Friends of the Machine

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https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/books-by-sarina-bowen-lynsay-sands-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164053

The Kraken’s Sacrifice

The Kraken’s Sacrifice by Katee Robert is $2.49! This is book two in the Deal with a Demon series. This is under 200 pages and feels like a rare miss from Robert, based on the Goodreads review average.

Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen?

She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken.

Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain?

That’s when things get really interesting.

But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her.

Author’s Note: For all tropes, tags, and CWs, please check the author’s website.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Tempting Olivia

Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton is $3.49! This is book two in the f/f contemporary Oxford Romance series. Many of Ashton’s books have been mentioned and recommended on the site.

Olivia Sachdeva’s life is flawless. With a first from Oxford and as the youngest partner at Bentley lawyers, she expects high standards from everyone. Her only indulgences are eating iced desserts and repeat watching romcoms, especially those featuring Kate Laurence – pure escapism and cinematic perfection.

But, when the actor walks into Olivia’s office with a bag full of divorce and a messy personal life, that perfect bubble bursts. Kate seems nothing like the screen goddesses she plays, and Olivia must put aside her comfort viewing and handle the case like the true professional she is.

It requires secrecy, especially with indiscreet friends. Will best-friend Charlotte ever read the room? And will Millie, who instantly reads the room, ever stop commenting loudly?

And Kate? She doesn’t know what to think about this frosty lawyer. But she needs a quick divorce from a mistake of a marriage, which was over before it started, and Olivia Sachdeva is the best.

But little by little, Olivia and Kate glimpse behind the mask, to find someone they weren’t looking for, who may not even be perfect, but might be the right person for them.

Read as a stand-alone romance or book two of the Oxford Romance series.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

A Little Too Late

A Little Too Late by Sarina Bowen is $2.49! This is book one in the Madigan Mountain series. It’s a small town, second chance romance. Are you familiar with this series?

New from twenty-time USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen!

How to behave when the guy who broke your heart two thousand miles away turns up in your office:

One: Don’t drop your lucky coffee cup in shock, even though it’s been ten years.

Two: Don’t get defensive when he asks how you ended up working his family’s ski mountain… and why you kept it a secret.

Three: Give him the worst room in the resort. He deserves it for suddenly waltzing back in like he owns the place. (Which he kind of does.)

Four, five, six, seven, eight and nine: Do not kiss him in the hot tub.

Ten: Try to keep your heart intact after you break all of your rules.

Because Reed is leaving again. Hate can’t turn back into love. And it’s a little too late…

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Brat

The Brat by Lynsay Sands is $1.99! This is a medieval romance and doesn’t appear to be part of a series. It was originally published in 2007.

Rumor has it that Lady Murie, King Edward III’s goddaughter, is stunningly beautiful, with bright blue eyes, golden hair, and a bewitching smile. Rumor also has it that the doting king has spoiled her rotten. When Sir Balan spies her wailing and sobbing in public, he decides that Lady Murie is the last person he would ever wish to have as a bride.

But there is far more to Murie than meets the eye—and soon Balan discovers, to his great delight, that he’d be lucky indeed to deserve such a bride. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one to discern this truth . . . and the other suitor is much less honorable. Now a plot is afoot and Balan must prove himself a chivalrous knight and win the love of Lady Murie. . .

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/books-by-sarina-bowen-lynsay-sands-more/

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164053

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/murder-in-manhattan-by-julie-mulhern/

Posted by Lara

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=162950

B+

Murder in Manhattan

by Julie Mulhern
December 9, 2025 · Forever
Historical: American

Did you watch the Miss Fisher TV series and long for more of the same? I have something similar that might scratch that same itch: this book!

It’s set in the sweltering summer of 1925 in New York City. It is stiflingly hot and the ceiling fans can only do so much. Meanwhile hemlines continue to rise and bathtub gin is a thing. Freddie, our heroine, has generational wealth but chooses to work as a society and fashion columnist for the newly founded Gotham magazine. Freddie has an assistant with clear ideas of what is and is not appropriate for a single woman, but she nonetheless tends to Freddie’s numerous hangovers.

