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Ice-princess heroines, business rivals-to-lovers, and the case for rediscovering historical romance—today Aurora Palit joins us to talk Sunshine & Spice and her spicy new standalone, Honey & Heat.

We dig into how Aurora writes deliciously awkward meet-cutes, why “hotter, sooner” worked for Honey & Heat, and a mini masterclass on historical romance: the BookTok slump, gateway recs, and the authors who still slap. Plus: Sherry Thomas pining, Loretta Chase perfection, and a love letter to Julie Garwood.

📚Books Mentioned

Sunshine & Spice by Aurora Palit — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Bengali rep | Audio ✅

Honey & Heat by Aurora Palit — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance, Workplace Rivals, Heavier Spice | Audio ✅

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas — Buy on Amazon | Historical Romance, Longing/Marriage of Convenience | Audio ✅

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase — Buy on Amazon | Historical Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers | Audio ✅

The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley — Buy on Amazon | Historical Romance, Found Family Caper | Audio ✅

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean — Buy on Amazon | Historical Romance, Rogues, “Cinnamon Roll Inside” Hero | Audio ✅

Ransom by Julie Garwood — Buy on Amazon | Historical Romance, Adventure, Mystery Thread | Audio ✅

Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas — Start with A Study in Scarlet Women | Historical Mystery/Romance Adjacent | Audio ✅

Timestamps

[00:00] Intro + Aurora in Alberta; 2-book overview (Sunshine & Spice; Honey & Heat)

[02:00] Debut rundown: Sunshine & Spice—Bengali rep, fake dating, brand-revamp plot

[04:00] Honey & Heat—one-night past, workplace rivals, “hotter and sooner” spice notes

[06:00[ Why write romance? Meet-cutes, character-first drafting, loving the cringe

[10:00] State of historical romance: BookTok trends, KU economics, reissues/rewrites

[16:00] Recs: Sherry Thomas’s Ravishing the Heiress (emo pining masterclass)

[18:00] Recs: Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels (required reading!)

[19:30] Recs: Erica Ridley’s The Duke Heist (found family fun)

[21:00] Recs: Sarah MacLean’s Wicked and the Wallflower (hard shell, soft center hero)

[22:30] Recs: Julie Garwood’s Ransom + WTRN’s past Garwood interview note

[24:30] Lady Sherlock shoutout + covers, stigma then vs. now

[26:30] Where to find Aurora; release week reminder; wrap-up

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