en-US Sat, 17 Feb 2024 20:10:22 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 27189194
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

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

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

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

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid Krystal 4 2023-a-z
The book opens with Emma finishing dinner with her parents and fiancé, receiving a phone call from her husband believed dead for years.

The supporting cast was just as incredible as the main characters and added some much needed humor. They truly made this book shine for me.

The sense of being fully immersed in Emma’s life was at the front of my mind while reading.

Grief is ugly and personal. No two people journey through its murky depths the same. It’s also one of the issues people cast a lot of judgement upon. I was proud of Emma for reaching towards something beyond her grief. I can’t even imagine, being in the situation she experienced, so I wasn’t throwing judgment at her less than stellar decisions. I think this would have been a very different story had she lacked a strong support system.

The timeline goes back and forth and shows how each relationship began. There’s a lot of witty banter and it makes for a fast read.

Overall the novel is well written with the kind of pacing, characterization, and tone that makes the reader feel connected and the pages seem to turn themselves. ]]> 4.03 2016
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/07
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves: 2023-a-z
review:
I’m not usually not a big fan of the whole love triangle trope, but as always Taylor Jenkins Reid, writes an outstanding novel.

The book opens with Emma finishing dinner with her parents and fiancé, receiving a phone call from her husband believed dead for years.

The supporting cast was just as incredible as the main characters and added some much needed humor. They truly made this book shine for me.

The sense of being fully immersed in Emma’s life was at the front of my mind while reading.

Grief is ugly and personal. No two people journey through its murky depths the same. It’s also one of the issues people cast a lot of judgement upon. I was proud of Emma for reaching towards something beyond her grief. I can’t even imagine, being in the situation she experienced, so I wasn’t throwing judgment at her less than stellar decisions. I think this would have been a very different story had she lacked a strong support system.

The timeline goes back and forth and shows how each relationship began. There’s a lot of witty banter and it makes for a fast read.

Overall the novel is well written with the kind of pacing, characterization, and tone that makes the reader feel connected and the pages seem to turn themselves.
]]> 42120503
From Audie Award winning, New York Times best-selling author Kylie Scott comes an irresistible new romance - available in audio first!

When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she's forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did - which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can't seem to let her go again.

Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?

Listening Length: 6 hours and 47 minutes
]]> 7 Kylie Scott Krystal 3 2023-a-z, audiobook, romance The plot here is basic, Clem our MC, suffers from amnesia, after a vicious attack by an unknown assailant. She has retained knowledge of how to accomplish daily tasks like tying shoes and cleaning etc, but has no knowledge of the people in her life or her job. She researches her tattoo and locates the artist only to find out he’s her ex and angry. Ed, her ex, had me on the fence. Even after understanding their past together, I found some of his behavior to be unbelievable.
Loads of drama happen naturally, but her discovering things she enjoys food, music, movies wise is fun. It would’ve been even better to see more of that in the story. There’s quite a few laughs in this one and that made the difference for me overall.
I didn’t buy into certain characters’ behaviors and the “villain” was sadly predictable, but I had fun reading this and turning over the “what if” questions in my mind. This is currently a freebie on audible and the narrator is a good choice for the material. This was my first book by Kylie Scott and I’d read something else by her. She pulls off dialogue heavy scenes well. ]]> 4.01 2019
author: Kylie Scott
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/26
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: 2023-a-z, audiobook, romance
review:
Not my usual read, but bring on the amnesia trope! It always sends my mind into “what if” territory. Stories should grab a reader and make them envision those circumstances and for me the whole amnesia trope does that. Weird, but true.
The plot here is basic, Clem our MC, suffers from amnesia, after a vicious attack by an unknown assailant. She has retained knowledge of how to accomplish daily tasks like tying shoes and cleaning etc, but has no knowledge of the people in her life or her job. She researches her tattoo and locates the artist only to find out he’s her ex and angry. Ed, her ex, had me on the fence. Even after understanding their past together, I found some of his behavior to be unbelievable.
Loads of drama happen naturally, but her discovering things she enjoys food, music, movies wise is fun. It would’ve been even better to see more of that in the story. There’s quite a few laughs in this one and that made the difference for me overall.
I didn’t buy into certain characters’ behaviors and the “villain” was sadly predictable, but I had fun reading this and turning over the “what if” questions in my mind. This is currently a freebie on audible and the narrator is a good choice for the material. This was my first book by Kylie Scott and I’d read something else by her. She pulls off dialogue heavy scenes well.
]]> 29875363 New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman.

