Tom, Tom, the Butler's Son
Jan. 20th, 2026 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
steepholmToday I turn to my great-great-grandfather Thomas - or Tom, to his siblings. Tom is the middle child, between Weeden and Anne (older) and Fanny and George (younger), though we mustn't forget little Isabella, who is the youngest of all and not yet old enough to write.
We first meet Tom on 5th October 1822, shortly after his thirteenth birthday. It's a short letter, but it paints an enthusiastic picture:
Tom's father (also Weeden) was in the habit of appending notes of his own to his children's letters to his eldest son. In this case, he adds: "The children, dear Weeden, not your father, sang merrily. I was glad to notice their joy. W.B." Was he worried that it might appear undignified in a father, a priest, a headmaster, to sing about a Frog's adventures? Weeden had been widowed earlier that year, and perhaps that too was an element in his reassurance.
Tom was something of a worry to his sisters. Here's Fanny complaining about him to Weeden in a letter written in the Autumn of... well, I'm not sure which year, because it's undated (even the season is only implied by her concern for fires and muffetees). But I'm guessing 1822 or 1823, because it seems a little on the young side.
Perhaps Fanny's mind is set on misers because their next-door neighbour at the time, John Camden Neild, was a notorious miser, who (according to Wikipedia): "was so frugal with worldly pleasures that for a while he had not a bed to lie on. His dress consisted of a blue swallow-tailed coat with gilt buttons, brown trousers, short gaiters, and shoes which were patched and generally down at the heels. He never allowed his clothes to be brushed, because, he said, it destroyed the nap. He continually visited his numerous estates, walking whenever it was possible, never went to the expense of a great-coat, and always stayed with his tenants, sharing their coarse meals and lodging."
Anyway, Fanny's letter prompts another paternal PS:
Tom's laziness is not his only fault. Anne reports to Weeden on 27th April, 1824 about a more serious trespass:
Thank goodness for the magical power of the Strachey name! I'm not sure exactly which Strachey this is, by the way, though his is certainly the family that later gave rise to Lytton of that ilk. A couple of months earlier Anne had described him in strict mourning ("He looks thinner than ever in black") for his aunt, Lady Strachey - Julia, wife of Sir Henry the first Baronet, who died on 12th February. But my idle Googling has so far failed to turn up any younger brother of Sir Henry to be his father, and no "Sir John" at all in that generation. Clearly some mistake - but mine, Anne's, or the magistrate's wife's? I feel a visit to the Strachey tombs in Chew Magna coming on. In any case, being the nephew of a baronet (or one of the nephew's companions) is, then as now, a sound method for getting away with petty crime.
We don't hear of Tom indulging in similar adventures thereafter, but Anne is still worried about his future. On 6th July she writes again, in the wake of the death of a young friend, William Gardiner, probably from tuberculosis:
In retrospect, it seems ironic that a boy who considered becoming a scavenger, a bookseller or an auctioneer should end up as Assistant Secretary to the British Museum during its most, shall we say, acquisitive period. But this is to peer too curiously into the glass of futurity. A month or two later Tom, not yet quite 15, was living in Bordeaux, working for his wine merchant uncle. His last letter from what we might called the Weeden Schooldays collection, from 21st May 1825, is prettily written, but speaks of a certain homesickness, I think:
Poor, stranded Tom. And less than three years ago he was singing about frogs.
We first meet Tom on 5th October 1822, shortly after his thirteenth birthday. It's a short letter, but it paints an enthusiastic picture:
My dear Weeden
I have not written you a letter for a long time. This morning after 10 O’clock we had a theme, it was on “Truth”. I wrote down to the bottom of the second page. I daresay that little George thought it rather funny that we dissapeared, for he must have thought so, I think as he did not see us go away. I hope you spent the day very agreably. I am sure I did, as we were coming home in the coach we began to sing “A Frog he would a wooing go”, &c. I dare say the people who passed by did not much care for our beautiful singing, or the Coachman either. We were at home at about a quarter after 11 O’clock. —Not quite so late.
I remain, yours,
ever affectionately,
T. Butler
Tom's father (also Weeden) was in the habit of appending notes of his own to his children's letters to his eldest son. In this case, he adds: "The children, dear Weeden, not your father, sang merrily. I was glad to notice their joy. W.B." Was he worried that it might appear undignified in a father, a priest, a headmaster, to sing about a Frog's adventures? Weeden had been widowed earlier that year, and perhaps that too was an element in his reassurance.
Tom was something of a worry to his sisters. Here's Fanny complaining about him to Weeden in a letter written in the Autumn of... well, I'm not sure which year, because it's undated (even the season is only implied by her concern for fires and muffetees). But I'm guessing 1822 or 1823, because it seems a little on the young side.
My dear Weeden
We began fires today. I got up at 8 o’clock this morning. Tom will not write to you because he says that it would be a waste of paper. Tom has been told more than once that he will be an old Batchelor & I think it is very likely to be true if he indulges such miserly opinions as these. Mr Dyer preached a sermon this morning that Papa says he remembers having read 4 or 5 times before. If you want some white muffetees for your wrists you can get them for 6d a pair at Carter’s. I remain
F. Butler
Perhaps Fanny's mind is set on misers because their next-door neighbour at the time, John Camden Neild, was a notorious miser, who (according to Wikipedia): "was so frugal with worldly pleasures that for a while he had not a bed to lie on. His dress consisted of a blue swallow-tailed coat with gilt buttons, brown trousers, short gaiters, and shoes which were patched and generally down at the heels. He never allowed his clothes to be brushed, because, he said, it destroyed the nap. He continually visited his numerous estates, walking whenever it was possible, never went to the expense of a great-coat, and always stayed with his tenants, sharing their coarse meals and lodging."
Anyway, Fanny's letter prompts another paternal PS:
Dear Weeden,
I let you have this letter for two reasons: first, to let you see the hurry of Fanny’s scrawl; which, secondly, exactly justifies Tom; who only declared he did not like to waste good paper by scribbling. Now, as I give the paper to them all, he could not object to writing out of covetousness; though, perhaps, he & Fanny are both idle. The one scrawls down what comes uppermost, the other declines such waste of paper.
I am, truly, yours,
Weeden Butler
Tom's laziness is not his only fault. Anne reports to Weeden on 27th April, 1824 about a more serious trespass:
My dear Weeden,
I have seen a great deal this week but do not know whether you will like to hear all about it. ...
Tom, Strachey & Charles Hancock were fishing in Kensington Gardens one day last week & ??? came & took them before a magistrate, he happened not to be at home & his wife did not like to let them go before he came home so she ??? ??? [staid?] with them in a room at his house. You may suppose that they were not a little frightened; the men talked of keeping them in the guard room all that night, & then writing to Papa the next morning. The Lady of the house heard the name of Strachey & asked him if he was a relation of Sir John & Lady Strachey, he said he was and she said she did not think a young gentleman of that name would have committed so bad an action as to rob the King of his property. Tom began to make apologies for himself & the others, Charles Hancock looked very grave, which made Strachey ready to laugh, but he was obliged to look very grave. Tom began to cry, & at last, when the Lady found that her husband did not come home, made them promise that they would never fish in the Gardens again, & then let them come home. They had been there two or three times before, but had escaped from the men. John Wyld used to give the men some money to get some bread, & then ask leave to fish, the men told him that he might fish if he took care not to let them see him, but if they saw him they should be obliged to take him up; when the men came to take them up, Tom advised them to run off, but they were too much afraid.
Thank goodness for the magical power of the Strachey name! I'm not sure exactly which Strachey this is, by the way, though his is certainly the family that later gave rise to Lytton of that ilk. A couple of months earlier Anne had described him in strict mourning ("He looks thinner than ever in black") for his aunt, Lady Strachey - Julia, wife of Sir Henry the first Baronet, who died on 12th February. But my idle Googling has so far failed to turn up any younger brother of Sir Henry to be his father, and no "Sir John" at all in that generation. Clearly some mistake - but mine, Anne's, or the magistrate's wife's? I feel a visit to the Strachey tombs in Chew Magna coming on. In any case, being the nephew of a baronet (or one of the nephew's companions) is, then as now, a sound method for getting away with petty crime.
