wednesday reads

Sep. 17th, 2025 06:05 pm
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[personal profile] isis
What I recently finished reading:

A reread of Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe - here's my original review from 2020:

Space opera that reminds me a bit of Imperial Radch smushed with the Expanse, though it doesn't feel like it's actually inspired by either. There's a sentient spaceship and a culture which dominates the universe and controls the gates which allow passage between worlds (which were invented using a mysterious technology that may have come from another civilization), and generally modern SF style views of gender and sexuality (the main characters, siblings, have two fathers, and there's a character who uses 'they' pronouns, presumably nonbinary). The story mostly follows Sanda, a 'gunnery sergeant' [this seemed odd to me for various reasons - she seems to be an actual officer, not a noncom, but I guess military ranks in this far future world are different?] who wakes up after a battle alone, on board a deserted enemy warship, which tells her that it's 230 years after the battle and that both sides' planets have been destroyed. Other POVs are Sanda's brother, Biran, who has been recently elevated to the political elite of their society, and Jules, a young gangster girl on a planet far away, whose narrative seems to have little to do with the main story until the very end when things are connected in order to set up the next book. I liked it a lot, though I felt that after the first few big reveals (which were great!) things dragged for a while before rushing to a climax that quickly went on to a cliffhanger.

Rereading my review, I guess I still agree with it! I'm sadly appalled that I forgot so many of the spoilery details in the intervening 5 years.

But I'm on to the next book in the series, Chaos Vector...
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Sep. 18th, 2025 08:33 am
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Sherlock (mostly of Moriarty), Fleabag, Andrew Scott in Hamlet, Andrew Scott, Winona Ryder, Gillian Anderson, Little Mermaid, Moonstruck, Alice in Wonderland.

here

A Thriller, F/F Romance, & More

Sep. 17th, 2025 03:30 pm
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Posted by Amanda

Libro.fm’s buy-one-get-one sale is happening from Sept 16-19, and you can get two audiobooks for one credit. And if you’ve been thinking of joining Libro.fm, you can get three audiobooks for the price of one if you’re a new member buying a one credit per month plan. This means if you use code SWITCH, you could end up with six audiobooks for three credits you receive on sign up.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy

Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese is $1.99! Fingers crossed this sale is still valid! This is book three in The Wilmot Sisters series. The description mentions it’s a retelling of Twelfth Night.

Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she’s presented with the chance to revisit romance—purely for practice—with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.

Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn’t on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is.  Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.

Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they’re the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

When Women Were Dragons

RECOMMENDEDWhen Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill is $1.99! Carrie read this one and gave it an A:

I adored this book. This was an astonishing, gripping, and inspiring read that I will return to again and again.

Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons…and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950’s America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new “sister” obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex’s journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Discovering Nicola

Discovering Nicola by Clare Ashton is 99c! This is book three in Oxford Romance series. This is a f/f romance where the leads are divorcees.

Sparks fly between Nicola Albright KC and Geeta Sachdeva, but not the good kind. They’re the sort that leave small fires, devastation, and everyone peeping between their fingers at arrogant lawyer, Nicola, on one side, and everyone’s favourite mum, Geeta, on the other.

Yet when both are divorced and at a new stage in life, they find themselves living within glowering distance of each other, in beautiful Iffley Village, Oxford. Reluctantly they call a truce and try to make friends. It’s tricky though, when there’s more than one reason they’ve circled and snapped for years.

For a start, Geeta’s lawyer daughter, Olivia, idolises the eminent King’s Counsel barrister, to eye rolls from Geeta. And to Nicola’s annoyance, her own daughter, Charlotte, has always turned to perfect mama Geeta for comfort and understanding. Animosity between the two is a given.

Until they force themselves to be nice to each other, that is, and then they’re compelled to question everything…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Villa

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is $2.99! This is a Gothic thriller, which is all sorts of Elyse catnip. It was also mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet. Have you read any of Hawkins’ thrillers?

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

sovay: (Rotwang)
[personal profile] sovay
I just had my first opportunity to shower in four nights, even without washing my hair, so I just had the same opportunity to free-associate in the shower.