The fireman is coming. Stay cool.

No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it’s Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies—before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.

Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she’s discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob’s dismay, Harper wants to live—at least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child.

Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads—armed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn’t as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged.

In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman’s secrets before her life—and that of her unborn child—goes up in smoke.]]> 768 Joe Hill 006220064X Krystal 5 Apocalyptic thrillers are a dime a dozen, but I love them anyway and The Fireman stands out as one of the great ones. ]]> 3.90 2016
author: Joe Hill
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/27
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: horror, science-fiction, favorites, thriller, 2023-a-z, five-star-reads
review:
Wow, what a ride! The Fireman is everything I love in a novel. The characters are brilliant and have realistic reactions. No one is perfect and nothing magically goes off without a hitch. The other shoe is always waiting to drop and actions have consequences. There’s a gritty thread of foreshadowing that is so well done, I can’t recall the last book I read that was on this level.
Apocalyptic thrillers are a dime a dozen, but I love them anyway and The Fireman stands out as one of the great ones.
]]> 58806175
Like we said, the new day can take a hike.]]> 416 Darynda Jones 1250266971 Krystal 5 4.39 2022
author: Darynda Jones
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, mystery, 2023-a-z, five-star-reads
review:
A solid mystery with plenty of laughs, A Hard Day For a Hangover, delivers from cover to cover. Jones knows how to develop characters that burst right off the page in the best way. A sense of humor is a must when reading her books. I devour everything she writes and this series has been loads of fun to read.
]]> 10644930
In 2011, Jake Epping, an English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, sets out on an insane — and insanely possible — mission to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

Leaving behind a world of computers and mobile phones, he goes back to a time of big American cars and diners, of Lindy Hopping, the sound of Elvis, and the taste of root beer.

In this haunting world, Jake falls in love with Sadie, a beautiful high school librarian. And, as the ominous date of 11/22/63 approaches, he encounters a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald...]]> 849 Stephen King 1451627289 Krystal 5 The audiobook version is also excellent. The narration is top notch. King reads the afterword himself and it adds to the experience. ]]> 4.33 2011
author: Stephen King
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/18
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, historical-fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, thriller, favorites, five-star-reads, 2023-a-z
review:
An intelligent, riveting novel that I thought was about time travel and its ramifications, but soon realized it was about so much more. This huge brick of a book was such a page turner, I found myself wishing it was longer, that it wouldn’t end. 11-22-63 is going on my favorites shelf.
The audiobook version is also excellent. The narration is top notch. King reads the afterword himself and it adds to the experience.
]]> 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

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

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

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

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]> 384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 Krystal 5 This story didn’t leave me wanting anything more it felt wonderful and complete. I have zero interest in tennis and it didn’t matter. This is a novel that reaches so far beyond the game at its core, and showcases characters that explode with development.
I was engrossed by their growth. I rooted for them through the struggles they faced. I was excited when they experienced success.
I couldn’t have asked for a better book to read at the beginning of 2023. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a true talent.]]> 4.19 2022
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/04
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, five-star-reads, 2023-a-z
review:
First book read of the year for me, and what a powerful story it is. There’s a certain indescribable magic to some books. It’s what readers hope for each time we crack open a spine or hit play on an audiobook. Carrie Soto is Back delivers that magic on every level.
This story didn’t leave me wanting anything more it felt wonderful and complete. I have zero interest in tennis and it didn’t matter. This is a novel that reaches so far beyond the game at its core, and showcases characters that explode with development.
I was engrossed by their growth. I rooted for them through the struggles they faced. I was excited when they experienced success.
I couldn’t have asked for a better book to read at the beginning of 2023. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a true talent.
]]> 15096164
WHY CAN'T HE MAKE CONTACT WITH HIS FAMILY IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD? WHY DOESN'T ANYONE BELIEVE HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS? AND WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE ELECTRIFIED FENCES ENCIRCLING THE TOWN? ARE THEY KEEPING THE RESIDENTS IN? OR SOMETHING ELSE OUT?

