How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a surprisingly intense book about a young woman’s efforts not only to survive dating a superhero, but also her efforts to overcome the trauma that she experienced as collateral damage in a fight between a different superhero and a supervillain. Even though the story revolves around Astrid’s love for her superhero boyfriend, Max, it’s not a romance so much as it’s an exploration of trauma, … Continue reading How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez →
RECOMMENDED: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is $2.99! Shana reviewed this one in October and gave it a B+:
Spoiler Alert is tropey wish fulfillment, but at its heart, it is a quiet contemporary with a #couplegoals relationship where both characters offer comfort, create beautiful art, and help each other overcome insecurities. Spoiler Alert is also a love letter to fandoms, that will make you want to chase your romance novel with a shot of fanfiction.
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This Monday’s Cover Snark is all thanks to you! We love it when you send us some crazysauce covers. From Susan: For Cover Snark. Because if I have to keep looking at the bad hair and unpleasant facial expressions, so do you. Sarah: Did we snark this already? If so, did we figure out definitively what on earth happened to his hair? Amanda: We have definitely seen this couple. But maybe not on this cover? … Continue reading Cover Snark: Reader Submissions →
Hey all! It’s been a hot minute! I’m current at a black tie wedding in Rhode Island. Now, I don’t love attending weddings, but I do love free food and an open bar. For those of you who don’t know, I have a lot of book-related jobs outside of Smart Bitches and not all of them are romance-specific. I love connecting books to readers and I feel like I do a pretty dang good job. … Continue reading Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 25 →
Pearl Hart was not only a fascinating individual, but she was also a member of a scrappy family of stubborn survivors, each of whom had their own interesting stories to tell. Pearl Hart led a difficult but adventurous life and gained renown for dressing up as a man and robbing a stagecoach in Arizona in 1899. Bear with me, readers, because the lives of Pearl and her siblings, especially her sister Kate, are hard to … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Pearl Hart →
It’s September! Back to school! The beginning of fall! Lots of great new book releases! Carrie: I’m reading The Change by Kirsten Miller about a group of women in their late forties who develop super powers and set out to solve a series of murders. It’s flawed but also, as those young people say these days, LIT! Shana: I’m listening to The Love Con by Seressia Glass on audiobook. I’m so invested in the story … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? September 2022, Part One →
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams is $1.99! This is a contemporary romance and the first in a series. Aarya gave this one a C+ and would recommend it with reservations:
The writing is polished, the grovel is so satisfying (I love desperate heroes at their wits’ end), and Thea has my permission to rule the world for eternity. Adams’s voice is magnetic; my eyes were glued on the page because the dialogue flowed seamlessly. Time stood still, and I was shocked to discover that four hours had whirled past after setting it down.
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I’ve been talking about this book for weeks, and now I get to talk to the author: Deanna Raybourn joins me to talk about her new thriller, Killers of a Certain Age. We talk about the power of being underestimated, and the painfulness of being expected to disappear as you age. Battles against misogyny! Destroying the patriarchy! Aging is awesome! Join us for a very casual discussion of hypothetical and and actual historical murder. … … Continue reading 527. Killers of a Certain Age with Deanna Raybourn →
The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe is $1.99! This is book one in Shupe’s latest historical romance series. Elyse recently reviewed this one and gave it a C-. I think Elyse and I both agree that Shupe does a wonderful job about giving us tantalizing sequel bait.
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Tonight is the finale (maybe? I think?)of The Bachelorette and my friend, Jen, has decided to join me in my suffering. Update: Google tells me this is not the finale. FUCK. I’m guessing next week is After the Final Rose. Pudding says she votes that the season ends with Gabby and Rachel pushing all the men into the sea and spending the rest of their time in Mexico hanging out together. After her upsetting conversation … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette S19 E10: Not the Finale →
