Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-20 06:00 am

Squee from the Keeper Shelf: Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter Series

Posted by Lara

Content warnings for the series: Some pretty graphic violence, some questionable consent around bodily autonomy (but not by the characters we’re supposed to like). We’re dealing with immortal beings here who break ennui by doing ever more extreme things, both sexual and physical, so do be prepared for that. Don’t worry, the characters we’re supposed to like break free from this ennui through love and become ever more humane.

I’m not a huge fan of the term ‘binge-reading’. I prefer to think of it as covering myself in a cocoon of books within which I repair, rebuild and recover.

Angels’ Blood
A | BN | K | AB
I build that cocoon out of a very specific kind of book – one that bears no resemblance to my current reality.

Dukes? None of those in my life.

Vampires and angels? None of those either.

I’m looking for intense emotions that will help me process my own but also give me a sense of my own power and agency.

Elena is a Guild Hunter. She can smell vampires and uses this sense to track down vampires who have tried to escape their contracts. When a human wants to be made into a vampire by an angel, they sign a contract with that angel saying they’ll work for that angel for 100 years. Vampires are inherently filled with bloodlust and need to be tightly controlled until they can control their impulses themselves.

The world is structured in a hierarchy from most powerful (archangels) to least powerful (humans). It goes: archangel, angel, vampire, human. Raphael is the archangel of New York/North America. There are nine other archangels, each holding a large piece of territory around the world.

In Angels’ Blood, Elena is tasked with the secret project of tracking an archangel with bloodlust. Raphael is who she has to work with. Sparks fly! Raphael has grown distant from humanity after so many years of life. Elena has an incredibly traumatic past but is very much connected to her humanity, plus she’s no push over. Raphael and Elena are the primary couple and they get a few books that center their relationship.

While Elena and Raphael have a few books focused on their relationship, for the other couples in this series, it’s the standard ‘one couple’s HEA per book’. Initially I wasn’t that interested in the other couples because Elena and Raphael had me in a chokehold, but how wrong I was not to be excited about the other couples. The stories are diverse and diverting and thrilling.

Beneath Raphael in the pecking order are his Seven. Seven powerful vampires and angels. Each of them gets their own book and their own one true love. There are also books focused on other archangels.

I read Angels’ Blood ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) many years ago and I’ve reread it multiple times since then. It’s a great romance novel, there’s no doubt about that. But the first few times I read it that’s all I focused on: two beings falling in love. So the rest of the series didn’t interest me at the time as I wasn’t particularly curious about what comes after the HEA. More fool me because there is such treasure in this series and I denied myself for so long! I’m about to start book 15.

Moreover, I didn’t appreciate the first few times I read Angels’ Blood how a relationship in a romance novel could evolve after the “I love yous” have been said. As a standalone, book one is great, but it pales into insignificance when you see how rich, deep and abiding the bond is between Elena and Raphael once you’re a few books into the series.

Archangel’s Prophecy
A | BN | K | AB
There are family ties in this series but they tend to be emotionally complex affairs. Both Elena and Raphael have complicated relationships with their families. Some of these complexities are only explored much later in the series, so it’s a semi-permanent state of affairs that bio family stuff is fraught.

Far steadier is the love and devotion of found families. Between Raphael and his Seven. Between Elena and the other Guild Hunters. The sense of loyalty, fidelity and unconditional love wrap me up in warmth. Such unshakeable trust. Even removing the state of our current world from the equation, we’ve all been bruised by a lack of loyalty by those we’ve trusted in our own lives. Well, here is a fantasy in which promises are kept and love is true, to quote Shakespeare, even until the edge of doom.

When I first read that sonnet, that phrasing seemed extreme but in this tumultuous set of novels, that’s very much the vibe. Elena and Raphael are in great peril several times, but survive what seems insurmountable odds. Why? The answer lies in the magic of their bond, the love that unites them. That is what always saves them: their love for each other.

Archangel’s Ascension
A | BN | K | AB
Without going into too much detail, this resonates deeply with me because the connection I have with my partner feels like magic sometimes: it makes us both stronger and happier as though we are greater than the sum of our parts. And it yet requires effort to maintain. Reading about a couple with a bond that has powerful magic of its own felt so good to me.

Despite all the love and fidelity, this is a bloodthirsty series. The violence doesn’t particularly bother me because it is so over the top that it kind of passes me by. But I know for some the violence is a dealbreaker.

The series ends with the publication of book 18 in 2026. I’m trying to tell myself to savour the series, to read slowly, but as I navigate my current life’s challenges, I turn again and again to the comfort of a world in which good wins, in which good people have immense power, in which hardships can be endured.

metadronos: Makoto Hyuga of Neon Genesis Evangelion (Default)
metadronos ([personal profile] metadronos) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-10-19 03:44 pm

Epitaphs from the Abyss: Splinter



C-C-CAPITALISM? Nope, this is already too scary for me


One of my favourites from the first of the limited-run EC revival titles. Warning for child abuse and gore.

If you go down to the woods today... )
aurumcalendula: gold, blue, orange, and purple shapes on a black background (Default)
AurumCalendula ([personal profile] aurumcalendula) wrote in [community profile] girlgay2025-10-19 01:53 pm
Entry tags:

Vid: Until We Go Down (Phantom, Park Cha-kyung/Yoshinaga Yuriko)

Title: Until We Go Down
Fandom: 유령 | Phantom (2023)
Music: Until We Go Down by Ruelle
Summary: 'I need that fire just to know that I'm awake'
Notes: Premiered at Virtual [community profile] confabcon 2025!
Warnings: quick cuts and flashing lights, blood, violence, lots of smoking

AO3 | bsky | DW | tumblr | YouTube
Cake Wrecks ([syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed) wrote2025-10-19 01:00 pm

Sunday Sweets: Tim Burton Tribute!

Posted by number1

We all have a favorite Tim Burton movie, be it Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, or Alice in Wonderland. (No one's favorite is Planet of the Apes. FACT.) So to gear up for Halloween, let's check out some ghoulishly gorgeous Burton-inspired Sweets.

How about we start with a little visit to Halloweentown?

Made by Making That Cake

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas characters were originally made from clay, so they're the perfect candidates for fondant!

Made by Celebra

Check out the hand-painted border on the bottom - so cute!

 

I love this giant Jack Skellington:

Submitted by Eri R., made by Bluebird Cakes

That's some talented sculpting!

 

I really like the abstract character designs on these more traditional cake tiers:

By Cake Central member tinazzzvikings74

What? No Zero?

 

These pretty packages are topped with some of the most realistic "fabric" bows I've ever seen:

Made by Chocmocakes

Ready to go under a Christmas Town tree!

 

What's this? What's this? There's cuteness in the air!

By Bella Cupcakes

Uh oh... now I've got THIS stuck in my head.

 

Look! Lock, Shock, and Barrel!

Submitted by Liz and made by chocmocakes

This cake looks way too amazing to be edible. It's like a prop from the movie!

 

Moving from one claymation masterpiece to another, let's check out some cakes inspired by The Corpse Bride.

This boned beauty is a replica of the wedding cake in the film:

Photo by BrixtonCat, baker not listed. Anyone know?

The topper is different from the one in the movie, but this one makes me swoooon!

 

This baker gets bonus points for making two cakes: one for Victor and Emily, the Corpse Bride, and one for Victor and Victoria:

Made by All About Cake

I love those very Burton-esque details, and the fondant toppers are adorable! I'll take them all, please.

 

I squealed like a little girl when I saw this gorgeous Edward Scissorhands cake:

Made by Christopher Garren's

Every aspect of this cake represents the magic of the film: the ice sculpture, animal topiaries, brightly-colored houses, the hill to Edward's house, and of course... Edward's house!

Absolutely delightful.

 

Now, for the ghost with the most, for some laughter from the hereafter, for the slave to the grave... Get ready, because IT'S SHOWTIME!

Introducing Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJU....

Maybe I shouldn't.

By Giggy's Cakes and Sweets

This goofy ghoul is the spitting image of Beetlejuice's cartoon alter-ego.

 

And this is from one of my favorite scenes from the movie:

Made by Pixie Dust Cakes

I never would have believed the Beej could look that cute. And check out the busted seams on the couch, and that linoleum "floor"! To die for.

 

As a life-long Tim Burton fan, I'd be over the moon with any of today's cakes, but this final Burton-inspired beauty is my absolute fav:

Made by LaCaketiere

It's both creepy and whimsical. Creemsical!

Plus, those dingy details really make it look like stone; hard to believe there's soft cake under there!

Take a look at the back:

It only has eyes for you. [smirk]

You can see more detail shots here.

Oh, and in all the research I did for this post, I found NO cakes for Frankenweenie or Mars Attacks! I do believe I've just given you your next mission, bakers. Hop to.

Happy Sunday!
*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

The Comics Curmudgeon ([syndicated profile] joshreadscomics_feed) wrote2025-10-19 11:26 am

The past, the future, etc.

Posted by Josh

Comics Curmudgeon readers! Do you love this blog and yearn for a novel written by its creator? Well, good news: Josh Fruhlinger's The Enthusiast is that novel! It's even about newspaper comic strips, partly. Check it out!

Beetle Bailey, 10/19/25

When Yuri Gagarin made the first human spaceflight, there were concerns that the experimental capsule he rode into space in would land too roughly for him to survive, so he actually ejected from the craft about four miles up and parachuted to the ground. He landed on a collective farm and, still wearing his space suit and helmet, almost caused a local woman and her granddaughter to panic, but he told them “Don’t be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space — and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!” Beetle, unfortunately, will receive no heroic welcome, just an all-American suspicious invocation of property rights.

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, 10/19/25

I do enjoy the different facial expressions on the sheriff and the judge in the final panel. The judge, who still believes that he’s operating within an impartial system of justice, an objective institution that stands above petty squabbles, looks put out by Snuffy’s jibe. But Sheriff Tait, who holds elected office — indeed, as far as we know he’s the only elected official the residents of Hootin’ Holler ever interact with — he gives our boy Snuffy a sly smile. He knows what Snuffy’s talking about! He knows all too well!

Mary Worth, 10/19/25

Hey, do you ever worry about our direction as a country, and, frankly, as a species? Well, have faith: in New York City, there’s a thirteen-year-old who can sort of see the future and talk to dogs with her mind, in very specific circumstances. I think we can all agree that she’s the answer to all our problems. Nothing more to worry about, let’s move on to the next story and find out what’s up with [spins giant wheel] Tommy, like is he on drugs again or what.

Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-19 08:00 am

SBTB Bestsellers: October 4 – October 17

Posted by Amanda

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by crispy leaves, pumpkin spice, and our affiliate sales data.

  1. Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  2. Fan Service by Rosie Danan Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  3. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  4. Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon, Critical Role Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  5. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Amazon | B&N
  6. Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  7. Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  8. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  9. The Baby Dragon Cafe by A.T, Qureshi Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  10. Inheritance by Nora Roberts Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope you weekend reading was fabulous!

Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-19 06:00 am

Sunday Sale Digest!

Posted by Amanda

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

zylly: (Default)
zylly ([personal profile] zylly) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-10-18 07:38 pm

Nightwing 131

Featuring one of the most fearsome Batman foes of them all!



Read more... )

The Comics Curmudgeon ([syndicated profile] joshreadscomics_feed) wrote2025-10-18 11:29 am

You’re five times more likely to encounter a bone-in ham in the comics than you are in real life

Posted by Josh

Comics Curmudgeon readers! Do you love this blog and yearn for a novel written by its creator? Well, good news: Josh Fruhlinger's The Enthusiast is that novel! It's even about newspaper comic strips, partly. Check it out!

Blondie, 10/18/25

God, I love how genuinely sad Dagwood looks in panel two. Sure, he loves his wife more than anything, but he also made some big promises and sweeping declarations to that sandwich when they were alone together. He’s sorry it had to hear this now, in its last moments before it slides unchewed down his gullet. He hopes it will still remember the good times they’ve had together, and the genuine affection in which he’s always held it.

Mary Worth, 10/18/25

I know that Mary and Olive billed this visit as a “mini-vacation” but I have to say “all I had time to do on my cross-country trip is briefly meet some dogs in a condo parking lot and then almost die in a hot air balloon mishap” is truly mini indeed. I guess it’s possible that Olive’s parents heard about the accident on the news, or, given that this is the year 2025, saw a clip of it in a “CRAZY HOT AIR BALLOON MISHAPS” YouTube compilation, and decided that was a little much even by their notoriously lax parenting standards, so they summoned her home early because “we think she has to start going to school or whatever soon.”

Pluggers, 10/18/25

I know pluggers are tired of being told they could learn a thing or two from young people today, but: hey, pluggers! The young people today aren’t answering their phones at all, at any time of day! You too could be that free!

Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-10-18 07:00 am

Book Beat: Horror, a Cookbook, & More

Posted by Amanda

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

Galloway’s Gospel

Galloway’s Gospel by Sam Rebelein

Author: Sam Rebelein
Released: September 16, 2025 by William Morrow
Genre:

In this shockingly fun wild ride of horrors, Sam Rebelein takes readers back to Renfield County and tells the story of two Rachels—one who mistakenly starts a cult at her local high school and one who tries to dismantle it ten years later. 

2009: Rachel Galloway is bored in class. She spends the dreary fall days sketching in her notebook—adorable pigs munching on her boring teachers—and imagining a utopia where all the horrors of Burnskidde High School disappear. But when her classmates start to believe this utopia could be real, Galloway finds herself at the center of an elaborate, and quickly spreading, new religion. Before long, the town is split between believers and nonbelievers. As tensions rise and the rituals become more dangerous, Galloway can’t be sure what’s real and what’s not, or who she can trust.

