Coming Together Bits

In this ultimate (final) episode of When in Romance, Jess and Trisha reminisce about the last 198 episodes, Trisha subjects Jess to one last WIR quiz, and they close with some final book recs and a little gratitude. News The podcast may be ending, but the backlog of When In Romance will be here for you on the Book Riot site! (And Jess and Trisha will be there too, just in different ways.) This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books: Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman The Missed Connection by Tia Williams Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai Burn of Summer by Rebecca Zanetti Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon Thirsty by Mia Hopikins A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert Even If We’re Broken by A.M. Weald Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian Rookie Mistake and Scoreless Game by Anna Zabo Stay in touch with Jess and Trisha to keep the conversation going and find out what they’re doing next! You can find Jess by email at [email protected] and on Instagram and Threads @jess_is_reading. And Trisha is on email at [email protected] and at Instagram and Threads (and even occasionally Bluesky) @trishahaleybrown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha share some When In Romance news, reflect on the last eight years in romance, and talk about what they’ve read - and want to read - this year. News Check out all the great work Jane is doing at Romancing the Data This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown Check, Please! Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu A Vow in Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai Cleat Chaser by Aimee Rivkin Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez How to Fake it In Society by KJ Charles Pot Shot by Laura Piper Lee By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming Sunflower Season by Danica Nava Fire Power by Mir Benitz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about continuing the story with long series, interlocking series, and series that feature the same couple in multiple books. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed Cleat Chaser by Aimee Rivkin Speak Now by Ash Perez ( Father Material by Alexis Hall The Psy-Changling series by Nalini Singh (starting with Slave to Sensation) The Play by Play series by Jaci Burton (starting with The Perfect Play) The Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole (starting with A Hunger like No Other) Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer The Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert (starting with Neon Gods) The Wallflowers and Ravenels series by Lisa Kleypas (starting with Secrets of a Summer Night) The Irons and Works series by EM Lindsey (starting with Free Hand) The Reluctant Royals and Runaway Royals series by Alyssa Cole (starting with A Princess in Theory) The Decades romance series The Baes of Juneteenth romance series The Clover Hill Romance series The Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins (starting with Bring on the Blessings) The Rebekah Weatherspoon and Christina C Jones extended universes The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger (starting with Soulless) And for those wondering, Jess’s Tiffany Reisz (aka Meg Shaffer) recs are The Rose and The Night Mark Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about Harlequin and AI and then do a dive deep into fan fiction, discussing the who/what/where/why and some of the current discourse in the romance fanfic world. News Here’s the “Why is Harlequin making weird AI movies?” piece by Maris Kreizman we talked about [Literary Hub] This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed The Catch by Leonor Soliz Mayhem and the Mortal by Shanora Williams Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai The Idea of You by Robinne Lee Enemies to Lovers by Aster Glenn Gray The Winston Brothers series (starting with Truth or Beard) by Penny Reid Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade Plus! Some bonus HR fic recs from Jess and Trisha: Jess:  "Please Leave a Message" by Ravenesta "It’s Too Close for Comfort" by theoneiam2277 "Influential" by 409_conflict "The heart is hard to translate" by catknives Trisha: The Secret Society of Stick Handlers collection by gurlsrool "Hoya" by GingerBaggins "Mistakes Have Been Made" by Ugly Green Jacket Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about what they’ve been reading and then get into Book Club with Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa and sports romance broadly. News No news this week because it’s a Book Club week! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa Back and Forth From New York by alphalupi Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa Please Don’t Go by E. Salvador Out On the Ice series by Kelly Farmer His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon The Playbook series (starting with Intercepted) by Alexa Martin Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown Flagrant by Alexandria House The Long Game by Elena Armas Rookie Mistake by Anna Zabo and LA Witt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha discuss the end of Harlequin’s category romance line and offer some category romance recs (some of which are delightfully bananas). Hooray for Book Club in 2026! Read Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa with us - send us your thoughts before we record on March 25 (episode goes live March 30)! Get a bit of category romance background from Love In Panels and author