Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Bringing you the famous and cheeky SBTB blog for romance enthusiasts. If you're into the romance genre, this is where you want to be. If you're not, avoid at all costs to preserve your sanity. Ha ha. We're just kidding. There are some good things happening in the genre. Stay Golden, Horny Girl!
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This month’s Kickass Women takes us to the silver boom town of Potosí, located in what is now Bolivia, in the 1600s. This city was riddled by crime, but two teenage girls, Ana Lezama de Urinza and Eustaquia de Sonza, took it on the task of cleaning it up. At the time, Potosí was adjacent to a massive silver mining operation owned and run by the Spanish colonizers. Most of the silver was sent by boat to Spain, although some was sent to Buenos Aires to enrich the Spanish there, and some was sent via trading ships to the Spanish East Indies. Pieces of eight, coins valued for international currency, were minted at Potosí from local silver. The area still holds one of the wor…
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It’s that time of the month! No, not that time. Whatcha Reading time! Sarah: I’m currently reading Thank you For Listening by Julia Whelan ( A | BN | K | AB ) – and I’m doing an interview with her for the podcast, too! Shana: I’m reading The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s a good reminder of why I like to give new-to-me authors a second chance. Because I hated the first book in the series and I love this one. Claudia: I’m reading The Dawn of Everything, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s sort of an anti “Big History” book that chips away the prevalent, too-linear narrative of how we got to live in our complex societies (early humans be…
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The transcript for Podcast 523. Summer Reading (and Shoe) Recs with Amanda has been posted! This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks. ❤ Click here to subscribe to The Podcast → View the full article
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Love at First Love at First by Kate Clayborn is $2.99! Clayborn is an autobuy author for some of the Bitchery. Catherine gave this one a B: Love at First is a beautiful book and worth the painful beginnings – but if you’re feeling fragile, too, maybe proceed with caution. A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore. Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the gir…
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Fire Island by Joel Kim Booster Jax Media A Not a Book When I saw the half-naked men in promos for gay rom-com Fire Island, I erroneously assumed it was a reality dating show. That placed Fire Island in my mental queue just after finishing Love is Blind Brazil. Meaning moderately high, but not at the top of my To Watch list. But then Sarah told me it was actually a reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice about a group of friends who vacation stay with their lesbian house mom, played by Margaret Cho. I stopped what I was doing and watched it immedia…
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In the words of a spam comment, we have some nice and valuable content! Amanda and I are catching up. What are we talking about? Shoes we are trying to break in, video games we are playing, and all the books we’ve been reading this summer! Amanda’s into sci-fi mysteries, and I’ve read a whole bunch of different genres. Grab a beverage and come visit with us! What about you? What books have rocked your reading time? Have you broken in Birkenstocks? (Am I doomed to agony for eternity?) What are your most comfortable sandals? What is your preferred Mario Kart course? What kind of cracker is the greatest kind of cracker, and why is it Ritz crackers? … Music: purple-plane…
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Book Boyfriend Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper is $2.99! This is a bookish, gay contemporary romance. Ripper’s books have been routinely recommending in the comments and by Tara. However, this one isn’t rated as highly as some of Ripper’s others on Goodreads. A secret crush leads to not-so-secret romance in this delightful romantic comedy from Kris Ripper There are three things you need to know about Preston “PK” Kingsley: 1) He’s a writer, toiling in obscurity as an editorial assistant at a New York City publishing house. 2) He is not a cliché. No, really. 3) He’s …
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This Rec League comes from Catherine: Saw the trailer Lost City of D and so excited for an adventure rom-com. It looks awesome! Curious if there are any comedy-adventure-romance books out there people would recommend? Amanda: We did a similar Rec League back in 2014, but maybe there’s something new since then! Sarah: Roxanne St. Claire’s FBI/Bullet Catchers ( A | BN | K | AB ) after often big on the world travel/adventure aspects. A | BN | K | ABThe Last Mile by Kat Martin ( A | BN | K | AB ) seems to fit (I haven’t read it yet). And Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai ( A | BN | K | AB ), which is coming out in October: Vegas heist! Lara: There’s a lot more action in …
