Romance at the Roller Rink

Summer heat has us craving refreshing drinks and equally refreshing romance novels! We're diving into contemporary romance novels this month, and both our selections had us staying up late turning pages.

Nicole sips a piña colada (perfectly matching her book) while discussing "Mixed Signals" by B.K. Borison. This slow-burn romance features Caleb, a Spanish-teaching ex-firefighter who's been crushing on bakery owner Layla for years. When they agree to a month of "practice dating" to help each other figure out their romantic struggles, sparks inevitably fly. The book delivers laugh-out-loud moments, realistic dialogue, and a genuinely nice male lead who puts thought into creating meaningful dates – proving nice guys don't finish last, especially when they look like sexy firefighters!

Meghan enjoys a Tangerine LaCroix while exploring "Delilah Green Doesn't Care" by Ashley Herring Blake. This emotionally rich story follows photographer Delilah returning to her hometown to shoot her estranged stepsister's wedding. She plans to create chaos and flirt with her stepsister's best friend, Claire – but genuine feelings complicate her revenge plans. The novel stands out for its complex characters with layered motivations, sharp dialogue, and emotional depth that avoids one-dimensional stereotypes.

Both books feature roller rink dates (coincidence?), jalapeno-level spice, and characters who feel authentic rather than like romance novel cutouts. We share favorite passages, debate the appearance of romance novel clichés (nose bridge pinching makes multiple appearances in one book!), and discuss the boobie prize for earliest mention of breasts (page 10 vs. page 140).

Join us September 7th in Milwaukee for an exclusive Romance on the Rocks Bookish Biddie Brunch. We're looking forward to bottomless mimosas, book swaps, and plenty of romance discussion. Details coming soon!

Nicole's Cocktail: Pina Colada

Meghan's Beverage: Tangerine LaCroix

What more cocktail options to match the books?  Click here! Want to buy the books? Shopping links are below.

Mixed Signals by B. K. Borison: Amazon or The Ripped Bodice

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake: Amazon or The Ripped Bodice

Transcript

Nicole:

I'm Nicole Danielle. 

Meghan:

And I'm Meghan Leigh.  And this is Romance on the Rocks where two bookish biddies imbibe and talk about romance novels. 

Nicole:

Here we are. Oh, oh Lord, it's hot, it's hot and gross Makes it hard to think I worked outside yesterday too. I think I'm still sweating from yesterday. 

Meghan:

I did a couple of outdoor walks yesterday and they were warm. They were toasty and sweaty. It's been a multiple shower day for many days in a row. I heard you have a beverage that you want to talk about that may or may not be chilled. 

Nicole:

Yeah, we've been trying to go this year on theme with our books, and in my book they meet at a bar by happenstance, and he is ordering a piña colada for his brother and it's his brother's birthday party, so I am drinking a piña colada.

Meghan:

Nice.

Nicole:

Which, honestly feels very refreshing this time of year. 
 
 

Meghan:

Yeah, it feels appropriate. Again, we're still in the no alcohol on this side. I'm only halfway through. It feels like it's been a thousand years for this health and wellness challenge. So, I'm moving forward. I'm halfway through-ish, but this particular book had so many opportunities for good beverages. I mean, yeah, they, they also meet in a bar. There's a dinner, or a luncheon, I guess, at a tea room with champagne. There are multiple dinners that include wine and cocktails, and I am instead drinking one of the non-alcohol beverages that they mentioned in the books, which is a La Croix. Ugh. 

Nicole:

Who doesn't love a La Croix?

Meghan:

Yeah, yeah, and don't let Nicole's fancy French here fool you. This is a Wisconsin company and it is La Croix. 

Nicole:

I know, I know we just joke about it at our household. 

Meghan:

I just don't want those outside of the state to go with that fancy schmancy, because I know there are people out there who think that's really how it's pronounced, but nah. 

Nicole:

What flavor do you have of La Croix? 

Meghan:

You're killing me. So, in the book they drink lemon La Croix. I am not really a lemon LaCroix person, it's too much of the citrus.  So, I have tangerine, which is one of the really good flavors. 

Nicole:

I like their tangerine, I like the pom..pom…pompelo?

Meghan:

Yeah. I like that one as well.

Nicole:

And I like the limoncello.  Which is what I have in my fridge right now, the limoncello one.

Meghan:

Don't care for it on its own, but I like it as a mixer. When I can drink alcohol, it's great as a mixer. But let's go for tangerine and here let's see if we can do our ASMR. 

I got a can, oh, oh I don't know if it caught any of that but…

Nicole:

I hope so, cause that was delightful on my end.

Meghan:

Thank you, thank you. 

This will also be refreshing anyway. 

Well, we've got some books, 

Nicole:

Yeah, so for August we are doing Romance Con authors

Meghan:

Yep, yep.

Nicole:

Aand I loved my book. I don't know about you, but I loved it.

Meghan:

I loved mine too. I read in two days. I stayed up until probably 2 am just to finish it, because it was that space of a book where you know that you probably should just go to bed and read the rest tomorrow. But it also didn't look like too much and it was worth trying to push it to stay up late. So, yeah, I finished it in two nights. I really liked mine. But I think you get to go first today, so let's go with it. Tell me what you've got. Who do you got? What do you got? Where you got All the gots? 

Nicole:

I have “Mixed Signals” by BK Borison, published in 2022. It is a contemporary rom-com, if you will. I don't have any trigger warnings and I will not be spoiling this book, so if you were hoping for full deets, I'm sorry, friends, you're not getting it from me. My hot take on this book this is a slow burn romance set during late summer perfect timing, with lots of baked goods and a hot fireman. I'll take it.

Meghan:

Nice. 

Nicole:

Our main characters are Layla Dupree. She owns a bakery on her best friend's farm and that's where she works. Caleb Alvarez is an ex-firefighter who now teaches high school Spanish and I have to tell you, Meghan, it makes for a lot of funny bits in the story. 

Meghan:

Oh, nice.

Nicole:

Yeah.  The plot line: Caleb has had a longtime crush on Layla. He religiously goes to her bakery three times a week for a croissant and coffee with cream. So, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, on his way into teach, that's where he stops and he's always trying to make eyes over the counter at her and stuff. He's essentially been crushing on her from a distance, across the counter, for a few years now, since she moved to his small town. 

Layla has been trying the whole online dating thing for a while and just has not had any luck on that front. One night she's out on a date with a total douche canoe who actually ditches her while she's paying the bill.

Meghan:

Wow.

Nicole:

Yeah, smooth. And she runs into Caleb, who's at the restaurant for his brother's birthday party. She suddenly sees him with new eyes. My guess is probably because she's outside of work and not in her work mode. I think I don't know about you, Meghan, but when I'm in work mode I'm not focused on guys. And so, Caleb gives her a ride home from the restaurant because she got stranded there. They both share the struggles they've had with dating and decide to help each other out. They're going to date each other for one month and Caleb is going to show her that not all men are jerks, and she's going to help him figure out why he can't seem to hold on to a girl for more than a couple of dates, like what's going wrong during his dating process. And, Meghan, I'm sorry, I honestly can't go into much more than that. 

Meghan:

Wow.

Nicole:

I know, I know, but I really can't. Because this is definitely a great read and I do not want to spoil it for anyone. I will say this is the most I have ever laughed out loud while reading a book and even my husband, Bob, noticed how much I was enjoying it. 

There's jokes about Nickelback and I kept sharing the jokes and updating Bob on the story as I was going through it and even he started to get into it was asking me where things were at as I was reading the book. Spice level I'm putting this one at a jalapeno. 

