Apoorva 's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 28 Nov 2024 03:01:01 -0800 60 Apoorva 's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Apoorva 3 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: classics, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week
review:

]]> Merciless (Option Zero, #1) 49249759 MERCILESS
An Option Zero Novel

Somewhere between darkness and the dawn lies a truth that could get them killed.

Years ago, Asher Drake lost everything he loved. He had followed the rules, done the right thing, and was repaid with betrayal. Now, as leader of Option Zero, he plays by his own rules and handles things a different way. Ash knows he might not live to see another day, but one thing is certain, he will fight till his last breath for what's right.
Out of dark desperation, Jules Stone became someone else. Having experienced the worst of humanity, she battles her demons by fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. But the shadows linger. When an opportunity arises to repay a debt, Jules accepts the offer, hopeful that the shadows will disappear forever.
Secure in the knowledge that power is the ultimate weapon and truth is only a matter of perception, an enemy watches, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Putting aside the pain of the past, Ash and Jules must join forces and fight their demons together before the darkness becomes permanent and destroys them forever.]]> 408 Christy Reece 1733725725 Apoorva 0 to-read 4.30 2020 Merciless (Option Zero, #1)
author: Christy Reece
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[His Last Bow (Sherlock Holmes, #8)]]> 754713 242 Arthur Conan Doyle 0755334434 Apoorva 4 4.26 1917 His Last Bow (Sherlock Holmes, #8)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1917
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, mystery, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The General (Professionals, #4)]]> 42919684
What became of that woman after being coerced into lying on the stand was unknown.

That was until late one night when a phone rang in the offices of Quinton Baird & Associates.

And her voice was on the other end of the line.]]> 241 Jessica Gadziala Apoorva 4 right.

Jenny was the perfect heroine as well. I haven't read the Mallick brothers series (I'm going to read it after this) and so I don't know how big a part she played in that, or even that she did or maybe it was just written in passing y'know? But here, what I got to see was a woman who had been so brutally abused by her husband over the years, trapped in a soulless and loveless marriage. And the way she brought herself out of that was amazing.

The two of them together were the least dramatic and the easiest yet so different couple to fall into this in my opinion because there was a sort of direct-ness, the feeling of it being a natural thing like the sun rising and setting.

So, even if I liked them all, this one was the best!
And Jessica Gadziala writes one of the best epilogues ever.

Merged review:

Okay this one was by far THE best book of the series. I loved it! There's absolutely no denying the fact that we had not been given much in Smith in the first three books, save for the fact that he was The General, Quin's right hand and of course an important part. But this book did him justice, and boy was just so right.

Jenny was the perfect heroine as well. I haven't read the Mallick brothers series (I'm going to read it after this) and so I don't know how big a part she played in that, or even that she did or maybe it was just written in passing y'know? But here, what I got to see was a woman who had been so brutally abused by her husband over the years, trapped in a soulless and loveless marriage. And the way she brought herself out of that was amazing.

The two of them together were the least dramatic and the easiest yet so different couple to fall into this in my opinion because there was a sort of direct-ness, the feeling of it being a natural thing like the sun rising and setting.

So, even if I liked them all, this one was the best!
And Jessica Gadziala writes one of the best epilogues ever.]]> 4.29 2018 The General (Professionals, #4)
author: Jessica Gadziala
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/12
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves: books-2020, favorites, antiheroes-bad-boys, pi-investigation-firms, police-fbi-military, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, past-or-present-abuse
review:
Okay this one was by far THE best book of the series. I loved it! There's absolutely no denying the fact that we had not been given much in Smith in the first three books, save for the fact that he was The General, Quin's right hand and of course an important part. But this book did him justice, and boy was just so right.

Jenny was the perfect heroine as well. I haven't read the Mallick brothers series (I'm going to read it after this) and so I don't know how big a part she played in that, or even that she did or maybe it was just written in passing y'know? But here, what I got to see was a woman who had been so brutally abused by her husband over the years, trapped in a soulless and loveless marriage. And the way she brought herself out of that was amazing.

The two of them together were the least dramatic and the easiest yet so different couple to fall into this in my opinion because there was a sort of direct-ness, the feeling of it being a natural thing like the sun rising and setting.

So, even if I liked them all, this one was the best!
And Jessica Gadziala writes one of the best epilogues ever.

Merged review:

Okay this one was by far THE best book of the series. I loved it! There's absolutely no denying the fact that we had not been given much in Smith in the first three books, save for the fact that he was The General, Quin's right hand and of course an important part. But this book did him justice, and boy was just so right.

Jenny was the perfect heroine as well. I haven't read the Mallick brothers series (I'm going to read it after this) and so I don't know how big a part she played in that, or even that she did or maybe it was just written in passing y'know? But here, what I got to see was a woman who had been so brutally abused by her husband over the years, trapped in a soulless and loveless marriage. And the way she brought herself out of that was amazing.

The two of them together were the least dramatic and the easiest yet so different couple to fall into this in my opinion because there was a sort of direct-ness, the feeling of it being a natural thing like the sun rising and setting.

So, even if I liked them all, this one was the best!
And Jessica Gadziala writes one of the best epilogues ever.
]]> Cleopatra and Frankenstein 57693262 For readers of Modern Lovers and Conversations with Friends, an addictive, humorous, and poignant debut novel about the shock waves caused by one couple's impulsive marriage.

Twenty-four-year-old British painter Cleo has escaped from England to New York and is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank. Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank's life is full of all the excesses Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them, in ways they never could've predicted.

Each compulsively readable chapter explores the lives of Cleo, Frank, and an unforgettable cast of their closest friends and family as they grow up and grow older. Whether it's Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender queerness in the wake of Cleo's marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates to support herself after being cut off, or Cleo and Frank themselves as they discover the trials of marriage and mental illness, each character is as absorbing, and painfully relatable, as the last.

As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, entertaining as it is deeply moving, Cleopatra and Frankenstein marks the entry of a brilliant and bold new talent.]]> 384 Coco Mellors 1635576814 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.70 2022 Cleopatra and Frankenstein
author: Coco Mellors
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Apoorva 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heartbreak for Hire 55711708
To everyone in the academic world she left behind, she lost it all when she dropped out of grad school. Once a rising star following in her mother’s footsteps, she’s now an administrative assistant at an insurance agency—or so they think.

In reality, Brinkley works at Heartbreak for Hire, a secret service that specializes in revenge for jilted lovers, frenemies, and long-suffering coworkers with a little cash to spare and a man who needs to be taken down a notch. It might not be as prestigious as academia, but it helps Brinkley save for her dream of opening an art gallery and lets her exorcise a few demons, all while helping to empower women.

But when her boss announces she’s hiring male heartbreakers for the first time, Brinkley’s no longer so sure she’s doing the right thing—especially when her new coworker turns out to be a target she was paid to take down. Though Mark spends his days struggling up the academic ladder, he seems to be the opposite of a backstabbing adjunct: a nerd at heart in criminally sexy sweater vests who’s attentive both in and out of the bedroom. But as Brinkley finds it increasingly more difficult to focus on anything but Mark, she soon realizes that like herself, people aren’t always who they appear to be.]]> 320 Sonia Hartl 1982167785 Apoorva 3 3.5 stars

I hate that I liked this book more than I expected to - it just had a way of being superficial but not superficial enough to make me hate it, a little controversial but not enough to brand it as problematic (not for me at least).

To sum it up in a few points:
1. I think this book had its fill of disgusting men, so what the women did for the job didn't exactly feel wrong.
2. I'd gladly have a Mark of my own forever - a hot professor who is nerdy and yet not nerdy enough (aaand I'm doing it again). Though, I can admit that he was really everything I'd ever want in a man realistically speaking. But academia takes its toll on everyone soo...
3. Brinkley was nice but I couldn't really connect to her character a lot. Throughout the book it felt like I was watching a series of events but wasn't really involved in it.
4. Brinkley's mom's character hit too close to home, but in a very reverse manner, so imma let it slide for now :)
5. Academia is brutal but this novel just states that and does not explore the depth of it - I would love to get into that when I am feeling the inevitable regret over my life choices.
6. The Richard Vaden thing was just so obvious and cliche.
7. I really do appreciate the endings for Brinkley's career and H4H though.


