[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Hey all! We’re a little over halfway through our first ever SBTB Unhinged Bingo!

By now, you might have knocked out a few easier spaces, but if you’re having trouble, we’re here to help!

Here’s a card refresher:

This rendition of bingo is definitely a bit trickier and up for interpretation.

Are there any categories you’re struggling with? Let’s brainstorm in the comments!

Photo cross-post

Feb. 25th, 2026 01:51 am
andrewducker: (Default)
[personal profile] andrewducker


Sophia spent a chunk of Monday evening writing up her half term week without having to. Her handwriting is already better than mine.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

inside of a dog it's too dark to read

Feb. 24th, 2026 07:44 pm
runpunkrun: grey kitten in a green field, with huge text "KITTEN" stamped over it (kitten)
[personal profile] runpunkrun
The lightbulb in my lamp just burnt out, but the cat is lying on me, so I'm literally sitting in the dark right now because those are the rules.

None of us are traitors till we are

Feb. 24th, 2026 04:11 pm
sovay: (Sovay: David Owen)
[personal profile] sovay
In the wake of the blizzard, the temperature rose a degree above freezing in the blue-and-white brilliance of sun and the local topography of snow-walls to shoulder-height compressed and calved like ice shelves. I had the impulse to visit the Robbins Cemetery on Mass. Ave. while out running errands and was prevented by absolutely nobody having shoveled within a block of the gates. I took a picture of a leftover slam-dunk of snow instead.



Tickets have hiked considerably in price since the last production of theirs I attended, but I am intrigued that the Apollinaire Theatre Company is currently doing Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge—I assume it was proposed last season because of the topical-political of the undocumented immigrant angle which has only gone Mach 10 in relevance since. I have never seen the play; I read it in 2016 because Van Heflin originated the role of Eddie Carbone in the original 1955 one-act version. I am wondering how I convince their box office that I am actively pursuing a professional arts career.

a nice walk, a day after the blizzard

Feb. 24th, 2026 03:24 pm
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird
I have just been out for a walk, a day after the blizzard: bright blue sky, temperature around freezing, and most but not all of the sidewalks have been cleared, so I walked down the middle of the street for a bit. The turkey flock that hangs out on Egremont Road is now up to at least 12 birds, two of which were sitting on a railing. [We got 16-18 inches of snow, I think--the official number from the airport is 16.5, which is significant, but a lot less than this storm dumped on some places.]

nsnotifyd-2.4 released

Feb. 24th, 2026 08:16 pm
fanf: (Default)
[personal profile] fanf

https://dotat.at/@/2026-02-24-nsnotifyd-2-4-released.html

The nsnotifyd daemon monitors a set of DNS zones and runs a command when any of them change. It listens for DNS NOTIFY messages so it can respond to changes promptly. It also uses each zone's SOA refresh and retry parameters to poll for updates if nsnotifyd does not receive NOTIFY messages more frequently. It comes with a client program nsnotify for sending notify messages.

This nsnotifyd-2.4 release includes a new feature and some bug fixes:

  • The new -S option tells nsnotifyd to send all SOA queries to a specific server.

    Previously, in response to a NOTIFY message, it would send a SOA query back to the source of the NOTIFY, as specified by RFC 1996.

    (Typically, a NOTIFY will only be accepted from a known authoritative server for the zone. The target of the NOTIFY responds with a SOA refresh query and zone transfer. But it should avoid trying to refresh from one of the other authoritative servers which might not have received the latest version of the zone.)

    Mark Felder encountered a situation where it would have been more convenient to fix the address that nsnotifyd sends SOA queries to, because the source of the NOTIFY messages wasn't responding on that address.

    Since nsnotifyd is intended to work as glue between disparate parts of a system, it makes sense for it to work around awkward interoperability problems.

  • The nsnotify client program was broken and unable to create NOTIFY messages. D'oh!

  • I have adjusted the release process so that it works better with git archive and web front-ends that offer tarball downloads.

Check-In Post - Feb 24th 2026

Feb. 24th, 2026 07:30 pm
badly_knitted: (Get Knitted)
[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] get_knitted

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: What is your favourite thing to make?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!



As Rose Red said in the Katy books -

Feb. 24th, 2026 04:34 pm
oursin: Photograph of a statue of Hygeia, goddess of health (Hygeia)
[personal profile] oursin

'I'm so glad I didn't die with the measles when I was little!'

Thinking a bit further about that education meme and the line You were in relatively good physical and mental health.

Well, on the one hand, I had my vaccinations for smallpox, diphtheria and whooping cough all in order at a young age.

I did, however, get measles, chickenpox and mumps once I started school and they were going around. And in those days if you had an infectious disease you were obliged to stay off school for a designated quarantine period (and return your library books to the Public Health Department for fumigation).

I think scarlet fever was still around though rare, and I have a vague recollection of some child at the school actually dying from it?

Polio vaccination only came in when I was 7 or 8.

I suffered from severe tonsillitis until they removed them when I was 6, I am not at all sure, in the light of present thinking on the subject, that this was necessary, but it was very common.

In less dramatic health interventions, I mention the free codliver oil, orange juice and milk bestowed by a munificent government.

I am a little surprised, in retrospect, that my short sight wasn't picked up through testing at school, but in fact my mother noticed me squinting at things and took me for an eye-test.

I feel that I had fair amounts of time off from school being ill one way and another (besides the aforementioned epidemic diseases and operation) - not to mention the appendectomy and its after-effects when I was at uni - but that this didn't have any major adverse impact.

At the grammar school I was tagged for remedial exercises to do with the way I walked (on the outsides of my feet?): am not sure this had any effect whatsoever.

My migraines were not identified as such.

Period pains were after the way of womanhood, pretty much.

On the whole, relatively good health. A certain amount of mental stress, especially at uni.

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Detective Aunty

Detective Aunt by Uzma Jalaluddin is $1.99! This is book one in the Detective Aunty Investigates series. Book two in the series is out in May. We’re big fans of Uzma over here!

When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last.

After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.

And the facts of the case are Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.

With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

It Takes Two to Tumble

RECOMMENDED: It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian is $1.99! This is book one in the Seducing the Sedgwicks series and Carrie gave it a B:

This is a great romance for readers who want something fairly short, beautifully written, and not too angsty.

Some of Ben Sedgwick’s favorite things:

Helping his poor parishioners
Baby animals
Shamelessly flirting with the handsome Captain Phillip Dacre

After an unconventional upbringing, Ben is perfectly content with the quiet, predictable life of a country vicar, free of strife or turmoil. When he’s asked to look after an absent naval captain’s three wild children, he reluctantly agrees, but instantly falls for the hellions. And when their stern but gloriously handsome father arrives, Ben is tempted in ways that make him doubt everything.

Some of Phillip Dacre’s favorite things:

His ship
People doing precisely as they’re told
Touching the irresistible vicar at every opportunity

Phillip can’t wait to leave England’s shores and be back on his ship, away from the grief that haunts him. But his children have driven off a succession of governesses and tutors and he must set things right. The unexpected presence of the cheerful, adorable vicar sets his world on its head and now he can’t seem to live without Ben’s winning smiles or devastating kisses.

In the midst of runaway children, a plot to blackmail Ben’s family, and torturous nights of pleasure, Ben and Phillip must decide if a safe life is worth losing the one thing that makes them come alive.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Fool Me Once

Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead is $1.99! This is a contemporary romance and the first in a series. However, there is a political (in Texas) element. I know I personally don’t love reading about politicians, government officials, and anything tangentially related since about 2016. Funny that.

In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead’s Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have.

Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company, and after work she is “Stoner,” drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed…

That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school—who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.

Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated—and competitive—as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

Don’t miss The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead’s next laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is $2.99! This one has dual timelines and perhaps some slight magical elements. I remember it was pretty buzzy when it came out. Did any of you read it?

In this addictive and spectacularly imagined debut, a female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.

Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating exploration of women rebelling against a man’s world, the destructive force of revenge and the remarkable ways that women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

(no subject)

Feb. 24th, 2026 03:28 pm
beccaelizabeth: my Watcher tattoo in blue, plus Be in red Buffy style font (Default)
[personal profile] beccaelizabeth
I am not enjoying The Noises. too much power tools. I keep expecting something to come through the walls or the floor or, for all I can tell, the ceiling. And nobody tells us stuff like how long this will be going on. boo.


I am enjoying fanfic, though mostly only putside of work hours due to The Noises.

