AV's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 22 Apr 2025 12:59:56 -0700 60 AV's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Bridesmaid by Chance (Bridesmaid for Hire, #3)]]> 217240754
But when they are confronted with a situation where Sloane is told to fill in as a bridesmaid for one of Hudson's business partners, she comes up with an equal trade. She'll be a part of the regency wedding--corset and all--if Hudson marries her. Sloane knows the value of the trade, he needs her, and she needs his wedding ring to get her into a high-society club that will further her career.

It's an instant no from Hudson at first, but when she convinces him that no one will find out, including her brother, and he will benefit from the marriage too . . . well, Hudson finds himself saying "I do."]]> 480 Meghan Quinn 1464237816 AV 0 currently-reading 4.30 2025 Bridesmaid by Chance (Bridesmaid for Hire, #3)
author: Meghan Quinn
name: AV
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)]]> 214907249 OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD. THE SIZZLING FINALE TO THE NO 1 BESTSELLING ROMANTASY PHENOMENON!
�
Praise for
‘Nothing short of epic’Rosie Talbot, bestselling author ofSixteen Souls
‘A thrilling fantasy with the most delicious slow-burn romance� M.A. Kuzniar, bestselling author ofMidnight in Everwood
‘[A] titillating debut’�Publishers Weekly
‘A masterpiece’�ŷ Reader Review
‘Everyone needs to read it’�TikTok Review
‘The BEST book I’ve read’�NetGalley Reader Review
‘A sizzling slice of fantasy romance’�Booksellers Review

PaedynGray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya...�
�
And Paedyn hasa life-altering choice to make.Whatever she decides willdetermineher fate –and the fate of those around her –forever.�
�
In theultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?

Be swept away by the conclusion to the smash hit,dagger-to-the-throatromantasy trilogy.

Follow Lauren Roberts on TikTok and Instagram @LaurenRobertsLibrary
]]> 604 Lauren Roberts AV 2 Kai’s profound and poetry-like inner monologues got so tiresome and repetitive and Paedyn was so irritating. Don’t even get me started on the mess that was Kitt’s character assassination. And the “reveal� after the first wedding but still continuing with the second ceremony? A mess. This trilogy was so rushed and sloppy but at the same time nothing really happened. ]]> 4.33 2025 Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: AV
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:
BE SO FUCKING FOR REAL!!!!! I am so upset. I didn’t enjoy any of the books but I can say this was the WORST. Homegirl really added every trope and plot twist for shock value and called it quits.
Kai’s profound and poetry-like inner monologues got so tiresome and repetitive and Paedyn was so irritating. Don’t even get me started on the mess that was Kitt’s character assassination. And the “reveal� after the first wedding but still continuing with the second ceremony? A mess. This trilogy was so rushed and sloppy but at the same time nothing really happened.
]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)]]> 183086339
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

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

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

Be swept away by this kiss-or-kill romantasy trilogy taking the world by storm.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts AV 3 KITT WHEN I CATCH YOU! 4.07 2024 Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: AV
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:
KITT WHEN I CATCH YOU!
]]> Gifted & Talented 211004124 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.

Where there’s a will, there’s a war.

Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne.

Or at least, so they like to think.

Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You're welcome! If only her father's fortune wasn't her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud.

Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he's losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father’s approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around.

Eilidh, once the world's most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father’s company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth—by confirming she'd been his favorite all along.

On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins—but which Wren will come out on top?]]> 512 Olivie Blake 1250883407 AV 0 to-read 3.86 2025 Gifted & Talented
author: Olivie Blake
name: AV
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)]]> 214151316
Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.

But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.

Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war with their Round Table fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick is detained by the Order’s Merlins, he invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to convene at the Northern Keep and grant him an audience. No one knows what he will demand of them...or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.

As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.]]> 656 Tracy Deonn 1665951907 AV 0 currently-reading 4.40 2025 Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: AV
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)]]> 60021196
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.

Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.

Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

Two curses.
One prophecy.
A reckoning all have feared.

And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stalking the Jack the Ripper series comes the steamy conclusion to Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy.]]> 401 Kerri Maniscalco 0316341886 AV 1 dnf 3.89 2022 Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: AV
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/10/14
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF - at 75%: This whole series was the biggest waste of my time and I’m actually so angry. I put up with a lot but enough is enough
]]> <![CDATA[Dream Girl Drama (Big Shots, #3)]]> 213651279 A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1New York Timesbestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more�


]]> 320 Tessa Bailey 0063424797 AV 0 dnf 3.57 2025 Dream Girl Drama (Big Shots, #3)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF at 49% - They were literally insufferable. I was willing to put up with their stupidity and co-dependence from the very beginning but this man was spending all his money PLUS selling illegal memorabilia to afford this spoiled rich girl’s lifestyle (who was gonna be his stepsister at the ripe age of 25/28 I think) meanwhile she was spending the money on expensive eye cream without a second thought. Like this woman literally didn’t even know what laundry detergent was??? And he thought that was so cute and quirky?? BYE!
]]> <![CDATA[These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)]]> 50892212
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.]]> 449 Chloe Gong 1534457690 AV 0 dnf 3.82 2020 These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)
author: Chloe Gong
name: AV
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2021/10/15
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF - at 65%. It had a lot of potential but I just couldn’t get into it
]]> <![CDATA[The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)]]> 55240343 She's been the victim and the survivor�

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior�

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms� dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate�

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen.]]> 645 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457254 AV 0 dnf
I’ll read it some other time ]]> 4.11 2021 The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: AV
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2021/10/01
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF - I literally don’t know what’s going on at all.

I’ll read it some other time
]]> Happenstance 62656404 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer comes a romantic comedy about an accidental relationship between three smitten men...and one commitment phobic woman.

Elise Brandeis has never won a Pulitzer—and she never will. At least not while she’s delivering sandwiches at the Gotham Times, instead of working there as an actual reporter. Her only shot at seeing her byline in print is to prove to the no nonsense managing editor that she has a nose for news. And she’s got just the story to grab her elusive attention.

Right after she delivers this turkey on ciabatta.

Chasing down leads brings Elise to Roosevelt Island, but just when the trail of clues begins to take shape, she gets stuck. Literally. On a cable car with three strangers who couldn’t be more different. An uptight rugby coach, a construction worker and a former adult film star she pretends not to recognize a little too well.

