en-US Thu, 08 May 2025 01:21:59 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Darby 5 4.34 2009
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: 2012, ya, scifi-fantasy, favorites, own, movie-tv, neurodivergent, 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series
review:

]]> 213775782 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes an MM college romance.

I’m not attracted to men.
Or so I thought before I slammed into Nikolai Sokolov.
A mafia heir, a notorious bastard, and a violent monster.
An ill-fated meeting puts me in his path.
And just like that, he has his sights set on me.
A quiet artist, a golden boy, and his enemy’s twin brother.
He doesn’t seem to care that the odds are stacked against us.
In fact, he sets out to break my steel-like control and blur my limits.
I thought my biggest worry was being noticed by Nikolai.
I’m learning the hard way that being wanted by this beautiful nightmare is much worse.

This book can be read on its own, but for a better understanding of the world, you might want to start with God of Malice.]]> 624 Rina Kent 1464237409 Darby 5 4.48 2023
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, lgbtq, neurodivergent, own, series, spicy, currently-reading
review:

]]> 209116165 He was mine to protect. Mine to adore. Mine to lose forever.

Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen…right into the rough hands of Olympus's own Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn't be so bad if Olympus wasn't on the eve of destruction…or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.

Poseidon doesn't have time to babysit his increasingly bratty prisoner, but he has no Olympus is officially at war, and someone has to keep their best bargaining chip out of harm's way. The thing is, the longer Poseidon is with Icarus, the more he starts to care for his sworn enemy...and the more he realizes that Icarus isn't the villain he's been made out to be. There's a warmth to him, a vulnerability, that Poseidon finds difficult to ignore or deny.

Now with Circe and the Aeaens at the gate and Olympus a hair's breadth away from falling, Poseidon will have to make a difficult about himself, about his allegiances, and about the man who woke his heart from its long slumber only to threaten to break it for good...

A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Poseidon and Icarus.]]> 336 Katee Robert Darby 0 currently-reading 3.68 2025
author: Katee Robert
name: Darby
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 60372608 I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm not going to look too closely at it. Not when secrets are coming out about my past and a rival vampire is hellbent on not only possessing me, but my sister too.

If I want to survive the secrets and plotting, I'm going to need Bran Duval by my side. Having him in my bed is just a bonus.]]> 167 Nikki St. Crowe Darby 0 currently-reading 4.30 2022
author: Nikki St. Crowe
name: Darby
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 186857 Smoke in Mirrors and Soft Focus presents a sexy, irresistible story of two people searching for secrets—and finding each other��

Cady Briggs is useful to Mack Easton. Her expertise in art and antiques helps his low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But Cady knows that being useful to a client is one thing—and being used is another. So no matter how alluring she finds Mack, she plans to keep business and pleasure entirely separate.

But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine’s, her family’s prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine’s lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they’ll be hunting for a killer…]]> 355 Jayne Ann Krentz 0515131741 Darby 0 currently-reading 3.85 2001
author: Jayne Ann Krentz
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 213775776 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a scorching romance between a genius artist and a mafia princess

I’m out for revenge.
After careful planning, I gave the man who messed with my family a taste of his own medicine.
I thought it’d end there.
It didn’t.
Landon King is a genius artist, a posh rich boy, and my worst nightmare.
He’s decided that I’m the new addition to his chess game.
Too bad for him, I’m no pawn.
If he hits, I hit back, twice as hard and with the same hostility.
He says he’ll ruin me.
Little does he know that ruination goes both ways.

While this book can be enjoyed on its own, dive into the Legacy of Gods series to get acquainted with the characters.]]> 528 Rina Kent 1464237328 Darby 4 4.06 2023
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, neurodivergent, series, spicy
review:

]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

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

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins Darby 5 4.34 2008
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: 2012, ya, scifi-fantasy, own, 2013, neurodivergent, 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series
review:

]]> 213879514 The four princes of Lumathyst need a mate, and everyone wants a chance...except for her.

Threatened by invaders, the kingdom of Lumathyst is on the verge of chaos, and no one can stop it. Unless the four immortal god-princes find their fated mate―and safeguard the throne―Lumathyst will fall.

Five women have tried. Five have failed. And tonight in the royal city, the princes need to find their Chosen and hope she can survive the transformation that will make her immortal.

Only Rylee Gray wasn’t supposed to be here. She snuck in for her own dark reasons―and now they claim they've found their perfect match. Her. Of course, they have no idea she’s concealing a secret big enough to damn them all.

The four princes have no choice. They’ll use every delectably wicked skill they have to make Rylee fall for all of them…or watch their kingdom collapse.]]> 417 Jade Presley 1649377525 Darby 4 4.06 2025
author: Jade Presley
name: Darby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60909286
I thought that the death of the man who tortured me, broke me, and then hunted me to the ends of the Earth would be the end of our fight; but it’s only the beginning.

After thousands of years of being apart, our god bonds are reunited once again; and they’re not ready to go down without a fight.

They’ve woken up hungry.

All of the research in the world couldn’t have prepared us for what’s to come, enemies and wars fought over millennia. Now we’re being forced to act, but this time, we have the advantage.

This time, we’re Bonded.

Are we strong enough to survive the gods and their plans? Will we ever live in the peaceful world we’ve fought so hard for, or is history doomed to repeat itself?


*Unbroken Bonds is a full-length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book is the final installment and will not end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations. Book 6 in the 6 book series.]]> 542 J. Bree Darby 0 currently-reading 4.00 2022
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 56695287
Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces--but there's also the chance he might be a double agent.

1946. Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a thrilling, sumptuous work of historical fiction told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII. This completely immersive story takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where elites of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.]]> 432 Natasha Lester Darby 4 4.23 2022
author: Natasha Lester
name: Darby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, historical-fiction, library
review:

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

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

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

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood Darby 4 3.93 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, spicy
review:

]]> 62363339
In a world where unbonded omegas are worth their weight in gold, running is the only thing Silas Wright knows. Run from the criminal alpha pack hunting him. Run from the dark secrets haunting his nightmares. Run from himself.

Stumbling in the dark down a twisting mountain road, Silas is on the run when a stranger comes crashing into his life. This alpha is dangerous, but Silas is out of options. Forced to accept help, Silas finds himself holed up in a lonely mountain cabin. Cornered and desperate, Silas must quickly decide: Can I trust this alpha? Can I let him know my secret?

“My handsome rescuer may be an alpha…but I am no beta.��

WHISKEY & SIN is a standalone MM Omegaverse novel featuring dark themes in a small town setting. For a full list of content warnings, see the author's website. ]]> 472 Emily Rath Darby 4 3.99 2022
author: Emily Rath
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, favorite-authors, lgbtq, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 63882992 Secrets and lies rang through the night

The Butterfly took wing and flew out of sight

Ragged and torn, she ghosted along

Unable to love, she danced a new song

Wrapped up in flames to keep all away

They try and convince her to come back and play

Battling fire with fire, they do all they can

But Savy's a master and won't fall for their plan

The flames grow higher the harder they fight

Until all their love, burns everything in sight

What's a Butterfly to do when she gets too close to the flames?
Fly, fly away and start her own damn fire, that's what.
Savy got burnt when she gave those careless boys her heart. She flew from her cage and built a new one made from fire so no one can hurt her again. She's writing her own story now and they won't be a part of it, her book is closed to them.
Her men will do anything to get her back but when fire meets fire it causes an inferno that might turn them all to ash.

Burn Butterfly Burn is book 2 of the Masked duet and completes the story.]]> 396 Reese Rivers 198937526X Darby 4 4.17 2023
author: Reese Rivers
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: 2024, audiobook, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, series, spicy, 2025
review:

]]> 63882991
Savy St. James is a sad lonely girl with too many secrets to count. She hides away in her oversized frumpy clothes and thick glasses wishing she was brave enough to be seen without her mask.
One small favor backfires and forces her into a fake date deal by the school’s hot shot quarterback. Him and his three best friends treat her like a pet to play with and are careless with her until she’s had enough and breaks the deal. But when her secrets are revealed and her masks are stripped away, they will all burn for it.

Tate Valor thinks this nerdy girl is the perfect choice to use as his shield keeping all the groupies and gold diggers off his back. Savy’s a built in tutor to help him drag his marks back up so he doesn’t get benched. He never expected the make out show he forces her to put on in public to affect him more than it does her.

Jude Dixon is the wild child, f**k boy of the team. His crazy antics that match his white blond hair, multiple piercings and slightly psycho personality couldn’t be any different from the shy little doll Tate’s brought into his orbit. He’s the first to see the treasure that she is and stakes his claim when he falls hard and fast for her even when she doesn’t want to be claimed.

Beckett James had his shot at going pro blown right along with his knee. With football no longer a choice, he’s lost and depressed. Savy’s sweet heart and peach smelling hair has more than his interest stirring. He wants to peel back the masks she hides under and see the real her.

Asher James doesn’t give a sh*t about the bookworm his friends are obsessing over. He only has one obsession, the Butterfly that dances in the cage for him. It doesn’t matter that she’s never spoken to him in two years. He wants her and only her…until Savy starts getting under his skin and he sees that maybe he’s been the one in the cage all along.

Dance Butterfly Dance is book 1 of a duet and will be completed in Burn Butterfly Burn]]> 449 Reese Rivers 1989375243 Darby 5 4.31 2022
author: Reese Rivers
name: Darby
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: 2024, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series, spicy, 2025
review:

]]> 211240846
Those were the words the first boy I ever loved whispered in my ear on graduation weekend.

