Lauren's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 12 Apr 2025 17:13:10 -0700 60 Lauren's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg I, Medusa 228142988 From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

In Athens� colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.

Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity—not as a victim, but as a vigilante—and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.

Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart’s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.]]> 504 Ayana Gray Lauren 0 to-read 4.46 I, Medusa
author: Ayana Gray
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.46
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rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Snow White: Fair & Sinister Heart]]> 219555302 An original novel written by New York Times best-selling author Lauren Blackwood inspired by Disney’s upcoming live action reimagining of Snow White.

One moment eighteen-year-old Snow White is taking a bite of an apple. The next, she blinks and finds herself in an enchanted and dangerous dream world. As it turns out, the Queen’s poison did more than place Snow White in an eternal sleep. It sent her subconscious to the Land of Diamant, a world crafted from gems and home to the Queen’s most sinister creations.

After meeting some of the others cursed by the Queen, Snow White realizes the only way to save the people trapped in Diamant and her kingdom back in the real world, is to embark on a quest to find the mythical Ruby Heart.

Snow White and her new friends must work together as they face deadly trials on their journey. But there is something more wicked than the creatures made of gems, and the true danger could be closer than anyone thinks. Snow White will need to be careful, because in Diamant, nothing is what it seems.]]> 256 Lauren Blackwood 1368097715 Lauren 5 3.47 Snow White: Fair & Sinister Heart
author: Lauren Blackwood
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.47
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/12/09
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]]> Now She's Dead 217476752 Last summer, Sara Ellis was found dead by the lake, and only Mandy knows what really happened.

This summer, she's desperate to keep it a secret.

For a few weeks every summer, Sara was Mandy's best friend. At Highmark, the lake resort where their families vacationed, the two were in a world of their own. Or at least Mandy got to be part of Sara's world.

But now Sara’s dead. The police ruled her death an accident; a tragic mistake after a night of impaired judgment. For the past year, Mandy's coped by escaping: leaving home and barely keeping it together at school. The last thing she wants to do is return to Highmark this summer—even if she does need "closure." As soon as she's back, though, she hears the whispers: someone killed Sara Ellis.

And if she’s not careful, they'll figure out it's all her fault.

As evidence resurfaces and anonymous accusations are scrawled in angry red spray paint, Mandy must confront the truths she's been avoiding about last summer. Because someone wants to make her pay for what happened to Sara that night.]]> 400 Roselyn Clarke 1464223483 Lauren 0 to-read 4.38 2025 Now She's Dead
author: Roselyn Clarke
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/18
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]]> The Dangerous Ones 195886568 A romantic historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood, set in the American Civil War with vampires and people with demigod-like abilities.

1863, Pennsylvania

War doesn’t scare Jerusalem—she’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And ever since the Confederates declared civil war, partnering with the vampires who benefitted off slavery, she and her battalion of Saints are essential to the Union army.

Jerusalem herself had been enslaved by a vampire, escaping North only after her family was murdered. She knows the enemy better, hates the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, and has been using it to her advantage since she joined the war a year ago. More than anything she wants revenge, but if she can help Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better.

But she never expects to have to team up with a vampire to do it. Alexei is one of those handsome, arrogant Ancient Vampires. But he’s on the Union’s side, and in the year they've known each other, has never done anything but prove he’s on hers.

Together, they set out to change the course of the war and take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem loved. But for her, it’s about more than justice.

It's about killing a god.]]> 368 Lauren Blackwood 1250891078 Lauren 5 3.41 2024 The Dangerous Ones
author: Lauren Blackwood
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/12/19
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Hey guys! Behold book baby #3! TW are always listed in my books, but will be adding them to my website soon, and online here: The Dangerous Ones contains depictions war and slavery, blood and gore, murder, death, physical abuse, hate crimes, racial discrimination, gun violence, and references to sexual abuse. Please take care of yourselves and enjoy!
]]> One Last Shot 195790730
From the moment Emerson and Theo met as teenagers, they were inseparable. But just when they finally expressed their feelings to one another, they were torn apart.

Now, supermodel Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, and she’s tired of looking for love in all the wrong places. When the calendar reminder for the marriage pact she and Theo made as teens goes off on her phone, she realizes this is it―her chance to rekindle the only romance that ever really made sense. Emerson convinces her grumpy agent to book her as the face of the fashion campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting. The good the campaign is being shot in ridiculously romantic Cinque Terre, Italy. The bad news? Theo might not be as happy to see her as she'd hoped.

The two embark on a four-day campaign that tests not only their feelings, but their ability to keep their hands off one another. But as roadblock after roadblock keeps them apart, Emerson starts to will this photoshoot be the key to getting one last shot at love, or will it be a final goodbye?]]> 352 Betty Cayouette 1250291100 Lauren 0 to-read 3.55 2024 One Last Shot
author: Betty Cayouette
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)]]> 59742308
The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she’s perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground - and fiery passion - in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace� or march to the drums of war.

Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.]]> 558 Danielle L. Jensen 173792482X Lauren 0 to-read 4.21 2022 The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
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]]> <![CDATA[The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)]]> 175404085 Imprisoned on the dreaded Devil's Island, Zarrah faces two prove her loyalty to the Empress who condemned her or die a traitor. Yet as she struggles to survive among violent prisoners, Zarrah uncovers a third a rebellion to overthrow tyranny entwined with a destiny she must fight to claim.
While the Empress plots a war with devastating consequences, Keris and Zarrah must find their way back to each other. Yet their greatest adversary is the fiery passion between them. Unless they overcome the bitterness of betrayal, their love will not be the bringer of peace but rather the fuel that turns the Endless War into an inferno.]]> 496 Danielle L. Jensen Lauren 0 to-read 4.15 2023 The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
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]]> <![CDATA[The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom, #2)]]> 55207537 A QUEEN IN EXILE. A KING IN CHAINS.

A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter.

And it is bait she fully intends to take.

Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father's clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared. But not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she's trying to free--the husband she betrayed.

With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who--and what--she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or herself.]]> 346 Danielle L. Jensen 1733090363 Lauren 0 to-read 4.25 2020 The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom, #2)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 49551405
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.]]> 354 Danielle L. Jensen 1733090312 Lauren 0 to-read 4.09 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds, #1)]]> 195853531
A Fae lord who wants in.

A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.

In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile—her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a Fae lord. She will leave her home to catalog/organize an enchanted library that hasn’t been touched in a thousand years. No Fae may enter the library, but there is a chance a human might be able to breach the cursed doors.

She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.

As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two Fae males to survive. Two very different, very dangerous, very attractive Fae males. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.]]> 339 Analeigh Sbrana 0063380595 Lauren 0 to-read 3.32 2024 Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds, #1)
author: Analeigh Sbrana
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
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]]> The Night Hunt 63005175 From Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom, comes The Night Hunt, a dark fantasy romance about a monstrous girl who feeds on fear and the Gods-cursed boy who falls in love with her.

Atia is a monster who feeds on fear. As the last of her kind, she hides in the shadows of the world to escape the wrath of the unpredictable Gods. Silas is a Herald, carrying messages and ferrying the dead as punishment for a past he can’t remember. Stripped of his true name, he yearns to recover his identity.

Atia would never dream of allying with someone like him, but when she breaks a sacred law and the Gods send monsters to hunt her, Silas offers an irresistible deal: he’ll help avenge her family and take on the Gods who now hunt her, if she helps him break his curse and restore his humanity. All they need to do is kill three powerful creatures: a vampire, a banshee, and one of the very Gods who destroyed both their lives. Only together can they finally rewrite their destinies.]]> 384 Alexandra Christo 1250897440 Lauren 0 to-read 3.61 2023 The Night Hunt
author: Alexandra Christo
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/10/10
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]]> <![CDATA[A Caribbean Heiress in Paris (Las Leonas, #1)]]> 59040894 Paris, 1889

The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe. Luz Alana Heith-Benzan set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love.

The City of Light is where Luz Alana will expand Caña Brava, the rum business her family built over three generations. It’s a mission that’s taken on new urgency after her father’s untimely death and the news that her trust fund won’t be released until she marries. But buyers and shippers alike are rude and dismissive; they can’t imagine doing business with a woman…never mind a woman of color.

From her first tempestuous meeting with James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this man—this titled Scottish man—so determined to help her? And why, honestly, is he so infuriatingly charming?

All Evan Sinclair ever wanted was to find a purpose away from his father’s dirty money and dirtier politics. Ignoring his title, he’s built a whiskey brand that’s his biggest—and only—passion. That is, until he’s confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.

Evan quickly suspects he’ll want Luz Alana with him forever. Every day with her makes the earl wish for more than her magnificent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris with her eyes on liquor, money and new beginnings. She wasn't prepared for love to find her.

Las Leonas

Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris

]]> 368 Adriana Herrera Lauren 5 3.89 2022 A Caribbean Heiress in Paris (Las Leonas, #1)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/02/12
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]]> The Hacienda 57840571 Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.]]> 352 Isabel Cañas Lauren 5 3.83 2022 The Hacienda
author: Isabel Cañas
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/02/12
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]]> Vampires of El Norte 63892214 Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, NĂ©stor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.]]> 371 Isabel Cañas 0593436725 Lauren 0 to-read 3.87 2023 Vampires of El Norte
author: Isabel Cañas
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame]]> 60830437 A girl hellbent on finding the friend she lost. A planet on the brink of total destruction. Only one way to find answers amidst the team up with a traitor to stage a revolution, in Meg Long's Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame.
After a mission gone awry two years ago, Remy Castell has been desperately searching across worlds to find the friend she failed to save—the friend who changed her life by helping her overcome the brainwashing she was subjected to as a genetically engineered corporate agent.

Since then, she’s been chasing the only lead she fellow genopath Kiran Lore, the same secretive ex-squadmate who left her for dead when she compromised that mission. She nearly caught up to him on Tundar before joining the infamous sled race alongside outcast Sena and her wolf companion Iska. Now, all three of them have tracked Kiran back to Maraas, the jungle planet where Remy lost everything. But nothing on Maraas is how it was two years ago. Syndicates and scavvers alike are now trying to overthrow a megalomaniac corpo director, which Remy wants nothing to do with; fighting against corpos is as useless as trying to stay dry in the middle of the giant hellstorm that encircles the planet. But the storm—and the rebellion—are growing stronger by the minute.

