We're joined this week by special guest and REAL gay person, Hank!

Are there meaningful differences between MM books written by real gay men vs women/AFAB folks? Why do gay men like outside sex so much? How does body positivity differ in the gay male community?

Trigger/Content warnings: cursing, sexual content, homophobia, lack of realism around safety, explicit language, consensual sexual degradation, bondage and domination.

Who might feel repped? Gays (men), fats, sluts, (the tri fecta)

Tropes: GAY, vow of celibacy, body positivity, career vs personal fulfillment, strangers to lovers, the lure of the wilderness, deception from omission

Master Kim’s Corner:

• Why aren’t more gay male bestsellers written by gay men? (And does it matter?) - Taylor Henderson

Popular gay slang inspired by the animal kingdom explained - Pride Editor

*SARAH WOULD NOT BE A PIG!!!!*

Should Cis Women be writing MM romance? Does our digital footprint even mean anything anymore? What's the relationship between sex work as WORK and people who do it for the love of it (or...for the fans)?

Trigger/Content Warnings: mention of childhood sexual assault (not detailed on page), mention of sensitive religious topics, detailed trauma recovery & healing, mention of death & grief, death of a parent (off-page), homophobia (mild), filming of sexual acts for money (online sex work), negligent parents, divorce (mentioned), sexual explicit content

Tropes: enemies to lovers, hate to love, grumpy x sunshine, stepbrothers, forbidden romance, secret romance, sports romance

Who might feel repped? College kids in the closet, football players, blended families, sex workers, step brothers

Master Kim’s Corner:

• Why is step-incest so sexy right now? We asked actual step siblings to find out? - Abby Amoakuh (Screenshot)

  • The Disturbing Underbelly of the ‘step’ porn trend - Anna Iovine (Mashable)

We're joined by the one and only Producer Livia this week to discuss the book behind the latest season of Bridgerton!

What are the differences between and book and the show, and why? Does Benedict care about Sophie at all? How does the show continue to challenge the white utopia that the book series created?

Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, emotional abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, death of parent (off-page), attempted rape, fatphobia, pregnancy, classism, bullying, abandonment, slavery, grief, sexual explicit content

Tropes: cinderella retelling, upstairs/downstairs, forbidden romance, secret identity, insta-love, love at first sight?
Who might feel repped? Orphans, rich whites, poor people, the working class, children born out of wedlockMaster Kim's Corner:

Empty this week :(

What is it about this story that women love so much? Why is it so special to see secondary female characters portrayed so well? Does part of the allure of MM romance come from the closeted aspect?

Trigger/Content warnings: homophobia (on-page), death of a parent, mentions of off-page suicide, dementia, injury (on-page), alcohol consumption, grief, strained familial relationships, sexually explicit content

Tropes: sports romance, contemporary, enemies (rivals) to lovers (ig), hockey romance, angst, closeted, secret relationship
Who might feel repped? Immigrants, people afraid to come out of the closet, gay men, professional athletes, closeted professional athletes, neurodivergent people

Master Kim’s Corner:

• Are Men “So Back?”: Notes on Masculinity’s Return to Gay TV - Ira Madison III

• Women are Feral for Heated Rivalry. What does that say about men? - Julia Carrie Wong

What’s all the fuss about arranged marriages, anyway? And why are people so obsessed with getting married overall? How can we honor our deceased loved ones while also honoring ourselves?

Trigger/Content Warnings: strained familial ties, death of a parent (off-page), mentions of dead family members, discussion of arranged marriage, grief, misogyny, mentions of medical racism

Tropes: Shakespeare Retelling (Taming of the Shrew), fake dating, enemies to lovers, romcom, contemporary romance, 3rd person

Who might feel repped? Hopeless romantics, love deniers, children of immigrants, Indian Americans, Punjabi Americans, eldest daughters, people with dead moms

Master Kim’s Corner:
Sick of swiping, some South Asian Americans consider arranged marriage - Sakshi Venkatraman

What's the difference between angst and yearning? Why are vampires so frequently the good guys (but bad boys)? What’re the implications of posing white people as indigenous in the USA?

Trigger/Content Warnings:

• Death of several people within the context of a war between different species (vampires, werewolves, and humans) is mentioned

• Frequent mentions of blood

• Abductions

• Descriptions of suicide

• Threats of assault, including sexual, and of violence

• Poisoning and attempted murder

• Attempted kidnapping/harming of a child (she is unharmed)

• Death of parents

• Explicit and graphic sexual content

• Knotting

• Cursing and vulgar language

• Cults/brainwashing

• Mating cycles

• Child neglect (in the past)

• Discussions of terminal illness

• Drugs

• Discussions of infertility

• Tropes: paranormal romance, fated mates, shifter romance, orphan, Help her through her heat, slow burn, touch and her die

  
  

  Master Kim's corner:

  AVAB - all vampires are bad

  
  

Why don't we see more diversity in body shapes/sizes from male main characters? Do you picks books based on "hot" sports, or sports YOU played? Sex work is work!

Trigger/Content Warnings: Cuckholding, threesomes, degradation, physical assault to a stranger, light stalking, unaliving of a parent (off page), injury (off-page), body shaming

Who might feel repped? Ruggers, polyamorous people, rich people, strained familial relationships, bisexuals, demisexuals, professional athletes

Tropes: friends to lovers, sports romance, why choose, workplace romance, blast from the past

Master Kim's Corner:

https://www.instagram.com/ilonamaher/ - Ilona Maher

Why isn't abortion discussed more in a sex positive genre like romance? How do we view strong women in relation to their need for softness? What is the actual definition of being "dickmatized?"

Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, misogyny, prejudice, classism, medical injury (on-page), death of a parent (off-page), violence (on-page), medical procedure (on-page & off-page), abortion, sexual explicit content, aftercare

Tropes: dislike to friends with benefits to lovers, rake, he falls first, touch her and die

Master Kim's Corner:

• How Factors like 1800’s Gender Expectations, Misconceptions, and Moral Traditions Shaped US Women’s Reproductive Medical Care - Rainey Horwitz

• IG Post via @laadriana_herrera | created by @unsuccessfulbookclub & @the_naptime_reader : https://www.instagram.com/p/DIT1DmPRirY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

• • Roundup of important figures, laws, and historical moments mentioned in the book

• Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe - Guttmacher Institute (leading research and policy org committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide)

• • OH - Issue 1 in Nov 2023 - codified repro rights

  • • Overturned the heartbeat bill in court - Oct 2024

    • Brittany Watts has filed a federal lawsuit after being charged with abuse of a corpse in September 2023 after suffering a miscarriage in her home - Ohio Capital Journal | Susan Tebben

• Abortion Forward, Preterm, Faith Choice, New Voices

• What is Mutual Aid, And How Can It Transform Our World? - Victoria Méndez

• Fated Mates S07.22 - Adriana Herrera on the Power of Historical Romance: When We’re Up Against a Corner, Baby, Let’s Fight

• Submit a Book for the Abortion + Reproductive Rights/Justice Romance Novel Repository