Ordinary Day

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/22/the-big-idea-heather-tracy-2/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55399

Any author can tell you that events in their own life can have an impact on their fiction. As we learn in Heather Tracy’s Big Idea for Only a Chapter, sometimes those events have a bigger impact than we might have expected.

HEATHER TRACY:

When I began writing what would become Only a Chapter back in 2015, the working title I had then was “Faceless Man.” I knew I wasn’t going to call the book that, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. I still have several drafts of the original version saved with that name on my computer.

The big idea for the original version of the book came from dreams I had in high school through college of a faceless man who would do huge romantic things like fly me on a private jet to New York City to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway with the original cast, then he proposed. The dreams were always very vivid, and I could always tell the man was wearing a tuxedo, but I could never see his face. Sometime after dating my now-husband for a while, I realized that when he and I originally met at my senior prom, he was wearing a tux. In different ways, a lot of the things in my dreams did happen, but much less sensationally. For instance, before he proposed, he took me to see a local production of A Chorus Line.

In “Faceless Man,” Clare had these dreams, they pointed her to this dream guy, and that was about it. The story was fun, but pretty flat. There wasn’t enough heart. There wasn’t enough tension. I put the book to the side for almost nine years.

Then, after completing breast cancer treatment in early 2023, big idea number two hit me (seriously, I can never have just one big idea for these things): What would happen if Clare had breast cancer, but also, what would happen if she didn’t? What if the story had two timelines with the ways her life could go if that dreaded phone call went two different ways? I had obviously been contemplating this scenario in my own life and thought it would be therapeutic to work it out through my fiction.

The final version of the book still has the faceless-person dreams, but this time, they’re different depending on the timeline. Clare’s bisexual, and in one timeline the dreams start pointing her toward a male, and in the other a female. In the timeline where she has breast cancer, the cancer diagnosis and story are my own, though fictionalized slightly to work within the confines of the narrative.

Oh, and the title? When I announced on social media that I had breast cancer back in 2022, I said on social media that “Cancer is only going to be a chapter in my life, and not the whole story.” Thus, Only a Chapter was born.

Only a Chapter: Amazon|Space Wizard

Author Socials: Bluesky|Facebook|Goodreads|Instagram

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/22/the-big-idea-heather-tracy-2/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55399

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/22/todays-adventures-in-dentistry/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55393

Ever have that dream where your teeth fall out? Well, it’s not a dream in my case; last night, while chewing, one of my crowns tried to escape. Fortunately I realized what was happening before I bit down, and therefore saved the thing for the appointment my accommodating dentist arranged for me this morning.

The good news is the crown is now safely back in my head; the less great news is now this formerly-permanent crown is a temporary, and I have to go back in a couple of weeks to get a new permanent crown. Dentistry is confusing, y’all.

Anyway, that’s been my last 15 hours. How are you?

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/22/todays-adventures-in-dentistry/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55393

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/freya-marske-sports-romance-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143874

A Letter to the Luminous Deep

RECOMMENDED: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! 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.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Swordcrossed

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske is $2.99! Many of us were very excited for this release. Sarah also had Marske on the podcast to talk about it.

High heat. Low stakes. Sharp steel.

The cozy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance where, yes, the swords do cross.

A LitHub most anticipated book of 2024

Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years.

What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

“There’s nothing in fantasy or queer romance that Marske can’t do.”—Sarah Rees Brennan

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Dream Girl Drama

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is $1.99! This is book three in the Big Shots series, which are sports romances. I believe Elyse has enjoyed these! Fingers crossed this deal doesn’t poof!

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

You can find ordering info for this book here.

A Master of Djinn

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark is $2.99! I picked this one for a previous Hide Your Wallet. Historical fantasy mystery with a badass main character and a supportive girlfriend.

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/freya-marske-sports-romance-more/

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143874

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/habo-app-developer-fake-dates-an-athlete/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143843

This HaBO is from Britain, who wants to find this romance:

I was hoping you could maybe help me find the title of this book I’ve read a couple of years ago.

