Issy's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:28:56 -0700 60 Issy's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Birthday Girl 39555142 JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.]]> 349 Penelope Douglas Issy 4 3.85 2018 Birthday Girl
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Issy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince (Ravenhood Legacy, #1)]]> 179258616
Once upon a time�
There lived a man with a vengeance-filled heart that held too many secrets.

And a woman, pure of soul, intent on uncovering them.

What they failed to realize is that through the storm their love would create�
a legacy would be born.


One Last Rainy Day is a spinoff of The Ravenhood Series, and the first installment of the Ravenhood Legacy series.

All books in BOTH series must be read in order.

The Ravenhood Series
Book #1 Flock
Book #2 Exodus
Book #3 The Finish Line

Ravenhood Legacy
Book #1 One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince.]]> Kate Stewart Issy 4 4.52 2023 One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince (Ravenhood Legacy, #1)
author: Kate Stewart
name: Issy
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:
“We love rainy days, don’t we baby?�
]]> Say You'll Remember Me 216437557 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 Issy 5 4.19 2025 Say You'll Remember Me
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Issy
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:
probably one of the easiest 5⭐️ i gave, and i wish i could give more than that
]]> After I Do 18775359 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781476712840.

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid Issy 4 3.91 2014 After I Do
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Issy
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Deep End 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood Issy 4 3.95 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Issy
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
Probably the steamiest (and funniest) college romance I’ve read!
]]> <![CDATA[You've Reached Sam (You've Reached Sam #1)]]> 53086843
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.]]> 296 Dustin Thao 1250762030 Issy 4 THIS.BOOK 3.64 2021 You've Reached Sam (You've Reached Sam #1)
author: Dustin Thao
name: Issy
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
THIS.BOOK
]]> <![CDATA[The Arrangement (The Arrangement, #1)]]> 56484743 It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.]]> 228 Kiersten Modglin Issy 3 4.09 2021 The Arrangement (The Arrangement, #1)
author: Kiersten Modglin
name: Issy
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
It was a fun and twisty read! Got me hooked from the beginning until the end!
]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 217536270
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.]]> 624 Callie Hart 1538774194 Issy 3 4.30 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: Issy
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
I don’t understand the hype on this one
]]> <![CDATA[Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)]]> 60217777 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 464 Kristen Ciccarelli Issy 4 4.24 2025 Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Issy
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
What a way to finish this duology!!!!
]]> Black Cake 57926137 We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right�? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.]]> 385 Charmaine Wilkerson Issy 0 4.06 2022 Black Cake
author: Charmaine Wilkerson
name: Issy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe � a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution � who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 Issy 5
But that ending? Oh man, WHYYYYYYY]]> 4.16 2024 Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Issy
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
What a captivating read! I was hooked from the beginning until the end. There’s no better feeling than when a book is so good you cannot put it down <3

But that ending? Oh man, WHYYYYYYY
]]> <![CDATA[Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)]]> 201017011 “I don’t need another kink.�

That thought pops into my head whenever I pull up my favorite social media app, but alas, every time I scroll, I learn something new about myself, and another one is born. And yes, I know I’m responsible for what the algorithm shows me, but I’m trying to ignore that fact.

Lately, my feed has been dominated by masked men. I’ve favorited videos with them dressed in full cosplay, decked out in futuristic military apparel, and wrapped up like ghouls.

But more than anything else, my FYP is filled with shirtless men wearing ghost masks. Bonus points if they’re heavily tattooed, wielding a knife, or covered in fake blood. At night, I dream about being chased by them, of them catching me and doing deliciously dark things to my more than willing body.

I never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become my new reality.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book. ]]> 338 Navessa Allen Issy 5
]]> 4.17 2024 Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)
author: Navessa Allen
name: Issy
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
Best way to experience this book is through audio!!! Ate and left no crumbs!!!!


]]> Collided (Dirty Air, #2) 206023915 Creating a naughty bucket list gains Liam Zander's attention, solidifying a destined-for-failure friendship.

Liam is Formula 1’s golden boy.
Irresistible. Unattainable. Whisperer of seductive promises.
A closet nerd who reads novels and discusses movie plot holes for fun.
The type of man who should come with a complimentary roll of caution tape.

He wants to strike a deal. Cross off naughty bucket list items together while traveling around the world.
I should say no and walk away.
Instead, we make a bet.

I broke my biggest rule, unwillingly adding a new item to my list while shattering my heart—and friendship—in the process.]]> 440 Lauren Asher 1734258721 Issy 3 3.73 2020 Collided (Dirty Air, #2)
author: Lauren Asher
name: Issy
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
Safe to say i liked Throttled waaaay more than this one
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Issy 5
still as good as the first time!!! Book Peeta is superior than movie Peeta, i will die on this hill✨]]> 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Issy
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:
[re-read]

still as good as the first time!!! Book Peeta is superior than movie Peeta, i will die on this hill�
]]> Slow Dance 198530925
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.]]> 400 Rainbow Rowell 0063380196 Issy 4
Slow Dance tells such a poignant story between two people who fell in love before they even knew what love really meant.

I don’t think i’ve read a ‘second chance� romance as beautiful and vulnerable as this one.

And in true Rainbow Rowell fashion, the writing was comforting, equally beautiful and painful—full of love and hope.]]> 3.63 2024 Slow Dance
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Issy
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
It’s been years since I’ve read anything by Rainbow Rowell, and it’s such a treat to be reminded why I love her books.

Slow Dance tells such a poignant story between two people who fell in love before they even knew what love really meant.

I don’t think i’ve read a ‘second chance� romance as beautiful and vulnerable as this one.

And in true Rainbow Rowell fashion, the writing was comforting, equally beautiful and painful—full of love and hope.
]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (Chestnut Springs, #4)]]> 123010329
And he's looking at me like I might be his next meal.

I'm almost free of my toxic marriage and have sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look at Theo is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak.

The man is hard to trust-and even harder to resist.

Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exterior and pulls apart all my defences.

Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

A secret.

But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.]]> 404 Elsie Silver 0349437734 Issy 5
I ate this book up in one day!]]> 4.33 2023 Reckless (Chestnut Springs, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: Issy
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
The man that you are THEO SILVA!!! This might just be my new favorite of the Chestnut Springs series!!!

