Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 06:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 06:00 am
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 06:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 06:00 amClaiming the Princess by Charis Michaels
This series focuses on exiled members of the French royal family, and this is Princess Danielle’s book. Not that she knows she’s a princess at the start. At that stage, she’s just Dani, a 22-year-old ‘village girl’ from Ivy Hill, Kent, who lives with her adoptive parents. She’s forthright, passionate about her community and looked to as a leader by that community despite her gender and age. It’s still a pretty quiet life though. That changes when Captain Luke Bannock enters the frame.
Luke is a war hero (with a complicated, traumatic past) and his reward from the crown for his bravery during a violent skirmish at sea (and rescuing the Prince’s cousin) is marriage to Dani, the secret exiled princess. He does not ask for Dani’s hand in marriage out of any love or admiration, but rather as a piece of the puzzle in his greater revenge and rescue plot. As part of that skirmish at sea, Luke’s surrogate father was captured by the cruel French Comte attacking them. What does the Comte want? The lands that come with Dani as part of her dowry.
Of course, when Luke arrives in Ivy Hill, Dani knows none of this. She doesn’t know any details of her own history. Because her parents have a failure of courage, it falls to Luke to break the news to her. Only he doesn’t tell her everything. At least not for the first section of the book.
The tension that is built by Luke gradually and partially revealing the truth is palpable. It had me shaking my book in frustration. Just tell her already!
He eventually does tell her the full story and she’s enraged, understandably so. I really appreciated how Dani stood up for herself in that conversation. I mean, she stood up for herself the whole time, but she really let him have it when he eventually coughed out the full story.
This is in keeping with the Dani that we meet at the start of the book. She has big dreams as a village girl that are small fry for a princess. She accepts the engagement that is – for lack of a better word – bestowed on her and in her early interactions with Luke, it is her physical attraction to him that eases the transition. But that’s not to say that the more tender emotions aren’t engaged from the start. Luke might take a while to reveal the full story but even early on, parts of his true self, his innermost thoughts and history, come out when he talks to Dani. There is a tenderness and a magnetism there.
The tension doesn’t dissipate once the full truth is known. There are a number of subplots that need to be resolved, including how on earth Luke is going to rescue his surrogate father. Once the full truth of the marriage-revenge-rescue plot is revealed to Dani (as is inevitable the case when there are secrets being kept), there is the critical question of ‘what now?’ for Luke and Dani. Is there enough of a relationship to save? Do they want to save it? How on earth do you come back from that big of a pile of lies?
There is a clarity to the writing that made it easy to immerse myself in the story. Nothing is surprising or jarring: the emotions expressed made sense. The motivations of the characters match who they are as people. It’s a coherent piece of writing which makes it a pleasure to read. I know it sounds rather uninspiring as a critique, but I cannot overstate how relaxing it is to read a book in which things make sense. There is nothing incongruous to bounce me out of the story. Yes, there are surprises, but as surprising as they are in the moment, they make sense when looking at the characters as a whole.
When I initially picked this book up, I thought it was the first time I’d tried this series, but oh, it was not. I have read another in this series, but many moons ago, so I’d completely forgotten. Therefore, with authority I can say that it’s easy to read this book as a standalone. Dani’s past is so separate from that of her siblings (the subjects of the other two books) that it was easy to follow.
There are two potential points on which someone might not enjoy this story.
First, the cowardice of Dani’s adoptive parents. They’re so sure that Dani will stop loving them if they reveal that she’s a princess that they are driven to keep quiet. The longer they keep quiet, the harder it is to say something. As she was growing up, Dani did want to know about her history, but it distressed her adoptive parents so much that she chose to not pursue it. Now maybe I was just a rotten teenager, but there was nothing I did not pursue with rabid intensity when I was a teenager, so this is a little hard to buy.
The second point is, is there enough grovelling from Luke once the full truth is revealed?
For me there was and that’s due in large part to the series of letters that Dani and Luke write to each other. For me, this was far and away the most romantic part of the book.
Other readers might want a touch more groveling, but it was just right for me.
When the characters are likeable, the plots are tension-filled and make sense, and there is a balance of tender and sexy romantic moments, it’s a delight to read and I heartily recommend this book to the Bitchery.
