Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Cards and Caravans by Cindy Spencer Pape

The best way to describe Cards and Caravans is "comfortable".  This book is neither terribly exciting, nor thought provoking, and despite being part of a steampunk series, there's very little steampunk in it.

Still, I rather enjoyed this book in which two people who have outgrown their first loves move from friendship and attraction to love.  I was in the mood for a very light, affectionate book, and this fit the bill, although in another mood I would have found it to be unbearably dull. 

Cards is part of the Gaslight Chronicles series and I think it would work best for those who are fans of the series, as almost all of its charms involve resolving loose ends from other stories, setting up arcs for future stories, and basically just hanging out with the extended family that comprises the Order of the Round Table.

Deep Deception by Cathy Pegau

This review went live prematurely, which meant it hit everyone's RSS feeds. Our apologies! This book is out May 27, and normally we'd review it closer to that date, but since the RSS folks got a sneak peek, we're posting it for everyone to enjoy. Sorry for the confusion! - Sarah

Deep Deception is a f/f science fiction romance from Cathy Pegau, who is rapidly becoming an auto-buy author for me.  This story has two delightful leads, a compelling plot, strong sense of place, and a tough but nurturing romance.  The only thing that stood in my way of losing myself in the story is that the last book I read by Pegau, Caught in Amber, kept getting in the way.

Deep Deception is about Natalia, who is basically undercover cop, and Gennie, who is on the run from her in-laws who are the heads of the powerful Reyes Corporation.  Natalia finds herself with time on her hands when she is placed on leave after being accused of corruption.  This turns out to be handy, because Gennie has evidence that the… read more »

Scarlet:  A Guest Review by CarrieS

Scarlet is Book Two of the Lunar Chronicles Series.  This series, while not strictly a romance series, is a high-quality romance-friendly crossover, and its inventive steampunk/science fiction twists on fairy tales make it a must-read for genre fans.

The Lunar Chronicles series takes place in the far future, after World War IV.   These books combine elements from the genres of steampunk, science fiction, dystoptian fiction, young adult, romance, and fairy tales.  Cyborgs are common but discriminated against.  A plague, called leutomisis, is threatening humans and cyborgs.  There is no cure or treatment, and its method of transmission is unknown.  Furthermore, humans are threatened by war from Lunars, people who live on a colony of the moon and who have developed mind control powers. 

What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuiston

 If I had to describe What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuiston in one sentece it would be this: the hero and heroine don't really meet until page 140. Also there's a lack of shoes, but more on that later.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is similar to The Hangover; a night of partying leads to confusion and regrets in the morning. The problem is, you can't have a romance novel where the hero and heroine are apart for 127 pages. The point of a romance novel is for them to grow and change together in order to find love. This was really just humorous historical fiction with some lovin' thrown in at the end, and that's not what I signed up for, folks.

Georgette, the very proper Lady Thorold, wakes up in a strange bed, in a strange inn, with a strange man. He’s hot, but still strange. Also her corset is hanging from the curtain rod and they’ve totally Charlie Sheened the place, broken furniture and all. She isn’t a lady who goes without a corset or… read more »

The First Move by Jennifer Lohmann

The First Move is emotional, rich and difficult. It's also very good. The characters aren't thin or dispatches from Stock Characters R' Us. They are real people with real feelings - a LOT of feelings. Brimming with feels. Overflowing and making a mess, all these feels. They made my eyes sting -- I had a lot of empathy for the heroine and she followed me around for days after I finished.

Renia is the sister of the heroine from Reservations for Two, and she has a secret. A Big Ol' Secret. And while I'm trying my best to do the plot summary that fully captures the story, let me take a moment to snarl at the cover and the number of exclamation points in the cover copy:

An unlikely encounter…but he'll take it!

It seems like fate…or something! When Miles Brislenn spies the girl he had a crush on in high school—at his ex-wife's wedding, no less—he can't let the opportunity pass. He might not have had the courage to talk… read more »

The Host: A Movie Review by CarrieS

The Host is a movie about a person trapped in a body that has been taken over by an alien (it's also a story about an alien trapped in the body of a loud, irritating person).  In a similar manner, The Host is a really great movie trapped inside a really bad movie.

