Dark romance and romantasy podcast The Spicy Librarian is back for round two of Would You Rather — and this time we are throwing Dee and Katie headfirst into dark romance and horror for a Halloween special. Final girl or best storyline? Hunted or protected? Attic or cellar? They don’t have to agree. They do have to justify.

You asked for round two. We delivered. Last time we dropped Dee and Katie into the romantasy world — this time it’s dark romance and horror, it’s Halloween, let the chaos begin.

We’re tackling fifteen questions that get progressively more unhinged — from whether you’d rather be the final girl or have the best storyline, to whether you’d survive a horror movie or a dark romance novel, to the one that started a genuine debate about attics versus cellars that we are still not over. There are villain monologues, obsessive love interests, supernatural hauntings, primal chases through the woods, and a reverse harem question that absolutely did not need to be as divisive as it was.

We’re referencing Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander, Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Penpal by J.T. Geissinger, Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander, Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, and This Family Lies by J.M. Cannon, and taking notes from our FMC's and because every good Halloween episode needs a reading list to go with it.

Timestamps: None officially, just straight into general chaos

Books Discussed:

Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours — Liv Zander (dark romance)

Hunting Adeline — H.D. Carlton (dark romance, stalker romance)

The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides (psychological thriller)

Penpal — J.T. Geissinger (dark romance, thriller)

Feathers So Vicious — Liv Zander (dark romantasy)

Spark of the Everflame — Penn Cole (romantasy, slow burn)

This Family Lies — J.M. Cannon (psychological thriller)

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 us your most unhinged would you rather for round three. We’ll see you next Thursday. 🖤

Dark romance and romantasy podcast The Spicy Librarian is back with the September reading roundup — and we’ll be honest, this one went a slightly different direction than planned. Ber flu hit, catch up happened, and we read a lot of books anyway. As you do.

The ber season arrived and brought its flu with it. So instead this week on The Spicy Librarian Podcast, we sat down for an unexpected catch-up — bringing you news from the centre, what we have been reading, and the books that have been living in our heads rent-free this month.

Katie brings us You Girls Play Nice by K.D. Aldyn, Home Before Dark by Riley Sager, Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, and The Right Move by Liz Tomforde — fake dating, forced proximity, gothic thriller, and a romantasy slow burn that we cannot stop recommending.

Dee talks us through — Friends with the Monsters by Albany Walker, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, The Lamb by Lucy Rose, and the A King of Flesh and Bone & A Queen of Rot and Ruin duology by Liv Zander. Plus Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros — the brand new Empyrean companion collection that Empyrean fans need in their hands immediately. Dee had a great time.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Welcome & Ber Flu 05:01 — News from the Centre 45:00 — Katie’s September Reading Round Up 52:00 — Dee’s September Reading Round Up

Books Discussed:

You Girls Play Nice — K.D. Aldyn (indie, contemporary) Home Before Dark — Riley Sager (gothic thriller, spooky season read) Spark of the Everflame — Penn Cole (romantasy, slow burn) The Right Move — Liz Tomforde (contemporary romance, sports romance, fake dating) Friends with the Monsters — Albany Walker (indie dark romance) Incidents Around the House — Josh Malerman (horror) The Lamb — Lucy Rose (gothic horror, folk horror, queer fiction) A King of Flesh and Bone & A Queen of Rot and Ruin — Liv Zander (dark romance) Threshing Day — Rebecca Yarros (romantasy, Empyrean series, Fourth Wing universe)

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 all the latest updates. We’ll see you next Thursday. 🖤

The rules are simple. You have £20. You need five book boyfriends. Every man on the market has a price tag and you have to build the best possible roster without going over budget. Easy. Completely straightforward. Nobody lost their mind at all.

Drafting Zade from Haunting Adeline, Josh from Lights Out, and Acker from Metal Slinger ( the first book Katie ever spoiled, throwback) — who came all the way across the ocean for you, and we respect the commitment. Katie went for Ruhn from Crescent City, Xaden from Fourth Wing (Katie's roster, Katie's rules and Greyson from Daggermouth — masked man, awful in-laws, but somehow still a solid ten.

Then we had to defend our rosters. You’re getting involved. The logistics of five men living with you were discussed in more depth than we anticipated, and the results were illuminating. But which house would you live in?

Round two gave us a trope budget — enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, taboo relationship, fake dating, accidental pregnancy, miscommunication, instalove, grumpy sunshine and second chance all hit the table — and from those picks we arced the next two New York Times bestseller and the return of Chad and Poppy. The publishing industry is not ready, and it’s welcome.

Timestamps:

01:15 — Rules of the Draft 05:10 — The Draft Begins 26:33 — Roster Defence: The Logistics of Five Men 39:29 — Round Two: The Trope Budget 45:13 — Arcing the Next Bestseller: Chad, Poppy & the Book That Could Save Publishing

Books & Characters Referenced:

Zade — Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (dark romance, stalker romance) Josh — Lights Out by Navessa Allen (dark romance, masked MMC) Kingfisher — Quicksilver by Callie Hart (romantasy) Ruhn — Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas (romantasy) Vale — Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander (dark romance) Xaden — Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (romantasy, enemies to lovers) Rhysand — A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (romantasy, MaasVerse) Seven — White Rose Painted Red by Elena Lawson (dark romance, why choose, indie) Acker — Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider (dark romance) Greyson — Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe (dark romantasy, masked MMC)

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 tell us who would be in your £20 roster. We'll see you next Thursday. 🖤