en-US Fri, 09 May 2025 04:05:25 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 217245572 In the first book of a searing new dystopian trilogy, a young woman must conceal her psychic powers—and her attraction to her handsome, infuriating commanding officer—as she works undercover to take down a brutal government from within.

The world is divided. On the Continent, you’re either a Prime—immune to the biotoxin that nearly wiped out the Earth’s population 150 years ago—or a Modified, one who was enhanced by the toxin, developing powerful psychic gifts.

As conflict rages between the two sides, Wren Darlington lives in hiding. Occasionally running the odd op for the rebel Uprising against the Primes� oppressive rule, she must keep a low profile. After all, if the enemy finds out that she is a Mod with a staggering four psychic abilities, she won’t just be sent to the labor camps. She’ll be executed—immediately and without trial.

When a careless mistake puts Wren in the crosshairs of the Continent’s military, she is taken captive and forced to join their most elite Silver Block. Unwittingly, they’ve handed her the perfect opportunity for the Uprising to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks. That is, if she can keep her powers hidden, survive training, and prove herself to Cross Redden, her maddeningly cocky commanding officer.

Despite the explosive chemistry between them, Cross doesn’t trust her—even as he seems determined to destroy the remaining shreds of Wren’s self-control. Yet as the war between Primes and Mods escalates, and as Wren and Cross find themselves unable to stay away from each other, they must decide how far they’re willing to go for their secrets—and how much of the Continent is worth saving.]]> 528 Dani Francis 059387546X Robin 1
if you’re looking for a book that prides itself in being a dystopian novel, while not interrogating any part of living under a totalitarian regime, it’s propaganda, and systemic violence then welcome!

This book does not care about dissecting anything, with this dystopian society simply a sexy backdrop for our two characters who experience violence on a semi-regular basis (to themselves and to those they care about) but are more than happy to forget all of that when it comes to their forbidden love

so many parts of this just made me feel so gross (see the scene with Tana, what followed, and how quickly it was brushed aside and never touched upon again). ]]> 4.33 2025
author: Dani Francis
name: Robin
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 1
read at: 2025/05/09
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves:
review:
and is the dystopia in the room with us right now?

if you’re looking for a book that prides itself in being a dystopian novel, while not interrogating any part of living under a totalitarian regime, it’s propaganda, and systemic violence then welcome!

This book does not care about dissecting anything, with this dystopian society simply a sexy backdrop for our two characters who experience violence on a semi-regular basis (to themselves and to those they care about) but are more than happy to forget all of that when it comes to their forbidden love

so many parts of this just made me feel so gross (see the scene with Tana, what followed, and how quickly it was brushed aside and never touched upon again).
]]> 27204476 Rogues Redeemed

As heir to a title and great wealth, Will Masterson should have stayed home and tended his responsibilities. Instead he went to war. Now, after perilous years fighting the French, he intends his current mission to be his last. But all his plans are forgotten when he arrives in the small mountain stronghold of San Gabriel and meets her.

Knowing herself to be too tall, strong, and unconventional to appeal to a man, Athena Markham has always gloried in her independence. But for the first time in her life, she finds a man who might be her match.

Two of a kind, too brave for their own good, Athena and Will vow to do whatever it takes to vanquish San Gabriel's enemies. For neither will back down from death, and only together can they find happiness and a love deeper than any they'd dared imagine...]]> 343 Mary Jo Putney 1420140922 Robin 0 to-read 3.60 2016
author: Mary Jo Putney
name: Robin
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218460284 Once a servant, now a princess, a young woman thrust into power challenges everything about the underground Fae realm in the next installment of Sarah Hawley's new romantasy series.

Kenna Heron is still reeling from her lover's betrayal and the threat of an impending war. With only her two closest--and most powerless--friends by her side, she must navigate the treacherous politics of Mistei while coming to terms with her new identity as not just Fae, but princess of her own house.

With the king dead, three candidates are vying for the right to wear the crown next. A princess who claims the throne as her birthright and two rebel princes, both of whom are depending on the support of Blood House to break the stalemate between them. Old loyalties fray as new, dangerous alliances form, and Kenna finds herself caught in a web of violence, deceit, and unexpected passion.

Kenna has the power to shape Mistei's future... but someone's willing to kill to make sure she never gets the chance.]]> 512 Sarah Hawley 0593818385 Robin 5 all-time-favorites, arcs
seeing that last 10% as the characters look to the future happily: i’m in danger

the way i knew the [redacted] was going to serve [redacted] but my jaw was still on the floor in those final chapters

kallen: blood dripping down his face, smiling: did you see my girl beat me up?

Sarah Hawley’s, Shards of Magic entraps six opposing fae houses beneath the earth to grasp at power and immortality while prey to the machinations of a merciless king. This series put down precarious roots in Servant of Earth, when Kenna Heron, a young woman, braved the treacherous bogs to cross into the fae lands, becoming servant and spy to the ignoble Earth House. Princess of Blood returns us to a world reeling in the aftermath of a bloody uprising and hinging on a civil war as loyalties sunder and forbidden love takes root within the cavernous underearth. With few weapons in her arsenal Kenna, newly turned fae, stands alone as princess of the broken Blood House. Armed with Caedo, a shapeshifting talking dagger with a thirst for blood, and two unlikely allies—an excommunicated Earth Fae rendered powerless, and a murderous Void Fae and executioner, Kenna will confront her new charge in a world seeking her destruction. I already knew the Shards of Magic series was doing something special back in book one, delicately connecting tropes and story cornerstones to deliver a unique fae touched tale of rebellion and survival. Princess of Blood is where my heart latched onto this series for good. Sarah Hawley brings a sequel into being that is bloody and unapologetic, equal parts brutal as it is a hopeful beacon for change.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy.

| ]]> 4.74 2025
author: Sarah Hawley
name: Robin
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: all-time-favorites, arcs
review:
SARAH HAWLEY YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES

seeing that last 10% as the characters look to the future happily: i’m in danger

the way i knew the [redacted] was going to serve [redacted] but my jaw was still on the floor in those final chapters

kallen: blood dripping down his face, smiling: did you see my girl beat me up?

Sarah Hawley’s, Shards of Magic entraps six opposing fae houses beneath the earth to grasp at power and immortality while prey to the machinations of a merciless king. This series put down precarious roots in Servant of Earth, when Kenna Heron, a young woman, braved the treacherous bogs to cross into the fae lands, becoming servant and spy to the ignoble Earth House. Princess of Blood returns us to a world reeling in the aftermath of a bloody uprising and hinging on a civil war as loyalties sunder and forbidden love takes root within the cavernous underearth. With few weapons in her arsenal Kenna, newly turned fae, stands alone as princess of the broken Blood House. Armed with Caedo, a shapeshifting talking dagger with a thirst for blood, and two unlikely allies—an excommunicated Earth Fae rendered powerless, and a murderous Void Fae and executioner, Kenna will confront her new charge in a world seeking her destruction. I already knew the Shards of Magic series was doing something special back in book one, delicately connecting tropes and story cornerstones to deliver a unique fae touched tale of rebellion and survival. Princess of Blood is where my heart latched onto this series for good. Sarah Hawley brings a sequel into being that is bloody and unapologetic, equal parts brutal as it is a hopeful beacon for change.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy.

|
]]> 216623880 In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.

Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe she can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad's greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the group's trust while struggling to keep control of both her magic and her mind.

In the rival kingdom, Arin is caught between his father's desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts he's sworn to uphold. Arin must find Sylvia before his father's army, but his search will call into question the very core of Arin's beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.

War is inevitable and Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she's fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn't just want to survive. She wants to win.
The fugitive queen is ready to come home.]]> 400 Sara Hashem 0356520420 Robin 5 all-time-favorites
me when characters reach rock bottom: oh yeah i’ve been waiting for this

Sara Hashem’s Scorched Throne duology takes its final bow with The Jasad Crown, a finale that prompts a long awaited homecoming and deepens the distinct political landscape of four entangled kingdoms vying for power and one fighting to reemerge from the ashes. This Egyptian inspired high fantasy duology involving decimated kingdoms, ill-placed bargains, trials, and an enemies to lovers romance quickly solidified itself as an unrivaled fantasy series from a true talent. Stories of lost heirs reclaiming their thrones are a niche I have always adored and god if this isn't one of the best I’ve read in recent years. The byronic heroes who lose themselves in exile before finally coming in from the cold have met their match in Sylvia, a guarded young woman and heir to a broken throne—with a proclivity towards sesame candies, daggers, and telling the Nizahlan heir what is. Sara Hashem picks up her sequel on the outset of Sylvia having revealed her identity, initiating a journey of renewal and fate. The political machinations of Nizahl and the corruption at the heart of these kingdoms are unleashed, fueling the tragedy of Jasad’s past and its uncertain future. The Jasad Crown stomped all over my heart without remorse, yet I would gladly give Sara Hashem the ability to do it all over again.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy.

| ]]> 4.67 2025
author: Sara Hashem
name: Robin
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:
that epilogue changed me as a person. im on the floor and i may never get back up again

me when characters reach rock bottom: oh yeah i’ve been waiting for this

Sara Hashem’s Scorched Throne duology takes its final bow with The Jasad Crown, a finale that prompts a long awaited homecoming and deepens the distinct political landscape of four entangled kingdoms vying for power and one fighting to reemerge from the ashes. This Egyptian inspired high fantasy duology involving decimated kingdoms, ill-placed bargains, trials, and an enemies to lovers romance quickly solidified itself as an unrivaled fantasy series from a true talent. Stories of lost heirs reclaiming their thrones are a niche I have always adored and god if this isn't one of the best I’ve read in recent years. The byronic heroes who lose themselves in exile before finally coming in from the cold have met their match in Sylvia, a guarded young woman and heir to a broken throne—with a proclivity towards sesame candies, daggers, and telling the Nizahlan heir what is. Sara Hashem picks up her sequel on the outset of Sylvia having revealed her identity, initiating a journey of renewal and fate. The political machinations of Nizahl and the corruption at the heart of these kingdoms are unleashed, fueling the tragedy of Jasad’s past and its uncertain future. The Jasad Crown stomped all over my heart without remorse, yet I would gladly give Sara Hashem the ability to do it all over again.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy.

|
]]> 220678206 In this paranormal spicy age gap romance, a successful horror author whose novel is being adapted into a movie clashes with the actor cast as the male lead, all in a cozy mansion filled with ghosts, from the author of Best Hex Ever

Rosemary Shaw’s ability to see the dead has never scared her. In fact, it’s secretly inspired most of her horror novels. Now at twenty-nine and an acclaimed author, Rosemary’s most successful book is about to be a blockbuster movie. Set in a beautiful manor house in the English countryside, it’s no surprise there’s ghosts hanging around the film crew. But ghosts are something Rosemary can handle, she’s not so sure how to deal with her infuriatingly handsome leading man, who is all wrong for the role.

Ellis Finch is a Hollywood heartthrob with a secret. He’s tired of playing the action movie hero and would much rather be gardening with his sweet dog Fig. Frankly, he’s getting too old to maintain the industry’s standards of what a man should look like. Starring in a historical horror movie might be just the ticket for his new image, until he finds out that the author tried to get him kicked off the show.

Amidst filming for the movie and the chemistry-filled feuding between Rosemary and Ellis, Hallowvale manor comes alive, literally. Trying to balance the mayhem of her writing deadlines, an adorable ghostly dog and a pair of Regency-era women who are definitely nothing more than friends, Rosemary is at risk of telling Ellis her secret, or worse � falling for him.]]> Nadia El-Fassi 1804949914 Robin 5 arcs, romances-i-love
when you’re a horror author whose movie is being adapted and the primary actor for the part is just WRONG but also the set is being haunted by a pair of ghosts from the regency wreaking havoc with their unhinged lesbian-yearning-for-what-can-never-be vibes

also there’s something so funny about the regency lesbian ghosts being exposed to bridgerton (i need a oneshot of this please)

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. full review to come.

| ]]> 3.54
author: Nadia El-Fassi
name: Robin
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: arcs, romances-i-love
review:
“i can’t sleep so im watching crimson peak� are you trying to romance me?

when you’re a horror author whose movie is being adapted and the primary actor for the part is just WRONG but also the set is being haunted by a pair of ghosts from the regency wreaking havoc with their unhinged lesbian-yearning-for-what-can-never-be vibes

also there’s something so funny about the regency lesbian ghosts being exposed to bridgerton (i need a oneshot of this please)

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. full review to come.

|
]]> 220239075 New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s first foray into contemporary fiction, with a sharp, sexy novel about a wealthy New England family's long-overdue reckoning with hidden desires, destructive secrets…and one week that threatens to tear them apart

Alice isn't like the other Storm siblings. While the rest stayed to battle for their parents' approval, attention, and untold billions, she left, building her own life beyond the family’s name and influence. Nothing could induce her to come back, except the shocking death of her larger-than-life father. Now back on the family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast, she plans to keep her head down, pay the last of her respects, and leave the minute the funeral is over.

Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his widow and their grown children a final challenge--an inheritance game designed to humiliate, devastate, and unravel the Storm family in ways both petty and life-altering. The rules of the game are clear: stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, receive the inheritance.

One week on Storm Island is an impossible task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting dysfunctional chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s incessant mansplaining. Her sister-in-law’s unapologetic greed. Her younger sister’s obsession with "vibes". Her mother’s penchant for stirring up competition between her children. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s enigmatic, unfairly good-looking, second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape the week unscathed.

A story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel is at once deliciously clever and surprisingly tender, exploring past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.]]> 400 Sarah MacLean 0593972252 Robin 0 currently-reading 4.24 2025
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Robin
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 26115826 A snowstorm hath no fury like a spinster scorned!

Miss Elinora Browning grew up yearning for the handsome, intelligent lord-next-door…but he left England without a word of farewell. One night, inspired by a bit too much sherry, Nora poured out her heartbreak on paper. Lord Dashwood Missed Out was a love letter to every young lady who’d been overlooked by gentlemen—and an instant bestseller. Now she’s on her way to speak in Spindle Cove when snowy weather delays her coach. She’s forced to wait out the storm with the worst possible companion: Lord Dashwood himself.

And he finally seems to have noticed her.

George Travers, Lord Dashwood, has traveled the globe as a cartographer. He returned to England with the goal of marrying and creating an heir--only to find his reputation shredded by an audacious, vexingly attractive bluestocking and her poison pen. Lord Dashwood Missed Out, his arse. Since Nora Browning seems to believe he overlooked the passion of a lifetime, Dash challenges her to prove it.

She has one night.]]> 144 Tessa Dare 0062458280 Robin 0 to-read 3.59 2015
author: Tessa Dare
name: Robin
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18052985 In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and� Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.]]> 370 Tessa Dare 0062240196 Robin 0 to-read 3.86 2014
author: Tessa Dare
name: Robin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 27067876 � Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
� Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
� Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers� true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?]]> 272 Tessa Dare 0062465856 Robin 4 4.00 2016
author: Tessa Dare
name: Robin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/06
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 34217551 Not all dukes are created equal. Most are upstanding members of Society. And then there’s the trio known as Their Dis-Graces.

Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend’s bride. All he’s trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom.

For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family’s ecstatic. And Olympia? She’s climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway. But tall, dark, and exasperating Ripley is hot on her trail, determined to bring her back to his friend. For once, the world-famous hellion is trying to do the honorable thing.

So why does Olympia have to make it so deliciously difficult for him . . . ?]]> 388 Loretta Chase 0062457381 Robin 0 dnf 3.67 2017
author: Loretta Chase
name: Robin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 213660564 This stunning slow-burn romantasy follows a fated pair who uncover a world-changing secret and are thrust into a violent class war, navigating love, loss, and devastating betrayals.

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are twelve years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential. Those who pass Belavere’s test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city’s grand ambitions. For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.

And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.

In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war. Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family. But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick’s rebel group. Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn’t forgotten Nina. He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.]]> 480 Stacey McEwan 1668076187 Robin 0 to-read 4.60
author: Stacey McEwan
name: Robin
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 7713857
Mercy Dawson will risk everything to protect the son of the dashing soldier she once knew and admired. When Stephen offers to do the honorable thing, she is determined that London's most notorious gentleman will desire her and no other. But Mercy fears that what began as an innocent deception could destroy her dreams and their blossoming love if Stephen ever learns the scandalous truth . . .

They are masters of seduction, London's greatest lovers. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one . . . until love takes them by surprise.]]> 372 Lorraine Heath 0061922951 Robin 0 dnf 3.81 2010
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Robin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 11785513
Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.]]> 355 Lorraine Heath 0062022466 Robin 0 to-read 3.83 2012
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Robin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18053044 They are England’s most eligible bachelors, with the most scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an unrepentant rogue may mend his ways�

Lady Grace Mabry’s ample inheritance has made it impossible for her to tell whether a suitor is in love with her—or enamored of her riches. Who better to distinguish beau from blackguard than her notorious childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon?

After losing his beloved wife Juliette, Lovingdon has spent years on pleasure. He can help Grace find a proper match, being familiar with ploys of scoundrels, and how to distinguish honest emotions from false. But lessons lead to torrid passion and Grace becomes ensnared in another man’s nefarious marriage plot, Lovingdon must wage a desperate gamble: Open his heart fully—or risk losing the woman he adores . . .]]> 374 Lorraine Heath 0062276220 Robin 4 3.78 2014
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 52504334 Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city -or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…]]> 438 P. Djèlí Clark 1250267676 Robin 5 all-time-favorites 4.01 2021
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Robin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:
god this was good. gonna read the novella just to feel something
]]> 29242461 The long-anticipated and utterly extraordinary tale of the Mad Marquess that proves love truly does last forever

The Marquess of Marsden always follows the rules. Expected from birth to adhere to decades of tradition, he plans to marry a proper young woman from a good family. But when a beautiful, and completely unsuitable, woman snags his heart, he begins to realize that to get what you want, sometimes you have to break the rules.

Linnie Connor dreams of the independence of running her very own bakery. And while she may be allowed to be a marquess� childhood companion, the baker's daughter never ends up with the handsome nobleman. Determined to achieve at least one of her dreams, Linnie makes plans to leave her sleepy village for London, intent on purging him from her heart. And yet, when an invitation to the Marsden annual ball arrives, she can't refuse her one chance to waltz in his arms.

It will be a night that stirs the flames of forbidden desires and changes their lives forever.]]> 128 Lorraine Heath 0062496875 Robin 0 to-read 3.90 2017
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Robin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 24805225 In the first in a dazzling new series, New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath introduces the Hellions of Havisham—three charismatic rogues destined to lose their hearts...

After six unsuccessful Seasons, Miss Minerva Dodger chooses spinsterhood over fortune-hungry suitors. But thanks to the Nightingale Club, she can at least enjoy one night of pleasure. At that notorious establishment, ladies don masks before choosing a lover. The sinfully handsome Duke of Ashebury is more than willing to satisfy the secretive lady's desires—and draws Minerva into an exquisite, increasingly intimate affair.

A man of remarkable talents, Ashe soon deduces that his bedmate is the unconventional Miss Dodger. Intrigued by her wit and daring, he sets out to woo her in earnest. Yet Minerva refuses to trust him. How to court a woman he has already thoroughly seduced? And how to prove that the passion unleashed in darkness is only the beginning of a lifetime's pleasure?]]> 373 Lorraine Heath 0062391011 Robin 3 3.83 2015
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Robin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 205335957
Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.]]> 400 Rachel Gillig 0356522962 Robin 5 all-time-favorites


that the act of saying someone’s name can be holy, can be its own form of devotion?? sickening!!

BARTHOLOMEW (see: crying over stone gargoyle’s tragic past)

the fact that the love interest is directly inspired by tamino?? bark bark bark

thank you orbit for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

| ]]> 4.62 2025
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Robin
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:
maybe the real bartholomew was the friends we made along the way



that the act of saying someone’s name can be holy, can be its own form of devotion?? sickening!!

BARTHOLOMEW (see: crying over stone gargoyle’s tragic past)

the fact that the love interest is directly inspired by tamino?? bark bark bark

thank you orbit for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

|
]]> 200198421 From a New York Times bestselling author comes a dazzling Victorian romance featuring a haughty businessman and the headstrong event planner who steals his heart.

Delia Stratham is an unconventional woman. While other ladies learned proper decorum at finishing school, she composed naughty limericks and admired the gardener’s muscular legs. So naturally when she’s widowed for the third time, she does the unthinkable: she gets a job. Planning events for the Savoy Hotel is perfect for someone with her skills. But her dream career turns into a nightmare when she’s forced to work with the most annoying—and gorgeous—man she’s ever met.

Hotel magnate Simon Hayden knows something fishy is going on at the Savoy: the hotel is constantly busy, yet the books say it’s in the red. He’s determined to root out the fraud and its perpetrators, and that means spending time with one of the most likely suspects: the delectable, infuriating Lady Stratham. She’s definitely getting in his way and under his skin and he can’t decide whether to fire her or kiss her until she stops arguing. But when the sparks between them flare into flame, Simon must choose between his love for Delia and his duty to the hotel. Will his choice bring them together or tear them apart?]]> 336 Laura Lee Guhrke 153872264X Robin 5 romances-i-love
this was just: two people trying their hardest to escape the worst fate imaginable (falling in love with one another) (affectionate)

A Haughty, newly titled viscount and a widowed countess and determined event planner butt heads over the management of The Savoy Hotel, courting scandal and unexpected romance as they fight to get their way. Reading Lady Scandal was simultaneously the best time ever and renewed my faith in the historical romance genre. Everything about this book from start to finish is sheer perfection, from the flowering wit to the punchy back and forth between leads Simon and Delia. Guhrke certainly knows how to elevate the chemistry to deliver an outstanding love story with characters that feel like they could leap off the page. Lady Scandal is a refreshing testament to the genre and an excellent addition to the Scandal at the Savoy series. I really just had the best time with this one and will absolutely be keeping up with the next book from Guhrke.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy

]]> 3.78 2024
author: Laura Lee Guhrke
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
FINALLY SOME GOOD FOOD

this was just: two people trying their hardest to escape the worst fate imaginable (falling in love with one another) (affectionate)

A Haughty, newly titled viscount and a widowed countess and determined event planner butt heads over the management of The Savoy Hotel, courting scandal and unexpected romance as they fight to get their way. Reading Lady Scandal was simultaneously the best time ever and renewed my faith in the historical romance genre. Everything about this book from start to finish is sheer perfection, from the flowering wit to the punchy back and forth between leads Simon and Delia. Guhrke certainly knows how to elevate the chemistry to deliver an outstanding love story with characters that feel like they could leap off the page. Lady Scandal is a refreshing testament to the genre and an excellent addition to the Scandal at the Savoy series. I really just had the best time with this one and will absolutely be keeping up with the next book from Guhrke.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy


]]> 48636207 Love comes when you least expect it in this captivating new novel in the Westcott Regency romance series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

Lady Jessica Archer lost her own interest in the glittering excitement of romance after her cousin and dearest friend, Abigail Westcott, was rejected by the ton when her father was revealed to be a bigamist. Ever practical, however, once she's twenty-five, she decides it's time to wed. Though she no longer believes she will find true love, she is still very eligible. She is, after all, the sister of Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby.

Jessica considers the many qualified gentlemen who court her. But when she meets the mysterious Gabriel Thorne, who has returned to England from the New World to claim an equally mysterious inheritance, Jessica considers him completely unsuitable, because he had the audacity, when he first met her, to announce his intention to wed her.

When Jessica guesses who Gabriel really is, however, and watches the lengths to which he will go in order to protect those who rely upon him, she is drawn to his cause—and to the man.]]> 336 Mary Balogh 1984802402 Robin 0 to-read 4.03 2020
author: Mary Balogh
name: Robin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220759049 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN-13: 9780698411340, ISBN-10: 069841134X can be found here.

The New York Times bestselling author of Only a Kiss launches a new series with the death of an earl and the revelation of a scandalous secret...
Ěý
Humphrey Wescott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a fortune that will forever alter the lives of everyone in his family—including the daughter no one knew he had...
Ěý
Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of the family she came from. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. She is also overjoyed to learn she has siblings. However, they want nothing to do with her or her attempts to share her new wealth. But the new earl’s guardian is interested in Anna�
Ěý
Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, keeps others at a distance. Yet something prompts him to aid Anna in her transition from orphan to lady. As London society and her newfound relatives threaten to overwhelm Anna, Avery steps in to rescue her and finds himself vulnerable to feelings and desires he has hidden so well and for so long.]]> Mary Balogh 069841134X Robin 0 dnf 4.22 2016
author: Mary Balogh
name: Robin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 219520711 American heiress Eliza Dove was resigned to a polite marriage of convenience...until she spent one wicked night with the Duke.

