Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Romance Remix

Romance retellings are fun and offer endless variety. The fun comes from seeing a recognizable frame—and then going along for the ride as the author takes the base story in a new direction. And there are so many ways you can take retellings! And so many stories out there to retell! We had a group chat just about Cinderella romances last fall, and even that one story offers a host of possibilities. When the original and the new material really play off each other, it’s magic. 


Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Holly is our local Austen Retelling Expert, and Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors remains her gold standard for Pride and Prejudice retellings. Dev captures the ethos of the original in her contemporary retelling but gives Tricia and DJ depth such that their arc from antagonism to love is believable in and of itself, and not just because they are Lizzie and Darcy and have to fall in love. (Read Holly’s full review.

Content Notes: racism, medical stuff, past sexual assault (secondary character)

Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase

On the surface, this Taming of the Shrew retelling follows a women’s rights activist and a buffoonish aristocrat who’s trying to do right by her after inadvertently compromising her. But Cassandra “tames” Ashmont (as it were), not vice versa, because as she explains why she won’t marry him, doesn’t respect him, and doesn’t trust him, she makes Ashmont see his privilege and how his past behavior had harmed her (and others) and made her feel invisible. Chase did some really awesome things with this retelling, and the character development was fabulous. (Read Erin’s full review.)

Content Notes: emotional abuse, misogyny

If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon 

This Cinderella retelling manages to evoke the Cinderella ethos without making Amanda a helpless victim. With Amanda’s employer being cast in the role of the step-sister, it’s easy to understand why Amanda chooses to tread carefully – she’s got a dream to reach for, after all! But even without meaning to, Oscar-winning actor Sam Pleasant churns up some drama when Amanda comes into his orbit. The natural tension of the Cinderella plot works for this story, so if you’re looking for a not-so-angsty read with some solid natural tension and awesome checking in and consent between the protagonists, this here’s a great retelling for you!

Content Notes: verbal/emotional abuse (in the workplace)


Avalon’s Last Knight by Jackson C. Garton

Garton’s reimagining of the Arthurian legend is set in rural Kentucky, and it is a wild ride. Lance, as a trans man dealing with some self-esteem struggles and body dysphoria and living back in his hometown where people don’t hesitate to deadname him, is working on some emotionally weighty stuff. But also he, his sister Gwen, his friends Mordy and Morgan, and his best friend–>boyfriend Arthur have to destroy the evil necromancer, save the girls/young women in their community, and pull themselves out of the eons old reincarnation loop that they’ve been dealing with since being cursed by Morgana. (Read Erin’s full review.)

Content Notes: transphobia, deadnaming, abuse, violence 

Neon Gods by Katee Robert (pub date June 1)

This super-sexy retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth leans in to the dysfunctional side of Olympus. Like, of course Persephone and Demeter have a fraught relationship! Where this book really shines, however, is in the bantery grumpy-sunshine dynamic that develops between Persephone and Hades, as they go from exhibitionist sex pact to true love. Bonus points for Hades doing that thing where he is all domineering because that’s how he shows he cares. 

Content Notes: public sex, violence

The Henchmen of Zenda by K.J. Charles

Whether or not you agree with me about including this book probably depends on how you take your happy endings, but I’m going for it because 1. It is a reimagining of the Victorian pulp romance The Prisoner of Zenda, 2. It clearly demonstrates that retellings or reimaginings are everywhere and 3. It is totally awesome. The original is OTT in true Victorian pulp fashion, but with her “let’s tell this story from the perspective of the bad guys, and also they’re totally into each other” twist, Charles makes it even better! Jasper is a cheeky anti-hero narrator, and he and Rupert are a clever team with some stellar on-page sizzle.

Content Notes: violence, homophobia, abduction, discussion of sexual assault


Honorable Mention: Peter Darling by Austin Chant

This book is the rare retelling that makes you rethink the source material—and not just because Chant reimagines Wendy/Peter as the same person, but also because of the way he portrays Neverland and the nature of reality there. Plus, everyone can agree that Captain Hook is the sexiest. So why is this incredible book listed as a bonus? Because it’s not currently available for sale anywhere. (Holly was lucky enough to find a copy at her local library; you might get lucky too!) 

