The Spicy Librarian Podcast

The Spicy Librarian
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Dark romance, romantasy, and spicy reads - served with chaos, warmth, and absolutely zero filter. The Spicy Librarian Podcast is the dark romance and romantasy podcast for readers who love yapping about books just as much as reading them. Every Thursday, D and Katie bring you honest, unhinged, and genuinely obsessive conversations about the romance books everyone is talking about, the indie titles you need to add to your TBR immediately, and the ones that kept them up until 3am. From morally grey love interests to enemies-to-lovers slow burns, from sapphic romance to why choose - if it's spicy, if it's dark, if it has made at least one of them feral, it's on the pod. Plus, as the team behind Europe's biggest independent romance bookshop, D and Katie bring a perspective on the romance community that goes far deeper than just the books. Expect book club deep dives, author interviews with some of the biggest and most exciting names in dark romance and romantasy, unhinged games, hot takes, and the kind of honest book chat you only get from your most chaotic, well-read book besties. New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe so you never miss a drop. Perfect for fans of: dark romance, romantasy, spicy books, BookTok, book club, enemies to lovers, why choose romance, indie romance authors, morally grey, slow burn, spicy romance podcast The Spicy Librarian Podcast - part of the Voices & Visuals network.

  1. 17h ago

    Bookish 20 Questions: An Episode We Very Nearly Didn't Come Back From

    This week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast, Katie and Dee were forced to played bookish 20 questions. Post it notes on foreheads, sunglasses on, eyebrows firmly raised, and this is genuinely the closest we have ever come to a full falling out. You are welcome. *If you want to play along, listen on audio, or for spoilers, head to the YouTube!*  We want to be clear. We are fine. We are friends. But this episode tested us in ways we did not anticipate and we are still processing. Bookish 20 questions. Where you wear the book on your head and ask yes or no questions until you figure it out, sounds innocent, sounds simple, sounds easy. It is not. Not when the books are Penpal by J.T. Geissinger, Credence by Penelope Douglas, The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman, Hooked by Emily McIntire, One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, and No for an Answer by C.J. Riggs. Not with these two. Not today. Three rounds. Multiple near misses. One almost-falling-out. Post it notes, sunglasses, and more raised eyebrows than we promised. This is the most chaotic episode we have made and we stand by every second of it.   Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction & Rules 2:02 — Round One 17:50— Round Two 36:10— Round Three 43:54 — Catch Up & Debrief   If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review -- it genuinely means the world -- and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤

  2. Aug 13

    July Reading Round Up: Dark Romance, Romantasy & Contemporary

    The July reading roundup and book club is here! Between Dee and Katie, they've read what feels like half the internet this month. Dark romance, romantasy, contemporary, and everything in between. Buckle up, your TBR is about to suffer beautifully. July was a big reading month. Katie and Dee take you through everything they've read this month — from indie darlings to highly anticipated sequels, spicy contemporaries to romantasy worlds we do not want to leave — before we get into the book club picks that had us absolutely feral. This month's book club brought us Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander for dark romance, Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent for romantasy, and Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan for contemporary — and we had a lot of big feelings about all three, a lot. We've also got news and updates dropping, so stay tuned for that, and a sneak peek at what we have coming in August including Dominion by Jean Kwok, How to Kidnap a Fake Date by Effie Campbell, and The Voice by Maggie Ray Jones. Timestamps: 00:09 — Katie's July Reading Roundup 05:46 — Dee's July Reading Roundup 27:18 — Updates & News 34:08 — Book Club: Dark Romance — Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander 44:41 — Book Club: Romantasy — Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent 48:06 — Book Club: Contemporary — Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan Books Discussed in This Episode: Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander Daughter of No Worlds — Carissa Broadbent Roanoke Girls — Amy Engel Sleuths — Samantha Mooney White Rose Painted Red — Elena Lawson Nightshade & Daybreak — Autumn Woods Direbound — Sable Sorenson Daggermouth — H.M. Wolfe Black Heart Painted Gold — Elena Lawson Salt and Sweet — Juno Rose North Spicy Honey — Juno Rose North Step Brother Bear — J.M. Fairy To the Depths — Beth Rhydo Dominion — Jean Kwok Done and Dusted & Swift and Saddled — Lyla Sage The Voice — Maggie Ray Jones Eat Your Heart Out — J.N. Bamforth The Dorians — Nick Cutter Black Sunshine & The Blood is Love — Karina Halle Tornado, Still & This is Fine — Lizzie Stanley Archer's Voice — Mia Sheridan If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a 5* review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤

  3. Aug 6

    Community Outreach & Yap: Your Questions, Our Answers & Five Star Book Clinic

    This week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast we are coming straight to you -- answering your bookish questions, giving you the latest shop and event updates. Then Dee opens the clinic to personally prescribe your next five star read. Come in, sit down, she'll see you now.   Consider this your official TSL check in. This week D and Katie are doing what they do best — yapping — but with purpose. We're going through your questions, the ones you've been sending in about books, the shop, upcoming events, and everything in between, and we are answering all of it. Then Dee opens the book clinic. You tell us what you loved, what you hated, what tropes make you feral and which ones send you running — and Dee will prescribe your next five star read. No appointment necessary. Results may include an immediately extended TBR and zero regrets. If you want to be featured in a future episode, send in your reading profile and let Dee do her thing. If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram to send in your questions or book clinic requests. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤   Timestamps: 02:45 — Katie's Reading Recap 07:24 — Dee's Reading Recap 17:52 — Community Questions & Recommendations 32:42 — Shop Q&A 36:28 — Book Recommendations Clinic   Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander The One — John Marrs Spicy Honey — Juno Rose North Eat Your Heart Out — J.M. Banforth Daughter of No Worlds — Carissa Broadbent Stepbrother Bear — G.M. Fairy Done & Dusted — Lyla Sage Swift & Saddled — Lyla Sage To the Depths — Beth Rhydo Dominion — Jean Kwok The Voice — Maggie Ray Jones Heated Rivalry — Rachel Reid Feathers So Vicious — Liv Zander Magnolia Parks — Jessa Hastings Credence — Penelope Douglas What We Need — Lizzie Stanley The Auction — Sadie Kincaid Confessions — Kanae Minato Under Your Scars — Ariel Anderson Shatter Me — Tahereh Mafi Angela's Ashes — Frank McCourt Blackwood Institute — J. Rose Ballad of the Fallen Dragons — Sarah A. Parker Dominion — Jean Kwok She Who Holds My Wrath — Shannon V. Velzen Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander To the Depths — Beth Rhydo Birthday Girl — Penelope Douglas Older — Jennifer Hartmann Haunting Adeline — H.D. Carlton Blackwood Institute — J. Rose The Poison Daughter — Sheila Masterson Vanguard — Karina Halle A Forbidden Alchemy & A Forsaken Prophecy — Stacey McEwan Heavenly Bodies & Fallen Stars — Imani Erriu This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me — Ilona Andrews Don't Eat Your Human Boyfriend — Lily Mayne Eat Your Heart Out & Formaldehyde — J.M. Banforth How to Kidnap a Fake Date — Effie Campbell A Soul to Keep & A Soul to Heal — Opal Reyne

  4. Jul 30

    F*ck, Marry, Kill: Book Boyfriends & Series We'd Die (or Kill) For

    F*ck, Marry, Kill but make it bookish — this week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast we are making the hard decisions about our favourite MMCs and the series we love most. One night stand, forever, or goodbye. Nothing and no one is safe.  This week we are playing the most chaotic, most emotionally devastating version of F*ck, Marry, Kill you have ever witnessed. We are talking about our favourite MMCs — seriously thinking through the actual implications of a marriage, a one night stand, and yes, murdering our beloved book boyfriends within their own universes and in ours. We took this very seriously. Possibly too seriously.  Then we turn it on the series. Which one could we re-read forever and never get tired of? Which one do we have one read left in us? And which series — as much as it destroys us to say it — do we have to say goodbye to for good? The answers may surprise you. They surprised us. If you shouted at your phone, your TV, your partner, or a complete stranger on the bus — we want to know. Get in the comments and tell us where we went wrong. We can take it.   If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤   Timestamps: 00:34 — Updates & The Spicy Librarian Live 02:59 — Fck, Marry, Kill: MMC Edition 46:26 — Fck, Marry, Kill: Book Series Edition   Books & Series Mentioned: Throne of Glass — Sarah J. Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas Crescent City — Sarah J. Maas Fourth Wing — Rebecca Yarros Quicksilver & Brimstone — Callie Hart Edge of Darkness — Leigh Rivers Little Stranger & Little Liar — Leigh Rivers Psychotic Obsession — Leigh Rivers Haunting Adeline, Does it Hurt? & Where's Molly — H.D. Carlton Daughter of No Worlds, Serpent & the Wings of Night & Six Scorched Roses — Carissa Broadbent Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout Book of Azrael — Amber Nicole Smith Spark of the Everflame — Penn Cole White Rose Painted Red — Blake & Elena Lawson The Voice — Maggie Ray Jones Chestnut Springs — Elsie Silver Miles High Series — T.L. Swan Magnolia Parks Universe — Jessa Hastings Feathers So Vicious & Shadow So Cruel — Liv Zander Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander Heated Rivalry — Rachel Reid Daggermouth — H.D. Wolfe Billionaire's Boy Club — Lauren Asher