All hopeless romantic Eliza Dove asked for was one night of adventure. One glorious evening of freedom to explore the dark corners of London with a mysterious stranger before a lifetime trapped in a quiet, respectable marriage of convenience. Except now she wants more. Now she wants him.

Simon Cavell is no gentleman. Known only as �the Duke,� Whitechapel’s prize boxer is one fight away from achieving his goal: to safeguard his late sister’s only treasure and leave the streets for good. He cannot allow some pretty young heiress to spill his secrets, no matter how tempting she might be. In return for her silence, Simon will give Eliza a taste of the darkness…and hope he doesn’t lose his heart in the process.

But one night together could never be enough. And now Eliza has a new plan—an even more scandalous bargain that will either land the heiress her duke or ruin them both.]]> 336 Harper St. George 0593441028 Robin 5
also loved the persuasion influences!! harper st. george i need 15 of these thanks!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. full review to come

| ]]> 3.95 2025
author: Harper St. George
name: Robin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves:
review:
it’s the people who never thought they could be loved who built their lives around protecting others being protected and loved unconditionally that really got me

also loved the persuasion influences!! harper st. george i need 15 of these thanks!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. full review to come

|
]]> 220756054 When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust� from bestselling author Isabel Cañas.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family’s legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin’s betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can’t help but notice her every time she enters a room or the growing tension between them� and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood grows stronger.]]> Isabel Cañas Robin 5
the plot, the romance, the characters, all of it was top tier thank you isabel cañas!!

With the state of things, now more than ever I want to read about blood soaked women, the women who fight tooth and claw (wink wink) for their futures in a world set to dually possess and demonize them. With that resounding desire in mind, The Possession of Alba Díaz found its way into my hands. Isabel Cañas� latest novel is an atmospheric gothic bloodbath involving the Inquisition, patriarchy, and autonomy, furthering plots far more violent than a mere possession. Alba Díaz, a young woman facing down a loveless marriage, flees various monsters real and mythic in a desperate attempt to seize control of a future that was never hers to own. From the moment I read the lines, “Alba plotted to sin again,� I knew I was in the hands of a master and Cañas spends this entire novel proving that to be true. Where the greatest fear is standing strong in the face of those who seek to demean and control, The Possession of Alba Díaz leads its protagonist down a path where she aligns with the demon within. It’s a haunting tale retold that begs the question if we can ever achieve control of our own narratives or if autonomy can only be gained through giving into our own demonization.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance review copy.

| ]]> 4.50 2025
author: Isabel Cañas
name: Robin
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves:
review:
When you and your inner demons are a little too aligned

the plot, the romance, the characters, all of it was top tier thank you isabel cañas!!

With the state of things, now more than ever I want to read about blood soaked women, the women who fight tooth and claw (wink wink) for their futures in a world set to dually possess and demonize them. With that resounding desire in mind, The Possession of Alba Díaz found its way into my hands. Isabel Cañas� latest novel is an atmospheric gothic bloodbath involving the Inquisition, patriarchy, and autonomy, furthering plots far more violent than a mere possession. Alba Díaz, a young woman facing down a loveless marriage, flees various monsters real and mythic in a desperate attempt to seize control of a future that was never hers to own. From the moment I read the lines, “Alba plotted to sin again,� I knew I was in the hands of a master and Cañas spends this entire novel proving that to be true. Where the greatest fear is standing strong in the face of those who seek to demean and control, The Possession of Alba Díaz leads its protagonist down a path where she aligns with the demon within. It’s a haunting tale retold that begs the question if we can ever achieve control of our own narratives or if autonomy can only be gained through giving into our own demonization.



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance review copy.

|
]]> 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Robin 0 dnf

dnf @ 36% because i simply cannot anymore!]]> 4.13 2025
author: Emily Henry
name: Robin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: dnf
review:
close enough welcome back evelyn hugo


dnf @ 36% because i simply cannot anymore!
]]> 56146043
No one told her the most important law of the court - the Law of Greeting.
If they had, maybe she wouldn't have greeted Bluebeard when he arrived to claim a mortal wife. And if she hadn't greeted him, she wouldn't have become his sixteenth wife or been swept away to the lands of the Wittenhame.

But if none of that had happened, then she wouldn't have been an integral part of the game that takes place every two hundred years - a game that determines the fates of nations .

For not all is as it seems, not in her homeland of Pensmoore, not in the Wittenhame, and certainly not in her new marriage.]]> 311 Sarah K.L. Wilson Robin 0 to-read 4.04 2021
author: Sarah K.L. Wilson
name: Robin
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208930983 In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.

Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild—some say “half feral”—but she’ll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court.

Trapped as a servant in the faeries� underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant.

With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground, and soon Kenna gets caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion’s leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness.

Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will... but even that may not be enough.]]> 451 Sarah Hawley 0593819799 Robin 5 favorites
after deliberating for most of the book the kallen agenda is clear!!!

this hits even more on the second read through! sarah hawley i owe you my life

| ]]> 4.21 2024
author: Sarah Hawley
name: Robin
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: favorites
review:
A magical dagger that talks to you and thirsts for the blood of your enemies? Say less.

after deliberating for most of the book the kallen agenda is clear!!!

this hits even more on the second read through! sarah hawley i owe you my life

|
]]> 65213935 A sparkling adversaries-to-lovers romcom set at a magazine publisher in Manhattan. When Casey and Alex are forced into proximity, they soon realize falling for each other is just as much of a risk and as it is a reward.

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company � magazine powerhouse LC Publications � is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him � except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their workplace might change everything � including the dreams each of them is chasing.]]> 339 Clare Gilmore 1250880548 Robin 2 3.70 2023
author: Clare Gilmore
name: Robin
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 216269074 Drawing on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, debut author Maithree Wijesekara plunges readers into the first amazing book of the Obsidian Throne trilogy, a new fantasy series of hunted witches, romantic angst, and political intrigue. Perfect for fans ofĚýThe Hurricane WarsĚýandĚýThe Jasmine Throne.

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of power: to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.]]> 352 Maithree Wijesekara 0063420546 Robin 4 arcs
shakti is my beautiful no thoughts just vibes and acting on impulse 90% of the time main character and i am so here for it

buddy read w taha & robin

thank to you harper voyager for providing the copy in exchange for an honest review

full RTC

| ]]> 3.70 2025
author: Maithree Wijesekara
name: Robin
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: arcs
review:
love me a book where the characters have no coherent plan and are just rolling with the punches and coming up with ideas on a complete whim

shakti is my beautiful no thoughts just vibes and acting on impulse 90% of the time main character and i am so here for it

buddy read w taha & robin

thank to you harper voyager for providing the copy in exchange for an honest review

full RTC

|
]]> 59398164 The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god. Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him and save the troubled prince and tortured priest ensnared in his wicked plot, in this final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.

Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent—their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself.

Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount—the source of all the god’s powers—and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land.

But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger� and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.]]> 480 Hannah F. Whitten 0356521575 Robin 5 all-time-favorites
god i love being bisexual (that is all)

The Nightshade God concludes Hannah Whitten’s enthralling gothic dark fantasy trilogy, The Nightshade Crown which found its beginnings back with The Foxglove King. Brimming with death magic, fickle gods, and a chaotic bisexual trio—an arrogant prince, a duty bound priest, and a poison runner, embroiled in a sinister plot within the Sainted Kings court—The Nightshade Crown is a trilogy I’ve long considered as one of my favorites, perfectly poised against my more niche reading tastes. Entwining a deep expose into religion, its tendency to subjugate and the unavoidable allure of power, this conclusion sees our trio confronting the powers that have long sought to control them and their personal limitations. Lore, exiled to the Burnt Isles and cut off from her magic, Gabe lost and on the run in Caldien, and Bastian a mere puppet to a higher godly power. After two books of buildup Hannah Whitten lays bare the flawed roots of godhood, from the complexities of Auverraine’s religion to the godly beings who drank from the Fount centuries ago. This finale doesn’t let up on the relentless tension, and whatever you’re imagining for its end, prepare to be unmade in the transformative waters of the Fount upon the mountain.



thank you to netgalley and orbit for providing me an advance copy to review.

| ]]> 4.29 2025
author: Hannah F. Whitten
name: Robin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:
WHAT AN ENDING!!

god i love being bisexual (that is all)

The Nightshade God concludes Hannah Whitten’s enthralling gothic dark fantasy trilogy, The Nightshade Crown which found its beginnings back with The Foxglove King. Brimming with death magic, fickle gods, and a chaotic bisexual trio—an arrogant prince, a duty bound priest, and a poison runner, embroiled in a sinister plot within the Sainted Kings court—The Nightshade Crown is a trilogy I’ve long considered as one of my favorites, perfectly poised against my more niche reading tastes. Entwining a deep expose into religion, its tendency to subjugate and the unavoidable allure of power, this conclusion sees our trio confronting the powers that have long sought to control them and their personal limitations. Lore, exiled to the Burnt Isles and cut off from her magic, Gabe lost and on the run in Caldien, and Bastian a mere puppet to a higher godly power. After two books of buildup Hannah Whitten lays bare the flawed roots of godhood, from the complexities of Auverraine’s religion to the godly beings who drank from the Fount centuries ago. This finale doesn’t let up on the relentless tension, and whatever you’re imagining for its end, prepare to be unmade in the transformative waters of the Fount upon the mountain.



thank you to netgalley and orbit for providing me an advance copy to review.

|
]]> 211434035 A gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy that reimagines the Jewish myth of golem in a tale rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance—perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.

The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark.

As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the curse of the woods has plagued her village, but when the Ozmini Church comes to collect their tithes, they don’t listen to the warnings about a monster lurking in the trees. After a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes a bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution.

When she ventures into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only after Malka helps her free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.

But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save—and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.]]> 400 Maddie Martinez 1035048795 Robin 4
In The Maiden and Her Monster, Maddie Martinez reimagines the Jewish myth of The Golem of Prague, connecting the power of folklore, memory, and faith in one transformative fantasy debut. Now I know I am not the only one that has been eagerly awaiting this novel ever since Maddie Martinez first announced it. Sapphic romance intimately connected to folklore, a monstrous forest, and romantic yearning is like Cupid’s arrow aimed directly at my heart. Martinez more than delivers with The Maiden and Her Monster, as a Yahadi healer and a monstrous Golem bargain to save their people and uncover a love they will risk everything for. The Maiden and Her Monster intricately lays bare the conflicting facets of storytelling, from those that connect a larger community and its struggles, to those built, in effect, to justify violence and oppression. Scattered across the narrative, these folktales expand upon Martinez’s inquiry into identity and the long-lasting endurance of a people. Enveloped in history and folklore, The Maiden and Her Monster hides much behind the overgrowth of one twisted forest, if one is courageous enough to venture into its gaping maw.

thank you to tor books for providing me with an advance review copy!



| ]]> 4.17 2025
author: Maddie Martinez
name: Robin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
if monster bad why hot?

In The Maiden and Her Monster, Maddie Martinez reimagines the Jewish myth of The Golem of Prague, connecting the power of folklore, memory, and faith in one transformative fantasy debut. Now I know I am not the only one that has been eagerly awaiting this novel ever since Maddie Martinez first announced it. Sapphic romance intimately connected to folklore, a monstrous forest, and romantic yearning is like Cupid’s arrow aimed directly at my heart. Martinez more than delivers with The Maiden and Her Monster, as a Yahadi healer and a monstrous Golem bargain to save their people and uncover a love they will risk everything for. The Maiden and Her Monster intricately lays bare the conflicting facets of storytelling, from those that connect a larger community and its struggles, to those built, in effect, to justify violence and oppression. Scattered across the narrative, these folktales expand upon Martinez’s inquiry into identity and the long-lasting endurance of a people. Enveloped in history and folklore, The Maiden and Her Monster hides much behind the overgrowth of one twisted forest, if one is courageous enough to venture into its gaping maw.

thank you to tor books for providing me with an advance review copy!



|
]]> 62339069 When a woman who'd rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's new rom-com.

For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha's Vineyard at her family's tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she's tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there's no place Sam, who's dyslexic, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library's interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.

Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he's never known. He's taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can't stop thinking about her.

An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she's always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.]]> 435 Jenn McKinlay 0593545729 Robin 0 to-read 3.47 2023
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Robin
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 196834933 When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son� until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.

Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan’s novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.

Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series—after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer’s block—is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn’t have to deal with Siobhan’s son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan’s bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn’t want Em around.

When Siobhan’s health takes a bad turn, she’s more determined than ever to finish her novel, while Kieran tries every trick in the book to get his mother to rest. Thrown into the role of peacemaker, Emily begins to see that Kieran's heart is in the right place. Torn between helping Siobhan find closure with her series and her own growing feelings for the mercurial Irishman, Emily will have to decide if she’s truly ready to turn a new page and figure out what lies in the next chapter.]]> 366 Jenn McKinlay 0593545753 Robin 5 romances-i-love 4.14 2024
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Robin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
it’s totally fine why am i crying?
]]> 222139830 A bold bookseller tries to matchbreak her friend’s engagement to an earl . . . until she finds herself falling for him instead.

The one thing Constance Martin wants most to avoid is a boring life. She walks her cat with a leash in Hyde Park and even called off her wedding at the altar to stop what would have been a monotonous marriage. So when an aristocratic friend comes into the store asking for help throwing over her fiancé, Constance is both sympathetic and eager for the excitement to come. What could be more fun than plotting ways to get a stuffy—but very handsome—earl to break an engagement?

Oliver Vincent, Earl of Southwyn, likes his orderly life of duty and logic. Everything’s falling into place; all that’s left is marrying the girl next door. Except the girl next door is increasingly reluctant. But marriage is a business deal, after all, and Oliver is determined to keep moving forward with the plan. If only he wasn’t so distracted by her friend—a stunning woman best described as chaos incarnate. She thinks marriage should be an adventure, and he views it as a transaction. But Oliver can’t seem to remember the downsides of falling when Constance is near. . .]]> 368 Bethany Bennett 1538740508 Robin 3
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy

| ]]> 4.00 2025
author: Bethany Bennett
name: Robin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:
The latest from historical romance talent Bethany Bennett sees a spirited bookseller attempt anything to get a close friend's fiance to call off their wedding—even forcing him to care for a feral cat, ruining his particular fashions, and unexpectedly having him fall for her instead. Unconventional pairings are the real treat in Bennett’s Bluestocking Booksellers series. Constrained by his duty and his commitment to so called logic, Oliver, the Earl of Southwyn meets his match in Constance Martin, bookish, untitled, and caring not a whit for the rules that have governed his life and most of polite society. These competing personalities are more compatible than these two ever thought, and seeing these two fight feelings with mild degrees of success is half the fun with this one. Reading Constance’s matchbreaking plan in action was an entertaining beginning to this story as it quickly spirals out of control and Bennett builds to their romance. Bennett has a handle on her setups and My Best Friends Earl is the funniest one to date. Wickedly sexy and delightfully entertaining, My Best Friends Earl is the historical romance for every book lover out there and anyone who has ever felt like too much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy

|
]]> 221179169 In this dazzling Victorian romance from a New York Times bestselling author, one unlucky lady believes her fate is finally changing until the rake that broke her heart returns to town.

Third time’s a charm? For Lady Kay Matheson, it had better be. Her first engagement was a failed elopement; the second ruined by gossip about the first. Resigned to be a disgraced spinster, no one is more surprised than Kay when an American millionaire offers for her hand. Just when she’s convinced she will finally make it down the aisle, the scoundrel who broke her heart arrives with his own fiancée.

Devlin Sharpe has finally become a success. He has wealth, connections, and a lovely bride-to-be—and he won’t let an old flame derail all his hard work. But it turns out time has not dampened his grudge toward Kay—or the desire sparking between them. And one searing kiss threatens to ruin their wedding plans and their futures, and make Kay the bad-luck bride all over again.]]> 368 Laura Lee Guhrke 1538722666 Robin 4
The Scandal at the Savoy series continues with a third installment focused on the unlucky in love, Kay Matheson. This tension filled Victorian era historical oriented around a second chance romance could not have been more aligned to my tastes if it tried. Bad Luck Bride establishes a strong central romance with a supporting cast from previous books (Delia my love) making appearances and lending their opinions. Knowing the crumbs to Kay’s backstory interspersed in former installments, like Lady Scandal, I knew this second chance arc was going to rely heavily on the pining and the forced confrontations. The attention Guhrke pays to Kay and Devlin’s failed romance only deepens the bitterness in their reunion and that delicious delicious angst. Bad Luck Bride’s focus on the responsibility placed upon women to uplift their families fortunes and stations was a strong tether for Kay’s perspective and why her previous relationship with Devlin ended the way it did. It’s not just about reconciliation for these two, but stepping out of their upbringings to embark on a new journey side by side. Bad Luck Bride is a true historical romance treat, a strong addition to a series all about unlikely heroines finding love and fighting for the futures they yearn for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy.

|
]]> 4.22 2025
author: Laura Lee Guhrke
name: Robin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:
It’s always the fiance, never the bride for Lady Kay Matheson. With two failed engagements in her back pocket and her reputation in tatters, her engagement to a wealthy American businessman could be her last hope to keep her family afloat. When the man she failed to elope with, Devlin Sharpe, returns after many years away having found wealth, success, and an engagement of his own, their past comes roaring back to life—threatening to uphold the trend of her never making it down the aisle.

The Scandal at the Savoy series continues with a third installment focused on the unlucky in love, Kay Matheson. This tension filled Victorian era historical oriented around a second chance romance could not have been more aligned to my tastes if it tried. Bad Luck Bride establishes a strong central romance with a supporting cast from previous books (Delia my love) making appearances and lending their opinions. Knowing the crumbs to Kay’s backstory interspersed in former installments, like Lady Scandal, I knew this second chance arc was going to rely heavily on the pining and the forced confrontations. The attention Guhrke pays to Kay and Devlin’s failed romance only deepens the bitterness in their reunion and that delicious delicious angst. Bad Luck Bride’s focus on the responsibility placed upon women to uplift their families fortunes and stations was a strong tether for Kay’s perspective and why her previous relationship with Devlin ended the way it did. It’s not just about reconciliation for these two, but stepping out of their upbringings to embark on a new journey side by side. Bad Luck Bride is a true historical romance treat, a strong addition to a series all about unlikely heroines finding love and fighting for the futures they yearn for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy.

|

]]> 61208877
Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice � be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.

However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glow eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.

All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.

Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil � the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.

He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens within every moment of her presence.

But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?]]> 544 Opal Reyne 0645510408 Robin 0 to-read 4.08 2022
author: Opal Reyne
name: Robin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207051850 He's waited half a century to choose an omega.

Lord Ronson Cadogan can stall no longer. He needs an omega and he needs an heir.

Settled on the obvious perfect choice, and determined to see his fate through, Ronson can't afford to wait for the next ceremony to claim what he is owed. If only he was more excited about the match.



They call her the mouse.

Mairwen Posy knows precisely who the Alpha of Bleake Isle will choose, and it certainly isn't her. In fact, it's so predictable it's almost boring.

Resigned to her fate of disappearing into the background, Mairwen takes the role of observer, distracting the ache of being left out with the entertainment of dragonkin society's unfolding stories.

All is as expected, until the sudden twist in a familiar plot sends Mairwen in the least likely direction, right into the arms of the alpha. The Alpha of Bleake Isle is book one in a new dragon shifter fantasy romance series, inspired by the historical and omegaverse genres. Each book in the series will focus on a different couple, and will include their in-book HEA.]]> 402 Kathryn Moon Robin 0 to-read 4.12 2024
author: Kathryn Moon
name: Robin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55504599
Once upon a time, there lived a girl named FallonĚýwho was taken far away from home shortly after she was born.Ěý
A home that held more than strange traditions and bizarre superstitions.
Twenty-four years later, she returned to Weeping Hollow, a town she’d only heard about in stories during restless nights under a marble moon, in the middle of the night to take care of her last living relative.Ěý
They called the nosy mortician a freakshow–a ghastly thing.
They said I couldn’t go near her.
Still, there was this aching pull to Fallon Grimaldi that I couldn’t escape.
A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.

Once upon a time, there lived a mysterious boy named Julian with a curse as old as centuries wrapped around his soul.Ěý
He was one of the four Hollow Heathens, the very dark creatures who caused the town’s people to live in fear.Ěý
And the Blackwell name was stained with darkness and death.
They called him a monster. Cold and hollow.
They said I shouldn’t go near him.
Still, there was this aching pull to Julian Blackwell that I couldn’t escape.
A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.Ěý]]> 475 Nicole Fiorina 1735204722 Robin 0 to-read 3.84 2020
author: Nicole Fiorina
name: Robin
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221062903
Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient - free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal's immortal species for centuries.

Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.

When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing - and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi's home caught in the crossfire.

She's always known the dangers of her trade - and of the power she's wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she'll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.

A revolution.

And a temptation - for how sweet the monster's fangs might feel.

From the author of the instant Sunday Times-bestselling The Phoenix Keeper comes an era-defining new fantasy universe where spicy romantasy meets the Cosmere, unmissable for fans of the world-building scale of Sarah J. Maas and the world-shifting stakes of Rebecca Yarros.

Voidwalker will be your next romantasy obsession, a deliciously feral story that started with just two words: "bite me".]]> 592 S.A. MacLean 1399616609 Robin 5 all-time-favorites, arcs
why run from your fears when you can fuck them instead?

also them having an out topping contest (just bisexual things)

here for this rabid demon creature who would rather sulk inside a snow bank with his antlers sticking out and hang from the rafters like a feral bat than emote/behave normally

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance copy to review.



| ]]> 4.48 2025
author: S.A. MacLean
name: Robin
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: all-time-favorites, arcs
review:
when both of you can be failures together<3 <3

why run from your fears when you can fuck them instead?

also them having an out topping contest (just bisexual things)

here for this rabid demon creature who would rather sulk inside a snow bank with his antlers sticking out and hang from the rafters like a feral bat than emote/behave normally

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance copy to review.



|
]]> 222361618 A swoony second-chance romance where facing the one who broke your heart could be the thing that makes your dream come true.

Twenty-five-year-old Paige Lancaster is one contract away from earning a living doing her favorite thing in the world: writing songs. But when a music industry professional suggests she might be holding back with her lyrics to lessen the heartbreak of an old flame, Paige doubts if her music is ready to be heard.

In a rare, impulsive move, Paige contacts Liam Bishop after four years of no contact to ask him for a small favor: date her, and then re-break her heart, all so she can remember what those big, songworthy emotions felt like. And since Liam is the one who first set Paige on this career path, he hesitantly agrees.

Across three months of Liam’s summer work travel, the exes are forced to share hotel beds, rehash the past, and date in the present, all while navigating the building attraction between them they both swore was the one line of their agreement they wouldn’t cross.

But when it becomes near impossible not to act on their rippling chemistry, and as ever intensifying feelings blur the lines of what’s actually real and what’s driven by the music, Paige and Liam will both have to decide what’s more important: art for the sake of it, or love over everything.]]> Clare Gilmore 1250383102 Robin 4 romances-i-love
| ]]> 4.48
author: Clare Gilmore
name: Robin
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
just fell to the floor this book is EVERYTHING

|
]]> 65212083 Filled with the romance and angst that defines the years you come to know yourself, with a shifting timeline covering two decades and ratcheting up the tension, Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a novel of second chances and finding your own way.

You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?� Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

And they both showed up.

Maggie Vine’s life is going extra-medium. At 35 she’s pursuing her dreams of being a singer and being a mother—though neither is successfully panning out. So when Garrett Scholl—stifled hedge fund manager by day but electrifying aspiring rock singer by night—comes to her 35th birthday party with the intention to kiss Maggie senseless, it feels like one piece might click into place. Except he’s engaged to someone else, and Maggie knows she won’t fit into the cookie-cutter life he’s building for himself.

