Shows
Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesTime SucksOn this whoa!nus listen along as Morgan and Isabeau engage with Time magazine's 50 Best Romance Novels to Read right now (August 2024). You can hear in real time (haha) as Isabeau is faced with the dubious metrics of 'acclaim and social impact'. What books did the list get right? What books did they miss? We cover it all and share our opinions on what Romancelandia really needs. As always come to your own conclusions--just maybe don't make it a listicle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-05-2447 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEmily Henry is a romance novelist. [Whoa!nus]Over one frenzied month Morgan read all five of Emily Henry's original adult romance novels. Along the way, she lost herself. She turns to Isabeau to help her trace her way back, though the work and the public and personal reception.What differentiates a romance novel from everything else? And what can we learn from a breakthrough star?Assumptions are challenged. Late capital is contoured. The word "prophylactic" is uttered.Featuring special guest appearance by a piece of loose leaf notebook paper with a completely normal matrix of EH novels!This one is quite different from our usual stuff, but...
2025-05-1757 minWhoa!mance: Romance and Ourselves189. Resurrection Boyfriend: Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match By Sally ThorneIt's an Easter Miracle! Christos Anesti--or in this case handsome dead stranger is risen, in more ways than one! Sacrilegious dick jokes aside--this one has it all! Earnestly weird heroine with a mean brother and rambling estate. Hot stranger who doesn't get why the smart and pretty rich lady is in to him, and you know a monster roaming the woods. This Frankenstein retool by Sally Thorne of The Hating Game fame cooks up a hot mystery on a resurrection slab, and revives Isabeau and Morgan from their reading slump. But the religious undertones don't stop with this come back...
2025-04-181h 12Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesThis Charming Land - "In Charm's Way" by Lana HarperQuick Q - How whimsical are the jars you store your herbs in? Doesn't matter. Either way, Isabeau and Morgan are chatting IN CHARMS WAY by LANA HARPER. In the halcyon days of a Great Lakes region summer, Delilah's magically-caused memory loss (read: desperate circumstances) call for turning to blood magic and the help of sexy, gladiator-sandal-sporting, half-fae mercenary Catriona (read: desperate measures). But are their magical adventures mere illusion? Only two ways to find out! Reading the book or listening to this podcast. What can mend a righteous anger? How can romantasy ground a reader for maximum, magical effect...
2024-02-291h 32Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesPublic Access Read-a-Long: PRIDE and PREJUDICE by JANE AUSTEN - Chpt. 15In which the gals bring their weird cousing, Mr. Collins, along on a walk to Meryton and we the readers end up feeling bad for Mr. Collins. And Isabeau and Morgan ponder - What did Denny know? What is Denny's culpability?
2022-12-0118 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesPublic Access Read-A-Long: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - Chapter 13In which Mr. Bennet reads a letter from the relative who may turn out all the Bennet ladies on their ear and Isabeau gives Morgan a rather disappointing update on British politics.
2022-11-0319 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesPublic Access Read-a-Long: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Chapter 9In which Isabeau and Morgan maybe overidentifiy with the ridiculous Mrs. Bennet and the villainous Caroline Bingley.
2022-09-0820 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesPride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - Chapter 4: Public Access Read-A-LongElizabeth and her best sister, Jane, reflect on that ball we just talked about. And it got Isabeau and Morgan thinking - is Bingley even that cool?
2022-07-2116 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 128: Sympathy for the Devil Pt. 1 - "The Flesh and the Devil" by Teresa DenysIsabeau and Morgan return to an almost forgotten realm in Whoa!mance, but one that still remains familiar - THE BODICE RIPPER. And not bodice ripper as in "their boobs are so big it is ripping the bodice". But somehow, the experience of reading Denys is very, very different. And the reasons why feel as elusive as a copy of the book itself.Can a long book still have brevity? Is "bodice ripping" something that you can condition yourself through or is it just a result or contextual relativism? Is this thing worth 800 U.S. dollars?Trigger warnings...
2022-02-0346 min
Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 114: A Tyranny Of Endearment - Fix Her Up by Tessa BaileyBaby batter up!This week on Whoa!mance Isabeau and Morgan chew gum in the dugout of "Fix Her Up" by Tessa Bailey.Former baseball superstar Travis returns to his charming home village sore from more than a career-ending shoulder injury. When a new opportunity comes knocking, he teams up with his friend's kid sister for a mutually beneficial (aren't they always?) fake relationship. Thankfully, her "baby" status in her family isn't an impediment to his affections. Why don't more characters in fiction just, you know, meet? Are we all slowly boiling in the waters of incest-adjacency...
2021-07-2849 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 108: Problematizing Romance w/Shelf LoveBack at it again with the Shelf Love co-release! Isabeau and Morgan had a great time chatting with Andrea Martucci about what it means to problematize and what it means to fetishize. Especially when it comes to (what else?) Romance! Psyched to share this eppy of Shelf Love in our feed. Don’t forget your copy of Das Kapital—or the whips and giant cartoon fox head for that matter. This conversation is a hot commodity.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Network
2021-06-091h 28Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!Nus: The Category Is.....Answer: Announcing an exploration into the oft overlooked but undeniably pervasive works known as Category Romance.Answer, but in the form of a question: What is the topic of this week's Whoa!nus?Yr girls Isabeau & Morgan are excited to share their big summer plans: CATEGORY IS. Each week a new Category Romance (from Isabeau’s own random box of romance) published in a different post-war-pre-low-rise-jeans decade.Monthly Doubles on the board, category is: Category Is.This week’s episode of Whoa!mance is brought to you by An Earl, The Girl and a To...
2021-05-2612 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 104: Dear Diary - Deception by Amanda QuickWe all lie. We soften hard truths and blur certain edges. Even those goody goodys who avoid harsh words and cracks in the sidewalk still let an ol’ fibber loose now and again. But what about a masquerade? Or a false portrayal - deployed perhaps to keep a low profile? This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau explore the pitfalls of well-meaning subterfuge in Amanda Quick’s 1993 historical, Deception. When the brilliant and scattered Olympia Wingfield agrees to translate an old diary for Jared Ryder, a handsome and extremely competent pirate, our heroine never predicted this swashbuckler would also offe...
2021-03-241h 15Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 103: Mr. Fix-It - Spoiler Alert by Olivia DadeGame of Thrones may have faded behind the penumbra of popular culture, but there will always be ardent believers keeping the fires burning. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau lurk on fanfiction message boards with one such crowd in Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. When Marcus Caster-Rupp, heartthrob TV star of a GOT-esque show, asks regular person and superfan April Whittier out after her plus-size cosplay goes viral, the whole fandom erupts in excitement. But as Marcus and April break greater swaths of ice, Marcus realizes this is far from their first meeting: in the fan-fiction universe, they’re...