I have no explanation for why I was singing the blessedly abridged setting of Kipling's "The Ladies" (1896) that I learned from the singing of John Clements in Ships with Wings (1941) except that it's been in my head ever since it displaced Cordelia's Dad's "Delia" (1992).

As a person who does think all the time about the Roman Empire, I am incapable of not associating Rosemary Sutcliff's "The Girl I Kissed at Clusium" (1954) with Sydney Carter's "Take Me Back to Byker" (1963)—as performed by Donald Swann, the only way I have ever heard it—even though Sutcliff was obviously drawing on Kipling's "On the Great Wall" (1906) with her long march and songs that run in and out of fashion with the Legions and the common ancestor of all of them anyway is almost certainly "The Girl I Left Behind Me" (17th-whatever).

Somehow I remain less over the fact that Donald Swann was the first person to record Carter's "Lord of the Dance" (1964) than the fact that he did a song cycle of Middle-Earth (1967) and an opera of Perelandra (1964).

Oh, shoot, Swann would have made a great Campion. You register the horn-rims and immediately tune out the face behind them.

Ignoring the appealingly transitive properties of Wimsey, Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter, I am not going to rewatch the episode of Granada Holmes starring Clive Francis, I am going to lie down before someone wakes me.
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Posted by SB Sarah

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

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Links: Llamas, Celine Dion, & More

Sep. 17th, 2025 08:00 am
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Posted by Amanda

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.Welcome back! You’re getting some hot and fresh links this morning.

Vacation kicks off today and all I can say is hell yeah. It’s been desperately needed the past few weeks. I’ve downloaded a bunch of short Chinese dramas for the plane. I usually stock up on videos and books, but then I just fall asleep.

Are you a plane sleeper? The white noise just puts me right out.

Word on the street is that Celia Lake will be offering a series bundle sale for her 50th birthday from September 19-23. There will be 50% off from her store. (Link most likely won’t be live until the 19th.)

Enjoy some llamas and their handlers in costumes. Do you have a favorite?

This link was sent in by frequent commenter and previous podcast guest FashionablyEvil. Apparently being a buff centaur is what women look for most in a partner.

Enjoy this lovely rendition of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion at The Barbershop Harmony Society’s quartet semifinals.

A last-minute addition from Sarah: 

Marilyn Hagerty, the writer of the famous Olive Garden review for the Grand Forks, North Dakota location went very viral, has died at age 99. Cheers to a long life, and condolences to her family.

Her Olive Garden review went very viral and was mocked endlessly, though Hagerty was defended by Anthony Bourdain himself (I hope they’re having a really big drink together) who later published a book of her reviews.

If you can’t find a copy of the review, a Redditor has posted it.

As a reviewer, in my opinion, this is art. Not only did people mistake it for inane or simple, but they missed the entire point: she barely says 10 words about the food.

She mentions what’s present in the salad, how many breadsticks she received (2), and says the entree was “warm and comforting on a cold day,” and describes the portion as “generous.” But she doesn’t say whether the food was good; she describes temperature and amount. She then goes on to describe the decor, the clothing of the staff, the seating near the entrance, and the readability of the menu.

Many people will argue with me that Pittsburgh, where I am from, is not in the midwest. That is true; it’s in a mid-Atlantic state. But the culture of Pittsburgh is quite Midwestern, and this review is truly my personal pinnacle of “Midwestern Nice.” This was a scathing review without saying a negative word. She might as well have called that chicken Alfredo “interesting.”

That review is art. I am deeply fortunate to have been alive to witness this review, and to have lived at the same time as the woman who wrote it. Cheers, Mrs. Hagerty. I hope the food is perfect, wherever you go.

-SW

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!