CULTWATCH

2019: This is the cryptic message that Renfield County Guard Rachel Durwood receives from her colleague Mark, mere days after he’s disappeared. Mark’s note leads Durwood to the town of Burnskidde, famously sealed off from the rest of the county ten years ago. Now, she discovers a small, insulated community preparing for the rapture and, seemingly, their collective demise. In order to save Burnskidde from itself, she must piece together the fallout from 2009 and avoid being swept up into the monstrous cult herself.

As Rachel Galloway watches her life spiral out of control, Rachel Durwood navigates a world where history, horror, and faith collide. Despite being separated by a decade, Galloway and Durwood may be closer to each other than they realize. But even together, will they be able to stop Burnskidde’s impending doom?

I love the “oops, I accidentally started a cult” aspect of this book description. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

How to Be a Better Adult

How to Be a Better Adult by Jacque Aye

Author: Jacque Aye
Released: January 29, 2023 by Jacque Aye
Genre: ,
Series: How to Be a Better Adult #1

“Another day of corporate drudgery”

Hope Obiako, disillusioned by her mundane existence as a lowly account specialist, discovers a mysterious handbook that drastically changes her life.

Hope is a master performer, making a show of her competence and compliance. And while she really is both competent and compliant, no one at William Hensley & Associates seems to see it. But what they never saw coming, behind her quiet and agreeable personality, is Hope’s drive to “make it” by any magical means necessary.

This book is “Sorry to Bother You” meets the surrealism of “Atlanta”, plus some “Awkward Black Girl” mixed in for good measure! An afro-surrealist tale with magical undertones. If you like the themes in the work of Sayaka Murata and the magical realism of Haruki Murakami you’ll enjoy this read.

I love both Sorry to Bother You and Haruki Murakami, plus I really like the illustration. It promises a trippy mix of inspiration.

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The In Death Cookbook

The In Death Cookbook by Theresa Carle-Sanders

Author: Theresa Carle-Sanders
Released: October 7, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre:

Discover seventy-four to-die-for recipes inspired by the world of J.D. Robb’s #1 best-selling series—with a Foreword by J.D. Robb herself!

With more than seventy amazing photographs, and story excerpts that connect the recipes to the novels that inspired them, The In Death Cookbook will transport fans from the bustling streets of futuristic New York City to Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Roarke’s luxurious Manhattan mansion, where they’ll learn to prepare the most delectable dishes. From Autochef favorites to Summerset’s mouth-watering desserts, readers will find professionally developed, easy-to-prepare selections ranging from breakfast entrees to sides, main courses and everything in between. Contributions from the whole In Death cast of characters, including the beloved snack—Feeney’s Candied Nuts!

A must for every J.D. Robb fan and a great holiday gift.

“I can still wish for an AutoChef, but until technology grants that wish, please enjoy these fun, adventurous, comforting, fancy, and basic recipes—inspired by the In Death series and its characters. I hope you find pleasure in the preparation and in the sharing of these dishes with friends, family, and lovers.” — J. D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts

Sarah and I were discussing this! I read a few of the In Death books, but I don’t remember a ton of food content. Granted, it’s been ages since I read any. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Macabre

The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson

Author: Kosoko Jackson
Released: September 9, 2025 by Harper Voyager
Genre: , ,

From award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Kosoko Jackson comes his adult speculative debut, a stand-alone novel blending time travel and globe-hopping adventure, art history, and dark fantasy about magical paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them…or be destroyed.

A picture is worth a thousand nightmares.

Art has always been an escape for struggling painter Lewis Dixon. But other than his mom, who has recently passed away, no one has ever praised his work. If he is being honest, there’s really no one in his life. So he is shocked when the British Museum shows an unusual interest in his art. This is his chance to show the world what he’s capable of…he just has no idea that he might also be saving the world at the same time.

As Lewis soon learns, he has not been invited to participate in a curated show, but rather a test: to see if the fugue-like exhilaration he experiences when painting is actually magic, a power that allows him to enter nine very special paintings—paintings made by his great-grandfather. Spread across the globe, these paintings have unbelievable eldritch abilities…and not necessarily beneficial ones. In terms of power, these are the most valuable works of art in the world, and there are those out there who would do anything to possess just one.

And Lewis, upon passing the test, has been asked to destroy them all.

Partnered with an alluring agent in museum’s employ, Noah Rao, Lewis must travel to Japan, Australia, Nigeria—and the past—plunging himself into a world of black markets, gothic magic, ancient history, and cursed objects to save those unlucky enough to call any of the paintings their own—or to free the world from those who would misuse the power of the paintings. In doing so, he will need to discover if he has what it takes to truly be an artist, the confidence to finally open himself up to someone who could give his lonely life meaning, and the strength to enter and navigate a reality where magic is everywhere.

The magical paintings sound so creepy and interesting. A great option for October!

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