Forced Proximity: a husband, a wife, a romance novel: Recent Episodes
Megan Montgomery & Johnathon Olavarria
Romance writer wife shares and reviews her favorite romance novels and films with her sports-loving husband and not-so-shockingly, he wants to convince the men of the world to read and watch more romance.
Megan and Jonathan have a riveting discussion on all things Love is Blind Season 6. We have favorite moments, cringeworthy moments, and which contestants resonated the most. It is a can't miss episode!
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We got the assignment done! We did however go off the rails and had riveting discussion about our unconventional celeb crushes.
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We are back! On this episode we tak about what we have been up to, books Megan read, shows we watched together, and all things Hank.
The show will be a bit different, we do not know what the final product will end up looking like, but we hope you stick around because it will be fun.
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This week we watched Ang Lee's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Megan was pleasantly surprised on how much Johnathon enjoyed the movie!
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
Contact us @ forcedproximitypodcast@gmail.com
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This week we have an amazing conversation about one of favorite movies knocked up.
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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Join us as we discuss "People we meet on vacation" by Emily Henry.
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
Contact us @ forcedproximitypodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome back to us. After a few weeks of being under the weather we are on the mend and bring you our take on Marry Me staring Jenifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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We are thrilled to have reached our 100th episode. Of course we had to do a Bridgerton season 2 episode, and of course we had to have our favorite guest Petra Orloff on. This episode is full of hot takes from everyone.
Also, we are FAMOUS! We are proud to announce that FeedSpot ranked us one of the 50 best Romance Podcasts! Check out the other amazing podcasts here.
you can find Petra on Instagram @petraorloff
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
Contact us @ fircedproximitypodcast@gmail.com
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The Bucharest Dossier by William Maz
CIA analyst Bill Hefflin is personally requested to fly to Romania by his KGB operative with the code name Boris. However, Romania is not as foreign to him as he led his colleagues to believe. When Bill returns to the place of his birth and very early childhood, he gets feelings of nostalgia and investigates his foggy past. However, he does not have much time for personal matters as he is witnessing an uprising and eventual overthrow of the brutal Ceausescu communist regime.
The Bucharest Dossier is great expectations, meets James Bond, meets the end of the cold war. The Romance is steamy, the espionage is exhilarating, and the uprising is illuminating. With so many twists, turns, and revelations this book will have you pacing around the room as you read!
You can find William @ https://www.williammaz.com/
Link for the book:https://www.amazon.com/Bucharest-Dossier-William-Maz-ebook/dp/B091G2FRM8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AD9Y7Y90Y69C&keywords=the+bucharest+dossier&qid=1649024291&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+buch%2Cdigital-text%2C73&sr=1-1
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@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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We finish up Moviesode March with "The Mummy". A rare episode where Megan and Johnathon do not agree!
You can find us on Instagram:
@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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This week Megan and Jonathon talk about How To Marry a Millionaire, a quirky and cute movie from the 50's. It was a lot of fun discussing this one.
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@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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This week we keep the moviesode march train chugging with "Leap Year", staring Amy Adams and Mathew Goode.
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@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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Next up for Movisode March is "The Quiet Man" Staring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Johnathon may have a new movie in his top 5!
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@johnathon_forcedproximity
@meganmontgomerywrites
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We discuss "It happened one night". Staring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gabel. Perhaps the Gold Standard of Rom-Coms!
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Rebel by Beverly Jenkins
Rebel is the first novel in Beverly Jenkins' series follows a northern black woman’s(Valinda Lacey) journey to the deep south post-civil war.
Valinda goes to New Orleans trying help the newly emancipated community survive, thrive, and flourish. But soon she discovers that freedom comes at a dangerous cost. Racists destroy her school she and then set their sights on her. Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the big capable arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.
Captain LeVeq is an architect from an old New Orleans family, which gives him a deep personal interest in rebuilding the city. He was raised by a strong single mother, and he sees the same strong will in Valinda. Needless to say he can't stop pining after her. It is safe to say Valinda makes Captain LeVeq stand at attention.
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Fastest way to fall is a duel POV romance featuring Britta Colby who works for a lifestyle website, and Wes Lawson CEO of Fitme a new fitness app that focuses on body positivity and the journey of wellness. Britta is given a chance at a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time by revving the app. Did I mention the app includes personal training?
The two main characters are paired up through the app and hit it off. As time goes by Britta begins to enjoy her wellness routine. Wes is also liking the relationship the two are building. They flirt back and forth through the messenger feature of the app and text. The flirting seems harmless to the both of them until they begin training in person. One on one mano y womano. The Sexual tension can be cut with a knife, and they know it.
What make it even more taboo is Wes is not supposed t have face to face meetings with clients and Britta’s journalistic credibility is in Jeopardy if she is caught fraternizing with the CEO of the company, she should be giving an honest review. I hope Britta is into you because Wes is going to give her a good stretch.
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Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer at the end of her rope, she is on her way to a meeting that has life changing implications. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, wants Lowen finish the series his wife is unable to finish to a catastrophic car wreck that has left Verity in a vegetative state.
Jeremy insists Lowen visit the Crawford home, to sort and comb through years of Verity's notes and outlines, to find enough material to complete her task. What Lowen discovers is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. The manuscript is full of gut-wrenching admissions from Varity as well as a peak inside of a sinister mind capable of murdering her own child.
Lowen does not think Jeremy should have to endure reading the autobiography, knowing what is inside would further devastate and already broken man. Problem is Lowen catches feelings for Jeremey and Jeremy does for Lowen. As the two begin to explore their relationship Lowen starts to see Verity walking and staring at them as they are about to do it. This of course freaks Lowen out, and the Verity sightings become more frequent to boot. At this point Lowen feels Jeremy must read the manuscript to know the truth and to save his son Crew from potentially being murdered by Verity.
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We deep dive this all time classic and Johnathon didn't hate it!
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The love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.
PHD candidate Olive Smith is more into being in the lab than dating humans. Her friend Anh tries to convince her of the wonders of being in a relationship. Anh just happened to be in a relationship with the last guy Olive was in a relationship with, but never mind that. One late night in the lab to get Anh off her back she kisses the first living man in arm’s length.
That man is Kylo-ren, I mean Adam Carlsen, the young tough as nails, Sith lord professor who brings grown men to their knees in aguish with his feedback. Adam not into being grabbed an kissed by randos demands and explanation or he is filing a title 9 complaint. After a bit of back-and-forth Olive has a brilliant idea to fake date. It is a total clown fish and sea anemone situation.
Surprisingly all is going swimmingly, until Tom Adams friend who is more of a Sith than Adam decides he is going to force Olive into sleeping with him or he will steal her life’s work and blackball her from the scientific world. Real Harvey Weinstein type stuff, which leads to an epic fight at cheers.
Will Olive witness the power of Adam’s fully armed and operational battlestation?
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You know we had to do an episode on this one.
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We diverge a bit from straight up romance to read this "should be" holiday classic, 25 days till Christmas. Of course there is a romance involved. It wouldn't be us with out it!
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We have a lot of hot takes on this movie (mostly, we think this movie isn’t nearly as villainously problematic as some clickbaiters like to think) so listen in and see whether or not we touched on your favorite parts of this modern Christmas classic.
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This week, we welcome back our resident historical romance expert, Petra Orloff as we unpack Scandal in Spring and the many social grievances it brings to mind.
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This should be a good listen. It wasn’t a great watch.
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This is definitely a book to read! We kept things spoiler free this time, so you have no excuse!
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Spooky time means Puritan times for this wife.
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It’s Erotic October so gird your loins!
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This week we welcome back our resident historical romance expert Petra Orloff, as we discuss the beloved Sebastian St. Vincent in Devil In Winter, the 3rd book in the Wallflowers series.
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Yep. Megan here and this is my book. Buy it from this link if you want to satisfy your morbid curiosity:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096WLSF1T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_5VB1NZ9EHZ1H8HREJ7HG
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Caution: spoilers for the book Final Girls by Riley Sager.
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A mixed-bag of opinions on this one. Except both Johnathon & Megan agree that Brendan’s dirty talk is #1 bullshit.
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Bringing back 1993, via 1593 (ok, 1598).
The greatest enemies to lovers romance.
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Both of this mirror’s faces are Barbara Streisand-glam and Barbara Streisand-slightly-less-glam. The premise is great (what happens when you construct a marriage based on intellectual compatibility only, leaving sexual attraction completely out of the equation) but Streisand’s willingness to shine the soft-focus spotlight on herself was really off putting.
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One of favorite historicals! We hope you’ll read this fast-paced, Regency spy romance before you listen because there are SPOILERS!
Here’s a fun interview of Piers Brandon, Marquess of Granville by the author, Tessa Dare!
