Whoa!mance

With Mrs. Reed safely in the ground, Jane prepares to leave Gateshead hall. This week, Eliza and Georgiana make plans for their futures, Jane receives a letter from Mrs. Fairfax that reeks of Mr. Rochester’s pending marriage, and, once again, Jane collides with an unexpected traveller on her way to Thornfield Hall. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

The real deal. The genuine article. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi to bonafide authenticity. But oftentimes a good knockoff does just fine. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau investigate a scandal rocking the Parisian artworld in Susan Sackett’s 1993 adventure romance, Reckless. Delia Hampton just wants to be a good daughter, and when her father is blackmailed for his prodigious abilities as an art forger, our heroine decides to lay her body on the line. Enter Chase Sutton, a private investigator and gifted sexual awakener, who vows to protect Delia at all costs: even if it means putting her in certain danger. How do we rebuild trust after the mask slips? How soon is too soon when there’s wine involved? Who cares if it’s fake if it works right? Because ultimately, true value is something we made up. Just like everything else. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network

With the early morning exodus of Mr. Mason still lingering over Thornfield Hall, it’s Jane’s turn to receive an untimely visitor. This week, troubling revelations surface about John Reed, Jane returns to Gateshead Hall under dour circumstances, and Mrs. Reed is awful until the bitter end. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

We all lie. We soften hard truths and blur certain edges. Even those goody goodys who avoid harsh words and cracks in the sidewalk still let an ol’ fibber loose now and again. But what about a masquerade? Or a false portrayal - deployed perhaps to keep a low profile? This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau explore the pitfalls of well-meaning subterfuge in Amanda Quick’s 1993 historical, Deception. When the brilliant and scattered Olympia Wingfield agrees to translate an old diary for Jared Ryder, a handsome and extremely competent pirate, our heroine never predicted this swashbuckler would also offer to educate her three young nephews. Now, with this swarthy pirate-cum-tutor in the mix, and her housekeeping needs increasingly met, Olympia sets to work decoding the diary. But when Jared is spotted out and about in London, it seems our dexterous hero holds more titles than just tutor and pirate. It’s blouses and eyepatches this week y’all, or get ready to walk the plank. This week’s episode of Whoa!mance

Can’t a girl just get some sleep? This week, Thornfield Hall is awoken in the night by sounds of struggle, Mr. Rochester runs defense to cover up prior transgressions, and Jane gets drafted to play doctor. Nothing a little old timey drugs and discretion can’t put to bed. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

Game of Thrones may have faded behind the penumbra of popular culture, but there will always be ardent believers keeping the fires burning. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau lurk on fanfiction message boards with one such crowd in Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. When Marcus Caster-Rupp, heartthrob TV star of a GOT-esque show, asks regular person and superfan April Whittier out after her plus-size cosplay goes viral, the whole fandom erupts in excitement. But as Marcus and April break greater swaths of ice, Marcus realizes this is far from their first meeting: in the fan-fiction universe, they’re old, if anonymous, friends. How do we resolve schisms between adaptations and source material? What is proper fanfic etiquette? Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy? We may be discussing fiction about fanfiction this week, but please don’t flame us y'all. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

There’s something fishy about this party crashing fortune teller. This week, Jane confronts the unknown to ascertain her fate, an unveiling of hearts and identities leads to greater intrigue, and Mr. Rochester gets cancelled (again). But the question remains: who is this Mr. Mason fellow? Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

As the party rages on, Thornfield Hall is electric with elites and lowly alike. This week, Jane spies an advantage in her battle for Mr. Rochester’s affections, a game of charades becomes a whole fucking thing, and mysterious travellers keep trickling in. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

Well Whoa!mantics, we made it one more time around. We asked, and you graciously sent us your favorite titles and titillations. And in exchange for the DMs, we stitched them up into something nice we can all sprawl out and get crumbs on. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau reflect on their arc of years behind the mic, wax poetic with the luxury of hindsight, and share which books still smoke and linger. A special thanks to all those who sent in recordings, and to all y’all for the continued support. It’s been a real cool time. Now go put on something comfy: we've got some lounging to do. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

Out of sight, out of mind - until he comes riding in with a full entourage. This week, our heroine’s affections hit a fever pitch, Blanche Ingram leaves Jane looking pale, and Rochester can barely keep his hands to himself. So much for a healthy work/life balance. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

When we last left our heroine, Jane was feeling rattled by a late night immolation. This week, Jane finds her employer has flown the coop, Mrs. Fairfax waxes poetic about some biddy named Blanche Ingram, and our lowly governess laments her self-supposed tepid appearance. A dark night of the soul indeed. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

