winner's Curse triology by Mari...
Apr 21, 2025•34 min•Season 3Ep. 115
Jordan's recommendation for fixing your romantasy book slump: the one, the only, Grace Draven! This time in novella form! Jordan read In the Darkest Midnight for her pick this week - a (fairly clean!) coming of age story featuring a student-teacher romance with a redheaded sword fighting instructor (hell yeah.) In the Darkest Midnight by Grace Draven https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39874001-in-the-darkest-midnight Also mentioned in this episode: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (for a similar h...
Apr 16, 2025•11 min
Officially, this series is "The Folk of the Air" trilogy, and in book 2, Jude is firmly established as the right-hand of the very disgruntled King Cardan. Anyone else a fan of Taryn? Katie is all about a book from her perspective a la Nesta from ACOTAR. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032887-the-wicked-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=XcbhAfESGf&rank=1 In case you missed The Cruel Prince: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince?from_search=true&...
Apr 14, 2025•27 min•Season 3Ep. 114
Confession time: Katie needed more romance, more college hockey smut, and more dragons after finishing Anne McCaffrey. Voila, Rebecca Yarros to the rescue. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90202302-iron-flame Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine
Apr 09, 2025•12 min
Is there anyone who hasn't read The Cruel Prince yet? This is an urban fantasy (kind of) filled with deliciously evil fairies, a bloodthirsty heroine, and a very questionable romantic lead. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince Poison Study by Maria Snyder is also mentioned in this episode, check it out here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60510.Poison_Study Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to ou...
Apr 07, 2025•28 min•Season 3Ep. 113
All the stars! This kindle unlimited series set in Annette Marie's Guild Codex Universe is a non-stop 4 book binge of constant action, the slowest of slow burns, and complex world-building. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44932446-taming-demons-for-beginners Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine
Apr 02, 2025•10 min
If you've been kind of iffy on Jude through part one, there's a very particular hand scene in part two where Jude establishes herself as one of the most badass heroines in the genre. This is the gritty, resilient kind of main character every romantasy author tries to write with middling success. ------------------------------------------ Is there anyone who hasn't read The Cruel Prince yet? This is an urban fantasy (kind of) filled with deliciously evil fairies, a bloodthirsty heroine, and a ver...
Mar 31, 2025•22 min•Season 3Ep. 112
This week Katie is exploring all of Ali's forays into romance territory. Her most recent book, Deep End, seems to bridge the gap between the spicier side of romance (Not in Love) and her traditional rom-coms like Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis. Deep End explores BDSM themes, power dynamics, and a peculiar type of love triangle. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212808709-deep-end Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to list...
Mar 26, 2025•9 min
Is there anyone who hasn't read The Cruel Prince yet? This is an urban fantasy (kind of) filled with deliciously evil fairies, a bloodthirsty heroine, and a very questionable romantic lead. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince Check out Tithe by Holly Black for Lord Roiben's story. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46777.Tithe Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry...
Mar 24, 2025•31 min•Season 3Ep. 111
If you like the trope of damsel-gets-saved-by-badass-protector (of the ghost, demon, death, variety) then this is the book for you. Ladybirds is a younger, entry-level introduction to this author, who also wrote the darker romantasy duology Peaches & Honey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59086069-ladybirds?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hmdg2hUPuJ&rank=1 Other books mentioned in this episode: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59227936-bellado...
Mar 19, 2025•10 min
Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine Time travel? Check. A teeny, tiny, Corlath moment of romance? Check. More dragon books? Check. We're closing out Dragonflight this week, but come back next Monday for our first epic series of the season: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61975.Dragonflight?from_search=true...
Mar 17, 2025•23 min•Season 3Ep. 110
We all need a break from romantasy sometimes and Katie is fully invested in her contemporary romance era: enter her current obsession with Christina Lauren. Check out the whole series for a dual, first person POV style, and for bonus points, the audiobook has a very nice British narrator for the MMC. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62361081-the-true-love-experiment Other books mentioned in this episode: The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438593-th...
Mar 12, 2025•11 min
Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine It's time for the mating flight. Yes, readers, remember Fourth Wing's cringey dragon sex? Here's the original. This is where the book started to lose us as it quickly shifts into F'lar's perspective. --------- The OG of dragon stories and science fiction (yes, it's both), Anne McCaffrey wrote Dragonflight a...
Mar 10, 2025•23 min•Season 3Ep. 109
Under the Star of Paris is a very clean, slow-burning, contemporary romance published in the 1950s - for today's reader, the cultural norms and gender roles are so dated, this feels like a historical. Take it as a palate cleanser - easy to read in a few hours on a rainy day. Also, a very believable, not toxic love triangle will keep you guessing the whole book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3343881-under-the-stars-of-paris Other books mentioned in this episode: Lady Avery and The False But...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min
Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine The OG of dragon stories and science fiction (yes, it's both), Anne McCaffrey wrote Dragonflight almost 60 years ago. If you're a Fourth Wing fan, you'll recognize many (sometimes alarmingly) similarities between this book and its modern counterpart. Our heroine, Lessa, is gritty, clever, and ruthless - the...
Mar 03, 2025•25 min•Season 3Ep. 108
Type A heroine, flipped gender roles, fake dating. Can you tell it's Katie's pick this week? This was a surprisingly good, clean romance. Katie consumed it via audiobook but believes it can stand alone in either format. Whether you're an avid contemporary romance consumer or you're interested in dabbling in the genre, this is a perfect little cream puff of a book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724801-the-bodyguard?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=8I6R9pmgIQ&rank=1 Other boo...
