What We’re Reading!

Ep. 145 – 3 Year Anniversary Episode!

Jenny and Sarah

It’s our third anniversary! We’re so grateful for all of our listeners and guests who’ve made it an incredible 3 years! In this episode we reflect on some of the things we’ve been most struck by in past episodes, share some favorite memories, do a quick What We’re Reading, and Jenny recaps the romance novel that kicked off Sarah’s love of romance…and it is gloriously bananas! Also enjoy: Jenny’s truly horrifying German accent, an Animaniacs song, the moment Sarah mixes Jenny up with a Miss Congeniality character, and the number of times Sarah is attacked by her cat!

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy these episodes!

Ep. 1 Welcome to the Club

Ep. 54 What We’re Reading: Anniversary Edition (#5)

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Jenny’s Twitter!

Sarah’s Twitter!

Ep. 133 Book Recs and Laughter #5

We’re back with another book recs and laughs episode, this time featuring listener favorites, Naima Simone and Katee Robert! They joined us to talk about books and share embarrassing stories.

This one is a doozy. We talk about stepfather kink, tentacles, Honey Boo Boo, alien dicks, and the Battle of Helm’s Deep!

Naima Simone and Katee Robert

WAYS TO LISTEN

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If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy these episodes!

Ep. 59 Naima Simone: Sin and Ink

Ep. 68 Katee Robert: The Fearless King

Naima Simone’s author website!

Katee Robert’s author website!

Want more delicious WWC content? Join our Facebook group, The Wicked Wallflowers Coven!

Check out all our episodes here!

Ep. 132 What We’re Reading: Antiracist Books

We’re back from an unplanned break! In this “What We’re Reading” episode, we take a break from romance to highlight some of the antiracist books that have been most impactful to us recently. We discuss our own paths to becoming better allies and ways we can all be doing a better job of examining how racism shapes our lives. We discuss how important it is to be actively antiracist as opposed to being passively “not racist,” and how that work begins with deep self-reflection.

Please note, this conversation is primarily aimed at our white listeners and may be particularly triggering to our Black listeners. We don’t want to add to the burden of anyone who has already been dealing with the trauma of racism in their lives, but we think these conversations need to be happening more between white people. If we have said something problematic, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Books we discuss:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi [Highly recommend the audiobook read by the author!]

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

Me and My White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

Other books we highly recommend:

Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi [Note from Jenny: I’m buying this for all the young kids in my life!]

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

White by Law: The Legal Construct of Race by Ian Haney López

We Live in the Shadow: Inner-City Kids Tell Their Stories through Photographs by Elaine Bell Kaplan [Note from Jenny: This was written by one of my professors at USC (the one I reference in the episode!). She does incredible work with inner-city kids in LA.

Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by Lama Rod Owens

Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry [Note from Jenny: This book floored me. It’s so striking and powerful.]

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Time of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [Note from Jenny: We should all be paying more attention to the way Blackness is criminalized and how our criminal justice system is weaponized to oppress Black people.]

Anything from this list that Ibram X. Kendi assembled for the New York Times!

Ep. 130 Book Recs and Laughter #4

Sarah, Melody, Jenny, and Jen Prokop (I refuse to cut Jen out of a picture!)

We’ve started a new series of episodes to help us all through the isolation! It’s kind of a spin on What We’re Reading, but with funny stories and lots of old friends! We’re having past guests (and some exciting new voices) come on to share “a book rec and a laugh” with us. We’re basically crowd sourcing good books and joy for you from some of our favorite people!

This episode features Melody Carlisle who is a goddamn delight. She cohosts the Heaving Bosoms podcast, which you should definitely check out if you haven’t yet! I was about to suggest some favorite episodes and couldn’t even narrow it down–literally pick one that strikes your fancy and join the cult.

Our second guest is our beloved Sierra Simone. She shares the most on brand mortifying story ever!

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!




WAYS TO LISTEN

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Stuff We Mention:


Support for today’s episode comes from The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren!



You can find Melody on Twitter! You can also find her podcast, Heaving Bosoms, on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

You can find Sierra Simone on Facebook or Instagram or head straight to her website and devour her books immediately!

Ep. 128 Too Hot to Handle with Andie J. Christopher and Naima Simone

Things have gone off the rails here in the Wicked Wallflowers Club. This episode (and the show we’re talking about) may or may not be kind of a disaster, but we hope it’s a hilarious, delightful disaster. Andie J. Christopher and Naima Simone are back to help us attempt to digest the train wreck that is Netflix’s new show, Too Hot to Handle! I have no idea how else to summarize this, so I’ve included some choice out of context quotes instead of show notes!