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 05:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-27 05:00 amCover Snark: Baby Load?
Welcome back to Cover Snark!
From Susan.
Sarah: The Cut and Paste is not optimal here.
Kiki: I’m sorry, how did we get to 5? One night stand, I assume she gets pregnant with twins…where is the fifth member??
Lara: Crucifix dude on her shoulder whispering naughty suggestions could be number 5? A party to the decision-making.
Sarah: Wait. How do her arms work? She’s got two toddlers and an artist’s palette in one arm…how?
From Malaraa.
Tara: I’m sorry, WHAT?! This cover is a fever dream, especially when you include the title and series name.
Elyse: Sirens!
Bunnies!
Man Love!
White Horses!
Crack!
Sarah: A number of these people have me worried about jaundice.
Poor dude on the right looks like he is questioning every choice he made that led to this cover.
Sarah: For what I am about to inflict upon you, I apologize.
From Jane B: Baby load? Is that a way babies are ever described?
Sarah: First, are they talking about ejaculate, and the result of said emission is…the baby? Or is the baby really, really heavy?
I don’t even have a second point. I’m stuck on the first one.
Carrie: My mind went straight to poop like a loaded diaper.
Elyse: I second the poopy diaper.
Sarah: Wouldn’t that be baby’s load?
Tara: Oh goddammit. I’m leaving the baby load thing alone because :nauseated_face:
I want to know who’s giving babies to broken dads. Also, the illustrated ears and tail on the baby is sending me.
Sarah: Wait.
Wait.
Is it Demon Boss’ Baby Load
Or it is Demon Baby Boss’s Load?
Is the baby the demon? An “illustrated version of the Mario Tanuki suit in silver” kind of demon?
Elyse: What if the baby is the boss?
Tara: Demon boss baby! Demon boss baby!
Elyse: I just saw the tagline “babies for broken dads” and I’m …just wow,
Like give the guy a little credit. He got the baby, possibly with a nuclear diaper, into his Mario Tanuki suit, ok?
Sarah: Ooof, I definitely had some late nights with demon boss babies. There was the heartburn demon, the Coxsackie demon, the teething demon…. I don’t know if I had Tanuki suit demons though.
Sarah: Y’all. I glanced at this and thought he had a potato for a head.
Claudia: Can’t unsee now. 100% a potato.
Sarah: Tater Shifter Love
Sequel: Tots for Taters
Other Sequel: Demon Baby’s Boss Potato.
Cake Wrecks (cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-26 01:22 pm
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-26 01:22 pmSunday TREATS: Halloween
You know when you go to a haunted house, how there's the usual super scary corpse-undertaker-chasing-you-with-a-blood-covered-chainsaw section? And across the parking lot there's the happy-hayride-pumpkin-patch-and-face-painting-with-the-kids section? That's where you'll find today's Halloween Sweets. Today there's nothing to be scared about, except overdosing on cuteness!
Not to mention sweetness.
By Rebecca of Sugar Creations
A cake covered in candy? I can handle that.
How luscious is this caramel apple cake? It looks so real I'm tempted to take a bite just for authenticity's sake.
I'm trying to be scared by this spooky graveyard cake, but ... nope! Too cute! See the wee little jack-o-lantern?
Hmmm, speaking of jack-o-lanterns maybe I'll try to carve all of mine out of cake this year, because a) smaller odds of accidentally stabbing myself again, and b) tastier leftovers!
Now this is a happy cake!
Made by Cake Central member preciouspjs
These monsters don't want to eat your entrails, they just want to see you smile! Love the different textures of 'fur.'
Ok, this next cake is by far the absolute cutest thing I've seen all day:
By Jen's Cakery
And that includes those newborn hedgehog pictures that are going around the internet and also my own children.
If some awesome person delivered these amazing cookies to my house, I would ban everyone from eating them, and display them as decorations instead. All year long.
It's never too soon to introduce the kids to Halloween, and not just because that means more free candy for you! (No, actually that's a good enough reason.)
SO CUTE! Look at the tiny droplets of blood on the vampire's fangs!
Now, if you are not delighted by this cake and its vivid colors, bats silhouetted by the moon and baby grand piano, you might be a Halloween Scrooge.