Each step toward the truth takes Ethan further from the world he knows, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.....]]> 307 Blake Crouch 1612183956 Krystal 4 Ethan Burke, the protagonist, is a veteran who’s currently employed with the secret service. His assignment is to locate two missing agents. He wakes up from an accident and nothing about the town he wakes up in seems quite right.
Burke as a character is flawed, but brave. He’s smart, resourceful, and above all a survivor. It is easy to see why a television show was developed from this story. I will definitely be checking the rest of this trilogy soon. ]]> 3.94 2012
author: Blake Crouch
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/12
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: thriller, horror, mystery, science-fiction, 2023-a-z, suspense
review:
Pines is a genre bending, wild ride, read with twists happening at the drop of a hat. This eerie, unnerving story had me flying through the pages so fast I often went back and reread paragraphs to make sure I was getting all the details because I couldn’t stand the thought that I might’ve missed even the smallest bit.
Ethan Burke, the protagonist, is a veteran who’s currently employed with the secret service. His assignment is to locate two missing agents. He wakes up from an accident and nothing about the town he wakes up in seems quite right.
Burke as a character is flawed, but brave. He’s smart, resourceful, and above all a survivor. It is easy to see why a television show was developed from this story. I will definitely be checking the rest of this trilogy soon.
]]> 34374628
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.]]> 356 Chanel Cleeton 0399586687 Krystal 5 3.90 2018
author: Chanel Cleeton
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/22
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, historical-fiction, 2023-a-z, romance, five-star-reads
review:

]]> 59344312
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.]]> 336 Colleen Hoover 153872474X Krystal 2 2023-a-z 4.29 2018
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/17
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: 2023-a-z
review:
A gripping story, but lacking character development, Verity, had me wondering…why even write this? There was a tremendous amount of build up and a flat lackluster ending that came across as a sad excuse for a “twist “.
]]> 10566 (front flap)]]> 513 Stephen King 0743289412 Krystal 5 There’s a lot of layers to this story. Lisey is the widow of Scott a famous novelist. We see their past and her present. We see Scott’s difficult, abusive upbringing. Those scenes are gripping and gut wrenching, but they explain why Scott is the way he is. Lisey is an unlikely hero by most standards, but it serves to make her even more heroic. Lisey also has an interesting relationship with her sisters which adds to the overall dynamic. The symbolism is outstanding. The atmosphere filled with songs and films painted such a vivid image I felt completely immersed in these worlds.
The big bads in this story are scary for different reasons and well written. I got chills more than once.
The audiobook version is excellent, the narration is spot on. There’s some extras at the end that fans will enjoy. I couldn’t put this one down.]]> 3.70 2006
author: Stephen King
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/10
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, horror, fantasy, paranormal, thriller, ghosts, 2023-a-z, five-star-reads
review:
Wow, what an unforgettable tale Lisey’s Story is! Heartbreaking one moment, pulse pounding action the next, this book defies genre and fits neatly into no box of any kind. All the best books feel that way to me like there should be a shelf labeled Phenomenal Books Who Cares About Genre. I found this story to be beautifully imaginative.
There’s a lot of layers to this story. Lisey is the widow of Scott a famous novelist. We see their past and her present. We see Scott’s difficult, abusive upbringing. Those scenes are gripping and gut wrenching, but they explain why Scott is the way he is. Lisey is an unlikely hero by most standards, but it serves to make her even more heroic. Lisey also has an interesting relationship with her sisters which adds to the overall dynamic. The symbolism is outstanding. The atmosphere filled with songs and films painted such a vivid image I felt completely immersed in these worlds.
The big bads in this story are scary for different reasons and well written. I got chills more than once.
The audiobook version is excellent, the narration is spot on. There’s some extras at the end that fans will enjoy. I couldn’t put this one down.
]]> 34430839
There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974 twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zig-zag up the cliffside.