I don’t remember much, but I remember the heroine working in social media or something like that and she wants to create a platform/app for women and their body sizes. Heroine meets the hero (who I believe plays sports. I don’t remember if it was hockey or boxing or something else) at dinner with her friend who is also her partner for this platform/app. Somebody takes a photo of the heroine and hero standing close to each other, making everyone assuming they’re dating. They enter a fake dating arrangement, but later on the heroine ends the arrangement when she see photos of the hero with another woman taken during the hero’s night out celebrating the team’s win. It turns out the other woman is a friend of the hero and he has been helping this woman by pretending to her boyfriend because she gets harassed a lot by men since her body developed early. That’s all I can remember. I think it was an indie book so maybe it’s not that known.

Any lead would be appreciated! I’ve been hunting this for a while now.

Let’s HaBO!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/habo-app-developer-fake-dates-an-athlete/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143843

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/hide-your-wallet-april-22nd-release-week/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143849

Welcome back!

It’s another short and sweet release week for us! However, the last week of April promises to be much beefier.

Is there anything you’re excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Anywhere You Go

Author: Bridget Morrissey
Released: April 22, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance

A small-town waitress and a big-city Broadway press agent swap homes to escape the messiness of their personal lives, only to find new purpose—and new love.

Tatum Ward and Eleanor Chapman lead totally opposite lives. Tatum’s never left her Midwestern hometown. She resides in a quaint guest cottage on her parents’ property while working part-time as a waitress, where she spends most shifts ignoring her feelings for a beautiful regular named June. Eleanor dedicates every waking hour to her high-profile press career, sacrificing personal relationships for professional success, save for the occasional hookup to fight off her loneliness. When both women’s lives unexpectedly blow up at the exact same time, they each need an escape, and fast.

In Tatum’s hometown, Eleanor expects a quiet hideaway where she can recharge. Instead she gets wrapped up in the family drama that Tatum left town to avoid, pulled in by Tatum’s charismatic older sibling, Carson, who charms Eleanor at every turn. Tatum ends up in Eleanor’s New York high-rise apartment with June. One week together in the big city might make it impossible for Tatum to avoid not just her true feelings for June, but her real dreams for her life.

Amid a friendship with a reclusive Hollywood actress and a complicated family reunion, Tatum and Eleanor each discover much more than they bargained for away from home. Their house swap won’t last forever, but it might be just long enough for both women to surrender their defenses and finally fight for the life—and love—they deserve.

Sarah: Aside from having one of the most beautiful covers, I have a quiet weakness for house-swap romances.

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

Bold Moves

Author: Emma Barry
Released: April 22, 2025 by Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance

From the author of Bad Reputation comes a smart and sexy second-chance romance, where exes reunite to adapt a memoir, only to discover that after a decade apart, they might finally be ready for more.

Working with your ex isn’t that bad an idea—not with artistic integrity on the line. Jaime Croft is determined to prove his directorial range, and Scarlett Arbuthnot’s biography is the perfect project. He once thought Scarlett was his perfect match too, but it’s been seventeen years. Surely he’s over it by now.

Or maybe not.

Scarlett is a grand master taking the chess world by storm. If she can handle that pressure, she can handle Jaime Croft. Even if that means working together in close quarters…and constant reminders of how she broke his heart. She didn’t do it without reason, but if he knew the details, he would despise her even more.

As Jaime and Scarlett pore over her memoir, they unlock their own memories, and old feelings rise to the surface. But giving in means abandoning the walls they’ve built to protect themselves, and that’s a move neither one seems ready to make.

Emma Barry’s books have been recommended before and this one features a grand master chess player as the heroine!

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

Great Big Beautiful Life

Author: Emily Henry
Released: April 22, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

Lara: I will read anything Emily Henry writes, even though it always makes me cry.

Elyse: I ordered the Afterlight special edition of this and I can’t wait to read it.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/hide-your-wallet-april-22nd-release-week/

Want this book? Here are helpful buy links..

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143849

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/21/the-worlds-hectic-have-a-dog-picture/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55388

See, isn’t that nice? Lowers your blood pressure all the way down, it does. We could all use that right about now.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/21/the-worlds-hectic-have-a-dog-picture/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55388

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/a-couple-kdds-contemporary-romance-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143838

Network Effect

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Network Effect by Martha Wells is $2.99! This is the first full-length Murderbot novel, which Sarah reviewed. The next book, Fugitive Telemetry, is also on sale. Sarah also has these glowing things to say:

I cannot encourage you more vociferously to grab this on sale, and read the series (possibly more than once). It, no exaggeration, got me through 2020, it is the series I find comfort in, and I cannot recommend it with more affection. Please do not miss out on this sale.

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you’re a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you’re Murderbot.

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot’s human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Monsters We Defy

RECOMMENDED: The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! Sarah read this one and gave it a B:

I liked the painstaking and careful character development of the first half more than the zoomy-zoom plot of the second half, but the foundation of historical fiction and incredible detail coupled with folk magic, ghosts, and negotiating with spirits made this an exceptionally fun, absorbing, and thoughtful story.

A woman able to communicate with spirits must assemble a ragtag crew to pull off a daring heist to save her community in this timely and dazzling historical fantasy that weaves together African American folk magic, history, and romance.

Washington D. C., 1925

Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during her darkest moments in a Washington D. C. jail. Now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So, when the Empress, the powerful spirit who holds her debt, offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, a desperate Clara seizes the chance. The task: steal a magical ring from the wealthiest woman in the District.

Clara can’t pull off this daring heist alone. She’ll need help from an unlikely team, from a jazz musician capable of hypnotizing with a melody to an aging vaudeville actor who can change his face, to pull off the impossible. But as they encounter increasingly difficult obstacles, a dangerous spirit interferes at every turn. Conflict in the spirit world is leaking into the human one and along D.C’.s legendary Black Broadway, a mystery unfolds—one that not only has repercussions for Clara but all of the city’s residents.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

You, with a View

You, with a View by Jessice Joyce is $1.99! This was previously mentioned on Hide Your Wallet and was recommended as part of my Smart Bitches After Dark quarterly recommendations that I offer to subscribers. Social media and road trip elements play a large part of this romance.

Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.

Noelle Shepard is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.

Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.

It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

All’s Fair in Love and War

All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath is $2.99 and a KDD! This is book one in the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series. Have you read this one?

A new Regency romp of a series, about governess who believes in cultivating joy in her charges, clashes with the children’s uncle who hired her, only to find herself falling in love.

When the flighty older sister of former naval captain, Henry Kincaid, decides on a whim to accompany her explorer husband on an expedition to Egypt, he finds himself unwittingly left in the lurch with her three unruly children and her giant, mad dog. With no clue how to manage the little rascals, a busy career at the Admiralty that requires all of his attention, and no idea when his sister is coming back, Harry has to hire an emergency governess to ensure that everything in his ordered house continues to run shipshape. In desperation, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls prepared to pay whatever it takes to get a governess quick sharp to bring order to the chaos.

Thanks to her miserable, strict upbringing, fledgling governess Georgina Rowe does not subscribe to the ethos that children should be seen and not heard. She believes childhood should be everything that hers wasn’t, filled with laughter, adventure, and discovery. Thankfully, the three Pendleton children she has been tasked with looking after are already delightfully bohemian and instantly embrace her unconventional educational ethos. Their staid, stickler-for-the-rules uncle, however, is another matter entirely…

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/a-couple-kdds-contemporary-romance-more/

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143838

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/great-big-beautiful-life-by-emily-henry/

Posted by Lara

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=142660

A

Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry
April 22, 2025 · Berkley

TW/CW

CW: So many tragic events are described in this book. They all happen historically but in the telling, their force is felt. These include multiple deaths, estrangements, adoptions and a cult. It’s intense.

Ed.note: I typically call these “grief books” and Lara confirms that’s an apt description.

I dithered for a week before starting this book. I had it in my possession, but couldn’t get past the first page. I’m not sure if this is unique to me, but when I’m really looking forward to something, it’s very difficult for me to start it. Then, one morning I bit the bullet and pushed through to page two. From there, I tore through the book, snatching reading time wherever I could until I finished it this evening.

Afterward, I think I felt every emotion there is to feel.

Alice and Hayden are writers who are in a small town in coastal Georgia to try out for the post of being Margaret Ives’ biographer. Margaret Ives now lives a reclusive life under a different name and works as a mosaic artist in said coastal town. She’s in her 80s and has lived an incredibly big life, much of it played out in the tabloids. She comes from a very wealthy media mogul family and she quickly became the ‘Tabloid Princess’. Now she is ready to tell her story, her way.

Margaret’s story takes up a big chunk of the book and it is an incredibly tragic one. A romance novel promises only a HEA for our main couple. There’s no promise for a HEA for her so I felt I was risking my heart a bit reading this book. The suffering in Margaret’s life made it tough going for me. I was very worried about what would happen to Margaret at the end. If, like me, you can only go through emotional turmoil in a book if you know that things will at least kind of work out, then click below to see whether it’s a HEA or not for Margaret.

Ending spoiler, but vague about the particulars

It’s sort of an HEA for Margaret, albeit with no romance involved. Not as happy as our main couple, but at least not more tragedy.

Alice focuses on celebrity profiles mostly and other lighter pieces. This would be her first major biography, but she’s passionate about telling it because her dad (who passes away before the book begins) was curious about Margaret’s story. Losing her dad is not the only tragic event of Alice’s life. Her sister had health issues when she was younger and that deeply impacted Alice’s life. There’s also some baggage with her mom. So Alice has a lot going on. All of this is unpacked gradually for the reader, but the bare bones (like I’ve given you here) emerge early on in the book.

At the very start of the book, though, Alice is SUNSHINE PERSONIFIED and at the exact moment I had the thought, ‘She is irritating’, the backstory begins to be revealed and the depth to her personality emerges.

If Alice is sunshine, then Hayden is the grump (although these are such fully fleshed out characters that it feels odd to reduce them to a trope). He’s a taciturn journalist who started out writing about music and then won a Pulitzer when he wrote a biography about someone just as they were losing their memories to dementia. He is initially quite cold with Alice, but that changes, almost against his will.

It’s not that Alice charms him or that he warms up. It’s a bit of both, but it’s also more than that. There is a magnetism between these two that compels them into each other’s path. The repartee had me smiling at my Kindle like a goofball. There are some moments of humour too! These combine to really lift the book into something that’s readable for someone like me who takes ages to recover from books describing tragedies.

Alice and Hayden gradually fall in love and it’s phenomenal to read. The depth, the nuance, the insight. I felt like I knew these people as well as I know my friends. They’re thrown together initially because the first meeting they have with Margaret is a joint one where they find out the terms of this ‘audition’ to be her biographer. They’ll spend a month with Margaret (separately, on alternate days) and once the month is up, each writer must put together a proposal of how they would approach the book.

This coastal town is a tiny one, so they cross each other’s paths multiple times during that month, sometimes accidentally (neighbouring hotel rooms initially) and sometimes purposefully (Alice will sometimes seek Hayden out, wanting to be friends with him because she makes friends with everyone). The transition from competitors to friends to lovers is so gradual that I can’t identify a turning point in their relationship. There is a slow slide that as a reader I just sunk into like one would a hot bath. There is however a steady build in the tension. They both want this job and one of them is going to lose out in the end. What impact will that have on their budding relationship? As a source of conflict, it does the job.

Looking at it more broadly, the characterisation and the deftness of the writing itself is what compelled me to read this book in a day. When I would take breaks to feed my daughter or get the breast pump out, my real life would feel strange and even foreign to me, such was the extent of my immersion in this book. The end of the book was incredibly fast paced as loose ends were wrapped up and at that stage I was helpless and just went where the book told me to go.

I loved this novel. As much as it put me through the emotional wringer, the quality of the writing forced me to keep reading it and I am so very glad that I did. I think the one caution I would add is that this is more women’s fiction than it is contemporary romance. Regardless of genre specifics, Great Big Beautiful Life echoed for days after I finished it. I’m not sure I’ll ever revisit it, but I will certainly remember it.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/great-big-beautiful-life-by-emily-henry/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=142660

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/20/sunset-4-20-25/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55376

I got a new camera (a Nikon Coolpix P1100, review coming at some point), and one of the things it does really well is zoom in real close to far away objects. I tried it on the sunset today, and, yup, it got in real close. Enjoy.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/20/sunset-4-20-25/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55376

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/20/easter-flowers/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55372

At the local nature preserve. No need to pick them! I brought them to you anyway!

And happy Easter, if it is a holiday you celebrate. And if you do celebrate it, I hope you endeavor to live your life in a manner worthy of the redemption that Christ offered you.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/20/easter-flowers/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55372

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sbtb-bestsellers-april-5-april-18/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143770

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by heating pads, thick blankets, and our affiliate sales data.

The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning Amazon | B&N | Kobo
I’m Only Wicked with You by Julie Anne Long Amazon | B&N | Kobo
The Finest Print by Erin Langston Amazon | B&N | Kobo
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Burnout by Emily Nagoski, Amelia Nagoski Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book Set by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Amazon | B&N | Kobo
The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend ready was magical!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sbtb-bestsellers-april-5-april-18/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143770

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sunday-sale-digest-27/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143774

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/2025/04/sunday-sale-digest-27/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143774

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/19/the-new-chair-arrives-2/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55358

There are not many physical things I actively covet in this world, but for a while now I’ve wanted a classic Eames chair. I couldn’t bring myself to purchase one because they are, in two words, stupidly expensive. There are less costly knock-off versions, of course, but in this particular case the knock-offs don’t do the psychic trick for me. If I was going to ever make the splurge, I wanted the “real thing.” After all, it was going to be my ass in the chair. But I — reasonably! — balked at spending more for a chair than I spent for my first car (even adjusting for inflation, I just checked).

Then three things happened: One, I came into some unexpected money that did not immediately have to go to bills. Two, a friend pointed out that Design Within Reach was having a 25% off sale, which meant the chair new did cost less than that first car. Three, the world is on fire, so, you know what? Fuck it. I checked with the family’s chief financial officer (i.e., Krissy) to make sure there were no objections, and then put in the order. The chair was originally supposed to arrive around my birthday, but they got it out a little early, and now here it is in my office.

And how is it to sit in? Very nice! I’m typing this while plopped down in it, and everything is groovy and it smells great. I suspect I will be sitting in it quite a bit. There was some discussion about whether to have it here or at the church, and I decided I would rather have it here than travel a couple of miles to visit it. The one drawback to having it here, however, is that I have pets, with claws and fur, to scratch and schmutz up the thing. So enjoy this picture of it without the blankets I will be using to cover it when I’m not in fact sitting in it.

(And what about the chair that was previously in the corner the Eames now occupies? It’s likely to go to the church, where there is more than enough space for it and where it will get to play with lots of other chairs. Until it gets moved, it’s residing in the dining room, which itself is undergoing some renovation, and where, as you can see, Smudge has already found it and is happy resuming his practice of napping on it. It’s a nice chair (as you can see by the fact it also has a blanket to keep it from being schmutzed up) and I’m sure it will live a long and happy life in its new environs.)

The only real downside to the Eames chair, for me, the World’s Laziest Person, is that it comes with an actual owner’s manual; apparently I will need to oil the wood on the chair once a year or so, which, ugh, fine, I guess. I do plan to keep the thing, you know, for the rest of my actual life, so I suppose I should take care of it.

Also, this marks the end of my “expensive furniture” habit. I’m too cheap, and we have too many pets and chaos for any more of this stuff. Everything else is bought with the idea it will be colonized by fur-bearing miscreants who will use it for parkour. This is fine. They can enjoy the rest of the furniture. This one thing is for me.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/19/the-new-chair-arrives-2/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55358

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/a-novel-romance/

Posted by Elyse

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143262

Recently I was passing through Louisville, KY so I decided to stop at A Novel Romance, an independent romance bookstore.

Immediately when I walked in I was greeted by the resident cat, Bella, who supplied many head bonks and sniffed my shoes (which smelled like my cat).

Taylor Swift was playing on the speakers.

Tables of romance novels were before me.

This might be where I go when I die, I’m not sure.

A brown tabby with green eyes — Cat-in-Residence, Bella

Overall, A Novel Romance is a really inviting, comfortable, inclusive space with an excellent selection of books and merch.

Right away when you walk in there’s an area with these cool neon pink chairs where you can take a selfie if desired.

two hot pink chairs with the shop logo behind it

The shop is made up of several rooms dedicated to different types of romance. What struck me immediately was how wonderfully curated the collection was, and also how diverse. There is a ton of queer romance here, and plenty of titles I hadn’t seen before.

I hate how the algorithm gets to you on social media and you wind up seeing the same titles repeated (especially if they have trendy covers) and you miss out on books that don’t float to the top of that list.

It was very clear this store was stocked by people who know and love the genre.

A shelf of YA books with some face out, such as Out of Character, Rival, Crashing into You

A shelf of sports romance

I mean, their tags are on point.

The book Remnants of Filth with the tag under it reading We don't know what the author was one when they wrote this, but it wasn't anti-depressants — I laughed so hard at this.

Most of the first two rooms are divided up into varying subgenres of contemporary romance with a small area for YA and historical. There’s even a shelf where books are shelved by spice level.

Past that is another room that’s just manga. My husband immediately went here and was very excited because romance manga isn’t something that really gets stocked at our local bookstores.

A table of romance manga including The Girl I want is so Handsome, Script for Love, White Liar, and Love is an Illusion

Beyond that is another room that’s entirely dark romance. That’s not really my thing so I browsed it, but if you really like that subgenre you’d be thrilled at all the titles shelved here.

There’s also a room for writers called the “Noveling Nook,” which I think is just so cool. It’s got Bella’s cat tree back there, too, so you know he’s offering advice on manuscripts and encouraging head bonks.

A pink room with tables and chairs and noveling nook written on the wall.

They also have a small play area for kids in case you need to keep yours entertained while browsing. Bella does not offer babysitting services.

And of course, in addition to books there is also merch.

two shelves with lots of stickers on them as well as zip covers for tablets and ereaders

They had a ton of stickers and bookmarks. They also had tee shirts, e-reader and tablet cases, pins and more.

So what did I buy?

Two books and two bookmarks on a white blanket. The bookmarks are a stack of macaron, and a tile that reads READ QUEER BOOKS.

I got myself Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws and Last Resort by K Bromberg, as well as two cute magnetic bookmarks. Rich scored some manga (not pictured).

I shopped on a random Friday, but looking at their website, they have book clubs, book launches, a craft night and a writers group.

I had so much fun stopping by, but I really wish this was my local bookstore because I would be there all the time.

Have you been to A Novel Romance? Do you have a local romance bookstore?

Ed note: if you’d like to write up a book shopping trip report for your local romance bookstore, please get in touch!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/a-novel-romance/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143262

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/18/because-apparently-im-in-a-musical-mood-today-a-cover-of-desperado/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55355

Watch on YouTube

“Two covers in one day? Scalzi must really be at loose ends without his spouse!” Well, yes. Yes, I am. Mopey and lonely and vulnerable to maudlin songs about depressed cowboys, apparently. Anyway. Here’s the Eagles. Enjoy.

— Js

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/18/because-apparently-im-in-a-musical-mood-today-a-cover-of-desperado/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55355

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/18/a-cover-song-for-krissy-your-song/

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55350

Watch on YouTube

Because she’s away and I miss her and I wanted to make sure she had something from me on her birthday, and she’s moving around so flowers would be difficult to send. This is of course the famous song from Elton John. Folks paying attention will note I made one lyrical change, because while Krissy’s eyes are sometimes green, they are never blue.

Also for music production nerds, I finally figured out comping, and the vocal performance here is from fifteen different takes. And still I have a couple of bum notes! That’s on me, not the DAW.

In any event, enjoy this birthday present to my wife.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/04/18/a-cover-song-for-krissy-your-song/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=55350

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/only-yarn-in-the-building-mkal-clue-4/

Posted by Elyse

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143665

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!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/only-yarn-in-the-building-mkal-clue-4/

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https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sci-fi-romance-scots-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143726

The Stand-In

RECOMMENDED: The Stand-In by Lily Chu is $1.99! This is a debut contemporary romance. Elyse gave this one an A:

So we have a celebrity romance, women being friends and helping each other with their mental health, and reflections on identity and community. That’s a lot to pack into a book, but it all works and delivered by Philippa Soo’s incredibly soothing voice, it was totally my jam.

How to upend your life:

–Get fired by gross, handsy boss
–Fail to do laundry (again)
–Be mistaken for famous Chinese actress
–Fall head-first into glitzy new world

Gracie Reed is doing just fine. Sure, she was fired by her overly “friendly” boss, and yes, she still hasn’t gotten her mother into the nursing home of their dreams, but she’s healthy, she’s (somewhat) happy, and she’s (mostly) holding it all together.

But when a mysterious SUV pulls up beside her, revealing Chinese cinema’s golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao, Gracie’s world is turned on its head. The famous actress has a proposition: Due to their uncanny resemblance, Fangli wants Gracie to be her stand-in. The catch? Gracie will have to be escorted by Sam, the most attractive—and infuriating—man Gracie’s ever met.

If it means getting the money she needs for her mother, Gracie’s in. Soon Gracie moves into a world of luxury she never knew existed. But resisting Sam, and playing the role of an elegant movie star, proves more difficult than she ever imagined—especially when she learns the real reason Fangli so desperately needs her help. In the end, all the lists in the world won’t be able to help Gracie keep up this elaborate ruse without losing herself… and her heart.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Polaris Rising

RECOMMENDED: Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik is $1.99! This is a sci-fi romance and I absolutely loved it. Be warned that it does have a bit of a pushy alpha hero. You can read my A- here:

I am so incredibly happy that this book is in the world, especially after feeling like I’ve exhausted all my sci-fi romance options. Polaris Rising is exciting. It’s funny. It’s fan-fucking-tastic. My quibbles are minor in comparison to the joyful Good Book Noises I made while reading this.

As the seventh of nine children, Ada von Hasenberg knows that her only value to House von Hasenberg is as a political pawn in an arranged marriage. But after watching two of her older sisters get auctioned off to horrible men, Ada refuses to play her part. She flees off-planet and disappears for two years.

Ada’s father, fed up with her rebellion, offers a bounty for her safe return. The universe is a big place, but mercs are everywhere, and Ada is caught. With the merc ship full, she’s forced to share a cell with Marcus Loch, the Devil of Fornax Zero. Rumor has it he murdered every commanding officer who issued orders during the Fornax Rebellion. All anyone knows for sure is that the Royal Consortium wants his head.

Ada has no trouble believing the muscled man chained in the back of her cell is a killer. But when their ship is attacked by forces from rival House Rockhurst, Ada must decide whether to trust him—because once you release the devil, you can’t put him back. And when the attack heralds the opening salvo of a much bigger war, Ada must determine where her loyalties truly lie.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Kilt Trip

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley is $1.99! This is a standalone contemporary romance with a heroine who works as a travel consultant. Have any of you read this one?

Ready or Scot…

Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm.

Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself.

As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Stars, Hide Your Fires

Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Best is $1.99! Dahlia mentioned this one over the summer of July 2023 Queer Romances. Dahlia described this as a “delightful genre-mashup combines a fun space adventure, compelling mystery, and Sapphic romance laced with intrigue, betrayal, and banter.”

A wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station.

Knives Out goes sci-fi in this gripping YA mystery set in space.

As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor’s ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.

Her plan is
1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor’s ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.

But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect—and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sci-fi-romance-scots-more/

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143726