This week’s episode is a blast to the past as we delve into a new genre for this podcast: historical romance novels. Focusing on five novels–A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera, The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan, and The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite–we delve into how they fit into the overall genre while crafting individual love stories that stand out on their own. We discuss some of our favorite romance tropes and how these books subvert them or play them straight, as well as examining the historical contexts a bit. Plus: seances, heists, and Worcestershire sauce.

Other media mentioned

• AMC’s Interview With the Vampire
• A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
• Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier
• The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
• The Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert
• Bridgerton (TV show)
• Belle (2013 movie)
• “Why Are So Many Novels Set in the Regency Period?” by Jess Romeo for JSTOR Daily
• Jane Austen
• Georgette Heyer
• Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
• The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes Cat Sebastian

Content warnings: discussions of historical racism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, and slavery, as well as two novels that deal with parental death