2021-03-101h 07Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 102: Lunch In The Park - 3 Years of Whoa!Well Whoa!mantics, we made it one more time around. We asked, and you graciously sent us your favorite titles and titillations. And in exchange for the DMs, we stitched them up into something nice we can all sprawl out and get crumbs on. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau reflect on their arc of years behind the mic, wax poetic with the luxury of hindsight, and share which books still smoke and linger. A special thanks to all those who sent in recordings, and to all y’all for the continued support. It’s been a real cool...
2021-02-2436 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 101: Like A Rolling Stone - Love’s Serenade (Decades #3) by Sheryl ListerStudies show that staying put is the number one cause of FOMO among freewheelers and ramblers. But the long term health benefits of deep roots and steady love are often, criminally, underreported. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau clear their spit valves to hit the high notes with a selection from Decades: A Journey of African American Romance, in Sheryl Lister’s Love’s Serenade. Set primarily in Harlem in the 1920’s, Leigh Jones, our heroine, escapes the American South and an arranged marriage after being spurred by Miles Cooper, our reluctant hero and aspiring jazz great, to pursue...
2021-02-1252 min
Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesJane Eyre Read Along - Interview with Rose LernerDid you miss us? To celebrate the return of Whoa!mance’s Jane Eyre Public Access Read Along, Morgan and Isabeau are joined by author Rose Lerner to discuss the first 15 chapters of Jane Eyre, the life and work of Charlotte Bronte, and Rose's new book, The Wife in the Attic, available February 9th from Audible. Tune in for a spirited conversation of all things Jane, and be warned y’all: spoilers abound.Check out Rose’s work at www.roselerner.comTwitter: @RoseLernerIG: rose.lernerWhoa!mance is a part of the Frolic...
2021-02-071h 25Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 100: Triple Digits - A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa DareONE. HUNDRED. EPISODES. Can you believe it Whoa!mantics? When we started out we had two shitty microphones and a Mac desktop cobbled together from two different Mac desktops. Now, three years and 100 episodes later, we have slightly better shitty microphones, and that same computer is still chugging along like goddamn Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But more importantly y’all, we couldn’t have done it without you and your continued support. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau are joined by producer Nick to reflect on the book that started it all, A Week To Be Wick...
2021-01-271h 31Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: 3 Years of Whoa!Believe it or not y’all, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau have been behind the mic for 3 whole years. But now we want to hear from you! We are asking you, dear listeners, to send us brief recordings of yourselves that we will weave into a patchwork quilt of Whoa!s to keep us all wrapped and warm in this ever-encroaching winter of our collective discontent. What romance novel continues to hit that special spot only a true Whoa! can titillate? What’s your favorite Whoa!? Your most problematic Whoa!? A criminally underrated Whoa!? A Whoa! that doesn’t get...
2021-01-1303 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 99: Fuck The Police - A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda CollinsIt’s a New Year Whoa!mantics, but early forecasts are projecting the same holocaust of emotions. This week, Morgan and Isabeau cut through the red tape in A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins. When our heroine Lady Katherine Bascomb hastily publishes overlooked evidence to a recent murder case in her newspaper, Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham becomes seriously butthurt. But when Katherine finds herself at a house party turned crime scene, Katherine and Andrew must put aside their differences before the killer strikes again. What happens when Romance tries on the tropes of True Crime? Why...
2021-01-061h 11Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 98: Xmas Dickey - A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia GrantWe know the solstice is the real holiday y’all are out here getting wild for, but like any bird of prey, the Christmas-Industrial-Complex must be fed. This week, Morgan and Isabeau take aim at propriety with Cecilia Grant’s Blackshear Family novella, A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong. When the uptight and proper Andrew Blackshear ventured to buy a falcon for his sister’s impending marriage, the last thing he expected was to himself become the hunted. Our heroine and daughter of the falconer, Lucy Sharp, is anything but conventional; and when a carriage ride from Andrew results in calamity, they m...
2020-12-231h 06Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 97: Snowed In - One Bed for Christmas by Jackie LauHolidays are hitting different this year, what with all the plague, but we at Whoa!mance are pledging to keep our Christmas humor to the last. This week, Morgan and Isabeau shack up with this festive friends-to-lovers novella, One Bed for Christmas by Jackie Lau. Our hero, Wes Chang, a freelance artist and barbershop quartet mascot, is thrown by fate or meteorological happenstance into close proximity with his college friend, long time crush, and successful dating app CEO, Caitlin Ng, when a sudden snow storm leaves her stranded in Wes' modest working person’s apartment. What began as a convenience of...
2020-12-0956 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 96: Not All Cavemen - Transcendence by Shay SavageDid you ever watch those Geico caveman commercials and think, “I bet that hoss can really lay some club?” This week, Morgan and Isabeau plow for answers in Transcendence, a prehistoric romp by Shay Savage. It opens with our heroine and unaccompanied minor, Beth, traveling tesseract-style through millennia to arrive in the welcoming and paternally minded arms of our hero, a Homo savage known only by the guttural proclamation of, “Ehd”. Beth, similarly truncated to just “Beh” for the ease of her new partner, must navigate a preverbal relationship, find footing in a vastly undeveloped world, and acquiesce to a blossoming l...
2020-11-251h 07Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 95: Fitting Together - The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer AshleySpooky season may be over y’all, but it’s gonna take more than a new month to get yr girls out of Scotland. This week, Morgan and Isabeau embark on a historical romp through the Highlands in The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Our titular character, Lord Ian, is shrouded in rumors and hearsay when he crosses paths with our heroine Beth, on the arm of her then fiance. As her fiance’s appetites wend beyond the scope of Beth, our heroine is thrown further into the orbit of the mysterious Lord. But as suspicions gather around...
2020-11-111h 02Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: The Monster Ball - Part 2Yr girls are fresh from the cliffs and ready to slay some fey. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are back at the Ball with another selection from The Monster Ball Year 2; Assassin’s Match by Everly Frost. Our heroine Tanzanina (yikes) is a born-witch whose power and love have been stripped from her by an evil curse. But when her only hope of lifting the curse, a special spellbook, is stolen, our heroine must put herself in danger for a night of thrills and passion at the Monster Ball. Are magic-at birth-narratives ultimately trojan horses for eugenics? Is Paradise Lost ju...
2020-10-2849 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 94: Modern Gothic - Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria HoltWhile the Ball rages on, yr girls have to refuel on angst and mood before another heavy bout of haunting. This week, Morgan and Isabeau journey to the edge of the Cornish cliffs in Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt, a nom de plume of Eleanor Hibbert. Our heroine Martha Leigh is past her seasons. In lieu of a husband, she becomes a governess to the daughter of gaunt widower and lesser of two heroes, Connan TreMellyn. But as Martha gets closer to her aloof employer, questions surrounding his wife’s death disrupt their nascent arousal. In a mansion of la...