Enter Asher Reyes. Her first boyfriend from summer camp, turned into heartthrob actor, he’s lived a successful yet private life ever since he got famous. When a career-changing opportunity is presented to Maggie after her reconnection with Asher, it feels like everything—music, love, family—will fall into place. But her past won’t let her move on without a fight.]]> 336 Alison Rose Greenberg 1250791626 Robin 0 to-read 3.61 2023
author: Alison Rose Greenberg
name: Robin
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 173494627 A heartbreaking betrayal. A secret life. A love that deserves a second chance.

Iain MacInnes, Duke of Balgair, has spent the last thirteen years believing his wife is dead—until he receives word that she is very much alive and living under an assumed name on the remote Isle of Synne. He sets off with only one goal in mind: bring his wife back to Scotland where he can divorce her and expose her for the liar she is.

After a devastating deception by the man who was supposed to love her, Seraphina did what was necessary to keep herself and her sisters safe. And though she’s still haunted by the events that tore her world apart all those years ago, she’s made a happy life on Synne, surrounded by loyal friends and building a secret career as a popular author. Now that Iain has found her, however, all that is at risk.

Despite their long separation, the attraction between Iain and Seraphina still burns strong. But with so much hurt and betrayal between them, can they possibly find their way back to each other?]]> 336 Christina Britton 1538710455 Robin 4 3.94 2024
author: Christina Britton
name: Robin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 227948525 "A fun and sexy historical. It is perfect for fans of empowered women and their supportive men." � Library Journal for The Lady He Lost

When she picks the most unsuitable bachelor in London to ruin her reputation with a kiss, neither of them counted on her mother making a gentleman out of him....

Perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore, India Holton and Bridgerton .

Hannah Williams would never want a marriage like her parents'. She'd be perfectly happy to spend her life as a spinster and support herself by helping to run her sister-in-law’s gambling club. But no matter how many schemes Hannah hatches to repel suitors, her mother won’t accept defeat. To wrest back control of her life once and for all, Hannah takes drastic measures. She’ll ruin herself with a man so unsuitable that no one will force them to the altar, making her unmarriageable forever. What could possibly go wrong?

Silas Corbyn is nothing but trouble. Disinherited by his family and dishonorably discharged from the Navy over a fight with his sadistic superior, the ton has dismissed him without hearing his side of the story. When an old friend from the Navy gives him work as a dealer at a lady’s gambling club, Silas doesn’t intend to repay the favor by compromising the man’s little sister on his first night, but Hannah offers him an obscene amount of money for just one kiss. Money that he could use to build a new life for himself.

Neither of them counted on Hannah’s mother deciding to salvage her daughter’s reputation with a hasty marriage. Now they need to find a way to call off their engagement before it’s too late. Unless they lose their hearts first.]]> 336 Faye Delacour 1728290694 Robin 0 to-read 5.00
author: Faye Delacour
name: Robin
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215057187 "Refreshingly charming with a feisty, resilient heroine worth fighting for. I loved it!" —Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author, for The Lady He Lost

An enemies-to-lovers historical romantic comedy between a grumpy Viscount with a rocky reputation and a bright-as-sunshine heiress determined to make something of herself, perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore, India Holton and Bridgerton.

If he won't add her business into his guidebook, she'll make him an offer he can't refuse.

Della Danby is determined to prove she's more than just a flighty heiress riding on her parents' money to get through life. When her closest friend and business partner finds her hands full with a new baby, Della takes the opportunity to shoulder more responsibility at their ladies' gambling club and secure their financial stability, and she has the perfect to drum up new business by adding their club to a popular guidebook of local attractions.

Gambling ruined Viscount Lyman Ashton's life and his marriage. He has no intention of putting a new club in his guide, nor of getting involved with its intriguing and energetic proprietress. But when Della refuses to take no for an answer and approaches his publisher with a plan to write her own book of attractions for ladies, Lyman reluctantly agrees to collaborate with her in exchange for the money he so desperately needs to pay his debts. As they grow closer, Lyman finds himself falling for Della even though his past could jeopardize her reputation. But if they can ever have a future together, Della may have to choose between the club she's worked so hard to build and her chance at love.

Praise for The Lady He Lost

"Friends to enemies to lovers at its best. I loved every minute." —Harper St. George, author of The Heiress Gets a Duke

"A fun and sexy historical. It is perfect for fans of empowered women and their supportive men." �Library Journal]]> 352 Faye Delacour 172829066X Robin 0 to-read 3.72 2025
author: Faye Delacour
name: Robin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 179947244
Lieutenant Eli Williams was supposed to be dead. In the two years since his shipwreck, his friends and family mourned him, his brother spent his savings, and his fiancée married someone else. So, when he turns up in the middle of the London social season, he quickly becomes the talk of the town. All Eli wants is to set his life back in order and reconnect with Jane Bishop, a friend who has always meant so much more to him, before returning to sea.

Jane refuses to waste any more of her life pining over Eli, who chose her cousin instead of her. She needs to focus on gaining her financial independence by establishing a ladies' gambling club. Never mind that Eli keeps trying to atone for his past mistake by bringing in new members. He's obviously keeping secrets about his disappearance, which means that she can't trust him with her heart even if she did kiss him in a moment of weakness. Or three.

As Eli works to regain her trust, Jane's defensive walls begin to crumble. But when Eli faces a court of inquiry on suspicion of desertion, Jane must decide if she can let go of the past to build a future with Eli, or risk losing him for good.

This charming and sexy friends to enemies to lovers historical romance romp is the perfect read for fans of Evie Dunmore and India Holton.]]> 336 Faye Delacour 1728290635 Robin 4 3.44 2024
author: Faye Delacour
name: Robin
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 215124421
But when Lukan’s past catches up with him, his key to the vault ends up in the hands of a mysterious thief known only as the Rook. As Lukan and his companions race to recover the key, they soon find themselves trapped in a web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan requests the help of Lady Marni Volkova, scion to Korslakov’s most powerful family.

Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov’s dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could prove to be the city’s greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.]]> James Logan Robin 0 to-read 5.00 2025
author: James Logan
name: Robin
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222684223 In this sexy and emotional romance from the acclaimed author of Out of the Woods and Out on a Limb, a small-town woman’s journey to spread her wings intertwines with the arrival of an adventurous newcomer who brings out the best in her.

Prudence Welch has found solace in her introverted life in Baysville, a charming tourist town in Northern Ontario. Despite once dreaming of a life beyond its borders, she now finds contentment in her working at her father’s gas station, writing poetry, and caring for her mother, who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's shortly after Prue’s nineteenth birthday. But as her mother’s condition worsens and her father’s concerns about her future intensify, Prue feels her world slipping further out of control.

Enter Milo Kablukov, an enigmatic wanderer whose beat-up van covered with ill-advised bumper stickers rolls into town just when Prue needs a change. It’s all too easy to let go with him, and Prue can’t help but strike up an unlikely friendship with Milo, which leads to a wild and sexy agreement between them.

Milo, a man of many adventures and countless stories, is not one to settle down. However, his brother’s urgent need for help has brought him to Baysville, and now the intriguing Prue has given him more reason to stay. Especially once they start spending more time together, their chemistry intensifying, and casual-sex lessons start at Prue’s request.

But as their temporary arrangement blossoms into something deeper, Prue and Milo discover that getting out of their comfort zones is one thing . . . taking that leap together is something else entirely.]]> Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871898 Robin 4 romances-i-love
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy. full review to come

| ]]> 4.16 2025
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Robin
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
milo you have charmed me with your (self-described) slutty bisexual ways

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance review copy. full review to come

|
]]> 59681960 A scandalous arrangement between a London rogue and an American duchess leads to lavish stakes.

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.]]> 312 Harper St. George 0593440986 Robin 4 romances-i-love 3.74 2023
author: Harper St. George
name: Robin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
camille i love you so much i think you deserve the entire world actually
]]> 58214321 A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London, is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father, along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy, has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires...

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget...

]]> 314 Harper St. George 0593197240 Robin 4 3.78 2022
author: Harper St. George
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 55655073 Sparks fly when a runaway heiress bargains with a devilish rogue to escape a marriage of convenience.

No one would guess that beneath Violet Crenshaw's ladylike demeanor lies the heart of a rebel. American heiresses looking to secure English lords must be on their best behavior, but Violet has other plans. She intends to flee London and the marriage her parents have arranged to become a published author--if only the wickedly handsome earl who inspired her most outrageously sinful character didn't insist on coming with her.

Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, has a scheme of his own: escort the surprisingly spirited dollar princess north and use every delicious moment in close quarters to convince Violet to marry him. Christian needs an heiress to rebuild his Scottish estate but the more time he spends with Violet, the more he realizes what he really needs is her--by his side, near his heart, in his bed.

Though Christian's burning glances offer unholy temptation, Violet has no intention of surrendering herself or her newfound freedom in a permanent deal with the devil. It's going to take more than pretty words to prove this fortune hunter's love is true....]]> 275 Harper St. George 0593197224 Robin 0 dnf 3.82 2021
author: Harper St. George
name: Robin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 51054407 In this stunning series debut from New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter, a duke's mysterious bequest brings fortune—and passion—to three young women...

Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way how to take care of herself. When an intruder breaks into her home, she doesn't swoon or simper. Instead, she wallops the rogue over the head and ties him up—only to realize he is Chase Radnor, the man who nearly got her convicted of her late husband's murder. Now, he's insisting that Minerva has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy Duke. Only one thing could surprise her her sudden attraction to this exasperating man...

Chase can't decide whether Minerva is a wronged woman or a femme fatale. Either way, he's intrigued. Since the scandal surrounding her husband's death, she has set up a discreet detective business to rival Chase's own. She may be the perfect person to help him uncover the truth about his uncle's demise. But as proximity gives way to mutual seduction, Chase realizes he craves a much deeper alliance...]]> 304 Madeline Hunter 1420149989 Robin 0 dnf 4.11 2020
author: Madeline Hunter
name: Robin
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 231127100 Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about two rival publicists who are forced to work together when their mega-famous clients—a popstar and a quarterback—begin to date.

Poppy Peterson’s life is finally back on track and she’s thriving as the publicist of the NFL’s most promising quarterback (and her childhood best friend), Cash Curran. So, she doesn’t appreciate when he makes an impulsive and public pass at America’s popstar darling, Lyric Adair. When Lyric’s notorious publicist Rosaline Sinclair reaches out, Poppy is ready to face her wrath, but instead learns that Lyric is equally interested.

As Cash and Lyric embark on their ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together, each determined to protect their own client from the other. Poppy is frustrated by Rosaline’s cool demeanor, while at the same time, as a legend in the industry, she’s determined to impress her. But, no matter what she does, she can’t shake the feeling that Rosaline doesn’t like her.

That is until one steamy night, when the two women contend with their unexpected feelings and begin a messy romance of their own. But with paparazzi, tabloids, and stalker fans nipping at their heels, Poppy and Rosaline’s loyalties will be tested in ways they could never expect.

A high energy, Sapphic, and deeply sexy romance, Playing for Keeps has everything listeners expect from Alexandria Bellefleur and more!



workplace romance forced proximity secret relationship found family hurt/comfort]]> 320 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063258579 Robin 0 to-read 0.0
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Robin
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231681642
Ani Avakian was supposed to be the Bay Area’s premier Armenian wedding planner by now. But after a huge blow to her business, she’s determined to redeem herself by taking on the biggest job of her career: a wedding for an indie movie star. The wedding is set at a stunning Armenian-owned winery, and Ani is eager to connect with the owner, who she’ll be working closely with. But then she actually meets him. Sure, Raffi is ridiculously hot and charming, but he’s also insufferably smug. Though the real gut punch comes when Ani meets the happy couple—because the actress’s fiancée is none other than the woman who shattered her heart two years ago: her ex-girlfriend, Kami.

All Raffi Garabedian has ever wanted is to make his father proud. Taking over the family winery should be his dream come true—but its first major event is off to a rocky start, thanks to one irritating(-ly beautiful) wedding planner who challenges him at every turn. He’s shocked to find that they have one thing in common, however: their mutual ex, Kami. Despite the record level of awkwardness, they’ll have to work together to make sure this wedding goes perfectly. But first, they’ll have to deal with the tension sizzling between them—before it turns their ex’s nuptials into a full-blown disaster…or something much more scandalous.]]> 336 Taleen Voskuni 0593953649 Robin 0 to-read 0.0 2026
author: Taleen Voskuni
name: Robin
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:
i fear i need this more than i need air
]]> 194803825 New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all. . . .

