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smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-05 07:00 pmLinks: House Tours, Teen Vogue, & More
Happy Wednesday!
We’ve reached November. How did we get here? Did October blink by for anyone else?
The approach to the holiday seasons always put me into a kind of funk. I’m trying to focus on coziness, reading, soups – all good self-care things to fight against the fact that it gets so dark, so early now in New England. Truly the worst part of the winter seasons for me.
Do you have any saving graces for the winter doldrums?
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I’ve shared Nikki Payne’s Substack before because it’s amazing, especially if you love pop culture. Highly recommend her latest newsletter!
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Take a peek into Great British Bake-Off’s Kim Joy’s dopamine decor home. It’s so fun!
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Layoffs have hit the staff of Teen Vogue after the announcement that the publication will be rolled into its parent magazine. Tara sent me this link to share of a GoFundMe for laid off staffers. This is definitely a huge loss.
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Have you filed your Halloween treat return yet?
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-05 04:30 pmSome KDDs, Julie Anne Long, & More
The Ex Vows
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is a standalone romance and was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Have you read it?
Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.
Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.
With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.
What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.
As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.
A Letter to the Luminous Deep
RECOMMENDED: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall is $2.99 and a KDD! Elyse read this one and gave it an A:
If you are looking for a cozy fantasy read with excellent romance and worldbuilding, I highly recommend Letters to the Luminous Deep.
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity.” —Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light
A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.
Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice.
Lady Derring Takes a Lover
Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long is 99c! This is the first book in The Palace of Rogues series and Carrie gave it a B-. Carrie really loved the heroine and the introduction to some awesome and strong women. However, she felt the romance was rather weak and there was a plot twist she didn’t quite care for.
A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.
Delilah Swanpool, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,” is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.
But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.
They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?
The Alice Network
RECOMMENDED: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is $1.99! RHG gave this one a B+:
This book has a lot of my catnip: lady spies, a dual chronology, and a host of people trying to put their lives back together after a war.
In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her “little problem” taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the “Queen of Spies”, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth…no matter where it leads.
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-11-05 02:00 pmThe REST of the Story
"Welcome to the K. Krex Evaluation Center! Please have a seat, and we'll begin the exam.
[consulting clipboard] "Ok, let's start by having you cover your left eye and spell out the top line here."
"Uhhh.... M. d. W. 2. K. 1. O?"
"Perfect. Now go ahead and read me the bottom word here."
"Oh man, that's tough. Um...matheridby?"
"Good, good. Now, please cover your right eye and spell out the letters on the bottom line here."
"N... O... T.. T.. P.. P.. L.. B.. S.. S.. S.. S.. L?"
[writing on clipboard] "Mmmhmm. Now, kindly read this for me:"
{squinting} "Uhhh.... Is that even English?"
"Excellent. Moving on, now I'm going to change the lenses over your eye. Tell me which is more in focus:
"Number one...
"...or number two?"
"Gosh, I don't know. They look about the same."
"I see. Ok, for our final test, let's have you put on these glasses and try reading these:"
"Happy....Bir....um... I have no idea what that says."
"And I'd rather not say that one out loud."
"Oh! That's the artist formerly known as Prince, right?"
"Well done. And congratulations - you're hired! Here are your apron and piping bags, and you can pick up your spools of ribbon and plastic flotsam in the morning. Now, go make us proud!
"And a bunch of cupcake cakes."
Thanks to Brandon D., Rosie, Melissa M., Becky, Rebecca M., Sara B., Judy R., Abby M., and Grace N. for the eye-openers.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-05 11:00 amFrankenstein and I Need Better Seats
One of Carrie’s popular features in Smart Bitches After Dark are her movie reviews and recaps, which we’ve given the Very Original name, After Dark at the Movies.
Carrie is usually very excited to recap from her couch, but she was determined to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and share it with the After Dark community.
Trying to figure out where to see it led to this post.
…
I’ve been very, very excited about Guillermo del Toro’s film version of Frankenstein. It will be released on Netflix on November 7, 2025, and is being shown starting on October 17 in limited theatrical release. Honestly, I didn’t think it was likely to play in my town of Sacramento, but it turns out that it is playing in Sacramento, albeit not until the weekend of October 23rd. It’s even playing in a theater that I can visit – a big chain theater as opposed to the local arthouse.
Here’s why I can’t see it in the local arthouse.
Frankenstein is playing in, among other places, one of Sacramento’s oldest, most historic theaters. This location shows old movies as well as new, mostly independent movies. The theater is a local treasure. Because it’s an old building, I would not expect it to be fully accessible. I’m not an expert on the details of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but I assume that some allowances are made for historic buildings, and I understand why this might be the case. But my recent experience with this theater was stressful, embarrassing, and dangerous.
