A woman on TikTok received $15 worth of additional produce that she didn’t order or ask for while using Favor. Sarah Thomas (@sarahkittenz), a TikToker, posted a video that garnered over 1.7 million views. In the video, she shared her experience with a personal shopper who got every single item wrong from H-E-B.
“This is why men should be banned from being personal shoppers for any sort of app,” she said.
Back in the early aughts I had a minor obsession with the Tudors. The Other Boleyn Girl was in theatres, The Tudors was on Showtime, and Phillippa Gregory and Alison Weir were having literary moments.
Six Wild Crowns pulled me right back into my fascination with that moment in time (in fact, I’m rewatching The Tudors). This is a high magic fantasy based loosely on Henry VIII and his six wives, but with a feminist twist. It is not, however, a romance.
First of all, this novel is the beginning of a series (or duology, I’m not sure) so if you don’t want to start a series that isn’t finished yet, be aware that this is the only book published so far.
Six Wild Crowns takes place in a fantasy version of England called Elben. Henry is king and he is married, simultaneously, to six queens. The magic system in this novel involves a magical force called the bordweal that forms an invisible barrier around the island Elben that potential invaders or enemies cannot cross. The king also has some magical abilities himself.
In order for Henry to access his magic and for the bordweal to be maintained, he must have six queens, each of whom occupies a coastal castle, and through a ritual during their wedding ceremony, strengthens Henry’s bond with his own magic.
This part was a little confusing. The average person in this book does not have magical abilities, and the queens do not have them until they marry Henry and take occupancy of his castle. Initially it’s pretty unclear where that magic comes from.
When the book opens Henry has just married Queen Boleyn. Boleyn is similar to her historical counterpart in her looks and intelligence, and she is in love with Henry and he with her. It’s tradition for each of the queens to gift a new queen a present on her wedding day, and rather than jewels or or a pet dragon (there are dragons in this book and they are cool), Queen Aragon gives her a servant–Seymour. Seymour is actually there as a spy (of course) and her assignment is to assassinate Boleyn on Aragon’s orders.
The book is told through Boleyn and Seymour’s alternating viewpoints. Boleyn is a strategist, determined to become the most powerful and favorite queen among Henry’s five other established wives. She’s also researching why, despite Henry now having his six queens, the bordweal has been consistently weakening.
Seymour is an unwilling spy and assassin. She comes from a noble family who groomed her to help her family’s fortunes rise, but she mostly just wants to be left alone. She cannot lie convincingly, she doesn’t want to kill anyone, and she doesn’t want to be involved in royal political games. So of course she does the most inconvenient thing possible and falls in love with Boleyn.
Boleyn meanwhile begins to see Henry’s true colors and her love for him changes to disgust. She meets Queen Howard, who she realizes was married to Henry at just thirteen and is still very much a child. She sees Henry’s selfishness and vanity.
Her research into ancient texts about the bordweal leads her to information that stuns her.
Realizing that Henry remaining in power will be disastrous not only to her personally, but also the kingdom, she tries to unite the other five queens against Henry.
While this is going on, Henry’s wife Queen Blount dies, and much to everyone’s surprise, he marries Seymour. She can’t stand Henry, is afraid of him, and loathes sexual encounters with him. Even though Boleyn doesn’t return Seymour’s romantic love, they form a close friendship and unifying force.
The main theme of this book is power being stolen from women, and women being pitted against each other for the benefit of the patriarchy. The six queens are supposed to be jealous and conniving against one another in order to be most beloved in Henry’s eyes. They are never meant to be friends or allies.
I always like the theme of women discovering their power, and women coming together to be stronger as a group. This is definitely a “fuck the patriarchy” fantasy. I also liked the courtly machinations and political plots. It’s a little bit House of the Dragon that way. The color of clothing, the type of gift given, all have important subtle but symbolic meanings and every gesture from a queen means something significant beneath its face value.
The only thing I thought Six Wild Crowns could have improved on was the relationship between Boleyn and Seymour.
Show Spoiler
Boleyn knows Seymour is in love with her, but doesn’t return the feeling (she’s not queer), so they just sort of become friends. Seymour’s romantic feelings for Boleyn aren’t really addressed again after that and I guess we’re just supposed to assume she’s just dealing with them? The tension of “I love her but she doesn’t love me” isn’t really addressed.
Aside from that, this book is a wonderful reading experience. The setting, clothes and manners are all from a familiar enough place in time that it didn’t require a ton of world building, but Elben was still unique as a fantasy world. The action and the conflict were paced very well so the book grows in momentum. There’s also the “Earl has to die” plotline that I always appreciate.