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This week, we broke with the theme slightly to discuss Hamilton, the musical.
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In this episode, we welcome back Petra Orloff, our historical romance resident to continue the discussion of Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series.
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Sometimes you can be married for 10 years and find out something that still surprises you. Johnathon had never seen The Wedding Singer.
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Shipped by Angie Hockman. The book you need to read this book this summer!
Henley Rose Evans is a digital marketing employee for sea quest cruises. A small company that specializes in long term cruises to amazing locations. Henley is up for the newly opened position of director of digital marketing, and she is shoe in. she is a busy little worker bee, she excels at her job, and is amazing at detail. The only problem is Graeme. Who is also good at the same job, with seemingly virtuosity level of competence. Oh yeah he’s a jerk, according to Henley that is.
Head of the Marketing department James decides it is a good idea for both to take a cruise for research of what customers experience. Henley deicides to choose the cruise to the Galapagos and takes her kid sister Walsh along. Every thing is okay until Henely realizes Graeme also chose the same cruise. Yuk!
As the two interact Graeme does not realize that he is in a battle with Henley, and doesn’t understand why she is so hostile towards him. Henley explains that it is because Graeme, over a video conference, took credit for work she did. After he Explains that he didn’t even realize what the conversation was about due to him not being 100% on top of his game and his crappy company phone. He heard his name and simply said thank you because he thought it would be a sufficient answer.
With the animosity cleared up the two begin to start a friendly relationship that grows into Graeme explaining his situation and how Henley in fact saved him, with out having actually met her and without her even knowing. Sparks fly , romance ensues, If the boat is a rockin’ you know the rest!
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Hey humans!
We’d love for you to rate us on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. It helps bring us to the fans that need to hear this stuff.
Also, our Patreon page is now live. You can join at the $4 level and help choose our content and listen to our Patreon-exclusive content (like A Discovery of Witches tv series episodes), and take us with you on your date nights.
https://www.patreon.com/ForcedProximity
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This is a long episode and that’s okay, because it has double the content.
In honor of our new Patreon account, where we’ll be streaming lots of All Souls content, we’re re-releasing a fan favorite episode and talking about the first episode of the first season of the tv show.
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This week we welcome our resident historical romance expert and podcast BFF, Petra Orloff to discuss Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. and Amy Heckerling’s Clueless.
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This week we watched both Fever Pitches from ‘97 and ‘05.
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Ugh. This episode was rough. Good book. And it probably won’t dredge up the childhood and adolescent traumas like it did for Megan, but the actual episode was rough.
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We had to. It's Valentine's Day, the cheesiest day of the entire year. A day that coats your tongue with garbage idioms of romance like the waxy chocolate that hallmarks February 14th. So I ask you: what better time to glory in the cheesiest romance-ish film of recent history, 50 Shades of Grey?
Do you love this film? Do you hate this film?
Yes. Us too. Its simultaneous ridiculousness meets a strange watchability. You'll just have to listen to our whiplash attempts to unpack this cultural monster.
Please leave a rating or review if you liked us! Ratings help us find our audience. Follow us on Instagram and connect with us there if you have questions, comments, or insights!
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We’re your hosts Johnathon and Megan and you’re listening to . . .
. . . Forced Proximity
Thanks for joining us today for a very special show about a very special book, The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon was such a quirky, (yeah, the word is overused but it fits here so get over it) geeky, enemies to fake exes to lovers, contemporary romance set in the world of public radio! Solomon explores so many relationships in her book and it was a delight to dig in to the many nuanced characters who live in Solomon’s Seattle.
Side note, duh, Megan. It’s utilitarianism that aims for the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Here’s a link to an NPR interview with the author, just in case you’re craving more from Shay and Dominic.
Please leave a rating or review if you liked us! Ratings help us find our audience. Follow us on Instagram and connect with us there if you have questions, comments, or insights!
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The coldest time of the year and we are CELEBRATING that!
In honor of love in the time of snowy days, we’re talking about what happened when the incomparable Kate Winslet and Idris Elba crash a plane on top of the Rocky Mountains and hoof it through the ice and snow to find civilization (and love, of course) in the film, The Mountain Between Us.
Sound familiar? Oh yeah, it’s kind of like that book we read last week! (See: WHITEOUT by Adriana Anders)
Please rate or review us if you liked what you heard. Ratings help us find the audience that actually wants to hear our married people bantering and bickering. While you’re at it, Let’s get to know each other on Instagram!
