Secret Heir for Christmas (Boobsmas #12)

Summary: It's Super Bowl Sunday, and this football fan is here to celebrate with a Fantasy Fiction book draft. Join the romance reading (and writing) "team captains" as they draft their favorite books releasing between January 1st - March 31st, 2024. 💖

Then, vote for your favorite "team" on the Boobies & Noobies Instagram.

The Team Captains:
Kelly Reynolds, Author & Host of Boobies & Noobies
Satoria, Instagram and Tiktok
Lena, Instagram and Tiktok
Torry, Podcast host of Ready to be Petty and Ready to be Romanced

An Indie-published romance book (00:17:45)
Torry's pick: Face Off by Teagan Hunter
Lena's pick: Girl Meets Grump by Hailey Gardiner
Sat's pick: The Seventh Month Itch by Tanvier Peart
Kelly's pick: The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award

A traditionally published romance book (00:25:35)
Lena's pick: The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee (Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition)
Sat's pick: Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne
Kelly's pick: This Could be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Torry's pick: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

An LGBTQIA+ romance book (indie or trad pub) (00:38:05)
Sat's pick: Loving Safoa by Liza Wemakor
Kelly's pick: My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy
Torry's pick: Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
Lena's pick: Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean

A romance book written by a new-to-you author (indie or trad pub) (00:46:15)
Kelly's pick: A Duet of Darkness and Dreams by L.H. Blake
Torry's pick: Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Lena's pick: The Accidental Crush by Mia Heintzelman
Sat's pick: I'll Conjure for You by Charish Reid

A freebie (any book published between January 1st and March 31st) (01:00:18)
Sat's pick: Saint, Sorrow, Sinner by Freydis Moon
Lena's pick: Play Me Once by Carina Taylor
Kelly's pick: Girls with Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod
Torry's pick: Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen

Links:
Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

👉 Support the podcast on Patreon for as little as $1/month. 👈

Episode Summary: We're kicking off the eighth season of Boobies & Noobies with Kristen Alicia, whose debut romance, You've Been Served, is available now! Along with Kristen's new book, we also discuss the legacy of Legally Blonde, magic eight balls, and dismantling "milestone" expectations for women.

Guest: Kristen Alicia, author of You've Been Served

Book Summary: It’s the Magic 8 Ball’s fault. All of it. One teeny little question, and suddenly Simone Alexander is chucking her whole life out the window. So long, being a chef in California–it’s time for law school. In Michigan. Where there’s actual winter . And law school’s nothing like the romantic comedies said it was.

Simone is tragically underprepared. Hell, she’s already behind before classes have even begun, and her hard-as-nails Contracts professor is giving her no mercy. Then there’s Silas Whitman, her tall and annoyingly cute neighbor. Off campus, Silas is incredible. Kissable, even . In class, he is one thousand percent the obnoxious kiss-ass.

But Simone’s given up everything to be a lawyer. The competition is fierce and she has a hateful professor gunning for her to fail, but she’s not about to let little things like sleep, or love, stop her from kicking law school ass…

Show Notes:
- Welcome to Season 8 of the podcast!
- Legally Blonde... in all its iterations
- Bay Area babes unite!
- Kristen's relationship with romance books (00:10:25)
- First romance reads and airport bookstores
- A quick synopsis for You've Been Served (00:16:24)
- Women in high-powered careers... in romance and in real life
- No shade to the Magic 8 ball
- Writing Black joy without trauma (00:24:26)
- If you can read about monsters, you can read about Black characters falling in love. Period.
- What's up next for Kristen?

Books & Other Media Mentioned:
- Brandy's Cinderella
- Legally Blonde: The Musical

Links:
Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

👉 Support the podcast on Patreon for as little as $1/month. 👈

The Novel: Secret Heir for Christmas

The Author: LaQuette

The Guest: Bree, co-host of The Categorically Romance Podcast

The Synopsis:
This holiday, will the man next door tempt him with a second chance?

Actor Carter Jiménez lived a glamorous life until he lost his wife to the dark side of fame. Now he’ll protect his young daughter by avoiding celebrity at all costs. Then his seemingly understated neighbor, Stephan Devereaux-Smith, tempts his still-wounded heart. Is this Carter’s second chance at love?

But Stephan isn’t an average man caring for a sick relative. He’s part of a billionaire family and the ritzy world Carter left behind. Torn between new love and old demons, can Carter trust Stephan with his family—and his heart?