Rec:

The End of This Day's Business (62990 words) by Eleta_Preloc
Chapters: 13/13
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Elim Garak/Kelas Parmak, Elim Garak/Cardassia, Julian Bashir & Elim Garak & Kelas Parmak
Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, Kelas Parmak, Keiko O'Brien, Miles O'Brien, Original Human Character(s), Cardassian Character(s) (Star Trek), Arati Mhevet, Natima Lang
Additional Tags: Post-Canon Cardassia (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Cardassian Culture (Star Trek), Cardassian Politics (Star Trek)
Summary:

Well, it's all right even when push comes to shove
Well, it's all right if you got someone to love
Well, it's all right, everything'll work out fine
Well, it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

It’s almost the last day on the job for Castellan Elim Garak. One or two loose threads to tie up and then he can retire home to his books and his garden and his doctors. Surely everything will work out fine?

What might have happened after The Crimson Shadow and Enigma Tales.

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

This HaBO request was submitted by Dionne, who wants to find this historical romance:

A bit of a long shot I’m trying to find the title and author of a book. I’ve gone through all my books and fear it may have been lost in a house move.

It’s a regency historical that was steamy/open door.

I only have a sketchy memory of it being about a book worm heroine who doesn’t need to look for a husband because she has a substantial inheritance so marriage isn’t anything she wants. She meets the hero at a house party that is being held for a week or two at a country estate. They are both guests. She’s there with an aunt or some relative.

He sees her reading in the gardens, behind a bush I think. She is avoiding socialising at the house party as much as possible to avoid fortune hunters. They converse back and forth.

They begin a secret affair whilst at the house party and he falls in love but she is adamant their time together is only for the duration of the house party. When it is time for him to leave he scoops her up out of bed and attempts to kidnap her after failing to persuade her to either marry or be his mistress. I can’t remember which one, but his sister, who is also in attendance at the house party discovers her in the carriage before he can get away…it’s an extremely funny scene…not sinister at all.

I remember the sister opens the door of the carriage, begins to get in, see’s the heroine gagged, bound and wide eyed in the corner of the carriage, pauses then backs out to speak to her brother.

I hope someone else remembers this book.

Can we HaBO?

Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

Feb. 24th, 2026 11:08 am
icon_uk: Mod Squad icon (Mod Squad)
[personal profile] icon_uk posting in [community profile] scans_daily
In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

Hope those hit by the winter storm in North America have been taking care of themselves.

SCOTUS struck down Trump's Trademark Tariff plan, which he responded to by re-imposing them using an even more obscure law, providing a loophole.

In the UK, the Andrew formerly known as Prince was arrested (on his birthday no less) for Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office, following his links to Epstein. A government grandee, and Lord, Peter Mandelson was likewise charged. Given that Norway has also arrested a prince of their country, people are starting to ask when the wheels of justice will grind Stateside.

In a truly deranged ramble, even by his standards, Trump also said he was sending two US Navy Hospital ships to Greenland to deal with the residents who were "not being taken care of by Norway". Both Greenland and Norway have declined, pointing out that they both already have free nationalised healthcare, which is more than America has. Greenland also just provided medical assistance to a US submarine, where a sailor had been taken ill, so... that was awkward.

The Winter Olympics drew to a close, and next up we have the Winter Paralympics.

Starfleet Academy gave us our first canon gay (and occasional skirt wearing) Klingon: Jay-Den Kargg who is in a cute relationship with the cheerily upbeat (and much shorter) Kyle. This caused the usual pearl clutching from people who probably keep spare pearls to clutch on hand in case of emergencies, but we can ignore them.
sunnymodffa: mycroft dozes in pretty party hat (party mycroft)
[personal profile] sunnymodffa posting in [community profile] fail_fandomanon
 
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Koalas
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Ain't just cute teddy bears

Because on Tuesdays they all catch
Chlamydia unawares.🎶


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(no subject)

Feb. 24th, 2026 09:41 am
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)
[personal profile] oursin
Happy birthday, [personal profile] donnaq!
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Happy Tuesday!

We have a decent of new releases this week to close out February! What a month! March is also shaping up to be equally as exciting.

What new releases are on your radar this week? Let us know in the comments!

A Crown of Stars

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abé

Author: Shana Abé
Released: February 24, 2026 by Kensington Books
Genre: ,

A sumptuously vivid and poignant account of the Lusitania’s fateful last days, drawn from the true story of an extraordinary young actress who survived the unthinkable—for fans of Marie Benedict, Louis Bayard, Fiona Davis, Kate Quinn, and HBO’s The Gilded Age.