Overall I downgraded the marry Mark thing to fuck Mark, and I maintain my hatred for academia ]]> 3.41 2021 Heartbreak for Hire
author: Sonia Hartl
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/03/09
shelves: books-2023, 3-stars-and-something-lasting, enemies-to-lovers, soft-boi
review:
3.5 stars

I hate that I liked this book more than I expected to - it just had a way of being superficial but not superficial enough to make me hate it, a little controversial but not enough to brand it as problematic (not for me at least).

To sum it up in a few points:
1. I think this book had its fill of disgusting men, so what the women did for the job didn't exactly feel wrong.
2. I'd gladly have a Mark of my own forever - a hot professor who is nerdy and yet not nerdy enough (aaand I'm doing it again). Though, I can admit that he was really everything I'd ever want in a man realistically speaking. But academia takes its toll on everyone soo...
3. Brinkley was nice but I couldn't really connect to her character a lot. Throughout the book it felt like I was watching a series of events but wasn't really involved in it.
4. Brinkley's mom's character hit too close to home, but in a very reverse manner, so imma let it slide for now :)
5. Academia is brutal but this novel just states that and does not explore the depth of it - I would love to get into that when I am feeling the inevitable regret over my life choices.
6. The Richard Vaden thing was just so obvious and cliche.
7. I really do appreciate the endings for Brinkley's career and H4H though.


Overall I downgraded the marry Mark thing to fuck Mark, and I maintain my hatred for academia
]]> Junk Mail 43691297 308 Kendall Ryan Apoorva 3 3.72 2019 Junk Mail
author: Kendall Ryan
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/27
date added: 2023/02/02
shelves: books-2020, office-romance, my-hope-down-the-drain, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week
review:

]]> One Percent of You 43701279
His cold, blunt observation of us doesn’t differ from any other stranger. He doesn’t know me, but he’s already painting a picture of who he thinks I am in his mind. He judges my very round belly, Lucy’s inability to leave him alone, the bags under my eyes, and the fact that I could not care less what I look like anymore.

He’s a rude guy. Stays that way for months too. Then something happens, I’m not even sure what. Judgmental Guy decides Lucy and me � as well as baby Eli � are worth his friendship.

Turns out, Judgmental Guy isn’t too mean � okay, he kind of still is. But he graduates to Elijah. I build an unlikely friendship with him which deems it necessary for him to start smiling around me and my kids.

I’m wrong again. Elijah isn’t rude. He’s terrifying. His strange acts of kindness are unraveling me. Elijah is only my friend.

Right?

Oh, fudge. I think I’m wrong. Again.]]> 343 Michelle Gross Apoorva 4
There was sooo much to love:
]]> 4.04 2019 One Percent of You
author: Michelle Gross
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/07
date added: 2023/01/13
shelves: 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, tattoo-artist-mc, single-parent
review:
When the title was thoughtful and the character development was absolutely ✨GOLDEN �

There was sooo much to love:

]]> The Wedding Game 54173345 The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself� TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.

As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.

Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along�
]]> 397 Meghan Quinn 1542025206 Apoorva 4 3.92 2021 The Wedding Game
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/05
date added: 2023/01/08
shelves: books-2022, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, humor
review:
This shit was cute and Alec is a softie
]]> <![CDATA[The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires, #1)]]> 57658071 Rowan
I'm in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don't get happy endings.
Not when we're destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland's most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I'd ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn't care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn't fix everything.
Especially not us.

The Fine Print is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.]]> 450 Lauren Asher Apoorva 3 3.92 2021 The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires, #1)
author: Lauren Asher
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/01
date added: 2023/01/08
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting
review:

]]> Book Lovers 58708383 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 398 Emily Henry Apoorva 0 to-read 4.27 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Window Shopping 58943206 A sizzling, standalone, feel-good holiday romance from Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer.

Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin.
I'm standing alone in front of the famous Vivant department store, when a charming man named Aiden asks my opinion of the décor.

It's a tragedy in tinsel, I say, unable to lie.
He asks for a better idea with a twinkle in his eye.
Did I know he owned the place? No. He put me on the spot.
Now I'm working for that man, trying to ignore that he's hot.
But as a down on her luck girl with a difficult past, I know an opportunity when I see one—and I have to make it last.

I'll put my heart and soul into dressing his holiday windows.
I'll work without stopping. And when we lose the battle with temptation, I'll try and remember I'm just window shopping.]]> 258 Tessa Bailey Apoorva 0 next-to-read 3.42 2021 Window Shopping
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/09
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1)]]> 16081272
Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ � Adult Contemporary Women’s � New Adult Fiction ]]> 426 J.A. Redmerski 1480095532 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.23 2012 The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1)
author: J.A. Redmerski
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/01
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> Obsidian (Lux, #1) 12578077
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring� until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something� unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.]]> 335 Jennifer L. Armentrout Apoorva 0 4.14 2011 Obsidian (Lux, #1)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/01
shelves: priority-to-read, mng-shelf, next-to-read
review:
I figure that since I will be waiting for a couple years for FBAA series to finish, I might as well go through JLA's previous works
]]> <![CDATA[Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)]]> 7940930 New Cover Edition found here.

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic�

One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy…]]> 276 Ilona Andrews Apoorva 0 maybe, next-to-read 4.11 2007 Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/01
shelves: maybe, next-to-read
review:

]]> Georgie, All Along 60604190
Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic� diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .]]> 340 Kate Clayborn 1496737296 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.75 2023 Georgie, All Along
author: Kate Clayborn
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Darling Venom 59720852 My second began with his brother.

From Wall Street Journal bestseller Parker S. Huntington comes a broken love story laced with angst and forbidden romance.

I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day.

Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak.

We met on the verge of ending our lives.

Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond.

We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended.

Same time.

One roof.

Two restless souls.

We kept our promise for three years.

On the fourth, Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences.

Just when I thought our story ended, another one began.

They say all love stories look the same and taste different.

Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars.

My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom.]]> 470 Parker S. Huntington Apoorva 4 4.39 2021 Darling Venom
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/21
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: books-2022, dark, enemies-to-lovers, angst, all-these-pesky-tears, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one
review:
This turned out to be emotionally draining in a very good way :')
]]> Under Currents 42330753 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a novel about the power of family to harm—and to heal.

Within the walls of a tasteful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, young Zane Bigelow feels like a prisoner of war. Strangers—and even Zane’s own aunt across the lake—see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children’s ballet recitals and baseball games. Zane and his sister know the There is something terribly wrong.

As his father’s violent, controlling rages—and his mother’s complicity—become more and more oppressive, Zane counts the years, months, days until he can escape. He looks out for little Britt, warning her Be smart. Be careful. In fear for his very life, he plays along with the insidious lie that everything is fine, while scribbling his real thoughts in a secret journal he must carefully hide away.

When one brutal, shattering night finally reveals cracks in the façade, Zane begins to understand that some people are willing to face the truth, even when it hurts. As he grows into manhood and builds a new kind of family, he will find that while the darkness of his past may always shadow him, it will also show him what is necessary for good to triumph—and give him strength to draw on when he once again must stand up and defend himself and the ones he loves…]]> 455 Nora Roberts Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.38 2019 Under Currents
author: Nora Roberts
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> Today Tonight Tomorrow 50000985 The Hating Game meets Booksmart by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.Today, she hates him. It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time. Tonight, she puts up with him. When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other. As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams. Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.]]> 384 Rachel Lynn Solomon 1534440267 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.06 2020 Today Tonight Tomorrow
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up � she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan � her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.11 2016 It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> Managed (VIP, #2) 30325011
I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I was upgraded to first class on my flight to London.

That is until HE sat next to me. Gabriel Scott: handsome as sin, cold as ice. Nothing and no one gets to him. Ever. He’s a legend in his own right, the manager of the biggest rock band in the world, and an arrogant ass who looks down his nose at me.

I thought I’d give him hell for one, long flight. I didn’t expect to like him. I didn’t expect to want him. But the biggest surprise? He wants me too. Only in a way I didn’t see coming.

If I accept his proposal, I leave myself open to falling for the one man I can’t manage. But I’m tempted to say yes. Because the real man beneath those perfect suits and that cool façade just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I just might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.

Let the battle begin…]]> 344 Kristen Callihan 0990715736 Apoorva 0 4.15 2016 Managed (VIP, #2)
author: Kristen Callihan
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read-in-series, next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)]]> 52735921 Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...]]> 372 Kerri Maniscalco 0316428469 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 3.87 2020 Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> Long Shot (Hoops, #1) 39336718
Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl?
You don't.
My fairy tale is upside down.
A happily never after.
I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud.
I was a fool, and his love - fool's gold.

Now there's a new player in the game, August West.
One of the NBA's brightest stars.
Fine. Forbidden.
He wants me. I want him.
But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go.

*Contains domestic/sexual abuse not involving the hero. Read reviews for further guidance.]]> 462 Kennedy Ryan Apoorva 0 ku, prev, next-to-read 4.18 2018 Long Shot (Hoops, #1)
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: ku, prev, next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, #1)]]> 178476 Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart . . .

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was . . .

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her.

Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation . . .]]> 334 Nalini Singh Apoorva 0 mng-picked, next-to-read 4.09 2006 Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, #1)
author: Nalini Singh
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: mng-picked, next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1)]]> 6944032
Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power?

That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.

Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: an accountant. She’s smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal.

My attraction to Amanda Devereaux goes against everything I stand for. Not to mention the last time I fell in love it cost me not only my human life, but also my very soul. Now I find myself wanting to believe that love and loyalty do exist.

Even more disturbing, I find myself wondering if there’s any way a woman can love a man whose battle scars run deep, and whose heart was damaged by a betrayal so savage that he’s not sure it will ever beat again.

Kyrian of Thrace]]> 320 Sherrilyn Kenyon 0312593554 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.18 2002 Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1)
author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Written in Red (The Others, #1)]]> 15711341 cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.]]> 433 Anne Bishop 0451464966 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.22 2013 Written in Red (The Others, #1)
author: Anne Bishop
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> The Last Letter 40045986
Beckett,

If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.

And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan]]> 426 Rebecca Yarros 1640635335 Apoorva 0 next-to-read 4.43 2019 The Last Letter
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves: next-to-read
review:

]]> Just a Fling (Blue Beech, #1) 55464507 She's Hollywood's Princess.
He's her new bodyguard.
And she's just given him a no-strings-attached offer.

It's against every rule in her book not to mix business with pleasure.
She's not his type.
He's nothing like the men in her industry.
He's a breath of fresh air ... but also callous, intense, and dangerous.
Yet she's never felt safer.

He tries to fight it.
Tries to stay professional.
But all of that goes out the window the more time he spends with her.
Business has officially been mixed with pleasure.]]> 268 Charity Ferrell Apoorva 3 3.67 2017 Just a Fling (Blue Beech, #1)
author: Charity Ferrell
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/07
date added: 2022/06/10
shelves: maybe, books-2022, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)]]> 61125932 When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules�

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love�]]> 389 Tessa Dare Apoorva 3 3.60 2017 The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/07
date added: 2022/06/07
shelves: maybe, books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting, historical-romance
review:

]]> Something Wilder 59349618
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the treasure hunt of a lifetime.]]> 379 Christina Lauren Apoorva 4 3.79 2022 Something Wilder
author: Christina Lauren
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/03
date added: 2022/06/03
shelves: upcoming-releases, unicorn-authors, books-2022, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, second-chances
review:
I'm here for the hilarious banter (it's CLo), the beginning and everything in between
]]> <![CDATA[Puck Me Secretly (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #1)]]> 45170538 I’ve never had an orgasm, but I’ve faked plenty.
I want to experience love.  Real, passionate love.
I don’t want to die.

It’s funny what blurts out of your mouth when the plane you’re on is going down, and I didn’t hold back with my seat mate when my plane decided to crash.
My hysterical confessions didn’t faze the muscular stranger that sat beside me.  In fact, he promised if we survived, he’d give me my first orgasm.  

We survived.
I came.
And then he left without telling me who he was.

On the first day of my job, I stood in front of the Vancouver Wolves hockey team and called out a number.  #33.
Imagine my shock when he skated forward.

Max is an incredible hockey player, whose wild, out-of-control antics have almost derailed his career.  So many secrets shroud his past and continue to threaten his future.  
Now he’s my secret.  And that secret could ruin everything.  

Puck Me SECRETLY.  Some secrets are too big to keep.

Intended for adult audiences only.]]> 406 Odette Stone 0995020078 Apoorva 3 3.95 2018 Puck Me Secretly (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #1)
author: Odette Stone
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/28
date added: 2022/05/28
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting, sports-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vanished (Callahan & McLane, #1)]]> 20438825 From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot.

When an eleven-year-old is abducted on her way to school, the FBI doesn’t waste a moment, sending agents to scour the area and embedding Special Agent Ava McLane with the distraught family. In the eye of the storm is local detective Mason Callahan, whose life is crumbling to pieces—he’s related to the victim, and his longtime confidential informant has just been murdered.

Both he and Agent McLane hole up in the victim’s family home. Every second counts in a kidnapping case, and the stakes keep rising the longer the girl is missing. As Ava and Mason struggle to hold the family together in their darkest hour, the two investigators find themselves drawn to each other.

2015 Overall Daphne du Maurier Award Winner]]> 337 Kendra Elliot Apoorva 3 4.21 2014 Vanished (Callahan & McLane, #1)
author: Kendra Elliot
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/22
date added: 2022/05/22
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting, mystery
review:

]]> The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 29367958
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?]]> 475 Mariana Zapata Apoorva 5 Is it time for another re-read?



“I’m starting to understand that you can always make time for the things that matter.�- Aiden Graves

He's right and I'll make time for this book every year.

I didn't write a review the first time because I simply didn't know how I could focus on so many good things in this book in a short freaking review. I still don't know how but I'll tell you this- I love the shit out of this book . Like I'll uproot my life and pitch a tent outside Ms Zapata's house just for her to acknowledge me as the biggest fan of this book even though I've read it just two times. Yet.

Vanessa and Aiden are the best two lead characters I have ever had the full pleasure of reading without hating them or being annoyed with them for even a millisecond. That's right. I have loved them since the beginning of the book. I identify with Van so strongly, it's not even funny. If you held a mirror to my face and found an Indian version of Vanessa in the image, don't even think twice.
Aiden *sighs* that man. Now that right there is someone who you can trust blindly. He's so unconditional and devoted to everything in his life that I'm more than in love with him.

I like every book by Mariana Zapata and I love slow burns. But this one is like the King and Queen and the whole kingdom of it all. I might be exaggerating but this is really really really good.]]> 4.18 2016 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/18
date added: 2022/05/18
shelves: favorites, marriage-of-convenience, relationship-of-convenience, sports-romance, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, all-time-favorites, 5-stars-perfection-does-exist, unicorn-authors
review:
Is it time for another re-read?



“I’m starting to understand that you can always make time for the things that matter.�- Aiden Graves

He's right and I'll make time for this book every year.

I didn't write a review the first time because I simply didn't know how I could focus on so many good things in this book in a short freaking review. I still don't know how but I'll tell you this- I love the shit out of this book . Like I'll uproot my life and pitch a tent outside Ms Zapata's house just for her to acknowledge me as the biggest fan of this book even though I've read it just two times. Yet.

Vanessa and Aiden are the best two lead characters I have ever had the full pleasure of reading without hating them or being annoyed with them for even a millisecond. That's right. I have loved them since the beginning of the book. I identify with Van so strongly, it's not even funny. If you held a mirror to my face and found an Indian version of Vanessa in the image, don't even think twice.
Aiden *sighs* that man. Now that right there is someone who you can trust blindly. He's so unconditional and devoted to everything in his life that I'm more than in love with him.