I ate this book up in one day!
]]> <![CDATA[The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)]]> 58658940 Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.]]> 400 Jennifer Lynn Barnes Issy 4 4.10 2022 The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
i absolutely enjoyed this series so much!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)]]> 50531218 Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.]]> 380 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 0241480744 Issy 4 4.19 2021 The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)]]> 52439531
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.]]> 386 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1368052401 Issy 5
This book hit the ground running from the first chapter. I love how fast paced and easy it is to read!

Full of mystery, puzzle, and twists <3
]]> 4.13 2020 The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
another favorite from JLB!!!

This book hit the ground running from the first chapter. I love how fast paced and easy it is to read!

Full of mystery, puzzle, and twists <3

]]> <![CDATA[Full Measures (Flight & Glory, #1)]]> 64633663 She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead.

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.]]> 322 Rebecca Yarros Issy 4 4.20 2014 Full Measures (Flight & Glory, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Issy
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves:
review:
such a wonderful debut novel, and such a beautiful tribute to the military families
]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)]]> 125195303
But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either.

To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I’ve loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me.

But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.]]> 464 Elsie Silver 1728297028 Issy 2

My face reading this book.

I really really wanted to like this book because I absolutely loved Flawless and Heartless, but this book was not it]]> 3.97 2023 Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: Issy
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:


My face reading this book.

I really really wanted to like this book because I absolutely loved Flawless and Heartless, but this book was not it
]]> All the Dangerous Things 60784636
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.]]> 326 Stacy Willingham 1250803853 Issy 4 4.04 2023 All the Dangerous Things
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Issy
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Keep Her Safe 30753733
Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

Complex, gritty, and thrilling, Keep Her Safe solidifies K.A. Tucker's reputation as one of today's most talented new voices in suspense.]]> 436 K.A. Tucker 1501133403 Issy 4
Having just finished “The Simple Wild� also by KA Tucker, I must say that this one was a lot more enjoyable!

I really like the action and suspense riddled with romance that is not overpowering the story.

It was fast paced, thrilling, and exciting!]]> 3.98 2018 Keep Her Safe
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Issy
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves:
review:
3.5⭐️

Having just finished “The Simple Wild� also by KA Tucker, I must say that this one was a lot more enjoyable!

I really like the action and suspense riddled with romance that is not overpowering the story.

It was fast paced, thrilling, and exciting!
]]> The Simple Wild (Wild, #1) 36373564 City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.

Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago.

It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.]]> 390 K.A. Tucker 1501133438 Issy 3
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I must say the latter half of the book was the better part. Definitely made me feel lots of things❤️‍]]> 4.27 2018 The Simple Wild (Wild, #1)
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Issy
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves:
review:
[high 3⭐️]

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I must say the latter half of the book was the better part. Definitely made me feel lots of things❤️�
]]> All Rhodes Lead Here 57605091 572 Mariana Zapata Issy 3
I really reeeeally wanted to like this book]]> 4.24 2021 All Rhodes Lead Here
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Issy
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves:
review:
2.5-3⭐️

I really reeeeally wanted to like this book
]]> <![CDATA[Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love]]> 210365296 In this spicy workplace romance, a hotheaded celebrity chef finds himself drawn to his inexperienced new hire. But when her bubbly attitude collides with his sharp edges, can they handle the heat, or will their love be a recipe for disaster?

Alexander Chen is one of the most talented chefs to ever grace the culinary world of French haute cuisine. He rules his kitchen with an iron fist and fiery temper, so it's no secret that if you can't handle the heat, he'll gladly toss you out with the trash. As one of the first Chinese-American chefs to claw his way to the top, he has a lot to prove and a massive chip on his shoulder.

But he wasn't always like this. Eden Monroe, his newly hired sous chef—who may or may not have (definitely) embellished a lot on her resumé to land herself the job—knew him back when he still went by his real name, Shang. He used to be sweet and helpful and definitely not the second coming of the devil himself.

Eden won't say anything, though, no matter how hot her curiosity burns. Especially if it could cost her this job, which she needs if she has any hope of hiring a private detective to find something she lost long ago.

All she has to do is fly under the radar. It's just a shame that she and her new boss butt heads more often than they fulfill orders. But what happens when things finally boil over, and they discover the feelings between them are spicier than they ever imagined?]]> 360 Katrina Kwan 1039012418 Issy 3
It was really nice seeing more (of myself) Asian representation in books along with its culture.

You can tell it was a debut novel, but it was still a really sweet read nonetheless♥️]]> 3.56 2023 Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love
author: Katrina Kwan
name: Issy
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
It was a cute and comforting romance read.

It was really nice seeing more (of myself) Asian representation in books along with its culture.

You can tell it was a debut novel, but it was still a really sweet read nonetheless♥️
]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Issy 5 4.18 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Issy
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Issy 4 i am unwell 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Issy
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:
i am unwell
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Issy 5 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Issy
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Out on a Limb 198563657 414 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593872142 Issy 5 4.36 2023 Out on a Limb
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Issy
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
This book has my whole heart!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Striker (Gods of the Game, #1)]]> 204538483 She's the only woman he wants...and the only one he can't have.

Asher Donovan is a living legend—the darling of the Premier League, the (arguably) greatest footballer in the world.

But his reckless antics and recent team transfer have caused much controversy, and when his feud with his rival-turned-teammate costs them a championship, they’re forced to “bond� during off-season cross-training.

Surviving the summer shouldn’t be hard…until Asher meets their new trainer. She’s beautiful, talented, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t take his mind off her.

The only problem? She’s his rival’s sister—and completely off limits.

***

Scarlett DuBois is a former prima ballerina whose career was cut short by a tragic accident.

Now a teacher at a prestigious dance academy but still haunted by the ghosts of her past, the last thing she wants is to spend the summer cross-training Asher Donovan, of all people .

She swore she would never date a footballer, but when her brother leaves town for an emergency, she finds herself thrown into dangerously close proximity with the gorgeous, charming striker.

Training, she can deal with. But falling in love? That’s out of the question—especially when he’s the only person with the power to break her heart.]]> 595 Ana Huang Issy 3 3.79 2024 The Striker (Gods of the Game, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: Issy
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
filed under “a fun time not a great time� read. Unfortunately, this might be my least favorite AH book
]]> Still Beating 55882116 WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.

When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean—her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side.

And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement.

To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains.

After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they’d end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive.

But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.]]> 314 Jennifer Hartmann Issy 4 i wasn’t prepared. 4.18 2020 Still Beating
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: Issy
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:
i wasn’t prepared.
]]> Icebreaker (UCMH, #1) 61767292
Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him.

But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried . . . because she could never like a hockey player, right?]]> 447 Hannah Grace Issy 4 3.75 2022 Icebreaker (UCMH, #1)
author: Hannah Grace
name: Issy
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
everything i love about hockey romance all wrapped up in one!
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 50659471
Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.

Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.]]> 272 Sarah J. Maas 1635575621 Issy 4
It was a delightful read!]]> 3.69 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Issy
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
Love to see the gang back together and enjoying some normalcy after the events in acowar❤️

It was a delightful read!
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)]]> 50659472 The epic third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre's world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.]]> 699 Sarah J. Maas 1635575605 Issy 5 heartbreakingly beautiful 4.47 2017 A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Issy
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:
heartbreakingly beautiful
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)]]> 50659468
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.]]> 626 Sarah J. Maas 1635575583 Issy 5 ✨pڱ𳦳پDz� 4.65 2016 A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Issy
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:
✨pڱ𳦳پDz�
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 50659467
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1635575567 Issy 5
I loved every minute of this book! This one definitely lived up to the hype for me]]> 4.16 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Issy
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
I am so so glad i finally took the bait and started this series after owning the whole set for a while now.

I loved every minute of this book! This one definitely lived up to the hype for me
]]> Spectacular (Caraval, #3.5) 203578793 Welcome, welcome back to the mysteriously enchanting world of CARAVAL! Return to the legendary magic and the whimsical wonder with this beautifully illustrated holiday novella.

Snowflakes are falling.
Invitations are arriving.
And holiday magic is swirling in the capital city of the Meridian Empire.

It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend . . .

Well, sadly Legend is not fond of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve . . . surely there’s some holiday magic swirling around.

Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.

Set after Stephanie Garber's #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Caraval series, this delightful novella will take readers on the ultimate holiday adventure full of clockwork boys, poisoned candy, impish snow globes, merriment, and―if Tella gets her way―love.

Gorgeously illustrated by Rosie Thorns, SPECTACULAR is the perfect edition for collectors, readers, dreamers, and lovers of holiday magic.]]> 207 Stephanie Garber 1250893402 Issy 4
This was such a sweet read especially during the holiday season! I absolutely loved the Caraval trilogy, and seeing the crew back together on this novella is the perfect way to end Christmas day]]> 3.71 2024 Spectacular (Caraval, #3.5)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Issy
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:
(3.5 stars rounded to 4)

This was such a sweet read especially during the holiday season! I absolutely loved the Caraval trilogy, and seeing the crew back together on this novella is the perfect way to end Christmas day
]]> <![CDATA[Lovelight Farms (Lovelight, #1)]]> 122753311
A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.]]> 332 B.K. Borison 0593641124 Issy 5
best friends ]]> 3.74 2021 Lovelight Farms (Lovelight, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Issy
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
“No matter where you go, you will always end up at home� and with home, comes family�

best friends
]]> <![CDATA[Build Me Up (The Foundation, #2)]]> 204804271 She’s always lived her life with her head down, until someone makes her look up.

Wyatt.

Whitney is broken, but Wyatt is nothing short of determined to prove to her that he’s nothing like the men who’ve hurt her in the past. He’s gentle, kind and caring–and he’ll do anything to help build her up.

As they spend more time together, healing their broken pieces, Whitney realizes that he might just be the happily ever after she never thought she deserved.]]> 278 Caitlin Klassen 1738165728 Issy 4
This book took me by surprise. Let me tell you, I don’t think I have ever been emotional/close to tears while reading an author’s note. This one was the first]]> 4.60 Build Me Up (The Foundation, #2)
author: Caitlin Klassen
name: Issy
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/30
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:
“I am going to unbreak you, I am going to build you up.�

This book took me by surprise. Let me tell you, I don’t think I have ever been emotional/close to tears while reading an author’s note. This one was the first
]]> <![CDATA[Chasing the Wild (Crimson Ridge, #1)]]> 212002545
What happens when you’re snowed in on a mountain ranch, with the one man you definitely should not be fantasizing about?
I’ve always done what was expected of me. Layla Birch, the good girl.
Forced to grow up too fast. To take care of everything myself. I had a plan.
Only, I didn’t count on him. Colton Wilder. The cowboy nearly twice my age.
He’s my dream man. One who takes care of me, gives me a job, and makes my pulse thud harder every time he comes near.
My ex-boyfriend’s father.
The nights are long and cold on top of this mountain. As the snow grows thicker and the tension builds between us, we’re both inching closer to a line we shouldn’t cross.
Each day, it grows harder to resist the man who looks at me with longing in his eyes.
It’s tempting to forget about being the good girl for once.
No one would find out. Would they?


Chasing The Wild is an interconnected stand-alone, book 1 in the all-new Crimson Ridge series, and can be read separately. Intended for ages 18 and over.]]> 444 Elliott Rose Issy 0 to-read 3.98 Chasing the Wild (Crimson Ridge, #1)
author: Elliott Rose
name: Issy
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Christmas Tree Farm (Dream Harbor, #3)]]> 206318178 From the author of the viral TikTok sensation, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes the only spicy grumpy x sunshine Christmas romcom you need this year!

Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates.

After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing.

Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.

But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questionning why she refused help in the first place..

The Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls with a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

� grumpy x sunshine
� small town
� forced proximity
� one bed]]> 369 Laurie Gilmore 0008610738 Issy 3 3.66 2024 The Christmas Tree Farm (Dream Harbor, #3)
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Issy
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
If a book is a blanket on a cold winter day, it would be this one
]]> Bad Blood (The Naturals, #4) 27424547 New victims. New betrayals. New secrets.

When Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI’s Naturals program, she had one goal: uncover the truth about her mother’s murder. But now, everything Cassie thought she knew about what happened that night has been called into question. Her mother is alive, and the people holding her captive are more powerful—and dangerous—than anything the Naturals have faced so far. As Cassie and the team work to uncover the secrets of a group that has been killing in secret for generations, they find themselves racing a ticking clock.

The bodies begin piling up, the deaths hit closer and closer to home, and it soon becomes apparent that this time, the Naturals aren’t just hunting serial killers.