Show Notes:
- The 12th (and final) Day of Boobsmas
- A bit on the history of category romance, plus the upcoming Harlequin imprint, Afterglow, coming in 2024
- Book Sale Finder - find the next library sale near you!
- Introducing today's read - one of the final titles in the Harlequin Desire line (00:13:52)
- If you've watched "Dynasty"...
- Picture this... Monsters + Category
- Romance books ahead of their time: Jennifer Crusie's backlist, early 2010s Harlequin Kiss that mentions abortion, etc.
- A brief (but very dramatic) synopsis for Secret Heir for Christmas (00:24:17)
- Celebrating the memories, rather than mourning
- These are a few of my favorite things... and excerpts (00:41:32)
- A few spicy sexcerpts
- A few holiday category recs from Bree (00:50:20)
Christmas in River's Edge by Nan Reinhardt
Boston Christmas Miracles by Various Authors (Bree's medical romance series rec)
- The 12th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin... you're going to want to listen to this one!

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: The Christmas Veto

The Author: Keira Andrews

The Guest: Simone

The Synopsis:
Can fake dating lead to true love?

My name’s Connor Lisowski, and here’s what you need to know about me:

I’ve had a massive crush on my best friend’s older brother since high school.

Everyone thinks I’m straight.

I have two dads but I’m afraid to come out.

I’ve never even been kissed.

And somehow, I’ve been roped into pretending to be Reid’s boyfriend for the holidays. Who’s Reid, you ask? Only the aforementioned best friend’s older brother who never looked at me twice.

Until now.

Show Notes:
- The 11th Day of Boobsmas
- Simone fangirls over me and my books
- Introducing today's holiday romance (00:07:38)
- We HEART fake dating
- A little on German Christmas markets from a real German (00:10:22)
- A synopsis for The Christmas Veto (00:18:20)
- Catching up on the first two books in the series
- Books about queer characters vs. coming out stories
- "Ridiculously political. Ridiculously feminist."
- A few steamy sexcerpts... that don't have sex in them (00:41:30)
- Shoe-tying as a love language
- Tit or Tat: a Holiday Game (00:50:19)
- Kelly's major brain fart
- The 10th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: It's a Fabulous Life

The Author: Kelly Farmer

The Guest: Jessica Buck, San Diego Public Library

The Synopsis:
After years of putting aside her dreams of travel and adventure, Bailey George is ready to leave Lanford Falls and her responsibilities behind on a long-awaited vacation to New York City. But when the volunteer who took over her leadership position for the town's Winter Wonderfest has a medical emergency, Bailey finds herself stuck in Lanford Falls. She gets roped into reassuming her old role, not wanting to let the town or her friends and family down.

Staying home seems slightly less terrible when Bailey runs into her high school crush, Maria Hatcher. A kiss they shared years ago in the town's mistletoe grove was a life-defining moment for them both. Maria quickly offers to pitch in and help with Winter Wonderfest. Her sunny disposition and holiday cheer perk up Bailey's grinchy feelings about everything.

However, one disaster after another snowball on the day of the festival. Bailey’s frustration boils over, and she ends up on the town's old wooden bridge. There, she meets fabulous drag queen Clara Angel. Bailey declares that she wishes she hadn’t been born in this Christmas-obsessed, suffocating small town. With a little of the magic Clara possesses, she shows Bailey how wrong she is about Lanford Falls and her place in it. And that with a little hope and some true holiday spirit, there is a way to attain all her dreams.

Show Notes:
- The 10th Day of Boobsmas
- San Diego Public Library (SDPL) Matchbook - ask a librarian to "make you a match"
- Check out Listener's Advisory Podcast's upcoming romance novel series
- Romance is for everyone. Stop stigmatizing it.
- Introducing today's Boobsmas read (00:12:40)
- A not-so-brief synopsis for It's a Fabulous Life (00:14:54)
- From the perspective of one "It's a Wonderful Life" fan and one who won't watch it
- One heck of an acknowledgment (00:20:20)
- Count the "It's a Wonderful Life" references
- The fantasy of moving to a small town... vs. reality (00:28:49)
- A smut-free holiday read
- What's your drag queen name? (00:37:34)
- Some fun behind-the-scenes factoids about "It's a Wonderful Life" (00:44:14)
- Can women fall in love with men their age? Or younger?
- The 10th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: The Santa Pageant

The Author: Lillian Barry

The Guest: Amanda, from Talk About Swoon

The Synopsis: Ten years ago, best friends Effie and Tove kissed in the bushes at Winter Ball…and then stood there like lemons, as if they weren’t crushing on each other so hard it hurt. In the confusion, their friendship fizzled, and Tove walked into the sunset with some guy who had nice hair.

Now a cocksure twenty-five-year-old with secretly appalling self-esteem, Effie enters the Santa of the Year Pageant to prove to her unsupportive family that Santa could, in fact, be a lesbian. Enter Tove, the grumpiest Santa in the grotto, back on the island after a harrowing break-up with Nice Hair Guy and using the Pageant to reconnect with the world.

As the Pageant eliminates Santa after Santa, Effie and Tove clash over their past: the kiss that drove them apart, and the fears the last ten years have etched into their worldviews. Effie must let go of others’ opinions and learn to love herself, and Tove must move forward despite there being no guarantee they won’t be hurt again… Or they risk losing each other a second time.

Show Notes:
- The 9th Day of Boobsmas
- Amanda's Santa Romance Recs are FIRE
- What's your Christmas Aesthetic?
- A few words on nutcrackers...
- Introducing today's Boobsmas pick (00:11:41)
- A synopsis for The Santa Pageant plus a LOT of Britishisms (00:12:58)
- Sunshine characters that aren't really sunshine-y
- Holiday romance that takes place in other countries and climates
- Identifying your needs (00:25:30)
- A few steamy sexcerpts... that are worth the LONG wait (00:30:57)
- Some surprising heat
- Santa Trivia! (00:37:24)
- The 9th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: Wishing on Winter

The Author: Brenna Bailey

The Guest: Laura, host of What to Read Next and Turkish TV Obsessed

The Synopsis:
The aspiring novelist. The retired drummer. The fake relationship that will warm up their winter.

Evvie Adler thought she’d never find love again. Then the recent pair-ups of her two best friends make the queer septuagenarian realize she doesn’t want to be alone for Christmas. Besides, she needs fodder for her romance novel, and what better research than the real thing? But one disastrous date later, and Evvie’s ready to give up on love once and for all.

After years on the road, drummer Matthias Vogel is settling down in Juniper Creek to focus on family—and to finish the band memoir he has no idea how to start. When he literally bumps into an aspiring novelist, his sister suggests they collaborate. But how could he trust a stranger with his secrets, let alone immortalize them in ink?

When Evvie proposes they fake date to give her material while she helps Matthias finish his memoir, it seems like the perfect solution—until feelings get real and insecurities, presumptions, and a meddling bandmate interfere. With a lifetime of baggage to unpack, will Evvie and Matthias take a chance on love and make this the best holiday season ever?

Show Notes:
- The 8th Day of Boobsmas
- Listen to Kelly on What to Read Next with Spicy Holiday Romance recommendations
- Laura's latest venture? The Turkish TV Obsessed Podcast
- Introducing today's Boobsmas pick... with characters in their 70s (00:15:15)
- A brief synopsis for Wishing on Winter (00:18:17)
- "Golden Bachelor" but make it a book
- Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern - listen to our 12 Days of Boobsmas episode
- Calling our Biphobia a LOT this Boobsmas
- Labels can be empowering... but also limiting
- Writing about identity and sexuality without "preaching" - listen to our Steamy Spotlight episode with T.J. Alexander
- Stop. Settling. (00:32:23)
- AITA: See my IG post for details
- Take a sip every time Kelly says, "Patriarchy"
- Older women and the "Last F*ckable Day"
- Tit or Tat: a Holiday Game (00:49:01)
- How did we make it to Twilight talk?!
- The 8th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: Under the Meh-stletoe

The Author: Leonor Soliz

The Guest: Caroline, Just Me and My Mirror (Tiktok, Instagram)

The Synopsis: Planning my hometown’s annual Christmas celebrations is bad enough… Having to do it with a hard-to-resist grump is even worse.

When my injured sister guilt-trips me into organizing the town’s holiday celebrations, only a week after moving back home, all I want to do is survive the season, nurse my bruised heart, and start my life over.

Now I have to co-chair a Christmas committee with a grouchy man I’ve never met. He has sexy curls, intense eyes that make it clear he craves my curves, and he dares look hot chopping down trees. He even likes it when I make fun of him! Grumps like him are my weakness.

But I can’t be interested. Who cares if we bond over our disdain of the holiday nonsense around us. Who cares if we share private jokes or engage in benign Christmas-related vandalism. Or even if we share a kiss or two.

I need time to be single and settle back into small-town living, not the distraction of an infatuation.

Except there may be more between us than a few rushed moments… and mistletoe won’t let me forget it.

