Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Hanukkah Chanukkah Chanukah Hanukah Romances

There are, I believe, at least 30 ways to spell "hanukkah," which is an English transliteration of a Hebrew word, so there's lots of room for creativity. Like JR Ward, we are very free with the extra Hs, too. Thus it can be hard to find Hanukkah-themed romances because you might not be sure how the person listing the book spelled Chanukkah.

I've received a few email messages asking about Hanukkah themed romances - and have a small list of some Harlequin categories from way back when.

GS vs. STA: Latino Heroes and Heroines

A reader named Tessa emailed looking for recommendations, and I knew you would know some good books to suggest for her. 

I am looking for a book, actually for a type of book- I would really like more than one. I want to read something with a[n] Hispanic protagonist (I think I would prefer hero to heroine, but I would like either).

I did a quick (micro-second fast) search of the site, but didn't see a whole lot, other than this is not a type of book you see often, which I had kinda already figured out.

I would be ok with historical, but would prefer contemporaries.

Classic Romance - Which One First? Julie Garwood Edition

Julie Garwood's books are so beloved by many readers, and your recommendation list was a big one! Some readers called her books "comfort reads" and others said that Garwood was their first introduction to the historical romance genre. And MANY readers said the discussion in that thread made people want to read Garwood right now - many a library request was made that day, I hear!

Here's the list of recommended titles from your recommendations.

GS vs. STA: Characters With Chronic Conditions

I have an anonymous request for a “Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid” list:

Like many of us, I cope with things by reading about them, and I love finding a book about someone who has problems similar to mine and is able to thrive. I was recently diagnosed with a chronic condition that will almost certainly affect the rest of my life. It’s not fatal, and it’s not degenerative, but it is likely to lead to some level of physical disability in the future.

I am thus wondering about books with heroines who are physically disabled. I know there are books with deaf/Deaf heroines (I thoroughly enjoyed Tessa Dare’s Three Nights with a Scoundrel), but I’m primarily interested in reading about women with physical limitations—damaged legs, missing arms, confined to a wheelchair, suffering from multiple sclerosis, etc. One-eyed race car drivers need not apply.

There are heroes with war wounds, but I’ve encountered very few heroines with similar disabilities. My taste is kind of narrow—I love Julia Quinn, Tessa Dare, Loretta Chase, and most Lisa Kleypas for historicals (I have read Seduce Me at Sunrise, btw, and I’m just thinking I’ll go back and reread… read more »

Classic Romance - Which One First? Julie Garwood Edition

Julie Garwood is a romance author whose books often are mentioned along with my very favorite noise, “Good Book Noise.” There are MANY of them, too! She used to write historicals, and now her focus in on romantic suspense. So if you’re looking at Garwood’s books and trying to pick one to read, it can be daunting.

My favorite Garwood’s are all historicals. I love The Bride like nobody’s business, and could re-read that book any time, even when I have 2 minutes before the world ends. My copy is in two large pieces. I think it might be time for another copy. Or some duct-tape, as I love the gold cover. It was my standard for what bridal gowns should look like, ever since I read that book as a young teenager.

So, let’s build a recommended list, shall we? We’ve done lists for Jude Deveraux and Johanna Lindsey. Let’s do a Garwood list, shall we?

Which Julie Garwood novel would you recommend first? Which would you pass to a curious reader? Feel free to recommend both… read more »

GS vs STA: Pirate Romance Redux

Rudi wrote me and said,

“I’m almost ashamed to say this, I’ve never actually read a pirate romance before so I don’t really know where to start.

I was hoping the Bitchery might be able to help me find some awesome pirate romance novels. Dangerously puffy shirts on the cover are a plus.”

Now, we discussed this back in 2006 but it seemed to me that enough has changed in 5 years that we might be able to add to that list. Got any piratical romances you recommend, from then and now?

Classic Romance - Which One First? Jude Deveraux Recommendations

The interesting thing about Jude Deveraux novels is that for every book someone adored, there’s a nearly equal number of readers who didn’t like it. So it’s difficult to create a recommendation list for early Deveraux books, and I’ve tried to include the balance of comments so that readers who are curious about her backlist can get a sense of what might appeal to them.

So, let’s get started!

A Knight in Shining Armor [Amazon | Kindle | BN & nook | Kobo | WORD Brooklyn]

You can’t be surprised this made the list! This time-travel romance is a little unorthodox in the ending, but it is among the most beloved romances. Some don’t love the ending - as Karen said, “I have to say that I didn’t really like KISA—the ending just didn’t quite work for me as a true HEA (but I feel that way about a lot of time travel books).” But yet, it is one of those romances readers still talk about.

GS vs. STA: Secret Baby Romances

Kathryn wrote in with a very simple query:

Are there any good secret baby books out there?

I was bouncing around listopia on goodreads. They have lists for everything: best gay cowboys, best friends-into-lovers, best use of glass dildoes (okay maybe not the last one, though there are sex toy ones). Despite the variety, there are no romance novels with secret baby lists, or romance novels with any baby lists. So I put to you - food for thought - are there any GOOD secret baby romance novels out there?