They’re being hunted themselves.]]> 384 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1484757327 Issy 4 4.37 2016 Bad Blood (The Naturals, #4)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> None of This Is True 62334530 Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 390 Lisa Jewell 1982179007 Issy 4 4.08 2023 None of This Is True
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Issy
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartless (Chestnut Springs, #2)]]> 125460757 Working as a nanny for the world's grumpiest single dad should be simple...except she can't keep her eyes off him. And he can't keep his hands off her.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than Willa Grant, and he barely looks her way, even though she's living in his house for the summer. That is, until she gets him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then, all bets are off--and so are their clothes.

Cade is gruff, a little rough around the edges, but broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl's kryptonite. So who is she to resist?

But it's in their quietest moments together that he softens. It's in the unexpected way he takes care of Willa that she realizes his hardened exterior is just a façade. And it's when she watches him go all sweet with his little boy that she starts to fall for him, whatever the consequences.

Someone once convinced Cade that his best wasn't good enough. But Willa has never felt more cherished than she does in his arms.

Her contract says this arrangement is only for two months.

But her heart says this is forever.]]> 432 Elsie Silver 172829701X Issy 5 4.34 2022 Heartless (Chestnut Springs, #2)
author: Elsie Silver
name: Issy
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves:
review:
Hey siri, play Ho Hey by the Lumineers
]]> The Wives 43262893 New York Times bestselling author Tarryn Fisher delivers a pulse-pounding, fast-paced suspense novel that will leave you breathless. A thriller you won’t be able to put down!

Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.

You’ll have to grab a copy to find out why.

]]> 295 Tarryn Fisher 1488054355 Issy 2
]]> 3.64 2019 The Wives
author: Tarryn Fisher
name: Issy
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
me during and after reading this:


]]> Do Not Disturb 58778536
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.

But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick's ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She'll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.

Do Not Disturb is a Hitchcock-style psychological thriller that will keep you tearing through the pages until you reach the shocking conclusion!]]> 325 Freida McFadden Issy 3 3.93 2021 Do Not Disturb
author: Freida McFadden
name: Issy
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)]]> 108514520 The rules were simple . . . Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now I'm stuck with her. There's only one bed. And, well, rules are made to be broken.

I'm the golden boy of professional bull riding. Or at least I was until it all blew up in my face. Now, my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I'm stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my "full-time supervision."

But I don't need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can't stop running . . . A mouth I can't stop thinking about.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn't cross. That my reputation can't take any more hits-and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I'm going to steal it anyway.]]> 416 Elsie Silver 0349437661 Issy 4
giddy up and let’s yeehaw i guess]]> 3.93 2022 Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)
author: Elsie Silver
name: Issy
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:
Well i’ll be damned. Can’t believe i actually read my first cowboy romance and loved it!!!

giddy up and let’s yeehaw i guess
]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 211081101
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.]]> 448 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975189 Issy 5 4.01 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Issy
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:
THIS BOOK!!!!! the way my heart was breaking and racing as i approached the last few chapters
]]> <![CDATA[Dirty Devil (Nashville Devils, #4)]]> 60596796
Except when that player is my brother’s teammate, Foster Craig, with the body of a god and a British accent that melts the panties straight off my lady bits. Did I mention that I might have a teeny crush on him?

But after a picture of an accidental kiss goes viral, he makes an offer I’d be hard pressed to refuse. A few dates in exchange for a lot of money. It seems harmless enough. And besides, I have a dead car, a baby to take care of, and a romance novel to write.

I just have to remember--No. More. Hockey. Players. Especially one who scores more off the ice than on.

Even if he comes to my rescue after my car breaks down. Or attempts to make me a cake for my birthday. Or dances with my two month old son when he thinks I’m not watching. I'm trying to resist him, but when he offers to help me test out "positions" for the novel I'm writing, things get a little� complicated. (And I’m not just talking about the Reverse Wheel Barrow with a Corkscrew Twist.)

And I find myself breaking my rules one by one.

If I take my heart out of the penalty box, am I going to end up being checked by yet another player?]]> 429 Melissa Ivers Issy 4 3.92 Dirty Devil (Nashville Devils, #4)
author: Melissa Ivers
name: Issy
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves:
review:
this book reminded me why i love hockey romance so much!!!
]]> In a Holidaze 50892287 Alternate cover edition can be found here

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners..

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.
]]> 307 Christina Lauren 198212394X Issy 3 3.65 2020 In a Holidaze
author: Christina Lauren
name: Issy
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves:
review:

]]> One True Loves 27189194
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid Issy 5
As always, so so beautifully and heartbreakingly written. Taylor Jenkins Reid really knows how to find the beauty even in the mundane things. The way she wrote these characters and their story really captured the essence of “real, vulnerable and, raw� emotions, that you can almost feel it in your bones.

It’s definitely a book that will stay with you long after you finish it]]> 4.03 2016 One True Loves
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Issy
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
review:
I read somewhere that “to love someone long term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be� and I felt like this book did just that.

As always, so so beautifully and heartbreakingly written. Taylor Jenkins Reid really knows how to find the beauty even in the mundane things. The way she wrote these characters and their story really captured the essence of “real, vulnerable and, raw� emotions, that you can almost feel it in your bones.

It’s definitely a book that will stay with you long after you finish it
]]> Body Check 201144140 New York Times bestselling author of the Briar U series Elle Kennedy’s first hockey romance, Body Check, is now released in an expanded version, with both new and enhanced scenes by the author! More story, more hockey—and more heat!

After a childhood spent being dragged around the country by her hockey coach father, Hayden Houston intends to take some time to figure out her future. Whether that future will include her currently off-again boyfriend remains to be seen. What it certainly won’t include is the for-one-night-only guy she just met at a bar.

It seems hockey star Brody Croft did not get the memo about being temporary. Big, bold and driven, he’s dedicated in everything he does. Up till now, that’s been his team—the one owned by Hayden’s dad. But his night with Hayden has sparked something he didn’t expect. The two of them are good together. Really good. There’s a connection he’s never experienced before, one he knows they’d be wrong to ignore. Even with a game-fixing scandal testing both their loyalties—to teammates, to friends…to family.

Part of Hayden wants to turn tail and run. A complicated relationship with a bad boy hockey player is exactly what she never wanted. But when it comes to Brody, Hayden is realizing that people can be so much more than what they seem.]]> 304 Elle Kennedy 1335425535 Issy 3
Reading this one (her first ever novel) showed how far she’d improved and came compared to her books today!!!

