Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Bi Rep

June is Pride month, and as we hurtle towards July and summer, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our favorite romances featuring bisexual characters. (As always, click the links to go to the book’s Amazon page.)

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole

Johan doesn’t specifically label himself, but he does easily and matter-of-factly discuss his partners of different genders. The drama of the story is his fake relationship with Nya, the politics of his imaginary benevolent European monarchy, and their respective childhood traumas. Loved. It.

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin Van Whye

This is a very YA romance. Kai isn’t out, and he’s a HS senior, but when he decides to spite-ask Bryson to date him (because of this dare that made him very grumpy), he finally gets to be himself with someone without fear, and Bryson discovers that he’s actually attracted to Kai. It is just the sweetest young love story, although, thanks to the high school framing, bi invisibility is real, since everyone dating someone of a different gender is presumed to be straight (shocking, I know).

Bear with Me by Lucy Eden

Chellie, influencer extraordinaire, is on an image rehabilitation tour slash is taking some alone time out in the woods…where she meets Tanner, Grumpy Bear Shifter. This is a low-drama novella with a lot of Tanner grumpily caring for Chellie when she does things like not dress appropriately for the woods or wander off and almost get eaten by a mountain lion. Chellie is also bi, though her toxic mother keeps trying to convince everyone that her attraction to women is “just a phase.” (Charming.) But seriously, aside from the toxic mother, this novella is seriously charming. 

This Is Not the End by Sidney Bell

This beautiful menage romance features two bisexual men who have been best friends slash bandmates for years. Come for the sexytimes, stay for the thoughtful portrayal of a couple opening their marriage and finding so much more love than they expected. 

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

Did you know that bisexuality is…not a new phenomenon? Agatha Griffin was happily married to a man for many years, and is surprised when she finds love again, this time in the arms of beekeeper and rabble-rouser Penelope Flood. This beautiful, espistolitary romance featuring two women as they enter middle age is a lovely, politically-sharp read. 

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

This romance novel is set at the Great British Bake Off. Need I say more? Ok, fine, so Rosaline is also openly and proudly bisexual—perhaps even stridently so. Her experience entering a baking competition brings her not only love, but also a pretty compelling journey of self-discovery. Warning: this book includes an ugly and gas-lighty and all-too-unsurprising attempted sexual assault. It also contains a love triangle. Your mileage may vary, but I had a blast reading it. 

Review

Review: The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite (2021)

Feminine Pursuits, Book #3

Reviews of Feminine Pursuits, Book #1 and Book #2

Heat Factor: There’s some passion

Character Chemistry: It’s obvious that they like each other

Plot: This swindle keeps getting more and more out of control

Overall: It was kinda busy

Continue reading “Review: The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite (2021)”
Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Artist Heroines

To celebrate Women’s History Month, every Saturday in March we’ve prepared a Saturday Smutty Six list of some of our favorite heroines.

This week: Artists


The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

Agatha’s primary concern is her printing business, but she’s also an engraver, and there’s nothing you can say to convince me that she’s not an artist. (We also highly recommend the first book in this series, which deals explicitly with questions about what “counts” as art as opposed to work or a hobby – and whose art is therefore celebrated.) This wonderful slow-burn epistolary romance between two middle-aged women is thought-provoking, heartfelt, and so sexy. (Full Review)

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa monetized her artistry by setting up a business designing book covers, tattoos, and pretty much whatever else anybody wants drawn. While a lot of the story is centered on Aiden and the world of football, Van makes a place in the world that she’s always wanted for herself with her art. (Full Review)

This is Not the End by Sidney Bell

Former model turned fashion photographer Anya thinks she already has her HEA when the book opens. After all, she and Zac are happily married with a cute baby. Turns out, the HEA gets even happier *waggles eyebrows* when they invite Cal to join them. All jokes aside, while this sexy menage focuses more on Zac and Cal and their joint musical career, the group also prioritizes Anya’s ability to continue working as the mother of a young child; we desperately need more of this in romance (especially all those romances that end with a marriage and a baby). (Full Review)

Daddy Crush by A. Anders

Fiber arts! So cool! Jerusha is already selling her work for thousands of dollars per piece when she moves in next door to Karl, but she’s excited about studying for her MFA and creating new pieces that are ultimately included in a gallery showing of her work. (Full Review)

Her Pretend Christmas Date by Jackie Lau

Julie serves drinks at the cider bar to pay the bills, but she makes jewelry for happiness. Her non-traditional, non-9-to-5 lifestyle is a stressor in her life, because it’s a point of contention between her and her family, but it’s also not something she’s willing to let go of. (Full Review)

