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smartbitches_feedWelcome back!
A nice variety in today’s post! There’s a YA holiday anthology, crafty non-fiction, a monster romance, and some saintly history.
What recommendations would you like to share? Let us know in the comments!
A YA anthology edited by Dahlia Adler, who runs our monthly queer romance posts. If you’re always searching for other representations of cultural holidays, this is a great collection of authors.
Fourteen acclaimed authors showcase the beautiful and diverse ways holidays are observed in this festive anthology. Keep the celebrations going all year long with this captivating and joyful read!
From Lunar New Year to Solstice, Día de Los Muertos to Juneteenth, and all the incredible days in between, it’s clear that Americans don’t just have one holiday. Edited by the esteemed Dahlia Adler and authored by creators who have lived these festive experiences firsthand, this joyful collection of stories shows that there isn’t one way to experience a holiday.
With stories
Dahlia Adler, Sydney Taylor Honor winner of Going Bicoastal
Candace Buford, author of Good as Gold
A. R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, authors of the Once & Future series
Preeti Chhibber, author of Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot
Natasha Díaz, award-winning author of Color Me In
Kelly Loy Gilbert, Stonewall Book Award winning author of Picture Us in the Light
Kosoko Jackson, USA Today bestselling author of The Forest Demands Its Due
Aditi Khorana, award-winning author of Mirror in the Sky
Katherine Locke, award-winning author of This Rebel Heart
Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Book Award–winning author of Only This Beautiful Moment
Laura Pohl, New York Times bestselling author of The Grimrose Girls
Sonora Reyes, Pura Belpré Honor winner of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Karuna Riazi, contributor to The Grimoire of Grim Fates
I’m a Last Podcast on the Left listener and one of my favorite series they did was on the lives and deaths of saints. If you like wild, religious history, this is a worth a look.
Part history lesson. Part sacrilege. An entirely good time.
Think you have what it takes to be a saint? Lucky for you, thousands of souls have paved the way to heaven—creating a clear formula for getting the job done while also leaving a rich, disturbing history behind them. And in just five easy-ish steps, you can learn how to secure your own halo!
But even if the whole “dying and becoming a saint” thing doesn’t appeal to you, the bizarrely bureaucratic process of canonization is still guaranteed to delight and entertain. How to Be Saint is a compulsively readable and endlessly entertaining ride through Catholicism for anyone who enjoys their history with a side of comedy. From flying friars to severed heads, this book explores the wild lives (and deaths) of saints and pulls the curtain back on the oddest quirks of religious doctrine.
Whether you’re a lifelong Catholic or a weird-history enthusiast, How to Be a Saint is your ultimate guide to understanding the hilarious, fascinating, and shockingly true history of sainthood.
Looking to pick up a hobby and increase family bonding time? Nick Offerman and Lee Buchanan have put together a primer on woodworking with some family friendly projects.
From New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-winning actor, and charismatically carnivorous woodworker Nick Offerman and his fellow champion creator Lee Buchanan (who is also not averse to delicious meats), an illustrated woodworking guide with projects for the whole family
Are you a parent or an otherwise amply sized Woodchuck interested in making projects with, or for, your kids? Or are you an aspiring small Woodchuck ready to get into some quality mischief that involves a hammer, nails, and your very own pocketknife? Well, do we have a guide for you!
Offerman Woodshop is opening its avuncular doors to woodworkers of all ages in the form of twelve brand-new, family-friendly undertakings perfect for kids, from beginner offerings like a handmade box kite to more challenging structures like a garden planter.
All projects are achievable and fun and encourage eye contact, giggles, handshakes, and other old-fashioned familial engagements, while introducing young woodworkers-to-be to the satisfaction and good clean fun of hands-on crafting.
For all my cozy monster romance lovers. I will say that the gargoyle on the cover gives me Mass Effect Asari vibes.
Welcome to Monstera Bluff, a quaint, coastal small town with a monstrously big secret.
After Cara Bishop’s terrible year of heartache and upheaval, she finally lands her dream job as a city planner… in a place that just so happens to be inhabited by monsters and witches she never knew existed. Go figure they’d grapple with the same urban planning issues as everyone else! As the shock of their existence wears off, she’s determined to land on her feet once and for all in this unusual yet charming place that feels so far away from everything she’s trying to escape. Except, a brooding gargoyle named Ben—who is frustratingly unavoidable both at work and outside of it—as well as some odious local power brokers seem quite unhappy with her sudden appearance in their hidden, magickal town.
