Welcome back! I’m glad so many of you enjoyed Krillion! I hit a score of 360 yesterday, which has been highest so far. I also hope those of you who were interested in the Read Receipts podcast were able to find it and listen. Time is marching on and we’ve hit November. Only two more months in 2026. I feel like this year has been a bit of a rollercoaster. But to be honest, it’s been a … Continue reading Links: Dolly Parton, Florence + the Machine, & More →
It’s time for the 2026 Holiday Gift Guides! One gift guide? PSHAW WE SAY. We’ll be posting weekly collections of gift ideas until Christmas week, so come back every Wednesday for shopping with Smart Bitches! If you’ve got ideas for our gift guides, there’s a whole post for you to share your suggestions so I can highlight them in future collections. This week: all the Heated Rivalry ideas you could ask for – and a giveaway for … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Jewelry, Puzzles and More! →
This HaBO is from Julia, who is hoping to find this contemporary romance: This HaBO is a bit weird because I thought I had read The Love Hypothesis until I saw the trailer and realised that it couldn’t be the book I read because one of the members of the couple is Asian and neither of those actors are. The books are clearly pretty similar though and that has I think really stopped me from … Continue reading HaBO: It’s Not The Love Hypothesis →
Please be advised that the following article discusses rape allegations. … The New York Times has terminated their contract with author Olivia Waite, their romance columnist, after she reposted Mark Jacob’s repost of Marisa Kabas’ criticism of the Times’ coverage of new rape allegations about Trump. That is a sentence I didn’t think I’d type today. Or ever. To get the full picture, we need to start with the recent House Judiciary Democrats’ report that … Continue reading The New York Times Terminates Contract with Romance Columnist Olivia Waite After Bluesky Repost →
Happy Tuesday! It’s the first week of November and the month is really packed with releases. Lots of sci-fi and fantasy, but there are a couple contemporary romance releases as well. What new books are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!
It’s almost Holiday Gift Guide time! Do you have a shop, business, storefront, favorite thing that you think would be a good fit for the Smart Bitches weekly gift guide? Have you bought yourself something super cute and useful that you want to tell people about? Got bookish accessories that all your friends covet? I want to hear all about your faves, please! We’re kicking off in November and I would LOVE to hear from … Continue reading Wanna Be Part of Our Gift Guides? →
Spectred Isle by KJ Charles is 99c! This is book one in the Green Men series. It was also recommended in a Rec League on Mysterious, Spooky-Adjacent Romances.
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When A Court of Thorns and Roses first came out, I read it, enjoyed it, and didn’t think much else about it. This was back when it was marketed as YA and before social media exploded the Maas-verse. This year, I was adapting to a new chronic illness diagnosis and treatment protocol, and struggling with burnout partially caused by that illness, plus working and helping with care for a loved one with dementia. I took … Continue reading A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas →
A solid low-spice Regency with a faith-based backing, Pride and Practicality examines the pressure of societal prejudice, the weight of the past, and the hope that goodness will find and protect us. It has a few bumps along the way, but overall it’s an intelligent and beautiful experience. Rector Thomas Bridges is not one for stuffy ballrooms; his heart is more concerned with lofty matters. But his mother wants him to settle down and get … Continue reading Pride and Practicality by Pepper Basham →
Welcome back! We’ve reached November, but I’m still going to sneak in some spooky reading suggestions. This time, we have an anthology, some nonfiction, and a witchy romance. Have any recs to share? Leave them in the comments!
