Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People Podcast Por Fated Mates arte de portada

Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

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The most listened to romance novel podcast, Fated Mates is co-hosted by bestselling author Sarah MacLean and romance critic Jen Prokop. Weekly episodes include romance novel read-alongs and lively discussions of the work of the genre, highlighting the romance novel as a powerful tool in fighting the patriarchy…with absolutely no kink shaming.Copyright 2025 Fated Mates Arte Ciencias Sociales Historia y Crítica Literaria
Episodios
  • 07.49: Season Seven Ends Not With a Bang, but With a Kombucha Girl

    07.49: Season Seven Ends Not With a Bang, but With a Kombucha Girl
    Aug 27 2025

    We’re wrapping up season seven by asking ourselves a simple question. Do we like this stuff? Yes? No? Maybe so?

    We’ll be back in two weeks for the start of Season Eight of the podcast. Honestly, we remain amazed that y’all are with us on this journey. In a world full of madness, you bring us calm, joy and purpose, and we couldn’t be more grateful for you. Thank you so much for listening.

    While you’re waiting for Season Eight, you’re welcome to join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

    Notes
    • The Komboucha Girl was sick of seeing her face back in 2019, and yet here we are.
    • Hozier in concert was great, even if his parents were not stars on the NBC soap, Days of Our Lives. That was John and Marlena. The visuals on Eat Your Young and Nina Cried Power were especially moving and inspiring. Someone made a playlist of the Nina Cried power songs, and now is a great time to listen to protest music.
    • The impact 50 Shades had on the sales of ties (and other things) was real.
    • An article from MEL about the wet problem, not just in romance, I guess. (that’s a NSFW link based on the headline and content, okay.) Butts tie these two clips together: Miranda on SATC on “are we doing this now?” and Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle thinking “some lady is going to want to do it her.” But overall, spit is important.
    • Fucking her ass, saving her life is a quote from a Shayla Black book and this amazing review from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Truly a Romancelandia classic.
    • EM Forester described flat and round characters in Aspects of the Novel (1927).
    • “The second shift” is a phrase used by author Arlie Russell Hochschild to describe the housework and childrearing responsibilities faced by women after coming home from their day jobs.
    • Commuting is really
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    1 h y 15 m
  • S07.48: Con Artists & Criminals With Joanna Shupe

    S07.48: Con Artists & Criminals With Joanna Shupe
    Aug 20 2025
    Joanna Shupe joins us this week to celebrate her new book, The Gilded Heiress, and talk about one of our favorite things—baddies with a heart of gold! We talk about the book, about our mutual love of criminals, of noble scoundrels, of con artists and basically anyone willing to do crime in the name of love. We also talk about how everything Gilded Age is back again, which…ugh. We love Joanna and her book – come see us with her in Chicago on August 28th and in Brooklyn on September 9th.You can get The Gilded Heiress right now in print, ebook or audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. NotesWelcome Joanna Shupe, who writes mafia romance as Mila Finelli. Next week, her historical The Gilded Heiress comes out next week. Earlier this summer, she released her latest in the New York State of Mafia series, Empire of Seduction. You can see her on book tour starting the week of August 26th, including with Jen in Chicago on August 28th. Pinkertons & Bow Street Runners were early cops and private investigators. Check out Joanna’s TikTok, which explores how the history of the Gilded Age is very relevant again: Tariffs are pretty bad, actually; the attempt to build an all white town in Arkansas, inspired by Apartheid South Africa, you can learn about
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    1 h y 29 m
  • S07.47: Bodyguards

    S07.47: Bodyguards
    Aug 13 2025
    It’s Bodyguard Romance week, which feels impossible, honestly, considering we’ve definitely done this before, haven’t we? According to Eric and also the internet, we haven’t, which means we get to talk for the first time in seven seasons about why Bodyguards work so well for so many romance readers, including us! We talk about the basics – the innate joy of having an Exasperated Man™️ willing to put himself in front of a bullet for you, the absolute delight of the books that turn the whole thing on its head and make the protector the protected, and yes, Whitney Houston. Also, Jen makes a brilliant observation on surveillance culture and how it’s impacting romance. We’re keeping you safe from the baddies this week. If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. NotesIn a recent interview Kevin Costner talked about his feelings about Whitney Houston. Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston’s versions of I Will Always Love You, Whitney’s isolated vocals on How Will I Know, and Whitney sang the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl in 1991 and the New Yorker article about it. Caroline has created a bodyguard collection featuring books across subgenres. The Big Easy is a movie with Dennis Quaid (he’s crazy now) and Ellen Barkin where he is a cop who uncovers corruption on the force. Everyone, it looks like this thing about not needing a PI license in the state of Wyoming is legit, go forth and spread the news. BooksPrincess by Galen FoleyHans by SJ TillyWyoming Bodyguard by Danielle HaasThe Wilde Ways Series by Cynthia EdenTough...
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    1 h y 30 m
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Tldr: Do you delight in female friendship and banter? Do you despise the patriarchy but love sexy, well-written books? Put these two ladies in your ear holes this instant.
Romance recommendations meets intersectional feminism. Turns out I'm trash for this.

I don't know where I would be without Fated Mates.
I started listening in fall 2018 when Kresley Cole wrote about it in her newsletter before going AWOL. I was elated. Here were these books, which I'd read for years, and there was no one IRL I could talk to about them! Enter two, highly intelligent, articulate fan girls who were dissecting each book? Yes. Please.
The first season was an excellent ushering into the world of romance. In fall 2018 I moved from Missouri to Utah. It was a tough move and the cultural differences are intense. These two bantered and talked about my all-time favorite books and for an hour every week, I started to feel a little less alone.
At first, I came just for Kresley. When I ran out of Kresley episodes (it happened fast as this was still 2018), I became curious about the interstitials. I'd never read much romance outside of SJ Maas, Kresley Cole, and JR Ward, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I'm so glad I took that plunge. I love Sarah's books, and I have yet to read a bad recommendation from both Jen and Sarah. I even loved all the contemporaries I've read!
The second and third seasons have been a deep dive into romance as a genre and all the ways it intersects with race and gender and sexuality and history. I've learned so much I feel like I've taken a course on gender studies. Jen and Sarah have helped me develop a deeper understanding of patriarchy. It didn't make me "woke," but my eyes are certainly wider today than they were 3 years ago. My reading is certainly more diverse. I understand historicals in a way I never did before.
Currently settling in for the night with my latest recommendation. Love these ladies and my wonderful new life in the romance community.

Your new book bffs

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I love the series Immortals After Dark and listening to you ladies chat about it is so much fun! It feels like the ultimate girls night I've always dreamed of! if you ever need a fan on your show then I'm your girl! I could talk IAD anytime! Thanks for all that you do!

So Much Fun!

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This was my introduction to this podcast and I sincerely look forward to listening to more. really well done.

Fabulous Interview

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I love this podcast. Sure it's a Romance Novel podcast but it's also history, politics, and a dozen other subjects. I love the differing perspectives and how much I learn when I listen. It's one of my happy places.

The BEST!

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I have been listening to Fated Mates since season 1. Romance lovers discussing books and themes in all their steamy glory.

Talk romance with these 2 characters

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Thank you for the smart conversation about a topic i love. Sarah and Jen are hilarious, intelligent and so knowledgeable about the different genres. I found my tribe.

My TBR pile keeps growing

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