In turn of the century England, the Jolivet family lives a charmed existence. Daughter of a wealthy vineyard owner and a French pianist, vivacious Marguerite, the eldest of three, loves spinning stories and entertaining her family’s well-connected friends. No one is surprised when she announces, at 18, that she intends to become an actress. Her sister, Inez, a virtuosa violinist, moves to London with her. Soon the two beauties are being celebrated in the highest social circles.

Marguerite takes the stage name Rita, and quickly draws the attention of legendary theater producer Charles Frohman. From the West End to Broadway, and then in the new medium of silent film, Rita is known for her “sultry eyes, her mystic smile,” and her star burns brighter with every role. While filming in Italy, she’s courted by a charismatic aristocrat and Rita feels on the verge of a life even better than her dreams. Inez, meanwhile, has already found love, and travels the world with her adored husband.

Yet soon, war is raging across Europe. Rita, in New York for the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Unafraid, receives word from Inez that their brother is about to enlist. Hoping to see him before he departs, Rita books a ticket on the fastest steamer the RMS Lusitania. But the ship sails under a British flag, and the German government warns that all such vessels are fair game. Few believe Germany would risk attacking a ship carrying Americans, certainly not one as swift and imposing as the Lusy.

Once aboard, Rita is delighted to discover both Charles and her brother-in-law as fellow passengers.The days pass in a haze of parties and pleasurable pursuits, and the comforts of the luxury ocean liner are almost enough to calm Rita’s ripples of unease. But as the ship nears Liverpool, every assumption will be tested, and Rita, her family, and the world, will be changed forever by the voyage’s infamous and catastrophic end . . .

Amanda: I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards this, but it’s Shana Abe and she wrote one of my favorite historical fantasy romances, The Smoke Thief.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by Shain Rose

Author: Shain Rose
Released: February 24, 2026 by Kensington Books
Genre: ,
Series: Kept in Paradise #1

In the first standalone of her sizzling new series, bestselling author Shain Rose welcomes you to Paradise Grove, a luxurious, ultra-private billionaire enclave-where the stakes are high, and the secrets are buried deep . . .

He’s the forbidden enigma I wanted to ignore . . . but instead I’ll be forced to share a home with him.

Jameson Knight arrives at precisely the same time every day to pick up his young daughter from school, smiling as she runs into his open arms.

It’s the only time I see him smile.

I don’t ask questions because it’s not my place. I’m just his daughter’s favorite teacher, nothing more. . . . Until the first bullet flies by us at recess.

Suddenly, I’m risking my life to protect her. And then Jameson drags me back to his estate, claiming it’s a matter of life-or-death.

Now I’m in the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen, faced with an offer from a man who’s just as gorgeous: Be the temporary live-in nanny until he can ensure my safety and find a more permanent solution. It’ll be easy, he promises.

Yet, the arrangement is anything but simple.

Not when Jameson’s hungry stare is all consuming and his touch pulse racing.
And definitely not when I find that nothing in this neighborhood is as it seems, including Jameson.

He may be powerful, possessive, and protective. But he’s also dangerous, demanding, and calculating.

As more of his secrets come out, I should run but . . .
How do I escape the enigma of Jameson Knight if he’s already captured my heart?

Get ready for a rollercoaster of love, power, and betrayal in Paradise-where the stakes are high but the secrets are buried bone-chillingly low.

Amanda: I’m still very much on my dark romance kick!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Heir of Whitestone

The Heir of Whitestone by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
Released: February 24, 2026 by A John Scognamiglio Book
Genre: , , ,

A brilliant young innovator with a mysterious past and a boldly sharp-witted Lady uncover deadly secrets in #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter’s thrilling, new Victorian-era romantic mystery filled with daring escapes, exciting twists, witty humor, and characters you won’t soon forget.

When Alex Ivanov was 12, someone tried to kill him. Now, 11 years later, they still want him dead.

England, 1842. Queen Victoria reigns, Buckingham Palace is overrun with rats, and the streets of London are filled with intrigue.

Alex Ivanov is a brilliant young innovator, designing cutting-edge train engines. But Alex has a secret—he isn’t really Alex Ivanov. As a boy, he was pulled from the Thames, presumed drowned, with no memory of who he was. Rescued and raised by the formidable Ryder Sherbrooke, Alex has built a new life, but his past is catching up with him.