When Remy finds Kiran, he doesn't run away like she expects. Instead, he offers her a help with the revolution and he'll reunite her with her friend. But can she really trust the boy who betrayed her once before? With the entire planet on the edge of all-out war, Remy will have to decide just how far she's willing to go to save one girl before the impending storm drowns them all.]]> 416 Meg Long 1250785138 Lauren 5 4.13 2023 Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame
author: Meg Long
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/11/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)]]> 58469344
There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married. . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it's with her sister's suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen's brother, John. But Olivia's best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can't seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

The first book in a breathless new series, The Davenports offers a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked, while delivering a totally escapist, swoon-worthy read. Inspired by the real-life story of C.R. Patterson and his family, it's the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love.]]> 384 Krystal Marquis 0593463331 Lauren 0 to-read 3.64 2023 The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)
author: Krystal Marquis
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Vanessa Jared's Got a Man 59808313
Vanessa Jared, a 40-something divorcee, decided that the best way to pull herself out of their post-divorce slump was to form The Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club and start the "Do Me" portion of her and her friends' lives.

But on the two year anniversary, a sexy sheriff shows up on Vanessa's doorstep wanting her to help him keep his little sister from marrying her no-good ex. Vanessa is not down for this at all. She wants nothing to do with her ex...until she spots a photo of her ex's new fiancee wearing her grandmother's ring--which he clearly stole from her. So now it's on. Vanessa is ready to take this trifling (fill-in-the-blank) down. What she does not expect is to fall in love along the way.]]> 272 LaQuette 1250773393 Lauren 0 to-read 3.65 2022 Vanessa Jared's Got a Man
author: LaQuette
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Saint (The World of the Narrows, #0)]]> 60505562
Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.

Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias� faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.

He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint.

Author Adrienne Young returns to the world of The Narrows with Saint, a prequel to Fable and Namesake.]]> 336 Adrienne Young 1250846765 Lauren 0 to-read 4.16 2022 Saint (The World of the Narrows, #0)
author: Adrienne Young
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Whispering Dark 59806098 The Raven Boys meets Ninth House in the most exciting debut of 2022 -- a dark, atmospheric fantasy about a Deaf college student with a peculiar connection to the afterlife.

Delaney Meyers-Petrov is tired of being seen as fragile just because she's Deaf. So when she's accepted into a prestigious program at Godbole University that trains students to slip between parallel worlds, she's excited for the chance to prove herself. But her semester gets off to a rocky start as she faces professors who won't accommodate her disability, and a pretentious upperclassman fascinated by Delaney's unusual talents.

Colton Price died when he was nine years old. Quite impossibly, he woke several weeks later at the feet of a green-eyed little girl. Now, twelve years later, Delaney Meyers-Petrov has stumbled back into his orbit, but Colton's been ordered to keep far away from the new girl... and the voices she hears calling to her from the shadows.

Delaney wants to keep her distance from Colton -- she seems to be the only person on campus who finds him more arrogant than charming -- yet after a Godbole student turns up dead, she and Colton are forced to form a tenuous alliance, plummeting down a rabbit-hole of deeply buried university secrets. But Delaney and Colton discover the cost of opening the doors between worlds when they find themselves up against something old and nameless, an enemy they need to destroy before it tears them -- and their forbidden partnership -- apart.]]> 400 Kelly Andrew 1338809474 Lauren 0 to-read 3.62 2022 The Whispering Dark
author: Kelly Andrew
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/01
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seven Faceless Saints (Seven Faceless Saints, #1)]]> 61237032
After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. As the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, Damian Venturi is expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting in a never-ending war have left him with deeper scars than he wants to admit� and a fear of confronting the girl he left behind.

Now a murderer stalks Ombrazia’s citizens. As the body count climbs, the Palazzo is all too happy to look the other way—that is, until a disciple becomes the newest victim. With every lead turning into a dead end, Damian and Roz must team up to find the killer, even if it means digging up buried emotions. As they dive into the underbelly of Ombrazia, the pair will discover something more sinister—and far less holy. With darkness closing in and time running out, will they be able to save the city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?

Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.]]> 400 M.K. Lobb 031638688X Lauren 0 to-read 3.48 2023 Seven Faceless Saints (Seven Faceless Saints, #1)
author: M.K. Lobb
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/01
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]]> A Consuming Fire 56132783 Uprooted meets The Grace Year in this dark young adult fantasy of love and vengeance following a girl who vows to kill a god after her sister is unjustly slain by his hand.

Weatherell girls aren’t supposed to die.

Once every eighteen years, the isolated forest village of Weatherell is asked to send one girl to the god of the mountain to give a sacrifice before returning home. Twins Anya and Ilva Astraea are raised with this destiny in mind, and when their time comes, spirited Ilva volunteers to go. Her devoted sister Anya is left at home to pray for Ilva’s safe return. But Anya’s prayers are denied.

With her sister dead, Anya volunteers to make a journey of her own to visit the god of the mountain. But unlike her sister, sacrifice is the furthest thing from Anya’s mind. Anya has no intention of giving anything more to the god, or of letting any other girl do so ever again. Anya Astraea has not set out to placate a god. She’s set out to kill one.]]> 349 Laura E. Weymouth 1665902728 Lauren 5 3.89 2022 A Consuming Fire
author: Laura E. Weymouth
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/08/26
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]]> Raybearer (Raybearer, #1) 50158128 343 Jordan Ifueko 1419739824 Lauren 5 4.32 2020 Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)
author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/08/24
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove]]> 56226859 To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.

Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.]]> 341 Rati Mehrotra 1250823684 Lauren 5 3.84 2022 Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove
author: Rati Mehrotra
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Undead Truth of Us 56651317
Sixteen-year-old Zharie Young is absolutely certain her mother morphed into a zombie before her untimely death, but she can't seem to figure out why. Why her mother died, why her aunt doesn't want her around, why all her dreams seem suddenly, hopelessly out of reach. And why, ever since that day, she's been seeing zombies everywhere.

Then Bo moves into her apartment building―tall, skateboard in hand, freckles like stars, and an undeniable charm. Z wants nothing to do with him, but when he transforms into a half zombie right before her eyes, something feels different. He contradicts everything she thought she knew about monsters, and she can't help but wonder if getting to know him might unlock the answers to her mother's death.

As Zharie sifts through what's real and what's magic, she discovers a new truth about the world: Love can literally change you―for good or for dead.

In this surrealist journey of grief, fear, and hope, Britney S. Lewis's debut novel explores love, zombies, and everything in between in an intoxicating amalgam of the real and the fantastic.]]> 368 Britney S. Lewis 1368075835 Lauren 5 3.86 2022 The Undead Truth of Us
author: Britney S. Lewis
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/14
shelves:
review:
Had the opportunity to blurb this amazing book! It's emotional, the romance is sweet, the imagery is powerful, and the undead aspect is so creepy! Britney really crafted a heartfelt book about heartache and trauma and love, and I just loved it. You will be cheering on Zharie the entire way! AND BO. MY BABY BOY BO <3 Please do yourself a favor and read this book!
]]> Wildblood 60784600 A thrilling new fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood!

Eighteen-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood. Since she was kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she’s worked as a tour guide ever since with a team of fellow Wildbloods who take turns using their magic to protect travelers in a Jamaican jungle teeming with ghostly monsters.

When the boss denies Victoria an earned promotion to team leader in favor of Dean, her backstabbing ex, she’s determined to prove herself. Her magic may be the most powerful on the team, but she’s not the image the boss wants to send their new client, Thorn, a renowned goldminer determined to reach an untouched gold supply deep in the jungle.

Thorn is everything Victoria isn't - confident, impossibly kind, and so handsome he leaves her speechless. And when he entrusts the mission to her, kindness turns to mutual respect, turns to affection, turns to love. But the jungle is treacherous, and between hypnotic river spirits, soul-devouring women that shed their skin like snakes, and her ex out for revenge, Victoria has to decide - is promotion at a corrupt company really what she wants?

A fierce, lush fantasy by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood, Wildblood tells the story of a girl who must find the strength to defeat the demons of the jungle as well as her own to find where she truly belongs.

"A lyrically told story of healing after trauma and finding home, Wildblood is as fierce as it is beautiful, and as hopeful as it is heartbreaking." - Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

"Wildblood is a poignant, thrilling, emotionally complex story of love and sacrifice. Victoria's tense journey through the haunted jungle is filled with terror and beauty, both supernatural and human, and will grip you until the very last page." - L. Penelope, award-winning author of the Earthsinger Chronicles

]]> 336 Lauren Blackwood 1250787130 Lauren 5
Jamaican folklore
Sentient, monster-infested jungles
A multitude of attractive guys
A Black girl being loved unconditionally
That same Black girl kicking some butt
Having your heart torn out, stomped on, then set on fire

Also LOOK AT THAT COVER I mean come on! How can you resist THAT!?!?

Note: TW will be updated on my website closer to publication, but if you're sensitive to depictions of gore, death, sexual assault trauma, and physical abuse, please take care of yourselves.]]> 3.41 2023 Wildblood
author: Lauren Blackwood
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves:
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Oh hey, I wrote another book! You should read it, especially if you enjoy:

Jamaican folklore
Sentient, monster-infested jungles
A multitude of attractive guys
A Black girl being loved unconditionally
That same Black girl kicking some butt
Having your heart torn out, stomped on, then set on fire

Also LOOK AT THAT COVER I mean come on! How can you resist THAT!?!?

Note: TW will be updated on my website closer to publication, but if you're sensitive to depictions of gore, death, sexual assault trauma, and physical abuse, please take care of yourselves.
]]> <![CDATA[Beasts of Ruin (Beasts of Prey, #2)]]> 59830488 In this much anticipated follow up to New York Times bestselling Beasts of Prey, Koffi’s powers grow stronger and Ekon’s secrets turn darker as they face the god of death.

Koffi has saved her city and the boy she loves, but at a terrible price. Now a servant to the cunning god of death, she must use her newfound power to further his continental conquest, or risk the safety of her home and loved ones. As she reluctantly learns to survive amidst unexpected friends and foes, she will also have to choose between the life—and love—she once had, or the one she could have, if she truly embraces her dangerous gifts.

Cast out from the only home he’s ever known, Ekon is forced to strike new and unconventional alliances to find and rescue Koffi before it’s too late. But as he gets closer to the realm of death each day, so too does he draw nearer to a terrible truth—one that could cost everything.