This is Freddie’s life: glamorous speakeasy, late-night trip to the office to type up her column, fall asleep on the divan in her office, wake up, be tended to by her assistant and then go home and refresh ready for the next night of revelry. Not that Freddie is an airhead: she’s charming and a wit. And she has a clawing hunger to be more than ‘just’ a wife and mother in the suburbs. She’s not opposed to finding a partner, but she wants that person to see her for who she truly is.

That is all disrupted, though, when there’s a murder. She becomes involved in the mystery because she is able to describe the woman that one of the victims was dining with. This isn’t a traditional murder mystery because mostly we’re just following Freddie as she goes about her days. The detective who interviews her unintentionally piques her interest in the case. So Freddie keeps her eyes open and when she does see the woman again…I don’t want to reveal the details but her involvement escalates even though she is only ever pursuing one clue – the identity of that woman.

Overall the mystery is interesting. By the end, there are a lot of loose ends that aren’t tied up. The main question of who is killing the people is answered, but nothing more. There are a few twists in the story that aren’t fully explained, especially towards the end.

And, yes, there are love interests.

First, we have Brandt Abrams, a Yale man turned bootlegger. Their chemistry is electric but he leads a dangerous life and by the end of the book, I’d put them at situationship-level but with the possibility of more.

Towards the end of the book, we are introduced to Parker van Dyne, an agent working for the government. Freddie is suspicious of Parker’s appearance in her life and at the start the two bicker almost immediately. But he’s hot and it has the feeling of the enemies part of “enemies to lovers.” Nothing romantic actually happens between them though.

So a romance this is not. We have no HEA and not even a HFN. At best we have a ‘maybe happy’ ending. It’s not only the mystery that felt incomplete at the end.

Of course, if this is the start of a series, all of the loose ends make for a wonderful set up for many more books to come. I reached out to the publisher and this is indeed the start of a series! I am delighted to share this news with you!

This book features several real-life people: Tallulah Bankhead, Dorothy Parker, etc. I don’t know enough about these people to know if they’ve been reproduced faithfully, but I do know that something I usually find annoying (real people appearing in fiction) didn’t bother me at all in this instance – perhaps because I know so little about the real people. They were rich, interesting characters in the book.

Overall, this book is sparkling and witty and breezy. There are heavier moments of family conflict, grinding poverty, heartbreak, adultery, death and more, but overall the life that Freddie leads is pretty glamorous. I can’t help but feel this would make a brilliant TV series. The writing itself is very vivid which adds to the impression this would make great TV.

As a series opener, we’re set up for some very interesting reading ahead. Assuming that each book will have its own mystery, it can’t quite be an A because of all those dropped loose ends at the close of the book. Of course if this same mystery continues to unravel in the next book, I might need to review this grade.

I eagerly await the next installment of Freddie’s dazzling life!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/murder-in-manhattan-by-julie-mulhern/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=162950

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/kobo-plus-what-do-you-want-to-learn-to-do-in-2026/

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163836

This post is sponsored by Kobo Plus, and contains affiliate links which bring a portion of your purchase to us at no extra charge to you. If you use them, thanks, and if not, no worries. Thanks, y’all!

…

Many folks make New Year’s resolutions to learn something new, and I’m pleased to report that with a Kobo Plus membership, you’ve got so many options.

I know y’all have heard about Kobo Plus, I am presuming, but in case not: Kobo Plus is nifty.

Kobo Plus is a subscription service that allows you unlimited access to ebooks, audiobooks, or, depending on the plan, ebooks and audiobooks.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t know about the separate Kobo Plus Listen option until recently and I’m really happy with it.

If the graphic isn’t legible for you, Kobo Plus Listen is $7.99US per month, and there are over 150,000 audiobooks in their catalog.

Kobo Plus Read is also $7.99US per month, and has over 1.5 million ebooks in their catalog, including some exclusives, and entire series bundles, too.

And Kobo Plus Read & Listen is $9.99 per month – both listening and ebooks, for $10. That’s a really good deal.

