Smunth ‘25
You cannot make this shit up!
Late at night, I was sitting in my bed reading Sara Cate’s Praise (the last book for this month’s blog) AND I KID YOU NOT, I read these exact lines:
“‘I recognized you from your blog.”
Her eyes widen in response and a bright smile stretches across her face. “I didn’t know anyone actually read that thing. But I like writing it anyway.”
“Are you kidding? I was obsessed. [...] it was your blog that made me feel… I don't know… like I wasn't so weird.”
“Good” [...] “That was the intent. Do you think men ever feel bad for the stuff they like? Do they get called sluts or depraved or nasty? No. I think we’re all tired of being shamed and shoved into these quiet, perfect little innocent versions of ourselves while men can be as deviant as they want.’” (p. 273)
Like, what the heck, man?! What kind of metta universe am I living in?
The funny thing is: it's been ONE FULL YEAR now and I am STILL writing this blog!!! Now, I may not be a dominatrix like the woman who writes the blog in Praise (shocking, I know!) but I publish SMUNTH for the same reason she writes her BDSM blog.
The whole point of SMUNTH was for me to expand my mind, and let go of the shame that surrounds reading smut for me and for others. And it was freakin’ FUN! When I wrote that first blog I had no idea what I was doing. (It wasn't even a blog post on a real website yet, just a little newsletter to a handful of my friends.)
But when I reread my first SMUNTH publication, it's hard for me not to giggle. Not because anything I said was dumb, but because I was truly at the beginning of something that I couldn’t understand the gravity of yet. Those rules I had set last year are now rules I take into everything I do creatively and they feel more like my own belief systems than anything else:
Read a whole month of nothing but steamy books. You get to decide how steamy you are comfortable with. Whether your Plot to Smut ratio is 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, 80:20, 90:10 - no judgment, hun. But put all other books on the back burner. They will still be there in a month. WE ARE PRACTICING SELF CARE!
Open your mind - I will live and die in a corset in my historical romance era forever but for SMUNTH throw something new in there: try fantasy, for example. If you only read enemies to lovers, see how good it can be between old friends. If you read mainly romance, try some steamy dark romance. You might find something new to obsess over!
No judgment - if it sounds intriguing, read it. Only you have to know, so explore those fantasies.
Have Funnnnnnnnnn! Get sexy with it!
I believe that you are in control of your own narrative and curiosities. Decide what is right for you so you can be as happy as you want. Having an open mind is paramount to any kind of study of humanity. Leading with compassion when people are being vulnerable is vital. At the end of the day, what matters most is that you are happy. So whatever it is that brings you joy is worth celebrating.
So let’s kneel at the altar of the church of SMUNTH!
I'm just kidding!...kinda…
But honestly, yeah, that first blog has grown into something more.
I have grown up in some ways since that first month. Here were some of my goals:
“I was done with being an ignorant novice on BookTok. I would know what all the other bitches did!” I mean, now not only do I get book recs from tiktok, but I also have a BookTok account, @its.smunth, where I give others recs. So I am the other bitches now - how exciting!
“Then I needed to read the books that my best friends suggested.” My friends still tell me “You have to read this book” all the time. The only difference is now my book besties group is huge!
“And finally I had to go to the motherland, my place of worship, my safe place: the “Ripped Bodice” (a romance book store in LA) to ask my most trusted advisors (the queens who work the front desk) for their recs.” Today, those wonderful women are some of my most beloved friends and, between my popping into book clubs, events, and the Tuesday farmer’s market around the corner, the store feels like a second home.
When I look at the month of books that I just read, a classic SMUNTH month, in which the world is my oyster, I feel the same. That same sense of bubbly joy. I still blush when the characters of these books say something particularly dirty (Elsie Silver: how does your mind make up these men!?). I still swoon over characters like Charlie Laster in Book Lovers or Ford Grant in Wild Love. And nothing makes me cry more than “found family” step-parent dynamics or the leads of the book finally saying I am worthy of being loved and desired just as I am! And, finally, books like Wallbanger and People We Meet On Vacation have me laughing so hard, tears slip from my eyes!
I am still very much the same girl from last April in my heart, but today I am also the girl who does SMUNTH, who studies smut, who champions sexual education, and who tries to put her voice out there in hopes that someone will say “it was your blog that made me feel… I don't know…like I wasn't so weird.”
Now I look for different topics and themes to explore. Because these books are a treasure trove!
So once again, I am going to end this by saying: SMUNTH was more than I could have ever hoped for. I had the time of my life! I was sent on a journey that made me laugh ‘till I was crying or peeing, cried more than I ever thought sexy books could make me, and learned so, so, so, soooo much - like wow! And OMG, did you know?….. Actually that might be too graphic, ask me later. In private. But nothing was more fun than talking about all that I read with my friends everyday and I want to share that joy. If after reading this you are thinking that this would be fun, then say “fuck it!” to classic literature this May and do SMUNTH! Or if you are hungry for a horny summer, I will introduce SMUMMER!
