Textual Tension artwork

Textual Tension

147 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 54 ratings

The comedy podcast that unpacks the bananas world of romance novels.

Books Arts Comedy comedy romance literature books book reviews social commentary feminism
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Episodes

Ep. 137: Now With 100% More Lizards

March 26, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MB

We're back with another exciting installment of "Is It Gay Enough?!"! As always, the answer is no, but we think we're getting close! This week, Your Co-Host Rachel tells Margie all about Gravitational Attraction by Angel Martinez. Strap on your space pants and get yourself a space snack, because we're going....TO SPACE Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 136: Snake Boobs

March 12, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 47.8 MB

What's your favorite color? Is it red? blue? green?....gold? Your Co-Host Margie is taking us on a journey of self discovery; full of twists, turns, and dragony wings as she tells us all about Dragon Foretold by Eve Langlais! Where will we end up? We hope you can tell us because we still don't know! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 135: Incest (but not like that)

February 27, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 54.9 MB

Last time on Textual Tension....Margie was upset that Rachel read a really good book....Today? Vindication.  How's that for a dramatic intro? Rachel is redeeming her self by telling Margie all about Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. Because what's sexier than some light impaling? Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Episode 134: The Loose Wet Shrimp Multiverse

February 13, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 40.4 MB

Guys, Marvel's got nothing on us here at Textual Tension. This week, tune in as Margie tells Rachel about Odette Stone's Beautiful Russian Monster.  Listen, STREET SMARTS: NEVER allow yourself to be taken to a secondary location. Or a third, or a fourth, or a fifth...

Episode 133: Oops! All Commandments

January 23, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 41.2 MB

Listeners, Rachel has let us down AGAIN. That's RIGHT, she found ANOTHER good book. UGH, honestly Rachel RUDE. How DARE you tell us about Manda Collins adorable AND cozy book A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. Honestly the book was ANNOYINGLY good, with 11th hour kidnappings, labyrinths, and dusty old shed smooches. Rachel, how DARE you. The AUDACITY.

Episode 132: Move and Move On

January 16, 2024 05:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MB

Hey friends! Margie is back with a bang! (ooohhh maybe I should have put that better). This week Margie tells Rachel about Jennifer Snyder's Redemption of a Wolf, and well...look this episode isn't sponsored by Better Help but hey...it could be.  As could the characters. (Don't put your friends down, it's just not nice.)

Ep. 131: Short King (feat. The Ladies of Strange)

January 01, 2024 00:00 - 1 hour - 49.8 MB

Happy New Year! And what better way to ring in the new year than with a friend...and also an EXTREMELY gay book. We sure can't think of one! This week, Your Co-Host Rachel is joined by Tiffany of The Ladies of Strange! Listen in as we hear all about The Magpie Lord, by K. J. Charles. Magic? Check. Gay? Check. Sexy tattoos? A thousand times check Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Episode 130: W.W.C.D...D?

December 19, 2023 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MB

Have we given much thought to what Charles Dickens TRULY wanted in A Christmas Story? Was he perhaps looking for...an alien romance fanfiction of his work? I think we should at LEAST consider it. Please tune in to Margie telling Rachel about Honey's Phillips's Skruj.

Episode 129: Oh, She Dead

December 05, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 45.3 MB

Please enjoy our latest episode! This week Rachel covers Linda Howard's Death Angel. There is definitely quite enough death...and then not death...and almost murdering. And OOOHHHHHH MAFIA BOIS?!?! <3 <3 Can you tell Margie wrote this description? Anyway enjoy!

Episode 128: Angel's Fall Bar and Grille

November 21, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MB

Hey listeners! Welcome back to another installment of Margie's Mafia Restaurant Madness! This week we're tackling another Michelle Heard novel: Tempted by the Devil. Get comfy, get your mozzarella sticks, and DON'T go murdering people in your family restaurant. 

Ep. 127: Earth...Water...Fire...Latkes

November 07, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 47.5 MB

Your Co-Hosts are still holding on to spooky season and are insisting on running amok amok amok! So strap in as Rachel tells Margie all about Whispers of the Dead by Adaline Winters! We've got spook. We've got paranormal. We've got religious figures that canonically exist? We've got it all! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 126: Swoledilocks

October 24, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 60 MB

It may be spooky season, but books don't have to be about the supernatural to be scary! This week, Margie is telling Rachel all about H. D. Carlton's Haunting Adeline! A book so scary it made us check our locks three times....And if you're interested in hearing more about Anti-Semitism in modern conspiracy theories, stick around until the end of the episode! If you or someone you know has been a victim of stalking or similar upsetting behavior, please check out the Victim Connect Resource M...

Throwback: Ep. 58: Scientology Fanfiction

October 10, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MB

It's a throwback everyone! Your Co-Host Rachel had some unexpected travel pop up and it really threw a spanner in the works. So here's a fun throwback that has all sorts of spooky stuff in it! And don't you worry. We'll make sure you get all of the spooky episodes you could want this spooky season. As if this would stop us! Cults? Kidnapping? Werewolves? Could this get any stranger?! Believe us. It can and it will. There might even be some robots that show up. Listen in as Margie tells Rach...

Ep. 125: thirst or Thirst?

September 26, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 51.8 MB

What do you get when you combine an uncharted island full of hot, hunky men, one shipwrecked woman, and Mermen? Not what you think! This week, Rachel is telling Margie all about Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. You can have as many guesses as you'd like to try to predict where this book goes. You'll be wrong every time Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 124: Ceviche?! NO

September 12, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 51.5 MB

It begins. The swift descent into spooky season. We're not excited AT. ALL. So not excited, in fact, that we're covering our first werewolf book of the season! Your Co-Host Margie is telling Rachel all about Sharon Ashwood's, Possessed by a Wolf. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is giving us Dean Winchester in Law and Order and we're intrigued... Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 123: Built Ford Different

August 29, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 51.2 MB

We all love a good comfort book every once in a while. And that's exactly what we have for you this week! Your Co-Host Rachel is telling Margie all about her favorite romance novel: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews! We've got some great world building, some snarky characters, and some social commentary on wealth disparity. What's not to love?! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 122: Genetically Enhanced Ford F150

August 15, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 49.8 MB

Aliens. Smash or Pass? That's what your favorite Co-Hosts are trying to determine this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Mina Carter's, Alien Mercenary's Bride! The year is sometime in the future probably. The planet is somewhere out in space that's definitely not Earth. It's all still probably controlled by Disney. Will our heroes survive capitalism AND the trials of love?! I guess we'll just have to wait and see... Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 121: F Me and My Physics

July 18, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 50.1 MB

It's been a while since your Co-Hosts have been to the ocean. Even longer since we've been UNDER it! Tune in this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Dee Henderson's, Undetected. What will we find 20,000 leagues under the sea? Probably some bad science.... Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 120: You Should Get That Checked Out

July 04, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 53.1 MB

It's time for our roaring 20s! Well....30s....Rachel is telling Margie all about Amanda Quick's, The Lady has a Past: a noir-style book full of fast women and sexy men in suits. What more could you want? Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 119: Mutual Brooding

June 20, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 49.7 MB

It's Pride take two baby! Your favorite Co-Hosts are taking a nice, wholesome adventure into the realm of LGBTQ+ romance this week as Margie tells Rachel all about Alexis Hall's, A Lady for a Duke. Because honestly, who doesn't love a good story about loving, accepting people falling for each other and making each other better people?   Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 118: The Depths of Target

June 06, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.9 MB

Happy Pride!! Your Co-hosts are kicking of the most colorful time of year with a listener recommendation! Rachel is telling Margie all about Lianyu Tan's, Captive in the Underworld. Much like Persephone, we just can't seem to stay away from that pesky Hades! Check out our Instagram   :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Episode 117: A Tenuous...Relationship?

May 23, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.1 MB

Hello listeners! Caught in a...tenuous romance? This week, Margie gives Rachel all the deets on Chelsea Cain's Heartsick. Can it be considered a romance at all? Are some romances just abusive? Are we reading too much into these books? Does this smell like chloroform to you?! What's tenuous? Why is Margie editing?! Tune in!

Ep. 116: 10 Outa 10

May 09, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 54.9 MB

Kidnappings, strip clubs, and diamond heists oh my! Your favorite Co-Hosts are taking a trip to the desert as Rachel tells Margie all about Partners in Crime, by Alisha Rai. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but this book is going to stick with us for a good long time! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 115: It's Time to D-D-D-D-Duel!

April 25, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 49.1 MB

What qualities do you hate most in a partner? What would someone have to do to make you want to set them on fire? How much privilege is too much? These are the hard hitting questions that your favorite Co-Hosts will try to answer today on Textual Tension! Join in as Margie tells Rachel all about The Stopover by T L Swan. A book full of annoying "Alphas" and the women that have to put up with them. Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 114: This is Her Fault

April 11, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MB

In a podcast full of problematic books, how can one stand out? Your Co-Host Rachel is about to find out! Listen in as Rachel takes Margie into some wild places as she tells her all about Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins. Strap in y'all! It's a crazy one! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 113: Brought to You By Bass Pro Shop

March 28, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MB

Okay, but not really....Bass Pro shop probably doesn't want anything to do with the gods. But you know who does? Your Co-Hosts Rachel and Margie! Margie is telling Rachel about Scarlett Sinclair's A Touch of Darkness. Sure it's wildly popular on book-tok, but will we like it too? Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 112: Barbie Dream Counseling

March 14, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.2 MB

What do you get when you cross dust bunnies, crystals, and FrEqUeNcIeS? Siren's Call by Jayne Castle! Rachel is taking Margie to alien worlds full of paranormal harmonies and singing monsters. But the real question is...what type of monsters?! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 111: The Feminist Agenda

February 28, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 50.3 MB

What sort of rabbit hole have the Textual Tension Co-Hosts gotten themselves in to today? Why a deeply controversial one of course! Armed only with research and a dead look in her eyes, Margie is telling Rachel all about Ladies First, by Liberty Adams. Join us as we strive to answer the burning question: Will romance novels ever be great again? Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 110: Don't Worry! (feat. Fairytale Fix)

February 14, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 62.7 MB

It's a valentine's day miracle! Your Co-Hosts Margie and Rachel are joined by Abbie and Kelsey of Fairytale fix to unpack a truly wild tale. Rachel is telling everyone about The Mermaid's Knight by Jill Miles. Fairytale retellings, time travel, and warlords. What could possibly go wrong? Check out Fairytale Fix! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Throwback: Ep. 58 - This is Your Brain on Drugs

January 31, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 50 MB

Hello All! Your Co-Host Rachel is back from a long trip and...still recovering...Who knew jet lag sucked? We're hopping in to your feed with a throwback to one of our favorite episodes! We'll be back in two weeks with a brand-shiny-new episode! Maybe with friends? I'll never tell! Holy Angels Batman! Rachel and Margie are headed off to Heaven, with a few stops at some seedy early 2000s nightclubs along the way. Rachel tells Margie all about Gena Showalter's Wicked Nights. Check out our Ins...

Ep. 109: Flesh Peddler

January 17, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MB

Just how bad does a partner have to be before they are un-datable? Where do you draw the line? Your favorite Co-Hosts are attempting to answer that question this week as they tackle Captured, by Michelle Heard. It turns out for some people, pretty bad is still just fine Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 108: Biblically Accurate Angels

January 03, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 51.2 MB

It's part 2 of the Textual Tension gift exchange! Rachel is giving Margie the gift of her favorite romance novel genre! Listen in as Rachel tells Margie all about That Mafioso Magic by Nicholas Bella. What does YOUR birthmark say about your personality?  Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 107: Daddy

December 20, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 53.6 MB

Is it getting cold in here? Let us help you! Margie is taking Rachel to the beach with Jane Rowe's, Taken by the Shark. Can YOU identify the moment that your Co-host Rachel breaks? Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 106: Human Capri Suns

December 06, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 54.5 MB

What do you get when you combine drinking blood, mind control, immortality, and fast healing? If you guessed "vampires", then you have another thing coming! Listen in as Rachel tells Margie all about Meant to be Immortal by Lynsay Sands, and get ready for the wildest plot twist you can imagine! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 105: Ever Vigilant

November 22, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 54.5 MB

There are still Romance genres that Rachel and Margie haven't covered? It must be a Thanksgiving miracle! Join your favorite co-hosts as they dive in to the wild world of Amish romance novels with Kelly Long's,  The Amish Heart of Ice Mountain.   Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 104: The Full Gena

November 08, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 53.7 MB

Happy Spookiest Times! The Textual Tension crew isn't ready to give up the Halloween spirit quite yet! Listen in as Rachel scares Margie senseless by telling her all about Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter. What's scarier than a Gena Showalter novel? Well honestly we're not entirely sure.... Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 102: Deep Lore

October 25, 2022 04:00 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MB

What was that? Did you see it? In the woods? It's a new spooky episode! Margie is taking Rachel camping this time around and telling her all about Sleeping with Sasquatch by Honey Cummings. Make sure you bring your trail cameras and road snacks!  Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 101: Bastardized!