At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game.

One day, a stranger calls to Gwendy: "Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me."

On a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat like for a suit, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat...

Journey back to Castle Rock again in this chilling new novella by Stephen King, bestselling author of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December.]]> 171 Stephen King 1587676109 Krystal 5 “Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.”
Gwendy’s Button Box is a coming of age fantasy novella with a twist of horror. Gwendy is a twelve year old girl given the immense responsibility of the button box. The box is powerful and she’s unsure of the consequences of using it initially. As time passes, we see the way the box works to a degree.
I loved the journey of these characters and will definitely be reading the other two installments. The illustrations throughout the book were a wonderful addition. The black and white drawings were simple, yet, detailed and sucked me further into the story.
I found the cover interesting and eye catching. I just had to have it in hardback. It just begs to be displayed and after reading it, I loved it even more. ]]> 3.86 2017
author: Stephen King
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/06
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: coming-of-age, fantasy, historical-fiction, horror, paranormal, thriller, 2023-a-z, favorites, five-star-reads
review:
From the line, “We ought to palaver, you and me.” , I knew I was gonna love this book. Who writes a better villain than King? The Man in Black is back and walking through Castle Rock. RF in any form and in any story is my favorite literary villain. He’s a less direct villain here, more of a puppeteer pulling strings, but isn’t that just what he does in the beginning. I got the impression that he was setting the stage for future events.
“Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.”
Gwendy’s Button Box is a coming of age fantasy novella with a twist of horror. Gwendy is a twelve year old girl given the immense responsibility of the button box. The box is powerful and she’s unsure of the consequences of using it initially. As time passes, we see the way the box works to a degree.
I loved the journey of these characters and will definitely be reading the other two installments. The illustrations throughout the book were a wonderful addition. The black and white drawings were simple, yet, detailed and sucked me further into the story.
I found the cover interesting and eye catching. I just had to have it in hardback. It just begs to be displayed and after reading it, I loved it even more.
]]> 199531
Sassy and irreverent from the get-go, Daisy Fay takes us on a rollicking journey through her formative years on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. There, at The End of the Road of the South, the family malt shop freezer holds unspeakable things, society maven Mrs. Dot hosts Junior Debutante meetings and shares inspired thoughts for the week (such as “sincerity is as valuable as radium”), and Daisy Fay’s Daddy hatches a quick-cash scheme that involves resurrecting his daughter from the dead in a carefully orchestrated miracle. Along the way, Daisy Fay does a lot of growing up, emerging as one of the most hilarious, appealing, and prized characters in modern fiction.]]> 336 Fannie Flagg 0345485602 Krystal 4 Daisy is a kid in the 1950’s growing up in a dysfunctional family. She is an optimist and a survivor. Parts of this book had me laughing out loud and not in a cute way. I’m talking about cracking up, eyes tearing, the whole deal.
Fannie Flagg knows how to make you feel like you’re right there experiencing these people and places. This was her debut novel, and it is a true nod to life in the south. Be mindful that it is told from the POV of a child at age 11, throughout high school, and a bit afterwards. It’s also written in diary form. None of that was a factor or issue in my case, but if you only want to read exquisite prose, you won’t like this. I thought this story had a great deal to offer. ]]> 3.95 1981
author: Fannie Flagg
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: coming-of-age, southern, 2023-a-z
review:
Heartbreaking and hilarious, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, is a memorable read. This one will stick out in my mind for years to come. I love an underdog and if they are funny, well, I will love them even more.
Daisy is a kid in the 1950’s growing up in a dysfunctional family. She is an optimist and a survivor. Parts of this book had me laughing out loud and not in a cute way. I’m talking about cracking up, eyes tearing, the whole deal.
Fannie Flagg knows how to make you feel like you’re right there experiencing these people and places. This was her debut novel, and it is a true nod to life in the south. Be mindful that it is told from the POV of a child at age 11, throughout high school, and a bit afterwards. It’s also written in diary form. None of that was a factor or issue in my case, but if you only want to read exquisite prose, you won’t like this. I thought this story had a great deal to offer.
]]> 61184540
Jack Diller is just one more struggling actor on the road to nowhere. He’s got an agent who barely remembers his name, his ex-girlfriend has hooked up with a Silicon Valley dude, and the milk in his fridge is so far past its sell-by date it’s historic. The only way Jack can scrape together a bare existence is by delivering food to exactly the types of successful people he wishes he could be.

