{"podcast":{"title":"What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads","slug":"what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","podcast_index_feed_id":9873,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/whattoreadnext/","website_url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f7acd6df-7bd5-4b9f-bdcd-cc1c6c790629/4osSDj37v6rAcBIBBysi07ET.png","author":"Laura R Yamin","episode_count":928,"summary":"You know you want to read. You just don't know what. What to Read Next is the podcast for readers who love romance, thrillers, and women's fiction — and spend more time staring at their TBR than actually reading it. I'm Laura, and twice a week I bring you book recommendations built around one thing: how you actually feel right now. Not what's new. Not what's trending. The right book for this exact mood, this exact moment, this exact week of your life. Some weeks that means asking an author what they read for joy — not what they wrote, but what they reach for when they need to escape. Their answer is always your next discovery. Some weeks it means me telling you exactly what I read, what stayed with me, what I DNF'd at 40% and why, and which one I'd press into your hands right now if we were having coffee. Romance across every subgenre. Psychological thrillers. Beach reads with actual substance. Women's fiction that makes you feel seen. The books that give you the escape you came for — and a few that'll quietly change how you see things too. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The Reading Receipt — my weekly reading log — drops every Thursday on Substack. Start anywhere. The r…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T20:17:08.396085+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873"},"episode":{"title":"Magical Forest Fantasy Books with Love Stories with Elly Blake","slug":"magical-forest-fantasy-books-with-love-stories-with-elly-blake","published_at":"2026-04-02T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/magical-forest-fantasy-books-with-love-stories-with-elly-blake","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/99c7fb91-37e2-4074-bcf3-bf08907b7e79.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Romantasy before it was cool? In this episode, I sit down with Elly Blake to talk about her journey writing fantasy romance—and how the genre has completely transformed over the years. We chat about the evolution from YA fantasy to adult romantasy, what readers really want (hint: it’s the romance), and how Elly built her newest Thirstwood series from fairy tales, folklore, and a haunting “bloodthirsty forest” idea. If you love enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, and magical worlds with high emotional stakes, this episode is for you. 📚 Books Mentioned Frostblood by Elly Blake — Buy on Amazon | Fantasy Romance | Audio ✅ Forest King’s Daughter by Elly Blake — Buy on Amazon | Romantasy, Fairy Tale Inspired | Audio ✅ Curse Queen’s Daughter by Elly Blake — Buy on Amazon | Romantasy, Enemies-to-Lovers | Audio ✅ Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alicia Dow — Buy on Amazon | YA Fantasy Romance, Fairytale | Audio ✅ ⏱️ Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Elly Blake [01:00] Her journey into fantasy & romantasy [02:30] What “romantasy” really means [04:30] How romance reshaped the fantasy market [06:00] YA vs adult fantasy—what’s changing [08:00] Overview of Thirstwood series [10:00] The bloodthirsty forest concept [11:30] Book 1: friends-to-enemies-to-lovers setup [12:30] Book 2: Hades & Persephone vibes + mystery [14:30] Coming-of-age themes in fantasy [16:00] Reading habits: paper vs audiobooks [17:00] Book recommendation: Alicia Dow [19:30] Where to find Elly Blake Join the Conversation Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. ( wtrnblog.substack.com ) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read Next Subscribe & leave a…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Romantasy before it was cool? In this episode, I si…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1242,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/magical-forest-fantasy-books-with-love-stories-with-elly-blake/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/magical-forest-fantasy-books-with-love-stories-with-elly-blake.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}