What happened to the romance books your mom read before BookTok existed?
Welcome to Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, where we revisit the romance novels that shaped the genre from the 1970s through the early 2000s—and ask the question: do they still hold up today?
Hosted by romance creator Alli Mowrey (@allireadstoomuch), each episode digs into the books, authors, tropes, and cultural moments that helped build modern romance. From Judith McNaught and Johanna Lindsey to Linda Howard and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, we’re revisiting the classics, talking about what made them so influential, and taking a very honest look at what has (and hasn’t) aged well.
Along the way, Alli talks with authors, booksellers, editors, publishers, academics, and lifelong romance readers about the books that shaped the genre we love today.
Nostalgia, romance history, questionable heroes, iconic heroines, and plenty of “did we really think this was romantic?” moments included.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips on Sports Romance, Alpha Heroes, Epic Grovels & the Evolution of Romance
On this episode of Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, I’m joined by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestseller, RWA Hall of Fame member, and the Queen of Romantic Comedy. Susan has been writing romance for more than 40 years, and her Chicago Stars series is widely credited with launching sports romance.
We talk about why Kiss an Angel has one of the best grovels of all time, what it was like to read bodice rippers in the ’70s as someone raised in the ’50s, and how The Flame and the Flower was pulled off a slush pile and changed the genre forever. Susan also shares how the Chicago Stars series happened completely by accident, the unwritten “rule” that once kept athletes out of romance, and why she thinks the NFL owes her an award.
Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:27 Welcome and introducing Susan Elizabeth Phillips
01:59 A Cincinnati connection and sports romance fandom
04:09 How Susan started writing romance
05:35 Kiss an Angel and the art of the grovel
08:38 Why alpha heroes are harder to write today
10:35 “A book about your marriage would be kinda boring”
11:50 Nuance and flawed heroes in older romance
12:56 Bodice rippers, the 1950s, and “good girls didn’t”
14:16 Bodice rippers and the rise of the feminist movement
17:20 How The Flame and the Flower was pulled off the slush pile
18:34 Sweet Savage Love and the missing grovel
20:22 Before bodice rippers: Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and more
21:12 Alli’s nostalgia reading list and Susan’s recommendations
23:25 Rewriting Risen Glory as Just Imagine
24:11 Reading older romances in historical context
25:42 Sandra Brown’s “way of getting even”
27:09 LaVyrle Spencer and Laura Kinsale
29:18 Pacing and point of view, then and now
30:06 Why romance history matters
31:31 Why we reach for romance in hard times
32:21 How the Chicago Stars series happened by accident
36:17 Strong heroines ahead of their time
38:14 Writing secondary love stories
40:47 Will the Chicago Stars kids get their own books?
41:55 Sports romance today and Susan as its pioneer
43:35 The “rule” against sports romance and why the NFL owes Susan an award
44:47 Golf romance: Fancy Pants and Lady Be Good
46:38 What Susan is reading now
48:06 What Alli is reading now
50:47 The one older romance everyone should read
Learn more about the podcast: https://www.allireadstoomuch.com/podcast (https://www.allireadstoomuch.com/podcast)
Follow Alli:
Instagram: @allireadstoomuch (https://link) · TikTok: @allireadstoomuch (https://link) · YouTube: @allireadstoomuch (https://link)
Website: https://allireadstoomuch.com/ (https://www.allireadstoomuch.com/)
Follow Susan Elizabeth Phillips:
Website: susanelizabethphillips.com (https://susanelizabethphillips.com/)
Instagram: @sepauthor (https://www.instagram.com/sepauthor/)
Facebook: Susan Elizabeth Phillips (https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabethPhillipsNovels/)
Join the Your Mom’s Romance Shelf book club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/you-moms-romance-shelf-with-allison-mowrey-402199741406?club_type=free (https://fable.co/club/you-moms-romance-shelf-with-allison-mowrey-402199741406?club_type=free)
7 Oct 2026
Romance, Sexism & the Books That Shaped the Genre with Jodi McAlister
Why has romance been dismissed for so long—and what can the books of the past tell us about the genre today?
In the first episode of Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, I’m joined by romance author and scholar Jodi McAlister to talk about the history and evolution of romance, from bodice rippers and bonkbusters to dark romance and the books that shaped the genre.
We talk about sexism and the stigma around romance, why older romances were so wildly popular, how the genre has changed, and what we can learn from the books readers loved decades ago.
Learn more about the podcast:
allireadstoomuch.com/podcast (https://www.allireadstoomuch.com/podcast?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Follow Alli:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/allireadstoomuch/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@allireadstoomuch?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@allireadstoomuch?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/allireadstoomuch?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Follow Jodi McAllister:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jodimcalister/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@jodimcalister?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Join theYour Mom’s Romance Shelf book club:
Fable Book Club (https://fable.co/club/you-moms-romance-shelf-with-allison-mowrey-402199741406?club_type=free&utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Books Mentioned in the Podcast:
Jodi McAllister
An Academic Affair — Jodi McAlister — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4hAsxue?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
A Study in Sparkling — Jodi McAlister — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4yDlUgw?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Books Discussed & Recommended
Welcome to Temptation — Jennifer Crusie — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4zcETi2?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
The Flame and the Flower — Kathleen Woodiwiss — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4yy28mJ?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Scruples — Judith Krantz — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4i8XK7S?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Hollywood Wives — Jackie Collins — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4rQvWZ8?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Lady Boss — Jackie Collins — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4jJj5Ga?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Paradise — Judith McNaught — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4zoPExW?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Bet Me — Jennifer Crusie — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4y5eQbm?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Lovelight Farms — B.K. Borison — Amazon (https://amzn.to/4zjRJLl?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Devil in Winter — Lisa Kleypas
2 Oct 2026
Introducing Your Mom’s Romance Shelf: A Nostalgic Romance Book Podcast
What can the romance novels women have loved for generations tell us about us? Welcome to Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, a new podcast exploring the books, authors, fantasies, and cultural conversations behind the romance genre. New episodes coming soon
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