We don't hear of Tom indulging in similar adventures thereafter, but Anne is still worried about his future. On 6th July she writes again, in the wake of the death of a young friend, William Gardiner, probably from tuberculosis:
Mrs Read went to see Miss Gardiner and Mrs Wishart, a few days ago, they were pretty well, but of course very dull and low-spirited. They say that poor William wrote a letter to Mr Gardiner, & another to Isabella about a month or six weeks before his death, and put them among his papers, which were not to be read till after his death. I think Tom will begin to think a little more seriously about the way in which he spends his time. I was talking to him last night about it, and he said with the greatest unconcern that at any rate he would go for a chimney sweeper or a scavenger. He seems to have a great desire to be a bookseller I think. He said also that he thought he should do for an auctioneer. I think I shall go to Chelsea church tonight. Tom says he intends to begin to study tomorrow. I advise[d] him to have some good historical or Geographical work in constant reading, as he has so very little idea of either history or geography.
In retrospect, it seems ironic that a boy who considered becoming a scavenger, a bookseller or an auctioneer should end up as Assistant Secretary to the British Museum during its most, shall we say, acquisitive period. But this is to peer too curiously into the glass of futurity. A month or two later Tom, not yet quite 15, was living in Bordeaux, working for his wine merchant uncle. His last letter from what we might called the Weeden Schooldays collection, from 21st May 1825, is prettily written, but speaks of a certain homesickness, I think:
In what part of the playground is the pump to be erected? You say near your willow is it close to the top bench in Fanny’s Garden, or where? Has H. Wylde still a garden in the old place. My last letter to you was written rather in a hurry, therefore I beg you will excuse me if you did not find it very interesting. I hope however that you were all contented with my letters to you. How does the violin get on. My music master is beginning to teach me some tunes. Did you see Strachey when he came to our house. I suppose you have been to see him and Stratford lately? Remember me kindly to them when you see them. My Uncle left Bordeaux rather sooner than I expected. Have you seen Edwin Dawes lately? How does he get on in the world. I believe it was settled that he should be a clergyman. Has he got rid of the impediment in his speech which he had when he was with us, if he has not I doubt if he will ever be able to preach so as to be well understood.
Poor, stranded Tom. And less than three years ago he was singing about frogs.
Google Maps exists
Jan. 20th, 2026 01:19 pmbeatrice_otterso why. why why why. Do I so often come across fic where the author clearly a) doesn't have any idea how far apart two places are, or how to get from one to the other, and b) never thought to check google maps?
Just read a fic where one character is thinking that "it's only an 8-hour plane ride!"
and. I have driven basically between those two places.
It's a 6-hour drive unless traffic is really bad. if you hit the most congested bits exactly at rush hour, it might take you 8 hours. to drive.
Flying? Well, if you were starting at a small regional airport and needed to make a connection, it might take you four hours.
I actually mind this shit more than the big stuff. The big stuff is hard to research. Google Maps is really really quick and easy.
Just read a fic where one character is thinking that "it's only an 8-hour plane ride!"
and. I have driven basically between those two places.
It's a 6-hour drive unless traffic is really bad. if you hit the most congested bits exactly at rush hour, it might take you 8 hours. to drive.
Flying? Well, if you were starting at a small regional airport and needed to make a connection, it might take you four hours.
I actually mind this shit more than the big stuff. The big stuff is hard to research. Google Maps is really really quick and easy.
on the road
Jan. 20th, 2026 03:00 pmthe_shoshannaI'm in Massachusetts visiting friends and family, and the US border guard was even brusquer and more unfriendly than the one the last time I crossed the border. They used to be reliably genial-while-professional, and now they're barking grumpy questions at me -- and I'm a white English-speaking US citizen with a NEXUS card (pre-screened, "trusted traveler"). A Canadian friend who drove across the border last year said that guards were going down the line of cars waiting to approach the booth and pulling people out to interrogate them on the side of the road, and who'd a thunk it, everyone they pulled out was brown. (When I crossed yesterday, I was the only car in sight, which I'd love to think was because Canadian travel to the US is way down, but probably had more to do with the extremely bad weather forecast that day. I managed to get south of the storm band before it hit, though.)
My obsession with Heated Rivalry continues, though I'm trying hard not to be That Fan at people. I have successfully recommended it to two board members at my church 😈 A friend I'll spend a week with this summer wants to watch it with me then, so I have that to look forward to, and there's a chance I'll get to watch it with other friends this weekend, if they're interested. Meanwhile I'm reading a lot of fic, but also freely DNFing anything that isn't working for me, whether for characterization or bad grammar or spelling it "Rosanov."
["Why, oh why, do people keep incorrectly capitalizing dialog-tag fragments like this?" She wailed. -- I mean, I know why they do it: because autocorrect sees the punctuation ending the quotation and thinks the dialog tag is a new sentence, and the writer is foolishly trusting autocorrect over the evidence of every published text they've ever read. But it drives me nuts; my sense of the flow and pacing of a sentence is very much guided by its punctuation, and this is like hitting a pothole every time.]
Geoff and I have started the new season of The Pitt, and certainly I'm liking it so far! It's interesting how much less chaotic the ER seems than it was in the first couple episodes of the first season. I'm very curious about all the characters they've introduced (and about where Mateo, the World's Hottest Nurse™️, is), and I love seeing Whitaker now a fully qualified MD with his own little ducklings following him around. (Is he still living with Santos?) I don't see an overarching plot yetother than "just how suicidal is Dr. Robby?" but/and I'm looking forward to seeing where it's going.
My obsession with Heated Rivalry continues, though I'm trying hard not to be That Fan at people. I have successfully recommended it to two board members at my church 😈 A friend I'll spend a week with this summer wants to watch it with me then, so I have that to look forward to, and there's a chance I'll get to watch it with other friends this weekend, if they're interested. Meanwhile I'm reading a lot of fic, but also freely DNFing anything that isn't working for me, whether for characterization or bad grammar or spelling it "Rosanov."
["Why, oh why, do people keep incorrectly capitalizing dialog-tag fragments like this?" She wailed. -- I mean, I know why they do it: because autocorrect sees the punctuation ending the quotation and thinks the dialog tag is a new sentence, and the writer is foolishly trusting autocorrect over the evidence of every published text they've ever read. But it drives me nuts; my sense of the flow and pacing of a sentence is very much guided by its punctuation, and this is like hitting a pothole every time.]
Geoff and I have started the new season of The Pitt, and certainly I'm liking it so far! It's interesting how much less chaotic the ER seems than it was in the first couple episodes of the first season. I'm very curious about all the characters they've introduced (and about where Mateo, the World's Hottest Nurse™️, is), and I love seeing Whitaker now a fully qualified MD with his own little ducklings following him around. (Is he still living with Santos?) I don't see an overarching plot yet
Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 10: Big Mood Board
Jan. 20th, 2026 02:36 pmalthea_valara
Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.
I wasn't quite comfortable doing a mood board, because I didn't know where to get images from for it! Look, I care about artists/photographers/graphic designers; I am not about to do a random web search and steal their art for a frivolous purpose. I did look at Pixabay briefly for free clipart but didn't see anything that was right for the first term I searched on, which was "crying", lol.
Anyway, I ended up making a word cloud of terms and feelings from Final Fantasy XIV. And yes, "sobbing" was one of the first words I put in. There is a certain zone in this game that I sobbed my way through. No really, it took me THREE HOURS to traverse the zone and I cried for every minute of it. That's how powerful the emotions are in this game.
I cannot say enough good things about FFXIV. The story is absolutely amazing and you WILL be affected by it. The gameplay is pretty darn fun, too! I love the game to pieces and thus there was no competition here; I +was+ going to create something related to it.
If you're interested in giving FFXIV a try, let me know! I'd be glad to give pointers to any sprouts (FFXIV term for "new player").
Podcast 701, Your Transcript is Here!
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:30 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
smartbitches_feed
The transcript for Podcast 701. Holiday Wishes with Amanda and Sarah has been posted!
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
Reminder: Scammers Are Out There Pretending to Be Me (and Other Authors as Well)
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:50 pmscalziwhatever_feed
Three times in the last week I’ve gotten inquiries from authors, about email from an account purporting to be me. This account praised their book in a very “AI” fashion and tried to get them to write back to the account, with the end goal, no doubt, of scamming them out of money via “marketing services” or some such. These authors, quite reasonably, wanted to confirm that the email they got sent was a scam.
I was happy to confirm it, and was happy that they checked rather than allow themselves to be taken in. Nevertheless, this is one of those times where it will be useful to have a post dealing with it that I can point people to (and other people can point people to as well). So here it is, in convenient list form.
1. If I were going to contact you, about anything, it would be from my actual email address and not any other. If you get an email from “me” from any other domain, it’s not me. If you’re not sure, even though I just told you now, you can email me at my actual address and I will tell you. Actually what I will probably do is link you to this post. Hi! You’re not the first person to have a scam attempted on them!
(If you do get a suspicious email that appears to be from my actual address, and you want to double-check: one, make sure the actual reply address matches mine, and two, you can send me a brand new email, not as a reply, saying “hey, was this really from you?” I don’t mind you checking.)
2. No, I almost certainly have not contacted you to tell you privately how great your book is. I probably haven’t read your book (sorry) unless I’ve been contacted by your publisher/editor/publicist about the possibility of blurbing it. If that’s the case, the blurb would be going through that channel, not to you directly.
Conversely, if I don’t like your book, I’m not going to email you about that, either, because I’m not that kind of asshole. Similarly, I will never email you offering suggestions about how to make the work better, because that’s not my job, and also the book is already published, it’s too late for that.
The point of the scam person buttering you up (or negging you, depending) is to get you to start a conversation where they will segue into offering a “service” of some kind, which would entail you sending money, and them taking it and running off with it. Don’t fall for any of that.
3. If I had read your book outside of blurbing and thought it was terrific, it’s extremely unlikely I would contact you directly about it, and not just because I couldn’t be bothered to track down your email. What I would do is praise it publicly, through this site and/or social media. Why publicly instead of privately? Because that’s what would do the most good for you — to tell other people they should look out for your work, and maybe even buy it. That’s how you help other writers in the age of social media: Tell people about them.
4. Outside of you (or anyone else) purchasing my books, I neither want nor need your money. Likewise I don’t use any publishing, marketing or promotion services outside of my publishers. Additionally, I myself do not offer any editing/consulting services directly to other writers. To top it all off, I would never ever just randomly pull up in your email about any of the above. I am both too lazy, and have too much to do, for any of that. So if you see “me” doing any of that crap, it’s not me.
5. Nearly all of the above can be applied to pretty much any “big name” writers that scammers will impersonate to gain your trust and from there, your money. You know what, most of us just don’t have time for individual outreach, and if we did, we’re not going to segue into trying to offer you publishing-related services. We have books to write and our own things to deal with.
Now, some authors do offer consulting, or do workshops, or other things. What they are not likely to do, and what should be a red flag for you, is track you down individually and offer that service directly. They will do it via their sites, or announcements through social media, or through their newsletters, etc. Beware that “personal outreach.”
6. I don’t typically encourage writers to use “AI” for anything — do your own work, it’s better that way — but here’s one thing you can do: Go to ChatGPT, or Gemini, or any other “AI,” and enter the following prompt: “Write me an email to [Your Name] telling them in no more than 150 words how awesome their book [Your Book Title] is.” Put in your name and your book title where directed, and hit enter. There, now you have an idea a) what “AI” praise looks like, so you will recognize it in a scam email, b) how fast a scammer can now produce an individualized piece of praise.
It feels good to get praise! It feels even better to get praise from someone who is, to some degree or another, successful in the field! This is why these scammers do this. They want to get past your defenses and aim for your money. The better you understand how this fake “praise” is generated, and how quickly it can be generated, the better armed you will be against it.
7. Does it feel like a scam? It’s a scam. Are you not sure if it’s a scam? It’s a scam. Absolutely certain it’s not a scam? My friend, I have some real bad news for you.
8. This should in no way preclude you, as a writer or a fan (or both!), from sending a nice email to a writer telling them how much you enjoyed their work. Write it yourself — don’t have an “AI” do it, come on now — and I recommend being brief. It is actually nice for writers to get positive email about their work from real people.
Likewise, if you are a writer, you don’t have to mistrust every complimentary email you get. In a short enough time, it becomes clear which emails are from actual people, and which ones are “AI”-generated scams (hint: the real emails tend to be more endearingly awkward). But if that “big name” shows up in your email box, it’s not only okay to give it heightened scrutiny, it’s actually necessary to do it.
— JS
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Fanfic: Mismatched
Jan. 20th, 2026 08:47 pmveronyxk84 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fan_flashworksTitle: Mismatched
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author:veronyxk84
Characters/Pairing: Spike, Giles
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: some coarse language
Word count: 200 (Google Docs)
Spoilers/Setting: Set in S4, between eps. 4x09 “Something Blue” and 4x10 “Hush”.
Summary: Spike pranks Giles out of boredom.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made. All rights belong to the respective owners.
Challenge: #503 - Sock
—
( READ: Mismatched/Double drabble )
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author:
veronyxk84Characters/Pairing: Spike, Giles
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: some coarse language
Word count: 200 (Google Docs)
Spoilers/Setting: Set in S4, between eps. 4x09 “Something Blue” and 4x10 “Hush”.
Summary: Spike pranks Giles out of boredom.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made. All rights belong to the respective owners.
Challenge: #503 - Sock
—
( READ: Mismatched/Double drabble )
Fandom Snowflake, Challenge #6
Jan. 20th, 2026 02:30 pmthe_wanlornChallenge #6
Top 10 Challenge.
I can't even think of ten things that I eat regularly??? Never even mind fandom things??? Shit.
Top 10 Reasons to Watch Debris (and Write Me Fic)
- I love it, which, really, should be all you need to know because my taste is impeccable.
- It's bad scifi, but in the fun kind of way.
- There is so much chemistry between Bryan and Finola.
- There are so many secrets.
- Nothing is explained. Like ever. It is ripe for fic explaining things.
- The episodes are so totally out of order. I refuse to believe anything else. You, too, can join me in this conspiracy theory and try to sort out a reasonable order.
- I can watch it while I'm high. Most TV shows and movies and youtube and everything, when I'm high, I get intensely aware that everyone is acting. Like it ruins my suspension of disbelief so bad. There are two (2) shows I can rewatch when I'm high without my suspension of disbelief being ruined, and one of them is Debris.
- The ending is so open. So so so open. It is primed for another season or like. So much fic speculating where they were going.
- Multiverse shenanigans. Just, I can not describe them without major spoilers, but you will know it when you see it and you, too, will be like muchsthescream.jpg.
- The story of the penguin and the soldier. It will make you insane. You will listen to it and it will forever change your brain pathways. It will live rent-free in your head for all time.
Okay uh that was easier than I thought.
Attended online conference today
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:25 pmoursinAt which I was able to make a couple of minor contributions.
Reason why serving soldiers a very small statistical minority in divorce statistics pre-1914 (post then increased massively....): there were huge restrictions on how many could marry 'on the strength' so there were fairly few actually married in the first place. Mi knowinz on this partly from Victorian fiction (I think it features in one of Charlotte Yonge's) but mostly from Being A Historian who had to do with the Contagious Diseases Acts.
Also able to make some comments apropos of preserving archives of relevant organisations and the problems of digital records.
A lot of oh dear less change than one would like to imagine took place over time in matters of divorce, family disruption, domestic abuse, gendered assumptions, etc etc: but also, a sense that, in fact Back in The Past when women may not have had much agency, they were nevertheless using what they could get, e.g. separation law, protection orders, and various legal intricacies.