Studies show that staying put is the number one cause of FOMO among freewheelers and ramblers. But the long term health benefits of deep roots and steady love are often, criminally, underreported. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau clear their spit valves to hit the high notes with a selection from Decades: A Journey of African American Romance, in Sheryl Lister’s Love’s Serenade. Set primarily in Harlem in the 1920’s, Leigh Jones, our heroine, escapes the American South and an arranged marriage after being spurred by Miles Cooper, our reluctant hero and aspiring jazz great, to pursue a life of independence. Immersed in the cultural heights of the Harlem Renaissance, Leigh and Miles navigate their new found freedom and pen their own tunes in the stolen moments of a white-supremacist society. How does the present inform our depictions of the past? How does Romancelandia reward and reinforce white readership? How much historical detail is too much? Bust out your Victrola y'all because this one’s going

Did you miss us? To celebrate the return of Whoa!mance’s Jane Eyre Public Access Read Along, Morgan and Isabeau are joined by author Rose Lerner to discuss the first 15 chapters of Jane Eyre, the life and work of Charlotte Bronte, and Rose's new book, The Wife in the Attic, available February 9th from Audible. Tune in for a spirited conversation of all things Jane, and be warned y’all: spoilers abound. Check out Rose’s work at www.roselerner.com Twitter: @RoseLerner IG: rose.lerner Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network

We are excited to return to The North and revisit our episode on Bear by Marian Engel. Be sure to check out the rest of our back catalog! Did you miss us? We were taking a brief sabbatical in the north woods of Ontario when we stumbled upon a seductive stranger. Full in form and stature, an imposing specimen really, with many *ahem* physical attributes that left us feeling replete in both mind and body. The richness of his fur alone… hair, hair of coarse. Course. Dammit. His name? Yes yes, well we didn’t quite get that far. You know how throes of passion go, so lacking in formality. And with all that solitude to penetrate. Oh Bear. Dear! We need a swim to clear our heads. This one is for our neighbors to the north, and all your enticing wildlife. ALSO - Send us your listener submissions so we can include your lovely thoughts and voices in our 3 year anniversary episode! Slide into our DMs or send us an email at whoamancemail@gmail.com - .mp3 or .wav files are preferable, but as long as it’s pla

ONE. HUNDRED. EPISODES. Can you believe it Whoa!mantics? When we started out we had two shitty microphones and a Mac desktop cobbled together from two different Mac desktops. Now, three years and 100 episodes later, we have slightly better shitty microphones, and that same computer is still chugging along like goddamn Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But more importantly y’all, we couldn’t have done it without you and your continued support. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau are joined by producer Nick to reflect on the book that started it all, A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare. What have we learned? What have we become? And what the fuck is up with this ending (seriously though, WTF is with this ending)? Tune in as we cover old ground with fresh eyes. I’m not crying, you’re crying. ALSO - Send us your listener submissions so we can include your lovely thoughts and voices in our 3 year anniversary episode! Slide into our DMs or send us an email at whoamancemail@gmail.com - .mp3 or .wav files are prefera

This week yr grls had the supreme pleasure of meeting up with @Shelflove to discuss Strange Love by Ann Aguirre. A mistaken identity trope leads to an alien abduction of a human Earth woman. Admitted she doesn't have a ton going on so why not compete in a Hunger Games style version of intergalactic Bachelor? It sounds crazy on paper but this romance is a thought piece on difference and accommodation. Buckle up for a space odyssey of love. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

Believe it or not y’all, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau have been behind the mic for 3 whole years. But now we want to hear from you! We are asking you, dear listeners, to send us brief recordings of yourselves that we will weave into a patchwork quilt of Whoa!s to keep us all wrapped and warm in this ever-encroaching winter of our collective discontent. What romance novel continues to hit that special spot only a true Whoa! can titillate? What’s your favorite Whoa!? Your most problematic Whoa!? A criminally underrated Whoa!? A Whoa! that doesn’t get the love that it, that we all, deserve? Whether your chosen median is a voice memo, a laptop microphone, or two cans held fast by string - as long as that recording can make its way to our inbox, we’ll make sure to include it. Please send all submissions to Whoamancemail@gmail.com in either .mp3 or .wav format post haste, and we’ll get stitching! Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

With intimacies on the table, Mr. Rochester has some explaining to do. This week, Adele’s origin story is laid bare, Jane suffers emotional anguish at the thought of losing her employer to greener pastures, and who knew bed curtains were so flammable? Stay safe and sleep tight y’all. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

It’s a New Year Whoa!mantics, but early forecasts are projecting the same holocaust of emotions. This week on Whoa!mance, Morgan and Isabeau cut through the red tape in A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins. When our heroine Lady Katherine Bascomb hastily publishes overlooked evidence to a recent murder case in her newspaper, Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham becomes seriously butthurt. But when Katherine finds herself at a house party turned crime scene, Katherine and Andrew must put aside their differences before the killer strikes again. What happens when Romance tries on the tropes of True Crime? Why is every example of a good cop usually a fictional character? Who actually keeps us safe? This one’s for all the out of work editors out there - we need you now more than ever. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.

What’s not to like about postprandial levity? This week, Mr. Rochester lets the wine do the talking, Jane plays it cool in the face of lustful advances, and Thornfield Hall proves it could do with an HR department. Whoa!mance is a part of the Frolic Podcast Network.