I’m going to be so honest with you: my drafting process is so chaotic that I absolutely will not be sharing too much about it publicly. But creating a playlist is a foundational piece, and I can share some of the songs that inspired my upcoming romance debut, WE ARE THE MATCH (more info on that below). While WE ARE THE MATCH is a romance, it’s on the darker side, and features a true enemies-to-lovers romance, which is reflected in this playlist.
You Mean the World to Me, by Freya Ridings
This song was such a cornerstone of Paris’s character, and sometimes I played it on repeat while drafting in her POV. She’s been alone for so long, and carried the devastating loss of the girls she grew up with—all of them, in one tragic night—that she really believes at her core that there’s nobody left on earth who can understand her. While this certainly proves a barrier to her developing, fiery relationship with Helen, it’s also an obstacle in her friendships, notably with Thea, who left the group home they grew up in before the tragic loss of the other girls. This song helped push me to understand Paris’s softer side—and why she couldn’t always let the people she loved see that they meant the world to her.
God is a Woman, by Ariana Grande
Listen. This one’s a little less deep and a little more on the nose, but WE ARE THE MATCH is about Helen of Troy—godlike, someone who can launch a thousand ships or burn them all to the ground. It’s also a sapphic story featuring a bi woman and a lesbian woman, and God is a Woman is just something a lesbian would say, y’know?
The Violent Bear It Away, by Moby
This one is instrumental, and a little harder to explain the exact connection, but this song was something I listened to when I was trying to understand Tommy, an important side character who has already proved a fan favorite (and a personal favorite). Tommy is the person who has served as Helen’s guard since birth, and in many ways, is the only safety and normalcy she’s ever known. He’s a father figure who demands that she do better—but he’s also a powerful, sometimes brutal person, who has done violent things in the name of keeping Helen safe, things that weigh on him when this story begins. He lives, and has made peace with, both this violent side of him, doing what he has to do to keep Helen safe, and the side of him that is more tender and nurturing. The Violent Bear It Away feels like an exploration of that complex morality, and what we as readers love about it.
The War, by SYML
The War is on this list because it really reflects both Helen’s relationship with her own power and the volatility of her place in her father’s crime family. She walks the knifes edge of upholding her father’s power as the face of the family, with an arranged marriage to keep him in power, while seeking freedom from the pressure of it all. And ultimately the anthem (and lament) SYML reminds us of over and over is so key to who Helen wants to become: my war is over.
Castles, by Freya Ridings
We’re closing this out with a second Freya Ridings song, because it’s a song that’s a perfect fit for both Helen and Paris. Paris grew up in poverty, in a group home. Helen grew up wealthy, in a mansion owned by the Greek crime family. They have striking differences, something that makes Paris feel at first that Helen cannot possibly understand her, but they also share similarities: they have been underestimated, neglected, and survived violence. A line from Castles sums that up, and I think many survivors of similarly toxic relationships or childhood situations will relate: You kept me small, it’s what you wanted. Ultimately, the connection and love that Helen and Paris build stand in direct defiance to the way they have been treated and conditioned throughout the course of their lives, which is beautifully reflected in the conclusion of Ridings’ song:
I’m gonna build castles
From the rubble of your love
I’m gonna be more than
You ever thought I was
WE ARE THE MATCH by Mary E. Roach
Two women in love and in danger. Mob families at war. An explosive and enthralling contemporary reimagining of the Helen of Troy myth set against the splendor of the Grecian islands.
Paris is a fixer for mob families on the Grecian islands when a powerful crime lord hires her to investigate a bombing. Insinuating herself into Zarek’s circle is the chance for revenge that Paris has been waiting for since she was a child. Years ago, Zarek wiped out everyone she loved. Now it’s Paris’s turn. Her target? Zarek’s beautiful daughter, Helen.
Helen wants nothing more than to abandon the violent world in which she was raised—and worse, an arranged marriage to a man she barely knows. In Paris, Helen sees the perfect tool to help her escape. And in Helen, Paris sees a desperate woman who will be the perfect revenge. As the two work together to find the bomber, and their connection becomes increasingly intimate, Zarek’s empire grows more fragile and their own bonds of loyalty and purpose are tested.
When murder sends them fleeing to Troy, danger only brings Paris and Helen closer together—in love, in fury, and in the will to survive. If Zarek wants a war, Paris and Helen are ready to ignite it.
Romance Mafia | LGBTQ [Montlake, On Sale: July 28, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781662529429 / ]
Buy WE ARE THE MATCH: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Audible | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Mary E. Roach
Mary E. Roach is an author of thrillers and mysteries and a fan of all things spooky. (But ask about true crime podcasts at your own risk. There are hot takes).
When Mary is not writing stories for and about powerful girls, she can be found teaching martial arts, baking an unreasonable amount of cookies, or taking off on thru-hikes through the wilderness of northern Minnesota.
Mary’s debut mystery novel, BETTER LEFT BURIED, will be published by Disney Books in early 2024.
No Comments
Comments are closed.