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Hey hey! It’s Wednesday! I’m currently listening to a chunky fly buzz around my room, while my cat Linus does not give two single fucks about it. The heat is about to break in New England (yay!) and just in time for me to attend an Emo Night concert. Gonna bust out the spiked jewelry and band t-shirts and I’m really excited. Sometimes, your girl just has to dance. I’m sure some of you get it! Monday night, I took an edible before bed to help with some sleep troubles. Tuesday morning, I woke up with an Uber Eats notification. Apparently, high Amanda planned ahead and scheduled for McDonald’s hashbrowns to be delivered in the morning. Also Linus loves his chicken-flavore…
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Scandal Never Sleeps RECOMMENDED: Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake is $3.99! Elyse read this one and really enjoyed it, though she did find it hard to classify in terms of genre: I was pleasantly surprised by Scandal Never Sleeps. It was the hot contemporary I wanted but with a side of delicious mystery, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next in Seduction in Session. They are the Perfect Gentlemen of Creighton Academy: privileged, wealthy, powerful friends with a wild side. But a deadly scandal is about to tear down their seemingl…
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I have never been great at always having The Perfect Image ready for a given conversation. Some people are SO GOOD at that, and I can only appreciate their visual hilarity. I do have a few that I absolutely adore and keep as my favorites, though. And I thought it might be fun to share some our faves and ask about yours! What memes and images do you keep on your phone for frequent or essential use? Lara: This monkey is a common visitor in our work chat. Our response to bad briefs, indecisive marketers, unhelpful feedback – this monkey says it all! Amanda: These are the only two I have favorited in my phone: Shana: I love a YAY moment so I definitely use this one w…
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The Frangipani Tree Mystery RECOMMENDED: The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu is 99c! You may have seen this mentioned on the site recently because Sarah is reading through the series. Here’s what she has to say: I really enjoyed this one – the setting, historical period, and mix of cultures were new to me and wonderfully absorbing, and I really like the heroine, who is trying to see through everyone’s BS, and learning that she has some barriers to her own BS detection that need to be removed. She also has master levels of polyglot, so she can communicate across so many cultural lines, and transl…
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This HaBO is from Stacie, who wants to find this contemporary romance: The book I’m looking for is contemporary. It’s a baby on the doorstep book with a wealthy father and a daycare owner. The daycare owner is not the mother. The baby is dropped on the father’s doorstep and he calls for a nanny or something panicking. His fancy building actually houses the premier daycare for the city so someone comes right away. It’s the owner of the daycare. She has no one else available. She tells the father to find someone else for tomorrow she has a waiting list and he can’t jump it. He pulls strings and his daughter gets admitted. Then he wants to find the child’s mother and he wa…
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B+ The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett July 12, 2022 · Carina Adores Contemporary RomanceLGBTQIA Amy owns a restaurant on the brink of failure. She’s done everything she can think of to save her dream, but even hiring a reality-show runner-up as her chef isn’t enough to save it. Sure, Sophie’s even hotter in person than she was on TV (and she was plenty hot there), but she’s turned out to be quiet and uninspiring in the kitchen. If Sophie’s learned one thing from the spotlight, it’s that she just wants to create ama…
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Donut Fall in Love RECOMMENDED: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau is $1.99! Catherine gave this one a Squee grade: It is such a perfectly balanced book, too. It doesn’t just skim over the surface of difficult things, but it also doesn’t drag you down into the depths of grief, either. I loved that it is such a light, funny, hot read, but also a story that invites reflection. A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy. Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting les…
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Welcome back to Cover Snark! Let’s get into it. Susan: Ma’am – ma’am, I need you to stop right there and put down the disembodied hand. Wait, no, it’s a coffee, I retract that snark and go back to my original “Did you know you’ve got a tree in your hair”. Amanda: I love that in the terms of fading in and out of time, the coffee cup is the last or rather first thing to materialize. Sarah: Much like you should put the bunny back in the box, you should put the tiny historical people back in your coffee cup. Susan: And in further eye test questions: does this look like a minotaur or a very angry rabbit? Lara: Angry rabbit gets my vote! Amanda: Has anyone seen Tank …