I like every book by Mariana Zapata and I love slow burns. But this one is like the King and Queen and the whole kingdom of it all. I might be exaggerating but this is really really really good.
]]> Dark Matter 27833670 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]> 342 Blake Crouch 1101904224 Apoorva 4 4.13 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/12
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: books-2022, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, mystery
review:

]]> Burn (Dark in You, #1) 25828477
As Prime of his Las Vegas lair and a successful businessman, Knox Thorne is used to being in control. He’s also used to people fearing and obeying him. Harper does neither, which unexpectedly amuses him. Unpredictable, elusive, and complex, she draws Knox and his inner demon like nothing ever has. Knox is used to getting what he wants, and he wants Harper. He’ll have her, and he’ll keep her safe from the threat that looms over her. Because Knox protects what’s his. He won’t allow anyone to take her from him. Even if it will mean letting the demon inside him rise and wreak the havoc it was created to make.]]> 344 Suzanne Wright Apoorva 4 4.04 2015 Burn (Dark in You, #1)
author: Suzanne Wright
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/07
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves: books-2022, paranormal-or-fantasy
review:
I want to read this but I'm unable to get over the fact that the cover looks like an ad for L’Oréal
]]> <![CDATA[Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland, #1)]]> 12390650
But upon arrival in the Winter Wonderland of Lunwyn, she realizes she’s been played by her twin and finds herself walking down the aisle to be wed to The Drakkar.

Thrown into inauspicious circumstances, with years of practice, Finnie bests the challenges and digs into her adventure. But as Frey Drakkar discovers the woman who is his new wife is not Princess Sjofn, a woman he dislikes but instead, his Finnie, a free-spirit with a thirst for venture just like him, without her knowledge he orders his new bride bound to his frozen world, everlasting.

But at the same time Frey plunges Finnie into a web of political intrigue that includes assassination plots, poison, magic, mystery and� dragons.]]> 494 Kristen Ashley Apoorva 4 4.07 2011 Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland, #1)
author: Kristen Ashley
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/02
date added: 2022/05/02
shelves: books-2022, 4-stars-the-brink-of-perfection
review:

]]> All Rhodes Lead Here 57660836 570 Mariana Zapata 1953262015 Apoorva 4 4.25 2021 All Rhodes Lead Here
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/25
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: unicorn-authors, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, age-gap, books-2021, humor, slow-burn
review:
I didn't even know about this book and now it feels like a party I wasn't invited to
]]> <![CDATA[The Alice Equation (The Laws of Love, #1)]]> 56091294 No problem...

Unless you are an anxiety-prone bookworm called Alice Montgomery, and you’ve had a secret crush on said best friend since uni.

Aaron Blake has no intention of falling for anyone, he’s pretty sure he missed out on the love gene. And certainly never, ever Alice. She’s his only friend-who-is-a-girl and he has no intention of messing that up.

But when Alice agrees to fake date Aaron to help him land a top attorney job, (on the condition he teaches her how to flirt) Aaron soon finds out that friendship first and attraction second is an equation he’d never done the math on.

And when secrets from the past surface with dramatic consequences, both Alice and Aaron will have to re-do the sums on this crazy little thing called love�

A sweet and steamy friends-to-lovers romance about finding love and finding out who you really are…]]> 304 Davina Stone Apoorva 3 3.55 2021 The Alice Equation (The Laws of Love, #1)
author: Davina Stone
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)]]> 56251143 From Stephanie Garber, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval, Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first book in a new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.

But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…]]> 403 Stephanie Garber 1529380901 Apoorva 4
I just bought the hardcover edition of this book (I definitely overspent, so it better be worth it ]]> 4.12 2021 Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/15
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: mng-picked, books-2022, 4-stars-the-brink-of-perfection, paranormal-or-fantasy
review:
RTC!

I just bought the hardcover edition of this book (I definitely overspent, so it better be worth it
]]> Twisted Love (Twisted, #1) 55817097 He has a heart of ice...but for her, he'd burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.
A melt.
A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.
Her neighbor.
Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+. ]]> 360 Ana Huang Apoorva 3
When I picked up this book, I had thought that Alex would be the typical brother's best friend as in every other book - cold and forbidden, and I was right. Because he was bad - someone I'd happily call an asshole, and for the first time I'm calling someone that because they did something bad rather than said bad things - he had his share but his ACTIONS (just one, in particular but I'm not letting it go, no matter if he had been in love even then duh) spoke way louder.

He was also perfectly fictional, as in it's too far-fetched to even want this man to be real:
1. Looks like a God
2. IQ of 160
3. Is cold, doesn't betray emotions, even though his internal thoughts are clearly very very strong.

Tbh, for these things alone, I'd have been in love with him sooner than Ava was and it's pathetic, ugh.

But the way he broke trust(tho it was really predictable), I could never get back together, even if I was dying to because it would've been difficult to rebuild (I have severe trust issues without any reason ]]> 3.74 2021 Twisted Love (Twisted, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/20
date added: 2022/04/14
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week, antiheroes-bad-boys, my-hope-down-the-drain
review:
This wasn't that great but I'm giving it 3.25 stars anyway because of the sheer entertaining cliched drama this turned into at some points lmao.

When I picked up this book, I had thought that Alex would be the typical brother's best friend as in every other book - cold and forbidden, and I was right. Because he was bad - someone I'd happily call an asshole, and for the first time I'm calling someone that because they did something bad rather than said bad things - he had his share but his ACTIONS (just one, in particular but I'm not letting it go, no matter if he had been in love even then duh) spoke way louder.

He was also perfectly fictional, as in it's too far-fetched to even want this man to be real:
1. Looks like a God
2. IQ of 160
3. Is cold, doesn't betray emotions, even though his internal thoughts are clearly very very strong.

Tbh, for these things alone, I'd have been in love with him sooner than Ava was and it's pathetic, ugh.

But the way he broke trust(tho it was really predictable), I could never get back together, even if I was dying to because it would've been difficult to rebuild (I have severe trust issues without any reason
]]> A Brief History of Time 3869
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,� of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.]]> 226 Stephen Hawking 0553380168 Apoorva 4 4.22 1988 A Brief History of Time
author: Stephen Hawking
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/05
date added: 2022/04/05
shelves: books-2022, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, non-fiction
review:

]]> Luna and the Lie 42883009
Luna Allen has done some things she would rather no one ever know about. She also knows that, if she could go back in time, she wouldn’t change a single thing.

With three sisters she loves, a job she (mostly) adores, and a family built up of friends she’s made over the years, Luna figures everything has worked out the way it was supposed to.

But when one of those secrets involves the man who signs her paycheck, she can’t find it in her to regret it. Despite the fact that he’s not the friendliest man in the world. Or the most patient.

Sometimes there are things you’re better off keeping to yourself.]]> 580 Mariana Zapata Apoorva 4 4.01 2018 Luna and the Lie
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/12
date added: 2022/03/13
shelves: books-2020, antiheroes-bad-boys, slow-burn, age-gap, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, unicorn-authors, books-2022
review:
This is one of the most tedious books that MZ has written but it's still better than a lot of books I've ever read :')
]]> Kulti 24044596
When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn't take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she'd seen in the international soccer icon - why she'd ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.]]> 570 Mariana Zapata Apoorva 5 4.22 2015 Kulti
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/08
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: favorites, sports-romance, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, age-gap, all-time-favorites, 5-stars-perfection-does-exist, unicorn-authors, favorite-heroine, humor
review:
Every time I (re-)read any book by Marian Zapata, I am in awe of how amazingly she weaves the complexity of her characters with the simplicity of her plot. The comfort her characters provide is something I can never get enough of :')
]]> His Deadly Darling 50247356

Cassandra truly believes I’m the bad guy in her world. She’s wrong. I can show her how much she means to me. It will take time and coaxing, but I’ll prove to her our love is deep and true. If she tries to knife me a few times along the way, what of it? After all, a spirited woman is exactly what I need, and Cassandra Carlisle was made for me.