Plus, if you’re a new subscriber, you can try Kobo Plus for 30 days for free, and cancel any time.

I love a cancel any time – and if you’re someone who worries that you won’t remember to, here’s a tip. When you sign up for a free trial, set a reminder or calendar appointment for just under the free trial length, with a link to where you can unsubscribe. So if it’s a 14 day free trial, sign up, and IMMEDIATELY afterward, set a reminder or calendar item for 12 or 13 days from now that your trial is about to end, and do you want to renew? Helps me out immensely.

Here are some of the many skills and crafts you can learn with help from Kobo Plus!

Crochet

I like learning a skill with a specific project in mind, and a top-down beanie would be perfect for me.

I also like the idea of learning as a step-by-step daily practice.

Tunisian Crochet

I don’t know how I stumbled upon the Tunisian crochet corner of YouTube but despite my lack of skills with numbers, counting, and remembering said numbers after I count, I am intrigued. I’ve featured this book before but Toni Lipsey seems to be an excellent teacher and authority on Tunisian crochet.

Toni Lipsey has a gorgeous YouTube channel, too.

And if you’re already familiar with Tunisian crochet, take a look at this option: Tunisian Crochet in the Round!

I’m starting from zero in terms of crochet skills, but if that blanket or tote were among my goals, I would be hella motivated.

Gardening

Joel Karsten’s first book on straw bale gardening got me started 10+ years ago. Straw Bale Gardens Complete by Joel Karsten is the updated and expanded edition with advice on “how to apply this method in just about any environment: on a city balcony, in a rocky outpost, in a desert, and even in the tundra of Alaska.”

If you’re thinking Instagram-ready vegetable gardens in neat rows, this is not that. Straw bale gardens look increasingly goofy and lop sided as they break down over the summer (that’s the point) but wow wee wow, did I have some great vegetables when I used them. One time, I went outside, and my two kids who were in grade school at the time were eating grape tomatoes right off the vine – SHOCKING.

Greatest asset to this method: use hose timers to set up soaker hose watering times, and get used to not having to weed. No weeding!

Raised bed gardening is another good alternative, and this book includes advice on placement, tools, and easy plants to start with. My neighbors have a raised bed garden on the corner of their property, and it looks like an endless tangle of the biggest tomatoes I’ve ever seen. I’ve been inspired many a time – though it is a lot of tomatoes.

Birding

Bird watching has been growing in popularity, so if you’ve been thinking you’d like to try, fear not!

Attract and identify birds – and help your cat improve their tv watching. I also recommend the Merlin app for identifying birds by sound.

Drawing

Reviewers say this book is perfect for beginners, which I totally am.

Watercolor

I am going to be so full of hobbies by the end of next year. Watercolor has always fascinated me, and I’ve never tired it. Both the small paintings and abstract painting sound really appealing!

Knitting

There are so many tutorials on knitting, and I learned the first (and second, and third) times through a children’s book, but this guide on knitting different squares to assemble a blanket is exactly the kind of project I love.

Quilting

Quilting is great. You sew a straight line. Then you sew another straight line. And you assemble a puzzle you made out of fabric.

I do want to learn foundation piecing, though.

Hand sewing - a journey to unplug, slow down and learn something old

And some day, I’ll hand-piece and hand-quilt something. Maybe.

Sewing

This book starts with basics like threading a needle, and then explains patterns and hand stitching, and offers different projects for practice. I love an all-in-one guide.

Speed Reading

This was a suggestion on Kobo.com, and it made me chuckle:

ZOOM ZOOM! There are a bunch of positive reviews, too – maybe I should try this, too!

The most important element to this post: you’ve got options in your subscription services.

If you’re an insatiable reader and listener (hi) or hobbyist (hi again) an unlimited subscription plan can keep you happily engrossed and save you some money, too.

What are you thinking about learning to do in 2026?

And if you’re a Kobo Plus subscriber, what titles do you recommend?

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/kobo-plus-what-do-you-want-to-learn-to-do-in-2026/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163836

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(From two issues back.)

When we last left the Blue Beetle, his prognosis was grim: the Queen Bee has programmed his mind to attack not only Max Lord but also itself. He's comatose and circling the drain. Without the Bee, he’s just a “-tle”! Only two things can save him: an old man he’s sort of met before and his own horniness.

( But not for the old man. )

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/links-excel-sophie-kinsella-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164017

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses. Welcome back!

I’ll be on vacation in about a week and it doesn’t feel real. Like I know it’s on the calendar, but I have so many things to get down between now and then that it hasn’t hit me yet. You know what I mean?

What are your holiday plans looking like?

Content warning for the discussion of cancer and death below.

…

Author Sophie Kinsella has died at age 55. In 2022, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was such a powerhouse and really shaped the chick-lit genre. Do you have a favorite book of hers?

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Heather M. let us know that Tallahassee, FL is getting a romance bookstore! Love Story Book Co. will have its grand opening this weekend. Right now, they have an Instagram and Facebook page. I lived in Tally for my undergrad and am interested in seeing how the store will do in a college town.

…

If you live in Minneapolis, did you see the giant pencil sharpening over the summer? If so, tell us everything!

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Did you now that Excel is an esport now?

Watch on YouTube

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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/links-excel-sophie-kinsella-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164017

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/alyssa-cole-holiday-romance-more/

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164008

Promise Me Sunshine

RECOMMENDED: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone is $1.99! Fingers crossed this isn’t a leftover KDD from yesterday. I loved this book and it was my first Bastone. It’s on my list for the best releases of 2025.

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of… a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Looking for Group

Looking for Group by Alexis Hall is $1.99! I believe this skews more toward New Adult, and features characters who fall in love through their gaming identities. Have you read this one?

From the USA Today bestselling author of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL and HUSBAND MATERIAL comes a charming New Adult LGBTQIA+ romance perfect for fans of Heartstopper.

Drew’s always prided himself on being the “right” kind of nerd. He plays sports, has a solid group of friends, and never had any problem talking to girls. Sure, he spends time playing Heroes of Legend, the biggest MMORPG on the planet, but it’s just a fun hobby, not his identity. Falling for someone in a video game? Not his style.

Until it is.

Enter witty, kind, razor-sharp, and a healer who’s saved Drew’s virtual skin more times than he can count. She’s also, turns out, a boy in real life. The realization knocks Drew off-balance, but it doesn’t take long for him to figure out the simple truth—he likes Kit, no matter Kit’s gender.

The real challenge? Kit’s reality is leagues apart from Drew’s. Being online is his life, and while he’s willing to come out of his shell an inch at a time, there’s such a wide gulf between them that Drew’s left can love truly bridge the distance…or are they fated to remain in separate worlds forever?

You can find ordering info for this book here.

How to Catch a Queen

How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole is 99c! This is the first book in Cole’s Runaway Royals spin-off series. It has a new cover design for a trade paperback release. I don’t mind illustrated covers as much as the community does (daresay I even like them!), but this one feels soulless.

An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of Alyssa Cole’s Runaway Royals series…

When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.

By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Make the Season Bright

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake is $1.99! This came out October of last year. This is a Kindle Daily Deal, so grab this one immediately if you’re interested.

Two exes find themselves stuck at the same house for Christmas in this holiday romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date.

It’s been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton.

All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did.

After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts…right?

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/alyssa-cole-holiday-romance-more/

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164008

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December 10th, 2025

December 10th, 2025: If you're looking for Christmas gifts, might I recommend... THE DINOSAUR COMICS STORE?? We got a Christmas sweater! :0

– Ryan

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"It keeps revisiting this idea of who this clown was and what did he do, getting darker and darker. It asks, ‘What is a clown?’ ‘What does he love about clowns?’ It starts with, Oh he loves clowns because they’re funny and they make us laugh and then it goes to, ‘Maybe he loves clowns because they mock us.’ They’re a pantomime of our own buffoonery. In mythology, a clown is the only one who survives everything and laughs at us as we die." -- Scott Snyder

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