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Stuff We Mention:

  • “I have trust issues because everyone hates my Christmas tree dick.” -Sarah
  • “I just laughed so hard I poured coffee all over my bed!” -Sarah
  • “When I was in my early to mid twenties, I would’ve fucked both Harry and David.” -Andie
  • “It just looked like a tit explosion!” -Naima
  • “…they start using Lana as a sex toy.” -Jenny
  • “In my early thirties, I would’ve fucked Matthew.” -Andie
  • “You know Sharron does not eat pussy. He has never had a pussy near his face.” -Andie
  • “With Bryce…I had to look inside my soul and make sure I hadn’t actually fucked him.” -Andie
  • “Wait…you haven’t been hogtied?” -Jenny
  • “What kind of trash bag doesn’t even offer to reciprocate!?” -Naima
  • “He doesn’t deserve me kicking me in the balls.”
  • “I want to replace Jesus’s beanie with my thighs as earmuffs.” -Andie
  • “I’ve reached the level of chaotic horny.” -Andie
  • “My sweet little rodent faced fuckboi.” -Sarah

Support for today’s episode comes from The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren!

You can find Andie J. Christopher on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook!

Follow Naima Simone on Facebook or Twitter!

Ep. 127 Book Recs and Laughter #2

We’ve started a new series of episodes to help us all through the isolation! It’s kind of a spin on What We’re Reading, but with funny stories and lots of old friends! We’re having past guests (and some exciting new voices) come on to share “a book rec and a laugh” with us. We’re basically crowd sourcing good books and joy for you from some of our favorite people! This episode features Tif Marcelo, Leigh Kramer, and Jen Prokop from Fated Mates!

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Stuff We Mention:


Support for today’s episode comes from The Sinner by J.R. Ward!

You can find Tif Marcelo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook!

Leigh Kramer’s Twitter and Instagram are most excellent! You MUST follow her blog if you want book recs–we go to Leigh when we want to figure out what to read!

Jen Prokop is on Twitter as JenReadsRomance! You should also check out her podcast, Fated Mates…because it’s glorious! JenReadsRomance.com is the perfect place to find direction if you’re newer to romance. You can also get the coolest buttons there!

Ep. 126 Book Recs and Laughter #1

We’ve started a new series of episodes to help us all through the isolation! It’s kind of a spin on What We’re Reading, but with funny stories and lots of old friends! We’re having past guests (and some exciting new voices) come on to share “a book rec and a laugh” with us. We’re basically crowd sourcing good books and joy for you from some of our favorite people! This first episode features Sarah and Jenny sharing their own recs and funny stories as well as a guest segment with Maureen Lee Lenker from Entertainment Weekly!

In addition to adding to your TBR, you can hear about Sarah’s adorable school girl shenanigans, Jenny’s Playboy audition fail, Maureen’s bus toilet incident, and more! Let us know what you think of the new idea and who you’d like to hear!

If you’re looking for community, consider joining ours! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! Also…if you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Books We Mention:


Do you follow Maureen’s romance column in Entertainment Weekly? It’s always full of great recs! Check out her latest!

Support for today’s episode comes from The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren!

Ep. 81 What We’re Reading #9 with Eva Moore: The Tipsy Edition

In this Ninth Edition of What We’re Reading, we get a little tipsy on canned rose with Eva Moore! Join

If you haven’t joined our Facebook group yet, you’re missing out on the fun! Find our Wicked Wallflowers Coven HERE! If you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Books mentioned:


You can find Eva on her website, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

Ep. 69 What We’re Reading #8 with Erin Galloway

In this 8th edition of What We’re Reading, we’re joined once again by our brilliant romance loving friend Erin Galloway who is the Deputy Director of Publicity for Berkley. We chat about all the great books we’ve read in the last month and what we’re looking forward to this year!

If you haven’t joined our new Facebook group yet, you’re missing out on the fun! Find it HERE! If you have a moment to leave us a rating on iTunes, we would be ever so grateful!