Naively, I believed him. Now those three little words feel like a bad omen I can’t escape.

Every move I’ve made since I returned to South Chapel hurts my ex-boyfriend, Greedy. But it’s for his benefit. That’s what I tell myself. Intentionally hurting him is for the best.

It has to be. I said goodbye to the possibility of forever with him the moment my mom and his dad “introduced us�� at their engagement dinner.

Three years have passed, but that doesn’t matter to Greedy. He’s hell-bent on making sure I remember it all.

On my darkest nights, the memories win. Since his bedroom is just two doors down, he’s the anchor I seek when it all feels like too much.

But now Greedy’s best friend is back in town, and he and I are “dating�� to get his meddling mother off his back. Not only is Levi my new fake boyfriend, but he’s also our new roommate, too.

No wrong moves, Greedy assured me years ago.

What if there are no right moves either?



So Wrong is the first book in the Boys of South Chapel series. It is a steamy second chance why choose romance. A full list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author’s website.]]> 275 Abby Millsaps Darby 4 3.76
author: Abby Millsaps
name: Darby
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 212438137 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new STANDALONE enemies-to-lovers college romance.

I’m trapped by the devil.
What started as an innocent mistake turned into actual hell.
In my defense, I didn’t mean to get involved with a mafia prince.
But he barged through my defenses anyway.
He stalked me from the shadows and stole me from the life I know.
Jeremy Volkov might appear charming, but a true predator lurks inside.
He’s out to possess, own, and keep me.
But I have no plans to stick around in his blood-soaked world.
Or so I think.

This book is a dark unconventional romance and contains themes that aren't to everyone's liking. Please check the author's note for content warnings before reading.]]> 592 Rina Kent 1464237263 Darby 5 4.13 2022
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 212438144 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a scorching romance between a mafia princess and an underground fighter

I made a terrible mistake.
Being a mafia princess, I knew my fate was already decided.
But I went ahead and longed for the wrong one.
Creighton King is bad news with a gorgeous exterior.
He’s silent, brooding, and obviously emotionally unavailable.
So I thought it was over.
Until he awakens a beast inside me.
My name is Annika Volkov, and I’m Creighton's worst enemy.
He won’t stop until he breaks me.
Or I break him.

While this book can be enjoyed on its own, dive into the Legacy of Gods series to get acquainted with the characters.]]> 528 Rina Kent 1464237212 Darby 5 3.79 2022
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: 2025, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 55237214 NOTE - This book is a STANDALONE set in the world of St. Mary's. The book contains NO CHEATING.

Two years ago, Reed Jackson betrayed Calliope Thorne and broke her heart. So she stole his most prized possession �� a white mustang �� and drove it into the lake for revenge.

Now, Callie is stuck at a reform school while Reed is off at college, living his life without repercussions.

Until he comes back.

With him comes back all the feelings that Callie has been trying to bury: anger and heartbreak.

But most of all, desire. At the sight of his beautiful but lying lips and his gunmetal gray eyes that still taunt and smolder when he looks at her.

Whatever though. It’s not as if Callie is ever going to fall for her ex-boyfriend again. Or let him corner her in a bar one night and touch her, kiss her��

Neither is she going to kiss him back. Or worse, sleep with him.

Because that would make her naïve and foolish.

Oh, and also pregnant.

And there’s no way Callie is ever going to get pregnant at eighteen and with Reed’s baby, no less. The guy she hates.

The guy who taught her all about heartbreak. Who might look like a gorgeous hero but really is the villain of her story.]]> Saffron A. Kent Darby 1 dnf 3.54 2021
author: Saffron A. Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 214298303 I didn’t ask for it.
Didn’t even see it coming.
But the moment I do, it’s too late.
Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm.
He’s cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage.
The worst part is that no one sees his devil side.
I do.
And that will cost me everything.
I run, but the thing about monsters?
They always chase.

This book is not a conventional romance and contains themes that aren't to everyone's liking. Please check the author's note before reading. ]]> 576 Rina Kent 1464238863 Darby 5 3.85 2022
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: 2025, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 15096164
WHY CAN'T HE MAKE CONTACT WITH HIS FAMILY IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD? WHY DOESN'T ANYONE BELIEVE HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS? AND WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE ELECTRIFIED FENCES ENCIRCLING THE TOWN? ARE THEY KEEPING THE RESIDENTS IN? OR SOMETHING ELSE OUT?

Each step toward the truth takes Ethan further from the world he knows, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.....]]> 307 Blake Crouch 1612183956 Darby 5 3.93 2012
author: Blake Crouch
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, drama-romance, own, scifi-fantasy, suspense-thriller
review:

]]> 61242426
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success �� not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]> 296 Travis Baldree Darby 5 4.04 2022
author: Travis Baldree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: 2023, adventure, drama-romance, favorite-authors, favorites, lgbtq, library, paranormal-magic, read-again, scifi-fantasy, comfort-rereads, 2025, audiobook, wishlist
review:

]]> 16102004 An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789 �� and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites �� Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.]]> 271 Christina Lauren 1476730105 Darby 0 currently-reading 3.91 2013
author: Christina Lauren
name: Darby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 57807570
But most of all, she’s a good sister to her four older brothers.

Brothers whom she loves and adores to pieces. Brothers who love and adore her to pieces in return.

And who hate just one and one thing only–Reed Jackson.

Rich, arrogant, and the most popular guy at Bardstown High, Reed is Callie’s brothers�� enemy and she has sworn to stay away from him.

Until one night when she wanders into the woods and finds herself in his clutches. A villain with pretty gray eyes and a seductive smirk.

Until he asks her to dance for him with a look in those eyes that makes her forget why falling for her brothers�� enemy is a bad idea.

NOTE: This is a 40,000-word prequel novella for A GORGEOUS VILLAIN. The story concludes in A GORGEOUS VILLAIN.]]> 191 Saffron A. Kent Darby 3 3.86
author: Saffron A. Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series
review:

]]> 58418320
I mean, Murph’s special. He’s funny and flamboyant and full of life.

While I’m straight, even I can tell these guys aren’t good enough for him.

I had to yell at one date, toss another one out the door, and throw a beer in another’s face.

Kind of embarrassing, really. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.

I ask my sister what’s wrong with me and she says I’m jealous.

Jealous? Please. Me?

Come on.

Only thing is, I hate the thought of Murph kissing any guy. Ever.

Except, maybe ... me?

Undone is a contemporary m/m romance about a dreamy insurance agent that might not be as straight as he thinks, an adorable bartender who adds sparkle wherever he goes, and maybe one or two jokes about swords.]]> 316 Leslie McAdam Darby 4 3.87 2021
author: Leslie McAdam
name: Darby
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 80340956
He is righteousness. She is sin.

Father Cade Frédéric is a holy man. Brought up in the streets of Paris, he has dedicated his life to the church. But there’s a monster that lingers just beneath the surface. A sickness. One that bleeds darkness and feeds on the damned. When he’s tasked to become the priest in Festivalé, Vermont, a town both beautiful in architecture and riddled with despair, his sickness sings, demanding he rid the place of evil.

Amaya Paquette is Festivalé’s beautiful mystery. She spends her days caring for her younger brother and her nights transforming into Esmeralda, dancing for greedy eyes and shameless lips. Although she longs for love, she shies away from companionship, afraid of being abandoned again.

When Father Cade lays eyes on Amaya, he finds himself ensnared, convinced she’s using witchcraft to lure him to her. He can’t eat. Can’t breathe. Can’t think unless it’s of her.

And temptation is a devastating mistress.

She’s his weakness, so he decides he’ll be her demise…even if it means killing the only woman he might ever love.

***

*CROSSED is a dark, contemporary romance (not fantasy or a literal retelling) and the fifth complete standalone in the Never After series: fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all readers. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Detailed TW can be found on the author's website. This series can be enjoyed in any order.*]]> 418 Emily McIntire Darby 4 3.69 2023
author: Emily McIntire
name: Darby
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, neurodivergent, series, spicy
review:

]]> 36373564 City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.

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

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

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

It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.]]> 390 K.A. Tucker 1501133438 Darby 4 4.27 2018
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Darby
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series
review:

]]> 86246890 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

I’m out for revenge. He’s out to rule the world.
Kirill and I are as different as day and night.
We shouldn’t have been in the same frame or universe.
But we meet under the strangest circumstances.
He’s my superior in the military and the man who’ll introduce me to carnage.
His charm and exterior perfection shouldn’t have tempted me.
Behind the smokescreen lurks a manipulative emotionless monster.
And that monster might find out all my secrets, including the reason why I’m pretending to be a man.
He might also lure me to the point of no return.

This book is part of a trilogy and is not a standalone.]]> 338 Rina Kent 1685450423 Darby 4 4.05 2023
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 56180769
Or so the world keeps telling me.

Every so often, gods walk the earth. This time they came as musicians. When Bound loses its lead guitarist, yours truly is chosen to fill his shoes. From dive bars to the big stage, my instant claim to fame is nothing short of a fairytale. The only problem?

My new bandmates.

Jaded, gorgeous, and ridiculously talented--they're determined to turn my dream into a nightmare. It's no secret I wasn't their first choice. I wasn't even their last. The label wants a new image, Bound wants me gone, but I've got my own agenda.
To succeed I have to survive a world tour, public scrutiny, and idols turned enemies. But the biggest threat of all isn't a meticulous front man, a narcissistic bassist, and a drummer with too many secrets.

It's me.

