Happy Wednesday! We’ve reached November. How did we get here? Did October blink by for anyone else? The approach to the holiday seasons always put me into a kind of funk. I’m trying to focus on coziness, reading, soups – all good self-care things to fight against the fact that it gets so dark, so early now in New England. Truly the worst part of the winter seasons for me. Do you have any saving … Continue reading Links: House Tours, Teen Vogue, & More →

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is a standalone romance and was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Have you read it?
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One of Carrie’s popular features in Smart Bitches After Dark are her movie reviews and recaps, which we’ve given the Very Original name, After Dark at the Movies. Carrie is usually very excited to recap from her couch, but she was determined to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and share it with the After Dark community. Trying to figure out where to see it led to this post. … I’ve been very, very excited about … Continue reading Frankenstein and I Need Better Seats →
It’s time for another edition of Stuff We Like, AND the first of our Holiday Gift Guides! Woo hoo! This time: Tara C. asked us for ideas for those $10 or $20 holiday gift exchanges – Yankee Traders, Secret Santa, or White Elephants, whatever you call them. We are ON IT! And if you have requests for your holiday shopping, please let us know! Take a look: Want to see? Just click that image above or … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Holiday Gift Exchange Ideas! →

A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins is $2.99! This is book four in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Have you read any of these?
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This HaBO request is from SL, who wants to find this romance: I’m looking for a regency romance. I thought it was a Mary Balogh book, but can’t find it, so it might be an author similar to Balogh. What I know for certain: Hero either kills or wounds brother in a duel. Hero had meant to delope, but was young and a terrible shot… Hero is either exiled by family or is self-exiled. He … Continue reading HaBO: Not a Mary Balogh →

Happy Tuesday! New month means new releases. I’ve put my monthly preorders in. Have you? A brief little release week for SBTB HQ. Which new books are on your radar? Let us know in the comments!

It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram is $3.99! This romance came out in September and was mentioned on the site. Did any of you pick this one up?
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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 … Continue reading Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee →
Welcome back to Cover Awe! The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks Cover design by Donna Sinisgalli Noetzel Amanda: I love how simple and thought the design is with the train border and smoke turning into the title. Sarah: That border is So NEAT. Lara: I’m loving those rich colours too. Sarah: I love these collections of covers. So many pretty details to look at. The simplicity still says so much about … Continue reading Cover Awe: Color Combos →