Also wondered how far they were able to manipulate (or the law was actually based on) certain patriarchal assumptions, which is what I found when reviewing book by one of the major contributors - i.e. that deserting husbands were falling down on doing patriarchy like they should, bad boy, no more right of coverture if your wife goes through a fairly cheap and simple legal procedure, post-1857.
Also there was a lot of archive love going on!
Check-In Post - Jan 20th 2026
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:42 pmbadly_knitted posting in get_knittedHello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
God Bless Us, Everyone?
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:18 pmrionaleonhartAfter seeing Christmas Carol Goes Wrong on stage, I bought the official script; I thought it would be a nice way to remind myself of my evening at the theatre. And it is! But it's also interesting to see how many things had been changed or added by the time I saw it in performance.
Flicking through, here are some of the more interesting differences I've noticed between the script version and the actual performance I saw on the fourteenth of January!
( Some differences between the script and the actual staged version of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. )
Finally, a delightful little exchange from the script that I don't remember being in the show itself:
Sandra: Listen, we all know the Cornley Gazette's official policy has been not to review our shows since our immersive production of Dracula.
Robert: The small print on the ticket clearly said I would enter his house and bite him.
Flicking through, here are some of the more interesting differences I've noticed between the script version and the actual performance I saw on the fourteenth of January!
( Some differences between the script and the actual staged version of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. )
Finally, a delightful little exchange from the script that I don't remember being in the show itself:
Sandra: Listen, we all know the Cornley Gazette's official policy has been not to review our shows since our immersive production of Dracula.
Robert: The small print on the ticket clearly said I would enter his house and bite him.
Exordium, book 1, The Phoenix in Flight
Jan. 20th, 2026 10:03 amsartorias
Our space opera Exordium began life as a mini-series screenplay over four decades ago, morphed into a mass-market paperback, returned as a hastily corrected e-book series, and now is relaunching for the last time after Dave and I, now retired, were able to go over it more slowly. It always needed a more thorough going-over. But also, over the years, so much has changed!
From Exordium’s beginning we’ve struggled with the skiamorphs (shadow shapes—like wood grain on plastic) that are left not only when you move between media, but when your forty-year-old vision of a technology’s cultural impact collides with present-day reality.
The world of Exordium was always a future world replete with echoes of a distant, earthly past that let us shove in all the things we loved in books, art, film, and TV and use them to create the kind of science fiction/space opera we liked.
We were a couple of twenty-somethings in 1977 when Star Wars came out. Younger readers probably can’t imagine the impact of that film on a generation accustomed to SF movies that were either glorified monster fights or preachy future-shock stories filled with plastic furniture and tight jumpsuits that would take an hour to get out of if you had to pee.
On our way out of the 2:30 a.m. showing, we looked at each other and said, “We can do that, but . . . tech that makes sense!”
“More than one active woman!”
“FTL battles that make strategic sense in four-space!”
“More than one active woman!”
Together: “Pie fights! Fart jokes! Ancient civilizations! Cool clothes and machines!”
Thus was born Exordium. At the time Sherwood worked as a flunky in Hollywood, so the first version was a six hour miniseries. On the strength of it we got a good Hollywood agent, and there was a bid war shaping up between NBC and the then-new HBO when . . . boom! The mega-strike of 1980. When that was over, the studios were so depleted that min-series projects were put on hold—for the most part a euphemism for “killed.”
So we decided to turn it into books—and that meant breaking the chains of “can’t do that on TV,” developing the sketchy cultures, and completely rethinking the necessarily limited space battles, which had been confined to bridge scenes with rudimentary 1980s style FX. Dave dived into military history to figure out more about how the ships and tech he’d come up with would fight. Sherwood delved into cultural history to develop the social and political maneuvering we wanted.
Dave also got into high-tech PR and started thinking harder about how the technologies of the future would change humanity. Our world acquired an interstellar ship-switched data network. Our characters acquired “boswells.” Today we call them smartphones, which don’t yet have neural induction for subvocalized privacy. Boswells were (and are) great plot devices, with an intricate etiquette of usage.
But we totally missed social media. That wasn’t a problem, of course, when we sold the series to Tor in 1990, where, despite an awesome editor and nice covers, it mostly vanished into the black hole of the mass market crash. But now we’re bringing them back. Thirty years into the future we didn’t see, which features a publishing industry that didn’t see it either.
The challenge with retrofitting SF is: what do you do with science fiction that purports to take place in the future, but contains elements that look, well, quaint? You either grit your teeth and reissue the book as a period piece, or you rewrite it. And if you choose the latter, what’s inside the can may be more Elder God than annelid.
A lot of what was daring in our original (in our future, everyone is brown, with white being the largely unwanted exception; gay relationships are a part of everyday life, as well as polyamory, etc) is now commonly found, which is great. But other aspects were tougher. In Exordium, we had to wrestle again with the original screenplay, much of which still shadowed the story, especially in the first book. The language that would pass Programs & Practices in 1980 required made-up cusswords; the default for soldiers and action characters was male; by the nineties Dave had developed the idea of the boswells but in Exordium, everyone seemed to be running to computer stations for communication.
We kept the cuss words. Many readers don’t like neologisms, especially for profanity, but the Exordium idiolect had become too much a part of the worldbuilding: for example, the word “fuck” is a great expletive, but it also carries centuries of negative baggage. In our world, sex had completely shed the guilt, especially for women, so we jettisoned slang and idiom that still evoked that old misogynism.
Everything else needed a serious revamp, including the complex battle scenes, which had to be purged of the last traces of non-relativistic widescreen physics. (It helped that some very competent military gamers had developed an Exordium tactical board game based on the paperbacks.)
Rewriting wasn’t all work. One of the joys of revisiting a world in this way is discovering the zings, connections, and hidden history you missed the first time around. Rewriting becomes like looking into a Mandelbrot kaleidoscope.
We kept the fun elements: A playboy prince with unexpected depths, a gang of space pirates and their ass-kicking female captain, ancient weapons from a war lost by the long-vanished masters of the galaxy, coruscating beams of lambent light, intricate space battles where light speed delay is both trap and tool, twisted aristocratic politics more deadly than a battlefield, a bizarre race of sophonts that venerates the Three Stooges, a male chastity device mistaken for the key to ultimate power…
And yes, a high tech pie fight.
Book View Cafe
Kobo
Kindle
simple crispy pan pizza
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:12 pmsmittenkitchen_feed
Newsletter Update: We’re Back!
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:48 pmsmartbitches_feed
THANK YOU to the many of you who emailed me to let me know that the SBTB Daily newsletter wasn’t arriving in your inboxes as expected.
In a nutshell, I’m in a low-key battle with bots that are scraping the site at a high volume and making the server unhappy, and one of the settings that we changed to try to keep the site online inadvertently blocked the newsletter – OOPS.
So that’s all fixed, and today at or shortly after 1pm ET, you should be receiving a newsletter.
Will it contain five days of content? IT MIGHT. But that will be the only behemoth email this week. After today it’ll go back to being the past 24 hours.
Again – sorry about the delay, and THANK YOU for alerting me to let me know. It really means a lot to me that you care enough about the site and your connection to it that you’d email me when something isn’t right. (Also: this is how you know I’m not AI.)
And if you’d like to have the latest content delivered to your inbox each day, you can sign up right here:
Miami Vice fic - One Way Out
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:40 pmmxcatmoonWritten for smallfandomfest prompt, ' An undercover assignment gone wrong,' from 2013
Title: One Way Out
Author: Cat Moon
Fandom: Miami Vice (tv)
Pairing/Characters: Sonny/Rico, OC
Rating/Category: R/Slash
Summary: An undercover deal goes bad, leaving Rico and Sonny only one choice: protect each other. They’re partners, it’s what they do. Sometimes, that gets out of hand and goes way over the top. The repercussions of this one will change their partnership forever.
Notes/Warnings: Inspired by the scene in the ep, "Smuggler's Blues," where Rico gets frisked and Sonny's interesting reaction to that. SA is mentioned but does not occur.
