Hooray, it’s here! The TBR, an iPhone app for the romance reader looking for the latest reviews, content, and free romance reads.
The app is a first for romance readers and romance bloggers, and is a joint venture of Smart Bitches Trashy Books and Dear Author. The app features the most recent reviews from both sites, as well as a feed of the full content.
Best of all, it includes free reads from some of the best writers in romance fiction. We’ll be kicking off our free reads section with a full length Harlequin novel from Jill Shalvis, which we’ll serialize and release chapter-by-chapter.
You’ll have reviews, essays and free romance to read – whoever you are. You can download the app for your iPhone or iTouch. Or app is currently not optimized for the iPad.
We are so excited about this project, it’s hard to believe launch date is actually here. We started working on this app months ago, and we have big plans for the future as well – which is where our sponsor comes in. Our bi weekly sponsor will help us eventually provide a more fully featured mobile app. But the ad isn’t just an ad, either: if you tap the ad space, you’ll get an excerpt, links to buy, and options to spread the word about the featured book.
If you’re interested in advertising, or being featured in the free reads section, please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom with The TBR in the subject line.
We have some amazing things planned for the app in the future, but we cannot wait to share it with you. All our projects are showcased at The TBR.com, including the DABWAHA and Save the Contemporary. We have more features planned that will highlight romance fiction. We want to allow the conversation that is part of romance reading and reviewing to grow and become portable – so you and we can grow our TBR piles even higher than they are now.
Oooooh! Sounds fun!
Will it work in the UK, do you know? I suddenly found my e-book purchasing options sadly reduced when I was forced to admit to living in the UK 🙁
Word: always23 -if only!
ZOMG! I am so getting one of these.
Might have to get an iphone too.
App looks pretty cool, downloaded and checking it out now. 🙂
Is this available for Android? Or possible in the future?
Another individual here with the slightly neglected Android OS. My phone has pretty much replaced my iPod Touch in functionality, might have to dig it out to download this.
Awesome. DLed and syncing to iPod Touch now. 🙂 I do so love my iPod.
Wonderful! What a brilliant idea, bitches.
Yes, we’re definitely aware of the desire for Android apps as well. Yet another reason to play, “Where’s my Venture Capitalist?” 🙂
Yay! I just downloaded and it’s awesome!
Thanks, bitches!
awesome! another excuse to get an iPhone!
This is all kinds of awesome.
I downloaded the app, it looks great. I have one question though: is there a way of seeing the comments on the SB and DA posts? Right now I can read the original post but I can’t see any comments.
Great idea! I am looking forward to using the app because I use my iPhone most of the time I am online.
Huge congrats! It’s almost enough to make me want an iPhone.
Hoorrraaayyy!
My iPhone will never be the same again.
We eventually want to develop a web app that is compatible with all mobile platforms. (part of what we will use the ad money for).
I’ve sent an email to see if we can add comments on the end of the post threads. Thanks for the recommendation
Right on! I’m downloading this today. 😀
Congratulations!!! Such a cool idea. Now..if I only had an iPhone!!!!
Another vote for Android when you get the chance.
Oooh that sounds great! Unfortunately, my husband is all about the Droid here…he’s written some apps for it as a “hobby.”
Peronally, I haven’t managed to advance that far technologically speaking! Just got a new phone in more than 2 years…and it’s not a full-fledged “smart”phone…maybe in another 2 years!
Yet another reason I must get a smart phone when my current contract is up . . .
Chiming in for an Android app for those of us in the boonies where AT&T and thus the iphone are next to useless…
Brilliant idea! One of the few things that have really, really tempted me to get an IPhone. But I don’t really NEED one – sigh. And a free Jill Shalvis read…bonus.
You have converted me to the contemp! I’ve tried them randomly over the years, but they never clicked for me (mostly because the heroines always seemed far too old fashioned; just nothing like me or anyone I knew). I’ve been loving the ones you’ve recommend though! Of course I bought them all before the cool discount codes came out . . .
I’m adding another vote for an Android version of this. I’ll be the first in line when it’s available.
I love it! I love having my two favorite sites in one app. It looks great. Congrats.
I really, really like it. Feature request: I’d love to be able to star reviews, so that when I’m in the bookstore I can whip out my iPhone and say, “Now which book was it that I wanted to get again?”
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been standing in bookstores feverishly paging through either SBTB or DA, trying to remember what THAT ONE book was.
Congratulations on another exciting venture!
I have been looking at the app and it’s great! I finally read the Lover Mine reviews since I am almost done with it.
One future feature suggestion: add a search feature to the book reviews. You never know when you might want to show a friend the review for The Sheikh’s Virgin Stable Girl (in case they don’t believe such a title would ever be published or be so awfully bad it’s good)
Hmm, maybe I’m missing something here, but I don’t see a way to actually make a TBR LIST in the app. Having all the reviews in one place is great and all, but if you can’t actually use it to make a list of the books you want to get…. Well, what’s the point?
Job52: 52 more things to correct/add before this job is done 😀
Nice for those who have the capability for apps, not so good for those of us who like a phone to just do phone stuff.
Problems37 – I hope I don’t have that many problems!
Just downloaded your app. It’s all kinds of awesome.
I don’t know if you have a place set up for questions, suggestions, etc (or even if you want such a place!) But I was reading the latest SBTB entry (the one after this) and the blog entry cuts off at “Have you read…” So I thought maybe the app can only hold so much text per entry and used the option to view in a web browser. Same thing. I don’t know if that’s where the rest of the entry is hidden under the “More…” link (though I doubt it since you don’t usually do that mid-sentence that I recall). But I did want to mention it in case it was a bug. Love the app, btw!
I don’t know if you have a place set up for questions, suggestions, etc (or even if you want such a place!) But I was reading the latest SBTB entry (the one after this) and the blog entry cuts off at “Have you read…” So I thought maybe the app can only hold so much text per entry and used the option to view in a web browser. Same thing. I don’t know if that’s where the rest of the entry is hidden under the “More…” link (though I doubt it since you don’t usually do that mid-sentence that I recall). But I did want to mention it in case it was a bug. Love the app, btw!
I don’t know if you have a place set up for questions, suggestions, etc (or even if you want such a place!) But I was reading the latest SBTB entry (the one after this) and the blog entry cuts off at “Have you read…” So I thought maybe the app can only hold so much text per entry and used the option to view in a web browser. Same thing. I don’t know if that’s where the rest of the entry is hidden under the “More…” link (though I doubt it since you don’t usually do that mid-sentence that I recall). But I did want to mention it in case it was a bug. Love the app, btw!
Another drooling vote for Android!! Damn Apple for getting all the shiny stuff first…
Voting for the Android OS! Of all the useless apps out there, this is one I’d love—and use!
Just to make sure – the blog entries and reviews are (of course) available on both the app and the web, but the free fiction is only for folks who have iPhones?
Hi SandyW: Yup, the free fiction is a feature of the app itself.
just got my iPhone. Can’t wait to try out this app.
Love this app – just added it to my ipod.