WAYS TO LISTEN

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Books Mentioned:

Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan

  • Both Jenny and Sarah LOVED it!
  • Enemies to lovers
  • Rival sports agents
  • Morality chain

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey (out 6/11/19)

  • Self-aware Rom Com
  • Very white hero and heroine but aware of it
  • Very meta, heroine gets a job as PA on a movie
  • Parallels romance novels very closely in how meaningful they can be

Fumbled by Alexa Martin (out 4/23/19)

  • Jenny liked the first but loved the second
  • Confident, put together, funny single Mom heroine
  • Second chance, surprise baby
  • Sexy, sexy times
  • Takes on CTE in a football romance and does it well

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik 

  • Space princess on the run, her dowry includes planets
  • Funny, competent heroine
  • Murdery-hot hero
  • Just really fun and sexy

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  • Bait and switch hero, Erin was warned going in, she tore through all of them over the Holidays
  • Sarah loved hero from pg. 1
  • All are looking forward to the future books in the series

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (11/5/19)

  • Hero who has a stutter told by wife marriage is over
  • Heroine is pregnant with twins when he gets called up to major leagues
  • His friends start tell him to save his marriage he needs to be at a place and time and it’s a book club where they read romance to help save their relationships
  • Future books for guys in the book club

Act Like It by Lucy Parker

  • West End London Theater
  • Fake relationship to mend his reputation
  • Grumpy hero
  • Not too angsty, not dark, really satisfying read

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

  • Island where girls have been disappearing frequently
  • Trio of girls
  • Wasn’t terrifying horror, more exploring female strength and friendship
  • Lesbian relationship, Asexual character, lot of exploration of identity

Not the Girl You Marry – Andie J. Christoper 

  • Event planner heroine
  • She’s never chosen to do weddings even though that’s where the money is because she’s not very ‘romantic’
  • Hero wants to do serious news but is doing more Buzzfeed style news
  • Hero is assigned a ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ type article
  • Biracial woman who has dealt with a lot of prejudice
  • Lots of banter, great HEA
  • All of romancelandia ships Andie and Chris Evans and their official ship name is Andie J. Chris Evans

Escorted by Claire Kent

  • Talked about it on Fated Mates (if you aren’t listening, you should!)
  • Romance author who is a virgin, feels like a fraud
  • Hires a male escort
  • Elements of sex work representation was great
  • But there were pieces of the conclusion that didn’t work for Jenny

Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

  • Guy abducts woman, keeps her in basement
  • Trains her as a submissive without all the consent and rules

Born Darkly by Trisha Wolfe

  • Psychologist talking to serial killer
  • They’re both psychopaths so obviously a dark romance
  • Fiction, which is different than serial killer romance with a real life hero

From Lukov, With Love by Mariana Zapata

  • Enemies to lovers, Ice Skating romance
  • Grumpy hero
  • Slow burn – takes so long to get to the romance
  • Witty banter

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

  • Different from TKQ but you’ll still love this
  • Autistic hero doesn’t experience love and emotion the same way a non-autistic person would and his mom is very concerned
  • Mother goes to Vietnam and brings back a bride for him
  • Author was inspired by her mom’s experience

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

  • THRILLER out in December
  • Her answer to Scandinavian noir with a haunting landscape
  • Heroine comes back from London where she lived
  • Many women have gone missing while hiking in this region
  • Has to be a local who is doing the killing

Support for The Wicked Wallflowers comes from Harlequin and their New Year, New Reads campaign. A resolution you can keep past February? Yes please! Harlequin and their blockbuster series authors have got you covered with many ways to start your #newyearnewreads binge reading. MIRA Books and HQN are home to many authors with an impressive list of series that are already out, as well as great upcoming books. What better way to keep a binge reading new years resolution than by diving into a series you can fall in love with from the very beginning? Head over to newyearnewreads.com to discover exciting series and upcoming titles by Christina Dodd, Lee Tobin McClain, B.J. Daniels, Heather Graham, Robyn Carr, Sherryl Woods, Sheila Roberts, Brenda Novak, Carla Neggers, Karen Robards and more.

Special thanks to Melinda Utendorf for helping with the show notes on this episode! Melinda is a phenomenal freelance editor–you can check out her website HERE!

Ep. 54 What We’re Reading: Anniversary Edition (#5)

It’s our one year anniversary, and we couldn’t be more honored that you’ve chosen to spend time with us and be part of this incredible journey! The show has grown into something much bigger than we could ever have hoped for a year ago!

We start this episode reflecting on the past year, sharing all the cool new Wicked Wallflowers stuff we’re working on, and then go into a discussion of the fabulous books we’ve been reading lately. Fair warning, wine was consumed during the recording of this episode!