Word Count: 3848
( One Way Out )
smallfandomfest prompt, ' An undercover assignment gone wrong,' from 2013Title: One Way Out
Author: Cat Moon
Fandom: Miami Vice (tv)
Pairing/Characters: Sonny/Rico, OC
Rating/Category: R/Slash
Summary: An undercover deal goes bad, leaving Rico and Sonny only one choice: protect each other. They’re partners, it’s what they do. Sometimes, that gets out of hand and goes way over the top. The repercussions of this one will change their partnership forever.
Notes/Warnings: Inspired by the scene in the ep, "Smuggler's Blues," where Rico gets frisked and Sonny's interesting reaction to that. SA is mentioned but does not occur.
Word Count: 3848
( One Way Out )
Small Town Romance, YA Fantasy, & More
Jan. 20th, 2026 04:30 pmsmartbitches_feedSpells for Forgetting
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young is $2.99! This is Young’s adult debut and is a fantastical and dark, small town mystery with a hint of romance. Have any of you read this one?
A rural island community steeped in the mystical superstitions of its founders and haunted by an unsolved murder is upended by the return of the suspected killer in this deeply atmospheric novel.
Emery Blackwood’s life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among the community that fractured her world in two. She’d once longed to run away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saiorse Island and chase new dreams; now, she maintains her late mother’s tea shop and cares for her ailing father. But just as the island, rooted in folklore and tradition, begins to show signs of strange happenings, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that no one wants to remember.
August Salt knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night that changed everything. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from the past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises that span generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s death once and for all.
Evocative and compelling, Spells for Forgetting is a vivid exploration of lost love and the unraveling of a small town and its many secrets.
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore is 99c! This is book one in the small town romance Dream Harbor series. Have you read any of the books?
A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.
When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.
Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…
The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!
A Forgery of Fate
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim is $1.99! This is a YA fantasy romance with Beauty and the Beast vibes. I feel like Lim always gets beautiful covers.
Truyan Saigas didn’t choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.
Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father’s disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King’s inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms…
A breathtaking romantic fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast about a girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception in a plot to bring down the gods.
Made in Manhattan
Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne is $1.99! This is a standalone contemporary romance. My Fair Lady/Pygmalion elements are some of my favorite tropes, so I might pick this one up for myself.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Central Park Pact comes a reverse My Fair Lady for the modern era about a pampered and privileged Manhattan socialite who must teach an unpolished and denim-loving nobody from the Louisiana Bayou how to fit in with the upper crust of New York City. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.
Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly-discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company…but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement.
Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.
But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding—and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness…and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.
Heated Rivalry: Fanfic: A Thousand Pairs of Socks
Jan. 20th, 2026 04:58 pmseeyouontheice posting in fan_flashworksTitle: A Thousand Pairs of Socks
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)
Length: 450 words
Author notes: fluff in a flash (busy week so about 40 mins!)
Summary: Shane learns something new
( A Thousand Pairs of Socks )
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)
Length: 450 words
Author notes: fluff in a flash (busy week so about 40 mins!)
Summary: Shane learns something new
( A Thousand Pairs of Socks )
Sticker printing alternatives
Jan. 20th, 2026 10:38 ampaperghost posting in journalsandplannersysabetwordsmith suggested I share this short list of resources for printing stickers and other relevant accessories.This is old news, but Stickermule has shown their asses again by giving away free pro-ICE merchandise, so people have been scrambling for other suppliers for custom stickers. I'm thinking about ordering stickers of my art by Harmonycon. I can't keep up with a million tweets and my Bluesky feed is already scrambled, so here's what I've found:
https://www.standoutstickers.com/
https://stickerguy.com/
https://thestickybrand.com/en-ca (limited time deals page is worth looking at)
https://thestickerlad.com/home (website looks like a WIP but furry-owned. Prices are ok)
https://stickerninja.com/ (this looks like Stickermule's biggest rival)
https://unionmadestickers.com/en-ca (you can probably use them for non-union stuff lol)
https://stickerblitz.com/ (another rival with good prices)
https://zapcreatives.com/en-us
https://wiki.scumsuck.com/resources:stickers (guide on how to print your stickers at home. Lists options for scanners and paper to buy, etc.)
Vograce orders from China but I've had a good experience ordering sample packs and one-off keychains from them. YMMV. It's better for physical goods. Not sure of any alternatives that let you do one-off orders.
https://www.standoutstickers.com/
https://stickerguy.com/
https://thestickybrand.com/en-ca (limited time deals page is worth looking at)
https://thestickerlad.com/home (website looks like a WIP but furry-owned. Prices are ok)
https://stickerninja.com/ (this looks like Stickermule's biggest rival)
https://unionmadestickers.com/en-ca (you can probably use them for non-union stuff lol)
https://stickerblitz.com/ (another rival with good prices)
https://zapcreatives.com/en-us
https://wiki.scumsuck.com/resources:stickers (guide on how to print your stickers at home. Lists options for scanners and paper to buy, etc.)
Vograce orders from China but I've had a good experience ordering sample packs and one-off keychains from them. YMMV. It's better for physical goods. Not sure of any alternatives that let you do one-off orders.
wistful sigh
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:07 pmsummerstormI've been meaning to post all month, but Snowflake didn't appeal to me all that much, plus there's a lot of history there for me, even if I wasn't directly involved with the drama.
However, one thing I will be taking from Snowflake is the top 10 lists, outsourced. Ask me for any and I'll answer in the comments!
I am also going to make a little wishlist, much smaller than the one for Christmas. This is stuff that would make me happy:
-
It's been a pretty stressful month, money-wise. We've managed, but it is what it is. Doesn't help that it's cold and that I'm the only person in this house who's capable of not taking things out on other people. I've been doing jigsaw puzzles and deleting photos from my backlog and trying to figure out a permanent set-up for my day-a-page planner, which I keep meaning to post about tojournalsandplanners. I took pics and everything.
One upside that's been keeping me sane is the soft light my friend Nate got me, which I use to get selfies even when it's too dark because winter. It helps my self-esteem a lot, even if I'm more aware of the way my skin keeps breaking out. I figure most of that is coming from the same place as the daily nightmares.
However, one thing I will be taking from Snowflake is the top 10 lists, outsourced. Ask me for any and I'll answer in the comments!
I am also going to make a little wishlist, much smaller than the one for Christmas. This is stuff that would make me happy:
- Jigsaw puzzles
- PS5 gift cards
- Subscriptions to my ko-fi, which I'm planning to turn into a place to share all my TTRPG card, homebrew, merch and map designs
- 4. Art of my PCs from the TTRPG campaigns I play in
-
It's been a pretty stressful month, money-wise. We've managed, but it is what it is. Doesn't help that it's cold and that I'm the only person in this house who's capable of not taking things out on other people. I've been doing jigsaw puzzles and deleting photos from my backlog and trying to figure out a permanent set-up for my day-a-page planner, which I keep meaning to post about to
journalsandplanners. I took pics and everything.One upside that's been keeping me sane is the soft light my friend Nate got me, which I use to get selfies even when it's too dark because winter. It helps my self-esteem a lot, even if I'm more aware of the way my skin keeps breaking out. I figure most of that is coming from the same place as the daily nightmares.
HaBO: She Served as Head of Her Father’s Army
Jan. 20th, 2026 03:00 pmsmartbitches_feedThis HaBO comes from Diksha, who wants to find this historical-ish romance:
It’s an English novel.
It’s a historical romance (but could also be called fantasy — I don’t remember the exact setting, but it had kings ruling kingdoms and fighting, so maybe medieval).
The heroine was originally supposed to marry the hero’s brother, but he had already gone into a secret marriage, so she is now forced by circumstance to marry the hero instead.
Why is she marrying the hero? Her father doesn’t have a son, so they need a male who can take over the kingdom.
Why is the hero marrying her? His brother already has a claim to their paternal kingdom, so he needs a new kingdom of his own.
The heroine’s father had always been abusive toward her and was also a terrible ruler. Because of that, the heroine had to act as the head of her father’s army — but now the hero bans her from being on the battlefield, which makes her angry.