Things I loved about “Mixed Signals.” I loved the humorous moments in this book and there are lots of them. I love the realistic dialogue between the characters. I really love Caleb. If I was a single-lady I'd be all over that. He is a really nice guy and a hot ex-firefighter and I am here for it. He is genuine, he is nice, he helps little old ladies across the street, he loves his abuela, he's considerate, he supports small businesses, he loves animals, he puts a lot of thought into things that he does for Layla and he sounds like the sexiest fucking man alive. 

I love the combination of baked goods with sexy thoughts in this book. I really enjoyed this part, particularly this little excerpt from the book: “I wonder if the skin there tastes as sweet as the sticky honey glaze she uses, or if the taste of her is more indulgent, like the heavy rich chocolate ganache she uses on some of her cakes. I wonder if I'd taste her on my tongue for hours, if I'd crave her the same way.”

The dating situations and events in this book are super realistic, which I also appreciated. My only challenge this is definitely a slow burn romance - very slow, which is generally not my personal preference. I was actually starting to get worried the deeper I got into the book, that there wasn't going to be any spicy moments, because that's how long it took for things to heat up. 

Meghan:

Wow.

Nicole:

It was a genuine concern for me. I was like, if we have this sexy fireman and he does not do anything, like I have issues this. 

Meghan:

This makes me wonder, like how long it took for your breast reference - where boobie prize is going here. 

Nicole:

Yeah.  My final thoughts on this book: This is a seriously fun summer read. It's filled with hilarious moments and the characters are solid, down-to-earth people. It feels like a real love story and I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who loves a romance comedy, a contemporary romance or a slow burn romance. That's what I got. 

Meghan:

Wow, very concise.  Yes. 

Nicole:

Right? Well, I hope your book was spicier than mine. 

Meghan:

I think it was. It was spicier than yours, but you know I enjoy those slow burn romances so I probably would really have enjoyed, you know, your book this time around. I loved my book, so I'm glad I had what I had. 

I read “Delilah Green Doesn't Care” by Ashley Herring Blake. She is one of the Romance Con writers as we are covering this time around, and I loved it. It was written in 2022 as well, like yours, and is contemporary romance. 

Our premise here is that 10 years-ish ago, Delilah Green escaped her small town of Bright Falls, Oregon, and has been living as a struggling artist in New York City. She is a photographer. Her bread and butter is weddings and special event type of photography, but the artist side of her really enjoys specializing in emotionally charged queer feminist portraiture.  she's been trying to break into artist galleries and get some representation and things like that. For a multitude of reasons, she has done her best to stay away from her hometown and keeps a distance from her “family”. I will say family in quotes, because I feel like in the beginning of this book that's exactly how Delilah would refer to them as well.  Like if you, if you said something she'd probably say, “oh my family.” And kind of roll her eyes. Her father passed away just two years after he had married Delilah's stepmother, Isobel, so Delilah was left to be raised by Isobel alongside her stepsister, Astrid, who is approximately the same age as Delilah. 

There's a lot of emotional baggage surrounding her upbringing.  After her father died, Delilah never really felt as though she belonged with Isobel and Astrid. It felt like an unwanted charity project. 

Fast forward to present tense. Delilah has been tasked with being the photographer for her stepsister Astrid's upcoming wedding. Delilah does not want this job, but she's also on a financial struggle bus and doesn't really have the pocket room to say no. So, stepmother Isobel is fairly wealthy and the contract that Delilah has signed has booked her for two full weeks of events leading up to the wedding A luncheon at the local tea room, a bridal shower, a day spa retreat, bachelorette party, etc. So, she is on it for all of these events. 

She's flown back to Bright Falls fully intent on making it through this nightmare, just for the money, and she's decided as a bonus, she'll also try and make her stepsister's life as miserable as possible while she's there. That is going to be the fun little thing she gets to do. Creating friction and irritation is about the only thing she's looking forward to. It's almost like she's trying to get payback for all the emotionally fraught years that she spent under that same roof with Isobel and Astrid. Almost as soon as she gets to town, it becomes very clear that one of the ways she can get under Astrid's skin is to mercilessly hit on and pursue Astrid's childhood friend, Claire. 