Ben Garde-Pierre thought his humdrum road construction project for the town would proceed like any other. That is, until Cara—a human uninitiated with his world— arrives with a shiny new job at town hall, shaking up his entire life. Her presence proves to be an unexpected though not unwelcome complication. Ben soon recognizes he must protect her from a series of escalating forces that would drive her away, including his own burgeoning attraction to her.
Despite these obstacles, will Cara reclaim her career and make a life for herself in Monstera Bluff? Or will this be yet another mistake in her rollercoaster of a year?
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Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din lived from around 1205 to around 1240 and was the fifth Sultan of Delhi. She was the first female Muslim ruler of the Indian subcontinent, and to date the only female Muslim ruler of Delhi.
Razia was the daughter of Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, the 3rd Sultan of Delhi. Her father had quite an astonishing life story including rising from being enslaved to being the foremost power in the region. He was not impressed with his sons, and when he left for war, he left Razia in charge. He named her as his successor, stating that she was more capable than his sons.
Upon his death, his nobles, who did not want a woman in charge, named Iitutmish’s son Ruknuddin Firuz. He was allegedly not an attentive ruler, and left management to his mother, Shah Turkaan. After an escalating series of revolts by his nobles, Razia took the throne. This was revolutionary not only because of her gender but also because of her family’s background as enslaved peoples and because her rule was achieved largely through the support of the public.
According to Google Arts and Culture,
Razia ascended the throne as Jalâlat ud-Dîn Raziyâ, and immediately dropped her veil, replacing it with men’s attire instead. She authoritatively issued coins in her name, proclaiming herself to be the ‘pillar of women’ and ‘Queen of the times.’
Razia was progressive in other ways as well. The Indian American Muslim Council states:
As a ruler in a diverse empire, Razia took calculated steps to include all groups in daily life, regardless of how common discrimination against different groups was. One of her most progressive choices was her attempt to abolish the Jizya, which was a tax on non-Muslims under Islamic rule, as she believed people only converted to Islam out of fear. Razia also broke racial boundaries by appointing Jamal-ud-din Yaqut, an Ethiopian slave, to a high-ranking position alongside her. This decision caused backlash from nobles all around, but showed that Razia judged people based on their ability and not their background.
She also pushed for more, and better, access to education. We love a woman who supports public libraries, and she did! She also redeveloped some of the university curriculum of the day, making sure it included science and literature. She rode into battle herself and was considered a good administrator.
Now things get very confusing, as Razia may or may not have had a love affair with Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, also known as Yakut, an Abyssinian slave who became her closest advisor. Rumors of their relationship provided an excuse for nobles to rebel. But wait, that’s not all! One of the leaders who rebelled against her, Altunia, was said to have been her childhood sweetheart. According to World History Encyclopedia:
The rebels posed a significant challenge to Queen Razia’s authority, ultimately contributing to her downfall. It was widely believed that Razia and Altunia, the capable but very ambitious governor of Bhatinda, were childhood sweethearts. However, Altunia grew intensely jealous of Razia’s close association with Yakut. Determined to confront Altunia and other rebels, Razia marched against him in April 1240, accompanied by Yakut. Yakut was killed on the battlefield, dealing a devastating blow to Razia, who was now deprived of her most trusted confidant and supporter.
Razia was imprisoned, but Altunia ended up feeling betrayed by the regime that replaced her. The two of them became engaged, he busted her out of prison, and they went to battle against Muiz ud-Din Bahram, Razia’s stepbrother who took power when she was deposed. Razia was defeated. Here’s World History Encyclopedia again:
Defeated, Razia and Altunia became fugitives. Details of their demise remain uncertain. Some accounts suggest they were captured and executed, while others indicate they fell victim to robbers near Kaithal in Haryana and were killed soon after.
Guys, there is a lot to unpack here and I’m no expert on Indian history, so I welcome corrections and clarification in the comments. My hope is that the Kickass Women column serves as a jumping off point for readers, and that they challenge some of the assumptions often made about women in history.
Incidentally, there was a historical drama series called Razia Sultan that aired on &TV in 2015. You can find it on YouTube, although what I found was in Hindi and didn’t have English captions or subtitles. It looks amazing!
Other sources:
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My husband’s therapist refers to the holiday as “The Gauntlet.” Even if you have perfect Hallmark family dynamics, it’s a lot.
