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New Guide: How to Monetize Your Bookstagram (or Booktok) with ShopMy

Apr 12, 2026 | Uncategorized

Are you a book lover who would love to make some extra money? You don’t need a blog or a tech degree to start earning from your bookish content. I’m handing you a straightforward blueprint for setting up your ShopMy account so you can start making money. From account setup to linking your Instagram (or TikTok) posts, it’s all included in the guide.

You’ll get a step-by-step guide delivered on Notion, so it’s easy to read on your phone, video tutorials embedded in the guide, and best of all, you don’t need a blog or a website. Click here to get the guide if you’re ready to start!

Buy the guide

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Belles of London Historical Romance Book Series by Mimi Matthews

Apr 8, 2026 | Book Reviews

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Belles of London series. Another amazing romance from Mimi Matthews. Evelyn is in London for the Season and intends to make her impression on the marriage mart on horseback. And that means hiring the lesser known, but very talented habit-maker, Ahmad. It’s pretty much sparks at first sight here, on top of mutual respect for each others’ talents. But they’re different classes, different races, and a pairing between them will not solve their respective financial problems. But they definitely grow closer as Ahmad goes from just making Evelyn’s riding habits to making all of her dresses, and it’s easy to see how they slowly fall in love.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews (2022)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Belles of London series. This one is a marriage of convenience story with Beauty and the Beast vibes. Julia is the daughter of sickly parents and has social anxiety. She thinks that no one wants to marry her because of her awkwardness, but Captain Jasper Blunt is very much interested. He needs a wealthy wife to restore his estate and care for his three illegitimate children. Nevermind that he’s known as a monster and has a huge scar on the side of his face. But Julia sees beyond the rumors and the appearance and notices that he’s actually very kind to her. So when she needs help getting away from her parents, she proposes to him. It’s delightful seeing her being both vulnerable and bold, and I love a protective husband. And Jasper is keeping secrets, which are so much fun to uncover. Another stellar book from Mimi Matthews.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Belles of London series. If you want to talk about yearning, this book is the one to read. We spent the first two books of this series seeing the animosity between Anne and Hart, but really, they have a history as childhood friends and then a brief romance followed by a huge falling out. When Anne needs a favor, she asks for Hart’s help in rescuing her friend. And he has conditions. But as they spend more time together, it’s clear that they still have feelings for each other, buried under all that bickering. This whole book is super angsty and makes you feel all the feelings. I loved slowly uncovering what went wrong all those years ago and what they’re doing now to make things right. Loads of family drama on both sides of the relationship, which definitely brings more challenge to the romance. Loved this book.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Belles of London series. Final book of the series and ties back to the Parish Orphans of Devon series. Stella and Teddy had a brief meeting once at an art gallery (in Book 3) and she’s shocked to find him at the Christmas house party that she’s attending. She’s especially embarrassed because she normally has grey hair but has dyed it for the party. He’s just happy to see her because he’s an artist who is captivated by her beauty and wants very much to paint her. But that’s not at all proper and they seem to disagree how to the proceed here. What follows is a super slow burn romance with each of them dealing with their separate troublesome families. I loved seeing these two assert their independence together and learn to trust each other.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Weekly Reads: March 30 to April 5, 2026 (historical romance)

Apr 7, 2026 | Book Reviews

Can’t Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Thunderbolt Club series. Dex is shattered by war and made a battlefield promise to his lieutenant to find and care for the man’s daughter. It takes him a few years to track her down, but he’s able to find Analise and bring her home as his ward. The goal is to find her a husband and get her settled, but she’s a fiery hoyden who’s not interested in that at all. She wants experiences and adventures to write about in her novels, and ends up in a compromising situation with Dex himself. Luckily, he’s ever the honorable sort, so they end up married. She’s got all the tempestuous emotions and slowly breaking down his walls, and he’s totally enamoured of her, even if he’s slow to admit it. Delightfully entertaining.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio.