(Coincidentally, if you are looking for a great Halloween movie, rent A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, because that was the scariest shiz I've ever seen.)
The more I look at this cake, the more I'm floored by the details:
Tiny bones and fallen leaves. Itty bitty bats with fangs! Haphazardly hanging shutters! And so well-done too. I've never seen skeletons and gravestones looks so gosh darn adorable.
And finally, can you make it past the fearful fondling tentacles and eerie eyeballs of this cake? Beyond the ghostly guardian, over the circular sentinels, through the clingy cobwebs and up the slimy staircase to the haunted mansion?
Go on, try it. I double dare you.
Yeah, you go on ahead...
I'll uh, just be over here getting my face painted.
Happy Sunday!
*****
P.S. Are you making Halloween Treat bags this year? Because I found the cutest set:
Halloween Goody Bag Set: 40 Bags & Stickers
I love the designs, especially the cat & the skull!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-26 08:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-26 08:00 amGet Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 101
Welcome back, everyone!
This time around, we have two cookbooks. They are vastly different from one another. There’s also a mystery and a historical romance.
What recommendations would you like to pass along? Let us know in the comments!
Exit, Pursued by a Baron
Shoutout to SusanK! We ran a Rec League for indie historical authors and Susan suggested Aydra Richards. Big appreciation for helping me narrow down Richards’ backlist on where to start.
She will break his heart even at the cost of her own.
Lydia Alcott left London beneath a cloud of shame and ignominy five years ago, when her affair with Marcus Beaumont, Baron Newhaven, came to a disastrous end. Now she has built a successful career as an actress, but her return to London places her once more within Marcus’ notice—and the reach of his wrath.
Marcus ordered Lydia away from London when the revelation of her infidelity left him devastated and heartbroken, warning her that to return would be to invite her own destruction. Now, seeing her upon the stage, the desire for revenge consumes him—he will hold her heart in the palm of his hand and crush it as she once did his own.
But Lydia has resentments of her own to satisfy. Unjustly accused of infidelity, she now intends to bring Marcus to his knees in truth. Thus begins a dangerous game of retribution and seduction neither intends to lose. But when old passions surface once more, each must make the choice whether to surrender their antipathy. She will never again be his mistress, and he will not make her his wife…unless the truth, long buried, can set them free from the past.
Food to Die For
For all my foodie and spooky season afficionados! I find the combo of haunted history and food to be really fascinating and if you don’t have Halloween plans, maybe you can use this for a potluck. (I used to participate in a public library supper club, where they would pick a cookbook and all the participants would make a recipe and bring it to a local spot to eat together.)
Discover tantalizing recipes, spine-tingling stories, and historic photos from the most notoriously haunted locations across America in this fun and fascinating cookbook. Paranormal investigator and Kindred Spirits co-host Amy Bruni leads you through eerie hotels, haunted homes, hellish hospitals, and spooky ghost towns, giving you stories and a recipe from each place.
Whether you’re in the mood for Lizzie Borden’s meatloaf or want to serve up spooky prison stories along with sugar cookies from Alcatraz, Food to Die For is your guide to ghoulish gastronomy.
One of America’s favorite ghost hunters, Amy Bruni takes you to mysterious hotels, eerie ghost towns, and possessed pubs in this delightfully sinister collection of stories and recipes. Each of the nearly 60 locations in Food to Die For
Vintage photographs and charmingly creepy stories rooted in historyA noteworthy recipe associated with the people or placeFull-color, captivating, and hauntingly styled food photos to inspire a killer kitchen experienceThis terrifyingly tasty cookbook will bewitch anyone
Has a taste for the paranormal and a hunger to try new foodsLoves history, travel, and culinary curiositiesEnjoys entertaining guests in unique and memorable waysWould get goosebumps making a recipe written 300 years ago
History buffs, thrill-seekers, and foodies will all get shivers seeing the past come to life with every enchanted recipe and delicious tale from Food to Die For.
The Museum Detective
Lately, I’ve gravitated toward mysteries and thrillers that involve heists and history, rather than serial killers. Definitely hoping this is a start to a series.
Inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, this gripping series debut introduces archaeologist Dr. Gul Delani, whose investigation into the discovery of a mummy gets complicated—and personal—when it collides with her years-long search for a missing family member. Perfect for fans of Sue Grafton and Elsa Hart.
When Dr. Gul Delani receives a call in the middle of the night from the Sindh police, she thinks they may have finally found her niece, Mahnaz—a precocious, politically conscious teenage girl who went missing three years prior. Gul has been racked with grief since Mahnaz’s disappearance and distracts herself through a talented curator at the Museum of Heritage and History in Karachi, she is one of the country’s leading experts in archaeology and ancient civilizations, a hard-won position for a woman.
But there is no news of Mahnaz. Instead, Gul is summoned to a narcotics investigation in a remote desert region in western Pakistan. In her wildest dreams, Gul couldn’t have imagined what she’d find amid a drug bust gone wrong, there is a mummy—life-size, seemingly authentic, its sarcophagus decorated with symbols from Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The discovery confounds everyone. It is both too good to be true, and for Gul, too precious to leave in careless or corrupt hands.
Aided by her team of unlikely misfits, Gul will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it, even as her quest for the truth puts her in the throes of a dangerous conspiracy and threatens to collide with her ongoing search for Mahnaz. A portrait of a city fueled by corruption and a woman relentlessly in pursuit of justice, The Museum Detective is an exciting, gritty new crime thriller that announces a whip-smart and brilliant sleuth and builds to a stunning, emotional conclusion that readers won’t soon forget.
So Easy So Good
This is another social media content creator I follow who produced a cookbook lately. Sakaida is a registered dietician and I love the way she speaks about food. She has experience with eating disorders and her outlook on meals is “what can we add” rather than “what can we restrict.”
Enjoy easy and accessible everyday recipes and discover no-nonsense nutrition info that debunks food myths from social media sensation Nutrition by Kylie.
Registered dietitian and social media star Kylie Sakaida, a.k.a. @NutritionbyKylie, knows how difficult it can be to keep track of the confusing and often conflicting information about nutrition we are barraged with online. Kylie began posting videos on social media to cut through the noise and offer easy-to-understand and relatable evidence-based advice. Now, millions of people trust and follow her for realistic nutrition tips and delicious recipes. In this beautiful, comprehensive cookbook, Kylie has collected her best nutrition tips along with both fan-favorite and brand-new recipes.
Whether you want to change your eating habits and mindset or are just looking for a healthy dinner recipe, So Easy So Good has you covered. Kylie simplifies complex concepts through simple lists, charts, and sidebars. Her recipes and tips emphasize a healthy, balanced mix of protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber so you can feel nourished and satisfied. Many of Kylie’s recipes are inspired by the Asian flavors from her upbringing. Some recipes are designed to minimize prep time by using frozen veggies and nutrient-dense convenience foods, while others can be frozen in advance and reheated within minutes for a quick meal.
So Easy So Good is packed with simple, accessible, and nutritional advice throughout, but it’s recipes like Matcha Chia Parfaits, Sriracha Honey Tofu Bowls, Chicken Ranch Naan Pizzas, Thai Fish Curry, and even sweets like Tahini Chocolate Brownies, that will have you coming back to the book again and again.
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dw_maintenance2025-10-25 08:42 am
mark) wrote in dw_maintenance2025-10-25 08:42 amDatabase maintenance
Good morning, afternoon, and evening!
We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)
I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.
Ta for now!
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-25 06:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-25 06:00 amWhatcha Reading? October 2025, Part Two
Welcome back! Here’s what we’re reading right now:
Shana: I just finished The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I read this entirely because of the gorgeous cover and luckily it was solid, if predictable, with a very feminist vibe. I’m glad I gave it a chance even though it’s YA with a love triangle, two things I tend to avoid.
Lara: I’ve started reading for my project on self- and indie-pubbed historical romance and it’s going well! Grace Callaway’s The Duke Who Knew Too Much was great and I’ve just started Nearly a Lady by Alissa Johnson ( A ) which I’m enjoying so far. I’ll be writing up my findings including a collated list of historical romance authors in the nearish future
Claudia: Oh Alissa Johnson seemed to have been traditionally published a few years back then re-issued her books. She also hasn’t had a new book in a while. I’ve enjoyed pretty much all of hers that I got my hands on.
