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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A | BN | K Several years ago, Amanda had coffee with Maria Vale at a conference, and Maria mentioned a book she was working on that sounded really cool. And now, Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death is available to read! So we got together to talk about the book, what it’s like to write something that feels risky, different, and comes with warnings about HEA-expectations. This becomes a conversation about the HEA, how it works, and how it is interpreted by different readers. What are your expectations for an HEA? Music: purple-planet.com Listen to the podcast → Read the transcript → Here are the books we discuss in this podcast: …
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A Taste of Heaven A Taste of Heaven by Penny Watson is 99c! This cover is making me so hungry. This is a contemporary romance with an older hero and heroine (late 40s) and a food competition show. Readers loved the heroine and her relationship with the grumpy Scottish chef hero. However, some readers felt the action of the book happened a little too quickly. It has a 3.9-star rating on Goodreads. “Create one perfect bite.” Good little widow Sophia Brown always follows the rules. When the producer of a cooking competition requests an amuse-bouche, the chefs stick with…
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True Pretenses True Pretenses by Rose Lerner is $2.99! This historical romance was previously featured on Cover Awe with its previous cover. The hero is Jewish and Lerner mentioned in a previous podcast that the book was inspired by the movie, The Brothers Bloom. Have you read this one? Never steal a heart unless you can afford to lose your own. Through sheer force of will, Ash Cohen raised himself and his younger brother from the London slums to become the best of confidence men. He’s heartbroken to learn Rafe wants out of the life, but determined to grant his broth…
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Our Crooked Hearts RECOMMENDED: Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert is $3.99! Elyse gave this one an A: Don’t start Our Crooked Hearts unless you have time to finish it. It’s such a wonderful, spooky, thrilling story that it’s hard to put down. It’s a book about imperfect parents, teenage dissatisfaction, and female empowerment and it unfolds beautifully. It’s also a remarkable ghost story. THE SUBURBS, RIGHT NOW . . . Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the roa…
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Sunshine Sunshine by Robin McKinley is $1.99! McKinley has been recommended several times at SBTB HQ. I always love featuring this one because we get some really lovely comments. “Her feet are already bleeding – if you like feet…” There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it’s unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don’t, when they’re vampires. They took her clothes and …
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Duchess by Design Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale is $1.99! This is the first book in the Gilded Age Girls Club series. Elyse read this one, but gave it a B-, as she didn’t believe the hero really deserved the heroine. Have you read this one? Do you agree with Elyse’s assessment. In the first novel of Maya Rodale’s enthralling new series, an English duke vows to make an American seamstress his duchess… In Gilded Age Manhattan, anything can happen… Seeking a wealthy American bride who can save his family’s estate, Brandon Fiennes, the duke of Kingston, is a rogue de…
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To Catch An Earl RECOMMENDED: To Catch An Earl by Kate Bateman is $1.99! This is the second book in the Bow Street Runners series and Elyse gave it an A: To Catch an Earl is a fun, fast-paced read with lots of sexual tension and capers a-plenty. It’s been one of my favorite books so far this year and I highly recommend it. A case of secret identities finds reunited lovers on opposite sides of the law in this fun, flirty Regency romance. There’s only one case Bow Street agent Alex Harland, Earl of Melton, hasn’t cracked: the identity of the mysterious woman who stole…
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Sword Stone Table Sword Stone Table edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington is $1.99! Catherine reviewed this one and gave it a B: If you like twists on the King Arthur stories, if you enjoy fantasy and science fiction, and if you like more POC and queer people in your stories, I think you will enjoy Sword, Stone, Table. But if you are coming into this as a romance reader, please do be aware that while there are plenty of happy endings in this book, there are quite a few tragedies as well. Which, after all, reflects the source material. Featuring stories by a b…
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If the Boot Fits If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon is 99c! This is book two in the Cowboys of California series and was featured in Hide Your Wallet back in October. Have you read this one yet? From award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon comes a thoroughly modern take on the timeless tale of a struggling Cinderella who finds her prince charming at the eleventh hour—and the adventure that ensues the morning after . . . Working as the personal assistant to one of Hollywood’s cruelest divas has left Amanda Queen more determined than ever to sell her screenplay…
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B- A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera May 31, 2022 · HQN Books Romance Content WarningsCW: sexism, parental abandonment, grief I have a weakness for both Scottish and Caribbean characters, so when I saw that A Caribbean Heiress in Paris paired a business savvy Dominican heroine with a progressive Scottish earl, I knew I wanted to try it. And since Claudia loves historical romances, I begged her to read it with me. (Claudia here: Shana had me at hello!) Luz arrives at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris on…
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A Castle for Christmas by Kim Beyer-Johnson, Ally Carter, Neal H. Dobrofsky, Tippi Dobrofsky B Not a Book Carrie and Shana decided to start December off right with a midweek movie night. Also in attendance were Carrie’s daughter, a dog, and a cat. As consummate professionals, we prepared by reading this article about the realism, and lack thereof, of the movie. It’s been a long time since we’ve done a recap, and we are prepared. Shana was in charge of snacks. Bitches, let me tell you. If you ever have the chance to do so, PUT SHANA IN CHARGE O…
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Wild, Wild Rake Wild, Wild Rake by Janna MacGregor is $1.99! This is book six in the Cavisham Heiresses series. Shana reviewed this one and wasn’t able to finish it, but your mileage may have varied! Her first marriage was an epic failure. Lady Avalon Warwyck never did love her husband. Arrogant, selfish, and cruel, it’s a blessing when she’s widowed and left to raise her son all by herself. Finally, Avalon can live freely and do the work she loves: helping fallen women become businesswomen. She’s lived these past ten years with no desire to remarry―that is, until Mr…
