#romance

#romance

With that in mind, I asked the women of InsideHook to name the sexiest TV scenes of all time. (As you might expect, our picks include a lot of Heated Rivalry. Just let us have this.) To be clear, these aren't all sex scenes - sometimes a passionate kiss or even a situation where there's no actual touching but the sexual tension is too much to bear can be just as impactful, especially when it's something that's been built up and teased over multiple seasons.

While I'm a big fan of "will they, won't they" romances, I didn't expect to exit the first half of "Bridgerton" Season 4 wondering "will I, won't I?" Although, perhaps, I should have expected a tale of two sentiments. The first two seasons of the Netflix historical romance series were lovable in the extreme. Despite major consent issues in Season 1, and the Edwina (Charithra Chandran) situation going on for too long in Season 2-a situation that left us with too little of Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony ( Jonathan Bailey) reveling in being Kate and Anthony.

You may know the story by now: Rachel Reid began posting what would become Heated Rivalryon the fan-fiction site Archive of Our Own, one chapter at a time. Eventually, the Halifax-based author reportedly removed the posts, reworked the book, submitted it to publishers, and sold it in 2019 to Carina Press, a digital-first imprint at Harlequin. While the first book in her "Game Changers" series found a solid fan base among romance readers, no one expected just how many more would join them.

Romantic Relationships Get Defined Any single person knows that the struggle of dating involves perpetually undefined relationships. Emotional detachment has been embedded in modern dating, from the language we use to the (loose, barely existent) script that guides how people enter romantic relationships. Even saying "dating" feels like a commitment. Instead, people "talk" when they're first getting to know each other; they "go out," but they don't "go on a date."

In many serialized dramas, the climax of a given season lands in the penultimate episode; think of the dramatic battles and major character deaths of Game of Thrones or, further back, The Sopranos and The Wire. But Landman isn't like most dramas. Tonight's penultimate episode of season two feels like an anti-climax - not just a letdown generally, but the diametric opposite of a climax.

In a packed room in Sydney, an excited crowd riffles through stacks of stickers and bookmarks searching for their favourite characters. Another group flicks through racks of clothing, pulling out T-shirts that say romance readers club and probably reading about fairies. A poster on the wall, with tear-off tabs, invites visitors to take what they need: a love triangle, a love confession mid-dragon battle, a morally grey man or a cowboy. Half of the tabs have already been taken.

Before there was River Song in and before there was The Time Traveler's Wife, there was 12 Monkeys. Yes, the 1995 sci-fi thriller is known for its bleak take on the future, and the almost doggedly deterministic message that you (probably) can't escape your own destiny. Jay Gatsby may have believed that you can't repeat the past, but in Terry Gilliam's time travel film, you also can't change it.

The moon enters bold and fiery Aries during the wee hours of the morning, promising an energized and fast-paced day ahead. Your emotional impulses may get the best of you, but there surely won't be a dull moment. Sweet and easy-flowing lunar connections with transformative Pluto and the sparkling sun cast an empowering glow over everything you put your mind to today, too, bringing the perfect blend of intensity and confidence.

Any avid romance reader can tell you their favorite trope. Some might point to intense tropes like love at first sight or forbidden romance, while others might choose playful arcs like fake dating or best friend's brother romances. For many, no trope is better than enemies-to-lovers, though. As they watch characters grow from loathing to all-consuming love, enemies-to-lovers readers often giggle and kick their feet at the first sign of tension between two opposing characters turning into something more than ire.

Arranged marriages generate real feelings. A human falls in love with a high lord of the fae. These are just a few of the plots readers can find in modern romance novels, which vary in tone, setting, and characters but are united by one key characteristic: a central love story that culminates in the all-important HEA (happily ever after, for the uninitiated). Everything leading up to that-the meet-cute, the first kiss, the third-act breakup-is left to the author.

I feel like a hopeless romantic. I am what some people would describe as a lover girl. I am sweet and sensitive, and I enjoy nurturing, helping and catering to my loved ones. What I thought was a beautiful trait in me seems to be my weakness. I often get taken advantage of by my romantic partners. I can't tell if I am too soft or kind, or if I am picking the wrong partners who are just not as loving as me.

Based on the beloved novels of the same name from author Rachel Reid, the television adaptation of Heated Rivalry is set the on-and-off court relationship between a pair of professional Major League Hockey players - Montreal Meteors star Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storie) of the Boston Raiders. On the ice, the pair are sworn rivals, but off of it, they must navigate a forbidden love while grappling in a very different way.

David's a musicologist, even if he might not apply that word, which had only been coined a couple of decades prior. More colloquially, he's a song collector, making regular treks into rural America to record, on wax cylinders, the traditional airs that European immigrants brought with them and made their own, and which would go on to form one of the major support beams in the American musical edifice.

As Chu told Entertainment Weekly in a new preview, Fiyero has since joined the Wizard's Guard - or Gale Force - in an attempt to find Elphaba. "Because if someone else gets to her, then who knows what will happen," the director explained. His worldview is also shaken after the time he shared with Elphaba in Part 1, with Chu calling it "more than just love" between them. (Um... swoon.)

A few months in, and her French has barely improved, her roommates are gross and rude, and she has to work two jobs under the table to make rent. She's also making the entire United States of America look bad by insisting on making Stove Top stuffing for Thanksgiving. That is our special thing as Americans, and no European mind will ever comprehend that, Belly. You should have just made them gravy because that is at least something they all understand.

September looks set to be full of sapphic vibes and we're for it. The month is bringing with it a whole host of amazing books with sapphic representation that you'll absolutely want to add to your TBR. From epic fantasy stories to fun romances, the month has something for everyone who loves a good WLW book. So here are just a few of the sapphic books that being released in September 2025.

Highlander blends science fiction, fantasy, and romance with a Queen soundtrack, presenting an absurd premise where immortals duel throughout history in a beheading battle royale.

Midway through "KIKI," a standout of his new album, SUMMERSONGS, wolfacejoeyy gets so desperate, so shameless, that he crosses into delusion. "I know you like girls, boo," he whines, staring down another rejection. "I like girls too!" It shouldn't work, because it's very stupid. But he knows this, and that's what makes it so wonderfully absurdist: Desire and dignity are negotiating, and desire is beating dignity's ass.