S08.18: Shotgun Weddings with Jayne Ann Krentz

Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People

Fated Mates

Documentary, Society & Culture, Books, Arts

4.9 • 965 Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2026

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The brilliant Jayne Ann Krentz, romance trailblazer and royalty, joins us this week to talk about one of her favorite tropes--the shotgun wedding! We're talking all things forced marriage...how it differs from marriage of convenience, how it underscores the inherent conflict in romance, and how it often ends up being more like romantic suspense than one would expect! We also talk a bit about how secret babies (and babies in general) play into this trope. Did Jayne also say something that Sarah had to stop the interview to write down? Of course she did!

If you have favorite forced marriage/shotgun weddings, maybe you want to join the Fated Mates patreon? There, you get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the FM 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, your local indie, libro.fm, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

The Books

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz
Into the Storm by Rachel Grant
A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
Broken Whispers by Neva Altaj
The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding by Stacy Reid
Because the Baron Broods
Stolen Touches by Neva Altaj
Mafia Virgin by Mila Finelli
The King’s Spinster Bride by Ruby Dixon
Ravished by Amanda Quick

Notes

Welcome Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick. Her new book is The Shop on Hidden Lane. Listen to Jayne Ann Krentz's trailblazer interview.
“Shotgun wedding” is an American phrase dating back to 1929, but forcing people to get married because of pregnancy, politics and patriarchy has been around for a long time.
Get your own bank account, women.
You can listen to our trailblazer interview with Elda Minger to hear more about the first condom in romance.
A romantasy that Jen liked a lot (with no pregnancy plot, that’s why it’s in show notes instead of the photo array) is Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik.
When talking about The King’s Spinster Bride, Jen kept saying “epilogue” when she meant “prologue.” I have no excuse for this.

Sponsors

Lexi Davis, author of Pretty Vicious, available in print and ebook at Amazon or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
The Romantasy Letters, A new kind of romantic fantasy storytelling, delivered right to your door twice monthly. Use the code FATED to get 20% off your year's subscription. Learn more at romantasyletters.com.
Sotto Voce Scents, candles for the romance lovers in your life. Go to sottovocescents.com and use code FATEDMATES for 10% off your order.
Lee Taylor, author of A Satchel of Richards, available in print or ebook from Amazon or B&N.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, I am so excited. We have a trailblazer with us and not, and like just because,
0:05.7	Jane and Crenz, welcome back to Fate of Mates. You are now a two-timer. We're so excited.
0:10.6	Thank you so much. I don't know what it says about a career path when you've been a trailblazer twice,
0:15.3	and I think I've got a total of three or four lifetime achievement awards. There you go.
0:21.2	That's what makes me nervous.
0:22.4	I was going to say.
0:25.3	How many lifetimes have I felt like that?
0:26.9	Simultaneously, very flattering and also terrifying.
0:31.2	That's amazing.
0:32.2	I never thought about it that way before.
0:33.7	Well, this is not a Lifetime Achievement Award episode.
0:36.0	This is not even Trailblazer episode.
0:37.7	This is just us with our friend Jane talking about romance novels.
0:42.3	The best thing.
0:43.5	But happy new year.
0:44.9	It's early January.
0:46.5	You have a new book out.
0:48.6	And we're very excited to have you.
0:50.6	Welcome everyone to Fated Mates.
0:52.3	I'm Sarah McLean.
0:53.6	I read romance novels and I write them.
0:55.9	And I'm Jennifer Procop, a romance reader and editor. And Jane, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself however you would do that? Because, I mean, what do you say? Trailblazer, Lifetime. Trailizer, Lifetime Achieve an Award winner. Four time, Lifetime Achieve an Award winner. I'm Jane and Crenz and I made made the rather semi-catastrophic mistake of using two or three
	...

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