Smunth ‘26
My 3rd SMUNTH is done!
Year two is wrapped.
I want to comment on the nine books I read this year for SMUNTH because it's been a beautiful month. But I am having a hard time separating that from Year 2. I feel like this month has been so informed by the woman I’ve become over the last two years.
During Year 1, I felt like I was playing in a sand box by myself. There was so much to research and so much to report and reflect on. But during Year 2, SMUNTH started to become a conversation. The impact of others, whether it was from my interactions on social media or in-person, became so much more present in my reading.
I think the conversation that people let me have with them deeply affected the way I now interact with smut.
But that doesn't mean that I am any less obsessed with smut!
I am now just so much more aware of how these stories affect others.
I also think my view has morphed and expanded. Last year, I was really stepping into this idea of removing shame and being bold and present in my love for this work which then forced my hand into deeply personal territory.
Honesty is the word that keeps circulating in my mind when looking at smut now.
This year was not just about what I researched, but how it made me feel. From the words I wrote, to the videos I posted, I tried to be honest. I tried to find the words to express how I was feeling. I found myself posting more, really going into my thoughts on each story.
The really, truly good stuff is found in the moments when our characters leave it all on the page. No more hiding. “This is me,” and “This is what I want.” Moments of true vulnerability and honesty translate into undeniably hot stories. This is what I have been focusing on the past year with the stories I reviewed.
I think that the only thing I can do as I review these stories, is come from this beautiful open place, just like the characters.
And with that, let’s jump into this month’s stories for SMUNTH:
Book Reviews:
Rating system: (this is based on price, just try and come between me and my kindle)
⭐️Library, ⭐️⭐️kindle, ⭐️⭐️⭐️paperback, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover,
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ special edition
Spice level:
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Oh my God, I didn’t know you could do that!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Not suitable to read at work
🌶️🌶️🌶️Good Lord!
🌶️🌶️HOT
🌶️ hot
FMC= Female main Character and MMC= Male Main Character
MM = Two Men
FF= Two Women
MFM = Two Men One Woman, the men are Not with each Other, the woman is with both.
MMF = Two Men One Women, The Men Are with each Other, the woman is with both.
MMFM = Three Men One Women, two of the men are together, One man is not, the woman is with all three
MMMF = Three Men One women, every one is with everyone
(the same rules apply for FMF, FFM, FFMF, FFFM. And so on and so forth.)
T = Trans or They/Tem Non-Binary)
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (MF)
This has quickly become one of my Top Tier Romance Reads! What I loved about this story was Bonam-Young wrote characters that you are instantly rooting for. Win and Bo are such inherently lovable characters that when one of the most controversial tropes is dropped right off the bat (surprise pregnancy) you are so ready to go on this journey with them. They both have deep-rooted beliefs that they are hard to love. Yet, from the first moment each is proving to the other that they are wrong, loving the other with ease. They both have limb differences: Win has symbrachydactyly (she has one smaller hand) and Bo has a prosthesis from the knee down. The characters are not defined by this. However, it's one of the most visible ways that they show up for each other, especially in the intimacy scenes. During sex these differences are highlighted and cherished all the more and the characters are made to feel perfect just as they are. Not only was their sexual chemistry off the charts, but the scene also contained the perfect character development that can happen in well-written smut.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Poisoned Ivy by Ava Rani🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (MF)
This college romance follows two opposites as they work together to write a story that starts off as an exposé of a secret society on campus but turns into an investigative piece about a secret art forgery scandal. The plot acts as a fun driving force for the story and forces proximity for the lovers. The lovers have an incredible tension from page one, which makes their story soooo fun to read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Julia Song Is Undateable by Susane Lee 🌶️🌶️🌶️(MF)
This is my favorite rom-com read of the year. The story is about Julia Song, who is iconically undatable; she has high standards and tragic luck when it comes to dating. But her family wants to she her happy and settled. So what does any good Korean daughter do? She goes out of her way to go on three dates set up by her family. But she also enlists the help of Tae, the hot neighbor, local fix-it man, and her childhood friend, to be her dating coach. Does she know he has had a crush on her since they were kids? No! But that’s what makes this story so much fun! The years of pining and family high jinks are infectious!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban 🌶️🌶️🌶️(FF)
I am obsessed with this story because when you have the stakes of historical romance added in with the stakes of queer romance, you create an absolutely captivating story. For women of the Regency era, finding a husband was not just a pastime, but a means of survival when women couldn’t own anything on their own. The reality of finding a husband becomes so much more important, but if you have two queer women who fall in love the stakes become exponentially higher. Emma Alban did such a beautiful job creating two characters that you were absolutely rooting for and a love story that you needed to see end happily while still keeping the magic and the fun of a historical romance alive! The beauty of exploration between the intimacy of these two characters is unmatched!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love In Focus by Lyla Lee 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (FF)
This second-chance romance really highlights the trials and tribulations facing couples who have tried and failed at love. But it also shows that the bonds that bring people together can often be really hard to cut and maybe are worth fighting for. Celeste and Gemma are definitely far better together than they ever were apart and I think their ability to re-imagine what love is for themselves over time was a beautiful story worth telling.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (MF)
Every once in a while, I talk about books that are perfect SMUNTH reads. Really what that means is the way intimacy is talked about in the book or the way that sex is depicted on the page serves as the perfect description of why we need this work. Business or Pleasure is an extremely fun rom-com between a ghost writer and a former teen-heartthrob actor. However, really the story is about two people who come together to try and get to know each other and slowly tear down each other’s walls. They are so unbelievably honest and open with each other so that they can be the versions of themselves that they want to be. For one of the characters this requires a lot of open and honest conversation about all the ways that they feel they’re lacking in the bedroom!!! For the other, they need to be open about being brave in their career. All in all, this story has the most perfect balance of story, romance, and sex!! This is 1000% SMUNTH approved!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cactus Heart by Clio Evans🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.75 (MMF)
Oh my gosh, I have so much fun every time I read a “Why Choose” novel! This one is set in Why Not, TX, the queerest town in Texas, where the tag line is” Why not?” This romance follows Levi, a hockey player who is really struggling to find what it is he’s looking for in the world. It’s also following a firefighter, Mateo, who is trying to find a place to put all his love and care. And finally, it follows Avery, an artist, who is healing from grief and is feeling utterly lonely. She is looking for the people who will see her! Together, the three perfectly fit and make a beautiful and stable triangle of care. It’s so fun to see the dynamics between each character with one of their partners versus their other partner. “Why Choose” is always such an interesting look at character development. This story was also extremely funny and I can’t wait to read the other two books in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shot on Net by JJ Mulder🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (MM)
After the Heated Rivalry craze of this winter, tons of people have been telling me to check out JJ Mulder‘s work, in particular the Offsides and CSU hockey MM series. I started with the first book in the CSU series and I was instantly sucked in. What I love about Mulder’s stories is you’re immediately locking into the characters. There is a plot, but the stories feel character-driven rather than plot-driven and I found that you’re not waiting very long for the couples to get together or to express their interest in each other. You’re more just waiting to see how it all pans out in the end. I instantly cared deeply about both of the characters in this book and I had so much fun reading about them. I’d also like to add that Shot on Net is a beautiful depiction of demisexuality. Zeke’s journey with intimacy is a treat to read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 (MF)
OK, so technically, I’m not done with this book yet. I’ve been trying to finish it in time, but here’s what I can say already: this book is phenomenal! Simone and Murphy have such a beautiful way of writing together where they perfectly bounce off of each other‘s humor and create these deeply funny and sexy stories. I love the cast of characters in this book and the dynamic between Bram and Maddie is so fun. Yes, it’s a single dad/nanny trope. Yes, it’s a professor kink, but in no way does any of it feel tired or repetitive. It feels fun and fresh and so damn entertaining!!! I cannot express how good these two authors are at creating smut that just sizzles on the page. The word choice is always inspired and I have so much fun eating up every single crumb they drop.
Photos by Dylan Beck