The Scoundrel and the Siren by Christy Carlyle (2026)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Princes of London series. Awkward first meeting for Dom and Tess who are at odds in a noblewoman’s library. Luckily, they meet again very soon at the site of an archeological dig. Attraction is strong between these two, but Dom is usually the carefree rake and Tess has been burned by a gentleman before. They have to work together at the dig and grow closer along the way. The flirtatious banter is delightful and I loved seeing Tess be the one to tame Dom. Loved it.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Upgrade to a paid membership to get even more juicy details on all the ways I’m making content and generating income.

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Monthly Income Report: March 2026 (affiliate marketing, physical products, digital products, content creation)

Apr 3, 2026 | Side Hustle Diaries

Here’s the March 2026 breakdown of all the pennies I’ve collected from the internet. I’ve organized the income sources into bigger categories and then provided details from each source.

Affiliate Commissions: $1,091.10

TikTok Shop Affiliate: $344.00

I have been creating TikTok Shop Affiliate videos since Sept 2024 and seeing steady sales. The process involves quick reviews or demonstrations of products that are sold within TikTok shop and linking them within the TikTok video. Results vary wildly depending on the product, the day, the month, the season, and the algorithm. This month took a huge dive in terms of views and sales. (link to my TikTok account)

I’ve provided a screenshot of my top selling products on TikTok Shop this month below.

Read more about how I made over $19k in commission in the first year of doing TikTok Shop Affiliate.

Etsy Affiliate: $364.39

The primary place where I promote Etsy affiliate links is through Pinterest. I’ve had a Pinterest account since forever, so my account is already full of craft tutorial links. I post my affiliate links to crochet and quilt patterns, and these have generated the most sales for me. (link to my Pinterest account)

Amazon Affiliate: $378.53

I’ve been an Amazon affiliate since the early days of my blog and have always recommended various supplies for art and lettering. However, the bulk of my income now comes from on-site commissions, where product review videos get added directly to the product page by Amazon. If someone watches the video on the product page and makes a purchase, then I get the affiliate commission. Light start here, since I got approved for this sub-program late in the month. (link to my Amazon Storefront)

Benable: $4.18

Benable a website that has its own audience and search functionality where you can link to various products and websites in collections. The affiliate income is baked into the platform when someone clicks on your featured product and makes a purchase. Probably the lowest friction income source since you don’t need an existing audience. (link to sign up for Benable)

Other Affiliate Programs: $0

Working on generating links with ShopMy but have not made any affiliate sales here. However, this platform is promising because I get to generate affiliate links with a chrome plug-in for lots of different shops. (link to join ShopMy)

Products: $92.35

Paper Goods Etsy Shop: $13.19

I sell bookmarks here mostly, with the occasional digital download. (link to Etsy shop)

Fiber Goods Etsy Shop: $2.94

Once upon a time, I thought I was going to make scarves and blankets while my baby napped and I could sell them online. And that kind of worked, but not profitably. Listings expired, and then I switched to smaller objects like coasters and cozies, and now I’m mostly selling digital crochet patterns. (link to Etsy shop)

Used Books: $54.99

I list used books for sale using the PangoBooks app. Sales are sporadic. This was a decent month. (link to my PangoBooks shop) This month, I decided to cross-post some of my books that haven’t sold from my PangoBooks store onto ebay to see if they would move, and I was able to sell a handful of books that way.

Read more about how I use the PangoBooks app to quickly and easily sell used books.

Ebay: $19.89

In the process of listing books for sale on ebay, I realized how quick and easy the ebay app is to use for listing products. I experimented with listing some art supplies and managed to sell a couple! Planning to add more listings next month, especially as sample products come in from being a TikTok Shop affiliate.

Digital Downloads: $0

Too many shops, not enough marketing. (link to crochet pattern shop, link to printables shop)

Print on Demand: $1.34

Once upon a time, I uploaded a ton of designs onto RedBubble. I do not nurture this revenue stream at all right now, and any sales are just a bonus surprise. (link to Redbubble shop)

Content Monetization: $14.19

Mediavine: $8.65

Clearly, this is not a very lucrative income source, since the minimum payout to transfer to a bank account is $100. However, coins are coins, so I’m leaving the ads turned on at my blog. Is it enough to off-set the cost of the website hosting and domain registration? Probably not. But it hosts content that hopefully leads to other affiliate sales. (link to blog)

