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 What’s the Most Bonkers Old Skool Plot You’ve Ever Read? →
Welcome back! You’re getting some hot and fresh links this morning. Vacation kicks off today and all I can say is hell yeah. It’s been desperately needed the past few weeks. I’ve downloaded a bunch of short Chinese dramas for the plane. I usually stock up on videos and books, but then I just fall asleep. Are you a plane sleeper? The white noise just puts me right out. … Word on the street is … Continue reading Links: Llamas, Celine Dion, & More →
Today, Amanda shared with me a post from writer and illustrator Odette Locke, who recently shared information about her upcoming romance in progress, A Corps of Health and Safety, with some Instagram graphics that lit my brain on fire. Important note: absolutely no part of this post is a knock against the author, their idea, their work in progress, any of it. This is about the larger implications of what is part of the aspirational … Continue reading Regulation and Oversight Now Part of the Fantasy of Romance →
RECOMMENDED: Witch King by Martha Wells is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this and gave it a B+:
The biggest thing you need to know about Witch King is that it is very different from Murderbot. If you are hoping for a fantasy version of Murderbot you will be disappointed. The tone is different, the humor, when it exists, is dryer, the scope is different, and the violence is dialed waaayyy up. However, on its own merits, Witch King is a complex, interesting fantasy novel that keeps two timelines moving and introduces a group of allies who gel into a found family.
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This HaBO is from Tarli, who wants to find this book: Ok honestly I feel like I remember so much I could just rewrite the book myself, but I’ve honestly been looking for it for over 10 years. It was a Mills and Boon type book that I read in the early 2000s (but it was probably published earlier—maybe 1980s or 1990s). The heroine had red hair and was on an anthropological expedition (maybe archaeology-related). … Continue reading HaBO: Anthropological Expedition Leads to Shifters →
Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet! This week, we’re looking forward to some time travel, a vampire romance, and there’s a new Naomi Novik novella. Which releases are on your TBR pile this week? Let us know in the comments!
Daughter of Tides by Kit Rocha is $1.99! This is book one of the Born to Sea and Storm series, which came out in May. Have you read this one?
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It’s Comics, but it’s not Comic Sans! Recently Cat Sebastian revealed on Instagram the cover for her new book, Star Shipped, coming out in March 2026: Vintage comic style! I dig it. It conveys an era without being exactly specific, and it’s a style that’s nostalgically familiar. I’ve noticed this style as a growing trend in romance. Now, usually when I notice a trend, it’s after two similar occurrences. That’s a coincidence, I know. This … Continue reading Comic Style Covers Keep On Coming →
I have to be upfront about some personal pet peeves first. I hate cosy witch stories. I don’t like twee and I don’t like cutesy. This book has touches of that initially and a lot towards the end, which has definitely coloured my experience of this book. So if cutesy, twee, and cosy are things that bring you joy, then bump this grade up a level or two. Lara, it’s already a B, I hear … Continue reading Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi →
Welcome back, everyone! This round has a romance and a thriller, plus more nonfiction (as always). I just can’t help myself. Out of the nonfiction, one is more biography and the other is definitely a bummer. Do you have any recommendations to share? Let us know in the comments!
