S09.06: Fated Mates: You Are Our Mystical Battery

We’re talking about the mythmakers again this week with a chat about romance’s sister genre, horror! We’re joined by NEA fellow, Bram Stoker Award winner and bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, and librarian and horror expert Becky Spratford. We talk about Stephen’s lifelong love of horror, the way horror reflects the world, the rules of horror and how romance and horror are actually two sides of the same coin. Happy spooky season, book lovers.Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week—we’ll be calling Tennessee to get out the vote for Justin Pearson in the Tennessee 9th, and into Montana to get out the vote for Sam Forstag, candidate in the Montana 1st! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.If you’d like to come over and talk about horror with us, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!!Horror Fiction, Film, and Television Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesOff the Reservation by Stephen Graham JonesWhy I Love Horror by Becky Spratford Mongrels by Stephen Graham JonesFlowers in the Attic by VC AndrewsThe Howling (1981)The Wolfen by Whitley StrieberWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)Heart Eyes (2025) I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham JonesThe Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham JonesThe Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham JonesWidow’s Bay (2026)Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRoccaOur Cut of Salt by Deena HelmAngel Down by Daniel KrausThe Grip of It by Jac JemcMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaJapanese Gothic by Kylie Lee BarkerScream (1996)Sinners (2025)Horror for Weenies by Emily C. HughesThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyHeadlights by CJ LeedeThis Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want by Hailey PiperKiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel HarrisonThe Reformatory by Tananarive DueThe Devil Takes You Home by Gabino IglesiasMy Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady HendrixWitchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady HendrixSponsorsAvon Books, publishers of Emily Rath’s Devour Me, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Piper Rayne, author of Chasing Smoke, available in print, ebook, audiobook at Barnes &amp; Noble, wherever you get your books, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Meghan Quinn, author of Christmas Staycation, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble or wherever you get your books.Penguin Young Readers &amp; Berkley XO, publishers of Charlotte B. Plumb’s Reap &amp; Sow, available now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/10/19/horror-with-stephen-graham-jones-and If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/fatedmates.net" rel="noopener...

Revisit this season four episode on your way to or from your local No Kings March!The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2022/4/16/s0431-vampire-romance-interstitial If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

This one is very meta (complimentary): Fated Mates (the duo) explains Fated Mates (the trope) on Fated Mates (the podcast). We can’t believe all these years in, we’ve never talked fated mates! We’re rectifying that right now with a collection of paranormal romances (and a few that aren’t) that are going to give you a lot of joy. We talk about demons and vampires and alpha’s and ice planet barbarians, star-crossed lovers and soulmates and what it really takes to convince a reader you’re fated.Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week—we’ll be calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.If you’d like to come over and talk about your favorite fated mates romances (or your favorite fated mates podcast), please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!BooksDemon from the Dark by Kresley ColeWicked Abyss by Kresley ColeRejected by Jaymin Eve The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate by Cate WellsIce Planet Barbarians series by Ruby DixonClaimed by The Orc King by Roxy TaylorThe Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley ColeMacRieve by Kresley ColeHot Blooded by Heather GuerrePack Darling by Lola DarlingFeral Warriors series by Pamela PalmerThe Mane Event by Shelley LaurenstonDaring and the Duke by Sarah MacLeanThe Soulmate Equation by Christina LaurenWhiteout by Adriana AndersBet Me by Jennifer CrusieNotesCheck out our website, especially the list of DRM audiobooks.Our first road trip romance interstitial was one that was really important to our evolutions (before we figured out the season numbering protocol!)This list of fated mates book on goodreads has nearly THIRTY THOUSAND TITLES, so good luck to you and I don’t actually know how that’s possible.It’s a portal fantasy!The way you know that Jen doesn’t read Omegaverse is the way she OVER AND OVER AGAIN say that Lilah in Pack Darling was a beta, but I think she was an omega. Sorry! What we do know is that no one in the book was a wolf, and honestly, that’s kind of a win for us?What is The Cut (or Vulture, or NYMag) going to say about romance this week?Of all the gin joints in all the world…Will Liz Lemon end up with Wesley Snipes, her future husband?SponsorsAvon Books, publishers of Joanna Shupe’s The Gilded Rose, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Elle Kennedy, author of Bad Idea, preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo or wherever you get your books.Attic Wall Books, publishers of Isobel Lynn’s Godhunter, available now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episdoes/2026/10/12/0906-fated-mates If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now. 00:00 BDE Bantr03:00 Fated Mates (the podcast) Lore14:57 How to Choose &amp; How it Works25:04 Demon from the Dark29:04 AD: GODHUNTER31:10 Wicked Abyss37:21 Rejected42:33 The Tyrant’s Alpha Rejected Me46:51 AD: THE GILDED ROSE49:20 Old School Suffering53:21 Ice Planet Barbarians57:21 Claimed by the Orc King1:00:00

