The benefit of not being by financially tied to the romance industry is that I will absolutely say something when I see something. #romancelandia

I don’t think I’ll do interviews about romance with “journalists” anymore. The same boring shit about romance gets published over and over because any viewpoint that doesn’t validate the romance stereotype or “romance is different now and bigger than ever!” narrative is excluded. #romancelandia

This call may be of interest to our readers!

Sooo fanfic phenomenon "Manacled" by SenLinYu was transformed into a trad pub book: "Alchemised." Join @fangirljeanne.bsky.social & I for a critical discussion on the ramifications of turning #fanfic into published romantasy. shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/sea... #romancelandia #romancebks

Well that’s a nice wake up surprise! This piece I wrote for @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social is a finalist for a Los Angeles Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award! www.zocalopublicsquare.org/romance-genr...

Oh no, now @smutreport.com put zombies removing appendages to facilitate creative intimate moments into my brain…. And the only part I hate is that I WILL be thinking about it. overcast.fm/+ABBEh76UzvA

Anyone work in book publishing PR who would be interested in doing an informational interview with a PR student I’m mentoring? She’s a romance reader! She’s ready to hear the real story on what it’s like to work in the industry as she figures out her career path. #romancelandia

I find no pleasure in being right: the heroine absolutely can’t come to terms with him owning a BDSM sex club, but nothing about her characterization or behavior explains that stance. And even worse: book ends with a cliffhanger and it’s like…4 books. I am worse off having read this book.

I’m reading a romance that I’m pretty sure is just contemporary but I feel like some of the intense attraction and vagueness could only be explained by “he’s a secret vampire” or “she lost her memory and they used to be lovers!” But it’s probably just that his hotel is a bdsm club… #romancelandia

There's still time! JPRS is still accepting reviews of recent YA scholarship for our special issue on YA series romance. See our Padlet for more details: padlet.com/bookreviews/... #RomanceResearch @jprstudies.bsky.social @iaspr.bsky.social

Ooh, really like the idea of the neo-Gothic in here.

How has Lisa Kleypas ret-conned her characters for modern readers, or the idea of what modern readers want? Tehyah Carver shares revisions made to Kleypas's Wallflower series and the project of rehabilitating villains like Sebastian St. Vincent. #romancebks shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/sea...

Me, whenever I see someone claiming romance novels in general are rotting brains/suspect/a problem/addictive because of the (too much) sex: #Romancebks shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/why-did-li...

I really wish more people would cite their sources. Either there is none, it’s not a credible source, or the conclusion has been misrepresented like, 90% of the time. This is true in general, but as I am ostensibly a romance podcaster/essayist/scholar, I specifically mean in romance discourse.

Can’t help thinking about how the Swift-E disk horse is so similar to romance disk horse around problematic favorite authors and books. You can like something AND acknowledge its issues… People who criticize something you like aren’t HURTING YOU. Just saying. #romancelandia

What a magical night in a London speakeasy!

@shelflove.bsky.social tricked me into listening to philosophy and ENJOYING it. Pretty fucked if you ask me! Anyway, I’m 2/3 through Andrea & Jodie’s extremely ~exploratory~ episode: DOMINATE YOUR DESIRE (below) and it’s really good. Recommend it strongly. Would cannibalize again!

Why are people drawn to scary media? Do romance readers like dark romance and bodice rippers because they're morbidly curious!? @morbidpsych.bsky.social shares his research on horror fans & insights from his new book, Morbidly Curious! #romancebks #horror shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/sea...

Is it true that 1 in 5 adult fiction print book sales are romance novels? Sure! But let’s put that into perspective… #romancebks open.substack.com/pub/shelflov...

No matter how much money romance books net for publishers, it’s a drop in the bucket of what the entire corporate parent makes. They will easily drop imprints with any sexual or “deviant” content so fast & double their investment in political memoirs, tradwife cookbooks & religious books.

Publishing is a capitalist enterprise. Don’t forget it. It’s not a bastion of creativity and art that is exempt from the same exploitative and biased systemic forces that drive capitalism writ large. The dynamics are amplified bc it’s not just about profit: it’s about what (& who) gets a platform.

Don’t be like the author who emailed their media outreach template to me without filling out the fill-in the blank sections. I understand the need to templatize outreach but I’ve only ever invited people to come on the podcast when the email was so specific it was ACTUALLY personalized. #romancebks

Have you dominated your desires into submission yet & figured out how to only fantasize about the things that align with your values? Me neither. Join me & Jodie Slaughter as we discuss navigating romance community in the personal panopticon of late-stage capitalism. #romancebks #romancereader

Does anyone have any recommendations for romance novels that include a high school reunion? I was hit by nostalgia when I realized I missed my 20th. (Ok I wasn’t going to go even if I knew about it before hand…)

#Romamcelandia #BlackRomance #SmallTownRomamce Need a quick read this weekend? "Omar & Cherie Finally get Married" is in Kindle Unlimited. Check out this sweet, sassy, and sexy novella. 🫶🏾 www.amazon.in/Omar-Cherie-... #BlackRomance #OlderCouple

Stressful week at work. Maybe I should buy 100 vintage paperback romances off eBay to feel better? #maladaptivecopingmechanisms #romancelandia

I have a theory that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who love Mariana Zapata’s books and those who can’t stand them. That’s it. That’s the theory.