Somehow, I must resist the temptation of Houston Morrow, Loren James, and Jericho Noble.

It seemed easy enough when I boarded their tour bus, but it only took one city for the lines we'd drawn to blur.

Only ninety-nine more to go.

Lilac is a reverse harem and standalone suitable for ages 18+.]]> 556 B.B. Reid Darby 4 3.72 2020
author: B.B. Reid
name: Darby
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, contemporary, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, neurodivergent, spicy
review:

]]> 53544752 Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel—The Vipers.

They run this town and everyone in it. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses.

Yes, sold me.

They own me now.

I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant. These men, they look at me with longing. Their scarred, blood-stained hands holding me tight. They want everything I am, everything I have to give, and won’t stop until they get just that. They can own my body, but they will never have my heart.

The Vipers? I’m going to make them regret the day they took me.

This girl? She bites too.


18+ Reverse Harem Romance. Warning this book contains scenes and references of abuse/assault that some readers may find triggering. Along with graphic sex scenes and violence. This is a dark book.]]> 654 K.A. Knight Darby 4 3.66 2020
author: K.A. Knight
name: Darby
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, audiobook, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, spicy
review:

]]> 48892511 A missile silo prepped for war...
Threats looming everywhere... After a new ice age smothered the planet, most perished along with the sunlight, leaving only the desperate. It was kill or be killed, pitting neighbor against neighbor in an epic battle for survival.

Now humanity is almost gone.

Armed camps remain.

For some, strength comes in numbers, attacking anything that moves in a blur of anger and revenge.

For others, keeping their dignity and a few scavenged items are the only things worth saving.

It’s the classic struggle of good versus evil.

Except no one truly knows which side they’re on.
]]> 274 Jay J. Falconer Darby 4 3.83
author: Jay J. Falconer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/04
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: 2022, kindle, own, series, suspense-thriller
review:

]]> 60654360
Our Bonded Group has been torn apart, and the monsters are now the prey.
But we’re not going to just wait around for our enemy to strike; the blood on his hands is unforgivable, and the god living inside of me wants her revenge paid in blood.

And a thousand souls.

We have been pushed to the limit, tested in ways that have devastating outcomes, and paid the ultimate price. Can we recover from such losses? Is the promise of a world without our enemy worth the sacrifices we’ve made?

Can we prove to everyone, and ourselves, that together our bonds are unbroken?

*Tragic Bonds is a full-length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.]]> 542 J. Bree Darby 4 4.20 2022
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 55276268 Phoenix—I never intended to become a stripper.

Two years ago I was in Nashville chasing the songwriter dream. Sleepless nights between day jobs were spent writing rock ballads and trying to make a name for myself.

That all changed with one phone call that forced me to return to Atlanta.

Needing consistent income to pay the mountain of debt I'd come home to, I traded stripping my soul for stripping my clothes.

Then Archer West comes crashing into my VIP room, tempting me to break all of my rules.

I want him—bad.

What I don't count on is finding him living right next door for the summer. Inexperienced and with a creative drive that rivals my own, he stirs the lyrics in me once again.

Now I crave more than his body. Archer West has quickly become my unexpected muse.

A tattooed stripper and introverted college student collide in the first book of the steamy standalone romance series Guys Next Door. Each book is loosely tied so that each can be read individually.]]> 256 Baylin Crow Darby 4 3.93 2020
author: Baylin Crow
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, neurodivergent, spicy
review:

]]> 18461986 Don't miss a beat with the fourth and final novel in the ���������մǻ岹�� bestselling Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott.

Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins' ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben's the only man she's ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn't looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.

Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She's his best friend's little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he's not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he's always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible... but will it lead to a connection of the heart?
]]> 272 Kylie Scott 1466854227 Darby 4 4.01 2015
author: Kylie Scott
name: Darby
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 59819111
What if they’re one and the same?

The stable foundation I thought I’d built in the Sanctuary has been ripped away, and I find myself on the front lines of the war against the Resistance. I might have my Bonds on my side, but there are darker schemes in motion.

Can I prove myself and turn the tide to protect our most vulnerable, or am I nothing more than the monster they’ve always claimed I am?

Will we make it out of this without tragic consequences?

*Forced Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.]]> 541 J. Bree Darby 4 4.20 2022
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 59056313 Everything I ran from, all of the villains of my past, they’re all here to take another bite out of me. But this time, I’m not alone.
With my Bonds desperately trying to reach me and new friendships I never expected, I start to believe that maybe I won't become the weapon they want me to be. Maybe I’ll be a monster of my own creation.
When loyalties are questioned and Bonds are tested, everything I thought I knew gets turned upside down. Who are my friends, and who are my enemies?
Are Bond ties stronger than blood?

*Blood Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.]]> 541 J. Bree Darby 4 4.19 2021
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 215999522 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes an enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience romance.

I fell for the villain.
It happened back when I was a clueless girl.
But he ruthlessly broke my heart and trapped it in a jar.
Since then, I’ve sworn to hate him to the end of my days.
Eli King might be a savage devil, but I’m out of his way. And league.
That is until I wake up in a hospital and find him holding my hand.
He tells me the words that change my life forever.
“We got married two years ago, Mrs. King.��
So I set out to investigate how I landed myself into this marriage.
Turns out, my memories are darker than my present.
I thought I was ready for the hurricane.
I thought I could handle his soulless eyes and cold shoulder.
I thought wrong.
Nothing can stop my husband.
Not the secrets surrounding us.
Not the hatred between us.
Not even me.

This book can be read on its own, but for a better understanding of the world, you might want to start with God of Malice.]]> 592 Rina Kent 1464237417 Darby 4 3.98 2024
author: Rina Kent
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60510253
I was a snake, and she was the sweet little mouse.
Sure, she could bite, but she was soft enough to soothe the most dangerous beast. Me.
No matter how poised I was to strike, she ripped me wide open. Mackenzie forced me to confront the past I tried to hide from. Once she opened the box, there was no closing it. She changed everything. We may have taken her, but she left us just as scathed.

Benjamin was a thing of nightmares. Something I was taught to fear. I didn’t expect I’d end up letting the monster into my heart. He sank his claws into me and made me realize the only difference between us was my ability to choose when to bite. The moment he showed me his humility, there was no way I could ignore it. He may have made me mourn the life I had, but I resurrected his.

Can I escape captivity? Will I be able to recognize myself once I do?

Never Let Go takes Lauren Biel’s readers on a darker journey this time. If you like broken characters who fall in love in the face of depravity, this story will captivate you.

Order now to find out how much love it takes to tame a beast.

TW: Abuse, abduction, murder, sexual content, non-con-ish (not between mcs), off-page childbirth loss

This contemporary dark thriller romance is highly recommended for adult readers only. Please see my website for more information.]]> 246 Lauren Biel Darby 4 3.61
author: Lauren Biel
name: Darby
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2025, audiobook, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, library, spicy
review:

]]> 13413589 River Marked was praised as "an urban fantasy where our everyday world is believably twisted into the world of fey, werewolves, vampires, and myths made real." Now Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter's biggest fear as the realm she has embraced is thrown into chaos...

Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman - the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack - has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more...

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam - or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears Adam's disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.]]> 342 Patricia Briggs 0441020011 Darby 5 4.34 2013
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Darby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, 2021, 2023, audiobook, 2024
review:

]]> 178858474
All it took was one ride, and I was obsessed. Now, every day I watch. Waiting. My obsession’s oblivious to my machinations. She doesn’t know that my life’s been fueled by anger and vengeance. Until today.

My fixation takes a twisted turn when Oaklyn needs to hitch another ride. How unfortunate she doesn’t know this could be her last ride—ever.

Yet the more I know, the more torn I am. She's different from them but not nearly enough. I cannot ignore how my ire rises with each layer she strips away. So why is her pain a balm to my tortured mind? Her tragedy is a siren's call to my dark, wicked soul.

At the end of the road, will Oaklyn meet her protector or will she meet her demise?




Trigger warnings: Stalking, obsession, possessive behavior, sociopathic behavior, forced proximity, bully, pierced peen, drugging, somnophilia (somnoncon), manipulation, jealousy, primal, spitting, non con (between mcs and not), dub con, praise, degradation, self harm including an attempt, violence, murder, touch her and die, only *I* can hurt her, knife play, hand necklaces, come stuffing, mention of child abuse, mental health issues, derogatory comments about stripping/strippers (not a reflection of the author’s beliefs!!), bare knuckle fighting, water play, breeding aspects without pregnancy, exhibitionism, sadomasochism

Driving my Obsession is a dual POV dark stalker hitchhiker standalone novel with an HEA.]]> 312 Lauren Biel Darby 4 3.61
author: Lauren Biel
name: Darby
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: 2025, audiobook, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 27287575 'She can pick up personal facts impossible to fathom by deduction or guesswork.' JEANETTE WINTERSON'A marvellous book.' DR EBEN ALEXANDER__________________________________'We all have psychic experiences in our lives that connect us to one another and to those we love on the Other Side. Not just once in a while, but all the time.'Laura Lynne Jackson has been receiving communications from the afterlife since she was a child. In The Light Between Us she takes us through her struggle to come to peace with her gift and use it to help others.Through her moving and uplifting stories of the people she has helped, Laura Lynne shares her knowledge of how to understand these messages of love, and how we can use those lessons to help us live more peacefully in the present.What The Light Between Us has meant to 'A genuine and honest testimonial''This book has made me laugh, made me cry and make me think''I love this book. It really helps you realise that the ones we love are never far from us.''The stories are heartfelt and had me in tears towards the end''Very uplifting''It has given me so much comfort and understanding']]> 289 Laura Lynne Jackson Darby 3 4.68 2015
author: Laura Lynne Jackson
name: Darby
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, memoir-truestories, non-fiction
review:

]]> 59608718
Half past thirty and still single, my father rode my ass daily about getting married, starting a family, and looking the part. I needed to soften my enforcer image and have the outward appearance that I was on the straight and narrow.

