A little while ago the toddler's household told me that you could turn the top of a pineapple into a whole entire pineapple plant (with the caveat that at least 60% of the time it goes mouldy). My first attempt at this had got as far as growing a whole entire root network but then suffered a Tragic Incident from which it never recovered; the second had been sat around with partially-browned but no-longer-becoming-more-browned and definitely-still-partially-green leaves for Quite Some Time. I had more or less hit the point of "... is this actually doing anything? at all?" and then upon my return from the most recent round of Adventures I rotated it in service of watering it, to discover...

a pineapple crown, growing a whole new set of leaves

... that it's growing a WHOLE NEW SET OF LEAVES. Look at it go! I am very excited!

(My understanding is that if I manage to keep it alive that long it'll take somewhere in the region of 3 years to fruit, and then in the fashion of all bromeliads will die having produced said single fruit. Happily this is about the rate at which we eat fresh pineapple...)

purplecat

My PhD student had a paper published in AAMAS on Uncertain Machine Ethics Planning. This is a good conference which, for my sins, I'm currently joint Programme Chair for (this means I'm currently in the process of trying to find 1,300 potential referees in the hopes of ending up with 650). Anyhoo... AAMAS rewards pretty theory heavy papers and this was no exception, but the bottom line is that he's developed a technique in which a system can reason across several potential plans of action, using different moral theories in order to work out which plan of action is least unacceptable across all the moral theories (I hope this makes sense, we keep running into double negatives in the theory). It's grounded in a philosophical concept called hypothetical retrospection - in which even if something turns out badly you can argue it was still the correct choice because at the time you made the choice the chance of it turning out badly was low. There are some details such as ranking outcomes so, in the situation where you can get an apple (for sure) or gamble with a low chance on getting an all expenses paid holiday (yes I know this isn't a moral choice), no number of apples can outweigh the small chance of getting the holiday - I guess the moral equivalent might be no number of people made a little bit happier can be outweighed by killing someone.

Moral theories can be big theoretical juggernauts like utilitarianism or kantian morality - or more subtle distinction around which values are preferred (though this doesn't really come out in the paper if you can wade through all the formalism).

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/witches-contemporary-romance-more-2/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151711

Libro.fm’s buy-one-get-one sale is happening from Sept 16-19, and you can get two audiobooks for one credit. And if you’ve been thinking of joining Libro.fm, you can get three audiobooks for the price of one if you’re a new member buying a one credit per month plan. This means if you use code SWITCH, you could end up with six audiobooks for three credits you receive on sign up.

A Psalm for the Wild Built

A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers is $2.99! Sarah loved this one and gave it an A-. It was also her favorite read of 2021:

Thinking about that book brings back the feeling of awe and stillness and gratitude I had when reading it. It’s so peaceful and kind. I almost miss it (which is fixable because I can re read).

Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers’s delightful new series gives us hope for the future.

It’s been centuries since the robots of Earth gained self-awareness and laid down their tools.

Centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

Centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.

They’re going to need to ask it a lot.

Becky Chambers’ new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Long Game

The Long Game by Elena Armas is $2.99! This is part of today’s Kindle Daily Deals. I remember this being a highly anticipated release given the popularity of Armas’s other books.

A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer — from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Must Love Scones and Secrets

Must Love Scones and Secrets by Maisy Magill is 99c! This is book one in the Moonshine Hollow series and is described as a cozy, fantasy romance with medium spice. I bought it out of curioisty.

He’s a prince longing for freedom.

She’s a baker yearning for the ultimate love story.

Together, they’ll discover that sometimes the sweetest magic lies in unexpected places.

Rosalyn’s enchanted scones bring magic to every bite at The Sconery and Teashop. With a glitter-sneezing caticorn and a thriving business, all Rosalyn needs is a romance as sweet as her baking. When a mysterious Rune Elf strides into Moonshine Hollow, bringing secrets and devastating charm, her perfectly-measured life crumbles faster than a day-old scone.

Bjorn is no ordinary elf. A secret prince looking for an escape, he’s determined to forge his own path far from the expectations of his royal family. When he’s tasked with helping a wild unicorn herd suffering from chaotic magic, he’s relieved to focus on creatures instead of people. That is, until a certain insistently-friendly baker and her pet crash into his carefully guarded solitude.

