Romance novels account for nearly a quarter of all adult print fiction sold in the United States.

Allie Martina, a professional romance novel narrator, explores how the language of romance is shaped by writers and narrators, and asks what is it about forbidden love, age gaps, and steamy sex scenes that women find so timelessly appealing.

And with more and more women listening to romance novels, it also matters how these books sound.

Can narration, depth of a male voice, or artistic performance affect a romantic scene?

Can the romance novel take words long considered shameful and flip them into words of empowerment?

In interviews with bestselling romance authors Evie Dunmore, Sara Cate, Sierra Simone, Stephanie Archer, Xio Axelrod and more, Zipless explores how romance novels change and reflect women’s lives on and off the page.

And in one-of-a-kind performances, professional romance novel narrator Gideon Frost joins Allie in exploring how innovative sound design can directly impact the hearts and minds of an audience.