Review: Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey (2020)
Waiting for Tom Hanks, #2
Review of Waiting for Tom Hanks #1
Heat Factor: There’s nothing. It’s closed door.
Character Chemistry: I think all the chemistry was actually in the first book
Plot: 30-ish woman having a meltdown
Overall: This is kind of like when you’re in your early 20s, listening to your friend constantly talk about the guy she’s obsessed with but refuses to do anything about it.
Review: Spellbound by Ophelia Silk (2021)
Heat Factor: Medium-ish heat, tastefully and sweetly done
Character Chemistry: Just so meant to be.
Plot: Two deeply lonely women find themselves thrown together in a deep and scary wood and end up finding themselves (but together)
Overall: This was like a Matryoshka doll of a story–so many details that just kinda stick in your brain and cling in the best way.
My First Smut: Sexy Audiobooks Make Roadtrips Better
My First Smut is a recurring feature where we talk about our formative smut experiences. These short confessionals may include such details as: What book did you read? How old were you? Were there other people involved? What made the experience special? What role does smut play in your life?
This week, Kandy from What The Smut Podcast talks about reading Outlander for the first time.
First romance novel you read:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
How old were you?
In my thirties
How’d you get your hands on the book?
I was making a 22 hour drive from California to Oklahoma alone and needs something to listen to in the car. I found the book under sci-fi and time travel and it was LONG!
What was the reading experience like?
It is an awesome sci-fi book with the time travel angle but geez louise I near ran my car into a ditch when the first EXPLICIT sex scene started. Of course, I have devoured every line of that series and reread the entire lot whenever a new book comes out. May all of the gods bless you Diana Gabaldon.
What made the experience special?
I had read teen romance as a kid but had no idea that this was a thing. Give me more, give me more!!
What role does smut play in your life?
I spend a lot of time and effort co-hosting a podcast dedicated to Smut!
Thanks Kandy! Outlander was a formative romance-reading experience for Holly as well. (Thanks Mom!)
Review: Hunting the Hunter by Shiloh Walker (2006)
The Hunters, Book 8
Heat Factor: She’s a fucking Surprise Virgin
Character Chemistry: Fate keeps bringing them together. Or something.
Plot: She is a vampire who hunts vampires. He is a human who hunts vampires.
Overall: DNF at 30% after the first sex scene
Review: The Dragon Prince’s Bride by Elva Birch (2021)
Royal Dragons of Alaska, Book #3
Reviews of Royal Dragons of Alaska: Book #1, Book #2
Heat Factor: Not closed door, but not very intense or explicit
Character Chemistry: The way they go through their captivity together is just absolutely charming
Plot: You think it’s going to be an angsty, pining, stealing-the-fiancée kind of a thing, but then they get kidnapped and everything goes sideways
Overall: My favorite so far in this series. SO FUN.