I am starting some oldies by Teresa Medeiros. Including re-reading Yours Until Dawn — ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) clearly it took me years to forgive that book’s twist!!!
Another disappearing author that I used to enjoy.
Elyse: I’m reading A Dawn with the Wolf Knight by Elise Kova.
So, whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
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justcreate2025-10-24 09:04 pm
silvercat17) wrote in justcreate2025-10-24 09:04 pmEntry tags:
Just Create - Cat Tree Edition
What are you working on? What have you finished? What do you need encouragement on?
Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?
What do you just want to talk about?
What have you been watching or reading?
Chores and other not-fun things count!
Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky.
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-24 03:30 pm
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-24 03:30 pmMary Balogh, KDDs, & More
A Tale of Mirth and Magic
A Tale of Mirth and Magic by Kristen Vale is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This released in August and has a lot of catnip. What I liked is that this is still cozy and sexy.
A maker of magical jewelry finds her life turned upside down when she ends up on the run with a half-giant in this spicy and cozy fantasy romance—perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Spellshop.
Elikki may not have a family, but she has her fierce independence, boundless charm, and enough talent as a jewelry artisan to make a living on the road. Unfortunately for some, she also can’t yet manage to control her chaotic magic. . . and her temper. Sweet, soft Barra lives a quiet life with his mas and three sisters, managing the books for his family’s business. All he wants is to blend in and not make waves—a bit tricky, as a nearly eight-foot-tall purple half-giant.
When Elikki lands in hot water after dealing with a particularly rude customer, Barra finds himself helping her flee the constables. With a bounty on her back—and a severe crush forming on his end—they decide to travel together to the next town. So begins a journey filled with cozy inns, delicious meals, heaps of excellent sex, and a sprinkling of danger. As their adventures bring them closer together and the threat of capture rises they find themselves changing in surprising ways. He’s given up on finding love. She’s always refused to try. But traveling together, they may discover unexpected, powerful romance and stronger self-identities—if the bounty hunters don’t get them first.
A Killer Getaway
A Killer Getaway by Sienna Sharpe is $2.99 and another KDD! I believe Elyse mentioned this in a previous Hide Your Wallet. Were any of you interested?
Falling in love can be murder…
No one in Lily Lennox’s life can understand why, for each of the past five summers, she has shut her successful business and chosen instead to be paid minimum wage lifeguarding at the exclusive Riovan Wellness Resort on a sun-soaked Caribbean island. Fortunately for her, they also aren’t aware of the mysterious deaths that have occurred on the island every time she’s there.
Lily always does her best not to attract attention. She is determined to make toxic people pay for the damage they do – and when your mission is murder, it’s best not to draw suspicious eyes. But this year a very attractive journalist, Daniel Black, is asking a few too many inconvenient questions. Is he there to hunt her down? And if so, how will she manage her growing attraction towards him – at the same time as getting away with murder?
The Last Wolf
RECOMMENDED: The Last Wolf by Maria Vale is $1.99! I really enjoyed this book and its departure from the usual shifter mythology. Vale does a great job creating a sense of place. Be warned though, there is violence in the book and it is very descriptive
For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild.
If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die.
But if she stays…
Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…
Remember When
Remember When by Mary Balogh is $2.99! This is book four in the Ravenswood series and I believe this features an older couple. It came out earlier this year!
Discover the beauty of second chances at love and life in this heartfelt new novel from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.
The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, née Greenfield, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. She returns to Ravenswood, intending to spend the summer alone there. But the summer has other plans for her.
Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor has chosen to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close—dangerously so, considering his family’s modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Clarissa married Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, so Matthew married another, though he was widowed soon after.
Now everything is different—Clarissa has already lived the life expected of her by society. And Matthew is as attractive and intriguing as he was when they were young. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change—essentially the same man and woman they remember being back then, but with renewed passion and the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction.
Cake Wrecks (cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-24 01:00 pm
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-24 01:00 pmWhen The World Ends, Blame The Ninja Deer
You know how sometimes we like to zoom in to see all the wrecky details?
