We're getting into the romance time machine and setting the course for 2001, when Harlequin decided that those Temptations could get scorching hot and become a Blaze. We scoured ebay for boxes and boxes of old Blazes, dug deep into the back catalogues of our Kindles, and are celebrating the OG one-handed read, the Harlequin Blaze. We had a great time, but we knew what to expect -- if you need content warnings, make sure you check them. And let us know if you want us to explore some other category lines!

If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

Our next read along is Julie Anne Long's What I Did For a Duke, available in print, ebook and audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

The Books

• Her Naughty Holiday by Tiffany Reisz
• Getting Physical by Jade Lee 
• Just Watch Me Julie Leto
• Too Wicked to Keep by Julie Leto
• Anything Goes by Debbi Rawlins
• The Fantasy Factor by Kimberly Raye
• Whisper by Nancy Warren
• Shameless by Toni Carrington
• What a Girl Wants by Jamie Sobrato
• Silent Desires by Julie Kenner
• Certified Male by Kristin Hardy
• Hot Island Nights by Sarah Mayberry

The Notes

• Sarah is teaching her beginner Start Your Romance Today class virtually on February 23rd at 1pm eastern.
• What is a category romance? Maybe listen to our episode from season 5.
• The Blaze line, from 2001-2017, was a spin off from the Harlequin Temptation line. The Kimani romance line ran from 2006 to 2019.
• We had an episode about Tiffany Reisz’s Men at Work trilogy, a 2016 Blaze series, back in season 4.
• Join Sarah with Rebecca Romney at The Strand’s rare book room on Feb 18, 2025 to celebrate the release of Rebecca’s book, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf.
• Jen is SCREAMING because the sequel to Certified Male? You guessed it. 
• If you read Hot Island Nights first, go back and check out Her Best Worst Mistake.

The Sponsors

• J. Winifred Butterworth, author of A Bloomy Head, available in ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
• Jill Shalvis, author of Better than Friends, available in print, ebook or audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.
• Macmilllan Audio, publishers of Let's Call A Truce, by Amy Buchanan, and read by Charlotte North, available from Audible, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Libro.fm or wherever you get your audiobooks. Enter the Macmillan Audio sweepstakes to win one of five free copies of this audiobook.
• Maureen Lee Lenker, author of His Girl Hollywood, available in print, ebook or audiobook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.

00:01 Sarah's Romance Class

01:31 Bantr

06:25 Pour One Out for Harlequin Blaze

15:12 AD: LET’S CALL A TRUCE

17:51 The Segregation of Harlequin Lines

27:11 Sex in Harlequin Blaze

33:19 Plot, Character, and Tropes

36:45 AD: HIS GIRL HOLLYWOOD

38:52 Just Watch Me

42:26 Too Wicked to Keep

47:58 Up to No Good

50:35 Anything Goes & the Fantasy Factor

53:17 Gender Essentialism & Consent

55:55 Whisper

1:00:23 AD: A BLOOMY HEAD

1:03:06 Shameless

1:07:20 What a Girl Wants

1:12:16 Play With Me

1:17:24 AD: BETTER THAN FRIENDS

1:19:22 Guess the Title!

1:27:36 Hot Island Nights

1:37:33 Outro

1:39:02 AD: LET’S CALL A TRUCE