en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:17:23 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 217232622 Everyone believes her. Except you.

My life has never been better. I have a beautiful little girl, and I am engaged to be married to the man I’ve had a crush on since I can remember.

So when Nick, my handsome fiancé, announces that his sister Carla is finally coming home, it’s truly the icing on the cake.

Carla was my best friend growing up until she ran away at sixteen. That was twelve years ago, and no one has seen her since.

Everyone is ecstatic about Carla’s return. But as I spend more time with her, I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Her behaviour is a little off, her childhood memories don't align with mine, and she's oddly evasive about her lost years.

But no one will listen to my concerns �� not Nick, not Carla’s mother, Marjorie, not even our old friends. They all say I’m imagining things.

But I can tell something is wrong. And before long, I know without a shadow of a doubt��

It’s not her. ]]> 302 Nicola Sanders 1763659917 maria 0 to-read 4.05
author: Nicola Sanders
name: maria
average rating: 4.05
book published:
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date added: 2025/04/24
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]]> 226078520 Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them��

Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.

And Meryn’s world falls apart.

Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.

Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.

To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.

Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.

And the castle is hiding dark secrets��

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in dark action-packed fantasy series, perfect for romantasy fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses , The Serpent & the Wings of Night , When the Moon Hatched and Quicksilver!

See why readers love

“A God Tier Fantasy book!!! I just finished and still trying to mentally and emotionally recover to what just happened to me. You need to read it IMMEDIATELY.�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

“If you’re into dark romantasy with high stakes, fierce characters, and just the right amount of emotional wreckage, Direbound is your next obsession.�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��OMG THIS BOOK YOU GUYS!!! I'm OBSESSED and I need to know what happens next like ASAP.�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

“What an incredible read!! �� I am blown away. �� The romance, the anguish, the BANTER! I love a book with good banter and this was FULL OF IT!�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��I. Am. OBSESSED. �� Left me spiraling in the best way possible. The morally grey anti-hero? Perfection. The slow-burn tension? Electric. �� I was completely immersed.]]> 610 Sable Sorensen maria 0 to-read 4.45
author: Sable Sorensen
name: maria
average rating: 4.45
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]]> 112750 "My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple—any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then."

When MacKayla's sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death, a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Mac is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed—a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae.

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho…while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane—an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women—closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book—because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of both worlds in their hands.]]> 309 Karen Marie Moning 0385339151 maria 0 to-read 4.08 2006
author: Karen Marie Moning
name: maria
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> 217182344 Ready or Not meets Throne of the Fallen in a spicy, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, where an Italian getaway turns deadly after a young woman is trapped in her host family's cursed game.

Ready or not, the game has begun.

Genevieve Grimm has felt adrift ever since her sister became the head of the family. So when a mysterious friend of their mother's invites her to Italy, she accepts. She arrives at his grand palace, expecting passion and magic, decadence and luxury... perhaps even a midnight ball.

She doesn't expect the owner's ruthlessly handsome son to slam the door in her face. Rowin Silver is tall, dark, and exceptionally rude, and invitation or not, he demands Genevieve leave and never come back. But Genevieve follows nobody's orders, especially those of arrogant rich boys. She slips inside—and immediately discovers her mistake.

Rowin and his family are caught in an insidious game of hide and seek, where only one can win. The rest will be trapped in Hell... until the competition begins again.

Genevieve must either join the hunt or forfeit any hope of escaping. But to her dismay, her best chance of survival lies with Rowin. Since lovers may play as a pair, Rowin and Genevieve agree to form an alliance under the guise of a fake courtship. However, as they race through the game's elaborate labyrinth, trapped among gleaming gold and shining marble, their loathing gives way to irresistible attraction. Only Rowin is keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his ruthless family, and Genevieve can't help but wonder if she's trapped in two treacherous games: Enchantra and the one Rowin is playing with her heart.]]> 448 Kaylie Smith 1538770806 maria 0 currently-reading 4.38 2025
author: Kaylie Smith
name: maria
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/13
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]]> 220838350 A best-selling author. A mother. A murderer��

Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase.

When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?

The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,
From #1 fan. XOXO

Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:
Want to know a secret?
Love, Mom.

What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.
But then comes the second letter.
And the third...

Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.
Quickly, she realizes that her mother's path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.

Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.
Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder��]]> 348 Iliana Xander maria 0 to-read 4.28 2024
author: Iliana Xander
name: maria
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
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]]> 214269394
Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs—and the results kick off a partnership that will span years, ignite new passions in them both, and crush their egos again and again. Is their collaboration worth its cost? Or is it holding Percy back from finding her own voice?

Moving from Brooklyn bars to San Francisco dance floors, Deep Cuts examines the nature of talent, obsession, belonging, and above all, our need to be heard.]]> 277 Holly Brickley 0593799089 maria 0 to-read 3.78 2025
author: Holly Brickley
name: maria
average rating: 3.78
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]]> 59010421 It marked the bitter end of our vengeance.
We have done things that have marked our souls for eternity.
But before we get there, we have to go back.
Back to where it all started.
The place I could find in my sleep.
Hollow Heights University in the macabre, somber seaside town of Ponderosa Springs.
A college for prestigious, wealthy children to receive the highest education. A town drowning in treachery and secrets that became our damnation.
But it wasn’t the forest surrounding the grounds or even the mysterious hidden mausoleum that haunted me.
It was them.
The ones that lurked in the night, things so wicked, so twisted, so evil, they would become the rulers of my nightmares.
The Hollow Boys.
One wrong move and I landed myself directly in their line of fire.
This is not a story about love, it is not a story of happy endings.
Love just happened to blossom in our sorrows, in our pain, our fear, our blood.
Every terrible thing they ever did, we watched, we helped, we loved them anyway.
Some run from their monsters, we fell in love with ours.]]> 398 Monty Jay maria 3 3.63 2021
author: Monty Jay
name: maria
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/10
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]]> 60521937
This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.]]> 292 S.T. Gibson 0316501077 maria 0 to-read 3.91 2021
author: S.T. Gibson
name: maria
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 61111472
If there is one thing you needed to know about me it is this:

I hate vampires.

They are useless, soul-sucking monsters that destroy everything in their path, even my own family.

I joined The Order and became a vampire hunter for revenge, but I never would have guessed that my job would entail baby-sitting the vampire heir to the most powerful clan in the world.

And if she thought I was going to break like the other hunters she has been through... she has another thing coming to her.

Keir

I hate hunters... but I hate my prick of a father even more after I learned that he had worked with the Order to get one to guard me at all hours of the day.

Even after I had been through all of The Order's top hunters, they still insisted on sending one more.

It was useless though, they would all break eventually.

Whether it was sex, money, or power none of them could resist the temptation, even if it meant breaking our contract.

And I couldn't wait to prove The Order and my father wrong.