I do not have perfect Hallmark family dynamics.
Specifically I’m navigating two parents with dementia, one of whom presents with outbursts and rages. Routine is key when dealing with dementia and so the holidays tend to be hard on everyone because that routine is disrupted, but in my case, the people with dementia are not yet at the point where we can skip the festivities all together without them realizing. It’s a real bag of shit.
When you combine managing aging parent dynamics and also, you know, The Horrors, it’s SO MUCH. I’m tired. Everyone in my family is tired. My cats are probably tired.
So. The Gauntlet.
I slept for almost fourteen hours one Saturday and realized, okay, we need to employ some really hardcore self care strategies here or I’m going to crash out. That means I’m setting aside my Christmas knitting because my only deadlines will be work related. I’m going to stick to my anti-inflammatory diet as much as possible, and keep one weekend day open for sleep. I’ve taken social media off my phone. I am also going to focus on reading.
Reading has always been my escape, the thing I can do no matter how physically sick or tired I am. It rejuvenates me mentally, putting some gas in my emotional tank. I’ve struggled with reading this year in part because I haven’t been making time for myself as much as I need to.
So for the next month I’m spending a lot of time in my happy place, which is buried under the blankets in my bed or curled up on the couch by the Christmas tree, preferably under a cat.
What is on my self care TBR?
I’m hoping that these books help me get through the next four weeks with as little emotional damage as possible.
Are you facing The Gauntlet this year? What are your self-care rituals or reads?
Author: Jim Hines
Released: October 21, 2025 by DAW
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Golden Girls in this humorous contemporary standalone fantasy about a group of former Chosen Ones coming out of retirement to save the world one last time
Three former Chosen Ones have joined together to spend their retirement in peace and quiet, running Second Life Books and Gifts in Salem, MA. A calm, peaceful, tourist-filled oasis, where they never have to worry about saving the world. Until some of the locals start summoning ancient creatures best left where they were . . . and they discover that their bookstore basement just may be the portal to the underworld. These ex-heroes may have thought they were done . . . but if they want to finish their retirement in peace, they’ll have to join together to save the world one last time.
Why leave saving the world to the young? Cozy mystery readers looking for an extra dash of magic will eat this story fun, funny, and heartwarming, it’s a novel about community, second chances, and the healing power of scones.
I was a huge, HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan back in the day. This recent release is about a group of former Chosen Ones who are in retirement, but now have to save the world one last time. I love the premise, and I also got this one on audio because I think my husband would enjoy listening to it with me.
Author: Claire North
Released: November 18, 2025 by Orbit
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy
My name is Mawukana na-Vdnaze, and I am a very poor copy of myself.
Slow Gods is the galaxy-spanning tale of one man’s impossible life charted against the fate of humanity amongst the stars—a powerfully imaginative space opera from multi-award-winning author Claire North.
In telling my story, there are certain things I should perhaps lie about. I should make myself a hero. Pretend I was not used by strangers and gods, did not leave people behind.
Here is one out there in deep space, in the pilot’s chair, I died. And then, I was reborn. I became something not quite human, something that could speak to the infinite dark. And I vowed to become the scourge of the world that wronged me.
This is the story of the supernova event that burned planets and felled civilizations. This is also the story of the many lives I’ve lived since I died for the first time.
Are you listening?
Thanks to AppleTV’s version of Foundation I’ve been craving a big juicy sci-fi novel (that isn’t actually the Foundation series because it sucks). This book has been getting some really fantastic reviews and it looks like the sweeping kind of tale I’ve been looking for.
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Released: October 7, 2025 by Canary Street Press
Genre: Historical: American, Western, Romance
Fans of the hit TV show Yellowstone and its two prequel series will fall in love with this epic love story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller.
Lizbet Fontaine will do anything to keep her family together, even leave behind the only life she’s ever known to journey to the West. But as the jitney rumbles away, holding tightly to her little brother’s and sister’s hands, she knows something is wrong. Her stepfather has summoned an associate with a predatory glint in his eyes, and Lizbet knows she needs to save them all. She just doesn’t know how…until a kind man points out the Silver Hills Boarding House.
Gabe Whitfield is no saint. But he won’t let a woman be threatened. Getting involved with Lizbet and little Frankie and Jubal is the last thing on his mind, though. When his wife and their child died a few years ago, a piece of him died, too. So he’ll help this family find their way at Miss Ornetta’s boarding house. Anything more is out of the question.
But that one chance meeting changes Gabe forever. Lizbet’s fierce strength makes him feel the faintest whisper of hope. And Lizbet can’t deny being drawn to the honest, gentle man whose kindness moves her. Can she trust her heart to a man who can’t let go of the past?
When I was kid, we used to drive to Chicago for the holidays, and one of the benefits was that my aunt would send me home with a giant shopping bag of mass market paperback romances to read. I would listen to my Discman and crack open a new to me book on the long drive home, while my sister periodically embarrassed me and irritated my mother by stealing it and reading the sex scenes out loud. I got her back though. Years later I gave her kids a cotton candy machine for Christmas. There was cotton candy floating though the house, sticking to every surface.
Anyway, there was usually a Linda Lael Miller book in that stack because she was huge in the mid to late 90’s (remember her vampire series? OMG).
I haven’t read one of her books in a long time and this looks like the perfect way to indulge in that holiday nostalgia.
Author: Robyn Gigl
Released: March 30, 2021 by Kensington Books
Genre: LGBTQIA, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Erin McCabe Mysteries #1
In a fresh and riveting thriller debut, Robyn Gigl introduces Erin McCabe, a New Jersey criminal defense attorney doing her best to live a quiet life in the wake of profound personal change—until a newsworthy case puts both her career and safety in jeopardy . . .
Erin McCabe has been referred the biggest case of her career. Four months ago, William E. Townsend, Jr., son of a New Jersey State Senator, was found fatally stabbed in a rundown motel near Atlantic City. Sharise Barnes, a nineteen-year-old transgender prostitute, is in custody, and given the evidence, there seems little doubt of a guilty verdict.
As a trans woman herself, Erin knows that defending Sharise will blow her own private life wide open, and doubtless deepen her estrangement from her family. Yet she feels uniquely qualified to help Sharise, and duty-bound to protect her from the possibility of a death sentence. Because Sharise admits she killed the senator’s son—in self-defense.
As Erin works with her partner, former FBI agent Duane Swisher, circumstances hint at ties to other brutal murders. Senator Townsend is using the full force of his prestige and connections to publicly discredit everyone involved in defending Sharise. And behind the scenes, his tactics are even more dangerous. For his son had secrets that could destroy the senator’s political aspirations—secrets worth killing for . . .
I’ve gotten into the tradition/habit of binging a mystery series during that fuzzy period of time between Christmas and New Years. The first book in a series, By Way of Sorrow has a criminal defense attorney who is also a trans woman as its main character. I haven’t seen much trans representation in the mystery world and I’m hopeful that this book will be great since there’s three more currently available in the series after that.
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Released: April 8, 2025 by William Morrow
Genre: Chick Lit, Literary Fiction
Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.
On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.
But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.
Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.
As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?
This book is about a pop duo featuring sisters Zoe and Cassie Grossberg who became famous in the early 2000s and then mysteriously broke up. Now Zoe’s teenage daughter is trying to learn why her mom isn’t talking to her aunt and what led to them disappearing from the spotlight.
I was in high school from 1997-2001 so I think this one is going to hit me right in my girlhood pop-loving feels.
Author: SenLinYu
Released: September 23, 2025 by Del Rey
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy — and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.
“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.
In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
I never read the fanfic that Alchemised was born out of, but I know that it was inspired in part by Dramione and also The Handmaid’s Tale. I re-read The Handmaid’s Tale and followed up with The Testaments this year and I’m curious to see how that world would inspire a Romantasy since I personally didn’t find it very romantic reading.
Author: V.L. Bovalino
Released: September 23, 2025 by Forever
Genre: Gothic, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal . . . not even to Kier.
When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect her secret.
For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her.
The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Rachel Gillig and Alix E. Harrow.
I’ve actually started this book already and there is SO MUCH PINING you guys. It’s set in a vaguely medieval fantasy world where warrior mages draw power from a companion acting as a magical well. Grey Flynn has been acting as a well to a mage, Kier, during a long and bitter war. They’re always together and their bond is amplified through touch, which is a perfect set up for a forced proximity romance.
The yearning, you guys. Grey wants Kier, but he’s never made a move so she’s all like I’m sure he tenderly heals my wounds and massages my naked back for platonic reasons. So far it’s really got me hooked.
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The Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean is $1.99! Fingers crossed this deal lasts. I think this was her contemporary debut. Did any of you pick it up? What did you think?