At first, Elise wants nothing more than to be rescued ASAP.

An hour later, everything has changed. By pure happenstance, four separate journeys have collided in an intense, meaningful way. Suddenly, disentangling their lives feels more impossible than winning that Pulitzer. Good thing Elise is too busy proving herself at work to consider three boyfriends. Nobody has time for that—even if they make giving in feel oh so right. But three heads are better than one and these loners will teach themselves to work together to win Elise over forever�

And more importantly, keep their dirty socks off her floor.]]> 321 Tessa Bailey AV 1 dnf I’ve come to realize that RHs are not for me, but all the other ones I’ve started I have managed to finish. I love Tessa and she tends to write good stories with good smut but I just couldn’t read anymore without rolling my eyes at the absurdities of this story. ]]> 3.27 2022 Happenstance
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/11/29
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF - 36%. I love Tessa but what in the actual HELL was this??? I hate instalove but this was something else! You mean to tell me this commitment-phobe, average-looking, incredibly weird and annoying sandwich-cart girl had not one, not two, but THREE highly attractive, successful and rich men literally OBSESSED and lusting after to the point of stalking her after 3 minutes stuck together in a tram???? Did I mention one of them is a pornstar!!!! And just like that, after that one meeting, these men decide to be in a poly relationship??? I don’t think so. NOPE!
I’ve come to realize that RHs are not for me, but all the other ones I’ve started I have managed to finish. I love Tessa and she tends to write good stories with good smut but I just couldn’t read anymore without rolling my eyes at the absurdities of this story.
]]> A Little Life 22822858
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride.Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.]]> 720 Hanya Yanagihara 0385539258 AV 2 dnf
If you've read and liked this, are you okay?

Stopped reading on a happy-ish chapter so it gets two stars]]> 4.28 2015 A Little Life
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: AV
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/19
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF - for my mental health.

If you've read and liked this, are you okay?

Stopped reading on a happy-ish chapter so it gets two stars
]]> <![CDATA[Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights, #2)]]> 44084762 Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.�

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.]]> 494 Chloe Gong 1529344565 AV 0 postponed 4.29 2021 Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights, #2)
author: Chloe Gong
name: AV
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash, #6)]]> 58483123 And from the blood and ash, new gods will rise.

In the thrilling penultimate chapter of the viral BLOOD AND ASH series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, Poppy and Casteel face their most perilous challenges yet as old enemies rise and ancient powers stir from their slumber.

Bound by love but driven by destiny, they must navigate a world on the brink of
devastation—where every choice has deadly consequences. With their bond tested and their future hanging in the balance, the fate of the realm rests on the strength of their hearts and the power of the Deminyen.]]> Jennifer L. Armentrout AV 0 postponed 4.34 2025 The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash, #6)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: AV
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood and Ash, #5)]]> 63847274 Only his memories can save her�

A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone—the true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come.

But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice, though—something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.

And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process. But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. But this time, Hawke gets to tell the tale.]]> 712 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1957568461 AV 0 postponed 3.88 2023 A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood and Ash, #5)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: AV
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4)]]> 57815107 From the desperation of golden crowns�

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh�

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises�

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.]]> 628 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457726 AV 0 postponed 4.02 2022 The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: AV
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catcher If You Can (Big Shots, #5)]]> 223922841 Big Shots Book #5 Tessa Bailey AV 0 postponed 5.00 2026 Catcher If You Can (Big Shots, #5)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)]]> 222658358 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating sports romance about a playboy hockey rookie and the disciplined softball pitcher completely immune to his charms.

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor� is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?]]> 336 Tessa Bailey 0063380838 AV 0 postponed 4.20 2025 Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Business Casual (Lovelight, #4)]]> 199252912 Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities.But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.]]> 384 B.K. Borison 0593641175 AV 0 postponed 4.10 2024 Business Casual (Lovelight, #4)
author: B.K. Borison
name: AV
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> Mixed Signals (Lovelight, #3) 121764710
She’s waded through all of the fish in the sea, each one more disappointing than the last. Apparently owning the bakery at Inglewild’s most romantic destination does not help one’s love life—despite her best efforts. All she wants is a partner who gives her butterflies, not someone who ghosts her at dinner and leaves her with the check.

Good thing Caleb Alvarez has the perfect solution.

After saving Layla from another date gone bad, he has a simple proposition: One month of no-strings dating. He’ll do his best to renew her faith in men while she rates his dating game. It’s a win-win situation. All the benefits of dating, without the added pressure of feelings and unmet expectations.

But there’s one ingredient they haven’t considered. The chemistry between them is red hot and the urge to take things to the next level is more tempting than Layla’s double fudge mocha brownies.

Will the heat between them boil over? Or will it be another case of mixed signals?

Mixed Signals is a sweet and steamy small-town romance. Our story features a bashful man who can rock a Hawaiian shirt, a hopeful and dreamy bakery owner, enough sweets to give you a cavity, and your favorite Inglewild residents. Mixed Signals is a standalone romance and the third book in the Lovelight series, a collection of interconnected novels.]]> 335 B.K. Borison 0593641167 AV 0 postponed 3.90 2022 Mixed Signals (Lovelight, #3)
author: B.K. Borison
name: AV
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> In the Weeds (Lovelight, #2) 122494718
Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.

Also, her eyes. And her legs.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is � confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James. When she disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally forget her and move on.

But Evelyn St. James has a problem.

Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, she’s trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy, Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.

Nothing at all.

In The Weeds is a sweet and steamy second-chance romance about finding your happiness. It features a grumpy farmer, a no-nonsense social media influencer, a small town of busybodies, and four very cute kittens. In The Weeds is a standalone romance and is part of the Lovelight series.]]> 334 B.K. Borison 0593641140 AV 0 postponed 3.74 2022 In the Weeds (Lovelight, #2)
author: B.K. Borison
name: AV
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shattered Gods (Dark Olympus, #10)]]> 209116944 Katee Robert AV 0 postponed 5.00 Shattered Gods (Dark Olympus, #10)
author: Katee Robert
name: AV
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tender Cruelty (Dark Olympus, #9)]]> 209116174 Zeus &amp; Hera's book. Katee Robert AV 0 postponed 4.67 2025 Tender Cruelty (Dark Olympus, #9)
author: Katee Robert
name: AV
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweet Obsession (Dark Olympus, #8)]]> 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 AV 0 postponed 3.73 2025 Sweet Obsession (Dark Olympus, #8)
author: Katee Robert
name: AV
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> Kiss the Villain (Villain #1) 220287670 From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a scorching standalone professor/student dark MM romance set in the world of Legacy of Gods.

