S08.12: Fantastic Romance Series

It's winter, which means that it's time to get cozy, build a blanket nest on the couch, and read a million books one right after the other in the great tradition of our ancient forbears. Today, we're talking about series that deliver one banger after another and, yes, that also bang. We'll talk historicals, contemporaries, and of course, the paranormal series that started it all for us.

If you want other people to discuss great romance series, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. You can also ask for it as a gift, or give it as one at fatedmates.net/gift.

Notes

• Go to Sarah’s site to sign up for her newsletter. Apparently, it’s going to be a snowy winter because of squirrels, the Farmer’s Almanac is over, and social media is ruining your life and your brain, or maybe it’s just your whole damn phone.
• Heated Rivalry, baby. Also this fall, the CW has unveiled a bunch of movies based on Harlequin books, including Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell, Mason Deaver’s YA romance I Wish You All the Best and in January we get Season 4 of Bridgerton, and Netflix's adaptation of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation.
• Graphic Audio has adapted a bunch of your favorite books, not just Kate Daniels.
• A graphic of the Beverly Jenkins universe.
• Here’s a cool way to look at the connections from Lorraine Heath’s Scoundrels of St. James series.
• Sarah misses Romantic Times magazine.

Books

• Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
• The Game Maker Series by Kresley Cole
• Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
• The Cynster Family by Stephanie Laurens
• Pennyroyal Green by Julie Anne Long
• The Beverly Jenkins Universe
• The Game Changer Series by Rachel Reid
• The Irish Shifters by Theodora Taylor
• Temperance Falls by London Hale
• His Duchess’s Lovers by Elizabeth Roubaix
• Scoundrels of St. James by Lorraine Heath
• The Toronto Series by Farrah Heron
• Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
• The Undone series by Payton Corinne
• Fast Track Billionaires by Amanda Cinelli
• Bourbon Brothers by Reese Ryan
• The Shieldmaiden Sisters by Lucy Morris

Sponsors

• Zara Doyle, author of Tanya and Her Wolf, available in print, ebook, audio or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Jenny Alexandra, authors of Santa Cutie, available in print, ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Bailey Seaborn, author ofPeppermint Bark, No Bite, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Blue Box Press, publishers of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood: 20th Anniversary Insider's Guide, available in hardcover, ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

The Rest

• For even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2025/12/1/0812-bingeable-romance-series-update
• If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we suggest joining our Patreon? Aside from an additional episode every month you get access to our Discord, where other romance readers are talking about books they love (and many other things!) all the time. It’s so fun! Learn more about the Patreon and go join those cool people who love romance as much as you do at patreon.com/fatedmates.
• Beyond your favorite podcast app, you can find us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and probably some other places, too, if you look hard enough.
• If you've never listened to our Stop Book Banning episode, there's no better time than now.

00:00 Doom Squirling

07:01 Heated Rivalry

14:56 Best of 2025 Book Box

16:55 AD: PEPPERMINT BARK, NO BITE

20:10 Kresley Cole's IAD & Gamemaker Series

28:11 Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels Series

32:01 AD: SANTA CUTIE

33:52 The Beverly Jenkins Universe

40:04 Rachel Reid's Game Changer Series

46:06 AD: TANYA AND HER WOLF

48:10 Theodora Taylor's Irish Shifters

53:07 London Hale's Temperance Falls

55:59 Lorraine Heath's Scoundrels of St. James

1:01:41 Farrah Heron's Toronto Universe

1:05:57 AD: BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD 20TH ANNIVERSARY INSIDERS GUIDE

1:07:38 Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians

1:14:34 Peyton Corinne's Undone Series

1:20:09 Go to Category!

1:26:13 Outro