Lisa and I gush about Adib Khorram's first adult novel. We fell in love with Farzan and David and we think you will too.

I read 20 books in the month of May. Even though it's a smaller reading month for me, I hit both of my diversity goals.

Elizabeth and I had a wonderful conversation about her origin story. What it's like being a hybrid author. Why monster men are amazing. And what's coming next for her!

Sephie and I discuss how women are now able to fantasize about whatever they want in life. Our recent independence, remember that women couldn't have a bank account less than 100 years ago, has freed our imaginations. Romance novels celebrate all of that.

Sephie and I chat about MM romance written for straight women vs MM romance written for men vs FF romance.

We talk about using romance novels to fight the expectations that have been put upon women by the patriarchy, but men suffer under it too. Should men be reading romance to help themselves?

It's a kick in the face when an author we've trusted with our time, energy, and love shows themselves to be...not who we thought they were.

How do we handle our emotions? How do we handle their art? What do we do with the books?

This month had a bunch of different reading agendas: ARCs, long books, TRR, and all my regular reading. I feel like I had a lot of wins, and a few books that were not for me.

As I've learned and explored kink, there have been moments when I've thought "I wish something like this existed in the vanilla world." Well, I'm here to share the knowledge.

It's not as simple as handing your book to a partner and getting exactly what you expected. There are a ton of pitfalls and missteps that can occur. We talk through a strategy to help you communicate with the person you plan to explore with.

This was a rough reading month for me. I was in a slump and had a few books that weren’t for me. That’s okay. Not all books are for all people.

**CW/TC: We talk about depression, self harm, and dark thoughts. Please only listen if you have the mental space to do so. Take care of yourself.

A common theme that has come up during reader interviews is the shift that happened during COVID. How reading romance became a new strategy to help with people's mental state. I share some of my own mental health journey, how reading has brought me comfort for decades.

For full show notes, head to: www.jaycereadsromance.com/podcast/mentalhealth

This started off as such a light and fluffy episode. And that’s mainly what romance is, but right now it’s under threat. It can feel like we have no power, but we do.

There will be spoilers!

I bring my friend Caitlin on the podcast to talk about That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee. It's a stand-alone book with secret prince. That's the plot point that sold me.

**This is my spoiler alert.**

Check the notes for all the books I read in case you don’t want one of them spoiled.

Thanks!

We chat with indie bookstore employee and avid romance reader, Addy. What is it like working in the indie bookstore space. What are they seeing in regards to romance from both the retail side and publishing side. We also mention A LOT of books.

A we grow as a community, we need spaces we can come together as a community. I am so thrilled to bring some extra podcast love to Substack. Instead of a blog on my website, I’m creating a newsletter. I’m also building a membership space for listers who want a little bit extra.

I can’t wait to see you there!

Loved getting to interview Bookishly Haley. We met via Instagram, but live close enough that we have gotten to meet and hug in person. This bookish space is growing and changing, it’s exciting and thrilling to be here, and it can also bring up a lot of pressure. We chat about championing indie authors and finding your crew.