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Elizabeth Everett sold her first book at 50. She had only started reading romance in her 40s, after assuming it had nothing to do with her. Then she binged hundreds of historicals, ran out, and wrote her own: a series about women scientists in Victorian England. In this conversation, Elizabeth explains why historical romance can tackle things contemporary romance can't (abortion care, consent, misogyny) and why that may be part of why it struggles with younger readers. We get into BookTok, why traditional publishers keep chasing the same blue-sprayed-edge reprint instead of the backlist authors readers want next, and what happens when you pitch a magic hotel on a whim and your editor says yes. We also talk about: Why readers (and Gen Z TV audiences) are losing patience for flawed characters and stories that don't pick a sideHow romantasy keeps the ball gowns and politics but drops the flush-toilet reality checkWhy cozy doesn't have to mean "no deeper message"The Bridgerton and Heated Rivalry lessons publishers and booksellers missedWhy small press and self-published collaborations may be historical's next chapterElizabeth's Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel, set in our hometown of Rochester, NY Then we close with what we're shipping this week. Elizabeth Everett WebsiteNewsletter (The Rule Breaker's Report on Substack)InstagramGoodreads Elizabeth's books mentioned The Secret Scientists of London (historical) A Lady's Formula for Love (chemist)A Perfect Equation (mathematician)A Love by Design (engineer) The Damsels of Discovery (historical) The Love Remedy (apothecary)A Lady Sparks a Flame The Wayside Hotel (cozy fantasy, set in Rochester, NY) Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel:The Wayside Guide to Baking and Bloodlust, coming in May 2027 Content notes for Elizabeth's books: The Love Remedy includes an off-page sexual assault and a discussion of abortion care. A Lady Sparks a Flame includes a discussion of past self-harm. Get the full show notes. Enjoyed this episode? Also check out our episode about queer Victorian romance with Joanna Lowell! What we're shipping Meg: The Hookup Equation by Roxie Noir (Loveless Brothers series) -- added to our Professor-Student Romance RecsNikki: Hunt Me by Cora Rose and E.M. Lindsey (Murder Hearts #1)Elizabeth: Spirits and Scandals by Ginny B. Moore and The Secrets of Everlight by Julie Hall Mentioned in the episode: Julie Anne Long, Sherry Thomas, Meredith Duran, Joanna Lowell, Adriana Herrera, Mia Manansala, Evie Dunmore, Ali Hazelwood, Swoon Fest (Orlando, January)

Why are romance readers (and publishers) obsessed with curses? Meg and Nikki trace curse-breaking romance from Beauty and the Beast and other fairy-tale retellings through A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Ex Hex, as well as exploring curses within cozy fantasy, witchy romance, and modern romantasy. Along the way, Meg breaks curse stories into three-and-a-half major types and introduces a seven-step curse-breaking framework: the origin wound, the rule, the false solution, escalation, the loophole, the sacrifice, and the break. Get the full show notes Listen to our last episode on Practical Magic 2 What we coverThe three-and-a-half major types of curse stories: fairy-tale curses, generational curses, bodily-autonomy curses, and supernatural bargainsWhy curse plots naturally create urgency and a ticking clockThe seven beats of a curse-breaking romanceHow Practical Magic 2, Beauty and the Beast, and ACOTAR fit that structureWhy The Ex Hex turns the traditional curse plot into a cozy small-town rom-comThe path from fairy-tale retellings and YA fantasy to modern romantasyWhy curse-breaking has split into two particularly useful modern modes: epic romantasy quests and community-centered cozy fantasyHow curse stories have shifted from passive cursed heroines to women who investigate, gather allies, claim power, and actively break the conditionWhy breaking the curse isn’t necessarily enough to convince us the couple has an HEA Pasted markdown Pasted markdown Books mentionedPractical Magic / Practical Magic 2Beauty by Robin McKinleyBeauty and the BeastHeart’s Blood by Juliet MarillierEntreat Me by Grace DravenA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasThe Ex Hex by Erin SterlingThe Bird and the Sword by Amy HarmonThe Heartstone Curse by Jasmine GonzalezSpellcast by Sophie JordanThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. SchwabTake My Body by K.A. MerikanWicked Villains by Katee RobertGrave Situation by Louisa MastersAxe Backwards by May Archer

