The First Appearance of Marvel's The Hulk...
Nov. 25th, 2025 09:48 pm( Read more... )
RECOMMENDED: The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman is $2.99! This is book two in the Ill-Mannered Ladies series. Lara reviewed both book one and two, and gave this one a B+.
In Regency England, the eccentric Colebrook sisters are amateur detectives who use their wits and invisibility as “old maids” to fight injustice in this delightful and fiercely feminist novel of mystery and adventure from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.
To most of Regency high society, forty-two-year-old Lady Augusta Colebrook, or Gus, and her twin sister, Julia, are just unmarried ladies of a certain age. But the Colebrook twins are far from useless old maids. They are secretly protecting women and children ignored by society and the law.
When Lord Evan—a charming escaped convict who has won Gus’s heart—needs to hide his sister, Hester, from their vindictive brother, Gus and Julia take Hester and her lover into their home. But Lord Evan’s complicated past puts them all in danger. Gus knows they must clear his name of murder if he is to survive the thieftakers who hunt him. No easy task—the fatal duel was twenty years ago and a key witness is nowhere to be found.
In a deadly cat-and-mouse game, Gus, Julia, and Lord Evan must dodge their pursuers and investigate Lord Evan’s past. They will be thrust into the ugly underworld of Georgian gentlemen’s clubs, spies, and ruthless bounty hunters, not to mention the everyday threat of narrow-minded brothers. Will the truth be found in time, or will dangerous secrets from the past destroy family bonds and rip new love and lives apart?
Rebel in the Deep by Katee Robert is $1.99! Lara, who has read a lot of Robert’s romances, gave this one a C-. But if you’re looking to collect all books in the Crimson Sails series (this is book three), this is a good deal.
The rebellion’s fight turns into a battle of the heart in this pulse-pounding conclusion to the Crimson Sails trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Katee Robert.
Nox has been steadfastly working for the rebellion for years. They don’t ask for much in return, except for one crucial their ex, the noble Bastian, stays as far away from them as possible. To say things ended poorly between them is an understatement . . . and it’s the only relationship Nox has never quite recovered from.
But now the rules have changed. Siobhan, the rebel leader, has emerged from hiding to tell Nox that Bastian’s been taken captive and the secrets he holds tight are in danger of being revealed. The fate of the entire rebellion now rests on Nox and Siobhan’s ability to rescue Bastian from a Cŵn Annwn ship.
Saving Bastian is only the start of their hardships, as the trio is tracked by ferocious pirates across Threshold. And Nox’s complicated relationships and entanglements with Bastian and Siobhan put not only their life at risk but their heart on the line.
The Art of Scandal by Regina Black is $3.99! This was mentioned on a podcast episode with librarian Robin Bradford, who had this high up on her TBR pile.
“Love would be so much easier if it were perfect…”
On the night of her husband Matt’s fortieth birthday, Rachel Abbott receives a sexy, explicit text from her husband that she quickly realizes was meant for another woman. Divorce is inevitable, and Rachel is determined not to leave her thirteen-year marriage empty handed. Meanwhile, Matt, a rising star mayor with his eye on the White House, can’t afford a messy split in the middle of his reelection campaign. They strike a deal: Rachel gets one million dollars and their lavish house in the wealthy DC suburb of Oasis Springs, as long as she keeps playing the ideal Black trophy wife until the election.
Then Rachel meets Nathan Vasquez, a very handsome, very lost twenty-six-year-old artist, and their connection makes Rachel forget about being the perfect politician’s wife. As Rachel reawakens Nathan’s long-dormant artistic aspirations, their attraction becomes impossible to resist. But secrets are hard to keep in a town like Oasis Springs, and Nathan has a few of his own. With the risk of scandal looming and their hearts on the line, they’ll have to decide whether the possibility of losing everything is worth taking a chance on love.
The Art of Scandal is a sizzling, conversation-starting debut about rekindling passion, the transformative power of art, and finding love in unexpected places.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is $1.99! I mentioned this one on a previous edition of Get Rec’d. This is a heist-type mystery with a deep dive into classical music communities.
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! • Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.