Afghanistan banana stand

Sep. 16th, 2025 10:59 pm
sovay: (Claude Rains)
[personal profile] sovay
When I heard tonight about Robert Redford, I did not think first of the immortal freeze-frame of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) or the righteous paranoia of All the President's Men (1976) or even the perfectly anachronistic jazz of The Sting (1973) where I almost certainly first saw him, effortlessly beautiful even before he shines up from street-level short cons to the spectacular wire of the title grift. I thought of The Hot Rock (1972), a freewheelingly dumb-assed caper film of which I am deeply fond in no small part because of Redford. Specifically, his casting makes it look at first like the inevitable Hollywood misrepresentation of its 1970 Donald E. Westlake source novel, a cool jazz glow-up of the canonically, lankily nondescript Dortmunder whose heists always look completely reasonable on paper and in practice like a Rube Goldberg machine whose springs just sprang off. Only as the setbacks of the plot mount past aggravation into absurdity approaching Dada, of which the attempt to sneak into a precinct house via helicopter must rate highly even before the crew land on the wrong roof and the siege-minded lieutenant mistakes their break-in for the revolution, does the audience realize that this Dortmunder has the face of a screen idol and the flop sweat of a shlimazl, a man whose charisma is not an asset when it makes people think he knows what he's doing. "I've got no choice," he says doggedly of the eponymous diamond which he did at least once successfully steal, whence all their troubles began. "I'm not superstitious and I don't believe in jinxes, but that stone's jinxed me and it won't let go. I've been damn near bitten, shot at, peed on, and robbed, and worse is going to happen before it's done. So I'm taking my stand. I'm going all the way. Either I get it, or it gets me." When he acquires an incipient ulcer at the top of the second act, who's surprised? He glumly chews antacids as one of his meticulously premeditated schemes trips over its own shoelaces yet again. It may be the only time Redford played so far against his stardom, but he makes such a gorgeous loser with that tousle of coin-gold hair and an ever more disbelieving look in the matinée blue of his eyes, the Zeppo of his quartet of thieves who only looks like the normal one and no slouch in a stack of character actors from Moses Gunn and Zero Mostel through Lee Wallace and even a bit-part Christopher Guest, not to mention George Segal by whom he is characteristically almost run into a chain-link fence, trying to collect him from his latest stint upstate in a hot car with too many accessories. "Not that you're not the best, but a layman might wonder why you're all the time in jail." Harry Bellaver figured in so many noirs of the '40's and '50's, why should he not have retired to run a dive bar on Amsterdam Avenue patronized by exactly the kind of never-the-luck lowlifes he might once have played? The photography by Ed Brown goes on the list of great snapshots of New York, the screenplay by William Goldman is motor-mouthed quotable, the score by Quincy Jones never sounds cooler than when the characters it accompanies are failing their wisdom checks at land speed. Watching it as part of a Peter Yates crime trilogy between Bullitt (1968) and The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) may induce whiplash. It may not be major Redford, but it is beloved Redford of mine, and worthwhile weirdness to watch in his memory. This stand brought to you by my jinxed backers at Patreon.

Aikido class recommendations?

Sep. 16th, 2025 05:13 pm
gingicat: orange butterfly on purple flowers (butterfly)
[personal profile] gingicat posting in [community profile] davis_square
My younger kiddo, a high school senior, is interested in studying aikido. Any recommendations? I may have more specific questions later.

Thanks!
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Posted by SB Sarah

Today, Amanda shared with me a post from writer and illustrator Odette Locke, who recently shared information about her upcoming romance in progress, A Corps of Health and Safety, with some Instagram graphics that lit my brain on fire.

Important note: absolutely no part of this post is a knock against the author, their idea, their work in progress, any of it. This is about the larger implications of what is part of the aspirational fantasy of romance. 

(Sidenote: A Corps of Health and Safety is a hilarious title and I love it.)

An illustration of a man in a suit, hard hat and viz jacket holding a woman also wearing a viz vest. Her hair is long and dark down to her lower back. The text reads Nobody WANTED to join the Magical Health and Safety Corps.

The second picture shows the couple in the middle surrounded by the trope tags, such as grumpy, forbidden love, berserker knight, love rules, NSFW magic, and at the top, Fantasy OSHA

It’s this part that grabbed me:

A close up of the words Fantasy OSHA and workplace romance

Fantasy. OSHA.

FANTASY OSHA. 

Does this mean that the fantasy aspects of romance – people trying to be the better versions of themselves, people loving one another as they are – now includes functional governmental regulation and oversight? 

I’m completely serious when I say that this is both horrifying and alluring as a concept.