Koffi and Ekon—separated by land, sea, and gods—will have to risk everything to reunite again. But the longer they’re kept apart, the more each of their loyalties are tested. Soon, both may have to reckon with changing hearts—and maybe, changing destinies.]]> 461 Ayana Gray 0593405714 Lauren 5 4.09 2022 Beasts of Ruin (Beasts of Prey, #2)
author: Ayana Gray
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Lauren 0 to-read 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Redemptor (Raybearer, #2) 56969397
Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that's what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can't quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.]]> 325 Jordan Ifueko 1419739840 Lauren 0 to-read 4.31 2021 Redemptor (Raybearer, #2)
author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1) 54659771 He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close�

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.]]> 380 Katee Robert 1728231736 Lauren 0 to-read 3.68 2021 Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ferryman (Ferryman Trilogy) 56733524 After a deadly train crash, the afterlife is waiting for Dylan. But that's only if she and her intriguing Ferryman can make it across the demon-infested wasteland--and if she can bear to let him go.

When Dylan wakes up after her train has crashed, she thinks she has survived unscathed. But she couldn't be more mistaken: the bleak landscape around her isn't Scotland, it's a wasteland--a terrain somehow shaped by her own feelings and fears, a border to whatever awaits her in the afterlife. And the stranger sitting by the train track isn't an ordinary teenage boy. Tristan is a Ferryman, tasked with guiding Dylan's soul safely across the treacherous landscape, a journey he has made a thousand times before. Only this time, something's different. The crossing, as ever, is perilous, with ravenous wraiths hounding the two at each day's end, hungry for Dylan's soul. But as Dylan focuses her strength on survival, with Tristan as protector, challenger, and confidant, she begins to wonder where she is truly meant to be--and what she must risk to get there. An international bestseller with a phenomenal following, the award-winning Ferryman (with its sequels Trespassers and Outcasts) is in development to be a major motion picture.]]> 320 Claire McFall 1536218456 Lauren 0 to-read 3.25 2013 Ferryman (Ferryman Trilogy)
author: Claire McFall
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Darkening (The Darkening, #1)]]> 57732467 400 Sunya Mara 0358494915 Lauren 0 to-read 3.80 2022 The Darkening (The Darkening, #1)
author: Sunya Mara
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey, #1)]]> 56552953
As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six--an elite warrior--and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani--a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century--but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi's power ultimately saves Ekon's life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can't do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon--each keeping their true motives secret from the other--form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

In this much-anticipated series opener, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they strike a dangerous alliance to hunt down the ancient creature menacing their home--and discover much more than they bargained for.]]> 474 Ayana Gray 0593405684 Lauren 5 to-read 3.94 2021 Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey, #1)
author: Ayana Gray
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Edgewood 56035712 Can love survive the dark?

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.]]> 384 Kristen Ciccarelli Lauren 0 to-read 3.89 2022 Edgewood
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Vicious Grace (The Last Finestra #1)]]> 53241038
Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!]]> 442 Emily Thiede Lauren 5 4.05 2022 This Vicious Grace (The Last Finestra #1)
author: Emily Thiede
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/19
shelves:
review:
This book is incredible! The banter, the romance, the TENSION! I couldn't get enough!
]]> Sweet Stakes 56785233 Alechia Dow Lauren 0 to-read 5.00 Sweet Stakes
author: Alechia Dow
name: Lauren
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bone Shard Daughter (The Drowning Empire #1)]]> 54816559
Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.]]> 496 Andrea Stewart 0316541435 Lauren 0 to-read 4.01 2020 The Bone Shard Daughter (The Drowning Empire #1)
author: Andrea Stewart
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel, #1)]]> 44552089
As Poe begins uncovering the house’s secrets, both new and old, she’s also pulled into the seductive, elegant world of Auden and his friends—and drawn to Auden’s worst enemy, the beautiful and brooding St. Sebastian. And as Thornchapel slowly tightens its coil of truths and lies around them, Poe, Auden and St. Sebastian start unravelling into filthy, holy pleasure and pain. Together, they awaken a fate that will either anoint them or leave them in ashes�
***
From the author of the USA Today bestselling New Camelot series comes an original fairy tale full of ancient mysteries, lantern-lit rituals, jealousy, money, murder, sacred torment, and obsessions that last for lifetimes...

***A Lesson in Thorns is the first of four books in the Thornchapel series.***
]]> 358 Sierra Simone Lauren 0 to-read 3.84 2019 A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel, #1)
author: Sierra Simone
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daughters of a Dead Empire 55780553
Russia, 1918: With the execution of Tsar Nicholas, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war—the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a bourgeois girl, narrowly escaped the massacre of her entire family in Yekaterinburg. Desperate to get away from the Bolsheviks, she offers a peasant girl a diamond to take her as far south as possible—not realizing that the girl is a communist herself. With her brother in desperate need of a doctor, Evgenia accepts Anna's offer and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the war.

Anna is being hunted by the Bolsheviks, and now—regardless of her loyalties—Evgenia is too.]]> 336 Carolyn Tara O'Neil 1250755530 Lauren 0 to-read 3.83 2022 Daughters of a Dead Empire
author: Carolyn Tara O'Neil
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ivory Key (The Ivory Key Duology, #1)]]> 55959475
Vira is desperate to get out of her mother’s shadow and establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But with the country’s only quarry running out of magic–a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict–she can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. And if her enemies discover this, they’ll stop at nothing to seize the last of the magic.

Vira’s only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumored to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve it, she must reunite with her siblings, torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken. Each of them has something to gain from finding the Ivory Key–and even more to lose if they fail. Ronak plans to sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for escape from his impending political marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani needs it to clear his name. And Riya, a runaway who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who want to strip the nobility of its power.

They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harboring secrets and their own agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family–and their world–for good.]]> 384 Akshaya Raman 0358468337 Lauren 0 to-read 3.73 2022 The Ivory Key (The Ivory Key Duology, #1)
author: Akshaya Raman
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)]]> 9565548 Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?]]> 549 Robin LaFevers 054762834X Lauren 0 to-read 3.89 2012 Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)
author: Robin LaFevers
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1)]]> 52050596 Note: This is the Young Adult version.

Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in this gripping first installment of an epic enemies-to-lovers YA fantasy series.

I will not fall. I will not flee. I will not break.

As a Charmer, Leena Edenfrell can tame the rare magical beasts that inhabit her world. When she's falsely accused of using her magic to charm a human, she's exiled and forced to sell her beloved creatures to survive. It's heartbreaking work, but if she can just make it through the next week, she'll have everything she needs to prove her innocence and return to the only home she's ever known.

That is, until she learns that the Charmer's Council has sent Noc, the realm's deadliest assassin, to find her. And Noc will stop at nothing until she's dead.

Determined to evade capture, Leena offers the dangerous hunter a deal: four magical beasts in exchange for her life...beasts with powers strong enough to break the curse that's killed everyone he's ever loved. Noc needs Leena. Yet as these unlikely allies cross the realm in search of mythical creatures, Leena can't help but feel that Noc is hiding something--and that, no matter how hard she fights, her time may soon be running out.

]]> 416 Maxym M. Martineau 1728213797 Lauren 0 to-read 4.05 2019 Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1)
author: Maxym M. Martineau
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blood Scion (Blood Scion #1) 53745997 Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.

This is what they deserve.

They wanted me to be a monster.

I will be the worst monster they ever created.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.

Under the Lucis� brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.

Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.]]> 432 Deborah Falaye 0062954067 Lauren 0 to-read 4.01 2022 Blood Scion (Blood Scion #1)
author: Deborah Falaye
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Into the Heartless Wood 53138258
When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.]]> 368 Joanna Ruth Meyer 1645671704 Lauren 0 to-read 3.84 2021 Into the Heartless Wood
author: Joanna Ruth Meyer
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Shadows Between Us (The Shadows Between Us, #1)]]> 35702241
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?]]> 326 Tricia Levenseller 1250189969 Lauren 0 to-read 3.82 2020 The Shadows Between Us (The Shadows Between Us, #1)
author: Tricia Levenseller
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (Edge Worlds, #1)]]> 52819959 A lone girl determined to survive. The feral wolf she must learn to trust. Only one chance to escape their icy planet: a race across the deadly tundra.

Seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen hates the sled race, especially after it claimed both her mothers' lives five years ago. Alone on her frozen planet, she makes money any other way she can—until she double-crosses a local gangster.

Desperate to escape, Sena flees with his prized fighting wolf, Iska, and takes an offer from a team of scientists. They'll pay her way off-world, on one condition--that she uses the survival skills her mothers taught her to get them to the end of the race. But the tundra is a treacherous place. When the race threatens their lives at every turn, Sena must discover whether her abilities are enough to help them survive the wild, and whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

As the girl and the wolf forge a tenuous bond and fight to escape ice goblins, giant bears, and the ruthless gang leader intent on trapping them both, one question drives them relentlessly forward: Where do you turn when there is nowhere to hide?

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a captivating, breathless debut about survival and found family that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories.]]> 357 Meg Long 1250785065 Lauren 5 to-read 3.85 2022 Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (Edge Worlds, #1)
author: Meg Long
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Make a Scene (Lovestruck, #1) 54698575
Retta Majors is having a bad day. But that’s to be expected when your ex gets engaged to your cousin. Instead of (totally) freaking out, Retta decides to attend the wedding with her amazing, faithful, and handsome boyfriend.

One problem.

He doesn’t exist.

Duncan Gilmore is living his dream. His boxing gym is open for business, and he’s focused on success. The last thing on his mind is a relationship. That is until the beautiful baker next door makes him an offer so bizarre he can’t refuse. One weekend of pretending to be Retta’s boyfriend should be easy.

However, shared kisses and some flirting start to blur the lines in their fake relationship. When their performance draws to a close, will they go their separate ways or return for an encore?

Note: This novel can be read as a standalone.]]> 230 Mimi Grace 1999108256 Lauren 0 to-read 3.80 2020 Make a Scene (Lovestruck, #1)
author: Mimi Grace
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)]]> 55285911 The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she's dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town's only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.

Everything Luella had thought she'd known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another... but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple. ]]> 317 Elise Kova 1949694283 Lauren 0 to-read 3.62 2020 A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Year of the Witching (Bethel, #1)]]> 49789629 A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.]]> 368 Alexis Henderson 0593099605 Lauren 0 to-read 3.79 2020 The Year of the Witching (Bethel, #1)
author: Alexis Henderson
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/31
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]]> <![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 Lauren 0 to-read 3.64 2021 You've Reached Sam (You've Reached Sam #1)
author: Dustin Thao
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Happily Ever Afters (Happily Ever Afters, #1)]]> 53018346
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just...gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?]]> 384 Elise Bryant 0062982834 Lauren 0 to-read 3.78 2021 Happily Ever Afters (Happily Ever Afters, #1)
author: Elise Bryant
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/24
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]]> Amelia Unabridged 53138069 Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.]]> 304 Ashley Schumacher 1250253020 Lauren 0 to-read 4.12 2021 Amelia Unabridged
author: Ashley Schumacher
name: Lauren
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Forestfall (World at the Lake's Edge, #2)]]> 54273670 Some oaths can never be broken...