2020-10-2156 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!mance on Learning The TropesSpecial surprise drop - but for real this time! Yr girls Morgan and Isabeau joined our friends Erin and Clayton over at Learning The Tropes to talk romance, sexiest parts, and life on and off the mic. Check out Learning The Tropes wherever you get your podcasts - rate, review, and spread the love.IG: @learningthetropesTwitter: @learningtropesWhoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-10-161h 34Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: The Monster Ball - Part 1To keep this spooky train rolling, we’re chugging on up to Auld Reekie for the supernatural event of the season. This week, Morgan and Isabeau crash a party with a selection from The Monster Ball Year 2, an anthology of works imagining that self same soiree, titled “Turning The Tides” by Wendy Higgins. In this telling, a malevolent beast known as the Magpie is throwing the Ball, and this once who’s who of the otherworldly has taken a sinister turn. Our heroine is Ada, a selkie (for brevity: shapeshifting seal people of yore), who in order to return to the sea...
2020-10-1437 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 93: Cleaning House - Angie and the Ghostbuster by Theresa GladdenIt’s officially spooky season y’all, and we’re jumping in with both feet. This week, Morgan and Isabeau explore the categorical and the supernatural in Angie and the Ghostbuster, by Theresa Gladden. When paranormal investigator Dr. Gabriel Richards is drawn to a mysterious home, what he finds there raises more than just his neck hair. There to greet him is the blonde and dream-eyed Angie, Gabriel’s highschool crush, who has been living alongside the very same ghostly presence he’s come to eradicate. But when passion overtakes profession, the otherworldly isn’t the only thing getting a little exerc...
2020-10-0750 min
Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesJane Eyre Read Along - Chapter OneFriends we are beyond thrilled to be kicking off this new project, a podcast-within-a-podcast Jane Eyre Read Along! Each Sunday, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau will be taking turns reading Charlotte Brontë’s novel in its totality, one chapter at a time. This week, our eponymous heroine learns a bit about water fowl, Jane's cousin John Reed establishes himself as a real prick, and something called “the Red Room” raises growing concern. Get ready to climb this tentpole y’all.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-10-0427 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Jane Eyre Read AlongThe dour, windswept moors. A precocious, homely child. The intellectual and implied sexual education of said child. But more importantly, a tentpole Romance of the highest order. We’re of course talking about Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel, Jane Eyre. And what better way to explore this mother root of the genre than by reading it cover to cover. This week, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau preview a new project, and break off a piece of chapter one with the aim of answering one of Romance’s ever-looming questions: Darcy, or Rochester?Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic...
2020-09-3008 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 92: Discreet Bylines - Behind These Doors by Jude LucensEveryone experiences the agonies and ecstasies of expanding a circle of friends, but what about the trials and tribulations of expanding a circle of lovers?. This week, Morgan and Isabeau mix with the hoipolloi of Edwardian elite in Jude Lucens’ polyamorous historical Behind These Doors, Radical Proposals Book 1. When a gossip columnist stumbles on the harmonious throuple of a Lord and Lady, and an Earl’s second son, a delicate balance of lust and heart strings is shifted. But buttoned up cultural norms be damned as passion mounts, and all involved grapple with the implications of propriety and class. Is love...
2020-09-2453 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Romance True CrimeWhen we say Jude Deveraux, you probably think: lioness in her field, titan of titillation. Both are true. But that’s only part of the story. This week, yr girl Morgan walks yr girl Isabeau through a truly bananas true crime story starring none other than Jude Deveraux. We’re talking psychics, heartbreaks, movie stars, and war criminals. Buckle up for a true crime side quest that’ll have you hooking up your fax machine.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-09-1654 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 91: Summa Cum Laude - Office Hours by Katrina JacksonIt’s no secret that Whoa!mance is a product of the university - a meeting of minds that began with the pursuit of knowledge and ended in a holocaust of emotions. But we digress. This week, Morgan and Isabeau audit a few classes with Katrina Jackson’s ivory tower romp, Office Hours. High-achieving and beleaguered Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Deja Evans is in a rut. With her 3-year track to tenure review looming, her separation between work and life has blurred into non-existence. But her desire for the tenured history professor and dressed-to-the-nines hunk of all things past, Dr...
2020-09-091h 07Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus - Stuff We LikeWe don't know about y'all, but this summer had us spending way more time indoors than usual. This week, Morgan and Isabeau share some of what's been keeping them afloat and joyful in these trying times.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-09-0228 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 90: Soap Suds - You Had Me at Hola by Alexis DariaBefore we get started, this book is brand spankin’ new. And if you know anything about us here at Whoa!mance, y’all know we peddle in spoilers. You have been warned! This week, Morgan and Isabeau sneak on the set of a telenovela in You Had Me at Hola, the much anticipated new novel by RITA award winner Alexis Daria. Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, a budding star after a stunning rom-com debut, is back in NYC to pursue another leading role across telenovela heartthrob Ashton Suárez. But when their parts require a fiery on-screen chemistry, their pasts and insecurities colli...
2020-08-261h 19
Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesRe!mance: Tempest - Beverly JenkinsIn honor of Romance Bookstore Day this past week, we're re-releasing one of our recommendations from the new romance section at Women & Children First in Chicago. Throwing it all the way back to episode 14! Giddy up.For this episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a western! Do you love cowboys, history, and sex positivity? Got secret hots for the country doc? This book has it all!Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-08-1951 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 89: Spring Fling with Scarlett Peckham - Part OneOn July 25th, as part of the 2020 Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling Writers Conference, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau were joined by the brilliant and talented Scarlett Peckham for a very special live-via-zoom-taping of Whoa!mance, to discuss Judith McNaught’s authorial debut, Whitney, My Love. This week, part one of yr girls’ conversation with Scarlett on how this novel sparked a burgeoning love of Romance, the polarizing politics of pleasure, and how to judge a text that doesn’t age as well as its cover. Warning: this novel depicts scenes of rape and sexual violence, and the conversation reflects these diffic...
2020-08-0554 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Ten Week TurnaboutWe don’t know about y’all, but after all that Entrop[e]y, yr girls needed a little faith restored. This week, Morgan and Isabeau dive into the new multimedia romance audio series Ten Week Turnabout, by Amelia Rose, produced by ConSensual. Told through a variety of means, the story follows the reunion of Ingrid and Noah, former high school crushes from a small town in Indiana, who are meeting again in the sweltering heat of a New York City summer. Whoa!mance got a sneak peak of this new immersive experience and it’s a real scorcher y'all so dre...