My darkness meets a darker soul.

I’m a golden boy.
A genius law student, the heir to the Carson empire, and the dutiful son.
Or, at least, that's what it looks like from the outside.
Deep inside, I have the urge to set the world on fire.
I keep these impulses in check, rarely indulging in mayhem.
Until one night of debauchery backfires, and I'm caught by a villain.
I bury the entire ordeal with the rest of my skeletons.
That is, until that night walks into my classroom in the form of my new professor.
Kayden Lockwood.
A criminal who’s teaching criminal law.
I can't expose what he's done without unmasking my secret life.
What I can do, however, is force him to taste the poison he gave me.
In the clash of titans, Kayden and I break and crumble.
And I'm starting to realize this dangerous game may have no winners.

Kiss the Villain is a dark MM romance. Please check the author's note or visit the website for content warnings before diving in. While this book can be enjoyed as a standalone, diving into the Legacy of Gods series will give you a deeper connection to the characters.]]> 514 Rina Kent AV 0 postponed 4.16 2025 Kiss the Villain (Villain #1)
author: Rina Kent
name: AV
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sparrow and Vine (Sparrow and Vine #1)]]> 221735272 From USA Today bestselling author Sophie Lark comes the first in a brand new arranged marriage series about a woman who has to marry a man from a rival family in order for them to secure their portion of an inheritance.

The wedding that never was�

Sadie Sparrow loves the beautiful overgrown winery of Sparrow and Vine. It's her family home, and she's willing to do anything to inherit it: even marry her worst enemy. It's the only possible solution. Or at least, Monroe Beaumont makes it seem that way when he corners Sadie with his offer. Intimidation is what Monroe does best for the pack of pirates he calls brothers. And after all…somebody has to get married to unlock the family trust.

Sadie's sisters are furious. They're sure that everything they love is about to be stolen from them by Beaumonts. But Sadie's the one who actually has to live with one of them. The biggest one…who smells like cinnamon and insists on sharing a bed� Sadie's always known she'd have to fight for Sparrow and Vine. She just didn't know she'd be fighting her own husband...]]> 319 Sophie Lark 1464248958 AV 0 postponed 3.69 Sparrow and Vine (Sparrow and Vine #1)
author: Sophie Lark
name: AV
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fallen Men #9 (The Fallen Men, #9)]]> 60600816 Giana Darling AV 0 postponed 3.79 The Fallen Men #9 (The Fallen Men, #9)
author: Giana Darling
name: AV
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Asking for Trouble (The Fallen Men, #8)]]> 214629217 An MC romance about a girl hiding from her past and the biker who becomes her unlikely saviour�

When four thugs show up at Evergreen Gas Station with cocked shotguns and masked faces, it could have ended in the worst night of my life.

Instead, a gorgeous mystery man in leather, silver, and too many tattoos strolls into the middle of the robbery and becomes my unlikely saviour with a tarnished halo.

Only, what seemed like a random hold-up at first turns into something far more complicated and Aaron Clare isn’t the type of man to leave a woman in distress. Despite my vow not get into trouble again, I find myself following the man dubbed ‘Boner� into a night of danger and delicious debauchery with long-reaching consequences.

*A standalone in The Fallen Men Series.*]]> 319 Giana Darling AV 0 postponed 4.10 Asking for Trouble (The Fallen Men, #8)
author: Giana Darling
name: AV
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> Blood Mercy (Blood Grace, #1) 59760653 One human. One immortal. Will their alliance save the kingdom, or will their forbidden love be a death sentence?

When Cassia seeks out a Hesperine, he could end her mortal life in a heartbeat. But she has no fear of his magic or his fangs. She knows the real monster is the human king, her father. If he finds out she’s bargaining with his enemy, he’ll send her to the executioner.

As a Hesperine diplomat, Lio must negotiate with mortals who hate him. Cassia is different, but politics aren't why she captivates the gentle immortal. He wants more than her blood, and if he can’t resist the temptation, he’ll provoke the war he's trying to prevent.

Blood and Ash fans will love this slow-burn, steamy romance with classic fantasy worldbuilding. Follow fated mates Cassia and Lio through their epic love story for a guaranteed series HEA.

New edition featuring a fantasy world map, glossary of lore and characters, enhanced opening chapter, and all-new cover artwork]]> 767 Vela Roth 1957040009 AV 0 postponed 3.93 2018 Blood Mercy (Blood Grace, #1)
author: Vela Roth
name: AV
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: postponed
review:

]]> Summer in the City 216406487 From #1New York Timesbestselling author Alex Aster comes her adult debut novelSummer in the City—a swoony, fast-paced rom-com set in New York City in which a screenwriter and a sexy tech CEO go from lovers to enemies and back to lovers again�

Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer.

In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford (floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline views, and a new coffee shop to haunt included). It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor� Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. It’s been a lovers-to-enemies situation ever since.

When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes her enemy/twisted muse might just be the key to finishing her screenplay... if she can stand being around her polar opposite. She writes anonymously, and he’s on the cover of every business magazine. He frequents fancy red carpeted events, and she doesn’t like leaving her emotional support five block radius.

One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city.

Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise.

Until it isn’t.]]> 300 Alex Aster 0063411687 AV 2 3.92 2025 Summer in the City
author: Alex Aster
name: AV
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:
The FMC pissed me off the whole book but I was willing to put up with her and her attitude for Parker but the last few chapters (chapter 30 bitch? At 88%??!! GTFO) were such a mess. Girl was off her rocker on that one!!
]]> <![CDATA[Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)]]> 59365195
All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new: A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion. But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected. When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.]]> 576 Tracy Deonn 1534441638 AV 4 4.31 2022 Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: AV
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Merit (Treasure State Wildcats, #4)]]> 216002501
It’s not exactly easy to escape your childhood nemesis when your parents are best friends who live on the same block. Through countless vacations, parties and holidays, Maverick and I have spent the past decade trading insults.