I love a good short and spicy hockey romance]]> 3.36 2009 Body Check
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Issy
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/13
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:
It definitely had the “first book� vibe but nonetheless still so enjoyable as I really enjoy reading hockey romances especially from Elle Kennedy!

Reading this one (her first ever novel) showed how far she’d improved and came compared to her books today!!!

I love a good short and spicy hockey romance
]]> <![CDATA[The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)]]> 196241667 From the author of the Sunday Times bestseller and viral TikTok phenomenon, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes a brand new spicy romance set in Dream Harbor!

When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues� she just need someone to help her out.

Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!

Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells�

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store is a cozy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:
� opposites attract
� small town
� forced proximity
� he falls first]]> 384 Laurie Gilmore Issy 4 3.67 2024 The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Issy
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:

]]> All In (The Naturals, #3) 24849026
After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code—and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes.

Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there's been a break in her mother's case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds—and impossible choices.]]> 378 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1484716434 Issy 5 OH.MY. GOD 4.35 2015 All In (The Naturals, #3)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
OH.MY. GOD
]]> <![CDATA[Camera Chemistry (Love Through a Lens, #1)]]> 83823487
There’s an undeniable heat between us, and electric energy surges through my veins whenever he touches me. When he invites me back to his place for a one-night stand after we finish the shoot, I don’t even hesitate.

He’s attentive, funny, sweet and kind. And his mouth is downright filthy, hearing my fantasies and delivering on every one. It’s only twenty-four hours, no strings attached. That’s it. Except there’s one tiny problem; he makes me feel more alive than I have in my entire life.

I can’t stop thinking about him, and I’m wondering if he’s thinking about me, too. I try to tell myself it’s just camera chemistry. Adrenaline from a fun photography session, not actual attraction. There’s no way men like this exist in real life, is there? If so, Aiden Wood is the blueprint, and I’m the sucker who’s desperate for more of him. One night wasn’t enough.]]> 197 Chelsea Curto Issy 3 3.54 2023 Camera Chemistry (Love Through a Lens, #1)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: Issy
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
it was such a treat to read! It was fun, it was flirty, and it was spicy!
]]> Perfect Strangers 49730872 “These kisses of his...they're demanding and possessive. They're hungry and deep. They're the kisses of a man who wants more of a woman—who wants everything—and isn't going to stop until he gets it."

Author Olivia Rossi hasn’t been able to write a word since tragedy struck two years ago and ripped her world apart. Heartbroken and still haunted by the past, she accepts an offer to spend the summer at a friend’s apartment in Paris in search of healing and her lost muse.

What she finds instead is James, an enigmatic stranger who ignites in her an unexpected and all-consuming passion.

Agreeing to tell each other nothing more than their first names, Olivia and James embark on a torrid affair. But the more time they spend together, the more Olivia begins to realize her summer fling is turning into a powerful connection…and that the magnetic man she’s falling in love with might not be what he seems at all.

Author's Note: This is a work of literary fiction, not a romance. Readers looking for a traditional happy ending should look elsewhere.]]> 342 J.T. Geissinger Issy 4 4.23 2019 Perfect Strangers
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Issy
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Killer Instinct (The Naturals, #2)]]> 20409231
But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel.]]> 375 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1423168321 Issy 5
Similar to the first book, I absolutely devoured this book! I love the focus on Dean on this one, even though a little heartbreaking at times but I love the development of the characters and their relationship to each other!

Such a great read!!!]]> 4.27 2014 Killer Instinct (The Naturals, #2)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves:
review:
Can’t decide whether 4.5 or 5, so 5 stars it is!!!

Similar to the first book, I absolutely devoured this book! I love the focus on Dean on this one, even though a little heartbreaking at times but I love the development of the characters and their relationship to each other!

Such a great read!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)]]> 13597723
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.]]> 308 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1423168232 Issy 5
Absolutely loved this book and read it in one day!! The Criminal Minds of YA world]]> 4.22 2013 The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Issy
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves:
review:
I couldn’t decide between 4.5 or 5 stars, so 5 stars it is!!!

Absolutely loved this book and read it in one day!! The Criminal Minds of YA world
]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Issy 5
]]> 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Issy
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves:
review:
“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.�


]]> The Sacrifice 60190092
Pristine beaches, lush greenery, and perfect weather, the island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination...if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. They know the lives it has claimed. They won't be next.

A Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide.

Within minutes of their arrival, a giant sinkhole appears, revealing a giant balete tree with a mummified corpse entwined in its gnarled branches. And the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island's curse. If Alon can't convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy...

Creepy and suspenseful, The Sacrifice is perfect for readers looking for:
* Spooky, scary books for young adults
* Horror novels
* Ghost story books for teens
* East Asian folklore]]> 287 Rin Chupeco 1728255910 Issy 4
First and foremost make sure you read this book during the day if you’re a scaredy cat like me but want to read horror]]> 3.73 2022 The Sacrifice
author: Rin Chupeco
name: Issy
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
“They were warned. They didn’t listen�.

First and foremost make sure you read this book during the day if you’re a scaredy cat like me but want to read horror
]]> <![CDATA[Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)]]> 6294 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.]]> 329 Diana Wynne Jones 006441034X Issy 4 4.30 1986 Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Issy
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death and Wedding Cake (Sugar Creek Mystery #1)]]> 200267383 A small town with big secrets. A caterer turned amateur detective. A wedding weekend plagued by murder and mystery.

Home is where the heart is for Abby Hirsch, a chef returning to her small Texas hometown to cater a wedding at her aunt's charming bed and breakfast. But homecoming turns deadly when Abby finds the body of the bride's rival dumped on the grounds.
With the wedding in jeopardy, a killer on the loose, and sparks flying with the new sheriff in town, Abby teams up with her best friend Cassie to get to the bottom of the murder. Amateur sleuthing leads them down a trail of secret affairs, shady business deals, and even more bodies. Can Abby cater the perfect wedding feast while narrowing down the suspect list? Or will the killer crash the wedding cake before Abby can serve justice?

