Impale yourself on your fate: marrying the Devil can be heaven. Semilore Sobande shares her all-time favorite romance, "Devil's Bride" by Stephanie Laurens. This book has it all: Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Weatherby, a heroine who balances strength and vulnerability, and a hero who might just be Batman in disguise and has a similarly ridiculous name. Discover how this historical romance stands out with its compelling characters, feudal fantasies, and unexpectedly humorous plot twists, all while reimagining the dynamics of power and partnership in the Cynster family saga.

Guest: Semilore Sobande

https://english.brown.edu/people/semilore-sobande

Learn more about the Ready to Score release event with Dame Jodie Slaughter and Shelf Love host Andrea Martucci on Monday June 9, 2025 at 7pm at Lovestruck Books in Cambridge, MA: https://lovestruck-Jodie-Slaughter.eventbrite.com/?aff=Andrea

Shelf Love:

• NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Morgan and Isabeau from the Whoa!mance podcast join to discuss the 2024 film “Your Monster.” We discuss how the movie explores female rage and personal discovery, drawing parallels with romance novel conventions. We are divided in our opinions: did the film succeed in merging romance and horror? The conversation highlights how individual experiences and tastes shape reception of the film, making for an engaging discussion on the intersection of romance, rage, and narrative structure.

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Guests: Whoa!mance (Morgan and Isabeau)

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Listen on any podcast app!

Morgan & Isabeau joined me in episode 076 to discuss Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

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Episode 089 to Problematize Romance

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108 She-Devil (1989): Who's Entitled To Be Selfish in Love & Life? (Whoa!mance spectacular)

Shelf Love:

• NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Alice Murphy, a historical romance author, joins to recommend and discuss under-appreciated non-Regency historical romance. The discussion touches on Alice's upcoming book, "A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love," and a rich variety of historical romance novels set in diverse time periods and locations. We travel through Ancient Egypt, medieval Wales, 19th century Japan, the Gilded Age, the Civil Rights Movement in the US in the 1960s, and more. This episode is jam-packed with book recommendations!

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Guest: Alice Murphy

Website | Instagram | A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love

Not recommended: Redeeming Love

Recommended:

• Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
• Defiant Love by Maura Seger
• A Husband for Esyllt by Virginie Marconato

• His Bride by Gayle Callen

• Fierce Eden by Jennifer Blake

• Flame on the Sun by Maura Seger
• A Viscount for the Egyptian Princess by Heba Helmy

• Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean and Untamed by Lisa Rayne

• A Striking Romance by Lindsey Brooks
• As You Desire and The Other Guys’ Bride by Connie Brockway

• A Manhattan Heiress in Paris by Amanda McCabe
• The Companion by E.E. Ottoman
• Phoenix Pictures series by Brianne Gillen

• Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole
• A Midnight Feast by Genevieve Turner and Emma Barry
• Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley

Shelf Love:

• NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com