Romantasy Roundtable: Fantasy Romance Reviews

Romantasy Roundtable: Fantasy Romance Reviews


Mate, Murder, Minestrone

November 15, 2025

Episode Title: Mate, Murder, Minestrone – Game Night Special

Description: Recording-marathon brain has fully set in, so Amanda, Kim, and Rick take a break from plot to play Mate, Murder, Minestrone—their extremely on-brand, soupified take on f**k, marry, kill. From Poppy slander and dragon riders to cursed fantasy names and the eternal menace of “honeydew,” the Romanty Roundtable turns every trope, quote, and side character into chaotic relationship choices. Nothing is safe, not even the soup.


Highlights include:


  • Poppy Must Perish: Violet, Feyre, and Poppy face judgment, and Poppy does not make it out of this round alive.
  • One Bed, One Chair, One Horse: Kim negotiates her favorite soup scenes while also refusing to harm a single fictional pony.
  • Dragon Rider vs. Devil Prince: Rick builds his dream afterlife: lifelong dragon-riding, occasional devil-prince situationship.
  • Hawkthrone, Kingfisher, Rowington: The panel debates which cursed YA name sounds the most like a lacrosse-playing finance bro.
  • Heartmates, Honeydew, The Joining: The holy trinity of invented romance words goes under the knife (sorry, honeydew).
  • Traitor Boys & Baby Predators: Jack Barlow, Benji, and Alastair get their own hate-f**k vs. yeet-off-a-cliff segment.
  • Violence, Feyre Darling, Trouble, Angel, Killer: What if every nickname screams “red flag” in a different font?
  • Quote Chaos Finale: “My house, my chair, my woman,” “the f**k-aware,” and “you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?” battle for top soup line.


Plus: Wine vs. cappuccino vs. tiny Trader Joe’s OJ, Henry VIII wife lore, “Jewish werewolf lumberjack” as a type, and Tristan’s brief refusal to participate in our nonsense.


Next up: Back to our regular readalong—check the next episode title for which book and chapters we’re diving into next.