This is a good question! I’m usually baffled by Secret Baby romances - HOW and WHY do you keep them a secret, for heaven’s sake? Mostly HOW—babies are LOUD!

The few I have tried have been rather contrived, or surprisingly fun and awesome. Lisa Kleypas’ Smooth Talking Stranger is something of a secret baby romance - it plays with the trope, for sure. And RT has a list of them, too, that they recommend.

But since the Bitchery pretty much knows damn near everything, I figured you could help Kathryn out: which Secret Baby romance is the Bestest One?

Classic Romance - Which One First? Jude Deveraux Edition

Jude Deveraux is one of the classic names in historical romance, and is one of the first authors I glommed when I discovered romance. I still re-read her books, but for someone who is curious about Deverax’s books, which one would you recommend first?

Knight in Shining Armor is among her most-beloved titles, and one of the best time-travel romances I’ve ever read. I never understood why the heroine’s shopping spree only included formal clothing in that one scene (though I still think wool challis skirts are the HEIGHT of posh fashion because of that scene).

But then there’s also Wishes, where there’s almost two heroines - one, the cranky ass old lady who is sent back to earth to repent and learn from her life’s mistakes by helping a lonely woman find happiness in historical Chandler, Colorado. I love that one, too, especially the scene with the People magazines.

So many beloved romances people still talk about were written by Deveraux.

The thing is, once you learn her… read more »

Johanna Lindsey: Which One First?

So many of you posted recommendations as to which Johanna Lindsey romance a curious reader should read first. When you’re confronting a hella-backlist, it can be intimidating, so here’s a breakdown of what was recommended, why, and by whom.

The challenge with Lindsey titles is that she was one of the biggest names in old skull romances, and many of her titles are of the “fight then fuck” variety, with a sprinkling of forced seduction and/or rape scenes to be found in some.  As deputman wrote, “there are some I would really recommend modern readers against, unless they are prepared for Old School, hair-pulling misogyny. That list would include Captive Bride, Paradise Wild, Glorious Angel, and A Pirate’s Love.”

Overquoted describes what she sees as “The Two Types of Lindseys:” “One type is the Mallory and Warrior series. These JL books are usually amusing, consensual and filled more with banter than with manhandling. The other type is Prisoner of My Desire, Silver Angel, Fires of Winter, etc. Your standard bodice ripper novels where the hero and heroine spend 90% of the… read more »

Johanna Lindsey: Which One First?

More ebooks have been released from Avon, including Hearts Aflame, which is their current .99c offering (Amazon | BN | WORD | Kobo). This book is a classic medieval Lindsay.

While I am not as big a fan of medieval -set romances, I know this book has some fans.

ESPECIALLY since the original cover looked like THIS:

GS vs. STA: You Can Love More Than One Person In Your Life

This request comes from Louisa, who is looking for a specific type of plot device - in the back story.

I’m looking for books that might counter-balance a very specific pet peeve of mine. I call it the “I only THOUGHT I knew what love is” syndrome.

GS vs STA: Gry is Looking for Fun, Lighthearted Happy Romance

In my inbox this week is an email from regular reader Gry, who lives in Oslo, Norway, where the news has been terrifying and heartbreaking:

Gry writes:

I live in Oslo. (‘nuff said, I think) I am also a very serious bookaholic. Whenever I have a spare minute, you will vind I have my nose buried in a book (or its electronic equivalent). So what kind of book should I choose when the world has suddenly turned dark, violent and bloody?

GS vs. STA: Nerdy Heroines

Time for “Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid,” with special guest PK, who is looking for a particular kind of heroine:

Oh baby, talk nerdy to me.

There was a great ad for some sort of high end kitchen appliance years ago that featured a very cute lady with naughty librarian glasses and lab coat standing next to a male model in a designer suit and it said “IQ meets GQ” and it always made me smile. I love smart girl protagonists, I love quirky geniuses! I love sexy doctors/scientists/academics/etc. I am looking for books with heroines like that. Geeks, nerds, scholastic overachievers, etc. There seems to be a good chunk of mainstream films where the nerd gets the incredibly hot girl but I want books with nerdy heroines and perhaps not so nerdy heroes.

I am planning a vacation and would love to load up my Nook with tasty beach reads and could use some help.

Ready, set, go - bring on your recommendations!

GS vs STA: Cancer Surviving Heroines

If you’ve been on the Twittah, you might have seen my minor campaign for anyone under the age of 40 to Get Thee a Mammogram This Year. If you can do it, and if it’s possible in your budget and under your insurance, get a mammogram. Not only does it give doctors a baseline for future comparison, but there are more women in my world who are diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 than I ever believed possible. And, from what I have learned, women under 40 who do receive diagnoses often are in later stages by the time the cancer is caught. So if you’re thinking of getting your physical this year, ask about getting a prescription for a mammogram, too. (End soapbox).

With that in mind, I have a request for reading material from a woman currently kicking cancer’s ass: Bianca needs some help.

So about two months ago, right before my 31st birthday, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. (Let me tell you – worst birthday present EVAR. I’m working on returning it, but it’s kind of a pain.) I have since had a bi-lateral mastectomy, and I’m now going through chemotherapy, which… read more »