Cora Dove and her sisters� questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.

Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets...

But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.]]> 344 Harper St. George 0593441001 Robin 5 romances-i-love
“we’ll never be friends after this� “then we’ll be something better�

| ]]> 3.67 2024
author: Harper St. George
name: Robin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
marriage of convenience excellence!!

“we’ll never be friends after this� “then we’ll be something better�

|
]]> 42268742 The Dry Heart begins and ends with the matter-of-fact pronouncement: “I shot him between the eyes.� As the tale—a plunge into the chilly waters of loneliness, desperation, and bitterness—proceeds, the narrator’s murder of her flighty husband takes on a certain logical inevitability. Stripped of any preciousness or sentimentality, Natalia Ginzburg’s writing here is white-hot, tempered by rage. She transforms the unhappy tale of an ordinary dull marriage into a rich psychological thriller that seems to beg the question: why don’t more wives kill their husbands?]]> 88 Natalia Ginzburg 0811228789 Robin 0 to-read 3.98 1947
author: Natalia Ginzburg
name: Robin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1947
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217388171 From the breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes the remarkable sequel to the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling novel, Witch King. A fantasy of epic scope, Queen Demon is a story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.

Dahin believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.

Can Kai stop the rise of a new Hierarch?

And can he trust his companions to do what’s right?

Follow Kai to the end of the world in this thrilling sequel to the USA Today-bestselling Witch King.]]> 400 Martha Wells 1250826918 Robin 5 all-time-favorites, arcs
kaiisteron prince of the fourth house of the underearth, the demon that you are

After the radiant triumph that was Witch King, Martha Wells returns with a sequel decidedly more world spanning that sees Kai and his crew on the road to the Hierarchs� Well. Kaiisteron, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth, the Witch King, initially endeared me with his demonic nature and violent tendencies. From that first chapter of Witch King, as Kai awakes to his murdered body and a mage trying to control his magic to the “I’m the demon� line, I knew he was going to be one of my all time favorite fantasy protagonists. Uncovering a sinister conspiracy and facing a dark power that would see him enslaved, it is Kai’s inner goodness that manages to shine through the various betrayals, deaths, and even the loss of his family. Martha Wells reassembles our unconventional crew and family in the next installment to her Rising World series, this time embarking on a mission of academic research with disastrous consequences. In this sequel, the dynamics shine and the inner workings of the Rising Coalition and Bashasa’s rebellion are finally unveiled. Queen Demon takes a leap back in time and a step forward in the present, confronting the issues of empire and whether or not true power can be willingly destroyed before it is corrupted.

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the advance review copy.



| ]]> 4.35 2025
author: Martha Wells
name: Robin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: all-time-favorites, arcs
review:
queen demon, or: the gang does academic research with disastrous consequences

kaiisteron prince of the fourth house of the underearth, the demon that you are

After the radiant triumph that was Witch King, Martha Wells returns with a sequel decidedly more world spanning that sees Kai and his crew on the road to the Hierarchs� Well. Kaiisteron, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth, the Witch King, initially endeared me with his demonic nature and violent tendencies. From that first chapter of Witch King, as Kai awakes to his murdered body and a mage trying to control his magic to the “I’m the demon� line, I knew he was going to be one of my all time favorite fantasy protagonists. Uncovering a sinister conspiracy and facing a dark power that would see him enslaved, it is Kai’s inner goodness that manages to shine through the various betrayals, deaths, and even the loss of his family. Martha Wells reassembles our unconventional crew and family in the next installment to her Rising World series, this time embarking on a mission of academic research with disastrous consequences. In this sequel, the dynamics shine and the inner workings of the Rising Coalition and Bashasa’s rebellion are finally unveiled. Queen Demon takes a leap back in time and a step forward in the present, confronting the issues of empire and whether or not true power can be willingly destroyed before it is corrupted.

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the advance review copy.



|
]]> 123029113 A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power�

Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.]]> 336 Sangu Mandanna Robin 5 all-time-favorites, arcs
this was so worth the wait! sangu mandanna has done it again!



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance review copy.

| ]]> 4.37 2025
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Robin
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: all-time-favorites, arcs
review:
just a woman and her live chicken skeleton, her friend cursed into the body of a fox, her resurrected aunt, the dungaree wearing aspiring hobbit in love with said aunt, a 20-something cosplaying as a knight, two small children, and a stoic historian. that’s family

this was so worth the wait! sangu mandanna has done it again!



thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance review copy.

|
]]> 75462218 Ěý
Despite a hero’s return to England from the Napoleonic Wars, Wesley Audley isolates from the ton. Deep wounds from the horrors of combat—and the despair of a broken heart—left him scarred. As he struggles to cope and resume his place in Polite Society, Wesley is quick to cut himself off from everyone…except for Ellie Balfour.Ěý
Ěý
Independent and strong-willed, Ellie has dreams of captaining her own husband-free life and a penchant for meddling in other’s business. She knows befriending Wesley is a risk but Ellie can’t bear to see his heartache. Nor can she seem to silence all the temptingly intimate thoughts his nearness provokes.Ěý
Ěý
But Ellie is yet to face a battle she can’t win—and Wesley’s heart is worth the fight. If only her campaigns ever went to plan…]]> 336 Christi Caldwell 0593334965 Robin 0 to-read 4.27 2023
author: Christi Caldwell
name: Robin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199928280
Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest� certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message.

Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but he’s grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from “Duckie� catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.

Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life andĚýtheir feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?]]> 384 Alicia Thompson 0593640934 Robin 0 to-read 3.73 2024
author: Alicia Thompson
name: Robin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209439468 In this new standalone, Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo introduces a beguiling fantasy city in the tradition of Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin.

A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.]]> 216 Nghi Vo 1250348277 Robin 5
nghi vo you GENIUS

“I want,� he said carefully, “for you to love me as I love you.�

| ]]> 3.74 2024
author: Nghi Vo
name: Robin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves:
review:
what if you were one of the angels responsible for destroying a city built up over centuries by a demon and she cursed a bit of herself to follow you forever so you are ostracized by your own kind and return to the rubble of a city forgotten where the SAME demon labors to build it back up again [spoilers removed]

nghi vo you GENIUS

“I want,� he said carefully, “for you to love me as I love you.�

|
]]> 209455843
Sure, Dom was Josh’s life-long best friend. He’s also the infuriating man who broke Maddie’s heart back when she was naïve enough to give it to him. But since Dom insists on following the rules and Josh didn’t leave much room for Maddie to argue the matter, they embark together on a farewell trip that spans thousands of miles, exploring new places and revisiting their complicated history along the way.

After a snowstorm leads to a shared bed, Maddie starts to wonder if her brother might be matchmaking from the grave. But when grief also reopens old wounds between them, Maddie will need more than Josh’s ghostly guidance to trust Dom again.]]> 432 Lauren Connolly Robin 0 to-read 4.06 2024
author: Lauren Connolly
name: Robin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203164018 A bookseller and a duke? She couldn’t have written anything more perfect.

Dorian Whitaker, Duke of Holland, needs an heir after his so-called “fairytale marriage� ended in disaster. When the intriguing bookseller he’s hired to liquidate his late wife’s library finds love letters revealing an affair, he is drawn into a mystery alongside a lady whose sharp intellect dazzles him and dares him to imagine a new adventure outside the gilded cage of the Ton.

If anyone found out Caroline Danvers writes erotic novels under a pen name, she’d face utter ruin. Except her latest hero inspiration is none other than the Duke of Holland—a man with the power to destroy her family’s bookshop. And yet the real man proves to be so much more than the character she created. Even as they expose the dark secrets of his past, she knows he can never discover her own. But the more time they spend together, the more tempting it is to rewrite their ending and turn fantasy into reality.]]> 345 Bethany Bennett 1538740486 Robin 3 3.83 2024
author: Bethany Bennett
name: Robin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 196478492
James Halloran, the Earl of Dearborn, is in need of an heir, but first he must find a wife. He thinks he's found precisely what he wants: a girl possessed of both beauty and breeding, one who will make few demands and never touch his heart. The perfect countess. Unfortunately, the girl's cousin—the maddening Miss Everett—does not share his enthusiasm for the match, and vows to prevent it, no matter the cost...

As their feud turns to friendship, sparks fly and passions ignite. But secrets, long kept hidden, threaten to destroy their future before it's even begun...]]> 330 Sylvie Sinclair 196207501X Robin 0 to-read 4.27
author: Sylvie Sinclair
name: Robin
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224056515 An underdog politician. A disgraced divorcee. A marriage of convenience that could save them both…or ruin everything.

In the cutthroat world of Roman politics, family is everything. Aelius, a freedman turned ambitious politician, knows winning his next election will require a marriage alliance with a powerful patrician family. But finding a woman who will entertain courtship from a freedman is near impossible.

Crispina is the daughter of one of Rome's oldest families, but after failing to give her husband a child, a humiliating divorce sends her back to her parents' restrictive house in shame. All she wants is the freedom to pursue her true a secret venture to educate the children of Rome's poorest.

When Aelius meets Crispina at a dinner party, he knows her powerful family name could secure his victory. Desperate for freedom, Crispina agrees to a marriage of convenience. Prickly one moment and icy the next, Crispina is determined to keep her charming husband at a distance. That is, until Aelius undertakes a campaign to win not just the city's vote, but his wife's heart.

But Crispina has an agenda of her own, and when a political rival leaks her unconventional activities, it sparks a scandal that could cost Aelius the election. Distancing himself from his wayward wife should be easy, but as the election looms, Aelius must decide which victory is truly worth fighting for.

Enjoy this steamy series-starter historical romance now!]]> 315 Jenna Bigelow Robin 0 to-read 3.98
author: Jenna Bigelow
name: Robin
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224057560 A deliciously fun romance blossoms between a fiercely independent woman and a reserved Scotsman, in the latest installment of Megan Frampton’s Heirs and Spares series.

She’ll never say yes�

Lady Drusilla Courtenay has sworn off marriage, though she still dabbles in romance, much to Society’s shock. She’s determined to help other women remain independent, but she lacks the means to see her vision through. When Murdoch, Earl of Cragmore, arrives on her doorstep with his niece, he makes her an offer she can’t refuse; if she assists with his niece’s debut, he’ll turn her dreams into reality. But accepting this bargain doesn’t mean she can’t also have some fun with the burly, handsome Scot—as long as they both keep their stronger emotions in check.

He can’t say no�

Murdoch has never met a woman like Drusilla. Proud, opinionated, intelligent, and fiercely independent, she is also the most passionate woman he’s ever encountered. When she proposes they extend their bargain into something more intimate, he agrees, even though he knows it will end at the conclusion of the Season. As he gets to know her, he falls deeply in love. He knows it is hopeless, since the Drusilla he’s desperately in love with would never agree to upend her life to be with him.

Will the two most stubborn people finally compromise, or will they deny their hearts?]]> 352 Megan Frampton 0063389258 Robin 0 to-read 0.0 2025
author: Megan Frampton
name: Robin
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216239737 #Steamyreads
#Olderbrotherbestfriend]]> Stacy Reid Robin 0 to-read 0.0
author: Stacy Reid
name: Robin
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228510216
Rex—just Rex, for now—never succumbs to temptation. He plans. He practices. He tries so hard to meet the world's expectations. But the beautiful, flirtatious, remarkably sweet woman who approaches him at a village festival sparks an attraction impossible to resist. And a long, sultry night together unlocks feelings he’s never allowed himself before.

Impossible to part as strangers in the morning. And yet that’s what they both promised to do� until fate brings them together again in the most unlikely, unlucky of circumstances. Now they will have to see if a midsummer night's magic can withstand the harsh light of social convention.]]> Colleen Kelly Robin 0 to-read 4.53
author: Colleen Kelly
name: Robin
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201595894
Henry Mortimer has precisely one secret in his otherwise buttoned-up life: he’s been in love with Margo for seven wonderful, agonizing years. When she turns up at his doorstep, soaked to the skin and desperate for his help, he cannot turn her down. A week alone in a carriage with the object of his desires an arm’s length away? Surely he can survive that. He hopes.