The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption. To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead.

But this world of souls and mist hides many secrets. And when Leta realizes she is still connected to Rowan by a tethering spell, she will risk everything� even her soul� to try and reach him.

Torn between power and love, life and death, Leta struggles to keep hold of her humanity as she falls further and further under the spell of the world Below� and the Lord Under.]]> 384 Lyndall Clipstone 1250753414 Lauren 0 to-read 3.35 2022 Forestfall (World at the Lake's Edge, #2)
author: Lyndall Clipstone
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/16
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]]> The Devil Makes Three 54860344
Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library's grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.

The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot's face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her... and he'll have her, dead or alive.]]> 368 Tori Bovalino 1645672352 Lauren 0 to-read 3.60 2021 The Devil Makes Three
author: Tori Bovalino
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/15
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]]> We Are the Fire 43839832
Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.

When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.]]> 416 Sam Taylor 1250241421 Lauren 0 to-read 3.48 2021 We Are the Fire
author: Sam Taylor
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> Mortal Remains 53348780
Then the neighboring house is leveled in an explosion, dredging up memories of Adam, the boy who lived there and saved her life the day of the accident that left her scarred and disabled, and of the things she saw there that she just wanted to forget. When she, Mallory, and Evan go exploring and find a mysterious hatch in the rubble, they discover that someone’s been trapped inside. Someone who says his name is Adam. Trouble is, Adam has been missing for four years. And this Adam doesn’t have any memory of her and seems to be keeping a lot of secrets. As she spends more time with him, she can’t help her growing feelings even as his unwillingness to be open leaves her troubled.

Lily is forced to reconcile her feelings for Adam as together they delve into his mysterious past while she also struggles to figure out what she wants out of life and tries to fix her rocky relationships with Mallory and her parents. Will Lily ever decide who she wants to be? And is love enough to overcome truth?]]> 368 Mary Ann Fraser Lauren 0 to-read 3.51 2021 Mortal Remains
author: Mary Ann Fraser
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> A Dragonbird in the Fern 50674206
Marrying the young king intended for her sister and traveling to his distant home is distressing enough, but with dyslexia and years of scholarly struggles, Jiara abandoned any hope of learning other languages long ago. She’s terrified of life in a foreign land where she’ll be unable to communicate.

Then Jiara discovers evidence that her sister’s assassin comes from the king’s own country. If she marries the king, Jiara can hunt the murderer and release her family from Scilla’s ghost, whose thirst for blood mounts every day. To save her family, Jiara must find her sister’s killer . . . before he murders her too.]]> 392 Laura Rueckert 1635830656 Lauren 0 to-read 3.87 2021 A Dragonbird in the Fern
author: Laura Rueckert
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> Stalking Shadows 53924372 A gothic YA fantasy debut about a young woman striving to break her sister’s curse and stop the killing in her small French town

Seventeen-year-old Marie mixes perfumes to sell on market day in her small eighteenth-century French town. She wants to make enough to save a dowry for her sister, Ama, in hopes of Ama marrying well and Marie living in the level of freedom afforded only to spinster aunts. But her perfumes are more than sweet scents in cheap, cut-glass bottles: A certain few are laced with death. Marie laces the perfume delicately—not with poison but with a hint of honeysuckle she’s trained her sister to respond to. Marie marks her victim, and Ama attacks. But she doesn’t attack as a girl. She kills as a beast.

Marking Ama’s victims controls the damage to keep suspicion at bay. But when a young boy turns up dead one morning, Marie is forced to acknowledge she might be losing control of Ama. And if she can’t control her, she’ll have to cure her. Marie knows the only place she’ll find the cure is in the mansion where Ama was cursed in the first place, home of Lord Sebastien LeClaire. But once she gets into the mansion, she discovers dark secrets hidden away—secrets of the curse, of Lord Sebastien . . . and of herself.]]> Cyla Panin Lauren 0 to-read 3.64 2021 Stalking Shadows
author: Cyla Panin
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bright & the Pale (The Bright & the Pale Duology, #1)]]> 39292592
That is, until he is brutally murdered.

A year later, she discovers Alik is alive and being held against his will. To buy his freedom, she must lead a group of cutthroats and thieves on a perilous expedition to the very mountain that claimed her family. Only something sinister slumbers in the heart of Knnot.

And it has waited years for release.


CW: death of a family member, discrimination, childhood trauma, work camps]]> 368 Jessica Rubinkowski 0062871544 Lauren 0 to-read 3.42 2021 The Bright & the Pale (The Bright & the Pale Duology, #1)
author: Jessica Rubinkowski
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> Down with This Ship 48653173
With massive readership comes criticism Kole isn’t prepared for, including getting stuck in the heated ship wars surrounding the show. And then an invitation to speak at The Space Game’s official convention arrives in her inbox.

When the most competitive kids in her Creative Writing class discover Kole’s writing Spacer, her blog is taken hostage and she risks them hitting ctrl+A+del on Spacer. To win it back, Kole must face both her inner demons and the ones at Crystal Lake High before they make the drama not just about The Space Game, but about Kole herself.

Including snippets from Kole’s fanfic, emails, and text messages, Down With This Ship is sure to bring out the inner fangirl in anyone.]]> 352 Katie Kingman Lauren 0 to-read 3.53 2021 Down with This Ship
author: Katie Kingman
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> Down Comes the Night 46189814 He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.

