Heaving Bosoms, hosted by Melody Carlisle, focuses more on general romance novels or media. When I first started listening, there was another host, long-time friend to Melody, Erin. The dynamic between the two of them was just…chefs kiss. So many inside jokes were born from their pairing. Unfortunately, Erin did have to leave the show, so if you end up subscribing, I highly recommend listening to some of the earlier episodes. Warning: you will laugh out loud. Proceed with caution. Now, Melody pairs with guest stars, who are mostly authors themselves, discussing all manner of romance-ness.

Fated Mates is more of a scholastic dive into the romance literature world. Author, Sarah MacLean, and romance critic, Jen Prokop, provide in-depth takes on tropes in their interstitials, NPR level interviews with authors you might not have heard of in their trailblazer episodes, and, also, review books. They bring up many books that I don’t usually see in my day to day, like historicals, back catalog, and “classics”. This podcast is educational as well as entertaining, but it will grow your TBR. Not that that is a bad thing.

Bad on Paper started as a podcast dedicated to “trash” YA books that Becca Freeman (author) and Grace Atwood (influencer/blogger) had been reading. Over time, they extended their content to author interviews, other genres, lifestyle, culture, and other topics. When Grace left the podcast a little over a year ago, Olivia Muentor (author/blogger), joined as the new host with Becca. Their dynamic is funny, warm, and relatable. I love hearing about their journeys as authors and readers. They still talk about a wide range of topics, including non-book things, but they almost always include segments on what they are reading. At the end of the month, they host a book club episode, where they discuss a book that they’ve announced at the beginning of the month. It’s very spoiler heavy, so if that’s not your cup of tea, feel free to skip those. Although I will say that I don’t always read the book and I fully enjoy those episodes anyway.