Christmas with the Queen is a cozy historical romance that would be perfect for fans of The Crown or anglophiles in general. The royal family are a backdrop to this romance, but it’s not about them directly. It’s also a blend of historical fiction and romance that I think will work for non-romance readers. The book alternates between VE Day in 1945, and the “present” day in the 1950’s. The book opens in 1952 with … Continue reading Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb →
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 Lady Whiskerdown’s Letters from the Cat Cafe: Vol 2 →
I really love looking at the colorful art on the covers of books, which is in part why my physical library is shelved by color and why I belong to book subscriptions like Illumicrate and Owlcrate–so I can get those beautiful special editions. I read mostly on my Kindle Oasis, but I definitely love the look of physical books. When the new Kindle Colorsoft came out, I thought that maybe this would reduce my need … Continue reading Kindle Colorsoft →
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 Lady Whiskerdown’s Letters from the Cat Cafe →
Strange Beasts is so much fun that the minute I finished the book, I downloaded the audio for my husband to listen to. This is a paranormal adventure meets gothic mystery with a sapphic love story intertwined in all of that. It has shades of Penny Dreadful, non stop action, and it’s just a blast to read. The novel takes place in an alternate Victorian era where paranormal creatures openly exist with human beings. Sam … Continue reading Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris →
Death at Morning House is a YA that’s part historical mystery, part haunted house story. I enjoyed it, but I kept getting pulled out of the story because it seemed wildly implausible to me that the kids in the book were as unsupervised as they were. In the present day, Marlowe Wexler is struggling with teenage awkwardness and realizing her own queer identity. When the book opens, she’s house-sitting for a friend of the family … Continue reading Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson →
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for me anyway. The ‘bers (September, October, November, December) mean beautiful fall colors, cooler weather, and craft fairs. Next year I’m going back to Rhinebeck, but this year I stayed local and went to Wisconsin Sheep & Wool. I got the impression that it was larger–or at least more crowded–this year, possibly due to the weather. Last year was very hot which may have deterred some people … Continue reading Wisconsin Sheep & Wool 2024 →
If you’ve been hiding under a rock, you might not have heard about how this season of The Bachelorette ended. It’s…a lot. So grab an adult beverage because we’re about to get into it. Picasso says he’s not interested. Ear scritches only please. Jenn’s family has traveled to Hawaii to meet both Devin and Marcus. Her mom, Trinh, starts crying when Jenn walks in. Jenn’s family and best friend Nichole meet Devin first. She tells her … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S21 E9: What a Dick →
Rich and I are both going into The Bachelorette tonight sick. We have some kind of virus (luckily not Covid) and have taken all the cold medicines. Hard to say if that’s going to make this better or worse. As usual, Picasso says “How you doin’?” It’s Fantasy Suites week and we’re in Hawaii. The first date goes to Devin who has already told Jenn he loves her. Jenn has not reciprocated yet. They start out … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S21 E8: So Boring →
It Had to be You is a Mr. and Mrs. Smith style romance novel about two assassins who fall in love while also trying to kill each other. It’s a book that I loved, but will either work really, really well for someone or not at all. Neither of the main characters, Jonathan or Eva, are good people—they are both contract killers so that shouldn’t be a surprise—and I think some readers will struggle with … Continue reading It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier →
It’s Hometowns on The Bachelorette, the cringiest episode of the season. This is when the Bachelorette meets the dudes’ families, who always look like they aren’t happy to be roped into this nonsense. Because they aren’t. Picasso is once again taking this opportunity to snoozle. Remember how I told you that I thought Picasso might have fathered some of our kittens? Meet Captain Ace, one of seventeen kittens I’m pretty sure belongs to him. We could … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S21 E7: Mushball →