Then, one day, a very strange audiobook shows up on his phone. The Killer Instinct seems to be your basic self-help guide, narrated by a washed-up action star named Hector Bruno, and brimming with cheesy advice for how to get your life together.

With so little to lose, Jack starts listening...and listening some more. He starts talking to Hector like he’s his best friend.

And then...Hector starts talking back.]]> Ben H. Winters Krystal 3 audiobook, 2023-a-z 3.52 2022
author: Ben H. Winters
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/27
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, 2023-a-z
review:

]]> 23219
ミシガン大学での専攻は服饰史で、ヴィンテージの服をこよなく爱するリジーは卒业式を终えたばかり。就职先は未定ながら、家族で卒业祝いのパーティを开いていた最中、衝撃の知らせが！なんと彼女は卒业できていなかった…意気消沉しつつも、つかの间の夏休みをイギリス人留学生のボーイフレンドと过ごすためロンドンへ旅立つが、梦みていた甘いバカンスとはほど远く、素敌な英国绅士だと思い込んでいた彼はただのダメ男と判明。逃げるようにして亲友が滞在するフランスのワイナリーに向かう途中、投资银行家ジャン＝リュックと出会ったリジーは、优しくてハンサムな彼に、失败した恋の颠末を打ち明ける…と?こ?ろ?が！「プリンセス?ダイアリー」シリーズで大人気のメグ?キャボットが赠る、女性なら谁もが一度はぶつかり思い悩んだことがある、恋と仕事と自分探しの物语。闭闭> 308 Meg Cabot 0060851988 Krystal 4 romance, 2023-a-z I liked this book because Lizzie grows herself a bit of a backbone before our eyes. The friendships were a great addition, I would’ve liked to have seen more from that. Her love of retro fashion and the drive to restore vintage pieces made her more interesting. This is one of those fluffy feel-good easy chick lit reads. (Just don’t expect it to be The Princess Diaries 2.0, this one definitely belongs in the adult section for content)]]> 3.71 2006
author: Meg Cabot
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/08
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: romance, 2023-a-z
review:
I grabbed this off the shelf for “Q” to use for the A-Z Challenge. I had not read Meg Cabot before and decided why not. I can see why people like her style and I can see why some people might not. Just know what you’re reading if you’re not open to light fluff reads…pass and pass fast. The main character, Lizzie, is young just out of college and frankly inexperienced at life. She babbles word vomit when she’s nervous or upset hence the title.
I liked this book because Lizzie grows herself a bit of a backbone before our eyes. The friendships were a great addition, I would’ve liked to have seen more from that. Her love of retro fashion and the drive to restore vintage pieces made her more interesting. This is one of those fluffy feel-good easy chick lit reads. (Just don’t expect it to be The Princess Diaries 2.0, this one definitely belongs in the adult section for content)
]]> 34472927 MacKayla Lane faces the ultimate threat when war breaks out between the kingdoms of shadow and light, as the #1 New York Times bestselling Fever series races to an explosive revelation.

From the moment MacKayla Lane arrived in Dublin to hunt her sister’s murderer, she’s had to fight one dangerous battle after the next: to survive, to secure power, to keep her city safe, to protect the people she loves.

The matter of who’s good and who’s evil can be decided by the answer to a single question: Whose side are you on?

Now, as High Queen of the Fae, Mac faces her greatest challenge yet: ruling the very race she was born to hunt and kill - a race that wants her dead yesterday, so they can put a pure-blooded Fae queen on the throne.

But challenges with her subjects are the least of her concerns when an ancient, deadly foe resurfaces, changing not only the rules of the game but the very game itself, initiating a catastrophic sequence of events that have devastating consequences and leave Mac questioning everything she’s ever learned and everyone she’s ever loved. Now begins an epic battle between Mortal and Fae, Seelie and Unseelie, would-be kings and would-be queens, with possession of the Unseelie King’s virtually unlimited power and the fate of humanity at stake.

From the exquisite, deadly gardens of the High Queen’s court, to long-forgotten truths found in the Sacred Grove of Creation, from the erotic bed of her enigmatic, powerful lover to the darkest, seductive reaches of the Unseelie kingdom, Mac’s final journey takes her places no human has been before, and only one human could possibly survive...One who's willing to sacrifice everything.]]> 521 Karen Marie Moning 0399593713 Krystal 5 I love how we see characters experience massive growth across the board. Books like these are a gift. I hope this series will always sit on my keeper shelf. I’m sure this won’t be my last visit to Moning’s Dublin. ]]> 4.05 2021
author: Karen Marie Moning
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/02
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: audiobook, paranormal, fantasy, urban-fantasy, 2023-a-z, five-star-reads
review:
When I began reading this for the second time, I expected to like again and not much more. However, I do believe I loved the second time around even more than the first. I know and love these characters and this world. These brave inquisitive characters facing vast obstacles time and time again. And this world dark in one moment, pure magic the next. It just doesn’t get much better.
I love how we see characters experience massive growth across the board. Books like these are a gift. I hope this series will always sit on my keeper shelf. I’m sure this won’t be my last visit to Moning’s Dublin.
]]> 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Krystal 2 mystery, 2023-a-z 3.71 2022
author: Nita Prose
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/22
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: mystery, 2023-a-z
review:

]]> 21265321 Set on a distant planet, Bloodchild is Octavia E. Butler’s shattering meditation on symbiosis, love, power and tough choices. It won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards and is widely regarded as one of her greatest works.

Years ago, a group known as the Terrans left Earth in search of a life free of persecution. Now they live alongside the Tlic, an alien race who face extinction; their only chance of survival is to plant their larvae inside the bodies of the humans.

When Gan, a young boy, is chosen as a carrier of Tlic eggs, he faces an impossible dilemma: can he really help the species he has grown up with, even if it means sacrificing his own life?

Perfect for fans of the thrilling Arrival and the works of Ursula Le Guin.]]> 31 Octavia E. Butler Krystal 3 4.00 1984
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/14
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: coming-of-age, science-fiction, 2023-a-z, classics, horror
review:
Now, this is a strong science fiction and horror tinged short story. Butler says a lot with few pages and it makes for a memorable read. I can see why Bloodchild won many much deserved awards. I’m going to be thinking about this story for weeks to come and isn’t that why we read.
]]> 6469165
Alice is twenty-nine. She adores sleep, chocolate, and her ramshackle new house. She’s newly engaged to the wonderful Nick and is pregnant with her first baby.

There’s just one problem.
All that was ten years ago …

Alice has slipped in a step aerobics class, hit her head and lost a decade. Now she’s a grown-up, bossy mother of three in the middle of a nasty divorce and her beloved sister Elisabeth isn’t speaking to her. This is her life but not as she knows it.

