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We’re wrapping up our April Pick a Number month with two very different reads and some very honest opinions about what worked, what didn’t and what we’re willing to forgive when the vibes are vibing.

Nicole dives into A Fate of Onyx & Ivory by O’Junea Brown, a 2024 romantasy featuring a fierce heroine, a magical kingdom called Solaris, and a fae king who may or may not be waving red flags under all that charm. We’re talking plot twists, a jalapeño-level slow burn, and the very real betrayal of a series that ends on a cliffhanger with no final book in sight.

Then Meghan brings The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher, a fake relationship story that leans hard into grief, identity and emotional growth instead of a traditional romance formula. There’s a drunken agreement, a lakeside family visit, a love triangle that’s more complicated than it looks, and a green pepper spice level that keeps things firmly on the mild side. We also get into character development, beautiful writing moments, and whether you actually need a villain to justify your choices.

Of course, we keep our traditions alive:
– the spice scale 🌶️
– the first booby reference hunt (with some aggressively unsexy contenders)
– and a spirited debate over what even counts as a romance

Next up, we kick off our Mothers of Romance theme with Barbara Cartland and Judith McNaught, so prepare yourselves for vintage covers, dramatic plots and old school tropes.

Grab your drink of choice (box wine or liver-cleansing tea, we don’t judge), hit play, and come hang out with your favorite bookish biddies.

👉 Subscribe, share with a romance-loving friend, and leave us a review wherever you’re listening.

And tell us: are you okay with a cliffhanger … or do you need closure?

Books & Beverages for this Episode:

Meghan's Book & Beverage: The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher with dandelion tea

Nicole's Book & Beverage: A Fate of Onyx & Ivory by O’Junea Brown with Bota Box Sauvignon Blanc

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Wine in a paper cup. A break-in “just to pee.” And somehow … a dead body in a closet. Welcome to this episode’s chaos.

Meghan kicks things off with Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews — a Southern, antique-filled, mystery-heavy read that may or may not qualify as a romance (jury’s still out). We dive into estate sale strategy, messy divorces, rich people behaving badly, and how one very questionable bathroom decision turns our girl into a prime murder suspect. Bonus points for how deeply we relate to the thrifting, reselling and “cooler packed for the day” lifestyle.

Then Nicole brings us A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins, a historical romance set in 1865 London featuring a newspaper-writing widow and a Scotland Yard detective chasing a serial killer. We get into enemies-to-lovers tension, predictable plot twists as well as the eternal desire for more gowns, more atmosphere and more drama in our historical reads.

Along the way, we keep the important traditions alive:
✨ The Spicy Scoville Scale (because spice must be measured)
✨ The ongoing debate of “does this even count as romance?”
✨ Boob math — including a serious discussion on whether décolletage qualifies
✨ And those oddly specific sensory moments that stick with you (looking at you, lavender and soap quilts)

We also pull our final Pick-a-Number reads for the month — including a traveling book surprise — and Nicole shares highlights from the LoveLit Cruise, from incredible author connections to the very real struggle of trying to spend a $650 bar tab in five days (a challenge she did not take lightly).

If you love romance-adjacent chaos, murder mystery detours, historical intrigue and unfiltered bookish banter; hit follow, share with your favorite bookish biddy and leave us a review.

Because sometimes it’s chaste kisses … and sometimes it’s quiet banging. 🍷

🍸 Books & Beverages

Meghan’s Book & Beverage:
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews with Wine (in a paper cup, obviously)

Nicole’s Book & Beverage:
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda

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Bakery heat meets alien heart in this delightful episode of Romance on the Rocks.

Nicole dives into Tart by Lauren Dane, a 2012 contemporary why-choose romance that serves up a habanero-level throuple between bakery owner Juliet Lamprey, steady farm boy Gideon Carter and longtime best friend Cal Whaley. When Cal makes an aggressive play for Jules just as her relationship with Gideon is taking off, the solution isn't a love triangle. It's a love expansion. We unpack jealousy, possessiveness, bisexual representation and what real consent looks like in a polyamorous relationship. There's emotional labor. There's family judgment. There is a wise grandpa who absolutely steals the show. And, yes, there is plenty of spice.

Then Meg beams us up to I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre, a 2025 sci-fi rom-com that proves cozy romance can exist across galaxies. Jeanette Hammond has always preferred the possibility of extraterrestrials to disappointing human dating prospects. When she finally meets her longtime online crush at SpaceCon in Rellos, Utah, she discovers he's not just socially awkward. He's literally an alien stranded on Earth. We talk neurodivergent coding, identity, performance versus authenticity and the quiet intimacy of being fully seen. The worldbuilding sparkles with humor, heart and one now-iconic rooster named Kevin.

This episode covers why-choose romance, throuple dynamics, bisexual leads who reject tidy labels, and alien love stories with low spice and big emotional payoff. It's habanero heat on one side, poblano sweetness on the other and a reminder that love does not have to follow a conventional blueprint to be real.

Pour something bright, settle in and join us for sharp takes, spicy quotes and our final March romance wrap-up.

Nicole’s Book & Beverage
Tart by Lauren Dane with The Shameless Tart

Meg’s Book & Beverage
I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre with The Rellos

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Bonus Episode: We Tried to Get Drunk. We’re Just Too Professional.

Two Wisconsin bookish biddies set out to record their “drunkest episode ever.”
What happened instead? Competitive drinking stamina, chaotic games and way too much honesty.

This bonus episode skips the book review and goes full chaos mode:

🍸 Co-Host Compatibility Challenge – We test how well we really know each other (spoiler: not as well as we thought). Fated mates are slandered. Dirk Ramsey is ghosted. Jamie Fraser is defended.
🎲 Cocktail Confessional (Truth or Drink with Dice) – We revisit the cringiest lines we’ve ever read on mic (looking at you, Bertrice), confess which episodes we’d delete from existence (Season 1 Episode 3), and admit which covers we’re too embarrassed to read poolside.
📚 Romance Mad Libs Chaos – Featuring a crunchy elbow, a Furby, a tardigrade (??), and possibly the least sexy basement encounter in literary history.
📖 Am I Drunk or Is This Real? – Necromancer cinnamon rolls? Real. Billionaire beekeeper with weaponized pheromones? Absolutely not.

We debate overrated tropes (fated mates is on thin ice), morally gray demons, stepbrother scandal, and the fine line between “passionate critique” and “what the f*ck, Bertrice.”

Did we get as drunk as we promised?
No. Because apparently being professional Wisconsin drinkers is both a strength and a curse.

But we did spill secrets, call out bad behavior and prove once again romance novels deserve both reverence and roasting.

Grab a drink (or three) and join us for the chaos.

Support the show

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In this week’s episode of Romance on the Rocks, we’re pairing Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon with Savor It by Tarah DeWitt, mixing brambles and beer while we dig into jealousy, growth and the kind of love that forces you to choose who you want to be.

First, we head back to 1957. Odd Girl Out follows college freshman Laura as she falls for magnetic upperclassman Beth in a relationship that has to exist behind closed doors. The emotional stakes feel young because they are. There’s jealousy, possessiveness and miscommunication; but there’s also honesty, tenderness and a love triangle without a true villain. We talk about secrecy shaped by the era, the presence of victim-blaming and self-harm, and why this foundational lesbian romance still feels emotionally authentic nearly 70 years later.

Then we shift to contemporary small-town Spunes, Oregon in Savor It. Fisher, a burned-out New York chef, lands in town after professional implosion and personal loss. Sage, a community-rooted teacher with a hobby farm, becomes his neighbor and eventual partner in both the Festival of Spunes and something much more vulnerable. We break down the banter, the communication that actually works and the grief that gets processed instead of glossed over. Indy’s storyline hits especially hard, proving that found family can be just as powerful as romance.

We also dive into audiobook performance, including dual versus duet narration and why Jacob Morgan/Zachary Weber’s voice acting can elevate chemistry on the page. Spice level lands at jalapeño. Cozy without being corny. Emotional without losing its edge.

As always, we close with scent notes, a booby prize showdown and a reminder that love stories are not just about who ends up together. They're about who grows, who risks and who learns to breathe easier.

Pour a drink and join us.

Meghan's Beverage & Book: Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon with Point Beer & a Martini

Nicole's Beverage & Book: Savor It by Tarah DeWitt with The "Savor Slowly

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What happens when a rugby surprise pregnancy rom-com collides with a lapsed Catholic love story? Season 3 Episode 5 of Romance on the Rocks dives headfirst into two contemporary romances that blend real-world complexity with serious heat.

Nicole Danielle reviews Every Version of You by Sloan Spencer, a sports romance in the Rugby Lovers series that delivers friends to lovers, surprise pregnancy and “kinky cute” spice. Angie, a therapist who helped raise her siblings after losing her mother, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a tequila-fueled night with her lifelong bestie Rafael, a CFO and weekend rugby player. What follows is co-parenting with boundaries, negotiated kink, therapy normalized on the page and a cat named Razzle Dazzle stealing scenes. Beneath the playful safe words and woods-chase shenanigans is a story about compromise without self-erasure and the kind of partner care that looks like snacks on the nightstand and pillow delivery even after a fight.

