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SBTB 2026 Summer Romance Bingo

Grab your TBRs and get ready for Summer Solstice on June 21!

Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night on PBS

At some point this year, and I don’t remember which corporate or governmental bullshit event it was, I subscribed to PBS and downloaded the PBS Passport app. You can stream SO MUCH GOOD STUFF my gosh. Ballet! Antiques Roadshow! Stage performances from recent and distant history! The truly top-shelf visual dopamine of All Creatures Great and Small. I could end this post here and just say, PBS Passport is the greatest, and subscribing is an … Continue reading Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night on PBS

Podcast

693. Holiday Wishes I with Susie, Elizabeth, Alanna

It’s time for our annual Holiday Wishes episodes! Every year I connect with listeners around the world, where we talk about books, wishes, and bad jokes. So this time of year, my guests are…all of you! In this set of wishes, we’ve got classics, new mysteries, and series romances. And we’ve got Sapphic yearning! I have a record number of people signed up to do holiday wishes conversations with me, and these episodes are so … Continue reading 693. Holiday Wishes I with Susie, Elizabeth, Alanna

Oh, Hey! Look! I’m Testing Things!

Featured image for Oh, Hey! Look! I’m Testing Things!

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 Oh, Hey! Look! I’m Testing Things!

Hide Your Wallet

Puck You: a Slow Burn Romance Between Two Fierce Athletes

This post is sponsored by W by Wattpad Books, publisher of Puck You by Flynn Novak. If you love books where there’s Rivalry – giant rivalry, like gloves off, hollering, ice-dusted rivalry Two equally talented athletes trying to win while avoiding pants feelings Exploration of the unequal treatment of men’s and women’s college teams A slooooow burn between two resolutely competitive adversaries Eldest daughter vs. hockey captain sportbro Lots and lots of hockey May I introduce Puck … Continue reading Puck You: a Slow Burn Romance Between Two Fierce Athletes

Book Review

The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend

The Botanist’s Assistant

This is a book about a quiet, steady woman in her 50s who is dogged in her pursuit of justice. Margaret is a research assistant and she’s perfectly suited to the job: she’s methodical, reliable and devoted to science. When her boss dies unexpectedly, it is Margaret alone who suspects murder. In the way of these things, she is dismissed and not believed. As to that disbelief: the book is frank about how older women … Continue reading The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend

Links: Best Books, Erotic Audio, & More

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

Welcome back! How are we doing? I’m exhausted. It’s one of the weeks that has a lot in terms of work, social responsibilities, and holiday errands. I also have a hankering for banana pudding, which I haven’t had in probably over a decade. What have you been craving lately? … Author and romance scholar Jodi McAlister is in People discussing the rise of audio erotica apps and how it taps into a certain kind of intimacy. … Continue reading Links: Best Books, Erotic Audio, & More

Lightning Review

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose

Dating After the End of the World

Growing up in Wisconsin with a doomsday prepper father, Casey partially credits her dad for her miserable childhood. The rest of it goes to Blake Morrison, a bully who leads the charge of torment through middle and high school. Now an engaged adult living in Chicago and completing her residency, Casey actively avoids involving her dad in her life. When a mysterious outbreak leads to a zombie apocalypse and Casey’s fiance abandons her in the … Continue reading Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose

The Worst Book Pitch I Have Ever Received

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 The Worst Book Pitch I Have Ever Received

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