Whoa!mance

We're 'doing the business' here in chapter 24. Jane and Lizzy almost fight, Mr. Bennet has some ideas about how to establish home harmony and we are dissecting world views and, as ever, interrogating the self.

We interrupt our regular programming to share a discussion on the BUTT OUT, BABY podcast with yr grls of Whoa!mance--on the introductory scene of no less a Prince of the City than JOHNNY CASTLE from Dirty Dancing. We had SO MUCH FUN. Just in time for summer. Per Ellie of BOB: Baby gets her first glimpse into the class structure at Kellerman's ft. Morgan & Isabeau of Whoa!mance + Johnny being attractive and gracefully insolent + The female gaze + The strange all-inclusive guest experience of Kellerman's + How bad boy romance leads are introduced and whether Dirty Dancing qualifies as a romance at all! Whoa!mance: a weekly podcast about Romance Novels and Ourselves Butt Out, Baby! is a scene-by-scene study of Dirty Dancing: A film that gets a lot of love — but not enough respect. Follow on the podcaster of your choice and at IG @buttoutbabypod

The Fall out of Mr. Collins' second proposal continues. Mrs Bennet cannot even and we don't blame her. It sucks having your best friend excitedly contemplating your husband's death and impeding poverty. SoMeONe should think of poor Mrs. Bennet's nerves...LIZZY

This ep yr grls visit the cultural rupture known as 1995 to (finally) discuss LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase. Scoundrel, rake, blight of his family name, Lord Dain has a lot of baggage, the least of which is some dumb guy named Bertie. But gorgeous, brilliant Jessica has accepted her lot as a spinster and developed an actual personality, so her dumb brother, Bertie, happens to be her biggest baggage. Little do Dain and Jessica know they are about the become each other's sexy, sexy baggage. Nothin' slaps like the hits, y'all! What are the limits of "because it is a romance" as justification? How can novels show instead of tell the work of men deconstructing toxic masculinity? Who even is the main Main Character here? For fans of romance deconstruction and materiality, this one's for YOU! Whoa!mance is a part of Frolic Media.

In which Collins has a “surprise” for Charlotte, and Charlotte has a surprise for Lizzie. Yr grls reflect on the historic and constant privilege of youth and beauty, and the historic and constant problem of being alone.

Don ye flower crowns - yr grls are going full ren fest with "The Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon" by Kimberly Lemming. Cinnamon does the title with Fallon during a very auspicious time - a festivus when The Goddess's protection spells weaken and chosen heroes must pick up the slack. Cinnmaon is grateful she missed that particular calling, but Fallon is insistent she join him on an opposite quest - because The Goddess isn't really a goddess... Why does the context of fictional violence change the experience of it so drastically? Will fantasy, and its progeny, ever really be cool?

In this chapter Jane receives a letter, Lizzy talks shit, and Mrs. Bennet continues to fret about the future.

This week we're leaving the gun, taking the cannoli (per usual) with "TWISTED PRIDE" by CORA REILLY. Serafina is about to fulfill the promise of her midwest-Mob upbringing by marrying an underboss (like her dad, her uncle, her twin brother...) but she feels weird about it, Thankfully, certifiable Very Bad Person and capo of a rival mafia family, Remo, kidnaps her moments before her vows and takes her hostage in Las Vegas. After blood, sweat, tears, more blood, additional blood, then blood, they fall in love! But can she reconcile who she thought she was with who she is becoming? What are the limits of purity culture critique? Or the ability of the abject to pull you through a love story? How do you pronounce Giudice? Pour yourself an Amaro and settle in - not unlike Mario Puzo's "The Godfather", it's long but worth it.(There's a Bernie Mac attack at the end!) TW: Discussion of sexual assault, blood / gore, violence Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Media Network.

Still recovering from the horrific proposal by Mr. Collins? Us too but that doesn't prevent us from wondering if Mr. Bennet is the real villain of this fair novel, and whether or not Mrs. Bennet's nervous condition stems from her being a sex idiot earlier in her life

As we wrap up FanFicuary Morgan and Isabeau we couldn't leave Harry Potter behind. While JKRowling and her world view continue to be a dangerous dumpster fire, we ask where does the author end and the fanfic author begin? We also tackle the Everest of our times: The most fraught subject in all the world--PDA. Where's the pleasure in wrapping yourself in the coat of another adult human while they are wearing it--in public? How public is too public for deep throating your crush? Grab a butterbeer and your house colors as we meander through the warm fuzzies of the post Hogwarts ennui of 20 somethings trying to fledge. Its the headcanon of a lot people's dreams: Harry

We're back and we're ready to get down to the business of weirdest, sexiest, and whoa/no of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by ALI HAZELWOOD. This fic turned barn burner of a romance novel (you can buy it Target!) uses characters from the Star Wars universe to tell the story of a third year PhD candidate catching real feelings in a fake relationship with a tenured faculty in her department. What is the line between real person fic and character fic? What about fic demands delicious cringe? Are there breasts so small and mouths so big? In the words of Jar Jar Binks - Dissen ganna be bery messy!

