The Historical Romance Review
by Sarah Brain and Amy Way
The podcast where an avid romance reader and a reluctantly romantic historian discuss all things romance fiction. Follow us on Instagram @historicalromancereview Watch us on YouTube @HistoricalRomanceReview #romance #romancefiction #booktok #TikTok #historicalfiction #bookreview #smut #review
Episodes
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Episode 13: The Love Hypothesis
In this milestone episode, Amy and Sarah review the controversial romance that sparked this entire podcast: Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis. From its humble origins as Reylo fan-fiction, to its status as a BookTok phenomenon, this genre-defining book is absolutely packed: fake-dating, niche...
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SotF 7: Fanfiction farm-to-table
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah start a new miniseries on the unconventional and ungovernable world of fanfiction. What is fanfiction and how does it differ from just another adaptation? Why do people write fanfiction and where do they publish it? Can fanfiction ever go...
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Episode 12: The Duke and I
In this episode, Amy and Sarah are back in the Regency-era but with Julia Quinn's The Duke and I, things are a whole lot steamier. If you loved the Netflix series or are generally a fan of more dialogue than plot, then this is the fake-dating romance for you: it's got duels at dawn, hot gossip,...
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SotF 6: Somebody Adapt Me!
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah discuss the sudden increase in book-to-screen romance adaptations. The rom-com might be dead, but the 2020s are full of filmic fancasts of your favourite romance fiction. How can you judge a good adaptation from a bad one? How similar to the...
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Episode 11: Sense and Sensibility
In this episode, Amy and Sarah step back in time to another historic romance, Jane Austen's debut novel, Sense and Sensibility. Published in 1811, this masterpiece of character has everything the modern romance reader could dream of: a sudden change in fortune, an auspicious ankle sprain, at…
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SotF 5: Battle Of The Book Boyfriends
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah discuss and rank the MMCs from the books they've reviewed to date. Could you actually date Ilya Rozanov in real life, or is he just a one-night fantasy? Can the sweet sensitivity of Bo Durand beat the oyster-shucking sensation that is Felix Clark?...
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Episode 10: This Summer Will Be Different
In this episode, Amy and Sarah travel to the idyllic Prince Edward Island for some forbidden romance in Carley Fortune's beloved This Summer Will Be Different. If you've ever dreamed of being Anne of Green Gables, eating your body weight in oysters, meeting a very well-read MMC, or secretly...
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SotF 4: Hit Me With Your Best Trope
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah discuss TROPES: the good, the bad and the ugly. And this time, they're joined by long-time friend-of-the-pod Shania Bowa. Why is romance fiction always marketed with tropes? Where did they come from? Have publishers gone too far? Are we being...
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Episode 9: Out On A Limb
In this episode, Amy and Sarah encounter their first surprise pregnancy trope in Hannah Bonam-Young's Out On A Limb. Don't let this controversial narrative-device put you off. If you like witty banter, disability representation, pirate costumes and some Peeta-Katniss vibes, then this tender and...
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SotF 3: Going To The Boy Aquarium
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah discuss the sub-genre-phenomenon that is sports romance. Why do so many readers get their kicks from sports' romance? Is it just an easy formula to create MMCs that are rich, fit and famous? Where are all the female athletes?! And why does reading...
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Episode 8: Heated Rivalry
In this episode, Amy and Sarah skate through the cultural phenomenon that is Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry. If you like a sports romance with minimal sporting details, occasional side characters, and explicit sex in EVERY chapter, then this queer rivals-to-lovers is the book for you. Grab a cuppa...
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SofF 2: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
In this State of the Field episode, Amy and Sarah discuss the rise and popularity of romance fiction. Why is it so popular with female readers and authors? Why now? What are audiences getting from this genre that they don't get elsewhere? How has it become so successful? And is romance fiction…
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Episode 7: Hot For Slayer
In this episode, Amy and Sarah celebrate Valentine's Day with their first novella, Ali Hazelwood's Hot For Slayer. A vampire in New York, a slayer with amnesia, and utterly ridiculous character names, this book and its 500 years of heated rivalry is an enemies-to-lovers for the ages. Grab a cuppa...
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SotF 1: What is the State of the Field?
In this episode, Amy and Sarah introduce a new format, the State of the Field! Instead of a deep-dive book review, these episodes are a chance to discuss broader, genre-based questions and issues. Why has romance fiction become so popular in the 2020s? What's the line between romance and smut? Is...
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Episode 6: People We Meet On Vacation
In this episode, Amy and Sarah celebrate the release of Emily Henry's first film adaptation by reviewing her beloved second novel, People We Meet On Vacation. An annual summer travel tradition, horrendous air conditioning, a major weather event (because of course, it's EmHen), and flashbacks to...
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Episode 5: Pride and Prejudice (Part 2)
In this episode, Amy and Sarah promenade into perhaps the most historic romance of all time, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. First published in 1813, this beloved story has it all: embarrassing family members, a grumpy billionaire, witty banter, class consciousness, terrible first…
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Episode 5: Pride and Prejudice (Part 1)
In this episode, Amy and Sarah promenade into perhaps the most historic romance of all time, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. First published in 1813, this beloved story has it all: embarrassing family members, a grumpy billionaire, witty banter, class consciousness, terrible first…
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Episode 4: Good Spirits
In this episode, Amy and Sarah continue to get Christmassy with B.K. Borison's brand new release, Good Spirits. A cutesy antique shop, a curly-haired FMC and an (allegedly) Irish MMC might sound like your average romance, but this one also has time travel, magic mistletoe and a VERY…
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Episode 3: Lovelight Farms
In this episode, Amy and Sarah kick off the festive season with a trip to the snowy town of Inglewild in B.K. Borison's Lovelight Farms. A struggling Christmas tree farm, a cast of (extremely attractive) small-town characters, and a fake-dating plot built on NINE YEARS of foreplay, this seasonal...
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Episode 2: Great Big Beautiful Life
In this episode, Amy and Sarah take a trip to picturesque Little Crescent Island with Emily Henry's Great Big Beautiful Life. Journalistic rivalry, a reclusive celebrity, and decades of family drama, there's more than just livelihoods at stake in this steamy romance-turned-mystery. Grab a cuppa…
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Episode 1: Flawless
In this first episode of their new podcast, Amy and Sarah dive into the world of romance fiction with Elsie Silver’s Flawless. Hot cowboys, bull riding, and pissing off the dairy industry, there's something for everyone on this wild ride. Grab a cuppa (or a milk based drink of your choice) and…
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About this show
The podcast where an avid romance reader and a reluctantly romantic historian discuss all things romance fiction.
Follow us on Instagram @historicalromancereview
Watch us on YouTube @HistoricalRomanceReview
#romance #romancefiction #booktok #TikTok #historicalfiction #bookreview #smut #review
Hosted by
Sarah Brain and Amy Way