Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/adam-eve-summer-lovin/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143882

This post is being sponsored by AdamandEve.com and they’ve offered us a coupon code for the Bitchery!

Here is the most important information:

AdamandEve.com is offering Smart Bitches readers 50% off a single item plus free standard shipping in the US and Canada with code SMART. Please note: certain exclusions apply, but the coupon covers most of the store.

If you’d like to see some of the toys we’ve featured in previous posts, check out our Adam & Eve tag!

I’ve titled this post “Summer Lovin'” as a reminder to, if you can, slow down and take some time for yourself (and/or your partner) during the lazy season. Also, yes…I hope the song is stuck in your head.

This post is extremely NSFW! You have been warned!

…

Loveline: The Traveler – $64.99 $32.50 – 50% off with SMART coupon!

This is a sleek and discreet travel vibrator with ten different vibration modes. It also contains a hidden compartment, if you wanted to fill it with lube or toy cleaner without worrying about the 3oz liquids limit. Very clever!

…

Eve’s Triple Pleasure Gift Set – $89.99 $45.00 – 50% off with SMART coupon!

I personally think this is a fantastic deal! Three toys for under $50?! I also find them to be super cute, if aesthetics matter to you in terms of toy choices. The set contains three separate bullet vibrators with different tips for a variety of sensation. I myself am a bullet evangelist and I’m tempted to grab these for myself.

…

Dolce Thumping G-Spot Vibrator – $99.99 $50.00 – 50% off with SMART coupon!

I’m really digging the design and color palette of this one. This vibe has two distinct sensations. One is vibration and the other is a thumping mode; both have ten different patterns each. Please note that this is only compatible with water-based lubricants.

…

Maia Shroomie Mini Wand Massager – $59.99 $30.00 – 50% with SMART Coupon

For all you readers who love a bit of whimsy, check out this mushroom-inspired vibrator! This one boasts 15 stimulation modes and is rechargeable. I honestly hate messing around with batteries, as inevitably things will die mid-use/ Nothing kills the mood quite like hunting for AAAs in your junk drawer or figuring out which remote to steal them from.

…

Slay Amaze Me Mini Rabbit Vibrator – $39.99 $20.00 – 50% off with SMART coupon!

Honestly, I could do a whole post on cute toys that look like other things. (Should I?) This rechargeable vibrator can run up to 90 minutes on a single charge, which is hella impressive. Plus, it’s waterproof and comes with a variety of vibration settings.

…

Thank you to Adam and Eve for the coupon, and for sponsoring this post!

Don’t forget – AdamandEve.com is offering Smart Bitches readers 50% off a single item plus free standard shipping in the US and Canada with code SMART. Please note: certain exclusions apply, but the coupon covers most of the store.

I hope you’re able to do something special for yourself this summer! If you have other recommendations from Adam & Eve, please leave them in the comments below.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/adam-eve-summer-lovin/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143882

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/freya-marske-sports-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143874

A Letter to the Luminous Deep

RECOMMENDED: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! Elyse read this one and gave it an A:

If you are looking for a cozy fantasy read with excellent romance and worldbuilding, I highly recommend Letters to the Luminous Deep.

A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.

“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity.” —Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Swordcrossed

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske is $2.99! Many of us were very excited for this release. Sarah also had Marske on the podcast to talk about it.

High heat. Low stakes. Sharp steel.

The cozy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance where, yes, the swords do cross.

A LitHub most anticipated book of 2024

Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years.

What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

“There’s nothing in fantasy or queer romance that Marske can’t do.”—Sarah Rees Brennan

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Dream Girl Drama

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is $1.99! This is book three in the Big Shots series, which are sports romances. I believe Elyse has enjoyed these! Fingers crossed this deal doesn’t poof!

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

A Master of Djinn

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark is $2.99! I picked this one for a previous Hide Your Wallet. Historical fantasy mystery with a badass main character and a supportive girlfriend.

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/freya-marske-sports-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143874

Posted by Lara

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/great-big-beautiful-life-by-emily-henry/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=142660

I dithered for a week before starting this book. I had it in my possession, but couldn’t get past the first page. I’m not sure if this is unique to me, but when I’m really looking forward to something, it’s very difficult for me to start it. Then, one morning I bit the bullet and pushed through to page two. From there, I tore through the book, snatching reading time wherever I could until I finished it this evening.