Claire Sutherland never got the chance to leave Bright Falls While Delilah ran off to New York. Astrid pursued college. Claire got pregnant right out of high school with her then-boyfriend Josh. So instead of going to college with her friends, she found herself having to make a lot of grown-up decisions, juggling work and a baby at like 18, 19 years old, and the boyfriend, josh, proved to be less than reliable, running out on Claire and the baby on more than one occasion. So now, more than a decade later, Claire finds herself single and working as the proprietor of the local bookstore. Delilah had always kind of had a crush on Claire through high school, and this two-week wedding celebration extravaganza is going to give her the ample opportunity to use all this newfound adult confidence and experience to her advantage in trying to seduce Claire. 

I don't want to ruin the book so I'm also not going to go too far into the weeds here, yeah, so I will do a quick breakdown of stuff that's in the book from here. 

Claire is definitely into Delilah too, so that relationship getting to blossom is a definite possibility. Neither Claire nor Astrid's other best friend, Iris - who is a big part of this book as well - neither Claire nor Iris like Astrid's fiancé, Spencer.  Don't like him at all. There's a lot of turmoil and a lot of them trying to figure out how, or even if, they should maybe be trying to sabotage the wedding. Like he's that bad. 

Claire's ex-boyfriend Josh is now back in town and that throws a lot of wrenches into things. And then Delilah has to grapple with the truth and the perceived realities of her childhood experience. 

The book was biting. It was funny, the characters were super well-rounded and had a lot of depth. There's nothing really simple in this book like a wicked stepmother or wicked stepsister. There's nothing that surface level as you get to know the characters. There's a lot more going on there, which I appreciated - that there was nobody one-note, there's nobody unsympathetic, which you can walk away from. A lot of books having characters where they…they just are a one-note  “Oh, she's the bitchy one.” That's not really what you find in this book. 

In general, the story was a very healing one and you get to see growth and changing perceptions in more than one character. So, again, absolutely loved it. I am going to read a few little passages. So, going to how I like slow burn and I don't like things that are in your face…I appreciated that this was Astrid's request for her bachelorette party. “Astrid had strictly forbidden anything phallic at her last hurrah: no penis straws, no penis cakes and absolutely no dildos. Iris was hugely disappointed.” And then later on, when Astrid asks if they're going to show up on time for the bachelorette party, Iris responds with, “10 o'clock, with bells and penis necklace on.” I'm like, yeah, that's a good friend, just to be like hey, I know you don't want this, but what if I do it anyway? 

And then there were descriptions of Spencer, the fiancé, and you get a pretty good idea pretty quickly why the ladies do not like him. “He was the worst kind of dickwad surreptitious and smiling. She felt like she was hanging out with a poisonous snake anytime she was in the same room with him. Spencer was a walking golden-haired advertisement for the patriarchy.”

Nicole:

Oh, okay.

Nicole:

And then here was one I thought you in particular would appreciate, and this goes into parenting a child, when you've got, you know, a partner in parenting. That's not necessarily the partner you would prefer. “She hated fighting with her kid, but she hated this even more, this feeling that she was the boring parent, the stick in the mud, a wet blanket thrown over all the glitter and fairy lights of Ruby's time with her dad.”

Nicole:

Relatable yeah. 

Meghan:

Like there's a lot. This is Delilah talking about drinking coffee, which I feel like we've mentioned this perhaps in the past, but Nicole and I had a coffee experience at a gas station that…

Nicole:

Oh God. I tried to erase that from my mind, I think.

Meghan:

What did we decide? Burnt tires and…

Nicole:

Yeah, it was horrible.

Meghan:

Old alcohol, white pads, I don't know. It had such a…

Nicole:

The worst coffee ever.

Meghan:

…foul, foul flavor. So,this is Delilah: “Her Brooklyn flat was full of sloppily put together Ikea furniture.  But damn, if she was going to drink shitty coffee.  She'd rather go without.”