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A romantic suspense on our must read list!
Here’s a YouTube video of a very enthusiastic dude showing you around the ice tunnels.
Please do follow the rabbit trails of Antarctica. You’re going to want the extra visuals while reading this.
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Casting greatness. Okayish script.
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WARNING: don’t listen if you are related to Megan. This book brings up “dad” talk. It’s a touchy subject and Megan is under no delusion that she’s a nice person. 💀
To everyone else, just know this gets dark. Listener discretion advised.
We don’t mention that Calla and Jonah’s story continues with Wild at Heartand Forever Wildbut if you want to follow this basic couple through their relationship, there you go.
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Welcome to Season 2!
This is all we’re going to say about Bridgerton, because you have to listen.
https://www.themarysue.com/everything-movies-have-told-you-about-corsets-is-wrong/?fbclid=IwAR1OpZYgVfexbM2XkMHmTK3ynhg2Bc9uVxtkCw6qWcnKahBOsPu9Zni7D_U
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It’s the last Monday of 2020 and we’re here to revisit what worked and what didn’t in our podcast. We’ll be back next week with the 1st episode of season 2.
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A great Christmas story of relationships and family redemption. Watch it on Hulu.
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A delightful romp through the looping world of an ultimate Christmas vacation.
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Here is a link we’re you can buy Megan’s book.
Well ... That Was Awkward https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578768275/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_r.iXFbDPQ5NHR
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What can we say? The premise is great, the acting is phenomenal, and Vince Vaughn is hilarious.
Enough said.
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It’s a cozy time of year. Sweaters, tryptophan, the memory of 90 poisoned Wampanoags at the real 1st “Thanksgiving” feast . . . .
yeah, maybe not so cozy after all. But cheer up, there’s a romance for that. STUFFED, by Jessica Gadziala is the perfect, light, quick, yet still thoughtful story to cozy up with during the cold November rains.
In other news, it’s Native American heritage month. here’s a link from the National Museum of the American Indian with resources for teaching children (k-12) about various indigenous cultures.
If you, like me, like to include some kind of nod to native cuisines on your Thanksgiving tables, visit
https://www.indigikitchen.com/recipes/ for pre-contact recipes.
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Romance makes us better humans. It’s just the truth. Find out why in this episode as we stan (cringe at word use) Helen Hoang’s follow-up to The Kiss Quotient.
Update: you can now buy Megan’s book from The Ripped Bodice
Let’s be friends:
Megan
Johnathon
Forced Proximity
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In the spirit of Halloween, we continue our spooky love story series.
This week, we watched Francis Ford Coppola’s horror romance classic, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But for a subject this dark and brooding, we needed to outsource. When you have a friend who is THE expert on Victoriana, gothic romance, and all things Dracula, you can’t NOT bring her in.
Petra Orloff was welcomed into our podcast and she entered freely, providing us with her incredible knowledge about Victorian literature and the writing of Bram Stoker.
The result is a smart and snarky conversation that honors both Stoker’s and Coppola’s art (with the exception of Keanu Reeves’ acting).
Follow Petra here.
Follow Johnathon here.
Follow Forced Proximity here.
Follow Megan here.
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Book one of the All Souls Trilogy, Deb Harkness’ magical realism-paranormal-suspense-adventure-romance defies the usual genre limits, but totally fits us!
Megan thinks it’s more romance than anything else. Johnathon thinks this is men’s gateway to romance. Have you read it yet?
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
for Megan, anyway. We hope you are planning safe (maybe not too safe) and spooky Halloween festivities.
We are really in the spirit this year. The house has been decorated in and out and we’re watching all our favorite Halloween movies. This week’s choice was WARM BODIES, the zombie romcom and R&J retelling.
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IN A WORLD . . .
. . . where a Duke plays land steward
. . . where a bodyguard wears a three piece suit
. . . where a movie star just wants to be normal
. . . where an American wants the Welsh bar & girl
. . . & where an archeologist wrecks his lover, only to wreck her again four years later
Simone.
MacLean.
Together in contemporary London as they battle it out in the back rooms of the British Museum.
NAUGHTY BRITS
An anthology for the ages featuring novellas written by Sarah MacLean, Louisa Edwards, Tessa Gratton, Sophie Jordan, and Sierra Simone.
The British are coming...and coming...and coming....
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This week we watched The Proposal, The greatest, glossiest romcom since Nora Ephron. The movie’s so solid, we realized it didn’t give us that much to discuss. Weird.
I guess we’ll be sticking to the bad movies from here on out.
nah. Just kidding.
Here’s an article a friend sent us that has nothing to do with the show, but you need to read anyway:
https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a34047527/indie-romance-is-big-business-why-arent-we-hearing-about-it/
As always, we appreciate your Instagram messages and comments! We are @forcedproximitypodcast
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Oh, how us romance junkies love a punny title. Except maybe this one. It’s just a little too odd. And why is the cover so . . . generic? Why, oh why, didn’t the illustrator go with a stylized home DIY theme? Ugh! Megan would have loved to be in charge of this publication.
Megan will read almost any CLo book, especially one that’s . . . forced proximity! This was the 1st time Johnathon liked it better.
Let us know what you think!
https://instagram.com/forcedproximitypodcast?r=nametag
AND (ta daa!) Megan’s book (eerily similar in some ways The Honey Don’t List but we won’t talk about that) is available on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55279903
And Amazon for pre-order:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FQL6PL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oKnAFb07S4N6R
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Discussing Sally Thorne’s stunning work of modern contemporary romance canon is a rite of passage for romance book podcasts. We’ve waited long enough and IT’S HERE!
Here’s a link to Fated Mates’ 50 Shades of Grey episode.
Here’s an article Megan didn’t mention in the show, but shares relevancy with romance novels.
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It’s been a busy week.
Nay, a busy two weeks since school started. But Bridget was a much-needed, comedic respite from the non-stop activities.
If you have questions, comments, etc. please ask us on our Instagram! https://instagram.com/forcedproximitypodcast?r=nametag
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You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
https://humanparts.medium.com/can-we-please-stop-using-latinx-thanx-423ac92a87dc
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WARNING: DON’T LISTEN IF YOU ARE RELATED TO US.
Everyone else: listen at your own discretion. We talk about our own marriage quite a lot and with brutal honesty.
You’ve been warned.
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We read a book and we didn’t love it.
Okay, maybe we hated it so much, we couldn’t even finish it.
Listen with caution.
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Okay, okay. I know what you’re thinking. What Business does this Will Ferrell movie have bring on a romance podcast?
Well, I’ll tell you. If you think of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga as a mere comedy, it falls flat. Funny parts, but not enough of them to override the campy silliness of the movie spectacle.
But if you look at it under the gel of a ROMANTIC comedy, then we love it, ja?
Besides that, all of Iceland is on board for it. Enough said.
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Many thanks to Skye McDonald for writing an intricate novel that gave us lots to think about.
For more information about Megan’s debut release coming this October, sign up for her newsletter at
www.meganmontgomerywrites.com
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We had a technical SNAFU after recording last night so this week’s episode is a throwback of sorts. It’s an episode we recorded a few months ago as a trial of formatting. And now you lucky listeners get to hear this amazing content.
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We’re back in South Carolina this week as we continue Amanda Stevens’ The Graveyard Queen book series.
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Hey Kids,
Thanks for listening. Thanks for the downloads. We appreciate your support and hope we make your commutes a wee bit happier. Or maybe you hate-listen to us. That's fine too. Just keep the downloads coming.
This episode is our Ode to Bill Hader. Amy Shumer, you're cool too though, especially since you wrote our favorite Bill Hader movie.
Watch the movie. Our hot take is that it gender swaps most romcoms, with an alpha female and cinnamon roll hero, but while other gender swapped movies and books are played for cheap laughs, Trainwreck is surprisingly honest and the humor comes from genuine and underplayed moments--making them even hilariouser.
If you want to read that interview with Bill, here she is.
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Sometimes, a wonderful thing happens and Megan’s lack of planning works out. This is one of those times.
Okay, not really that big of a deal, but I (Megan) forgot there was a bonus, 5th Monday in the month of June so you kids get extra content. Yay!
This week, we’re talking about romance novellas. They’re short. They’re (hopefully) sweet. And we got to squeeze two books into one time slot!
Book 1: Alyssa Cole’s Once Ghosted, Twice shyBook 2: Lucy Eden’s Blind Date with a Book BoyfriendKids, we loved these books. (One of them might even be Johnathon’s new favorite romance.)
And here’s a link to a great interview with Alyssa Cole from BookRiot.
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This week, we watched Nora Ephron’s beloved romcom classic, You’ve Got Mail as well as the lesser known (by modern generations) 1940 Ernst Lubitch film, The Shop Around the Corner.
Did you recognize that name?
Yep!
The Shop Around the Corner is the name of Kathleen Kelly’s magical children’s bookstore in You’ve Got Mail. (Nice nod, Nora.)
Johnathon was pleasantly surprised by the old movie and if you get the chance to watch it, you’ll find it Cracker Jack full of witty banter and colorful characters (looking at you, Pepi).
And if you haven’t seen You’ve Got Mail in a few years, you owe yourself a rewatch.
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Fasten your seatbealts. It's going to be a bumpy podcast.
Not really, but we have reached a major turning point. Johnathon loved a book! (What's that chord the angels sing? Is it G Major? I feel like its G Major. Regardless, the angels are singing it right now.)
Kids, we have entered the RLU (that's Reid Literary Universe).
Let's just stop right there and think about this.
Penny. Reid's. UNIVERSE. (If you're a big fan of cursing, you can just go ahead and put the MF-ing word right there in front of UNIVERSE.)
Let's take a look.
Neanderthal Seeks Human is our dear friend Penny's very first book. (by "dear friend" I mean, we don't know her at all.) It was rejected by literary agents because it was considered "too odd, with a lead character who “had too many thoughts and used too many big words,” and subject matter that was “too challenging” for romance readers – meaning women. So Reid chose self-publishing." (https://www.forbes.com/sites/meimeifox/2019/05/14/how-to-build-a-successful-writing-career-through-self-publishing/#25734a053e93)
Penny Reid is the embodiment of Rage Against the Machine's phrase, "fuck you. I won't do what you tell me."
And lucky for us "Reiders," her rebellion was a success. In fact, she's so brilliant and so commercially successful that her books are now industry-standard must-reads and so beloved by reviewers, readers, book bloggers, and other writers that she now operates a publishing company for other authors who write in her universe. Literary agents ask for Penny Reid-like submissions.
Boy, when the publishing industry gets something wrong, they get it really, really wrong. And Penny is the ultimate middle finger to those former gatekeepers of "literary success."
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Follow @johnathon_forcedproximity for his cinnamon roll training regimen. (And a glimpse at our home gym.)
If you want more information about Megan's books, join the email list! Sign up at https://www.meganmontgomerywrites.com/ You'll get a first look at cover reveals, release dates, author events, and giveaways!
We've been really into re-watching classic romantic comedies lately. I (Megan) have been particularly thrilled because until recently, Johnathon hasn't been a big fan of "my" movies, i.e. movies that are dialogue-heavy.
Moonstruck was a pretty big turn-around for our marriage, when I finally heard Johnathon say the words, "this movie has a great script."
But, you'd have to be an A-level idiot not to recognize that Moonstruck has a one of the wittiest, fast-paced but still heavily character-driven, true to life scripts in all of Hollywood. So, SNAP OUT OF IT and watch it. Again.
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This is the best episode. Listen to it, please.
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Let me explain.
No, there is no time. Let me sum up.
If you’re like us (meaning you grew up in the 80s/90s) the odds are good you’ve seen—and loved—the Rob Reiner classic, The Princess Bride.
We had a lot of fun re-watching this AND recording this episode. If you haven’t seen the movie, pause this podcast and watch it first (bonus points for watching with closed captioning on—you get to read all the witty bits of dialogue you might have missed when you were a kid).
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Megan loved it.
Johnathon disliked it.
More importantly, what do you think?
Hey look. Not every book is for everybody.
We discuss that here. As well as why it is definitely OKAY not to like something, even when it's as well written and humorous as Love Lettering.
This episode is a little long. Megan can't shut up about the cozy-blanket-and-cup-of-tea-on-a-crisp-autumn-day-ness of this book. It channels Nora Ephron's wit, shows New York at its best, and the love between Meg and Reid is lovely (but also gets pretty steamy).
Love Lettering also wins 2nd place for Best Kiss.
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Romance comes in movie form, too. And we’re experimenting with our film format a little.
This week we watched The Aftermath (2019), directed by James Kent and starting Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, and Alexander Skarsgard.
It’s a beautiful movie that depicts the likely realities of a marriage after suffering through WWII and the death of their son in the Blitzkrieg bombings. Then, a love triangle forms and complicated things further. Megan & Johnathon both recommend this film for the brilliant acting (so many emotional breakdowns) and it’s portrayal of The Other (as in England vs. Germany).
