Book Club After Dark

This week we are joined by the fabulous Cassie Swindon, an indie author in North Carolina! Cassie writes fantasy romance and also organizes Oak and Ink, pop-up book markets in the Triangle area of NC. Cassie was kind enough to tell us a bit about herself, her process as an author, her books, and her hilarious cats! Check out one of Cassie's books and if you're local to NC we highly recommend attending an Oak & Ink event (she gives a run through of the upcoming calendar in this episode)A few of Cassie's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassie_swindon_authorOak and Ink Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakandink_bookish Cassie's website: www.cassieswindon.com

This week we finish discussing the Knockemout series by Lucy Score. This was our favorite book of the entire series and we are so sad to see it ending. As always this episode contains major book spoilers so listen with caution.

This week we are discussing the emotionally traumatizing book, The Last Letter, by Rebecca Yarros. This book hurt our feelings over and over again and yet? We liked it. As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are talking about In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde, one of our favorite authors. We thoroughly enjoyed this spicy sports romance but we are so sad to officially close the chapter on the Windy City series! As always this episode contains major spoilers.

What can we say? We love hurting our own feelings. This episode contains some spoilers (although not as bad as usual!)

This week we are discussing our March book club pick- Quicksilver! This book got both of us out of a reading slump and overall we really enjoyed it although it wasn't quite a 5 star read for either of us. As always this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are discussing Assassin's Blade (and a little bit of Crown of Midnight) from the Throne of Glass Series! As always this episode contains spoilers (and Holly trying really hard to not spoil any of the rest of the series for CJ) so listen at your own risk if you haven't read all of TOG

Today we are joined by some friends and family of the Pod (including a returning guest you might remember- Adrian Andover!) We are discussing how we have found our various book communities and give some fun ideas for book club activities!

This week we are planning our Spring 2026 TBRs. We've included books by some of our favorite authors (looking at you Liz Tomforde) as well as some discoveries!

This week we are discussing Pestilence by Laura Thalassa. We never thought we'd be swooning and laughing over a horseman of the apocalypse and yet here we are. Hold on tight this episode is a weird one (and of course contains spoilers).

This week we are discussing our February book club pick- Blood of Hercules. We had mixed feelings about this one and yet immediately downloaded book 2 in the series so clearly it did something right. As always this episode contains major spoilers

This week we are sharing some of our top fantasy romance recommendations for all your moods! Categories include: if you're looking for something messy, enemies to lovers, and stories where romance is more of the secondary plot.

Happy Valentine's Day! Love is in the air this week as we discuss some of our top romance recommendations. Whether you're in the mood for sports, cozy fantasy, literary fiction with some romance, or more- we've got you.

This week we are discussing Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole. This is the start of an ongoing slow-burn, enemies to lovers fantasy series and our in person book club had a lot of feelings on it. As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are reviewing Caught Up by Navessa Allen! This is the second book following Lights Out and takes a slightly darker turn as our MMC is in the mob. While we didn't love it as much as Lights Out we'd still highly recommend! As always this epsidoe contains major spoilers.

This week we are discussing our January book club pick, Maneater by Morgan Elizabeth. While this might not have been our favorite Morgan Elizabeth book yet we really enjoyed it and think it is a fun romantic suspense book! As always this episode contains major spoilers so listen with caution.

This week we are talking about some of our most anticipated new releases for 2026 (for some reason a lot of them come out in March?). Featured authors include Navessa Allen, Morgan Elizabeth, and of course Liz Tomforde to name a few.

This week we are discussing Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood. Spoiler alert we have conflicting feelings about this one. While it is not our favorite Ali Hazelwood book (shoutout Deep End) we overall still enjoyed many parts of it. As always this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are discussing how 2025 went for us reading wise. We reflect on the year and share some of our top reads. We close out by discussing our goals and predictions for 2026!

This week we are discussing what is on our 26 books to read in 2026 list! We also go over the results of our 25 in 2025 lists.

Happy Holidays! This week we are discussing our December book club pick- The Gargoyle Grinch by Lilith Stone. This is pure holiday monster romance and we enjoyed it (although it left us with some questions about gargoyles). As always this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are celebrating the holidays with a Morgan Elizabeth Christmas special! We discuss one of our favorite holiday romances- Big Nick Energy. It's got some of our favorite tropes- single parents, he's immediately down bad, and ex's dad (kind of). As always this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are giving some recommendations for books that are heavy on the smut and light on the plot for when you're looking for some easy reading. They're perfect for anyone trying to reach their reading goal last minute.

This week we are discussing our November book club pick, Wilder by Rebecca Yarros. This emotional romance really left a mark on us! As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are sharing what books are on our TBR for the 2025 holiday season! We also provide a few recommendations from holidays past and a few anti-recommendations.