  5. Jul 23

    Salt, Sweet & Spicy Honey: An Exclusive Interview with UK Indie Author Juno Rose

    This week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast we're sitting down with one of the UK's most exciting up and coming indie authors — Juno Rose. We're talking her debut novel Salt and Sweet, her next release Spicy Honey, an exclusive look at what's coming next, and of course things get completely unhinged along the way.   Juno Rose is a London-based indie author writing high heat contemporary romance with heart, humour, and chemistry that absolutely jumps off the page. Her debut Salt and Sweet — a brother's best friend, forbidden romance following Emmy as she rebuilds her life with a secret spicy bucket list and the very last man she should want — has taken the indie romance community by storm, and we are completely obsessed. This week we sit down with Juno for an exclusive chat about Salt and Sweet, her next release Spicy Honey, and a little insider look at what she has coming after that. We also do what we do best — drag her into some thoroughly unhinged bookish games — and get a real insight into what it's like building an indie romance career in the UK right now. If you haven't read Juno Rose yet, consider this your very loud sign to start immediately.   Timestamps: 00:01 — Introduction 04:24 — Juno's Books: Salt and Sweet, Spicy Honey & What's Coming Next 09:20 — Juno's Story: Life as a UK Indie Romance Author 19:12 — Exclusive Tea: What Juno Has in the Pipeline 24:29 — One Star Review Defence 31:40 — Five Star Review Defence 37:06 — HSF 40:21 — Unpopular Opinion 46:12 —  Roundup & Bye   CTA: If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤   Books Discussed in This Episode: Salt and Sweet — Juno Rose Spicy Honey — Juno Rose Dawn of the North / Road of Bones — Demi Winters Kidnapped by Krampus — Emily Shore Five Brothers — Penelope Douglas Sugar Life Series — Harley Madison

  6. Jul 16

    June Reading Roundup: Dark Romance, Romantasy, Contemporary & More

    The June reading roundup is here and we went wide this month — dark romance, romantasy, contemporary, beachy reads, and everything in between. Dee and Katie are back with the book club picks, the reads that wrecked them, and the ones that surprised them most. Your TBR will not survive. Yes we know it's not June anymore.  This month's book club brought us Branded by Saffron A. Kent, A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann, and Pieces of the Night by Jennifer Hartmann— a dark western romance, a NYT bestselling romantasy that has taken over BookTok, and an angsty rockstar romance that absolutely wrecked us. Three very different books, three very big feelings.  Beyond book club, June was the month we went everywhere. We're talking Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, and Carissa Broadbent for the contemporary and fantasy fans, Karina Halle for those who like their romance with a side of chaos, and an indie pick that needs to be on your radar immediately. June gave us range and we have absolutely no regrets. Timestamps: 00:00 — Dee's June Reading Roundup 18:30 — Katie's Reading Roundup & Pod Live 26:36 — Book Club: Pieces of the Night by Jennifer Hartmann — Contemporary Romance 34:05 — Book Club: A Stage Set for Villains — Romantasy Deep Dive 36:42 — Book Club: Branded by Saffron A. Kent — Dark Romance Discussion 42:32 — HSF: Cringe Reading Moment of the Week If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤   Books Discussed in This Episode: Branded — Saffron A. Kent A Stage Set for Villains — Shannon J. Spann Pieces of the Night — Jennifer Hartmann Regretting You — Colleen Hoover Harvest Season — Bryn Weaver Light Wielder: Fire & Metal Book Two — Rachel Schneider Death Valley — Karina Halle Vanguard — Karina Halle Archer's Voice — Mia Sheridan People We Meet on Vacation — Emily Henry White Rose Painted Gold — Elena Lawson Black Heart Painted Gold — Elena Lawson Direbound — Sable Sorenson Furybound — Sable Sorenson The Dorians — Nick Cutter Most of All You — Mia Sheridan A Great Big Beautiful Life — Emily Henry Crown Me Dead Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo — Taylor Jenkins Reid Daughter of No Worlds — Carissa Broadbent Serpent & the Wings of Night — Carissa Broadbent Older — Jennifer Hartmann Eat Your Heart Out — G.M. Banforth

