We wanted to thank you all for testing out our first ever Unhinged Romance Bingo! We had over 50 submissions this year, with almost 20% of you getting five bingos. Fantastic job! Participants who completed at least one bingo were eligible to win a box of books. The winners are: Nicolette W. Stasi A. Winners, please be sure to check your emails. We’ll see you back for our annual Summer Romance Bingo! If you have … Continue reading Thanks for Playing the 2025 SBTB Unhinged Romance Bingo!→
Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
It’s FRIDAY FRIDAY GOT TO GET DOWN ON FRIDAY! But don’t worry, that is NOT this week’s Friday Video. HOWEVER. This week we are talking SONGS. Specifically, what is your earliest favorite song that you can remember? My earliest favorite song that I heard on the radio when I was with my friends and beginning to define my own taste was very 80s: “Into the Groove” by Madonna. I was obsessed with this stupid movie, … Continue reading Friday Videos Love Old Songs→
Recently in the podcast Discord community, Jfhobbit was giving a thorough and very thoughtful explanation of Omegaverse and its variations, and I asked her to expand on those thoughts for anyone who has heard of but isn’t super well-versed in Omegaverse fiction, its tropes, and its history. Plus, she offers recommendations of some of her faves. Jfhobbit is a long-time reader, writer, and English teacher. She reads in almost every romance genre under the sun, … Continue reading A Reader’s Guide to the Omegaverse→
Riss M. Neilson joins me today to talk about her new romance, The Bridge Back to You. This is a second chance love story between two exes who unexpectedly inherit shares of the same restaurant – the restaurant that he runs, and that she kind of ran away from. There is so much to discuss in this book: we talk about characters with chronic illnesses like endometriosis, or mental illnesses like OCD. We talk about … Continue reading 710. Writing Characters with Chronic Illness (Plus Restaurant Recs!!) with Riss M. Neilson→
RECOMMEDED: Heir by Sabaa Tahir is $1.99! We ran a guest review by Crystal Anne and she gave it an A:
This book is excellent, which is not a surprise, given that Tahir is an excellent writer. It would have been more surprising if it wasn’t.
But the more important thing to me is that this book was the right book at the right time, and it was there when I needed it to be. I dearly hope it could be that for others, because I know that right now, a lot of us need that, and we’re going to need it for a long time to come.
This Rec League is from PamG, who is looking for some competence porn in academic settings: I don’t know if this is appropriate for a Rec League, but I have a rather persnickety request. I really like books set in academia, but I have problems with student/professor match-ups. The issue isn’t necessarily the relationship if it’s consensual and the author addresses the power (or age) imbalance between student and teacher in a serious way. However, … Continue reading The Rec League: Academic Romances for Grown Ups→
I got my hopes up too high for this novel. Strategic fail. You see, I had been trying to find a copy for review purposes for months, but it was never available in South Africa. When the book finally was available, I grabbed it with both hands. It’s a rare book that can live up to months and months of anticipation and sadly this one did not. Lydia is rich thanks to the wool processing … Continue reading How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days by Sophie Irwin→
The Princess and the P.I. by Nikki Payne is $1.99! Big thank you to everyone who let us know about this sale. Here’s hoping it lasts today. (Also, how awesome is that cover?)
This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you’d like to join, we’d love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading The 80s Are Back…in Books→
