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In every episode of Romance on the Rocks Podcast, we like to glean Romantic Reminders from the novels we read. Season One of the podcast yielded multiple inspirations for our everyday lives, with one overriding theme in particular . . . read on for more! If you’re looking for romantic reminders to help you thrive as a couple, we’re here for you. Let our takeaways from our romance novel reads be your inspiration and guide in everyday life.
Episode 1: The Power To Heal
In our first episode of our inaugural season, we were feeling a little snarky initially about our Romantic Reminders gleaned from our first pair of books. Meghan’s book, Beauty Contest Nurse by Diana Douglas, led her to offer the advise of allowing your partner to physically steer you around. This stems from the main female character of her novel being pushed and pulled around a room by a doctor she was attending an event with. My Romantic Reminder from The Viking’s Chosen by Quinn Loftis is that chaperones should stay well back to allow for a couple to develop their budding relationship. Just kidding. My real takeaway from the book is that a person should seek consent from the other person before trying to kiss them or make other physical advances.
If you’d like to glean your own Romantic Reminders from these stories, you can purchase The Viking’s Chosen here. Beauty Contest Nurse is no longer in print but you may be able to find it at your local library or secondhand book store. Want to listen to the episode? You can listen to it right here on our website here.
Episode 2: Playing House
By episode 2, we were better able to focus in on the messages in our romance novel assignments and saw our first overriding theme that we continue to encounter in A LOT of the romance novels we read: communication. My book, The Princess by Jude Devereaux, is rife with communication challenges between the two main characters. And we honestly feel the Romantic Reminder to communicate and have adult conversations with your partner cannot be stressed enough because it continues to be a problem we encounter in many of the books we read for the podcast. Meghan’s takeaway from her book, Younger Sister by Kathleen Norris, is more exciting and sexy: don’t be afraid to wear something cute and sexy to bed to fan the flames of desire in the boudoir. (That’s French for bedroom.) Lingerie is delightfully referred to as “costumes” in Norris’s novel and we love the term and the idea.
You can purchase a copy of Younger Sister here and The Princess here. Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast streaming service or click here.
Episode 3: Southern Romances: Music, Mobsters & Models
Episode 3 with its focus on southern romances was a wild ride. Meghan’s book, Heart of Nashville by Robert Vaughan was a steamy ride but the only romantic reminder Meghan could really take away from the book was to share a toothbrush … or a bear skin rug. Personally, we would never share a toothbrush with anyone — even our own husbands — but I can certainly see the appeal of having an interlude on a bear skin rug in front of a roaring fireplace in a cozy cabin somewhere. My take-aways from Bluegrass King by Janet Dailey were a little more practical. The first romantic reminder from that read is to explore the world around you. In my novel, the lead characters explore Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky during the course of events. I honestly think it’s a wonderful idea to explore a nearby big city or even your own home town with your partner. And my second romantic reminder from Dailey’s book is to pamper your partner. At one point in the story, the hero shows up at the heroine’s apartment with pizza and while she takes a shower after a long work day, he keeps the pizza warm in the oven and makes a salad to go with it. Simple gestures like that can really make your significant other feel loved and pampered and can go a long way to show that person you really care about them.
Want to read these southern romances? You can purchase Bluegrass King here and Heart of Nashville here. If you’d like to listen to the podcast episode, you can do so here.
Episode 4: A Thanksgiving Stuffed with Love
Meghan and I thoroughly enjoyed our Thanksgiving books from Season 1. In our podcast episode, we shared some solid romantic reminders from our trash rags. Meghan’s book, A Thanksgiving to Remember by Margaret Watson, taught her that sometimes chores can wait. Meghan talked about recognizing the real priorities in your life, and realizing that there may be times when you need to focus more on your partner and less on those Thanksgiving dishes. And my romantic reminder from Stuffed: A Thanksgiving Romance by Jessica Gadziala stems from the old Boy Scout motto of always be prepared — only I took it a step further with always be prepared with a condom. It’s solid advice to help stop the spread of STDs and prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Practical advise aside, I highly recommend this fabulous Thanksgiving read and you can purchase a copy here. To purchase A Thanksgiving to Remember, click here. This podcast episode is available to listen to here.
Episode 5: A Christmas for the Dogs
Even though our episode 5 books were a little tough to get through and not our personal cup of tea, we still both took away some insights. Well, Meghan probably more so than me. With A Familiar Christmas by Caroline Burnes, Meghan’s romantic reminder is that being right isn’t always the most important thing, especially with someone you love. An insistence on always being right may just put you on the wrong side of love. And while I tried very hard to glean a romantic reminder from 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber, the best I could come up with is to think beyond black wools pants if you’re trying to dress up for your man. I just don’t think classic trousers you wear to church or a job interview or a day at the office are going to get him all hot and bothered. I could be wrong. (See what I did there? I listened to Meghan’s advice and admitted I might be wrong.)
Find out what these books have to do with dogs (and cats) by listening to the episode here. And if you love a holiday themed mystery romance, you can purchase A Familiar Christmas here. (It’s part of a series.) And if you want to read a Christmas novel by the “Queen of Christmas”, Debbie Macomber, you can buy her book here.
Episode 6: Cheers to Christmas Romance Reads
And our final romantic reminders of Season 1 come from Episode 6, Cheers to Christmas Romance Reads. (You can listen to the podcast episode here.) We absolutely loved our Christmas romance novels and highly recommend them and their authors. Meghan’s book was A Charming Christmas Arrangement by Heatherly Bell. Meghan feels the message from this novel is acts of service are important in a relationship. She loves that the hero of the book regularly makes breakfast for the heroine and thinks it’s a wonderful example of doing something actionable to show your love. And I have a wonderful take-away from A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas. In this story, the leading man writes a love note for his bride every Christmas eve. I felt so inspired by this gesture that I decide to write my husband a Christmas love note and plan to do it every year. You can write a love letter for your partner at anytime but picking a special holiday also seems lovely. We truly loved these two stories.
You can purchase your own copy of A Charming Christmas Arrangement here and A Wallflower Christmas here. (Bridgerton fans, I really think you’ll love the Wallflower series!)
Have you read any of the books from our first season? Do you think we got the romantic reminders right? Let us know in the comments! And if you’d love to join our collective of hopeless romantics and bookish biddies, we invite you to subscribe to our email list.