Until that family dinner when his mother tells us she’s dying. When she asks us to forget the past and start fresh. That’s how I found myself on a date with the Treasure State Wildcats football star. The campus playboy. The boy I kissed when I was three. The man who is the bane of my existence.

He’s arrogant. He’s blunt. He’s too handsome for his own good. But if he has a single, redeeming merit, the guy sure does love his mom. And that’s why I started fake dating Maverick Houston. That’s why I made him a proposition of my own. That’s how this sham of a relationship ruined my life.

The world loves Maverick Houston. Me? I hate that he made me love him too.]]> 354 Devney Perry AV 3 4.29 2025 Merit (Treasure State Wildcats, #4)
author: Devney Perry
name: AV
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Say You'll Remember Me (Part of Your World, #4)]]> 216437557 disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

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

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 AV 4 4.14 2025 Say You'll Remember Me (Part of Your World, #4)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: AV
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)]]> 209753199 The first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally � such is the grim comedy of fate � the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Romance tropes
Enemies to lovers
High interaction slow burn
Hypercompetent idiots
He falls first and harder
Evisceration as a love language]]> 416 Brigitte Knightley 0356524736 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.19 2025 The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)
author: Brigitte Knightley
name: AV
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1)]]> 50892338
A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn� students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin� and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.]]> 502 Tracy Deonn 1534441603 AV 4 4.32 2020 Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: AV
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:

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

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

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

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

Once he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.]]> 352 Rosie Danan 0593437179 AV 2 3.99 2025 Fan Service
author: Rosie Danan
name: AV
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece but I did expect more
]]> The Winners (Beartown, #3) 60318890
As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?]]> 671 Fredrik Backman AV 3 4.45 2022 The Winners (Beartown, #3)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: AV
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
Not bad, just too slow and drawn out. Too many new characters make it hard to stay invested, while some original ones don’t get the attention they deserve. And the story drags and feels repetitive.
]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 382 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 AV 5 favorites-2025 OH BOY! SC has always said she only writes when she has something to say and she was not kidding with this one.]]> 4.63 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: AV
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: favorites-2025
review:
“You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?�
OH BOY! SC has always said she only writes when she has something to say and she was not kidding with this one.
]]> <![CDATA[On Wings of Blood (Bloodwing Academy, #1)]]> 210428052 What do you get if you mix Harry Potter with Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, a dash of Arthurian legend, and lots and lots of vampires? Bloodwing Academy.

I didn't sign up for this.

A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That's a recipe for torment.

I'm Medra Pendragon—last of the dragon riders, or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn't stopped the vampires from deciding I'm worth capturing. Now I'm stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything and blightborn like me? We're just blood in their veins, pawns in their games.

But that's not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow. Cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He's been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we're betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I'm not going down without a fight.

Bloodwing isn't just a school—it's a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you're weak? You're dead.

Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I'm starting to think the real danger isn't the academy—it's what I'm becoming in this twisted game of power.

And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge.

They think they can control me. They think they can use me.

But they have no idea what they've awakened.


Bestselling epic fantasy author Briar Boleyn returns with a new series perfect for fans of hate to love romance, heart-pounding action, and dark magic.

On Wings of Blood is a dark academia fantasy romance featuring a bully villain with Draco Malfoy energy who (eventually) gets the girl, all the tension and banter, and a tantalizingly dangerous blend of court and school intrigue all set in an intricately crafted world with unique vampire and dragon lore. Bloodwing Academy may have crossover characters from the world of Blood of a Fae, but can be read completely independently. If you're a fan of original mythology, unique world-building, and character-driven romantasy books such as Crowns of Nyaxia, From Blood and Ash, and A Court of Thorns and Roses, you won't want to miss out on this riveting new saga. ]]> 523 Briar Boleyn AV 0 to-read 4.01 2024 On Wings of Blood (Bloodwing Academy, #1)
author: Briar Boleyn
name: AV
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)]]> 209741142 A spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures.

Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods ...

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.]]> 688 Keri Lake AV 0 to-read 4.14 2024 Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)
author: Keri Lake
name: AV
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Us Against You (Beartown, #2) 36373463
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1501160796 AV 4 4.34 2017 Us Against You (Beartown, #2)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: AV
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:
“don’t let the bastards see you cry� - ok but I’m emotionally drained from stress and the constant suffering of all these characters, please I can’t take it anymore.
]]> The Fall Risk 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 AV 4 4.12 2025 The Fall Risk
author: Abby Jimenez
name: AV
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Nocticadia 136470356 A dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love.

Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.]]> 682 Keri Lake AV 4 4.22 2023 Nocticadia
author: Keri Lake
name: AV
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Beartown (Beartown, #1) 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]> 432 Fredrik Backman AV 5 favorites-2025 4.27 2016 Beartown (Beartown, #1)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: AV
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: favorites-2025
review:
Went into this knowing absolutely nothing and expecting it to be a silly funny book about hockey but I was GUTTED!! From prev. experience with his books, I should’ve known.
]]> <![CDATA[Story of My Life (Story Lake, #1)]]> 220797170 THE ALL-NEW SMALL-TOWN ROMCOM FROM LUCY SCORE.

˥️˥️˥️˥️˥️

Hazel is given a one-two punch when she's forced to move out of her Upper East Side apartment and is given a final warning from her publisher.

If she doesn't turn in a book by her next deadline, they're cutting her loose.

Hazel rashly decides to leave what's left of her city life behind and impulse buys a house in rural Pennsylvania sight unseen. How better to entertain the loyal readers she still has and rediscover her writing mojo than immersing herself in small-town life?

Too bad this town looks to be on its last legs. At least she's finding swoon-worthy inspiration from her hot, grumpy contractor Cam and his animal-rescuing, community-involved family. It's all just research. What could go wrong?

˥️˥️˥️˥️˥️
A note from the author: This series is my love letter to every reader who said they wanted to move to a fictional town . . . ]]> 605 Lucy Score 1399726951 AV 0 to-read 4.26 2025 Story of My Life (Story Lake, #1)
author: Lucy Score
name: AV
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3) 217271595
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.

The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.

I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.

He’s not at all who I thought he was.

And that makes hating my husband so much harder� and loving him just a little too easy.]]> 464 Elsie Silver 1464237522 AV 3 4.15 2025 Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: AV
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
If Elsie Silver writes, I read. But this one just fell short :/
]]> <![CDATA[A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea, #2)]]> 56233551 The epic conclusion to the #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal; the gritty fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

She's had her tea, now she's out for blood.