Meghan Leigh unpacks Sinner by Sierra Simone, a theologically layered romance originally published in 2018. Sean Bell is a real estate closer grappling with religious trauma while caring for his mother through cancer. Zenobia “Zenny” Iverson is a novice nun encouraged to experience the world before taking her final vows. When a business deal threatens the Catholic nonprofit where Zenny serves, Sean steps in to repair the damage and instead finds himself navigating grief, faith and desire in equal measure. The intimacy is open door yet thoughtful, centering consent, aftercare and emotional responsibility. The novel explores theology and what it truly means to earn someone’s trust.

Both books land at habanero on our Spicy Scoville Scale. The heat is real but so are the conversations about boundaries, belief systems and adult partnership. From Spotify playlists and rugby terminology to religious doubt and character growth, this episode celebrates romance that respects both brain and body.

If you love sports romance, surprise pregnancy tropes, religious themes in fiction and open-door intimacy with emotional depth, this episode is for you. Hit play, subscribe and let us know which book made you blush harder.

Nicole's Book & Beverage: Every Version of You by Sloan Spencer with Dolly Parton's Dirt Road Martini

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It’s tequila. It’s pergolas. It’s slow burns and snark.

On this episode of Romance on the Rocks, Nicole Danielle and Meghan Leigh dive into two contemporary romantic comedies while attempting to keep their cocktails (and themselves) upright.

Meghan read is It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. It's a grumpy-sunshine, small-town romance where an LA party girl lands in a Washington fishing town and collides with a stoic boat captain who proves love is shown, not just said. We discuss bar makeovers, sister loyalty, the deeply relatable fear of being someone’s “pot pie,” and why every woman deserves to feel absolutely, undeniably pergola worthy.

Nicole takes us to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina with Book Lovers by Emily Henry — an enemies-to-lovers slow burn between two sharp-tongued publishing pros who may or may not both be the “villain” in someone else’s Hallmark fantasy. Expect banter, ambition, small-town tension, and a quietly intimate fragrance moment that hits harder than you’d think.

Along the way we spiral about:
• Cherry Bounce vs. Manhattans
• Coffee tequila and pickleback decisions
• Audiobooks vs. physical reads
• The art of demonstrative love
• And whether we are, in fact, finally “drunk enough” for the listeners

Oh — and the Boobie Prize? Let’s just say a new podcast record is set. You’ll have to listen to find out how early it happens.

If you love grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, slow burns, small-town vibes, sister stories, and cocktails with your book chat, this episode is for you.

Like, subscribe, and follow. We promise chaos, banter, and at least one strong opinion per drink.

Meghan's Book & Beverage: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey with a shot of Coffee Tequila and a Pickleback (Pickle juice chaser)

Nicole's Book & Beverage: Book Lovers by Emily Henry with a Cherry Bounce

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If a book hooks the world but fumbles consent, can it still be called a great romance? We pour a drink and dive straight into the tension between cultural phenomena and reader well-being, starting with Fifty Shades of Grey and its legacy of billionaire control dressed up as care. We unpack why rules about sleep and snacks aren’t romantic, how a contract can miss the point of informed consent, and where stories conflate kink with trauma rather than negotiated desire. Expect clear lines: safe, sane, consensual kink belongs to partners who talk, listen and honor boundaries — not to characters policing daily life.

Then we turn to Ruckus by L.J. Shen, a study in contrasts: crisp prose, a genuinely surprising twist, and a central relationship burdened by possessiveness and rough scenes that test comfort instead of chemistry. Rosie’s cystic fibrosis adds real emotional stakes yet the hero’s choices sometimes jeopardize her health, raising urgent questions about care, accountability and what love owes someone living with a chronic condition. We also wrestle with the “grand gesture” gone wrong — like a tidal wave of red roses stamped mine — and why public displays can slide from romantic to suffocating when autonomy gets erased.

Throughout, we revisit our spice scale to argue that heat needs context: reciprocity, aftercare and enthusiastic ongoing consent. We celebrate strong writing while challenging harmful tropes, and we share the kind of reader-centered lens that asks for heroines with agency, heroes who grow and intimacy that feels earned rather than enforced. To cleanse the palate, we preview our next reads: Book Lovers by Emily Henry and It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. The books promise banter-rich chemistry and character arcs that balance heart with heat.

If you care about romance that’s bold, sexy and emotionally responsible, hit play, tell us your biggest red flag in a love story, and help us spread the word. Subscribe, share with a bookish friend, and leave a review wherever you listen—it helps more thoughtful readers find the show.

Books & Beverages for the Episode:

Meghan -- Ruckus by L.J. Shen with "The Douche Canoe" (vodka & Red Bull)

Nicole --

Support the show

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Credits:
Theme Music Created by Adam Wroblewski
Main Art by PersonalisePortrait