The Spicy Librarian Podcast

This week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast we're sitting down with one of the UK's most exciting up and coming indie authors — Juno Rose. We're talking her debut novel Salt and Sweet, her next release Spicy Honey, an exclusive look at what's coming next, and of course things get completely unhinged along the way.
 
Juno Rose is a London-based indie author writing high heat contemporary romance with heart, humour, and chemistry that absolutely jumps off the page. Her debut Salt and Sweet — a brother's best friend, forbidden romance following Emmy as she rebuilds her life with a secret spicy bucket list and the very last man she should want — has taken the indie romance community by storm, and we are completely obsessed.
This week we sit down with Juno for an exclusive chat about Salt and Sweet, her next release Spicy Honey, and a little insider look at what she has coming after that. We also do what we do best — drag her into some thoroughly unhinged bookish games — and get a real insight into what it's like building an indie romance career in the UK right now.
If you haven't read Juno Rose yet, consider this your very loud sign to start immediately.
 
Timestamps:
00:01 — Introduction04:24 — Juno's Books: Salt and Sweet, Spicy Honey & What's Coming Next09:20 — Juno's Story: Life as a UK Indie Romance Author19:12 — Exclusive Tea: What Juno Has in the Pipeline24:29 — One Star Review Defence31:40 — Five Star Review Defence37:06 — HSF40:21 — Unpopular Opinion46:12 —  Roundup & Bye
 
CTA:
If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤
 
Books Discussed in This Episode:
Salt and Sweet — Juno RoseSpicy Honey — Juno RoseDawn of the North / Road of Bones — Demi WintersKidnapped by Krampus — Emily ShoreFive Brothers — Penelope DouglasSugar Life Series — Harley Madison

The June reading roundup is here and we went wide this month — dark romance, romantasy, contemporary, beachy reads, and everything in between.
Dee and Katie are back with the book club picks, the reads that wrecked them, and the ones that surprised them most. Your TBR will not survive.
Yes we know it's not June anymore. 
This month's book club brought us Branded by Saffron A. Kent, A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann, and Pieces of the Night by Jennifer Hartmann— a dark western romance, a NYT bestselling romantasy that has taken over BookTok, and an angsty rockstar romance that absolutely wrecked us. Three very different books, three very big feelings. 
Beyond book club, June was the month we went everywhere. We're talking Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, and Carissa Broadbent for the contemporary and fantasy fans, Karina Halle for those who like their romance with a side of chaos, and an indie pick that needs to be on your radar immediately. June gave us range and we have absolutely no regrets.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Dee's June Reading Roundup18:30 — Katie's Reading Roundup & Pod Live26:36 — Book Club: Pieces of the Night by Jennifer Hartmann — Contemporary Romance34:05 — Book Club: A Stage Set for Villains — Romantasy Deep Dive36:42 — Book Club: Branded by Saffron A. Kent — Dark Romance Discussion42:32 — HSF: Cringe Reading Moment of the Week
If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤
 
Books Discussed in This Episode:
Branded — Saffron A. KentA Stage Set for Villains — Shannon J. SpannPieces of the Night — Jennifer HartmannRegretting You — Colleen HooverHarvest Season — Bryn WeaverLight Wielder: Fire & Metal Book Two — Rachel SchneiderDeath Valley — Karina HalleVanguard — Karina HalleArcher's Voice — Mia SheridanPeople We Meet on Vacation — Emily HenryWhite Rose Painted Gold — Elena LawsonBlack Heart Painted Gold — Elena LawsonDirebound — Sable SorensonFurybound — Sable SorensonThe Dorians — Nick CutterMost of All You — Mia SheridanA Great Big Beautiful Life — Emily HenryCrown Me Dead Crown Me Yours — Liv ZanderThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo — Taylor Jenkins ReidDaughter of No Worlds — Carissa BroadbentSerpent & the Wings of Night — Carissa BroadbentOlder — Jennifer HartmannEat Your Heart Out — G.M. Banforth
 

Bookish Bingo lands on The Spicy Librarian Podcast this week — and it turns out Dee and Katie are not even a little bit competitive. From sports romance to special editions, historical romance to books that made us ugly cry, we're covering every square on the card.
 