Instagram Bonus for Posts: $5.47

I have no idea how this was activated or why. I was previously enrolled in an Instagram Reels bonus program, but that has since been discontinued. So I realized that even if I’m only making a few cents per post, the more I post, the more cents I can make. And what’s really crazy is that I can just screenshot my audiobook player, talk about the book a little bit, and create really easy content that way. Also, the more I post about my side hustles, the more views I get. (link to my Instagram)

Facebook Monetization: $0.07

I was randomly approved for Facebook monetization on March 29, so I pretty much only have 3 days of monetized content here. My follower count is crazy small and I have no idea how eyeballs are getting to my posts and reels. However, I’ll be experimenting more here next month as I test out different kinds of content. (link to my Facebook)

Recurring Expenses

No income report is complete without factoring in expenses. I tend to pay annual subscriptions rates for things, so this will just be a recurring list of resources that I use.

Bluehost for blog hosting and domain registration $350/year (check out the blog here)

Flodesk for email marketing $209/year (affiliate link for Flodesk)

Beehiiv for my side hustle diaries $517/year (affiliate link for Beehiiv)

USPS PO Box $210/year

Canva Pro $120/year

Romance Audiobook Deal Round-Up: April 3, 2026

Apr 3, 2026 | Book Deals

I’ve rounded up a bunch of romance audiobooks that are on sale right now that you should check out. Click on the picture of the book cover to check the current price on Libro.fm. Prices fluctuate, so keep in mind that it might not be on sale for long. (If you make a purchase through these links, I get a small commission.)

View audiobook of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

View audiobook of Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti

View audiobook of Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

View audiobook of The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

View audiobook of Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli

View audiobook of Crash Test by Amy James

View audiobook of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

View audiobook of Hers for the Weekend by Helena Greer

View audiobook of Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Romance Ebook Deal Round-Up: April 2, 2026

Apr 2, 2026 | Book Deals

I love a good bargain for ebooks, and at the rate that I’m reading, grabbing an ebook deal is essential. I’ve rounded up a bunch of romance books that are on sale right now that you should check out. Click on the picture of the book cover to check the current price on Amazon. Prices fluctuate, so keep in mind that it might not be on sale for long. (If you make a purchase through these links, I get a small commission.)

Historical Romance

Contemporary Romance

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Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Top Five Favorite Romance Books of March 2026 – historical romance, contemporary romance, hockey romance, formula one

Apr 1, 2026 | Book Reviews

Home Ice Advantage by Ari Baran (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Penalty Box series. Workplace rivals to lovers to so much more here. Ryan is basically dumped by his wife and offered a new job all in the same week, with a new position as head coach. Unfortunately for him, the assistant coach Eric also wanted to job and is totally resentful of Ryan. What starts as angry bickering, turns to angry sex, and then a genuine connection between these two. I loved reading their relationship develop and them learning more about each other. It was just so easy for them to fall into the patterns of being real partners, especially since they see each other at work all the time. Loved this book so much. I mean, I love this whole series, so you should just read them all.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Shop this book via Barnes & Noble // Libro.fm

Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett (2026)

Cozy fantasy romance. This book was so cute and funny with the mix of wacky characters. So former knight Pax runs the Wayside Hotel, which is actually a magical traveling form of lodging that goes between worlds. The magic at the hotel has run out and they’re stranded in the human world. Josie and her son Amos are looking for a new place to live and lucky for them, there’s an affordable opening at the Wayside. The romance here between Josie and Pax is very sweet, but the real entertainment is how the other ragtag residents interact with each other and with Josie, all while keeping their magical origins a secret.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Crash Test by Amy James (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Starting out strong with the angst here and letting it linger through the whole book. Travis and Jacob are both race car drivers who have been in a secret relationship for a year. We start the book with Jacob getting into a horrible accident, and then see Travis’ point of view as he finds out what happened and then tries to go see Jacob in the hospital. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching to go through all of his emotions, not knowing if the man he loves is going to survive. Especially when we hear than another driver in the crash did not. I loved this book and all its emotions, but you definitely need to be emotionally prepared for heartbreak before you get to the happy ending.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio.