This ep, we're staying space together (continuing FanFicUary) for the space kids (you, faithful listeners) by discussing THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood. Olive (Stanford University Biology PhD Candidate AU Rey from Star Wars) and Adam (AU Kylo Ren) should not be together - he is tenured faculty in the department she's working on a PhD in. Thank goodness they are not together for real. But as often happens, fake relationships can lead to real consequences. Especially when that consequence is true love and sex at a conference. Why does the zeitgeist choose fascists? Is the real HEA just being treated as another worthy being? Will "Woodiwissification" be the 2024 word of the year? This is part 1 of a two-part stand-off between fanfiction, publishing, Isabeau, and the Star Wars franchise. Please don't sue us, Mickey. Also, we have some technical issues start at approximately the 23 minute mark, thanks for sticking with us. Whoa!mance is a part of Frolic Media.

We're officially kicking off FANFIC-UARY here at Whoa!mance--We're dissecting an Isabeau fav fic in the Castlevania canon. Want to have sex on your period AND fight demons? Fanfic can get you there baby! Want to wander Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages killing Dracula's nigh creatures while watching two characters fall in love? Join us as we follow the winding questions of who's fanfiction written for? What is the earnest/sexy equation that creates the fanfic magic? Why do we love interacting with texts we already love? Why does fanfic love romance so much? Is it more than watching characters you love love up on each other? Yr grlz are pulling the threads that yoke romance and fanfic and their fans together in a beautiful and now lucrative tapestry. Whoa!mance is part of the Frolic Podcast Network

As we pass into the ultimate HURT / COMFORT month, we feel called to speak on a subject near and dear. The kissin' cousin of our beloved Romance Genre - FAN FICTION. How does cultural context inform fic and romance? Do you need to be a fan to enjoy fic? Why has this taken us so long? We will interrogate the boundaries of fic and romance via a beloved object- one of Isabeau's fave fics - "Rough Magic" by gondalsqueen on Archive of Our Own. We will compare the (slightly) alternate universes of fan fiction and romance, or should we say the fic to 'mance pipeline, via "The Love Hypothesis" by Ali Hazelwood. And lastly, we will consume and critique a fic recommended by YOU, the listener. This is sure to be as fluffy as it is angsty, Whoa!mantics. Please DM us your fic recs on Twitter, @mance_whoa, or IG @whoamance. You can also email your recomendations to whoamancemail@gmail.com Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

In which Mr. Collins shows his whole a$$ and Morgan and Isabeau discuss what makes a whole a$$.

Sometimes it gets cold enough in winter that you want to wear a hat on a hat. Times like that call for cozy romps like A ROSE IN WINTER by KATHLEEN WOODIWISS. Erienne is the prettiest gal in town, so her father - The Self-Same Mayor of Mawbry - has no problem auctioning her off to the mysterious and masked Lord Saxton. Problem is, she's still got butterflies over her family's sworn nemesis and noted American Christopher Seton. Also Seton and Saxton are cousins. Also the town is full of highwaymen. Also Saxton's home keeps getting burned down. Also, Seton's a ship captain. Also... Why is it always Beauty and the Beast (even when it isn't)? How can we reconcile the perpetuating sins of our canon? Why is it, in spite of all that, SO GOOD? File down the pointy edges and crack those knuckles, this hand stuff is serious. Whoa!mance is a part of Frolic Media.

In which Lizzie has a really good time at a ball until she has a really, really bad time and yr grls Morgan and Isabeau ponder why Austen doesn't have more "Economy of Language" cred that Hemingway.

Don't know about you, but we're feeling '2̶2̶ '23. It is that time of year, when we reflect on the past and don shades to look into our bright, bright future. Is a year-in-review cliche? YES! But it isn't like we're doing a clip show or anything. These are FRESH and HOT takes, not just on the books, but romance culture and our own backlog. Join us as we get heated, remorseful, baffled, joyful while dishing on... Hardest and softest Whoa! / No of 2022 Sexiest part and weirdest parts we read this year Most surprising book Favoritest MCs What we want more of in 2023, and what we could use a lot less of in 2022 ...AND SO MUCH MORE! Those who forget history are doomed, positively doomed to repeat it. So join us as we take out doom insurance. Whoa!mance is a part of Frolic Media.

In which Lizzie becomes aware of Mr. Collins's plans for her cousin hands, but doesn't mind because there's a cool ball coming up, and Jane plants herself firmly on the fence about Darcy.

This week Morgan and Isabeau agree that in the War on Christmas, Xmas is the agitator and has already won. This decades old conflict can be viewed from the year 1995, with the romance compendium "A Gift of Joy" when the culture wars teamed up with Xmas to burn the yule logs of feminism in the great cookie backlash. Take a stroll down the byways of 'when men were men' in Virginia Henley's "Christmas Eve" and dawn your 40 shades of green for the loosely Christmas related "Miracle" by Brenda Joyce. Each short story has been seasoned heavily, enjoy responsibly. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Media Network