Content Notes: transphobia, violence

EDITED TO ADD: As of June 1, 2021, Peter Darling has been re-released by the author and is available for purchase.

Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Seriously Exceptional Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon roll heroes are extremely popular, but so many cinnamon roll heroes are sweet and nice, but not the ooey gooey deliciousness of too good for this world that is the best cinnamon roll. They’re often also nice in a somewhat 2-dimensional way, without any of their own problems or baggage (or they’re AMAZING until the conflict arises, and they do something completely outrageous). 

These cinnamon rolls, on the other hand, have feelings and react to situations like real people, but holy moly do they take care of things, are willing to communicate and engage with their feelings and be an amazing partner. 

Thus, without further ado, we present you with this Saturday Smutty Six list of seriously exceptional cinnamon roll heroes:

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon

If anyone puts together a cinnamon roll list WITHOUT Rafe on it, you should probably back away, because that person is not to be trusted. Rafe doesn’t have a ton of baggage, though he is working through whether being a professional caretaker for the rest of his life is really for him when he accepts a job taking care of Sloan’s twins. Let’s start with the obvious: every parent deserves a nanny as good as Rafe in their life. He cooks. He enjoys spending time with kids. He does laundry. But also, when he finds himself attracted to Sloan, he goes with open and honest communication. And keeps up the open and honest communication when her ex starts the drama. In short: Rafe is the best. 

Salt+Stilettos by Janet Walden-West

Yum, yummy, yum, Will is a chef from American Samoa and is just…healthy, sexy, vulnerable, gooey, goodness. Brett is in PR and is helping pull off the launch of his new restaurant, but she’s also dealing with nearly debilitating PTSD. Will provides a safe, healthy, nurturing connection she can count on. One thing I loved about this book is that Will deals with things men in the real world deal with–he’s self-conscious about gaining weight, and doesn’t always feel like he’s top-dog (even though he’s incredibly talented and well-respected in his field). And the way this is written shows how sexy it is for a man to be strong, vulnerable, and REAL.

The Boyfriend Project by Farah Rochon

The big problem in this book is that Daniel is deceiving Samiah, and he’s deceiving her because he’s an undercover agent for the Treasury department. Even though he really knows he shouldn’t, he can’t help but keep seeing Samiah, who’s going through her own drama. His empathy and support are lovely, and he takes time to listen to her and understand her. Totally a book boyfriend.

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday 

Jake takes care of things. Your porch is broken? Jake will fix it. You need some dinner? Here’s Jake, with a pizza (ham and pineapple, aka the best toppings). He helps deliver a baby in the middle of the town square. Note that this strong-and-silent hero has some serious emotional baggage that keeps him from toppling into white knight territory. 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Red is always a caregiver because his mother is diabetic, so when he really gets to know Chloe after thinking she’s nothing more than a frosty rich girl since they met, he immediately demonstrates that he understands she only has so many spoons, and he’s more than willing to share some of his to make their time together better. He’s just a genuinely nice man, even if his life is still sorting itself out.

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller 

Sam is the sunshine to Ava’s grumpy, and he is just so thoughtful and charming and optimistic that you can’t help but love him, even if he can’t remember to tie his own shoes.

Review

Review: A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon (2020)

Cowboys of California, Book #1

Heat Factor: Definitely not closed door, but I wouldn’t say explicit either

Character Chemistry: I’m going to have to quit reading second chance romance because the “I’m so sexually attracted to you but I really can’t get over my emotional baggage” just does not work for me.

Plot: see above but toss in a healthy dose of amnesia

Overall: I’m not sure emotional maturity is a good fit for a second chance romance

Continue reading “Review: A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon (2020)”
Review

Review: Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon (2018)

Loose Ends, Book 1

Heat Factor: Thinking about sex, talking about sex, having sex. Sexytimes abound!

Character Chemistry: You can’t help but have chemistry with Rafe, because he is the Perfect Man

Plot: My nanny is so hot! Let’s do this!

Overall: It’s sexy and smart and political and I wish I loved it more than I did

Continue reading “Review: Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon (2018)”