New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s first foray into contemporary fiction, with a sharp, sexy novel about a wealthy New England family’s long-overdue reckoning with hidden desires, destructive secrets…and one week that threatens to tear them apart
Alice isn’t like the other Storm siblings. While the rest stayed to battle for their parents’ approval, attention, and untold billions, she left, building her own life beyond the family’s name and influence. Nothing could induce her to come back, except the shocking death of her larger-than-life father. Now back on the family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast, she plans to keep her head down, pay the last of her respects, and leave the minute the funeral is over.
Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his widow and their grown children a final challenge–an inheritance game designed to humiliate, devastate, and unravel the Storm family in ways both petty and life-altering. The rules of the game are clear: stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, receive the inheritance.
One week on Storm Island is an impossible task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting dysfunctional chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s incessant mansplaining. Her sister-in-law’s unapologetic greed. Her younger sister’s obsession with “vibes”. Her mother’s penchant for stirring up competition between her children. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s enigmatic, unfairly good-looking, second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape the week unscathed.
A story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel is at once deliciously clever and surprisingly tender, exploring past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.
When the Marquess Was Mine by Caroline Linden is $1.99! This is part of the Wagers of Sin historical romance series and features a hero with amnesia. If the cover looks familiar, we featured it on Cover Snark because of the hero’s missing belly button.
In the game of love…
Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he’s won the deed to her friend Kitty’s home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn’t possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he’s her fiancé. She’ll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…
You have to risk it all
He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she’s his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can’t remember how he won her hand, he’s now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he’ll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.
Hitwoman by Elsie Marks is 99c! This a mix of romance and suspense – a romantic suspense if you will. This is a recent release, but opinions seem to be mixed on review sites. Have you read it?
An action-packed, hilarious enemies-to-lovers thriller for fans of Butcher & Blackbird, The Fall Guy and Hitman. She always gets her man … but has Maisie Baxter met her match?
Maisie Baxter has a particular set of skills honed over a very successful career.
She’s determined not to let her job at a boutique, ethical assassin agency get in the way of her social life, but it’s tough when your hours are extremely unpredictable and you can’t share any details of your day.
So she can’t tell her friends about the guy that keeps showing up on her missions. Will. He’s cute – really cute – and he’s desperate to speak to her.
Maisie is sure Will works for the competition but it soon becomes clear that a much greater danger stalks them both. And they’re going to have to put aside their professional rivalry and their budding sexual tension if they have any hope of uncovering a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
How the Hitman Stole Christmas by Katie Reus is FREE! This is a holiday novella with a hitman hero and an explosives expert heroine. And they’re neighbors!
‘Tis the season for a grumpy-sunshine romance with a side of murder and mayhem!
She hates Christmas and everything that goes with it…
Explosives expert Elliana hates Christmas—and the only good thing about this holiday season is that her gorgeous neighbor seems allergic to shirts and clothes in general. She knows because she’s been watching him for months with her drone. She’s never stalked anyone before, but he not only doesn’t seem to mind, he puts on nightly strip shows just for her. When she finally works up the courage to talk to him, she stumbles right into a murder—that he’s committed.
But this holiday is one she’ll never forget…
According to him, the whole murder thing is no big deal—the dead guy needed killing. And while her hot neighbor wants her, protecting her is his main priority. So when she’s targeted, this cinnamon roll hitman kidnaps her for her own good. With a deadly threat hunting them and a hot hitman who keeps handcuffing her to him “for her own protection”, Elliana is starting to reconsider her grinchy stance on the holidays. And when everything finally comes to a head, the results are bound to be…explosive.
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December 5th, 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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The year is coming to an end, but publishers have saved some good ones for last! Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, treat yourself to a book or two this holiday season and enjoy!
Author: Leah Johnson
Released: December 2, 2025 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult
From New York Times-bestselling author George M. Johnson and USA Today-bestselling author Leah Johnson comes a revolutionary new holiday romcom for fans of Lynn Painter, Alice Oseman, and Nicola Yoon.
Andy was supposed to shed her too-serious student journalist persona and reinvent herself on New Year’s Eve. Instead, she puked on her crush, dropped her phone in a fish tank, and managed to get her car stolen. Now, she only has the first day of the year to stop the gentrification that’s threatening her family’s business right her wrongs from the night before, and figure out why she feels so drawn to the electric new-girl-next-door. . How can Andy find her voice when everything’s being turned upside down?