  7. Jul 9

    The Least Competitive Game of Bookish Bingo

    Bookish Bingo lands on The Spicy Librarian Podcast this week — and it turns out Dee and Katie are not even a little bit competitive. From sports romance to special editions, historical romance to books that made us ugly cry, we're covering every square on the card.   This week join Dee and Katie for a game of Bookish Bingo — who we found aren't at all competitive. We're working through the full card, from books read in one sitting to series we're still in the middle of, plots that floored us, characters who share our names, and the very specific joy of a book you found because you spotted a stranger reading it. Every square is a recommendation, a confession, or a chaotic tangent — sometimes all three. If your own TBR survives this episode intact we genuinely respect it.   Timestamps: 00:00 — Sulking Over Bingo Dabbers 01:49 — Katie's Reading Week 02:35 — Dee's Reading Week 10:14 — Bingo Rules 11:55 — A Book Read in One Sitting 13:49 — A Book Set on an Island 15:24 — A Book That Was Borrowed 18:35 — A Special Edition 20:18 — Historical Romance Picks 21:48 — A Non Fiction Book 25:03 — A Plot Twist That Got Us 26:19 — A Book on Your TBR Right Now 32:30 — Sports Romance Recommendations 34:41 — A Book That Made Us Cry 36:52 — A Book We Reviewed 42:06 — Book to Screen Adaptations 43:10 — A Book You Read Because You Saw Someone Else Reading It 45:42 — A Character With the Same Name as Yours 47:24 — A Title With a Number in It 48:13 — A Book That's Been Annotated 49:38 — A Book You've Won 50:27 — A Series You're in the Middle Of 51:18 — A Title With a Colour in It 54:14 — Bingo Victory If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤 Books Discussed in This Episode: Tourist Season — Bryn Weaver The Butcher and the Blackbird — Bryn Weaver Light Wielder — Rachel Schneider Wild Card — Karina Halle Direbound — Sable Sorenson Crown Me Dead / Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander Daughter of No Worlds — Carissa Broadbent Archer's Voice — Mia Sheridan Most of All You — Mia Sheridan Three Nights in Stockholm — Elizabeth Hardy The Dorians — Nick Cutter Grave Matter — Karina Halle Yesteryear — Caro Claire Burke Starfallen — Fern Cole Hollow — M.L. Burns Innamorata — Ava Reid The Games Gods Play — Abigail Owen The Tattooist of Auschwitz — Heather Morris The Secret — Rhonda Byrne Atomic Habits — James Clear Feathers So Vicious — Liv Zander Poison Daughter — Sheila Masterson Here One Moment — Liane Moriarty Flawless — Elsie Silver Perfect Deke — Ruth Stirling Heated Rivalry — Rachel Reid What We Need — Lizzie Stanley The Long Game — Rachel Reid Death Valley — Karina Halle The Trap — Catherine Ryan Howard Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow — Gabrielle Zevin A Little Life — Hanya Yanagihara One Dark Window — Rachel Gillig Two Twisted Crowns — Rachel Gillig Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck Sleuths — Samantha Moody Throne of Glass — Sarah J. Maas Edge of Darkness — Leigh Rivers Red Rising — Pierce Brown Red Queen — Victoria Aveyard

  8. Jul 2

    Book Recs 101 Part One: The Best Romantasy & Dark Romance

    Your ultimate guide to romantasy and dark romance is here. The Spicy Librarian Podcast's Book Recs 101 is the episode every new and seasoned spicy reader needs. Whether you're just starting out or ready for the deep end, Dee and Katie have you completely covered. Hold on to your TBRs because this week we are sitting down for a full hour of book recommendations- and we are not sorry about what we have done to your reading list. From gentle entry points to the books that will absolutely ruin you, we're covering the full spectrum of romantasy and dark romance in one gloriously chaotic episode. We break it down into three categories- start me gently, middle of the road, and drop me in at the deep end. We cover the first romantasy and dark romance reads you should pick up, where to go next once you're hooked, and what you graduate to when you are ready to go full feral reader. Consider this your official reading roadmap. Our TBRs have extended by approximately 100 books as a result of this conversation and we regret absolutely nothing. This is part one; buckle up. 00:00 — Introduction and Etsy Witches for the Weather 01:44 — Katie's Reading Recap: What's on Her TBR This Week 04:04 — Dee's Reading Recap: What Dee Has Been Reading 13:01 — HSF: Cringe Reading Moment of the Week 16:36 — Book Recs 101: Your Listener Requests Answered 26:25 — Romantasy Recs: The Best Books to Pick Up First 30:27 — Romantasy Recs: What to Read Next 33:33 — Romantasy Recs: High Fantasy Picks for the Deep End 35:47 — Dark Romance Recs: The Best Books to Start With 40:00 — Dark Romance Recs: Where to Go Next 48:21 — Dark Romance Recs: Pitch Black — The Deep End 52:28 — Wrapping Up: Come See Us & Send in Your Recommendations   If you loved this episode follow the podcast so you never miss a drop, leave us a review — it genuinely means the world — and head to our website or Instagram for more details on everything we have coming up. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤   Books mentioned;  Bitter Sweet- Hattie Williams Crown me Yours- Liv Zanders Death Valley- Karina Halle Vanguard- Karina Halle Branded- Saffron A Kent White Rose painted Red- Blake Lawson and ELENA. LAWSON Blood of Hercules- Jasmine Mas The games God play- Abigail Owens Such a Dirty Girl- Effy Campbell Hot Creep series- Effy Campbell Sugar Baby, Good Girl, Brat Baby- Harley Madison Secret Club, Secret Job, Secret Proposal, Secret Stalker- Ruby Sky Starside- Alex Aster Blood and Steel Series- Helen Scheuerer Den of Vipers- KA Knight White Rose painted Red- Blake Lawson and ELENA. LAWSON Blackwood Institute- J Rose Credence- Penelope Douglas Birthday Girl- Penelope Douglas Sabre Security- J Rose When the Moon Hatched- Sarah A Parker The Knight and the Moth- Rachel Gillig Bad Bishop- LJ Shen Twister Pawn- LG Shen Made Mad Series- Danielle Lori Crescent City- S J Maas The Devil Night Series- Penelope Douglas City of Gods and Monsters- Kayla Edwards A Court of Thrones and Roses- S J Maas Servant of Earth- Sarah Hawley A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon- Sarah Hawley A Ship of Bones and Teeth- Karina Hallie One dark window, Two twisted Crowns- Rachel Gillig Enchantra Phantasma- Kaylie Smith Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros When the Moon Hatched- Sarah A Parker From Blood and Ash- Jennifer L. Armentrout QuickSilver- Callie Hart Lights Out- Navessa Allen Butcher and Blackbird- Bryn Weaver Tourist Season- Bryn Weaver Sinners Retreat, Slay Ride, Ship Happens, Slaughter Park- Lauren Biel What We Need- Lizzie Stanley The Predator- RuNyx Lord Series, The Ritual, Chantelle Tessier Haunting Adeline- H D Carlton Hunting Adeline- H D Carlton Sanctuary of Lies- J Rose Feather so Vicious/ Shadow so Cruel- Liv Zanders

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About

Dark romance, romantasy, and spicy reads - served with chaos, warmth, and absolutely zero filter. The Spicy Librarian Podcast is the dark romance and romantasy podcast for readers who love yapping about books just as much as reading them. Every Thursday, D and Katie bring you honest, unhinged, and genuinely obsessive conversations about the romance books everyone is talking about, the indie titles you need to add to your TBR immediately, and the ones that kept them up until 3am. From morally grey love interests to enemies-to-lovers slow burns, from sapphic romance to why choose - if it's spicy, if it's dark, if it has made at least one of them feral, it's on the pod. Plus, as the team behind Europe's biggest independent romance bookshop, D and Katie bring a perspective on the romance community that goes far deeper than just the books. Expect book club deep dives, author interviews with some of the biggest and most exciting names in dark romance and romantasy, unhinged games, hot takes, and the kind of honest book chat you only get from your most chaotic, well-read book besties. New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe so you never miss a drop. Perfect for fans of: dark romance, romantasy, spicy books, BookTok, book club, enemies to lovers, why choose romance, indie romance authors, morally grey, slow burn, spicy romance podcast The Spicy Librarian Podcast - part of the Voices & Visuals network.

Information

  • Creator
    The Spicy Librarian
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Spicy Librarian Podcast

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