fatedmates
A romance podcast and recommendation machine from novelist Sarah MacLean and critic/editor Jen Prokop. Lots more @ fatedmates.net.
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Long Live Historicals!
Historicals are dead! Long live historicals! In season 7, episode 23, we talk about fourteen (and change) historical romances that we've never talked about before -- all published recently, some already this year (2025). Every book we talk about is available right now for download and reading pleasure--and we have a stack of them ready to talk about in future episodes! We're so excited to be your discoverabilibuddies on this one!
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Heated Rivalry Read-Alikes
You’ve heated and reheated the rivalry, and now it’s time for us to talk about what you should read between now and Season 2. This isn't just about reading more hockey romance! W'ere filling your TBR pile with books that deliver the same kind of emotions.
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fatedmates created a list
Heated Rivalry Read-Alikes
You’ve heated and reheated the rivalry, and now it’s time for us to talk about what you should read between now and Season 2. This isn't just about reading more hockey romance! W'ere filling your TBR pile with books that deliver the same kind of emotions.
3
fatedmates commented on a List
What to Read if You Liked the Love Hypothesis
This book is full of tropes romance loves, and we take them topic by topic, recommending read alikes for everything from grumpy/sunshine, to academic romance, to STEM heroines, to that spicy sex scene that was a delightfully unexpected surprise!
🦸♂️Pining Main Characters (8 titles, MANAGED through WAKING UP WITH THE DUKE).
🧑🏫Professors (4 titles, PLAYING WITH TROUBE through THE UNREQUITED).
👩🔬Stem Heroines (8 titles, THE KISS QUOTIENT through MY FAKE RAKE).
🗣️Great Banter (4 titles, THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME through PLAYING FOR KEEPS).
🔬Microtropes (4 titles, THE POOL BOY through THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME).
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Best Romances 2019-2025
Every year we pick 10 books that we think rise above the rest. These are the 70 we've picked since 2019.
Updated to include our Best of 2025 picks.
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A Dozen Roses for Valentine's Day
This weekend, the world is celebrating the second most important romance holiday in February (see last week’s episode for the most important)—Valentine’s Day! To lean into the traditions of the day, we thought we’d offer you a dozen roses this week, in the form of books! We’re taking the topic broadly—from character names, to author names, to rose scented things, to roses on the page — historical, contemporary, mafia and more…there’s something in here for everyone. 🌹
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Casinos, Gaming Hells, and Clubs in Romance
Why do we love a casino so much? Why are we so into ladies being wagered by the idiot men in their lives? What makes these places that are so not sexy in real life so incredibly hot in a) James Bond movies, b) heist movies, and c) historical romances? We’re getting to the bottom of it.
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This was a Best of 2022 pick. Farrah Rochon is great!
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Fast, Incendiary Burns
We’re talking books that start with a bang — and we mean literally. It's hard to thread the needle on romance that starts with sex, but there are tropes that lend themselves to this particular theme. Enjoy!
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fatedmates created a list
Fast, Incendiary Burns
We’re talking books that start with a bang — and we mean literally. It's hard to thread the needle on romance that starts with sex, but there are tropes that lend themselves to this particular theme. Enjoy!
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He's *NOT* A Billionaire
A collection of books about heroes who aren't obscenely wealthy.
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fatedmates wrote a review...
One of the best romances of 2024. The whole series is great.
0fatedmates created a list
Everything We Know About Horses Comes From Romance
We're talking the ones where they do it on a horse, the ones where she's a horse whisperer, the ones where the horse dies, and the ones where she just really likes horses. Giddyup!!
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fatedmates wrote a review...
One of our Best of 2024 picks.
0Post from the Dreaming of You (The Gamblers of Craven's, #2) forum
fatedmates commented on a List
These Books Bang!
Sixty-nine (that’s right, 69, by pure unplanned luck!) recommendations for you — everything from bonkers to bloody to blazing hot…naughty bits that we believe deliver the whole banana (and sometimes no banana at all, if you know what we mean). If you're looking for something specific (or trying to avoid it), you can find this list with subcategories on our site.
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Romance Short Stories
Not novellas, not short novels, but actual short stories under 15,000 words (or about 50 pages). This is such a difficult goal for a writer to hit, as romance lends itself to longer formats, but short fiction is a really great way to keep reading when things feel chaotic.
(Please note that some of these titles are collections that many not be made up entirely of romances.)
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fatedmates created a list
Romance Short Stories
Not novellas, not short novels, but actual short stories under 15,000 words (or about 50 pages). This is such a difficult goal for a writer to hit, as romance lends itself to longer formats, but short fiction is a really great way to keep reading when things feel chaotic.
(Please note that some of these titles are collections that many not be made up entirely of romances.)
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