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Episode Description:
Bakery heat meets alien heart in this delightful episode of Romance on the Rocks.
Nicole dives into Tart by Lauren Dane, a 2012 contemporary why-choose romance that serves up a habanero-level throuple between bakery owner Juliet Lamprey, steady farm boy Gideon Carter and longtime best friend Cal Whaley. When Cal makes an aggressive play for Jules just as her relationship with Gideon is taking off, the solution isn’t a love triangle. It’s a love expansion. We unpack jealousy, possessiveness, bisexual representation and what real consent looks like in a polyamorous relationship. There’s emotional labor. There’s family judgment. There is a wise grandpa who absolutely steals the show. And, yes, there is plenty of spice.
Then Meg beams us up to I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre, a 2025 sci-fi rom-com that proves cozy romance can exist across galaxies. Jeanette Hammond has always preferred the possibility of extraterrestrials to disappointing human dating prospects. When she finally meets her longtime online crush at SpaceCon in Rellos, Utah, she discovers he’s not just socially awkward. He’s literally an alien stranded on Earth. We talk neurodivergent coding, identity, performance versus authenticity and the quiet intimacy of being fully seen. The worldbuilding sparkles with humor, heart and one now-iconic rooster named Kevin.
This episode covers why-choose romance, throuple dynamics, bisexual leads who reject tidy labels, and alien love stories with low spice and big emotional payoff. It’s habanero heat on one side, poblano sweetness on the other and a reminder that love does not have to follow a conventional blueprint to be real.
Pour something bright, settle in and join us for sharp takes, spicy quotes and our final March romance wrap-up.
Books & Beverages for this Episode:
Nicole’s Book & Beverage
Tart by Lauren Dane with The Shameless Tart
Meg’s Book & Beverage
I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre with The Rellos
Support the Podcast:
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(the best way to get your smut while supporting a fabulous women-owned business and our podcast!)
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Podcast Credits:
Theme Music Created by Adam Wroblewski
Main Art by PersonalisePortrait
Drink Along with Us:
Want to drink along with us? We’ve got our special episode drinking game posted above. But we also have our all-episode Romance on the Rocks Podcast Drinking Game. It’s yours free when you subscribe to our email list! Just fill out this form and we’ll email you the PDF!