White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public calls for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.

Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, but it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time � and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.

In Ceylan.

After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea, Arthie and her crew still have plenty of hearts to break and crimson-red secrets to uncover. Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.]]> 352 Hafsah Faizal 1529097118 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.23 2025 A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea, #2)
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: AV
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)]]> 228691356 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]> 416 Ali Hazelwood AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.62 2025 Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: AV
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4) 227948548 Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.

It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad.

A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.

One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy.

Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try.

He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.

But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.

We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this.

But then again…following the rules never has been my strong suit.]]> Elsie Silver 1464247862 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.26 2025 Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: AV
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lovelight Farms (Lovelight, #1)]]> 61280442 Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

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

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.]]> 416 B.K. Borison AV 2 3.94 2021 Lovelight Farms (Lovelight, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: AV
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:
Call me a hater but I was so bored� to the point that I don’t even want to finish the rest of the series
]]> <![CDATA[This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom #1)]]> 56554281 Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this is the explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.]]> 512 Tahereh Mafi 0062972464 AV 0 to-read 3.95 2022 This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: AV
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)]]> 205335957
Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.]]> 400 Rachel Gillig 0356522962 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.61 2025 The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: AV
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)]]> 123009515 In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.]]> 458 Rachel Gillig 0316312886 AV 5 favorites-2025 4.50 2023 Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: AV
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: favorites-2025
review:
TOP TIER QUALITY! The world-building, the characters, the storyline, the romance, everything. Ugh so fucking good.
]]> <![CDATA[Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)]]> 127616032 Discover the serial killer romance series everyone is talking about!From the no.1 New York Times bestselling author of the genre-breaking international TikTok sensation Butcher & Blackbird and Leather & Lark comes the final book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy - a friends-with-benefits dark romantic comedy.

Murder.

Mayhem.

And spice.

Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiance and his derailed surgical career. It's a simpler head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.

But then the real circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with the Silveria Circus, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder when she's not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with an injured leg, Rose finds herself stuck in Nebraska, at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.

***


Friends with benefits
Small town romance
Fish out of water
Forced proximity
Hurt/care
Touch her and die]]> 416 Brynne Weaver AV 2 4.10 2025 Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: AV
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
I HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE SHACKLES!!
]]> Mate (Bride, #2) 228256271 A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…]]> 432 Ali Hazelwood 0593955013 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.41 2025 Mate (Bride, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: AV
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[1984: An Audible Original adaptation]]> 211864049 From the age of solitude and doublethink.
From the age of Big Brother.
From me, Winston Smith.
Greetings.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Starring Andrew Garfield as Winston, Cynthia Erivo as Julia, Andrew Scott as the alluring, mysterious O’Brien, and featuring Tom Hardy as Big Brother, Audible presents a new dramatization of George Orwell’s classic tale. An immersive listening experience like none you’ve heard before, at a time when it has all never felt more chillingly relevant.

Featuring a haunting original score composed by Muse’s lead singer and songwriter Matthew Bellamy and Ilan Eshkeri, recorded by the London Metropolitan Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, the production is directed by BAFTA Award winner Destiny Ekaragha, produced in Dolby Atmos by Granny Eats Wolf, and dramatised by Olivier Award nominated writer Joe White.

Also starring Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther and Katie Leung.

Featuring Ian Abeysekera, Rachel Atkins, Grace Baker, Joanna Brookes, Clare Corbett, Doug Devaney, Imogen Front, Sam Garioch, Raj Ghatak, Frances Jeater, Mason Moore, Yasmin Mwanza, Harry Myers, Kaelum Nelson, John Sackville, Sienna Sangha, Sam Stafford, Jo Troy, Jenny White, Sarah Whitehouse & Alix Wilton Regan

This adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 is an immersive listening experience, containing scenes that some may find uncomfortable. Listener discretion is advised.

Available in Dolby Atmos.]]> 336 Joe White AV 5 favorites-2024 THIS WAS THE MOST CHILLING AND DISTURBING EXPERIENCE OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS EVER! ]]> 4.28 2024 1984: An Audible Original adaptation
author: Joe White
name: AV
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/05
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: favorites-2024
review:
I WANT THIS AUDIO ADAPTATION INJECTED INTO MY VEINS!
THIS WAS THE MOST CHILLING AND DISTURBING EXPERIENCE OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS EVER!
]]> <![CDATA[Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)]]> 127611580
And they can’t stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomesimpossible to discerntheirfake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.
There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood.]]> 416 Brynne Weaver 0349441588 AV 3 3.98 2024 Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: AV
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
I had this man all wrong!!! He was the sweetest, most patient man with a wicked mouth that had me blushing
]]> <![CDATA[Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)]]> 196864520

The viral TikTok friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice—unlike anything you’ve read before—now available in all bookstores.


When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of like-minded, pitch-black souls. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.


But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

]]> 360 Brynne Weaver AV 3 4.00 2023 Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: AV
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Pursuit (Black Rose Auction, #1)]]> 200599873
For three days, the doors to this luxe New York estate are thrown wide for anyone with a taste for the obscenely rich, the ultra-exclusive, and the once in a lifetime thrill of the forbidden: where nothing is off the table and everything―and everyone―can be had for the taking.

In WICKED PURSUIT by Katee Robert, a Little Red Riding Hood remix, a mob princess with a taste for doing things she shouldn't acquires a stalker who will kill anyone who touches what's his...]]> Katee Robert AV 0 to-read 3.78 2025 Wicked Pursuit (Black Rose Auction, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: AV
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood AV 2 3.94 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: AV
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves:
review:
I felt like a scholar knowing all the swimming, diving and kink terms but I was bored out of my mind. Where was the angst? Was the bdsm in the room with us? Why was the OW always part of their “relationship�? Did Scarlett even have a backbone or did she lose it during her injury too?
]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

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

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 AV 4 4.26 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: AV
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:

]]> One Life Stand 223928225 Hannah Bonam-Young 2371267449 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 0.0 One Life Stand
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: AV
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

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

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

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

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

But as their temporary arrangement blossoms into something deeper, Prue and Milo discover that getting out of their comfort zones is one thing . . . taking that leap together is something else entirely.]]> Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871898 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.33 2025 People Watching
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: AV
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> Next of Kin (Next, #1) 107525389
Enter Warren, a surly mechanic’s apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother after failing CPS� housing evaluation. The two strangers immediately clash but agree to live together until Warren can find housing elsewhere and Chloe can further grow her freelance career.

