We Read Crown of War and Shadow & Now We Have Theories (Plus January Reading Wrap-Up)
Fri Feb 06 2026
In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, it's time for our January wrap-up: what we read, what surprised us, and what totally missed. Then we go full detective mode on J.R. Ward’s Crown of War and Shadow with conspiracy theories we can’t unsee… including a possible Black Dagger Brotherhood tie-in and a “Scribe Virgin origin story” vibe that has us ready to highlight every suspicious clue (yes, including demons and spiders 👀).
Guests: Jen (BooksJenRecs) + Angela (Under the Covers OG)
Watch the chat on Spotify!
Time Stamps
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:50 Discussing Book Series and World Building
02:08 Tamlin and Rhysand Debate
07:14 January Reading Wrap-Up
15:16 JR Ward's New Series Theories
26:09 What to pick up next - Top recommendation from each
27:19 Discussing Jessie Mihalik backlist
27:50 Disappointment of the Month: People We Meet on Vacation
29:57 Heated Rivalry and Book-to-Screen Adaptations (Bridgerton)
40:50 Reading Goals and Challenges (Romanceopoly, reading goals, mood reading vs prompts)
44:22 Final Thoughts
The JR Ward Conspiracy CornerIs Crown of War and Shadow setting up a hidden connection to the Black Dagger Brotherhood universe?“Scribe Virgin origin story” + lineage questions + clues we want to highlight and track“Demons and spiders” getting highlighted for… no reason at all 😅
If you listened and immediately started building your own theory board… you’re our people. 💅
DM us or send a voice note: What was your top January read and do you think Ward is secretly tying this back to BDB?
Send a voice note: https://www.speakpipe.com/UndertheCovers
Follow Jen (BooksJenRecs)Follow Angela
✨ Loved the episode?
Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕
💌 Talk to Me:
Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message.
☕ Support the Show:
Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing.
📚 Stay Connected:
Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.a href="https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/n1gsfbivgq" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
More
In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, it's time for our January wrap-up: what we read, what surprised us, and what totally missed. Then we go full detective mode on J.R. Ward’s Crown of War and Shadow with conspiracy theories we can’t unsee… including a possible Black Dagger Brotherhood tie-in and a “Scribe Virgin origin story” vibe that has us ready to highlight every suspicious clue (yes, including demons and spiders 👀). Guests: Jen (BooksJenRecs) + Angela (Under the Covers OG) Watch the chat on Spotify! Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview 00:50 Discussing Book Series and World Building 02:08 Tamlin and Rhysand Debate 07:14 January Reading Wrap-Up 15:16 JR Ward's New Series Theories 26:09 What to pick up next - Top recommendation from each 27:19 Discussing Jessie Mihalik backlist 27:50 Disappointment of the Month: People We Meet on Vacation 29:57 Heated Rivalry and Book-to-Screen Adaptations (Bridgerton) 40:50 Reading Goals and Challenges (Romanceopoly, reading goals, mood reading vs prompts) 44:22 Final Thoughts The JR Ward Conspiracy CornerIs Crown of War and Shadow setting up a hidden connection to the Black Dagger Brotherhood universe?“Scribe Virgin origin story” + lineage questions + clues we want to highlight and track“Demons and spiders” getting highlighted for… no reason at all 😅 If you listened and immediately started building your own theory board… you’re our people. 💅 DM us or send a voice note: What was your top January read and do you think Ward is secretly tying this back to BDB? Send a voice note: https://www.speakpipe.com/UndertheCovers Follow Jen (BooksJenRecs)Follow Angela ✨ Loved the episode? Follow Reading Under the Covers wherever you listen and leave a quick review. It helps more romance readers find us (and lets me know what you’re loving). 💕 💌 Talk to Me: Got a rec, trope request, or hot take? → Drop me a voice message. ☕ Support the Show: Enjoyed hanging out? Leave us a tip. Even a dollar keeps the mics on and the coffee flowing. 📚 Stay Connected: Blog: reviews, book lists, and seasonal reading inspo.YouTube: book chats, reading lifestyle and recs.a href="https://underthecovers.myflodesk.com/n1gsfbivgq" rel="noopener noreferrer"...