It’s a Hot Time in Hootertown

Fall in love with small-town romance as Nicole and Meghan exchange books perfectly tailored to each other's interests in this delightful end-of-summer reading episode. Their thoughtful book exchange showcases the power of friendship through literature, with Nicole receiving a hairstylist-centered romance and Meghan diving into a story featuring baseball and thrifting.

Nicole explores "Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots" by LuAnn McLane, set in the funnily-named Hootertown, Kentucky, where hairstylist Jamie Lee finds herself caught between Hollywood producer Parker and her longtime crush, Griff. The novel resonates particularly well with Nicole's professional background, featuring authentic salon details from perms to salon laundry. She praises the realistic portrayal of cosmetology work while assigning it a "poblano bordering on jalapeño" spice rating.

Meanwhile, Meghan takes readers through "Kissing Bandit" by Margaret Rose, where protagonist Francesca Bloomfield embarks on a summer of self-discovery after heartbreak. With a strict "no dating, only fun kisses" rule, Francesca's carefully constructed plans unravel when she meets former baseball player John Boggs during her first estate sale job. The slow-burn romance challenges her commitment to remaining emotionally detached, creating a compelling journey of healing and connection.

Both hosts extract meaningful "romantic reminders" from their reading experiences – Nicole encourages embracing small-town date opportunities like country line dancing and local celebrations, while Meghan highlights the importance of maintaining playfulness and silliness in relationships. Their genuine enthusiasm for these stories reflects why romance novels continue to capture readers' hearts, offering both escape and relatable emotional truths.

As they approach their one-year podcast anniversary, Nicole and Meghan tease expanded content for their upcoming "Creature Feature October," promising paranormal romance reviews that will delight listeners seeking supernatural tales. Join these bookish biddies as they continue their journey through the diverse and heartwarming world of romance fiction.

Meghan's Cocktail & Book: Liquid Death Dr. Death and "The Kissing Bandit" (get it from Amazon or The Ripped Bodice with our affiliate links and support the podcast)

Nicole's Cocktail & Book: Aperol Spritz and "Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots"

Transcript

Nicole:

Hello, 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 the romance novels that they just finished.

Nicole:

Okay, you're still on your health journey. You're not imbibing, but what are you drinking? 

Meghan:

I'm imbibing, I'm just not imbibing alcohol. 

Nicole:

Right so what are you imbibing? 

Meghan:

I just told Nicole right before we started this: I've got 15 days left.  Not that I'm counting. 15 days. So, my book is called the Kissing Bandit and my main character mentions multiple times in this book that she loves Dr Pepper. Girl after my own heart.  If I'm going to drink a soda, I love a good Dr Pepper. 

Nicole:

Yeah.

Meghan:

Can't drink one right now because of the health challenge. 

Nicole:

No sugar. 

Meghan:

Yeah, the no sugar, no traditional desserts, no junk food is really what it is. So, I'm stretching it. I've got my liquid death, which has agave in it for sweetener, but it is their version of Dr Pepper. It's called Dr Death. Yeah, and I figured that was close. So, here we go, got her cracked open and that is what I'm doing. My gal says, “I would mainline Dr Pepper if I could.”

Nicole:

Dr Pepper is quite popular here in my little cul-de-sac in North Carolina. My husband loves it. One of the girls on our girls weekend had a whole Dr Pepper t-shirt with tons of variations of Dr Pepper. There's Dr Pepper ice cream down here. Ooh, that sounds good, yeah, so I've been making Dr Pepper brownies for the guys to put Dr Pepper ice cream on top. 

Meghan:

That sounds really good. When I come down and visit you, I will request that. I will say too, though, if anybody here has not tried the Liquid Death beverages pretty darn good, this Dr Death delightful. And their grapefruit one is really, really good as well. 

Nicole:

Good to know. Very nice. 

Meghan:

How about you? You get to imbibe actual alcohol. 

