With all the end of year posts, videos, rants, etc, coming out, and all the end of year feelings already making some of us quick to trigger, please be mindful of what you are engaging with and how.

I'm really enjoying this new format for reading wrap ups. It keeps it moving, and I get to be silly. It was a fun month overall.

What happens when you get three romance book lovers in a virtual room? An awesome conversation!!! We had three different intros to romance, but found each other at Smut Lovers.

For full show notes, head to: www.jaycereadsromance.com/podcast/what-in-the-smut

This is Chloé's favorite romance novel. It's the first of a series, if you don't like to read before the second book comes out. We spoil everything, so fair warning. Enjoy!

I bring Sephie and Michael to talk about the evolution we've experienced in this second year of Jayce Reads Romance. We've grown. We've learned. We tried new things. We've abandoned those new things when they didn't serve us. I can't wait to see what we figure out next.

This is an episode that is part industry secrets, and mostly my feelings about it. I am not a neutral party when it comes to ARCs. I've been participating in the ARCs world for over a year now, and I've learned a lot.

Sometimes you choose a book by its cover. Or in this case, its sprayed edges. Kaitlin and I both had this book on our shelves and appreciated the push to read it.

WARNING: We spoil everything.

CW/TW: We talk about trauma in this episode. Please do not listen if you are not able to do so in a healthy way.

Chloe and I talk about smut and the connection it can have to our healing.

I talk about subjective feelings with Sephie. I also share my definition of subjective feelings. I then share my star and spice rating systems so you can better understand what I mean when I'm rating something.

We finally read Phantasma! It was so much fun getting to talk with her about. We have spicy and critical talk.

This was my recovery month from the summer, so I didn’t read much, but I’m really proud of the reading I did do.

Sephie and I talk about how the culture in the kink world not only supports but encourages continuing to learn and try new things. Where the predominant message in the vanilla world is...not that. We talk about ways to incorporate learning into the vanilla bedroom.

I've been hearing the word slut/slutty used more frequently as a positive attribute for men. As someone who grew up with that being a terrible word to be called, we discuss why its use for men is deemed positive.

I talk with Sephie about why romance has had my heart for over 20 years. Why I am constantly excited to open a new book, or reread a favorite.

In this episode I go over my understanding of what happened with one of the cons I planned to attend this year. It was a con I went to last year and had a great time. We discuss how the information was shared, how confusing it was at times, and how important the group chat is!!

July was rough. Dealing with health issues took so much out of me. I was barely functioning. It affected my reading more than I expected.

Here are all the books I grabbed quotes from. I haven’t added them to the podcast BookShop page because there are too many. Each title uses my Affiliate link.

• God of Malice by Rina Kent

• Den of Vipers by K. A. Knight

• The Ritual by Shantel Tessier

• Promises and Promises by Sav R. Miller

• Merged with Him by Kylie Kent

• The Fine Print by Lauren Asher

• Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher

• Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid

• Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot

• Fake and Don’t Tell by Rebel Bloom *This is an amazon link because it’s not on BookShop

• Witch Please by Ann Aguirre

• The Dark King by Gina Maxwell

• Liars Like Us by J. T. Geissinger

• Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

• The Perfect Fit by Sadie Kincaid