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 Crushed Heroine: A Rant
This guest review is from Babelfish, who is a California librarian, historical fiction enthusiast, lizard person, and ADHD-prone daydreamer. … Long-time reader, first-time contributor. I find the reviews on this site some of the most entertaining writing on the internet, and the number of quotes with which I spam my coworkers (and my best friend) is a mite excessive. I *really* appreciate you people, is what I’m saying. 🙂 Y’all got me into reading romances in … Continue reading Passion Play by Beth Bernobich
A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her @thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next good freelance job. This is her third … Continue reading Guest Rant: Night Storm by Catherine Coulter
Mystic by Cheryl Brooks is the second book in a spinoff sci-fi romance series from Brooks’ original Cat Star Chronicles. I have neither read the first book in this spinoff series, Cat Star Legacy, nor the original series, but I’m always down for some bonkers reading from time to time. Not being familiar with any of the book’s predecessors was probably to my detriment, but my inability to understand the world has nothing to do with … Continue reading Mystic by Cheryl Brooks
Sarah asked us to think about throwback series, and I knew immediately that I wanted to discuss the Orphan Train Series by Linda Lael Miller. I remembered them VERY FONDLY from my early teenagerhood (early 1990s) and wondered how well they would hold up. I was pretty sure the answer was going to be in the realm of “not great” but it turns out, no, it’s all the way over in “VERY VERY BADLY.” In … Continue reading Lily and the Major by Linda Lael Miller
Elyse: I recently DNF’d a slew of books due to totally repulsive behavior on the hero’s part, so of course I ranted at Sarah about it. Sarah: And I’m always here for ranting about books. Squeeing, too, but also ranting. Elyse: I’m so tired of the sex-entitled hero who sees every person to whom he might be attracted as a potential location for his peen. You know the guy I’m talking about, right? Sarah: Yup. … Continue reading We Are Not Here For Boner Led Heroes
Reading Roomies was a bizarre experience. I had two reactions simultaneously. One was great enjoyment in a lovely romance with great characters and dialogue and a comforting fairy tale atmosphere. The other was of pure, blinding rage brought on by the political and social issues that currently crowd my brain. The clearest way to describe these two reviews, which are at odds with one another, is to imagine viewing them through a zoom lens. For … Continue reading Roomies by Christina Lauren
Romeow and Juliet was brought to my attention during a recent edition of Cover Snark. While the front cover suggests that this is a romance between two cats, the back cover copy quickly sets us straight: Romeow and Juliet is the first in a cozy mystery series set on Madrona Island, a fictional island within the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. As a fourth generation islander Caitlin Hart is struggling to make her … Continue reading Romeow and Juliet by Kathi Daley
NB: This is a guest rant. Many years in the making I believe. It’s aged in a notebook like fine wine. Decant it with care and savor! The backstory on this is that, like, 4 or 5 years ago, I accidentally late-night-bought a free ebook that threw me into such a rage that at like 3AM I decided to write down all my feelings about it. I think I meant to submit it to SBTB. But I … Continue reading Guest Rant: Feral Sins by Suzanne Wright
SB Sarah: This rant/review/analysis comes from Vedrana, who found a 2008 BBC movie about Mills & Boon, and watched it online. It would be an understatement to say she found it frustrating. Dear Smart Bitches, I’m a listener from Australia, and I know how the Bitchery likes to pick apart representations of the romance genre, its authors and its readers in the media, so I was wondering whether anyone else had seen Consuming Passions: 100 … Continue reading Guest Rant: BBC and 100 Years of Mills & Boon
I received this email from Linda recently, and asked if I could run it as a guest rant. Linda mentions some specific books, cover copy, and plot points for romances she’s read that inspired this rant. If you’re a fan of these authors, or you love these particular books, we understand that using them as examples might tick you off. The point isn’t the examples; the examples highlight for Linda a larger point that’s been … Continue reading Guest Rant: Slut Shaming in Romance