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B+ A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows July 26, 2022 · Tor Books Mystery/ThrillerRomanceScience Fiction/Fantasy Content warnings TW: explicit rape scene, homophobia and transphobia, murder of a horse, toxic sibling rivalry, suicidal ideation, violence Oh my gosh, this was such a tender m/m fantasy romance, steeped in narratives about healing, acceptance, and love. It’s also a mystery about a series of bloody, brutal killings (including, I regret to inform you, the death of a horse). And it’s a politic…
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A The Stand-In by Lily Chu May 3, 2022 · Sourcebooks Casablanca Contemporary Romance TW: Sexual Harassment The Stand-In is a celebrity romance that also celebrates female friendships, openly discusses the stigma against mental illness, and allows the main character the space to explore the complexities of being bi-racial. It does all of that without feeling unbalanced or taking away from the romance that’s the center of the plot. I listened to this on Audible and the narrator, Philippa Soo, does a wonderful job of …
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The transcript for Podcast 522. Five Books that Rocked my World with Agatha Andrews from She Wore Black Podcast has been posted! This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks. ❤ Click here to subscribe to The Podcast → View the full article
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Paris Is Always a Good Idea Paris Is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay is $1.99! From reviews, this seems like it leans more toward fiction with strong romantic elements, rather than an outright contemporary romance. Have you read this one? It’s been seven years since Chelsea Martin embarked on her yearlong post-college European adventure. Since then, she’s lost her mother to cancer and watched her sister marry twice, while Chelsea’s thrown herself into work, becoming one of the most talented fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, and with the exception o…
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Agatha Andrews is the host of the She Wore Black podcast which focuses on gothic and horror, and a former librarian. I was a guest on her show, and now she comes over to visit with me! Horror and romance need to hang out. So we did! We talk about readers advisory, all the ways to connect books to readers, and then we take a deep dive into the books that rocked her world as a reader. Do you have any erotic unicorn horror to recommend to Agatha? Got a favorite gothic or horror you adore? Tell me about it, please! … Music: purple-planet.com Listen to the podcast → Read the transcript → Here are the books we discuss in this podca…
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The Friendship Pact The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis is $1.99! This is book two in the Sunrise Cove series. It seems like women’s fiction with a romantic subplot, though correct me if I’m wrong. New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a powerful, moving story about a young woman on a quest to find the truth about her father who learns the meaning of true love along the way. Alone in the world, Tae Holmes and her mother April pretty much raised each other, but as Tae starts asking questions about the father she’s never met, April…
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Welcome back to Cover Awe, where we look at some eye-catching covers! Cover art by Paul Stinson Cover design by Daniella Medina Cover photography by David Wagner Photography Kiki: These are two deeply, DEEPLY, beautiful people. Sarah: I have many thoughts, and some of them are cheekbones, my gosh. This is REGAL AF. Amanda: The lighting is top notch on this one. Sneezy: This is so DREAMY!!!! Cover illustration by Poppy Magda Cover design by Lizzy Bromley Maya: CUTE Amanda: I say “so cute supa cute” just like Penny from Happy Endings all the time and no one understands me. Maya: SAME!!!!!! Sneezy: I love that cover!!!! I can’t get over the twining daisie…
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What fresh bullshit are we in for tonight? Apparently last week Meatball begged Rachel to keep him, and she did, and all of this happened during the credits, and I missed it. Pudding: His name is…Meatball. We open with Hayden telling the other dudes that he called Gabby “rough around the edges.” “That’s kinda rough though, bro,” Nate says. Hayden defends himself by saying Gabby called herself that twice. “I don’t think I did anything I did anything wrong, to be honest,” he says. “I guess maybe you shouldn’t use that fucking word to describe yourself then.” Hayden has this face that is a combination of smug and vapid. He strikes me as someone would have invested i…
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Savannah’s Secrets Savannah’s Secrets by Reese Ryan is $1.99! This is a category romance and the first in a series. There are also workplace elements. This romance has been mentioned a few times on the site and I know we always talk about the amazing wardrobes on the Harlequin Desire line. Falling for the boss, or taking him down? Savannah Carlisle had the perfect plan. By infiltrating the Abbott family’s Tennessee bourbon empire as their events manager, she’d be one step closer to claiming half of the business they stole from her grandfather. Now she’s not so sure. …
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