Reading Under the Covers: A Romance Novel Podcast

• 9 May 2025 Romance Book Releases to Add to Your TBR

  It’s Taurus season, tourist season, and officially time to restock your romance TBR! In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, Francesca is sharing 9 must-read May 2025 romance book releases that hit all the right vibes—from fantasy slow burns and apocalyptic second chances to spicy academia and comic book crushes.If you’re a mood reader looking for friends to lovers, fanfic heroes, mermaids, revenge plots, or a touch of dark romantasy… this list is packed. We’re also talking trope matches for the Romanceopoly reading challenge and why some of these are perfect Taurus-coded reads.📚 Books Mentioned (affiliate links):– Archangel’s Obsession by Nalini Singh– Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith– The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig– Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday– The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs– All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens– Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli– Daughter of Tides by Kit Rocha– Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan🔗 Links & Mentions:– More May 2025 Releases on the Blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/may-2025-book-releases/– The Book Vault (Paid Members): https://www.underthecoverscommunity.com/p/book-vault– Romanceopoly Reading Challenge: https://www.underthecoverscommunity.com/p/romanceopoly-reading-challenge– Taurus Season Reading Guide: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/taurus-reading-guide/✨ If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! It helps more romance readers find us, and I always love hearing what books you’re excited about. See you next time! 💕These notes contain affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.Visit the Blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/Stay Connected:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/utcbookblog.bsky.socialYouTube:

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• AAPI Joy Book Recs: Romance, Mysteries & Fantasy by Asian American Pacific Islander Authors

  Welcome to the Novel Hour Live Replay! In this special episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, we’re celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with a lineup of joyful reads across romance, fantasy, YA, and mystery—all by AAPI authors.Plus, we’re chatting about what we’re currently reading, what we’re watching (Real Housewives fans, we see you), and big updates to the Novel Hour format. Spoiler: it’s getting a glow-up with new releases, pop culture gossip, and more fun every Thursday on YouTube.🎥 Watch the full replay on YouTube:https://youtube.com/live/gomRxZCclLY?feature=share📚 Books Mentioned in This EpisodeRomance– The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu– The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu– Love at First Set by Suzanne Park– Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam– How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang– The Stand-In by Lily Chu– Drop Dead by Lily Chu (May 2025)– Once Upon a Sunset by Tif Marcelo– Tokyo Ever After by Emiko JeanFantasy & YA– Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim– The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker– Jade City by Fonda LeeMystery & Thriller– The Verifiers by Jane Pek– The Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown– Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen– Interior Chinatown by Charles YuCurrently Reading / Watching– All the Signs by Jessie Rosen– The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh (August 2025)– Medusa (Netflix)– Real Housewives of Atlanta & Miami– Legend of Ochi (movie)– In Which Margot Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vasti✨ If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! It helps more romance readers find us, and I always love hearing what books you’re excited about. See you next time! 💕These notes contain affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.Visit the Blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/Stay Connected:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/utcbookblog.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/underthecoversbookblogFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/underthecoversbookblogPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/utcbookblog/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@utcbookblogInstagram:

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• New Romance Book Releases: April 28–May 4, 2025

  This week’s romance new releases are serving everything — from slow-burn romantasy and broody royal guards to a morbidly funny serial killer office fling and a Caribbean vacation that gets very hot.In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, Francesca shares the standout romance books hitting shelves between April 28 and May 4, 2025 — perfect for mood readers who love variety.🎧 Books featured in this episode:(Links are affiliate)🔪 Serial Killer Games by Kate PoseyDebut mystery romance with dark humor and serial killer flirtation. Think morally gray meets office chaos.🔥 Ms. V’s Hot Girl Summer by A.H. CunninghamCaribbean Carnival, age gap, and single mom romance with all the fun, flirty summer energy.🎓 Enigma by RuNyxDark academia, secret societies, forbidden love, and that signature RuNyx tension.🗡 Broken Souls and Bones by L.J. AndrewsA slow-burn romantasy featuring magic, rebellion, and a deadly royal system.💍 Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa JamesScottish laird, forced marriage, and a bookish heroine who makes him work for her heart.🎥 Want more on Hardly a Gentleman? Watch our full Eloisa James interview on YouTube for behind-the-scenes stories and genre insights.✨ Want early access to the Book Release Database, exclusive bonus content, and monthly romance wrap-ups? Become a paid subscriber on Substack to unlock it all.💬 Come fangirl with us: What are you reading this week? Which of these is going on your TBR?✨ If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! It helps more romance readers find us, and I always love hearing what books you’re excited about. See you next time! 💕These notes contain affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.Visit the Blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/Stay Connected:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/utcbookblog.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/underthecoversbookblogFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/underthecoversbookblogPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/utcbookblog/TikTok:

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• Scottish Lairds, Accidental Marriages & Romance’s Evolution with Eloisa James

  Welcome to Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast where we chat, fangirl, and maybe even swoon over our latest reads. I'm Francesca from Under the Covers Book Blog, and today I’m joined by historical romance legend Eloisa James to talk about her newest release, Hardly a Gentleman — and so much more.This episode is for you if you love:Grumpy Scottish heroes who fish naked in streams 🐟Proper heroines on the run who just want to read in peace 📚Accidental marriage? Yep.He falls first? Oh, absolutely.We’re diving into:How Hardly a Gentleman fits into the Accidental Brides seriesThe hilarious (and kilty) setup for this romanceWhy pirates are hard to write these days 😅The evolution of romance over the decades: from bodice rippers to booktokWhether stepbacks might be making a comeback (Eloisa has thoughts — and art)Balancing academia and writing bestsellersAnd why romance is a radical, joyful act of resistanceWe also talk about the misogyny still embedded in how romance is viewed and why that makes stories like these matter even more. Plus, Eloisa shares her current reads and what’s coming next (spoiler: haunted abbeys and secret rock star dads).📚 Books Mentioned:– Hardly a Gentleman (all about her current release)– A Kiss at Midnight, When Beauty Tamed the Beast (tropes she loves in her backlist titles)– Viscount in Love (how the heroine has a piece of her life experience)– Wilde in Love, Too Wilde to Wed (cover inspiration)Eloisa's recommendations:– Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti– There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev (available on Kindle Unlimited)– Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans– I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith🔗 Resources Mentioned:– Substack series on the Evolution of Romance–

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• Love on Location: Paranormal Romance Books Set in New Orleans

  If you love vampires that smolder, weather witches who flirt, and dragons hiding in the bayou, this episode is for you!Today on Reading Under the Covers, we're heading to one of the most magical and mysterious paranormal hotspots: New Orleans. 🌙✨I'm sharing five paranormal romances that each bring a different kind of NOLA magic—from second chance vampire love stories to zombie survival romances, dragon shifters in the bayou, and everything in between.📚 Books Mentioned:Enticed by Blood by Laurie LondonSummer Heat by Jaci BurtonRun by Gillian Zane (available on Kindle Unlimited)How to Date Your Dragon by Molly HarperNight Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon (available on Kindle Unlimited)📝 Looking for even more New Orleans-set reads? Check out the blog:Voodoo and Marie Laveau BooksParanormal Romance Books Set in New OrleansUrban Fantasy Books Set in New OrleansMystery Books Set in New OrleansRomantic Suspense Books Set in New OrleansContemporary Romance Books Set in New OrleansCozy Mysteries Set in New Orleans✨ If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! It helps more romance readers find us, and I always love hearing what books you’re excited about. See you next time! 💕These notes contain affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.Visit the Blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/Stay Connected:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/utcbookblog.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/underthecoversbookblogFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/underthecoversbookblogPinterest:

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