What’s a dealbreaker for you? What’s something that, no matter how many luxurious nights and sumptuous meals, would continue to nag at the corners of your mind? Write it down. This week, Morgan and Isabeau get in touch with their teen angst for this YA retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. For this rendition, the Caliph of Khorasan has taken to marrying virgins, and killing them off the morning after consummation. Enter our heroine, Shahrzad, who volunteers to marry the Caliph and spare the fate of a friend bound for a grisly end. Bent on revenge, Shahrzad ensnares the Caliph with spellbinding tales that keep her alive night after night, as her passion for blood turns into an unexpected adoration. Now go back to your dealbreaker. Was it murder? Was it practicing blood magic? Was it books that kind of, maybe, somewhat, remind us of our month-long foray into sheik romance? For those that wrote down something innocuous like “snoring” or something vain like “they can’t have weird eyebrows”, this should be a wild ride.
We love Romance. But sometimes having all your stories feature muscular, taciturn, bodice-ripping, secret baby/royalty/wealth and/or spouse-having heroes is too much excitement in this chaotic world. Sometimes you just want a story that’s relatable. This week, Morgan and Isabeau tread the bureaucratic waters of non-profit management where Rayanne (heroine) and Henry (hero) are tasked with saving the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center in its eleventh hour. Will they be able to overcome their mutual attraction to save Crooked Rock? Will they get the necessary funding? Can nepotism be sexy? Brush up on Own Voices and get your 501-c3s in order for this one y’all.
We wanted to take a moment to pop this lil boner and organize our thinking on Own Voices. What do we mean when we say Own Voices? It’s when the author, artist, filmmaker, producer, etc. is a member of the community they are representing in a given medium. This week, Morgan and Isabeau discuss the societal barriers within mainstream [white] culture that can keep Own Voices stories marginalized, and how to be a good ally without succumbing to the pitfalls of tokenism. Plus, a few gardening tips from our registered green thumb, Morgan.
We’re celebrating our cotton anniversary this year at Whoa!mance, and what better way to wax nostalgic about marital bliss than to pretend to do it all over again. This week, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are joined by producer Nick to unpack The Unhoneymooners by the writing duo Christina Lauren. This contemporary enemies to lovers features Olive, the perpetually unlucky twin sister of the soon-to-be-married Ami, who’s loathed to spend her sister’s special day with her worst nightmare, Ethan, who happens to be the brother and best man of Ami’s future husband, Dane. But when a seafood buffet spares only Olive and Ethan from an explosive fate, they are tasked to redeem the all-inclusive honeymoon package waiting under Ami’s name, the only catch is they have to play the part of newlyweds. Hilarity ensues as Olive and Ethan overcome their own misplaced hatred, and we settle into the long business of marriage.
What a month y’all. This was a veritable roller coaster of emotions as yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took stock of Johanna Lindsey’s legacy and work, and sussed out how to feel about the harsher realities depicted in her novels. This week, our last installment of JOHANNAuary, features a viking novel of your choosing: Fires of Winter, Book 1 in the Haardrad Family Saga Series. Published in 1980, it’s not without its difficulties, but just as this novel has Lady Brenna, a headstrong and agential heroine, even roses have their merits. Held captive by the strikingly dangerous Garrick Haardrad, Lady Brenna witnesses the subjugation of her people as she is held in relative, if hostile, comfort. It's a problematic tale of passion guaranteed to melt your permafrost. A special thanks to all those who threw their support behind their favorite viking - you’re the real heroes.
As the ghost of JOHANNAuary continues to plague this humble project, we are reminded here at Whoa!mance of the importance of friends when doing battle with distraught paranormals. Yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are joined this week by Erin, the Veteran of Learning the Tropes, for a gracious re-recording to once again discuss Brave The Wild Wind, Book 1 of Johanna Lindsey’s Wyoming series. We meet our heroine, Jessie Blair, as her family is torn asunder by the quick anger of her father. This prologue of violence is a mark of frontier life, and a distinguishing characteristic of our hero, Chase Summers, who, along with a litany of other details, combine to make this a difficult read from the moral high ground of our current moment. But what’s a western without a little grit? What’s a boot without a spur? This one’s for all you cowpokes and horse girls.