Alluring? Listen, I don’t want to weird anyone out, but the saying “regulations are written in blood” is still true, even if our federal systems for oversight, regulation, and protective rulemaking are being dismantled in favor of exploitation, profit, and really not giving a fuck about actual people.

There’s a lot of absolutely justified disparagement regarding government oversight, particularly now, but I also know that regulation of workplace safety is in dire need of improvement. Hell at this point it’s probably in dire need of EXISTING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Many of the governmental agencies that provide guidance, regulation, oversight, and enforcement that are designed to protect people have been gutted – you probably know this already.

And while I fully acknowledge that there are many, many, maaaaaany places where that regulation and oversight are applied unfairly and that the system we had is nautical miles away from perfect, the loss of much of it is only beginning to be experienced. A fuckass executive order in February halted all OSHA rulemaking, and, as reported by Sarah Kettenmann at Shipman & Goodwin LLP,  paused a number of rules under review, including measures and standards designed to protect employees from heat injury. Much like many other agencies on the federal level, the mandate this year and for the next three  will be limitation or elimination of enforcement, fewer resources, fewer people doing the actual labor, and of course, no new regulations that might respond to current dangers in work environments.

I kind of love the idea of Magic OSHA, a body that, I’m presuming, provides workplace protection and rules to enforce that protect magical workers. I think that’s a really fucking clever premise – especially because I love stories about the people who do the actual meticulous work behind the scenes. This sounds kinda cool!

At the same time, my brain was ON FIRE WITH RAGE at the idea that the best OSHA we have would be fictional and in a world of magic.

And most of all, that the existence of functional agencies of regulation and oversight for workplaces is now part of the fantasy of romance. Like, holy shit.

Romance as a genre and a shared universe was and is and will be a reflection of the world in which it is written and read, so this is dead-on accurate as a potential required element of a happily ever after, especially in a workplace romance. Functional protections for people in their places of work can be seen as another aspirational piece of romance, alongside all the other things I joke about being scarce in the real world, and plentiful in the books we love.

WOW. That’s bleak.

I hope Odette Locke keeps working on this book, because I need all the aspirational HEA I can get, especially when it comes to safety regulation and oversight.

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Posted by Amanda

Libro.fm’s buy-one-get-one sale is happening from Sept 16-19, and you can get two audiobooks for one credit. And if you’ve been thinking of joining Libro.fm, you can get three audiobooks for the price of one if you’re a new member buying a one credit per month plan. This means if you use code SWITCH, you could end up with six audiobooks for three credits you receive on sign up.

Witch King

RECOMMENDEDWitch King by Martha Wells is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this and gave it a B+:

The biggest thing you need to know about Witch King is that it is very different from Murderbot. If you are hoping for a fantasy version of Murderbot you will be disappointed. The tone is different, the humor, when it exists, is dryer, the scope is different, and the violence is dialed waaayyy up. However, on its own merits, Witch King is a complex, interesting fantasy novel that keeps two timelines moving and introduces a group of allies who gel into a found family.

“I didn’t know you were a… demon.”
“You idiot. I’m the demon.”
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ WITCH KING….

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Burn for Me

RECOMMENDEDBurn for Me by Ilona Andrews is $1.99! Burn for Me is the first book in the Hidden Legacy series, and is an urban fantasy/billionaire romance with magic and suspense. We had a great guest squee on the entire series and I can definitely confirm the books are amazing!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand-new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire . . .

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Grin and Beard It

Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid is $3.49 at Amazon! It’s available elsewhere, but not at the sale price. This is book two in the Winston Brothers series.

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the back roads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The View From the Top

The View from the Top by Rachel Lacey is $2.99! I believe this is an Amazon only release, but it’s in KU if you’re a subscriber.  This is a f/f romance with characters in their 30s.

When a driven businesswoman from Boston collides with a free-spirited artist on a Vermont mountainside, they share a memorable—and steamy—night, but life soon pits them against each other over the fate of a family business.

Emily Janssen prefers to play it safe. At thirty-five, she’s still working at the inn her grandmothers own while dreaming of a day when she’s able to support herself fully with her art. And while her friends have all hiked to the summit of the mountain in their hometown of Crescent Falls, Vermont, something has always held Emily back.

