Blush & Bindings
Blush & Bindings is your new favorite romance book podcast, where we break down stigmas, lift up love stories, and get cozy with the pages that bind us together. From contemporary and historical to paranormal and fantasy, we explore all the romance sub-genres you love (and some you didn’t even know you needed!). Join your three hosts for fun book club discussions, trope breakdowns, and TBR recommendations—all with plenty of humor and heart. Whether you're new to romance or a seasoned pro, there’s a story waiting for you here at Blush & Bindings!
Blush & Bindings
Blush With Us- Intro Episode: Meet the Hosts
Episode Summary:
Welcome to the very first episode of Blush & Bindings! In this special intro, your hosts—Kacy, Lauren, and Lindsey—spill the tea on their personal love affair with romance novels. From high school favorites to fanfiction, and yes, even a few steamy mom-approved audiobooks, they’re sharing how their reading journeys started with classics like Lawless by Nora Roberts and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and evolved into everything from lighter, charming reads like the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, to darker, spicier stories.
Join the hosts as they break down the difference between ‘open door’ and ‘closed door’ romance novels, and give you a peek into the exciting segments you can expect—like Romance 101, Book Club, and TBR recommendations. They also tease their After Dark episodes where no topic is too explicit. With plenty of laughs and a judgment-free vibe, Blush & Bindings is here to destigmatize romance one episode at a time. Get cozy, because we're just getting started!
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For a full list of books mentioned in the episode, check out our website: https://www.blushandbindings.com/podcast
This episode contains mature themes and explicit content recommended for those who are 18+. Listener discretion is advised.
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🌐 Website: blushandbindings.com
📲 Socials: @blushandbindings
Legal Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views of any affiliated authors, publishers, or platforms. All content is for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or legal advice. Blush & Bindings and its hosts are not liable for any decisions made based on the content of this podcast.
Welcome to the very first episode of Blush and Bindings. I'm Lindsey, and I'm here with my amazing co hosts, Lauren and Kacy. In this podcast, we dive into the wonderful world of romance novels. So grab your favorite drink, settle in and get ready
Kacy:Because here at Blush and Bindings..
Lauren:We're breaking down stigmas, lifting up love stories, and getting cozy with the pages that bind us together.
Lindsey:So before we get into our first episode and what Blush and Bindings is all about, I think it's only fair that we introduce ourselves a little bit. So let's kick things off by sharing who we are, what got us hooked on romance, I'm talking that very first novel you may have inadvertently picked off your mom's bookshelf. And a little bit about our evolution or journey through the romance genre. Kacy, why don't you go first?
Kacy:Yeah, so I've always been an avid reader ever since I was really, really young. But, I didn't start reading romance until probably I was about 15, and I was that kid that took it off of my mother's bookshelf. She had this one bookshelf in a hall of bookshelves, that was her bookshelf, that had all these really fancy covers with Fabio, or some sort of serene castle like, what is that? And I specifically remember secretly taking one that had a very nondescript cover because I knew what they were and I thought they were off limits to me. So I took one and I remember running up into my bedroom and being like, I'm going to read this, and it was Lawless by Nora Roberts.
Lauren:Mmm Nora Roberts.
Kacy:She slaps for a 15 year old because it's honestly for a 15 year old, I think the perfect gateway into really non spicy romance. Because Lawless was written in 1989, and for Nora Roberts during that time, she didn't do closed doors with her romance scenes or her spicy scenes, but she got as close to a closed door as you possibly could. So she wouldn't really describe anything that was happening, but you definitely knew they were tumbling in the hay, you know?
Lauren:So it's closed doors, not open door.
Kacy:I would say it's like,
Lauren:Fade to black?
Kacy:Not even a fade to black. It's like the door's slightly ajared, and you're just peeking into it like a creep, and
Lauren:Slightly open door.
Kacy:slightly open. Even now, Nora Roberts has definitely increased the amount of spice she has in her novels, but back in the late 80s and 90s, it was very either closed door or slightly cracked open door.
Lauren:Or you were reading erotica. Like there was no in between.
Kacy:It was either closed door, slightly ajar door, or erotica. One or the other, and Nora Roberts did not write erotica. She wrote romance.