Show Notes:
- The 7th Day of Boobsmas
- "Your mom says, 'Hi!'"
- Jack Black burlesque & spreading fat joy
- The pressure on "delivering" content to your followers
- A brief synopsis for today's Boobsmas read (00:14:39)
- An honest to goodness "noobie"
- The fat, funny friend can also be the main character
- Authors designing their own book covers... leave some talent for the rest of us
- Not one Grinch, but TWO (00:23:56)
- Time for more plus-size rep for male characters (00:30:25)
- We STAN Scott & Alicia
- Diversifying your reading list... especially as a noobie romance reader
- Christmas-lite
- A few steamy sexcerpts... but also, lumberjack fantasies (00:39:01)
- "What those hands do?"
- Give us more awkward sex!!
- Tit or Tat: a holiday game (00:48:34)
- The 7th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novella: Sentient Sour Cream And Applesauce Bisexually Get Me Off For Hanukkah Because The Latkes Are Gone But My Ass Is Still Here

The Author: Chuck Tingle

The Guest: Becky, host of Too Stupid to Live

The Synopsis:
Hanukkah is Sarah’s favorite holiday, but there’s one part of the festivities she adores even more than the rest: latkes.

Who could blame her? These delicious potato pancakes are one of the greatest foods ever crafted, offering up two distinct ways to enjoy them. But this incredible culinary masterwork is not without drama. According to Sarah’s friends, there’s a sharp divide that’s determined by what kind of sauce you like: you’re either an applesauce person, or a sour cream person.

When Sarah discovers a sentient version of each condiment has joined her yearly Hanukkah celebration, she’s forced to make an impossible choice. Fortunately, this year Sarah’s ready to chart a path of her own in a bisexual group encounter. She wants both.

Show Notes:
- The 6th Day of Boobsmas
- When romance readers & podcasters unite - Laura from What to Read Next on Too Stupid to Live
- Romance reading "noobies" - start small or dive into the deep end?
- Introducing today's Boobsmas pick, the shortesy book we've ever read on Boobies & Noobies (00:13:45)
- Who exactly is Chuck Tingle?
- A satirical take on a real question: sour cream or applesauce?
- A brief synopsis for the book (00:25:02)
- Sentient Beings for the win: Unhinged by Vera Valentine (the door erotica), Back for Seconds by Vera Valentine & J.L. Logosz (Thanksgiving leftovers come to life)
- Sentient sour cream and applesauce... what exactly does that look like? (00:27:49)
- A subtle take on biphobia
- A few steamy sexcerpts
- Chuck Tingle or Chris Pine? (00:53:04)
- The 6th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.

The Novel: Almost Perfect

The Author: E.F. Dodd

The Guest: Briana, owner and founder of Wicked Words

The Synopsis:
All he wants for Christmas is her.

Dave Richardson's life hasn't turned out the way he thought it would. He never expected to slink back to his hometown of Rochester two years ago and take a bartending job, nor did he expect he'd still be tending said bar. Everyone thought he would achieve great things. Hell, he'd believed he would achieve great things. But when Vivian Walters walked into his bar, wearing that dress, on a random Wednesday night . . . things were looking up for the first time in a long time. And they looked even better when he got her number, even if it was obvious she didn't see things between them lasting beyond her night out on Sunday. If he wanted to keep a woman like her, he'd need to become the man he was supposed to be, and fast.

If there was one thing Vivian "V" Walters liked almost as much as designer heels, it was checklists. They'd served her well her entire life- first with college, then med school, landing the perfect internship followed by an even better residency, and, finally, her dream job. So far, her checklist for the perfect man hadn't panned out the same way. But that didn't mean she would lose her ever-loving mind and chuck it all out the window for a hot, sweaty weekend with a bartender . . . right? No matter how good he looked in those worn jeans, or how his blond hair curled just so at the nape of his neck, or the way his deep-brown gaze made her stomach somersault. And even if she gave in to her purely physical attraction to him, it wouldn't be anything other than a fling . . . would it?

Show Notes:
- The 5th Day of Boobsmas
- Ode to advent calendars
- Lady Krampus and Krampusnacht (Bremerton)
- The Dickens Faire (San Francisco)
- Introduction & Synopsis for today's read (00:10:03)
- The perfect transition from fall into winter
- A very merry millennial Christmas
- A long distance grown-up relationship (00:22:55)
- A few spicy sexcerpts - lube and phone sex?! (00:25:06)
- Fling-to-lovers, but make them fall in love
- A holiday romance or a romance with holidays?
- A Holiday Romance Drinking Game (00:35:58)
- Romance reading "icks"
- The 5th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper Baldwin

Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West
Big Nick Energy by Morgan Elizabeth
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun - Listen to our Boobsmas podcast review
Getting it on with Gargoyles by Hazel Mack
A Christmas Cowboy Legend by Linda Broday (this is the one with the creepy, cartoon-like children) - Listen to our Boobsmas podcast review
Need a BIPOC holiday romance? We recommend Amanda, from Talk About Swoon and Taima, from Shades n Pages

Other News:
December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long!

Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!!

Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.