The Demon’s in the Details by Jeanne Oates Estridge

Struggling painter Keeffe comes by her artistic talent honestly: her mother was a sculptor, who was, perhaps, divinely inspired. Too bad Satan is trying to collect all of Keeffe’s mother’s sculptures, and Keeffe is the only thing standing in his way. Enter Bad, Certified Cinnamon Roll Demon, also known as the Demon of Sloth and the head of hell’s technology department. There’s some body snatching, an art commission, a beautiful date reenacting Keeffe’s favorite painting (!!!), nuanced portrayals of lay Catholicism, and lots of demonic shenanigans. (Full Review)

Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Voting Inspiration

If you’re feeling election fatigue…we get it. 2020 has lasted approximately a million years, which means that the 2020 election has lasted approximately two million years. But it’s not over til it’s over, so if you’re feeling the need for some inspiration to get more involved in participatory democracy…We made a smut list for that! 

But first, a personal note. 

Why we vote

Holly: The first election I was really aware of was 2000 – and boy, was it a doozy. So my sense with electoral politics is not only that it’s outrageously important but that you might have to fight like hell to get your voice heard. I honestly can’t imagine not voting. 

Erin: My mother taught me to take it seriously. When I was really young, I learned that my Grandfather lost a local election by a super small margin, which taught me that every vote really does matter. I also was made aware very young that there are many countries in the world where people don’t get to vote, or if they do, the government is so corrupt that it doesn’t matter. My whole family takes voting super duper seriously. So I vote because it’s my job as a citizen to do so.

Ingrid: I also have to say that my earliest memories of voting involved my Grandpa–really everyone in my extended family was raised with a strong conviction that serving the community is not an optional value and that voting is one of the best things you can do to serve your community. Also though–I vote because it feels good to do the right thing, and it’s satisfying to know you’re doing your part to help your community.


If those answers don’t sum up our personalities in a nutshell, we really don’t know what would. 

Without further ado, here are some of our favorite romances that get us in the mood to head to the ballot box. There are a lot of suffragette romances on this list. (As always, click on the titles to go to the book’s Amazon page.)

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

This is one of the most politically engaged romances Holly has ever read. Agatha and Penelope go to a peaceful protest, participate in a not-so-peaceful protest, print seditious pamphlets, and take on an anti-vice society. While also falling in love and spending a lot of time beekeeping.

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan

The entire Brothers Sinister series is rooted in Victorian politics, but The Suffragette Scandal in particular is aces because Frederica Marshall (who’s been a firecracker in other books, mistake not) is a wonderfully constructed political activist heroine. She runs a political newspaper and readily engages in protests, and is marvelously fierce. Although this lands her in hot water, the relationship drama stems from the fact that the hero meets her with a deception, not from Free’s activism.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Annabelle receives a scholarship to study at Oxford from a Suffragette society, and because of this, she’s required to participate in suffragette pamphleting and so forth. Ergo, Annabelle is an activist because she has to be, not because she’s all fired up to be, which is a fun take. Even beyond the suffrage aspect, this book is chock full of politics, and the way that Dunmore deconstructs class and feminism is also great.

Some Like it Scandalous by Maya Rodale

Ok, so this is mostly about a Gilded Age Lady Boss starting a make-up company, but there’s a thread of activism running through the novel. Daisy Swan and her suffragette friends push the boundaries of woman’s space both literally (by going to lunch without a male escort) and figuratively (by mutually supporting each other in their goals of financial independence). Bonus points for a suffrage rally where everyone wears bright red lipstick. 

Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology

This anthology of black suffragette romance is awesome. It’s got great love stories, but it’s also really rooted in history. The authors tackle not just black women’s place in the struggle to win the vote, but also explore questions of race, passing, respectability, and intersectional politics. In a non-nerdy, absolutely swoon-worthy manner. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

A contemporary romance! McQuiston wrote this book after the 2016 election and filled it with people who are woefully underrepresented in our current political landscape. Alex Claremont-Diaz is the president’s son, and he plans to be elected to Congress as soon as he’s old enough. But the realities of ugly biases tarnish not only his dream, but his mother’s reelection campaign when he begins a same-sex relationship with a prince of England.

Recommended Read, Review

Review: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (2020)

Feminine Pursuits, Book 2

Review of Feminine Pursuits, Book 1

Heat Factor: Slow, steady, burn.

Character Chemistry: So much pining! But also, believable BFFs. And they do that thing where they call each other by last name and I swoon every time. 

Plot: A year in the life of Flood and Griffin. 

Overall: The plot meanders but sometimes a book (even a romance) is more than a tight plot. I recommend reading this one.

Continue reading “Review: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (2020)”