2020-07-2927 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 88: Baby On Board (Entrop[e]y #5) - Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth PhillipsWe did it y'all. Yr girls have arrived at the final stop on this Entrop[e]y tour with one last trope: the secret baby. This week, Morgan and Isabeau tackle the culture wars relic, Nobody’s Baby But Mine, Book 3 in the Chicago Fires series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Jane Darlington, a 34 year old physics professor, wants a baby. But she doesn’t want that baby to be a smarty pants weirdo like her mom. The solution: fuck a dumb guy. Who better than star quarterback and potential neanderthal Cal Bonner? But when Cal proves to have brains to matc...
2020-07-221h 00Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: The ViviansBack in December, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) tried to pull a yuletide fast one hoping twitter’s watchful eye was fixed on other cravings. This week, Morgan and Isabeau reflect on that fateful reckoning, the Ritas becoming the Vivians, and other reasons to be cautiously hopeful about the future of Romance.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-07-1532 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 87: In Uniform (Entrop[e]y #4) - Beyond What Is Given by Rebecca YarrosWith SPORTS shut down due to Entrop[e]y, yr girls are graduating to a more sinister set of games. This week, Morgan and Isabeau explore love in the military-industrial complex with Book Three in Rebecca Yarros’ Flight and Glory series, Beyond What Is Given. Lt. Greyson Masters is on track to become an Apache helicopter pilot when he gets a blip on his radar. Sam Fitzgerald, a civilian and as it turns out, also a girl, is suddenly his new roommate. Upon further reconnaissance, affections are confirmed. But when efforts to camouflage his feelings are compromised, Lt. Greyson knows it...
2020-07-081h 17Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 86: Laces Out - (Entrop[e]y #3) - Fumbled by Alexa MartinWe raised a barn. We perfected our slapshots. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are back on the O-line discussing one of their favorite sources of bad feeling, the NFL, with Fumbled by Alexa Martin. Poppy Patterson has built a life for herself independent of her high school sweetheart TK Moore, and she couldn’t be happier. But when TK, now a starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, re-enters her life, Poppy calls an audible. Can Poppy reconcile a life of independence with the added aggression of TK’s burgeoning head trauma? Do high ratings and sponsorships justify pervasive personal and...
2020-06-2454 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 85: Puck Bunnies (Entrop[e]y #2) - Pucked by Helena HuntingLast time, yr girls explored the subversive quaintness of Amish romance in our inaugural Entrop[e]y episode. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are back in the game for our first installment on SPORTS romance with Pucked, by Helena Hunting. Here we find Violet, the step-sister of a successful hockey player, linking up with the impossibly hung team captain, Alex, for a night of passionate goal making. But when Alex starts to pursue Violet, her status among the other players, including her sexually possessive step-brother, takes a bender. What kind of relationship, if any, do yr girls have with hockey...
2020-06-171h 05Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Decolonize Your BookshelfIf it isn’t readily apparent (full disclosure, it is) Whoa!mance is made by white people. This week, in lieu of an episode and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Morgan and Isabeau share some of their favorite black authors, critics, and thinkers in the romance community and beyond.Black Chick Lit - https://blackchicklit.comMy Imaginary Friends with L. Penelope - https://lpenelope.com/podcastDiverse Romance - http://diverseromance.comDeadline City - https://deadlinecity.com/episodesRebekah Weatherspoon - @wocinromance The Turn On - https://www.theturnonpodcast.com
2020-06-1003 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: GossipWe’ve all been talked about. And we’ve sure as shit all talked about. Then why, despite its ubiquity, does gossip still feel like a dirty word? This week, Morgan and Isabeau take a closer look at how gossip functions as a literary device, and how we benefit from its use as a complex social and pedagogical tool.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-05-2733 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 84: Amish Romance (Entrop[e]y #1) - The Wish by Patricia DavidsWe’re coming out the gate at a wagon’s pace for this series y’all, beginning in the bucolic pastures of the middle west. This week, Morgan and Isabeau embark on a reverse rumspringa with a plunge into Amish romance, led by the deft hand of Patricia Davids in the first installment of her Amish of Cedar Grove series, The Wish. This slow burn sweet romance meanders through the agrarian and folksy close quarters courtship of our heroine, widow Laura Beth Yoder, and the formerly Amish and formerly incarcerated, Joshua King. But will the implications of racial and patriarchal suprem...
2020-05-201h 18Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Introducing Entrop[e]yThat’s right y’all. We asked for fan favorites that center on yr girls' least favorite tropes, and y’all came through like you always do. This week, Morgan and Isabeau reveal the selections and get ready to dip their toes in the water.This week's episode of Whoa!mance is brought to by "In To Her" by JA Huss. Available now at audible.com.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.
2020-05-1316 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesWhoa!nus: Whoa!mancing The StoneWhile we’re still not leaving the house, yr girls are giving the books a rest in favor of Romance on the silver screen. For this Whoa!nus, Morgan and Isabeau are revisiting their mutual childhood favorite and sleepover film par excellence, Romancing The Stone, directed by Robert Zemeckis. Joan Wilder (post-Body Heat Kathleen Turner) is a successful but cloistered Romance novelist, who embarks on a journey of treasure hunting and self-becoming set in motion by the murder of her brother-in-law. Travelling through Colombia, Joan links up with exotic bird trafficker and egotistical boating enthusiast, Jack T. Colton (pre-sex symbol Mi...
2020-04-2946 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 82: Having Fun With Misogyny - Not The Girl You Marry by Andie J. ChristopherAs yr girls Morgan and Isabeau continue to shelter in place, stories of normal life - drinks in a cozy bar, dinner with a friend - are becoming just as titillating as the triumphs of our heroines. So imagine the excitement when Not The Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher was set in Chicago, with real life landmarks transported to the page like distant comforts. But the novel, which turns How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days on its head, is a not-so-friendly reminder that the “normal” we remember is still a funhouse mirror of patriarchal control. What make...
2020-04-2251 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: Whoa!nusThis is an historic week y’all, for this is our final Boner. The ultimate rod. The closing chubby. That’s right, we’re going beyond the bone where no romance podcast has gone before, careening into the wild blue yonder to bring you: The Whoa!nus. Where it took plagues to discover gravity and write King Lear, our modern twist on the Black Death has generated untold megatons of creativity that bring you, dear listeners, the humble rebranding of our bonus episodes. And it is in this spirit of revision that yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are reaching back in thi...