NIcole:

I do, and I know we've been trying really hard to be on theme with our books. This year I'm not on theme, for this summer Aperol Spritzes have been my go-to drink. I love me an Aperol Spritz and it's so refreshing and I'm just going with it today, even though it has nothing to do with my book. 

Meghan:

My mom and my sister love a good Aperol Spritz. I'm actually kind of surprised that I don't particularly care for them. It's got everything in it that I feel like I should like, don't know why, just doesn't really hit me all that much. So, I'm glad to know that you've got a delightful beverage for the summertime that's keeping you refreshed. 

Nicole:

Yes, it's been my drink of summer. Normally I'm a Paloma girl in the summer especially, but I've just been really feeling the Aperol Spritz vibe.

Meghan:

I do love a good Paloma too. 

Nicole:

Yes.

Meghan:

Well, we're doing book exchange still, aren't we? 

Yes, and I have to say Meghan, I enjoyed this a lot more than the last book we saw.

Meghan:

I apologize for the last book.  The last exchange book I got for Nicole, I got strictly based on the title because her husband's name is Bob and the book had Bob in the title and I just thought that was adorable and I gave it to her and it was terrible. So, that is my bad and I am sorry. But I did actually try with this one because you had mentioned you'd never seen a romance novel that had a hairstylist or a hairdresser, and so I went all out to find something, and this really seemed like it would fit the bill. 

Nicole:

And it totally did and I, for the most part, really enjoyed it, definitely better than “B.O.B's Fall” from the last time around. But you know what, Meghan, I have to say? White that wouldn't have been my first choice of a read last time, it did help me tick off the erotica box for this season on the podcast. 

Meghan:

There you go, you're welcome, I guess. 

Nicole:

Thanks for that, and I'll never think of the name McDougal the same again. 

Meghan:

But what a silly, silly way of using that name anyway, but this time around, a far more pleasant read. 

Nicole:

We have Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots by Luanne McClain, and Luanne McClain is a new one for me. I was not familiar with her, but she is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Kentucky, a state that I really do love, and she writes romantic comedies with a Southern kick. 

Meghan:

Nice, nice.

Nicole:

Yeah, this one was published in 2006. And I will just tell you in advance, even though that's kind of a bit in the past as far as contemporary goes for us, I feel like there was nothing that dated this book and I feel like, for my fellow hairstylists who listen to this podcast, that I'm not going to spoil it, because I do think it was a nice read and I would encourage my fellow hairstylists to read it. And I don't have any trigger warnings. There was nothing triggering for me in here. There might have been something that might trigger someone else, but I honestly couldn't think of anything. The hot take I have it's a summer southern romance for hairstylists. That's my hot take. 

Meghan:

I love that your hot takes are not hot at all. They're just like “Nicole's hot sexy take: this was a nice book”. 

Nicole:

It was a romp. So, our main characters in this one, Meghan, are Jamie Lee Carter, who's a hairstylist at the Cut and Curl. Then we have Parker Carrington, a Hollywood producer, Luke Carter, who is Jamie Lee's brother, Griff Sheldon, who is Jamie's longtime childhood crush and her brother's best friend.  And then we finally have Macy McCoy, Jamie Lee's best friend and co-worker at the Cut and Curl, who has a crush on Jamie Lee's brother, Luke, and also the last name McCoy. She is - and it talks about this - related to the Hatfields and McCoys of historical fame. 

Meghan:

She got roots. 

Nicole:

Yeah, she got roots. 

Meghan:

Is that where the roots come from in the cowboy boots? Maybe? 

Nicole:

No dark roots. They talk about how she hasn't done her roots in forever. 

Meghan:

Gotcha.

Nicole:

Which same girl, same. I had to bring home bleach for myself today to get my roots going. 

Meghan:

My entire head of hair is roots. 

Nicole:

Yeah, you've been growing it natural.

Meghan:

Mmmhmm, mm-hmm. 

Nicole:

I like it on you. 

Meghan:

Thanks!