(MINK's note: His Deadly Darling is an instalove, steamy, dark romantic comedy with a HEA, perfect for reading with a kitty in your lap and a spiced coffee sitting next to you.)]]> 158 Mink Apoorva 3 3.5 stars

I don't usually read short books but when I do, I do it for:

1. Cats
2. Laughter
3.CATS]]> 4.10 2020 His Deadly Darling
author: Mink
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/23
date added: 2022/03/06
shelves: 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week, books-2020, novella-short-stories, rated-on-a-different-scale
review:
3.5 stars

I don't usually read short books but when I do, I do it for:

1. Cats
2. Laughter
3.CATS
]]> To Have and to Hate 57924411 364 R.S. Grey Apoorva 4 3.75 stars

This book would have been 10 times better if it had a dual POV narrative because all we get of Walt is bits and pieces till he actually starts to talk. The starting was a) uneventful and, b) slow. The book picks up decently after the first half though but I need tension and chemistry

]]> 3.75 2021 To Have and to Hate
author: R.S. Grey
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/22
shelves: books-2022, 3-stars-and-something-lasting, age-gap
review:
3.75 stars

This book would have been 10 times better if it had a dual POV narrative because all we get of Walt is bits and pieces till he actually starts to talk. The starting was a) uneventful and, b) slow. The book picks up decently after the first half though but I need tension and chemistry


]]> <![CDATA[Lost Love (Cowboys and Angels, #1)]]> 35115980
But, here I stand � in front of my high school girlfriend. A beautiful, confident woman has replaced the young girl I once knew and loved. Hell. I’m still in love with her.

Yep. Paxton Monroe was my first love and the one girl in town who now hated my guts. So much so, Paxton swore her revenge on me if it took her until the day she died. The last words she spoke to me were a vow to cut my dick off and shove it down my throat.

The fight between my heart, my head, and last, but certainly not least, my dick starts tonight. Because all I can think about is how I want to be buried so deep inside Paxton she won’t remember how I broke her heart, or how I left her when she needed me the most.

But who will win? My heart is too broken to listen to my head. And my dick, yeah it’s not listening to anything or anyone. Not until it gets what it wants and what it wants is Paxton Monroe.

Lost Love is book one in the Cowboys and Angels Series.
]]> 342 Kelly Elliott 1943633320 Apoorva 3 3.4 stars

First of all, WHAT IS IT WITH THESE COVERS. I am so done with them ]]> 4.27 2017 Lost Love (Cowboys and Angels, #1)
author: Kelly Elliott
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/16
date added: 2022/02/20
shelves: books-2020, second-chances, ranch-cowboys, humor, 3-stars-and-something-lasting
review:
3.4 stars

First of all, WHAT IS IT WITH THESE COVERS. I am so done with them
]]> Love, Sincerely, Yours 40309980 Hey there sweet cheeks *strike out* no, too forward.

To whom it may concern,
Full disclosure; before we move forward with this email, I would like it to be known that I have consumed an adequate amount of alcoholic beverages to intoxicate myself tonight. Three margaritas, two shots, and one beer—because it was free.
I think it’s important to be open and honest with your co-workers, don’t you?
So here I am, being honest. Drunk but honest. Or just drunk with lust? You decide.
I like you so much it’s clouding my judgment and making me do things I never would sober. Like write this letter.
I have a hopeless, foolish, schoolgirl crush on you when you are the last person on earth I should be falling for. Did you know people around the office call you a sadist? An egomaniac. An insensitive, arrogant prick. Your bark is worse then your bite, and you don’t scare me. The fact is, I’d love that bite of yours to nip at my bare skin while we’re both wearing nothing but sheets.
For once I want you to look at me as more than one of your employees.
And as long as we're being honest, that navy blue suit you wear? With the crisp white shirt? It really makes me want to loosen your tie and show you who’s boss.
Love,
Sincerely,
Yours.]]> 273 Sara Ney Apoorva 3 3.86 2018 Love, Sincerely, Yours
author: Sara Ney
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/24
date added: 2022/02/15
shelves: books-2022, office-romance, 3-stars-and-something-lasting
review:
The proof that simping actually works if you're worth simping for too
]]> <![CDATA[It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2)]]> 60393265 Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching� (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding� (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover� (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).]]> 332 Colleen Hoover 1668001233 Apoorva 0 to-read 4.26 2022 It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bossy Grump (Bad Chicago Bosses, #2)]]> 57561471 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a screaming funny romance where two office enemies fake love until they're all out of make-believe.

You know that awkward moment when your lava-hot boss says "marry me?"
Not for love. Not for real. Not without a mammoth payoff.
Of course, this fortune comes with a ginormous snag—Ward Brandt.

Call me bananas.
I must be short of a full bushel rejecting Chicago's finest billionaire.
Who knew he was my boss when he crashed my worst date ever?
Oh, but he found out.
He swore I wasn't fit for Brandt Ideas, chewed me up, and spat me back out.
I vowed I'd prove him wrong—and sabotage a metric ton of his coffee.

Then tragedy strikes, upending his limitless ego.
Guess who needs an image makeover to shore up the family business.
Big fat hell no.
King Snarlypants has a peanut-sized heart and a chip on his shoulder bigger than a redwood.

Find another sucker, Ward-hole.
Even if I agreed, my shields are up.
No magnetic kisses. Zero butterflies. Nix the blushing when everyone gushes over what a “perfect couple� we'd be.
Then again...it's just ninety days and mama needs a windfall.
What's one little white wedding lie with a bossy grump built like a god?

Full-length enemies-to-lovers romance loaded with banter, drama, and so much slow-burn heat you'll want that Happily Ever After shaken over ice. A storm cloud of a man stuffed into a suit strikes a deal with the girl whose smart mouth drives him to the ultimate madness called love.]]> 502 Nicole Snow Apoorva 3 I PUT IN reading this 500 page book.

]]> 4.21 2021 Bossy Grump (Bad Chicago Bosses, #2)
author: Nicole Snow
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/06
date added: 2022/02/15
shelves: books-2022, relationship-of-convenience, office-romance, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week
review:
Honestly, the only reason I cared enough for 3 was because of the EFFORT I PUT IN reading this 500 page book.


]]> <![CDATA[A Dance with the Fae Prince (Married to Magic, #2)]]> 58427616 She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.

Katria swore she'd never fall in love. She's seen what "love" means through the cruelty of her family. So when she's married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she's leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings - magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne - and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

A Dance with the Fae Prince is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Psyche and Eros, as well as Cinderella, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple. ]]> 374 Elise Kova Apoorva 0
dies-dramatically]]> 3.88 2021 A Dance with the Fae Prince (Married to Magic, #2)
author: Elise Kova
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/14
shelves: paranormal-or-fantasy, to-read
review:
LOOK AT THAT COVER, I -

dies-dramatically
]]> <![CDATA[Tempting Devil (Sinners and Saints, #2)]]> 52527688 I sold my soul to the devil.

Hard times prove who’s a survivor and who’s not. Me? I’m a survivor.

The plan was perfect: steal one of his cars for a payout to set us up for life. All while getting back at him for tormenting me from the moment I first stepped foot in stuck up Silver Lake High School.

But he caught me red-handed. What’s worse, a jail sentence or becoming the devil’s favorite toy?

My devious monster made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Now I’m selling everything to him. Even my soul.

DEVLIN
The secret to being carefree is love nothing.

The puppets are fooled into believing my game of pretend. But the way she looks at me has always pierced beneath my skin. Like she knows. She’s a gutter rat—how could she possibly understand?

I vowed to break her the first time. When I catch her stealing my car, it’s clear she hasn’t learned her lesson. She won’t escape my wrath again.

Ready to play a game, little thief? The rules are simple: my way is law.