Six Wild Crowns is a fun, historical fantasy and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.
Yes, we have walked past this bush five times already, but I noticed you dispensed a piece of your tragic lore the first time we walked past it and I need to know if this phenomenon is repeatable.
I don't think there would actually be a "pop" sound, but I insisted there be a "pop" sound.
I had to consider for a bit how Hope's room would work with other "guests", and Lavender in particular. Not for terribly long, it was easy to decide upon remembering it's no more complicated than Hope's perception (rather than some objective criteria or outside force).
She wouldn't feel a hospitality obligation to other temporary visitors unless they were of particular importance with a strong connection to the home.
Put another way, no, a plumber hired to fix the sink wouldn't be able to see the room.
A woman is issuing a warning to women everywhere after a terrifying experience at Walmart left her in tears. Perhaps the only reason this woman was able to share her warning was because of a “sweet soul” who happened to be at the right place at the right time.
In a clip posted on Saturday, Lanae (@lanae__marie) tells the story from inside of her car as she tries to hold back tears. According to the TikToker, she was shopping at Walmart when she felt a man “run up on [her]” and nearly run into her. The man looked away when Lanae turned but purportedly kept following her from aisle to aisle in the back corner of the store.
The power of lighting has caused a woman to go viral after sharing two very different passport photo results.
On July 16, Australian resident Willow Tonkin (@willowtonkin) posted a video to TikTok. She compared two separate passport photo results altered by differences in lighting. The video has amassed over 3.2 million views as of Sunday.
A woman is demanding answers from Lowe’s after a routine shopping trip left her feeling confused and disappointed in the home improvement retailer. Was the Lowe’s worker just doing their job, or was the shopper right in feeling she was slighted?
In a TikTok, Rebekah (@coping.with.coffee), who is a veteran, shares the upsetting experience she had at Lowe’s after going in to color-match some Sherwin-Williams paints. She also decided to grab a mop that was on sale, and took a photo to prove its price in case there were any issues at self-checkout.
A woman on TikTok found out that her iPhone was fake after bringing it into a T-Mobile store. Her evidence? A small, relatively undetectable stamp on the corner of the box that can be revealed using a UV light.
In a video with more than 38,000 views, Faith (@faithtoearth) explained how she just “got got.” She noticed a few things that were off and got suspicious. She then decided to bring it to her local store to check it out.
Convention season is starting up again, and I am READY, y'all. So since I've got major geekery on the brain anyway, I thought I'd focus today's Sweets on - what else? Geek cakes. But more than that, I've decided to feature geeky villain cakes. 'Cuz geeky villains are cool. (It's the outfits, am I right?)
First up, the horniest Loki cupcake you will ever see:
(I'm sure you guys will correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.)
Also, this is another wedding cake, if you can believe it. Check out all the tiny teeth!
Now here's a classic villain from my childhood, so I know him well:
Sub'd by Nick B., and made by Truly Scrumptious - the same folks behind that jaw-dropping standing Cyberman I featured last April.
It's here to EXTERMINATE your hunger, haha! (Sorry; obligatory Dalek joke.) I like how Dalek dresses are all the rage at conventions now, too. Who knew killer robots wielding bathroom plungers could be so chic?
Speaking of chic, here's the best-dressed villain in today's post:
Yes, really - she's handmade, and edible! (Check out another closeup here.) By the always-amazing Highland Bakery.
I have to take a quick break from the villains to show you the best Stargate cake I've ever seen:
WOWZA. Look at all that detail on the gate! And the watery texture on the event horizon! Seriously, this cake is encoding and locking ALL my chevrons, IF ya know whatta mean. (Stargate humor. Heh. Aheh. Heh.)
Vader!! Shiny, shiny Vader. Seriously, I have my own Vader helmet at home (don't ask), and it's not half as shiny as this cake. I think this cakes looks better, too. Seriously amazing.
Of course, we can't have Vader (or at least his helmet) without an official Storm Trooper escort:
Talk about the perfect hardcover gift book for Alien fans, listen to this: "From facehuggers to feather dusters, discover how the perfect killing machine relaxes after a day of scaring space marines."
Scroll through TikTok these days, and you very easily might come across a cat stretched out blissfully on a warm slab of concrete.
It’s the latest enrichment trend for pet owners, and the results are pretty adorable. Cats of all breeds and personalities are rubbing and lounging on the slabs like they were made for them. Turns out, they kind of are.
