It's the last day of the month, and so it's time for another trip down Bitchery Memory Lane to check out some of the most popular reviews, posts, and comment threads in the past ten years of Smart Bitches. We're leading up to our actual 10th anniversary, which is in January 2015, but until then, I hope you enjoy having a look through the lens of wayback as much as I do.
Many thanks to Morgan Doremus from Miss Media for digging through the archives and coming up with all this fun stuff.
In April, we looked at the most popular reviews for contemporary romance – which were many of those with low grades – D-, F+ or F.
In May, we looked at the most popular historical reviews, all of which were given very high grades.
In June, we looked at more of your favorite reviews, some with high grades, some not, but all with a lot of chortles built in.
This month – we've got What?. Specifically, two titles with What involved, a tempest of WTF, and What-What, one of the most popular videos we've ever featured. Prepare ye for earworms of epic magnitude. And inappropriate lyrics.
First up: What a Scoundrel Wants!
What a Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty
Grade: A-
Reviewed by: Sarah
Available at: Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
I reviewed this book when it came out, and boy, did I like it. Retelling of Will Scarlet from Robin Hood as the romantic hero? I'm so there. Plus it has one of my favorite first lines in a romance, and a lot of adventure, and a heroine who is an alchemist who is a bit of pyromaniac. And she's blind.
Yeah, no big deal.
Favorite quote from the review:
Will Scarlet is also in deep shit. He’s about to ambush a coach traveling through the woods, and when the rush commences, he realizes that something is way rotten in that forest among the not very merry men with whom he’s fighting. Meg of Keyworth is also in deep shit. She’s blind, her sister’s been arrested (by Will – oops), and her alchemic experiments have caught the eye of many a nefarious character who seeks to take advantage of Meg, and of her blindness, and to top that, her coach was just ambushed in the woods. When Will realizes that the double crossing might be increased by an exponent of 436, and Meg realizes that she has to rely on Will whether she wants to or not (and she doesn’t, really, see above re: sister), the layering of internal and external conflict is a fourteen-foot Napoleon torte of deep shit.
What a Rogue Desires by Caroline Linden
Grade: A+
Reviewed by: RedHeadedGirl
Available at: Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
RedHeadedGirl reviewed this book in 2010, because most of her reviews prior to this one had been for books that made her hair catch fire with rage.
Now that I think about it, perhaps that's why her hair is red. Historical inaccuracy and complete WTF-ery mixed with potato rage and plot moppets.
This book also has an opening line that she loved, and cited in the review.
Favorite quote from the review:
I described this one to Sarah as “a soothing avocado mask of a book.” A Regency with a plot that is both logical and entertaining! Dialogue that feels like real people would say it! Characters that are both likeable and entertaining and NOT STUPID! It’s a Regency, so we’re in familiar territory, but dude. SOOTHING AVOCADO MASK.
Tempest in Time by Eugenia Riley
Grade: DNF
Reviewed by: RedHeadedGirl
Available at: Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
After reviewing Fabio's Viking, RedHeadedGirl wanted to read something that was written by his ghost writer, Eugenia Riley.
The results are, dare I say, Renneriffic.
Favorite quote from the review:
I couldn’t do this review on my own, so I called in some help.
Jeremy Renner. BECAUSE HIS FACE.
You’re WELCOME, Bitchery.
And now, our video. One of the most popular videos we've ever hosted, yours to enjoy with all the earworm power you can possibly handle.
I probably don't have to tell you that this is NSFW, but just in case – headphones on, and make sure no one is looking over your shoulder. Otherwise, you'll have to crank the volume and play it for the whole office.
I’m late to the Bitchery, so I missed the review of What a Rogue Desires until now. Great review. I’ve read all of Caroline Linden’s books, and I always enjoy them. And I must agree that BATH IS THE BEST PLACE EVER. ReadHeadedGirl made me squee.
What what? I checked and I own all of those books (in paper AND digital) but I don’t think I’ve read any of them (except maybe the Linden, but my brain is too traumatized by the video to recollect properly).
I love Caroline Linden’s books. Any or all of them, period. However, I have to add that with every ‘10 years of Bitchery’ review, my TBR pile increases. Temptest in Time joins the list. Thank you very much!
How in the world did that video get to be one of the most popular? You’ve hosted so many others that don’t require a brain bleaching afterward and actually are enjoyable.
I see Fabio’s Viking is mentioned in one of the review and I saw RT Book Reviews is giving away 2 audio versions of the book on cassettes for throw back Thursday.
http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/throwback-thursday-giveaway-romance-audiobooks-1990s
@Kelly:
I think the sheer terribleness and over the top WTFery of it helped. I’m sure there were a few people who were all, “NO, really. YOU NEED TO SEE THIS.”
I’m glad y’all are enjoying the recaps each month. They are a LOT of fun to do. Thank you for being here and being part of SBTB.
“What what?” was one of our favorite catch-phrases for ages, thanks to the Bitchery. Loved the walk down memory lane!
South Park did a parody of that video, too: http://youtu.be/isujdfWGqss
Just reading RedHeadedGirl’s review of “Tempest in Time” made me want to throw the computer against the wall in… irritation, at least. However, such an urge is usually reserved only for the hilarious (and agonizing) book flogs of LKH’s Anita Blake books. I don’t know that it says good things if an author evokes only anger in more than a few readers.
That Linden book is a good ‘n. The hero was a ne’er-do-well younger son in a previous book and the heroine is a thief. These things either don’t mix well or combust in a great way. OMG, now I need to find my copy and read it again. Apologies to all the books in my TBR landscape.
Linden is AWESOME in all her books. I just read the first two Scandal books and LUFFED THEM WITH ALL THE LUFF. And thankfully I discovered there’s a couple of her books I haven’t read yet, so I have more to look for/ward to
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching
for romance novel reviews