When In Romance

The Case of Jess’s Tabs

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

Coming Together Bits

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

The Bonkers Vibes

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

My Most Gandalfy Friend

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

The Best Romance Novels of the Century So Far

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