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The Midnight Bargain RECOMMENDED: The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk is $1.99! Shana gave it an A-: Readers who like cultural world building with a feminist lens, and don’t mind a quick romantic connection that takes most of the book to resolve, might like The Midnight Bargain. From the beloved World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes a sweeping, romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women’s magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against he…
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Back in the Burbs Back in the Burbs by Tracy Wolff and Avery Flynn is 99c! This is part of today’s Kindle Daily Deals. This seems to lean more toward chick lit rather than a full-on contemporary romance. Have you read this one? Ever have one of those days where life just plain sucks? Welcome to my last three months—ever since I caught my can’t-be-soon-enough ex-husband cheating with his paralegal. I’m thirty-five years old, and I’ve lost my NYC apartment, my job, my money, and frankly, my dignity. But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt…
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As a reminder, we will not be featuring any HarperCollins titles until a fair contract is negotiated with the HarperCollins Union. The Raven Spell The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith is $1.99 at Amazon! This is book one in a series that seems to combine fantasy, mystery, and historical settings. It’s been on my TBR pile since it came out earlier this year. In Victorian England a witch and a detective are on the hunt for a serial killer in an enthralling novel of magic a…
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Small Town, Big Magic Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck is $1.99! I believe Sarah mentioned this one in a previous Hide Your Wallet. Are you on the witchy book trend? For fans of THE EX HEX and PAYBACK’S A WITCH, a fun, witchy rom-com in which a bookstore owner who is fighting to revitalize a small midwestern town clashes with her rival, the mayor, and uncovers not only a clandestine group that wields a dark magic to control the idyllic river hamlet, but hidden powers she never knew she possessed. Witches aren’t real. Right? No one has civic pride quite like Emers…
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Anna and the French Kiss Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is $2.99! This is a contemporary YA romance, Kindle Daily Deal, and many reviews on Goodreads mention becoming a member of the Bad Decisions Book Club in order to finish it. However, some found the heroine a bit too cutesy for their tastes. Have you read this one? It’s on my TBR pile. Anna can’t wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boardin…
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An Unconditional Freedom An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole is $1.99! This is the third book in Cole’s The Loyal League series, and came out this February. Reviews on Goodreads seem divided on whether this one was the best in the series, or didn’t live up to the first two. If you’ve read it, what do you think? An assassination plot that could end the Civil War, and a drive for vengeance that could destroy a secret league of unsung heroes . . . Daniel Cumberland’s uneventful life as a freedman in Massachusetts ended the night he was kidnapped and sold into slave…
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Grave Reservations Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest is $1.99! This is book one in a mystery series with paranormal elements. It also gives me Stephanie Plum vibes. I love Priest’s horror novels, so I’m curious about this one. A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series. Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley’s Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books S…
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A Distant Heart A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev is $2.99! If you listened to our podcast episode with Sonali, she summarizes the book as a Rapunzel retelling set in Mumbai. Hello! Though some readers say this isn’t their favorite romance by Dev, it’s still pretty dang good. Her name means “miracle” in Sanskrit, and to her parents, that’s exactly what Kimaya is. The first baby to survive after several miscarriages, Kimi grows up in a mansion at the top of Mumbai’s Pali Hill, surrounded by love and privilege. But at eleven years old, she develops a rare illness that requi…
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There are a couple books in today’s Kindle Daily Deals that many of us were excited about, so I thought I’d mention them real quick! You can also see the full list of deals here! Georgie, All Along Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is $3.99! I’ve had several friends read this one and mention it brought them to tears. Have you read it? The acclaimed author of Love Lettering weaves a wise and witty new novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconci…
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D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding RECOMMENDED: D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! Shana and Tara joint reviewed this one and gave it a B+: Tara: Although the pacing of the last half was off for me, overall I had a great time reading D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding. I love reality show romances and I love fake relationship romances, so I was thrilled that this book is like the old Reese’s tagline: two great tastes that taste great together. These characters are memorable and I enjoyed my time with them. Shana: Damn, now I want a peanut butter cup. …
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Only When It’s Us Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese is 99c! This is book one in the Bergman Brothers series and later books have been mentioned on the site. This is a new adult romance romance with some enemies to lovers. There’s a note that the book was revised and expanded last year. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster brimming with laughter, tears, and slow-burn sexiness in this new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart. Ryder Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter’s been on my shit list. …
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Under the Whispering Door Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is $3.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal and is good for one day only. At the store, this was a coworkers best of 2021 book. What’d you think of this one? When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner t…
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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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