Nicole:

Plotline: The story is set in Hootertown, Kentucky. Jamie Lee and Macy work at the Cut and Curl, the salon Jamie sort of inherited from her mother. Her mother still kind of works there from time to time. The story starts with what seems like a typical day at the salon for them, until they meet a Hollywood producer, Parker, who rolls into town to scout out their little hamlet for a potential movie. Jamie Lee shows Parker around town and goes on a couple of dates with him, and there's some decent chemistry between the two of them. 

Jamie Lee and Macy, in the midst of this, decide to make it a summer of going after what they want, and they do a little special pinky swear, clap, I don't know secret handshake thing to make it work, and Jamie Lee is going to go for Parker and Macy's going to go for Luke. 

It's a small town and people are leery of Hollywood types, though, so Jamie Lee is constantly getting warnings from her mom and her brother and even her brother's best friend, Griff, to watch out for Parker, and we start to see some jealousy - your favorite, Meghan - showing up from Griff, but he's adamant that he's not interested in Jamie Lee and is just watching out for her like a big brother. Jamie Lee threw herself at Griff back when she was 17 and it did not go well, and as she spends more time with Parker, though, she eventually realizes she still really has a thing for Griff and decides to change her plans and go for him one last time, hoping things have maybe changed now that they're significantly older. So now she's got to let Parker know that she's no longer interested in him, and there's a strong possibility that Griff still won't return her feelings, and I don't want to spoil it. So that's all I'm going to tell you? 

Meghan:

Whoa, that's a short little description. 

Nicole:

Yes, and I will tell you. There is a sequel book following the story of Macy and Luke, her best friend, and her brother. In terms of a spice level for this one, Meghan, I'm going to put it on poblano, bordering on jalapeno. Okay, we have some eating out, if you get what I mean.

Meghan:

I do 

Nicole:

And some sex scenes, but they happen later in the book and they're brief and they don't get super in-depth. 

Things I loved about this book each of the chapters has its own little title, like “Friends in Low Places” and a “Hollywood Hussy Blows into Hooter Town.” 

Meghan:

I love that. 

Nicole:

I loved it too. I thought it was so cute. I really enjoyed that, and most of the characters are realistic and believable. 

I really like the name Griff. Go figure, my dog's name was Gryff. 

Meghan:

Well, he was a romantic lead. 

Gryff was definitely a lover, not a fighter. 

Meghan:

There you go.

Nicole:

But I do like the name Griff and it's not one that I feel like. You see a ton in romance novels, so that was a refreshing change of pace. I feel like there's a lot of repetitive names when it comes to romance stories. I love the fact that the main character is a hairstylist - go figure. And most of the story and elements and descriptions involving cosmetology are believable and realistic, which I greatly appreciated. They talk about doing the laundry, putting capes on, sweeping up hair, the methods for perming, so I definitely appreciated that it was well-researched and realistic. In that way, for the vast majority of it, a fun quotable for you, Meghan. “His voice is deep and rich, oozing over me like thick maple syrup.”

Meghan:

Oh!

Nicole:

My challenges with this book: It harps on something we always talk about – communication, honesty, that type of thing. Jamie Lee isn't always honest with herself, let alone with Griff, which obviously leads to a lot of problems and, as you know, I'm very much an honesty is the best policy girl and I just personally always struggle when people lie to others, especially people they love, and I know it helps create plot points and whatnot in a book. But I just feel like there's often enough conflict in these stories and problems that people have to get through that you don't need to add the lack of communication and lack of honesty to further complicate it, at a certain point. It's a trope that gets real old and annoying for me, especially if they don't ever come out with the truth and the lie remains through the end of the book. 

Meghan:

Oh!

Nicole
 Yeah.  I really don't like it. 

Meghan:

I don't think I care for that either. Usually we uncover the truth and everybody has to apologize and you get to a place of honesty.

Nicole:

Yep. Wouldn't that be nice. Okay, so that's my only challenge for the book. My final thoughts I enjoyed this book. It's fun, it's a kitschy romp and I like Luanne McLean's writing style overall. I would definitely read more of her books, as long as they have at least this level of spiciness, or more spice level. That's all I got for now, until we hit boobie prizes and romantic reminders. That's what I got. What did you read, Meghan? 