Filled with delicious food, longtime friendships, mysterious twists, and lots of laughs, Death and Wedding Cake is a culinary cozy mystery with plenty of humor couched in the comfort of returning home. It's the perfect read for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, and Jenn McKinlay.]]> 306 Nova Walsh Issy 3 4.26 2023 Death and Wedding Cake (Sugar Creek Mystery #1)
author: Nova Walsh
name: Issy
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves:
review:
in for a fun time, not a great time
]]> <![CDATA[Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls, #1)]]> 209773181
He’s everything I’m not: grumpy, rude, and more than a little attached to his solitude. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to kill him with kindness; the man simply won’t crack.

Until he sees me shatter.

Because when my world comes crashing down around me, Anson is the one catching me as I fall. And as so-called accidents start plaguing every part of my life, it’s Anson who steps in to keep me safe.

As he does, I can’t help but feel a flicker of heat. And it only takes a single moment for that spark to ignite into flames, engulfing us both.

But Anson’s a man with secrets, and they have a price. When they’re revealed, neither of us will make it out unscathed…]]> 366 Catherine Cowles 1951936574 Issy 5 4.10 2024 Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls, #1)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: Issy
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pumpkin Spice Café (Dream Harbor, #1)]]> 139391940 A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes�

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

� grumpy x sunshine
� small town
� found family
� spicy]]> 373 Laurie Gilmore 0008610665 Issy 3
It’s nothing mind blowingly good, but rather this book felt like a giant hug on a cold fall day.

I had so much fun reading this because i personally enjoy watching hallmark movies, and this one is definitely a hallmark coded book.]]> 3.36 2023 The Pumpkin Spice Café (Dream Harbor, #1)
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Issy
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:
This was such a cute and cozy read! I definitely picked it up for the fall vibes and that’s what I got!

It’s nothing mind blowingly good, but rather this book felt like a giant hug on a cold fall day.

I had so much fun reading this because i personally enjoy watching hallmark movies, and this one is definitely a hallmark coded book.
]]> Well Met (Well Met, #1) 43189874 All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.]]> 335 Jen DeLuca 1984805398 Issy 4 3.81 2019 Well Met (Well Met, #1)
author: Jen DeLuca
name: Issy
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)]]> 60718856 A new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings... until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game � and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy.]]> 416 Stephanie Garber 1529380944 Issy 3
This book’s plot felt like a mish mash of randomness]]> 4.05 2021 Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Issy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
(2.5)

This book’s plot felt like a mish mash of randomness
]]> <![CDATA[If He Had Been With Me (If He Had Been with Me, #1)]]> 15835031 If he had been with me everything would have been different...

I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial.

So let me tell you...]]> 336 Laura Nowlin 1402277822 Issy 0 3.76 2013 If He Had Been With Me (If He Had Been with Me, #1)
author: Laura Nowlin
name: Issy
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Throttled (Dirty Air, #1) 206023355 Maya Alatorre is the sister of my teammate…and my new obsession.
Keeping my distance during the Formula 1 season should be easy, except I always find ways to see her.
Press tours. Pre-race rituals. Sponsor events and black-tie galas.
The more time we spend together, the stronger my desire grows.
Sneaking around with her is one thing, but wanting more?
Never going to happen.
She might be a distraction dressed like a daydream, but no woman is worth risking the championship title over.
Or so I thought.

Maya
Noah Slade is Formula 1 royalty and my brother’s biggest rival.
When I’m invited to join my sibling while he competes for the World
Championship, I promise to avoid Noah at all costs.
Twenty-one races. Two drivers who hate each other. And one forbidden attraction I can’t ignore.
Developing feelings for Noah wasn’t part of my plan.
But then again, neither was anyone finding out.
Turns out the man I was warned about happens to be the one I can’t stay away from.
Even if he breaks my heart once the season comes to an end.]]> 378 Lauren Asher 1734258705 Issy 4 3.69 2020 Throttled (Dirty Air, #1)
author: Lauren Asher
name: Issy
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Issy 4 4.26 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Issy
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/10
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brutal Prince (Brutal Birthright, #1)]]> 195580026
Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.

We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.

Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.

I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.

This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.

But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him�

I could never love a brutal prince.

“Brutal Prince� is the explosive first act in the epic “Brutal Birthright� series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]> 376 Sophie Lark Issy 4 3.61 2020 Brutal Prince (Brutal Birthright, #1)
author: Sophie Lark
name: Issy
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves:
review:

]]> I Want to Eat Your Pancreas 39863194 A Bittersweet Romance

In this deeply moving first-person story, an introverted high school boy finds his classmate’s diary―and learns her biggest secret. Yamauchi Sakura is dying from a pancreatic disease and now he is the only one person outside her family to know the truth. The last thing the boy wants is to be her friend, but Sakura’s cheerful demeanor and their shared secret draw them together in this heartrending tale of friendship and mortality.]]> 442 Yoru Sumino 1642750328 Issy 5 4.39 2014 I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
author: Yoru Sumino
name: Issy
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves:
review:
my all time favourite Manga!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Perfect Marriage (Perfect, #1)]]> 53450790 Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.

The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.

Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.

Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.

But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?]]> 337 Jeneva Rose 1913419657 Issy 3 3.90 2020 The Perfect Marriage (Perfect, #1)
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Issy
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Hidden Pictures 58724923 A wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.]]> 372 Jason Rekulak 1250819342 Issy 5 4.12 2022 Hidden Pictures
author: Jason Rekulak
name: Issy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves:
review:
definitely read it with your lights on, especially after. It was so gripping and eerily spooky
]]> Priest (Priest, #1) 25507389
I've always been good at following rules.Until she came.My name is Tyler Anselm Bell. I'm twenty-nine years old. Six months ago, I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church, and God help me, I would do it again.I am a priest and this is my confession.

Priest is a standalone, full-length novel with an HEA. For mature audiences only]]> 354 Sierra Simone Issy 3 3.59 2015 Priest (Priest, #1)
author: Sierra Simone
name: Issy
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves:
review:
forgive me father for i have sinned
]]> Belladonna (Belladonna, #1) 59227936
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.]]> 409 Adalyn Grace 0316158232 Issy 4
after having such disappointing fantasy romance reads back to back, this was a good one to pull me back into fantasy!

The plot kept me entertained and intrigued the whole time up until the end.