Spoiler warning: we spoil the entire movie. Practical Magic 2 is here, and Nikki and Meg have a lot of feelings about it. Meg saw it with three girlfriends (a certified First Dates & Soulmates date: tickets, popcorn, margaritas after). Nikki has script-level complaints but still had a great time. Together they break down this adaptation of Alice Hoffman's The Book of Magic, the last book in the Owens sisters series, and ask the question at the heart of every curse-breaking romance: is your romance curse cursed? Sally's second husband Gary has died, and to protect her daughters Kylie and Antonia, she casts a spell that wipes their memories of magic. When Aunt Jet dies, Kylie's boyfriend Gideon lands in a coma right after she says "I love you," and the family heads to England to break the curse for good. Spoiler: it takes a sacrifice, and Nikki and Meg have thoughts about whose. "Love is the reason for, evidence of, and the only way out of a curse." — NikkiGet the full show notes Listen to our episode about the original Practical Magic (1998) Five signs your romance curse is cursedThe curse breaks too easily. The first movie "broke" the curse, the sequel reveals it never did, and then it's handled again in about a minute and a half of screen time. Where's the portent?You think you can outrun a generational curse. Sally wipes the girls' memories and goes back to repressing her own magic. Meg and Nikki compare notes with A Discovery of Witches, Charmed, Frozen, and Encanto. Ignorance as protection never works, and keeping your daughters in the dark is worse than the curse.A curse should change the person who carries it. Sally runs the same arc twice (love, loss, reject magic) and ends up in the same place. Nikki brings up Groundhog Day as the counterexample: same loop, but the character actually changes.Everybody falls in love too fast. "I waited a long time for you" implies fate, but the film never shows it. Where's the build-up for Sally and Ian, or Kylie and Gideon? And does the curse know you're in love before you say it out loud?Sisterhood is the real counter spell. The first film was a love story between Sally and Gillian. This one sidelines Antonia (Maisie Williams) to a hospital room and underuses Nicole Kidman. Meg and Nikki pitch a better version where Franny mentors Antonia and all three women are in the room. Curse-breaking tropes and stories referencedPractical Magic (1998) and Practical Magic 2Beautiful Creatures (sacrifice)Once Upon a Time ("magic always comes with a price")Wonder Woman 1984, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Beauty and the BeastA Discovery of Witches, Charmed, Frozen, Encanto (blocking a curse backfires)Brave, Maleficent, and Shrek (love breaks the curse, and often it's a mother, sister, or finding your true self)Groundhog Day (the same arc, but with real change)The Skeleton Key (a curse only works if you believe in it) "Generational curses don't stop just because you're like, 'Well, I don't want it to.'" — MegAlternate endings Nikki and Meg pitchedThe sacrifice is a witch of the Owens line who dies in service of the curse (the villain Tom, a failed offshoot of the family)Ian knowingly falls in love with Sally, walking into the curse with eyes wide open, which makes honesty the thing that breaks itSally dreams of Ian the way she conjured Gary, so "I waited a long time for you" actually pays offPractical Magic 3: the curse isn't broken, and Sally becomes a serial killer chased by the FBI What they're shippingMeg: Furious on Hulu, a dark, twisty thriller with serial killer / FBI agent Killing Eve energy. Content note: it deals heavily with child trafficking and sexual abuse. Not a rom-com.Nikki: The Planetary Systems Preservation Committee Decided We Needed a Nanny by Jennifer Cody, a funny alien-nanny romance where Earth is saved by a galactic government that assigns every human a nanny. Best lines from the movie (according to Nikki)Gillian to Sally: "You're a sentient cucumber with an attitude."Ian: "We're all pallbearers of our ancestors' pain. We didn't do it, but we have to carry it." "Practical Magic 2 really said, 'How about a body in the river instead?'" — NikkiUp nextNext week we continue Spooky Scary Bookie Month with a deep dive into the cursed romance trope. If you liked "Is Your Romance Curse Cursed?", come back for more. Support the showRate, review, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (comments on Spotify are very welcome)Follow us @firstdatesandsoulmates on most platformsSubscribe on YouTube to see our faces, Nikki's Lego collection, and Meg's excellent bangs and red lipstickSponsor the show to share your new book release with our SoulmatesBook recommendation lists and trope deep dives are on firstdatesandsoulmates.com