Feb 26, 2025•9 min
Wish fulfillment is what the story feels like and there ain't nothing wrong with that, except when: a mustache-twirling villain hijacks the plot (at least it was exciting); the MCs have a taste for exhibitionism but awful timing; and, the heroine is an inconsistent idiot. We finished it (shocking considering how many issues we found in the overall design), but we highly recommend skipping this pod read in favor of some of the author's fanfiction. (You can find her on AO3 under LovesBitca8) https...
Feb 24, 2025•26 min•Season 3Ep. 107
Sincerely Yours is a gender-swapped Dramione retelling of You've Got Mail. Hidden identities, letter writing, self-growth - all wrapped into a tidy novella. This is a perfect introduction to fanfiction if you're not a die-hard HP fan and tomes like Manacled are a little intimidating. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48211207/chapters/121579090 Other books mentioned in this episode: Forget Me Not by Julie Soto https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61618737-forget-me-not?from_search=true&from_s...
Feb 19, 2025•8 min
Want more of Jordan, Katie, and Not Another Heroine? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and to listen to our Patreon-exclusive series, Tawdry Tuesday! https://patreon.com/notanotherheroine You know when you're hungry and the only thing available is a gas station sandwich that's a few days old but somehow still has some flavor? So you finish it and you feel less hungry but somewhat disappointed with your life choices. That's how we feel about this book. The writing is fine, there's some sembla...
Feb 17, 2025•30 min•Season 3Ep. 106
Reality TV is about how Katie sums this book up. It's not great, there are definitely other books that surpass Icebreaker in general quality, but if you need something to fill the time and you're in your hockey romance era, this just might tide you over until you find a better read. *Mild caution for some eating disorder themes. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61767292-icebreaker Other books mentioned in this episode: The Graham Effect and The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy https://www.goodreads...
Feb 12, 2025•7 min
We have entered our era of fanfiction. This week we're reading "The Right Thing To Do" by LovesBitca8 (aka Julie Soto, the author of Forget Me Not). This work is the author's first fanfiction, posted in 2017 and served as the inspiration for another beloved fic, "The Auction," due to be published later this year under the title "Rose in Chains." "The Right Thing To Do" feels like a 16-episode corporate romance k-drama complete with makeover sequence, busybody mom, several secondary love interest...
Feb 10, 2025•17 min•Season 3Ep. 105
It's another DNF week for both of us but not for the reasons you might think. Throne in the Dark is the first book in the Villains & Virtues series and it is all over the romantasy subbreddit. This book is frequently recommended hand in hand with Reign & Ruin by J. D. Evans (which we loved), but this just hits a little different. Well-written but created in the vein of Spaceballs and The Princess Bride, this is a campy romp following the evil son of a demon lord and a do-goody damsel. If...
Feb 05, 2025•8 min
We have entered our era of fanfiction. This week we're reading "The Right Thing To Do" by LovesBitca8 (aka Julie Soto, the author of Forget Me Not). This work is the author's first fanfiction, posted in 2017 and served as the inspiration for another beloved fic, "The Auction," due to be published later this year under the title "Rose in Chains." "The Right Thing To Do" feels like a 16-episode corporate romance k-drama complete with makeover sequence, busybody mom, several secondary love interest...
Feb 03, 2025•23 min•Season 3Ep. 104
Rival gang members in early 20th century Shanghai battle a mysterious plague while battling feelings for each other: seems like a stay-up-all night reading concoction but this take on Romeo and Juliet falls flat. Katie recommends it if you're an Allison Saft fan (which she is not) but maybe check out Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross or Dance of Thieves by Mary Pearson instead. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892212-these-violent-delights?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YQOUh4VyNf&rank=1...
Jan 29, 2025•7 min
We have entered our era of fanfiction. This week we're reading "The Right Thing To Do" by LovesBitca8 (aka Julie Soto, the author of Forget Me Not). This work is the author's first fanfiction, posted in 2017 and served as the inspiration for another beloved fic, "The Auction," due to be published later this year under the title "Rose in Chains." "The Right Thing To Do" feels like a 16-episode corporate romance k-drama complete with makeover sequence, busybody mom, several secondary love interest...
Jan 27, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 103
An introverted librarian with a talking plant escapes a burning city to flee to her island home out in the boondocks. A gorgeous neighbor delivers her delicious treats. And that's as far as Jordan got in this book. Despite its GoodReads Choice Award nomination, this one is standing on a pretty cover and a cottage-core setting only. It's not bad, it's boring...and blue. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst...
Jan 22, 2025•9 min
This week we're finishing "The Songbird & The Heart of Stone" by Carissa Broadbent. Despite great world-building and compelling character backstories, this book was ultimately boring and predictable. Recycled tropes, a grating heroine, and a hero with everything going for him except personality. Rating: 2 Spicy: 3.5 (not plentiful but very explicit) Genre: Fantasy Sub-genre: more plot than romance Tropes: almost enemies to lovers, slowburn Heroine: Soft Girl Hero: Shadow Daddy https://www.no...
Jan 20, 2025•29 min•Season 3Ep. 102
This book is everywhere so Katie finally gave in and immediately started a Reddit argument. Campy, rife with misogyny, reminiscent of an early 2000's teen girl series - it's something when Katie recommends Fourth Wing over another book. Just read for the vibes, man. The Zodiac Academy: The Awakening But, seriously, read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik or The Cruel Prince by Holly Black instead....
Jan 15, 2025•13 min
This week we're reading "The Songbird & The Heart of Stone" by Carissa Broadbent. Despite great world-building and compelling character backstories, this book was ultimately boring and predictable. Recycled tropes, a grating heroine, and a hero with everything going for him except personality. Rating: 2 Spicy: 3.5 (not plentiful but very explicit) Genre: Fantasy Sub-genre: more plot than romance Tropes: almost enemies to lovers, slowburn Heroine: Soft Girl Hero: Shadow Daddy https://www.nota...
Jan 13, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 101