Lindsey:Okay, so we're talking about doors a lot here. Why don't we break it down just a little bit for those who might be new to the different open, closed, slightly ajar. Where are these doors coming from?
Kacy:In my mind, a closed door romance novel is basically a fade to black. You don't get any spicy scenes. It's all
Lauren:kissing
Lindsey:above the belt?
Kacy:Kissing is definitely a part of it. First base, sure. But there's no actual sex scenes written in the book.
Lauren:It's insinuated.
Kacy:Yeah, it's always insinuated. You, know what happened, but you don't get to experience it. You are not a fly the wall.
Lindsey:They wake up the next morning with their hair rumpled and snugly and that sort of thing. Yeah.
Kacy:Right
Lindsey:Yeah.
Lauren:The love in their eyes,
Kacy:And then an open door is you see everything, graphically described, you get the ins and outs of what happens in the scene. And those really are kind of the two different types of doors. You either have open or
Lindsey:Or Nora Roberts, slightly ajar. Ajar.
Lauren:A little peek
Kacy:A little peek behind the curtain, if you
Lindsey:Just the tip?
Kacy:So for me as a 15 year old, that was crazy. My mind was blown, to say the least. But Lawless by Nora Roberts is a historical western, and it revolves around this woman who has an estranged father who lives out west. She lives on the east coast, and he writes her a letter saying, you should come out west. I love you, my child. I have this gold mine. It's not really successful, but I have one. And so she decides, because her mother just passed away, that she will leave the proper society of the east coast and go out west to join her father on his homestead. On her way out there, she meets a rugged
Lindsey:cowboy oh, surprise, suprise.,
Kacy:Yeah, to show her the way because her coach gets attacked.
Lauren:Oh no!
Kacy:By, you know, henchmen. And so she goes out West. She finds out her father passed away while she's traveling out West. So she decides she's going to stay and make a life on his homestead. But the cowboy thinks she's too proper of a woman to deal with the lawlessness of the West, and they get closer and closer as danger comes knocking on her door. And, as a 15 year old, I really ate that up.
Lauren:I mean, who wouldn't?
Lindsey:Cowboys, henchmen.
Kacy:I still enjoy that book. I have reread it several times as I've grown older. So it's still slaps. Not going to lie. Nora Roberts just slaps in general. There's a reason she's the number one bestselling romance author in the world.
Lauren:There's, a reason I went to the grocery store literally two days ago and half of the bookshelf was Nora Roberts. Still to this day.
Lindsey:The woman is iconic.
Kacy:shes the queen of romance.
Lauren:she's the GOAT.
Kacy:Laughter. Hahah She really is the GOAT. I mean, my mother read her, right? But I definitely remember taking that book secretly, reading it, very much enjoying it, and then my sister walking in the room, who's four years older than me, and being like, does mom know you have that book? And I was like, yes, which was a total lie. But she was like, well, I'm going to tell mom. And I was like, whatever. And then my mom didn't care. but with that, that kind of started me constantly taking books from my mother's shelf. And that was typically all Nora Roberts, all Candace Camp, all Joanna Lindsey. Very much the genre of historical fiction. historical romance or contemporary romance. That was really honestly the genre I stuck with throughout high school and into college. Then I guess in college I got into shifter and vampire romances. I think that was very heavily influenced by the Twilight Series as well as the Underworld series. Who doesn't love vampires?
Lindsey:I remember us talking in college, all things, Twilight and vampires and all the good stuff.
Kacy:Oh yeah. I had a Taylor Laughtner poster that was hanging up in our dorm hallway and it was the highlight of. everyone in our dorm.
Lindsey:It was pretty great.
Kacy:It was so good. But then it wasn't honestly until the last few years that I got into the Omegaverse, aliens and monsters, which honestly are my go to right now. Those three genres are what I tend to drift towards. And that really happened all around the start of COVID because Ice Planet Barbarians took off.
Lauren:Yeah, I think thats when I read it.
Lindsey:Guess what I just finished today?
Lauren:Did you just read it?
Lindsey:The first Ice Planet Barbarian novel.
Kacy:You actually
Lindsey:finished it? I did. I did.
Kacy:Oh my god did you like it?,
Lindsey:I, I, did. It was a very
Lauren:what did you think about his anatomy?
Lindsey:Eye opening, it was eye opening, Kacy.
Kacy:Oh, it's so good.
Lindsey:IT was great. And no, I really did, I did enjoy it.
Lauren:And his tail?
Lindsey:His tail.
Kacy:Yeah.
Lindsey:The ridges.
Kacy:I love it when they have tails, so for me, at the height of COVID, Ice Planet Barbarians became super popular on Tik Tok. That I was like, I'll give this a try and man, did that open a whole universe for me that I did not know I liked. And it very quickly moved into the monster romances and the Omega Verses. And that's just kind of where I am right now. And I am proud to be there.
Lauren:Yes. Yes. Claps for Kacy.
Lindsey:Its a great place anywhere in romance is a great place.
Kacy:Yes.
Lauren:That's a fantastic place to be.
Lindsey:Well, Lauren, I think you should go next.
Lauren:So I didn't necessarily pick this off of my mom's bookshelf, as I did yours, Lindsey. Little background, Lindsey is my sister. She is my older sister by two years. And this is the first book I read that I remember having romantic elements in it, and it was a love story, and it was actually a YA young adult fantasy book called Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.
Lindsey:Did you check it out from my, personal bookshelf library?
Lauren:Probably. Did I return it?
Kacy:Oh my god. Thats so cute.
Lauren:I think at one point I had my library card rescinded.
Lindsey:yes.
Lauren:I crack spines.
Kacy:So do I.
Lindsey:No, never allowed to check out of my library again.
Lauren:It just dawned on me too, City of Bones.
Lindsey:Cassandra Clare
Lauren:The Immortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare, also another book I remember reading,
Lindsey:I don't think I ever got it back so you owe me some overdue fees.
Lauren:It's like 20 years of overdue fees. Anyways, Daughter of Smoke and Bone has a badass female main character, sexy winged male main character shrouded in mystery, and it's a love story that transcends multiple reincarnations. Ah, and this is a book I remember just falling in love with the characters while also for the first time wanting more from them. It was very closed door, fade to black, with a lot of talk of feelings, and kind of mentioning being intimate, but there was no spice. And I think I was in high school when I read this, and if she wrote a spicy version, of this book today, I would eat it up.It is still one of my favorite books. It's a comfort read for me, even though it's YA I continue to come back to it. It is a beautiful, beautiful story. And then I think going back even further, audio books were a big thing with my mom. And back then they were called Books on Tape, and I still to this day call them Books on Tape. And our mom never freaking returned these things to the library, anyways, we drove a lot in the car together, and she would listen to Patricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta series. Which is about a medical examiner that works with an agent to solve murders. And this isn't inherently a romance series, but man, Special Agent Benton Wesley, I think is the reason I love those commando cop romances so much. It's one of the reasons I feel like I love the TV series Bones.
Kacy:Oh yeah.
Lauren:Anyways, it was listening to the romance between the characters and a strong FMC that I think established my love of those books at a young age. Now the first book I read that had actual explicit spice in it, was Fifty Shades of Grey. I was early college and I was passed this book by a friend, which I think was the case for a lot of us who read this book.
Kacy:It was just passed around our house in college.
Lauren:Yeah, it was like, Hey, have you read this yet? So 50 shades was not only my first spicy book, but it was also my first book. Involving kink elements, and I'm not 100 percent sure, but it may have been involved in developing my romance book taste per se, because I do tend to navigate now towards smut books with kink elements. This is not to say my subgenre tastes don't span the whole map from cowboy Casanovas to romantasy shadow daddies, but I do love darker romance and I find myself saying new kink unlocked with every new book that I read. So what about you, Lindsey? I feel like at some point. Our tastes did diverge, haha.