Clearly Alice has made some terrible mistakes.
Just how much can happen in a decade?

Can she ever get back to the woman she used to be?]]> 487 Liane Moriarty 0141043768 Krystal 5 4.06 2010
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/27
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: mystery, 2023-a-z, five-star-reads
review:

]]> 59449896 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book two in her Flesh and Fire series…

The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill.

The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.

Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.

And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.]]> 650 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1957568208 Krystal 4 4.47 2022
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: 2023-a-z, audiobook, fantasy, romance, paranormal
review:
A story of a decadent fantasy world, told with dramatic flair, A Light in the Flame, is Armentrout at her best. How is it that such a large cast of characters starts to feel familiar and easy to mentally catalog? My guess is that the world as a whole is so engrossing I don’t want to miss a bit. The world building is stunning. As the characters reveal bits of their backstories, the story becomes more layered and developed. This series is flat out good.
]]> 23447531 From USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Jo Raven comes the third installment in the Inked Brotherhood series which began with ASHER.

They call me Zen-man, the cool-headed one, the protector. I keep an eye out for everyone, take them in, find them homes. They think I’m the calm and collected one, the self-assured one, the one who knows the way. They think they see me. They think they know me.
But they’re all wrong, because inside I’m broken. I have a jagged hole in my soul I can’t fix, a festering blackness. I’ve been to the pits of hell, and nobody comes back unscathed. Life in foster care f*cked me up, and now a thread is all that’s holding me together.
So I sleep around and never date, keeping chicks away. One day I’ll snap, and when I do, there’s no telling who I might take down with me.
All the same, there’s this one girl who won’t be scared away. Dakota. She’s hot, and I won’t deny I want her. But she keeps coming back, pushing me, trying to get me to talk, to open up to her.
She has no idea she’s playing with fire. When the demons come, she’d better be far away from me, just like everyone else.

Standalone novel. No cliffhanger.
* Mature readers only. Not intended for young readers.*

Inked Brotherhood

Five boys brought together by fate. Five young men trying to overcome their troubled pasts. Five tattoos marking them as a brotherhood built on tragedy. Will they find understanding and rise above the pain?
Five girls tied by friendship. Five young women fighting their own demons. Five lives laced with sorrow. Will they be strong enough to save the men they love and make them happy?

The series comprises five interconnected, stand-alone Asher, Tyler, Zane, Dylan and Rafe.

Kiss me Goodbye, a short prequel to ASHER, is FREE!!
Next is DYLAN, book 4 in the series.]]> 269 Jo Raven Krystal 3 audiobook, 2023-a-z, romance 4.26 2014
author: Jo Raven
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/12
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: audiobook, 2023-a-z, romance
review:
The entire Inked Brotherhood series is about guys who have experienced hard times and trauma and their struggles to move toward on to something better. Zane’s character is heartbreaking to read. He has lived through horrific circumstances and has the mental and physical scars to show for it. Here’s my issue, this guy is a teenager, he’s a survivor no doubt about that. However, there’s no journey showing how he copes or will cope in the future. There’s zero therapy or even any discussions about the ways he can grow as a man and cope with his past. Adding in a relationship won’t help someone in the long term who’s genuinely suffering like he is. He turns repeatedly to binge drinking and anonymous sex to numb himself. So what happens the next time he experiences something awful? His friends didn’t even notice he was suffering. And wouldn’t have if they weren’t looking for him to fix someone else’s issues. The characters in this series are all relatively young, and drowning in difficult circumstances. I want to see them succeed against the odds, but we need to see more about how they can actually do that. Falling in love simply isn’t enough, they need the tools to heal and grow.
]]> 62038616
When high school English teacher Alice Thornton helps her dying Russian neighbor write a spy thriller, she thinks she’s just doing a good deed. But when a sexy mystery man shows up in her classroom, claiming to be the novel’s dashing antihero, Alice is swept into a lethal conspiracy.