2020-04-1536 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 81: Stay Home - Ayesha At Last by Uzma JalaluddinAs you know, we at Whoa!mance possess an undying reverence for yr grrl Jane (see JANEuary if you don’t), and we’re smitten with this own voices retelling of P&P. This week, Morgan and Isabeau escape to Toronto in Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a modern Muslim twist on the Austen classic. Ayesha is an aspiring poet struggling to repay loans to her wealthy uncle, when her life collides with Khalid. While their styles and worldviews clash, there’s an unavoidable tug each feels toward the other. Can traditional and modern interpretations of Islam find a common...
2020-04-0841 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: AMAEver wonder what yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are like when they’re not behind the mic? Or what their high school experiences were like? Or the ins and outs of how they feel about this or that aspect of romancelandia? We asked you, our beloved listeners, to submit questions via our various social platforms, and thankfully, you asked back. This week, Morgan and Isabeau answer your questions in an exclusive, no holds bar, tell-all, exposé. For this Boner, we’re letting it all hang out.This week’s episode of Whoa!mance is sponsored by Native. Di...
2020-04-0134 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 80: Common People - Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia HibbertIf you caught a whiff of death, how would you restructure your life to make the most of its remainder? Chloe Brown’s penchant for computers, coupled with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia, has left her with a formidable bucket list. But it took a near-miss with a speeding car to get her busy living. This week, Morgan and Isabeau check off some to-do’s with Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. Our heroine, Chloe, grabs life by the horn in the shape of Redford ‘Red’ Morgan, the tattooed painter and building superintendent who’s equal parts bad boy and so...
2020-03-2540 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: EntropyThis unprecedented time of crisis and distancing has us thinking a lot about bad feelings. For yr girls, this means topics in Romance that are typically a no go on the show: secret babies, sports, and the armed forces. This week, Morgan and Isabeau raise this lil Boner to ask you, our beloved listeners, to share your favorite novels that feature one of these topics. What’s the cutoff age for a secret baby? Can for-profit military action be sexy? What’s your favorite ball in the bedroom? Send us your favorite recommendations and go wash your damn hands!
2020-03-1814 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 79: Bedtime Stories - The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee AhdiehWhat’s a dealbreaker for you? What’s something that, no matter how many luxurious nights and sumptuous meals, would continue to nag at the corners of your mind? Write it down. This week, Morgan and Isabeau get in touch with their teen angst for this YA retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. For this rendition, the Caliph of Khorasan has taken to marrying virgins, and killing them off the morning after consummation. Enter our heroine, Shahrzad, who volunteers to marry the Caliph and spare the fate of a friend bound for...
2020-03-1151 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 78: Workplace Tension - Heartbeat Braves (Crooked Rock, #1) by Pamela SandersonWe love Romance. But sometimes having all your stories feature muscular, taciturn, bodice-ripping, secret baby/royalty/wealth and/or spouse-having heroes is too much excitement in this chaotic world. Sometimes you just want a story that’s relatable. This week, Morgan and Isabeau tread the bureaucratic waters of non-profit management where Rayanne (heroine) and Henry (hero) are tasked with saving the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center in its eleventh hour. Will they be able to overcome their mutual attraction to save Crooked Rock? Will they get the necessary funding? Can nepotism be sexy? Brush up on Own Voices and get yo...
2020-03-0444 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: Own VoicesWe wanted to take a moment to pop this lil boner and organize our thinking on Own Voices. What do we mean when we say Own Voices? It’s when the author, artist, filmmaker, producer, etc. is a member of the community they are representing in a given medium. This week, Morgan and Isabeau discuss the societal barriers within mainstream [white] culture that can keep Own Voices stories marginalized, and how to be a good ally without succumbing to the pitfalls of tokenism. Plus, a few gardening tips from our registered green thumb, Morgan.Whoa!mance is a pa...
2020-02-2626 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 77: Uniquely The Same - The Unhoneymooners by Christina LaurenWe’re celebrating our cotton anniversary this year at Whoa!mance, and what better way to wax nostalgic about marital bliss than to pretend to do it all over again. This week, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are joined by producer Nick to unpack The Unhoneymooners by the writing duo Christina Lauren. This contemporary enemies to lovers features Olive, the perpetually unlucky twin sister of the soon-to-be-married Ami, who’s loathed to spend her sister’s special day with her worst nightmare, Ethan, who happens to be the brother and best man of Ami’s future husband, Dane. But when a seafoo...
2020-02-1957 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 76: The People’s Choice (JOHANNAuary #5) - Fires Of Winter by Johanna LindseyWhat a month y’all. This was a veritable roller coaster of emotions as yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took stock of Johanna Lindsey’s legacy and work, and sussed out how to feel about the harsher realities depicted in her novels. This week, our last installment of JOHANNAuary, features a viking novel of your choosing: Fires of Winter, Book 1 in the Haardrad Family Saga Series. Published in 1980, it’s not without its difficulties, but just as this novel has Lady Brenna, a headstrong and agential heroine, even roses have their merits. Held captive by the strikingly dangerous Garrick Haardrad, Lady B...
2020-02-041h 18Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 75: Spanking Finds A Way (JOHANNAuary #4) - Brave The Wild Wind by Johanna LindseyAs the ghost of JOHANNAuary continues to plague this humble project, we are reminded here at Whoa!mance of the importance of friends when doing battle with distraught paranormals. Yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are joined this week by Erin, the Veteran of Learning the Tropes, for a gracious re-recording to once again discuss Brave The Wild Wind, Book 1 of Johanna Lindsey’s Wyoming series. We meet our heroine, Jessie Blair, as her family is torn asunder by the quick anger of her father. This prologue of violence is a mark of frontier life, and a distinguishing characteristic of our he...
2020-01-291h 09Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 74: Space Vikings (JOHANNAuary #3) - Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey00h00m00s: message received via interplanetary communications systems re: distress signals circa terrestrial surface Kystran [] > [] terrestrial being i.e. “heroine” identified Tedra De Arr: class known: warrior re: terrestrial being i.e. “hero” Challen Ly-San-Ter: class known: bronzed_barbarian [] > [] unclear if distress product of misery/ecstasy; unclear as to issues of consent re: sexbots; unclear re: whoa/no spectral alignment; requires discussion [] > [] re: terrestrial beings i.e. "yr girls" Morgan: class known: Whoa!mance and Isabeau: class known: Whoa!mance [] > [] joined this week by terrestrial being i.e. "special guest" writer/critic Esme Brett: class known: FeministRomance [] re: celebrating life/wor...
2020-01-221h 04Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 73: Boat Life (JOHANNAuary #2) - Gentle Rogue by Johanna LindseyIt's another beautiful JOHANNAuary day, and yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are embarking on a farcical romp on the high seas. This week, Gentle Rogue, the third installment of Lindsey's Malory-Anderson Family Saga series, a sultry comedy worthy of the great Bard himself. The novel centers on Georgia Anderson, who, fed up with England, disguises herself as a cabin boy to secure safe transport back to America. But unbeknownst to our heroine, the ship's captain, ex-pirate James Malory, is aware of Georgia's ploy, and takes great pleasure in trying to reveal her true identity, and hopefully spark the passion they...