But the road to Scotland is paved with disasters—caves and crashes and the bloody rain that keeps forcing Henry to hold a damp, shivering, dreadfully tempting Margo in his arms. Only an unstoppable force could drag the truth of Henry’s affection from his lips. Unfortunately for him, Margo Halifax has yet to be stopped.]]> 131 Alexandra Vasti 1250360129 Robin 0 to-read 3.61 2022
author: Alexandra Vasti
name: Robin
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203237161
If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.

When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.

As their “passion project� continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.]]> 368 London Sperry 0143138561 Robin 5 romances-i-love
also henry adams (founding father name) with the spectacles is the romantic love interest of the year im afraid!!!

| ]]> 3.91 2025
author: London Sperry
name: Robin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
oh real romance is back in a way it has never been back before!!!

also henry adams (founding father name) with the spectacles is the romantic love interest of the year im afraid!!!

|
]]> 211003824 Cold Eternity is the newest action-packed space horror from S.A. Barnes perfect for fans of Severance, where desperation for eternal life leads to a fate worse than death...

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago�

The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts," ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld’s three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents.

It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from�.]]> 293 S.A. Barnes 1250884950 Robin 4 3.78 2025
author: S.A. Barnes
name: Robin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 220217814
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter—and threatening to ruin everything.]]> 496 Bolu Babalola 0063306964 Robin 0 to-read 4.13 2025
author: Bolu Babalola
name: Robin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195791081 We choose our own gods here.

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.

Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.

And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.]]> 432 Kerstin Hall 1250625432 Robin 5
don’t you hate it when the guy you bound to your body to save from a violent death ends up seeing you at your lowest alongside all your flaws and still believes that you are the best thing to happen to him and just wants to keep you near for as long as he is able.

him being like: i can’t leave you. dude you physically cannot but okay i getchu

and what do you mean that ending??? i am unwell

| ]]> 4.14 2024
author: Kerstin Hall
name: Robin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:
i don’t want to lose you let’s merge souls bro

don’t you hate it when the guy you bound to your body to save from a violent death ends up seeing you at your lowest alongside all your flaws and still believes that you are the best thing to happen to him and just wants to keep you near for as long as he is able.

him being like: i can’t leave you. dude you physically cannot but okay i getchu

and what do you mean that ending??? i am unwell

|
]]> 214537679 “Danan’s one of the best at breaking your heart with a single sentence...Because as romance readers we want to feel just as shattered � and just as redeemed � as the people on the page.”�New York Times Book Review

The truth is stranger than fan fiction in the next sexy paranormal rom-com from the beloved author of The Roommate.

The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex—the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help....

Once he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.]]> 352 Rosie Danan 0593437179 Robin 0 dnf 3.97 2025
author: Rosie Danan
name: Robin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 218662681
But when the red thread of fate leads Seokga to a cruise down the river of the dead, the woman he finds isn't Hani . . . she's Yoo Kisa, and she has no memory of him whatsoever - with seemingly no interest in regaining it either.

But when the Heavenly Emperor of Okhwang is murdered, Seokga and Kisa must solve the crime before the cruise ends. And as the mystery draws them closer, they will have to decide what they truly mean to each other.

There's something bigger at play aboard the ship, something that holds the key to their fated connection - and the very fate of the world.]]> 416 Sophie Kim 0593599683 Robin 5 all-time-favorites, arcs


this series is such a delight. sophie kim has her characters down to a T and this sequel just further proves her talent for humor, romance, and high stakes intertwined together in one novel.

i would KILL for a tv series of this it’s that good.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

| ]]> 4.49 2025
author: Sophie Kim
name: Robin
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: all-time-favorites, arcs
review:
reuniting with your soulmate on a cruise ship in the underworld except she’s reincarnated and does not remember you? good thing you’re vacationing with your brother and your psychologist!



this series is such a delight. sophie kim has her characters down to a T and this sequel just further proves her talent for humor, romance, and high stakes intertwined together in one novel.

i would KILL for a tv series of this it’s that good.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

|
]]> 222376489
When high school librarian Yael’s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she’s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he’s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?]]> 320 Rachel Runya Katz 1250369975 Robin 5 romances-i-love, arcs
ravi signing off an emotional email with “best wishes� he’s just like me fr

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc to review. full review to come

| ]]> 4.50
author: Rachel Runya Katz
name: Robin
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: romances-i-love, arcs
review:
romance me over email while we hate each other at queer book club

ravi signing off an emotional email with “best wishes� he’s just like me fr

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc to review. full review to come

|
]]> 60581370
The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever. ]]> 523 Sara Hashem 0316477869 Robin 4 3.95 2023
author: Sara Hashem
name: Robin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 216383719
Evelyn Mariano is a devoted daughter and the friend who is always, always, perfectly fine. She’s normal, except for the fact she’s spent the last five years concealing that she’s also pop sensation Lyla West. With the deadline for her next album looming, the future of her secret in the balance, and inspiration at an all-time low, Hartsfall is the perfect town to help her get lost in someone else’s love story. Evelyn isn’t running away from her problems; she’s relocating them to somewhere more scenic.

Evelyn doesn’t trust herself when it comes to love. Garrett doesn’t trust himself when it comes to her. But what’s the harm in a little songwriting between friends?]]> Marja Graham Robin 0 to-read 3.96
author: Marja Graham
name: Robin
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218587800
Irene Park loves romance novels—so much so she’s made a career of them as an online book reviewer with a massive following. But Irene’s real life dating story? Non-existent. So when she starts her freshman year of college, she sets her sights on finding true love using the one thing she really understands…romance book tropes.

If only it were that easy.

Enter Aiden Jeon, Irene’s online book review rival and biggest nemesis. When Aiden challenges her to see who can find love-by-trope first, he becomes the one person standing in her way to getting everything she wants both professionally and personally, too. So when the competition takes an unexpected turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance, and Aiden, to flip on its head.

As Irene tackles the challenges of college life, struggles to figure out what she really wants for herself, all while trying to win the race for love, Irene realizes the answers may not be found in a romance novel. Happily Ever Afters seem so easy on page. But for Irene to find her ultimate HEA, she’ll have to get her nose out of the book and become the main character of her own story.]]> 368 Susan Lee 1335012877 Robin 0 to-read 3.97 2025
author: Susan Lee
name: Robin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198563728 When a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her�

Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the “forgotten� Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel’s search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues—including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.

As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy’s confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it’s clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can’t resist.

Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country—even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...]]> 352 Liana De la Rosa 0593440900 Robin 4 romances-i-love 3.81 2024
author: Liana De la Rosa
name: Robin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: romances-i-love
review:

]]> 214540663 An epic sapphic fantasy roadtrip inspired by the fall of Rome, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Frontier and Floating Hotel

On one side of the world, Aleya Ana-Ulai is desperate for a chance. Her family have written her off as a mistake, but she's determined to prove every last one of them wrong.

On the other, Kirby of Wall's End is searching for redemption. An ancient curse tore her life apart, but to fix it, she'll have to leave everything behind.

Fate sets them both on the path to Nivela, a city once poised to conquer the world with the power of a thousand stolen gods. Now the gates are closed and the old magic slumbers. Dead � or waiting for a spark to light it anew�

A character-driven science-fantasy road trip book with sword fights and a slowburn romance, Idolfire delves into the vastness of history and the terrifying power of organized faith.]]> 480 Grace Curtis 0756419808 Robin 0 dnf 3.86 2025
author: Grace Curtis
name: Robin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 123816203 KAIA Karras has always excelled in the classroom. She’s a born and bred overachiever, chronic over thinker, and full time seeker of academic validation. But being top of the class doesn’t happen without making sacrifices. So when it comes to relationships, she’s only looking for something casual and transactional. A way to shut off her brain for a little while, and finally get some much needed sleep.

That is, until she spends just one night with Holden Becker, a talented hockey player with a sharp wit and a secret soft spot for her.

HOLDEN Becker plays by his own rules, both on and off the ice. He's used to getting what he wants, whether it's the attention of his coach or the admiration of his teammates. But when he and Kaia both secure top marks for their research proposals, they're forced to share an academic advisor.

Their rivalry quickly turns to passion, and they find themselves in a precarious situation: hooking up behind closed doors, all while trying to keep their relationship strictly casual.

Three years of rivalry. Just one night to cut the tension. When the ground beneath them begins to shake, will they hold on or let go?]]> 330 Ki Stephens Robin 0 to-read 3.40 2023
author: Ki Stephens
name: Robin
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228068741
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.

Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts…]]> 480 T. Kingfisher 035652437X Robin 5 favorites, romances-i-love 3.79 2023
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Robin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: favorites, romances-i-love
review:

]]> 228383160 For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women—a witch and an immortal demon—who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.

1592. Cybil Harding is a First Daughter. Cursed to bring disaster to those around her, she is trapped in a house with a mother paralyzed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature of shadow. Forged by the dark arts many years ago, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone—killing mortals and consuming their souls for sustenance. Everything changes when she meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. She offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. Cybil isn’t inclined to play by the rules, but when it becomes clear that Miriam holds the key to breaking her family curse, Cybil finds that—for the first time in her many lives—she might have the upper hand. As they circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win—but perhaps they can’t survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel has written an unexpected love story that feels both epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love.]]> 352 Natasha Siegel 0063418029 Robin 0 to-read 4.29 2025
author: Natasha Siegel
name: Robin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228068705 From two-time Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a darkly cosy queer fantasy romance with a thrilling murder mystery, set in the same world as Paladin's Grace and Swordheart.

Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard's investigations. It's a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he's called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.

Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer, it's Galen's job to protect Piper from the traps that await them.

He's just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all…]]> 288 T. Kingfisher 0356524353 Robin 4 favorites 4.02 2021
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Robin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: favorites
review:
a tomato-man and a bone-doctor get trapped in a labyrinth
]]> 214203079 Set in Regency England, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a sparkling historical fantasy filled with arcane magic, deadly conspiracies and an irresistible queer romance. Perfect for fans of Freya Marske, Alexis Hall, and Bridgerton mixed with magic, mayhem and murder.

Lord Nicholas Monterris is trapped. The only heir to a declining dukedom, Nic is destined for a marriage of convenience. What he didn’t expect was for his bride to be Lady Leaf Serral, daughter of his father’s hated rivals. Now they must all be locked inside mouldering Monterris Court for the duration of the contract negotiations, along with head negotiator, master vowsmith Dashiell sa Vare—beautiful, perfect Dashiell sa Vare—an old flame Nic has neither forgiven nor forgotten.

What could go wrong?

Only a dead body turning up mere hours after they lock the doors. The first could be an accident, but a second death reveals something sinister is unfolding at Monterris Court, and long-buried secrets begin to surface. As accusations fly, Nic must work with his former lover and his future bride to uncover the killer before they become the next targets.]]> 464 Rebecca Ide 1035052881 Robin 5 arcs, favorites 3.81 2025
author: Rebecca Ide
name: Robin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: arcs, favorites
review:
these gays…these gays are trying to murder me!!
]]> 49089439
Ethan, Viscount Amesbury, made a lot of mistakes, but the one he regrets the most is ruining Lady Charlotte's reputation. Going along with her charade is the least he can do to clean the slate and perhaps earn her forgiveness. Pretending to be in love with the woman he's never forgotten is easy. What isn't easy is convincing her to give him a second chance.]]> 352 Bethany Bennett 1538735660 Robin 0 dnf 3.67 2020
author: Bethany Bennett
name: Robin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 61423847 A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.

Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna familia. So, when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge during the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.

Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now as a member of Parliament, Gideon's on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all--a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana MarĂ­a is a distraction he must ignore.

But when Ana MarĂ­a finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection...but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?]]> 352 Liana De la Rosa 0593440889 Robin 4 3.44 2023
author: Liana De la Rosa
name: Robin
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 228068663 From two-time Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Paladin's Strength, the perfect blend of cosy fantasy romance and classic fantasy adventure featuring an order of secretive nuns, a swashbuckling paladin and a strange hive of rabbits.

He’s a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She’s a nun from a secretive order, on the trail of the raiders who burned her convent and kidnapped her sisters.

When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...]]> 448 T. Kingfisher 0356524337 Robin 3 3.97 2021
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Robin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:
it’s a tale as old as time, she was a warrior nun who could turn into a bear, and he was a man obsessed with protecting her at all costs
]]> 202251782
In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war. But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor. And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.]]> 640 M.H. Ayinde 0356525309 Robin 5 all-time-favorites 4.13 2025
author: M.H. Ayinde
name: Robin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:

]]> 213342710
But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow?