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Watch Out!
You might get what you’re after. . .
So, Johnathon has been singing the title of Evie Dunsmore’s book, Bringing Down the Duke in the style of Talking Heads’ song “Burning Down the House” and now it’s stuck in Megan’s head like that too. Thanks for that, J.
Well, our saga of Covid19 exile continues in the state of Illinois but Johnathon has officially finished his last grad school class. What that means for you is, more free time for you dear, dear listeners.
This week we’re bringing you our very first Forced Proximity historical romance! We started easy, with Evie Dunmore’s romcom-esque, Victorian-era novel. It’s a bit of a slow burn, if you like that sort of thing, but ends up on the steamier side. Megan loved it. Johnathon . . . didn’t hate it.
Your bonus rabbit-trail of the week is brought to you by the choral group Voces8. Their voices are purity itself but this link is a fun, participatory vocalization that has something in common with our book. Give it a listen!
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SPOILER WARNING: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Did you hear it?! That's our new theme song, written by the multi-talented Mike Wozniak. We love it and think it totally suits us! Thanks again, Dr. Woz!
Kids! In this episode we break from novel form and bring you a movie that Megan finally got Johnathon to watch, Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice (2005). Watch the movie for the hand flex alone if you haven't seen it.
I know, I know.
It's not the BBC miniseries staring Colin Firth. Megan's here for that version too, but 6+ hours of Regency match arranging is a little much for Johnathon.
(We reference "arranging matches" a lot. If you haven't seen Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill stand up special, here's the clip that explains what arranging matches means--but really, watch the whole special because it's one of our favoritest stand-up specials.)
Also, here's the personality test we took to see which character out of ALL THE CHARACTERS (okay, not all but many many) we most closely resemble. Megan's April Ludgate from Parks & Rec, followed by Melisandre, Luna Lovegood, Michael Scott, & Darth Vader (spot on all around) and Johnathon is Charlie Young from The West Wing, followed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Aragorn, Captain America, and pretty much every hero ever (also spot on).
In other entertainment, if you haven't fallen down the Postmodern Jukebox rabbit hole, you're welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaSxhKf5pV0
Catch us next time as we discuss Kate Clayborne's Love Lettering and remember,
Fuck that bitch, Carol Baskin.
Thank you and good night.
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That Autistic Book
What is there to say about Helen Hoang’s masterful debut novel featuring the memorable and delightful Stella and Michael that every book podcast hasn’t already said?
I mean, have you ever heard an autistic woman talk about it? No? Well, now you have.
our takeaways:
1. Autism really isn’t that weird.
2. Many women are undiagnosed and masters at masking symptoms in order to fit in.
3. You probably (definitely) know and love an undiagnosed grown-up with ASD.
Here’s a great interview with the author:
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=723#m12692
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Kids,
First of all, we'd like to thank Rebekah Weatherspoon, the author of Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny for writing characters that feel real and for handing us the definition of the cinnamon roll romance hero.
We've had a rough month of February what with cholera (not really cholera, but something equally Victorian-feeling) overtaking the household after a trip to Legoland for Hank's birthday, then recovering only for the flu to sweep through in its wake. This episode (recorded in January) is LONG overdue. Our deepest apologies.
The good news is we're getting out act together again.
In this episode, you'll hear some angsty dialogue about a fluff book that, for us, ended up being anything but. Rafe was the little book that could. It caused a deep dive into scientific research on attraction, sex, sex positivity, universal feminism, and so much more. Along the way, Megan discovered some radical and surprising takes on these issues. Here's some mild food for thought: https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/05/sex-positivity-critical-analysis/
Join us next time for Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient. We are excited to announce that our next episode will also introduce our very own theme song, written and performed by Mike Wozniak. It's so us!
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What happens when a romance writer wife convinces her sports-loving husband to read her favorite romance novels?
For one thing, the dinner table conversations become a lot . . . hotter.
Welcome to the premiere episode of Forced Proximity. We're glad you joined us. Today, we're reviewing The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. This book has received a ton of buzz since before it was released in November, 2019, and when it finally got into Megan's grubby hands, the angels sang.
But what would Johnathon think about his first ever romance novel?
Thanks for listening for our first ever podcast. I promised you
you a dumpster fire and it doesn't disappoint, but we're getting better all the time. If you want, leave us a review or comment. We'd really appreciate the feedback. Send emails to Megan's website https://www.meganolavarria.com/forced-proximity
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