Dominique is an influencer on the verge of securing a major brand deal that will ensure his future and family legacy. But when he runs into his former best friend, unresolved feelings emerge — and in a small town, there’s nowhere to hide. Not from his cousin, Andy, who has always seen him for his true self, not from his busybody manager, Kim, whose favorite color is money green, and certainly not from himself. When all the world’s a stage, can Dominique rise to superstardom without leaving the ones he loves behind?
There’s Always Next Year is a dual POV, double love story about what it means to nearly blow your life up, and race to put it back together before your time runs out. And if they fail? Well, there’s always next year.
This YA novel gives two beloved authors for the price of one, combining the brains behind All Boys Aren’t Blue and You Should See Me in a Crown for a pair of romance storylines wrapped in family and community and perfect for the holidays.
Author: Zakiya Jamal
Released: December 2, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
A late bloomer thought a visit to a sex club might jump start her love life, but instead makes an instant connection that turns her whole world upside down, in this adult debut from author Zakiya N. Jamal.
When Stella Renee Johnson’s roommate invites her to a sex club party but bails at the last minute, Stella decides to use the opportunity to finally cash in her V-card. But just when things are heating up between Stella and a sexy stranger, they realize they don’t have protection and Stella, taking it as a sign this wasn’t meant to be, flees.
Frustrated in more ways than one, Stella is shocked to learn that the digital media website where she works is partnering with an AI company. She’s even more shocked when the alluring man from the previous night walks in. Max Williams is the CEO’s brother and the creator of the AI program now threatening her job.
Despite the conflict of interest, Stella and Max can’t resist their magnetic attraction toward each other, and agree to keep their personal lives separate from what’s happening at work. But the more similarities they discover at home—both Black, book smart, and bisexual—the more they butt heads at work. Stella and Max must decide whether to think with their heads and walk away from their budding relationship, or follow their hearts and take a chance on love, no matter the cost.
It’s one thing to launch a queer debut, but it’s an entirely other incredible thing to launch queer debuts in two different categories in one year, and Jamal has nailed it. Just eight months after releasing her sweet Sapphic Romance, If We Were a Movie, Jamal has gone decidedly adult with this sexy bi4bi m/f that also tackles working in a creative industry going all in on AI.
Author: Alexis Hall
Released: December 9, 2025 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Winner Bakes All #3
A charming new LGBTQIA+ romcom from the bestselling author of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL.
Audrey Lane is perfectly fine. Really. So what if she left her high-powered job as a Very Important Journalist—and her even higher-powered long-term girlfriend—to live a quiet life as a reporter for the second-biggest newspaper in Shropshire? And so what if she keeps hearing that same higher-powered long-term now-ex-girlfriend in her head night and day, constantly judging just how small Audrey’s allowed her life to become?
She’s fine. She’s happy. She’s perfectly within her groove. Do not-in-their-groove people get weekday drunk and impulsively apply for the UK’s most beloved baking show?
All right, so maybe she’s not completely fine, but being on Bake Expectations is opening her world again in ways she never anticipated. First through fellow contestant Doris, whose personal story of queer love during WW2 captures Audrey’s heart, imagination and journalistic interest like nothing has in ages. Then through Jennifer Hallet, the most foul-tempered (and fouler-mouthed) producer, woman, and menace Audrey has ever met. Jennifer should be off-limits, but her fire lights something unexpected inside of Audrey, making her want to burn back a million times brighter. A million times hotter. A million times more herself than she’s been in a long, long time.
It’s been three years since the last installment of the Winner Bakes All series, Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, and after m/f and m/m pairings, we’re finishing up with an f/f that takes us back to Bake Expectations with a forbidden romance.
Author: Georgia Beers
Released: December 16, 2025 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Opposites attract, and Riley Shaw stands no chance of resisting Hannah Kramer’s magnetic pull. But opposites know just how to drive each other crazy…
How it starts: Her best friend Kyle suggests Riley take a job at Poptacular, his grandmother’s gourmet popcorn shop. Spending the summer mixing caramel and cheddar sounds like fun, right?
Spoiler alert: It’s not fun.
Enter Kyle’s little sister Hannah and her stubborn refusal to try any ideas that aren’t her own. Their working styles are completely different. In short, she is infuriating. And hot. Why does she have to be hot?
