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Fated Mates, Fake Wives & The Chaos In Between
Romance loves a formula … until a book decides to throw it out the window. And honestly? That’s where things get interesting.
This week on Romance on the Rocks, we close out our April Pick-a-Number reads with two stories that technically fall under romance … but take very different routes getting there. One gives us magic, danger and fated mates energy. The other hands us a fake wife scenario wrapped in grief, identity and emotional messiness.
Naturally, we have thoughts.
Romantasy, Fated Mates & That Cliffhanger
First up is A Fate of Onyx & Ivory by O’Junea Brown, a 2024 romantasy that drops us straight into survival mode. Amira is doing everything she can to keep her family afloat when a deal with a witch goes sideways. Cue wolves, danger and a conveniently attractive fae king named Raine who sweeps her off to his magical kingdom, Solaris.
From there, the story leans into classic romantasy territory: fated mates, hidden motives and a whole lot of “you’re safer here” energy that may or may not be as comforting as it sounds.
Amira is the standout. She’s tough, capable and refreshingly not written as some wide-eyed, naive heroine. She knows who she is and handles herself accordingly, which Nicole appreciated.
The spice level lands at jalapeño 🌶️ — there’s intimacy, tension and build but nothing fully explicit.
The real issue? That ending.
This book hits you with a full-on cliffhanger … in a series that isn’t finished yet. Nicole is STRUGGLING. (She loves her closure.)
Want to read the book for yourself? You can get it here:
Fake Wives, Real Feelings & Genre Confusion
Then we pivot hard into The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher, which takes the fake relationship trope and says, “What if we made this deeply emotional instead?”
Gwen is stuck in a life that feels more like autopilot than intention. Enter Elliot, an old connection who reappears under less-than-ideal circumstances, including a hospice lie that spirals into Gwen agreeing to pose as his wife for a family visit.
Yes, there’s a lake house.
Yes, there’s tension.
Yes, there are turtles (very important according to Meghan).
But this isn’t your typical swoony, escapist romance.
This is a story about grief, identity, loneliness and figuring out what you actually want out of life. The romance exists but it’s not driving the car. It’s more like … sitting in the passenger seat asking hard questions.
Spice level? Green pepper 🌶️ — very mild, more emotional intimacy than physical.
Which leads us to the big question:
Does this actually count as a romance?
Meghan thinks not.
Want to read the book for yourself? You can get it here:
Have you read A Fate of
The Real Talk: Villains, Messy Choices & Boob Math
Beyond the plots, this episode really leans into the bigger conversations:
– Do you actually need a villain in a love story or are messy choices enough?
– Why do some books feel the need to “justify” an ending by making someone the bad guy?
– And how much emotional chaos are we willing to tolerate if the writing is good?
Also — because we are who we are — we continue our highly scientific and extremely important tradition of tracking the first boob reference in each book. This week? Confusion, debates and some aggressively unsexy contenders.
As always.
📚 What’s Next: Mothers of Romance
We’re heading into May with a new theme: Mothers of Romance — aka the iconic authors who helped shape the genre.
On deck:
– Barbara Cartland’s The Dawn of Love
– Judith McNaught’s Until You
Expect vintage vibes, dramatic plots and old school romance energy.
💬 Final Sip
These two books prove “romance” isn’t always one-size-fits-all.
Sometimes it’s magic and fate and high-stakes danger.
Sometimes it’s grief and growth and figuring your life out.
And sometimes … it’s both a little satisfying and a little frustrating.
Which honestly feels pretty on brand.
If you’re into romantasy, fake relationship tropes, romance vs women’s fiction debates or just honest bookish conversations with a side of sass, this episode is for you. You can listen to Season 3 Episode 9: Fated Mates & Fake Wives wherever you stream your podcasts or you can click here for our in-house podcast player.
Now tell us:
Are you okay with a cliffhanger… or do you need closure?
And if you’re a hopeless romantic and bookish biddy like us, we’d love to have you join in our adventures by signing up for our email list. Just fill out the form below!