Therese Beharrie. Books Discussed: Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik The Brightest Blaze by Kelly Farmer Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa The Lights on Knockbridge Lane by Roan Parrish  Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage by Lydia San Andres Bane (and others!) by Brenda Jackson Daring to Fall For the Prince by Heba Helmy Backcountry Cover-Up by Denise N. Wheatley Pregnesia by Carla Cassidy Road Trip Rivalry by Mona Shroff Her Fake Wedding Date in Sicily by Jenny Lane The Duke’s Sister and I by Emma-Claire Sunday This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk about a new option for indie authors and talk about some of their favorite independently-published romances. News Hooray for Book Club in 2026! Read Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa with us - send us your thoughts before we record on March 25 (ep goes live March 30)! Learn more about the Draft2Digital and Bookshop.org partnership. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J What If…I Love You by Yvonne Marie The Taming of Jessi Rose by Beverly Jenkins Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa Written on Ice by Smardline S. Craving Flight by Tamsen Parker Now You See Him by Nina Saxena Meegan by Rebekah Weatherspoon Expanded Roster by Aimee Rivkin The Probability of Us by Elizabeth-Jade Taylor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk (very enthusiastically) about Book Riot’s list of the best romance novels of the century so far. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter! News: Hooray for Book Club in 2026! Read Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa with us - send us your thoughts before we record on March 25 (episode goes live March 30)! Find Sarah Wendell’s discussion with Julia Quinn on the SBTB podcast here. And of course, please enjoy Book Riot’s list of The Best Romance Books of the Century So Far as much as Jess and Trisha do. Books Discussed: Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh Two’s Better by Viano Oniomoh The Long Game by Rachel Reid Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa And all of the other books discussed can be found in one convenient place! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha talk a LOT about adaptations - including their dream adaptations - and a little bit about other news and updates in romanceland. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter! News: Hooray for Book Club in 2026! Read Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa with us - send us your thoughts before we record on March 25 (ep goes live March 30)! Find a loooooong sample (if you’d like) of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews. Julia Quinn is curating a romance box - check out the Kickstarter here. Books Discussed: A Vow in Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez Restore Me by J.L. Seegars Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh Game Changer by Rachel Reid Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun Dating Dr. Dil and the whole If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series by Nisha Sharma Bring on the Blessings and the whole Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins Better Than People and the Garnet Run series by Roan Parrish It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram Sherry Thomas’s Heart of Blade duology, starting with The Hidden Blade The Christina C. Jones Cinematic Universe, starting with Getting Schooled The Unleashing and the Call of Crows series by Shelly Laurenston We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian Unwritten Rules - and the whole series - by K.D. Casey Kit Rocha’s Bound to Fire and Steel series, starting with Consort of Fire This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess and Trisha finally get around to closing out some recommendations and backlist favorites from 2025 (it’s still January, so it’s fine!). Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more romance recs and news, sign up for our Kissing Books newsletter! News: Hooray for Book Club in 2026! Read Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa with us! Books Discussed: The Wren in the Holly Library by KA Linde  Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian Game Changer by Rachel Reid This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews Love is a War Song by Danica Nava The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann The Bodyguard by Katherine Center Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins Role Playing by Cathy Yardley The Uptown Girls series by Joanna Shupe (start with The Rogue of Fifth Avenue) The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton  After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope The Redemption of Philip Thane By Lisa Berne Luca by Grey Huffington Just Right by Shon Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake Janine: His True Alpha by Chencia C Higgins Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron Cash Delgado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J. Penner The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston Cross the Line by Simone Soltani Let us know what you’re reading, what you’re thinking, and what you’re thinking about what you’re reading! As always, you can find Jess and Trisha at the WIR email address ([email protected]). You can also find us on Twitter (@jessisreading), or Instagram (@jess_is_reading and @trishahaleybrown), and Jess is even on TikTok (@jess_isreading). This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices