Here is a news report that absolutely dropped my jaw: the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) has released a report that debut romance author Colby Wilkens, whose bio says she is of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, has no Native ancestry.  The TAAF “is an intertribal anti-fraud non-profit whistleblower organization comprised of allies and citizens of Tribes whose sovereignty has been formally acknowledged.” Wilkens is the author of If I Stopped Haunting You, which released last week … Continue reading Tribal Alliance Against Frauds Says Colby Wilkens is Not Indigenous →

Tara Scott, staff writer at SBTB and co-host of the Queerly Recommended podcast, is in the interviewer’s chair, asking Amanda and me questions about Smart Bitches After Dark, our new community support wing. We talk about what After Dark is, and also about the larger enshittification of different parts of the internet, and how we navigate that as a 20 year old blog. Yay blogs! I was really nervous about being interviewed, and I hope … Continue reading 638. Smart Bitches After Dark – Tara interviews Sarah & Amanda →

Happy Saturday and welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re wrapping up October: Lara: To quote my psychiatrist, ‘pregnancy is a potent and unique stressor’ so I’ve temporarily abandoned my ARCs and I’ve started a reread of Murderbot. Ten out of ten! Shana: There’s no better comfort than a Murderbot reread. I just finished a m/m Beauty and the Beast retelling, Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray, where the father who finds the cursed castle … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? October 2024, Part Two →

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Lady Whiskerdown’s Letters from the Cat Cafe →

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Sunday Sale Digest! →

Welcome back to Get Rec’d! This time around, I have a couple younger reads: a picture book and a graphic novel. I’ve also include some nonfiction and horror. Look, we’re knee deep in spooky season, so I had to include a seasonal recommendation, though you’ll catch me recommending spooky books all year round. Do you have any books you’d like to recommend? Or any slam dunk recommendations you’ve received lately? Let us know!

Amazon has many pages of fantasy and sci-fi novels on sale today! Check out the full list here.

Welcome back to Cover Snark! From Rachael: I have so many questions: Does she not want him to save her from what looks to be an alligator? Is that alligator okay? His hips seem off. Should his gun be that close to the water? Why are they casually having a moment in this clearly dangerous water??!! Did they keep their shoes on? Sarah: She’s a shifter. So is the gator. That’s her brother and she … Continue reading Cover Snark: Reptiles are an Unintentional Theme →

Happy Tuesday! It’s a short and sweet release week for us at SBTB HQ! For us, there are only three books that make the list this week. From here on out, things seem to slow down a little bit as we approach the end of the year and the major holiday season. What books are on your list this week? Let us know in the comments!

This HaBO request is from Katharina, who is hoping to find this romance from 80s: Unfortunately I remember very little, but I’d love to find this book again. It was a slim Regency Romance (could have been Category) with a pastel colored cover (soft yellow/pink). The heroine is the ward of the hero, or he’s a family friend. She gets kissed against her will and flees to his house. They sit in his library and … Continue reading HaBO: They Have a Kissing Talk in the Library →

Welcome back to Wednesday Links! Tomorrow is Halloween and wow the end of October really snuck up on us. Does anyone have any fun Halloween plans or just wants to share their fun costume ideas? Last year, I was a hot dog and plan to recycle the costume. But as an added bonus, I bought our little kitty Fig a matching hot dog suit. Feel free to take bets on whether I’ll be able to … Continue reading Links: Architecture, Genre Chaos, & More →

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Some of the Latest Cover Re-Designs →

Hi! This Rec League request is from me (Amanda) and I thought it was a good tie-in for Halloween. I was thinking about how much I enjoyed Slouch Witch when we recently featured it on sale. I loved the flip of having a main character who felt mediocre in their magic or honestly was happy doing the bare minimum. It was a refreshing departure from the “chosen one” stories that I mainly see out there.  … Continue reading The Rec League: Lazy Witches →

It’s time to take a look at the new books in November 2015 inside Romantic Times! We’ve got spanking and small towns, and a magazine that seems more targeted toward aspiring writers than readers. That yielded a mixed bag! But we have some books to talk about so let’s get to it! So many small town contemporaries, so many historicals, so many Four Star reviews with word salad. And some cat poo. TW/CW: very brief … Continue reading 639. RT Rewind: November 2015 Reviews →

The temps are lowering, the holidays are coming, and ’tis the season to treat yourself! (Note: for a solid self-gift this month in the queer romance realm, check out the new edition of Alyssa Cole’s How to Find a Princess, coming in trade paperback for the first time on November 12th!)

There is a huge list of amazing Kindle Daily Deals, so I decided to just go overboard in listing some highlights. 

Kim is a longtime SBTB reader. She writes boring professional documents by day to fund her ever-growing TBR pile, which is currently overflowing with T. Kingfisher, mystery thrillers, and MM romance. Everything she knows about hockey, she learned from queer love stories or the Mighty Ducks franchise. … Recently, I’ve been on an M/M hockey romance binge (and let me just say “queer romance” + “professional hockey” is the Reese’s “you got your peanut butter … Continue reading Season’s Change by Cait Nary →

The Gift Guides officially start on Wednesday, but I wanted to post this ASAP so – quick and early gift guide! NB: some links in this and future gift guides include affiliate links which send a portion of your purchase back to us at no extra cost to you. You’re not required to use our links, and thank you in advance if you do. There is a gift with purchase from now until 11/11 at … Continue reading I Need to Tell Y’all About this Lego Set →

Our latest bestseller list is brought to you by crunchy leaves, discounted bags of candy, and our affiliate sales data.

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Sunday Sale Digest! →

Welcome back to Cover Awe! Cover illustration by Syd Mills From Cleo: Just look at it! It’s gorgeous. And it fits the book perfectly – a moody, sexy Sapphic UF romance between an ex-demon hunter with angelic blood and the demon sent to seduce and destroy her. Sarah: jaw hanging open. Amanda: It gives me renaissance painting vibes. Cover art and design by Katie Anderson Sarah: Hits a LOT of the trends Amanda and I … Continue reading Cover Awe: Immaculate Vibes →

Hey y’all. Here’s a relaxing image! I need that hammock plus some pillows, a blanket, and noise cancelling everything. Today feels like being up to my neck in icy maple syrup: unpleasant and I can’t move very quickly. And in a moment of complete hilarity, I scheduled my annual physical for today. Wonder what my blood pressure will be like? (I think I can hear my blood pressure medication doing pushups in the other room, … Continue reading Deep Breaths. Fuzzy Things. →

Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet! Just a small handful of books for us this week. I also wouldn’t blame publishers if they decided to bump release weeks to another Tuesday. We have dark fairytales, cozy fantasy, ponies, and more! Which books are on your radar this week? Let us know what’s on your TBR pile!

This HaBO request is from Delia, who is trying to help a friend find this book: The heroine is an astronaut or scientist on a fairly normal space travel mission, but ends up either back in time, forward in the future, or in an alternate universe. My friend is confident it’s the same planet, but it has an ancient-yet-futuristic civilization. It’s very metaphysical: crystals, prophetic visions, etc. They don’t remember any plot details, but the … Continue reading HaBO: Anti-Gravity Nipple Pasties →

We’re back with your, and our, weekly Gift Guides! Every Wednesday until the week before Christmas (AND Hanukkah?!) we’ll be sharing links, suggestions, and ideas for holiday gifts. We want to hear yours, too! For our first Gift Guide, we wanted to share some book subscription boxes that are making us VERY happy, especially those that are from small independent booksellers. NB: some links in this and future gift guides include affiliate links which send … Continue reading Gift Guide 2024: Subscription Boxes – Especially Book Boxes! →

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Sign Up for Quarterly Book Recommendations! →

Well. This sucks. Currently I’m sitting with two sets of feelings. I’m already so tired, and scared, and discouraged. And tired. We just did this. I have semi-accurate predictions of how this is going to go, and none of it is good. And on the other hand, I know how resilient and compassionate and loving people can be. How loving and compassionate and resilient you are, and me, and all of us. I can grieve and worry … Continue reading We Will Find Our Daily HEAs →

This guest review is from Danielle Fritz. Danielle is a former librarian who has a special affection for children’s lit and books about the funeral industry. She first cut her criticism teeth as a fanfic writer. A resident of the upper midwest, she’s learned to love beer and tater tot casserole and tolerate long winters. Most nights will find her cuddled up with her pups and wearing out her wrists with yet another crochet project. … Continue reading Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday →

Lucy Jane Wood’s debut book, Rewitched, is out, and we connected to talk all things cozy, witchcraft, all the different 90s witches in pop culture, and the big feelings around turning an age with a zero on the end. Ultimately, this is a book about a person who wants to keep her own power – a theme I could certainly celebrate! Lucy Jane is also a TikToker and YouTuber with a sizeable following, so we … Continue reading 640. Cozy Witchcraft with Lucy Jane Wood →

I believe that reading books and collecting books are two separate yet equally worthy hobbies, just like buying yarn and knitting. Due to social media, and people’s desire to share their love of books (read or unread) there have been several subscription services lately that offer beautiful editions of popular books. I subscribe to Illumicrate, and I really enjoy it. There is a UK and  US version of Illumicrate, and also two subscription options. The … Continue reading Illumicrate Book Subscription →

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is where we talk about what we’ve been reading, if you couldn’t have guessed. Lara: Still Murderbot and I could not be more happy about it! May it last forever! Sarah: I mentioned this in the post for Election Day but I saved three Richard Osman books and didn’t know what I was saving them for. Now I know! I think I’m starting with the new one We Solve … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? November 2024, Part One →

Welcome back to Get Rec’d! Half of today’s books were recommend to me by colleagues and friends, and I wanted to pass them along to you. I think that’s what I love so much about having a personal bookish community, especially one where everyone has their niches. What book recommendations have you received recently? Do you also have your own wonderful bookish circles in your personal life?

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading Sunday Sale Digest! →

Welcome back to Cover Snark! From Mabry: This guy is suffering from sliding bicep syndrome, plus his forearm seems to be stolen from a 7 foot tall basketball player. And then there’s the nipple that’s trying to leave the scene altogether. He also looks like one of the Property Brothers. Sarah: Ok the proportions and perspective here are really weird to the point I feel like I should give everyone a warning. Like, uncanny valley … Continue reading Cover Snark: Yet Another Terrible Wolf Placement →

This HaBO is from Krysty, who wants to find this romance: Hi, I stumbled upon your website yesterday hoping someone will help me find this book. It’s been in my head for over 10 years and I’m beginning to forget. So the book is about a heroine – Marianne or Mary – can’t quite remember, falls in love with a brooding, standoffish hero with a scarred face who stays in the dark in a big … Continue reading HaBO: Yet Another Scarred Hero, Virgin Heroine →