As their lives intertwine, Chloe and Warren both realise that they’re far more similar than they could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural—and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but they must each decide if what burns between them is worth risking their arrangement and, ultimately, the well-being of their siblings.

With banter, heart, and steam that will have the reader blushing, Next of Kin is a true underdog story of two young adults redefining what family can look like.]]> 295 Hannah Bonam-Young AV 0 to-read 3.71 2022 Next of Kin (Next, #1)
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: AV
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Out of the Woods 209220944
But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.]]> 336 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871863 AV 5 favorites-2025 3.99 2025 Out of the Woods
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: AV
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: favorites-2025
review:
Utterly beautiful. This healed parts of me I didn’t even know needed healing.
]]> The Love Haters 217387810 It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch� Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.]]> 320 Katherine Center 1250283825 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.02 2025 The Love Haters
author: Katherine Center
name: AV
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 AV 3 4.18 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: AV
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:
I feel like the majority of this book was just filler� that whole quest to the islands and what not was so long and I wish she would’ve at least given us a map or something. This story is dragging now but see y’all again in two years!
]]> <![CDATA[The Path to Loving Him (Almond Bay, #3)]]> 220239464 From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a new forced proximity, single dad romantic comedy. This steamy, laugh out loud, enemies-to-lovers, small town standalone romance delivers the perfect happily ever after.

What does one do when they completely blow an interview?
If you're me, you pick up a one-night stand with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen..

That's right, after a lousy interview that could have changed everything for me, I headed over to the local small town bar to sulk when the one man I shouldn't want walked in. And when my friend convinced me to take him back to my hotel room, I didn't think about it, I just did it . . . well, I did him.

It was an unforgettable night, but I didn't stay for breakfast. Instead, I got out of there and tried not to think about him again.

Everything was fine until I received a call from the interviewer saying I got the job as the assistant baseball coach at Almond Bay High. I'd be working directly under the one and only Ryland Rowley--my one-night stand.

Now, I'm not only working with him but renting the apartment above his garage. And I have to deal with the fact that he's the man I dream about and can't have while not letting my attraction get in the way of keeping the harmony between us. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

It should have been, except the plan falls apart when my shower breaks, and night after night I have to slip into his house to use the bathroom only to find him in the kitchen, staring me down with those hungry, single dad eyes.]]> 460 Meghan Quinn AV 4 4.26 The Path to Loving Him (Almond Bay, #3)
author: Meghan Quinn
name: AV
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
God I love a tortured (uncle) dad
]]> Burning Daylight 222912960 From #1 New York Time bestselling author Emily McIntire comes the first interconnected standalone in an all new contemporary romance series.

Juliette Calloway lives in a world of luxury, legacies, and lies. The daughter of Rosebrook Falls� most powerful family, her life is a carefully crafted performance, and she’s tired of being polished to perfection.

Roman Montgomery doesn’t exist. Not officially, anyway. He’s a shadow, a hidden weapon, the secret heir to an empire soaked in danger and a generations-old feud.

When their paths cross, sparks fly.
No names.
No pasts.

Just reckless smiles and an undeniable chemistry neither of them can shake.

Roman is charming. Mysterious. Infuriatingly flirty.

And Juliette? She’s simply�his.

When Roman is called back to claim his place as heir to the Montgomery empire, the truth crashes down: Their families are sworn enemies, and Roman’s very existence is a threat. Their love isn’t just forbidden, it’s impossible.

Now, every kiss feels like a betrayal. Every stolen moment a risk. And in a town built on secrets and blood, their passion might just be the most dangerous thing of all.


*Burning Daylight is a Contemporary Romance. It features mature themes and content that may be triggering for some. Reader Discretion is Advised. For a full list of content warnings, check the author's website.* ]]> Emily McIntire AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.92 Burning Daylight
author: Emily McIntire
name: AV
average rating: 4.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> How to End a Love Story 63247365
“Emotional, relatable and binge-worthy." –Tessa Bailey

“I’ll read anything she writes. An absolute star." –Emily Henry

“I was hooked on the very first page. Don't miss this one!" � Carley Fortune

Two writers with a complicated history end up working on the same TV show. Can they write themselves a new ending? A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.

Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers� room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except�

Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can’t pass up.

Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all.

When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet� the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present.]]> 384 Yulin Kuang AV 4 favorites-2025 3.61 2024 How to End a Love Story
author: Yulin Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: favorites-2025
review:
I did struggle a little bit to get into the story at the beginning but let me tell you the non-sexual physical touch was the SLUTTIEST thing I’ve ever read!!
]]> Untitled (The Empyrean, #4) 204802999 Rebecca Yarros AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.43 Untitled (The Empyrean, #4)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: AV
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> Swept Away 215805795 Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.]]> 384 Beth O'Leary 0593640144 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 3.66 2025 Swept Away
author: Beth O'Leary
name: AV
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Smitten, Twice Shy (The Wilmot Sisters, #3)]]> 212294418 Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she's presented with the chance to revisit romance-purely for practice-with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.

Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn't on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.

Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they're the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.]]> 384 Chloe Liese 0593441540 AV 3 3.78 2025 Once Smitten, Twice Shy (The Wilmot Sisters, #3)
author: Chloe Liese
name: AV
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Happy Ending 223610916 Chloe Liese AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 3.00 2026 Happy Ending
author: Chloe Liese
name: AV
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 AV 3 4.07 2025 Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)
author: Sarah Adams
name: AV
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Promise Me Sunshine 214269328 Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again� list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.]]> 416 Cara Bastone 0593595734 AV 0 to-read 4.24 2025 Promise Me Sunshine
author: Cara Bastone
name: AV
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)]]> 45857086 The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?]]> 622 R.F. Kuang 0008339147 AV 3 4.29 2020 The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:
I’m so mad! are you kidding me???
]]> <![CDATA[The Drowning Faith (The Poppy War, #2.5)]]> 55927316
It is recommended to be read after the first 5 chapters of The Burning God (Book #3).]]> 15 R.F. Kuang AV 3 4.52 2020 The Drowning Faith (The Poppy War, #2.5)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:
Nezha I can’t defend you but I get it!
]]> What Happens in Amsterdam 217245608 Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she'll actually get it.

Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa.As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it's worth taking a risk on a second chance.]]> 384 Rachel Lynn Solomon 0593548558 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.12 2025 What Happens in Amsterdam
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: AV
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)]]> 41212753
With no other options, Rin joins forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who has a plan to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new Republic. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.

But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance

The sequel to R.F. Kuang’s acclaimed debut THE POPPY WAR, THE DRAGON REPUBLIC combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating effect.]]> 654 R.F. Kuang 0062662635 AV 3 This was 40% Rin being manipulated by leaders, 30% reliving the trauma of being mistreated and controlled by prev. leaders, 20% war tactics, 5% grasping at romance, and 5% Rin finally growing a backbone at the end. ]]> 4.36 2019 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
Could’ve been 200 pages shorter AT LEAST.
This was 40% Rin being manipulated by leaders, 30% reliving the trauma of being mistreated and controlled by prev. leaders, 20% war tactics, 5% grasping at romance, and 5% Rin finally growing a backbone at the end.
]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 AV 4 favorites-2024 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: favorites-2024
review:
I applaud R.F. Kuang for the amount of research she put into this novel
]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

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

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

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 AV 3 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: AV
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:
It was so frustrating to witness Rin, who initially just wanted to rise above her circumstances, gradually lose her humanity/morality and become fully consumed by vengeance and rage.
]]> <![CDATA[Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1)]]> 123257687
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.]]> 342 Hannah Nicole Maehrer 1649375808 AV 0 to-read 3.88 2023 Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1)
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: AV
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)]]> 59986018 Er ist ihr Erzfeind � und der einzige, der ihr helfen kann, ihre Welt zu retten.

Um ihre sterbende Schwester zu retten, schließt die verzweifelte Dianna einen lebenslang bindenden als erste Offizierin des gefürchteten und gefährlichen Unterweltboss Kaden befehligt sie seine Armee aus grausamen Monstern, Gestaltwandlern, Vampiren und Hexen. Als Kaden die Herrschaft des gesamten Reiches an sich reißen will, muss Dianna für ihn eine uralte Reliquie beschaffen. Diese soll sich ausgerechnet im Besitz des Gottes Samkiel befinden, Diannas Erzfeind, der das Reich seit tausenden Jahren besetzt hält. Doch als sie Samkiel begegnet, muss sie eine Wahl treffen, die alles verändern wird �Die fesselnd-düstere, spicy Dark Fantasy mit Slow-Burn-Liebesgeschichte sowie den Tropes Enemies-to-Lovers und Forced Proximity endlich auf Deutsch!]]> 572 Amber V. Nicole AV 0 to-read 4.07 2022 The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)
author: Amber V. Nicole
name: AV
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wreck the Halls 75663742 A sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert�

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life� and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.]]> 351 Tessa Bailey 0063308304 AV 2 3.34 2023 Wreck the Halls
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
Their names were Beat and Melody, need I say more?
]]> <![CDATA[Torment: Part One (The Bleeding Hearts, #1)]]> 55781834
How did I get here?
Broken, bruised, and mentally shattered.

For most of my life, my older stepbrother, Shay, was my hero, my rock, and my best friend. The one I knew I could always rely on.

For many years, I accepted everyone and everything around me. But as I grew up, the veil was lifted, and I slowly came to understand how f*cked up it all really is. These men, who I considered uncles and close family friends, are members of the dominant MC, The Celtic Beasts. Shay is not only a proud member. He is the one they send in to do their dirty work. For some reason, this tough, muscled, terrifying guy, needs me to ground and comfort him.

But I have always had bigger plans. Bigger dreams. I don’t want to be trapped here, in this life that is dark, bloody and violent. I want to get out, escape� but Shay has other plans for me.

What do you do when your protector becomes the very root of your torment?

**Warning: This book is meant for mature readers, 18+.

Torment Part One is a dark romance and contains scenes and situations that may be upsetting for some readers. Includes several triggers and sensitive material such as: domestic abuse, profanity, gang violence, PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, and sexual assault.

Please do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of the above. Thank you.]]> 378 Dylan Page AV 0 to-read 3.97 2021 Torment: Part One (The Bleeding Hearts, #1)
author: Dylan Page
name: AV
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How My Neighbor Stole Christmas]]> 211148021 A new holiday enemies-to-lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn.

Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot.

But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not.

As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win.

Over Cole's dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump's heart has grown three sizes this season and he's fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title.

But the competition isn't the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee's fake relationship becomes very real, and before they know it, they're attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…]]> 480 Meghan Quinn 1464230153 AV 2 3.64 2024 How My Neighbor Stole Christmas
author: Meghan Quinn
name: AV
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
I should’ve stayed curious about the candy cane scene
]]> Atmosphere 220817728 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158717 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.45 2025 Atmosphere
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: AV
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> My Friends 217163697 #1New York Timesbestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1982112824 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.58 2025 My Friends
author: Fredrik Backman
name: AV
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)]]> 220389090
All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 65 Alexis Daria 1662529376 AV 3 3.36 2024 Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)
author: Alexis Daria
name: AV
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)]]> 220389457
When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s Merriment and Mayhem is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 58 Alexandria Bellefleur 1662529341 AV 3 3.28 2024 Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: AV
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:
Maybe novellas this short are just not for me�
]]> <![CDATA[All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)]]> 220389455
Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long�

Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 55 Olivia Dade 166252823X AV 2 NOT IN THE WEINER MOBILE 2.58 2024 All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)
author: Olivia Dade
name: AV
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:
NOT IN THE WEINER MOBILE
]]> <![CDATA[Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)]]> 220389465 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 59 Tessa Bailey 1662528736 AV 1 Girl wtf no� 2.79 2024 Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: AV
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
Girl wtf no�
]]> My December Darling 218137764 A small-town Christmas novella by the New York Times bestselling author of LAKEFRONT BILLIONAIRES series that will make you want to pack your bags and spend the holiday in Lake Wisteria.

Catalina
Playing the part of my sister’s maid of honor is easy even if she’s marrying my ex.
But playing nice with the best man? An impossible task given our history.
Sure, Luke Darling may be suspiciously kind, incredibly handsome, and stubborn to a fault, but regardless of how hard he tries to make me see otherwise, I’m not interested.
It’s on me to remind him that he’s my ex-boyfriend’s best friend.
And the one I’m secretly starting to wish I met first.