So what will your vice be, little hunter?]]> 482 Elle Mae maria 0 to-read 3.94 2022
author: Elle Mae
name: maria
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 204124683
I was born a woman.
Raised by women.
In love with women.
Until I enrolled at Acheron University, I'd never known much of men. I certainly didn't know enough to fear them.
Then one stormy autumnal night, Professor Morgan tried to destroy me.
And when we were discovered by the university President, it was me who was punished for the unwanted seduction.
But they left me with two valuable lessons.
I would never let another woman be hurt by men again if I could help it.
And when someone hurts you, betrays you, and tries to rip out your soul, there is only one remedy for the pain.
Revenge.
And mine takes the form of the President's very beautiful, very virginal, very straight daughter, Luna Pallas.
Before the end of term, I'll destroy her innocence just as her mother and Professor Morgan destroyed mine.]]> 367 Giana Darling 1774440458 maria 0 to-read 4.07 2024
author: Giana Darling
name: maria
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 218568760 THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF TIKTOK SENSATION MAGNOLIA PARKS

London-based Georgia Carter, professional lie-detector and body-language savant, has long been estranged from her infuriating, close-minded, wealthy South Carolina family. After a falling-out years ago, the chasm runs deep between the black sheep - Georgia and her gay, alcoholic brother - and their parents and elder siblings. But when their father dies suddenly, Georgia returns to the States for the funeral ... where she comes face-to-face with Sam Penny, her brother's AA sponsor.

Amid the tensions, dramas and revelations of the family reunion, Georgia and Sam are instantly drawn to each other.

However, Georgia's brother also harbours feelings for Sam, and the last thing Georgia wants to do is hurt the only family she's ever really had.

When their father's will reveals a surprising bequest to a mysterious stranger, Georgia's ability to read people becomes crucial in unravelling her father's hidden past. The delicate balance within the family teeters, and secrets - both old and new - threaten to push them beyond the breaking point.

There are only so many cracks a damaged family can take before it shatters.]]> 464 Jessa Hastings 1464245339 maria 0 to-read 4.52 2025
author: Jessa Hastings
name: maria
average rating: 4.52
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]]> 208884873 Passionate and Dark. Forbidden Romance. Forced Proximity. Angst.
The Otacian Chronicles is a Dark Romantasy that will progressively get darker as the series continues. Please be mindful of the content warnings.

Lena Daelyra has always lived in fear, as do most Mages in Tovagoth. Mages are discriminated against, hunted for sport, and have no laws that provide them protection. She has kept to herself her entire life, even after she and her mother found a permanent residence in the kingdom of Otacia. That is until she meets Quill Callon, a handsome resident of the Inner Ring, who agrees to train her in weaponry—a safe way of defending herself. As her feelings for Quill develop, she is taunted by the reminder that she can never show her true self, show what she really is. Not even to him.

Silas La’Rune, Crown Prince of Otacia, has been kept inside the castle walls since he was five years old, since the kidnapping and murder of his younger sister, the Princess. He hasn’t known freedom. Hasn’t even seen his kingdom, except from the castle windows. It isn’t until the Queen allows him one day outside the walls that he sees Otacia for himself. One day that changes everything.

When something devastating separates Lena from the man she grows to love, things are not the same when they find each other five years later. Not at all.

And when Lena and Silas’s story finally becomes intertwined, it is clear the fate of Magekind rests on both of their shoulders.]]> 471 Kylie Snow maria 0 to-read 4.23
author: Kylie Snow
name: maria
average rating: 4.23
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]]> 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 maria 0 to-read 4.01 2024
author: Briar Boleyn
name: maria
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
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]]> 222432376 I know that better than anybody��
Because I’m one of them.

I spend my days locked in a black-market nightmare, held captive by a twisted mastermind who considers me his prized possession. My only form of human contact are the victims in the next room, each of whom disappears faster than the last.

Everyone leaves…except me.

Then I hear him—Isaac. Brash, elusive, and haunted, he isn’t anyone’s idea of a hero. Separated by a wall, our faces hidden, his voice cuts through the darkness, becoming my only hope. He’s driven by vengeance, bearing scars as dark as my own. Despite his rough edges, a fragile bond forms between us—a lifeline.

Isaac might be my best chance of escape, but time is slipping away. Breaking free will mean outrunning both our pasts, and in this twisted game, the cost of freedom may be more than we can afford to pay.

Appearances deceive. Choices have consequences.

And some consequences?
They are irreversible.]]> 582 Jennifer Hartmann maria 0 to-read 4.16 2025
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: maria
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
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date added: 2025/03/09
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]]> 60217777 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

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

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

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

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 464 Kristen Ciccarelli maria 4 4.24 2025
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: maria
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/06
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]]> 199263528 Millicent Foxboro is haunted.

Not by ghosts but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia. So when an uncommon assistantship to a reclusive Professor of mythology falls into her lap with an ungodly salary attached, her desperation for stability overrides her cautious nature.

To Millie’s dismay, the widowed Professor Callum Hughes and his estate, Willowfield, are more than she bargained for. The once magnificent home, known for its sprawling gardens and dazzling parties, is falling to pieces after the death of the professor’s fragile wife. What’s more, the staff has been reduced to the only three people not frightened away by rumors of ghosts, leaving the halls empty and languishing in bitter memories.

The professor himself is a grim, intense man with unclear expectations, unpredictable moods, and hungry eyes that ignite Millie’s own dormant passions. The closer she finds herself drawn to Professor Hughes and his strange world of flowers and folklore, the more the house closes in, threatening to reveal her secrets. But the professor is keeping secrets of his own and the most dangerous of all is hers to discover.]]> 226 Bea Northwick maria 0 to-read 3.96 2023
author: Bea Northwick
name: maria
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/03
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]]> 219684304 Horror Romance meets science fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller by NYT bestseller Karina Halle, perfect for fans of Gothikana, Ninth House, and Mexican Gothic.



Aspiring mycologist Sydney Denik is getting a second chance. When a dream opportunity presents itself with a prestigious foundation doing promising Alzheimer’s research, Sydney leaves the shambles of her old life to join a dozen other grad students at an isolated lodge hidden away in a remote, fog-shrouded inlet on Vancouver Island.


But the Madrona Foundation harbors more than brilliant minds. Everyone around her is hiding a terrible secret—including the resident psychologist she’s falling in love with. A student disappears, and no one but Sydney seems to care. Ghosts walk the halls. Snow falls in the middle of summer. Dead animals move like the living. The more Sydney uncovers about the foundation, the more she begins to question her own sanity. And if Sydney isn’t going mad, then the horrors in the surrounding forest are real, and the Madrona Foundation may be the biggest monster of all.


NOTE: This will be a live release on Amazon for paperback, ebook and hardcover on October 23rd 2024. The paperback and ebook cover is different from the case-laminate and dustjacket hardcovers. This is a standalone novel. Check content warnings inside the book or author's IG closer to publication.]]> Karina Halle maria 0 to-read 3.97 2024
author: Karina Halle
name: maria
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/03
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]]> 36484320
Papa says everyone has a story that deserves to be told.

Most begin years ago, after the second bomb hit, unearthing a deadly contagion that divided the population into the pure, the infected, and the Ragers.

Many recount the moment we rose up from the ashes and started anew.

Others tell of the day we built a wall to keep them out.

For some, they’re nothing more than the vestiges left behind—a simple name carved into the knotty bark of a Juniper tree.

My story begins with a boy. A mute, from the other side of the wall, known only as Six, who touched my heart in ways that words never could, and gave me the courage to face my darkest truth.

Juniper Unraveling is a full-length dystopian romance set in a post-apocalyptic world.

SERIES ORDER:
Juniper Unraveling
Calico Descending
Kings of Carrion]]> 464 Keri Lake maria 0 to-read 4.14 2017
author: Keri Lake
name: maria
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> 177121503
According to the FBI, I was considered a serial murderer after three kills. What do they call me after fifty-two? They call me the Silencer. One final bullet would have been all it took to stop me from taking another soul, and I would have been doing Meridian City a service by pulling that trigger. An angel crying for help stopped me, and that night, I took three lives for her. Then three turned into eight. Then eight turned into twenty. Twenty turned into twenty-one. Twenty one turned into twenty-three. Elena Young is the hero in my story, but I’m the villain in hers. And this is the kind of story where the villain gets the girl, even if it kills her.]]> 660 Ariel N. Anderson maria 0 to-read 4.42 2023
author: Ariel N. Anderson
name: maria
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/21
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]]> 214881313 A dark secret.
And a sociopath who can't decide whether he'd rather kill me or kiss me.

Welcome to Lionswood Prep, the world's most elite boarding school. Here, old money reigns supreme, and if you can't flaunt your weight in designer labels, you'd better get used to sitting alone. As a poor scholarship student, I know these rules better than anyone. I've perfected the art of pretending I don't envy my classmates' limitless wealth just as well as I've mastered blending into the background.

Until the school's only other scholarship student takes a tumble from the fifth floor.

Mickey Mabel's death is ruled a suicide, but I have my doubts. The only thing I am certain of is that Lionswood's golden boy, Adrian Ellis, is somehow involved. It's a wild suspicion, considering Adrian is not just Lionswood's richest student...but also one of the nicest. He's the kind of guy who buys out the bake sale and caters lunch for a grieving student body... surely, he can't be a murderer, can he?

Most of my classmates worship the ground he walks on, but I've seen enough darkness to sense that there's more than a little of it lurking beneath that pretty smile of his.

I shouldn't get involved, but for the first time in nearly four years, I'm done sticking to the shadows. Except, exposing Adrian doesn't quite go to plan, and now, he has his sights set on me. He's determined to turn senior year into a game of cat-and-mouse, one where I'm not sure if his end goal is to kill me or possess me.

And the longer we play, the less certain I am that I want to escape his snare.

After all, I've got a few dark secrets of my own.

Limerence is an 18+ dark romance featuring an obsessed love interest that is unapologetically morally black. The relationship between our hero and heroine is not a healthy one and features themes of dubious consent, emotional manipulation, and other explicit content that may be upsetting to some readers. Please check the full list of trigger warnings inside. ]]> 415 H.C. Dolores maria 0 to-read 4.27 2024
author: H.C. Dolores
name: maria
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/19
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]]> 63905241
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.

The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.

All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.

Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr �� or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?]]> 550 Helen Scheuerer 1922903027 maria 0 to-read 4.20 2023
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: maria
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> 55504599
Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Fallon��who was taken far away from home shortly after she was born.��
A home that held more than strange traditions and bizarre superstitions.
Twenty-four years later, she returned to Weeping Hollow, a town she’d only heard about in stories during restless nights under a marble moon, in the middle of the night to take care of her last living relative.��
They called the nosy mortician a freakshow–a ghastly thing.
They said I couldn’t go near her.
Still, there was this aching pull to Fallon Grimaldi that I couldn’t escape.
A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.

Once upon a time, there lived a mysterious boy named Julian with a curse as old as centuries wrapped around his soul.��
He was one of the four Hollow Heathens, the very dark creatures who caused the town’s people to live in fear.��
And the Blackwell name was stained with darkness and death.
They called him a monster. Cold and hollow.
They said I shouldn’t go near him.
Still, there was this aching pull to Julian Blackwell that I couldn’t escape.
A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.��]]> 475 Nicole Fiorina 1735204722 maria 0 to-read 3.85 2020
author: Nicole Fiorina
name: maria
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
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]]> 123164084 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝.

To my beloved black sea,
It was full dark when I snuck out of the castle to meet you.

You wore those ripped black jeans and your new friend’s boots, with sleet from the forest still in the grooves. You moved awkwardly in your new clothes because you were still creating yourself, like one of your drawings.

We drank vanilla cola from glass bottles and listened to a song about how fast the night changes over and over. Two adults frolicking as youths, French kissing in secret to hide from winter and distract ourselves from the town crumbling around us. The way we touched each other was equally punishing and artful, painting a world where we could be together on each other’s skin.

For a while, we pretended. For a while, I was the kind of woman you could be loyal to and fight for, and you weren’t the lost, forbidden Heathen.

Now, it’s been days since I’ve seen you. I’ve decided long ago, and this is my last letter. Everything I’ve worked so hard for—before you came along—will carry on as if our time together never happened.

Don’t bother stopping me. As I once said, the tremor between us will only lead to carnage.

But as I plunge a knife into the chest of the man I once desired to marry, I’ll think of all those foolish nights when we pretended, our time on Bone Island, vanilla cola, our stupid song, and you.

Yes, my beloved black sea.

I’ll think of you.

xx, a

Bone Island can be read as a stand-alone or within the interconnected series. For a better reading experience, read books in the order they are published.]]> 680 Nicole Fiorina maria 0 to-read 4.31 2023
author: Nicole Fiorina
name: maria
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/16
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]]> 211399784 To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER �� An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

“P������ Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance and will keep you guessing until its last page.”—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story�� through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she ������’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.]]> 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 maria 4 4.17 2025
author: Layne Fargo
name: maria
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
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]]> 123429195
Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He's been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.

When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.]]> 297 Megan Lally 1728270111 maria 0 to-read 4.05 2023
author: Megan Lally
name: maria
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> 21853621 In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 maria 0 to-read 4.63 2015
author: Kristin Hannah
name: maria
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie�� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 maria 0 to-read 4.59 2024
author: Kristin Hannah
name: maria
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> 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 maria 0 to-read 4.07 2025
author: Sarah Adams
name: maria
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> 34950852
The average song is three and a half minutes long; those three and a half minutes could lead to a slow blink, a glimpse of the past, or catapult the soul into heart-shattering nostalgia.

At the height of my career, I had the life I wanted, the life I’d always envisioned. I’d found my tempo, my rhythm. Then I received a phone call that left me off key.

You see, my favorite songs had a way of playing simultaneously. I was in love with one man’s beats and another’s lyrics. But when it came to the soundtrack of a life, how could anyone choose a favorite song? So, to erase any doubt, I ditched my first-class ticket and decided to take a drive, fixed on the rearview.

Two days.

One playlist.

And the long road home to the man who was waiting for me.]]> 412 Kate Stewart 1978098758 maria 0 to-read 4.34 2017
author: Kate Stewart
name: maria
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
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]]> 202322798
So when I wake up at the hospital with my brother weeping over me, I know my life is about to change. What I didn’t expect was to get a nurse with cruel eyes and a morbid sense of humor that surpasses my own.

I’m even more surprised when I arrive at Harlow Sanctum and realize that my brother selected an unorthodox rehabilitation center that rooms people based on their treatment plan. And my roommate is none other than the man with cruel eyes I met the day prior.

I crave death—he craves life.

Can two people like us cure each other?Please check the CW on my website before]]> 362 K.M. Moronova maria 0 to-read 4.02 2023
author: K.M. Moronova
name: maria
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/26
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]]> 209269569
A Fated Purpose
Tessalyn Ausra has taken her revenge, and it’s never tasted so sweet. Feared by the rulers of Devram, she’s under the protection of the Achaz Kingdom where she can fulfill her purpose. But with power she ������’t control and the bond still in place, she finds temptation and chaos around every corner. Correcting the balance promises the ultimate freedom, but the dark still calls, even if destiny beckons. She’s finally found her purpose in this world. Will it lead to salvation or destruction?

A Broken Destiny
Theon St. Orcas has been planning for this moment his entire life. Finally the Arius Lord, he’s more alone than ever. Axel is missing, Luka is in another kingdom, and he’s left with two broody strangers from another realm and no Source. Once again, he’s racing against time to figure out a history that’s been manipulated. Pulled in all directions, sacrifices are demanded. How can he protect his people when the biggest threat is the one he’d sacrifice anything for?

A Tempting Betrayal
Sent to a foreign kingdom, Luka Mors finds himself the outsider he’s always dreaded being. Needing to stay at Tessa’s side, he’s in the center of a dangerous game, but more than that, he’s forced to stay in the presence of a temptation he’s been denying for years. He’s always prided himself on his loyalty, but what does he do when that loyalty starts to waver?

Destiny beckons, and sacrifice demands.
This is book 3 of 4 in The Legacy Series, an adult, dark fantasy romance series with elements that may be triggering to some readers. Please be sure to check the updated content information on Melissa's website. Seriously. We know they are all walking, talking red flags at this point. Read the content information, then embrace the darkness.]]> 672 Melissa K. Roehrich maria 0 currently-reading 4.29
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: maria
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/18
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]]> 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 maria 4 4.26 2022
author: Rachel Gillig
name: maria
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/08
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]]> 200576137
Rowan only wanted a bit of adventure. She never meant to start a war.

But when a vodka smuggling trip goes wrong and lands her in the hands of the people she was brought up to hate, the Lochlannian princess is forced to put her life on the line for the sake of her cousin and her kingdom. Her only ally is one of her captors, a man who is turning out to be so different from the barbarian she expected him to be.

Now she’s in over her head with ancient vendettas, blood debts, and the dangerous political games she’s never been good at playing. Even Theo’s help may not be enough to save her when the Socairans still blame her for her parents�� war�� and when she’s tempting fate by falling for one of their own.

Rowan will have to find a way to smooth things over without causing more chaos, before she accidentally kicks off a conflict that could forever alter the fate of two kingdoms.

*Scarlet Princess is a steamy (but not spicy) enemies-to-lovers romance with witty banter, found family, and only one bed.]]> 324 Robin D. Mahle maria 0 to-read 3.87 2021
author: Robin D. Mahle
name: maria
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/05
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]]> 123352788
I’ve always been a tough, North Shore girl. Fighting is in my blood, survival in my DNA.
But two years ago, Caden King broke me, and he has proof of it.
Now he wants to blackmail me into doing a job for him. The kind that puts my chance of escaping the North Shore at risk. The kind that means betraying my own crew.
He’s on me at all times, his dangerous mind always working on ways to torment me further.

Caden is wicked, unhinged. The North Shore Kings wear his name because of the vicious ways his family has been leading their crew.
Everyone always says there’s no point in fighting him. He has that madness in him that blurs the line between right and wrong. Now he's got his hold on me, and I have nothing and no one to protect me from him.

There’s no way to win.
No way to escape him.

I’m left with no choice but to do exactly what I’m told.

This book is the first in a series of four interconnected standalones. Beautiful Fiend is a dark enemies-to-lovers romance intended for readers over 18. It contains scenes that some readers may find triggering. Please check CW in the book.]]> 492 Lola King 1916837026 maria 4 3.81
author: Lola King
name: maria
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2025/01/03
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]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe �� a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution �� who she can't help but find herself falling for.

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

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch�� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 maria 4 4.5⭐️ 4.16 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: maria
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
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4.5⭐️
]]> 202195805 They call me Kayla ‘The Ruthless�� King. The Queen of the North Shore and leader of the Kings�� Crew.

Because of the sacrifices I’ve made and the merciless way I run my crew, the North Shore belongs to me.

In our town, you can only thrive if you're the worst of the worst. But that all ended when the psychopath I put away returned with a target on my back.

If I'm The Ruthless King, Nathan White is The Lawless God. The biggest and baddest of them all. He's heartless and cruel, and everyone is safer out of his way. Including me.

When he comes back to the North Shore with only my name on his lips, I know my days are numbered. Or so I thought until he took me.

Nathan doesn't want me dead. He wants me to suffer. And what better way than to keep me captive as he destroys my crew and legacy.

I'm fighting a war that I'm unprepared for, and in the midst of chaos, my feelings blur with the need for survival. My secrets aren't safe anymore, and neither is my heart.

You know what they say? Never fall in love with the enemy.

Too late for that.


This book is a standalone in a series of interconnected standalones. It can be read on its own.]]> 556 Lola King 1916837077 maria 0 to-read 4.23
author: Lola King
name: maria
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/24
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]]> 196788869 In a town where all that matters is loyalty to your gang, I’ve been labeled a traitor.

A death sentence.

I ran away from the North Shore the day I knew I wasn’t safe there anymore. I left behind the people I thought were my family: My crew, the Kings.

More importantly, I turned my back on the two men who once meant everything to me.

The hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I might have known Elliot and Ethan since we were children, but I betrayed the brothers in more ways than one.

Now they want me dead.

I should have known no one escapes the Kings. They found me and are taking me back to face my darkest secrets and most haunting memories.

A place where I am public enemy number one.

I’m stuck with a master manipulator and his bloodthirsty brother. Two men who only want to make me hurt. In more ways than one.

They will never let me go. At least not until I’ve paid for my sins.]]> 531 Lola King 1916837050 maria 0 to-read 3.88
author: Lola King
name: maria
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/24
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]]> 197608750 This book is a standalone, the second in a series of four interconnected standalones. It contains scenes that some readers may find triggering. Please check CW in the book.]]> 524 Lola King 191683700X maria 3 4.15
author: Lola King
name: maria
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
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]]> 123349658
Rain of Shadows and Endings is book one in The Legacy Series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is new adult dark fantasy romance series and includes elements that may be triggering to some readers.]]> 670 Melissa K. Roehrich maria 5 4.01 2023
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: maria
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/12/11
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]]> 198107923
A choice to make.

