Reading Under the Covers: A Romance Novel Podcast

I sat down to talk about a 1995 alien romance and ended up in a six and a half year lawsuit. In today's episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, we are diving into Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy. Our July/August Ripped & Ravished Book Club book.
Three words: Highlanders in Space
But then I got curious about what happened to Dara Joy, a bestselling author who simply disappeared for twenty years. That turned into a whole rabbit hole including a contract lawsuit, an argument about whether a book counted as science fiction or romance, a self-publishing attempt that went wrong. And the book at the centre of that scandal sent me looking for where all the dominant women were in 2000s romance.
This episode covers an author's litigation and business history. Everything is sourced and linked below, and I've quoted both sides in their own words.
Timestamps
00:00 The Rabbit Hole
00:53 Book Club Housekeeping
01:41 Meet the Alien Knight
03:02 Sci-Fi Con Fish Out of Water
05:18 Rating and Red Flags
07:11 Writing Style Surprise
09:04 Suzanne's Review, and the Spice
11:41 Series Talk: Rejar
13:14 Where Is Dara Joy?
14:02 The Dorchester Lawsuit Timeline
19:05 The Self-Publishing PayPal Mess
21:33 The Ritual of Proof Twist
25:53 Femdom Market Deep Dive
31:52 Power Dynamics Takeaways
34:01 Wrap Up and Next Pick
Books Mentioned
Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy (1995), Matrix of Destiny #1
Rejar by Dara Joy (1997), Matrix of Destiny #2
Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy (2001)
Holding the Cards by Joey W. Hill (2002), Nature of Desire #1
Natural Law by Joey W. Hill (2004), Nature of Desire #2
The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill (2007), Vampire Queen #1
Truly Helpless by Joey W. Hill (2017), Nature of Desire #10
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (1989)
From the blog
Knight of a Trillion Stars review, including Suzanne's original 2011 review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/knight-of-a-trillion-stars-review/
Rejar review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/rejar-by-dara-joy-review/
Ripped & Ravished Book Club: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/bodice-ripper-book-club/
How to Read Vintage Bodice Rippers Without Gaslighting Yourself: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/read-vintage-bodice-rippers/
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux review: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/
My review of The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill: https://archive.underthecoversbookblog.com/the-vampire-queens-servant-by-joey-w-hill/
Jennifer's review of Truly Helpless by Joey W. Hill, quoted in this episode: https://archive.underthecoversbookblog.com/truly-helpless-by-joey-w-hill-2/
Sources
Everything in this episode is sourced. Here is where it all came from.
ON THE DORCHESTER DISPUTE
Dorchester Publishing's public statement, 10 February 2005, archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20070208005519/http://www.dorchesterpub.com/DorchSpecialFeatures.cfm
Dara Joy's own 2005 statement, quoted in Maya Reynolds, "Another Cautionary Tale," April 2007. The original page on her website has since been deleted and is not archived: https://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.com/2007/04/another-cautionary-tale.html
Dear Author, "Authors Behaving Badly: Dara Joy," July 2006. The most detailed contemporary account of the litigation and the self-publishing complaints: https://dearauthor.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/authors-behaving-badly-episode-1-dara-joy/
Dara Joy, "Great news from Dara Joy," 1 February 2008, announcing the settlement: https://officialdarajoy.com/2008/02/01/great-news-from-dara-joy/
Dara Joy's official site and current self-published catalogue: https://officialdarajoy.com/
ON RITUAL OF PROOF
All About Romance review: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/ritual-of-proof/
Mrs Giggles review, April 2002: https://mrsgiggles.com/ritual-of-proof-by-dara-joy/
Beauty in Ruins review, October 2024: https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/book-review-ritual-of-proof-by-dara-joy-sff-romance/
ON ELLORA'S CAVE AND BDSM ROMANCE
Smart Bitches Trashy Books, "Interview with the Folks from Ellora's Cave," 2006: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/stuffwelike/interview_with_the_folks_from_elloras_cave/
Sarah S. G. Frantz, "The History of BDSM Fiction and Romance," in Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey (2012), via the Romance Scholarship Database: https://rsdb.vivanco.me.uk/bibliography/history-bdsm-fiction-and-romance
Joey W. Hill's Nature of Desire series, publication history and book descriptions: https://storywitch.com/series-nod/
Join the Book Club
Ripped & Ravished is our vintage romance readalong. One book every two months, and a podcast discussion for each one.
September and October is Love Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas. She has a new book out in October, Queen of Lombard Street, her first in five years, so it felt like the right moment to go all the way back to where she started.
Join the Ripped & Ravished email track and you'll get the pick, the discussion link, and a bit of context every two months: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/ripped-ravished
And reply to those emails. Genuinely. Reader replies have changed how I've read these books more than once.
✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
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Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
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Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
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Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