I however felt that the ‘twist� was a little anticlimactic for me ( i will blame the mood im in and being in a book hangover while reading this). BUT the romance in this book is *chef’s kiss*. I swooned left and right for Death]]> 3.97 2022 Belladonna (Belladonna, #1)
author: Adalyn Grace
name: Issy
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves:
review:
(3.5⭐️)

after having such disappointing fantasy romance reads back to back, this was a good one to pull me back into fantasy!

The plot kept me entertained and intrigued the whole time up until the end.

I however felt that the ‘twist� was a little anticlimactic for me ( i will blame the mood im in and being in a book hangover while reading this). BUT the romance in this book is *chef’s kiss*. I swooned left and right for Death
]]> <![CDATA[The Finish Line (The Ravenhood, #3)]]> 56182388
I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge.

Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man.

For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own.

Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other.

For that, we paid. We're still paying.

Yet, she demands it still, the useless heart of the ruthless thief and shameless villain she fell for. My fear is, I’m no longer that man.

With the lies I’ve told, the life I’ve led, my mistakes are beginning to catch up with me, day by day, one by one.

This is my last chance, and I have no intention of losing her again, but as the deception of my past starts to unravel and close in, shedding my humanity may be the only thing that can save us both.

Maybe it’s already too late.]]> 539 Kate Stewart Issy 5 4.19 2021 The Finish Line (The Ravenhood, #3)
author: Kate Stewart
name: Issy
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves:
review:
hey Siri, play “The Albatross� by Taylor Swift
]]> Exodus (The Ravenhood, #2) 53312623 Can you live a lie?

It’s a ghost town, this place that haunts me, the one that made me.

It’s clear to me that I’ll never outgrow Triple Falls or outlive the time I spent here.

I can still feel them all, my boys of summer.

Even when I’d sensed the danger, I gave in.

I didn’t heed a single warning. I let my sickness, my love, both rule and ruin me. I played my part, eyes wide open, tempting fate until it delivered.

There was never going to be an escape.

All of us are to blame for what happened. All of us serving our own sentences. We were careless and reckless, thinking our youth made us indestructible, exempt from our sins, and it cost us all.

I’m done pretending I didn’t leave the largest part of me between these hills and valleys, between the sea of trees that hold my secrets.

It’s the reason I’m back. To make peace with my fate.

And if I can’t grieve enough to cure myself in my time here, I’ll remain sick. That will be my curse.

But it’s time to confess, to myself more so than any other, that I’d hindered my chances because of the way I was built, and because of the men who built me.

At this point, I just want to make peace with who I am, no matter what ending I get.

Because I can no longer live a lie.]]> 450 Kate Stewart Issy 5 4.35 2020 Exodus (The Ravenhood, #2)
author: Kate Stewart
name: Issy
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves:
review:
hey siri, play “Right Where You Left Me� by Taylor Swift
]]> Unhinged 187684551
Someone’s been watching Tana closely, but he’s a lot closer than she realizes. From intimate moments to lazy afternoons on the couch, he’s secretly seen it all - and fallen for her along the way. The problem is that someone else is watching too, and his obsession with Tana is a lot more dangerous. When a man claiming to be her front door enters her dreams to warn her about an imminent threat to her life, Tana initially chalks it up to her weird late-night snacks. But she rethinks things when her earnest visitor insists he’s also ready to protect her - in exchange for one hell of a favor. When Tana trades her best line of defense for an unlikely supernatural ally, the threat lurking beyond her apartment hallway starts getting desperate as the law closes in. Can her inhuman companion save her from the worst of humanity, or is it too late for both of them?

Content Unhinged is a paranormal romance story that involves a human woman getting it on with her front door, which later turns into a guy. This story contains...a lot of stuff that would probably land me on the naughty list with bots from our benevolent overlords if I went into detail in this blurb. Please peek at the look inside for a better idea of what to expect, cool? ;)]]> 71 Vera Valentine Issy 0 3.00 2023 Unhinged
author: Vera Valentine
name: Issy
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves:
review:
Reading and finishing this one will be a testament of how much i love my friends
]]> Flock (The Ravenhood, #1) 40748777 Can you keep a secret?

⁣I grew up sick.⁣⁣

Let me clarify.⁣⁣I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy.⁣⁣ Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness.⁣⁣

When I lived this story, my own twisted fairy tale, it was unbeknownst to me at the time because I was young and naïve. I gave into temptation and fed the beating beast, which grew thirstier with every slash, every strike, every blow.⁣⁣ Triple Falls wasn’t at all what it seemed, nor were the men that swept me under their wing. But in order to keep them, I had to be in on their secrets.⁣⁣ Secrets that cost us everything to keep.

⁣⁣That’s the novelty of fiction versus reality. You can’t re-live your own love story, because by the time you’ve realized you’re living it, it’s over. At least that was the case for me and the men I trusted my foolish heart to.⁣⁣ Looking back, I’m convinced I willed my story into existence due to my illness.⁣⁣ And all were punished.]]> 354 Kate Stewart Issy 4 4.05 2020 Flock (The Ravenhood, #1)
author: Kate Stewart
name: Issy
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
I felt all the feels in this book. Best to go in blind the way I did
]]> <![CDATA[The Spanish Love Deception (Love Deception, #1)]]> 54189398
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.]]> 487 Elena Armas 1668002531 Issy 5 3.80 2021 The Spanish Love Deception (Love Deception, #1)
author: Elena Armas
name: Issy
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:
all stars for Aaron Blackford. Why is he so perfect
]]> Lightlark (Lightlark, #1) 60310757 Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.]]> 416 Alex Aster 1419760866 Issy 2
]]> 3.84 2022 Lightlark (Lightlark, #1)
author: Alex Aster
name: Issy
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:
what did I just read? Like seriously, wth happened? Can someone explain the plot (if there even is one)


]]> The Inmate 61149872 1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget.]]> 388 Freida McFadden Issy 3 4.03 2022 The Inmate
author: Freida McFadden
name: Issy
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves:
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 Issy 5
]]> 4.43 2019 The Last Letter
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Issy
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/11
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves:
review:
(4.75 rounded to 5⭐️)


]]> <![CDATA[The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)]]> 60714999 Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always � always � guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown� and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone � but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 504 Carissa Broadbent Issy 2
]]> 4.30 2022 The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Issy
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves:
review:
no words. Just this.