2020-01-1558 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 71: Sleigh On - Vixen’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book 4) by R. E. ButlerWho’s the hottest of Santa’s reindeer? We posed this question to you, our dear listeners, and you replied with Vixen. So in the spirit of the season, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took a trip to the North Pole to spend a little time with the deer/man himself, in Vixen’s Fated Mate, Book 4 of R. E. Butler’s Arctic Shifters Series. There’s a lot to unpack with this novella: Santa as a quasi-authoritarian leader, a Tom Clancy-esque crew of male shifters pulling Santa’s sleigh, a rigid caste system that excludes equal rights for elves, all sugar du...
2019-12-2540 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: JOHANNAuary AnnouncementLast year, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau spent the month of January, excuse me, JANEuary, celebrating all things Jane Austen. This year, get ready for another deep dive into a high priestess of the romance genre, because JOHANNAuary is coming. Every week this January, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau will be exploring a different novel by the indomitable Johanna Lindsey, a lioness in her field, and an ever enduring force in the minds of your beloved hosts. It’s gonna be big y’all! Tune in for the preview, and get ready for a full month of JOHANNA.
2019-12-1808 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 70: Triage à Trois - Hummingbird by LaVyrle SpencerAbigail McKenzie felt like an outcast in her one train stop town. Yet when two men are wounded in the same train robbery, she agrees to take them in: David, the model of a gentleman, and Jesse, hot-tempered and alluring, vie for Abigail’s affections. But as she nurses them both back to health, intimacy and proximity push our heroine to explore her sensual side, and the true identities of her patients reveal a rich history beyond their injuries. This week, Morgan and Isabeau take a listener recommendation and fall in love with Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer. It’s got it a...
2019-12-111h 13Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: Fated MatesFor this Boner, Isabeau guides Morgan through the waters of fated mates, blood scenarios, and the requisite comfort/suffocation of inevitably. What is the difference between fate and destiny? Does the trope of love at first sight still sparkle through the lens of affect theory? Is male “passion” just camouflage for latent male aggression? Bring your own beret for this one y’all and start perfecting those french inhales, this may be our most philosophical Boner to date.Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network
2019-12-0431 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 69: From Missives To Madness - My Sweet Folly by Laura KinsaleFolie Hamilton thought nothing of corresponding with her husband’s cousin, Lt. Robert Cambourne, deployed across the world in the interests of the East India Company, on behalf of the English Crown. But when love creeps into their epistles, no distance or arrangement is beyond collapse. This week, Morgan and Isabeau swoon over My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale, a tale of passion, conspiracy, and unbalance depicting an England on the brink of turmoil. How should historicals reflect past atrocities? What makes good allyship? What does it mean to stay informed, and how do we enact change? Remember: sexy books ca...
2019-11-271h 00Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: WebToonAre we at a point in history where our passions have become our capital? And what are the repercussions, if any, that sometimes it might be totally worth it? For this lil’ Boner, Morgan and Isabeau explore how WebToon is contributing to the romance ecosystem, do a little self reflecting, and politely ask for more WebToon coins PLEASE.Whoa!mance is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts
2019-11-2025 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 68: Lust In Translation - The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia WaiteLucy Muchelney is in a rut. But when she’s commissioned to translate a celebrated astronomy text by the deceased husband of Countess Catherine St. Day, her professional demeanor is eclipsed by desire. This week, Morgan and Isabeau turn their sights to 2019’s Great Big Romance Read The Lady’s Guide To Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite, a dovetail of caste and scholarly love set in post-Napoleonic Regency England. Why the Regency period? What responsibility should the present have in depicting the past? And is our refusal to hold the past accountable inviting a cultural retrograde? Keep your eyes peeled toward...
2019-11-1345 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 67: Floating In The Blood - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le FanuLong before Twilight, and 26 years before Ol’ Abe Stoker had visions of Dracula, there was another drinker lurking in the annals of western lit. This week, Morgan and Isabeau explore the classic gothic vampire novella Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, a prototype for the prolific genre. Set in a shloss in the forests of Styria, Laura, our heroine, describes her lonely childhood through epistles and recounts the arrival of a peculiar stranger, the alluring and abhorrent Carmilla, as if conjured from a dream. But the novel’s languor is underpinned with anxiety as desire mixes with consumption, and questions of C...
2019-10-301h 09Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 66: Bear Head Revisited - My Boyfriend Is A Bear by Pamela RibonWhy bears? What is it about our ursine cousins that prompts such a curious and violent fascination? This week, Morgan and Isabeau turn these questions over anew with the graphic novel My Boyfriend Is a Bear by Pamela Ribon, illustrated by Cat Farris. What does pop culture’s fetishization of bears say about our sexual proclivities? Are bears just apolitical lumberjacks? And what right do we have to anthropomorphize animals in the first place? If Bear by Marian Engel proved too on the nose for its deftness at delineating sexual/power imbalances, cuddle up with this little teddy and start wo...
2019-10-1657 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 65: A Numbers Game - The Right Swipe by Alisha RaiWhat are the rules of modern dating? For many this is an ethical or existential question, but for app developer Rhiannon Hunter, providing the correct answer could be the financial HEA of a lifetime. This week, Morgan and Isabeau tackle The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai, and put some overlooked institutional ducks in a row. Questions arise as to what a feminist dating app should look like; who, if anyone, does the NFL care about; and what your brand choice of mayonnaise says about your experience of heartbreak when used to fuck up the paint on an ex-lover’s car. Cl...
2019-10-021h 05Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 64: Live at Love’s Sweet Arrow - Gorgeous by Motzie DapulThere’s a lot to be excited about with this one y’all. Not only is there now a bookshop in Tinley Park, IL dedicated exclusively to the genre, but Love’s Sweet Arrow: A Romance Bookstore was kind enough to host the inaugural live recording of Whoa!mance. A special thank you to all those who came through and contributed to the conversation on Gorgeous by Motzie Dapul, a selection from Start Here: Short Stories of First Encounters edited by Ronald S. Lim and Brigitte Bautista. Yr girls Morgan and Isabeau discuss bullies to lovers, the craft of brevity, and cr...
2019-09-1826 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: Cover ArtThis one's for all you toons creeping in on Fabio's turf. Morgan and Isabeau discuss trends in cover art, the ethics of disguising a novel’s heat, and the politics of reading a good ol’ fashioned clinch on the bus. So don’t bother covering up this boner, because we’re letting it all hang out.