We’re talking about romance with baking and sweet treats today! This is one of romance’s most common Romance Jobs, and we’re getting to the bottom of the appeal of the bakery in romance. Why do we love it when one character makes masterful desserts? What is so compelling about characters who know their way around the oven? We’ve got historicals, reality tv competitions, magic baking and menage — a little something for everyone this week!Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a chat with Leah Greenberg, the co-Founder and co-Executive Director of Indivisible, our Fated States phonebanking partner! Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week! We’ll be calling Georgia to get out the vote for Jon Ossoff, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.If you’d like to come over and talk about your favorite romance bakers, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. Join the Fated Mates patreon to get access, and You also get one extra episode a month from us!BooksMarrying Winterborne by Lisa KleypasHow the Dukes Stole ChristmasLike Water for Chocolate by Laura EsquivelThe Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis LeeFake It Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley A Legend in the Baking by Jamie WesleyBattle Royale by Lucy ParkerSweethand by NG PeltierLips Like Sugar by Jess HardyCraving It All by Kati WildeTart by Lauren DaneThe Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan ParrishDelectable Desire by Farrah RochonDelicious Destiny by Yarrah St. JohnNotesWe’re discussing slang this week: a hilarious explanation of BDE at wikihow, check out urban dictionary for DTF, a fun new online site I just discovered called GenZ decoded turnt, and although the WNBA’s Washington Mystics Young Heaux nickname was covered in the New York Times, by far the funniest official usage of it was during the televised broadcast of a Mystics v. Storm game.The Cupcake Guys is a bakery owned by former football players, and it was also a reality TV show.We’ve mentioned them a million times, so they aren’t in the photo array, but the two books with baristas that Jen mentioned are Lick by Kylie Scott and Nero by SJ Tilly. The book with a femdomme is Candy by Torrance Sené.Learn more about Indivisible and find a local Indivisible chapter to help at Indivisible.org. Join us for phonebanking every weekend between now and Election Day at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.SponsorsRachel Grant, author of False Flag, available in print, ebook and audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Tierney Page, author of Lyrics of Summer, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.LJ Andrews, author of The Stolen Crown preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/10/5/0905-sweet-treats-bakeries-amp-coffee-shops-in-romance If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now. 00:00 Intro02:38 Bantr (We Love You Baby Girl!)14:24 Eric, the DRM King17:36 AD: THE STOLEN CROWN19:17 Sweet Treats26:58 Fake It Till You Bake It &amp; A Legend in the Baking33:23 AD: FALSE FLAG35:41 Battle Royale42:02 Sweethand47:20 AD: LYRICS OF SUMMER49:04 The Luxury of Sweetness53:49 Lips like Sugar1:01:22 Craving It All1:07:10 Tart1:17:33 The Remaking of Corbin Wale1:20:57 The Draysons: Sprinkled with Love1:24:57 Baristas1:28:00 Wrapping Up1:30:38 Indivisible

