Guest post written by Love and Other Conspiracies author Mallory Marlowe
Mallory Marlowe is an author and video game writer living in Los Angeles, CA. Seriously right-brained since childhood, her love of telling stories began with highly elaborate plots for her Barbie dolls and taking elementary school writing projects too seriously. She studied Writing for Film and TV at Emerson College. While romance is her truest love, she also loves to write across several genres from paranormal to fantasy to horror. When she isn’t writing, she’s likely reading, stuck in L.A. traffic, or fallen down a weird internet rabbit hole. Love and Other Conspiracies is her debut novel.
About Love and Other Conspiracies: The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.
Growing up, I loved reading and writing stories of grand adventures and swoony romances. I adored going on adventures with these characters and feeling like I was right there with them the whole time. It wasn’t until I hit college and found the Mass Effect series that I really got invested in playing video games. It was like a whole new world had opened up, where I was an even more integral part of the story – because I was the one making it all happen.
Over the years, I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit behind the computer screen or with a controller in my hands and now work as a writer in the games industry. One of the things I’ve grown to love so much about video games is their ability to tell powerful stories with characters that truly come to life, much like I find in some of my favorite romance books. However, both romance books and video games might have people not quite sure where to begin. I can help with that.
Uncharted & Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
The Uncharted series follows the larger than life, cinematic adventures of Nathan Drake, a wise-cracking and rougish treasure hunter in his expeditions to uncover lost treasures all over the world. One of my favorite aspects is the progression of Nate’s relationship with his future wife, Elena – following all the highs and lows of a good romance novel (Spoiler Alert: It’s also got a happily ever after). Fans of the high energy and even higher stakes plot of Uncharted will love Jo Segura’s Raiders of the Lost Heart. It’s funny, steamy, swoony, and I could see Nate and Corrie of Raiders of the Lost Heart getting along famously (and probably getting into some trouble).
God of War & A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
Norse mythology and Vikings have had a resurgence over the past decade, from shows like Vikings and The Last Kingdom, and games like Assassins Creed: Valhalla and 2018’s God of War. The last two installments in the God of War series have centered around Norse mythology, with appearances from gods like Thor, Odin and Freya. Let’s be honest. Vikings are just plain sexy. A Fate Inked in Blood’s Bjorn is grumpy and snarky, deeply protective, and he has a magic axe that is on fire, and Freya is a shield maiden queen that could lead her own action-packed video game. I devoured A Fate Inked in Blood and cannot wait for the next entry into the series.
Mass Effect & Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Mass Effect is my favorite game series of all time. It’s a gripping space opera following the adventures of Commander Shepard, a space marine chosen to lead a fight against a race of sentient machines that cyclically destroy the galaxy every fifty-thousand years. It has engaging intergalactic politics, compelling roleplaying choices, and heartfelt and steamy romances. When the extra steamy sci-fi romance series Ice Planet Barbarians blew up on BookTok, my first thought was “wow, these readers would love Mass Effect”. Mass Effect also allows the player to engage in romantic relationships with a variety of aliens, ranging from hot blue women with tentacle hair, a mysterious assassin who looks like a lizard, and the fan favorite: a smooth voiced vigilante who looks like a dinosaur.
Baldur’s Gate 3 & That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
Baldur’s Gate 3 is hands down one of the most mind-blowingly great games I’ve ever played. The fantasy RPG, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, not only tells a compelling and impactful story where the player’s choices really matter, but comes with a splendidly written cast of characters and extremely sexy romances (I am personally so down bad for Astarion). It also comes with plenty of humor and lighthearted fun. Kimberly Lemmings Mead Mishaps series brings the same charm and swoon within a high fantasy setting. One of the best things about fantasy is how fun and silly it can be, and That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon knows exactly what it is and delivers on laughs and steam.
Assassin’s Creed II & Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb
M.K. Lobb’s young adult fantasy debut was inspired by the seven major guilds of Florence, Italy from the 12th-16th century and its historical influence is felt on every page. Seven Faceless Saints is a dark murder mystery, teeming with magic and the lush setting of Ombrazia and a gritty childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. It was hard to read this book and not think of all the climbing and exploring I did around Florence as Ezio Auditore seeks revenge for the deaths of his family. Despite its age, Assassin’s Creed II is still one of the strongest entries into the franchise with a great story and some of the coolest parkour in history.
Firewatch & The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea
Firewatch is a narratively stunning indie darling that follows Henry, who takes a job as a fire lookout, as he investigates strange happenings in the Shoshone National Forest and his only form of human connection is his supervisor, Delilah, who he only speaks to via walkie-talkie. I was lucky enough to read Kerry Rea’s forthcoming The Jewel of the Isle and it’s one of my absolute favorite reads this year. It tells the story of Emily and Ryder, both grappling with their own grief as they venture into the wilderness together, and quickly realize they are in over their heads. Both Firewatch and The Jewel of the Isle tell stories of human connection and overcoming loss, while braving the great outdoors. The Jewel of the Isle comes out November 26, 2024.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons & Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
I was one of the many people who got a Nintendo Switch and fell into the Animal Crossing: New Horizons hole at the start of the pandemic. You can sink hours and hours into crafting your island to your vision, with decorating, farming, making animal friends, bug catching and more. This cozy game might have me giving all my digital money to a little raccoon loan shark for years, but I keep coming back and finding new things to create. B.K. Borison’s Lovelight Farms series, particularly the first book, follows best friends Stella and Luka as they navigate a fake relationship in hopes of winning a prize for Stella’s Christmas tree farm. It’s a cozy and heartwarming read with the most idyllic setting.
Phasmophobia & Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
While my debut Love and Other Conspiracies is a rom-com first and foremost, our protagonists Hayden and Hallie spend most of the book in search of the paranormal. Their hunts for ghosts, cryptids, and aliens are less than serious and admittedly, they aren’t the world’s best ghost hunters. But if you’re craving a very spooky, paranormal time, Phasmophobia is a great game to pick up. Players are tasked with investigating paranormal activity at haunted locations, using ghost hunting equipment and trying to capture as much evidence as you can. Maybe keep the lights on for this one.