The Fortune Flip by Lauren Kung Jessen (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Funny enough, having just read a personal finance book, reading a book where the main character wins the lottery is really interesting. Hazel is having the worst day ever (lost her job, got divorced) on top of having to financially bail out her brother and father constantly. She meets Logan during a fortune-telling mishap and they end up buying a lottery ticket. Lucky for them, it’s a winner. Unlucky for Logan, it seems that he’s run into a string of bad luck while Hazel has had her luck improve. We’ve got a cute luck-swap story here and a fairly straightforward romance. I like how Hazel and Logan communicate with each other and support each other as they slowly bond. Cute, mostly fluffy, except for their tragic backstories and Hazel’s toxic family. Audio is duet narration.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Hachette Audio.

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 4 of the Belles of London series. Final book of the series and ties back to the Parish Orphans of Devon series. Stella and Teddy had a brief meeting once at an art gallery (in Book 3) and she’s shocked to find him at the Christmas house party that she’s attending. She’s especially embarrassed because she normally has grey hair but has dyed it for the party. He’s just happy to see her because he’s an artist who is captivated by her beauty and wants very much to paint her. But that’s not at all proper and they seem to disagree how to the proceed here. What follows is a super slow burn romance with each of them dealing with their separate troublesome families. I loved seeing these two assert their independence together and learn to trust each other.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: March 23 to 29, 2026 (contemporary tennis romance, formula one romance, small town romance)

Mar 31, 2026 | Book Reviews

Thirty Love by Tom Vellner (2026)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Loved this rivals to lovers story. Single POV from Leo’s side as he struggles to win the US Open. He pretty much always chokes up when he has to play against Gabe, his lifelong rival on the tennis court. Leo’s got a complicated relationship with tennis, with his dad being his head coach and a legend in his own right. And add the part where Leo is closeted and distractedly attracted to Gabe, it’s all a recipe for mess. But the best part is when Leo and Gabe establish a truce with each other and so much more. I loved seeing them actually learn to understand each other and get to know more about why things have been strained all these years. Even with Leo explicitly stating that they need to keep their burgeoning relationship a secret, Gabe is still on board and believes it’s worth it. The friend group that Leo has is also awesome, and I hope to see more of them in the future.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Spotify Audiobooks via NetGalley.

Darling Daffodils Farm by Brittanée Nicole (2026)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Hope Harbor series. Tally is back in her small town to help out at her family farm, but she’s itching to leave and get back to her seasonal kitchen work. Everyone in town thinks that she’s super flighty and doesn’t want to set down roots, but really, she wanted to earn her way in the world so her parents didn’t need to pay for culinary school. It’s always been the dream to come back to the small town and open a bakery, but she seems to think she needs pastry chef training to do it. Sounds a little far-fetched to me; aren’t small town bakeries just run by small town bakers? But that’s not the main conflict here. It’s actually that her family has not told her than a farmer named Walker was hired by her late father to work on the farm, and that he lives in the house, while her widowed mother lives in his old cottage. He’s gruff and surly and grumpy and doesn’t tell her why he’s there or why he cares so much about the farm. Mostly because her parents made him sign an NDA, and also because he’s way too attracted to her and should stay away. She’s mostly immature and annoying through this book and is suspicious of Walker the whole time. Maybe because no one is really talking to each other. But once the attraction breaks through, the flirting and steam is really quite good. And you know, once Walker figures out what Tally really wants, he’s nothing but supportive. Typical funny small town shenanigans, including a nosy group of old ladies and a humorous town group chat.

Advance ebook provided by Putnam Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Pole Position series. Kian is nearing the end of his racing career and trying to decide if this is going to be his last season. He’s basically a racing legend and super serious about the sport. And rookie Harper is joining his team this season, throwing off his mental fortitude completely. Harper is the party boy of the sport who doesn’t take things too seriously, reminds Kian of his deadbeat dad, and is distractingly handsome. It’s a mix of bad feelings all around, especially as Harper thinks that Kian is way too uptight. Total opposites here, made worse by the fact that Harper is terrified of emotional connection. Angsty and steamy and all the things. Loved it.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited