Ashley's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 09 Apr 2025 05:09:26 -0700 60 Ashley's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Swan Song 12972591
In Manhattan, a homeless woman stumbles from the sewers, guided by the prophecies of a mysterious amulet, and pursued by something wicked; on Idaho’s Blue Dome Mountain, an orphaned boy falls under the influence of depraved survivalists and discovers the value of a killer instinct; and amid the devastating dust storms on the Great Plains of Nebraska, Swan forms a heart-and-soul bond with an unlikely new companion. Soon they will cross paths. But only Swan knows that they must endure more than just a trek across an irradiated country of mutated animals, starvation, madmen, and wasteland warriors.

Swan’s visions tell of a coming malevolent force. It’s a shape-shifting embodiment of the apocalypse, and of all that is evil and despairing. And it’s hell-bent on destroying the last hope of goodness and purity in the world. Swan is that hope. Now, she must fight not only for her own survival, but for that of all mankind.

A winner of the Bram Stoker Award and a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, Swan Song has become a modern classic, called “a chilling vision that keeps you turning pages to the shocking end� by John Saul and “a long, satisfying look at hell and salvation� by Publishers Weekly.]]> 929 Robert McCammon Ashley 0 currently-reading 4.35 1987 Swan Song
author: Robert McCammon
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> No Way Out 55079458 A Gripping Novel of Suspense

Ellie Bowman barely remembers the incident that put her into a coma. When she awoke, filled with unease, all she knew for certain was that her boyfriend, Rick, was missing. She knew she needed to get away from her old life and recover in safety. With the proceeds of a video game she helped develop, Ellie starts over in rural Missouri, working from her cottage and trusting no one except her friend and business partner.

Yet even in this quiet small town, it’s impossible to completely isolate herself. Especially when a curious eight-year-old boy, smitten with Ellie’s pup, stops by every day to talk to him over the fence. Little by little, Ellie is being drawn back into the world through the neighbors and community around her, realizing that everyone has their own fears and obstacles to contend with.

But when Ellie hears that Rick has resurfaced, her nightmares return, and with them, small snippets of memory. No one has heard from Rick since before the incident, so why is he back now? Ellie wants to move forward with her life, but first she must find the courage to look into her past, no matter what she finds there . . .]]> 242 Fern Michaels 1496731204 Ashley 3 3.82 2021 No Way Out
author: Fern Michaels
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)]]> 36679274
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?]]> 624 Cassandra Clare 0525619992 Ashley 0 currently-reading 3.79 2023 Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr, #1)]]> 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 Ashley 0 to-read 4.20 2023 Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr, #1)
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Overnight Guest 57677070 A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstormin this chilling thriller fromNew York Timesbestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

She thought she was alone�

True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.

As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.]]> 337 Heather Gudenkauf Ashley 3 4.19 2022 The Overnight Guest
author: Heather Gudenkauf
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fiction, horror, mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Court of Ice and Ash (The Broken Kingdoms, #2)]]> 214513510 She chose him. He chose revenge. But some choices have deadly consequences.

When Elise agreed to break a vicious curse over the man she loved, she never imagined he was a lost fae prince. But Valen left her to carry out vengeance for his slaughtered family. So when she joins the outlaw fae in their uprising against her own sister, all Elise wants is to forget the prince who holds her heart.

But fate has a different plan.

Reunited in the rescue of a mutual friend, Elise and Valen are forced to decide where they stand in the battle of crowns. As their passion reignites, so too do the dangers threatening to pull them apart for good: a strange magical blight infecting the land, betrayal by one of their own, and a devastating secret not even a fae prince saw coming.

The wicked game for the right to rule has begun. But who will save Elise and Valen from a dark magic with the power to destroy their love forever?

For fans of The Cruel Prince and The Shadows Between Us, this tale of a rebellious princess and a seductive prince is wickedly romantic. Part Viking, part fairy tale, one-click to order a dark, swoon-worthy romance with the perfect amount of sweet and steam.]]> L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.33 2021 Court of Ice and Ash (The Broken Kingdoms, #2)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209668781
Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

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

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 758 Rebecca Yarros 1649376944 Ashley 5 Why must you torment us?!?!
That being said, of course it’s a 5-star read from me. Her writing is incredible. Story line is top notch original. She really knows how to drag every emotion out of you. And I love her inclusion of her audience, her awareness of the diversity of people who read her books and being able to weave that into her story. Sometimes it’s not the surface level of the story telling, sometimes it the deeper understandings that we are all not the same and we all are going through different things that makes me enjoy her books, especially this book, so much more.
Okay but please put a release date for book 4. My heart can’t take this much longer ❤️]]> 4.43 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: adult, audiobook, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, supernatural, young-adult
review:
What in the actual fuck, Rebecca Yarros! How am I supposed to live after reading that and knowing there is no release date (yet) for book 4?!
Why must you torment us?!?!
That being said, of course it’s a 5-star read from me. Her writing is incredible. Story line is top notch original. She really knows how to drag every emotion out of you. And I love her inclusion of her audience, her awareness of the diversity of people who read her books and being able to weave that into her story. Sometimes it’s not the surface level of the story telling, sometimes it the deeper understandings that we are all not the same and we all are going through different things that makes me enjoy her books, especially this book, so much more.
Okay but please put a release date for book 4. My heart can’t take this much longer ❤️
]]> <![CDATA[Crown of Blood and Ruin (The Broken Kingdoms, #3)]]> 214514310 War begins. But secrets have the power to end...everything.

Fallen princess. Traitor. Queen.

Forsaking her people and her birthright, Elise Lysander takes her place at the side of the new fae king of a broken land. Revered by some, hated by many, Elise’s fight for her love and freedom is only beginning.

As secrets of Castle Ravenspire come to light, Elise and Valen discover their enemies hold more power than they ever imagined.

It will take more than blades to defeat them.

Fulfilling a dangerous request from Valen’s imprisoned brother. Destroying a prophecy of fate kept in the hands of Elise's brutal sister. And an unwilling alliance with a shadowed thief from a neighboring kingdom that might end in victory or more death.

Blood is calling. War will answer.

But for Elise and Valen this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love.

Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this final book in the Northern Kingdom is part Viking, part fairy tale. One-click to start reading today.

*This is the final book in Elise and Valen's love story, however, more tales will continue in the Broken Kingdoms. The romance and heat builds as the series progresses*]]> 368 L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.40 2022 Crown of Blood and Ruin (The Broken Kingdoms, #3)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> Variation 210482187 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson’s niece shows up on Allie’s doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson’s past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.]]> 459 Rebecca Yarros 1662514697 Ashley 5 4.20 2024 Variation
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, contemporary, romance-novels
review:

]]> Verity 59218704 Whose truth is the lie?Stay up all night readingthe sensational psychological thriller that has readers obsessed, from the #1New York Timesbestselling author of Too Late andIt Ends With Us.#1 New York TimesBestseller·USA TodayBestseller·Globe and MailBestseller·Publishers WeeklyBestsellerLowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night her family was forever altered.Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents could devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her.]]> 333 Colleen Hoover Ashley 4 4.38 2018 Verity
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, contemporary, fiction, mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> Counting Miracles 205126997 Amikor Tanner kíváncsiságtól hajtva az észak-karolinai kisvárosba utazik, még nem tudja, hogy az egész élete megváltozik. Az apja nyomát követve megismerkedik egy, a gyerekeit egyedül nevelő doktornővel és egy magányosan, elvonultan élő öregemberrel. Ha Tanner képes megnyitni a szívét a szeretet és a szerelem előtt, a csodálatos találkozások sora ezzel nem ér véget...]]> 368 Nicholas Sparks 0593449592 Ashley 3 4.05 2024 Counting Miracles
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: contemporary, fiction, romance-novels
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken, #1)]]> 56750401 Born in fire. Tempered in blood.

Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the south squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.

In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving—a test of courage and skill that not all survive.

But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.

There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.

He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will. ]]> 541 Ryan Cahill Ashley 4 4.09 2021 Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken, #1)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, fantasy, fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fall (The Bound and the Broken, #0.5)]]> 136017402
The City of Ilnaen is on fire.
Dragons fill the skies.
Traitors fill the streets.

The Fall is a prequel novella that takes place four hundred years before the events in Of Blood and Fire � book one in The Bound and The Broken series.]]> 95 Ryan Cahill Ashley 3 fantasy, fiction, young-adult 4.13 2020 The Fall (The Bound and the Broken, #0.5)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Night of Masks and Knives (The Broken Kingdoms, #4)]]> 214514476 Wicked men stole the boy she loved. But when she found him again, he'd become more wicked than them all.

Malin Strom has been searching for Kase, her childhood sweetheart, since he was lost at the annual masquerade years ago.

With her gift for stealing memories, Malin crosses more than one dangerous line to take secrets from those who know what goes on behind the curtain of the wicked festival.

But when her brother is traded into the masquerade as punishment for using magic to hide Malin’s gift, her only chance to save him is to enlist the services of a brutal crook—the Nightrender—and he bears a striking resemblance to a face from the past.

No longer the boy she knew, her lost love, Kase, now rules as the amoral leader of brutal thieves. Pulled into his world of tricks and schemes, tantalizing attraction returns, but so do the secrets behind Kase’s disappearance, and the masquerade.

When their plan to save Malin’s brother takes them back to the dangers of the festival, painful betrayal forces Malin to face a cruel choice: save her brother’s life? Or give up the thief who has always held her heart.

Filled with luscious world building, spicy romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Eastern Kingdom is part Viking, part fairy tale retelling.

*This book begins a new couple and new kingdom in the dark fantasy romance series, The Broken Kingdoms, however for the best reading experience it is recommended to read books 1-3 first since the storylines interconnect in later books.* ]]> L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.35 2022 Night of Masks and Knives (The Broken Kingdoms, #4)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Darkness and Light (The Bound and the Broken, #2)]]> 58360991
Behind the towering walls of Belduar, Calen Bryer and his companions stand in defense of the city and its new king. In over a thousand years, Belduar has never fallen. It has stood as a bastion of hope. But the Lorian empire are at its walls once more, and the Dragonguard are coming.

In the North, with Faenir by her side, Calen’s sister Ella arrives at the port of Antiquar, her only compass, a letter addressed to her fallen love. But she holds no fear of the unknown. She will see this through, no matter what � or who � gets in her way.

Meanwhile, at the embassy of the Circle of Magii in Al’Nasla, Rist Havel hones his newfound powers in preparation for the trials of Faith and Will. Unbeknownst to Rist, he is being watched, measured, and judged. He was not taken into the Circle by chance. There is greatness in him. But great men can do terrible things.

As Lorian forces land on southern shores and Aeson Virandr’s letters of rebellion find their way to the right hands, only the Knights of Achyron see the true danger. The danger that stirs in the darkness. The coming shadow will not stop. It will consume all in its path. It wants for nothing but blood and fire.]]> 828 Ryan Cahill Ashley 5 4.44 2021 Of Darkness and Light (The Bound and the Broken, #2)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, fantasy, fiction, young-adult
review:
It was a 4-star and then the last three sentences of the last chapter (not including the epilogue) instantly boosted this to a 5-star! That’s all I have to say.. Now on to book 3 and then the month or so wait for book 4.
]]> <![CDATA[Dance of Kings and Thieves (The Broken Kingdoms, #6)]]> 214522242 Dreams will become nightmares...

To take her place as rightful queen, Malin Strom stands by the side of the Nightrender and his guild of thieves in the fight to take a throne she never wanted. Now, as warriors from distant kingdoms answer their call, a new battle begins.

But when dark fae side with the Black Palace, Malin and Kase are forced to take drastic measures if they are to have a hope for victory: forge an unwilling alliance with a cruel sea fae, draw out a cursed beast they thought long dead, even risk the lives of everyone they love by twisting the memories of fate itself.

For Kase and Malin, this fight could be their hard-fought salvation...or a vicious end to everything they love.

Welcome to the final stand in the Eastern Kingdom. Where the stakes are higher, the battles are darker, and the romance is spicier. A wicked spin on Cinderalla comes to a head in the final battle of thieves and kings. ]]> 454 L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.40 2022 Dance of Kings and Thieves (The Broken Kingdoms, #6)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of War and Ruin (The Bound and the Broken, #3)]]> 59919045
Live as one. Die as one. For those we've lost.

The city of Kingspass burns, and Calen Bryer's world has been shaken to its core. With Valerys at his side, Calen must battle his demons and push forward. There are people who need him, people who need what he must become, and he will not let them stand alone.

In Loria, Ella struggles to understand the ancient power that flows through her veins. The world is changing around her and she is changing with it. Her journey has only just begun.

Thousands of miles away, beneath the mountains of Lodhar, assassins move in the dark as the kingdoms of the Dwarven Freehold ready themselves for war. Not everything is as it seems. Dahlen Virandr and Belina Louna have no choice but to unravel the mysteries of the mountain before everything crumbles around them.
Meanwhile, in Al'Nasla, Rist Havel learns the true cost of becoming an Imperial Battlemage. He will question every truth he has ever been told. He has never been a fighter, never been the one people look to, but he will fight for those he loves no matter what it takes.

With the Uraks ravaging the towns and villages of the North, Alina and Dayne Ateres prepare their people for war. They have been beneath a Lorian boot for too long. Valtara will be free. The wyvern of House Ateres will fly again, by blade and by blood.
As the continent of Epheria descends into war and chaos, Kallinvar struggles to come to terms with an immense loss. Despite the hole in his heart, he has no choice but to stand and fight. The Shadow is coming, and the Knights of Achyron are the only ones powerful enough to hold back the tide.

Unbeknownst to all, another force is rising - a force long thought tamed.

The balance of power is about to shift, and Epheria will never be the same.

​​​​​​​The Blood Moon is rising.]]> 1483 Ryan Cahill Ashley 5 4.64 2023 Of War and Ruin (The Bound and the Broken, #3)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, fantasy, fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> The Perfect Son 52616342
Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door.

A high school girl has vanished from Erika's quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst--murder. And Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.

Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he's innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can't deny the truth--Liam may have done the unthinkable.

Now she must ask herself:

How far will she go to protect her son?]]> 373 Freida McFadden Ashley 3 4.03 2019 The Perfect Son
author: Freida McFadden
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, fiction, horror, mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Den of Blades and Briars (The Broken Kingdoms, #7)]]> 214522323 She’s bound to serve her enemy for a hundred years. Now, she’s at risk of killing the man � or falling for him.

After she lands on the losing side of a war, Saga is sentenced to serve Ari Sekundär, the man she despises.

But when Ari is blamed for a tragic assassination, Saga is forced on the run with her reluctant master, and they must work together to survive. Soon hate feels more like passion and disgust more like desire.

What Ari doesn't know is that falling in love with the enemy will have deadly consequences. But how can Saga tell him, if he ever gives his heart to her, it will unlock a hidden secret that can destroy the kingdom…and end her life.

The tale of the Swan Princess reimagined. This compelling New Adult Fantasy continues the bestselling world of the Broken Kingdoms as the first book in the Southern Kingdom. Welcome to a world filled with fae, Vikings, and spicy romance.

*This book contains content that could be triggering to some readers, so check the TW list inside, along with spicy scenes that are for readers 18+* ]]> 430 L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.45 Den of Blades and Briars (The Broken Kingdoms, #7)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reign of Stars and Fire (The Broken Kingdoms, #8)]]> 214522476 Nothing is as it seems. It never was.

With darkness spreading across the fae isles, the reluctant raven queen seeks the aid of Calista, the storyteller, and unwittingly falls into a dark tale of twisted fates. To save Ari from being lost in a fae sleep, Saga will reach into the past and uncover deadly secrets left behind by her brother, the last fate king.

Both Saga and Ari must unravel the lies of their world if they are to stand a chance at defeating the fiercest enemy yet.

But when their actions will end in the destruction of every kingdom, Saga and Ari must make a choice: risk the lives of those they love, or burn the world to save each other.

Return to the epic, passionate love story of Ari and Saga in the spicy new adult fantasy romance where fae Vikings come to life with heart-stopping battles, dangerous magic, and tantalizing romance.]]> 416 L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.51 2023 Reign of Stars and Fire (The Broken Kingdoms, #8)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: audiobook, contemporary, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Song of Sorrows and Fate (The Broken Kingdoms, #9)]]> 214522590 "Sing with me, Little Rose."

A storyteller with the power of twisting the tales of Fate never lives long. From the beginning, Calista has always told her royals this truth, but she's determined to break the chain of violence by avoiding the attention from the tricky Norns.

But when the moon returns to blood and her royals from the neighboring kingdoms fall under attack from their shared enemy, she no longer has a choice and must join the fight to protect those she loves.

By digging into the truth of her mysterious past, Calista comes face to face with the whispers in the dark and the voice, the bond, with a man some know as the Mad King.

Soon it's clear, the king no one has truly seen might have more answers to Calista's past and true purpose than anyone. He might be the only way she survives this fight. Or he could be the one who delivers her destruction.

Welcome to the final stand in the bestselling Broken Kingdoms dark fantasy saga. A twist of Phantom of the Opera and Vikings in one epic finale, possessive romance, and a destiny no one could ever escape.]]> 457 L.J. Andrews Ashley 5 4.52 Song of Sorrows and Fate (The Broken Kingdoms, #9)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)]]> 214310631
But then the Silveria Circus finds him.

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

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

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.]]> 390 Brynne Weaver 163893181X Ashley 5 4.20 2025 Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: adult, audiobook, contemporary, dark-romantasy, fiction, horror, mystery-thriller, romance-novels, thriller
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)]]> 127611580
And they can’t stand each other.

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

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

And this one has come for blood.]]> 416 Brynne Weaver 0349441588 Ashley 5 3.98 2024 Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: adult, dark-romantasy, fiction, romance-novels, thriller, audiobook, contemporary, horror
review:

]]> Unspeakable Things 44323551
Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents� strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.]]> 296 Jess Lourey 154200876X Ashley 3 3.84 2020 Unspeakable Things
author: Jess Lourey
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)]]> 199719283
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusive―the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers.

From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.

But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love.

Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?
Or have they finally met their match?

Tropes:
Golden retriever x black cat
He falls first
Touch him/her and die
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
One bed]]> 351 Brynne Weaver 1638931739 Ashley 5 4.15 2023 Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: adult, fiction, romance-novels, dark-romantasy, horror, thriller
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unleashed (Sydney Rye Mysteries, #1)]]> 60499958 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

One of Joy Humbolt's dog walking clients turns up dead and she begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity and then out of anger. As she digs deep into the secrets of Manhattan's elite, Joy gets too close to the killer with disastrous consequences.]]> 320 Emily Kimelman Ashley 0 to-read 3.82 2011 Unleashed (Sydney Rye Mysteries, #1)
author: Emily Kimelman
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Then She Was Gone 35297426 She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?]]> 359 Lisa Jewell 1501154648 Ashley 0 to-read 4.02 2017 Then She Was Gone
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 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 can’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 Ashley 0 to-read 4.06 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Ada Witch 228422734 *** 2025’s Best Seller in Horror Winner! ***

“I couldn’t put it down.. and didn’t want it to end!� - Brian, Michigan

“It will scare the sh*t out of you!� - Tim, Michigan

Matt and Steve, two brothers eager for a thrill, decide to summon the Ada Witch, a vengeful spirit from the haunted woods of Ada, Michigan. What begins as a reckless prank quickly spirals into a nightmare as they awaken an ancient evil with a thirst for vengeance. As the witch unleashes her wrath, the brothers are thrust into a terrifying world of cursed cemeteries, haunted bridges, and their own unraveling sanity. Can they find a way to survive and stop the Ada Witch, or will they fall victim to the darkness they’ve unleashed?The Ada Witch isn’t just another horror story—it’s inspired by a chilling personal experience with the legendary Ada Witch herself. This is a tale that will grip you, make you question what you believe, and keep you turning pages long after the lights go out.

Are you ready to uncover the dark secrets hiding in plain sight? Grab your copy today and step into a world where the lines between reality and the supernatural blur. You won’t regret it.]]> 300 Steven J. Eilers Ashley 0 to-read 3.10 The Ada Witch
author: Steven J. Eilers
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knight and the Butcherbird]]> 224970641
In this gritty, haunting tale about doing whatever it takes for love, a small-town storyteller resolves to keep the local monster—and her own secrets—safe from a legendary knight.

Nestled deep in the steep hills, valleys, and surrounding woodlands lies Iron Hollow, a rural community beset by demons. Such horrors are common in the outlands, where most folks die young, if they don’t turn into monsters first. But what’s causing these transformations?

No one has the answer, not even the town’s oral historian, seventeen-year-old Shrike. And when a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest beast to haunt their woods, Shrike has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still human, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.]]> 36 Alix E. Harrow 1662527233 Ashley 0 to-read 4.06 2025 The Knight and the Butcherbird
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Gods and Ashes (The Bound and The Broken, #5)]]> 204254857 Ryan Cahill Ashley 0 to-read 4.60 Of Gods and Ashes (The Bound and The Broken, #5)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Empires and Dust (The Bound and The Broken, #4)]]> 217673847 I’ldryr viel asatar. I sanvîr viel baralun.

In fire we are forged. In blood we are tempered.

In the Aravell woodland, Calen Bryer grapples with the fallout from the Battle of Aravell. The path forward is littered with choices that will bleed him dry. But he is a Draleid, he is a guardian, and he will always stand when others call.

His sister, Ella, lies fragmented, her mind split between worlds, her fate unknown. But the blood of the wolf is strong.

Hundreds of miles away, in the western villages of Illyanara, Dahlen Virandr leads the defense of Salme and all its inhabitants gathered from across the region. The Uraks are unrelenting, and they know only blood and death. If this is to be his end, he will enter Achyron's Halls as a warrior who would not yield.

Below the mountains of Lodhar, Queen Kira waits in the dark while Hoffnar attempts to sieze control of the Freehold and lead the dwarves towards a new dawn of war.

In Valtara, Dayne Ateres hunts those who betrayed his family, while Alina prepares her army to besiege the legendary Achyron's Keep.

At the edges of the Burnt Lands, Rist Havel is offered a new path forward, one that few have ever trodden, one that could forge him into a mage of no equal.

With the news that Ilkya and Jormun have fallen, along with their soulkin, Eltoar finds himself face-to-face with Salara Ithan � a remnant of his past life that he had long thought dead.

With the Blood Moon in the sky, Kallinvar and the Knights of Achyron battle tirelessly against the Shadow, doing everything within their power to hold back the darkness.

Gods are waking.
The world is burning.
Ashes and dust are all that will remain.]]> Ryan Cahill Ashley 0 to-read 4.80 Of Empires and Dust (The Bound and The Broken, #4)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Women of no Importance The untold story of the American]]> 60577027 The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization deemed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France.

Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic flare, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.]]> Sonia Purnell Ashley 0 to-read 4.13 2019 A Women of no Importance The untold story of the American
author: Sonia Purnell
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Feathers So Vicious (Court of Ravens, #1)]]> 192705098
Perched between branches and shadows,
We watch, we scheme,
Fighting for a kingdom forgotten and forlorn.

Until we rip her away with our claws,
Our prisoner, our pawn, our plaything.

She’s innocent and pure,
Fragile and helpless�
…but oh so guilty by blood.

She calls us beasts,
Wicked and evil,
Vicious and cruel.

We are all that and worse.

One of us offers her shelter beneath his wings,
Whispering promises of pleasure,
Seeking redemption.

The other longs to shatter her into a million pieces,
Whispering promises of pain,
Seeking revenge.

Caught between our feathers,
She endures our deranged desires,
Our secrets, our lies,
Our twisted plans.

Will she surrender to our darkness,
or fight for a destiny growing ever elusive?

Welcome to the Court of Ravens, little white dove.

Feathers so Vicious is a full-length dark fantasy romance novel, and book one in the Court of Ravens duet. The two-part story features two morally gray raven shifters, a young woman at the mercy of their shadows, and a HEA. This world contains dark elements, violence, and themes some may find disturbing. Readers can find more detailed information on the author's website. What this book doesn't contain is a hero - because villains do it better. And two do it better than one…]]> 408 Liv Zander Ashley 0 to-read 3.96 2023 Feathers So Vicious (Court of Ravens, #1)
author: Liv Zander
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Not What She Seems 203688844 She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac� Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.

That chief was Jac’s father.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.]]> 390 Yasmin Angoe 1662508328 Ashley 0 to-read 3.77 2024 Not What She Seems
author: Yasmin Angoe
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One of Us Knows 62292424 From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer--and the ghosts of her past.

Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can't refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she's determined not to ruin their opportunity.

Then a surprise visit from the home's conservation trust just as a Nor'easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers--including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.

Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island--and their own past--or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.]]> 352 Alyssa Cole 0063297132 Ashley 0 to-read 3.17 2024 One of Us Knows
author: Alyssa Cole
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 217536270
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 re-opens 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 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.]]> 624 Callie Hart 1538774194 Ashley 0 to-read 4.30 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Game of Hate and Lies (The Broken Kingdoms, #5)]]> 214522089 When wicked men first took the boy she loved, she was a child.
Now they’ve taken him again, but this time…she’s a queen.

For weeks, Malin plotted and schemed with the kingdom’s cruelest crooks, the Nightrender and the Guild of Kryv, to infiltrate a wicked masquerade.

They survived. They escaped. Most of them.

To the underbelly of the kingdom, the Nightrender never made it out of his own scheme. To Malin, he’s only Kase, the man who owns her heart, and who is once again a prisoner of their enemies. Malin and the Kryv will stop at nothing until he’s free. Even if it means claiming her birthright to a throne that brings death and war.

But when they discover Kase has been locked in a cruel spell, Malin must find a way to steal his new twisted memories before he is lost to them for good.

The only trouble is when Kase looks at Malin, all he sees is an enemy with a death sentence.

Return to the vicious world of the Eastern Kingdom. Part Viking, part Cinderella, the battle continues with more schemes, spicy romance, and epic adventure.

*Author Note* This book contains the spiciest scenes yet in this series. As a member of the mom-of-a-teenager club, I would recommend those who are not old enough to vote to read responsibly. There are open-door love scenes.]]> 380 L.J. Andrews Ashley 4 4.45 2022 Game of Hate and Lies (The Broken Kingdoms, #5)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:

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

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

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

Or the banished.

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

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

If only he could.

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

Including himself.

Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.]]> 688 Keri Lake Ashley 0 to-read 4.14 2024 Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)
author: Keri Lake
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Reverence 222376906
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.]]> 544 Rebecca Ross 1250373352 Ashley 0 to-read 4.74 2025 Wild Reverence
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Harlem Rhapsody 212806640 The extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset whose exhilarating world of friends, rivals, and passions all combined to create the magic that was the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.

In 1919, as civil and social unrest grips the country, there is a little corner of America, a place called Harlem where something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere…in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is Jessie Redmon Fauset, the new literary editor ofthe preeminent Negro magazine The Crisis.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder and editor of The Crisis, has charged her with discovering young writers whose words will change the world. Jessie attacks the challenge with fervor, quickly finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends.Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives, the writers become notable and magazine subscriptions soar. Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories.

Jessie’s rising star is shining bright�.but her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she’s built. The man, considered by most to be the leader of Black America, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Their torrid and tumultuous affair is complicated by a secret desire that Jessie harbors � to someday, herself, become the editor of the magazine, a position that only W.E.B. Du Bois has held.

In the face of overwhelming sexism and racism, Jessie must balance her drive with her desires. However, as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.]]> 400 Victoria Christopher Murray 0593638484 Ashley 0 to-read 4.12 2025 Harlem Rhapsody
author: Victoria Christopher Murray
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds]]> 210296778
Josephine Reynolds never imagined she'd be a widow in her midthirties. Grieving and barely able to contemplate one more night alone, she carelessly wishes she'd never been born. At the exact same moment, her inbox dings with an it's a link from her sister that lists local foreclosures, and, to her immense surprise, she sees her great-grandmother's house listed and immediately conspires to reclaim it.

But as Josephine restores her great-grandmother's home to its original glory, she comes to realize not everything is as it seems. Replacing the modern front door with the original hand-carved and solid wood one, she notices minuscule words carved into the edging. As she speaks the words aloud and opens the front door with its original key, Josephine finds herself transported back almost one hundred years ago to a 1920s party thrown by her great-grandmother Alma.

A shocked Josephine fears she is losing her mind. Has her grief caused her to lose touch with reality? But it quickly becomes clear that her life and future--thanks to her throwaway wish--hinge on one single moment that happened almost one hundred years ago. The two parallel timelines start blending together, and Josephine witnesses her present life disappearing right before her eyes.

She can only hope it's not too late to save her own future.]]> 320 Jennifer Moorman 1400343631 Ashley 0 to-read 3.95 2025 The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds
author: Jennifer Moorman
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Isola 212806636 A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.]]> 368 Allegra Goodman 0593730089 Ashley 0 to-read 4.01 2025 Isola
author: Allegra Goodman
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> The Rose Bargain 211742041 The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin� and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.]]> 400 Sasha Peyton Smith 0063372525 Ashley 0 to-read 3.98 2025 The Rose Bargain
author: Sasha Peyton Smith
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> <![CDATA[A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame, #1)]]> 57198961
Her quest is Steal a stone from Islor’s sacred garden without anyone discovering her true identity, which would earn her certain death. But the identity she has inexplicably assumed is that of the captured Ybarisan princess—an enemy to Islor after she poisoned their beloved king and queen on the day she was to marry the prince.

Her betrothed, the newly crowned King Zander, detests her with every grain of his handsome being. Fortunately for Romeria, she is more valuable to him alive than dead. Zander gives her a life in a cell, or an acquittal of all charges in exchange for her help in exposing the growing plot against him.

Romeria sees no other option and embraces the tricky role of smitten queen-to-be until she can escape, a ruse that brings her far closer to the king than she anticipated and threatens more than her safety. As she digs deeper into this sacred garden and the ancient feud between Ybaris and Islor, she discovers monstrous truths that could spell ruin for all.

She would know the world of vengeful gods and monsters, and the lengths one would go for love. And nothing would ever be the same for her again.]]> 547 K.A. Tucker 1990105149 Ashley 0 to-read 4.09 2021 A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame, #1)
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
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]]> Our Infinite Fates 210395729 The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue meets This is How You Lose The Time War in this fantastical love story that defies death as two souls reincarnate through the centuries.

They've loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They've killed each other in every one.

Evelyn remembers all her past lives. She also remembers that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being whose soul―and survival―is tethered to hers.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her for bone marrow transplants in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to:

1. Find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life―before they find her first.
2. Figure out why she’s being hunted and finally break their curse.
3. Try not to fall in love.]]> 352 Laura Steven 1250333881 Ashley 0 to-read 3.79 2025 Our Infinite Fates
author: Laura Steven
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/09
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]]> The Husbands 54860592 Chandler Baker, the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network, is back with The Husbands, a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?

Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too... but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder?

When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women--a tech CEO, a neurosurgeon, an award-winning therapist, a bestselling author--with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident's wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. The women aren't hanging on by a thread.

But as the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all. One that's worth killing for. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the "second shift" is equally shared--and what it may take to get there.]]> 346 Chandler Baker 125031951X Ashley 0 to-read 3.44 2021 The Husbands
author: Chandler Baker
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/08
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]]> The Huntress 40245700 In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted�

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.]]> 560 Kate Quinn Ashley 0 to-read 4.32 2019 The Huntress
author: Kate Quinn
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> The Briar Club 181110045 A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears apart the house, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: Who is the true enemy in their midst?]]> 432 Kate Quinn 0063244748 Ashley 0 to-read 4.26 2024 The Briar Club
author: Kate Quinn
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
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]]> <![CDATA[Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu]]> 113486
Like Gettysburg, Stalingrad, Midway, and Tet, the battle at Dien Bien Phu--a strategic attack launched by France against the Vietnamese in 1954 after eight long years of war--marked a historic turning point. By the end of the 56-day siege, a determined Viet Minh guerrilla force had destroyed a large, tactical French colonial army in the heart of Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese victory would not only end French occupation of Indochina and offer a sobering premonition of the U.S.'s future military defeat in the region, but would also provide a new model of modern warfare on which size and sophistication didn't always dictate victory.

Before his death in Vietnam in 1967, Bernard Fall, a critically acclaimed scholar and reporter, drew upon declassified documents from the French Defense Ministry and interviews with thousands of surviving French and Vietnamese soldiers to weave a compelling account of the key battle of Dien Bien Phu. With maps highlighting the strategic points of conflict, with thirty-two pages of photos, and with Fall's thorough and insightful analysis, Hell in a Very Small Place has become one of the benchmarks in war reportage.]]> 568 Bernard B. Fall 030681157X Ashley 0 to-read 4.30 1966 Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu
author: Bernard B. Fall
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1966
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)]]> 75513900 She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites� powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.]]> 523 Lauren Roberts Ashley 0 to-read 4.17 2023 Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Errors and Exorcisms (The Wrong Witch, #3)]]> 64390789
After a quick jaunt to the Fae realm, I’ve come home to find my city on fire, my mate nowhere to be found, and demons running in the streets. Now, I have to help close a portal to Hell while also trying to figure out why my wonky powers are destroying reality as I know it.

And I will. Right after I find my wolf…]]> 292 Annie Anderson Ashley 0 to-read 3.81 2023 Errors and Exorcisms (The Wrong Witch, #3)
author: Annie Anderson
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Magic and Mayhem (The Wrong Witch, #2)]]> 62090693
A week ago, I was the perpetual screw up of the Bannister coven and a probationary agent for the Arcane Bureau of Investigation. Somehow, I’ve managed to get myself mated to an Acosta Alpha, pissed off my family, and gotten on the radar of a dark Fae.

As much as I’d like to bury my head in the sand, I have a badge to secure—and with a new case on my proverbial desk—a job to do. Because I’m not the first witch that the Fae has tried to steal, but I will definitely be the last.

Just as soon as I get this curse under control…]]> 280 Annie Anderson Ashley 0 to-read 3.89 2022 Magic and Mayhem (The Wrong Witch, #2)
author: Annie Anderson
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Spells and Slip-ups (The Wrong Witch, #1)]]> 61209725 I suck at witchcraft.

Coming from a long line of famous witches, I should be at the top of the heap. Problem is, if there is a spell cast anywhere in my vicinity, I will somehow mess it up. As a probationary agent with the Arcane Bureau of Investigation, I have two choices: I can limp along and maybe pass myself off as a competent agent, or I can fail. Miserably.

Worse news? If I can’t get my act together, I may not only be out of a job, I could also lose my life.

Whose idea was this again? ]]> 302 Annie Anderson Ashley 0 to-read 3.84 2022 Spells and Slip-ups (The Wrong Witch, #1)
author: Annie Anderson
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Wings of Ink (Wings of Ink, #1)]]> 201495822 The seductive and thrilling first book in the Wings of Ink epic romantic fantasy series from award-winning author Angelina J. Steffort.

Stuck in prison, pirate Wolayna Milevishja is waiting to be dealt her punishment—one worse than death, her captors promised when they closed the door of her cell over nine months ago.

Now that punishment has come to collect her.

Wolayna is taken to the mystical fairylands as this year’s bride for the Crow King, and that, even the humans in this world know, means there is no hope.

As Wolayna quarrels with her fate, frosty disdain melts into heart-stopping attraction, and she realizes that, maybe, King Myron, has just as little choice as she has. Something ancient and vengeful is at work in the Crow realm, and the intrigue at court is just the surface of the looming danger closing in on them.

Will Wolayna outsmart fate and find the freedom she’s owed, or will this new world of winged horror and surprising beauty be the death of her?

If you like witty, independent heroines and morally-grey, tormented heroes, you will devour this sizzling, addictive fantasy adventure.



Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, and Beauty and the Beast, WINGS OF INK is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, slow-burn spice, and a magical world filled with mysteries and monsters.]]> 468 Angelina J. Steffort Ashley 0 to-read 3.96 Wings of Ink (Wings of Ink, #1)
author: Angelina J. Steffort
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.96
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]]> Sisters of Sword and Song 214466920 From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.]]> 480 Rebecca Ross 0063428423 Ashley 0 to-read 4.31 2020 Sisters of Sword and Song
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen's Resistance (The Queen's Rising, #2)]]> 214466891
Aodhan Morgane, formerly known as Cartier Évariste, is adjusting to the stark contrast between his pre-rebellion life in Valenia and his current one as lord of a fallen House. During his castle’s restoration, he discovers Tomas, a young boy whose past is a mystery. So when Brienna is as taken with Tomas as he is, Cartier lets his mind wander—what if he doesn’t have to raise him or his House alone?

However, Brienna and Cartier must put their love aside and stay focused on the most vital tasks at hand—the Lannons' trial, forging alliances, executing justice, and ensuring that no one halts the queen’s coronation. But resistance is rumbling among the old regime’s supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the rebels� forces. And what makes one more vulnerable than love?

In this epic follow-up to The Queen's Rising, Rebecca Ross weaves political intrigue, complicated relationships, and undying love to create a story that readers won't be able to put down.]]> 496 Rebecca Ross 0063428415 Ashley 0 to-read 4.27 2019 The Queen's Resistance (The Queen's Rising, #2)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen's Rising (The Queen's Rising, #1)]]> 214466903
Growing up in the southern kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved, some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. Who will be that queen?

With gorgeous description and detailed rendering of a world where not everything is what it seems, debut author Rebecca Ross weaves an intricate tale of revenge, loyalty, and, ultimately, self-discovery.]]> 480 Rebecca Ross 0063428407 Ashley 0 to-read 3.83 2018 The Queen's Rising (The Queen's Rising, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> Dreams Lie Beneath 214466894 A story about magic and the captivating power of dreams.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.]]> 496 Rebecca Ross 0063428431 Ashley 0 to-read 4.53 2021 Dreams Lie Beneath
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of Faewood (Fae of Woodlands & Wild, #1)]]> 223207919 The all-knowing semelees swirled around me in the Veiled Between, crooning and writhing. “You’ve come to us, Daughter of Darkness, Princess of Shadows. Tell us what you seek.�

On the Silten continent, I’m the only fae who can walk the Veiled Between. My rare power is immense and dangerous, so the authorities have entrusted me to my guardian who controls my potent magic with an enchanted device.

To avoid the device’s searing punishment, I submit to a dutiful life. Until one terrifying night everything changes.

I’m taken captive by the ruthless Dark Raider—an outlaw wanted in all four kingdoms, who hides behind a mask, and has a body created for sin.

But the Raider whispers a promise I can’t resist—use my magic to find who he seeks, and he’ll obliterate my chains.

Finally, the freedom I’ve craved is within my reach.

Yet finding who he hunts plunges me into a game of deceit among the kingdoms. After uncovering truths I was never meant to know, I’m caught in a web of betrayal, and if I can’t find a way to break free, I’ll have simply traded one imprisonment for another.


Kingdom of Faewood is book one in Fae of Woodlands & Wild, a fae fantasy romance trilogy that takes place in Krista Street’s Supernatural World. This series contains spicy romance, epic worldbuilding, a female fae who’s determined to wield her own fate, a ruthless Dark Raider who will stop at nothing to protect those he loves, and a mysterious ploy circulating throughout the kingdoms.]]> 386 Krista Street 1946884324 Ashley 0 to-read 3.90 2025 Kingdom of Faewood (Fae of Woodlands & Wild, #1)
author: Krista Street
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/31
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]]> Layla 52089753 From author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
]]> 305 Colleen Hoover 1542000181 Ashley 0 to-read 3.63 2020 Layla
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
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]]> Heart Bones 51007311
With only two short months separating her from the future she's built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah's plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan.

Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface.

She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they're both drawn to sad things. Which means they're drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intense for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn't realize is that a rip current is coming, and it's about to drag her heart out to sea.]]> 338 Colleen Hoover Ashley 0 to-read 4.20 2020 Heart Bones
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
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]]> An Education in Malice 64414866 An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.]]> 352 S.T. Gibson 0356519325 Ashley 0 to-read 3.51 2024 An Education in Malice
author: S.T. Gibson
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> A Dark and Secret Magic 204294871 A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.]]> 304 Wallis Kinney 1639109897 Ashley 0 to-read 3.90 2024 A Dark and Secret Magic
author: Wallis Kinney
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
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]]> All the Dangerous Things 60784636
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.]]> 326 Stacy Willingham 1250803853 Ashley 0 to-read 4.04 2023 All the Dangerous Things
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The First Wizard (Dawn of Wizards #1)]]> 200056572 and enslaved humans.

Ian and Vic are brothers. Their lives are simple, and while they might long for excitement, happiness can be found in a hard day's work, a sunny day, or the smile from a pretty girl.

Their lives are turned on end when their village is attacked and they are taken as slaves, destined to labor under the watchful eye of their captors.

The strife that had long dominated much of the world had found them.

Things would never be the same.

Read on and discover how the first wizard came to be.

From international bestselling author Jeffrey L. Kohanek comes a fantasy epic filled with twists, magic, and discovery, certain to keep you enthralled and repeatedly saying "just one more chapter."
Download now. Your next great adventure awaits!]]> 500 Jeffrey L. Kohanek Ashley 0 to-read 4.28 The First Wizard (Dawn of Wizards #1)
author: Jeffrey L. Kohanek
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> All the Light We Cannot See 18143977
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here]]> 544 Anthony Doerr 1476746583 Ashley 0 to-read 4.31 2014 All the Light We Cannot See
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)]]> 256683
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...]]> 485 Cassandra Clare 1416914285 Ashley 0 to-read 4.08 2007 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> When We Believed in Mermaids 43717362 An Amazon Charts, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller.

From the author of The Art of Inheriting Secrets comes an emotional new tale of two sisters, an ocean of lies, and a search for the truth.

Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news�

Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.

After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.]]> 348 Barbara O'Neal 1542004519 Ashley 0 to-read 4.21 2019 When We Believed in Mermaids
author: Barbara O'Neal
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy, #1)]]> 199332489
The demon didn't just want my body. He wanted my soul.


My reputation among magicians is unblemished. Killer, they call me; killing is what I’m best at. One wrong move and you’re dead. Except her . The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed. The cult that once controlled me wants her, but I’m not about to lose my new toy to them.

I’ve always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient—something evil—is waking up . . . and calling my name. I don’t know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes. All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn’t just want my body—he wants my soul.]]> 496 Harley Laroux 1496752899 Ashley 0 to-read 4.22 2021 Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy, #1)
author: Harley Laroux
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls, #1)]]> 216524168 The first novel in the all-new Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series!

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!]]> 336 Rachel Ekstrom Courage 1368102980 Ashley 0 to-read 3.69 2025 Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls, #1)
author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Women 126918788 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.]]> 472 Kristin Hannah Ashley 5 audiobook, historical-fiction Not being alive during Vietnam, I only know of what I read. Of what my uncles told me (and that was very little), of what I was taught in school.
They don’t tell you of the horrors that this war caused. They don’t always tell you about what life after was like, especially since the country had no respect then for our men and women in service.
We now know a lot about what PTSD is, but if not experienced first hand, we can never fully understand what someone is going through.
This book, however, brought every emotion to the surface of what men and women who served must have went through. It was so well written, you feel as if you are there, living it in real time.
From beginning to end I was captivated. I could not stop reading. It’s not for the faint of heart, and if you’re looking for some good romance, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking to learn more and get thrown into a historical fiction that will truly grip you from the start, take you back and put you on a rollercoaster of emotions - then this book is for you.
I will bring reading more by Kristin Hannah.]]> 4.71 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: audiobook, historical-fiction
review:
Oh wow I don’t think I’m going to emotionally recover from this very well written book.
Not being alive during Vietnam, I only know of what I read. Of what my uncles told me (and that was very little), of what I was taught in school.
They don’t tell you of the horrors that this war caused. They don’t always tell you about what life after was like, especially since the country had no respect then for our men and women in service.
We now know a lot about what PTSD is, but if not experienced first hand, we can never fully understand what someone is going through.
This book, however, brought every emotion to the surface of what men and women who served must have went through. It was so well written, you feel as if you are there, living it in real time.
From beginning to end I was captivated. I could not stop reading. It’s not for the faint of heart, and if you’re looking for some good romance, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking to learn more and get thrown into a historical fiction that will truly grip you from the start, take you back and put you on a rollercoaster of emotions - then this book is for you.
I will bring reading more by Kristin Hannah.
]]> <![CDATA[What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)]]> 65213381
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.]]> 416 Isabel Ibañez 1250803373 Ashley 0 to-read 3.83 2023 What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Neverwhere (London Below, #1) 14497
"Neverwhere" is the London of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Strange destinies lie in wait in London below - a world that seems eerily familiar. But a world that is utterly bizarre, peopled by unearthly characters such as the Angel called Islington, the girl named Door, and the Earl who holds Court on a tube train.

Now a single act of kindness has catapulted young businessman Richard Mayhew out of his safe and predictable life - and into the realms of "Neverwhere." Richard is about to find out more than he ever wanted to know about this other London. Which is a pity. Because Richard just wants to go home...]]> 370 Neil Gaiman 0060557818 Ashley 0 to-read 4.17 1996 Neverwhere (London Below, #1)
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Likely Event 127152907
Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.]]> 348 Rebecca Yarros 1662511566 Ashley 5 Although, it’s a vastly different story and not even a fantasy book, wow that was good! Her writing style is gripping and pulls me right in.
I think I’ll be going down a RY rabbit hole this year and start reading her other books. ]]> 4.22 2023 In the Likely Event
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: audiobook, fiction, romance-novels
review:
After being completely engulfed into RY� Fourth Wing series, I decided to see what else she has written and started with this book.
Although, it’s a vastly different story and not even a fantasy book, wow that was good! Her writing style is gripping and pulls me right in.
I think I’ll be going down a RY rabbit hole this year and start reading her other books.
]]> ōܲ (Asian Saga, #1) 201918744 By the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell’s ōܲ is soon to be a major FX/Hulu TV series!

ōܲ, the classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, is now available for the first time in serial format. Part One contains the first half of the complete novel.

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed.

Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, ōܲ is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the best-selling novels of all time but one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, ōܲ is, as the New York Times put it, �'not only something you read—you live it.’�

Also available: ōܲ: Part Two]]> 699 James Clavell Ashley 0 to-read 4.57 1975 ōܲ (Asian Saga, #1)
author: James Clavell
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)]]> 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 Ashley 0 to-read 4.43 2018 Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reason to Believe (Legacy, #1)]]> 43973311
“I’ll take them!�

That’s what I tell the social worker when my pre-k student and his baby brother need an emergency foster placement. I’ll do anything to keep the brothers from being split up. But my apartment’s flooded and there’s only one house I can take them to on such short notice…his.

Knox Daniels, my older brother’s best friend, offers his new place without hesitation. He’s not moving back to our tiny town until next month—that’s when all our hotshot firefighters are returning for their one and only chance to rebuild our fathers� fallen, iconic crew.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve been silently in love with Knox since we were kids.
It can’t matter that we pretend that reckless prom night kiss never happened.
It won’t matter that my feelings for him could destroy his lifelong friendship with my brother and threaten the certification of their hotshot crew.
Because I’ll be out of his house long before he gets back.

Except Knox just walked in…a month early.
And the icing on this awkward cake?
He’s gorgeous as always and I’m covered in baby puke.
He takes one look at the boys and tells me we can make this work�
We can temporarily fake a relationship to keep them from being separated by the system.

Suddenly, everything matters.]]> 350 Rebecca Yarros 1635765056 Ashley 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Reason to Believe (Legacy, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Great and Precious Things 44034494
Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will�

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we're willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.]]> 384 Rebecca Yarros 1640638164 Ashley 0 to-read 4.00 2020 Great and Precious Things
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Full Measures (Flight & Glory, #1)]]> 20625686 A new adult novel from Entangled's Embrace imprint...

Three knocks can change everything�

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.]]> 374 Rebecca Yarros Ashley 0 to-read 4.10 2014 Full Measures (Flight & Glory, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Things We Leave Unfinished]]> 53137938
Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy� of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century—the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.

But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book—it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes—even if it means destroying Noah’s career.]]> 400 Rebecca Yarros 1682815668 Ashley 0 to-read 4.26 2021 The Things We Leave Unfinished
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Last Letter 40045986
Beckett,

If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.

And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan]]> 426 Rebecca Yarros 1640635335 Ashley 0 to-read 4.43 2019 The Last Letter
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crow Girl (Victoria Bergman, #1-3)]]> 30965660 The most terrifying thriller you'll read this year

It starts with just one body � the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.

Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are found, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.

With her career on the line, she turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they uncover a chain of shocking events that began decades ago � but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?]]> 767 Erik Axl Sund 0099583682 Ashley 0 to-read 3.68 2016 The Crow Girl (Victoria Bergman, #1-3)
author: Erik Axl Sund
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Appetite for Innocence 34655417 Be careful what you post online. Your next check-in might lead him right to you...

A serial rapist is kidnapping teenage girls. But he’s not interested in just any teenage girls—only virgins. He hunts them by following their status updates and check-ins on social media. Once he’s captured them, they’re locked away in his sound-proof basement until they’re groomed and ready. He throws them away like pieces of trash after he’s stolen their innocence. Nobody escapes alive.

Until Ella.

Ella risks it all to escape, setting herself and the other girls free. But only Sarah—the girl whose been captive the longest—gets out with her. The girls are hospitalized and surrounded by FBI agents who will stop at nothing to find the man responsible. Ella and Sarah are the key to their investigation, but Sarah’s hiding something and it isn’t long before Ella discovers her nightmare is far from over.

Fans of The Butterfly Garden and The Girl Before will devour Appetite for Innocence.

Warning: Contains sexual violence which may be a trigger for some readers.]]> 358 Lucinda Berry Ashley 0 to-read 4.04 2017 Appetite for Innocence
author: Lucinda Berry
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Saving Noah 36121086 We forgive murderers, not pedophiles.

Not since Lionel Shriver brought us We Need to Talk About Kevin has a writer delved into the complexities of a disturbed mother/son relationship. Until now.

Meet Noah—an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He’s sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center.

His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?

Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you've read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.]]> 259 Lucinda Berry Ashley 0 to-read 3.89 2017 Saving Noah
author: Lucinda Berry
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Bookstore Sisters 62337113 From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes a heartfelt short story about family, independence, and finding your place in the world.

Isabel Gibson has all but perfected the art of forgetting. She’s a New Yorker now, with nothing left to tie her to Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Her parents are gone, the family bookstore is all but bankrupt, and her sister, Sophie, will probably never speak to her again.

But when a mysterious letter arrives in her mailbox, Isabel feels herself drawn to the past. After years of fighting for her independence, she dreads the thought of going back to the island. What she finds there may forever alter her path—and change everything she thought she knew about her family, her home, and herself.]]> 36 Alice Hoffman 1662510500 Ashley 0 to-read 4.00 2022 The Bookstore Sisters
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Hating Game 27213238 Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.]]> 365 Sally Thorne Ashley 0 to-read 3.72 2016 The Hating Game
author: Sally Thorne
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Night Raven (Crow Investigations #1)]]> 42392201 Meet Lydia Crow...

Lydia has always known she has no power, especially next to her infamous and more-than-slightly dodgy family. Which is why she carved her own life as a private investigator far away from London.

When a professional snafu forces her home, the head of the family calls in a favour, and Lydia finds herself investigating the disappearance of her cousin, Maddie.

Soon, Lydia is neck-deep in problems: her new flatmate is a homicidal ghost, the intriguing, but forbidden, DCI Fleet is acting in a distinctly unprofessional manner, and tensions between the old magical families are rising.

The Crows used to rule the roost and rumours claim they are still the strongest.
The Silvers have a facility for lying and they run the finest law firm in London.
The Pearl family were costermongers and everybody knows that a Pearlie can sell feathers to a bird.
The Fox family... Well. The less said about the Fox family the better.

For seventy-five years, a truce between the four families has held strong, but could the disappearance of Maddie Crow be the thing to break it?

The Night Raven is the first book in Crow Investigations, an exciting new paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.]]> 246 Sarah Painter Ashley 0 to-read 3.79 2018 The Night Raven (Crow Investigations #1)
author: Sarah Painter
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)]]> 211081102 Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

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

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace…or march to the drums of war.]]> 673 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975243 Ashley 0 to-read 4.07 2022 The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 150260809
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

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

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

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

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 895 Rebecca Yarros Ashley 5 Rebecca Yarros is seriously the master at Fantasy Fiction writing. She tells a story like no other, and leaves her readers flabbergasted at the end, and craving more.
I need this 3rd book to be written already because my heart is aching right now. And without giving out spoilers - you will just have to read it to the end to find out why ]]> 4.56 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: adult, audiobook, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, supernatural, young-adult
review:
These books always leave me so emotional. It will take me another full week, if not longer, to feel normal again.
Rebecca Yarros is seriously the master at Fantasy Fiction writing. She tells a story like no other, and leaves her readers flabbergasted at the end, and craving more.
I need this 3rd book to be written already because my heart is aching right now. And without giving out spoilers - you will just have to read it to the end to find out why
]]> <![CDATA[Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)]]> 214514249 A bargain between enemies. A curse without an end. A love that will bring a kingdom to its knees.

Long ago, Elise's ancestors stole the crown from the fae king. As the niece of the brutal, current king, her purpose is to do whatever is asked to ensure her family keeps the throne for centuries to come. The trouble is, Elise would rather sneak into gambling halls with the servants than be a silent princess at a ball.

Soon reckless games are ended when her uncle forces her into negotiations for a marriage. If she refuses, her deathly-ill father will pay the price.

Trapped by her sense of duty, Elise is given to the charge of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. But Legion holds more than her future in his hands. He incites her anger and a forbidden passion.

When a coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, only to discover he holds more secrets than anyone. Unknowingly, Elise sets in motion a beastly curse Legion has endured as long as he can remember.

As secrets unravel about Legion's vicious past, questions rise over who has the true right to the throne. When answers come, more lives are put at stake, and Elise is forced to make an impossible choice: avoid a bloody game by leaving Legion to the beast within, or end his curse and restore magic to the land by sacrificing a life--hers.

For fans of Court of Thorns and Roses and The Shadows Between Us, this tale of a rebellious princess and cursed rogue is seductively romantic. Part Viking, part Beauty and the Beast, one-click to preorder a dark, swoon-worthy slow burn romance with the perfect amount of sweet and steam.]]> 336 L.J. Andrews Ashley 3 4.20 2021 Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: adult, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 63219094 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

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

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

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

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

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

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.]]> 528 Rebecca Yarros Ashley 5 Every character has me roped in and I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t get enough.
The character development, the plot, all of it - I can’t stop thinking about all of it, and wishing there was a way to inject this shit in my veins.
I love the dragon’s personalities too. Having them feel so personal and yet so large and powerful all at the same time is a feeling I couldn’t wrap my mind around throughout the book.
And let’s not even get into slow, steaming romance that eventually explodes into everything that I was hoping for and more. EEK!!
Good gods - is it November 7th yet? Because I’m gonna need a lot, LOT more!!! And I’m gonna need it NOW!
Do yourself a favor, and read this book. ]]> 4.74 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: adult, fantasy, fantasy-romance, young-adult, audiobook, fiction
review:
I read this last month, and here I am still comparing every Fantasy book to this. It’s been awhile since I’ve read so much, but this book got me back into reading.
Every character has me roped in and I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t get enough.
The character development, the plot, all of it - I can’t stop thinking about all of it, and wishing there was a way to inject this shit in my veins.
I love the dragon’s personalities too. Having them feel so personal and yet so large and powerful all at the same time is a feeling I couldn’t wrap my mind around throughout the book.
And let’s not even get into slow, steaming romance that eventually explodes into everything that I was hoping for and more. EEK!!
Good gods - is it November 7th yet? Because I’m gonna need a lot, LOT more!!! And I’m gonna need it NOW!
Do yourself a favor, and read this book.
]]> <![CDATA[When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)]]> 210458862 The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons. They certainly did not expect them to FALL.

As an assassin for the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter turns her world upside down, blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself imprisoned by the Guild of Nobles—a group of powerful fae who turn her into a political statement.

Crushed by the loss of his great love, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capitol’s high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve �

Echoes of the past race between them.

There’s more to their story than meets the eye, but some truths are too poisonous to swallow.

The bestselling phenomenon,When the Moon Hatched, is a fast-paced fantasy romance featuring an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.]]> 576 Sarah A. Parker 006341581X Ashley 5 4.21 2024 When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: adult, audiobook, fantasy, fantasy-romance, fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Ashley 5 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: audiobook, fiction, romance-novels, young-adult
review:

]]> All Good People Here 198822632
You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?]]> 336 Ashley Flowers 0593496493 Ashley 3 3.79 2022 All Good People Here
author: Ashley Flowers
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: fiction, horror, mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)]]> 43822820 here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.]]> 352 Lisa Jewell 1501190105 Ashley 3 3.93 2019 The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Ashley
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: fiction, mystery, mystery-thriller, thriller, true-crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3)]]> 209740448
Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire � her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.]]> 498 Carissa Broadbent Ashley 5 4.17 2024 The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: fiction, adult, audiobook, fantasy, fantasy-romance, supernatural, young-adult
review:

]]> Fairy Tale 60177373 Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes deep into the well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for their world or ours.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.� And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.]]> 607 Stephen King 1668002175 Ashley 5 4.05 2022 Fairy Tale
author: Stephen King
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: fantasy, fiction, supernatural, thriller, young-adult
review:

]]> The Book of Lost Enchantments 217902784
Guided by her grandmother’s cherished photo album from the 1940s, which documents her time spent as a medic-nurse in Scotland during World War II, Nora stumbles upon a mysterious old bookstore in Edinburgh. There, amidst the smell of old books and shelves lined with relics of forgotten lore, Nora's eyes fall upon a peculiar little red book. As she delves into its pages, strange and unexplainable events unfold, including a sudden snowstorm that strands her in the Highlands with a handsome but surly journalist named Alistair.

Snowed in and at odds with one another, Nora and Alistair struggle to get along. With little else to do but tend the fire, Nora immerses herself in the red book’s tale of a young woman from centuries past, on a quest to save her grandmother and resist the pull she feels toward a dashing but aloof son of a Scottish Duke.

As the days pass, stranded in the cabin, Nora discovers a box of letters with an eerie connection to her grandmother’s past, uncovering a family secret buried deep in time. As the weather worsens and their supplies dwindle, bizarre events begin to escalate. With Alistair’s help, Nora starts to unravel the mystery, but what she uncovers not only threatens to fracture her idea of reality but may place her and Alistair in mortal danger.]]> 476 Jessica Dodge 1965409024 Ashley 0 to-read 4.30 The Book of Lost Enchantments
author: Jessica Dodge
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Forgotten Witch 62635443 412 Jessica Dodge 1737696630 Ashley 0 to-read 4.11 The Forgotten Witch
author: Jessica Dodge
name: Ashley
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>