Tessalyn Ausra’s fate has always been out of her hands. Still bonded to the Heir of Endings, she now finds herself with more control than ever before. Everyone wants something from her, and she has to choose a side. But in a realm full of villains, she trusts no one, and she has secrets of her own to keep.

A plan to salvage.

Control and knowledge have always been Theon St. Orcas’s greatest weapons, but both have slipped through his fingers. Given a task by the rulers of the realm, he’s racing against the clock to get his plans back on track. But as myths become reality, he finds himself fighting more than time in an effort to keep what’s his or lose it all to fury.

A fate to alter.

Axel St. Orcas has never minded rubbing shoulders with the depraved rather than the elite. It’s easier to hide his shame among the corrupt. But with each passing day, he risks triggering a curse and endangering those he cares for most. He’ll sacrifice anything to keep them safe, even if that means giving up everything he is.

Who will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign?

Storm of Secrets and Sorrow is book two of four in The Legacy Series. This is a new adult, dark fantasy romance series with elements that may be triggering to some readers. Please be sure to check the updated content information. Seriously. We know the MMC is a morally gray, walking red flag. Read the content information, then embrace the darkness.]]> 660 Melissa K. Roehrich maria 5 4.16 2024
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: maria
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
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]]> 216595852
I'm just a girl. And it turns out, I'm Hercules.

I'm struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I'm part of the powerful elite. I'm one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There's just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I'm pretty sure either someone's stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity's slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I'm surrounded by Villains and they're smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they're messing with.




]]> 496 Jasmine Mas maria 0 to-read 3.84 2024
author: Jasmine Mas
name: maria
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: to-read
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]]> 55475477 He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.

No. More. Sex.

Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.

Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.

They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.

And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.

No. More. Us.

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content]]> 513 Krista Ritchie maria 4
Lily and Lo have my heart ]]> 4.13 2013
author: Krista Ritchie
name: maria
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
4.5⭐️

Lily and Lo have my heart
]]> 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 maria 0 to-read 4.14 2024
author: Keri Lake
name: maria
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/30
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]]> 205044632 A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tale with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies to lovers romance. The first book in the Ashen Series, you are one click away from reading it!]]> 500 Demi Winters 173899600X maria 0 to-read 4.21 2023
author: Demi Winters
name: maria
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211200239
I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally gray male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book.

Tropes
Stalker romance
Morally grey MMC
Masked stalker
He falls first
Black cat x golden retriever]]> 416 Navessa Allen 1638932239 maria 0 to-read 4.21 2024
author: Navessa Allen
name: maria
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 122779502
The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Please note: A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an NA/adult romantasy book with steam. While this series is slow burn, the chili pepper rating will increase for each book.]]> 562 Stacia Stark maria 0 to-read 4.09 2023
author: Stacia Stark
name: maria
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 187012471 IF HE CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE ELSE CAN

Kade Mitchell is obsessed with someone he despises.

A snake in an angel’s skin, Stacey Rhodes is everything he ������’t forget �� the girl who shattered his heart and drove him deep into the darkness of the underworld.

He watched her for years. Killed anyone who came close to her. But now, granted a brief moment of freedom from the life he’s trapped in, he’s back home and driven to claim her again, breaking every rule he’s ever made for himself.

Not even his hatred can stop the pull between them.

But he’ll never forgive her�� will he?


As this is a dark romance , the author highly recommends reading the 'content warning' page.]]> 413 Leigh Rivers maria 3 3.5 4.20
author: Leigh Rivers
name: maria
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
3.5
]]> 199239864 But she needs a job—and refuge from her abusive soon-to-be-ex-husband.

If only her new boss, Austin Wells, would make it clear whether he hates her or wants her. His gaze makes her feel things she hasn’t in years. Though getting over her ex by getting under her grumpy boss isn’t worth the potential fallout.

Austin’s a gruff, no-nonsense rancher who’s seriously regretting letting his head cook hire her own help. As far as he’s concerned, Cecily won’t be sticking around for long. Nobody ever stays. And the wedding ring indent still on her finger makes her more trouble than she’s worth.

When Cecily’s past catches up with her, Austin discovers that she’s already placed a branding iron on his heart. He wants her to stay. First, he needs to keep her safe.

CW/TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (ON PAGE), PHYSICAL VIOLENCE (ON PAGE), DEATH OF PARENT AND GRANDPARENT (DISCUSSED), TROUBLED PARENT-ADULT CHILD RELATIONSHIP (DISCUSSED), ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION (ON PAGE), RANCHING ACTIVITIES (BRANDING, CASTRATION, VACCINATION, ROPING - ON PAGE), EXPLICIT SEX SCENES]]> 324 Bailey Hannah 1738107612 maria 0 to-read 4.01
author: Bailey Hannah
name: maria
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208503280 She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she ������’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…]]> 368 Freida McFadden 1728296226 maria 3 3.95 2024
author: Freida McFadden
name: maria
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 76707900 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past��

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1639731008 maria 4 4.5 4.64 2015
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
4.5
]]> 213309864
Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.

Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.

When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything��

…including her heart.]]> 497 Rachel Schneider maria 0 to-read 4.28
author: Rachel Schneider
name: maria
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213779197
Maverick Miller is the best player in the league, but he’s never had a winning record. Team captain and desperate to turn things around, he agrees to play nice with the fiery new left-winger even though they’re total opposites.

After a night where the tension between them reaches a tipping point and they fall in bed together, Emmy and Maverick vow it was only one time. Just once to get it out of their systems so they can play better and help their team.

It doesn’t mean anything. She doesn’t date hockey players. He’s a notorious playboy who doesn’t date. Period.

Except�� what should’ve been just once happens again, then again. They tell each other their friends with benefits arrangement is only for the season, but despite facing off on the ice, behind closed doors, the pair is nothing but fire.]]> 450 Chelsea Curto maria 3 3.5 4.14 2024
author: Chelsea Curto
name: maria
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/21
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves:
review:
3.5
]]> 204593914 Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don't fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia ������’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.]]> 497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 maria 4 4.5 4.06 2024
author: Kaylie Smith
name: maria
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:
4.5
]]> 59316367 448 David Ellis 0399170928 maria 0 to-read 4.17 2022
author: David Ellis
name: maria
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60225993 Come to me, Empress ��

At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene's magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon's help for answers―and his plans for her will change everything.]]> 443 Laura Thalassa maria 0 to-read 3.83 2023
author: Laura Thalassa
name: maria
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60310757 Welcome to the Centennial.

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

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

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.]]> 416 Alex Aster 1419760866 maria 0 to-read 3.84 2022
author: Alex Aster
name: maria
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123471760 When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.

In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers epic is perfect for lovers of magic, dragons, angst, and banter and will appeal to fans of books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Gild, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 438 Penn Cole maria 0 to-read 4.20 2023
author: Penn Cole
name: maria
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208674368 Avalon Spy Academy rules: spy on the fey, resist falling for your mentor, and try not to die in the process.

What I’m hoping for on my European vacation is to read books and drink champagne on the beach. Instead, I end up kidnapped by an arrogant, lethally sexy fey named Raphael.

It turns out, I have a magic power needed to fight an evil fey king. Next thing I know, Raphael has��enrolled me in an elite spy academy. There, in the ancient and gothic halls of Avalon Tower, snobbery and brutal competitions are among the oldest traditions.

Making my job harder, the silver-eyed��Raphael is my mentor. Romance is forbidden here--a distracted spy is a dead spy. So I need to push his dangerous allure out of my mind as we travel into the Fey realm. If we get captured by the fey king, we’ll die horrific deaths–and humanity won’t stand a chance.]]> C.N. Crawford maria 0 to-read 3.84 2024
author: C.N. Crawford
name: maria
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 76715522 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Aelin Galathynius has vowed to save her people �� but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. The knowledge that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, but her resolve is unraveling with each passing day��

With Aelin captured, friends and allies are scattered to different fates. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever. As destinies weave together at last, all must fight if Erilea is to have any hope of salvation.

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an explosive conclusion as Aelin fights to save herself―and the promise of a better world.]]> 984 Sarah J. Maas 1639731067 maria 0 to-read 4.74 2018
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 76706470 576 Sarah J. Maas maria 4 4.44 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 126062562
When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire]]> 451 Sarah J. Maas 1619632217 maria 4 4.16 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 76705490 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.]]> 420 Sarah J. Maas 1639730966 maria 5
this book was amazing from beginning to end and i loved every second of it]]> 4.34 2013
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/02
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves:
review:
“to escape death, she’d become death��

this book was amazing from beginning to end and i loved every second of it
]]> 76703559 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas 163973094X maria 4
i just know this series is gonna become my entire personality

4.25⭐️�ձ�> 4.18 2012
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: maria
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/25
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves:
review:
“a lovely girl gazing at the stars, and the stars who gazed back��

i just know this series is gonna become my entire personality

4.25⭐️
]]> 49551172 The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse. But when finding the truth, don't let the shadows take you.

The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen's lives pure hell as they prepare to take their fateful assessment.

With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, Tory and Darcy have more to worry about than just passing their exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer...]]> 561 Caroline Peckham maria 5 4.33 2019
author: Caroline Peckham
name: maria
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 345627 Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies...

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires—the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger... and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever...]]> 332 Richelle Mead 159514174X maria 0 to-read 4.12 2007
author: Richelle Mead
name: maria
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 73071451 Sinner. Villain. Wicked.

The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other��

Virtuous. Darling. Liar.

The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows Waverly Green’s most notorious rake to blackmail her. To avoid a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Envy, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature...

Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Underworld—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm and beyond—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.]]> 612 Kerri Maniscalco 031655751X maria 0 to-read 4.00 2023
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: maria
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211081101
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save�� and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 430 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975189 maria 0 to-read 4.01 2018
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: maria
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40944965 His first, last, and only true love has always been rugby.
Until now.

He wants to save her.
She wants to hide.

She's damaged.
He's determined.

Fate brought them together.
Love binds them.

Johnny Kavanagh has everything going for him. On the rugby pitch, he's a force to be reckoned with. Primed for stardom, he's heading straight for the top. Nothing can possibly get in his way, right?
Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College. The one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. The one that distracts him like no one ever has.
Plagued with a hidden injury and desperate to impress the scouts watching his every move, Johnny has been placed on a pedestal so high, he has no room to make mistakes.
Striving to maintain balance, and on the crest of the International Summer Campaign, Johnny needs to keep his head in the game. He needs to stay focused, and cannot afford to let distractions get in the way of the bigger picture.
But what happens when a lonely girl with sad eyes becomes the only picture?

Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her.
On her very first day at the prestigious private school, she comes into contact with the notorious Johnny Kavanagh.
Thrown through a hoop over her feelings for him, and desperate to keep a low-profile, Shannon finds herself once again the target of bullies as she forms a fragile alliance with rugby's rising star.

Falling into a complicated friendship and grappling with their undeniable chemistry, Johnny and Shannon must face obstacles that threaten their relationship.

Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks collide.

Friendship, first love, rising fame, horrifying secrets, and pain all fuel together in Binding 13.

Hearts are binding and lives are entwining in Binding 13.

Binding 13 is the explosive first installment of a brand-new series from Chloe Walsh. Based in Ireland, the Boys Of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.]]> 626 Chloe Walsh maria 5 i-want-these-buried-with-me 4.43 2018
author: Chloe Walsh
name: maria
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: i-want-these-buried-with-me
review:
I ������’t even begin to explain how much I love this book. My favourite thing to ever exist. Watch me make this book my entire personality.
]]> 213075365 BOOK THREE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick and New York Times bestseller!

Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister's life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own power--regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender--even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.]]> 480 Sabaa Tahir 0448494515 maria 0 to-read 4.04 2018
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: maria
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/15
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]]> 213075405 Elias and Laia are running for their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.]]> 460 Sabaa Tahir 110199889X maria 4 4.18 2016
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: maria
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/14
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]]> 10614 #1, #2, #3, #4

Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader - she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.]]> 370 Stephen King 0450417395 maria 0 to-read 4.22 1987
author: Stephen King
name: maria
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1987
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/14
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]]> 206780522 An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.

And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.]]> 484 Sabaa Tahir 0593616944 maria 0 to-read 4.24 2024
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: maria
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/10
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]]> 32718027
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...]]> 532 S.A. Chakraborty 0062678108 maria 0 to-read 4.12 2017
author: S.A. Chakraborty
name: maria
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/10
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]]> 59227936
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
��
However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.]]> 409 Adalyn Grace 0316158232 maria 0 to-read 3.97 2022
author: Adalyn Grace
name: maria
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/04
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]]> 209568782
As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press it’s hard to find any peace. But I find it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal my heart just as thoroughly as their dad.

Weston Belmont.

The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.

Everything with him is wild and impulsive and I’m desperate to regain some control.

But no one has supported me like West does. And no one has ever made me feel as loved as he does either.

So, while my brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible�� my heart says I’m right where I belong.

Still, my life as a celebrity haunts me. It has the power to pull us apart.

I can see in his eyes that wants me to stay. And I want that too.

But I know better than anyone that we don’t always get what we want.]]> 464 Elsie Silver 1464220824 maria 0 to-read 4.24 2024
author: Elsie Silver
name: maria
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/03
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]]> 61635096 Celebrate five years of sweet, angsty pain with this special edition of A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner.
THIS EDITION A forward from the author A Love Letter to Whiskey Love, Whiskey (a brand new novella from Jamie's point of view -- 50,000 words of new content, including an extended epilogue) Bonus Content including letters from the author, fun facts and behind the scenes, as well as a note from the audiobook narrator Brand new special edition cover
I saw him first. But it didn't matter. Because he saw her.
He was my best friend, and I was his. We couldn't be together, but we couldn't stand to be apart. And if you're not truly lovers... but you're so much more than friends... what exactly are you?]]> 608 Kandi Steiner maria 0 to-read 3.98
author: Kandi Steiner
name: maria
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/03
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]]> 203956639 A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.

Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.

Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.

After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.

As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.]]> 464 Alexis Henderson 0593638301 maria 0 to-read 3.45 2024
author: Alexis Henderson
name: maria
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/02
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]]> 214673148 Do not touch the sword.

Do not turn the key.

Do not open the gate.

In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

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

But a secret is like a knot.

Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

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

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

Death has a name.

It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate.

His past is murky.

His attitude stinks.

And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child.

The devil is in the details...


N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website. ]]> 622 Callie Hart maria 0 to-read 4.14 2024
author: Callie Hart
name: maria
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
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date added: 2024/09/02
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]]> 63057844 Elowen Atarah, Princess of Imirath, came into the world like a firestorm made flesh. A princess with a link to five dragons should have been a blessing to her kingdom, but her blessing became her curse. The little girl in shackles became a knife wielding woman with a thirst for retaliation.
Now, Queen of Aestilian, a secret kingdom she forged through strength and survival, Elowen needs a way to feed her rising population. She never thought she would have the force to take on Imirath, but when the snarky Commander Cayden Veles of Vareveth, her father’s enemy kingdom, offers her a deal she’s been dreaming of for years, how can she not take it? Even if he ignites her temper like no other, nothing unites two begrudging allies more than a common enemy.
The pair of them, along with three accomplices, will navigate their partnership, politics, and attempt to pull off the greatest heist their world has ever known. Five people, all united through revenge, will have to transcend the odds stacked against them and infiltrate the impenetrable castle if they want to reap their rewards before someone reaps their souls. Putting aside their differences to accomplish a common goal because everyone knows…vengeance is a promise signed in blood.]]> 571 Olivia Rose Darling maria 0 to-read 3.66 2022
author: Olivia Rose Darling
name: maria
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/02
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]]> 195645746
The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild.

But mostly, the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend's little sister and knowing you can't have her.

Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World's Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he's her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend's sister, Rosie Belmont.

After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm's length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.

Ford knows damn well he shouldn't cross this line. But shouldn't and can't are two very different things.

And the only thing he truly can't do is resist her.]]> 455 Elsie Silver 1464220816 maria 4 4.03 2024
author: Elsie Silver
name: maria
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/08/31
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]]> 199269577 The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who ������’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.]]> 384 Sarah Beth Durst maria 0 to-read 4.05 2024
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: maria
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/30
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]]> 58411935
August 1955,

When Miss Darcy O’Sullivan, an orphaned English teacher from Boston, receives a letter that her biological father passed away, she is surprised to find herself included in his will.
There is only one condition.
She must travel to Fairydale to attend his funeral.
With the promise of a sizable inheritance, Darcy decides to journey to the small coastal town that holds the secrets of her birth. But the moment she steps foot into Fairydale, things start to go amiss.
Odd residents. Odd rumors. Odd…deaths.
Everything about Fairydale is odd.
Including brooding Caleb Hale—part of the infamous Hale family.
During the day, she falls deeper and deeper under his spell as he forces her to step out of her comfort zone and embrace her inner sensuality.
But at night it’s another man who haunts her dreams—Amon d'Artan, a nobleman who lived two centuries ago.
Amon is sweet and suave where Caleb is intense and dangerous, and Darcy feels more torn than ever. Soon, she finds herself embroiled in a web of lies, deceit, and inexplicable events that make her question her sanity.

When an ancient evil threatens the town and everything Darcy holds dear, she must make the ultimate choice.

But will she survive it?



Fairydale is a dark gothic historical romance with horror, paranormal & fantasy elements. This is NOT a traditional love triangle. It features a villainous love interest that would end the world for his beloved and an all-encompassing love story spanning millennia. This is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. Please check the triggers before reading.]]> 772 Veronica Lancet maria 0 to-read 3.89 2022
author: Veronica Lancet
name: maria
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/29
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]]> 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 maria 0 to-read 4.07 2022
author: Amber V. Nicole
name: maria
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/29
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]]> 51966347 They tried to break us.
They almost did.
But we're not going anywhere.


The Celestial Heirs think the stars are on their side. But they don't know what's coming.��Fighting them one on one isn't an option so we have to be stealthy. Remaining under the radar won't be easy, but if we pull it off, they'll never suspect our involvement when their lives start falling apart.

Besides, they've already taken us to the brink of hell, what more can they really do?]]> 475 Caroline Peckham maria 4 4.5* 4.20 2019
author: Caroline Peckham
name: maria
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
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review:
4.5*
]]> 55448116
The power, the magic, was supposed to go to someone else in the family. I was counting on it.

But now my Grammy Ruby is gone, and here the bones sit on my kitchen table.

I thought bitter relatives would be my biggest problem. But I’ve barely had time to find a familiar before trouble comes a-knocking. The kind that possesses smoldering green eyes and a smile that can turn any woman dumb.

His name is Rogan Kendrick, and he’s certain that someone is hunting down and taking my kind.

According to him, I’m next.

This is a world that I never wanted to be a part of, but magic gives no fucks and takes no prisoners... At least we have that much in common.

I don’t know what my ancestors were thinking when they chose me, but I’m going to give them a run for their money. My name is Lennox Osseous, but you can call me the Bone Witch.]]> 292 Ivy Asher maria 0 to-read 4.15 2020
author: Ivy Asher
name: maria
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/28
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]]> 50833559 What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?]]> 389 Riley Sager 1524745170 maria 0 to-read 4.05 2020
author: Riley Sager
name: maria
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/25
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]]> 29589074
Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.�� It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.��

The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three.

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.]]> 416 Maureen Johnson maria 0 to-read 3.89 2018
author: Maureen Johnson
name: maria
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/25
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]]> 46261182 This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B07SV21LFY

You have been selected to attend Zodiac Academy, where your star sign defines your destiny.

If you're one of the Fae, elemental magic is in your blood. And apparently it's in ours. As twins born in the month of Gemini, we're a rare breed even in this academy of supernatural a-holes.

Changelings were outlawed hundreds of years ago but I guess our birth parents didn't get the memo. Which means we're totally unprepared for the ruthless world of Fae.

Air. Fire. Water. Earth.

No one has ever harnessed all four of them, until we arrived. And it hasn't made us any friends so far.

As the rarest Elementals ever known, we're already a threat to the four celestial heirs; the popular, vindictive bullies who happen to be some of the hottest guys we've ever seen. It doesn't help that they're the most dangerous beasts in the Academy. And probably on earth too.

Our fates are intertwined, but they want us gone. They've only got until the lunar eclipse to force us out and they'll stop at nothing to succeed.

We never knew we had a birthright to live up to but now that we do, we intend to claim our throne.

We can't expect any help from the faculty when it comes to defending ourselves. So if the dragon shifters want some target practice, the werewolves want someone to hunt or the vampires fancy a snack then we have to be ready. But we've been looking after each other for a long time and fighting back is in our blood.

Today's horoscope: totally screwed.]]> 436 Caroline Peckham maria 4 3.81 2019
author: Caroline Peckham
name: maria
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/24
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]]> 63428316 The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.

Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes' tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.

Anoor has been told she's nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom--and their hearts.

Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm.

As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

Book One of The Ending Fire Trilogy]]> 624 Saara El-Arifi 0593356969 maria 0 to-read 4.06 2022
author: Saara El-Arifi
name: maria
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
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date added: 2024/08/20
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]]> 205646943 Once upon a time, a vampire corrupted a hunter.

Octavia Beaumont, one of the original three vampires, is determined to run the city.

Red, an expert hunter, is hell-bent on getting revenge on the vampire that turned her sister.

When deadly trials for the heir of the city begin, Red and Octavia are forced to work together.

Octavia wants a crown.

Red wants blood.

But there’s only one first place.

To win, they’re going to have to trust each other. But teamwork is not easy when their past is filled with betrayal��

A betrayal Red ������’t remember.

Someone is lying.

Someone has a secret.

Everyone has a hidden agenda.

The last thing Red and Octavia want to do is fall in love�� But hearts remember, even when the mind doesn’t.

To win the trials and get revenge��

They must reveal a truth that will shatter their souls.

Remember a past that will break their hearts.

And fight a war that will change the face of the city forever.

Three tasks. Three choices. Three sacrifices.

All of them have a cruel price. The question is, are they willing to pay it?



This is a very steamy lesbian vampire romance with a sprinkling of enemies to lovers and second chance romance, royals, multiple POV and timelines, bratty bedroom vampires, exhibitionism, and more. Please check author website or look inside for the trigger warnings. 18+ only.]]> 432 Ruby Roe 1913236315 maria 0 to-read 4.09
author: Ruby Roe
name: maria
average rating: 4.09
book published:
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]]> 50523477 Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters �� but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.]]> 533 Tasha Suri 0356515648 maria 0 to-read 4.12 2021
author: Tasha Suri
name: maria
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/20
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]]> 68052101 Two enemies, one goal: steal each other's hearts.

Scarlett Grey, disgraced assassin, is determined to get revenge.

Quinn Adams, medic turned-poisoner for hire, is her deadliest rival.

For years, they've stolen each other's clients, sabotaged each other's business, and occasionally�� slept together.

When the Magician Queen offers an irresistible deal, Scarlett and Quinn are forced to work together. But this is not a simple job.

With an impossible heist ahead, they’re going to have to trust each other��

And that's not easy when they both have secrets to hide.

Harder still when those secrets will betray the ones they love.

Now neither woman is sure if it’s a heist they want to win or a heart.

Two women, two deadly professions, and a romance that could be their downfall.

This is a steamy lesbian fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, a heist, found family, a secret royal, and only one bed.]]> 319 Ruby Roe 1913236722 maria 0 to-read 3.92 2023
author: Ruby Roe
name: maria
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/20
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]]> 41951626 Impossible love between two girls —one human, one Made.
A love that could birth a revolution.

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will.

Now, Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging the death of her family�� by killing the Sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier, who was Made to be beautiful, to be flawless. And to take over the work of her father.

Crier had been preparing to do just that—to inherit her father’s rule over the land. But that was before she was betrothed to Scyre Kinok, who seems to have a thousand secrets. That was before she discovered her father isn’t as benevolent as she thought. That was before she met Ayla.

Set in a richly-imagined fantasy world, Nina Varela’s debut novel is a sweepingly romantic tale of love, loss and revenge, that challenges what it really means to be human.]]> 464 Nina Varela 0062823965 maria 0 to-read 4.12 2019
author: Nina Varela
name: maria
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 202547922 A small-town enemies to lovers romance and the debut novel from the bestselling author of Flawless and Wild Love.

Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue�� until Billie waltzes onto my property.

She’s talented, feisty and so damn tempting. We clash from the moment we meet, and I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg. I can't stop thinking about her, period.

And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it’s hard to keep my distance. Billie is the whole package: whip-smart with a body I fantasise about, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business �� and me. She drives me crazy, but the more time we spend together, the more I crave her: her lips, her trust, her heart�� I want it all.

But at what cost? Because suddenly I don’t just want to win races, I want to win the girl.

Features an exclusive prequel novella, limited to this paperback edition!]]> 480 Elsie Silver 1464220778 maria 0 to-read 3.50 2021
author: Elsie Silver
name: maria
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/20
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]]> 213075476 This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN-13: 9781595148049.

Laia is a slave.��Elias is a soldier.��Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.]]> 480 Sabaa Tahir 1595148043 maria 4 4.25 4.18 2015
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: maria
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:
4.25
]]> 61918816 A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin��-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass�� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,�� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she ������’t refuse.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 1538704390 maria 0 to-read 4.29 2023
author: Abby Jimenez
name: maria
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> 30372977 I would love you forever, if I only had the chance...

Kacey Dawson has always lived life on the edge--impulsively, sometimes recklessly. And now, as lead guitarist for a hot up-and-coming band, she is poised at the brink of fame and fortune. But she is torn between wanting to be a serious musician, and the demons that lure her down the glittering, but alcohol-soaked path of rock stardom. A wrecked concert in Las Vegas threatens to ruin her career entirely. She wakes up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before, or how she ended up on her limo driver’s couch...

Jonah Fletcher is running out of time. He knows his situation is hopeless, and he's vowed to make the most of the handful of months he has left to him. His plans include seeing the opening of his glass installation at a prestigious art gallery…they do not include falling in love with a wild, tempestuous rock musician who wound up passed out on his couch.

Jonah sees that Kacey is on a path to self-destruction. He lets her crash with him for a few days to dry out and get her head on straight. But neither of them expected the deep connection they felt, or how that connection could grow so fast from friendship into something more. Something deep and pure and life-changing…something as fragile as glass, that they both know will shatter in the end no matter how hard they try to hold on to it.


Full Tilt is a story about what it means to love with your whole heart, to sacrifice, to experience terrible grief and soaring joy. To live life with all its beauty, and all its pain, and in the end to be able to smile through tears and know you wouldn’t have changed a thing.]]> 292 Emma Scott maria 4 4.34 2016
author: Emma Scott
name: maria
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 62949651
When Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program, she had one uncover the truth about her mother's murder. But now, everything Cassie thought she knew about what happened that night has been called into question. Her mother is alive, and the people holding her captive are more powerful -- and dangerous -- than anything the Naturals have faced so far. As Cassie and the team work to uncover the secrets of a group that has been killing in secret for generations, they find themselves racing a ticking clock.
��
When the bodies begin piling up, it soon becomes apparent that this time, the Naturals aren't just hunting serial killers.

They're being hunted.

Don't miss a minute of this fan-favorite series from the #1 bestselling author of The Inheritance Games, perfect for fans of�� One of Us is Lying�� and�� A Good Girl's Guide to Murder .��]]> 509 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 0316540862 maria 0 to-read 4.34 2016
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: maria
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 maria 0 to-read 3.88 2023
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: maria
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/14
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review:

]]> 199926331 Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.]]> 399 Jessica Joyce 0593548434 maria 0 to-read 4.12 2024
author: Jessica Joyce
name: maria
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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