I’m sharing this not to wreak my vengeance upon the theater in question but rather because it is a perfect example of how a business can create “accessibility” on paper while remaining utterly inaccessible in practice. It’s also a good example of how we don’t notice barriers until we run smack into them ourselves. I haven’t gone to a movie theater in ages so it was a rude awakening when I tried to see KPOP Demon Hunters Sing-a Long as a wheelchair user – my first time at the movies as a wheelchair user.
We got our tickets and made our way into the theater viewing room. Inside, we found a wheelchair lift that was locked (you have to go up and down stairs to get to seats). My husband went to find an employee who had to find the key. The employee had to get a key from the manager. The employee, now armed with a key, activated the lift, and as soon as I rolled out, turned the lift off and began to leave with the key.
My husband and I pointed out that if she left with the lift locked, then if there was a fire or other emergency a non-ambulatory wheelchair user would be trapped.
Further, I was not only locked out of the lift, but I realized that the row it took me to was only a few rows back from the screen and that the seating was behind a short wall.
Both of these obstacles would make it difficult to see the movie.
Because I’m ambulatory and was accompanied by able-bodied people, I was able to leave my wheelchair in wheelchair seating and climb some steps to a better row. It was awkward, embarrassing, and painful.
But what makes me even more angry is that I had many different kinds of privilege that not all disabled people share. My experience was frustrating, but for others it would be actively dangerous.
It turns out that this is a problem in a lot of movie theaters. In fact, my local arthouse is ahead of the curve in that it does not force wheelchair users to limit themselves to the very front row. AMC, Cinemark, and Regal have both faced multiple lawsuits involving wheelchair access, including legal challenges that state that wheelchair users should have equal quality sightlines as ambulatory viewers.
A brilliant tumblr post by @urbancripple brilliantly states, “If You’re Gonna Make Something Accessible, Don’t Make It a Thing.” This post gives examples of situations in which something is accessible but awkward and situations when accessibility is not awkward:
The buses are wheelchair accessible but the driver has to stop the bus, take 30 seconds to lower the goddamn ramp, move passengers out of their seats, hook up the straps and then secure you in the bus. Sure, they’ve made the buses accessible but now it’s a thing.
And it gives examples of when accessibility is not a thing:
The train to the airport pulls up flush with the platform. I board with everyone else and sit wherever the fuck I want. Riding the train is accessible and not a thing.
I highly recommend the post for anyone interested in the complex world of accessibility.
What I experienced at the movie theater was A Thing.
It involved an employee, a manager, the search for a key, and, when that proved inadequate, my friends basically hauling me up some stairs so that I could actually see the movie I had paid for. On top of that, it was dangerous. And after all that drama, if I had stayed in the “wheelchair” seating, my view would have been obstructed by this weird-ass wall and by being so close to the screen.
I learned a lot from this experience. One thing I learned is how very difficult it is to see beyond your own level of privilege – a lesson I learn time and again. In the case of wheelchair access, before I used a wheelchair, I thought in terms of the most obvious accommodations, like ramps and elevators. I had no idea that not all ramps, or elevators, are created equal. I had no clue about the many odd frustrations that one encounters as a wheelchair user. Since I’m an ambulatory user, I probably miss a thousand other frustrations that I’d encounter as a non-ambulatory user. No matter how much you watch or read or think about, the only way to know what using a wheelchair is like is to sit in one – and even then every experience is different because every user is different.
I also got to see what allyship looks like in action. I’d love to tell you that, when this whole wheelchair lift drama was unfolding, I fiercely advocated for myself and fellow wheelchair users, but this was not the case. I did not feel fierce. I felt embarrassed. I wanted to hide. I wanted to go home. I do not like fusses being made over me. I don’t like putting people out.
Were I speaking to a friend in a similar situation, I would of course say, “You have no reason to be embarrassed. The theater created this issue and now they have to solve it. And your friends want to see the movie in your company, so unless they want to sit with you three rows or so from the screen, they are going to help you. Also, this situation is totally fucked and that’s not on you.”
But I’m sure I’m not the only person who talks one way to others and another way to the inside of my own head.
In the moment, it was my able-bodied family who came to my defense as allies – hunting down someone who could operate the lift, helping me on the stairs, and getting the lift unlocked again, not to mention expressing their displeasure to the manager and filing a complaint with their parent company and on ADA.gov (we have not received a response from either the theater’s parent company or the ADA to date). They really modeled for me what allyship looks like, and helped me get more confidence about advocating for myself.
It’s ironic that the movie I was trying to see was KPop Demon Hunters Sing-a-Long, a movie which discusses living as our full and total selves. It’s also ironic that the movie I won’t be seeing there is Frankenstein, given del Toro’s deep love for people and beings who are different, who in some way feel they are not fully accepted by society.
Accessibility can be difficult because no two people are the same, and because older buildings have great historic value but were simply not built with handicapped accessibility in mind.
