Romance Unzipped

We enjoyed a cozy read this week, living vicariously through Nicole as Ian doted on her every move in Sophie Andrew's Right Next Door, a low angst literary hug that delivered on simps and cinnamon rolls. For those playing romance bingo, this book has a hunky tattoo shop owner, a quirky independent book store, and a cat. What more could we ask for?

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writing our first romance. We mention o...

Swoony duke meets b*dass doctora in Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, a smart + sexy M/F historical romance by Adriana Herrera. There are back alley escapes and sexual trysts and nary a corset bone in sight. Set in Paris, 1889, the scalpel-sharp defenses of penniless Mexican-born heiress, Dr. Aurora Montalban, get steamrolled down by the newly aristocratic Colombian-born Duke of Annan, Apollo César Sinclair Robles. The two resist love ...

STEM meets BDSM in Deep End, an M/F college athlete contemporary romance, by Ali Hazelwood. Damnnnnn y’all. It's even better than you thought. Unprecedented spice, complex characters, grade A+ writing, and an actual Swedish swimming caretaker god who loves up Scarlett hella hard. It’s not often we claim a book boyfriend, but when we do, it’s Lukas Blomqvist. Treat your brain and read this book. Oh, and watch our episode about i...

After the (literal) cliffhanger of last week, we're reviewing Sins of Silas, the second book in Kylie Snow's Otacian Chronicles . Everyone loves Lena, but her heart will always belong to Silas. As the gang goes on their epic journey to build allies and defeat King Ulric, the romantasy gets darker and more magicy. This week we are joined for the entire episode by a softly snoring Sofie!

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writing our ...

Dive into the world of Otacia with us, in Kylie Snow's dark romantasy Lies of Lena. We can't help but root for Lena and Silas, even though they both hurt each other deeply. This book kicks things off in the Otacian Chronicles and we discuss what makes it such a polarizing pick on BookTok. The world-building and pacing are first class, which makes this book imminently readable.

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writi...

Secretly shy, 6’7”, serious n’ sexy rancher Jesse Pleasant has his stoic walls shredded when Lily-Grace Leroux returns to Charming in a blaze of emotion. This M/F romances is a small town, slow burn with spice, enemies-to-lovers, 37-year-old inexperienced man hunk trading swim instruction for sex lessons with The Only Girl He’s Ever Wanted. Shenanigans ensue. Emotional needs are met. Ex-boyfriends are served. And Jesse finally gets...

Lola loves Alphas, but so far, they don't love her. In Lola & The Millionaires, by Kathryn Moon, this lovely Beta has lost all confidence, and her beauty career is down the drain. Her road to love recovery is sweet and sexy and full of fabulous fashion. A chance meeting with Leo, the packs' bossy babe Beta, and a blooming relationship with Rake, the male model Omega dream, have Lola (and us) daring to hope for more. This is a s...

Sexy mascots, minor league baseball life, and sweet slow burn romance in KT Hoffman's The Prospects, an M/M baseball sports romance. Luis, a cisgender man, and Gene, our endearing narrator and a trans man, are rivals to lovers who overcome internal fears and professional funks to embrace true love. All the while, their team—the Beaverton Beavers— fights for wins and their Portland Major League dreams are almost in sight. Join u...

Ethical vampire seeks hot blood mate 🩸Contemporary M/F vampire romance slow burn with Amos, a 150-year old vamp with a powerful thirst, and Tessa, an ER nurse in need of income who signed up for a blood donation service. Amos—who hasn't had human blood in 100 years—battles the feral nature fighting to break free when he discovers Tessa, his curvy bombshell blood donor is real reactive to vampire venom. Reader, orgasms ensue.

J...

Ready for Romeo—a disillusioned a-hole with a broken inner child? Neither is Dallas—the pretend ditz being pawned into marrying him. There's high-stakes revenge, light kidnapping, semi-consensual nuptials, and more daddy issues than you can shake a Lambo at in My Dark Romeo, by LJ Shen & Parker S. Huntington.

Come for the enemies to lovers banter and stay for the hard-won romance between these two hard-headed soulmates.

M/F ...

Rafa Romero—The Gentleman Mafioso—always gets what he wants. And after nearly hitting the innocent, far-from-home Guinevere—when she darts from dark fields on a starry Italian night, this hardhearted criminal decides he wants her. That's right friends, your mafia trope has arrived!

My Dark Fairytale, by Giana Darling, (one of Annie's fave authors) is a M/F Mafia romance and Giana's first in the mafia sub-genre—although ...

We covered a blockbuster! Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry is a M/F Contemporary Romance featuring, you guessed it, two writers! The divine Emily Henry loves to write some writers and her latest, GBBL, delivers on just that. It's a bold merge of romance and a sweeping multi-generational family drama. If you love Emily's broody hunks and competent ladies, plus quirky characters and artist angst, this book will not dis...

A tender-hearted and tattooed ex-con, a gang playing for keeps, a vibrant East LA neighborhood, and the woman who has Sal's heart. Join us on our journey through Thirsty, by Mia Hopkins. With top-notch writing, complex characters, and a triumphant storyline that made us work for that HEA, we fell in love. Thirsty is an M/F Contemporary Romance. Come along and read with us.

We're Annie + Hollie and we're bookclubbing...

Craving the hot impact of a legit Enemies-to-Lovers M/M Hockey Romance? Friend, look no further. We've never read such a delicious clash of two alpha athletes or such a full-on ride from enemies to lovers. We LOVED Poetry on Ice by Jesse H. Reign. It's dirty, it's darling, the dialogue is so darn clever. Come swoon with us as Robbie charm bulldozes his love all over Ant's life.

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writing our first r...

A mistress, a samurai billionaire, and criss-cross blackmail. Today we talk the high-stakes, wild world of His Revenge Baby, and author Theodora Taylor's titular plot twist. Get ready for unexpected escorting, serious genre jumps, and brutal corporate powerplays. Book 2 in The Ruthless Bosses series. Buckle up, revenge baby, let's ride as we review this action-heavy M/F Contemporary Billionaire / Blackmail / Revenge Romance...

Would you milk for money? A mystery job at a medical milking farm seems innocent. But Violet can't keep her hand job professional with Roarke, the manly minotaur. Morning Glory Milking Farm, by CM Nascosta, is straight up monster-bait, but is also the sweetest, coziest, little love story you'll read this year. The book is explicit, as is this episode. So, only appropriate listeners this time, please. If you're new to mi...

This week we're discussing Beard Science by Penny Reid. Who can resist Cletus, with his thick beard, cunning wit, and wacky scheming? Jen Sylvester, the town's Banana Cake Queen, sure can't. This quirky M/F Slow Burn Small Town Romance had a side of intrigue. The steam hits late, but it's worth the wait.

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writing our first romance. We mention our writing process, but...

Broody billionaire, anyone? We talk Failure to Match, by Kyra Parsi, a matchmaker, M/F Enemies-to-Lovers, Contemporary Romance. Expect dirty talk, a derpy cat, and melting the iceberg heart of Toronto's sexiest cynic.

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We're Annie + Hollie and we're co-writing our first romance. We mention our writing process, but mostly each episode is a love letter to the world's greatest genre, its authors, and the sheer joy of re...

Bookclubbing, baby! Today's a rollicking romantasy titled That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf, by Kimberly Lemming. We talk tentacles, shifters, and the sexiness of consent while exploring Kimberly's story structure and style. We love reading romance and we know you do, too. Join our book review of this playfully sexy M/F Shifter Werewolf Romance and all the good times on tap you need.

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We're A...