Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People · Fated Mates

08.03: Fall 2025 Preview

September 30, 2025·1 hr 52 min·9 clips

Sarah and Jen preview dozens of romance books for October, November, and December 2025, from historicals to alien smashes.

1. Fated Mates hosts Sarah McLean and Jennifer Prokop present their Fall 2025 quarterly romance book preview, covering October, November, and December releases. 2. Sarah McLean is a romance reader and novelist; Jennifer Prokop is a romance reader and editor; the episode was recorded early due to Sarah's travel to Denmark and Sweden. 3. The episode's method is explicit: hosts select books based entirely on cover art and catalog copy, without having read any of the titles, with the organized list available at fatedmates.net. 4. Sarah opens with Diana Quincy's The Earl That Got Away: Arab-American heroine Nyla regrets ending her engagement years ago under family pressure, then runs into her ex — now the Earl of Hawksworth — at her sister's wedding in England, where he is pissed and eligible. 5. Sarah pitches The Dreamer and the Deep Space Warrior by TK Tucker ('Predator meets Bridgerton'): Regency heroine Isabel investigates crashed UFOs on her property, stumbles into a battle between alien warriors, and the winner claims her as spoils aboard his spaceship. 6. Jennifer describes Hell's Heresies by Kat D. Coffin: a demon poltergeist leaves helpful blood-soaked messages (including reminders to buy milk), a DIY exorcism goes wrong, a rift opens between worlds, and the heroine must now track down every escaped demon with the help of dangerously attractive demon Sam L. 7. Jennifer pitches Female Fantasy by Iman Haririkia: copywriter Juni has been measuring every real man against her fictional book-boyfriend merman, discovers that character is based on a real person, sets off on a road trip to find him — and her brother's annoying best friend insists on coming. 8. Jennifer recommends Wrecking Kane by Amelia Shea (book five of the Reign of the Underground series): wild-child waitress Keely makes a small mistake that puts her in an uncomfortable position with the mean-as-a-junkyard-dog crime boss Kane. 9. Sarah recommends A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan (October 14th), the second book in the Fire in the Sky series, in which the heroine discovers her love interest survived being buried underground — but came back 'a little wrong.' 10. Jennifer describes Cowboy It's Cold Outside by Maizey Yates (twelfth book in the Four Corners Ranch series): Sheena Patrick, who raised her sisters after their father gambled everything away, approaches Denver King — whose father got her father killed — for startup capital for an axe-throwing bar, and he counter-offers with a building on his property. 11. Sarah pitches Strings Attached by Noel Bailey: a cellist on sabbatical arrives in a small magical town called Magnolia Cove, where the stern warlock council leader Dean Markham must decide whether her extended stay is worth the risk of a human noticing the island's magic. 12. Jennifer describes A Pack for Winter by Eliana Lee: a 31-year-old unbonded omega fifth-grade teacher gets trapped in her classroom during a snowstorm with three men — the new alpha music teacher, his bonded beta, and the town's grumpy alpha electrician. 13. Sarah pitches Isn't It Obvious by Rachel Runiakats: a high school librarian with a surprisingly viral secret podcast hires a remote producer with the agreement they'll only use pseudonyms, then discovers they hate each other in real life — described as a You've Got Mail retelling. 14. Jennifer recommends London Calling by Rita A. Gordon: a historian named Jasmine gets stranded in London, needs to extend her visa to help a young girl, and agrees to a marriage of convenience with Aaron Adler — her sister's friend who needs cover from a media scandal. 15. Jennifer pitches Backslide by Nora Dahlia: a second-chance romance told in dual timelines (1990s New York high school and present-day Sonoma) in which Nelly and Noah, who have avoided each other for 20 years, are forced together by mutual friends' vow renewal. 16. Sarah describes Play You For It by Samantha Saldovar: a sapphic romance between sports journalist Beck and Jordan D'Amato, the first woman named head coach of a Division I men's basketball team — both have their careers on the line as the national tournament approaches. 17. Jennifer describes The Devil She Knows by Alexandra Bellafloore, which she has read: Samantha gets trapped in an elevator with demon Daffy, who needs her as soul number 1,000; Samantha finds a one-wish loophole, but Daffy engineers each wish to cascade into the next in a structure Jennifer compares to a road trip. 18. Sarah pitches Only Rakes Need Apply by Kate Pierce: widow Karenza Smith Harding places a newspaper ad seeking nothing but a man who is 'good in bed,' confirmed bachelor Julian Laurent applies and discovers it's his longtime friend, and she tells him to prove it. 19. The episode moves quickly, with both hosts reacting to each other's pitches and frequently noting personal trope affinities — Jennifer loves epistolary romance and road trips; Sarah enjoys alien romance and paranormal premises. 20. Romance readers looking for early notice of fall 2025 releases across multiple subgenres, with particular interest in sapphic, paranormal, and alien romance, will get the most direct value from this episode.

As heard by us

A cozy fall romance preview that keeps the focus on premise, not just season.

October brings a clear romance mood, with sweaters, crisp air, and a preview stack that jumps from an axe throwing bar idea to a grumpy warlock small town.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a fall preview road map with sweaters, an axe-throwing bar, a grumpy warlock, and very prickly love.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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