Episodes
Dec. 29, 2022
Quick Take: How to Please a Woman
I am starting the year as I mean to go on, celebrating another mainstream movie, much like Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, that is focused on womens' capabilities, wishes, desires and pleasures. And not as a subplot, but centra...
Dec. 15, 2022
Year-Round Holiday Magic: The Bishop's Wife
So many holiday films in my rotation every year, and my favorites tend to be classic movies: absorbing emotional stories full of romantic, platonic and familial love, redemption arcs, and endings with joy and hope. The Bishop...
Dec. 1, 2022
A Musical for the Lovelorn: Cyrano
"Yes, I'm in love. I dare." Oh this movie. I'm sobbing at the drop of a hat lately, and it turns out that a heart in love and cracked wide open is the perfect foil for Joe Wright's glorious, lush, emotional film, Cyrano. This...
Nov. 17, 2022
Quick Take: Kevin Can F... Himself
This dramedy-within-a-sitcom show is all about settling in life, marriage and relationships, especially romantic relationships, and then waking up to who you are and what you really want and need. I can't stop thinking about ...
Nov. 3, 2022
Dating Romcoms: He's Just Not That Into You/How to Be Single
If you're the one person on the planet who hasn't heard: I've been on dating apps, and wow, I need to process. Let's do it together, shall we?! There's nothing more amusing than a dating romcom full of romantic disaster, then...
Oct. 20, 2022
Romances We Love: Juno/Before Midnight
From time to time, I like to ask people about the romances they love best, the stories that changed their lives or made them think about love and connection a bit differently. After meeting Danielle and Wolfgang from the Hell...
Oct. 6, 2022
Second Chance Romance Part Two
I'm concluding my second-anniversary celebration with another second-chance romance episode, featuring movies about finding romance later in life, especially after sadness and disappointment. This theme is one of my favorites...
Sept. 22, 2022
Second Chance Romance Part One
I'm celebrating the second anniversary of this podcast with a two-part episode on one of my favorite romantic tropes, second-chance romance. In this case, it's finding love, sex and connection at a later age or after romantic...
Sept. 8, 2022
Quick Take: How to Build a Sex Room
It's a NSFW, shame-free look at relationship and healthy sexual desires to celebrate the second anniversary of this podcast! I've grown along with this show, and I fully embrace the wide range of fantasies and desires represe...
Aug. 25, 2022
Adapting Austen: Netflix's Persuasion with Romancing the Story
Apparently I'm one of the few people on the globe who enjoyed Netflix's Persuasion with Dakota Johnson :) I take a deep dive into this adaptation with Sarah Gamez, romance writer, filmmaker and host of Romancing the Story pod...
Aug. 11, 2022
Advice Romance Part 2: The Truth About Cats and Dogs/The Ex Talk
It's more fictional and real-life advice in this action-packed episode! Isabelle Popp, a contributor to BookRiot, stops by to talk about her recent essay about romance novels, and Carly Lane, pop culture critic and "romance n...
July 28, 2022
Advice Romance Part 1: Romance Road Test
In the next couple of episodes I take a look at advice romance: fictional advice in a contemporary romance and a romcom set at radio stations, real life online advice, and a smart, funny new podcast called Romance Road Test. ...
July 14, 2022
Bedroom Therapy: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande/The Sessions
Sometimes what you need is a deeper connection, some bedroom therapy, a sexual experience full of healing. And sometimes that means going to the experts — at least those skillfully played by actors. I'm joined by friend of th...
June 30, 2022
Quick Take: Fire Island
Happy Pride Month! Squeaking just under the wire with a quick take on this frothy, fun gay retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in that historic LGBTQ+ summer destination, Fire Island in New York. What a sunny, cute, romanti...
June 16, 2022
Hot for Teacher: Romance in Academia
School's out for summer! I was a nerd and school and libraries were my happy places. Intellectualism, books and words were my religion. So it's no surprise that I'm a sucker for romances set in academia. The age gap and power...
June 2, 2022
YA Nerds in Love: Along for the Ride/Dash and Lily/Never Have I Ever
I'm tired of the grown-up world! Give me whipsmart, funny teens having adventures, falling in love and exploring how to navigate young adulthood — teaching the grown-ups in their lives a few lessons along the way. They're the...
May 19, 2022
Quick Take: Gentleman Jack
An announcement, and a quick take on the BBC/HBO co-production Gentleman Jack. This show is regency-adjacent romance reimagined, reflecting sexual identities hidden at the time, turning the period into an era where all love ...
May 5, 2022
Sexy Mythological Retellings: Neon Gods/Mighty Aphrodite/Wonder Woman
We're going way back to ancient myths in this episode, taking a look at some books and movies that reimagine these eternal, compelling stories in a sexy-modern, romantic and exciting way. Thanks to my special guest--listener ...
April 21, 2022
The Romcoms of Richard Curtis
Richard Curtis romcoms are canon, and I've touched on them before, but now I'm joined by a special guest, Joe of the Right in the Schoolies podcast, to try to tease out why they work so well, and talk about the differences in...
April 7, 2022
Slowburn Romance: Bridgerton/Sanditon/Bright Star
My favorite costume dramas of last year are back with sophomore seasons, and they're the slowest of slowburns. Will Charlotte get over the loss of Sidney and finally find someone in Sanditon who appreciates her? Will Anthony ...
March 24, 2022
Historical Romance Badassery
To celebrate Women's History Month, I'm highlighting favorite real and fictional badasses. Warning: I mention the word badass many, many times in this episode. Clearly I love me a bit of badassery. Women worthy of official bi...
March 10, 2022
Brave Romcomedy
I'm celebrating International Women's Day with a round up of comedy badassery by Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, Jenny Slate, Rose Matafeo, and Iliza Shlesinger. Whether it's a romcom movie, TV show, blog, book, or live special, these writers are funny, raunchy, honest and real when talking about their lived experiences. They're badass inspiration. (CW: lots and lots of profanity, mentions of body image, brief mention of drug use, and lots of juicy sex talk.)
Feb. 24, 2022
Love & Romance Over 40: Part 2
I'm really starting to feel that cultural and romantic invisibility cloak that covers women of a certain age. Luckily, there are a few aspirational, sometimes inspiring TV shows and movies that feature people over the age of 40 romancing each other and getting it on — even if it seems that you need to have a beautiful face, well-placed wrinkles and a near-perfect body to deserve the same. CW: talk of anti-body positivity and toxic Hollywood and cultural beauty standards.
Feb. 10, 2022
Love in Disguise
A distilled, potent, curated, intensely romantic relationship might not always be possible in life, but it's certainly a staple of classic and modern romantic stories. The exquisite romances in today's episode happen through love letters, physical disguise, and boyfriends for the night--or the moment. They're sexy, passionate and all about the heart's deepest desires that emerge only when love is in disguise.