June 2026 was my best reading month in years: 22 books, nearly 8,000 pages, and a full-blown C-drama obsession that reshaped everything I picked up. This is Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, and today's my June reading wrap-up: every book and the show that started my new binge.
It began with Pursuit of Jade on Netflix. I fell hard, that man yearns like nobody's business, and once the show had me, I went looking for books that felt the same way. Pull up a chair, this is a long one.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:57 StoryGraph Reading Stats
01:48 C Drama Obsession Begins
02:30 Pursuit of Jade Recap
06:07 More C Dramas to Watch
07:56 Back to the Books
08:05 Regency Pirate Rom Com
09:45 Paris Poly Romance
10:46 Immortality Lyrical Fantasy
12:21 True Crime Thriller
13:47 MM Urban Fantasy Romance
17:02 Small Town Suspense Romance
18:52 Rival Wizards Rom Com
20:26 Magical Vet Academia
22:59 Villain Love Triangle
24:47 Classic Time Travel Romance
26:58 Cozy Quest Romantasy
28:38 Wildcat Dark Stalkers
31:39 Space Mystery Romance
33:11 Grumpy Sunshine Foodie
34:49 Assassin Gothic Dark Romance
37:15 Chinese Mythology YA
38:21 Fake Dating Mooncakes
39:35 Cinderella Inspired Fantasy
41:24 Wrestling Rival Romance
43:43 Gothic Fantasy Yearning
45:47 Death God Fantasy Quest
47:36 Pride and Prejudice Korea
49:16 Wrap Up and Community
Links
Shop the books from this episode: [LTK LINK — shop the books]
Read along & catch up on the blog:
Summer 2026 Reading Challenge → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-reading-challenge/
July 2026 Book Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/july-2026-book-releases/
Summer 2026 Romance Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-romance-releases/
Summer 2026 Mystery Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-mystery-releases/
Queer Summer 2026 Book Releases → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/queer-summer-2026-book-releases/

Want the full discussion of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux? We covered it in two Ripped & Ravished Book Club episodes with Becky from Too Stupid To Live → https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/
✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
💌 Talk to Me:
Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
☕ Support the Show:
Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
📚 Stay Connected:
Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

There's a book on your nightstand right now with a bookmark stuck about forty pages in. You already know you're not going to finish it and you feel a little guilty about it. That's the summer reading slump. And the way out isn't waiting for the mood to come back. It's a challenge... the fun, low-pressure kind.
In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, I break down the Heatwave Cup: the summer edition of Under the Covers' year-long Romanceopoly reading challenge, built for exactly the reader who's stuck. Four books, three months, no spreadsheet, no bingo board. A challenge you can technically win by reading less.
I walk through all four prompts with picks straight from the Discord community plus my own summer TBR for it. The complete rec lists for every prompt, the free printable challenge cards, and the StoryGraph tracker all live on the blog.
Whether you're playing the full Romanceopoly challenge or you just want your bookmark unstuck, this is your mid-year reading reset for your reading life. Come tell us which prompt you're starting with.
Chapters:
00:00 The Summer Reading Slump
00:55 Heatwave Cup: What It Is
01:51 Rules, Dates & Tracking
02:52 Prompt 1: Rift Run
04:19 Prompt 2: Cursebreaker Clash
05:23 Prompt 3: Double Faulted Desires
06:41 Prompt 4: Enchanted Rally
07:32 Wrap-Up & How to Join

Links:
Full challenge, all community recs, Storygraph & free printables: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-reading-challenge/
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U
Read with us on Fable: https://utcbookblog.com/CX9IoU
Check out Romanceopoly: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/reading-challenge

✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
💌 Talk to Me:
Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
☕ Support the Show:
Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
📚 Stay Connected:
Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