2019-09-1318 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 63: Casual Friday - The Hating Game by Sally ThorneHave you ever despised someone so much you wet your desk chair? Or been so blinded by hate that you popped a boner? Of course you have. We all have. That’s what makes the Hating Game by Sally Throne so relatable, because a good romp is always the best way to relieve some tension. This week, Morgan and Isabeau track Lucy and Joshua, rival administrative assistants for two newly merged publishing houses, as they journey from enemies to workplace competitors to full on PnV horndoggies, all set in a cramped disco ball of an office. Despite the cutesy cover, it...
2019-09-0451 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 62: Leg Up - The Proposition by Judith IvoryShake the sand out of your corset and get ready for a cockney romp. This week, Morgan and Isabeau return to Judith Ivory to examine her 1999 novel The Proposition, where linguist and social etiquette coach Edwina is tasked to shape hunk of marble and rat catcher extraordinaire Mick into a right modern gentleman. If Beast didn’t quite tickle your ambergris, this reverse pygmalion will have you feeling it in your pants. This might be an all time favorite y’all.
2019-08-211h 01Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 24: The Devil In Winter....BegrudginglyDo you like gaming hells? Bad dudes who become good dudes and heroines who find their voices? US TOO!!! In this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a peculiar faultline in Romancelandia--is "The Devil in Winter" really worth the hype and love it receives? Really? Listen and find out where Isabeau and Morgan land on the critical question.Part of our Lisa Kleypas series.Listeners be warned there is discussion of attempted assault.
2019-08-141h 02Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 61: A Lot Of Sand (Aha Sheik Heartbreak #3) Hired: The Sheikh's Secretary by Lucy MonroeIt's been quite the sojourn y’all. This week marks the third and final in our triptych on sheik romance, a series that we hope has never ceased to surprise and horrify. A familiar pattern continued in Hired: The Sheikh’s Secretary Mistress by Lucy Monroe, a text in full cultural retrograde as the title is quick to suggest, where Morgan and Isabeau were once again exposed to a veritable galaxy of stereotypes and erasures; a true fireworks display of unfortunate narrative decisions fit for an ending we thought would never come. And the worst part is this one’s not ev...
2019-08-0757 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesBoner-On-Us: RWA ReflectionsLast week, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took a trip to the Big Apple to speak on a panel for the Golden Network as part of the Romance Writers of America’s annual conference. After much networking and mingling, there was so much to unpack. Is Romance inherently feminist, or should we demand more? Is pleasure, in and of itself, enough of a political statement? What is patriarchy, and how and with what do we smash it? Sometimes searching for answers y'all just leads to better questions.
2019-07-3121 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 60: Learn to Love Everything (Aha Sheik Heartbreak #2) - Savage Sands by Christina NicholsonOk. A lot of trigger warnings y’all; we’re talking about rape, human trafficking, colonial occupation, castration, and handsy nuns. But plz know yr Whoa!mance crew would never let you go in alone. This week, Morgan and Isabeau continue to hold Sheik romance accountable with a truly breathtaking example of what-the-fuckery: Savage Sands by Christina Nicholson. It’s a rolling blackout of unchecked sexuality and degradation, a narrative so carpet-bombed by the male id it’s almost as if it were written by a man...
2019-07-171h 06Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 59: Somebody’s Gonna Be First (Aha Sheik Heartbreak #1) - The Sheik by E. M. HullBack in the center ring, as promised, for the first of many sheik downs. To kick things off, Morgan and Isabeau crack the OG model for so-called “desert romance”, E. M. Hull’s 1919 novel The Sheik; and like any good origin story, it’s fraught with power and contradiction. Can a novel with such a damaging socio-political cache be redeemed by the resonant impact it has on the evolution of genre and reader interest? Or is it time we go cold turkey on this particular blend of hand-rolled erotica? We’re in this for the long haul y’all so make sure yo...
2019-07-031h 07Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 58: Liminal Spaces - Sleeping Together by Kitty CookHere at Whoa!mance, we believe wet dreams are always better with a buddy. That’s why this week, Morgan and Isabeau took a trip to the 206 to hang out with bored pharmaceutical employees Vanessa and Altan, as they explored their sexual tension in a shared hallucinatory dreamspace. But what began as a flirtation spiraled into addiction for Vanessa as her drug induced sexcoma proved a too tempting balm for the anxiety caused by her husband Pete and the aftershocks of her traumatic past. It’s a true mind fucking y’all.
2019-06-1944 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 57: Lithe Yet Womanly (ICEWINE #4) - Morning Comes Softly by Debbie MacomberMuch like a long day, ICEWINE could only set in the west. This week, Morgan and Isabeau put the series out to pasture with Debbie Macomber’s 1993 novel Morning Comes Softly where Travis, a rugged non-millionaire chauvinist cowboy is seeking a wife to help maintain his shack and family in Montana; lo and behold, Mary, a shy librarian in Louisiana, responds to his personal ad and travels sight unseen to go a-courtin’. It’s a love story of proximity that will make you wish your drink was closer too. Don’t forget to recycle yr boxes, bags, and bottles y’all; ICEWI
2019-06-051h 10Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 56: Author Interview - Suleikha SnyderBRAINFREEZE - all this ICEWINE’s got to our heads y’all. This week, Morgan and Isabeau take a break from the box to rub shoulders with the courtesans in Jeannie Lin’s novel The Jade Temptress; and who better to show them around than Chicago’s very own scribe of passion Suleikha Snyder, who selected this title as a personal all-time-fav. It’s a triple shot of historical mystery romance sure to get your noggins humming, arm hairs perked, and erogenous zones titillated all to a satisfying denouement. But don’t forget to refill those ice trays now...
2019-05-291h 02Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 55: To The Lifeboats (ICEWINE #3) - No Greater Love by Danielle SteelBefore James Cameron tackled the greatest sinkable metal of the modern era, Danielle Steel did it first and regrettably, with more chastity. This week, Morgan and Isabeau board a transatlantic voyage on the Titanic for an historically accurate, fade-to-black romp through the worlds of newspapers, publishing, old Hollywood, and the constrictive gender roles of yesteryear. Women and children first this week y’all; we see your ICEWINE and raise you an ICEBERG.
2019-05-2246 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 54: Take a Look at These Hands (ICEWINE #2) - Indigo by Beverly JenkinsDid you know yr average box wine fits FOUR bottles of that sweet sweet Dionysian nectar? I hope you didn’t go to hard out the gate cuz we back for ICEWINE ROUND 2. This week, Morgan and Isabeau unpack Indigo by Beverly Jenkins, a novel that doesn’t shy away from posing difficult questions while managing to stand up to the harsh light of our present moment. Who says you can’t take aim at slavery, white-male-capitalist-patriarchy, and coercive sexual relationships AND get a few rocks off while you’re at it? This week’s episode is dedicated to not letting no...
