​Welcome back to the blog book besties! If you tuned into today's brand new episode of Two Girls, One TBR you already know things got completely and utterly unhinged... Kirsty, Jess, and I talked about the books that have us questioning our own sanity. Yes we are talking all things monster and alien romance today!

​If you are looking for vanilla you definitely took a wrong turn at the algorithm. We are strictly 18 plus over here and we like our book boyfriends with a little extra anatomy... if you know what I mean.

​🍸 The Potion

​Before we got into the heavy smut we had to set the mood. Nothing pairs better with a massive book hangover than a perfectly themed drink, and this week we are pouring up something intergalactic!

​The Poison: The Void Star Martini 🍸✨

The Vibe: Dark, shimmering, and dangerously smooth with a cosmic edge. 🌌

• ​2 oz vanilla vodka

• ​1 oz espresso (or cold brew concentrate)

• ​0.75 oz Kahlúa

• ​0.5 oz blackberry liqueur

• ​Edible black glitter or pearl luster dust Instructions: Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Dust the top with edible black glitter for that deep space nebula effect.

​The Mocktail: The Alien Acid-Drop 💚🥤

The Vibe: Neon, tart, and packing a serious flavor punch without the booze. 🛸

• ​1.5 oz fresh lime juice

• ​1 oz green apple syrup (or Monin Granny Smith syrup)

• ​0.5 oz simple syrup

• ​Lemon lime soda or sparkling water to top

• ​Neon green sanding sugar for the rim Instructions: Rim a glass with lime juice and green sanding sugar. Fill with ice, pour in the lime juice, green apple syrup, and simple syrup. Top with sparkling soda and stir gently.

​👹 From Cozy Fantasy Monsters to Pitch Black Darkness

​One of the biggest takeaways from today's panel discussion is just how massive this subgenre really is. You do not have to jump straight into the deep end if you are just testing the waters! You will be sobbing over how good some of these world building setups are.

• ​Cozy Monster Romance: Think sweet, hilarious, low anxiety vibes with plenty of spice. The Cambric Creek series is a top tier recommendation here. Each book features a different monster in a cozy town setting giving you all the warm feels while still delivering on the heat.

• ​Wild Alien Romances: We cannot talk alien romance without giving absolute respect to the queen herself... Ruby Dixon. The chokehold that Ice Planet Barbarians has on the reading community is real and we completely get it. Blue aliens, forced proximity, arranged marriages, and intense survival tropes... it literally has everything you could ever want.

• ​Indie Author Highlights: We also shouted out the incredible Kimberly Lemming! If you want laugh out loud funny, high spice, and completely unputdownable monster romance her books are an absolute must add to your TBR mountain.

​🌶️ The Spice-o-Meter: Anatomy & Unhinged Soundbites

​You know we had to rate the heat! Monster and alien romances bring a totally different level of spice to the table. We swapped some of the most wild quotes during the episode... yes someone actually said "Minotaur Demon, it is giving date" and we still cannot stop laughing about it. Also "Absolutely a large monster peen" was spoken out loud and we have zero regrets.

​Whether it is forced proximity in frozen caves or wild arranged marriages with giant blue warriors these tropes just hit different. If a morally gray villain happens to have horns or a tail we are officially obsessed.

​🎧 Listen to the Full Episode Now!

​Want to hear us completely lose our minds over these spicy recommendations? You need to check out the full panel discussion right now. We cover so many books and talk about upcoming horror and fantasy adaptations we are so hyped about.

​Stream the new episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts... or watch all the chaos unfold on YouTube!

​After you listen make sure to jump into The Coven Cocktail Club in our Instagram Broadcast Channel. Drop a 👽 or 👹 in the chat and tell us your absolute favorite monster book boyfriend so we can add even more to our stacks!

​Goodnight Book Babes.