To carry the analogy one step farther, I went to the movie with the full intention to snark mercilessly and within minutes my fifteen-year-old self had completely hi-jacked my middle aged body and was totally entranced.  So all the snark you'll encounter is snark that occurred to me hours later, when I was busy being forty again (I just had a birthday, yay me).  Fifteen-year-old self thought the movie was great and despite all the snark I am about to unleash, I bet you'll fall for it too.  It has a strangely hypnotic power.

If you Google "The Host" I'm sure you'll find hundreds of spoiler free reviews.  This is not one of them.  I plan to spoil away, so if you want to avoid… read more »

Let It Be Me by Kate Noble

I was so excited about this book. After reading most of Kate Noble's previous historical romances and recommending them to people who had historical London romance fatigue, I was hopping in my chair eager to read this book. It wasn't as oh-my-gosh-good-book-sigh-for-two-hours as other books of Noble's that I've loved, but it was still wonderfully intelligent and unique historical romance. While the emotional connection between the hero and heroine sometimes disappointed me, the setting and the conflict between them, and most especially the use of music, made up the difference. This, like many of Noble's books, is an extraordinary and unique romance worth savoring.

Bridget is the younger sister of Sarah Forrester, the heroine of If I Fell, and she's been overshadowed by Sarah most of her adult life. Her debut season was a bitter experience for her, because Sarah, after reinventing herself when she was humiliatingly jilted by a duke, stole the attention from Bridget. Bridget's unhappiness from that experience was palpable, and she developed a reputation in society for being unpleasant - which cast her even more in the shade… read more »

Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts by Heather Massey:  A Guest Review by CarrieS

Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts is a fun, pulpy steampunk western that has a simple goal and achieves it.

In her acknowledgements page, Heather Massey writes, "I wrote Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts with the goal of providing all the entertainment value I could muster". 

I'm evaluating the book accordingly.  Did it sweep me off my feet?  Nope.  Did I learn something about human relationships, or become a better person, or achieve an intellectual breakthrough?  Nope again.  But the book was a loving homage to a fun and almost forgotten form of fiction, and it was certainly entertaining, so I'd say it's a success.

The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf by Tia Nevitt

The Magic Mirror is a lovely, unusual romance loosely based on the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".  It is creative, tender, and lyrical.  What it lacks in grand passion it makes up for in the maturity displayed by its characters.

Magic Mirror deals with several stories that overlap.  In one, Gretchen, a dwarf with average-sized parents, hears a story of a farm where several dwarfs live and work together.  Tired of the ridicule and loneliness she experiences in her village, she travels to the farm in hopes of finding a husband.  Lars, the son of dwarfs who worked as Court jesters, also heads to the farm in hopes of finding a community.  Meanwhile, the local princess, Angelika, periodically takes refuge with the dwarfs, because she is hounded by her evil stepmother (the Queen) at home. 

While all this is going on, Prince Richard wanders the kingdom, bitterly ruing the day that he became the "slave of the mirror",… read more »

Caught in Amber by Cathy Pegau: A Review by CarrieS

Caught In Amber takes on a challenging premise and does a great job with it.  The ending is a bit of a cop-out but overall I was pleased at how the author made this book enjoyable and romantic without sugar coating the serious issues it describes.

Caught in Amber is set in what appears to be a not very distant future, when an illegal and highly addictive drug called Amber has become popular.  Sasha James is a parolee and recovering Amber addict.  As part of her parole she has a chip in her neck that reports her movements to law enforcement and also controls her physical cravings for Amber. 

Sasha is approached by Nathan Sterling, a lawman whose sister has fallen under the charms of the same man (Guy Christiansen) who got Sasha hooked on Amber.  Nathan says that he can get Sasha's chip removed, an act that would make her more vulnerable to Amber but also give her freedom from her parole conditions and from being under Correction's watchful eye permanently.

