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What to Do If You Think You’ve Been Plagiarised

Yep, it's true - I was so shocked I didn't know what to do next.

Cover Snark: “Mourning Wood”

Mourning Wood by Heather M. Orgeron. A floppy haired man is looking at you from bed, peeking over a pillow.

Welcome back to Cover Snark! Amanda: Is she poopin? Elyse: The moment you realize it wasn’t just a fart. Sarah: That’s what the rose is for. She might need a few more for poo-pourri purposes. (Also, hand to heaven, if you have to share a bathroom, especially while traveling, Poo-Pourri works REALLY well.) Elyse: I hope that’s a typo. Sarah: $10 says the title came first and the book was built around it. Elyse: Did … Continue reading Cover Snark: “Mourning Wood”

Sunday Sale Digest!

Smart Bitches in a blue typewriter font, and After Dark lit up like hot pink neon

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 Sunday Sale Digest!

Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 90

Welcome back, everyone! Wow, we are quickly closing in on 100 of these! I can hardly believe it. This time, I have an even split of fiction and non-fiction. All are quite different from one another. Have you received any good book recs lately? Share them in the comments!

Whatcha Reading? May 2025, Part Two

Cozy seat in beautiful backyard flower garden

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re wrapping up May: Elyse: I just started This Monster of Mine. The author said the hero was inspired by Ben Barnes as the Darkling so … Claudia: I’m struggling with the new Susanna Kearsley book, The King’s Messenger. It’s told from the perspectives of multiple characters and to me it just feels jarring, like I don’t get to know any of them. Amanda: What a coincidence, I … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? May 2025, Part Two

Other Media Review

Movie Review: Another Simple Favor

There’s a lot of things I could write about Another Simple Favor. I could write about whether or not Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively get along with each other! I could write about our current societal obsession with True Crime! I could write about how the conversation about mommy vlogging has changed since 2018! I could write about stereotypes about Italians – we aren’t all in the mob! Some of us are freelance writers! But … Continue reading Movie Review: Another Simple Favor

Podcast

668. Hot Takes with Sarah & Amanda

Inspired by a recent episode of The Sam Sanders Show, Amanda and I are sharing our own hot takes and possibly controversial opinions about romance. We’re talking: Third act bleak moments! Transcending the genre! Rom coms! Cozy things! Conferences and gatherings! Accessories for Readers! TW/CW: We take a brief side trip into parental estrangement and emotional abuse. … Check out the SKIMS Ultimate Bra Collection and more at https://www.skims.com/sarah #skimspartner

Books On Sale

A Couple Historical Romances, a Contemporary Western, & More

Books on Sale: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & More

RECOMMENDED: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey is $1.49! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B+:

I really enjoyed this book. There’s a lot of dark, snarky humor, and snarky humor is my very favorite kind. The satire of corporate culture is as hilarious as it is horrifying. The horror is very, very horrifying with body horror, your basic supernatural beings, and just oodles of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Not enough trigger warnings in the world, people.

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Lightning Review

Rebel in the Deep by Katee Robert

Rebel in the Deep

I’m keeping this review brief because there’s only so much you can say about the third book in a trilogy without completely giving away the other two books. Also, this book is kind of a letdown. The glory and wonder of that angry vampire in book two is admittedly a tough act to follow. But let’s unpack. There are two plots in this book: the romance plot and the adventure plot. The romance plot focuses … Continue reading Rebel in the Deep by Katee Robert

Links: Always Cats and Libraries

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.

Welcome back everyone! This week and the last week have felt like such a slog. I feel like I could sleep through an entire weekend at this point. In fairness, I’ve had a lot of social obligations and deadlines. Hopefully, I can get a weekend just to rot soon! Anyone else feeling some burn out? … This link was sent in by Vicki S. Connecticut has passed a bill to give libraries more agency when … Continue reading Links: Always Cats and Libraries

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