Kris and Mads

It's time to talk about spicy books...and more mild ones too. We're finally broaching the romance genre. What do we like? What do we hate? Which ones actually do it for us? And why!In this episode of the Kris and Mads Podcast, we’re talking about the love stories that go far beyond meet-cutes and tropes. Yes, we joke about sex (because obviously), but at the heart of this episode are powerful, unconventional romance book recommendations that explore enduring love, self-discovery, sacrifice, healing, and second chances.These are love stories that linger. Stories about choosing each other again and again. About intimacy, vulnerability, and connection — emotional and physical. Whether you love romance, literary fiction, fantasy with romantic elements, or books that blur genres, these recommendations are for readers who want big feelings and meaningful love stories.If you’re looking for romance books with depth, unconventional love stories, or book recommendations about healing, longing, and transformative relationships, this episode is for you.Books Mentioned by Category:SELF DISCOVERYAlone With You in the Ether by Olivia Blake Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid TRANSCENDENT LOVEThe Invisible Life of Addie Laure By V.E. Schwab Masters of Death by Olivie Blake The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon JimenezSECOND CHANCE HEALINGSeven Days in June by Tia WilliamsHappy Place by Emily Henry SACRIFICIAL LOVESense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Wolf Den by Elodie HarperMORE THAN ONE LOVEThe Lost Queen by Signe Pike Outlander by Diana GabaldonCONTEMPORARY ROMANCE First Time Caller by B.K. Borison Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren Let’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

We started reading some chunky sci-fi and fantasy series in January, and had such a good time! We're embracing the "quality over quantity" mantra this year, and that means fewer books, but hopefully bangers only! Off to an amazing start with these series: A Song of Ice and Fire, The Expanse, Stormlight Archive, Malazan, and Hierarchy! And we had time for a couple stand-alones too.BOOKS MENTIONEDThe Midnight Feast By Lucy FoleyLeviathan Wakes, Caliban’s War, and Abaddon’s Gate(Books 1-3 of the Expanse Series)By James S. A. CoreyThe Way of KingsBy Brandon SandersonGardens of the MoonBy Steven EricksonStrength of the FewBy James IslingtonStonerBy John WilliamsGame of ThronesBy George R. R. MartinTimestamps0:00 - Intro2:00 - Getting into our January reads!3:10 - Our new Patreon Spreadsheet4:03 - The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley12:20 - The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey25:27 - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson37:02 - Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erickson43:41 - The Strength of the Few by James Islington49:29 - Stoner by John Williams54:26 - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin1:05:30 - Wrap up!Let’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club this month for Wuthering Heights:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #stormlightarchive #malazan #theexpanse #asongoficeandfire #gameofthrones

We hate it every year, but the time has come to find out what our best book of 2025 was, bracket style! Prepare to experience us highly stressed and sweating as we go through our year of reading and choose one book to rule them all!Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:03 - How the Bracket is set up3:56 - Maddie: This Is How You Lose The Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-MohtarVS. The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington7:20 - Kristen: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn VS. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 9:59 - Maddie: The Light of All That Falls by James Islington VS. The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winer12:39 - Kristen: Our Infinite Fates by Lauren Steven VS. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 19:00 - Maddie: Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb VS. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson22:00 - Kristen: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb VS. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 25:57 - Maddie: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee VS. Wellness by Nathan Hill31:19 - Kristen: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb VS. Mad Ship by Robin Hobb35:00 - Maddie: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante VS. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 39:20 - Kristen: Jade City by Fonda Lee VS. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 46:55 - Maddie: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrel VS. Speaking Bones by Ken Liu50:31 - Kristen: Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke VS. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower 53:53 - Lightning Round56:35 - Elimination Round58:44 - Final Round & Winning Books!Let’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  This episode was edited by Daniel Pena: https://danielpena.carrd.co#BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #bestbookof2025 #bookrecommendations #readingbracket #readingchallenge

There's nothing like a screen adaptation that brings our favorite stories to life in a whole new way! It seems the screen gods have seen fit to bless us this year, because there are so many amazing stories coming to the screen this year. We can't wait to watch some of these while reading the books they're adapted from this year with our Page-to-Screen Book Club on Patreon! Here are the titles we're chatting about in this episode:Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:45 - People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry5:40 - The Seven Dials by Agatha Christie9:24 - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë16:03 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas21:05 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir24:08 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck29:14 - The Odyssey by Homer36:27 - Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen39:54 - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins44:50 - Dune: Messiah by Frank Herbert50:17 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood55:28 - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis1:00:51 - Wrap-upSo grateful these studios are taking on these adaptations!‪@Netflix‬ ‪@LionsgateMovies‬ ‪@PrimeVideo‬ ‪@AmazonMGMStudios‬ ‪@WarnerBros‬ ‪@PBS‬   Masterpiece‪@FocusFeatures‬   ‪@UniversalPictures‬   Let’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music, which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books

It's ambitious and full of variety this year! We can't wait to reread some books we love, start some chunky new fantasy series, read even more classics, and pair some amazing stories with screen adaptations with our Patreon bookclub!We've never been so excited to share a list like this with you. There's something about knowing our taste, trusting the recommendations, and feeling like at the end of the year we will have read so many different kinds of books from different voices and different times, across genres. We're so stoked.We'll report back every month on what we've read and whether we recommend it! Stay tuned for weekly episodes in between featuring genre discussions, thematic topics, and more amazing book recommendations.Thanks so much for watching!Timestamps:0:00 - Intro1:29 - How we built our TBR5:14 - What counts as an automatic TBR7:52 - Book Recommendations12:12 - Why we have a TBR18:25 - 2026 rules for The Wheel24:09 - Series TBR for 202636:24 - Classics TBR for 202641:39 - 5 books we’re super excited for44:58 - Re-reads for 202648:43 - What we want to read with our Patreon Book Club51:23 - What could disrupt the TBRLet’s connect!Join our Patreon read-and-watch club:   / krisandmadssisterhood  Have a business inquiry? Email our manager: [email protected]:   / kris.and.mads  Instagram:   / krisandmads  All our other links are here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.madsTo check out our brother C.Ray's music which we use in all our episodes, you can find him here:   / @seerayhardly  #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookClub #Reading #Books #2026tbr #tbr