The Little Book of Heartbreak by Meghan Laslocky: A Guest by CarrieS

Smart Bitches is a safe haven for all of us who cherish our happy endings in fiction (and in real life, when we can get them).  But I often find that right around Valentine's Day all the romance is leached from my bones and nothing will do but some heavy cynicism.  If, like me, you are all HEA'ed out and you need a drastic change of pace, you might enjoy The Little Book of Heartbreak:  Love Gone Wrong Through the Ages, by Meghan Laslocky.

Little Book of Heartbreak is a light, anecdotal look at some of the many ways that love has gone terribly awry through history (mostly Western history).  It's cute (but not too cute, and occasionally quite dark) and vastly entertaining.  Usually I read non-fiction much more slowly than fiction, but I zipped right through this.  It's not laugh out loud funny but on the other hand it's more informative than I had expected.  

This is fairly educational stuff, but not hard scholarship.  Here's my personal favorite bit of trivia: medieval lovers sent… read more »

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord:  A Guest Review by CarrieS

The Best of All Possible Worlds is a marvelous science fiction love story.  It's more science fiction than romance novel, but the strong love story at its core should keep any romance/science fiction fans more than happy.

This is the story of Grace (a Terran) and Dllenahkh (a Sadiri).  Grace is a native of the planet Cygnus Beta.  This planet has become a home to several groups of interplanetary refugees.  There are four different alien groups (Terrans and Sadiri included) in known existence.  They are distantly genetically related and have settled on several planets. 

Dllenahkh's people are the Sadiri.  When the Sadiri's home planet is destroyed, many of the survivors settle on Cygnus Beta.  While Grace has various complex scientific jobs, it's simplest to describe her role as one of cultural liaison between the refugee Sadiri and Terrans, who are the dominant group on Cygnus Beta.

To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace:  A Guest Review by CarrieS

Downton Abbey's season finale is Sunday 17 February here in the States, and the next season will not arrive until January 2014. Carrie S. is here for you though - with some reviews of nonfiction that should more than tide you over until then, provided you read slowly and practice what you've learned!

This non-fiction gem is a must-read for any fan of Regency, Victorian, or Edwardian romance.  It is juicy, wonderful, educational fun!

To Marry an English Lord is a riveting look at the world of American heiresses who married, or attempted to marry, into the English aristocracy.  It covers the middle and late Victorian Age through the Edwardian Age.  The book covers the stories of individual people and had inserts with details about historical processes. 

This means that you have the following (and much more) at your disposal:

Once Upon a Couch by Kristine Overbrook

Before I get started on the more intricate parts of the review, there are two things I need to tell you.

First, I was reading an uncorrected proof, and the errors drove me batty. Changes in point of view happened mid-paragraph - third to first and back again - and there were comma splices everywhere.  I really, really hope the errors I noticed, and there were many, are corrected for the final version. If they are not, I'm sorry. And I only mention it because, sadly, in my experience when there are that many in an uncorrected proof, the corrected proof doesn't always catch them all.

Second, I was annoyed with this book, even though I kept reading to see what was going to happen. I grew impatient with the heroine's monotony. The reader is included in every step of her day. She does paperwork. She cleans. She writes things. She does a LOT of Sudoku. There are some details that feed into larger pieces of the storyline, but a lot of it was just too much mundanity for me.

The Impostor by Lily Lang

Few pitches work on me faster than an author who explains her book clearly, and tells me how proud she is of her book. The author of this book pitched the story to me, and despite it not being a match to what I usually read, I was intrigued not only but the description but by her enthusiasm for her book. This story is a mix of historical, paranormal, magical realism, possibly steampunk, and maybe even science fiction. If I think about it long enough, I could probably make an argument for it being a military thriller romance, too.

Tessa Ryder has a Gift (yes, capital G - some folks have a Gift, and most folks don't, and those who don't are usually unaware that there are those who do). Tessa's Gift allows her to change her form - painfully, poor thing - so that she looks exactly like someone else. As an added bonus, sort of like a… read more »