]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Issy 3 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Issy
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves:
review:
uhm i could Knot form my coherent thoughts at the moment�
]]> <![CDATA[The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)]]> 40275288
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction � but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 845 Samantha Shannon 1408883457 Issy 4 4.18 2019 The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Issy
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)]]> 183086339
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts � and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Be swept away by this kiss-or-kill romantasy trilogy taking the world by storm.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts Issy 5 4.07 2024 Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Issy
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/31
date added: 2024/07/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Finale (Caraval, #3) 40381392 A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.

It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

Welcome, welcome to Finale . . . all games must come to an end.]]> 478 Stephanie Garber 1250157668 Issy 3 4.14 2019 Finale (Caraval, #3)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Issy
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Run on Red 61381555
By the time Laura and Olivia notice the headlights tailing them through the hills, it’s too late. What seems, at first, like a case of road rage quickly unfolds into a heart-pounding chase—and a battle for survival.

Who are the men in the truck? What do they want? And can Laura and Olivia outrun—and outsmart—them long enough to call for help, even if it means taking their chances in the hills on foot?

As their situation grows more perilous, the girls realize that the real terror has only just begun. But flight won’t save them from their pursuers. If they’re going to make it home alive, they'll have to fight.]]> 291 Noelle W. Ihli Issy 3 3.74 2022 Run on Red
author: Noelle W. Ihli
name: Issy
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/18
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dungeons and Drama (Dungeons and Drama, #1)]]> 160047094
Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she's grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can't waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn't require as much acting as she would've thought...]]> 304 Kristy Boyce 0593647017 Issy 4 4.14 2024 Dungeons and Drama (Dungeons and Drama, #1)
author: Kristy Boyce
name: Issy
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Legendary (Caraval, #2) 36329818
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever...

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.]]> 451 Stephanie Garber 125009531X Issy 4 dare i say it was ✨legendary� 4.12 2018 Legendary (Caraval, #2)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Issy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:
dare i say it was ✨legendary�
]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)]]> 75513900 She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites� powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.]]> 523 Lauren Roberts Issy 5
the way this book put me through an emotional turmoil]]> 4.17 2023 Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Issy
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves:
review:
(4.75)

the way this book put me through an emotional turmoil
]]> <![CDATA[Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy, #1.5)]]> 203840597
Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn—an Ordinary—has been selected for the Purging Trials, which means almost certain death.

Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, she's rescued by a mysterious man from the market. Mak's shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot. And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives.]]> 272 Lauren Roberts Issy 4 See you in the sky 4.12 2024 Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy, #1.5)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Issy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/09
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:
See you in the sky
]]> Apex 213001780
Bexley � Broken. Bruised. One moment my life is crashing down around me, and the next, I find myself swept up in the heated chaos of the Shaw brothers. Talon and Sayshen are so different, and yet both of them hold pieces of my heart. With them, I feel things I haven’t felt in years. Safety, lust, compassion, and, above all else, home.

Sayshen � Bexley fucking Larson. The most popular girl from Highschool and the only one who always called me out for my fuck boy tendencies. But there’s no sign of that girl in her now. Now, she’s but a fragment of that strong-willed and feisty girl I’ve dreamt about since Junior year. And now that I finally have her, I don’t care what it takes or what I have to sacrifice to get her fire back. Even if it means losing the race.

Talon � Train, race, win. That’s what we were born to do. It’s all that matters. At least, it was. Until her. Bexley came back like a ghost from the past, completely consuming my brother’s every thought. Only this time, it isn’t only him her presence affects. With the finish line nearing, I’m torn. Do I rip through the havoc she brings full throttle? Or do I hit the brakes, ensuring The Demons take the podium?]]> 0 Nova Kane 1738106055 Issy 4 4.13 Apex
author: Nova Kane
name: Issy
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2024/06/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lucky Hit (Swift Hat-Trick Trilogy, #1)]]> 58639437
Octavia Layton, the girl unable to move beyond her broken past, fearful of her childhood betrayal following her through her new adult life.

Two polar opposites with only one thing in common. Their inability to stay away from each other.

Two people pushing the other in ways they've never experienced, forcing them out of their comfort zones and making them forget how different they really are after all.]]> 320 Hannah Cowan 1777781817 Issy 4
I also freaking adore Oakley]]> 3.63 Lucky Hit (Swift Hat-Trick Trilogy, #1)
author: Hannah Cowan
name: Issy
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/23
date added: 2024/06/24
shelves:
review:
as a sucker for hockey romance, i so freaking enjoyed this! It was fun, it was spicy, and it was sweet!

I also freaking adore Oakley
]]> Caraval (Caraval, #1) 27883214 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 407 Stephanie Garber 1250095255 Issy 4 3.97 2016 Caraval (Caraval, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Issy
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/22
date added: 2024/06/22
shelves:
review:
Dare I say, I was swept away in the world of Caraval�
]]> <![CDATA[A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)]]> 165940202
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Issy 5 3.91 2024 A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Issy
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/22
date added: 2024/06/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)]]> 199235727
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.

But her cold stare gives me chills�

The Lowells� maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?]]> 364 Freida McFadden 1464223319 Issy 3 3.79 2024 The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Issy
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves:
review:
not gonna lie, it was a little bit disappointing as i have been anticipating this read for a while. The ending was a let down
]]> The Backtrack 198385434 Life, rewound �

Nearly twenty years ago, Sam Leto left her small hometown of Tybee Island, Georgia, to pursue herdreams of becoming a pilot.While she’d prefer to keep flying away from her painful childhood memories, her beloved grandmother Pearl decides it’s time to sell the family home. Reluctantly, Sam is summoned back to pack up the house.

The 2000s nostalgia from Sam’s old bedroom hits Fall Out Boy posters, drawers of roll-on body glitter and even her favorite CD player with a mixtape from her best friend, Damon Rocha. Damon was always a safe place and Sam often wonderswhat ifher teenage self admitted her feelings for him back then�

Mysteriously, the CD player still works all these years later. And somehow it has the power to show Sam an alternate version of her life.

Song by song, Sam receives flashbacks from her past—senior prom, graduation, leaving home. But the memories aren’t as she remembers them; they showwhat could have been.Suddenly, Sam knows exactly what would have happened if she’d taken a chance with Damon—and she can’t help feeling she made a terrible mistake leaving Tybee all those years ago.
]]> 304 Erin La Rosa 1335009450 Issy 0 to-read 3.50 2024 The Backtrack
author: Erin La Rosa
name: Issy
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>