Ep #216 – LUST & FOUND

“KINKY LEMONS”

This week host Sarah Jean concludes our Food in Romance theme with special guest author Jude Sierra and a focus on #QueerRomance

EP 216 HOST

> SARAH JEAN (she/her) From the woods of Massachusetts, Sarah Jean has been reading queer romance for 12 years. She runs a queer book club called Rainbow Readers of Massachusetts (https://www.facebook.com/rainbowreadersmass/) that celebrates queer lives, joy, and empowerment through genre fiction. When not reading or listening to books Sarah is plotting her queer historical romances, cuddling with her cats, and planning her next adventure. Follow Sarah on Twitter @queer_reader

EP 216 GUEST

JUDE SIERRA (she/her) As a sucker for happy endings and well written emotional arcs and characters, Jude is an unapologetic bookaholic. She finds bookstores and libraries unbearably sexy and, to her husband’s dismay, is attempting to create her own in their living room. She is a writer of many things that hope to find their way out of the sanctuary of her hard drive, and many that have found a home in a fanfiction community. She is currently working on her Master of Arts in Writing and Rhetoric and managing a home filled with her husband, two young sons, and two cats. You can visit her website at https://judesierra.com/ or follow her on Twitter @JudeSierra and Instagram @judemsierra

EP 216 DISCUSSION

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: These notes include affiliate links to Bookshop.org and Amazon.com to support the RBP transcript project

NOTE: This episode was recorded in late-November during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020

NOTE: This episode includes a discussion of Xan West/Corey Alexander’s work and, sadly, their passing in August

> Title: Idlewild

Author: Jude Sierra

Relation to theme: Chef MC

Representation: Brazilian-American, Latinx, queer author, queer MCs, Black MC, white MC

Content Warnings (from reader Xan West): Drunk driving car accident kills an MC’s partner in the past, grief arc, boss/employee relationship, white MC learns some things about his privilege through his relationship with Black MC, MC is closeted about being genderqueer

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/380CRHR

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33163072-idlewild

> Learn more about Interlude Press here https://interludepress.com/

> Title: The Remaking of Corbin Wale

Author: Roan Parrish

Relation to theme: Baker MC

Representation: White, Jewish, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs, Jewish MC, neurodivergent MC, disabled MC

Content Warnings: grief, death, spousal abuse of secondary character, verbal abuse, past death of parental figures/relatives, kink, parental neglect

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3aUegGI

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39481486-the-remaking-of-corbin-wale

NOTE: This book was previously discussed on RBP #116

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-116/

> Sarah Jean and Jude mention Roan Parrish’s latest book, Better Than People

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/381z25b

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53038198-better-than-people

> Title: Small Change (Small Change #1)

Author: Roan Parrish

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, Jewish, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs

Content Warnings: mentions of sibling’s suicide attempt, misogynist microaggressions, sexual harrassment, emotional abuse from family, drug use & overdose (past)

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2WVM0LA

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35109768-small-change

NOTE This book was previously discussed in RBP #132

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-132/

> Title: In the Middle of Somewhere (In the Middle of Somewhere #1)

Author: Roan Parrish

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, Jewish, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs, diabled MC, neurodivergent MC

Content Warnings (from reader Leigh Kramer): stutter, migraines, dyslexia, anxiety, homophobic family, homophobic slurs, homophobic beating resulting in the death of hero’s boyfriend and hospitalization for his own injuries, nightmares, past mugging, bullying, past suicide attempt, closeted side character with internalized homophobia, concern of infidelity, references to past fights, death of father (heart attack), alcoholism, fat-shaming, cheating ex, car accident in which a dog is hit but recovers, death of mother from pancreatic cancer when Rex was 16, side character’s brother died by suicide after their dad caught him with a guy, appendix scar, reference to abortion debate, brief reference to actress who died by suicide, statement that broken light fixture “committed suicide”

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2Mr8K4l

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25862832-in-the-middle-of-somewhere