"She didn't need the knight. She became the knight."
In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, Francesca and returning guest Becky (Too Stupid To Live) close out their two-part Ripped & Ravished Book Club discussion of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux, the 1989 classic that was the May/June bodice ripper pick. This is Part 2, covering chapter 19 through the end. If you haven't heard Part 1 (chapters 1–18), start there first.
This is the half where the tone turns. The rom-com opening gives way to something darker and more Outlander-shaped: a re-love story, a rake at his worst, a heroine who has to win the same man twice... and an ending that asks whether a happily-ever-after has to mean two people standing together, or whether two souls finding each other across time is triumph enough. Francesca and Becky make their case for why it still counts as a romance, then dig into everything underneath it: Deveraux's own note that the book began as a story about alcoholism, the class and privilege threads running through the past, the low spice by modern standards, and the "write the story, not the tropes" argument.
Next up for the book club in August: Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy, an old-school '90s futuristic romance. Subscribe to the Ripped & Ravished email list so you don't miss that discussion.
Come tell us where you land on that ending on social, on the blog post, or by replying to the newsletter.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:32 Is It Still Romance
03:15 Souls Time Travel Love
07:14 Revisions Alcoholism Lens
10:14 Dougless Growth Arc
12:46 Back to Chapter 19
14:10 Rake Nicholas Challenges
16:37 Gross History Details
18:17 Shower Audience Scene
20:22 Women Allies Body Talk
23:10 Closure With Robert
25:15 Choosing Herself
27:03 Nicholas Legacy Romance
29:14 Fanfic What Ifs
31:38 Genre Shift Praise
33:54 Privilege And Class Themes
39:14 Spice And Romance Trends
43:38 Breaking Writing Rules
45:58 Time Travel As Healing
49:07 Tropes Versus Story
55:09 Ratings And Reactions
58:22 Ending And Epilogue Debate
01:02:21 Movie Adaptation Dreams
01:03:31 Podcast Plugs And Next Read
01:04:34 Book Club Wrap Up
Links
A Knight in Shining Armor on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/a-knight-in-shining-armor-by-jude-deveraux/
The Ripped & Ravished Book Club: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/bodice-ripper-book-club/
Join the Ripped & Ravished email list: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/ripped-ravished
Becky's podcast, Too Stupid To Live: https://tstlpodcast.substack.com

Hungry for more time travel romance? Start here:
Time Travel Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-travel-romance-books/
Time Loop Romance: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/time-loop-romance/
YA Time Loop Romance Books: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/ya-time-loop-romance-books/

✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
💌 Talk to Me:
Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
☕ Support the Show:
Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
📚 Stay Connected:
Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!

Twenty-five years ago, Jacqueline Carey published Kushiel's Dart and changed what epic fantasy could do. To mark the anniversary, I sat down with her to talk about how she built the world of Terre d'Ange, why she wrote a heroine who is both a feminist icon and a divinely ordained masochist, and what she wants you to do when the first hundred pages feel like a lot. This conversation also kicks off our year-long Kushiel's Legacy readalong, so whether you have always wanted to read these books or you want to reread them with company, this is your starting point.
In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast:
The coffee-table-book accident that handed Carey an entire theology
Writing consent as a sacred tenet, and why she chose first person
Turning the trauma-forged fantasy heroine on its head
Why she threw out the rulebook on her own prose
Melisande, and the villain you are not supposed to root for
Joscelin, Cassiel's Servant, and an easier way into the series
Her advice for readers intimidated by the size
"Love as thou wilt," and what 25 years of readers have meant to her

Timestamps:
00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:48 25 Years Of Kushiel
01:42 Big Idea Origins
03:14 Writing Phedre Over Time
04:08 Feminism Consent Voice
05:03 Getting Into The World
05:42 Joscelin Retelling Entry
06:35 Building Terre Theology
08:36 Finding The Baroque Voice
10:34 Turning Tropes Inside Out
11:52 Crafting The Cast
12:46 Why Readers Love Melisande
13:35 Parallel Character Arcs
15:35 Returning To Joscelin
17:54 New Insights From Servant
19:10 Read Along Tips Themes
20:15 Love As Thou Wilt
21:00 Legacy And Reader Impact
23:01 Wrap Up And Read Along
Read along with us:
Join the Kushiel's Legacy readalong: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/kushiels-legacy-readalong/
New to the world? Start with the reading guide: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/kushiels-legacy-reading-order/
Read the full interview feature on the blog: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/jacqueline-carey-interview/
Get the book: Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey: https://on.ltk.com/+oMD9q5qkEHc6YwbIv2MSxw (affiliate)
Readlong email: https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/kushiel
Readalong Discord: https://discord.gg/XdkabCdHYZ

New episodes drop monthly as we read through the series together, so subscribe so you don't miss them, and come talk about each section with us in the Discord. If the show is your kind of thing, a rating or review helps other readers find it.
Heads up: the books, and parts of this conversation, touch on mature themes, including BDSM and the role of pain and consent in Carey's world.
✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
💌 Talk to Me:
Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
☕ Support the Show:
Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
📚 Stay Connected:
Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.
YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.
Newsletter: join our insider for the latest updates.

💖 This episode may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!