“I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about—in this case, classical music.” —Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch
Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.
When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he’s lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.
This HaBO comes from Samantha, who wants to find this historical romance:
I am hoping you can help me identify a historical romance novel I have been searching for over the past three years since I got back into reading romance.
Here are the details I recall:
– Genre: Historical romance, road trip theme, grumpy/sunshine trope.
– Publication Date: Definitely written before 2006, and likely before 2003.
– Hero: Gruff and aristocratic, though he has been away from his home for an extended period.
– Heroine: Lower class, possibly red-haired, and provides comic relief.
– Plot: A road trip romance where the MMC is taking the FMC back to his home, seemingly against her will.
– Specific Scene: There is a moment where the FMC says something to the effect of, “Is that a watch fob in your pocket?”—referring to his erection.
I thought I knew this one, but the watch fob and year didn’t match with my guess. Let’s HaBO!
Welcome back!
It’s a short and sweet release week for us. Only three books to mention before we head into December. We have a fantasy romance, historical, and contemporary.
Which new releases are on your TBR pile this week? Let us know in the comments!
Author: Chloe Neill
Released: November 25, 2025 by Ace
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Souls Burn Brightest #1
A new romantasy, following a thief whose dramatic encounter with an assassin and a crown bodyguard (who happens to be a royal in disguise) launches her into a world of swirling palace intrigue, from New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill.
Fox is a thief with morals—she steals from those who can afford it and only a little at that. She has no choice. Fox and her three closest companions entered into indentured servitude to the Lady, a mysterious noble with widespread political power by questionable means, in order to pay off familial debts. While searching for an easy mark in town, Fox helps a royal bodyguard fend off a would-be assassin’s attack on a prince’s life.
But what started off as protecting the prince out of good conscience has now unwittingly embroiled this thief in a vast world of politics, high stakes, and romance. And though Fox longs to be free of her debts, she must decide if love is its own kind of cage.
Amanda: A royal in disguise and a thief!
Author: Mimi Matthews
Released: November 25, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Crinoline Academy #2
The Academy always comes first . . . which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.
Well removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course.
When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters.
When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them . . .
Lara: I tend to love Mimi Matthews books, but there’s something extra special about this series and this book is no exception to that. Full review.
Author: Olivia Dade
Released: November 25, 2025 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Harlot's Bay #2
In the second installment of USA Today bestselling author Olivia Dade’s Harlot’s Bay series, a mistaken obituary leads to the reunion of two former high school crushes. Sparks fly in this hilarious grumpy/grumpy romance, packed with Dade’s signature body positivity and a delicious amount of spice.
Karl and Molly were never together. There was a time, right after high school, where it seemed like they might finally cross the line from friends to lovers…but instead, a foolish misunderstanding meant they never spoke again. Molly went to LA and got married. Karl stayed in Harlot’s Bay and bought a bakery.
The only connection the pair has shared over the years is painfully one-sided: Now divorced, Molly narrates monster romance audiobooks, and Karl is an ever-diligent listener, clinging to his only piece of the one that got away.
Still, Molly hasn’t totally left Harlot’s Bay behind. When she hears that Karl’s obituary has run in the local paper, unexpected grief prompts her to hop on the next flight to Maryland…where she finds Karl very much alive, the victim of nothing but an accidental obituary.
As the pair reunite, they finally hash out their missed connection. True, Molly isn’t quite ready to trust again, but Karl is determined to prove himself worthy of her faith and devotion. And as her remaining time in Harlot’s Bay ticks down, Molly, the habitual cynic, just might find that Karl, the cranky town curmudgeon, is impossible to leave behind a second time.
Book two in the Harlot’s Bay series.

RECOMMENDED: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is $1.99! Lara gave this an A:
This book just got better and better with every twist and reveal. Original, compelling, well-written and immersive, this is a great book to escape into. It is perfect for right now, for the holidays, and for re-reading, which I will definitely be doing very soon.
Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.
The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren is $3.99! This is a standlone, which is typically a bit of a departure from their Beautiful and Wild Seasons series (less explicit sex). However, there is a content warning for the book. If you want to read the spoiler, you can find it here.
