Smut by Karina Halle | A Romantic Comedy Standalone Book

I recently listened to the audiobook of Smut by Karina Halle and it was so good. I loved it and I think that’s because it combines two of my favorite things: Writing and the Enemies-to- Lovers trope. Interested? You should be! Make sure you keep reading for my full book review of Smut by Karina Halle.

And you can click here if you’re looking for more romance recs.

What is Smut by Karina Halle About?

A rivals-to-lovers, new adult romantic comedy about sex, love, and the written word.

When I first met Blake Crawford, all I wanted to do was hit him in the face.
Maybe the groin.
Okay, maybe I wanted to kiss him too, but that’s neither here nor there. I mean, he may have a gorgeous English accent, sexy full lips and an ass I’d like to bite but…
Where was I?
Right.
Being in the same creative writing class, he’s the last person I wanted to speak to, let alone be paired up with for my final assignment. But here comes the kicker…not only did our project end up getting us both As, but we found out we work well together.
Really well together.
I hate him and he hates me and yet we churn out gold. We’ve started writing self-published erotica under a pen name and let me tell you one thing… Writing dirty sex scenes with the sexiest, most infuriating man you know is a lot harder than you think.
And keeping our hands off each other?
Well, that’s another story…one with an ending I didn’t see coming. (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

I’m not sure if I’ve ever shared this on the blog before, but Karina Halle is one of my favorite romance writers. I’ve read so many of her books and lucky for me, she just keeps writing more! It’s perfect.

Many years ago when I had an Audible subscription, I purchased the audiobook of Smut with one of my monthly credits. But I never made time to listen to it. So I was looking for an audiobook recently to listen to and decided to check this one out. Right off the bat, I really liked how opposite Blake and Amanda were. It made for a very interesting chemistry from the very beginning.

Amanda vs. Blake

The two main characters meet in a creative writing course at their college. Amanda Newland takes her writing very seriously – both at school and when she’s working on her own personal writing projects. Meanwhile, Blake just seems like a goof off to her. His smooth British accent is infuriating to her.

So when the two of them get paired together for their final project, neither of them is happy. Amanda is in the top of her class and wants to do the best that she possibly can. Meanwhile, Blake is trying to finish his university degree so that he can take over the family business someday: a local bookstore.

The two of them are so completely different. When Blake looks at Amanda with that panty-melting smirk, she wants to deck him. But will the two of them be able to get along enough to finish their final writing project, and pass the class?

This book puts the Comedy in Romantic Comedy

As I mentioned earlier, Karina Halle is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. So I knew I would be disappointed with this book. She does a great job of adding humor and relatability to her characters. Smut is really the perfect mix of comedy and romance.

Here’s what I Loved about this Book:

Blake’s character. He’s a pushy asshole, but he’s also so funny. When I was listening to the audiobook I found myself imagining Jimmy from You’re the Worst.
Blake’s relationship with Blake’s little step-brother was so cute and funny. I laughed so much every time he had to interact with the tarantula.
I’m obsessed with the relationship between Amanda and her roommate. She added small moments of comic relief. All of their scenes together were so funny. Ana was definitely my favorite secondary character. But to be honest, all of the supportive characters in this story really made me smile.
All of the research that Blake put into researching erotica (the most popular genre and a guilty pleasure for many readers). It was very funny as he tried to explain it to Amanda.
The sexual tension. This book had so much heat because of how determined Amanda and Blake were to hate each other. This made for some very steamy scenes when they finally got together.

I Love Stories about Writers

I guess it’s because I’m a big reader and writer myself, but I love to read about writers. I think that’s why I love Emily Henry books so much. So one of the things I found so interesting in this story is the research Blake did into the self-publishing market. He really had to research the lucrative genre of erotica before he could convince Amanda to write books with him as part of a secret partnership.

I think Amanda was a little shocked. After all, she was so focused on their writing class and working on her fantasy novel in her free time. But writing erotica came pretty natural for them and it was fun to watch their secret partnership grow and succeed.

Who needs a business degree when you can make money writing sexy scenes in books instead? Lol.

In Conclusion

I think this was a really fun book to read. Blake started out as an arrogant jerk but he became very likeable. And Amanda was a bit stiff but she opened up throughout the story. I thought this rivals to lovers story made for an exceptional read. The two main characters and great chemistry as well as great banter, and that’s what makes a good romance novel in my opinion.

If you’re looking for a fun contemporary romance, Smut by Karina Halle is a delightful read.