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. 2d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Jun 25

    Telestrations: Dark Romance & Romantasy Tropes, Chaos & Bookish Mayhem

    Dark romance and romantasy meets Telestrations on this week's Spicy Librarian - we're drawing tropes, guessing characters, and somehow attempting to pitch the next New York Times bestselling romance novel. We cover romantasy and dark romance rounds, weekly reading recaps, and watch the whole thing descend into glorious bookish chaos. This week on Spicy Librarian, we played Telestrations, that random game from primary school where you draw a section of a thing, fold the page and pass it on. But we made it bookish and spicy. We took the most iconic tropes, characters, and moments from dark romance and romantasy and decided to see if we could plot the next New York Times bestseller, but probably not. We do tropes, settings, plot twists and pairings, triggers and memorable quotes- and watched the whole thing descend into absolute bookish chaos. Let us know if you think our pitch has legs, better yet, write it yourself. 00:00 — Welcome to the Spicy Librarian Podcast 00:22 — Katie's Reading Recap: What's Been on Her TBR This Week 13:19 — Dee's Reading Recap: What Dee Has Been Reading 25:27 — Telestrations: The Bookish Spicy Edition Begins 26:37 — Romantasy Round: Tropes, Characters & Chaos 36:40 — Dark Romance Round: Plot Twists, Triggers & Memorable Quotes 49:50 — See You Next Week Books mentioned- YesterYear- Caro Claire Burke The Voice- Maggie Ray Jones Heavy- ML Burns The Dorians- Nick Cutter Black Phone- Joe Hill Remarkably Bright Creatures- Shelby Van Pelt Direbound/ Furybound- Sable Sorenson Regretting you- Colleen Hoover A Stage Set for Villains- Shannon J. Spann Pieces of the Night- Jennifer Hartman Branded- Saffron A Kent Ravenous- Thea Lawrence Crown Me Dead- Liv Zander Harvest Season- Brynn Weaver Butcher and Blackbird- Bryne Weaver Thursday Murder Club- Richard Osman Metal Slinger /Light Wielder- Rachel Schneider 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.

  6. Jun 18

    An Emotional Cream Pie and an Apology for Spoilers with No Promise Not to Spoil Again

    The May book club is here and besties, this month's picks were a whole lot. But first, we're pulling back the curtain on what is coming up for The Spicy Librarian. It's our birthday month in July, we have events in the pipeline, and things are getting very exciting around here. We are not ready to spill everything just yet but we wanted to bring you into it because you lot are the whole reason any of this exists. Consider this your official heads up. Stay close. 👀 But book club! We're talking The Auction by Sadie Kincaid - Beauty and the Beast meets dark mafia romance, a scarred billionaire, a secret brotherhood, and a slow burn so tense we needed a moment, and a lively debate about condiments. Then Starside by Alex Aster - the enemies-to-lovers romantasy that has absolutely taken over our bookshelves and for very good reason. And finally The Stopover by T.L. Swan - the book that has converted more people to contemporary romance than almost anything else on BookTok, and yes, we have feelings about it. If you haven't listened to our episode with TL Swan- get to know. Three completely different vibes. Three books that divided the room. Three books we could not shut up about. This is exactly what book club is for. Books mentioned-  The Auction- Sade Kincaid Starside- Alex Aster The Stop Over- TL Swan Made Man Series- Danielle Lori Crescent City- S J Maas June Book Club- A Stage Set for Villains- Shannon J. Spann Pieces of the Night- Jennifer Hartman Branded- Saffron A Kent Perfect for fans of: book club, dark romance, romantasy, contemporary romance, The Auction, Sadie Kincaid, Starside, Alex Aster, The Stopover, TL Swan, Miles High Club, mafia romance, enemies to lovers, slow burn, BookTok, spicy books, spicy podcast

  7. Jun 11

    Slaglines: We Wrapped Books, We Gave Clues & Absolutely Nobody Was Helpful

    Slaglines: We Wrapped Books, We Gave Clues & Absolutely Nobody Was Helpful We invented a game. We wrapped books in brown paper, gave each other the most unhinged clues imaginable, and made each other guess the title. We're calling it Slaglines - a love letter to the tagline and an absolute disaster of an episode in the best possible way. This week's lineup was a lot. We had a tattooed bad boy demon with witchy enemies-to-lovers energy, little women but make it vampire, a bored gay werewolf, a shy trans banshee, a deeply unsettling crawl space, and a boyfriend who is giving very strong fish. You know the kind. If you think you could have guessed these faster than us - get in the comments and tell us. We are competitive and we will take that personally.   Books mentioned-  Starside- Alex Aster Here One Moment - Liane Moriarty What have you done- Shari Lapena Miles High Series- TL Swan Direbound/ Furybound- Sable Sorensen Crown me Dead/ Crown me Yours- Liv Zanders Crawl Space- Herbert Lieberman There’s Something Fishy About My Boyfriend- Gloria Duke Zodiac Academy- Twisted Sisters Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros Magnolia Parks- Jessa Hastings  Demon with Benefits- Aurora Asher Little Vampire Women- Lynn Messina Bored Gay Werewolf- Tony Santorella Shy Trans Banshee- Tony Santorella

  8. Jun 4

    Yes We're Late, No We Don't Care: The April Book Club Roundup

    Look. It's the April book club roundup. We know. We're late. We're had a lot going on.  This month we went three very different directions and we have absolutely no regrets. We're talking Three Nights in Stockholm by Elizabeth Hardy — the snowed-in, slow burn, enemies to lovers romance that had us feral from page one. Then The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson — dark, twisty, and not what we expected in the best possible way. And finally Collateral Damage by Shassii — a sapphic erotic thriller with Stockholm syndrome, enemies to lovers, extreme slow burn, and two completely broken women who will absolutely wreck you. This one is not for the faint hearted and we are obsessed with it. Three books. Three completely different vibes. One very chaotic book club. This is exactly why we do this. Perfect for fans of: book club, dark romance, sapphic romance, enemies to lovers, slow burn, contemporary romance, BookTok, spicy books, Three Nights in Stockholm, Elizabeth Hardy, Poison Daughter, Sheila Masterson, Collateral Damage, Shassii, queer romance, spicy podcast

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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
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Spicy Librarian Podcast

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