Well, it turns out sometimes we should zoom OUT.
Take this wedding cake, for example:
While I think you'll agree that finger-smeared "camouflage" is a true wonder to behold, there's no way for you to fully appreciate the entire artistic "tableau" - the one hinted at by that snippet of caution tape in the background - until you zoom out a ways:
I'll forgive the balloons, the little boot vases, and even the toy tractors - but two plywood boards balanced on a used tractor tire? That's time to take a stand, people. And burn it.
And, ok, since you insist:
Whoah, whoah, whoah. Where did those tiny deer come from?!
No, seriously, did you see any tiny plastic deer in those first two photos? 'Cuz I didn't.
Wait.
I just thought of something:
What if the deer were wearing camouflage?
{***}
That sound just then?
That was your mind being blown.
Many thanks to Anony M., who also provided a photo of the bridal party, but I've decided to protect the identities of the guilty. After all, any bridesmaid forced to wear a camo dress with a neon orange petticoat and cowboy boots has suffered enough, don't you think?
*****
P.S. I don't think I'll ever be OK with tires as cake stands, but they DO make pretty awesome travel mugs:
Stainless Steel Tire Travel Mug
The lid even has a hub cap! Ha! Great reviews, too.
******
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-24 06:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-24 06:00 amOoops: No Podcast This Week
I goofed! There won’t be an episode this week. I apologize!
I will return to my regular schedule on October 31st.
I swear, the reason is because the expression of time having to be in numbers is insulting to me personally. (I got dates mixed up. It’s so embarrassing).
I’m sorry about that!
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-23 03:30 pm
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-23 03:30 pmReality TV, a Mystery, & More
The Fake Mate
The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson is $1.99! Lara reviewed this one and gave it a C:
If this book had maintained its giddy pace all the way through, it would have absolutely delighted me. As it is, it’s a distinctly meh situation that I’m left with. Would I recommend it? Probably not. The first just-over-half is really fun reading, but it falls apart so dramatically after that, I ended up very disappointed.
Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates but unexpectedly find something real in this steamy paranormal romantic comedy by Lana Ferguson.
Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately. Model train experts, mansplainers, guys weirdly obsessed with her tail—she hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.
Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist and all around grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the same day he’s called to meet the board has to be kismet, right?
Mackenzie will keep her grandmother off her back, and Noah will get a chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate—a mutually beneficial business transaction, they both rationalize. But when the fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.
The Prince of Broadway
The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe is $1.99! I stalled on finishing this one, but these were my thoughts: great chemistry and I love the hero is pretty upfront about wanting revenge on the heroine’s dad. He tells her so. However, it takes place simultaneously with the events of The Rogue of Fifth Avenue, so the dad in question is still terrible to his daughters.
In the second novel in Joanna Shupe’s the Uptown Girl series, a ruthless casino owner bent on revenge finds his plans upended by a beautiful women who proves to be more determined than he is—and too irresistible to deny.
Powerful casino owner.
Ruthless mastermind.
Destroyer of men.
He lives in the shadows…
As the owner of the city’s most exclusive casino, Clayton Madden holds the fortunes of prominent families in the palms of his hands every night. There is one particular family he burns to ruin, however, one that has escaped his grasp… until now.
She is society’s darling…
Florence Greene is no one’s fool. She knows Clayton Madden is using her to ruin her prestigious family… and she’s using him right back. She plans to learn all she can from the mysterious casino owner—then open a casino of her own just for women.
With revenge on his mind, Clay agrees to mentor Florence. However, she soon proves more adept—and more alluring—than Clay bargained for. When his plans are threatened, Clay must decide if he is willing to gamble his empire on love.
The Charm Offensive
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is $1.99! I mentioned this on a previous Get Rec’d! It’s a m/m romance set in a reality dating show. One main character is a producer and the other is the Bachelor-esque contestant.
In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.
Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.
Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.
As Dev fights to get Charlie to open up to the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.
Detective Aunty
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin is $5.99! If your library hold is still waiting to come in since this was released in the spring, this is around half off right now.
When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last.
After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.
Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.
And the facts of the case are Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.
With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…
Cake Wrecks (cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-23 01:00 pm
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-23 01:00 pmSPAAACE!!!
