This episode, Wendy and Ilana give our best and worst recommendations for the romance novels we have read on this podcast. Also we read a book with some of Ilana’s favorite things: descriptions of food, puns, and nerdery.

Wendy and Ilana read 19th Century nerd love in This Rake of Mine by Eva Leigh. But first, we review the latest adaptation of Emma, and give book reports. Ilana also uncovers the Great Purple Skittles Conspiracy.

Wendy and Ilana dive into (get it?) Mermaid Romance with The Selkie Bride by Melanie Jackson. Bonus subgenres: Highlander and Secret Prince! We discuss the high and low points of when an American human woman and a sexy Selkie Scottish Laird traverse the treacherous tides of love, inter-species pregnancy, and bad guys being bad. Included: dramatic reading of a particularly horrendous sex scene.

Ilana and Wendy turn up the heat with Deep Burn by Kimberly Kincaid, a firefighter themed romance novel. Ilana bemoans the lack of feelings talks, and Wendy turns in her book report for Stolen By an Alien.

Things get weird when Ilana and Wendy read a novella from the Stolen By An Alien series by Amanda Milo. Our hero has horns, scales, and breathes fire...but he saves the heroine thousands in child care, so who cares!

Ilana and Wendy dip into Tattoo Parlor Romance with a torso on the cover, because that always goes well. Spoiler alert: it's not good. Weirdly heteronormative for the genre. But that's not the worst part of the novel...

Ilana and Wendy talk about the Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang, an interesting novel about an autistic heroine, written by an autistic woman. Also the hottest Disney character is…let’s say it together…Robin Hood.

By Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This month's theme is Gay Hockey! Ilana, Wendy, and special guest Katharine talk The Sportz and a love affair between two hot dudes that love hockey.

by E.L. James. The debate gets heated as Wendy and Ilana share their opposing views on James's latest non-50-shades novel. We agree that it's not great, but are the wrong steps allowable within the realm of romance? Also mentioned: the Can You Not? trope, and how all romance novelists secretly want to renovate their bathrooms.