2019-05-1555 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 53: Duchess or Dead (ICEWINE #1) - Devil’s Bride by Stephanie LaurensBreak out the Franzia and give that bag a big ol’ slap y’all because it’s time for some motherbitchin’ ICEWINE. And what better way to begin than by taking a cold look at the skewed historical reality of Stephanie Laurens’ inaugural installment of her Cynster series, Devil’s Bride. One of the many missives of the 90’s culture wars, Morgan and Isabeau unpack the novel’s opinions on female agency and sexuality not-so-tacitly coded into the stuffy life of dukes and the messy business of murder. Don’t forget to restock the ice tray! Remember: you kill it, you fill it.
2019-05-0857 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesICE WINE SEASON APPROACHINGWhile we’re still in the midst of fool’s spring here in Chicago, Morgan and Isabeau have their sights set on summer; and what better way to will its coming than to explore what titillates yr mom.
2019-05-0303 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 51: Full Frontal Floriculture - The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren WilligWell if it isn’t another twofer. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are taking a trip to the flower shoppe with the first installment of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series, a novel set in the world of Baroness Orczy’s notable 1905 work The Scarlet Pimpernel. In Willig’s novel, graduate student Eloise is finishing her dissertation when she stumbles upon a communique of the notorious and as-of-yet unmasked Napoleonic-Era British spy, the Pink Carnation. Subterfuge. Disguise. Intrigue. And a hand job in a boat that gives Madame Bovary’s famous carriage ride a turn for its garter. Plus, donation tips to he...
2019-04-241h 01Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 50: Author Interview - Melonie JohnsonIt’s a Whoa!mance double whammy this week y’all! Not only are Morgan and Isabeau joined by the brilliant and talented Melonie Johnson, but we’re getting a guided tour of Melonie’s all time favorite romance novel: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. Imagine if Flowers for Algernon and A Beautiful Mind were study buddies with benefits, with the bulk of the sadness exchanged for more divide and multiply. Additional ingredients include: dukes, quakers, and at the lord’s behest, openings. Plus, we get the scoop on Melonie’s upcoming trio of novels from the source herself. Su...
2019-04-101h 10Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 49: But For Whom? - Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah CoontsThis week’s a little bit of everything y’all. We got murder. We got Las Vegas. We got snakes. Morgan and Isabeau are joined by friend and OG Las Vegan Marie to talk about the first installment of Deborah Coonts’ Lucky O’Toole series. Did we mention the swingers? Did we mention the porn stars; and oddly, the prudishness? It’s a tour de force of repressed desires with a hard on for justice. A very, conservative hard on. Recommended for those who’ve never seen their own selves naked.
2019-03-271h 04Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 48: For the Troops - A Mermaid’s Kiss by Joey W. HillWe’re going hard this Pisces season with some more fresh caught fish fuckery y’all. Have you ever wanted to fuck Ariel, but also Tinkerbell? Does repackaging sex as “joining magic” help or hurt one’s chances of getting a little fin? How old were you when you gave or received your first body job? This week, Morgan and Isabeau are going off the deep end for this mermaid/angel sexcapade cum theological smorgasbord that defies explanation, genre classification, and its own internal machinery. We promise you’ll never think of waterbeds the same way.
2019-03-2054 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 47: Fish Sticks - The Pisces by Melissa BroderIf The Shape of Water tickled your sashimi, Melissa Broder’s New York Times dubbed “romance novel for intellectuals” The Pisces will either turn you pescatarian for life or give you full blown mercury poisoning. This week, Morgan and Isabeau plunge romance’s murky depths through the depressive eyes of Lucy, a newly single academic, as she navigates the choppy surfs of Tinder, group therapy, pet care, and the dexterous tongue of a merman. Can you smell that fresh salt air? Catch of the Day: MP
2019-03-131h 09Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 30: Dick, Dork, Dong--Hot Head by Damon SuedeIn this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle Damon Suede's Hot Head a pun-tastic m/m romance about firemen in NYC. These friends to lovers just don't know what to do with their feels. There's a lot to cover in this novel, and Isabeau and Morgan flow between the topics of sex work, sexual discovery, and masculinity over the course of this episode. If you like dicks this is the one for you!
2018-10-0356 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 29: Not Outlander We Promise---Awaken, My Love--Robin SchoneIn this episode Morgan and Isabeau discuss a time traveling romance. And it's not Outlander. Our modern day heroine (who lives in Chicago!) is thrown back in time and into an entirely different body! She does her level best to figure out the mystery of how she not only swapped bods but also timelines and she has sex on a horse. Morgan and Isabeau dive deep into questions around corporeal identity, consent, and what rage looks and feels like. Trigger Warning: This book is a lot and deals explicitly with molestation and rape.
2018-09-2650 minWhoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 24: Lisa Kleypas-ter Syndrome--The Devil In Winter....BegrudginglyDo you like gaming hells? Bad dudes who become good dudes and heroines who find their voices? US TOO!!! In this week's episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a peculiar faultline in Romancelandia--is "The Devil in Winter" worth the hype and love it receives? Listen and find out where Isabeau and Morgan land on the critical question.Part of our Lisa Kleypas series.Listeners be warned there is discussion of attempted assault.
2018-08-011h 02Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 19: 177ficIn this episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle some of Isabeau's particular tipples--namely 1776 Fanfiction, America in general, and what it means to want to love things that are problematic. If you've ever had questions about fanfiction, what Mr. Feeney did before Boy Meets World, or if you're looking for a safe harbor in an increasingly bleak place--this episode is for you.Conduct Unbecoming:https://archiveofourown.org/works/8595313New Girl on the Block:https://archiveofourown.org/works/142864Philidelphia is for Lovers…or something of that sort:https://archiveofourown.org/works/11427357The Course of...
2018-06-281h 12Whoa!mance: Romance and OurselvesEpisode 15: "An Inconvenient Booty" A Pirate's Love by Johanna LindseyOn this episode Isabeau and Morgan tackle a sea monster of a Classic in Johanna Lindsey's A Pirates Love--Readers be Warned this book deals explicitly with sexual assault----as our producer said it really puts the rape back into rape and pillage. It's a lot. So take care of yourself listener.However if you want to brave the tides with Morgan and Isabeau on this classic anchors away me hearties! Lets get down and dirty.
2018-05-2342 minWhoa!mance: Romance and Ourselves1: "A Week to be Wicked" by Tessa DareIsabeau and Morgan kick off the podcast by talking about "A Week to be Wicked" by Tessa Dare, dinosaurs, agency, labor, the border between England and Scotland, and Trader Joes.
2018-02-1347 min