Hearts & Daggers

About Hearts & Daggers

Welcome to Hearts & Daggers, a podcast where we chat about the books that make our hearts race—whether that means we're swooning onto the bed or hiding under the covers. Our hosts are Devin, a New Englander living in Colorado who loves romances that amp her up and make her giggle; and Holly, a New Yorker who loves nothing more than reading something dark, creepy, and mysterious. Each week we will discuss two books—one lighter, one darker—that are united by a common theme. We will also each share one book we haven't read that we are excited about, and end with something in pop-culture or life right now that is making our hearts race. We hope you'll subscribe and join us bi-weekly for some fun conversations about romances, thrillers, and all the books in between that get our heart rates pumping!

Publisher

Holly Fairall and Devin MacDonald

Category

arts · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

7 Jan 2022

Latest episode

17 Jun 2025

Latest episodes

114 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Jun 2025

   Ep. 90: LoveFest (Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend)

   Hosts Holly and Devin celebrate the middle grade series Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, exploring its rich world-building, complex characters, and themes of identity, belonging, and courage in this interview episode.

2. 

   3 Jun 2025

   Ep. 89: Pregnancy (Ready or Not + Tilt)

   Hosts Devin and Holly discuss novels featuring pregnant protagonists, including Cara Bastone's *Ready or Not*, which explores unexpected romance, and Emma Pattee's *Tilt*, which examines vulnerability and perseverance; this is a discussion episode.

3. 

   20 May 2025

   Ep. 88: Villainous Jobs (Sign Here + Assistant to the Villain)

   Summary: Muahaha! Cower in fear, dear listeners, as Holly and Devin discuss villains… who need a paycheck too. Whether you’ve worked in Corporate America or just like to imagine hell as an office building, these books will be a home run. Topics Discussed: The Dagger (3:26): Holly discussed Sign Here by Claudia Lux, a satirical exploration of morality and corporate offices following Peyote Trip, a caseworker in the Deals Department of the fifth floor of Hell. Responsible for securing soups by making deals with humans desperate enough to sign away their afterlives, Peyote is on the cusp of a promotion. If he can sign up one more member of the Harrison family he’ll get a “Complete Set” - five souls from the same lineage. Holly’s key takeaways were: Hell's depiction as a monotonous office environment serves as a critique of bureaucratic inefficiencies and the dehumanizing aspects of corporate life. Peyote's journey reflects a deeper quest for self-understanding and the possibility of redemption, even within the confines of Hell. The novel explores the gray areas of morality, questioning the binary notions of good and evil through its characters' choices and motivations. The Harrison family's dynamics highlight the impact of generational secrets and the lengths individuals go to protect or escape their lineage. For Holly, the premise of the story was stronger than the execution. While it was entertaining throughout, the two storylines of Peyote in Helly and the Harrison Family on Earth don’t come together as strongly and clearly as they could have. The Heart (13:20): Devin discussed Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, a BookTok-sourced Romantasy following Evie Sage, a young woman lying in the magical kingdom of Rennedawn who is in desperate need of a job. After an unfortunate firing and a spell of bad luck, she stumbles into a chance encounter with The Villain and ends up hired as his personal assistant. While yes, there are body parts swinging from the ceiling, his castle runs much like any business and Evie can handle the paperwork. Devin’s key takeaways were: This novel highlights a recent publishing trend of storylines and authors becoming popular on social media sites like TikTok before they are published, then being signed by publishing companies to ride the wave of their popularity. Pros include increased diversity and a resurgence of popularity of reading in the zeitgeist, but Holly and Devin review cons like rushed editing and expected tropes as well. Maehrer explores the idea that even villains deserve loyalty, empathy, and maybe even a decent lunch break. It’s a workplace comedy... if the workplace had torture chambers. The absurdity of running an evil empire like an office is what makes the “villainous job” theme shine. Capitalism meets chaos magic. While not spicy at all, there are romantic elements to the story. The push-pull between danger and attraction for Evie and The Villain is delicious, especially when the boss could literally smite someone - but instead just broods silently when Evie talks to another guy. Hot On the Shelf (35:54): Holly: My Friends by Fredrik Backman Devin: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming What’s Making Our Hearts Race (41:47): Holly: The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO Max Devin: Volunteering in her local community Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

73 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

45 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 76 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

96

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

92

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.