Hello again sparkly romance nerds! We're back with Jen's favorite heroes to hate, billionaires. In our last episode we discussed the billionaire trope as a whole and had an open discussion of whether or not it's okay to like them in romance novels (if you haven't listened to it yet, this is your sign. GO DO IT NOW). In the meantime, if you really want to hear Jen's true feelings on billionaires, give this episode a listen...it gets interesting.

In the meantime, if you haven't yet, go check us out on Spotify @ Raging Romantics! Give us a follow...we'll reward you with kudos.

We can now also accept questions/submissions/suggestions/adulation and praise at Ragingromantics@gmail.com! (Please, don't be hateful and don't send us bad things. I don't think our combined psyche could handle it at this point)

Again...sorry for audio quality. Jackie's new mic is NOT liking her.

TW: waterboarding/brief discussion of dark romance; toxic relationships; unwanted pregnancy and forced adoption; grooming

Terms:

• 
  
• Meet-Cute: When two characters have an amusing or "cute" first encounter that leads to the development of a romantic relationship.
  
• Grooming: "Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them." (NSPCC)
  
• Sheikh: "The title sheikh is especially borne by heads of religious orders, heads of colleges, chiefs of tribes, and headmen of villages and of separate quarters of towns. It is also applied to learned men..." (Britannica.com)
  

Books read:

• 
  
• Maid for the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello
  
  • 
    
  • "Dominic Corisi knew instantly that Abigail Dartley was just the distraction he was looking for, especially since having her took a bit more persuading than he was used to. So when business forces him to fly to China, he decides to take her with him, but on his terms. No promises. No complications. Just sex. Abby has always been the responsible one. She doesn't believe in taking risks; especially when it comes to men - until she meets Dominic. Does she love him enough to risk losing him for good?"
    
  
  
  
• Wall Street Titan by Anna Zaires
  
  • 
    
  • "At thirty-five, Marcus Carelli has it all; a self-made billionaire, he heads one of the largest hedge funds on Wall Street and can take down major corporations with a single word. The only thing he’s missing? A wife. Twenty-six-year-old bookstore clerk Emma Walsh has it on good authority that she’s a cat lady. And yes, fine, she hasn’t had a date since… well, she can’t recall. But that part is fixable. Isn’t that what the dating sites are for? One high-end matchmaker, one dating app, one mix-up that changes everything... Opposites may attract, but can this last?"
    
  
  
  
• Billionaire's Wake-Up-Call-Girl by Annika Martin
  
  • 
    
  • "When my manager assigns me the task of finding a new wake up call service for our CEO, I think, how hard can this be? Answer: practically impossible. So in an effort not to lose my job, I secretly start making the calls myself, every day at 4:30 am sharp. Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind my get-your-ass-out-of-bed attitude. Day by day we’re becoming closer, and the calls start turning hot, like pay-by-the-minute hot and oh-so-wild. Now he wants to take me out on a date and he’s scouring Manhattan to find me. How much longer can I keep up this charade?"
    
  
  
  
• Trillion by Winter Renshaw
  
  • 
    
  • "Trey Westcott is the first trillionaire in existence. Anything he wants—anything at all—is a snap-of-the-fingers away. But when he snaps his fingers and requests me to play  the role of his devoted fiancée, he makes an offer I can’t refuse. All the money in the world can’t change the secret I’ve kept the last eight years. Trey Westcott can have anything he wants … but he can never have me."
    
  
  
  

Other podcasts listened to:

• 
  
• BookSlut "Eat (Out) the Rich"