Brats . Brats .

Episode THREE

Things are about to get weird around here - it’s the Cursed Episode! We wish we could say this was all about dark fantasy romance, but no, this is the MM romance episode we do not speak of in the group chat. You have been warned! 

It’s a Rat Chat week here on Rainbow Book Rats: a Queer Romance Podcast. Brought to you by four feral besties who have left their book nests to nerd out about their favourite LGBTQ+ romance reads with you, and as always on a Rat Chat episode, we'll be discussing how our week went, how great the books we read this week were, and what's on our book radar of new and upcoming queer romance. 

JD is leading us all astray with Morally Gray by Becca Vale, Kit is getting mushy over My Everything by Jayda Marx, Megan is making it rain with Cold Hard Cash by KL Hiers and Caity thinks maybe the mafioso life is for her with Married to the Mobster by Leighton Greene.

Whether you’re looking to discover a new favourite indie author or reminisce about queer books you already love, get listening to the Rainbow Book Rats podcast today! You can find our episodes on all major platforms. So wherever you are, whatever the time, subscribe today! 

In the meantime:

trope highlights from this episode:

JD’s top read was Morally Gray by Becca Vale!

Synopsis:

If anyone knew the things my brother did, they’d assume I forgive him because I’m too soft, or because he’s my twin, or because I realize he’s wired differently than the rest of us, born without a conscience through no fault of his own.

His official diagnosis is psychopathy.

His moral compass is non-existent.

He… does things, to me and for me, and he isn’t sorry about it. He wouldn’t even understand why he should be.

But I don’t forgive him because I’m soft, or because we’re twins, or because I understand that he doesn’t consider it wrong.

The reason I don’t forgive him is because there’s nothing to forgive.
Because everything Gray does?

I like it.

I need it.

I’m grateful.

So maybe I’m wired a little bit differently, too.

Or maybe, like Gray always says, I’m simply his.

Kit’s top read is My Everything by Jayda Marx!

Synopsis:

Titus- My large stature and intimidating looks serve me well in my career as head of security and bouncer of the city’s most popular gay dance club. In my personal life? Well, not so much. Not many men approach me, and those who do only see me as a challenge. They either want to brag about getting banged by the bear or are simply curious if I’m “big all over.” Spoiler alert: I am. If anyone does look beyond my intimidating physique, they’re turned off by my borderline control-freak personality. Everything changes when a fight breaks out one night in the club and I come face to face with a beautiful little man.

Owen- I can’t get the sexy bouncer out of my head. Titus is everything my wet dreams are made of; tall, broad, strong and gruff. The kind of man who could take charge and own me the way I crave to be owned. The kind of man who never gives a pretty boy like me a second look. My poor dating luck won’t stop me from dreaming of what I really want; a man to be my boyfriend, my Daddy, my dom…my everything.

*This M/M romance is for readers 18 and up! It has no cliffhangers or cheating and a very happy HEA. It contains a firm but loving Daddy (no age play), his very pretty boy and scenes so hot they’ll make you sit up and say “Yes, Sir!”
**My stories tend to be low on angst because it hurts my heart. They are, however, packed with sexy scenes, heartwarming moments and a healthy dose of humor.

Megan’s top read is Cold Hard Cash by KL Hiers!

Synopsis:

When you owe money to a powerful mafia kingpin, you find a way to pay it back or you get hurt, and the only thing twenty-six-year-old Jimmy Poe has to offer a man like Boss Cold is himself. Cold agrees to give Jimmy a chance to have his debt cancelled, but it will mean surrendering his body to Cold's rough, ruthless demands every night until the very last penny has been repaid.

Over the coming days, Jimmy learns what it means to be truly mastered, and Cold's stern dominance arouses him far more intensely than he would have thought possible. But as their business arrangement grows into a romance, can Cold keep Jimmy safe in his dangerous world?

Publisher's Note: Cold Hard Cash includes spankings and rough, intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

A Dark Mafia Romance.

Caity’s top read is Married to the Mobster by Leighton Greene!

Synopsis:

Years ago I saved his life, and we spent one hot night together before he disappeared. Now this bad boy's all grown up, and living a dangerous life. But when his Family decides to send a message to my father, it's my life on the line.

Only he can't bring himself to do it when he realizes who I am.

He bargains for my life.

He argues to keep me as a hostage instead of killing me.

He even agrees to marry me, but not for love.

Marrying me is the only way he can repay the debt he owes me.

He tells me he'll keep me alive only as long as his Boss allows it.

What he doesn't know is that I've loved him since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I'll take him any way I can get him. Sleeping with the enemy never felt so good...

But is there someone else who wants me dead?