Meghan:

I read “Kissing Bandit” by Margaret Rose. It is a 2024 book and you did a great job picking something that would represent me and my interests. I am a bookseller, I'm an online reseller, I do eBay and Poshmark and you know those kinds of things, and this particular young lady is a thrifter and so it definitely hit home for me with a lot of what she's doing. Francesca Bloomfield is our gal. She's just had her heart broken by a guy she was dating for a few years. In the aftermath, she has made a promise to herself: no serious relationships for the foreseeable future. Francesca, she also goes by Franny or Fran to any of her close friends. She seems to have some self-confidence issues. There's a lot of hesitancy in her actions. She comes across a little naive in parts of this book, generally very caring, concerned for others. Those around her are known to describe her as over-emotional, and so that is a thread throughout the book of her trying to figure out if her emotions are going to be accepted because of how truly big she feels. Everything, all it comes to play as we go through it. She is going to use this summer so much like your book, where they're taking their summer to do something really specific. She's using this summer to concentrate on starting her estate sale business and relearning what it is to be happy and to be her true self. 

She's a list girl.

Nicole:

Me too. I love a good list. 

Meghan:

Same, to quote her, “lists make me feel more in control, less confused and spinny when there's just too much to do or too much to think about.”

So in the interest of her doing this summer and moving forward, here is the list that she made: Number one resign from my position in the family business. Number two rent a place at the lake for the summer. Number three no dating, only fun kisses. Number four build a website. Number five post her new business for hire on the Spirit Lake social media. 

So that is her list. I like that list. That's a solid list, very straightforward. As a supplement to that list, she also made a kissing list. 

Nicole
 Oh!

Meghan:

Because she said no relationships, only kissing. So, this is going to be a list she keeps all summer of all the kisses she has. She's just going to do first kisses, no strings attached, and then cut and run. 

Nicole:

So is she keeping track of the type of kiss or the person she's kissing? 

Meghan:

I think all of it.

Nicole:

Okay. 

Meghan:

Right now she's up to four. She's had four kisses and it describes kind of where she kissed the person, who the person was, what the event is. So she's had four kisses. She's moving on to number five, unfortunately for her list and her best intentions, she meets up with John Boggs at a local club where he's hanging out with his buddies for a bachelor party. She singles him out as the next guy she'd like to add to her kissing list. But as she sidles in and gets him to dance with her, it's pretty clear that they have really good chemistry and the potential there could be more than a hookup. That scares her because that's against the list, so she decides not to kiss him. Oh yeah, she manages to leave before things turn up another notch. 

Nicole
 Okay.

Meghan:

Crisis averted.

Nicole:

Or leave them wanting more. 

Meghan:

Yeah, Francesca's first estate sale job for her new company, her new business, takes her to the tourist destination of Spirit Lake, which is on the tourist destination of Spirit Lake, which is on the border of California and Nevada. She spent a lot of her childhood vacationing there, so it seems like the perfect place to reset and re-find that happiness and herself. But the first meeting with her first estate sale client does not go as she's planned because it ends up being John Boggs, the guy in the bar. All right, john has a lot of unresolved issues around his relationship with his father, whose estate is what Francesca is going to be selling off. Side note, both John and his father, Ricky, were professional baseball players, which is also another thing that you got specifically for me. I'm a baseball fan. 

Nicole:

I tried. I saw the synopsis and I was like this is amazing. 

Meghan:

Yeah, it had all things. But after his baseball career ended, Ricky, the dad bought a local pub in Spirit Lake area and nearly ran it to the ground because he was not good with money. Now it's John's job to revamp the place, give it a grand reopening, try and make it successful again. So, both he and Francesca have a lot of personal transition kind of going on at the moment. What follows is a slow burn romance like slow burn from both their perspectives. And that's it for me too. No more spoilers.

Nicole:

Okay, okay, I kind of want to read this one.

