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Holiday Gift Guide 2025: White Elephant, Secret Santa, and Yankee Trader Gifts

You know those $10- or $20-or-less gift exchanges? We've got suggestions. So does Elvis.

Hide Your Wallet

Hide Your Waller or Your Wallet: January 2nd Release Week!

It’s the first Tuesday of 2024 and that means we’re looking at the first batch of new releases this year! January starts slow for us, but by mid-month we’re going to have so many books to talk about. Not to tease you but I get to look at the spreadsheet with everyone’s picks and it’s shaping up to be a great book month. What’s on your release list this week? Let us know!

Books On Sale

Queens, Rockstars, & More

Books on Sale: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare & More

RECOMMENDEDThe Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare is $1.99! This is the first book in the Girl Meets Duke series. Elyse really loved this book and gave it an A grade:

I totally recommend reading The Duchess Deal, but preferably while sober so you can really appreciate all of it. It’s the perfect blend of two of my favorite fairytale tropes, it’s got a hero who never an alpha-hole, it’s funny, and it’s got female friendship. What more could you want?

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Cover Awe: Pinks, Purples, & Smiles

Queen of Dreams by Kit Rocha. A bluish purple background with a silvery spider web. Pieces of dew are caught on the strands. In the middle is a flaming scepter of sorts.

Happy New Year! Let’s kick things off with some pretty covers. Cover design by Hang Le Sarah: This is book 2 in the series that’s officially called Bound to Fire and Steel but is more colloquially known as “horny dragon book.” Amanda: The colors are striking and the elements of fire give things an almost neon sign vibe. Sarah: Agreed, the use of light and color makes it almost glow. Amanda: I love smiles! It … Continue reading Cover Awe: Pinks, Purples, & Smiles

Hide Your Wallet

Our Favorite Reads of 2023

Once again, I challenged our reviewers to pick their favorite (only one!) book they read this year. However, Sarah changed the rules up and said everyone’s favorite read had to be a 2023 release, but that they can have two bonus pick for books not released this year. Here are our favorites of the year! We’d also love to hear about your best read of 2023! Since Sneezy is recommending webtoons, I’ll drop them here. … Continue reading Our Favorite Reads of 2023

Books On Sale

An Anthology, Fantasy, & More

Books on Sale: How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long & More

RECOMMENDED: How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long is $1.99! This made our Best of Reviews 2023 list at number five. Lara gave this a Squee grade:

This book made me swoon IRL. Reading it was a fever dream and not just because of the sex scenes. I was so immersed in it that the real world and its troubles didn’t even occur to me for the duration of the book. (I am anxious by nature, so this is a feat.)

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Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: Best of 2023

We’re recapping all kinds of stuff this week, and today: our top five podcast episodes from 2023!  Looking at the year overall, these are the top five most listened to Smart Podcast, Trashy Books episodes of the year – and thank you to everyone who listened, recommended, shared, and posted about the show. Special thanks to all our Patreon community members, who helped shape this season and keep the show going each week! Honorable Mention … Continue reading Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: Best of 2023

Books On Sale

Fantasy, Time Travel, & More

Books on Sale: Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins & More

RECOMMENDED: Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins is $1.99! Catherine wrote a Lightning Review for this one and gave it a B+:

I enjoyed this story a lot. It contains many of the elements that feel like a traditional Western to me – scenes of blizzards and horse-breaking, confrontations in the local saloon, slick shysters from out East come to take advantage of the locals – but the central characters buck the stereotypes in numerous ways.

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Best of Reviews 2023, Part Two

Smart Bitches Best of 2022 above a stack of very old books with the top one open and the pages fanned against a sparkly background

NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at 2023. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, sales, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading. … We’re onto part two of of our Best of Reviews for 2023! I’m eager to see … Continue reading Best of Reviews 2023, Part Two

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