718. RT Rewind: December 2012 Reviews

We’re back in the time machine, heading back to December 2012 to see what new books were reviewed in Romantic Times magazine.

We’ve got “multicultural” books, beefy paragraphs, big thorns, Schroedinger’s baby, and “charming vulgar nonsense.” Plus, we ask a very important question: if you were suddenly the heroine of an Inspirational romance, how would you know?

TW/CW for the erotica section at the end. It was a time, y’all.

If you want to watch this episode with images of the covers and Amanda and I cracking up a lot, head over to our YouTube page.

❤ Read the transcript ❤

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Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

We also mentioned:

• SNL: Dylan McDermott or Durmot Mulroney?
• Goodreads: The Folly of the World review

This episode is brought to you by Hatch.

You know how you finish a romantasy and you just need the next thing immediately? Hatch made that thing.

It’s called Ophelia — an original audio drama, inspired by Hamlet, where Ophelia finally gets to be the main character.

Forbidden magic, a crumbling kingdom, a slow-burn love triangle with a prince and his very guarded, very intriguing, best friend. The kind of love triangle where you will absolutely pick a side and you will not be quiet about it.

Book one of the three part series is now available for free wherever you stream, with new chapters dropping every Tuesday. For books 2 and 3, check out hatch.co/Ophelia.

Support for this episode comes from Labyrinthine by CJ Holmes, a dark, myth-inspired romantasy—where love is dangerous, desire is a risk, and monsters don’t always look like monsters.

Princess Azhara was born cursed. Marked by ancient magic. Promised in an unholy bargain sealed in blood, she is the prize. When the Reaping begins, suitors will descend into the labyrinth beneath the palace—each one fighting to win her hand or die trying.

She’s never had a choice. Not in the Reaping. Not in her future. Not even in the power buried beneath her skin.

Until now.

The golden prince arrives with charm too slick to trust and eyes that gleam with secrets. Her quiet guardian—once her only constant—has begun to keep dangerous truths from her. And as the labyrinth trials unfold, Azhara realizes the maze isn’t her only trap.

It’s the men.

One lies. One loves. One kills. And she’s not sure which is which.

As suitors fall and secrets surface, Azhara must choose what’s worth saving—her kingdom, her heart, or herself.

KA Riley, bestselling author of The Conspiracy Chronicles, says there are, “addictive twists and turns, a main character who knows her own mind and her worth, with a dollop of feminine rage….and a deep, dark magic system steeped in power, passion, and the bonds that tether people to one another.”

And readers are saying they couldn’t put it down. One reader said they re-read a chapter twice, giving it an “undiluted 6 stars.” And another said, “I finished it and immediately stared at the wall because my brain was still wandering the maze.”

A “beautifully woven tale of love, magic, and sacrifice,” Labyrinthine is available now in paperback, ebook, and audio, wherever books are sold. Learn more at CJHolmesWriting.com, or check the link in the show notes to find your copy today!