Diana Devlin has already made it to the top. Well, almost. She’s this close to securing the promotion that will put her in line to take over as CEO of her family’s hotel chain when her father retires. Everything is going to plan until an unexpected run-in with an alluring artist on a mountainside throws Diana off course, resulting in one of the hottest nights either she or Emily have ever experienced.

Emily walks away from their rendezvous feeling inspired to channel some of Diana’s confidence and finally chase her dreams. For Diana, it’s a reminder that with the right woman, she is capable of wanting more than one night.

But their growing passion threatens to burn them both when they learn that the hotel Diana’s in town to buy is none other than Emily’s grandmothers’ beloved inn. It’s Emily’s home, and no big city outsider—not even Diana—is going to take it away from her.

Will the view from the top be worth the climb, or will they both have farther to fall?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

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Posted by Amanda

This HaBO is from Tarli, who wants to find this book:

Ok honestly I feel like I remember so much I could just rewrite the book myself, but I’ve honestly been looking for it for over 10 years. It was a Mills and Boon type book that I read in the early 2000s (but it was probably published earlier—maybe 1980s or 1990s).

The heroine had red hair and was on an anthropological expedition (maybe archaeology-related).

Her uncle or mentor figure had investigated a mysterious hidden people before her and may have been killed by a cult of humans who worshipped these people and saw themselves as their protectors.

When she was on her expedition, all her coworkers/guides were murdered by the cult. She dragged their bodies into a jeep to protect them.

She somehow made it to the secret lands through a cave or underwater portal, but was quickly taken as captive.

The main guy has silver hair and can shapeshift into a wolf. He’s a leader of some sort of the secret people.

She’s held captive (but treated okay, like a guest except she can’t leave), and her room she’s given is attached to the main male character’s room. At one point, she feared assault and hid a knife above the wardrobe—but he never harmed her, and they built trust over time.

There was a cultural festival at some point in this secret land involving fabrics, ribbons or satin or something, and she ends up taking part in.

Eventually, she escaped or was let go and hid out in a beach house back in the modern world, but the cult followed her there.

The wolf-shifter hero had been watching over her in wolf form, and I think fought off the cult.

At the end, she finds out the secret land is vanishing and won’t be accessible for long and she makes the decision to go and live there with the main guy permanently.

It wasn’t a lengthy novel, probably not part of a series, and I think had one of those bodice-ripper covers (maybe red-haired woman + bare-chested man).

I think the title might’ve been something like “Call of the Moon” or “Howl of the Wolf”, but I could be totally off.

Let’s HaBO!

drglam: Duo Maxwell, looking gobsmacked.  Text says "WTF?" (WTF?)
[personal profile] drglam
 I'm apparently insensitive to propofol, so I got to have my procedure awake.

Whatever the pre-propofol drug was did mildly sedate me, so it wasn't so bad. And I was able to banter with the anesthesiology nurse and the gastroenterologist the whole time.

Good news! The preliminary lab report says the ridiculously large collection of polyps are tubular adenomas, which are benign growths.
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Welcome back to Hide Your Wallet!

This week, we’re looking forward to some time travel, a vampire romance, and there’s a new Naomi Novik novella.

Which releases are on your TBR pile this week? Let us know in the comments!

The Austen Affair

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

Author: Madeline Bell
Released: September 16, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: , ,

Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut

Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s not just the role of a lifetime, but it’s also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it’s her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess’s way—well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour.

A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don’t quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry—and Tess’s career depends on it.

Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen’s era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches…well, Tess won’t be complaining.

A wickedly funny, delightfully charming story, The Austen Affair is a tribute to Jane Austen, second chances, and love across the space-time continuum.

Elyse: This book has time travel, celebrities, and Austen.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Honey and Heat

Honey and Heat by Aurora Palit

Author: Aurora Palit
Released: September 16, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: ,

She’s known as the Ice Princess. He’s got a reputation for melting hearts…except hers. Let the rivalry begin.

Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.

Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.

Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, his future is once again on track, and the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.

Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.

When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?

Amanda: It’s been a while since I picked up a workplace, enemies to lovers and this is calling my name.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Summer War

The Summer War by Naomi Novik

Author: Naomi Novik
Released: September 16, 2025 by Del Rey
Genre: ,

In this poignant, heartfelt novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Spinning Silver and the Scholomance Trilogy, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.

Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother Argent left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would suddenly become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.

While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, the immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.

Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.

Naomi Novik has a novella coming out!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Until the Heart Stops

Until the Heart Stops by Gillian Eliza West

Author: Gillian Eliza West
Released: September 16, 2025
Genre: , , ,
Series: The Oylen City #1

In the city of Oylen, a vampire contingent called The Covenant has ruled for centuries. Their strictest law? No vampire can drink from a living source. This ban on blood drinking created the Souzterain and the black market blood dens that have now run for centuries to give vampires a taste of what they crave most.

Lilith Searah runs one such business. Her life is constant competition with the other dens, the rules of the Covenant, and the danger her inherited profession poses. But when she catches the eye of a powerful immortal and anonymous gifts arrive, she’ll find there’s something more perilous than running an illegal blood den.

Thrust into the ancient world of vampires, Lilith realizes that the nighttime immortals have been keeping dangerous secrets. The only hope she can keep is that the Covenant can be destroyed and that Lilith and her immortal can finally be together.

That is, if she can make it out alive.

Amanda: This sounds really good. I’ll be buying on release day.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

With Stars in Her Eyes

With Stars in Her Eyes by Andie Burke

Author: Andie Burke
Released: September 16, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: , ,

A sapphic bookstore romance about fresh starts and finding that one person who feels like home.

“Snappy, smart, and endlessly swoon-worthy, With Stars In Her Eyes is a front-row ticket to a love story that’s impossible to put down.” – Karelia Stetz-Waters, author of Behind the Scenes

Seconds from a meteoric career launch, cellist Courtney Starling suffers a frightening migraine attack during a key performance. While harmful rumors fly, she escapes to her happy place—her best friend’s Kansas bookshop. Courtney’s working incognito when a scream sends her leaping off a shelving ladder to find the woman who screamed cowering near the register.

When Thea Quinn dropped in for a misdelivered package, she did not expect a mortifying encounter with a bearded dragon in front of an inconveniently attractive bookseller. Clutching an upcoming book club flyer and the tattered shreds of her dignity, she heads back to her new piercing job at the tattoo shop next door. She moved to this quirky place for a fresh start. But maybe the meet-disaster was a sign? Maybe Thea needs to branch out beyond her photography hobby and connect with new people…like at a historical romance book club run by a particularly mysterious and sexy bookseller with a pixie cut?

Friendly lunches become stolen moments between the bookshelves. Courtney and Thea’s old problems feel ages away. But just as their chemistry heats to a combustion point, consequences from Courtney’s past arrive literally on her doorstep at exactly the wrong moment. New revelations and surprising connections take the pair from feeling joyfully lovestruck to confusingly star-crossed. Both women must decide what they’re willing to give up for happily ever after.

Tara: I just think it sounds really cute.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Colonoscopy week.

Sep. 16th, 2025 01:10 am
azurelunatic: A metal sculpture of a walking duck with a duckling on its back, in front of the University Place Library (ducks in a row)
[personal profile] azurelunatic
I'm not looking forward to this.

On the other hand, I wasn't thinking with some of the usual parts of my sense of humor when I was picking out my non-red jello for Liquid Diet Day (24 oz food service pack) and rolled the wrong citrus out of three: orange.

I could have had lemon jelly.
https://youtu.be/ioudby-xooc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_Jelly

(no subject)

Sep. 15th, 2025 08:21 pm
forgotten_aria: (Default)
[personal profile] forgotten_aria
I got my car back! (Yay!)

I think there might be over-spray on the windshield. (Boo!) More because it points to sloppiness, not that it's a unsolvable problem. I hope to fix it myself tomorrow. Until they it's a little unsafe to drive at night.

EDIT: they took it back apologetically and agreed with me it was over-spray.
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[personal profile] sunnymodffa posting in [community profile] fail_fandomanon
 
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