Lindsey:For sure. I mean, I'm still waiting on some of my books back, but I mean, it's been, like you said, it's been about 20 years. Yeah. I don't even,
Lauren:those are long gone
Lindsey:Mom probably sold them in a garage sale when we were at college at one point. So I know you stole off my bookshelf, but I did steal off mom's bookshelf. And I'm going to be honest. I. Opened up chat GPT to try and help me sleuth and figure out the name of this book that I read off my mom's bookshelf, probably when I was in high school at some point. I haven't had a chance to read it, but chatGPT actually helped me narrow it down. So we'll see if it was right. But it was, I think After the Night by Linda Howard. All I remember is this one scene. So it ended up being my first spicy romance. I didn't know it was going to be spicy when I picked it up. I didn't even know what spicy was when I picked it up. And Lauren talked about our mom's love of audiobooks. So I knew romance. I remember her often, like, hurriedly turning off some audiobooks that would pop on when we got in the car. And I just didn't realize why at the time.
Lauren:She was definitely listening to something dirty.
Lindsey:As a mom now myself, I've had to do that more than once when my Bluetooth decides it's gonna start my Audible in the car versus my Spotify. So, yikes, I understand. But circling back, I nabbed one of my mom's books off the shelf thinking it was going to be more her usual thriller murder mystery ish, like the Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta novels, the ones that we mostly listen to on tape. And I vividly remember only one scene from this book and just kind of the general vibe. I remember the author described the spicy open door scene between the MMC and FMC. But I remember them describing this scene in this little cabin or over water shack and either the swamp or the wetlands, I don't know, it was some body of water could have been the Bayou in the South. Like I honestly couldn't tell you, but damn, if I could tell you. How I remember the author describing that, like, rough feel of wood against the bare skin of the main characters and the immersion I felt in the scene of that FMC, like dangling her legs through the railing of the little deck, listening to the sounds of the night after their spicy scene. To this day, I still remember the connection and feeling that those characters had. I couldn't tell you the name of the book, but I applaud that author because
Lauren:To this day you remember that.
Lindsey:I remember that. I don't remember anything else about the book. I vividly remember being under my covers and in that scene. And I think the cover had some yellows or blues on it. So. I'll read Linda Howard's book and we'll see if it's what I think it is, but I may never know. I do think that's what started me on my romance journey though. It was, it was pretty great. he he he
Lauren:Did anybody else, also get a little bit started on their romance journey with Wattpad?
Kacy:Yeah, I was on Watt pad A lot.
Lauren:Because I remember somebody bringing that up. I knew of a girl who was writing explicit romance or fanfic on Wattpad in high school.
Lindsey:Mm hmm.
Kacy:Its still a thing.
Lauren:It is still a thing. Wasn't Wattpad, but the manacled Dramoine,
Kacy:Yeah.
Lauren:Fanfic that blew up was written on AOS, or some sort of fanfic website.
Lindsey:I remember, instead of going out in high school and hanging out with friends outside during lunchtime, two of my friends and I would go into the computer lab in the library and jump on something like Wattpad, I don't remember what it was, and just, write what we thought were spicy, but they probably weren't.
Kacy:holding hands,
Lindsey:holding her hand
Kacy:laying in bed next to each other gazing lovingly,
Lindsey:yes.
Kacy:into eachothers eyes.
Lindsey:Very innocent, but writing our stories, you know, we each had our characters and so we would each have a character and we'd write a little section and then it was the next person's turn to write that character's interaction and you would hope it would go one way and yet your friend would write it in a different direction. It was fun.
Lauren:You did very different things during lunch in high school. Ha ha
Lindsey:Back to the library in my closet where I made you check out books so are we surprised? No. Are we also surprised that we're here 20 years later doing a romance podcast? Also, no.
Lauren:You wrote about it. I I lived it.
Kacy:Oh god.
Lauren:moving on
Lindsey:anyways. Oh, so up until recently, romance has definitely just been an escape, a way to relax, especially after a long day. I definitely lean towards escapism in my reading. That's why I love fantasy so much. The world building, the complete disconnect from everyday life as I've grown, I've discovered that fantasy can be spicy, and I have gone down quite the trope rabbit hole, exploring reverse harem, why choose themes. I love a good slow burn and intricate relationship building, because for me, when that spice finally hits and it needs to hit, it burns so much brighter Oh, it's great. We didn't just start talking about romance for the purpose of this podcast. Lauren and Kacy, as you have heard, have a much more diverse repertoire of romance reading. And in our rambling discussions, they have opened my eyes to the rest of the genre. So other than that first few romance murder mystery thriller novels, I pulled off my mom's shelves way back when I've been pretty much in my romantasy bookshelf bubble.