The hero now has to convince the general public and the army of the FMC’s kingdom that he is a good ruler. They’re very skeptical of him because of their loyalty to the previous king’s lineage, and since the hero carries a different surname, they don’t see him as their rightful king.
The hero also has a backstory involving betrayal: his former lover turned out to be an agent of an enemy kingdom and caused a major attack on his homeland. Because of that, he swore he would never fall in love again.
There’s an enemy kingdom that has long-standing issues with the hero’s kingdom. Later, they join forces with the heroine’s father, and the hero is almost killed — but the heroine pretends she supports the enemy kingdom and ends up saving him.
Another detail: the heroine almost dies later but survives, and she eventually gives birth to a child. The hero decides to give their child her surname.
Very curious about this one because I think I want to read it!
I'm A Plate And This Is Great.
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:48 amrionaleonhartThe threesentenceficathon continues, now in its second prompt post! Here's a second batch of my fills.
In this roundup: a Clair Obscur ficlet! See, I can still think about things that aren't the Goes Wrong Show.
And also six Goes Wrong Show ficlets.
( Clair Obscur, Maelle/Verso, 60 words, prompt: keeping secrets. )
( Assorted ficlets for the Goes Wrong Show, mainly Chris and Robert, 850 words total. )
I get so excited whenever anyone comments on my Goes Wrong fills to say they don't know the canon but enjoyed the characters. I'm like some sort of mad evangelist for Robert Grove.
threesentenceficathon continues, now in its second prompt post! Here's a second batch of my fills.In this roundup: a Clair Obscur ficlet! See, I can still think about things that aren't the Goes Wrong Show.
And also six Goes Wrong Show ficlets.
( Clair Obscur, Maelle/Verso, 60 words, prompt: keeping secrets. )
( Assorted ficlets for the Goes Wrong Show, mainly Chris and Robert, 850 words total. )
I get so excited whenever anyone comments on my Goes Wrong fills to say they don't know the canon but enjoyed the characters. I'm like some sort of mad evangelist for Robert Grove.
Tuesday 20/01/2026
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:33 amdark_kana posting in 3_good_things_a_day1) going for a walk during lunch break, seeing the sun in shining nicely again ^^
2) painkiller doing it's job. The headache I had when I got up this morning, is easing away...
3) lazy evening, going to try and work on my photo album of the year 2024
2) painkiller doing it's job. The headache I had when I got up this morning, is easing away...
3) lazy evening, going to try and work on my photo album of the year 2024
Hide Your Wallet: January 20th Release Week
Jan. 20th, 2026 08:00 amsmartbitches_feed
Happy Tuesday!
A short and sweet crop of new releases for us this week. Some series continuations, some sci-fi and fantasy, plus an Anne of Green Gables inspire release.
What new books are on your radar this week? Let us know in the comments!
Anne of a Different Island
Author: Virginia Kantra
Released: January 20, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.
She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.
Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her the same impulsive charm, the same fiery imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.
But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.
Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.
An Anne of Green Gables inspired romance!
Catch Her If You Can
Author: Tessa Bailey
Released: January 20, 2026 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Big Shots #5
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers sports romance about a baseball catcher and the burlesque club owner he can’t get out of his head.
Madden Donahue, the newest catcher for the Yankees, has been in love with Eve Mitchell since high school, but for some mysterious reason, the burlesque club owner always turns him down. That never stopped him from being her self-appointed protector. Case in point, now that Eve’s sister has left Eve with her two children indefinitely, Madden steps in with a proposition—marry him for the much needed health benefits.
Eve has secretly harbored feelings for Madden all along, but there’s one problem—her best friend Skylar called dibs on him when they were fourteen. Eve has always put their friendship above all else, and she’s not willing to risk losing Skylar over a man. Raised by the local strip club owner, Eve is woefully short on friends and treasures the ones she has. But with Skylar happily paired off, Eve finds herself accepting Madden’s proposal—on the condition that their marriage remains strictly private. She’s not about to let her unique profession and maligned reputation destroy Madden’s shiny new career.
Madden won’t let Eve get away that easily, though. What starts as a marriage of convenience soon ignites into something much hotter, and now it’s up to Madden to convince Eve that their connection is far more than a business arrangement. As the passion builds, can their fake marriage become the real deal?
The latest sports romance in Bailey’s Big Shots series.
Fruit of the Flesh
Author: I.V. Ophelia
Released: January 20, 2026 by Montlake
Genre: Gothic, Historical: American, Romance
Behind the glamour of Gilded Age New York, a marriage of convenience between an artisan and a ballerina masks their shared appetite for revenge in this darkly seductive gothic romance.
In early 1900s New York, former ballerina Petronille De Villier makes an unconventional choice: Marry struggling sculptor Arkady Kamenev. For her, it’s an escape from her family’s unsavory legacy. For him, the De Villier name promises the patronage his art desperately needs. It should be a simple arrangement.
But beneath their marriage of convenience lurks a darker recognition. In each other, they see a reflection of their own dangerous appetites. As buried secrets surface and bodies begin disappearing, Petronille and Arkady discover their union runs deeper than social advantage. Their shared obsessions draw them into an intoxicating dance of predator and prey, though it’s never quite clear who is which.
Bound by law, God, and blood, they must decide if their monstrous natures will tear them apart or forge them into something terribly wonderful together. In a world where nothing is quite what it seems, two creatures of shadow learn that true love requires a taste for the macabre.
Amanda: I like my historical romances on the darker side.
How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days
Author: Jessie Sylva
Released: January 20, 2026 by Orbit
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days is a comfort read fantasy romance between a halfling and a goblin: imagine a classic opposites-attract romcom taking place in those cosy scenes in the hobbits’ Shire from The Lord of the Rings. Expect magical forests, interfering wizards, lots of home cooking, and maybe even a kiss at the Harvest dance…
When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they’ve inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they’ll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership. Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love.
But when the cottage – and their communities – are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder.
Perfect for fans of cosy fantasy novels including Legends and Lattes, The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Lord of the Rings.
Elyse: This looks cozy AF.
If All the Stars Go Dark
Author: S.G. Prince
Released: January 20, 2026 by Godwin Books
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
When eighteen-year-old Keller Hartman is recruited into the Legion’s most prestigious galactic unit, it’s a dream come true. He’s worked hard for this. He’s ready to prove himself. The problem? His new partner—the beautiful, no-nonsense pilot Lament Bringer—wants nothing to do with him.
Forced to work together under Legion orders, Keller and Lament team up with a motley crew of specialists to investigate a mysterious visionary who can predict catastrophes. As they begin to peel back layers, however, they realize there’s more to the story than meets the eye. With threats mounting and secrets unfolding, Keller and Lament will need to trust one another in order to stop the dangers at play. But with trust comes other feelings—ones neither of them is prepared for.
With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the only thing worse than failing their mission might just be losing each other.
Elyse: This sci-fi has romance and mystery elements to it.
Twelve Months
Author: Jim Butcher
Released: January 20, 2026 by Ace
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Series: Dresden Files #18
Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?
One year. 365 days. Twelve months.
Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.
Harry lost people he cared about in the battle, and that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild, but it’s a heavy load. He needs time.
Time is one thing Harry doesn’t have, however. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and killing innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.
It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of him to rise to the challenge?
Sarah: I’m not reading this (not for Sarahs!) but Adam adores this series and has been looking forward to this release since summer 2025. If you’re a Jim Butcher fan, I don’t want you to miss the latest.
Snowflake 2026 #10: Big Mood
Jan. 20th, 2026 02:46 ammxcatmoonChallenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
Baby's First Moodboards. Still have to get the hang of it, I'm afraid... When I have more time.
In my head canon (and the fic series I'm working on), Sonny and Rico will be dressed similar to this at their ceremony, with Rico in a white tux w/black accents and Sonny in a black tux w/white accents. Also, the quote is from the show, after yet another bad romance, Sonny tells Rico he wishes he could get his head and heart together, just once...
This is a quote from Rico in the series, spelling his name: Tough, unique, bad, bold, and sassy. 😍 Also, check out the eyelashes on the top right photo. I always say, oughta be illegal! 😉Baby's First Moodboards. Still have to get the hang of it, I'm afraid... When I have more time.
In my head canon (and the fic series I'm working on), Sonny and Rico will be dressed similar to this at their ceremony, with Rico in a white tux w/black accents and Sonny in a black tux w/white accents. Also, the quote is from the show, after yet another bad romance, Sonny tells Rico he wishes he could get his head and heart together, just once...
Snowflake 2026 Challenge #9: Favorite Tropes
Jan. 20th, 2026 01:19 ammxcatmoon
Challenge #9
Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)
I've been thinking about it and I have to say that my #1 trope is AU - Canon Divergent. But I don't think of it that way because I don't really consider it to be a trope (for that matter, I don't consider it to be an AU). It's taking canon and altering it somehow, which I think the majority of fanfic does, as long as it's not set exactly in canon with no changes. Or am I not grasping the meaning quite right?
I did a Tiermaker chart and everything for last year's Snowflake, so I'm just going to link to that post here: Favorite Tropes 2025. My tastes haven't changed.
Snowflake Challenge 02026 #10: The Aesthetic of It All
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:05 pmsilveradeptThe snowflake_challenge has put out challenge number 10, and it works in media that I generally do not think in nor work in.
( I suppose I can make a fanmix for El Higgins? )
snowflake_challenge has put out challenge number 10, and it works in media that I generally do not think in nor work in.Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
( I suppose I can make a fanmix for El Higgins? )
Life, a series of memorials and signals
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:00 pmsovayMy plans to sleep out a recovery from Arisia were somewhat complicated by the move-in of the new upstairs neighbors and the resonating chamber of feet and furniture our bedroom immediately downstairs of this process necessarily turned into, but the snow remains beautifully fallen and is not even supposed to rain back into immediate slush or, worse, spring.
I am re-reading Kathryn M. Drennan's To Dream in the City of Sorrows (1997) for the first time since it came out and had completely forgotten the introduction by J. Michael Straczynski in which he designates it the first fully canonical novel in the Babylon 5 tie-in line. Despite the volumes of Harlan Ellison I was tracking down in used book stores and reading at the time—his credit as creative consultant was a point in the show's favor—it was not until years later that I caught since how much of his nonfiction voice had been adopted by JMS. "How difficult a task was this? Job would've packed it in, Hercules would've retired, and Orpheus would've decided that his days spent in Hades weren't really that bad."
The Post-Meridian Radio Players have now opened auditions for their spring show: Jeeves & Wooster: Hijinks and Shenanigans. I am seriously considering throwing myself on a slot for the genderswapped adaptation. It would be something of an exercise if I went for it; most of my performance skills do not translate into straight acting and I am frankly missing the facility with accents specified in the sides or I'd be able to code-switch out of being asked all the time where mine's really from. There was an intrusion here from Tiny Wittgenstein which has since been deleted. But even if it's just the hangover from Arisia, I have not auditioned for anything since 2019 and so long as I could decouple the experience from actually landing a part, it suddenly looked as though it might be fun.
Indeed, I had never heard of hickory oil. I am not however thrilled by the prospect of trading off maple syrup.
I am re-reading Kathryn M. Drennan's To Dream in the City of Sorrows (1997) for the first time since it came out and had completely forgotten the introduction by J. Michael Straczynski in which he designates it the first fully canonical novel in the Babylon 5 tie-in line. Despite the volumes of Harlan Ellison I was tracking down in used book stores and reading at the time—his credit as creative consultant was a point in the show's favor—it was not until years later that I caught since how much of his nonfiction voice had been adopted by JMS. "How difficult a task was this? Job would've packed it in, Hercules would've retired, and Orpheus would've decided that his days spent in Hades weren't really that bad."
The Post-Meridian Radio Players have now opened auditions for their spring show: Jeeves & Wooster: Hijinks and Shenanigans. I am seriously considering throwing myself on a slot for the genderswapped adaptation. It would be something of an exercise if I went for it; most of my performance skills do not translate into straight acting and I am frankly missing the facility with accents specified in the sides or I'd be able to code-switch out of being asked all the time where mine's really from. There was an intrusion here from Tiny Wittgenstein which has since been deleted. But even if it's just the hangover from Arisia, I have not auditioned for anything since 2019 and so long as I could decouple the experience from actually landing a part, it suddenly looked as though it might be fun.
Indeed, I had never heard of hickory oil. I am not however thrilled by the prospect of trading off maple syrup.
Ow
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:54 pmazurelunaticTwo canes can be better than one.
I have a battery of tests aimed at me for the leg weakness, in case it's neurological.
And my primary care is leaving (again) within a few months. They said last time that I would be assigned to someone in the same practice. That was inaccurate. They're saying it again this time, so I will prepare for battle.
Cats are nice and warm, and extraordinarily heavy on the knees.
I have a battery of tests aimed at me for the leg weakness, in case it's neurological.
And my primary care is leaving (again) within a few months. They said last time that I would be assigned to someone in the same practice. That was inaccurate. They're saying it again this time, so I will prepare for battle.
Cats are nice and warm, and extraordinarily heavy on the knees.
Just one thing: 20 January 2026
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:13 pmjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Daily Happiness
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:02 pmtorachan1. Pretty chill day at work today. I got stuff done. The office situation is a bit annoying now because as of last Thursday we have a handful of new people moved in, but there weren't enough empty desks so they brought desks from their previous office and crammed them in where we had previously had a meeting table and it feels very crowded now. I'm sure I'll get used to it, though.
2. I love the dramatic lighting on Gemma. It suits her dramatic personality lol.
2. I love the dramatic lighting on Gemma. It suits her dramatic personality lol.
The Running Man: Fanfic: A Long Walk in Wet Socks
Jan. 19th, 2026 06:34 pmsaxloch posting in fan_flashworksTitle: A Long Walk in Wet Socks
Author:saxloch
Fandom: The Running Man (2025)
Characters: Ben Richards, Evan McCone
Rating: Teen & Up
Length: 748 words
Content Notes: Non-graphic mentions of death of a child
Summary: After escaping the network, Ben is left with nobody--aside from his attempted killer.
Author:
saxloch Fandom: The Running Man (2025)
Characters: Ben Richards, Evan McCone
Rating: Teen & Up
Length: 748 words
Content Notes: Non-graphic mentions of death of a child
Summary: After escaping the network, Ben is left with nobody--aside from his attempted killer.
( A Long Walk in Wet Socks )
Loomings.
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:15 pmhannahI've got work tomorrow. If I keep saying it, maybe I'll believe it ahead of time.
It's more of a gig than a job - my parents knew some people who needed their home library alphabetized and reorganized, and we met last week to see if we'd be a good fit. It turns out we are, so for at least two full working days a week for the next few weeks, I'll be heading a few blocks uptown to get paid to do what I went to school to learn how to do. Alphabetizing novels by author is one thing; working with an individual to figure out their needs for their personal library and how to organize within that is another. So far I suggested moving all the kids' books to the two children's bedrooms, and creating a city/travel section as would be useful for them, though not for others.
I'm going back to packing my own lunch. Though as it's in someone else's apartment and they've said I can use their mugs and their tea, I might not need to pack my own silverware. But I might, just to be on the safe side about these things.
It's more of a gig than a job - my parents knew some people who needed their home library alphabetized and reorganized, and we met last week to see if we'd be a good fit. It turns out we are, so for at least two full working days a week for the next few weeks, I'll be heading a few blocks uptown to get paid to do what I went to school to learn how to do. Alphabetizing novels by author is one thing; working with an individual to figure out their needs for their personal library and how to organize within that is another. So far I suggested moving all the kids' books to the two children's bedrooms, and creating a city/travel section as would be useful for them, though not for others.
I'm going back to packing my own lunch. Though as it's in someone else's apartment and they've said I can use their mugs and their tea, I might not need to pack my own silverware. But I might, just to be on the safe side about these things.