Meghan:

It was fun. 

Nicole:

Yeah.

Meghan:

Here's a few things I just…none of this is necessarily where I'm like, “I got, I got things, I got stuff to say!”  It's none of that.  It's really just kind of some little thoughts. 

First of all, the fact that the last name is Boggs. I am really hoping that Margaret Rose was doing that as a nod to Wade Boggs, which…right. So, Wade Boggs for anybody out there who's not a baseball person, was a player for the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays.  And it is well known that he was a heavy drinker and was probably drunk during most of his games. And from one city to another would have an astronomical amount of beers, and the record that they know for sure was at least 73 beers on one flight. 

Nicole:

Shut the hell up.

Meghan:

Yeah, and that is what they know for sure. Wade is pretty sure it was actually 107. So, yes, and again, anybody out there a fan of “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?” There's an episode where the gang tries to recreate Wade Boggs and do as many beers as he does on a flight. I forgot about that, so funny. So anyway, I'm just hoping that that was a nod to Wade Boggs, because it caught my attention right off the bat. 

Yeah, there's a line. Francesca and John are going to an estate sale and she says, about the estate sale, “the bathrooms are hands down the scariest place at any estate sale, by the way. No guts, no glory.” And then she heads right into the bathroom to see what kind of stuff she can find, at which point in time, a couple minutes later, she comes out wearing a wig she found in the bathroom and starts to pretend like she's this other character. She's like I'm Wanda, I'm Wanda and I'm here to hang out with you, honey, and she's like brushing all this hair out of her face. I love it. I love the fact that she was like just being super silly and felt like she could be herself. 

Yeah, there was a line where she says that he was at least a foot taller than her and she's five foot eleven. So she's very tall and he's very tall.

Nicole:

Holy shit.

Meghan:

Yeah. But then later in the book they're talking about one of his friends being six foot eight and how he's towering over everybody else. So, I'm like I wasn't sure if I missed something between heights and I didn't have time to go back and look, but I was like these are gargantuan people. I'm like 5’ 4.5”.  So if you're a 5'11", you are a very tall woman. And I loved the fact that, like I said, she didn't have all the self-confidence in the world but because she knew that he already was towering over her, she felt confident enough to wear heels on one of their outings. And I loved that too, because she mentioned how she always feels like she's too Amazonian and it made her feel comfortable that she could wear these really cute shoes. 

Nicole:

Yeah.

Meghan:

And then to talk more about the thrifting.  The thrifting is such my thing. In the very beginning she's mentioning how she can really relate to not just the people who are having these estate sales, but the stuff she says. “Other people's stuff has a certain kind of life to it. This cast iron skillet, for example, has been through tough times. I feel a kinship with this skillet. We've been burned, we've been tossed aside and mistreated, we've been neglected and taken for granted.” I was like, yep, I can feel you there, girl. That's pretty deep for a cast iron skillet, yeah, but you can feel that in your soul, right?

Nicole:

Fore sure.

Meghan:

This book had everything that is like my husband and myself, which I thought was funny. All of it was in this one character. She plays the lottery, she comes from a family that owned an arcade game company, she's dating the baseball player, she loves thrifting, she does the lists and she's an oversharer.  I’m like, all of that, is like a nice combo of me and my husband.  I thought that was kind funny. 

As for just the “I have thoughts” which I always bring into the game. 

Nicole:

You always have thoughts. 

Meghan:

There's always theI  “I have thoughts.” Two things. First of all, when you think about eloping, define that to me. When somebody elopes, what does that mean to? 

Nicole:

You are basically getting married without a giant hullabaloo. 

Meghan:

So to you it's not necessarily getting married in secret. I always feel like eloping is you run away and not everybody knows about it Like it's secret. 

Nicole:

I mean that can be a form of eloping, but for me in general it just means getting married without all the bells and whistles, so to speak. 