> Jude mentions Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and the MC Alex Claremont-Diaz, who is a chaotic personality

Bookstore: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/38Noaax

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49233093-red-white-royal-blue

NOTE: This book has a CW for forced outing

> Title: A Tiny Piece of Something Greater

Author: Jude Sierra

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: Brazilian-American, Latinx, queer author, queer MCs, Brazilian MC, white MC, disabled MC, neurodivergent MC

Content Warnings: cyclothymia (a mood disorder that causes emotional highs and lows)

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2JwqABA

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38720783-a-tiny-piece-of-something-greater

> Title: Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2)

Author: Anna Zabo

Relation to theme: Food as seduction

Representation: White, nonbinary, queer author, white MCs, queer MCs, neurodivergent MC

Content Warnings (from the author): anxiety, including descriptions of panic attacks, mentions of racism, mentions of queermisia, including from a family member, mention of death of parents (from natural causes), stalking by the press, bondage, blindfolding, including being fed dessert while bound

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MjG64R

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39675785-counterpoint

> Sarah Jean highly recommends the audio for Counterpoint, narrated by Greg Boudreaux

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53147530-counterpoint

> Title: For Real (Spires #3)

Author: Alexis Hall

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, genderqueer author, queer MCs, white MCs

Content Warnings: grief, BDSM

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/382nI9h

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40726183-for-real

> Title: Boyfriend Material

Author: Alexis Hall

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, genderqueer author, queer MCs, white MCs

Content Warnings: parental abandonment, toxic family, gaslighting, homophobia, evil ex, mention of disordered eating, lapsed vegetarianism

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jHau4Z

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48994908-boyfriend-material

NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP #205

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-205/

> Sourcebooks Casablanca made a fun cookbook to promote Boyfriend Material featuring recipes for several of the foods mentioned in the novel

Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicunquevult/status/1330895259400859649?s=20

> Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown (Brown Sisters #2)

Author: Talia Hibbert

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: Black, queer, autistic author, Black, bi MC, Pakistani MC, neurodivergent MC

Content Warnings: death of father and brother (past), anxiety & panic attacks, evil ex (past)

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3cAOuGg

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48568248-take-a-hint-dani-brown

NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP #204

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-204/

> To clarify, in Take a Hint…, Dani brings Zaf coffee, and Zaf gives Dani a protein bar because she never eats breakfast, that’s their special routine

> Title: Sotto Voce

Author: Erin Finnegan

Relation to theme: Winemaker MC

Representation: White, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs

Content Warnings: alcohol

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3n6Bwnc

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23439502-sotto-voce

> Title: The Pursuit Of… (The Worth Saga #2.5)

Author: Courtney Milan

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: Chinese-American author, queer MCs, Black MC, white MC

Content Warnings: story starts at the end of the Battle of Yorktown at the end of the American Revolution and involves brief fighting

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3rLA3WS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39962903-the-pursuit-of

> Title: Misfits (Urban Soul #1)

Author: Garrett Leigh

Relation to theme: Chef MC, restaurant developer MC

Representation: White, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs, disabled MC

Content Warnings: grief, open relationship, menage, polyamory, Tourette’s Syndrome

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/382DQr9

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39663411-misfits

NOTE: This book was previous discussed in RBP #108

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-108/

> Title: Two Rogues Make a Right (Sedgwick #3)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs, disabled MC

Content Warnings: MC with tuberculosis, MC with PTSD due to time in the Navy; MC with opium/laudanum addiction; death of parent (past); discussion of sexual abuse of a minor (past, not main MCs)

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3cAOENS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52737554-two-rogues-make-a-right

NOTE: This book was previously discussed in RBP #204

LISTEN NOW: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/ep-204/

> Title: The Ruin of a Rake (Turner #3)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Relation to theme: Food as love language

Representation: White, queer author, queer MCs, white MCs, disabled MC

Content Warnings: chronic illness (malaria), financial instability, suspected infidelity

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-sarah-jean-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3o7zHYK