NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at 2020. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, sales, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading. … I really enjoyed seeing all of your guesses in the comments of yesterday’s half of the … Continue reading Best of 2020 Reviews, Part Two!
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas is $3.99! Ellen wrote a fantastic review and gave it a B-:
When I started this book, I was expecting a jam-packed, over-the top fantasy with a lot of snark and heart. And House of Earth and Blood did deliver that, even if there were some missteps in execution. If you’ve enjoyed Maas’ other books, and if you can handle all the violence and slavery and slut-shaming, it’s worth it to push through the awkward beginning and the dragging bits in the middle for big payoff at the end. If you thought “ew, no thanks” about the aforementioned elements, or if you cannot handle hearing men and women referred to only as “males” and “females” for 800 pages, skip it.
RECOMMENDED: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B+:
I thought this book was lovely. It had real depth. There were characters who made me angry. Sometimes those characters were truly awful people and sometimes they were good people who made mistakes (hello, Luc, you mess). Sometimes the book made me sad. Mostly, it made me swoon and laugh in equal measure – a great stress read!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, after reading House of Earth and Blood, I posit that the best barometer of whether or not you will enjoy this book is whether or not you have enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’ other books. All the hallmarks of Maas are here: a beautiful, semi-outcast heroine hiding an incredible power; a super-powerful, much older hero with a dark past; a jam-packed cast of intriguing secondary characters; loads of snarky and sassy dialogue, and nonstop, … Continue reading House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
The Bawdy Bride by Amanda Scott is $1.99! This is a historical romance that was originally published in 1995 and seems to have Gothic elements. Some reviews mention there are some hefty old school vibes, while others said they were surprisingly bored.
RECOMMENDED: Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain is $1.99! There’s a treasure hunt, a blind hero, and a former courtesan heroine. Talk about catnip! Redheadedgirl gave this an A grade in a Lightning Review.
Wrong Bed, Right Roommate by Rebecca Brooks is 99c! Elyse mentioned this one in January 2019’s Hide Your Wallet, and I appreciate the hero cover model’s chest hair. Readers found this to be a cute, sexy romance, but there were some reviews that mention being divided on the hero.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is $1.99! This book and series is insanely popular and has Beauty and the Beast elements. However, some felt it didn’t live up to the hype or it had too much sexxxytimes for a YA-positioned book. Have you read this one?
Three Weeks with a Princess by Vanessa Kelly is 99c! This historical romance is pretty dang cute and is a friends to lovers romances. I loved how the heroine came from a line of scandalous women. I will admit it was a bit slow to start though. However, it’s a pretty charming book. This is also part of today’s Kindle Daily Deals, which includes other historical romances. Be sure to take a look!
RECOMMENDED: The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan is 99c. Pretty much anyone I’ve heard talk about Milan’s books says, “Just read them all, trust me.” I concur.
Redheadedgirl and Carrie did a joint review of this title and they gave it an A:
Both Redheadedgirl and I give this book ALL THE A’s. We laughed, we cried, we were inspired and frustrated.
I may have swooned a little.
Redheadedgirl spent her Friday emailing the other Smart Bitches reviewers and telling us “HURRY UP AND READ THE BOOK I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT”.
