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Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

S08.16: Winter 2026 Preview

Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

Fated Mates

Books, Arts, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.9889 Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2026

⏱️ 121 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Your discoverabilibuddies are back! It's a new year which means we're dropping our Winter 2026 reads episode, in which we talk about the million trillion 2026 romance books coming out in January, February and March (ok, not a million trillion, but enough that Eric came out of his studio this morning with a thousand-yard stare!). As a reminder, we have not necessarily read all these books, but they are on our TBRs and should be on yours!

If you want more recommendations and more people with whom you can discuss 2026 romance novels, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon.

Our next read along will be Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians (you’re welcome). Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, from your local indie or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

January 2026 New Releases

  1. Champagne Taste on a Bad Boy Budget by Zuri Day
  2. Drive me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
  3. Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik
  4. A Scandal Changes Everything by Josie Johns
  5. Dom-Com by Adriana Anders
  6. Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan
  7. Janae Sanders’ Second Time Around by LaQuette
  8. The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura
  9. The Ex Dilemma by Elle Wright
  10. Wish I May by Hannah Murray
  11. Almost One Night Stand by AJ Pine
  12. The Re-Do List by Denise Williams

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Yeah, and I saw the sexiest thing I've ever seen today.

0:02.9

Was it Hudson Williams in a fur coat? No, but that is. That was also very sexy. I mean, everyone I. Was it Hudson William, Hudson Williams on a Zamboni? No, stop. You need me to stop. Here's the thing. Jen has found a TV show she likes. Well, it's over now. That's it. I know, but it doesn't matter. Now this is your identity.

0:22.5

I think it's over for me. Like, a lot of people are really excited about something happening on Quinn. Oh, I was going to talk about that. So you should talk about that. I'm out. I'm out. But more importantly. Exited the train. Please stay clear of the closing doors. but more importantly well I really like it because I like that you're like I don't

0:39.7

feel excited the way sometimes

0:41.3

some of us get into TV shows.

0:43.0

Yeah, it's the best.

0:44.1

And you're always very supportive of like my peeky blinders obsession.

0:47.9

But you like don't get it.

0:49.8

But now you have a thing.

0:51.7

I have a little thing.

0:53.3

You did a YouTube conversation with Joanna and Adriana. Everybody, if you are into Heady Rivalry and you want to hear three of the brightest minds and romance, talk about it. We'll put a link in show notes and you can head over to watch the YouTube video. We are working on putting your audio, dropping the audio in the theme.

1:13.2

Maybe that's already happened.

1:13.6

I mean, who knows, right? Who can imagine? I don't know what that man does. That's the future. That's not my business. Simply not my business. But, wait, what was I going to say? Something sexy, something you saw. No, I know. And then you thought about, then you were talking about,

1:26.1

and then I don't know, there,

1:28.4

I had like a separate thing that I wanted to talk about related to that.

1:30.6

And it wasn't Piki blinders? something you saw. No, I know. And then you thought about, then you were talking about, I'm sorry. And then I don't know, there, I had like a separate thing that I wanted.

1:30.0

And it wasn't peekie blinders? No, it's not. So listen to so today, but it is heated rivalry related. Everybody like, it's just, it's here. I know what I was going to tell. Listen, I'm all over the place, but it's all heated rivalry related.

1:43.8

I have not seen it yet because, as I said on a previous episode, for those of you who listen regularly, I did not suffer through commercial breaks as a child to have to wait for the show. I want to watch. So I was like, listen, I'm fine. I also don't like feel compelled to do like water cooler chat about media. So like I'm sure. I'm watching it all together at the end. And also everybody like I've read the book and also I don't care about spoilers. So there are all these things come together to like Sarah will get to heat of rivalry when all the show all the episodes are out yeah all the episodes are out uh problem is my child is also out of school so i said to jen yesterday i was like listen i'm a relaxed and groovy mom but i think even i like there is a level of relaxed or groovy that is not allowed like it does not allow you to watch that show while your child is week. Yeah, like, there is a level of relax and groovy that is not allowed, like, it does not allow you to watch that show while your child is awake.

2:37.6

Yeah. Well, I mean, I watched episodes one and two with my child, but he's, you know, a young, you know, it's 22. It's fine. he's a grown-ass man he's a grown man

2:47.4

I mean his brain is mush still everybody but I know but

2:51.1

old enough to watch he'd rival without, you know, CPS coming down. But was he, was he a little bit like, are we doing this mom? You know, here's what's interesting. We, yeah, I mean, for sure I sort of pressured him into it. I don't think I would be able to do that with my mom. Here's what I said to him. You know, the other show that he kind of watches, we watch together that he really likes is called Criminal Minds. I'm familiar with it. Yeah, it's like, and we are like way back in like season three. It's a procedural. But they're all like serial killers and all the serial killers that's like sexual violence. And I said to him, I was like, you and I sit down and watch this show where people are like strangled and raped and stabbed. And like, it's no big deal. And now I feel like we are, if we can watch that together, we can watch two people having sex because it's their horny and in love. It's fine. Correct. How are you going to

3:41.4

argue with that? No, I like that a lot. You can't. So that's what I like to say to other moms when they suggest to me that my books should not be in the hands of their children. Oh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah. Your child is in the ninth grade. You think She hasn't figured out all of this.

...

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