This week join Dee and Katie for a game of Bookish Bingo — who we found aren't at all competitive. We're working through the full card, from books read in one sitting to series we're still in the middle of, plots that floored us, characters who share our names, and the very specific joy of a book you found because you spotted a stranger reading it.
Every square is a recommendation, a confession, or a chaotic tangent — sometimes all three. If your own TBR survives this episode intact we genuinely respect it.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 — Sulking Over Bingo Dabbers01:49 — Katie's Reading Week02:35 — Dee's Reading Week10:14 — Bingo Rules11:55 — A Book Read in One Sitting13:49 — A Book Set on an Island15:24 — A Book That Was Borrowed18:35 — A Special Edition20:18 — Historical Romance Picks21:48 — A Non Fiction Book25:03 — A Plot Twist That Got Us26:19 — A Book on Your TBR Right Now32:30 — Sports Romance Recommendations34:41 — A Book That Made Us Cry36:52 — A Book We Reviewed42:06 — Book to Screen Adaptations43:10 — A Book You Read Because You Saw Someone Else Reading It45:42 — A Character With the Same Name as Yours47:24 — A Title With a Number in It48:13 — A Book That's Been Annotated49:38 — A Book You've Won50:27 — A Series You're in the Middle Of51:18 — A Title With a Colour in It54:14 — Bingo Victory
If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤
Books Discussed in This Episode:
Tourist Season — Bryn WeaverThe Butcher and the Blackbird — Bryn WeaverLight Wielder — Rachel SchneiderWild Card — Karina HalleDirebound — Sable SorensonCrown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours — Liv ZanderDaughter of No Worlds — Carissa BroadbentArcher's Voice — Mia SheridanMost of All You — Mia SheridanThree Nights in Stockholm — Elizabeth HardyThe Dorians — Nick CutterGrave Matter — Karina HalleYesteryear — Caro Claire BurkeStarfallen — Fern ColeHollow — M.L. BurnsInnamorata — Ava ReidThe Games Gods Play — Abigail OwenThe Tattooist of Auschwitz — Heather MorrisThe Secret — Rhonda ByrneAtomic Habits — James ClearFeathers So Vicious — Liv ZanderPoison Daughter — Sheila MastersonHere One Moment — Liane MoriartyFlawless — Elsie SilverPerfect Deke — Ruth StirlingHeated Rivalry — Rachel ReidWhat We Need — Lizzie StanleyThe Long Game — Rachel ReidDeath Valley — Karina HalleThe Trap — Catherine Ryan HowardRemarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van PeltTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow — Gabrielle ZevinA Little Life — Hanya YanagiharaOne Dark Window — Rachel GilligTwo Twisted Crowns — Rachel GilligOf Mice and Men — John SteinbeckSleuths — Samantha MoodyThrone of Glass — Sarah J. MaasEdge of Darkness — Leigh RiversRed Rising — Pierce BrownRed Queen — Victoria Aveyard

Your ultimate guide to romantasy and dark romance is here. The Spicy Librarian Podcast's Book Recs 101 is the episode every new and seasoned spicy reader needs. Whether you're just starting out or ready for the deep end, Dee and Katie have you completely covered.
Hold on to your TBRs because this week we are sitting down for a full hour of book recommendations- and we are not sorry about what we have done to your reading list. From gentle entry points to the books that will absolutely ruin you, we're covering the full spectrum of romantasy and dark romance in one gloriously chaotic episode.
We break it down into three categories- start me gently, middle of the road, and drop me in at the deep end. We cover the first romantasy and dark romance reads you should pick up, where to go next once you're hooked, and what you graduate to when you are ready to go full feral reader. Consider this your official reading roadmap.
Our TBRs have extended by approximately 100 books as a result of this conversation and we regret absolutely nothing. This is part one; buckle up.
00:00 — Introduction and Etsy Witches for the Weather01:44 — Katie's Reading Recap: What's on Her TBR This Week04:04 — Dee's Reading Recap: What Dee Has Been Reading13:01 — HSF: Cringe Reading Moment of the Week16:36 — Book Recs 101: Your Listener Requests Answered26:25 — Romantasy Recs: The Best Books to Pick Up First30:27 — Romantasy Recs: What to Read Next33:33 — Romantasy Recs: High Fantasy Picks for the Deep End35:47 — Dark Romance Recs: The Best Books to Start With40:00 — Dark Romance Recs: Where to Go Next48:21 — Dark Romance Recs: Pitch Black — The Deep End52:28 — Wrapping Up: Come See Us & Send in Your Recommendations
 