Still, even given outmoded infra-structure, the theater staff could have handled this better.
They could have been polite (the manager with the key neither spoke to me nor looked me in the face).
They could have told me what future changes, if any, they had in mind.
They could have tried out the seating for themselves when they first installed the lift, and seen how poor the visibility was and either adjusted accordingly or, if it was simply impossible to work out something better given the age of the building, they could have offered a discount and an apology.
They could have treated me like a valued customer and not an incredibly irritating inconvenience.
So, friends, that’s why I won’t be seeing Frankenstein in the arthouse theater, unless of course it happens to open up in other local venues (fingers crossed!). I’m pretty sad, too, because that theater shows a lot of movies I’d enjoy seeing on the big screen.
However, I learned a lot about myself and my family and friends, I learned how to handle similar situations, and I learned that you can file a complaint with the ADA about disability accommodations at https://www.ada.gov/file-a-complaint/.
If not for the work of many disabled activists, I wouldn’t be going to any theater at all, but it seems likely that the megaplex will work out as a solution to my Frankenstein quest – I’ll report back!
Stay tuned, After Dark folks – Carrie’s review of Frankenstein will be up shortly! And if you’d like to join After Dark to help keep the site open for everyone, you can do that here!
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-05 07:01 amHoliday Gift Guide 2025: Holiday Gift Exchange Ideas!
It’s time for another edition of Stuff We Like, AND the first of our Holiday Gift Guides!
Woo hoo! This time: Tara C. asked us for ideas for those $10 or $20 holiday gift exchanges – Yankee Traders, Secret Santa, or White Elephants, whatever you call them.
We are ON IT! And if you have requests for your holiday shopping, please let us know!
Take a look:
Want to see? Just click that image above or click right here, and come shop with us!
And if you’d like to browse some more, we have a complete Stuff We Like archive, including past Gift Guides and other posts of our favorite items.
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-04 08:30 pmPodcast 690, Your Transcript Has Arrived!
The transcript for Podcast 690. Disability in Romance with Lux Raven has been posted!
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-04 04:30 pmFantasy Romance, Amanda Quick, & More
A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril
A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins is $2.99! This is book four in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Have you read any of these?
Two friends reunite—and discover hidden feelings—while investigating a murder in this sensual, witty historical romance.
Jane Halliwell once dreamed of a home of her own—but those dreams (and her dowry) died with her father. Now, she works as a governess, preparing her charge for a future no longer within her reach. When her employer is murdered during a house party, however, Jane is forced back into the world of the ton. But stepping in as hostess will require working with the same lord who once broke her girlish heart.
Lord Adrian Fielding was too consumed with his job at the Foreign Office to pay young Jane much heed, but he always considered her a friend. Which is why he’s confounded by her icy demeanor now. More troubling still is his desire to melt the tensions between them. But his mentor’s murder means he must first find the culprit—and ensure Jane’s safety as she manages a house full of foreign dignitaries.
Only Jane insists on joining the investigation, and Adrian, despite all his diplomatic skills, finds himself seduced by her sharp wit and sparkling eyes. But with a vicious killer circling ever closer, will it soon be too late for their chance at forever?
The Serpent and the Wolf
The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson is $2.99! This is book on in the Dark Inheritance Trilogy. The main couple are in an arranged marriage for political reasons.
Perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy and Thea Guanzon, Rebecca Robinson’s thrilling romantasy debut combines high-stakes political intrigue and a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance.
All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade.
After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.
But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay.
This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?
‘Til Death Do Us Part
‘Til Deal Do Us Part by Amanda Quick is $2.99! This is a gothic romance that received a C+ grade from Carrie, who said the mystery just didn’t deliver.
On the whole, though, I enjoyed this book. I’m a wimp with regard to romantic suspense, but this book had just enough mayhem to keep the story moving and not so much mayhem that I felt the need to hide under the covers. Even if this isn’t your catnip, you will probably find it to be a nice comfortable read. I’d grade it much higher if the last third of the book matched the promise of the first third of the book.
The author of the New York Times bestseller Garden of Liesreturns to Victorian London in an all-new novel of deadly obsession.
Calista Langley operates an exclusive “introduction” agency in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now, a dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest mourning—a black mirror, a funeral wreath, a ring set with black jet stone. Each is engraved with her initials.
Desperate for help and fearing that the police will be of no assistance, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive author of popular crime novels. Believing that Calista may be taking advantage of his lonely sister, who has become one of her clients, Trent doesn’t trust her. Scarred by his past, he’s learned to keep his emotions at bay, even as an instant attraction threatens his resolve.
But as Trent and Calista comb through files of rejected clients in hopes of identifying her tormentor, it becomes clear that the danger may be coming from Calista’s own secret past—and that only her death will satisfy the stalker…
Amberlough
RECOMMENDED: Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly is $2.99! Carrie read this one and really loved it, giving it an A. However, she warns of a cliffhanger, which means you might want to get the next book ASAP.
Le Carré meets Cabaret in this debut spy thriller as a gay double-agent schemes to protect his smuggler lover during the rise of a fascist government coup
Welcome to Amberlough City, the illustrious but corrupt cosmopolitan beacon of Gedda. The radical One State Party — nicknamed the Ospies — is gaining popular support to unite Gedda’s four municipal governments under an ironclad, socially-conservative vision.
Not everyone agrees with the Ospies’ philosophy, including master spy Cyril DePaul and his lover Aristide Makricosta, smuggler and emcee at the popular Bumble Bee Cabaret. When Cyril’s cover is blown on a mission, however, he must become a turncoat in exchange for his life. Returning to Amberlough under the Ospies’ watchful eye, Cyril enters a complex game of deception. One of his concerns is safeguarding Aristide, who refuses to let anyone – the crooked city police or the homophobic Ospies – dictate his life.
Enter streetwise Cordelia Lehane, top dancer at the Bee and Aristide’s runner, who could be the key to Cyril’s plans—if she can be trusted. As the twinkling lights of nightclub marquees yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means — and people — necessary. Including each other.
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-04 03:00 pmHaBO: Not a Mary Balogh
This HaBO request is from SL, who wants to find this romance:
I’m looking for a regency romance. I thought it was a Mary Balogh book, but can’t find it, so it might be an author similar to Balogh.
What I know for certain: Hero either kills or wounds brother in a duel. Hero had meant to delope, but was young and a terrible shot…
Hero is either exiled by family or is self-exiled. He either goes to war or travels for years.
The book I’m looking for is NOT The Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh.
This may be a challenging one!
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-11-04 02:00 pmHeeere Leezard, Leezard, Leezard!
Could switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance?
...
Do bakeries in Florida have a problem with lizards?
"S'alright. 'E's probably just restin'."
Thanks to Anony M. for finding a wreck my cats would LOVE.
*****
P.S. OK, so no one wants to see a lizard on a cake.
But how about a Bearded Dragon on a blog?
Pogo is a whopping 21 inches long, so I hear he's great for snuggling.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-04 09:00 amHide Your Wallet: November 4th Release Week
Happy Tuesday!
New month means new releases. I’ve put my monthly preorders in. Have you? A brief little release week for SBTB HQ.
Which new books are on your radar? Let us know in the comments!
Blackthorn
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Released: November 4, 2025 by Bramble
Genre: Gothic, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
From the diabolical mind of New York Times bestselling author J.T. Geissinger comes a scorching new enemies-to-lovers romance filled with explosive secrets, nail-biting, gothic suspense, and the dangerous lure of dark magic.
You never forget your first love. Especially when he’s also your worst nightmare.
Twelve years ago, Maven Blackthorn fled her small hometown, leaving behind the wreckage of her mother’s suspicious death. But now, drawn back for her grandmother’s funeral, Maven steps onto Blackthorn soil once more, only to find herself thrust into a fresh her grandmother’s body has vanished.
The Blackthorns immediately suspect the Crofts—the ruthless titans of Croft Pharmaceuticals, whose bitter blood feud with the Blackthorns has spanned generations. But when Maven comes face-to-face with Ronan Croft, the son of her mother’s suspected killer and the only man she ever loved, she discovers the forbidden passion they once shared is as alive—and dangerous—as ever.
As long-buried family secrets claw their way to the surface, betrayal lurks behind every whisper, and old vendettas ignite anew. The deeper Maven digs for answers, the more treacherous the game becomes. And the one man she can never seem to escape is hiding a truth that could burn their whole world down.
In a town where the dead won’t stay buried, is love salvation…or the deadliest game of all?
Blackthorn is a page-turning gothic romance with darker themes and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please see the author’s content note at the beginning of the book.
Amanda: I find Geissinger’s books to be compulsively readable in a potato chip sort of way.
Coldwire
Author: Chloe Gong
Released: November 4, 2025 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Coldwire #1
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes the start of a daring new dystopian series where humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.
The future is loading…
To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”
But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy.
Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.
Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…
Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.
Amanda: Gong is pretty much an auto-buy at this point.
Gilded in Vengeance
Author: Lyssa Mia Smith
Released: November 4, 2025 by Storytide
Genre: Historical: American, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Revenge meets the Gilded Age in this thrilling YA fantasy set among the glittering magical elite of late-1800s New York society, from Revelle author Lyssa Mia Smith.
Two girls attended a magical ball, but one was never seen again.
At least that’s what those who betrayed her believed.
Two years after being framed for fraud by the Society of the Charmed, an exclusive club of New York’s wealthiest—and most magical—citizens, Emmy Vallillo wastes away in prison, utterly alone.
Until her cell door bursts open, revealing Jack Fontaine, one of the Society’s favorite sons, now imprisoned for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. They make a deal: He’ll help Emmy escape if she helps destroy those who’ve wronged them.
Together, the two break free and, using Emmy’s magic to transform their appearances, they soon become the Society’s new darlings. Now their enemies want to dine with them. Attend lavish balls with them. Marry them. But ruining lives requires Emmy to trust Jack with hers, despite his dark secrets—and the infuriating attraction between them.
When another betrayal brings their enemies to their doorstep, Emmy must choose: finish exacting revenge, or give up the money, the magic, and her safety in this cutthroat world for the most treacherous thing of all—love.
Elyse: I love a revenge plot.
Of Swamp & Sea, Volume 1
Author: Mia Jay Boulton
Released: November 4, 2025 by 23rd St.
Genre: Graphic Novel, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Lore Olympus meets The Witcher in this thrilling supernatural series! Finally available in graphic novel format, Mia Jay and Laurel Boulton’s wildly popular Webtoon series delivers a stirring tale of monsters, magic, and romance.
Mercy Gray Harding’s troubles all started in the swampland on the outskirts of town, where a mist wolf murdered her father. She enlists a monster hunter named Jonah to put the creature down, but the plan quickly falls apart. When the incorporeal beast tries to attack Mercy, it instead possesses her, and is bound to her body and mind. Now Mercy’s human and wolfish sides grapple for control, and she is haunted by the memories of both.
Jonah promises to free her from the monster, and the two set off for a cure. But the open road is full of untold danger, and her new powers come in handy. And is it Mercy or the wolf who is flirting with the handsome Jonah?
Amanda: I’ve been getting into a lot of graphic novels and webtoons lately. Would love to see more romance graphic novels for adults!
Son of the Morning
Author: Awkaeke Emezi
Released: November 4, 2025 by Avon
Genre: LGBTQIA, Paranormal, Romance
From New York Times bestselling author Akwaeke Emezi comes a steamy paranormal romance set in the Black South—a bold new foray that takes us on a journey of magic and fantasy, from the whispering creeks outside the city of Salvation to the very depths of Hell itself.
Tenderhearted Galilee was raised by the Kincaids, a formidable clan of Black women sequestered deep in the weeping willows and dark rushing creeks of their land. Galilee has always known that she’s different—that there is an old and unknowable secret around her very existence. It has been a hollow ache inside her since her childhood, something she assumes she will always have to live with.
Until she meets Lucifer Helel. He’s fronting as the head of security for her wealthy friend Oriaku’s family, protecting a mysterious, ancient artifact, but from the moment she lays eyes on him, Gali knows he’s not human. From her first incendiary touch, Lucifer knows something even Gali herself doesn’t—that she isn’t human either.
Leviathan. As Lucifer’s most trusted prince of Hell, Levi is ruthless and determined to eliminate the intolerable danger that is Galilee before she brings death and disaster to those he loves. While unseen battles rage between Hell, Heaven, and earth, Lucifer and Galilee’s attraction threatens to bring all the structures of their existence crashing down around them.
Soon, loyalties will be shattered and reformed as Kincaid secrets clash with the princes of Hell, driving even the most powerful to their knees. Galilee Kincaid must decide if she will step into herself and embrace the consequences of power in this astonishing, seductive, and wildly original fantasy.
Shana’s pick!
These Violet Delights
Author: Madeleine Roux
Released: November 4, 2025 by Dell
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Passion engulfs an aspiring painter and her old childhood friend in this stunning Regency romance from New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux. But can the star-crossed pair overcome a simmering family feud for a chance at love?
Violet Arden is a burgeoning painter who insists on a life of passion and vivid colors, but scandal is heaped on humiliation at her artistic debut in London. It would be one thing to withstand withering critiques, but the night goes from bad to worse when an illicit affair with her art instructor is exposed. She flees the London limelight to recover from her humiliation at her cousin Emilia Graddock’s country estate, where she plans to continue honing her art under a new mentor and leave all thoughts of love and heartbreak in the past where they belong. That is, until she comes face-to-face with the man who scorned her paintings in front of her friends and family. . . her new next-door neighbor, Alasdair Kerr.
Alasdair Kerr has recently set aside his life of art and travel to return to Clafton, his family’s estate and the site of a tragic fire that claimed his cherished father’s life. Now, he’s ready to finally rebuild the home that was lost and step into his role as man of the house. But his rakish younger brother Freddie can’t seem to leave the off-limits Graddock woman alone, and his mother has brought an overbearing clergyman into their home who appears keen to fill his spot as the favored son.
Violet is determined to ignore Alasdair, which shouldn’t be hard to do considering their families have been in a long-standing feud. . . if only their attempts to end Emilia and Freddie’s secret relationship would stop bringing them together. And when new fires threaten their homes and lives, Violet and Alasdair reluctantly join forces to uncover the identity of the arsonist once and for all. But can they ignore the feelings kindling between them that are but an ember away from igniting into a full blaze?
A new, standalone historical romance!
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-03 04:30 pmParanormal Romance, Christina Lauren, & More
It Had to Be Him
It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram is $3.99! This romance came out in September and was mentioned on the site. Did any of you pick this one up?
Heartstopper meets Eat Pray Love in this swoony, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram about two former classmates unexpectedly reuniting in Italy.
Ramin Yazdani’s marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.
Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he’s become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who’s aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.
Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah’s not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?
Dirty Rowdy Thing
Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren is $1.99! This is book two in the Wild Seasons series, and I think it may be my favorite out of the quartet. Content warning for cancer talk.
Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other…which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.
One Italian Summer
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle is $2.99! This is women’s fiction with some time travel/magical realism elements. I remember this one being pretty popular when it came out.
In this “magical trip worth taking” (Associated Press), the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.
When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.
But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.
And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.
“Rebecca Serle is known for her powerful stories that tug at the heartstrings—and her latest is just as unforgettable” (Woman’s World) as it effortlessly shows us how to move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.
The Wolf at the Door
The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara is $1.99! This is a m/m paranormal romance and was recommended by Aarya in our Underrated Authors & Romances Rec League. Though this one wasn’t Aarya’s favorite in the series, she still really liked this one.
A former FBI agent is partnered with the enemy in this suspenseful male/male shifter romance from debut author Charlie Adhara
Hunting for big bad wolves was never part of Agent Cooper Dayton’s plan, but a werewolf attack lands him in the carefully guarded Bureau of Special Investigations. A new case comes with a new partner: ruggedly sexy werewolf Oliver Park.
Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper’s concerned, it’s failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they’ve seen, every bone in Cooper’s body is suspicious of his new partner—even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.
When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he’d resolved to keep things professional, Cooper’s friction with Park soon erupts…into a physical need that can’t be contained or controlled. But with a body count that’s rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don’t catch the killer soon, one—or both—of them could be the next to go.
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-11-03 02:00 pmSay What?
I know they keep pushing back the retirement age, but this is ridiculous:
Worst. Retirement package. Ever.
Clearly this "celabrate" you speak of refers to an activity with which I am unfamiliar.
Ever notice what a difference an "e" can make?
Ouch.
Or the lack of proper spacing?
Woohoo! Uric acid-induced arthritis! Yeah!
At first glance I thought this next cake said "gobbles," which you must admit would have been perfect on an edible baby cake.
Of course, if you say it fast enough this actually almost sounds right.
And, poof!
Just like that, I got you all to say the word "Gobbless" under your breath.
BOW BEFORE YOUR PUPPET MASTER!
Bwah-ha-haa-haaa!!!
Ahem.
And finally, a reminder of the importance of commas:
"The first 102rd moms were just so-so, but number 103th? BINGO."
Thanks to Bethany V., Clare P., Jason T., Angela L., Erin L., & Rachel M., and whoever first put an "rd" superscript over a number two. (Seriously, just try to pronounce "2rd" without giggling. Go on.)
*****
P.S. In case this post wasn't painful enough:
Exceptionally Bad Dad Jokes
There are a lot of "dad joke" books out there, but this one has awesome ratings AND the word "spiffing" on the cover, so it's a clear winner.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
ao3_news_feed) wrote2025-11-03 12:28 pmFive Things Julie Bozza Said
Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer's personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. Today's post is with Julie Bozza, who volunteers as a Senior FSHP Volunteer and project manager for the Open Doors AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project (FSHP) for Open Doors.
How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does?
I first did a Five Things in March 2022, for my role as an Open Doors Administrative Volunteer. Back then, Open Doors’ main focus was on preserving fanworks from digital archives that were at risk of being lost. We had also established the Fan Culture Preservation Project (FCPP) which helps fans looking for a new home for their physical fannish artifacts to get in touch with interested collecting institutions, such as the University of Iowa Libraries.
Since then, I’m delighted to say that Open Doors partnered up with the fan-run preservation project Zinedom to create the AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project (FSHP), which runs as part of FCPP.
The OTW is keenly interested in preserving and engaging with our shared fannish history, and making fanworks available to our community. I love the thought that someone might be browsing through Fanlore, or reading an issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, and get curious about a particular fanwork - maybe dating back to a zine published 50 years ago —and then be able to find the text and related artwork preserved on AO3.
What is a typical week like for you as a volunteer?
We have a number of fanzine publishers and individual creators who are already working with FSHP to import their fanworks to AO3. The import process can be quite lengthy, and has numerous steps, so a typical week might involve anything from exchanging emails with publishers or creators, to setting up a formal agreement with them, scanning fanzines and using OCR to convert the PDFs into editable text, proofreading the text, creating AO3 archivist accounts and collections, and so on… At some point we start the actual importing of works as well!
The Open Doors team has a few informal working meetings during the week, so I do my work then and keep an eye out for any FSHP-related questions. We have a large team of volunteers who help with the various tasks, along with their other OTW work, so all sorts of queries can arise.
What made you decide to volunteer?
I used to publish fanzines myself, starting in the late 1980s, and I wrote for and read other zines. As the decades-old badge on Fanlore’s Zine page announces, “FANZINES ARE FANDOM”. That was certainly the case for me, especially here in Australia, which can seem a long way from anywhere! There were wonderful events and conventions, and a group of Australian Buckaroo Banzai fans who would meet up for film screenings and Mongolian meals, but for me the heart of fandom was not only in the people but also in the creativity to be found in zines.
When the task came up of developing the idea of FSHP, writing up the necessary policies and processes, and getting the project underway, it made perfect sense to me that I would volunteer to help drive that.
What has been your biggest challenge doing work for the OTW?
We love spreadsheets in Open Doors, and couldn’t organise our imports of digital archives so well without them. But we knew that FSHP was going to be more complicated still, and we needed a database in order to manage a creator’s fanworks across a range of fanzines - and a publisher’s fanzine content across a range of creators - while dealing with different processes for word-based works and visual-based works.
It was a challenge—but an enjoyable one—to design and map a useful database, with helpful hints and tips from other OTW volunteers. And then to build it. And then to transfer across a whole lot of data from a number of spreadsheets that varied in content and organisation.
What can I say? I loved it! We’ve started using the FSHP Database for real now, and so far (luckily) the complaints have been minimal.
What fannish things do you like to do?
What I love most is writing, but alas I don’t do so much of that anymore. I love The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and the related tv show, so re-reading and re-watching those is entertaining. Otherwise, Fandom is my fandom - and, now that I’m retired from the day job, I’m devoting many of my hours to supporting OTW’s work in the world. The only thing that could possibly be nicer than that would be for me to be writing again as well!
Meanwhile, if you are a reader, creator, or publisher of fanzines - and there is zine fic or art that you’d like to see preserved on AO3 - please do get in touch with Open Doors. We’d love to help!
Now that our volunteer’s said five things about what they do, it’s your turn to ask one more thing! Feel free to ask about their work in the comments. Or if you'd like, you can check out previous Five Things posts.
The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-03 11:00 amGive Me a Reason by Jayci Lee
This guest review comes from Lisa! 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 at _@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.
…
I am one of the worlds’ pickiest people when it comes to Jane Austen retellings. I have squeed over a handful of them as I’ve trawled through various arcs and used books over the past few years; I’ve gotten lucky twice over recent months, between Caroline Bingley: Private Investigator and this modern retelling of Persuasion that’s packed with chemistry and blessed with Jayci Lee’s prodigious writing skills. It knows how to modernize the yearning that goes on between Frederick and Anne and succeeds both in doing its own thing and leaving the reader excited to watch these two get together. It’s a fine novel that works beautifully in its newly modern clothing.
Anne Lee is an actress who swears she doesn’t think about Frederick Nam anymore after their awful breakup back in college. She left for an altruistic reason — to save her family from impoverishment, she took her talents to Seoul and became a part of the k-drama world. Frederick responds by becoming a fireman in their hometown of Los Angeles. He swears off romance entirely. Anne thinks she’ll never see Frederick again, but then her cousin Bethany asks her to come to career week at her kindergarten class. After ten years, Anne comes home. Frederick attends too. They uncomfortably meet and mingle, and Anne thinks that’s the end of it. But then Bethany asks her to be her? maid of honor — and learns Frederick is the groom’s best man. Now as they participate in wedding-related activities, they have to confront the messy past they’ve left behind – and a future they might yet share.
There’s one key ingredient every single interpretation of Persuasion must have — yearning. It’s all about the yearning. If Anne and Frederick don’t look across a crowded room and pine for one another with the heat of a thousand suns, then you’re not remaking Persuasion. And Give Me a Reason is absolutely packed with restrained passion and yearning. There’s too much hurt between Frederic and Anne for them to initially approach each other, and yet they still want to be together.
Anne’s dilemma is understandable, and it’s nice to see her be the one who leaves Frederick behind instead of being left behind to pine. She’s clearly struggling with discovering her own spine and worth as the book opens up, then learns to go after what she wants – a great character arc that absorbs the reader. Frederick remains sympathetic in the narrative: he’s painfully responsible and duty-bound, but led by his passion.
There’s a big reason why this isn’t a squee, however, and it boils down to this — the book’s big mis is very annoying.
I didn’t buy for one second that Frederick would fall in love with another woman, but Anne has to believe it because of Reasons. This plotline wastes time that could be spent on properly hashing out the reason why Anne left California, and it felt like it existed to stretch out the angst factor. I know why it’s in there – it reflects the structure of Persuasion – but it’s still irritating.
Much of Anne and Frederick’s reunion works, from the mistrust between them to their passionate reunion. They earn their happy ending but…
We skip right by the proposal! How can you skip a proposal scene in a book like this?
While those mitigating factors are minor, they’re enough to drag this one down from an “A”. Give Me a Reason is a solid Austen retelling and a miracle in a very crowded field.
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-03 08:00 amCover Awe: Color Combos
Welcome back to Cover Awe!
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
Cover design by Donna Sinisgalli Noetzel
Amanda: I love how simple and thought the design is with the train border and smoke turning into the title.
Sarah: That border is So NEAT.
Lara: I’m loving those rich colours too.
Sarah: I love these collections of covers. So many pretty details to look at. The simplicity still says so much about the book. Love it.
The Confidence Games by Tess Amy
Cover illustration by Yordanka Poleganova
Sarah: I can’t decide if I like this. It’s eye catching and very bi-color-flag noir almost.
Tara: I like the colours, but I think it could be much more effective with a few tweaks.
Sarah: It kind of reminds me of what my eyelids look like when I stare at something bright and then shut my eyes. Almost like it’s a negative?
Tara: Yeah, it has too much going on and too many elements blend together with the darkest colour (it especially irks me that the hair on the person on the right blends into a jacket and… a door? Who can say.). The title text also runs over colours that are too light in some spaces. So, overall, it forces the eyes and brain to struggle a little too much.
Sarah: I wonder if the overexposed sort of feeling is deliberate?
Tara: That’s a great question. It might be! I’m hoping so at this point, because I can respect it as a deliberate choice, even if I don’t love how my eyes keep bouncing around and don’t know where to land.
Cover illustration by Petra Braun
Amanda: I love the subtle hint that this is a poly romance.
Shana: Oooh, I love the color combinations too.
Elyse: This is the kind of illustrated cover I’m here for.
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
Cover art by Sasha Vinogradova
Elyse: The green and hot pink is such a distinctive combo.
Tara: I really like those together.
Sarah: The color palette, the lighting, and the modern spray paint on antique furnishings are all genius.
cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-11-02 02:00 pmSunday Sweets: Wedding Cakes in Chocolate
Hey girl.
Today's post is dedicated to you.
That's right, to you and every other chocolate-loving chocoholic out there who can't quit craving the sweet stuff and have long since polished off the last 3 Musketeers bar in your kids' Halloween candy stash.
You know who you are.
So come along. Let's take a ride on the gentle waves of chocolate's sweet caress:
Let's set sail on the decadent seas of sensory seduction.
Photography by Julie Mikos; baker unknown.
Smell the chocolate. Feeeeel the chocolate. Taste the chocolate. BE the chocolate.
Let chocolate's smooth tendrils of tantalization entwine you.
By Layers
Embrace the chocolate! Let its sweet siren song wash over you and take you to a place where a rose is just a rose, unless it's a chocolate rose...
By Baking Arts
Because then it's like, a way better rose.
Unless of course, it's a painted chocolate rose. With ruffles. And twirly things.
By The Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School
Twirly things of temptation!
So surrender! Surrender to chocolate's rich and creamy charms!
Let the fermented bean pods of the cacao tree seep into your soul as you... um... wait.
OK, so maybe that's not the sexiest description of chocolate you've ever heard. Sorry.
I'm running out of adjectives here.
Bottom line, chocolate is pretty much perfection.
By Wilton
Like this cake. Such perfection, I'm having trouble believing it's real. Look at those razor sharp corners!
And the only way this curvaceous cake could be better is if there were even more of it:
I can't spot a single thing wrong here, either:
I'm just dotty for it! (The kids still say 'dotty,' right?)
(No? Well, I'm not very hip. My pajamas have cats on them.)
Of course, sometimes even the most fervent chocolate lover needs a break:
Like this. This is the perfect chocolate break.
Who could resist a cake literally paved in chocolate?
I can't. You can't. Don't even try.
Anyway, if you love chocolate so much, why don't you marry it? I think you should.
By Kanya Hunt
If only for the cake.
Hope your Sunday’s extra sweet!
******
And from my other blog, Epbot:
smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-11-02 09:00 amSBTB Bestsellers: October 18 – October 31
The latest bestseller list is brought to you by discount candy, crunchy leaves, and our affiliate sales data.
- The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary Amazon | B&N
- Remember When by Mary Balogh Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- A Bachelor Establishment by Jodi Taylor Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- A Tale of Mirth and Magic by Kristen Vale Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Amazon | B&N | Kobo
I hope your weekend reading was fantastic!