Lauren:Until recently, girl just finished her first dark romance. I'm so proud.
Kacy:and alien.
Lindsey:I'm dipping my toe into the Omegaverse, Kacy
Kacy:It's so exciting.
Lindsey:I haven't finished it yet. I'm working on it. So before my Alien and Dark Romance foray, The very first book that I read recently that actually got me out of my romantasy bubble it was, uh, Julia Quinn's The Duke and I from the Bridgerton series.
Kacy:that's a classic.
Lauren:I remember you telling me that you were reading the Bridgerton, novels. And I was like, you're reading something other than fantasy? And then I was like, historical? And I'm like, okay, okay. Can I add some stuff to your TBR after that?
Kacy:I love Julia Quinn, and she writes a really good romance novel, which I think is why Bridgerton is so popular as a tV show. But there is some really good historical romance out there that is prime spice.
Lindsey:I'm excited. I read it because I'm not someone who can watch a TV series and not read the books just to see how things are different. And I remember watching the third season and being like, okay, I've got to read this. It was just so different from what I normally read, but I was also postpartum, and I'd pop in an AirPod, and I would listen when I was nap trapped. I was brain fried. I didn't want intense world building.
Lauren:That's what's great about romance, especially if you're a mood reader, there is something for every single mood you're in. If you want big, epic romantasy, if you just want like a cute what I call sweet, but spicy small town romance or a historical romance, or if you want something out of this world, check out Kacy's TBR. It's got. Whatever mood you're in, whatever you want, there's something out there for you, which is just so exciting. And we're going to talk about every single one of them.
Lindsey:I know. It was just great. It was great to see the story that she painted. I didn't think that I could have escapism in contemporary or historical or anything that was in this world and totally changed the game. But my TBR has no idea what to do with itself right now, because it's finally been opened up to all of Kacy and Lauren's influences. Let's just say that.
Lauren:I have 12 different shelves on my Goodreads just to separate out all of my sub genres.
Lindsey:Mine's just a heaping mess. Thank you. It's your guys fault.
Lauren:So now that you know a little bit more about. What we like to read. I'd like to shed a little behind the scenes information on who we are and how we know each other. Lindsey and I are obviously sisters, but I met Kacy through Lindsey because they were college roommates together and fast friends. They met, what, freshman year in the same dorm,
Lindsey:Yeah, same dorm, down the hall.
Lauren:Then at some point in college, Kacy and I lived together.
Kacy:Yeah for three weeks or something.
Lauren:Yes. And, decade and a half later. We have found ourselves every moment we have together or somebody brings up a romance novel or something they've read recently, and so we decided to come together and record ourselves chatting about romance books because I figured. If we're going to talk about it anyways, we might as well record it for all of you to enjoy.
Kacy:Yeah, well, don't know about you guys, but I think it's pretty simple. We all love reading romance novels, and we love talking about them even more, and we have for a very long time. The romance genre can sometimes feel like it's not taken seriously, or there's a stigma around it, or shame, but we want to be part of the narrative that is trying to change that.
Lauren:Exactly. We're not experts. Just avid, avid readers who are obsessed with the emotional, passionate, and spicy stories that romance books have to offer.
Lindsey:Whether you've been reading romance for years or are just starting out, it's about lifting up and sharing our collective love for these stories.
Lauren:Yeah, and so we've talked about why we're here. Who we are. Let's talk about what to expect from this podcast.
Lindsey:So romance genre is a massive genre. We're going to start off with some sub genre focused series in a feeble attempt to keep us organized. We'll try. But we are creatures of habit and tangents are our kryptonite. Our first official episode is going to kick off our Modern Affection series, which covers contemporary romance and many of the sub genres that may fall under the contemporary romance umbrella. We're talking sports romance, military commando, motorcycle club, and a whole bunch more. We know some of these may be classified a bit differently depending on who you talk to, but we'll touch on some of the complexity of classifying romance novels too.