Meghan:

Interesting, okay, and that's how they're kind of treating it in this book too. Another couple talks about eloping. And I've always thought that, like, eloping was like, ooh, we're doing something secret that nobody knows about, right? I just am curious if other people had my perspective on it, or where that came from in my head, my other, I have thoughts as somebody who also writes. 

I don't know if I would find it super annoying or super helpful if one of my audience members reached out and said you realize there's a spelling mistake on page number XYZ. Is that a thing? Somebody help me out here? Is that annoying? Is it helpful? 

Nicole:

You know. I would like to know the answer to that as well, because I swear to God, in every book, no matter who the author is, I catch minimum one spelling or grammar error, and in some books one on practically every page. Do you write to the publisher? Do you let the author know, or are you assuming the author's heard from 123 other people that, yes, it was spelled wrong on page 53? 

Meghan:

Exactly, and I don't want to pile on because I know anything I write is going to have grammatical errors or spelling errors. Inevitably, if I'm writing 300, some pages, there's going to be something in there that kind of just for whatever reason gets missed. So yeah, that's just a curiosity. 

Nicole:

So what spice level would you give “Kissing Bandit”, Meghan? 

Meghan:

I'd give it a jalapeno.

Nicole:

A jalapeno. 

Meghan:

Yeah, I'd give it a jalapeno. And I think I forgot to mention too, because I don't want to do spoilers, I really enjoyed the grand gesture in this book. I thought it was fun. So, the grand gesture itself was not spicy, but it just kind of made me think of what led up to that. So, yeah, jalapeno, for sure.

Nicole:

Nice. Any foods?

Meghan:

Quite a few foods. Our girl is allergic to shellfish so she was avoiding all that. She is a junk food junkie so at one point in time she had a plate full of chips when she was at a picnic and he was making fun of her because he's like, “seriously, a plate of chips?”

Nicole:

Wow, that's judgy, and uncalled for. 

Meghan:

Yeah, and he's more of a health food guy, so there was like some back and forth about that. She didn't really know how to cook. He was trying to teach her how to chop vegetables and make food. So, it was very nice. They were very kind to each other. So, yeah, things like that. And a lot of pastries. I feel like we've gotten a lot of pastries in our books, and there was a local pastry shop that she stopped past quite a few times. How about you? 

Nicole:

We had some Sunday lunch after church with fried chicken and potatoes and all the fixings which I was then craving fried chicken and I made Bob get fried chicken for us last night because I was like I need fried chicken at this point. That sounds really good. And then there were a lot of beers, some Maker's Mark bourbon, which I do like that bourbon, it's not my absolute fave but I do enjoy it. Pb&j sandwiches, which I thought was funny, and then Rice Krispie Treats. Who doesn't love a Rice Krispie Treat? 

Meghan:

I love a good Rice Krispie Treat. If I had been drinking right now of the alcoholic type, I would have been able to choose from beers and there was quite a bit of tequila. 

Nicole:

All right, boobie prize, Meghan.

Meghan:

Dude. boobie prize is now, for the second time, one of the reasons that we were running late. 

Nicole:

Did you have to go back and find it? 

Meghan:

Yes, I keep forgetting.  And I'm forgetting when it's a book I'm enjoying reading. That's what I'm realizing…is the problem is, in a book that I am not having fun. I can find that right away, because I'm just trying to log through it and highlight the things I need. 

I was enjoying reading this book, so I blew past it. It took me a long time to find the boobie prize and in fact I marked two pages, because when I got to page 228, I was like there's no way. That's the first time, and so then I had to start again from the beginning and try again, because I'm like there's just no way. So my first time through, I thought it was page 228. It is not. It is page 90. 

Nicole:

Okay, that's a huge difference. 

Meghan:

I had to go back. It took it took me God, I want to say 40 minutes, 35 minutes to find it. “A drip of water rolls down my chin and hits her chest right in the center, where her breasts slightly swell.” They had just gotten out of the water from a swim. How about you?

Nicole:

Well, I finally beat you Page 59, but I'm not gonna lie, I was starting to get a little antsy as the book continued on. I'm like did I miss it? Did I miss it? So, page 59, and the reference is, “nope, I've got curves, breasts that have gotten looks since eighth grade, but some junk in the trunk as well.” 