It’s discoverabilibuddy time! We're dropping our Fall 2026 reads, in which we talk about an outrageous number of romance novels coming out in October, November and December. As a reminder, we have not necessarily read all these books, but they are on our TBRs — time to pour yourself a cup of something warm, get into a cozy sweater, and start adding to yours!If you’d like to come over and talk about your most anticipated fall romances, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative continues this week! We’ll be calling Ohio (Jen’s hometown) to get out the vote for Sherrod Brown and democrats up and down the ticket! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.BooksSeptember ReleasesJenny Will Eat You Now by Gillian DanielsThe Invisible Roommate by Timothy JanovskyOctober ReleasesTo Vivian With Love Anthology False Flag by Rachel GrantThe Lost Guardian by Natalia HernandezVengefully Matched by Audrey Goldberg RuoffThe Encore Effect by Cara DionGilded Rose by Joanna ShupeEngineering a Love Story by Kathleen ReidySuccubus by Kate FoxThe Fall Fix Up by Karmen LeeBrown-Eyed Earl by Jenny HolidayHexes Go Well with Tequila by LeAnna EhrsamBad Words by Ríoghnach RobinsonWritten in Starlight by Sloan BrooksOnce in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-KiaThe Ruby Ghost by June CalvinWhat Happens at Nightfall by Lauren WilligNovember ReleasesThe Love Operation by Melissa CollinsCut to the Ending by Maria MillageHow to Hate a Prince by Jozette Allah-MensahSunflower Season by Danica NavaThe Monster Hunter’s Librarian by Lauren ConnellyYou, Me, and the Conspiracy by Emma BarryThunderstuck by Lissa LaylandHow to Court a Countess by Emma-Claire SundayThe Drakon King by Terry J Benton-WalkerEngaged to the Enemy by Lucy SmokeTwo Can Play that Game by Zakiya JamalFor the Love of K-Dramas by Lyla LeeMatch of Fate by Annabelle StehlCrash Into You by Simone SoltaniThe Best Revenge by Amy Carol ReevesMy Neighbor, The Assassin by Michelle HeardDecember ReleasesA Shy Heiress to Redeem Him by Parker J ColeLovestruck by Andi EpimoniFalling for Evil by Celia AaronJust In Time by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-BrokaCold Redemption by Nalini SinghTriple Threat by Katie ChandlerTil Quest Do Us Part by Ivelisee HousemanGreek’s Dirty Little Secret by Dani CollinsOff Season by Frankie CaraccioloVillain Edit by Rosie DananZahra, Unapologetic by Mina ZafriLightning and Thunder by Sara RaachAlmost Perfect by Nicole SnowThe Lost Ones by Mia SheridanOne Step Closer by Laura PavlovVows and Vendettas by Trilini PucciSponsorsLittle, Brown &amp; Company, publishers of Elin Hilderbrand &amp; Shelby Cunningham’s The Thoroughbreds, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Madison Score, author of Wild About You, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon.Emily W. Andersen, author of The Midnight Book Club series. Available in print or ebook at at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, or wherever you get your...

As they say on the Discord, this year’s theme is…Themes! This week, we’re talking about hammers, nails, drills, pipes and more — literal characters who are wielding literal (and metaphorical) tools! We’re hopping in the wayback machine to talk about books from the 00s and early 10s, on a continuum of content from “oh this has a whole plot” to “here’s a great one-handed read.” We’ve got plumbers, blacksmiths, contractors and a sentient screwdriver…there is literally something here for everyone.If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, with or without tools (jk, they all have tools), please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins this week! We’ll be calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.BooksRoller Girl by Vanessa North The Scoundrel Falls Hard by Sophie JordanUnder Construction by Kate ColeLaying Pipe by Kiki ClarkThe Carpenter by Ramona GrayEntwined by Kristen CallihanCaulky by KM Neuhold Hard Time by Cara McKennaKate’s Crew by Jane RylonLaid by Brill HarperScrewed by CD ReissNotesThis Saturday, we’re calling Texas to get out the vote for James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at 1pm eastern time! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.Some books about unions and unionizing: Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao, and the 1984 Harlequin American Romance was The Third Time by Rebecca Flanders. Our listener Sylvia suggested two others: Don’t Forget to Smile by Katherine Gillis Seidel and Here Be Dragons by Jenny Redford. These titles are also in the photo array above!We did have an episode about renovation romance with Nikki Payne back in season 6 and one on quick and dirty reads back in season 2.Unfortunately, it seems Entwined by Kristen Callihan is no longer available for sale. Sorry, everyone!Samhain and Elora’s Cave were two early erotic romance publishers that closed and we’ve lost a lot of information about these publishers and their backlist of titles and authors.SponsorsLucy Score, author of The Dead Guy Next Door, the first in the Riley Thorn series, available in print, ebook and audiobook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.HarperCollins, publisher of A.T. Qureshi’s Rider of Dragons, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.MJ Hastings’s Firstborn, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.LJ Andrews, author of The Stolen Crown preorder now in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/21/s0903-carpenters-plumbers-and-other-metaphorical-romance-jobs If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now. 00:00 Bantr07:25 People with Tools15:47 AD: THE STOLEN CROWN17:30 Organizing Principles20:44 Roller Girl27:38 The Scoundrel Falls Hard32:05 AD: FIRST BORN33:58 Under Construction48:14 AD: RIDER OF DRAGONS49:49 The Carpenter55:43 Entwined1:01:51 AD: THE DEAD GUY NEXT DOOR1:03:58 Caulky1:12:12 Hard Time1:19:47 Kate’s Crew1:27:17 Blue Collar Bad Boys1:34:23 Screwed1:42:11 Wrapping Up