It happens to the best of us: Sometimes, you just run out of room.
The test of a true wreckerator, however, is how creatively you manage to soldier on in the face of seemingly insurmountable icing borders.
Ok, so maybe they're not all that insurmountable.
In fact, here are a few more tried and true tactics employed by wreckerators everywhere:
The Nose Dive:
(Cartoon bomb noises optional.)
The Double Stack:
Now with extra ellipses!
The "Round Abound:"
The color choice is what really sells it.
The Second Time's the Charm:
Also known as the "Maybe No One Will Notice."
The Cliff-Hanger:
"Y! Hold on, Y! I can't...you're...you're slipping! Y!! NOOOoooOOOOooOOO!!"
Ahem.
And finally, my personal favorite:
The "Stop, Walk (Away), and LOL."
Thanks to Leigh M., Brenda S., Holly H., Ariel F., Victoria M., Mike S., Jenny B., and Lauren L. for really exploring the studio space. Before we're done here, you'll all be wearing gold-plated diapers.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-23 06:00 am
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-23 06:00 amSoulgazer by Mary Rapier
This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at @thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next good freelance job.
Florid, breathless, filled with stomach-churning effluvia and old skool as all get-out, but also self-aware enough to know what it’s done and where it’s going, Soulgazer is an extremely dramatic peek at the life of an utterly helpless waif cursed with Too Much Power, the witty pirate who is magnetically drawn to her, and the love that binds them together in spite of it all. It’s campy, but not campy enough to really make it a legendary hoot — a D+ read that mostly kept me entertained due to its ripeness.
Ever since she was a literal infant, Saoirse has been cursed with an extremely powerful, volatile and unpredictable magic that has resulted in her father imprisoning her in an isolated cabin with no human contact after she accidentally kills her brother. This was because of her touching a soulstone after being kidnapped by her grandmother, who thought Saoirse’s death would bring an end to her own curse. Most people who touch soulstones — which are formed when a person dies – go mad or die themselves. She violently suppresses the magic as hard as she can with the help of an amulet, but its protections aren’t perfect. The only way out of her isolation is marriage to the Stone King, who is notoriously rough and mean. This will provide a political alliance for her father, the king of their island, and thus make her useful to him and get him some heirs. If that means having the amulet’s runestone symbol tattooed on her back so her husband will never know she’s got such gifts, so be it.
She is too much of a marshmallow for marriage to such a guy, naturally. Fortunately for Saoirse, she’s heard legendary tales of the roguish pirate Wolf of the Wild since she was young – it is later established that they are only two years apart in age so I guess I can buy a teenager thinking a teenage pirate is cool?
Faolan, said Wolf of the Wild, is luckily in-port when she manages her daring escape. Saoirse seeks him out on the eve of her wedding, thinking he might give her passage to the Isle of Lost Souls, which is the only place in the world strong enough to absorb her magic, as it was created by the now-dead gods her people once worshipped. They instead strike a bargain. They enter into a handfasting of convenience and she promises to guide him to the invisible lost Isle of Lost Souls using her powers. Her father and former fiance are not happy. Let the chase begin.
Warning: you are entering nigh-on cartoonish territory with this one, and I admit I couldn’t stop giggling in the wrong places. The magical system kept me reading, as did the charming if stereotypical and egotistical Faolan, so I’m keeping this at a solid D+.
Poor Saoirse is the most put-upon heroine I’ve read about in centuries. Her magic is mighty but the suppression of it is painful. So is the tattoo her parents place upon her skin to force her into keeping her magic in tight. Until she meets Faolan, a lot of this reads like misery porn. She does have a core of strength and dignity, but watching her flail around and throw up and be victimized and hurt can be painful to see in a not-fun way, and it goes on for pages and pages. She desperately resists her magic, believing that she’s to blame for trauma and death, but even when it shows its positive side, she thinks her father’s lies about her powers are right instead of taking in what she sees before her. By the end of the book she finally starts to unleash herself, and that is a blessing to the narrative, which can finally stop focusing on her suffering.
