Kennedy Ryan Talks 'Seismic' Sex Scenes, Never Settling and Her Latest Romance “Can’t Get Enough” (Exclusive)

The author, whose novels are featured in Spotify’s Spicy Audiobooks Hub, will publish her forthcoming book this spring

Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group Kennedy Ryan and the audiobook cover of 'Can't Get Enough'

At the center of bestselling author Kennedy Ryan’s romance novels, like Before I Let Go and This Could Be Us, lies an important message she tells PEOPLE is key to much of her work: female empowerment.

“A lot of times, society asks us to settle. It asks us to choose, ‘You can have this or you can have this,’ ” Ryan says. “Sometimes that's the case, but these [characters] are women who are like, ‘I may have to wait a little while, but I'm going to pursue relentlessly what's going to make me happy.’ ”

“I think if, in my storytelling, I can model that for women, it feels really intentional and purposeful for me,” the author adds.

Ryan's ethos is no different in her forthcoming release, Can’t Get Enough, out this spring from Grand Central Publishing imprint Forever. The third book in her popular Skyland series, centered on a trio of friends living in the fictional Atlanta neighborhood of the same name, the new novel follows fan-favorite character Hendrix Barry. An ambitious entertainment entrepreneur, Hendrix is also caring for her aging mother when she meets tech worker Maverick Bell at a summer party.

Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group The audiobook cover of 'Can't Get Enough' by Kennedy Ryan

Though he’s in a relationship with Hendrix’s colleague, the two connect, leading Hendrix to grapple with what their future together may look like.

Can’t Get Enough is the perfect mix of sweetness and spice, as is typical of Ryan’s novels, many of which are now featured in Spotify’s Spicy Audiobooks Hub. The music streaming platform's new hub is dedicated to romance, with designated playlists for popular subgenres, like sports-centric stories and romantasy, as well as author recommendations.

Ryan, who has a playlist of her own favorite romance books, knows that a narrator “makes or breaks” an audiobook listening experience, particularly when it comes to the spicy scenes readers crave. As a writer, however, Ryan wants to keep a balance between her characters’ passion and emotionality.

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“I want a sex scene to be hot, yes, but I also want it to deepen the connection between the characters, and I like for it to push forward the story,” Ryan says. “When I'm writing, those scenes are not throwaway for me. They're very purposeful… because something seismic has happened between these two people.”

That’s true for the relationship between Hendrix and Maverick, whose attraction to each other builds as they deal with their own life problems. Hendrix, for one, has to negotiate caring for her mother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Ryan also notes that the book “reflects the times” in many ways, particularly with her protagonist, who is childless by choice.

Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group Kennedy Ryan

“I've been very intentional about the discourse that I hope we will have,” Ryan says. “Even as we're swooning, even as we're kissing, there's some real things that we can interrogate as we're reading.”

The author says she’s widely seen a “real revolution” in the romance genre, particularly when it comes to the rise of underrepresented stories, like those by Adriana Herrera, Tia Williams and Beverly Jenkins. Her own work has also led to her becoming the first Black winner of the prestigious RITA Award for Best Contemporary Romance.

“I write from the margins to the center, meaning any identity, community or group that is usually relegated to the edges, in my narratives, I want to push them to the center,” Ryan says.

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Another central theme in her work? Celebrating happiness — and there's a lot of that in Can’t Get Enough.

“A lot of times, our outcomes are tougher in real life,” Ryan says. “I get to control that, and I get to make sure that Black women, brown women, queer women, disabled people, chronically ill people, queer people, get to see themselves living with joy.”

Can’t Get Enough is out on May 13 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.