And finally, we have the books soon to be published that have caught our eye recently! We have:

Make it stand out

Content warnings for things talked about in this episode include:

  • incest

  • flight turbulence

  • stalking

  • murder

  • parental death

  • false imprisonment

  • debt

  • breaking and entering

  • threats of violence

  • evidence of past violence

  • stabbing

  • amateur medical procedure

  • parental abandonment

  • kidnapping

  • forced marriage

  • dead people

  • haunting

  • drugs

  • life as an unhoused person

  • mention of past cheating by a side character.

That’s all for this week BRats, as always we would love to hear your thoughts about the episode on our social media or via email (rainbow.book.rats@gmail.com) and we will be back with another Rat Chat episode at the normal time of 5AM EST next Thursday 9th! We also have a Patreon now so check out the link below if you want uncut episodes, games with real prizes, merch and more!

https://patreon.com/cw/RainbowBookRats/

Stay Feral! <3

Full List of Books Mentioned:

In Flight Entertainment by Becca Vale

Morally Gray by Becca Vale

My Everything by Jayda Marx

Cold Hard Cash by KL Hiers

Hard Earned Cash by KL Hiers

Married to the Mobster by Leighton Greene

Dead Nights by Crea Reitan

A Daddy for Cooper by Emory Winters

Shake Your Boo Thang by Chloe Archer

Monsters Hollow series by Chloe Archer

Violent Devotion by L. Norell

Shadow Prince by S. Rodman

Wish We Were Here by Risa Cruise

Lock Step by CT Whistle

Knitting Needles by Ezra Wren

Suck by EM Lindsey and Cora Rose

Enchanted by Envy by Nik Knight

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Brats . Brats .

Episode Two

It’s Thursday and you know that that means - it’s time for another episode of the Rainbow Book Rats: a Queer Romance Podcast! Brought to you by four feral besties who have left their book nests to nerd out about their favourite reads with you.

Hold on to your tails everyone because it’s time to talk bunnies! That’s right, this Digging Deeper episode’s buddy read breakdown is brought to you by Sugar Bunny by Colette Davison. Our four feral rats don their bunny ears, burrow into their blanket nests, and bring you all their thoughts on the cutest bunny play MMM romance book around!

Of course, no Digging Deeper episode would be complete without one of the BRats bringing us a deep dive into a bookish topic of their choice, and today Caity treats us to an absolute feast of found family recommendations and discussion, proving why it’s one of her (and the rest of the BRats) favourite tropes. We love found family in this nest! So tune in now for all the feels and all the best book recommendations.

You can find our episodes on all major platforms! So wherever you are, whatever the time, subscribe today! And in the meantime:

We had so much fun with our buddy read! Sugar bunny is a fantastic MMM romance featuring pet play, pining, and plenty of moments that will make you go “aww”. You’ll come for the spice (which is well worth reading!) and stay for the beautiful, supportive relationship these three men build together. What starts out as a sugar baby relationship becomes the love of a lifetime for three people who need each other like they need air.

Synopsis:

Can a no-strings fun-times relationship with two older men lead to real and lasting love?

With the My Kinky Housemate app, I've found a place to live with seven like-minded guys. My new start and a chance to make my dreams come true aren’t turning out like I hoped. A housemate has the solution—become a sugar baby. Answering an ad is easy, but will a Sugar Daddy be interested in me?

A sexy interior designer is way more than I expect. He wants to spoil me, spank me, and share me with his silver fox husband.

Together, Colton and Ford solve some of my problems but create another as I start to fall for them. However fun our time together is, I have to remind myself it’s not real. It won’t last. It’s not love… is it?

Sugar Bunny is an MMM, D/switch/s, age-gap romance. It includes pet-play, spanking, an open relationship, sharing—but no cheating!—and some hurt/comfort.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse.

After we finished loving on Sugar Bunny, it was time for Caity to take us on a deep dive through the wonderful world of found family! This is one of her favourite tropes and for good reason - it is such a sweet trope that is so meaningful for each of the BRats and for a lot of queer people today.

Don’t miss our discussion on the Monstrous series by Lily Mayne and how found family plays a vital role in this epic series of post-apocalyptic romances between monsters and humans set in the wastelands of a decimated US.

We also delve into the world of Grae Bryan, another BRat favourite who loves to feature found family prominently in her work! Grae’s books are light hearted but emotional reads which show how amazing it is to be able to rely on found family to show up.

No discussion of found family would be complete without mentioning Nik Knight’s wonderful Passing Through series! Caity takes us through how found family show up here to support and love each other in the most hilarious - and touching - ways. Check this series out if you want to laugh and cry at the same time!

And finally, the BRats lose it over Jemma Croft’s fantasy books. We hope you’re ready for on air sobbing because the BRats are not holding back on their memories of By the Pint and Shroom for Improvement, where found family means holding you through the worst times and loving you through the best. Also these books are actually hilarious so you should read them.

