When A Court of Thorns and Roses first came out, I read it, enjoyed it, and didn’t think much else about it. This was back when it was marketed as YA and before social media exploded the Maas-verse. This year, I was adapting to a new chronic illness diagnosis and treatment protocol, and struggling with burnout partially caused by that illness, plus working and helping with care for a loved one with dementia. I took … Continue reading A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas→
A solid low-spice Regency with a faith-based backing, Pride and Practicality examines the pressure of societal prejudice, the weight of the past, and the hope that goodness will find and protect us. It has a few bumps along the way, but overall it’s an intelligent and beautiful experience. Rector Thomas Bridges is not one for stuffy ballrooms; his heart is more concerned with lofty matters. But his mother wants him to settle down and get … Continue reading Pride and Practicality by Pepper Basham→
Welcome back! We’ve reached November, but I’m still going to sneak in some spooky reading suggestions. This time, we have an anthology, some nonfiction, and a witchy romance. Have any recs to share? Leave them in the comments!
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!→
“No good day had ever started without breakfast. And no bearable one had ever started without a cup of tea” – Not Quite a Witch. The highest compliment I can pay Not Quite a Witch was that it felt like a wonderful trip into Disney’s Haunted Mansion Ride. It’s giddy, well-written and wonderfully witty. I loved the romance, the worldbuilding and the characters here – it’s one of the best spooky season reads I’ve encountered … Continue reading Not Quite a Witch by Anna Stockings→
RECOMMENDED: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday is $1.99! This is a standalone historical romance and was described as Ted Lasso meets Bridgerton for a 19th century spin on The Hangover. We ran a guest review of this one and it earned a B+.
Hey y’all! The transcripts for the following episodes are live! 742. Writing Recent History with Lea Vale – published October 30, 2026 741. RT Rewind: June 2007 Ads & Features – published October 23, 2026 The visual aids for the RT Rewind episode are in the link above. Thanks for your patience, y’all!
It’s a classic for a reason, and the reason is, it’s a classic! This is perfectly logical logic what do you mean. It’s Halloween Eve! Soon the candy will be either on sale, or in your house, or a little of column and and b! So, of course, we need a spooky video. A classic spooky video. From 2006. It’s the KXVO Pumpkin Dance! Now, this will spoil some of the mystique, but if you’d like … Continue reading Friday Videos Love a Pumpkin Classic→
Lea Vale is the author of Blue Sky Black, a dual-timeline recent history romance that takes place, in part, on 9/11/2001. We talk about writing recent history, especially recent traumatic history, into romance, we also discuss the power of the HEA, and we chat about her NHPR show, Check This Out! So I want to be clear here that we discuss 9/11 on and off throughout the episode. Both of us witnessed the attacks on … Continue reading 742. Writing Recent History with Lea Vale→
The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty is $1.99! This is book one in The Lives of Guinevere series. I think I remember Elyse talking about this one.
What the Smut? ain’t got an ounce of class, sugar. It was like reading a romance novel written by Dee Reynolds from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it, but some uneven moments — and a ridiculous saccharine ending – kept me from giving it more than a high C. I had a hell of a lot of fun reading it: it’s delightful for what it is and … Continue reading What the Smut? by C. Hallman→