Happy reading! 😉
Your bestie, Liv 😘
The Book List
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
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison 🌶️🌶️
This is a book that everyone on my FYP was raving about so I wanted to join in. Borison did not disappoint! This book was inspired by Nora Ephron’s classic film Sleepless in Seattle. The FMC Lucie, a single mom mechanic, finds herself spilling her guts to a stranger on live air. Her daughter called in for her and now Aiden is sitting in a radio studio completely enamored with the women on the other side. Lucie's dream for “magic” when it comes to love pulls on everyone who listens’ heart strings, and the reader’s as well. This book was a beautiful look at what we dream of, what we need, and what ends up being our truest form of happiness. Between Lucie's honesty about being tired of searching for someone to make you feel special and seen, and Aiden's fear of caring about someone and then losing them, these two characters captured my heart! Also the sexual tension and yearning were impeccable!! And the one smutty scene was hot!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ special edition
Book Lovers by Emily Henry 🌶️🌶️
I think this may be one of my favorite books of all time. No actually, it is! I don't even know where to begin with this one. From the prologue, I was hooked. This book beautifully played with reality and fiction as it made self-aware jokes about book tropes and the romance genre. I loved it immediately. The characters were charming and interesting at the same time as being so damn relatable. Henry has a way of making romance books feel like great American classics. Her characters and plots are so realistic that you are not thrown out of the story once. And she finds a way to keep you in awe of her words. The FMC, Nora, is who I aspire to be when I grow up, cracks and all! And Charlie Lastra, our MMC, has just slid his way into the top two book boyfriends of all time for me. Their ability to love each other for who they are is inspiring. Henry has an ability to do something that many authors cannot: she writes smut that is simultaneously high-literature and hot as hell. She is able to convey the animalistic reality of sex that allows the characters to stop their brains and just feel, while still keeping the reader in the romantic language of the book. She is a master amongst mortals.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ special edition
⭐️something a little extra
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage 🌶️🌶️🌶️
The Rebel Blue Ranch Series is always so much fun. It's been a minute since I read the first one (Done and Dusted) but I remember having so much fun with it. Honestly, though, I think this one had a different magic to it. There was nothing life-changing about this book. But it has something that's almost more important: it made me happy. Lyla Sage’s books are perfect in their simplicity. Each time I would pick one of these books up I totally enjoy myself. But this book specifically made my heart swoon. Wes and Ada were so lovely. From the first page I just wanted them to find their happily ever after. This was just a fun read. Oh, and the steam was steamy! Talk about a man who will talk you through it! KING!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Myyyyyy GOD! Single dad x nanny books are just so much damn fun! This one had a fun twist to it because they were not strangers before this new found arrangement. No. They were enemies. Teddy Anderson has been best friends with Clementine (Emmy) Ryder since they were babies but she's been enemies with August (Gus) Ryder (Emmy’s eldest brother) for almost as long. Teddy and Gus love to hate each other but when they are forced to spend time together alone they are also forced to see each other's good sides. And I ate it up. This book was fun and wholesome and HOT. Once Gus and Teddy finally start to roll around in the sheets, my Lord, buckle up! This is so fun and an easy read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was the last book in the series and it wrapped up the story of the last two members of this family. See Cam, our FMC, is Gus' baby mama and thus a part of the Ryder family. And Dusty, our MMC, is a long-time friend to all the Ryders. This is a second-chance romance meaning these two dated in high school but broke up and now, 15 years later, are trying to find their way back to each other. There were parts I loved and understood about Cam but there were also parts that kind of frustrated me along the journey. BUT DUSTY… now that is a man that is easy to love! I absolutely devoured his chapters and everything he said to her. I am firmly TEAM DUSTY. But I think the part of this book that will stick with me forever was towards the end. It was two conversations; one between two parents and one between two future step-parents. Cam and Gus were never officially together but after they hooked up one night and ended up with Riley, they formed a beautiful friendship. Teddy and Dusty are two old friends (almost step-siblings :)) who find themselves taking on one of the greatest jobs known to man; being a good step-parent. To say I cried would be putting it lightly. More like sobbing and gasping for breath. For these two scenes alone the Rebel Blue Ranch is a must read!