How it’s going: Years have passed, and Riley’s no longer a victim of her teenage hormones. She’s a high-powered consultant who travels from city to city, helping struggling businesses. Distance weakens a magnetic field, and Riley doesn’t think about Hannah Kramer. Not ever.
So, when Kyle calls to say Poptacular is in trouble and on the brink of closing its doors, her first thought definitely isn’t of Hannah. No, heading back to her hometown is not on her bingo card. But for Poptacular’s co-owner, popcorn is Hannah’s whole life, and Riley can’t stand to see her dream fail.
How it ends: With the Great (hot and buttery) Popcorn Romance, of course.
I don’t know how Georgia Beers does it, but this is her third (?) Sapphic romance of the year, and each one sounds cuter than the last. Best Friend’s Brother is such a huge trope in hetero romance, but few things hit like the much rarer lesbian Best Friend’s Sister. Plus, a popcorn shop! How adorable is that??
Author: Tara Pammi
Released: December 16, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Bollywood Dance & Drama Society #2
PINKY
I blew up my life like it was a lab experiment gone wrong.
Broke off my engagement. Dropped out of med school. Moved back home.
Now I’m planning my twin’s wedding while being smothered by five overprotective older brothers—and the only thing keeping me sane?
The other maid of honor—Sarangi Rao—beautiful, sexy, intimidatingly accomplished. A total ice-queen. Or so I think until I get to know her a little.
When we agree to fake-date through the wedding madness to get everyone off our backs, it feels like I can finally breathe again. Between choreographing first dances and coordinating floral crises,
we become partners—in planning, in dancing & in bed.
Soon, my fake feelings turn very real and this time, it won’t just be my future I lose—but my heart.
SARANGI
Fake-dating Priyanka Thomas is the last thing I need.
She’s chaos in a crop top—messy, magnetic, and entirely too tempting. But saying yes buys me freedom from the pressure cooker of family expectations. And it’s just for a few months, right?
But then, she moves into my house, gets under my skin. And makes me believe in love all over again.
What if Pinky only wants me for a fake, fun fling… while I’m falling in love for real?
A prolific author of hetero Harlequin romances, we don’t often get to see the Sapphic side of Pammi’s work, so I was thrilled to see her return to the Bollywood Dance & Drama Society series for the first time since 2021’s When Tara Met Farah. And this one sounds deliciously tropetastic… Fake dating! Opposites attract! Forced proximity! Wedding themes! Ice queen! Ah, what a delight.
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We’re back with more Holiday Wishes! This week we’re talking with Garlic Knitter, Claudia, Christine, and Jo.
A few notes:
First, my voice is not great. Some of these were recorded when I had a dreadful cold, so I apologize in advance.
Second, if you’re a sympathetic crier like I am, please know that when Christine and I are talking, we both get a little choked up while talking about grief and the infuriating unfairness of American healthcare. It’s an emotional conversation and a beautiful one – thank you for sharing so much of yourself, Christine.
Updates? Updates!
Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads will be turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!
AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is LIVE! I partnered with Wax Cabin Candle Company, an independent small chandlery, to offer two limited edition candles just for the holiday season!
They are on sale now through early January, and you can buy one or both in a gift set! And they are going very fast!
The Smart Bitches 20th Anniversary candle is an 11 ounce hand poured soy candle with notes of sea salt, book pages, sandalwood and jasmine.
The Bad Decisions Book Club candle, also 11 ounces, is designed to be the perfect pairing for late night reading, with scents of sweet tobacco, book pages, leather, rose, and sandalwood. I had a marvelous time picking out the scents.
So if you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself or the book lovers in your life, check out the 2025 Smart Bitches Candle collection. You can shop small, support the site, and spread light and warmth this year.
Listen to the podcast →
We also mentioned:
And, a visual joke from Jo:
The fact that Marie Curie’s notebooks and tools are still radioactive and sealed in lead boxes.
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Ravished by Amanda Quick is $2.99! This is a historical romance with some Beauty and the Beast vibes, which many readers loved. However, other readers felt the heroine’s characterization was a bit inconsistent with constant mood changes. Have you read this one?
From the cozy confines of a tiny seaside village to the glittering crush of the a fashionable London soiree comes an enthralling tale of a thoroughly mismatched couple . . . poised to discover the rapture of love.
There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself. . . .
Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to soothe . . . and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the Beast’s clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart–and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.
Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan is $1.99! This fantasy romance was released in January and was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet. Tan’s books always have beautiful covers.
A stunning, standalone romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, of a young ruler who fights to protect her kingdom, from bestselling author Sue Lynn Tan and set in the breathtaking world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
“What the gods did not give us, I would take.”
As the heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom’s pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. Enraged at his betrayal, the immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia.
Upon her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends a precarious throne, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.
But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.
Change of Hart by Bailey Hannah is $1.99! This is book three in the Wells Ranch series and features a second chance romance. Have you read this series?
In this spicy romance from the author of Alive and Wells and Seeing Red, a jaded woman reluctantly returns to her hometown—and to the cowboy who broke her heart and drove her away.
She spent years trying to forget. He’ll do anything to make her remember.
Wells Canyon is the last place Blair Hart wants to be. Yet when her mother falls ill, she has no choice except to return to the hometown she’s avoided for over a decade. In a town so small, she knows there’s no way she can avoid the cowboy who tore her life to pieces all those years ago, but that doesn’t mean she’s prepared for the way Denver Wells can turn back time with a single smile.
Since Denver’s world came crashing down thirteen years ago, he’s somehow managed to keep his demons at bay…that is, until Blair Hart’s return knocks him from his saddle. But if he wants her back, he’ll have to prove he can be the man she needs—the same one she used to love.
Throwing herself into the role of caregiver, Blair doesn’t have the time to sift through their messy history even if she wanted to. And Denver’s going to need a lot more than his usual cowboy charm to convince Blair he’s worth a change of heart.
RECOMMENDED: The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones is $1.99! I really liked this one. It has elements of Wlesh mythology and role reversal of sorts: the heroine brandishes a giant axe and fights the undead, while the hero is a scholarly cartographer. It was mentioned in our previous Goth Rec League.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep in this bewitching, historical horror novel, perfect for fans of Holly Black and V.E. Schwab.
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairytale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
It’s Sarah, dropping in with one more sale book!
RECOMMENDED: Good Spirits by B.K. Borison is $5.99! This is a newer book – released October 21 – and is on a few readers’ best-of lists. Shannon Stacey said, “Good Spirits was my fave read of the year. I actually bought a shelf copy to lend to my sisters, lol. That’s rare.”
It’s got a 4.26 (!!) rating on Storygraph, and folks who reviewed it say that it’s cute, but with real stakes and a lot of character development. My favorite review is from mariahstieve, who wrote, “Ghost spice was everything I never knew I needed.” – SW
The USA Today bestselling author of Business Casual, B.K. Borison is back with a whimsical new holiday romance—this time with a magical twist—that will have everyone falling in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past.
He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.
Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.
Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.
With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?
Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!
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by Katee Robert
December 2, 2025 · Sourcebooks Casablanca
Fantasy/Fairy Tale RomanceRomance
The only way to review a book this late in a series is in a lightning review. There’s only so much you can say without spoiling the entire series. Suffice to say, spoilers for the preceding eight books lie ahead.
It is finally Zeus and Hera’s turn! PRAISE BE! I was one of the chumps who thought this would be book 3. Anyone else?
Can you believe?! Things are happening!
The threat of Circe has been hanging over Olympus for ages now and there hasn’t been much movement in the Circe plot. In Tender Cruelty, so much is revealed. We learn some of the truth about Hermes and we meet Circe. I’ll say no more than that outside of spoiler tags.
First, the plot. Circe’s plan to destroy Olympus is gaining traction. The entire city has been evacuated to the countryside because of the sea blockade. After the sea blockade fell apart in the previous book, the Thirteen are left floundering and trying to find Circe because they know she’s in the city.
The romance between Hera and Zeus involved a pleasing thawing of relations between the two. Although it is SHOCKINGLY revealed very early on that the two have sex in the dark every night and have done so for their entire marriage! I’m not sure if I’m on board with marital relations from the start or if I wanted their enmity to be even more all-consuming. Although how you get more intense enemies than the many-book-spanning ‘active plot to kill’, I’m not sure.
I would have liked more time with Hera and Zeus in their lovey dovey stage so I could relish the sweet tenderness a bit more, but the bigger Circe plot had different demands.
Don’t even attempt Tender Cruelty unless you’ve read the others in the series. I’ve been awaiting this story since early in the series, and if you read nothing else, please know that I really enjoyed Tender Cruelty (mostly because THINGS HAPPEN) and it brings me joy that I can recommend it to you.
Looking ahead to the final installment in the series, I believe we are offered drama of the highest order. I can’t wait.
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