Luke
My job as the best man is a simple one, except for one minor issue.
I’ve spent so much time avoiding my best friend’s ex that I didn’t consider what could happen if I started craving Catalina Martinez’s company instead.
She is only in Lake Wisteria for the winter wedding, but her January departure date won’t stop me from pursuing her.
Getting her to date me would be nothing short of a Christmas miracle, but I’m determined to make her mine.
‘Tis the season to fall in love…even if I’m the only one taking the risk.

My December Darling is a 50,000 word, Christmas-themed romance between a grumpy maid of honor and an outgoing best man who chases after what he wants. ]]> 252 Lauren Asher 1964990025 AV 4 3.72 2024 My December Darling
author: Lauren Asher
name: AV
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
God, it’s me again. When will it be my turn?
]]> Know Your Newlywed 219378453 Listening Length: 4 hours and 54 minutes

Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) and Mary Mouser (Cobra Kai) star in this swoon-worthy, full-cast rom-com! When two super-fans of a beloved dating gameshow hear that it’s being rebooted, they decide to team up and fake a marriage to compete in the hilarious new audiobook Know Your Newlywed, written by Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum, and executive produced by New York Times bestselling author Elena Armas.

Cleo is a researcher with big dreams of a PhD in anthrozoology, and a guilty pleasure obsession with Know Your Newlywed, a decades-old gameshow where married couples compete by answering obscure questions about each other. She’s more invested in her career than in finding a relationship of her own, though—that is, until she comes across Javi’s dating app profile, which says he’s “looking for someone to win Know Your Newlywed with.�

Sparks fly, and when Cleo and Javi catch wind of a reboot of their beloved show, they apply on a whim, pretending to be newlyweds themselves. Before they know it, they’re cast as contestants, playing the part of smitten married couple better than they could’ve imagined. Their very real chemistry is impossible to ignore, and as the competition heats up, they quickly become America’s sweethearts. But how far can Cleo and Javi take their secret? And as they inch closer and closer to a life-changing cash prize, will the mounting pressure and their individual ambitions get in the way of their blossoming romance? Or is their connection strong enough to last once the cameras stop rolling?]]> 5 Hillary Nussbaum 1797170651 AV 3 A Hallmark audio experience 3.56 2024 Know Your Newlywed
author: Hillary Nussbaum
name: AV
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
A Hallmark audio experience
]]> Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5) 196219692
She's the quintessential sunshine girl. He's the lovable class clown. But storm clouds are rolling in, and this Tommen boy is about to get serious.

Tommen's cheekiest lad, Gerard 'Gibsie' Gibson, has always been a comedian, but most people don't see what lurks beneath the surface. He is haunted by events of the past and he uses humor to cope, hiding his true self from the world.

Claire Biggs, the epitome of sunshine, has always loved Gibsie, her brother's friend and her favorite neighbor. She has always seen a side to him that no one else seems to notice. She becomes determined to tame her wild-at-heart childhood best friend.

When lines are crossed, it becomes unclear whether Gibsie and Claire's friendship will survive. Will it blossom into something more, or will they lose themselves in the wild?

Following characters that readers have grown to adore, Taming 7 will only expand your love for the Boys of Tommen universe. This book is perfect for readers looking

New adult/YA crossover Irish romanceDual POVsFriends-to-loversAngsty tearjerkersBingeworthy TikTok books]]> 464 Chloe Walsh AV 3 4.29 2024 Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: AV
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves:
review:
What do you mean they only get one book???? Clairegibsie was ROBBED!!
]]> Under Loch and Key 209455891 A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.

Keyanna “Key� MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.]]> 415 Lana Ferguson 0593816862 AV 3 3.70 2024 Under Loch and Key
author: Lana Ferguson
name: AV
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)]]> 220389458 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 73 Ali Hazelwood 1662528396 AV 4 Ali Hazelwood never misses 3.68 2024 Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: AV
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves:
review:
Ali Hazelwood never misses
]]> <![CDATA[Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)]]> 201017011 “I don’t need another kink.�

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

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

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

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

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book. ]]> 338 Navessa Allen AV 4
The first half of the book was entertaining—I think Navessa tackled the darker themes really well, Josh and Aly had good chemistry and some good banter.

However, the second half felt rushed. Their relationship progressed so quickly that it gave me whiplash. And the mafia subplot felt unnecessary. I get that it was likely setting up future characters, but it didn’t add much to the story for me.]]> 4.16 2024 Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)
author: Navessa Allen
name: AV
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
It would’ve been a 3/5 if it wasn’t for a Jacob Morgan�

The first half of the book was entertaining—I think Navessa tackled the darker themes really well, Josh and Aly had good chemistry and some good banter.

However, the second half felt rushed. Their relationship progressed so quickly that it gave me whiplash. And the mafia subplot felt unnecessary. I get that it was likely setting up future characters, but it didn’t add much to the story for me.
]]> Resting Scrooge Face 63077284 From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a festive short romance about old flames and mistaken identities.

After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood.

To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Nola writes back to her new pen pal—who, unbeknownst to Nola, is none other than Caleb. When Caleb gets a response hand delivered by the mailman, he’s intrigued by the mystery sender. A friendly correspondence develops—and quickly turns flirtatious.

Although Nola and Caleb claim they can’t stand each other, they can’t deny the simmering attraction that brought them together in the first place.

Can these nameless pen pals write their own love story—or will they be too caught up with the ghosts of their Christmases past to find a future together?]]> 80 Meghan Quinn 166251042X AV 3 3.60 2022 Resting Scrooge Face
author: Meghan Quinn
name: AV
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
The first of lots of Christmas novellas I will be reading this month
]]> Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) 217562358
I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.

Nico 'Junior' Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don't get to have women like her. It's why he pushed her away back in high school and has kept his distance ever since.

But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior's innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. But watching Lauren from a distance isn't enough; he needs to make her his.

He's ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.

Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she's developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who? And will they survive the fall?

Caught Up is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book.

]]> Navessa Allen 1529442443 AV 0 to-read, upcoming-releases 4.22 2025 Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2)
author: Navessa Allen
name: AV
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: to-read, upcoming-releases
review:

]]>