Warm Heart #2 [The Fulcrum]
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:33 pmparadoxcase posting in rainbowficName: A Concerning Request
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Warm Heart #2: Worry
Styles and Supplies: Novelty Bead ("train whistle", given here), Panorama, Reimagining, Feathers (January 19, 1975: Establishment of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
Word Count: 2687
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Characters: Setsiana, Qhoroali, Cusäfä
In-Universe Date: 1912.4.5.3, 21st century, (approximately) -10,000
Summary: Qhoroali pays another visit to Cusäfä.
Notes: I decided the first Cusäfä chapter was entirely too long and had way too much stuff in it, so I removed all of the worldbuilding that was not immediately relevant to that earlier part of the story and moved it into this later scene (about 1500 words of dialog, which has since been neatened up and expanded with more action beats). So if some stuff in here seems like it something you already read before, it's probably because you did. There is some new stuff in here, too, but since a large chunk of it is rewritten from the previous scene, it gets the Reimagining tag.
( A Concerning Request )
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Warm Heart #2: Worry
Styles and Supplies: Novelty Bead ("train whistle", given here), Panorama, Reimagining, Feathers (January 19, 1975: Establishment of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
Word Count: 2687
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Characters: Setsiana, Qhoroali, Cusäfä
In-Universe Date: 1912.4.5.3, 21st century, (approximately) -10,000
Summary: Qhoroali pays another visit to Cusäfä.
Notes: I decided the first Cusäfä chapter was entirely too long and had way too much stuff in it, so I removed all of the worldbuilding that was not immediately relevant to that earlier part of the story and moved it into this later scene (about 1500 words of dialog, which has since been neatened up and expanded with more action beats). So if some stuff in here seems like it something you already read before, it's probably because you did. There is some new stuff in here, too, but since a large chunk of it is rewritten from the previous scene, it gets the Reimagining tag.
( A Concerning Request )
Guardian: meta: The SID as Sock Patterns
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:33 pmteaotter posting in fan_flashworksTitle: The SID as Sock Patterns
Fandom: Guardian
Challenge: Sock
Note: contains links to Ravelry sock patterns
( Read more... )
Fandom: Guardian
Challenge: Sock
Note: contains links to Ravelry sock patterns
( Read more... )
no fandom : icons : Dreamy Socks
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:08 pmhighlander_ii posting in fan_flashworksTitle: Dreamy Socks
Fandom: none
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of socks! all of the images are from SockDreams
( Dreamy Socks )
Fandom: none
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of socks! all of the images are from SockDreams
( Dreamy Socks )
Divisional Roundup
Jan. 19th, 2026 06:06 pmmayhapWe're running perilously short of football. Soon we will be entirely out.
( divisional games )
( championship games )
( divisional games )
( championship games )
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Fanfic: A Nice Pair of Socks
Jan. 19th, 2026 06:57 pmalexcat posting in fan_flashworksTitle:A Nice Pair of Socks
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 575
Content notes: None
Author notes: I think I may have gone mad.
Summary: Tony's dress socks keep going missing.
( A Nice Pair of Socks )
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 575
Content notes: None
Author notes: I think I may have gone mad.
Summary: Tony's dress socks keep going missing.
( A Nice Pair of Socks )
Fandom Snowflake Challenge #10
Jan. 19th, 2026 03:19 pmteaotter posting in snowflake_challengeIntroduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 * Challenge #7 * Challenge #8 * Challenge #9
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #10 )
And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #10 )
And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Monday Word: Bristlecone
Jan. 19th, 2026 05:11 pmstonepicnicking_okapi posting in 1word1daybristlecone [ˈbri-səl-ˌkōn-]
noun
a pine, Pinus aristata, of the southwestern U.S., bearing short needles crowded into long, thick bundles and cones having scales tipped with a slender, curved spine; one of the longest-lived trees, useful in radiocarbon dating
examples
1. Ultimately, it's the rising temperatures and droughts associated with global warming that will significantly impinge upon Nature's finest masterpiece -- the near-immortal Great Basin bristlecone pines. Dr. Reese Halter: Saving the Ancient Pines by Reducing our Global Footprints, 2010
2. "There is a bristlecone pine tree that's nearly five thousand years old."
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
origin
first recorded use of the word 1893
noun
a pine, Pinus aristata, of the southwestern U.S., bearing short needles crowded into long, thick bundles and cones having scales tipped with a slender, curved spine; one of the longest-lived trees, useful in radiocarbon dating
examples
1. Ultimately, it's the rising temperatures and droughts associated with global warming that will significantly impinge upon Nature's finest masterpiece -- the near-immortal Great Basin bristlecone pines. Dr. Reese Halter: Saving the Ancient Pines by Reducing our Global Footprints, 2010
2. "There is a bristlecone pine tree that's nearly five thousand years old."
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
origin
first recorded use of the word 1893
Monday Media Musings: 01/19/26
Jan. 19th, 2026 01:54 pmowlmooseThe Scavenger Door by Suzanne Palmer : The third book in The Finder Chronicles; as much fun as its predecessors, and the end had me immediately turning around to start book four. ( Spoilery thoughts. )
Non-spoilery thought: Suzanne Palmer sure knows what it's like to live with a cat.Um Actually live show: I don't subscribe to Dropout, so I'm sadly unfamiliar with most of their shows, but during high pandemic, they dropped a bunch of Um Actually episodes on YouTube, and T and I spent a lot of time watching them. So when we learned that there would a live show at this year's SF Sketchfest, we immediately decided to get tickets. The panel, which was not announced in advance, was Janet Varney, Marc Evan Jackson, and Tawny Newsome; they were an awesome group who played well off the hosts and each other, and we had a great time.
Contemporary Romances, Kelly Bowen, & More
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:30 pmsmartbitches_feedFlowers from the Storm
RECOMMENDED: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale is $1.99! This is one of those romances that is frequently talked about and in a previous Whatcha Reading, several of the Smart Bitches talked about the level of feels this book gives them. Have you read it? And, if so, do you have fond memories of it?
The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant – and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the “D of J” in scandal sheets. But sometimes the most womanizing rakehell can be irresistible, and even his most causal attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms.
Then one fateful day she receives the shocking news – the duke is lost to the world. And Maddy knows it is her destiny to help him and her only chance to find the true man behind the wicked facade.
But she never dreamed her gentle, healing touch would alter his life and her own so completely – and bind them together in need, desire…and love.
Immortal Longings
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong is $1.99! I mentioned this one in a previous Hide Your Wallet because I’ve enjoyed Gong’s new adult fantasy retellings. This is her adult debut and is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.
Out of the Woods
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young is $1.99! This is a standalone contemporary romance and came out about a year ago. I’ve seen Bonam-Young’s books recommended in the comments previously. Do you have a favorite?
A married couple joins a week-long wilderness expedition to help them reconnect in this heartfelt companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation Out on a Limb.
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs.
But Sarah has begun to wonder… who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all, independent and capable.
That is, until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zone and join a grueling, week-long hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.
What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.
A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal
RECOMMENDED: A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal by Kelly Bowen is $1.99! This is a historical romance novella. Carrie gave this a B+:
I read A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal at the dentist while waiting for two fillings. I’m horribly phobic about the dentist so when I say that this story was comforting, it’s high praise indeed. It’s too rushed to go down in literary history as the best story ever, but if you need a quick comfort read you can’t possibly do better than this tale of a social climber who falls madly and inconveniently in love with a ship’s doctor.
Lady Viola Hextall is bored—of the ocean, her chaperones, and the woeful lack of available dukes on the ocean voyage from London to New York. Scrambling for any diversion short of jumping overboard, Viola strikes up a conversation with the ship’s rough-hewn, blue-eyed surgeon—and discovers an immediate cure for what ails her…
To Nathaniel Shaw, Viola has the bearing of a lady and the spirit of an adventurer—an unlikely combination that he finds utterly irresistible. So he’s hoping to convince Viola to leave the stifling ballrooms of London high society behind because there is a big, wide world just waiting for them to explore—together.