Kacy:Yeah, and that's just one series example. We have several series lined up that will cover all the different romance genres, fantasy, paranormal, sci fi, you name it, and we want to cover it. We want to cover it all. So, if contemporary really isn't your thing, I know it's not really my thing right now, make sure you tune in for our other series, or listen along and you might discover something new that you really like.
Lindsey:Did you guys ever do one of those read around the world days in school, or better yet, one of the drink around the world parties in college?
Kacy:Yes!
Lindsey:I feel like it's going to be that vibe for me, reading around the romance world. But instead of being drunk and having to deal with a terrible hangover due to mixing some questionable liquor choices, we get to explore genres that none of us may have ventured into before. Like there was this one that I just heard about a space opera romance, which apparently falls under the larger umbrella of sci fi romance. I knew about alien romances from you, Kacy, of course. Thank you for the education, but I had to look up exactly what space opera meant. Anyways, I also probably wouldn't be the person, that I am without mentioning that we have a romantasy series for all my fellow fantasy romance lovers out there. So I will talk for 20 minutes about the shadow daddy archetype, only if Lauren and Kacy can't figure out how to stop me.
Lauren:Challenge accepted. Each series, we will focus on helping readers understand different themes and tropes. For instance, the forbidden love, marriage of convenience, grumpy sunshine, touch her and die tropes, we'll explain kind of what all that means and give book recommendations based on those tropes. And don't worry, we'll make it fun, and may inspire some of your TBR picks.
Lindsey:And one thing I wanted to call out is that we're also really excited to share our host reader profiles.
Kacy:Yeah, as you've learned, each of us have a unique reading style. We know that not everyone is going to connect with every book we might talk about or recommend, so on our website and our socials you can find our reader profiles. These include our favorite genres, tropes we love, as well as our trope turn offs, and even what might make us DNF a book.
Lauren:This way you can see which host TBR recommendations might line up with your own reading preferences. For example, if you love dark romance, you'll probably find my TBR recs pretty appealing. For each of our series, I also host my After Dark episode segments, where we dive into the more explicit content of our podcast. This includes, of course, the dark romance subgenre, but also books that feature the more kinky side of romance breaking down kink terms, trigger warnings, and all the things you might need to enter this genre with eyes wide open to keep yourself safe while exploring. We google the terms so you don't have to, and discuss the tropes without any shaming. Like Kacy likes to say, we never yuck someone else's yum. If you're thinking of dipping your toes into this genre or want to hear more about primal play, mask kinks, or piercings, and get some book recommendations, I've got you.
Kacy:Or, if you're into off planet adventures and eight foot tall aliens, my picks might be more your speed. And Lindsey is your go to girl for all things romantasy. It's all about helping you find your next great read.
Lindsey:Another thing we're passionate about is making sure this podcast is approachable, especially for new romance readers. We'll always have a segment in each episode, like our Romance 101, where we define terms and discuss common tropes so that nobody feels left behind.
Lauren:We're here to hopefully make navigating the vast romance section of your local or virtual bookstore a little easier so you can get to the important part, which is actually reading the book and for the more seasoned readers, don't worry, we will dive into the deeper discussions, especially when we have our book club pick to talk about.
Lindsey:One thing we want to make clear, though, is that we're not claiming to be experts.
Kacy:Not at all.
Lauren:Nope.
Kacy:We are just three friends who read a lot of romance and have a very big passion for talking about it.
Lauren:So much romance. We're not here to claim we know all and tell you how to read, we're here to share our love of these stories and create a safe and fun space where you can listen, learn, and read along.
Lindsey:And I know we will be learning a lot as we go too.
Kacy:So that's the plan for Blush and Bindings. We're so excited to have you along for the ride.
Lindsey:Make sure to follow us on our socials at Blush and Bindings no spaces and check out our website blush and bindings dot com for all the latest updates and to see our reader profiles
Lauren:Don't forget to tune in next time for our first official series opener, Modern Affections, where we explore the world of contemporary romance.
Kacy:Thanks for listening. And as always.
Lindsey:here at Blush and Bindings
Lauren:we're breaking down stigmas, lifting up love stories, and getting cozy with the pages that bind us together.