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Wild Love by Elsie Silver 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Else Silver writes like ink flowing into water. It's fast and smooth. I can't even explain how easy her books are to read. They are beautiful in their simplicity and ease. I know that I will always be able to pick up one of her books and just fly through it. This book is the first book in the Rose Hill series which is the series that came after her wildly popular Chestnut Springs series. To say there was a lot of pressure on this book living up to the previous series would be an understatement. But this friends-to-lovers, brother’s best friend, single dad, small town romance lived up to it! Ford and Rosie were an absolute pleasure! Ford was just named “Sexiest Billionaire” when he moved back to a small mountain town in Canada to open his new recording studio. So when his neighbor and best friend Wes’s little sister Rosie shows up looking for a job, he gives her one. But it's really just an excuse to spend more time with the girl he has been in love with his whole life. Their love story is fun and playful while also discussing privilege and power. But I think the true star of the show is Cora, Ford's 12-year-old daughter, who came into the world due to the fact that when Ford was young he needed some cash and figured sperm donation would do the trick! It’s a hoot and half. And don't forget Elsie Silver is the queen of dirty talk. ;)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Wow, I am shocked at how emotional I am at the end of this one. Here is the thing: you know how I feel about Elsie's work. I always like it. And everyone says this is her best work but I am still shocked! It's not what I expected. It was fun and light-hearted but it has a lot of depth and I felt my chest crack open when I got to chapter 32 and I heard the song Photosynthesis (I did listen to the audiobook version of this which includes the actual song). This is a story about a fun-loving, dependable single-dad who runs a horse training ranch while raising his two children. He is lonely and he falls head over heels in love with a lost and anxious country popstar who escaped her life to try and make music that is all her own. I can't say too much without spoiling this one but I can say I smiled and I cried and I would do it again and again. AND THE SMUT! FILTHY! enjoy;).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Wild Side by Else Silver 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The third book in the Rose Hill series follows Ryce Dupre and Tabitha Garrison. The two are pushed together after the tragic loss of Tabitha’s sister, Erika. Together they have to raise Erika's son, Milo. This story has the fun ease of an Else Silver novel but with a new-found depth. The story takes a real look at loss, grief, and guilt that follows these characters as well as examines their past traumas. It's real, and for that I think it just might be my new favorite book of hers! The lows of the book are contrasted by a steamy, steamy love affair. The smut in this book will have you in a sweat. So buckle up for a story that will leave you breathless!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry 🌶️
This book has left me feeling a bit like an exposed nerve, sensitive to the very air around me. I don't need to tell you to read Henry’s work, you already know you should. She is the epitome of romantic literature. But I can tell you that this story was heartbreaking, real, and vulnerable. This book shows the true pain of a friends-to-lovers story because she doesn't just tell you they yearn for each other's affection. No, she makes you read 12 years of two people who love each other so fiercely, without ever having the guts to admit to their feelings. This book was not a simple, fluffy book but rather a compelling look at genuine connection and fear. Once again, I would say that Henry does not write smutty books but her books still explore themes of physical intimacy and what that means for each of her characters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Wallbanger by Alice Clayton🌶️🌶️🌶️
I mean, come on! With a name like that, it has to be hilarious! And it was! From the first chapter I was giggling up a storm. Clayton brought a youthfulness to her story. Don't worry, her characters are in their 30’s and mature. But there was a silliness that completely had me enamored with this book. It reminded me that no matter how old we are in our own mind we will always stay young. The story follows Caroline who moves into a new apartment. On the first night she is awoken by Simon, her neighbor, who is having some boisterous fun with a lady-friend on the other side of the wall. Hilarity ensues as Simon’s escapades continue, boil over, and then explode when Caroline and Simon realize they have mutual friends. If the forced proximity of their walls wasn't enough to bring them together then all their friends dating each other would be. Needless to say, the story was entertaining as hell. But I think the most interesting part of this book was the smut. I really don't want to give anything away because it was not what I expected from the title. But let me say this: Wallbanger talked about the fragility of women's pleasure and how it is not a given. It dove into how complex sex can be for women no matter how much they may want it. All in all Wallbanger is going into the Must Read SMUNTH catalog. I think it perfectly encapsulates the nuance of sex while keeping it fun!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
Praise by Sara Cate 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This steamy story is about a girl who falls in love with her ex-boyfriend’s dad when she becomes his secretary. Oh, and did I mention that he is also the owner of a new sex club? Well, so yeah, that’s the journey Praise takes you on. This story definitely extends into some more taboo themes than your run of the middle smutty book. But stories set in sexclubs allways seem to have the most interesting discourse around sex to dissect. This book was no different. Not only was Charlotte, the FMC, experiencing her own sexual awakening but the conversations of Emerson, our MMC, with several characters (especially his son) were very insightful. Emerson is stuck in a tough situation. He wants to create a safe and positive place for people to enjoy desire with his new club. At the same time he is losing his beloved son due to his son’s small-mindedness. Emerson's internal struggle was fascinating and moving to read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover
All photos where taken by Chloe Kaminski and edited by Sander Tancredi.