Following last week's werewolf archetype deep dive, Meg and Nikki pick a readalong book to test the framework against — deliberately skipping the genre's most obvious picks (no Nalini Singh, no Kresley Cole) in favor of a queer werewolf romance. They land on Wolfsong, the first book in TJ Klune's Green Creek series. Spoiler warning: this episode discusses the full plot of Wolfsong in detail. In this episode: Why Ox's limited, "non-observant" POV does so much of the genre's work for itScenting, explained two ways: pack/family-marker scent vs. involuntary attraction signalThe stone wolf, the "asking for Ox's hand" scene, and the cringiest 30 pages in the bookWhy TJ Klune sidesteps the age-gap problem by keeping Ox in the darkWhat happens to found family when Joe, Carter, Kelly, and Gordo leave Green Creek for three yearsWhy Ox becomes an alpha despite having no wolf bloodline at all — and why the book never explains itMapping Wolfsong onto last week's archetype framework: Cursed Creature, Alpha, Fated Mate, and PackWhat gay romance gains — not just loses — by stripping procreation out of the werewolf templateA big announcement: the new firstdatesandsoulmates.com, with dedicated trope and book-review pages Story Summary (Spoiler-Free) Ox Matheson is a human teenager in the small Oregon town of Green Creek, still reeling from his father's abandonment, when the Bennett family moves in next door — and turns out to be a family of werewolves. Ox is drawn into their world first through friendship, then through a bond with the youngest son, Joe, destined to lead the pack one day. As Ox grows from an awkward, self-doubting kid into someone the pack relies on, the story follows found family, loyalty, and the cost of protecting the people you love. It's the first of four Green Creek novels, plus two novella-length companion pieces, each shifting POV to a different pack member. Content Warning Discussed on the episode: violence, off-page torture, parental death, and abandonment as a throughline theme. Both hosts flag this as an emotionally heavy read — "This is a five out of five. This is a, um, render." — on their angst scale. "If Joe had never left, then Ox would never have taken a leadership role. He would've just been the consort to the alpha." — Meg"I love that all of these things are seeded so we, again, as the reader, are being given signals... trust in your audience enough that they will understand the hints you are dropping." — Nikki"This particular book is very subversive in that it chooses a human character and elevates them to a higher status than most werewolves who are born werewolves." — Meg"I liked how it was not just fixed immediately by the fact that Joe is back... Shouldn't have left. F**k you." — Nikki, on Ox's (correctly) prolonged anger at Joe Books & Media Mentioned Wolfsong and the rest of the Green Creek series — TJ KluneThe House in the Cerulean Sea — TJ Klune (referenced for contrast in tone and career context)Bride — Ali Hazelwood (referenced re: fated-mate "romance literacy")Star Wars sequel trilogy (referenced re: bloodline vs. chosen destiny) Where We've Discussed This Last week's werewolf archetype deep dive (direct follow-up)Referenced: the show's "himbo" episode (Ox's characterization) What We're Shipping This Week Meg: the newly rebuilt firstdatesandsoulmates.com — dedicated pages for the werewolf archetype framework, the werewolf recommendation list, and ongoing book-specific review pages like the Wolfsong oneNikki: Painted in Wildflowers by Emmy Sanders (Darling Brothers series, book 4)

Kicking off spooky October, Meg and Nikki tackle the second installment in their paranormal-archetype series (following last year's vampire deep dive). Nikki mapped werewolf and wolf-shifter romance onto three central archetypes — the Cursed Creature, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Alpha — plus two structural tropes that cut across all of them: Fated Mate and Pack/Found Family. Along the way: why werewolves keep winning the genre's search-volume war against vampires, the true (and very messy) origin story of the Omegaverse, and why "alpha" reads as a red flag in real life but a fantasy on the page. In this episode: The three core werewolf archetypes and what each one represents psychologicallyWhy L. David Mech's "alpha wolf" research is scientifically bunk — and romance ran with it anywayVampires vs. werewolves: hot/cold, family/solitude, and why the two species always seem to hate each otherThe Omegaverse's real origin (a 2010 Supernatural real-person kink-meme prompt)Google Trends data on werewolf vs. vampire search volume since 2004What's coming next week: a queer werewolf readalong of Wolfsong by TJ Klune Deep dive on our website: Get the full show notes Read the werewolf archetype Get our full list of 25+ werewolf romance books "The real alpha is a family man. Romance got that part right by accident." — Nikki"Why does alpha read as hot in romance, but is the ultimate red flag in real life?" — Nikki"The wolf is basically a very large, very hot dog... cuddly little werewolf becomes something that will protect us and sleep at the foot of our bed with extra benefits." — Meg, paraphrasing Nikki's research"It's the internet. Everybody's got a laptop with access to LiveJournal, to Fanfic.net... that also made a big difference in the speed at which this was adopted." — MegBooks & Media MentionedBitten — Kelley