This is a fun one! We’re talking romance novels with numbers in the titles today, a wide collection of books from zero to infinity! While we came prepared to talk about four or five books each, we ended up playing a little impromptu game where we name books for every number we can. We haven’t reread most of these, but you’ll hear that there are a few peppered through here that we were prepared to talk about. We had a great time, and hope you do.If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, with or without numbers, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins this week! We’ll be calling Georgia to get out the vote for Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms! There will be games, prizes and special guests! Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.A Number of BooksBelow Zero by Ali HazelwoodZero to Sixty by Marie HarteIt Happened One Summer by Tessa BaileyOne and Only by Jenny HolidayParty of Two by Jasmine GuilloryGoldie and the [three] Bears by Hannah MurrayThree Dirty Secrets by Nikki SloanThree Way Split by Elia WintersParty of Three by C. Travis RiceFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosFive Brothers by Penelope Douglas Six by Opal CarewHoliday for Six by Kelly FinleySeven Secrets of Seduction by Anne MalloryThe Seven Rings by Nora RobertsThe Seven Year Slip by Ashley PostonSeven Days in June by Tia WilliamsChasin’ Eight by Lorelai JamesEight Nights of Flirting by Hannah ReynoldsEight Seconds to Ride by Ashley JamesThe Hell’s Eight Series by Sarah McCartyNine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLeanTen Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean Ten by Roxie Riveria Ten Hammers by Liz ArcherEleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLeanTwelve Nights by Hope TarrA Duke a Dozen by Shana GalenCowboys by the Dozen by Tina LeonardTwenty Boy Summer by Sarah OcklerFifty Shades of Gray by EL James52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody99 Percent Mine by Sally ThorneTo One Hundred by Melissa Blue The 1001 Dark Nights Series3000 Reasons to Act by Jamie P Bradley10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J.How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrilyn SparksThe Blackout Billionaire Series by Naima SimoneInfinite by Corinne Michaels Love Times Infinity by Lane Clark An Infinite Love Story by Chanel CleetonSponsorsHarpercollins, publishers of Laurie Gilmore’s Big Bad Wolf, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Orbit Books, publishers of Rachel Gillig’s The Knave and the Moon, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Little, Brown &amp; Company, publishers of Elin Hilderbrand &amp; Shelby Cunningham’s The Thoroughbreds, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Union Square &amp; Co., publishers of Morgan Elizabeth’s Meet Cute Magic, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, <a...

Nine seasons of talking about romance, and no signs of quitting! We’re starting a new season, full of much of our same old nonsense, now with more nonsense, because who needs tropes when you can talk about microtropes! Today, in honor of Season Nine, we’re talking about Cloud Nine — both the WNBA star and the feeling you get when you fall in love. We’ve got a whole lot of books featuring romance in the sky — pilots, astronauts, plane crashes, astronauts and mile-high-clubs…and all of them featuring romance that won’t quit.If you’d like to come over and talk about romances, both in the sky and on land, please join us on the Fated Mates Discord, where you’ll find a few thousand other listeners who love talking about these books we love. You also get one extra episode a month from us!Fated States, our democratic phonebanking initiative begins next week. Learn more and register to phone bank with us at fatedmates.net/fatedstates.BooksThe Vegas Top Gun Series by Katie PorterOn Broken Wings by Chanel CleetonWild Card by Elsie SilverBeyond the Limits by Katherine GarberaThe Last Man on Earth by Shae SandersPuck Me Secretly by Odette StoneCrash Landing by Annie McQuaidPregnant in the Italian's PalazzoTurbulence by Whitney G.The Skyland Series by Kennedy RyanThe Professional by Kresley ColeNotesFated States is back! We’ll be phonebanking every weekend on Saturdays starting September 19th, but the final weekend before the election, we’ll instead phonebank on Sunday Nov 1 to avoid Halloween.The way to find a book club is to read River Town by Peter Hessler and then go to your nearest local indie bookstore and let the bookclub reveal itself to you.Find out more about The Sunday Letter Project.Pilots have been hot since Top Gun, and not just because of the volleyball scene.Natasha Cloud is a baddie and she gave an irrelevant man the business for being transphobic, and Jen thinks she’s a literal hero.The Spanish Space Program, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial was created in the 1940s and was replaced by the Agencia Espacial Española in 2021. According to Wikipedia, as of 2026, there have been Four Spanish astronauts.SponsorsHarpercollins, publishers of AT Qureshi’s Rider of Dragons, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Rose Prendeville, author of The Unknown Birds, available in print, ebook or audiobook from Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, or with your monthly subscription to Kobo Plus. Use the code FATEDBIRDS at Rose’s website to get a signed print book and 30% off!Isabel Sterling, author of With All My Haunted Heart, available in print, ebook or audiobook, from Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or your local bookstore.Orbit Books, publishers of Louisa Carmody’s The Shadows that Listen, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, your local bookstore, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Blue Box Press, publishers of Ashley Eckstein &amp; Samantha Chase’s Lucky 22 and David Eckstein’s Just Enough, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/9/6/s0901-cloud-nine-romance-in-the-sky If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some...