I got a couple more. Want me to keep going? 

Nicle:

Yeah.

Meghan:

So they go to this tea room for this fancy little tea reception with little finger sandwiches and the like mini quiches, since we're talking about, like all of our foods, a little fingery deliciousness. And unfortunately, as Delilah is walking around taking pictures because that is her job, “Before she could think too much about it, she let her hip bump the table as she turned back around. It was subtle, clearly an accident, but it was enough that the glasses rattled against one another and then toppled Gloriously, horrendously, like Sauron's tower finally vanquished. The flutes crashed downward, champagne splattering and glass shards spilling all over the table and marble floor with a triumphant cacophony.”

Nicole:

I love that.

Meghan:

I thought you would appreciate Sauron's uh, tower.

Nicole:

You know, I just fucking watched lord of the rings. 

So yes, yes, Meghan, I do.

Meghan:

Like, that's a Nicole line, if I've ever heard it. Um, the friend, friend Iris in this book is hilarious. She is a little vulgar, she has a lot of quit wit. She just yeah, she's real snappy. I appreciated her throughout this book. One of the things she says about Spencer, “I'm going to need a really damn good lawyer in about 2.4 seconds, because I am going to murder that shit boot.” and the other girls are like “shit boot?” She goes on to say “Yeah, shit shirt, shit pants, whatever.”

And then my final little one here this is Delilah talking to Claire. They've decided to go out on a date and they go to the skating rink, which I thought was very sweet. They wanted to go somewhere where Delilah could hold Claire's hand. And so, they go to the skate rink and they're acting like teenagers again. As Delilah's leading Claire around the rink, she says, “Let the record state, that I'm gallant as shit”, Delilah said. Claire laughed. “I feel very wooed.”

Nicole:

Oh my god, my couple went on a skating rink first date too. 

Meghan:

Did they? 

Nicole:

Yeah.

Meghan:

Wow, look at us. Well, I will say, in this book there was one instance of thrumming. 

Nicole:

Oh I had a shit ton of nose bridge pinching Meghan. 

Meghan:

I had none. That was what I was going to say next.  I had a thrum, but no nose bridge pinching.

Nicole:

Oh, my God, Caleb did it like three fucking times in my book. 

Meghan:

Hey girl that's how you know he's into romance, right.?

Nicole:

Okay, so food, what kind of food was in yours? 

Meghan:

So, the mini quiches, a lot of little finger sandwiches, things like that. I'm sure there was more food than what I'm mentioning there, but the tea party was the one that I really you know, paid attention to. They had a nice dinner later on, but I was paying more attention to the emotional stuff going on at that table than the food, so I'm going to stick with the tea sandwiches and mini quiches. How about you? 

Nicole:

Lots and lots and lots of baked goods, including croissants, scones, bear claws cake especially a coconut rum cake, cupcakes, tartlets, cookies and all the things. 

Meghan:

Coconut rum cake sounds really good. 

Nicole:

Yeah, any challenges or anything with your book, or was it all just smooth sailing and loved every minute? 

Meghan:

No, I really did love every minute of this book. It's just really well written. I definitely would read more of Ashley Herring Blake's work in the future. I really liked the way it was written. It was very engaging and, like I said, no one-note note characters. It made you care about everybody in the book, even the characters that initially you were like, oh, this is clearly going to be a bitchy character or this person's cold and uncaring.  And now you, you really do find out enough about each character to feel empathy and to feel a way to relate to them, and I really like that in a book. So, yeah, just liked it a lot, and I don't know if I said already I'm also going to go with jalapeno on mine.  But I know that there was definitely more interactions in my book than yours, it sounds like.  So, a little bit sexier.  A little bit more of the stuff…more, more, more, more. 

Nicole:

More of the more?

Meghan:

More, more of the more. Yeah. How about your boobie prize since

Nicole:

Oh Lord, Meghan…

Meghan:

You slowly burned. 