The heart may hide, but it never forgets.
The first women’s fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly teen friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother…only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco reading books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh is $2.99! I mentioned this one on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Might be worth picking up if you’re in the mood for a queer space oepra.
From Astounding Award Winner and Crawford Award Finalist Emily Tesh
“Masterful, audacious storytelling. Relentless, unsentimental, a completely wild ride.”—Tamsyn Muir
While we live, the enemy shall fear us.
Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the majoda their victory over humanity.
They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. When Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.
Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr escapes from everything she’s known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.
A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.
An Immense World by Ed Yong is $1.99! I believe Aarya mentioned this on a previous Hide Your Wallet and I’ve heard it’s wonderful on audio. Did any of you pick this one up?
Enter a new dimension—the world as it is truly perceived by other animals—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes.
“A stunning achievement, steeped in science but suffused with magic.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Gene
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world.
In An Immense World, author and Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved.
Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.”
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November 24th, 2025: It's a whole new week, filled with whole new experiences! And you just had one of them: reading a comic on a website! The others will probably be bigger but it's at least nice to get this one ticked away!! – Ryan | ||
Welcome back to Cover Snark!

Elyse: Is this a PSA?
Tara: Or a how-to guide? Do you need hats and/or scarves to transport the crabs after you catch them?
Sarah: Gloves, too.
Tara: Oh yeah, the tiny ones can go in the fingers.
Claudia: Hmm my mind went to pubic crabs, I’m so sorry…
Sarah: Oh, me, too. I figured that was why their hair was covered.

From Jen: I see one dragon. Is the other one in his pants? What is he looking for? Disturbing and confusing cover.
Sarah: I think the dragon is yelling I TOLD YOU SO.
Amanda: Also there’s some strange texture going on with his chest.
Sarah: WHAT is with all the crotch-staring cover models? Even the dragon hates it.

From Brigitte: I saw this book couldn’t get over how bad this title is. I hope the ‘zon doesn’t send me any recommendations like this one, because it’s cringe worthy!
Sarah: During a gynecological exam, I expect medical professionals to keep their shirts on, not have them unbuttoned but still tucked in. Am I weird?
Claudia: I read Gorgeous Gyro and frankly that would be vastly preferable than the actual title of this book!
Sarah: I would eat a gorgeous gyro.
Sneezy: Dammit now, now I want a gyro too.

From Melodie: Nominee for the bad font choice award! Amazon claims this book is titled Culgan. But I guess I would be going by an alias too if I had to wear that ugly little capelet to a fight. By his face he knows that he needs actual armor to go against the giant parrot.
Sarah: Is Ulgah wearing a beauty shop drape cover? Was Ulgah interrupted at the salon by a giant bird looking for a fight? I bet Ulgah was mid-coloring and had to step out from under the dome dryer to get the sword.
Claudia: All I know is that Culgari looks mad about the interruption.
Elyse: See I’m getting Eulcah
Sarah: Or Eulcari?

Hey, everyone!
Can we all be shocked that there’s no non-fiction in this post? I’m definitely a little proud of myself. We have a middle grade graphic novel, a f/f novella, a cozy fantasy, and an Austen inspired anthology.
Have you received any great recommendations lately? Share them in the comments!
This was recommended in the SBTB Podcast Patreon Discord by Clay, and I desperately wanted to share it. Clay mention that this middle grade graphic novel is cute and funny, and that she’s given it successfully as a gift several times.
A modern middle-grade graphic novel retelling of Beowulf, featuring a gang of troublemaking kids who must defend their tree house from a fun-hating adult who can instantly turn children into grown-ups.
Listen! Hear a tale of mallow-munchers and warriors who answer candy’s clarion call!
Somewhere in a generic suburb stands Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary where generations of tireless tykes have spent their youths making merry, spilling soda, and staving off the shadow of adulthood. One day, these brave warriors find their fun cut short by their nefarious neighbor Grindle, who can no longer tolerate the sounds of mirth seeping into his joyless adult life.