When I argued that I wasn't ready to settle down, he explained that no one ever was, and none of them ever did...with a wink. I laughed, until I thought about my mother. I might be a tough guy in a dangerous world, but I wanted a woman who could handle me at my worst and positively adore me at my best. Was that so much to ask of a wife?

There'd only ever been one girl who came close to that: Marla. She was plenty tough herself. She had to be. She grew up in the world, as well. And when she came to me asking for help to avenge her brother’s death, I was more than happy to help . . . for a price.

Marriage. To me. A mafia capo . . . the very thing she swore she’d never do.

Heartless Sinner is the first book in the Made for the Mafia series. Each book in the series stands alone and ends in a guaranteed HEA.]]> 342 Erika Wilde Darby 4 3.95
author: Erika Wilde
name: Darby
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, drama-romance, spicy
review:

]]> 209653268 William Stratford is more than my professor.

He’s my one-night stand. My secret. And my enemy.

I have a plan for fighting him, along with the secret society that threatens the college. Despite his knowledge and his power, despite the sensual thrall he holds over me, when the bell rings, he’s the one who’s going to learn a lesson.

At least that’s the plan.

But Professor Stratford is older and wiser.

He makes the rules, and I’m forced to follow them.

THE STUDENT is book two in the forbidden romance trilogy Tanglewood University. It’s a tale of redemption and comeuppance for a professor walking the line of right and wrong–and the student who will push him over the brink.]]> 316 Skye Warren Darby 4 4.10
author: Skye Warren
name: Darby
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 217905460 A shadow looms over Tanglewood University.

It threatens the professors and the students. It threatens the dean.

I’m powerless to stop corruption that goes deep into the city’s underworld.

Professor William Stratford has the secrets we need. And I find inside me a strength that has nothing to do with escaping my family. It has to do with building a new one.

Can we reclaim the college? Can we forge a future together?

We need more than bravery to win, but it will mean nothing without love.

THE FINAL EXAM is the breathtaking final book in the Tanglewood University trilogy.]]> Skye Warren Darby 4 3.72
author: Skye Warren
name: Darby
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 126834591
Leana
While running away from a heavy-handed boyfriend, I end up in the car with two callous hitmen. Gentry and Karson take me on a road trip I didn’t know I needed, and I become the breath of fresh air between two brothers who suffocate beneath waves of animosity.
In battles fought and scars earned, we forge a triad of destruction and leave countless bodies in our wake. We just need to ensure we aren’t among them at the end of each day. Easier said than done when our biggest threats may be each other.
Can I escape my past and help these “Kursed�� brothers reconcile? Will I succumb to the darkness or cast light on men who walk in shadows? We have 2,700 miles to figure it out.

Content Warnings: Infidelity (not between mcs), domestic violence (not between mcs), murder, violence, abduction, dubious/non consent (between MCs), non con (not between mcs), sociopathic behavior, cock warming scene, degradation kink, praise, spitting, outdoor/car scenes, primal play, cum play and stuffing, butt stuff, pierced peen, blood play, death play, tripsolagnia, breeding without pregnancy, squirting, snowballs, water play, vaginal felching, voyeurism, exhibitionism, jealous/possessive behavior, sado-masochism, touch her and die, age gap

Along for the Ride is a three POV MFM dark hitchhiker standalone novel with an HEA. The FMC does NOT choose]]> 286 Lauren Biel 1959618032 Darby 4 3.75
author: Lauren Biel
name: Darby
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 47212 HARRY DRESDEN �� WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 372 Jim Butcher 0451457811 Darby 4 3.99 2000
author: Jim Butcher
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/20
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: 2020, kindle, library, movie-tv, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> 35268764 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert brings you the first installment of her brand-new Make Me series. Meet four women who know what they want and the four men who will give it to them!

Lucy Baudin’s ex did a number on her self-esteem, but it’s time for her to regain control. She’s about to make partner at her law firm and having a husband by her side would prove she’s settled and serious. As a lawyer she’s bold and confident. But in the bedroom, she needs inspiration to reawaken her inner seductress. Asking her friend Gideon Novak for help seems wrong…yet so deliciously right!

Headhunter Gideon Novak is shocked when Lucy hires him…to hunt her future husband! Their chemistry is electric, but Lucy was once engaged to his best friend, so he’s never acted on it. Now he’ll set his attraction aside once more to help her. She doesn’t need love, just a partnership, and when she proposes bedroom lessons, he can’t deny her. But the more time they spend together, the more Gideon wants to be there for Lucy—not just for hire but full-time, forever.

Step into stories of provocative romance where sexual fantasies come true. Let your inhibitions run wild with Harlequin Dare.

Discover more wealthy, international heroes in the entire Make Me series by Katee

Make Me Want: A Steamy Workplace Romance

Make Me Crave: A Holiday Fling Romance

Make Me Yours: A Scorching Hot Romance

Make Me Need: A Steamy Workplace Romance]]> 224 Katee Robert 1488082413 Darby 3 3.51 2018
author: Katee Robert
name: Darby
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 49792430 I owe him a debt. The kind money can’t repay.

He wants something else: me, for one year.

But I don’t even know who he is��

365 days and nights doing everything he wants…except that.

“I’m not going to sleep with you,�� I say categorically.

He laughs.

“I’m going to make you a promise,�� his eyes challenge mine. “Before our time is up, you’ll beg me for it.��
]]> 316 Charlotte Byrd Darby 3 3.52 2019
author: Charlotte Byrd
name: Darby
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 50489991 He swore to protect me.
He failed.
They all failed.
I’m an open box of passé photographs, snapped in chaste daylight, but filtered in sepia. I’m the past that he tried to forget, and he was the future I needed. When he left six years ago, I screamed for him every night. But then it all stopped. My screams were suddenly muffled by cruelty, and further coaxed by pain.
But he has come back. He’s not the cute big brother I had a furtive crush on, or the bad boy, rich brat that I hated to love.
He’s the ruthless vice president of Wolf Pack MC, and he doesn’t answer to Royce Kane anymore.
He answers to Sicko.]]> 320 Amo Jones 1393299636 Darby 5 3.81 2020
author: Amo Jones
name: Darby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: 2024, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series, spicy, suspense-thriller, dark, 2025
review:

]]> 63257044
This is a spicy, adult, fantasy romance retelling of "The Nutcracker" fairytale.

Trigger warnings are available on the author's website and in the front matter of the book.]]> 373 Rebecca F. Kenney Darby 4 3.42 2022
author: Rebecca F. Kenney
name: Darby
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 59739150
She crosses into the magical lands of the Fae, trying to discern if her enemy is Mortal, Elf, or a Halfling like her. But the Faeland is not what it seems, and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she discovers and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is��

The King that destroyed her people? The Prince that tortures them? Or the Shadow that threatens her place at court?

As she searches for answers, Keera is haunted by a promise she made long ago. A promise not only to save herself but an entire kingdom.]]> 427 Melissa Blair 1777927811 Darby 4 3.88 2021
author: Melissa Blair
name: Darby
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chirpbooks, drama-romance, own, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> 205544678 New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren, delivers the sizzling first book in a brand new trilogy, The Professor, a forbidden, student/professor, ex-boyfriend’s dad romance.

It was supposed to be one night with a handsome stranger. I never thought I would see him again. Until the first day of class.

He’s my new professor.
And my ex-boyfriend’s father.

He has a world of secrets in his eyes and the weight of the world on his shoulders. I should stay away from him, but the more I try, the more consumed he gets.

His possessiveness is rivaled only by his secretive nature. He knows everything about me, but mystery surrounds him. Shadows threaten the entire university…and our forbidden love.]]> 366 Skye Warren Darby 4 3.82
author: Skye Warren
name: Darby
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60695612 Controlled and humanized.
Still, the darkness lurks inside me, waiting for a chance to break free.
As the headmaster at Corium University, I must maintain professionalism and keep myself in check.
I manage to do that until the day I discover I have a daughter and all the carefully constructed walls I’ve built around myself start to crumble.
I know I need an outlet, a way to shut it off, and then she lands in my lap.
Delilah.
I want to punish her, humiliate her, and hurt her in the best ways.
It’s nothing but a cat and mouse game till I discover the secrets she’s hiding…]]> 344 C. Hallman Darby 0 to-read 3.96 2022
author: C. Hallman
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222894045
My name is Rachel Price, and two months ago I walked away from The Perfect Man—sweet, funny, and so sexy he should be illegal. We shared one magical night. No names. No strings. I never thought I’d see him again. I was wrong.

As it turns out, Mr. Perfect is the playboy grinder for the Jacksonville Rays, the NHL’s hottest new hockey team . . . and thanks to the ten-month fellowship I just landed, I’m his new physical therapist. Imagine my anticipation as those familiar muscled legs walk towards me, the way my pulse races as he reaches out to . . . shake my hand. The jerk doesn’t even recognize me!