This week we are talking about Joey and Aoife's love story in the Boys of Tommen series. While we love Johnny and Shannon these two characters (especially Joey) have a special place in our hearts. As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are pairing each song off Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl with books we think match the vibe. A few books discussed include the Boys of Tommen Series and Hexed.

This week we came up with honest titles to describe some of our most memorable reads. Books include Morning Glory Milking Farm, A Court of Mist and Fury, and The Wedding People. This episode contains major spoilers for several popular books.

This week we are discussing our October book club pick, Fall I Want by Lyra Parish. This wasn't our favorite book club pick (for reasons we get into) but we did find it entertaining and if you are a fan of: fall, billionaire romance, or insta-love this might be for you! As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are talking about The Love Hypothesis- shocking I know since one of the lovely hosts has always said she wouldn't read it! Well she did and spoiler alert she loved it! As always this episode contains spoilers for the book so listen with caution.

This week we are discussing Gild, Glint and Gleam by Raven Kennedy. We are really enjoying this fantasy/romantasy series inspired by the King Midas myth and can't wait to see how it ends. Also we discuss the ribbons- I mean we have to. As always this episode contains major spoilers.

In this week's episode we discuss what is on our Halloween TBRs as well as discuss books we've enjoyed in Spooky Seasons' past. Books mentioned include Cackle, Witches Get Stitches, and Not the Witch You Wed.

In this week's episode we are discussing our September book club book, Wrangled Love by Ann Einerson! Overall we enjoyed this sweet billionaire/cowboy/single dad-nanny romance although we had a bone to pick with one of the plot points.

We have an exciting episode this week- our very first author interview! Adrian Andover just released his debut novel, Whiskey Business. Whiskey Business is a delightful cozy mystery and we had the pleasure of talking to Adrian about how this book came to be, his writing process, and his general love of books. You can pick up a copy from a variety of places but Adrian suggests getting it from your favorite indie bookstore, Hoopla, or your local library!

In this week's episode we decided to just have a bit of fun! We go through a few this or that questions about books and our reading habits and then we bring back a popular segment- blind ranking. Spoiler alert CJ was super mean to me again.

Get comfy with a pumpkin spice latte and a cozy blanket- we're talking about our Fall TBRs this week! First we cover what (if anything) we actually read off our Summer TBR lists and then we get into the paranormal romance, thrillers, and exciting books we're hoping to read in the next few months.

In today's episode we are discussing Tourist Trap by Morgan Elizabeth. We loved this spicy beach read and think you will too! As always this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are talking about our August book club book, Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score. We have previously reviewed the first book in this series so check out that episode first! Overall we have continued to enjoy this series and find it a funny romantic suspense. As usual this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are discussing Wild Love by one of our favorite authors, Elsie Silver! We enjoyed this book as much as the other books we've read and loved by Elsie and are obsessing over how this series is totally focused on single dads. As always this episode contains major spoilers.

This week we are discussing a book to screen adaptation- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. We are both huge Hunger Games fans and have read all the books/watched all the movies. In this case we both agree- the book is better than the movie. As usual this episode contains major spoilers (for both the book and the movie).

This week we are discussing our July book club pick, The Wingman by Stephanie Archer! It is no secret we are huge fans of this series and hockey romance in general. As usual this episode contains spoilers.

This week we are pairing alcoholic drinks with different book tropes and giving examples of books that fit the vibe. Drinks include Long Island Iced Teas, Whiskey Sour, and Dirty Martinis. Enjoy this silly episode!

In this week's episode we discuss Till Summer Do Us Part by Megan Quinn. This is a hilarious, spicy romcom about a fake marriage in trouble taking place at a marriage boot camp. It was ridiculous but also sweet. As always this episode contains spoilers.

In this week's episode we are doing a mid-year reading check-in. How many books have we read so far? What are our top genres? and most importantly- how close are we to completing our 25 books to read in 2025 lists?

This week we are discussing our June book club book- Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. This is CJ's first time reading the series and Holly's second so that makes for some interesting discussions as Holly tries not to spoil anything accidentally. However this discussion contains spoilers for Book 1 of the series and CJ shares some predictions for the rest of the series.

We are following up our Summer 2025 TBR episode by sharing books we think should be on your summer TBR! We have a little of everything- romance, thrillers, fiction etc. A few books include Tourist Trap, Till Summer Do Us Part, and The Family Experiment

We've been loving the propaganda we aren't falling for trend and had to make a bookish episode! Topics covered include AI, book buying bans, and of course third act breakups.

In this week's episode we discuss Camera Shy by Kay Cove. Buckle up for a bumpy ride because we have quite a few thoughts about this one (and the toxic side characters)

This week we are reviewing what books are on our summer 2025 TBRs. Our lists include romance, mysteries, nonfiction, and women's fiction by favorite authors and new to us authors!

This week we are reviewing Fight by Sloane St. James. We had such a fun time with this book about an EMT and a wild fire firefighter and will definitely be continuing the series. As always this episode contains spoilers.