As the guardian of gloom lays siege to Treeheart, scores of kids suddenly find themselves transformed into pimply teenagers and sullen adults! The survivors of the onslaught cry out for a savior—a warrior whose will is unbreakable and whose appetite for mischief is unbounded.
They call for Bea Wolf.
Obsessed! A f/f novella inspired by one of my favorite musicals.
From the best-selling author of Heartless Heathens, TGSLLPFTM is a killer rom-com, feel-good, magical short story about fated love blooming in the most unexpected of places.
I’VE GIVEN HER SUNSHINE
I’ve given her dirt
She’s given me much more
Than I ever deserved.
I’m begging her sweetly
I’m down on my knees
Oh, please,
KILL FOR ME
TGSLLPFTM Is a novella inspired by Roger Corman’s The Little Shop of Horrors
This really slid under the radar! It’s a short story collection featuring Austen’s side characters from well-known authors, especially in romance.
Celebrate Jane Austen’s classic novels with this short story anthology starring forgotten characters as they experience their own happy endings.
In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with wildly imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen’s minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these clever stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice’s snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility’s Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces.
Cozy fantasy had a moment of retiree plots, where an adventurer would hang up their gear to settle down somewhere (often with plans to open up a small business). If you’ve been searching for me, try this one.
November is quickly coming to a close. Here’s what we’re reading right now:
Elyse: I’m reading Christmas Fling by Lindsay Kelk. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Sarah: I have been reading The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder by Kiri Callaghan which is part murder mystery, part family drama, part fantasy quest – there’s been skulking in graveyards, magical tea, weird as murders, and fae cats. It’s got everything!
Alas, my TBR grows longer because as I record the Holiday Wishes episodes, my TBR gets more and more robust. What a terrible problem to have!
Shana: I was gifted several early 2000s large print Harlequins from a library book sale. I just read the first, Taming the Notorious Sicilian by Michelle Smart. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Sarah: Okay hang on – who does that cover photo look like? It’s like part Tom Holland with the nose and jaw of…
Sexy Squidward?
Shana: 1990s Chris O’Donnell?
It’s a mafia romance with a pediatrician heroine with a strong Not-Like-Other-Girls vibe. Looking at the cover, I don’t think it’s obvious which one of them is the notorious Sicilian though.Sarah: YES 90s O’Donnell is very right.
Wait, the pediatrician is in the mob? Is this like those alien nanny books where the aliens need child care? The mafia needs a pediatrician?
OH HE is in the mafia. WOW I was like, dang, a heroine who is a mobbed up doctor? That’s new! LOLOL @ ME.
Shana: I would have enjoyed a mafia pediatrician MUCH MORE than one who kept trying to convince the mafia don to just call the police for help. Police love helping out organized criminals, you know.
Sarah: Oh sure all the time, yeah.
Amanda: I’m reading Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, the first book since using my new TBR game board. I really like the characters and wowee the sex scenes are hot. However, part of the central conflict is the whole “best friend’s younger sister” which isn’t my bag at all. While the main characters talk about it and the heroine isn’t as hung up on the issue as the hero (and thinks the brother in questions is a bit of a nosy jackass), it does play a large role in their relationship.
Sarah: I’ve said before this is a conflict that always baffles me. In some situations, where the best friend sees the siblings’ family as their family, and doesn’t want to potentially compromise that, I get it. That seems like emotional security. But most of the time, I’m thinking, if you don’t want your best friend dating your sibling, wtf kind of friends do you have, and what kind of person are you?Amanda: I think it’s more of the brother is a judgmental asshole and has always been overprotective. Like it’s clear he also thinks his sister’s BFF is a bad influence/troublemaker. And the hero is pretty upfront that “I like you and I don’t want this to be a secret,” but the heroine is working through some bigger things right now (coming back home after a traumatic injury on the barrel racing circuit). The brother has a future romance with the BFF, so I’m curious if his personality will be redeemed at some point.
I would LOVE if this sort of conflict is resolved with them telling the brother and him being like “oh cool, I love both of you and am happy for you both” given that there is still the injury part of the storyline to work through. But we’ll see!
Whatcha reading right now? Let us know in the comments!