Ug reading a romance where the MCs both cycle through repetitive and way-too-astute internal thoughts for paragraphs every sentence of dialogue. Just have things happen! Show me how they feel by what they say or how they react! Let them have an emotion & not know why!

Have we talked about how the sudden transition of romance print books from mass market paperback to trade paperback and hardcover formats, and their higher price points, is a huge enabler for romance-only bookstores to flourish? #romancelandia

Hey #romancelandia, the immensely talented and wonderful Jodie Slaughter is fundraising for her sister who was just diagnosed with cancer. Let's show up! www.gofundme.com/f/support-an...

Romance novels begin by presenting a world that is familiar to us: an unjust world. The fantasy element of a romance novel is that throughout the story, the unjust world is repaired into a just world. #romancelandia #romancebks shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/the-fantas...

I’m not proud. I did a search early in my read for certain words to see when things spiced up. 92%. Like, exsqueeze me?! I’m a very busy woman and I haven’t got all day. This is my life, slipping through my fingers! #romancelandia “slowburn” -more like waiting for water to boil coming out of the tap

Reading a Mariana Zapata book is the most disorienting experience. Like being in a funhouse attraction under influence of a mind altering substance. And you can’t get out! It’s a maze with no exit, slowly burning down around you until you run out of oxygen, pass out, & wake up on smoldering grass.

Romance novels are booming in 2025! …Or are they? 🤔 #romancelandia Dive into my deep (and slightly obsessive) look at why today's romance "boom" might just be a whimper compared to decades past. Data, nostalgia, and a sprinkle of snark await: read now! open.substack.com/pub/shelflov...

Thrilled to launch Dame Jodie Slaughter's latest book, Ready to Score, with a spicy, scintillating, sporty (?!?!) conversation at @lovestruckbooks.bsky.social on Monday June 9, 2025 at 7pm. Grab your ticket now: it includes Ready to Score!: lovestruck-jodie-slaughter.eventbrite.com?aff=Andrea

Is romance bigger than it’s ever been? Not if by “ever,” we go back farther than six years. New on Substack! #romancebks #romancelandia open.substack.com/pub/shelflov...

Joanna Bourne’s Spymasters series is so unique and lovely. The heroines in the first 2 are French and the characterization shown through phrasing is masterful. I’m savoring the language in a way I don’t often do with romances. It’s a treat.

Is Shelf Love a romance novel podcast if it’s actually also a Substack publication that arrives in your inbox, with derivative and original content on Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, and Threads? #romancelandia open.substack.com/pub/shelflov...?

Please help support visionary romance editor Vivian Stephens! #romancelandia #romancebks www.gofundme.com/f/support-vi...

I’ve been podcasting about romance novels for 5.5 years & I’m 300 downloads away from 200k. If you’re a romance nerd who delights in critically engaging with romance novels & you haven’t listened to Shelf Love yet, will you download an episode and give it a try? #romancelandia shelflovepodcast.com

The Gorge is science fiction romantic suspense: spread the word.

Listening to Flowers From the Storm audiobook, first time reading the book. Look, I’m enjoying it and I get why this book is canonized, but yeeeesh, Maddie is annoying and self-righteous. It’s masterful characterization: the frustration yet wanting to keep reading is the point… #romancebks

at the end of the episode, @shelflove.bsky.social reminds us about her Romance Novel Collection project. if you have a romance collection (books, magazines, art, anything romance-related/adjacent) you’d like to share, check it out! open.substack.com/pub/shelflov...

Great new podcast episode with tons of info relevant to romance collecting. Also, can't wait to read Rebecca's book! @shelflove.bsky.social @rebeccaromney.com shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/sea...

My brain will not make room to remember who played in the Super Bowl, definitely didn’t have room to watch it, and it also doesn’t have room to know who won.

We need to talk about #BookTok (and #bookstagram and you know... all of it). When tech companies own romance reader data, is that good for books? Read the full post on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/shelflov... #romancebks #romancelandia

This might be the only video I post over here, but here’s a quick book primer. Enjoy how cute I am and Happy Black History Month.

Did you know? Jayne Castle, Stephanie James, Amanda Quick, and Jayne Ann Krentz are all the same person! Learn more about romance publishing history and discover why romance authors used to (and sometimes still do) juggle multiple pseudonyms. #romancebks shelflovepodcast.substack.com/p/how-catego...

i wrote something about This Place for @404media.co. please read it, and then log off. 💗

Why are historical romance and romantasy in a fight right now? The real enemy is outside these walls… We don’t need to justify the existence of romance or any of its subgenres: not to ourselves and especially not to others. #romancelandia