We were overly ambitious when we recorded, and the website changes aren’t quite finished yet, but it should be all up, running, user friendly, and gorgeous by the end of this week, so keep an eye out!

Ways to listen:

Listen on Google Play Music

Wicked Wallflowers Club Updates!

  1. Join the Wicked Wallflowers Club Facebook Group!

We want to have a place where you guys can talk to each other and share the awesome stuff that you send us in messages, emails, and on Twitter right now! We’re terrified of Facebook, but are super excited to build a group where we can support each other and connect about books. In our group, you will probably be able to find anything from fantastic book recs to a beta reader. Click HERE!

2. We’ve rebranded!

Have you noticed our fancy new logo? We’re pretty excited about her! When we started out, we didn’t have a clear sense of our identity, but now we feel like it’s time that our logo feels a little more like our show. We’re also in the process of revamping the website, so keep an eye out in the next few days for those changes to be completed!

3. Sign up for our newsletter!

It’s taken us a year to get our shit together, but we’re finally ready to start sending out a monthly newsletter with all kinds of fun stuff! We’re planning on sharing updates, book recs, author spotlights, events, and more! Click HERE or go to our Contact page to sign up!

4. Please leave us a review on iTunes or the platform you use to listen! We have some hilarious rewards available if you shoot us an email at wickedwallflowersclub@gmail.com to let us know you did it! Options:

  • Signed copy of Jenny’s book, The Scarlett Letters: My Secret Year of Men in an L.A. Dungeon
  • Shout out on the podcast
  • Custom limmerick written by Sarah and shared on the podcast–seriously, please make her write so many of these!
  • Name a character in Jenny’s Penthouse column!

Life Updates

  • Sarah has finished another book and Jenny is Beta reading it! It’s a fantasy novel about a ruthless princess and Jenny is all about the lady rage so far!
  • Jenny spends alot of time at Petco. Like alot of time.

Books!

  • Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale
    • Historical that is incredibly timely and empowering
    • Both Jenny and Sarah absolutely adored it
    • Dresses with pockets, a Duke who is educated by the heroine about his privilege, marvelous sexual tension, and powerful feminism
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
    • YA fantasy heist story that lives up to the hype
    • Hero is a glove wearing, cane wielding, antihero named Kaz…and he’s marvelous
    • The whole cast of characters is brilliant with wonderfully ass kicking, competent female characters.
    • Not everyone is white and not everyone is straight…and that isn’t a thing, which was great.
  • For the Duke’s Eyes Only by Lenora Bell
    • James Bond meets female Indiana Jones on a quest to recover the Rosetta Stone
    • Lady Indy gives no fucks about the rules of society
    • Rochester is a spy pretending to be a drunken, useless Duke as part of his cover
    • Childhood friends to enemies to lovers with delightful pop culture references and witty banter
  • Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
    • Final book in the Throne of Glass series
    • Epic world building and a fantastic conclusion to the series
    • Well done female friendships, love stories, and empowered female characters
  • Jane Doe by Victoria Stone
    • Feminist rage book of 2018
    • Sociopath named Jane plots the downfall of her only friend’s boyfriend who drove her to suicide
    • Psycho in the best way
  • Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
    • Gladiator meets Game of Thrones in which all the power players are female
    • Heroine survives a massacre of the entire royal family and finds her power and identity while hiding out with a gladiator troupe
  • Managed by Kristen Callihan
    • rock star romance with buttoned up, control freak hero
    • workaholic British band manager falls for sassy American social media manager
    • blistering sexual tension
    • “Spray that filth on the page and I’m gonna lap it up!” -SH
  • Sin and Ink by Naima Simone
    • Former MMA fighter tattoo artist falls for his brother’s widow
    • Lots of simmering sexual tension and smoking hot sex scenes
    • Heavy on the angst
  • Scoring With the Wrong Twin-Jenny has just started!
  • The British Knight by Louise Bay-Sarah is currently reading!
  • Burn Down the Night by Molly O’Keefe
    • Smoking hot story with a kickass proudly bisexual heroine
  • A Nordic King by Karina Halle
    • A widower, single father king of Denmark falls for the nanny
    • Navigates the power dynamics well
    • Sexytimes

Currently Reading:

Recs We’re Looking For:

  • Control freaks
  • Super sexy books (“explodey bangs”)
  • Paranormal romance