The Smut Report

Books I’ve read this spring that I thought were fun or interesting—but writing a full review is too much.

Fire Magic and Ice Cream by Lauren Connolly

File this one under: super-fun concept! Quinn is a fire elemental whose power gets activated when she is aroused. Like, her skin is covered in flames and her clothes burn off. As you might imagine, it makes dating extremely challenging when good sex *literally* lights the bed on fire. Enter August, an ice elemental whose powers are also activated by arousal. Once Quinn and August figure out their unique sexual compatibility, this book morphs into a low-angst contemporary romance, as our protagonists figure out their relationship.

One Last Time by Roxie Noir

This is the last book in the Loveless brothers series, and it’s a banger. (We’ve talked about other books in this truly top-notch series here: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3) I will say that Delilah was a difficult heroine for me: she’s rich and spoiled, and also, her reasons for being mad at Seth are completely unreasonable. BUT. Even with my frustration with Delilah in the first half of the novel, this is an exceptional second-chance romance that really sells the idea that our protagonists weren’t ready to be together forever their first (and second, and third, and fourth) time around. Bonus points for the parallel grand gestures and the Varmint Palace.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Not exactly a romance, though there is a love interest and a happy ending. I found this book about a group of women in rural India who start murdering husbands vastly entertaining to read. (Thanks to my sister for the recommendation!)

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The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson

Though this book has a fascinating setting, I ultimately found it disappointing. First, while I am all about reading books with a feminist message, in this case, I thought it felt shoehorned in—and was heavy-handed to boot. Second, I didn’t find the romance particularly satisfying. While the romance was not the central story arc (which is fine!), it drives enough of the plot, particularly in the second half, that I wanted it to be a bit more fleshed out. And finally, I thought it was too darn long. 

Bound to the Battle God by Ruby Dixon

Ok, so speaking of books that are too darn long, this book clocks in at 656 pages…but I read it in two days. It’s an epic fantasy romance with fabulous worldbuilding, a great single POV sassy heroine who is in over her head, and one damn adventure after another. Plus the romance—between a human woman and the god of battle and storms who has been exiled to the mortal realm (and is arrogance personified)—is excellent. What I didn’t love? Well, the adventures could have been shortened a bit. The tone sometimes gets a little slut-shamey (our heroine witnesses not one, but two orgies and does NOT approve). And I hated the epilogue, though the content is very on-brand for Dixon.

Think of England by K.J. Charles

It’s a House Party Mystery! Archie Curtis, wounded war veteran accepts an invitation to a house party in order to investigate his host. While there, he meets Daniel da Silva, who is aggressively flamboyant—and, it turns out, also investigating their host. They reluctantly join forces, which leads to some performative hanky-panky, which leads to some non-performative hanky-panky, as Curtis realizes that maybe he actually likes men *that* way. A few reader notes: there are quite a few period-appropriate slurs from the other good ole boys at the house party, and a very grim resolution to the mystery. 

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Bonus Movie Recommendation: Polite Society

This movie is utterly delightful. Think over-the-top martial arts fight scenes, except every single character is a woman and sometimes they throw down while dressed for a very fancy Pakistani-British wedding. Also, I dare you to not stan Nimra Bucha.