Meghan:

Nice.

Nicole:

Which I have, junk in my trunk, but I definitely have not gotten looks at my breasts since eighth grade, so I cannot relate. I don't think I even got boobs till college and even then it was like hmm, padded. 

Meghan:

Yeah, I still don't really have them. We always joke that if I were ever to become a stripper, I would go by the name Tiny Maracas. 

Nicole:

Yes, now on the stage, “Tiny Maracas.” 

So what's your romantic reminder? 

Meghan:

I'd say to allow yourself to be silly. I loved the scene where she came out of the bathroom wearing the wig.  It was just really funny.  I hesitate to call it “roll play” because they weren’t doing it in a sexual way, the fact that she walked out with the wig, and he immediately just went along with it and they just joked about it. It was really fun and it felt like a real moment between people who were just enjoying each other's company. So be silly, allow yourself to be silly. I think that just that adds to the relationship building. 

Nicole:

I love that. That's a good one. 

Meghan:

Thank you. And what do you get for being romantical?

Nicole:

Mine is to enjoy small town moments and dates. This book kind of reminded me of your last book where they were going on all these little picnics and everything. And I think even if you live in Hootertown, Kentucky, there can still be lots of great hometown fun to engage in, like country line dancing at the local townie bar and good eats at your one little fancy restaurant in town, and 4th of July parades and picnics. And so, I think, enjoying those small-town moments and dates. It may not be that exciting if you've been there your whole life, but I think if you take it from a fresh perspective and see it from a fresh stance, it can be a really fun, romantic thing. 

Meghan:

Absolutely. And funny if mine, again this time around, was a small-town vibe, to the point where I was relating to a lot of it that the gal who worked at the motel also worked at the restaurant, which shocked Francesca. She went to the restaurant. She's like wait, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at work at the hotel. The gal was like, oh, I just put a note up that said that I would be back. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that's. We just talked about that in the last episode. And I'm like that's 100%, exactly it, yeah. 

Nicole:

Yeah.  Or not the last episode, but the episode before that.

Meghan:

Yep.  Yeah, because that absolutely happens right here where I live. 

Nicole:

Yeah, and you specifically mentioned that the hotel. 

Meghan:

Yeah, I laughed when I saw that. I'm like, oh yeah, small town vibes, I got you. 

Nicole:

Well, I'm getting excited for what's coming up this fall for the podcast. On the next episode, we're going to be talking about our bookish biddie brunch, talking about some new bookstores that have opened up in Milwaukee.  We're going to get to hang out together in Milwaukee and it's our one-year anniversary of the podcast. We started in September of last year. We've made it a year. 

Meghan:

Look at us. 

Nicole:

And then we're going to be heading into Creature Feature October.

Meghan:

Oh boy.

Nicole:

And I'm wondering if we need four episodes and not just two, because I have so many Halloween books that I want to get into. 

Meghan:

I think that's actually a really good idea. I've got zombies and vampires.  And girl… the two books I just got in the mail for Creature Feature Boy. You guys…

Nicole:

Did you get the Mothman one? 

Meghan:

I did. I got the Mothman one. That one I'm really excited about. That is not the one I'm hesitant on. I got something else. 

Nicole:

What'd you get? 

Meghan:

No, I'm not talking about it yet. You gotta wait, but I will tell you. When I saw it, I ordered two and these books were way smaller than I anticipated.  And I'm like, oh, I don't know how they're going to fit all the romance in these small books and I'm a little bit worried.

Nicole:

Okay, well, we'll discuss more after the recording, but I think we should maybe do like four regular episodes for Creature Feature Month in October. 

Meghan:

Absolutely, I think that's a good idea. 

Nicole:

Well, I think that's it for this episode.

Meghan:

All right. Well, thank you, folks for joining us today for Romance on the Rocks. Please like, subscribe and follow, and if you are a hopelessly romantic 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.