Enigmatic former CIA operative Carter Beck warns her that the sensational murder plot wasn’t fiction. And because she knows too much, the killer wants her silenced—making Carter her only hope of survival.

Forced on the run, Alice and Carter must separate truth from fiction to unmask the murderer before they become the next victims. The danger is only too real—and so is their unexpected chemistry. In between motorcycle chases, dodging bullets and unraveling clues, the unlikely pair start to wonder if the secret to their survival might just be each other....]]> 11 Brynn Kelly Krystal 3 audiobook, mystery, 2023-a-z 3.72
author: Brynn Kelly
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/25
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: audiobook, mystery, 2023-a-z
review:

]]> 18400281 X knows she's as good as dead. Seems like the perfect time to start a diary.

Shacked up in a farmhouse cellar, a doomed survivor calling herself 'X' starts a diary to document her final few days. Much less than a few days if the uglies manage to get in.]]> 28 Jack Croxall Krystal 4 3.66 2013
author: Jack Croxall
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/13
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: horror, science-fiction, 2023-a-z
review:
X, it just goes to show that a 29 page diary, can be a story complete with depth, sorrow, heart, gore, and zombies. This quick apocalyptic story told from the POV of a fifteen year old girl is well worth the read. I’m going to be thinking about X for awhile….
]]> 421129

]]> 288 MaryJanice Davidson 042519485X Krystal 4 A book like this is usually filed under a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty about loving this unlikely heroine and the cast of supporting characters. I can’t help but think this is one of those series that probably gets better the further in you read. The characters were colorful, while remaining individual. They didn’t feel like the same old same old that I’ve read a million times in paranormal books. The villain could have been more developed. The story was a bit predictable, but the humor was spot on. My TBR list just got a lot longer because I’m adding the rest of this series to it. ]]> 3.82 2004
author: MaryJanice Davidson
name: Krystal
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/27
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: fantasy, paranormal, urban-fantasy, 2023-a-z
review:
If you don’t have a sense of humor go ahead and just pass on reading this. Better yet hand a copy to someone with a sense of humor so they can enjoy the snark and laughter.
A book like this is usually filed under a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty about loving this unlikely heroine and the cast of supporting characters. I can’t help but think this is one of those series that probably gets better the further in you read. The characters were colorful, while remaining individual. They didn’t feel like the same old same old that I’ve read a million times in paranormal books. The villain could have been more developed. The story was a bit predictable, but the humor was spot on. My TBR list just got a lot longer because I’m adding the rest of this series to it.
]]> 59810 New York Times #1 Best Selling author, Nora Roberts returns to the lush, green hills of Ireland, where love is forever touched by magic - And where the Gallagher siblings explore the depth of their fiery hearts.

Determining to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees America to take refugee in Faerie Hill Cottage, immersing herself in the study of Irish Folk and discovers hope for the future of the magical past.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of traveling, Aidan Gallagher possesses an uncommon understanding of his country's haunting myths. Although he's devoted to managing the family pub, a hint of wildness still glints in his stormy eyes--and in Jude, he sees a woman who can both soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her--while they create a passionate history of their own...]]> 347 Nora Roberts 0515126772 Krystal 4 romance, 2023-a-z 4.22 1999
author: Nora Roberts
name: Krystal
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: romance, 2023-a-z
review:
I initially grabbed Jewels of the Sun off my shelf because I needed a book beginning with the letter “J” for the A-Z reading challenge. No more thought than that went into selecting this novel. I’m glad I read it though. It’s full of Celtic folklore, there’s a colorful cast of characters, and the writing was easy to read. This is a book to slip into and disappear for awhile. The romantic aspects didn’t feel as cliche as they usually do in a lot of novels. Overall this story is mostly fluff, but it’s the excellent sort of fluff that does a mind good sometimes. I would gladly visit this little Irish village again. I’ll likely be checking out book 2 of the trilogy soon.
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