Warning: Tempting Devil is a dark new adult high school bully romance intended for mature readers. This book is part of a series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. The Sinners and Saints series boys are all devilish antiheroes brought to their knees by a spitfire heroine, so if you love enemies-to-lovers and hate-to-love type stories, you’re in the right place. This mature new adult romance contains dubious situations, bullying, blackmail, power imbalance, crude language, and intense sexual/violent content that some readers might find triggering or offensive. Please proceed with caution.]]> 424 Veronica Eden Apoorva 0 to-read 4.09 2020 Tempting Devil (Sinners and Saints, #2)
author: Veronica Eden
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Honey and Ash (Honey and Ice, #1)]]> 56273343 Orphaned. Trained to fight. Raised to fear the power of Underhill. Secretly in love with a man who doesn’t want me.

I’m still just Alli, aka the half-human orphan fae, but my life is looking up for the first time. It only took me my whole 24 years.

But when Underhill—the ancestral home of the fae—shatters, making it impossible for any fae to enter, I’m the only one who knows who did it.

A secret that will be the death of me if I do nothing.

A brutal madness spreads through the fae as they lose their connection to Underhill, and to save my people, my only choice is to leave all I have fought for and go on the run.

Unless I figure out how the hell magic that has existed since the dawn of time was destroyed with a single touch, well, an entire life spent fighting to prove myself isn’t going to mean anything at all.

I must find the answer to the riddle of Underhill’s shattering.

Hunted by the very man I loved once upon a time.]]> 420 Shannon Mayer Apoorva 0 to-read 4.05 2021 A Court of Honey and Ash (Honey and Ice, #1)
author: Shannon Mayer
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love at First 54231816 heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar...

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance...

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.]]> 309 Kate Clayborn 1496725190 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.68 2021 Love at First
author: Kate Clayborn
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)]]> 40944965 His first, last, and only true love has always been rugby.
Until now.

He wants to save her.
She wants to hide.

She's damaged.
He's determined.

Fate brought them together.
Love binds them.

Johnny Kavanagh has everything going for him. On the rugby pitch, he's a force to be reckoned with. Primed for stardom, he's heading straight for the top. Nothing can possibly get in his way, right?
Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College. The one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. The one that distracts him like no one ever has.
Plagued with a hidden injury and desperate to impress the scouts watching his every move, Johnny has been placed on a pedestal so high, he has no room to make mistakes.
Striving to maintain balance, and on the crest of the International Summer Campaign, Johnny needs to keep his head in the game. He needs to stay focused, and cannot afford to let distractions get in the way of the bigger picture.
But what happens when a lonely girl with sad eyes becomes the only picture?

Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her.
On her very first day at the prestigious private school, she comes into contact with the notorious Johnny Kavanagh.
Thrown through a hoop over her feelings for him, and desperate to keep a low-profile, Shannon finds herself once again the target of bullies as she forms a fragile alliance with rugby's rising star.

Falling into a complicated friendship and grappling with their undeniable chemistry, Johnny and Shannon must face obstacles that threaten their relationship.

Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks collide.

Friendship, first love, rising fame, horrifying secrets, and pain all fuel together in Binding 13.

Hearts are binding and lives are entwining in Binding 13.

Binding 13 is the explosive first installment of a brand-new series from Chloe Walsh. Based in Ireland, the Boys Of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.]]> 626 Chloe Walsh Apoorva 0 to-read 4.43 2018 Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Float Plan (Beck Sisters, #1) 54017982
Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn't mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.]]> 272 Trish Doller 1250799767 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.91 2021 Float Plan (Beck Sisters, #1)
author: Trish Doller
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A touch of darkness: Amare il dio degli inferi è proibito]]> 59637563 374 Scarlett St. Clair Apoorva 0 to-read, ku, mng-shelf 3.45 2019 A touch of darkness: Amare il dio degli inferi è proibito
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/02
shelves: to-read, ku, mng-shelf
review:

]]> Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry 55812556 352 Joya Goffney 1471410110 Apoorva 0 to-read 4.02 2021 Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
author: Joya Goffney
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Attraction (Elements of Chemistry, #1; Hypothesis, #1.1)]]> 24950568 This is a previously-published edition - ASIN: B00UPU50EQ

He is everything she doesn’t want, so why does she want him so badly?
From the New York Times Bestselling Author Penny Reid

One week.
Private beach.
Invisible girl.
Jerk-faced bully.
What’s the worst that could happen?

Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.
Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.

When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION is the first part in a three part series; it is 45k words; and it ends with a cliffhanger.
Part 1 (ATTRACTION) Available Now! (ends on a cliffhanger)
Part 2 (HEAT) Available Now! (ends on a cliffhanger)
Part 3 (CAPTURE) Available Now!]]> 161 Penny Reid Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.97 2015 Attraction (Elements of Chemistry, #1; Hypothesis, #1.1)
author: Penny Reid
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/31
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Kingmaker (All the King's Men, #1)]]> 45024651
My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I’m determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and would do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied.

And neither will I.]]> 344 Kennedy Ryan 1732144346 Apoorva 0 to-read, ku, mng-picked 3.97 2019 The Kingmaker (All the King's Men, #1)
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, ku, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)]]> 54319549 A Betrayal�

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice...

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret�

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.]]> 637 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457106 Apoorva 0 to-read
]]> 4.32 2020 A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:
To the rest of my TBR pile:


]]> Love Your Life 53727614
Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers' retreat in coastal Italy. She's determined to finish writing the novel she's been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.

At the retreat, she's not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by "Aria," meets "Dutch," a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch.

But then their real identities--Ava and Matt--must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there's the prickly situation with Matt's ex-girlfriend, who isn't too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can't love each other's lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?]]> 432 Sophie Kinsella Apoorva 0 to-read, prev
And here you've seen the epic example of body betraying mind syndrome. No need to look for them in idiotic books.]]> 3.56 2020 Love Your Life
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:
I'm one of those who love chick lit. Plus I love this author. So, my fingers automatically added this one and they don't listen to my brain that says we've grown past the 15 year old who swoons over British girls falling for American guys (mostly).

And here you've seen the epic example of body betraying mind syndrome. No need to look for them in idiotic books.
]]> Kind of Cursed 49202856
Birth control just doesn’t work for them. Like ever. Going to the altar knocked up is pretty much a family tradition. And twenty-four-year-old Millie refuses to let that happen to her—again.

Especially now that she’s responsible for raising her brothers and sister. A life of celibacy is her best defense—at least until the kids are grown and can take care of themselves. And, really, what’s ten years with no sex? No men. No sex. No love. It’s a fool-proof plan.

Until she meets Luc Valencia.

The Mexican-American contractor is just trying to do his best. Since his father handed him the reins to the family business, every day is a test to prove himself. At this point in his life, professionalism has to be his top priority.

At least until Millie becomes Luc’s client. Even with too much on her shoulders, the feisty redhead has the power to set him off, crack him up, or bring him to his knees.

All he has to do is resist falling for her through one kitchen remodel, and everything will be fine. Right?]]> 416 Stephanie Fournet Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 4.02 2019 Kind of Cursed
author: Stephanie Fournet
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)]]> 42899 The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago.

But when his most trusted fighter is killed -- orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate -- Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger one that threatens to consume them both…]]> 393 J.R. Ward 0451216954 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 4.17 2005 Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)
author: J.R. Ward
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)]]> 43884209
� Enjoy a drunken night out.
� Ride a motorcycle.
� Go camping.
� Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
� Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
� And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford â€Redâ€� Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…]]> 384 Talia Hibbert 0062941208 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 3.79 2019 Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)
author: Talia Hibbert
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1)]]> 43521785 England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring... or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford suffragists in which a fiercely independent vicar's daughter takes on a powerful duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.]]> 335 Evie Dunmore 1984805681 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 3.91 2019 Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1)
author: Evie Dunmore
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> Tweet Cute 45045129 Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming � mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese � that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life � on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate � people on the internet are shipping them?? � their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

A fresh, irresistible rom-com from debut author Emma Lord about the chances we take, the paths life can lead us on, and how love can be found in the opposite place you expected.]]> 368 Emma Lord 1250237327 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 3.87 2020 Tweet Cute
author: Emma Lord
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> The Soulmate Equation 55920637 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material� before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond� pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.]]> 395 Christina Lauren Apoorva 0 Me *whispering to this book*: Hurt me softly please.