Afterward, I think I felt every emotion there is to feel.

Alice and Hayden are writers who are in a small town in coastal Georgia to try out for the post of being Margaret Ives’ biographer. Margaret Ives now lives a reclusive life under a different name and works as a mosaic artist in said coastal town. She’s in her 80s and has lived an incredibly big life, much of it played out in the tabloids. She comes from a very wealthy media mogul family and she quickly became the ‘Tabloid Princess’. Now she is ready to tell her story, her way.

Margaret’s story takes up a big chunk of the book and it is an incredibly tragic one. A romance novel promises only a HEA for our main couple. There’s no promise for a HEA for her so I felt I was risking my heart a bit reading this book. The suffering in Margaret’s life made it tough going for me. I was very worried about what would happen to Margaret at the end. If, like me, you can only go through emotional turmoil in a book if you know that things will at least kind of work out, then click below to see whether it’s a HEA or not for Margaret.

Alice focuses on celebrity profiles mostly and other lighter pieces. This would be her first major biography, but she’s passionate about telling it because her dad (who passes away before the book begins) was curious about Margaret’s story. Losing her dad is not the only tragic event of Alice’s life. Her sister had health issues when she was younger and that deeply impacted Alice’s life. There’s also some baggage with her mom. So Alice has a lot going on. All of this is unpacked gradually for the reader, but the bare bones (like I’ve given you here) emerge early on in the book.

At the very start of the book, though, Alice is SUNSHINE PERSONIFIED and at the exact moment I had the thought, ‘She is irritating’, the backstory begins to be revealed and the depth to her personality emerges.

If Alice is sunshine, then Hayden is the grump (although these are such fully fleshed out characters that it feels odd to reduce them to a trope). He’s a taciturn journalist who started out writing about music and then won a Pulitzer when he wrote a biography about someone just as they were losing their memories to dementia. He is initially quite cold with Alice, but that changes, almost against his will.

It’s not that Alice charms him or that he warms up. It’s a bit of both, but it’s also more than that. There is a magnetism between these two that compels them into each other’s path. The repartee had me smiling at my Kindle like a goofball. There are some moments of humour too! These combine to really lift the book into something that’s readable for someone like me who takes ages to recover from books describing tragedies.

Alice and Hayden gradually fall in love and it’s phenomenal to read. The depth, the nuance, the insight. I felt like I knew these people as well as I know my friends. They’re thrown together initially because the first meeting they have with Margaret is a joint one where they find out the terms of this ‘audition’ to be her biographer. They’ll spend a month with Margaret (separately, on alternate days) and once the month is up, each writer must put together a proposal of how they would approach the book.

This coastal town is a tiny one, so they cross each other’s paths multiple times during that month, sometimes accidentally (neighbouring hotel rooms initially) and sometimes purposefully (Alice will sometimes seek Hayden out, wanting to be friends with him because she makes friends with everyone). The transition from competitors to friends to lovers is so gradual that I can’t identify a turning point in their relationship. There is a slow slide that as a reader I just sunk into like one would a hot bath. There is however a steady build in the tension. They both want this job and one of them is going to lose out in the end. What impact will that have on their budding relationship? As a source of conflict, it does the job.

Looking at it more broadly, the characterisation and the deftness of the writing itself is what compelled me to read this book in a day. When I would take breaks to feed my daughter or get the breast pump out, my real life would feel strange and even foreign to me, such was the extent of my immersion in this book. The end of the book was incredibly fast paced as loose ends were wrapped up and at that stage I was helpless and just went where the book told me to go.

I loved this novel. As much as it put me through the emotional wringer, the quality of the writing forced me to keep reading it and I am so very glad that I did. I think the one caution I would add is that this is more women’s fiction than it is contemporary romance. Regardless of genre specifics, Great Big Beautiful Life echoed for days after I finished it. I’m not sure I’ll ever revisit it, but I will certainly remember it.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/great-big-beautiful-life-by-emily-henry/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=142660

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sunday-sale-digest-27/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143774

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/04/sunday-sale-digest-27/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=143774