ArmstrongMoon Called — Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series)Slave to Sensation / Kiss of Snow — Nalini SinghA Hunger Like No Other — Kresley ColeThe Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate — Kate C. WellsEnchanted (Hopeless Bless series, book 4) — Lark TaylorThe Kincaid Pack series — Kiki ClarkThe Wolf Man (1941, 2025), An American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps, Teen Wolf (MTV), Twilight, Underworld / Rise of the Lycans, True BloodHarry Potter (Remus Lupin), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Oz)Referenced: the show's prior vampire-archetype episode; the show's episode with "Dr. Fandom" Katie Freund on fandom's role in modern romance Where We've Discussed This Vampire archetype deep diveTwilight / Warm Bodies: YA paranormal film study episodeIce Planet Barbarians / alien romance episode What We're Shipping This Week Meg: The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate by Kate C. Wells — a rejected-mate story that subverts the fated-bond consent problem by literally letting the heroine have the bond magically removedNikki: Enchanted by Lark Taylor (Hopeless Bless series, book 4) — angel/seraphim romance, heavy angst, terminal illness and healing-powers premise

Meg and Nikki come back from a summer hiatus to dig into the film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis, starring Lili Reinhart as Olive and Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlson. Both hosts loved it as a movie (Nikki: 9/10) while grading it more critically as an adaptation (Nikki: 8/10) — faithful through roughly the first half, then increasingly divergent in the back third, especially around the Tom subplot and how the story resolves it. Spoiler warning: this episode discusses the full plot of both the book and the film adaptation in detail. In this episode: What the adaptation gets right: Olive's competence-under-nerves characterization, the negotiation scene, keeping the "fake dating" trope named on-pageWhy cutting Adam's book-only decision that he's been quietly in love with Olive since the bathroom scene changes his arcThe missing Holden subplot, and how much narrative work a best-friend character was doing to humanize AdamCasting notes on Lili Reinhart, Tom Bateman, and Rachel Marsh as AnhThe FAKING IT framework's Agreement stage, and how well the negotiation-scene structure maps onto itWhy the film's choice to remove the audio evidence of Tom's misconduct weakens the third act — and why "believe her" isn't the same as "there will be consequences"What's coming next: October's paranormal spooky season kicks off with werewolves and wolf-shifters Story Summary (Spoiler-Free)The film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis follows Olive, a PhD student at Stanford, who fake-dates standoffish professor Dr. Adam Carlson to convince her best friend Anh that she's moved on and isn't standing in the way of Anh dating Olive's ex. What starts as a mutually beneficial arrangement — negotiated, timelined, and initially very stiff — slowly becomes real, complicated by lab politics, a predatory colleague, and two people who are both much better at hiding their feelings than showing them. "It wasn't arrogance, it was just a fact. Arrogance would require a level of pride... but it wasn't. It was competence, not arrogance." — Meg, on Adam Carlson"What is it about Adam that Olive likes? Yes, he's gorgeous. Yes, he's helpful. Yes, he's kind of funny in a snarky way. But what about him as a human makes her go, 'I do actually wanna spend time with him'?" — Nikki"We live in the real world where we know nothing will f*****g happen to Tom... We need evidence. We need irrefutable evidence." — Nikki, on the film's choice to remove the audio recording of Tom's misconduct"The solution was in the source material, and that's where it fell apart." — MegBooks & Media ReferencedThe Love Hypothesis — Ali Hazelwood (the book this film adapts)Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998, referenced for comparison)Riverdale (Lili Reinhart's prior work)The Island — Briar Prescott (Meg's ship of the week)Tracking Wolf — Lucy Lennox, Maid Marian Legacy book 4 (Nikki's ship of the week) Where We've Discussed ThisOur original Love Hypothesis book episodeFull book review: The Love Hypothesis — book reviewThe FAKING IT FrameworkOur favorite Fake Dating Romance Books What We're Shipping This WeekMeg: The Island by Briar Prescott (read from Nikki's earlier recommendation) — childhood-best-friends-to-lovers, bi awakening, stranded-on-a-desert-island survival romanceNikki: Tracking Wolf by Lucy Lennox (Maid Marian Legacy book 4) — dad's-best-friend age-gap romance with a road-trip chase Media we mentioned: "Newfoundland is an Island" video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTyfMutnK/

We're pulling this one out of the vault because the movie's almost here — The Love Hypothesis hits Prime Video on September 23, with Lili Reinhart as Olive and Tom Bateman as Adam. Consider this your reread assignment before the adaptation drops. In this episode of First Dates and Soulmates, Nikki and Meg dive into The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood—a fan-favorite academic rom-com that sparked an entire wave of STEM heroines. Click play on this week’s episode to hear: Why Olive is a chronic overthinker and why Adam is a misunderstood grump (who totally has a soft side)How this book walks the line between swoony slow-burn and sexy payoffThe balance of realistic vs. wildly fictional about academiaThe Title IX runner that starts as a joke and becomes the whole emotional throughlineWhy we're both so glad this book stayed in Olive's POV only — and what it would've lost with a dual-POV structureThe recording that saves Olive from her worst moment in the book (f*ck Tom)The 12 stages of physical intimacy framework, and how this book uses it to build a slow burnWhy Olive's demisexuality lands as specific and earned, not just a labelThe Deep End easter egg — yes, Dr. Adam Carlsen and Dr. Olive Smith show up in Ali Hazelwood's 2025 release too And if you loved the fake dating premise & you're looking for more like The Love Hypothesis, check out our 20+ favorite fake relationship books and our list of professional-student romances that don't feel gross. Books & Media We Mention * The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood * Deep End by Ali Hazelwood * Reacher (tv show) * To Love a Psycho series by CF White (Dream a Little Dream, Kiss me Honey Honey) * The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang * The 12 stages of sexual intimacy Follow the show: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Strap in. We’re going deep. This week on First Dates & Soulmates, it’s a trope episode! And we’re dissecting every glorious and absurd nuance of fake dating. Nikki may think this trope is the Chardonnay of romance (she’ll drink it if you serve it), while Meg is out here creating full frameworks while waiting in line at Disneyland. In This Episode: * Why so many fake dating books fall apart if the initial premise isn’t strong * Why romantic vulnerability matters more than jellybeans * The difference between fake dating for good vs fake dating for damage control * The role of the designated extroverted friend and why we all need one * When fake dating turns into real cheerleading, and why that’s hot This episode developed the FAKING IT Framework — First Dates & Soulmates' analytical guide to fake dating romance, built around the eight structural elements every fake dating story needs. Meg loves a third-act breakup. Nikki wants to be your fake date and your designated hype woman. Leave a review, comment on Substack, tell us your favourite fake dating books, or ask Nikki to be your designated fake fiance so you can get that promotion! View the full show notes at: https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/episode/fake-dating-trope Get our full list of our top 20 favorite fake dating romance books! Fake Dating Movies: * How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days * The Proposal * 10 Things I Hate About You * The Bachelor (Chris O’Donnell movie) * Purple Hearts * The Firm * Sleepless in Seattle * Bridgerton * Sex and the City * Just Go With It Follow the show on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ Follow the show on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates Follow the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Order Meg’s debut novel, Peppermint Bark, No Bite (affiliate link) Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

October starts with a bite as Nikki and Meg dive fang-first into the many flavours of vampire romance. From broody immortals to leather-pants predators, they trace the evolution of the undead in pop culture and argue over who deserves to be booped on the nose. What you’ll hear: Sparkly vampires that aged like milk (sorry, Edward)Why Alexander Skarsgård should never own pants that aren’t leatherThe four vampire archetypes: tragic baby, sexy predator, protective dad-vamp, and monster with a secret squishy centerNikki’s theory of “booping the tiger” as peak vampire romance energyMeg’s dream vampire power: orgasms on demand (yes, really) This episode developed the Vampire Archetype Framework — First Dates & Soulmates' guide to the four faces of the vampire romance hero and the cultural history of which type dominates in each era. We also used this episode to build our Vampire Romance Books & Series Recommendations. Nikki’s Vampire Book List: Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR WardArgeneau series by Lynsay SandsAnita Blake series by Laurell K HamiltonTwilight by Stephenie MeyerDark series by Christine FeehanA Discovery of Witches by Deborah HarknessLords of Discord series (and Lords of Chaos spinoff) by Jocelynn DrakeLark Taylor's Reckless Damned SeriesGrae Bryan's Vampire's Mate seriesFirst Blood by Eliot GraysonOne Bite with a Vampire by Louisa MastersThe Necromancer’s Dance by Sheena JolieBite me! You know I like it by Fae QuinCronin's Key by NR WalkerThe Tribulations of Ross Young, Supernat PA by AJ SherwoodFated Mates series by AJ SherwoodBite Marks & Broken Hearts by TJ RoseImmortal Assassins series by Mia MonroeVampire Related Crimes Series by Alice Winters Books/Media Mentioned: Twilight series by Stephenie MeyerInterview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (book and film)Queen of the Damned (film)True Blood (HBO series) and Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine HarrisVampire Diaries (TV series)Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (book and film)Immortals After Dark series by Kresley ColeCasual Felonies by Kelly FoxHot Blooded by Heather Guerre How You Can Support The Show Follow Us On Social: instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Email us at [email protected] Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

This week Nikki and Meg sit down with author Jessica Topper to dive into the world of rock star romance. A librarian-turned-romance-writer, Jessica shares how her real-life concert experiences and love of music shape her stories — including her beloved Love & Steel series. They explore: * What makes musicians such compelling romantic leads * Why found family dynamics hit differently in fictional bands * The behind-the-stage drama of redemption arcs, messy characters, and their thoughts on bodyguard and manager relationships Don’t worry, there’s enough fictional eyeliner to last you a lifetime. (For more details about the recent changes in Rockstar Romance, check out our essay: From Fantasy to Trauma: How Rockstar Romance Learned to Tell the Truth About Fame) About Our Guest Jessica Topper has been in love with the beauty of the written word ever since she memorized Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice at the age of three. After earning a B.A. in English Literature and her Master's Degree in Library Science, Jessica went on to work as a librarian in New York City before trading in the books for bookkeeping. For seventeen years, she worked in the production office of an international touring rock band. Jessica broke the rock romance mold with her 2013 debut novel LOUDER THAN LOVE. Her follow-up romantic comedy, DICTATORSHIP OF THE DRESS, was named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2015. She lives in Western New York with her family - including two cats that love to walk across her keyboard. Follow Jess: Website: www.jessicatopper.com Facebook - www.facebook.com/JessicaTopperAuthor Instagram - www.instagram.com/jessicatopper/ Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/jessicatopper BookBub - www.bookbub.com/profile/jessica-topper Get our complete list of rockstar romance book recommendations Jessica’s Recs: Under Your Spell - Laura WoodCharm City Rocks - Matthew NormanJuliet, Naked - Nick HornbyHow to Kill a Rock Star - Tiffanie DeBartoloDon't Sleep with your Drummer - Jen Sincero Meg’s Recs: VIP series (Idol, Managed, Fall, Exposed) by Kristen CallihanStage Dive series (Lick, Play, Lead, Deep) by Kylie ScottDrive by Kate Stewart (but not the sequel, Reverse)The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez Nikki’s Recs: Atrous trilogy by NR Walker (Code Red, Code Blue, Code Word) -- and listen to our full episode about AtrousFallen Angels series by Ella Frank and Brook BlaineFix It Up by Mary CalmesReplay series by KM NeuholdFamous series by Eden FinleyGASP! by ZA MaxfieldCaffeine Daydreams series by Lark TaylorRhythm of Love series by Neve WilderJumping Jude (Made Marian book 3) by Lucy LennoxStarting From Series by Lane HayesThe Player by Lily Morton

Ever fall in love on vacation? Nikki hasn't — but she's got a cautionary tale about a family friend who did, and it did NOT end well. Meg's convinced the only version that actually works is the friends-to-lovers group trip. This week, Nikki and Meg unpack the logistics (and the impractical magic) of the "love on vacation" trope — from beach house hookups to European cruises to why a grand romantic gesture at the airport is a logistical nightmare and disrespectful to TSA lines. Listen in for: — Tropes like friends-to-lovers-on-holiday, destination wedding mix-ups, and stranded road trip partners — Nikki's campaign against cruise ships, always — A pitch for a merch line that will definitely get banned — The emotional difference between "honeymoon with your ex's sibling" and "strangers in Venice" — When Meg turned into a Scottish bar singer on a dare (it worked) — Why a grand gesture at the airport falls apart the second you think about the logistics Also covered: runaway grooms, coconuts and questionable toppings. Full show notes: https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/episode/love-on-vacation/ Nikki, on why forced-proximity vacation romance works: "I think it can be a factor, but most good stories have some sort of ticking clock so that way you get some urgency and some stakes raised."Meg, on the real rule underneath every vacation romance: "It can start as something that happens by chance, but it has to end with a choice."Nikki, on why the honeymoon-gone-wrong trope works for her: "I think when it does become a little bit more hard won, you're like, no, they're already putting in the effort. This was not just because of proximity." Get our full list of beach read recommendations: http://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/beach-reads-romance-books Books & Media We Mention & Recommend * Only One Beach House by K.M. Neuhold * Waiting for You by Cora Rose * Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren * People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry * Every Summer After by Carley Fortune * Wild Seasons series by Christina Lauren * Up in Flames by Eden Finley & Saxon James * Beat Me Next Christmas by Lindy Bell * Love on Vacation by Keira Andrews * Cruising by Sean Ashcroft * Married to My Best Friend by Riley Hart * Three’s Company by NR Walker * Up in Flames by Eden Finley and Saxon James * Time Out by Vinni George * Cuckoo’s Call by Lily Morton * Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox * How to Say I Do by Tal Bauer * Gaycation in Paradise by Ariella Zoelle * Private Charter by NR Walker * KM Neuhold’s Palm Island series * Snow Way In Hell by Charlie Novak * Shore thing series by Jaclyn Osborn * California Crush series by Mia Monroe * Waiting for you by Cora Rose * The Holiday (2006) * Letters to Juliet (2010) * How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) * Poseidon Adventure (1972) * Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) * The Philadelphia Story (1940) * Palm Springs (2020) * To Catch a Thief * Love Actually We're Shipping: — PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly — Himbo Hitman by Saxon James

Nikki and Meg sit down with bestselling author Eden Finley to talk all things generational romance, character crossovers, and the chaos of collaborative writing. From her Fake Boyfriend series to Puckboy, Eden shares how she builds interconnected worlds where the HEAs don’t stop with one couple but they span generations. Listen in as they discuss: * Why gay hockey is such a reliable niche * Keeping track of a sprawling cast across multiple spin-offs and shared universes * Eden’s writing process (spoiler: chaos is embraced) * Tropes, tension, and the line between sweet and spicy Grab Eden’s latest release, The Office Bet at https://mybook.to/TheOfficeBet About Our Guest: Eden Finley didn't start writing until the age of 28. She always loved being creative and writing stories for English and Lit classes in high school but never thought she could make a career out of it. The reason she is where she is today is because of a list of 30 things she wanted to do before she was 30, one of them being 'write a book.' One turned into two and kept growing, and now she is an Amazon top 10 bestseller. https://linktr.ee/edenfinley https://edenfinley.com https://www.instagram.com/finley.eden/ Books & Media We Mention: * Fake Boyfriend series by Eden Finley * Puckboy series (co-written with Saxon James) * Franklin University (shared universe series) * Calling His Bluff by Charlie Cochet * Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood How You Can Support The Show Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Email us at [email protected]

Episodes 5 and 6 of Heated Rivalry deliver what can only be described as a masterclass in slow-burn payoff. This is the episode where a broken collarbone, a loopy hospital confession, and an invitation to a Canadian cottage somehow add up to two men who finally, finally sit down and use their words like adults — and it happens across what both hosts agreed feels less like two separate episodes than one continuous, hour-and-a-half emotional gut-punch. Meg and Nikki are once again joined by Andréa Jones — and this time, Nikki's read all the books, which means the "furious about the Long Game" energy you'll hear in this one is fully earned. In this episode: Why Episodes 5 and 6 fully deserve being some of the highest-rated TV episodes ever — and why Nikki "will not stand for the Skip slander"The injury → hospital → cottage pipeline, and what actually changes between Shane and Ilya once they're finally aloneThe loopy, post-surgery "I love you, man" moment — and why the real I-love-you, said in a different language entirely, might matter moreThe musicality of "I'm coming to the cottage" (Nikki wants it as a ringtone, and she's not kidding)What the show's small budget and single-location choices reveal about adapting a slow-burn faithfully instead of "fixing" itNikki's post-book-read fury at Montreal, the Long Game, and exactly how