]]> 4.17 2021 The Soulmate Equation
author: Christina Lauren
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: unicorn-authors, to-read, priority-to-read, prev
review:
Me *whispering to this book*: Hurt me softly please.


]]> The Switch 45134200 Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena's tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it's time they swapped places...

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn't as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect � and distractingly handsome � school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?]]> 336 Beth O'Leary 1787475018 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 3.95 2020 The Switch
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> Well Played (Well Met, #2) 50089191
When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she's not sure what to make of it.

Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey's shock, it isn't Dex—she's been falling in love with a man she barely knows.

Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.]]> 332 Jen DeLuca 1984805401 Apoorva 0 3.50 2020 Well Played (Well Met, #2)
author: Jen DeLuca
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, next-to-read-in-series, prev
review:

]]> The Midnight Library 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev I admit I'm a little too excited to start this!!]]> 3.96 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:
I admit I'm a little too excited to start this!!
]]> Five Feet Apart 38926328 In this moving story two teens fall in love with just one minor complication—they can’t get within five feet of each other without risking their lives.

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

°Âľ±±ô±ô’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?]]> 304 Rachael Lippincott 1534437339 Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 4.06 2018 Five Feet Apart
author: Rachael Lippincott
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> Radiance (Wraith Kings, #1) 24473763 The Prince of no value
Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

The noblewoman of no importance
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.

Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.]]> 297 Grace Draven Apoorva 0 to-read, prev 3.98 2015 Radiance (Wraith Kings, #1)
author: Grace Draven
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, prev
review:

]]> Reckless (Irresistible, #6) 53883616 349 Stella Rhys Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 4.21 2020 Reckless (Irresistible, #6)
author: Stella Rhys
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers, #1)]]> 59363617 From USA Today bestselling author of The Highland Fling comes a brand new romantic comedy about a desperate billionaire seeking to find a fiancée. This modern day take on Pretty Woman is brilliantly clever and hilariously page-turning.

How did you two meet?

The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.

My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.

He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.

And that's when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.

But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman--minus the frisky behavior.

We're talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?

The absolute audacity.

But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.

My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.]]> 418 Meghan Quinn Apoorva 4 4.24 2021 A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers, #1)
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/28
date added: 2022/01/29
shelves: books-2022, 4-stars-twas-a-memorable-one, humor, relationship-of-convenience
review:
If I had an iota of desperation, I'd probably look for a rich man with a big ehhhhhh heart too
]]> <![CDATA[Christmas in Quincy (The Edens, #0.5)]]> 55239379
Cleo Hillcrest would rather cancel Christmas than endure another one of her father’s pretentious holiday parties, making small talk with his rich colleagues and her stepmother’s shallow friends. She’s leaving home to spend three peaceful and quiet days in Quincy, Montana, trading gifts and grandeur for room service and slippers.

But she should have expected her family to thwart her plans. The minute she finishes unpacking her suitcase at the quaint Eloise Inn, Austin Myles knocks on her room door.

As the head of her father’s security team, Austin’s been ordered to drag Cleo back to California. Only when she refuses to leave, he has no choice but to stay. After a Christmas in Quincy, everything between them is about to change.]]> 144 Devney Perry 1950692256 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.74 2021 Christmas in Quincy (The Edens, #0.5)
author: Devney Perry
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Winterwood 43822698 Be careful of the dark, dark wood�

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.

From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.]]> 323 Shea Ernshaw 1534439412 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.81 2019 Winterwood
author: Shea Ernshaw
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bargainer (The Bargainer, #1-3)]]> 55733849 This is the complete Bargainer series, and it includes the books Rhapsodic, A Strange Hymn, The Emperor of Evening Stars, and Dark Harmony within it.

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she's been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she's received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He's a man who can get you anything you want ... at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. So when Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows he's finally here to collect. At first, all he asks for is a chaste kiss-a single bead's worth-and a promise for more. But Callie has a wrist full of debt, and the Bargainer has many, many demands.]]> 740 Laura Thalassa Apoorva 5 Boy was this series ENGAGING. I might be trash for this series and Desmond Flynn, but I'm � quality � trash.]]> 4.40 2020 The Bargainer (The Bargainer, #1-3)
author: Laura Thalassa
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2022/01/27
shelves: books-2020, all-time-favorites, favorite-hero, paranormal-or-fantasy, past-or-present-abuse, 5-stars-perfection-does-exist
review:
Boy was this series ENGAGING. I might be trash for this series and Desmond Flynn, but I'm � quality � trash.
]]> <![CDATA[A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2)]]> 35236422
When a fae celebration thrusts Callie and her mate, Desmond Flynn, into the Kingdom of Flora, they take their investigation with them. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, they find there are more immediate issues to deal with. No place is more uniquely savage than the great fae halls, and no amount of bargains can save Callie from royal intrigues.

Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want things too unspeakable to utter. One thing is for sure: no one is who they appear to be. Not even Des, who only grows more enigmatic with every passing secret.

But the Kingdom of Flora has its own secrets, from bleeding trees to branded slaves and missing guards. Something is stirring in the land of all that grows, and if Callie isn’t careful, it will claim everything and everyone she loves—and her along with it.]]> 385 Laura Thalassa Apoorva 3 3.5 Stars

This review might contain some spoilers from the first book.

I enjoyed reading this but it didn't meet my expectations and first I'll get over what I didn't like so I can save the best for the last ]]> 4.16 2017 A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2)
author: Laura Thalassa
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/10/19
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: antiheroes-bad-boys, paranormal-or-fantasy, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week, books-2020, cliffhanger, favorite-hero, royal-mc
review:
3.5 Stars

This review might contain some spoilers from the first book.

I enjoyed reading this but it didn't meet my expectations and first I'll get over what I didn't like so I can save the best for the last
]]> Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 13455782
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war � and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.]]> 338 Tahereh Mafi 0062085506 Apoorva 0 to-read 3.72 2011 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Walk of Shame (Love Unexpectedly, #4)]]> 53307276 IT'S 5 A.M.
HER NIGHT IS ENDING.
HIS DAY IS BEGINNING.
SPARKS FLY WHEN THEY MEET...

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow - and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbour is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie's had in years - and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn't have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie's drop-dead gorgeous, she's also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss-a kiss that's caught on camera-all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they're a real couple. And nobody's more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.]]> 235 Lauren Layne Apoorva 0 to-read 3.79 2017 Walk of Shame (Love Unexpectedly, #4)
author: Lauren Layne
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Flatshare 36478784 Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met�

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…]]> 394 Beth O'Leary 1787474402 Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.97 2019 The Flatshare
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/23
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)]]> 53852543 This is an alternate cover edition of ASIN B084G9J55L.
----
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.]]> 463 Chloe Gong Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.61 2020 These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)
author: Chloe Gong
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/21
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> Crow (Boston Underworld, #1) 31309440
I had a plan.

Get in, get my information, and get out. Easy, right?

Turns out, infiltrating the Irish mafia isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I just wanted a soldier. Someone I could flirt with to get me in the door.

That’s when Lachlan Crow noticed me. Problem was, he wasn’t a soldier. No, he was next in line for the throne of the Irish underworld. And he was determined to hate me from the outset. My sob story about needing a job? Yeah, he wasn’t buying that either.

Too bad for him, I won’t let anyone get in the way of my mission.

Who cares if we have some kind of crazy chemistry? He’s the worst kind of wrong- and I would never in a million years be with a guy like him.

Because they took her from me, and I’m going to make them pay.]]> 312 A. Zavarelli Apoorva 2 4.02 2016 Crow (Boston Underworld, #1)
author: A. Zavarelli
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2020/06/07
date added: 2022/01/20
shelves: antiheroes-bad-boys, books-2020, mafia-organized-crime, dark, my-hope-down-the-drain, 2-stars-and-something-salvageable
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only When It's Us (Bergman Brothers, #1)]]> 51975973 **Revised and Expanded 2021 Edition**

Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster brimming with laughter, tears, and slow-burn sexiness in this new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart.