Nicole:

Bob kept asking have they mentioned the boobs yet? And I was like no, no, they haven't. And he's like what page are you on? 

Meghan:

Yeah.  Now do we have a new record? Because I felt like a couple weeks ago, I set the record with my “Dance with a Fae Prince.”

Nicole:

Oh yeah, I think what were you at? 

Meghan:

Oh, I don't remember. It was pretty late in the book though. 

Nicole:

We're not that far, but it wasn't early. We were at page 140 for this. 

Meghan:

Okay.

Nicole:

“His thumb trails down from my jaw to the hollow between my breasts.”

I got really excited at the very beginning of the book because she's on a really shitty date with the guy that ditches her at the restaurant and there was a comment about him checking her out in that area. But it didn't give me the words that I needed for it to count and I was like damn it, I could have had it on like page one, yeah. 

Meghan:

Mine came pretty early, especially since we clarified last week that nipples definitely counted. Mine is on page 10. 

Nicole:

Oh nice.

Meghan:

Yeah.  “She was in a bathtub. Gown completely soaked and sheer nipples barely visible above the milky waterline, while her fingers curled around the rusty white tub.”  It's actually yeah, it's actually describing a photograph. That's what I got. I am very excited to be taking these books to Romance Con and seeing if we can catch these authors. 

Nicole:

Oh my god, I want to get BK Borson's to sign my book like hardcore. Yeah, Do you have a romantic reminder for yours, Meghan? 

Meghan:

I will tell you, I forgot to even think about a romantic reminder until you literally just said it right now. You know what? Let's go with that roller rink idea, because I feel as though a lot of date ideas get kind of stale after a while and something like going to a roller rink is so middle school and like early high school that you don't think about revisiting those ideas. And I love the fact that it was such an innocent thought. It was like I just want to go somewhere where I can hold your hand. I love that. It's so sweet. So how about think outside the box when going for dates and don't be afraid to do something silly.

Nicole:

I like that. Mine is on a very similar vein. “Do your homework.”  And I'm being a little punny here because Caleb is a Spanish teacher, but he does a great job doing his research when he's putting together dates to go on. He does his homework and he figures out what she likes and chooses activities to do in places for them to go, based on what he finds out she's into. I honestly think that's really smart and it's great for several reasons. One, it shows the other person you're making an effort and you are trying to do something you know they'll like or enjoy. That says a lot to the other person. Two, you're not dragging them on some date they're going to hate or subjecting them to something they don't like, and your chances of having a successful date and building and growing your relationship with that person exponentially grows. And this is applicable to both new dates and dating someone you're in a relationship with already. So yeah, do your homework 

Meghan:

Perfect.

You'll get an A Become teacher's pet. 

Nicole:

What do you got coming up for the next episode? As we continue romance con authors

Meghan:

Well, I have a book called “Closer to you” by Cheryl Lister, and it looks like on the cover that there is a giant couple floating over a mountain range. 

Nicole:

Oh.

Meghan:

But I assume that they are not giants and this is just the cover art.

All right. “When Zara Chandler unexpectedly inherits her grandfather's small town home and bookstore, she jumps at the chance to leave LA. There's just one problem: she also unknowingly inherits a long buried secret that someone would go to any lengths to protect, including murder. 

The only thing standing between her and a killer is the town's arrogant but irresistibly sexy sheriff, a man who ignites in her a passion she's never felt. Kendall McKnight takes his job as sheriff seriously and is always prepared for anything except his instant attraction to newcomer Zara. As they're drawn together in their search for clues, protecting her becomes less about civic duty and much more about carnal desire, and he's in danger of losing the one thing he vowed never to risk again: his heart. 

But the threat is closer than they realize and the truth, when revealed, could tear them apart forever. 

Nicole:

Oh, oh my.

Meghan:

It's what I love. It's a murder book With some romance A murder romance? I don't know, I'm one of those true crime girlies, so bring on the murder.  All right, what'd you pick? 