Lady Camilla Rohman has problems of her own. Trapped by a scheming stepmother and a family determined to see her married off, she is as clever as she is desperate. When fate throws her into Alex’s path, their connection is undeniable.

But as their whirlwind romance turns into marriage, danger follows. On their honeymoon, a series of deadly attacks make one thing clear—someone wants Alex dead. As they race to uncover the truth, old enemies and long-buried secrets come to light, leading them to a shocking revelation that will change everything…

Elyse: A new Coulter AND a gothic? Yes please!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

In Her Spotlight

In Her Spotlight by Amy Spalding

Author: Amy Spalding
Released: February 24, 2026 by Kensington Books
Genre: , ,
Series: Out in Hollywood #4

For fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, and Meryl Wilsner, an actually hilarious, sweetly sexy, gloriously relatable, second chance, sapphic rom-com from the acclaimed author of For Her Consideration, starring a franchise Hollywood actress aims to prove her chops in a theatrical production directed by her ex whose heart she broke a decade earlier.

Hollywood actor Tess Gardner is not the kind of famous she set out to be. She’s ready to show she’s more than Princess Platinum of the Vindicators series, a pretty face with CGI superpowers that literally sparkle. Tess wants to prove herself as an actor and that means theatre—the true calling of her thespian heart. But just when Tess lands a part working with an acclaimed stage director, a brewing scandal forces him out. His replacement? None other than hip, buzzy director Rebecca Frisch. The same Rebecca Frisch whose heart a firmly closeted Tess broke over a decade ago during summer stock . . .

As Tess wrestles with her lingering guilt and attraction to Rebecca, she also finds herself struggling to rein in her superstar status backstage. When things unexpectedly reignite with Rebecca, Tess bristles even more against the walls of her A-list life. Since the industry’s made it clear that girl-next-door superheroes can’t also be gay, coming out isn’t realistic for Tess. And ultimately, Rebecca will head back to New York and likely seek out a less complicated relationship anyway.

Will the curtain close on her chance for happiness or will Tess finally take a leading role in her own life?

Amanda: I’ll be talking to Amy about her latest release tomorrow at All She Wrote Books! Can’t wait!

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The Trident and the Pearl

The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L. Wilson

Author: Sarah K.L. Wilson
Released: February 24, 2026 by Orbit
Genre: , ,
Series: The Fisher King #1

A desperate queen makes a deal with the gods to save her land in this spellbinding romantasy debut from Sarah K. L. Wilson.

Queen Coralys rules the Kingdom of the Five Isles, but when disaster strikes, killing her husband and destroying half her nation, she pleads with the gods for salvation. And they do save her, turning back the terrible winds and tide and snatching her islands from the brink of destruction.

But the gods have a wicked sense of justice and they demand an exchange for their Coralys must marry the first man to set foot on her pier. Coralys expects the fleet of a neighboring country to come to rescue her people, led by its prince, a loyal ally. What she gets instead is a fisherman so sunburnt and stinking that her court can barely keep their breakfast down.

Coralys marries the fisherman just as she promised the gods, and sets out with him in his unkempt dinghy, with nothing but hopes of revenge against the gods to keep her from despair. But what she does not know is that the fisherman is actually the god of the sea. And he stepped on her dock for a reason.

His own kingdom besieged, his body terribly wounded, and his place as a god threatened, the fisherman has plans to turn the tides set against him and finally offer a place of refuge for his people. But working the magic he needs will require the help of the one woman bent on his destruction.

Amanda: I’ve started this one already and it’s sooooo good.

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The Regency Switch

The Regency Switch by Helen Gaskell

Author: Helen Gaskell
Released: February 26, 2026 by HQ Digital
Genre: , , ,

The Holiday meets Lost in Austen, with a sprinkling of Bridgerton steam… A gloriously witty, escapist and heartwarming romantic comedy about love, finding your people and living life to the full

***

Etta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England, she is forced to accept the she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge – or ‘Mad Hetty’, as she’s known amongst the ton – have switched bodies.

Suddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta, it’s goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things ‘Ladies Do Not’ do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas.

Meanwhile Hetty, who has always felt unseen and unknown, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher, Stella.

Two hundred years away from everything they’ve ever known, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong?

Elyse: A Freaky Friday switch with an Austen-era ancestor. I’m excited to see how the historical characters manages the present day.

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