Ryder

Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter’s been on my shit list. Why she hates me, I don't know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly.

She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I'll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.

Willa

Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence.

I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it's war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet.

Only When It’s Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, college sports romance about a women’s soccer star and her surly lumberjack lookalike classmate, complete with a matchmaking professor, juvenile pranks, and a smoking slow burn. This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.]]> 388 Chloe Liese Apoorva 0 4.02 2020 Only When It's Us (Bergman Brothers, #1)
author: Chloe Liese
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/20
shelves: to-read, priority-to-read, ku, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 44778083
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]> 803 Sarah J. Maas 1635574048 Apoorva 0 to-read
1. It was on sale.
2. The COVER.]]> 4.43 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:
I made an impulsive decision a few days ago - I bought the paperback without even reading the blurb. In my defense:

1. It was on sale.
2. The COVER.
]]> Twice Shy 54660653 Can you find real love when you've always got your head in the clouds?

Maybell Parish has always been a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. But living in her own world has long been preferable to dealing with the disappointments of real life. So when Maybell inherits a charming house in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet, she seizes the opportunity to make a fresh start.

Yet when she arrives, it seems her troubles have only just begun. Not only is the house falling apart around her, but she isn't the only inheritor: she has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who's as grouchy as he is gorgeous—and it turns out he has very different vision for the property's future.

Convincing the taciturn Wesley to stop avoiding her and compromise is a task more formidable than the other dying wishes Great-Aunt Violet left behind. But when Maybell uncovers something unexpectedly sweet beneath Wesley's scowls, and as the two slowly begin to let their guard down, they might learn that sometimes the smallest steps outside one's comfort zone can lead to the greatest rewards.]]> 302 Sarah Hogle 0593085531 Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.65 2021 Twice Shy
author: Sarah Hogle
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/20
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)]]> 40916679
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]> 433 Holly Jackson 1405293187 Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 4.30 2019 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)
author: Holly Jackson
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1)]]> 50277486
When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn’s town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless, of course, the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.

Too bad no one told her Pestilence can’t be killed.

Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he’s eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she’s with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her � and hers towards him.

And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she'll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.]]> 381 Laura Thalassa Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.98 2018 Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1)
author: Laura Thalassa
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)]]> 10194157 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.]]> 358 Leigh Bardugo 1250048117 Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.93 2012 Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)]]> 39083635
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome. She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another. Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man... Right?]]> 384 Danielle Lori 1721284443 Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-picked 3.98 2018 The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)
author: Danielle Lori
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves: to-read, mng-picked
review:

]]> Mr. Perfect 469901
That's the deliciously racy topic that Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends are pondering one night at their favorite after-hours hot spot: Mr. Perfect. Would he be tall, dark, and handsome? Caring and warmhearted -- or will just muscular do? As their conversation heats up, they concoct a tongue-in-cheek checklist that becomes an overnight sensation, spreading like wildfire at work and sizzling along e-mail lines. But what began as a joke among friends turns deadly serious when one of the four women is murdered....Turning to her neighbor, an unpredictable police detective, for help, Jaine must unmask a killer to save her friends -- and herself. Now, knowing whom to trust and whom to love is a matter of survival -- as the dream of Mr. Perfect becomes a chilling nightmare.]]> 405 Linda Howard 0743482883 Apoorva 3 4.04 2000 Mr. Perfect
author: Linda Howard
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/09
date added: 2022/01/18
shelves: 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week, books-2021, mystery, police-fbi-military
review:
I had higher hopes and I know I am to blame - every single time
]]> <![CDATA[The Stopover (Miles High Club, #1)]]> 45156972 A memorable night of passion refuses to stay just a memory in this sizzling and scandalous romance from bestselling author T L Swan.

I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.

The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.

The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.

He was suave and intelligent.

We talked and laughed, and something clicked.

Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.

With no plans, we made our own.

We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.

That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him—until today.

I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.

But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.

I just got an email.

He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.

Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.

What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?]]> 525 T.L. Swan 1542015863 Apoorva 2 4.02 2019 The Stopover (Miles High Club, #1)
author: T.L. Swan
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2020/03/16
date added: 2022/01/18
shelves: office-romance, casual-leads-to-more, age-gap, 2-stars-and-something-salvageable
review:

]]> Wallbanger (Cocktail, #1) 15858248
In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...]]> 384 Alice Clayton 1623420024 Apoorva 3 3.98 2012 Wallbanger (Cocktail, #1)
author: Alice Clayton
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/04
date added: 2022/01/18
shelves: friends-to-lovers, books-2020, slow-burn, humor, 3-stars-and-something-lasting
review:

]]> Bared to You (Crossfire, #1) 13572249 "Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness."
""
He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily
Gideon "knew." He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each others most private wounds and desires.
The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart "]]> 338 Sylvia Day 0425263908 Apoorva 2
So yes, I can justify the title, she was "bared" to him in all possible ways but he still has to come out from hiding, which I am hoping, judging by the title of the next part "Reflected in You" that there will be disclosure of what happened to him, but to know that I have to read it, which I have no intention of doing. So, a big nope for me.]]> 4.22 2012 Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)
author: Sylvia Day
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2022/01/18
shelves: books-2020, casual-leads-to-more, erotica, past-or-present-abuse, my-hope-down-the-drain, 2-stars-and-something-salvageable
review:
I think I expected too much from this book. But oof, it turned out like another version of Fifty Shades of Grey minus the kink but adding a lot of baggage(I somehow liked The Fifty more. Go figure). But the story was good enough, even though it was almost like reading a relationship that's based on sexual relationship but is being tried to be displayed as something deeper. Because there's NO freaking explanation as to why they freaking FEEL that way, it's just their "passion" is different. I think that reading further parts will satisfy my curiosity because one of the main reasons why I couldn't appreciate this book was that Eva was forthcoming about her issues, maybe because she had seeked professional help and had at least partly come to terms with her past but Gideon wasn't that forthcoming.

So yes, I can justify the title, she was "bared" to him in all possible ways but he still has to come out from hiding, which I am hoping, judging by the title of the next part "Reflected in You" that there will be disclosure of what happened to him, but to know that I have to read it, which I have no intention of doing. So, a big nope for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #1)]]> 28962906
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.]]> 327 Kerri Maniscalco 031627349X Apoorva 0 to-read, mng-shelf 3.96 2016 Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Apoorva
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: to-read, mng-shelf
review:

]]> Fake It 'Til You Break It 51004111 367 Meagan Brandy Apoorva 0 to-read, ku 4.31 2020 Fake It 'Til You Break It
author: Meagan Brandy
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: to-read, ku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 53921926
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save� and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 356 Danielle L. Jensen Apoorva 0 to-read, ku 4.02 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: to-read, ku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco, #1)]]> 42196479
Those people usually have a lot of drama in their life. Drama I happily do without. I live in a forgotten corner of nowhere for a reason: there is safety in anonymity. I have enough problems just trying to get by.

But when Kieran, a sinfully sexy demigod at the pinnacle of power, crashes into my life, suddenly my whole world is turned upside down.

He’s harboring a deadly secret, one that could destroy all he holds dear. He thinks I’m the key to his salvation, and he wants me to help him claim vengeance.

He also wants me with a passion that burns my body from the inside out.

To ignore him is impossible, but to give in to my desires, even for a night, would thrust me into danger I might not survive.

Can I resist the temptation?]]> 439 K.F. Breene Apoorva 0 to-read, ku 4.28 2018 Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco, #1)
author: K.F. Breene
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: to-read, ku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)]]> 36381037
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.]]> 400 Marissa Meyer Apoorva 3 Arena and Lily for bearing with me through this book.]]> 4.11 2012 Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Apoorva
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2020/10/05
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: books-2020, cliffhanger, royal-mc, sci-fi-futuristic, slow-burn, young-adult, 3-stars-in-a-day-out-in-a-week
review:
Thanks to Arena and Lily for bearing with me through this book.
]]>