As Rosalyn and Bjorn work together to uncover the source of the magical imbalance in horned creatures, sparks fly in more ways than one. Her warmth and charm start to melt his icy walls, but Bjorn’s secret could shatter their fragile connection. Rosalyn dreams of the kind of love bards sing about, but will this gruff and guarded prince sweep her off her feet before it’s too late?

Must Love Scones and Secrets is a spicy cozy fantasy romance full of enchanted pastries, mischievous caticorns, and a love story that will warm your heart.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Ex Hex

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is $1.99! This is a light paranormal romance with some witchy elements. This one was…sweeter? More twee? than I had thought it’d be. I hope you get what I’m trying to say here.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/witches-contemporary-romance-more-2/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151711

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Posted by Guest Reviewer

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-love-lyric/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=151597

B+

The Love Lyric

by Kristina Forest
February 4, 2025 · Berkley
Contemporary RomanceRomance

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.

…

Kristina Forest’s contemporary romances have that fun, unique sparkle to them that heavily build upon the slow-burning chemistry between her leads. The Love Lyric is no exception to that rule and it proves to be a fine novel, though not an outstanding one. But while it’s not Squee material, it definitely comes recommended and is an enjoyable, sweet-natured novel.

Angel Harrison recently moved from Georgia to Los Angeles, where he knows no one and absolutely doesn’t feel at home. At an anti-wedding party thrown by his stylist, Violet Greene, he meets Violet’s sister Lily, who introduces him to another of their sisters, Iris Greene. Angel is instantly captivated by the talented Iris, but after the party, they won’t see each other again for three whole years.

Iris is the classic older sister, forever in charge of cleaning up the messes her siblings have left behind. She is responsible, controlled, and always there for everyone in her life. When she meets Angel again, he’s a rising music star and she is director of partnerships at Save Face Beauty. They’ve both been living full lives; Iris got married and pregnant before she met Angel, but lost her husband in a car accident, leaving her a single mom raising her six-year-old daughter, Calla, alone.

Angel is enjoying the spoils of fame, but while he’s been dating pretty famous women in the meantime, he’s never quite forgotten Iris. Angel is also caught between his strong Christian faith and his very secular career as a soul singer. It’s clear from the very first that they have great chemistry, but they have to keep things cool – Angel is now Save Face’s new brand ambassador.

Angel and Iris depart on a publicity campaign for Save Face, which keeps throwing them together and into romantic situations. But can Iris ever relax and see Angel as a romantic prospect — and can Angel ever reconcile his newfound fame with his faith?

The Love Lyric is a pleasant experience, though it’s not as outstanding as The Neighbor Favor, which opened the Greene Sisters Trilogy. Poor Iris definitely deserves play time and definitely deserves a nice, flirtatious, kind guy like Angel in her life. Angel’s a great, supportive hero who clearly loves and believes in her.

Uneven writing is my big problem with this one. There are scenes where Iris and Angel pop out as interesting, complex characters – and the occasional credulity stretch where they feel like toys of the plot. Iris’ daughter and her sisters in particular feel underwritten and underused; while the focus understandably stays on the tour and the romance between Iris and Angel, I could’ve used more time with Calla especially.

Who doesn’t feel underused? Angel’s mother, a woman of faith who knows which end is up. I definitely enjoyed her presence. A worthy note – while this isn’t marketed as an inspy, there’s definitely a ton of talk about faith and God in here, so your enjoyment of the book may be stymied or enhanced by this part of the plot.

The book also does quite a good job depicting Iris’ anger and sadness in the wake of her husband’s death. She likes Angel but is afraid about supplanting her memories. Naturally, she slowly but surely comes to realize that she won’t lose those memories if she ends up with Angel, but it’s quite a well-done struggle in the meantime.

It’s easy to enjoy The Love Lyric – well-meaning, sweet-tempered, and smooth as butter. It doesn’t reach greatness, but it’s a perfectly decent way to wind up the summer in an agreeable fashion.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-love-lyric/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=151597

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/the-rec-league-celebrity-crush-romances/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151680

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old book This Rec League was sent in by Kim. Thanks, Kim!

I’d love to see a Rec League about celebrity crush romances—where one MC is the celeb crush of the other MC, who is just a regular person. Strongly prefer MM, but I know that may be too niche. I’m really interested specifically in preexisting celeb crushes, not just “one character is a celebrity” plots. Open to actor crushes, sports, music, etc.

This request is brought to you by Cait Nary’s LUCKY BOUNCE (I have worn out the virtual spine of my ebook copy re-reading it).

Amanda: Any pairings are welcome!

Shana: Fan Service by Rosie Danan fits but is m/f. The heroine has longtime crush on an actor who turns into a werewolf.

Elyse: Stars in Your Eyes by Karen Callender ( A | BN | K ): Hollywood bad boy and a up and coming star

A | BN | K

Darkhearts by James L Sutter. Ex-best friend is now a major pop star.

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales ( A | BN | K | AB ) – members of a boy band (YA).

The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich ( A | BN | K | AB ) (stretching celeb to include Royals).

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun – reality TV. ( A | BN | K )

Tara: I can think of two f/f romances that fit the bill. Tempting Olivia ( A ) is about a very famous actor who needs a divorce lawyer and hires someone who’s had a crush on her for years.

I also recently finished Make or Break by E. J. Noyes ( A | BN | K | AB ), which has one of the lead actors on a police drama and the key makeup artist falling for each other. They’ve had mutual crushes for years and finally act on it.

What celebrity crush romances would you recommend?

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/the-rec-league-celebrity-crush-romances/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151680

lois_mcmaster_bujold_feed

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/26084456-unexpected-cite

Well, here's place I wouldn't have expected mention of my work to pop up...

https://www.hoover.org/research/why-s...

My work is accurately described but not named in the actual chat, but it gets a cite by name on the webpage.

I wish I could send her a copy of Ethan of Athos. I think she'd get all the jokes.

Ta, L.

posted by Lois McMaster Bujold on September, 17

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/26084456-unexpected-cite

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3143/

Although now people will realize three-per-em space that all this time I've been using weird medium mathematical space whitespace characters in my hair space hair space hair space speech dot dot dot...

https://xkcd.com/3143/

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/a-thriller-f-f-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151693

Once Smitten, Twice Shy

Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese is $1.99! Fingers crossed this sale is still valid! This is book three in The Wilmot Sisters series. The description mentions it’s a retelling of Twelfth Night.

Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she’s presented with the chance to revisit romance—purely for practice—with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.

Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn’t on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.

Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they’re the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

When Women Were Dragons

RECOMMENDED: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill is $1.99! Carrie read this one and gave it an A:

I adored this book. This was an astonishing, gripping, and inspiring read that I will return to again and again.

Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons…and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950’s America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new “sister” obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex’s journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Discovering Nicola

Discovering Nicola by Clare Ashton is 99c! This is book three in Oxford Romance series. This is a f/f romance where the leads are divorcees.

Sparks fly between Nicola Albright KC and Geeta Sachdeva, but not the good kind. They’re the sort that leave small fires, devastation, and everyone peeping between their fingers at arrogant lawyer, Nicola, on one side, and everyone’s favourite mum, Geeta, on the other.

Yet when both are divorced and at a new stage in life, they find themselves living within glowering distance of each other, in beautiful Iffley Village, Oxford. Reluctantly they call a truce and try to make friends. It’s tricky though, when there’s more than one reason they’ve circled and snapped for years.

For a start, Geeta’s lawyer daughter, Olivia, idolises the eminent King’s Counsel barrister, to eye rolls from Geeta. And to Nicola’s annoyance, her own daughter, Charlotte, has always turned to perfect mama Geeta for comfort and understanding. Animosity between the two is a given.

Until they force themselves to be nice to each other, that is, and then they’re compelled to question everything…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Villa

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is $2.99! This is a Gothic thriller, which is all sorts of Elyse catnip. It was also mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet. Have you read any of Hawkins’ thrillers?

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/a-thriller-f-f-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151693

smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/whats-the-most-bonkers-old-skool-plot-youve-ever-read/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151649

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 with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/whats-the-most-bonkers-old-skool-plot-youve-ever-read/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151649

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/links-llamas-celine-dion-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151715

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses. Welcome back! You’re getting some hot and fresh links this morning.

Vacation kicks off today and all I can say is hell yeah. It’s been desperately needed the past few weeks. I’ve downloaded a bunch of short Chinese dramas for the plane. I usually stock up on videos and books, but then I just fall asleep.

Are you a plane sleeper? The white noise just puts me right out.

…

Word on the street is that Celia Lake will be offering a series bundle sale for her 50th birthday from September 19-23. There will be 50% off from her store. (Link most likely won’t be live until the 19th.)

…

Enjoy some llamas and their handlers in costumes. Do you have a favorite?

…

This link was sent in by frequent commenter and previous podcast guest FashionablyEvil. Apparently being a buff centaur is what women look for most in a partner.

…

Enjoy this lovely rendition of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion at The Barbershop Harmony Society’s quartet semifinals.

Watch on YouTube

…

A last-minute addition from Sarah:

Marilyn Hagerty, the writer of the famous Olive Garden review for the Grand Forks, North Dakota location went very viral, has died at age 99. Cheers to a long life, and condolences to her family.

Her Olive Garden review went very viral and was mocked endlessly, though Hagerty was defended by Anthony Bourdain himself (I hope they’re having a really big drink together) who later published a book of her reviews.

If you can’t find a copy of the review, a Redditor has posted it.

As a reviewer, in my opinion, this is art. Not only did people mistake it for inane or simple, but they missed the entire point: she barely says 10 words about the food.

She mentions what’s present in the salad, how many breadsticks she received (2), and says the entree was “warm and comforting on a cold day,” and describes the portion as “generous.” But she doesn’t say whether the food was good; she describes temperature and amount. She then goes on to describe the decor, the clothing of the staff, the seating near the entrance, and the readability of the menu.

Many people will argue with me that Pittsburgh, where I am from, is not in the midwest. That is true; it’s in a mid-Atlantic state. But the culture of Pittsburgh is quite Midwestern, and this review is truly my personal pinnacle of “Midwestern Nice.” This was a scathing review without saying a negative word. She might as well have called that chicken Alfredo “interesting.”

That review is art. I am deeply fortunate to have been alive to witness this review, and to have lived at the same time as the woman who wrote it. Cheers, Mrs. Hagerty. I hope the food is perfect, wherever you go.

-SW

…

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!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/links-llamas-celine-dion-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151715

skygiants

I liked the Korean movie Phantom (2023) enough that I decided to hunt down the novel on which it's based, Mai Jia's The Message -- in large part out of curiosity about whether it's also lesbians.

The answer: ... sort of! The lesbians are not technically textual but there's a bit of Lesbian Speculation and then a big pointed narrative hole where lesbians could potentially be. It is, however, without a doubt, Women Being Really Weird About Each Other, to the point where I'm considering it as a Yuletide fandom (perhaps even moreso than the movie, where the women are also weird about each other but in a more triumphant cinematic way and less of an ambiguous, psychologically complex and melancholic way. you know.)

The plot: well, as in the movie, there's a spy, and there's the Japanese Occupation, and there's a Big Haunted House where we're keeping all the possible spies to play mind games with until somebody fesses up. Because the book is set in 1941 China, there are actually three factions at play -- the Japanese and collaborators, the Communists and the Nationalists -- and for the whole first part of the book, fascinatingly enough, we are almost entirely in the head of the Japanese officer who's running the operation and choreographing all the mind games in an attempt to ferret out the Communist agent in his codebreaking division. The result is sort of a weird and almost darkly funny anti-heroic anti-Poirot situation, in which Hihara is constantly engineering increasingly complicated locked-room scenarios designed to get the spy to confess like the culprit in a Thin Man movie, and is constantly thwarted by his suspects inconveniently refusing to stick to the script, even when presented with apparently incontrovertible evidence, placed under torture, lied to about the deaths of other members of the party, etc. etc.

The suspects include several variously annoying men, plus two women whom we and everyone else are clearly intended to find the most interesting people there: quiet and competent Li Ningyu, cryptography division head, mother of two, whom everyone knows is semi-separated from an abusive husband, and who somehow manages to keep calmly slithering her way out of every accusation Hihara tries to stick on her; and her opposite, loud bratty chic Gu Xiaomeng, whom Hihara would very much like to rule out as a suspect as quickly as possible because she's the daughter of a very wealthy collaborator, and who seems moderately obsessed with her boss Li Ningyu For Some Reason.

Both book and movie spend, like, sixty percent of their length on this big house espionage mind games scenario and then abruptly take a left turn, with the next forty percent being Something Completely Different. In the film this left turn involves DRAMATIC ROMANTIC ACTION HEROICS!!!! so I was quite surprised to find that the book's left turn ( involves spoilers )

kaberett

Have spent most of the day asleep.

Attempt #2 at pineapple-from-trimmed-top has NEW LEAVES.
I am also fairly sure that attempt #2 at lemongrass is taller than it was when we set off on our terrible adventures about ten days ago.
Actual bed. Favourite mattress.
I got to make someone's entire day by sending an "... I think I have your object" e-mail.
Leftovers for dinner: curry from the crew party on Sunday night. Didn't have to think about food. Extremely grateful for this fact.

smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/regulation-and-oversight-now-part-of-the-fantasy-of-romance/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151750

Today, Amanda shared with me a post from writer and illustrator Odette Locke, who recently shared information about her upcoming romance in progress, A Corps of Health and Safety, with some Instagram graphics that lit my brain on fire.

Important note: absolutely no part of this post is a knock against the author, their idea, their work in progress, any of it. This is about the larger implications of what is part of the aspirational fantasy of romance.

(Sidenote: A Corps of Health and Safety is a hilarious title and I love it.)

It’s this part that grabbed me:

Fantasy. OSHA.

FANTASY OSHA.

Does this mean that the fantasy aspects of romance – people trying to be the better versions of themselves, people loving one another as they are – now includes functional governmental regulation and oversight?

I’m completely serious when I say that this is both horrifying and alluring as a concept.

Alluring? Listen, I don’t want to weird anyone out, but the saying “regulations are written in blood” is still true, even if our federal systems for oversight, regulation, and protective rulemaking are being dismantled in favor of exploitation, profit, and really not giving a fuck about actual people.

There’s a lot of absolutely justified disparagement regarding government oversight, particularly now, but I also know that regulation of workplace safety is in dire need of improvement. Hell at this point it’s probably in dire need of EXISTING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Many of the governmental agencies that provide guidance, regulation, oversight, and enforcement that are designed to protect people have been gutted – you probably know this already.

And while I fully acknowledge that there are many, many, maaaaaany places where that regulation and oversight are applied unfairly and that the system we had is nautical miles away from perfect, the loss of much of it is only beginning to be experienced. A fuckass executive order in February halted all OSHA rulemaking, and, as reported by Sarah Kettenmann at Shipman & Goodwin LLP, paused a number of rules under review, including measures and standards designed to protect employees from heat injury. Much like many other agencies on the federal level, the mandate this year and for the next three will be limitation or elimination of enforcement, fewer resources, fewer people doing the actual labor, and of course, no new regulations that might respond to current dangers in work environments.

I kind of love the idea of Magic OSHA, a body that, I’m presuming, provides workplace protection and rules to enforce that protect magical workers. I think that’s a really fucking clever premise – especially because I love stories about the people who do the actual meticulous work behind the scenes. This sounds kinda cool!

At the same time, my brain was ON FIRE WITH RAGE at the idea that the best OSHA we have would be fictional and in a world of magic.

And most of all, that the existence of functional agencies of regulation and oversight for workplaces is now part of the fantasy of romance. Like, holy shit.

Romance as a genre and a shared universe was and is and will be a reflection of the world in which it is written and read, so this is dead-on accurate as a potential required element of a happily ever after, especially in a workplace romance. Functional protections for people in their places of work can be seen as another aspirational piece of romance, alongside all the other things I joke about being scarce in the real world, and plentiful in the books we love.

WOW. That’s bleak.

I hope Odette Locke keeps working on this book, because I need all the aspirational HEA I can get, especially when it comes to safety regulation and oversight.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/regulation-and-oversight-now-part-of-the-fantasy-of-romance/

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Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/podcast-684-your-transcript-is-ready/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151709

The transcript for Podcast 684. Thief of Night with Holly Black has been posted!

This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.

❤ Click here to subscribe to The Podcast →

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/podcast-684-your-transcript-is-ready/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151709

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Two Doctor Who companion outfits for your delectation and delight! Outfits selected by a mixture of ones I, personally, like; lists on the internet; and a certain random element.

( Outfits below the Cut )

Vote for your favourite of these costumes. Use whatever criteria you please - most practical, most outrageously spacey, most of its decade!

Voting will remain open for at least a week, possibly longer!

Costume Bracket Masterlist

Images are a mixture of my own screencaps, screencaps from Lost in Time Graphics, PCJ's Whoniverse Gallery, and random Google searches.

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Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/books-by-ilona-andrews-penny-reid-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151687

Witch King

RECOMMENDED: Witch King by Martha Wells is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this and gave it a B+:

The biggest thing you need to know about Witch King is that it is very different from Murderbot. If you are hoping for a fantasy version of Murderbot you will be disappointed. The tone is different, the humor, when it exists, is dryer, the scope is different, and the violence is dialed waaayyy up. However, on its own merits, Witch King is a complex, interesting fantasy novel that keeps two timelines moving and introduces a group of allies who gel into a found family.

“I didn’t know you were a… demon.”
“You idiot. I’m the demon.”
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ WITCH KING….

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

Burn for Me

RECOMMENDED: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews is $1.99! Burn for Me is the first book in the Hidden Legacy series, and is an urban fantasy/billionaire romance with magic and suspense. We had a great guest squee on the entire series and I can definitely confirm the books are amazing!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand-new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire . . .

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

Grin and Beard It

Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid is $3.49 at Amazon! It’s available elsewhere, but not at the sale price. This is book two in the Winston Brothers series.

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the back roads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

The View From the Top

The View from the Top by Rachel Lacey is $2.99! I believe this is an Amazon only release, but it’s in KU if you’re a subscriber. This is a f/f romance with characters in their 30s.

When a driven businesswoman from Boston collides with a free-spirited artist on a Vermont mountainside, they share a memorable—and steamy—night, but life soon pits them against each other over the fate of a family business.

Emily Janssen prefers to play it safe. At thirty-five, she’s still working at the inn her grandmothers own while dreaming of a day when she’s able to support herself fully with her art. And while her friends have all hiked to the summit of the mountain in their hometown of Crescent Falls, Vermont, something has always held Emily back.

Diana Devlin has already made it to the top. Well, almost. She’s this close to securing the promotion that will put her in line to take over as CEO of her family’s hotel chain when her father retires. Everything is going to plan until an unexpected run-in with an alluring artist on a mountainside throws Diana off course, resulting in one of the hottest nights either she or Emily have ever experienced.

Emily walks away from their rendezvous feeling inspired to channel some of Diana’s confidence and finally chase her dreams. For Diana, it’s a reminder that with the right woman, she is capable of wanting more than one night.

But their growing passion threatens to burn them both when they learn that the hotel Diana’s in town to buy is none other than Emily’s grandmothers’ beloved inn. It’s Emily’s home, and no big city outsider—not even Diana—is going to take it away from her.

Will the view from the top be worth the climb, or will they both have farther to fall?

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/books-by-ilona-andrews-penny-reid-more/

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Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/habo-anthropological-expedition-leads-to-shifters/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151675

This HaBO is from Tarli, who wants to find this book:

Ok honestly I feel like I remember so much I could just rewrite the book myself, but I’ve honestly been looking for it for over 10 years. It was a Mills and Boon type book that I read in the early 2000s (but it was probably published earlier—maybe 1980s or 1990s).

The heroine had red hair and was on an anthropological expedition (maybe archaeology-related).

Her uncle or mentor figure had investigated a mysterious hidden people before her and may have been killed by a cult of humans who worshipped these people and saw themselves as their protectors.

When she was on her expedition, all her coworkers/guides were murdered by the cult. She dragged their bodies into a jeep to protect them.

She somehow made it to the secret lands through a cave or underwater portal, but was quickly taken as captive.

The main guy has silver hair and can shapeshift into a wolf. He’s a leader of some sort of the secret people.

She’s held captive (but treated okay, like a guest except she can’t leave), and her room she’s given is attached to the main male character’s room. At one point, she feared assault and hid a knife above the wardrobe—but he never harmed her, and they built trust over time.

There was a cultural festival at some point in this secret land involving fabrics, ribbons or satin or something, and she ends up taking part in.

Eventually, she escaped or was let go and hid out in a beach house back in the modern world, but the cult followed her there.

The wolf-shifter hero had been watching over her in wolf form, and I think fought off the cult.

At the end, she finds out the secret land is vanishing and won’t be accessible for long and she makes the decision to go and live there with the main guy permanently.

It wasn’t a lengthy novel, probably not part of a series, and I think had one of those bodice-ripper covers (maybe red-haired woman + bare-chested man).

I think the title might’ve been something like “Call of the Moon” or “Howl of the Wolf”, but I could be totally off.

Let’s HaBO!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/habo-anthropological-expedition-leads-to-shifters/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151675

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Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/hide-your-wallet-september-16th-release-week/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151677

Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet!

This week, we’re looking forward to some time travel, a vampire romance, and there’s a new Naomi Novik novella.

Which releases are on your TBR pile this week? Let us know in the comments!

The Austen Affair

Author: Madeline Bell
Released: September 16, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Historical: European, Time Travel, Romance

Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut

Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way—well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.

A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry—and Tess’s career depends on it.

Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.

A wickedly funny, delightfully charming story, The Austen Affair is a tribute to Jane Austen, second chances, and love across the space-time continuum.

Elyse: This book has time travel, celebrities, and Austen.

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Honey and Heat

Author: Aurora Palit
Released: September 16, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance

She’s known as the Ice Princess. He’s got a reputation for melting hearts…except hers. Let the rivalry begin.

Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.

Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.

Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, his future is once again on track, and the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.

Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.

When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?

Amanda: It’s been a while since I picked up a workplace, enemies to lovers and this is calling my name.

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The Summer War

Author: Naomi Novik
Released: September 16, 2025 by Del Rey
Genre: Novella, Science Fiction/Fantasy

In this poignant, heartfelt novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Spinning Silver and the Scholomance Trilogy, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.

Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother Argent left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would suddenly become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.

While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, the immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.

Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.

Naomi Novik has a novella coming out!

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Want to order this one? We’ve got the links you need!.

Until the Heart Stops

Author: Gillian Eliza West
Released: September 16, 2025
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Oylen City #1

In the city of Oylen, a vampire contingent called The Covenant has ruled for centuries. Their strictest law? No vampire can drink from a living source. This ban on blood drinking created the Souzterain and the black market blood dens that have now run for centuries to give vampires a taste of what they crave most.

Lilith Searah runs one such business. Her life is constant competition with the other dens, the rules of the Covenant, and the danger her inherited profession poses. But when she catches the eye of a powerful immortal and anonymous gifts arrive, she’ll find there’s something more perilous than running an illegal blood den.

Thrust into the ancient world of vampires, Lilith realizes that the nighttime immortals have been keeping dangerous secrets. The only hope she can keep is that the Covenant can be destroyed and that Lilith and her immortal can finally be together.

That is, if she can make it out alive.

Amanda: This sounds really good. I’ll be buying on release day.

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Want this book? We can help: buy links ahoy!.

With Stars in Her Eyes

Author: Andie Burke
Released: September 16, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance

A sapphic bookstore romance about fresh starts and finding that one person who feels like home.

“Snappy, smart, and endlessly swoon-worthy, With Stars In Her Eyes is a front-row ticket to a love story that’s impossible to put down.” – Karelia Stetz-Waters, author of Behind the Scenes

Seconds from a meteoric career launch, cellist Courtney Starling suffers a frightening migraine attack during a key performance. While harmful rumors fly, she escapes to her happy place—her best friend’s Kansas bookshop. Courtney’s working incognito when a scream sends her leaping off a shelving ladder to find the woman who screamed cowering near the register.

When Thea Quinn dropped in for a misdelivered package, she did not expect a mortifying encounter with a bearded dragon in front of an inconveniently attractive bookseller. Clutching an upcoming book club flyer and the tattered shreds of her dignity, she heads back to her new piercing job at the tattoo shop next door. She moved to this quirky place for a fresh start. But maybe the meet-disaster was a sign? Maybe Thea needs to branch out beyond her photography hobby and connect with new people…like at a historical romance book club run by a particularly mysterious and sexy bookseller with a pixie cut?

Friendly lunches become stolen moments between the bookshelves. Courtney and Thea’s old problems feel ages away. But just as their chemistry heats to a combustion point, consequences from Courtney’s past arrive literally on her doorstep at exactly the wrong moment. New revelations and surprising connections take the pair from feeling joyfully lovestruck to confusingly star-crossed. Both women must decide what they’re willing to give up for happily ever after.

Tara: I just think it sounds really cute.

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Want this book? Here are helpful buy links..

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/09/hide-your-wallet-september-16th-release-week/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=151677

The random insanity of your not-entirely-typical geek

A Psalm for the Wild Built

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Long Game

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Must Love Scones and Secrets

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The Ex Hex

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B+

The Love Lyric

Once Smitten, Twice Shy

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When Women Were Dragons

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Discovering Nicola

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The Villa

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FANTASY OSHA.

The transcript for Podcast 684. Thief of Night with Holly Black has been posted!

Witch King

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Burn for Me

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Grin and Beard It

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The View From the Top

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Austen Affair

Want this book? We can help: buy links ahoy!.

Honey and Heat

Want this book? Here are helpful buy links..

The Summer War

Want to order this one? We’ve got the links you need!.

Until the Heart Stops

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With Stars in Her Eyes

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