If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤
 
Books mentioned; 
Bitter Sweet- Hattie Williams
Crown me Yours- Liv Zanders
Death Valley- Karina Halle
Vanguard- Karina Halle
Branded- Saffron A Kent
White Rose painted Red- Blake Lawson and ELENA. LAWSON
Blood of Hercules- Jasmine Mas
The games God play- Abigail Owens
Such a Dirty Girl- Effy Campbell
Hot Creep series- Effy Campbell
Sugar Baby, Good Girl, Brat Baby- Harley Madison
Secret Club, Secret Job, Secret Proposal, Secret Stalker- Ruby Sky
Starside- Alex Aster
Blood and Steel Series- Helen Scheuerer
Den of Vipers- KA Knight
White Rose painted Red- Blake Lawson and ELENA. LAWSON
Blackwood Institute- J Rose
Credence- Penelope Douglas
Birthday Girl- Penelope Douglas
Sabre Security- J Rose
When the Moon Hatched- Sarah A Parker
The Knight and the Moth- Rachel Gillig
Bad Bishop- LJ Shen
Twister Pawn- LG Shen
Made Mad Series- Danielle Lori
Crescent City- S J Maas
The Devil Night Series- Penelope Douglas
City of Gods and Monsters- Kayla Edwards
A Court of Thrones and Roses- S J Maas
Servant of Earth- Sarah Hawley
A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon- Sarah Hawley
A Ship of Bones and Teeth- Karina Hallie
One dark window, Two twisted Crowns- Rachel Gillig
Enchantra Phantasma- Kaylie Smith
Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros
When the Moon Hatched- Sarah A Parker
From Blood and Ash- Jennifer L. Armentrout
QuickSilver- Callie Hart
Lights Out- Navessa Allen
Butcher and Blackbird- Bryn Weaver
Tourist Season- Bryn Weaver
Sinners Retreat, Slay Ride, Ship Happens, Slaughter Park- Lauren Biel
What We Need- Lizzie Stanley
The Predator- RuNyx
Lord Series, The Ritual, Chantelle Tessier
Haunting Adeline- H D Carlton
Hunting Adeline- H D Carlton
Sanctuary of Lies- J Rose
Feather so Vicious/ Shadow so Cruel- Liv Zanders

Dark romance and romantasy meets Telestrations on this week's Spicy Librarian - we're drawing tropes, guessing characters, and somehow attempting to pitch the next New York Times bestselling romance novel. We cover romantasy and dark romance rounds, weekly reading recaps, and watch the whole thing descend into glorious bookish chaos.
This week on Spicy Librarian, we played Telestrations, that random game from primary school where you draw a section of a thing, fold the page and pass it on. But we made it bookish and spicy. We took the most iconic tropes, characters, and moments from dark romance and romantasy and decided to see if we could plot the next New York Times bestseller, but probably not. We do tropes, settings, plot twists and pairings, triggers and memorable quotes- and watched the whole thing descend into absolute bookish chaos. Let us know if you think our pitch has legs, better yet, write it yourself.
00:00 — Welcome to the Spicy Librarian Podcast00:22 — Katie's Reading Recap: What's Been on Her TBR This Week13:19 — Dee's Reading Recap: What Dee Has Been Reading25:27 — Telestrations: The Bookish Spicy Edition Begins26:37 — Romantasy Round: Tropes, Characters & Chaos36:40 — Dark Romance Round: Plot Twists, Triggers & Memorable Quotes49:50 — See You Next Week
Books mentioned-
YesterYear- Caro Claire Burke
The Voice- Maggie Ray Jones
Heavy- ML Burns
The Dorians- Nick Cutter
Black Phone- Joe Hill
Remarkably Bright Creatures- Shelby Van Pelt
Direbound/ Furybound- Sable Sorenson
Regretting you- Colleen Hoover
A Stage Set for Villains- Shannon J. Spann
Pieces of the Night- Jennifer Hartman
Branded- Saffron A Kent
Ravenous- Thea Lawrence
Crown Me Dead- Liv Zander
Harvest Season- Brynn Weaver
Butcher and Blackbird- Bryne Weaver
Thursday Murder Club- Richard Osman
Metal Slinger /Light Wielder- Rachel Schneider
If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review, it genuinely means the world, and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday.

The May book club is here and besties, this month's picks were a whole lot.
But first, we're pulling back the curtain on what is coming up for The Spicy Librarian. It's our birthday month in July, we have events in the pipeline, and things are getting very exciting around here. We are not ready to spill everything just yet but we wanted to bring you into it because you lot are the whole reason any of this exists.
Consider this your official heads up. Stay close. 👀
But book club! We're talking The Auction by Sadie Kincaid - Beauty and the Beast meets dark mafia romance, a scarred billionaire, a secret brotherhood, and a slow burn so tense we needed a moment, and a lively debate about condiments. Then Starside by Alex Aster - the enemies-to-lovers romantasy that has absolutely taken over our bookshelves and for very good reason. And finally The Stopover by T.L. Swan - the book that has converted more people to contemporary romance than almost anything else on BookTok, and yes, we have feelings about it. If you haven't listened to our episode with TL Swan- get to know.
Three completely different vibes. Three books that divided the room. Three books we could not shut up about. This is exactly what book club is for.
Books mentioned- 
The Auction- Sade Kincaid
Starside- Alex Aster
The Stop Over- TL Swan
Made Man Series- Danielle Lori
Crescent City- S J Maas
June Book Club-
A Stage Set for Villains- Shannon J. Spann
Pieces of the Night- Jennifer Hartman
Branded- Saffron A Kent
Perfect for fans of: book club, dark romance, romantasy, contemporary romance, The Auction, Sadie Kincaid, Starside, Alex Aster, The Stopover, TL Swan, Miles High Club, mafia romance, enemies to lovers, slow burn, BookTok, spicy books, spicy podcast

Slaglines: We Wrapped Books, We Gave Clues & Absolutely Nobody Was Helpful
We invented a game. We wrapped books in brown paper, gave each other the most unhinged clues imaginable, and made each other guess the title. We're calling it Slaglines - a love letter to the tagline and an absolute disaster of an episode in the best possible way.
This week's lineup was a lot. We had a tattooed bad boy demon with witchy enemies-to-lovers energy, little women but make it vampire, a bored gay werewolf, a shy trans banshee, a deeply unsettling crawl space, and a boyfriend who is giving very strong fish. You know the kind.
If you think you could have guessed these faster than us - get in the comments and tell us. We are competitive and we will take that personally.
 
Books mentioned- 
Starside- Alex Aster
Here One Moment - Liane Moriarty
What have you done- Shari Lapena
Miles High Series- TL Swan
Direbound/ Furybound- Sable Sorensen
Crown me Dead/ Crown me Yours- Liv Zanders
Crawl Space- Herbert Lieberman
There’s Something Fishy About My Boyfriend- Gloria Duke
Zodiac Academy- Twisted Sisters
Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros
Magnolia Parks- Jessa Hastings 
Demon with Benefits- Aurora Asher
Little Vampire Women- Lynn Messina
Bored Gay Werewolf- Tony Santorella
Shy Trans Banshee- Tony Santorella

Look. It's the April book club roundup. We know. We're late. We're had a lot going on. 
This month we went three very different directions and we have absolutely no regrets. We're talking Three Nights in Stockholm by Elizabeth Hardy — the snowed-in, slow burn, enemies to lovers romance that had us feral from page one. Then The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson — dark, twisty, and not what we expected in the best possible way. And finally Collateral Damage by Shassii — a sapphic erotic thriller with Stockholm syndrome, enemies to lovers, extreme slow burn, and two completely broken women who will absolutely wreck you. This one is not for the faint hearted and we are obsessed with it.
Three books. Three completely different vibes. One very chaotic book club. This is exactly why we do this.
Perfect for fans of: book club, dark romance, sapphic romance, enemies to lovers, slow burn, contemporary romance, BookTok, spicy books, Three Nights in Stockholm, Elizabeth Hardy, Poison Daughter, Sheila Masterson, Collateral Damage, Shassii, queer romance, spicy podcast

She is one of the biggest names in contemporary romance, and this week she is sitting down with us on Spicy Librarian- and yes, we are absolutely fangirling.
T.L. Swan has built an empire of swoony, steamy, emotionally devastating contemporary romance- and the world is finally catching up. We are talking about her latest releases, including The Heart You Kept, the first in her brand new Kings of the Riviera series, and the news that has the entire romance community absolutely losing their minds- the Miles High Club series is being adapted for Amazon MGM Studios, with TL Swan herself as executive producer.
We get into all of it. The books, the adaptation, what contemporary romance with real edge actually looks like, and why this genre deserves so much more credit than it gets in the spicy book community.
And the real question this episode -is Dee converted?! She came in a sceptic. We are not going to spoil it. You are going to have to listen.
Perfect for fans of: T.L. Swan, Miles High Club, The Stopover, The Heart You Kept, Kings of the Riviera, contemporary romance, Amazon Prime, book to TV adaptation, BookTok, spicy books, romance podcast, Spicy Librarian
Subscribe, leave us a review — and tell us, are YOU a TL Swan convert?

We did it. Our very first Spicy Librarian subscription book box is here - and in this episode, we’re talking about ALL of it.
We’re taking you behind the scenes of what went into creating this box, what we wanted it to represent, what’s inside, and why we chose _*What We Need *_ by Lizzie Stanley as our very first pick. This project means so much to us, and we wanted to properly share the thought, care and intention behind it.
We also know there has been conversation around the box not being what some people expected. We’re addressing that openly, honestly and directly - because transparency matters to us, and so does our community. From the beginning, this box was designed to be a curated reading experience centred around exclusive content, community and discovering incredible romance stories, and we stand proudly by that vision.
This episode is for everyone who received a box, everyone considering joining us in future, and everyone who wants to understand more about what we’re building with The Spicy Librarian. We see you, we appreciate you, and we’re so excited for what comes next.
 
Books mentioned- 
The Stopover- TL Swan
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
The Long Game- Rachel Reid
The Auction - Sadie Kincaid
Starside- Alex Aster
What We Need- Lizzie Stanley
Perfect for fans of: Spicy Librarian podcast, book boxes, subscription boxes, Lizzie Stanley, What We Need, Wishbone Tattoos series, dark romance, BookTok, spicy books, book community, book unboxing, indie romance
Subscribe, leave us a review — and if you got a box, we want to hear from you.