It’s the end of Season 8 (what! how!), and we usually celebrate the end of the season with a read along of Sarah’s new book, but since there is no new book, we have no choice but to go back to the beginning of “The Casino Series,” which is what Sarah calls The Rules of Scoundrels. We’re reading A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in the series focused on the rakish owners of The Fallen Angel, Sarah’s casino. We talk Bourne, turning around big ships, writing sexy stained glass windows, and what it means to look back on the early part of a career.Next week, we’re taking a little break, and then we’ll be back with Season Nine of Fated Mates. As ever, we’re so grateful to you for listening, reading and being a part of this community. We’re nothing without you.If you’d like to spend more time talking about romance novels, join our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.NotesThe jellyfish thing is a myth, you don’t have to pee on a jellyfish sting.All about the amygdala, or Amy for short if you think of her as that messy friend who will definitely lead you astray.JB Pritzker talked about the colors of school folders, and it’s A MESS. Feel free to report back on your preferences for folder colors if you, like Sarah, are outraged.New York Times hosted a conversation with Tressie McMillam Cottom, Nadja Spiegelman, and Mary HK Choi called “Have We Turned Personality into a Diagnosis?” It’s worth the listen!Is it true that Gen Z is this puritanical (the Puriteens!), or are they just worried that everything is cringe?JK Rowling is a piece of shit.Gambling has always been bad, but it’s especially bad on your phone. Please talk to your kids about sports betting and make sure these apps are not on their phones.Crockfords moved a lot of money in the Regency.One of the big influences for Bourne &amp; Penelope was Alfred de Vigny’s poem Éloa, ou La sœur des anges about an angel who falls in love with a stranger who turns out to be Lucifer. English translations are tough to find, but here’s a website that has part of it in translation.When you think of the The Fallen Angel (the club), you might think of the famous painting by Alexandre Cabanel, but that’s from 1847!SponsorsMegan Frampton, author of Demons and Diplomacy, available at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.Madison Score, author of Wild About You, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon.Tracy MacNish, author of Of the Ashes, available in print or ebook, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.Hachette Books, publishers of Jennifer Givhan’s The Sleeping Sisters, available in print, ebook or audiobook at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or wherever you get your books.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/25/s0849-a-rogue-by-any-other-name If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

We are once again celebrating a wide swath of historical romances that are recently published and by authors we’ve not talked much about on the podcast! Saddle up, because we’re talking the Titanic, submissive heroes, heroines against the wall, bodily autonomy and even centaurs! If you’re a historical lover, you’re going to have a great time finding your next read in here, and if you’re not a historical lover, what are you waiting for? We're so excited to be your discoverabilibuddies on this one!Come talk about your favorite recent historical romances over on our Patreon! You’ll get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord. Learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.Our next read along, next week, is Sarah’s A Rogue By Any Other Name, the first in her casino series. This is one we’ve gotten a bunch of requests for, and so, it will be our final read along of the season. Get it at Amazon, Barnes &amp; Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.BooksAcross the Living Infinite by Logan Sage AdamsTo Covet a Countess by Sapna BhogCentaur and Sensibility by Quenby OlsonThe Seduction of Mr Alfred Sainsbury by Lydia LloydThe Magnificent Earl of March by Cecilia ReneYou Had Me at Heist by Christina BrittonI Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari ConnerFavors From a Gentleman by Lauren HayworthMrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley His Awful Grace by Anne KnightEarl on Fire by FeNotesListen to our Long Live Historicals, Volume I here.Fill out more about the Romance Novel Collective and fill out their survey.There was a salt water pool on Titanic. The centaur in The Lion, The Witch &amp; the Wardrobe is not a centaur or a satyr, but a faun, and his name is Mr. Tumnus. Here’s a primer on the difference between satyrs and fauns. Apologies to the Greeks, Romans, and CS Lewis fans in the crowd. The OG Centaur books Sarah mentioned are also not centaurs, they are satyrs, but they are Holy Cannoli, Batman and by Elizabeth Amber. Proceed with caution.Some SFW and NSFW images about centaurs.The RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2026/8/17/s0848-the-new-historicals-volume-iii If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates. Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough. If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.