badly that organization treated its own dynastyBig-picture fandom energy: the Empty Netters podcast finale livestream, the Quinn app's audio erotica pivot, and what it means that hockey bros and romance readers are suddenly in the same comment section Don't miss any of our Heated Rivalry episodes: Check out our two other Heated Rivalry episodes: Episodes 1-2, “Rookies” & “Olympians”Episodes 3-4: "Hunter" & "Rose"Episodes 5-6. “I’ll Believe In Anything” and “The Cottage”:Our guide to what to read after you’ve binged the whole Gamechangers series Meg, on the weight of Ilya's confession before he's ready to act on it: "It's like, I'm, I love you and I'm not willing to tell you and I'm not willing to take action on it. And even if I could take action, I don't know what that action would be. There's a lightness to being able to say it out loud, but also a heaviness to it." Andréa, on the cottage episode's place in the whole series: "The cottage — literally the cottage — is the pinnacle to me of what this book series is." Meg, on why the adaptation earns its faithfulness: "Jacob Tierney really stayed both faithful and trusted the viewers to go with us — to say we're gonna spend an entire episode with literally four people, one location." Nikki, on "I'm coming to the cottage" as a text message: "The musicality of that entire thing was so well done. I want this like remix as a ringtone. I need it." Nikki, on finally reading the books: "F**k Montreal." (No further context provided. You'll have to listen.) Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Email us at [email protected]

For many of us, romance is an escape from our day to day lives where we can just focus on the witty repartee, brooding good looks, and all of the tingles in the groiny bits. This month, Nikki and Meg are sharing a book they somehow love yet it contains their most hated trope(s). Nowhere on Meg’s TBR list would we expect to see a grumpyXsunshine western single dad romance with a nanny AND A SURPRISE BABY. But surprise, it’s time for Meg’s pick, Heartless by Elsie Silver. In this episode we chat about: how a GRUMPY single dad turns out to be the most emotionally mature character of all timepanty-dropping meet cute moments in weirdly named coffeeshopsa nanny who is neither Julie Andrews as a nun nor “not like other girls”, but just awesome, reallyhot, hot, hot tub moments Read our full written Heartless book review Get the full show notes at https://www.firstdatesandsoulmates.com/episodes/elsie-silver-heartless From the book (read aloud by Nikki), on Cade's internal monologue: "I hate myself. I want to take it back and throw Willa over my shoulder and drag her home with me where she belongs. But I pushed her off on a perfectly nice guy because I've convinced myself that the f*****g nanny is out of bounds. It doesn't take a psychologist to know I'm the issue."From the book (read aloud by Nikki), Cade and Willa's fear/commitment exchange: "I'm scared. I'm scared you're too young, that you haven't lived enough, that you're too far out of my league. I'm scared I'm not enough, you're gonna walk away and I'll be stuck here in shambles again — but so will Luke this time." ... "I'm scared too, but not too scared to try again."Nikki, on Cade as a character: "Cade, like, him in the dictionary next to emotionally mature, super hot, sexy man — it's gonna be Cade."Meg, on why the central relationship works: "Cade needs Willa more than Willa needs the job." Books & Media We Mention: * The Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver (the rest of this series) * Fool Hearts (Plum Valley Cowboys Book 1) by Emmy Sanders * How to Say I Do by Tal Bauer * To the Moon & Back by NR Walker * The Nannies of New York series by K. Sterling * Descript software for transcription, podcast editing & Reel creation * Money Honeys Podcast with Freddie, Chantel, and Dev

Nikki's got a cool work opportunity that means she's stepping away from recording for a bit — so we're taking a short hiatus and re-releasing some of our favorite episodes in the meantime (all labeled, so you know what's a rerun). While we're off, I'll be writing Elijah's book, spending time with family, and doing some behind-the-scenes upgrades — including moving fully off Substack. If you followed us there, make sure you're subscribed on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss anything. All our show notes, frameworks, and book recs now live at firstdatesandsoulmates.com. We're also close to a big YouTube milestone — if you've got a second, hit subscribe at Youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates. It genuinely helps, even if you mostly listen elsewhere. Miss us already? Check out: 🎙️ Would Recommend — Nikki's podcast on customer experience 🎙️ Aggressively Human — Meg's podcast on keeping business human in the age of AI 👯 Nikki as a guest on Meg's podcast talking customer service in the age of AI See you in the fall. 💛