The Smut Report Team is back, and this month we're talking about the criminal archetype in romance books. What characteristics does a criminal love interest have—and what makes them so dang sexy?

For our conversation, we read Hard Time by Cara McKenna [https://amzn.to/3UQ3abj].

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/08/04/lets-talk-archetypes-criminals/]

The Criminal Archetype

This month, the Smut Report team is talking Metaromance. Not romances that take place at Facebook, but romance books that are talking about romance books.

To prepare, we all read Unromance by Erin Connor [https://amzn.to/4kEX0pN].

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/06/13/lets-talk-about-metaromance/].

Metaromance

We're wrapping up our Hoedown Showdown! Holly, Erin, and Ingrid all share their Yee Haws and Hell Naws from this project, talk about their favorite microtropes, and share recommendations of other Western Romances. 

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast.

Hoedown Showdown: Final Thoughts

We're in Week 4 of reading Romance Westerns, and this week we're focusing on queer and poly romances. 

We read:

 * Heart and Hand by Rebel Carter (Amazon [https://amzn.to/3YShjXZ] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9798794771770])  
 * They Ain't Proper by M.B. Guel (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4iCY4sF] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9781642474824])

Warning: This conversation includes ranting.

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast.

Hoedown Showdown: Queer Westerns

For the third week of the Hoedown Showdown, we're in the 2020s! What's changed in Western romance? What's stayed the same? 

We read:

 * Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4iofSHN] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9780062861719])
 * Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry (Amazon [https://amzn.to/43ZQbtz] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9780593335598])

Full shownotes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/04/18/hoedown-showdown-westerns-from-the-present/]

Hoedown Showdown: Westerns from the Present

For the second week of the Hoedown Showdown, we read two books from the early 2000s: 

 * Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne (Amazon [https://amzn.to/3XXdeS2] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9780449005163])
 * Knight on the Texas Plains by Linda Broday (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4ly8XPg] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9781492646501])

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/04/11/hoedown-showdown-westerns-from-the-early-aughts/]

Hoedown Showdown: Westerns from the Aughts

It's time for a Hoedown Showdown! Every Friday in April, we'll be dropping an episode where we talk about two western romances. 

We're starting things off Old School with two romances from the 90s: The Touch of Fire by Linda Howard (Amazon [https://amzn.to/3DXfrWW] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9780671019723]) and Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4cgvE64] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/9436/9780062046604]). Come for the dusty coats and the snake venom, stay for our discussion of how we imagine American history. Plus, of course we're talking about the swoon factor!

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/04/04/its-time-for-a-hoedown-showdown-westerns-from-the-90s/].

Hoedown Showdown: Westerns from the 90s

Erin explains spoke and wheel romances (along with other forms of ethical non-monogamy…and non-ethical non-monogamy). Holly and Ingrid are along for the read. 

To prepare, we all read Four Psychos by Kristy Cunning [https://amzn.to/3QiXog8], but we ended up talking about a ton of different books.

Show notes and book list at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/02/13/lets-talk-tropes-spoke-and-wheel-romance/].

Spoke and Wheel featuring Four Psychos by Kristy Cunning

We're talking Enemies to Lovers this month, and in preparation, we all read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne [https://amzn.to/40ZnwDe]. We talk about what we want from an Enemies to Lovers romance, whether The Hating Game is a good example of one, and whether it's creepy to paint your walls to match your crush's eyes.

Full show notes at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2025/01/31/lets-talk-tropes-enemies-to-lovers/].

Enemies to Lovers, featuring The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Now Presenting…The Fifth Annual Smut Report Superlatives

It’s a new year, which means it’s time to look back on the past year. We were tired and found comfort in books. We were tired and struggled to read books. But no matter what, we reaffirmed how much we love to read and talk about books. So instead of a best-of list, we bring you without further ado: The Fifth Annual Smut Report Superlatives.

Note: These are books we read this year. We might have reviewed them or not, and they may be published in 2024 or not. We just like books.

If you'd rather read the list, full show notes are available at smutreport.com/podcast [https://smutreport.com/2024/12/31/now-presentingthe-fifth-annual-smut-report-superlatives/].

2024 Superlatives

Call us Smut Enthusiasts.

Call us Smut Scholars.

Call us Smut Evangelists.

We are The Smut Report: Let’s talk dirty books.

Erin, Holly, and Ingrid have been reading romance novels together for 20 years—and we love talking about them.

Blog [https://smutreport.com/]  |  All show notes [https://smutreport.com/podcast/]

Connect with us!

Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/smutreport]  |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/smutreport/]  |  Twitter [https://twitter.com/smutreport]

The Smut Report Podcast

Call us Smut Enthusiasts.

Call us Smut Scholars.

Call us Smut Evangelists.

We are The Smut Report: Let’s talk dirty books.

Erin, Holly, and Ingrid have been reading romance novels together for 20 years—and we love talking about them.

Blog | All show notes

Connect with us!

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter