“FAKE RELATIONSHIPS, REAL FEELINGS”
This week Ana hosts the podcast with guests Jazmen and Bree as they introduce our February theme: Fake Relationships and Marriage of Convenience
EP 121 HOST
> ANA COQUI (she/her) A lifelong genre reader, Ana grew up reading fantasy, sci-fi & mystery novels in Puerto Rico, before finally wandering into the romance section of the library in search of HEA’s after bawling through one too many dystopian novels. When she is not reading, knitting, writing about romance for Love in Panels or running #RomBkLove on Twitter as @anacoqui, Ana is a school librarian
EP 121 GUESTS
> BREE (she/her) Bree’s love of reading began with RL Stein’s Goosebumps series & she’s basically had her head in a book ever since. She refers to herself as a ‘romance late bloomer,’ since she didn’t begin reading romance until a few days shy of turning 30. Now she’s hooked! Bree recently retired from the United States Air Force and is now a stay at home mom, full time online history major, romance blogger, Youtuber and Bookstagrammer. When not doing any of the above, she is probably catching up on Hallmark movies or trying out a new recipe from Pinterest. You can find Bree on her blog FallingForRomance.com or on Instagram @falling4romance and on Twitter @bree_thegoddess
> JAZMEN (she/her) Blogger, reader, reviewer, writer and self-proclaimed truth-teller, Jazmen is a voracious reader with an equally voracious appetite for all things romance. While you might find her with her head in the books of many genres, she’s always in search of a HEA and a hot first kiss. When she’s not reading, she’s tweeting, advocating for #ReadBlackRomance, and crying over K-Dramas. Jazmen works for a wine importer where she never drinks the supply. Find Jazmen on her blog literallyblack.com or you can follow her on Twitter @blklitreviews
EP 121 DISCUSSION
Title: White Whiskey Bargain
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Relation to theme: Marriage of Convenience
Representation: Black author, Black MC, Mexican-American MC
CW: violence, attempted murder, arson, death of mother, death of aunt due to stage 4 pancreatic cancer (side character), kidnapping (side characters)
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48213898-white-whiskey-bargain
Title: Love and Loopholes
Author: Railyn Stone
Relation to theme: Marriage of Convenience
Representation: Black author, black MCs
CW: working poor, homelessness, recent death of a parent
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40653940-love-and-loopholes
Title: Wild Thoughts
Author: Delaney Diamond
Relation to theme: Fake engagement
Representation: Black author, black MCs
CW: lying
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41060281-wild-thoughts
> Title: The Bride Test (Kiss Quotient #2)
Author: Helen Hoang
Relation to theme: Test engagement
Representation: Asian author, neuro-divergent author, Asian MCs, neuro-divergent MC
Content Warnings: poverty, ableism, neuro-divergent MC
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39338454-the-bride-test
NOTE: This book was also discussed in RBP ep #101 and the 2019 Favorites ep
> Title: Tempest (Old West #3)
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Relation to theme: Mail-order bride
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: gun violence, racism, sexism, grief, past death of spouse
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068495-tempest
> Title: A Prince on Paper (Reluctant Royals #3)
Author: Alyssa Cole
Relation to theme: Fake Engagement
Representation: Black author, black MC, bi/white MC
Content Warnings: grief, past abuse, past death of parent
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38622940-a-prince-on-paper
> Title: Any Old Diamonds (Lilywhite Boys #1)
Author: KJ Charles
Relation to theme: Fake friendship
Representation: White author, bi/white MC, gay/white MC
Content Warnings: murder, homophobia, criminal hero, grief, past loss of parent, past loss of sibling
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42925241-any-old-diamonds
> Title: Xeni (Loose Ends #2)
Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon
Relation to theme: Marriage of convenience
Representation: Black author, black MC, bi/white MC
Content Warnings: biphobia, grief, mentions of miscarriage/abortion, past emotional abuse & coercion
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48359637-xeni
> Title: Rebel (Women Who Dare #1)
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Relation to theme: Fake engagement
Representation: Black author, black MCs, black/gay side characters
Content Warnings: murder, toxic family, racism, colorism, homophobia
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38135735-rebel
> Title: The Real Thing (The Westmorelands, book 28)
Author: Brenda Jackson
Relation to theme: Fake boyfriend
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: co-worker harassment
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18468001-the-real-thing
> Title: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before #1)
Author: Jenny Han
Relation to theme: Fake boyfriend
Representation: Korean author, Korean MC, white MC
Content Warnings: lying
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before
> Title: Her Naughty Holiday (Men at Work #2)
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Relation to theme: Fake boyfriend
Representation: seasoned MCs, white MCs
Content Warnings: toxic family, virgin MC
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29568772-her-naughty-holiday
> Which #InclusiveRomance favorites of yours did we miss? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram @RomBkPod
Happy Reading!
EP 121 MUSIC CREDIT
Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY-SA 3.0
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