Faolan, meanwhile, is your classic roguish pirate. Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time and Jack Sparrow are his clear role models. His shivers timber. But he’s fun and a sensual enough presence. He and Saiorsie bring out the best in one another even though he and his crew are pretty mean toward her at first and even though Saoirse has to keep reminding herself that oh no, this isn’t a real marriage! But he does get her to at least show some spirit and spunk and call him out on things, so that’s a relief.
The villains here – Saiorsie’s dad and the Stone King – are noncomplex: the personalities are broad, and the adventure kind of predictable. The language used here on occasion made me giggle. Every time a character exclaimed feck all I could think of was Father Ted – definitely not a comparison I wanted to think of for multiple reasons, especially during the love scenes.
It’s flawed, and it’s sometimes accidentally funny, but I have to admit I was never bored while reading Soulgazer. I’d definitely take the sequel out of the library instead of buying it, however – unless I were offered buried pirate’s treasure.
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-22 06:00 pm
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-22 06:00 pmLinks: Birding, a New Romance Bookstore, & More
Welcome back to Links!
We’re about a month out from Thanksgiving and I’m slowly working on my share of the menu. For the past couple years, we’ve done an “all sides” Thanksgiving, because I don’t want to bother with a turkey. It’s just two of us and even a breast would probably be too much. I also think sides are the best part of the holiday anyway.
My partner is usually in charge of the carbs: mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. I usually do another veggie, dessert, and some other side that doesn’t require cooking.
Right now, I’ve got balsamic glazed Brussel sprouts, an autumn salad with fennel (love fennel!), and this apple cider donut cake from Smitten Kitchen (adjusted to be GF!).
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Elizabeth let us know about this Kickstarter for a dark romance bookstore in Connecticut:
This seemed like something the SBTB community might be interested in. Ash is a wonderful human who has been doing pop up book sales of dark romance across New England (mostly Connecticut). They are now looking to open a brick and mortar store in Middletown CT, not far from Wesleyan University. It would definitely add some diversity and interest to the town – as well as bring some joy and stability to Ash’s life.
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Humble Bundle has a deal on “momcore” games, which are cozy games designed to for short bursts of playtime. $10 for 12 games is a great deal.
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Illumicrate is producing special editions of Murderbot. The sale goes live on November 20th. If you’re already a subscriber, presale starts a couple days before.
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Previously I posted about the Hallmark birding romance movie. Well, birders are definitely displeased with all of the details they got wrong.
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books (smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-22 03:30 pm
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-22 03:30 pmA Cozy Contemporary, Historical Romance, & More
The Geographer’s Map to Romance
The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton is $1.99! Fingers crossed this deal lasts. This is book two in the Love’s Academic series and was released in April. Any thoughts on the series so far?
Geography professors in a failed marriage of convenience inconveniently reconnect for an emergency mission in this swoony historical-fantasy rom-com.
Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her—except her own personal disaster, that Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves.
Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either—except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They’ve been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn’t stopped him from stoically pining for her.
When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there’s no navigational guide for the geography of the heart.
The Siren of Sussex
The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews is $1.99! This is book one in Matthews’ new series, The Belles of London. The description definitely piques my interest, but I feel like Matthews books don’t get as sexy for me as I want them.
Victorian high society’s most daring equestrienne finds love and an unexpected ally in her fight for independence in the strong arms of London’s most sought after and devastatingly handsome half-Indian tailor.
Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.
Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.
But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?
The Familiar
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is $2.99! We mentioned this one in Hide Your Wallet, and I believe this is a standalone. If there are any details about it being a series, let us know!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
The Gingerbread Bakery
The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore is 99c! This is book five in the Dream Harbor series and released last month. All the books in this series are billed as cozy, small town romances.
From the international bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café and The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, comes the highly anticipated Dream Harbor romance for 2025!
A wedding in Dream Harbor can only mean one thing, everyone wants to get involved!
With Jeanie and Logan set to tie the knot, and Kira desperate to hire out her newly renovated barn at the Christmas tree farm, everything seems to be going well. Annie has agreed to bake the cake, and Mac is responsible for, well… just being Mac. And as the whole of Dream Harbor comes together to celebrate the wedding of the year with the snow falling around them, can Annie and Mac put aside their dislike for each just long enough for the ‘I Do’s’ or is that one request too far…
The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!