The woman who has her mother's looks and cunning but a spirit all of her own?

The woman whose desperate bid for survival will take her from Britain's sacred marshlands to the glittering façades of Nero's Roman Empire�

Born to a legend. Forced to fight. Determined to succeed.

Meet Solina.

Boudicca's Daughter.]]> Elodie Harper 1804544612 Robin 0 to-read 4.42 2025
author: Elodie Harper
name: Robin
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231148139
Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is a shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, giving her a chance to rebuild everything she’s lost: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend . . . and the last person she wants to work for.

James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and doing what’s expected of him in the family business and never contemplating anything different—until now when Madison’s happiness is on the line. He’s loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that–even if it means he can only ever be her friend. The one problem? His charming, wildly successful younger brother, Tommy, seems determined to win her over first.

Then Tommy is called away on business and Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy farm-to-table restaurant on their own. But as the town starts meddling in their relationship, Tommy’s pursuit of Madison grows more relentless, and Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back, keeping things strictly professional becomes impossible. And when an unexpected disaster on opening night collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.]]> Sarah Adams 0593723724 Robin 0 to-read 4.20
author: Sarah Adams
name: Robin
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222348002 In facing her finest opponent, she will uncover her greatest strength.

Eedy Blackthorn wields a rare and mystical witch magic—she can become a conduit to harness the raw forces of lightning itself. But her abilities do not make up for her painful past. After a tragic accident claims her beloved father, Eedy inherits his seat on the mage-led council. Consumed by guilt over her father's death and determined to honor his legacy, she refuses to be silenced, no matter how often the male-dominated council disregards her suggestions.

When a mysterious disruption in magic threatens the kingdom’s balance, Prince Caelum is sent to join the council. Discovering Eedy’s identity reawakens a grudge tied to her late father, who ridiculed his family for years. With old wounds resurfacing, every council debate between them crackles with tension. As they clash over how to restore the magical order, their arguments become charged with something neither of them is willing to name.

With duty and destiny colliding, Eedy and Caelum must navigate their forbidden feelings for each other while racing to restore the kingdom’s magic before the winter solstice. As the solution to the magical crisis becomes clear, the couple is faced with an impossible decision, one that will test the limits of Eedy’s power and the depths of Caelum’s heart.

Love, magic, and sacrifice intertwine in this rivals-to-lovers romantasy novella. This novella takes place a century before the start of the related Roots of Magic main series.]]> 219 Jessa Grey 196650800X Robin 0 to-read 4.33
author: Jessa Grey
name: Robin
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219268963 She knows the taste of death. He'll stoke her hunger for it.

Eighteen-year-old Sarai doesn't know why someone tried to kill her four years ago, but she does know that her case was closed without justice. Hellbent on vengeance, she returns to the scene of the crime as a Petitor, a prosecutor who can magically detect lies, and is assigned to work with Tetrarch Kadra. Ice-cold and perennially sadistic, Kadra is the most vicious of the four judges who rule the land - and the prime suspect in a string of deaths identical to Sarai's attempted murder.

Certain of his guilt, Sarai begins a double life: solving cases with Kadra by day and plotting his ruin by night. But Kadra is charming and there's something alluring about the wrath he wields against the city's corruption. So when the evidence she finds embroils her in a deadly political battle, Sarai must also fight against her attraction to Kadra - because despite his growing hold on her heart, his voice matches the only memory she has of her assailant...

A dazzling Ancient Rome-inspired romantasy debut, This Monster of Mine is a bloodbath of manipulation, deception, and forbidden love.]]> 416 Shalini Abeysekara 145495809X Robin 4 4.27 2025
author: Shalini Abeysekara
name: Robin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 216879705 From the author of the instant New York Times bestseller I Hope This Doesn't Find You, Never Thought I'd End Up Here is another hilarious and romantic romcom from Ann Liang, this time following a former model determined to get revenge on the boy who ruined her life.

Leah Zhang has spent her whole life in LA - it's all she's ever known. But after accidentally wishing her cousin ill health and a very depressing marriage at her wedding, her parents stage an intervention. She's forgotten most of her Mandarin, has zero regard for etiquette, and can't hold a conversation with her own grandparents for longer than a minute. Their solution? Send her on an intensive two-week travel program across China's most beautiful cities. To them, it's the perfect opportunity for Leah to get back to her roots. To Leah, it's simply a much-needed escape.

But before Leah can even begin to enjoy the luxurious hotels, stunning scenery, and mouth-watering cuisine, she finds that also on the trip is her former classmate and least favorite person cynical, sarcastic Cyrus, who's somehow only gotten more annoyingly handsome since they last saw each other.

While Leah might be tempted to shove him off the peak of the Yellow Mountain when nobody's looking, she can't get rid of him just yet. After all, she might never get another chance to get revenge on the boy who ruined her life.

Yet the deeper they wander into China's provinces, the deeper Leah finds herself falling in love - with the boy she once thought she despised, the home she never thought she'd call her own, and the parts of herself she thought were already lost.]]> 320 Ann Liang 1546110674 Robin 0 to-read 4.46 2025
author: Ann Liang
name: Robin
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215039884 One sensational love story.

American journalist Ethan Fletcher traversed the globe to claim his late uncle’s Fleet Street print shop, only to find his unexpected inheritance is shackled by ruinous debt. To save his business and finally direct his own course, he needs to raise capital, and quickly. Good fortune comes in the form of Belinda Sinclair, the eccentric daughter of a respected London judge—and she just so happens to be a beautiful failure of a novelist.

Bruised by scandal, Belle has spent years writing a gruesome courtroom mystery no respectable publisher will touch. Until she meets Ethan—barely respectable, barely a publisher, but with two broad hands that can work a press and an enterprising spirit that breathes new life into her pages. Emboldened by the prospect of seeing her story in print, Belle agrees to Ethan’s plan: she will transform her grisly manuscript into a serialized penny dreadful, and he will sell it as a means to settle his accounts.

In the close confines of the print shop, Ethan and Belle discover their partnership is conducive to far more than fiction. Helpless to deny their deepening devotion, they dare to compose a future free of his financial burdens and her social constraints. But when a series of punishing obstacles jeopardizes the story they’ve been writing off the page, they must confront how much they are willing to lose� and what it will take to save everything.]]> 364 Erin Langston Robin 5 romances-i-love 4.40 2024
author: Erin Langston
name: Robin
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
romancing over the printing press indeed
]]> 198972490
Overworked barrister Gavin Sinclair’s only plans for Christmastide are to withdraw to his sister Cora’s estate and lament that his long-awaited promotion comes at a price he isn’t certain he can pay. But when a snow squall strands him at a country inn alongside a dimpled maiden, his night takes an unexpected turn. Captivated, Gavin tries to forget his obligations for a single evening of holiday cheer. Unfortunately, his responsibilities leave little room for such magic.

Emilia Davis is a governess with no family or home to call her own, and the tenuous nature of her employment has once again pushed her to the margins and out the door. Ever an optimist, Emilia is used to making the best of her disappointments. So when a sweetly reserved stranger leaves her standing in the cold, she determines to forget him and focus on her new position working for the boisterous Travers family. That is, until the bespectacled man of her dreams unexpectedly arrives at her employer’s dinner table.

As Christmas approaches, Gavin and Emilia find themselves spending the season under one chaotic roof. Between decking the halls and staving off the chill, they can no longer deny the ardor growing between them. But when their tender romance is threatened by the most divisive trial of Gavin’s career, the looming pressures of the real world might be more than they can stand. Gavin and Emilia never thought they would find each other once, let alone twice. And if they want to hold fast this time, they’ll need to finally put their hearts before their heads.

Some Winter’s Evening is a sweet and sexy holiday novella that can be enjoyed as a sequel to Forever Your Rogue.]]> 192 Erin Langston Robin 5 romances-i-love 4.32 2023
author: Erin Langston
name: Robin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
more men who wear spectacles in historical romance please!!
]]> 220358614 Dare she risk her secrets?

In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.

Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission � to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.

Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?]]> 320 Darcy McGuire 1836035543 Robin 0 to-read 3.80
author: Darcy McGuire
name: Robin
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61993247
Harriet “Harry� Lovelock lives a life of the mind, and she knows she can prove a theorem that has baffled male mathematicians for two centuries. But her stepmother wants her married and the swirl of the Season saps Harry’s energy and distracts her from her work. She has to put an end to the tedium of balls. Now. Full stop.

Thomas Drake, the Earl Drake, devotes himself to the pleasures of the flesh, even as he wrestles with his own demons and intractable problems. He needs to marry wealth, but could he ever be satisfied by just one woman?

She can spend all her time on her proof. He can have any woman he wants, except her.

Their marriage of convenience could prove to be the perfect partnership—as long as love never enters the equation.

Convergence of Desire is book one of the steamy Regency romance series The Lovelocks of London from author Felicity Niven. However, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone book. It has a happily-ever-after ending, a marriage of convenience, a slow burn, a neurodivergent heroine, and no cliffhanger.

Content warnings: steamy sexual material, coarse language, consensual non-monogamy, physical and sexual assault.]]> 329 Felicity Niven 1958917001 Robin 4 romances-i-love 4.07 2022
author: Felicity Niven
name: Robin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/11
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: romances-i-love
review:

]]> 63006361 A journey. A twist of fate. A reckoning.

Her desire betrayed her. Arabella Lovelock, seduced and disgraced at age eighteen by a tall, dark stranger, flees to Scotland and builds a new life for herself in a remote village.

Her wealth and beauty made him sure she was beyond his reach. Dr. Alasdair Andrews, lonely and longing for Arabella, must bring her home to her family.

A brutal snowstorm blocks their way. Forced to take shelter at a manor house in the north of England, Arabella must face the man who stole her innocence and convince the man of her dreams that she hungers for him and only him.

Sometimes your second chance is your destiny.

A Perilous Flirtation is book three of the steamy Regency romance series The Lovelocks of London from author Felicity Niven. However, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone book. It has a happily-ever-after ending, a false marriage, a second-chance, one bed, and no cliffhanger.

Content warning: steamy sexual material, explicit medical descriptions, coarse language.]]> 345 Felicity Niven 1958917044 Robin 3 3.99 2022
author: Felicity Niven
name: Robin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 180164218
Lady Phoebe Finch, the youngest of the Duke of Abingdon's daughters, is done waiting. She's a grown woman and ready to be a wife and a mother. If it means giving up on the man she's loved all her life, so be it!

Baron Danforth taught Lady Phoebe Finch to walk when she was one. He taught her chess when she was eight. He's like a big brother to her, surely. But when his dear Phoebe comes to him for bedding lessons, George Danforth must confront the truth—his best and oldest friend is not only the most alluring woman in the world, she's also the love of his life.

And she's engaged. To a man that's not him.

When you've blundered everything, stalemate isn't an option.]]> 352 Felicity Niven 1958917087 Robin 0 dnf 3.82
author: Felicity Niven
name: Robin
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 205334510
Upstairs, unconventional chemist Emmeline Starling uses combustion to solve scientific mysteries. Downstairs, buttoned-up children’s book printer Robert Vane tries very hard not to panic when the ceiling catches on fire. And when these two opposing forces are contained within one small building? Explosions are just the beginning.

After two years of putting up with Robert Vane’s scowls, his precious rules, and the infuriating cleft in his chin, Emmeline has seized upon a solution to the problem of sharing 57 Gresham: she’s purchased the entire building. Her attempt to remove Vane is thwarted, however, when Em and Robert uncover the theft of one of Em’s most dangerous compounds.

Soon Em and Robert are on the run together, chasing a ring of industrial spies who mean to use her discovery as a weapon. From a ship to an island to a foundry in Wiltshire, Em and Robert keep finding themselves trapped together—and close proximity transforms their sparks into a conflagration. For two passionate people who’ve always been at odds, explosive chemicals are nothing compared to the biggest risk of all: falling disastrously, catastrophically in love.]]> 172 Alexandra Vasti Robin 5 romances-i-love 4.29 2024
author: Alexandra Vasti
name: Robin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: romances-i-love
review:
i need alexandra vasti to write everything okay?
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