October 04, 2022 19:00 - 1 hour - 52.4 MB

Jane Austin fans beware! Rachel is taking special guest host Julia on a journey through the deepest, darkest classic(?) literature. Rachel tells Julia all about Gwyn Cready's, Seducing Mr. Darcy. It's time to answer the most burning question in all of fanfiction: is it still fanfiction if none of the characters or the plot are recognizable? Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Throwback: Ep 1: 20,000 Problems Under the Sea

September 20, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 50.6 MB

Who's ready for a throwback? Rachel and Margie throw it WAY back to Episode 1, as they both recover from the plague. Check out the Patreon exclusive revisit of Gina Showalter's, The Nymph King at patreon.com/textualtension! We are a bi-monthly podcast that summarizes, reviews, and pokes fun at the world of romance novels. Every other week one of your co-hosts Rachel or Margie will summarize a romance novel.  The other co-host will listen in on the story for the first time along with our lis...

Ep. 100b: Nice Nice Nice

September 08, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MB

It's a (not so surprise) bonus episode! We couldn't leave everyone hanging with that RIVETING cliff hanger from last episode. Join us in this special two-parter as Rachel tells Margie all about the exciting conclusion to the Fifty Shades sage: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James!

Ep. 100a: Nice Nice

September 06, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 58 MB

It's episode 100 y'all! What could possible be worth covering for our 100th episode? Why the next installment in, quite possibly, the most popular romance novel of all time! Join us as Rachel tells Margie all about E.L. James' Fifty Shades Darker, and we celebrate 100 episodes of insanity! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 99b: Resentment (Feat. The Ladies of Strange)

August 25, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 67.1 MB

What's this? A bonus episode?! As a huge thank you for almost 100 episodes, Margie and Rachel are once again joined by the Ladies of Strange to complete our Twilight Saga! Join us as Margie outlines the pure insanity that is Stephenie Meyer's  Breaking Dawn! This is technically the fourth part in our Twilight series, but don't worry! You don't need to have listened to the other episodes to enjoy this one! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 99a: Meet Your Second Wife! (Feat. The Ladies of Strange)

August 23, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MB

It's Episode 99 (part a?!)! In honor of our last episode in the double digits (or is it?!), your Co-Hosts are revisiting the ever popular Twilight series. Join us as Margie takes Rachel, Tiffany, Ashely, and Rebecca on a convoluted trek through the world of Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse! A world where love triangles about, and plot is hard to come by! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 98: Suddenly, Mothman

August 09, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 51.8 MB

Your Co-Hosts are taking their first foray into the wide, wide world of cryptid romance! Did you know that was a thing? We didn't! At least not until Margie decided to tell Rachel all about Like a MothMan to a Flame by Remy Cavilich! Life is just full of surprises, isn't it? Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 97: If 10 Million Fireflies

July 26, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.3 MB

You would not believe your eyes! If we had ANOTHER gay romance novel episode! Tune in this week as Rachel tells Margie all about Alyssa Cole's How to Find a Princess!  Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Throwback: Ep. 69: Nice

July 12, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 80.3 MB

It's a throwback y'all! To quite possibly the most iconic romance novel of all time. No special reason we picked this one. Definitely not because of any....big milestones coming up or anything... "In honor of 69 dissected romance novels, Rachel and Margie tackle one of the most popular romance novels of all time, 50 Shades of Gray by E. L. James. It only took 69 episodes for Your Co-Host Rachel to break, but it finally happened"

Ep. 96: My Immortal

June 28, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB

Well we've done it. Your Co-Host Margie found us a truly bad gay book! Is it a Pride miracle, or a travesty? YOU be the judge! Listen in as Margie tells Rachel all about A. C. Katt's, Remy's Painter Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Episode 95: Gayotic

June 14, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.7 MB

Happy Pride everyone! We hope that you all are out there being gay and doing crime! (OK maybe not crime...well maybe. IDK live  your dream. Can you tell Margie edited this week yet?) This week, Rachel tells Margie all about Erica Ridley's The Perks of Loving a Wallflower. And can we just say...it's pretty gay. Gay enough? No, never. But pretty gay!

Ep. 94: Loose Wet Shrimp

May 31, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.8 MB

Who's ready for something wholesome? We sure are! Well...maybe "wholesome" isn't quite right...but we're still in to it! Margie is telling Rachel all about The Penalty Box by Odette Stone! Its sports ball time!  Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

Ep. 93: Omni-Dimensional Caine of Cocainewood

May 17, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.8 MB

We're back baby! Rachel and Margie are back from hiatus with a truly terrible book. Get our your corkboards and red string because Rachel is telling us all about Julie Garwood's, Guardian Angel! Check out our Instagram  :  Twitter  :  Facebook  :  Goodreads  :   Website

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@ttensionpod 42 Episodes