Allison Saft’s Down Comes the Night is a snow-drenched romantic fantasy that keeps you racing through the pages long into the night.

Love makes monsters of us all.]]> 400 Allison Saft 1250623634 Lauren 0 to-read 3.78 2021 Down Comes the Night
author: Allison Saft
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> The Dead and the Dark 53141419 Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.

The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won't stay hidden any longer.

Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more secrets buried here than they originally let on.

Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.]]> 368 Courtney Gould 1250762014 Lauren 0 to-read 3.93 2021 The Dead and the Dark
author: Courtney Gould
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Lakesedge (World at the Lake's Edge, #1)]]> 51591631 A gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. There are monsters in the world. When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem. There are monsters in the woods. As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn� There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name. Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.]]> 384 Lyndall Clipstone 1250753392 Lauren 0 to-read 3.45 2021 Lakesedge (World at the Lake's Edge, #1)
author: Lyndall Clipstone
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> She's Too Pretty to Burn 51591602
The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot―full of adventure―and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive.

Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray , this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.

Christy Ottaviano Books]]> 336 Wendy Heard 125024675X Lauren 0 to-read 3.63 2021 She's Too Pretty to Burn
author: Wendy Heard
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> Sing Me Forgotten 51940680 "Lush and lavish, Sing Me Forgotten hit all the right notes."
—Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrow

"A deliciously magical feminist twist on the beloved classic The Phantom of the Opera."
—Kester Grant, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Court of Miracles

Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.

Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.

But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.

Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place.

"Enchanting, lush, and decadent."
—Adalyn Grace, author of All the Stars and Teeth

Also by Jessica S.
A Forgery of Roses]]> 336 Jessica S. Olson 1488076235 Lauren 0 to-read 3.91 2021 Sing Me Forgotten
author: Jessica S. Olson
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic, #1)]]> 52305778 An urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.

After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.

Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?

With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.]]> 496 Liselle Sambury 1534465286 Lauren 0 to-read 3.95 2021 Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic, #1)
author: Liselle Sambury
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> Made in Korea 53141483 A romantic comedy about two entrepreneurial Korean American teens who butt heads—and maybe fall in love—while running competing Korean beauty businesses at their high school.

There’s nothing Valerie Kwon loves more than making a good sale. Together with her cousin Charlie, they run V&C K-BEAUTY, their school’s most successful student-run enterprise. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved and adventurous halmeoni to her dream city, Paris.

Enter the new kid in class, Wes Jung, who is determined to pursue music after graduation despite his parents� major disapproval. When his classmates clamor to buy the K-pop branded beauty products his mom gave him to “make new friends,� he sees an opportunity—one that may be the key to help him pay for the music school tuition he knows his parents won’t cover�

What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he is now V&C K-BEAUTY’s biggest competitor.

Stakes are high as Valerie and Wes try to outsell each other, make the most money, and take the throne for the best business in school—all while trying to resist the undeniable spark that’s crackling between them. From hiring spies to all-or-nothing bets, the competition is much more than either of them bargained for.

But one thing is clear: only one Korean business can come out on top.]]> 352 Sarah Suk Lauren 0 to-read 3.77 2021 Made in Korea
author: Sarah Suk
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> The Gilded Ones 40024121
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.]]> 432 Namina Forna 1984848704 Lauren 0 to-read 3.99 2020 The Gilded Ones
author: Namina Forna
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1)]]> 51813582 Divided by their order. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths they will go to win this game.

This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes.]]> 544 Ciannon Smart 006294598X Lauren 0 to-read 3.20 2021 Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1)
author: Ciannon Smart
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy, #1)]]> 51939798
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation's coveted spice - a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.

But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation's magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city's location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.

Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes - and in her own heart - but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?

In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.]]> 411 Maiya Ibrahim Lauren 0 to-read 3.70 2023 Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy, #1)
author: Maiya Ibrahim
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Wings of Ebony (Wings of Ebony, #1)]]> 54304072
Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors� power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.]]> 354 J. Elle 1534470670 Lauren 0 to-read 3.84 2021 Wings of Ebony (Wings of Ebony, #1)
author: J. Elle
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/13
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review:

]]> Happily Ever Afters 53086795
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just...gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?]]> 336 Elise Bryant Lauren 0 to-read 3.94 2021 Happily Ever Afters
author: Elise Bryant
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Only a Monster (Monsters, #1) 53183779 In every story there is a hero and a monster.

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

Then a Good Samaritan attempt gone wrong sends Joan spinning through time, and her life quickly begins to unravel.
Her family aren't just they're monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers.And Nick isn't just a cute he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She'll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.]]> 368 Vanessa Len 1529380073 Lauren 0 to-read 3.91 2022 Only a Monster (Monsters, #1)
author: Vanessa Len
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Within These Wicked Walls 52858788 What the heart desires, the house destroys...

Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.

Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.]]> 336 Lauren Blackwood 1250787106 Lauren 5
If you love kissing, creepy stuff, and banter for days PULL UP A CHAIR YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.]]> 3.49 2021 Within These Wicked Walls
author: Lauren Blackwood
name: Lauren
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/09/11
shelves:
review:
I wrote this with my own two hands (and a keyboard).

If you love kissing, creepy stuff, and banter for days PULL UP A CHAIR YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
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