Make it stand out

Content warnings for things talked about in this episode include:

  • parental abuse,

  • gambling addiction,

  • spousal abuse,

  • child neglect,

  • predatory workplace,

  • financial struggles,

  • financial abuse,

  • talk of burnout,

  • estranged family,

  • murder,

  • toxic masculinity,

  • apocalypse,

  • transphobia,

  • amnesia,

  • unsupportive family while coming out,

  • grief.

That’s all for this week BRats, as always we would love to hear your thoughts about the episode on our social media or via email (rainbow.book.rats@gmail.com) and we will be back with another Rat Chat episode at the normal time of 5AM EST next Thursday 9th! We also have a Patreon now so check out the link below if you want uncut episodes, games with real prizes, merch and more!

https://patreon.com/cw/RainbowBookRats/

Stay Feral! <3

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Brats . Brats .

Episode 1

We hope you're ready to get feral, because it's the first episode of the Rainbow Book Rats: a Queer Romance Podcast! Brought to you by four feral besties who have left their book nests to nerd out about their favourite reads with you.

In this episode we'll be discussing how our week went (tragically), how great the books we read this week were (awesome) and what's on our book radar of new and upcoming queer romance releases - if we can survive the excitement (we cannot).  JD takes us down the rabbit hole of Dark Trails, Kit gets feral over Once Bitten, it’s a great groundhog day for Megan in PAH! and Caity gets inducted into the horny weirdo family in F**k, Marry, Kill Me, Daddy. 

We hope you're ready to get feral, because it's the first episode of the Rainbow Book Rats: A Queer Romance Podcast! Brought to you by four feral besties who have left their book nests to nerd out about their favourite reads with you.

In this episode we'll be discussing how our week went (tragically), how great the books we read this week were (awesome) and what's on our book radar of new and upcoming queer romance releases - if we can survive the excitement (we cannot).  JD takes us down the rabbit hole of Dark Trails, Kit gets feral over Once Bitten, it’s a great Groundhog Day for Megan in PAH! and Caity gets inducted into the horny weirdo family in F**k, Marry, Kill Me, Daddy. 

You can find our episodes on all major platforms!
YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | I Heart Radio | SoundCloud

So, wherever you are, whatever the time, subscribe today! And in the meantime:

What JD Read this Week

JD kicks us off with their reads of the week, featuring their top choice, the Dark Trails series by Em Jae Black! A great erotic romance series for anyone who enjoys their kink dark and their men wild.

Kit’s next with his reads, including his top choice of Once Bitten by AM Rose, an urban fantasy romance which kept him captivated (and crying) right til the end. If you love a bit of mystery with your angsty romance and all the found family banter, the Cursebreakers Inc. series is for you!

Megan is next with their choices, and top of the billing is PAH! by E.M. Lindsey and Cora Rose. A full of meaning contemporary romance, this is a wonderful book with more found family shenanigans and wonderful disability rep!

Caity closes out the first section with her reads of the week, choosing F**k, Marry, Kill Me, Daddy by Lance Lansdale as her read of the week! This hilarious dark romcom will have you crying with laughter, sighing gently at the emotional bits and wanting to be part of the ridiculous murder found family they up with. A brilliant choice for anyone who is willing to walk on the wild side with their humour and loves their spice dark!

And finally, we have the books soon to be published that have caught our eye recently! We have:

  • Licked by Charlie Novak (out 12th May)

  • Den of Paradise by Eryn Hawk (out 30th April)

  • Under the Surface by NR Walker (out now!)

  • Bruiser by Emmy Sanders (out 30th April)

  • The Handyman’s Howl by Duckie Mack (out 4th April)

  • A Present Mistake by Alice Winters (out 7th April)

  • Deathball by WH Lockwood and TJ Rose (out 21st May)

  • Glitched Fates and Stolen Mates by TJ Rose (out 10th April)

  • Caleb by Cora Rose (out 21st May)

The list of episode content warnings:

  • Mentions of CNC

  • Murder

  • Serial killing

  • Emotional abuse

  • Forced medical procedures

  • Incest

  • Parental death

  • Death

  • Suicide

  • Torture

  • Sexual Assault

  • Life as an unhoused person

  • Violence by an animal

  • Attempted murder of an animal (brief)

  • Unsupportive family while coming out

  • Threats of violence

  • Conversion therapy

  • Stalking

  • Internalised queerphobia

  • Dubcon

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Brats . Brats .

Our Ethos

  • We will never knowingly promote or share generative AI content in any form, including AI book covers, AI narrated audiobooks, AI promos, AI written books etc.

  • We support taboo authors and the taboo genre.

  • We support dark romance and dark romance authors.

  • We are not here to kink shame! We accept all kinks whether or not they are our own.

  • We are an author friendly podcast and we are not here to talk badly about books - we are a book recommendation podcast NOT a book review podcast.

  • We do not accept payment in return for featuring books on our channel, all books are voluntarily chosen because we are genuinely excited to talk about them!

  • We will provide content warnings for episodes before they go live on our social media and in the episode details.

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