We have two different non-fiction options, some fun sci-fi, and even a romance novel. I rarely pick romances for this feature, so it always feels like a big deal to me when I do.
Do you have any recommendations you’d like to share? Leave ’em in the comments!
Black in Blues
M from the podcast discord recommended this one (and it’s on sale!). Their recommendation was quickly followed up by a couple comments of agreement.
A surprising and beautiful meditation on the color blue—and its fascinating role in Black history and culture—from National Book Award winner Imani Perry
Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?” In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.
Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as “Blue Black.” The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.
Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.
I’m really surprised this m/m sort of flew under the radar. This is an opposites attract romance with a hint of mystery. I think the comparison to The Charm Offensive is a fair one.
Brooklyn 99 meets The Charm Offensive in this sparkling romantic murder mystery: it’s murder cute in the first degree when a detective finds himself falling for the lead suspect in a career-making case.
At 29, Detective Rav Trivedi is the youngest member of the NYPD’s homicide squad, and his future looks bright. He may be a bit of an outsider in the department – an ivy-league educated gay Brit with a weakness for designer suits – but his meteoric rise and solve rate prove he belongs.
So when his CO assigns him lead on the high-profile murder of a record executive, Rav is ready for action. He won’t be distracted by TV crews, tabloids, or what’s trending on social media, nor by the ridiculously hot rock star with a clear motive and no alibi.
This is it, his shot, and he is not going to screw it up—certainly not by falling in love with his number one suspect…
I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom
Do you like quirky, weird, and funny sci-fi? Pargin has a lot of series. If that feels a little too overwhelming to start something that may require a bigger commitment, I believe this one is a standalone.
A standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America’s age of anxiety, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin.
Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.
But there are rules:
He cannot look inside the box.
He cannot ask questions.
He cannot tell anyone.
They must leave immediately.
He must leave all trackable devices behind.
As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war.
The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world.
This one popped onto my radar after seeing it recommended by an IG food account where a British woman makes recipes from other cultures from scratch. It looks like only used copies are the only kinds available. Fingers crossed your library has some!
An eye-opening memoir revealing the stories behind living in and running a Chinese takeaway.
Growing up in a Chinese takeaway in rural Wales, Angela Hui was made aware at a very young age of just how different she and her family were seen by her local community. From attacks on the shopfront (in other words, their home), to verbal abuse from customers, and confrontations that ended with her dad wielding the meat cleaver; life growing up in a takeaway was far from peaceful.
But alongside the strife, there was also beauty and joy in the rhythm of life in the takeaway and in being surrounded by the food of her home culture. Family dinners before service, research trips to Hong Kong, preparing for the weekend rush with her brothers – the takeaway is a hive of activity before a customer even places their order of ‘egg-friend rice and chop suey’.
Bringing readers along on the journey from Angela’s earliest memories in the takeaway to her family closing the shop after 30 years in business, this is a brilliantly warm and immersive memoir from someone on the other side of the counter.
Nobody wants to find an unexpected surprise in the produce section. Not even a cute, four-legged amphibian. One woman shared how she found a stowaway critter in a lettuce container while shopping at Aldi.
In a video with 1.6 million views, Florida-based TikToker Jahnay (@jah__nay) pushes a shopping cart in Aldi.
A woman says her landlord accused her of harboring a Chihuahua that wasn’t on the lease. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t have a dog.
In a video with over 3.6 million views, TikToker Rumplemilkskin (@rumplemilkskin) reports that her landlord informed her that property maintenance had observed a Chihuahua being “hidden” in a small cage three times. They attempt to charge her $150 for the supposed “dog” in her apartment.
For the second month in a row, inflation has been on the rise after falling in the U.S.—and grocery bills are still getting hit the most.
According to a March report by Credit Karma, 77% of Americans say food costs are where they feel it most. Not surprisingly, considering prices have jumped 24% since 2020, per the USDA’s Economic Research Service.
A Missouri woman accused of scamming a man out of $300 worth of a wildly popular collectible trinket is in for an unpleasant surprise. Thanks to his Ray Ban Metas, there’s a video of the transaction.
Jordan Blount (@816soulz) posted a video of himself selling two women a case of Labubus, a soft plush toy that is a must-have fashion accessory.
If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.
Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.
Servers already go through a lot in the restaurant industry–between wrangling entitled customers and dealing with tip-less tables, it’s a wonder they don’t crash out more on the job.
Especially when many have learned that good service and great food will only go so far with guests. This has been proved time and again when great servers receive measly tips–until they change something that has nothing to do with their service.
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the_mary_sue_feed) wrote2025-07-21 12:00 pm