Nicole:

I have “Say you Mean It” with a couple by the lake, on the cover, by Megan - I hope I don't butcher her last name here - Reinking…Reinking? 

Meghan:

Let me see again. Sure, why not? 

Nicole:

Okay.  “The last thing city girl Blair Williams wants to do is travel to a remote island on a lake near the Minnesotan-Canadian border for her law firm's company-wide retreat.” 

Meghan:

You just had to throw that in there.

Nicole:

I did. 

Meghan:

Minnesotan.

Nicole:

Minnesotan. “Having long struggled with high functioning depression and low self-esteem, she attempts to fake her way through the weekend while battling the ever-present melancholy and negative internal thoughts that plague her. While there, she takes comfort in the quiet and serene setting, befriending Graham, the owner of the barely surviving Ruby Lodge. With his mom currently in the nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's, and his dad preoccupied with taking care of her, graham Peterson is left to run the lodge and deal with the growing pile of bills that threatens to jeopardize its future. After a successful retreat filled with various team building activities, something small seems to shift inside Blair - enough so that when Graham calls her weeks later looking for legal advice, she doesn't hesitate to drop everything and travel back to the island to help. When the work is done, will she end up returning to her lackluster life? Or will the lure of the quiet island and the way it, and Graham, makes her feel, be too strong to resist?”

Meghan:

Nice. 

Nicole:

We'll see how it goes at the Minnesotan Canadian border.

Meghan:

Minnesota.

Nicole:

Minnesota. 

Meghan:

We're showing off our Midwest roots here, here, close to Minnesota 

Nicole:

Oh yeah.  I have to feel like, wouldn't that be by the boundary canoe area?

Meghan:

Yeah, boundary waters area. That's beautiful up there.

Nicole:

Oh my god, yeah, I love it up there

Meghan:

All right. Well, on that note, I don't really have much more 

Nicole:

I did recently do a blog post on our website with some suggested summer beach reads, if you will, if you're looking for more summer romance reads, and I also have cocktail pairings with each of the books, so it's kind of fun. Be sure to check that out on our website on the blog. 

Meghan:

That is fun, I like that.

Nicole:

And your most recent blog post - you discuss various refreshing non-alcohol options for drinking. But it's important to stay hydrated, especially in this summer heat. 

Meghan:

So it is. It is I just I would really love to have like a spiked Arnold Palmer or something on a day like today.  And I got some time left before that. But that's okay, enjoying the LaCroix and and we'll make it.

Nicole:

Your face…I feel like the face does not match the words, Meg.

Meghan:

It's just, you know, I'm a Wisconsin girl at heart. It is in our blood and in our genes, to you know, have just a just a tish of alcohol running through us most times.  So, I feel like it's against my nature. 

Nicole:

That’s okay.  I'm proud of you. You're doing the things 

Meghan:

I'm gonna make it after all anyway. 

All right, friends, keep the first weekend in September open and come see us in Milwaukee during Romance Con. If not at the con, we are going to be hosting a brunch, which hopefully we will be able to announce some details coming up soon-ish and it will be the Sunday, right? So ,what is that? Yeah, is that the 6th or the 7th? 

Nicole:

Oh lord, I gotta look at the calendar.  Ahh, 7th.

Meghan:

She says, yeah, the 7th. So, even if you're not going to be at the actual con, the 7th we will be having some sort of brunch in the general Milwaukee area.  Hopefully with either bottomless mimosas or some good Bloody Marys.  Something like that, just so we can hang out, maybe do a book swap or at least talk about our favorite authors, and I think that is going to be really fun. So, yeah, put that on your calendar. 

All right, folks, stay hydrated, drink something delicious and keep that weekend open. Thank you for joining us today for Romance on the Rocks. Please like, subscribe and follow, and if you are a fellow bookish biddie like us, please think about giving us a review on Apple iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you catch your podcasts. Your support really means the world to us. So, until next time, stay safe and know that you are loved.