This is going to be the longest ten months of my life. Because now Mr. Perfect Mistake is determined to use his every seductive trick to win me back. Meanwhile, I also have to contend with his best friend the surly team equipment manager, and an exasperatingly stubborn, superstitious goalie who’s convinced I’m his good luck charm.

This is my chance to prove myself, and I’m not risking it for anything. But between one unexpected night, and one secret revealed, these men are ready to test all my limits. Still, I can’t fall for a player—let alone three. Or can I?]]> 640 Emily Rath 149675879X Darby 5 3.96 2023
author: Emily Rath
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, lgbtq, own, series, spicy
review:

]]> 123430238
But protecting Mark isn’t Tristan’s only duty: soon, Mark asks him to guard his soon-to-be bride as she travels home from Ireland on Mark’s yacht. Tristan is jealous—and hurt to learn that the object of his obsession is engaged—but the soldier in him is made to obey orders, and he goes to fetch Mark’s bride for him.

Isolde Laurence is nothing like Tristan expected, however. Young, quiet, and sharp, she’s being pushed into this marriage by her family, and as the two travel back to America, Tristan finds himself fascinated with Isolde and the glimpses he gets of the lonely but determined woman behind her reserve. And the fascination is mutual: one night, while sailing under the cold stars, they share a searing kiss.

From there, it’s a fast fall into the forbidden. But in Mark Trevena’s world, the fall is only the beginning��

The Lyonesse trilogy is a queer, kinky contemporary retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde, set in the same world as the New Camelot series. Readers will not have to read New Camelot to enjoy Lyonesse, although readers who enjoyed New Camelot will find all the things they loved about the trilogy here: MMF ménage, plenty of the angsty forbidden, and a sweeping retelling of a familiar story.]]> 352 Sierra Simone 1728276659 Darby 5 3.92 2023
author: Sierra Simone
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, lgbtq, series, spicy
review:

]]> 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Darby 5 4.17 2025
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 208503278
All Killian Barclay wants is to be left the hell alone. He's had enough heartache to last a lifetime, and he has no more need for love—earning him the reputation of a broody Scot and eventually turning his famous ancestral home into a den of iniquity. It doesn't take long for tales of his raunchy house parties to reach the rest of his family, though, inspiring them to hatch a plan to shake Killian out of his routine.

New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux is tough as nails—as the daughter of famous yet neglectful parents, she's grown a hard shell and keeps everyone at arm's length. So when she sneaks into Barclay Manor during a trip to Scotland to get a glimpse of a famous heirloom, she doesn't anticipate facing off against the brutish, maddening Highlander who lives there. And she certainly didn't expect to ever see the bastard again.

Yet just weeks later, she's approached by Killian's family with a proposal—move to Scotland and marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation, and after one year, she'll walk away with ten million dollars. Sylvie agrees, even knowing that their plan is more deceptive than he realizes. But as she grows closer to Killian and the end of their year together, she has to Is the love of a good man with a dark soul worth keeping, or is she willing to break Killian's heart now that it's well and truly hers?]]> 336 Sara Cate 1728282195 Darby 4 3.85 2024
author: Sara Cate
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.�� —Xaden Riorson

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

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

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

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

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Darby 5 4.33 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Darby
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 2023, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, favorites, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy, wishlist, 2025
review:

]]> 58410164
I’m no longer the Giftless reject, no longer the girl who’s fair game to the other students for daring to run away from my Bonds.

But there are bigger problems heading my way.

With destiny pushing me closer and closer to each of my Bonds, I’m fighting tooth and nail against nature to keep my distance.

But they’re fighting harder to keep me in their grasp.

When it becomes clear that the Resistance is closer than we ever thought, I don’t know who I can trust.

Can I finally take control of my gift, or will it take control of me?


*Savage Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.]]> 500 J. Bree Darby 4 4.25 2021
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 6587387 Booklist). But she is about to learn that while some secrets are dangerous whose who seek them are just plain deadly...

Mercy is smart enough to realize that when it comes to the magical fae, the less you know, the better. But you can't always get what you want. When she attempts to return a powerful fae she previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secrets - and the fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him lest his own father declare Samuel's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she may not have many more...]]> 352 Patricia Briggs 044101819X Darby 5 4.37 2010
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Darby
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, 2021, 2023, favorite-authors, favorites, audiobook, 2024, comfort-rereads, 2025
review:

]]> 52730451 My addendum: I’m not doing that
His promise: Before the year is up, you’ll beg for it

My days of lying and stealing are over, but then Nicholas Crawford makes me an offer I can’t refuse. Spend a year pretending to be his significant other in exchange for $1 million dollars.

I tried to put that part of my life, and those hard-won skills, behind me. But I need the money. He needs a partner.

I told him that I’d never sleep with him. He promised me that I would end up begging for it. Now, I want him more than ever.

Especially when I run my fingers over his chiseled body and he teases me with his tongue.

Especially when he puts his hands on the small of my back and kisses me.

I want him so much I am going to scream. I want him so much…I might even beg.]]> 308 Charlotte Byrd 1632250535 Darby 4 3.51
author: Charlotte Byrd
name: Darby
average rating: 3.51
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series
review:

]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

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

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

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

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

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

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 517 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Darby 5 4.56 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Darby
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: 2023, adventure, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, audiobook, favorites, 2025, chirpbooks, own, paranormal-magic, spicy
review:

]]> 215214468 I’m an alibi for a killer, but he demands so much more than my testimony.

I stumbled across something I wasn’t supposed to discover. I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and now I’m an alibi for a killer. He’s the most feared and powerful man in the New York underworld. I don’t have a choice but to do as he says.

But he commands so much more than just my testimony.

Anya and Saverio's story continues in Coerced Wife (Book 2) and concludes in Coerced Queen (Book 3).]]> 370 Charmaine Pauls Darby 4 4.18
author: Charmaine Pauls
name: Darby
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy, crime-mystery
review:

]]> 58080366 "Nothing, not even Devil's Night, was more magical, because tonight was the longest night of the year. It was special."

The clock at St. Killian’s chimes as whispers float in the dark staircase above.

Snow falls from the black sky beyond the windows, and candles glow, the flames lighting up the longest night of the year.��
��
Devil’s Night isn’t the only holiday we celebrate. Tonight, we’re pulling on a different mask.��
��
Some call it Midwinter.��
��
Others call it Yule.��
��
We call it Fire Night.��
��
***
��
FIRE NIGHT is a 28K word holiday novella.]]> 118 Penelope Douglas Darby 4 4.03 2020
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Darby
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: 2025, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 196901029 We’re destined to destroy each other, but we’re going to finish this game, no matter how long or what it takes.

In my line of business, every day dawns with the smell of death in the air. But it’s not a bullet that’s going to slay me. It’s Sabella, the woman who was promised to me, the woman who betrayed me.

I hate and want her in equal measure, an agonizing situation of my own making. We’re heading down a path of destruction, but there’s no turning back. At the first chance she gets, she’ll stab me in the back again. She’s a dangerous risk and a threat to my family. If I were wise, I’d eliminate that risk and leave her funeral to the sharks. I must be an idiot, because I’m going to finish what I started, no matter the cost.

Note: Tears Like Acid is the 3rd book in the Corsican Crime Lord series. Love Like Poison (Book 1) and Hate Like Honey (Book 2) must be read first. Sabella and Angelo's story concludes in Kisses Like Rain (Book 4). The story contains scenes not recommended for sensitive readers. Reader discretion is advised.]]> 308 Charmaine Pauls 2491833220 Darby 4 4.18
author: Charmaine Pauls
name: Darby
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy
review:

]]> 1421990 Flirting With The Grave��

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father �� the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.

In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner �� are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side �� and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.]]> 374 Jeaniene Frost 0061245089 Darby 4 4.13 2007
author: Jeaniene Frost
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: 2019, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, 2021, drama-romance, 2022, own, 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks
review:

]]> 201102380 One woman learns the secrets of the five Jaeger brothers.

On the other side of town, in the dark glades, under the rain��

Macon is the oldest. Thirty-one. Ex-Marine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.

Army is twenty-eight. A single dad with the most beautiful green eyes. He has no idea who he is, if not a Jaeger brother.

Iron will be in prison soon. You’d never think it to meet him. He’s a nice guy, actually. But he can’t stop reacting to everything.

Dallas is the one I hate. Twenty-one, cruel, and selfish. He takes and then throws away whatever’s left.

And Trace is mine. Or he was for about two seconds. No one can tame him for long.

Not that I ever wanted to. It was fun, but now I need to go home. Back to my side of the tracks. Away from the swamps and these men. To my parents�� big house. On my clean street. Where I’m never dirty or messy or hot. And I will. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I just want to crash on the couch tonight.

Their house is dark and quiet, everyone else is asleep. Except for one. He sees me crying and comes at me from behind. I let him wrap his arms around my body and hold me tightly. His breath is on my neck, his fingers are in my hair, and he doesn’t stop there.

I don’t think it was Trace.]]> 560 Penelope Douglas 0593816579 Darby 4 3.80 2024
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Darby
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, spicy
review:

]]> 202594184 From the International Bestselling Jacksonville Rays Hockey Series comes a second Happily Ever After novella!

PUCKING EVER VOL 2 provides readers with SEVEN new chapters of happily ever after content. This volume spans five years and includes swoony and spicy HEA stories for both the Price Family (PUCKING AROUND) and Tess & Ryan (PUCKING WILD).

"Come on daddy...don't make me beg."

"I can't breathe for wanting you. I have no pride left."

"Mars...do you love me?"

PUCKING EVER VOL 2 is a special collection of bonus scenes meant to be read after PUCKING WILD (book #2 in the Jax Rays hockey romance series). A list of tropes and tags can be found at the author's website. ]]> 262 Emily Rath 1962350002 Darby 5 4.28
author: Emily Rath
name: Darby
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, contemporary, drama-romance, library, series, short-stories, spicy
review:

]]> 78299256
Alfred Hitchcock was fixated—not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of North by Northwest , Rear Window , and other classic films didn’t much care if they wore wigs, got their hair coloring out of a bottle, or were the rarest human specimen—a natural blonde—as long as they shone with a golden veneer on camera. The lengths he went to in order to showcase (and often manipulate) these women would become the stuff of movie legend. But the women themselves have rarely been at the center of the story, until now.

In Hitchcock’s Blondes, bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer offers an intimate journey into the lives of eight legendary actresses whose stories helped chart the course of the troubled, talented director’s career—from his early days in the British film industry, to his triumphant American debut, to his Hollywood heyday and beyond. Through the stories of June Howard-Tripp, Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint, and Tippi Hedren—who starred in fourteen of Hitchcock’s most notable films and who bore the brunt of his fondness and sometimes fixation—we can finally start to see the enigmatic man himself. After all, “his�� blondes (as he thought of them) knew the truths of his art, his obsessions and desires, as well as anyone.

From the acclaimed author of Capote’s Women comes an intimate, revealing, and thoroughly modern look at both the enduring art created by a man obsessed…and the private toll that fixation took on the women in his orbit.]]> 336 Laurence Leamer 0593542975 Darby 0 to-read 3.34 2023
author: Laurence Leamer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 37264612 A woman's job collecting artifacts comes with a sexy driver and a dangerous enemy in this romantic suspense series launch by a New York Times bestseller.

Mary Daniels doesn't let anything get in the way of her job acquiring rare artifacts for her wealthy boss. But this particular obstacle--huge, hard-muscled, unashamedly masculine--is impossible to ignore. Stuck in a cramped car with Brodie Crews for hours en route to their new assignment, Mary feels her carefully crafted persona--and her trademark self-control--is slipping, and she won't allow it.

Brodie can't imagine what secret in Mary's past has left her so buttoned-up, though he'd dearly love to find out. Maybe then she'd trust him enough to explore their explosive chemistry. But he needs this job, so he'll play by her rules and bide his time . . . until an enemy determined to outwit them strikes and he needs to get close--in every way--to protect her. Otherwise they could lose much more than a precious collectible. They could lose it all.

Praise for Driven to Distraction

"As usual, Foster delivers fascinating characters, intense sexual tension, and suspense that keeps readers glued to the page." --Kirkus Reviews]]> 384 Lori Foster 1488099006 Darby 4 3.93 2018
author: Lori Foster
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, suspense-thriller
review:

]]> 200124498
My name is Poppy St. James and I’ve just landed my dream job as the Director of Public Relations for the NHL’s hottest new team, the Jacksonville Rays. But if I want to stay beyond my one-year contract, I'll have to prove myself. Easy. PR is in my blood. What’s not so easy are the hockey players. They’re a real handful—especially party boy defenseman Lukas Novikov.

I don't care how well Lukas plays hockey. Off the ice, he's a PR nightmare. Brash and bossy, he's always finding ways to drag his teammates into trouble—especially fellow defenseman Colton Morrow—and I have to find brilliant ways to drag them out of it. The players can all call me PR Barbie all they want, but I'm getting the job done. Because I am poised, powerful, and always professional . . . until the fateful night my phone rings.

With one little phone call from home that leads to one drunken mistake, my carefully balanced life is knocked off-kilter. And now I'm staring down at a little blue plus sign and I have no strategy, no idea what’s next. All I know is that nothing will ever be the same.]]> 576 Emily Rath 1496752422 Darby 4 4.13 2024
author: Emily Rath
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, chirpbooks, drama-romance, lgbtq, own, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60187085
I bit a vampire. I sunk my teeth right into his flesh and drew blood, and I liked it. Now, I’m craving blood as if I’m a creature of the night. I’m far from it. My family has been hunting and killing the bloodsuckers for centuries.

So it comes as a horrifying shock when my aunt catches me licking blood off a knife like its cake batter. Panicking, she calls someone who she thinks can help me. Little does she know that dangling me like a carrot to Sam Mason has consequences no one is prepared for, especially me.

I’m not ready to deal with the cocky Vampire Navy SEAL who rocked my world so hard, my brain is still recovering, and my body is still tingling.

But when I find the powerful Sam Mason and my aunt chatting like besties, my heart almost stops beating. If my uncle finds Sam on his property, he’ll burn him alive.

Little do I know it’s not my uncle I have to worry about. One of my sisters decides that I’m better off not falling for a bloodsucker. I assure her I’m not. But she knows me better than I know myself.

Now instead of killing vampires, I’m rushing to save one. I pray I can’t get there in time. Otherwise, my family will suffer a fate worse than death.

The Predator is an enemies-to-lovers, paranormal, military romance, and the second book in the new Vampire Navy SEAL spin-off series. Layla and Sam’s story is a slow burn romance with a feisty heroine, snarky banter, action, suspense, off-the-charts steamy times and ends on a cliffhanger. Layla and Sam’s story starts in The Hunted and should be read first.]]> 276 S.B. Alexander 1954888198 Darby 4 4.48
author: S.B. Alexander
name: Darby
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, drama-romance, own, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60037647
I kill bloodsuckers for a living.

The job should be simple—capture the target and collect the money. But when I draw my enemy out in the open, I’m blindsided by his mesmerizing green eyes and snarky wit. Sam Mason is the type of vampire my mom warned me about—the kind who will seduce you with his easy smile and arrogant charm.

Yet, I know better.

The Vampire Navy SEAL oozes mayhem and sex appeal. Sam’s deadly swagger puts me on edge and sets my nerves on fire. If I mess with him, he’ll annihilate me in a second. That thrills and terrifies me at the same time.

A million red flags are telling me to run. But my sisters lives are in jeopardy, and the only way to save them is to grovel for Sam’s help.

Is it possible to push the flames to the back burner and trust an enemy who can take anything he wants?

The Hunted is an enemies-to-lovers, paranormal, military romance and the first book in the new Vampire Navy SEAL spin-off series. Layla and Sam’s story is a slow burn romance with a feisty heroine, snarky banter, action, suspense, off-the-charts steamy times, and ends on a cliffhanger.]]> 286 S.B. Alexander 1954888031 Darby 4 4.08 2022
author: S.B. Alexander
name: Darby
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, drama-romance, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 17187663 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00ATVDEHQ


Sixteen-year-old Jo Mason is lost in a world where traipsing from one foster home to another is normal. She hates her life, she hates school and on most days, she hates living. If it weren’t for her twin brother Sam, she may already be dead.

Her normal world shifts one hundred and eighty degrees when she discovers her own blood tastes like candy and her eyes change colors like a mood ring. On top of that, her eyesight seems to be failing when she spies an otherworldly man sporting bloodstained canines trying to strangle a cop. The developments are shrouded when Sam goes missing between Anger Management class and History class.

She’s called to the principal’s office to meet Lieutenant Webb London, a Navy SEAL who is part of a secret team of natural-born vampires. His mission is to protect the twins from an evil cartel, but he’s too late. With Jo now under his protection, his team searches for Sam.

However, finding and rescuing Sam from the evil cartel may be the easy part. Jo learns she carries a dormant vampire gene that, if activated, could save him. As her normal world fades even more, pushing her closer to the edge of humanity, Jo must decide if her human life is more important than her twin brother.

With time as her enemy, she struggles to make a life-changing decision for both her and Sam.]]> 325 S.B. Alexander Darby 0 to-read 3.91 2012
author: S.B. Alexander
name: Darby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39724946 There is an alternate cover edition for this ISBN here.

I’m scarred. Broken.

I’ll never be the same.

Ever since my last dive ended in bloodshed, I’ve been terrified to go back into the water. But I need to get my life back. And I’ve convinced myself a semester at sea is the only way to do it.

I never expected Tristan MacDougall.

Rugged, strong, and with demons of his own, Tristan helps me find the courage I thought I had lost and heals me with every stolen moment we share…even though the rules of the ship mean we can't be together.

But that’s the least of our problems, because my biggest fear has become a reality, and I’m not sure either one of us will survive.]]> 366 Beth Anne Miller 1633758435 Darby 4 3.96
author: Beth Anne Miller
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, chick-lit, chirpbooks, drama-romance, own
review:

]]> 193962944
A deal sealed with a handshake promised she’d be mine. A broken vow ripped her from my future. I made unspeakable sacrifices to claim what rightfully belongs to me. After all the blood I shed in her name, the bond that ties us is hatred. The war cost us both dearly, but the price we paid won’t be in vain. I’ll never let her go.

If she thinks she can escape her destiny, she hasn’t seen the worst of me yet.
If she thinks she knows the devil in me, she’s about to meet the monster.

Hate Like Honey is the second book in the Corsican Crime Lord series and ends on a cliffhanger. Sabella and Angelo's story continues in Tears Like Acid, Book Three.]]> 310 Charmaine Pauls 2491833212 Darby 4 4.11
author: Charmaine Pauls
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy
review:

]]> 124948673 Every year on my birthday, my tormentor returns to claim one of my firsts.

A DARK MAFIA / ARRANGED MARRIAGE ROMANCE
On my sixteenth birthday, a stranger from Corsica shows up at my party. Angelo Russo looks like an angel, but more the kind who decapitates dragons than the kind with soft white wings. He’s dark like the ocean and breathless like water. He says he wants all my firsts as if he already owns them, but my father orders me to stay away from this man.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t escape him. No one can keep me safe. Every year on my birthday, he brings me a gift, each one having a detrimental effect on my life with unimaginable consequences. With every gift he offers, he claims another one of my firsts. Before I know it, he’s taken control of my existence, turning me into a nervous wreck, because when I turn eighteen, I know what first he’ll come for next.

Note: Love Like Poison is the first book in the Corsican Crime Lord series and ends on a cliffhanger. Sabella and Angelo's story continues in Hate Like Honey, Book Two.]]> 310 Charmaine Pauls 2491833204 Darby 4 4.05
author: Charmaine Pauls
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, crime-mystery, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy
review:

]]> 285205 Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.]]> 292 Patricia Briggs 0441014739 Darby 5 4.30 2007
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Darby
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, suspense-thriller, 2021, kindle, series, paranormal-magic, 2023, own, audiobook, comfort-rereads, favorite-authors, favorites, 2024, chirpbooks, 2025
review:

]]> 216555788 What is a predator without his prey?

Elyse Silver was never mine to keep.

The day I saved her life, I ensured we would forever be enemies.

Hating her was easy.

Bullying her, as simple as breathing.

Stopping myself from falling for her�� I had no idea how impossible that would become.

The harder I fought, the deeper I fell.

Love and happiness have never been part of my plan, but letting Elyse go isn’t an option, either.

Unfortunately, the truth always finds a way of revealing itself, and by the time she realizes who the real predator is, it’ll be too late for her to escape the trap I’ve put her in.

** This is NOT a standalone and must be read AFTER The Prey. This is a dark romance novel that contains numerous triggers. ** ]]> 416 J.L. Beck Darby 4 4.03
author: J.L. Beck
name: Darby
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, crime-mystery, drama-romance, series, spicy
review:

]]> 145624794
French countryside, Present  Blythe Bricard is the daughter of famous fashion muses but that doesn't mean she wants to be one. She turned her back on that world, and her dreams, years ago. Fate, however, has a different plan, and Blythe will discover there is more to her iconic mother and grandmother than she ever knew. New York, 1970:  Designer Astrid Bricard arrives in bohemian Chelsea determined to change the fashion world forever. And she does―cast as muse to her lover, Hawk Jones. And when they're both invited to compete in the fashion event of the century―the Battle of Versailles―Astrid sacrifices everything to showcase her talent. But then, just as her career is about to take off, she mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind only a white silk dress.

Paris, 1917:  Parentless sixteen-year-old Mizza Bricard has made a to be remembered on her own terms. Her promise sustains her through turbulent decades and volatile couture houses until, finally, her name is remembered and a legend is born―one that proves impossible for Astrid and Blythe to distance themselves from.]]> 454 Natasha Lester 1538706954 Darby 4 4.04 2023
author: Natasha Lester
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 2025, audiobook, crime-mystery, drama-romance, historical-fiction, library
review:

]]> 43175155 This is a previously-published edition - ASIN: B07S9HLL34

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.

After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.

The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a Goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.]]> 438 Scarlett St. Clair Darby 3 3.77 2019
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: Darby
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series, spicy, scifi-fantasy
review:

]]> 71811 289 Patricia Briggs 0441013813 Darby 5 4.14 2006
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Darby
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, suspense-thriller, paranormal-magic, series, 2021, kindle, 2023, own, audiobook, comfort-rereads, 2024, 2025
review:

]]> 58081613 I was sure everything would be okay if I had them.
It wasn’t.
The fate of our people is in my hands and I know we’re better off if I’m alone.
After five years on the run, I’m caught and dragged back to face the men I ran away from.
I thought I was doing the right thing.
Now, I’m not so sure.
North, Nox, Gryphon, Atlas, and Gabe may never forgive me but one thing is for sure.
I won’t ever forgive myself.

*Broken Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.]]> 289 J. Bree Darby 4 4.13 2021
author: J. Bree
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series
review:

]]> 59561640 They hurt her.
They broke her�� broke us.

Now it’s my turn.

The need for revenge burns through my veins.
I’ll take everything from them.
I’ll hunt them down one by one.
I’ll make them pay in unimaginable ways.

No one will ever hurt her again, not even me.
The only question is, will I find my way back to Aspen before it's too late.


***The conclusion of the trilogy.***]]> 348 C. Hallman Darby 5 4.01
author: C. Hallman
name: Darby
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: 2024, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy, suspense-thriller, 2025
review:

]]> 59449827
Danger is everywhere, and not even Quinton can protect me. Someone wants me dead and they’ll do anything to achieve their goal.

I’m back to being a rat scurrying through the halls of Corium and I know it won’t be long till I’m caught in a trap.
The only question is, can I save myself this time?

This is a Dark Bully Romance, and book TWO of a trilogy. King of Corium must be read prior to Drop Dead Queen.]]> 321 C. Hallman Darby 5 4.00 2022
author: C. Hallman
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: 2024, audiobook, chirpbooks, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy, suspense-thriller, 2025
review:

]]> 131906306 From the Amazon Bestselling Jacksonville Rays Hockey Series comes a Happily Ever After novella full of spice, laughter, and so much love.

Curious to know what happened to Rachel and the guys after that fateful hockey game in LA? PUCKING EVER VOL 1 provides readers with a six-chapter peek into the future of Team Price. Bonus content in this volume spans four years after the end of PUCKING AROUND.

"Show me all the ways I'm yours."

"I would bury myself in you, wife. No beginning. No end."

"Mars, if this is your baby, please don't name him Flörp."

PUCKING EVER VOL 1 is a special collection of bonus scenes meant to be read after PUCKING AROUND. It is a spicy 'why choose' hockey romance. A list of tropes and tags can be found at the author's website.]]> 138 Emily Rath Darby 4 4.12
author: Emily Rath
name: Darby
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 201874190 The bestselling international sensation, coming soon to Netflix, now in English for the first time—a dark, sexy, haunting novel of two very damaged teens who are taken in by the same family and forced to reckon with a destructive love that could be the undoing of them both

Growing up in a ghastly orphanage run by an abusive matron, Nica coped in the only way she could—by retreating to her imagination, where she lived out fantastical stories, especially about the Tearsmith, the man who makes tears, a terrifying figure who forges all the fears that dwell in people’s hearts.

When she’s finally taken in by an adoptive family at seventeen, Nica thinks she’s leaving the group home, its torments, and her prison of otherworldly tales behind her. That is, until Rigel—a young man raised from birth in the same dreadful orphanage—joins her new family.

Rigel is as mesmerizingly handsome as he is troubled, and he and Nica have a long history of distrust and hostility. But as they come to live together again under one roof, the deep shared trauma of surviving such vicious circumstances sparks something magical, and Nica begins to fall for Rigel’s forbidden love.

Before any relationship can become reality, though, they’ll have to face the darkness of their past . . . and the dangerous stakes of pursuing a future together.]]> 576 Erin Doom 0593874382 Darby 4 3.58 2020
author: Erin Doom
name: Darby
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: 2025, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library
review:

]]> 58636533
Welcome to Corium University, where the most dangerous criminals in the world send their offspring. Assassins, mafia leaders, arms dealers and art thieves.

You name it, this college houses them.

Here nothing can touch them.

Upon arriving I knew Aspen would be here, she was the daughter of our enemy, a snake in the grass like her father. I had no intention of sparring with her. That is until she opened her pretty little mouth. One sentence and she became my next target, and a woman that I would do anything to see on her knees at my feet.

If she thought the university was the only nightmare she would have to face, she was wrong.

I was the king, and this was my kingdom.

**King of Corium is a dark romance novel, that contains dark themes, including dub-con, non-con. It is not a standalone novel.**]]> 344 C. Hallman Darby 5 3.74 2021
author: C. Hallman
name: Darby
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: 2024, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy, suspense-thriller, 2025
review:

]]> 200099046
I don’t need her. Just her complete submission��

Maybell Jacobs is the Wallflower: quiet, shy, socially awkward and hell-bent on hiding even from herself, that is until a chance encounter takes place between us.

Instantly she hates me and for good reason. I'm a walking-red-flag. Filthy rich jock, short tempered, and violent.

I can have anyone and anything I want.. except her.

Little does she know her disgust, anger, and hate for me fuels my obsession to own her, completely in every single way. 

Maybell resists, predictably... but her fight only makes her more desirable and I have plans that will lead her right into my lap and never want to leave. 

When she joins the sinful tradition put on by the elite of the town, the Hunt, I’m shocked. The pretty little thing has no idea how much danger she’s in if she decides to become my prey.

Sweet, innocent, and fragile like a flower. I'll have to be careful or risk breaking her. 

Because I’m the ultimate predator and when I play there are no rules. 

I don’t chase. I capture.

And I like to own my bait.

�� Tropes include: secret society, college, touch her and die, CNC & chasing bait fantasy ★]]> 378 J.L. Beck Darby 5 3.93 2024
author: J.L. Beck
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: 2024, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, own, series, spicy, 2025
review:

]]> 196841871 A “luminous�� (Tara Conklin) literary debut following two dreamers, one intercultural family, and the diasporic pursuit of home.

When Bonnie and Mansour meet in New York in 1968―his piercing gaze in a downtown jazz club threatening to carry her away―their connection is undeniable. Both from fractured homes, with childhoods spent crossing the Atlantic, they quickly find peace with each other. And as Mansour’s soaring Senegalese melodies continue to break new ground, keeping time with the sound of revolution and taking him and Bonnie from Paris to Rio and Switzerland, it seems as though happiness might finally be around the corner for them both.

Then Mansour goes missing. His Spanish tour was only meant to last three weeks, but three months later, he and his band have not returned. In his absence, Bonnie reckons with her memories of him, and comes to understand that the hopes of so many women―her mother and grandmother; his mother, aunt, childhood friend―rest on her perseverance. Stirred by the life growing inside her, Bonnie puts a plan in action to find him.

Spanning two decades and moving through the hotbeds of the African diaspora, They Dream in Gold is an epic yet intimate exploration of the migrant hunger for belonging and a powerful, intergenerational testament to our shared humanity, for lovers of Tara Stringfellow’s Memphis and Abi Daré’s The Girl with the Louding Voice.]]> 432 Mai Sennaar 1638931100 Darby 0 to-read 3.68
author: Mai Sennaar
name: Darby
average rating: 3.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]> 384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 Darby 4 4.19 2022
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Darby
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library
review:

]]> 60170772 In this heartfelt novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a young woman with an unforgettable voice fights for the freedom to pursue her dreams.

Iris Cooper has been singing ever since she can remember, hitting the high notes like no one else. When she is twelve, her father convinces the owner of a bar in Lake City, Texas, to let her perform, and she stuns the audience. In the ensuing years, never staying anywhere for long, father and daughter move from one dusty town to the next, her passion for music growing every time she takes the mike in another roadhouse.

But it is not an easy life for Iris with her father in charge and using her income to pay for gambling, women, and booze. When she starts to tour at age eighteen, she takes on a real manager. Yet he exploits her too, and the singers and musicians she tours with are really the only family she has. It is they who give Iris the courage to finally fly free, leave the tour, and follow her dreams.

After years of enduring the hardships of the road, exploitation, and abuse, to do what she loves, her big chance comes as her talent soars. But at the top at last, Iris still has to fight every step of the way. In The High Notes, Danielle Steel delivers an inspiring story about finding the strength to stand up for yourself and your dreams, no matter what it takes.]]> 256 Danielle Steel 198482175X Darby 4 4.24 2022
author: Danielle Steel
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chirpbooks, drama-romance, own, chick-lit
review:

]]> 58419108
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?�� text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing��.

Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.]]> 350 Lynn Painter Darby 4 3.67 2022
author: Lynn Painter
name: Darby
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library, spicy, series
review:

]]> 19286623 Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.]]> 305 Kylie Scott 1250052386 Darby 4 4.24 2014
author: Kylie Scott
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 2025, audiobook, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 60916772 I was supposed to have it all.

I’d been Prom Queen, Cheer Captain - high school’s most savage Queen Bee. I could have everything I wanted.
Except them. The freaks, the weirdos, the school’s ultimate losers: Manson, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent. Our hatred for each other couldn’t keep us apart, not even when my own mistake got Manson expelled and made me the ultimate villain to the rest of them.

One night was supposed to be enough.

I couldn’t resist forever. For one night I gave myself over to the men I wasn’t supposed to want and satisfied the darkest parts of my soul. But some things are meant to stay in the dark. One night, and it was over.

Nothing more than a game.

Now, with college behind me, our worlds collide yet again. Four men, all willing to share me as their plaything until my debt to them is paid. Another game to satiate my dark cravings, the twisted rules of which bring us all even closer than before. But games aren’t meant to last.

When the debt is paid and the game is done, what if I don’t want to walk away?

Although not required, it is recommended to read the novella, The Dare, prior to reading Losers.

This book is First Person, Multi POV.

This is an 18+ polyamorous bisexual romance between one woman and four men, including MF, MM, and group scenes. Reader discretion is strongly advised, this is a dark read. This book contains graphic sexual scenes, intense scenes of BDSM, graphic violence, and strong language. A full content note can be found in the front matter of the book.]]> 594 Harley Laroux Darby 5 4.24 2022
author: Harley Laroux
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 2025, dark, drama-romance, kindle, lgbtq, library, read-again, series, spicy, wishlist
review:

]]> 211025454 From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.�� Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.]]> 352 Fiona Davis 0593474279 Darby 4 3.91 2025
author: Fiona Davis
name: Darby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, crime-mystery, drama-romance, historical-fiction, library
review:

]]> 60909831
Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.

What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that.

STEVIE

I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.

Everything but him.]]> 603 Liz Tomforde Darby 4 3.98 2022
author: Liz Tomforde
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: 2025, audiobook, chick-lit, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 58080352
What happens when it's five against one and nowhere to run?

EMORY

They call it Blackchurch. A secluded mansion in a remote, undisclosed location where the wealthy and powerful send their misbehaving sons to cool off away from prying eyes.

Will Grayson has always been an animal, though. Reckless, wild, and someone who was never bound by a single rule other than to do exactly what he wanted. There was no way his grandfather was going risk him humiliating the family again.

Not that the last time was entirely his fault. He might’ve enjoyed backing me into corners in high school when no one was looking, so they wouldn’t catch on that Mr. Popular actually wanted a piece of that quiet, little nerd he loved to torture so much, but��

He could also be warm. And fierce in keeping me safe.

The truth is�� He has a right to hate me.

It’s all my fault. Everything.

Devils Night. The videos. The arrests.

I’m to blame for all of it.

And I regret nothing.

WILL

I never minded being locked up. I learned a long time ago that being treated like an animal gives you permission to act like one. No one has ever looked at me any other way.

Their only mistake is believing anything I do is an accident. I can sit in this house with no Internet, television, liquor, or girls, but I’ll come out of here with something far more frightening to my enemies.

A plan.

And a new pack of wolves.

I just didn’t expect one of my enemies to come to me.

I don’t know who smuggled her in or if they meant to leave her here, but I can smell her hiding in the house. She’s here.

And as the security detail leaves the supplies, the gates close, and the door to my gilded cage opens, giving me free reign of the house and grounds for another unsupervised month, I remember with a smile��

Blackchurch houses five prisoners. I’m only one of her problems.

*Nightfall is a full-length, romantic suspense suitable for readers 18+. It’s necessary to read the prior installments in the series before starting this story.]]> 752 Penelope Douglas 1952646081 Darby 4 4.30 2020
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Darby
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, dark, drama-romance, library, series, spicy
review:

]]> 200174139 White Lotus meets Kevin Wilson in this whip-smart social satire about a man who finds himself trapped on an island resort after the sun literally explodes, and suddenly must choose whether to save himself from the chaos, or help fellow guests make it off the island alive��

Vacation Checklist:  
Pack swim trunks. 
Apply sunscreen. 
Survive the apocalypse?

Professional underachiever Dan Foster is finally taking a vacation. Sure, his life has been average at best, and yeah, he’s never quite lived up to his potential. But after a few Miller Lites in paradise with his girlfriend, Mara, things are starting to look up.

Then the sun explodes.

With the island resort suddenly plunged into darkness (he really should’ve sprung for the travel insurance), Dan’s holiday goes from bad to worse when elite guests stage a coup and commandeer supplies. As temperatures drop and class tensions rise, revolution begins to brew on the island, and Dan accidentally becomes a beacon of hope for the surviving vacationers. But when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan realizes he has a choice to make.

Does he escape the island with Mara? Or does he stay and fight to become the most unlikely hero of the end of the world?

]]> 384 M.J. Wassmer 1464218021 Darby 0 to-read 3.69 2024
author: M.J. Wassmer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 133938981 “You made a bargain...
Your soul for his―and now, you are mine.��

Cate Holloway knows the unspoken rule of New Orleans: avoid the powerful Gage crime family at all costs. Of course, that was before her brother got caught in their chaos. Now Cate has no choice but to confront the dark and forbidding prince of New Orleans himself and beg for her brother’s life.

But Lachlan Gage is as lethal as he is beautiful…and the only currency he’s interested in is her soul.

Because Lachlan isn’t just some ruthless criminal. He’s fae. And he has his own secret reasons for binding her to him.

Tricked and desperate, Cate is torn between humanity and the breathtaking Otherworld. A place filled with shadows and secrets, with members of each fae court plotting against her just as her captor’s motives for trapping her become more mysterious.

And if she can’t break this sinister bargain in the next thirty days, she’ll be bound to the inscrutable yet infuriatingly tempting fae prince and his deadly world…forever.]]> 364 Geneva Lee 1649375778 Darby 4 3.97 2024
author: Geneva Lee
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: 2025, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, spicy
review:

]]> 61350994
Max Ferrara is a ruthless Mafia prince, a monster out of my worst nightmares, but it’s not his scarred face that makes him a beast. My father, the mayor, sent most of his family to prison. I’m the key to his revenge.

But my innocence sparks his obsession. The chemistry we share is undeniable, and I can’t help being drawn to the damaged criminal who watches me from the shadows. His pain calls to something deep inside me, and I’m quickly becoming addicted to his dangerous presence in my life. When other bad men threaten me, my possessive stalker proves to be my dark protector.

With every stolen kiss, I fall harder for the man who should be my most fearsome enemy. If our families discover our relationship, we’ll both suffer painful consequences.

Our love could be our ruin.

Note: This story was previously released under the title Rapture & Ruin.]]> 322 Julia Sykes Darby 3 3.85 2022
author: Julia Sykes
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: 2025, drama-romance, own, series, spicy
review:

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