Leslie's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 06 Apr 2025 08:46:08 -0700 60 Leslie's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg A Tale of Mirth & Magic 222139761 A maker of magical jewelry finds herĚýlife turned upside down when she ends up on the run with a half-giant in this spicy and cozy fantasy romanceâ€�perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Spellshop.
Elikki may not have a family, but she has her fierce independence, boundless charm, and enough talent as a jewelry artisan to make a living on the road. Unfortunately for some, she also can’t yet manage to control her chaotic magic. . . and her temper.ĚýSweet, soft Barra lives a quiet life with his mas and three sisters, managing the books for his family’s business. All he wants is to blend in and not make waves—a bit tricky, as a nearly eight-foot-tall purple half-giant.Ěý
Ěý
When Elikki lands in hot water after dealing with a particularly rude customer,ĚýBarra finds himself helping her flee the constables. With a bounty on her back—and a severe crush forming on his end—they decide to travel together to the next town. So begins a journey filled with cozy inns, delicious meals, heaps of excellent sex, and a sprinkling of danger.Ěý As their adventures bring them closer together and the threat of capture risesĚýthey find themselves changing in surprising ways. He’s given up on finding love. She’s always refused to try. But traveling together, they may discover unexpected, powerful romance and stronger self-identities—if the bounty hunters don’t get them first.Ěý]]>
288 Kristen Vale 1538771829 Leslie 5 3.95 A Tale of Mirth & Magic
author: Kristen Vale
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/04/06
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Wild Goose Chase 223962974 Sarah Adler Leslie 0 to-read 0.0 Wild Goose Chase
author: Sarah Adler
name: Leslie
average rating: 0.0
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date added: 2025/02/09
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Hollow 223363570 Don’t Let the Forest In meets The Whispering Dark in a queer YA cult horror following a recently diagnosed autistic teen who becomes enmeshed in a community of outcasts harboring sinister secrets.

After a meltdown in her school cafeteria prompts an unwanted autism diagnosis, Cassie Davis moves back to her hometown in upstate New York, where her mom hopes the familiarity will allow Cassie to feel normal again. Cassie’s never truly felt normal anywhere, but she does crave the ease she used to have with her old friends.

Problem is that her friends aren’t so eager to welcome her back into the fold. They extend an olive branch by inviting her on their backpacking trip to Hollow Ridge, in the upper reaches of the Adirondacks. But when a fight breaks out their first night, Cassie wakes to a barren campsite—her friends all gone.

With severe weather approaching and nearing sensory overload, Cassie is saved by a boy named Kaleb, who whisks her away to a compound of artists and outcasts he calls the Roost. As Kaleb tends to her injuries, Cassie begins to feel—for the first time in her life—that she can truly be herself. But as the days pass, strange happenings around the Roost make Cassie question her instincts. Noises in the trees grow louder, begging the question: Are the dangers in the forest, on the trail, or in the Roost itself?

In a world where autistic characters rarely get to be the hero of their own stories, Cassie Davis’s one-step-back, two-steps-forward journey to unmasking makes Hollow as much a love letter to neurodiversity as it is a haunting tale you’ll want to read with the lights on.]]>
352 Taylor Grothe 1682637778 Leslie 0 to-read 4.90 Hollow
author: Taylor Grothe
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.90
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date added: 2025/02/03
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Death Has Nothing On Us 216592635 M.K. Lobb Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Death Has Nothing On Us
author: M.K. Lobb
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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date added: 2025/01/27
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Beautyland 127282939 From the acclaimed author of Parakeet, Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland is a wise, tender novel about a woman who doesn't feel at home on Earth.

At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but she reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different: She possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of Earthlings.

For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. Then, at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she is not alone?

Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland is a novel of startling originality about the fragility and resilience of life on our Earth and in our universe. It is a remarkable evocation of the feeling of being in exile at home, and it introduces a gentle, unforgettable alien for our times.]]>
327 Marie-Helene Bertino 0374109281 Leslie 0 4.09 2024 Beautyland
author: Marie-Helene Bertino
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/18
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<![CDATA[The Last Tale of the Flower Bride]]> 61150759
Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after—and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.]]>
289 Roshani Chokshi Leslie 0 3.68 2023 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
author: Roshani Chokshi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
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<![CDATA[Her Fake Wedding Date in Sicily]]> 223658769
WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE�

For workaholic CEO Eliza, romance is on the backburner.ĚýBut that all changes when heiress Mia needs a fake date for the Sicilian wedding they’re both attending, to prove she’s over her recent heartache. Unable to resist Mia’s beguiling beauty, Eliza finds herself making a very out-of-character offer—she’ll be Mia’s pretend girlfriend! One week, no strings. Yet, amid a whirlwind of festivities, their veryĚýrealĚýchemistry burns hotter than the Mediterranean sun. And soon, Eliza’s wishing there wasn’t a deadline on their scheme…Ě�

From Harlequin Ěý Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories. ]]>
256 Jenny Lane 1335470549 Leslie 5 5.00 Her Fake Wedding Date in Sicily
author: Jenny Lane
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
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Of Auras and Shadows 223727604
Coming from Peachtree Teen in Fall 2026.]]>
Taylor Grothe Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Of Auras and Shadows
author: Taylor Grothe
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/17
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<![CDATA[The Underachiever's Guide to Love and Saving the World: A Novel]]> 220160541 The Hating Game meets Legends & Lattes in this captivating and hilarious fantasy rom-com with a twist about two enemies who must work together to return to their reality.

Courtney’s only goal in life is to have no goals. She’s content with her dead-end job and simple existence, and everything is perfect until her neighbor, Bryce, shatters her peace by inexplicably deciding Courtney is his arch-nemesis. To her annoyance, Courtney finds herself committing to a life goal after all: hating Bryce back.

Just after the pair decide to loathe each other for all eternity, they unwittingly step through a portal and hurtle into a fantasy world together, where they are met by a prophecy-obsessed mentor who claims one of them is the Chosen One, destined to defeat an unknown Evil One. But instead of saving the world, the two only unleash more chaos by accidentally freeing a dragon, summoning an undead army, and almost poisoning their mentor with peanut butter.

To return to their world, Bryce and Courtney need magic, which is unfortunately fueled by charisma—meaning the two incompetent, underachieving heroes somehow have to get people to like them. With time running out and the Evil One looming, the enemies must work together and become worthy heroes so they can charm the world (but hopefully not each other), harness magic, overthrow Evil, and get home. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck in a doomed universe without running water—and with each other—forever.]]>
384 Sloane Brooks 1668081261 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Underachiever's Guide to Love and Saving the World: A Novel
author: Sloane Brooks
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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Margo's Got Money Troubles 199534613
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.� —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world—from the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen.

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.� —The Associated Press]]>
304 Rufi Thorpe 0063356589 Leslie 0 3.87 2024 Margo's Got Money Troubles
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
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Midnight Rooms 199534540 Set in a foreboding Gothic mansion and infused with the heightened paranoia and creeping horror of novels like Catherine House and Crimson Peak, a spine-chilling debut historical thriller from a fresh voice in the genre that will leave you questioning who, or what, you can trust . . . including your own sanity.

England, 1840. Orabella Mumthrope spies an unexpected visitor in her uncle’s parlor. Scruffy in appearance yet claiming to be the scion of a fabulously wealthy family, Elias Blakersby declares a deep desire to make Orabella his wife. The orphaned daughter of a white man and a Black woman—an outsider with no fortune or connections—Orabella never expected to marry. But her uncle has many debts, and Orabella, curious about the seeming devotion Elias bestows upon her, agrees.

The new bride is quickly whisked away to Korringhill Manor, the Blakersby family estate, and far from everything she knows. Expecting splendor, Orabella is shocked to find decay, skittish servants, and curt elders. But her kind new husband’s loving touch, promises of a happy life together, and his assurances she’ll never want for anything soothe her concerns.

Yet there is a darkness deep within this house. Rooms are locked or hidden away, and the walls seem to thrum with secrets. Orabella can never venture outside unattended; she spends her days having tea with a catatonic sister-in-law and evenings at Elias’s side, dutifully hosting lavish dinners. The darkness soon begins to engulf her, too. Becoming dizzy and drowsy after dinner, she falls into a fitful sleep filled with macabre dreams, and is awakened by blood-curdling screams in the night. In the morning she rises from her bed covered in mysterious bruises. Confused and terrified, she begins to question where her dreams end and reality begins. The longer Orabella stays in this place, the more she loses parts of herself . . . how long until she no longer exists?

Midnight Rooms is a sweeping saga with supernatural undertones set in Victorian England. Vibrating with tension, richly atmospheric—haunted by ghosts, guilt, and familial bonds—it is an electrifying story that will linger in your dreams.]]>
336 Donyae Coles 0063228092 Leslie 0 3.35 2024 Midnight Rooms
author: Donyae Coles
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/13
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<![CDATA[Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising, #1)]]> 11312 196 Susan Cooper 068987121X Leslie 0 3.86 1965 Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising, #1)
author: Susan Cooper
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
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What Wakes the Bells 208840779 Inspired by an ominous Prague legend, What Wakes the Bells is a lavish gothic fantasy by debut author Elle Tesch.

Built by long-gone Saints, the city of Vaiwyn lives and breathes and bleeds. As a Keeper, Mina knows better than most what her care of Vaiwyn’s bells means for the sentient city. It’s the Strauss family’s thousand-year legacy―prevent the Vespers from ringing, or they will awake a slumbering evil.

One afternoon, to Mina's horror, her bell peals thirteen times, shattering the city’s tenuous peace. With so much of the city's history and lore lost in a long-ago disaster, no one knows the danger that has been unleashed―until the city begins to fight back. As the sun sets, stone gargoyles and bronze statues tear away from their buildings and plinths to hunt people through the streets. Trapped in Mina’s bell, the soul of a twisted and power-hungry Saint festered. Now free of his prison, he hides behind the face of one of Vaiwyn’s citizens, corrupting the city and turning it on itself.

Time is running out, and the only chance Mina has to stop the destruction and horrific killings is finding and destroying the Saint’s host. Everyone is a suspect, including Mina's closest loved ones. She will have to decide how far she’ll go to save her city―and who she’s willing to kill to do it.]]>
336 Elle Tesch 1250322804 Leslie 5 3.56 2025 What Wakes the Bells
author: Elle Tesch
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
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The Bewitching 220458657 Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches�: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.]]>
368 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 0593874323 Leslie 0 to-read 4.37 2025 The Bewitching
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/05
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<![CDATA[Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)]]> 203073876 Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate—or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six.

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located on the fringes of the afterlife. Once a pupil enters the academy’s arched gates, there is no way out . . . except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration in which a single, worthy student is tested and given a choice: Graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or cross over to the mysterious Other Side.

This time, though, the rules have changed. This Decennial isn’t a celebration—it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.

Two academic archrivals, whose strange connection blurs the lines between obsession and hate.

One girl driven solely by ambition, and another plagued by memories of the love she lost.

And a charming playboy who never cared for anyone—until he met the academy’s newest student.

Each of these six students has their own motivation to win . . . and their own secret to hide. But what none of them know? They aren’t the only ones playing Blackwood’s game. And if they lose. . . some fates are worse than death.]]>
512 I.V. Marie 0008783713 Leslie 0 to-read 4.51 2025 Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)
author: I.V. Marie
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/30
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Before I Let Go (Skyland, #1) 60568471
It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).]]>
391 Kennedy Ryan 1538706792 Leslie 0 4.32 2022 Before I Let Go (Skyland, #1)
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
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Honeysuckle 219782194
Rory couldn’t have been happier, until he learns that Daye is a seasonal creature. At the end of each season, she must be woven back together or fall gruesomely apart. And when one autumn his sister fails to return home from university in time, Rory has no choice but to watch his best friend slowly crumble, not knowing until the last second if she can still be pieced together again.

Realizing he can no longer rely on his sister to keep Daye alive, Rory determines he must leave home to learn how to do it himself. And the more he learns � ensconced in libraries and hunched in university labs � the more he starts to wonder: Why can’t Daye survive more than one season? Can he do anything to break this cycle of bloom and decay?

While Rory sinks deeper into research and experiments, Daye is left to wait for his return. Alone. Sometimes, the silence seems to seep all the way to her branch-bones. Sometimes, the company of birds is the only thing to remind her that she is still alive. And as Rory keeps pushing his experiments further and further, Daye starts to wonder � how far is too far?

A feminist Frankenstein with flowers, Honeysuckle is a deliciously dark and twisted, horror-tinged fairytale with rot at its heart...]]>
Bar Fridman-Tell 1035067927 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 Honeysuckle
author: Bar Fridman-Tell
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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Bound By Fury 221556056
The ancestral magic and feuding bloodlines of WITCHES STEEPED IN GOLD meets the themes of ACE OF SPADES, but set in a town infused with magic like in THE RAVEN BOYS, in this atmospheric debut YA Contemporary Fantasy with Dark Academia and Romantic elements.

When her 16th birthday comes and passes without the magic promised by her now deceased grandmother, Harper feels vindicated in her doubts about Gigi’s fanciful stories featuring pretty brown girls with magic in their blood. But when a rage-inducing encounter brings forth strange new abilities, Harper follows them to the one school she promised she’d never attend.

Perched atop a small Appalachian town called Earnest, Black Mountain Academy looms in the background of every memory worth having. Creaky, old, and haunted by the town’s insidious past, Harper is sure BMA has the answers she’s looking for. But when the truth about a missing student parallels her life in more ways than one, what Harper finds is more sinister than she ever imagined.

Ancient magic, vengeful ancestors, and Kai Matsoukas—her childhood best friend turned disgustingly hot mortal enemy. The closer she gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes: if Harper wants to survive BMA she’ll have to do two things first. Kill Kai Matsoukas and transform into something she never knew existed.

A prophecy incarnate.]]>
Noelle Monét 1665979852 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 Bound By Fury
author: Noelle Monét
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Castle and the Cloister (Daughters of Light #1)]]> 212313129
Brought up in poverty and abuse, Fia left her old existence for her infant daughter Miriel’s sake and hopes to be granted refuge at Raea’s cloister, the last stronghold of a matriarchal religion which forbids bloodshed of any kind. But Matria Dolenza, the cloister’s overseer, insists that to gain the cloister’s protection, Fia must leave Miriel behind and travel to their country’s capital, where Fia must take on the role of wet nurse to the conquerors� heretic queen. Dolenza lays out a single, nebulous term for Fia’s service: before returning, she must prove herself capable of striving for something larger than her own wellbeing and that of her child.

With no choice but to comply, Fia goes to the capital, where a dynasty of warriors have held the reins of power for two centuries, subjugating the great nation of Honoria and threatening the continued existence of Raea’s cloister. But the nature of her errand is further complicated by what she finds—a queen covertly bound to Honoria's old pacifist ways and struggling for peace, and a blind priest serving as the head of his court’s brutal new religion while harboring a bitter grudge against the king.

It is a treacherous landscape of enemies, allies, and intrigue. Fulfilling Dolenza’s orders will require Fia to undermine established powers, confront the best and worst in herself, and alter the course of a nation.]]>
Laura E. Weymouth Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 The Castle and the Cloister (Daughters of Light #1)
author: Laura E. Weymouth
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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Fire to the Stars 63054564 Serpent & Dove meets Fourth Wing in this pulse-pounding YA fantasy debut.

In the kingdom of Florent, anyone can succumb to the Ignition—a monthly solar event where the sun god’s magic turns an unlucky human into a vicious dragon. Haunted by his failure to find a cure for his little brother, Abel Estellio knows firsthand that slayer families are just as vulnerable to the curse. The only relic from his previous life is an incomplete research journal. With his name now synonymous with disaster, Abel is broke and desperate for work.

When gossip of the journal reaches Claire Belgard, she abandons her sisterhood of thieves to find him. A slayer who tried to save a dragon? Blasphemous—but his taboo is a hope she can’t ignore. She believes Abel’s research is her only chance to cure her curse and end her reliance on a life of crime. The problem is, he’s hunting again. So she feeds him a false lead on a dragon to test whether she can trust him with her secret, or whether she must turn to the crime she dreads most—murder—to steal the journal and hope the contents are enough to save herself.

When her con derails into a dangerous discovery at the heart of the curse, Claire and Abel must break every rule designed to protect them from their enemies to survive and find redemption. But the next Ignition is coming, and if Claire transforms into a dragon again, even love can't save them from the deadliest threat of all: each other.]]>
Morgan J. Watchorn Leslie 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Fire to the Stars
author: Morgan J. Watchorn
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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The Witch of the Dark Wood 220146689 Sarah Van Goethem Leslie 0 to-read 0.0 The Witch of the Dark Wood
author: Sarah Van Goethem
name: Leslie
average rating: 0.0
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Femme Feral 217137436 Sam Beckbessinger Leslie 0 to-read 0.0 Femme Feral
author: Sam Beckbessinger
name: Leslie
average rating: 0.0
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<![CDATA[Victoria Dare and the Blood of Kings (Victoria Dare, #1)]]> 214625024 Josh Roberts Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Victoria Dare and the Blood of Kings (Victoria Dare, #1)
author: Josh Roberts
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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In Case I Go Missing 219330408 R.N. Swann Leslie 0 to-read 0.0 In Case I Go Missing
author: R.N. Swann
name: Leslie
average rating: 0.0
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We, the Missing 220830261
�

What she discovers are literal monsters: demons from another dimension and angels so long forgotten by God that some doubt they’re even real. She finds an ally in a new friend, Dani, but it ends up he isn't even human, and may be more involved in the missing than he'd like to admit. The closer Caroline gets to the heart of the disappearances, the more danger she finds herself in. The fight for her mother becomes a fight for her survival as she is thrust into a dangerous, supernatural world seemingly bent on making Caroline vanish forever.]]>
Arwyn Sherman Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 We, the Missing
author: Arwyn Sherman
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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<![CDATA[Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights]]> 218096545 Celeste Dador Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights
author: Celeste Dador
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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Death Card 198971683 Jasmine Smith Leslie 0 to-read 4.00 Death Card
author: Jasmine Smith
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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Worth a Dream 218018174 Caroline Bonin Leslie 0 to-read 0.0 2026 Worth a Dream
author: Caroline Bonin
name: Leslie
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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In the Country I Love 213602757
Yassir Al-Azzawi is used to being the disappointment in his family. As a seventeen-year-old single dad and a soon-to-be high school drop-out, his lapsed Shia faith is just another thing convincing his parents he's a failure. One more mistake, and they'll send him back to their homeland, a war-torn Iraq.

Khaled Al-Hakim is perfect on paper: devout in his faith, a straight-A student, and captain of the debate team. But beneath the surface, Khaled is no saint either and his parents can never know. Which is why Khaled and Yassir must keep their friendship a secret—especially after their families severed ties years ago.

When the boys are stopped by the police during a sacred Shia observance, their friendship is exposed, and Khaled’s pristine image is shattered. Now it's Khaled who finds himself sent to Iraq for two weeks to amend his behavior while Yassir is left to salvage what’s left of his life without his best friend.

But on the same night Khaled returns home from Iraq, a series of Islamophobic hate crimes occur across the United States and one of the boys is left beaten in the streets. As the boys search for someone to blame, family secrets from both sides come to light, and neither Yassir nor Khaled are prepared to learn the truths that taint their family names.]]>
Alaa Al-Barkawi Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 In the Country I Love
author: Alaa Al-Barkawi
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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As Long As You Loathe Me 213592279 Swati Hegde Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 As Long As You Loathe Me
author: Swati Hegde
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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Last Night I Dreamed of Home 216412096 Sophie Li Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 Last Night I Dreamed of Home
author: Sophie Li
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/27
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The Book of Blood and Roses 211980480 The Book of Blood and Roses, is pitched at fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and A Deadly Education.

The book follows vampire hunter Rebecca, who must enrol in an elite vampire university to retrieve The Compendium, an ancient text hidden in a secret library which will give Rebecca the answer to ridding the earth of vampires. But when she meets Aliz, the beautiful daughter of Europe's most powerful vampire family, she starts to question everything she thought she knew.]]>
Annie Summerlee Leslie 0 to-read 4.00 The Book of Blood and Roses
author: Annie Summerlee
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.00
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Maeve and the Other Marsh 221638877
Publication is slated for Fall 2026.]]>
K.S. Shay Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Maeve and the Other Marsh
author: K.S. Shay
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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Love, Gods and Sinners 220624470 Against the glittering backdrop of alternate modern-day Singapore, two teens must choose between love and loyalty in this sapphic urban fantasy. Part enemies-to-lovers rom-com, part high-octane action, the chemistry of Mr and Mrs Smith meets the high-stakes action of Iron Widow.

Harper Leong is an engineering intern at a famous tech company, but she’s also Raven: the flirtatious probationary leader of the feared Foxes, descended from Chinese Nine-Tailed Foxes. To successfully graduate her probation and achieve the leadership she promised her late parents, Harper’s been assigned to kill the Sentinel that’s been hindering Fox missions—Lune, the youngest, the brightest. But as Harper gets closer to her target, she finds herself looking past the icy facade the Sentinel often fronts, and begins struggling with her loyalties and, horrifically, her burgeoning feelings.

Descended from moon goddess Chang'e, Lune's real name is Tia, and she's an engineering intern with an annoying partner-slash-flatmate: Harper. In her civilian identity, Tia begins falling for her arrogant rival—without realising that Harper is secretly the Fox that Tia’s been trying to defeat for years. Desperate to prove herself as the youngest Sentinel, Lune throws herself into destroying the Foxes—until she witnesses Raven during a vulnerable moment, tends to Harper’s mysterious wounds in her civilian life, and begins yearning for the miscreant on both sides of the mask.

As Raven's mission to kill Lune unravels to include the mysterious moonstones that hint at unprecedented potential to aid Singapore's climate crisis, low-level tensions become life-threatening. Harper and Tia begin to realise that the concepts of right and wrong can be just as complicated—and dangerous—as falling in love.]]>
Camille Chong Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Love, Gods and Sinners
author: Camille Chong
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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Vile Lady Villains 221577707 PRE-ORDER THE WORLD-BURNING HORROMANTASY, BRINGING TOGETHER LITERATURE'S MOST FAMOUS LADY VILLAINS, LADY MACBETH AND KLYTEMNESTRA . . .

For fans of A Dowry of Blood, Clytemnestra, and Piranesi, Vile Lady Villains is an unforgettable ride into the realm of stories

--

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help. She’s given a brew that transports her to an unknown realm. Desperately lost, she opens a door and comes face to face with a beautiful woman drenched in blood.

Klytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, is exacting bloody vengeance on her husband. Yet as she revels in her triumph, an otherworldly door appears and a strange woman steps in. Thinking this stranger a spirit, she chases Lady Macbeth into the realm of stories.

Hunted by screaming wraiths into worlds that are hell bent on their demise, this murderous pair are forced to form an alliance or perish. Yet the realm’s goddess, The Mistress of the House of Books, claims to hold the key to saving them. But can they trust this ancient goddess?

As every threat brings our vile lady villains closer, turning ill intentions into fiery attraction that no author dare write, they have a remain within the confines of their original tales � Or burn down the world to pen a new story together . . .]]>
Danai Christopoulou 1405978872 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2026 Vile Lady Villains
author: Danai Christopoulou
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Seven: The Courage, Artistry, and Teamwork of BTS]]> 221831402 96 Lilly Lu 166597480X Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Seven: The Courage, Artistry, and Teamwork of BTS
author: Lilly Lu
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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<![CDATA[Of Flame and Fury: Racing. Phoenixes. Romance. Don't Miss the Hottest YA Fantasy of the Summer!]]> 211968871 Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy by debut author Mikayla Bridge. The hottest must-read of the summer!

On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is as profitable as it is deadly.

Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup� Coupers � an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.

As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel's home is mistakenly burned down, and she’s forced to take a job from a mysterious tech mogul with an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This sets in motion a conspiracy that threatens everyone Kel cares for, especially Coup, for whom her embers of resentment are quickly igniting into something dangerously new.

Heart-pounding pages full of steamy romance, fiery confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final battle where no one is safe.]]>
0 Mikayla Bridge 1035057425 Leslie 0 to-read 4.70 Of Flame and Fury: Racing. Phoenixes. Romance. Don't Miss the Hottest YA Fantasy of the Summer!
author: Mikayla Bridge
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.70
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date added: 2024/11/16
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<![CDATA[How to Help a Hungry Werewolf (The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures, #1)]]> 203578893
When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.

Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf striking a deal.

Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in between fights with former bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.]]>
368 Charlotte Stein 1250352339 Leslie 0 3.28 2024 How to Help a Hungry Werewolf (The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures, #1)
author: Charlotte Stein
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
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Holes (Holes, #1) 38709
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.]]>
272 Louis Sachar 0439244196 Leslie 0 4.01 1998 Holes (Holes, #1)
author: Louis Sachar
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
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Priest (Priest, #1) 25507389
I've always been good at following rules.ĚýUntil she came.ĚýMy name is Tyler Anselm Bell. I'm twenty-nine years old. Six months ago, I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church, and God help me, I would do it again.ĚýI am a priest and this is my confession.

Priest is a standalone, full-length novel with an HEA. ĚýFor mature audiences only]]>
354 Sierra Simone Leslie 0 3.59 2015 Priest (Priest, #1)
author: Sierra Simone
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/11/09
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<![CDATA[Sparring Partners: A Spicy Enemies to Lovers MMA Sports Romance]]> 220218257 are the hottest thing on the mat in this forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers sports romance for fans of Nikki Castle and Elle Kennedy.

Gloves off.

And hands on�

When things get hard, some choose “flight…�

It’s been a year since Lily Parker fled to Chicago, hoping to lose herself among millions of people. Becoming the new content creator for a South Side MMA gym isn’t just a fresh start or a new job—it’s a chance to save the gym and help women protect themselves. But while the gorgeous, scarred and tatted-up MMA coach has marked Lily as an enemy, there’s definitely something spicy between them…ĚýĚ�

He chooses “fight.�

Kieran Sullivan only knows how to use his fists. His body is a testament to survival and protecting those he loves—and that does not include the gym’s newest employee. But when a video goes viral, Kieran and Lily must play nice in front of the cameras to keep the gym’s fans happy. Now the internet is obsessed with their scorching, will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry.

Sometimes, the only thing that separates love from hate is knowing exactly who your opponent really is.

From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles�

Love and Other Hollywood Endings by Susannah Erwin

The Summer of Perfect Mistakes by Cynthia St. Aubin

Meet Me in a Mile by Elizabeth Hrib
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Erin Rose 0369763157 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 Sparring Partners: A Spicy Enemies to Lovers MMA Sports Romance
author: Erin Rose
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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date added: 2024/11/07
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A Prince Among Pirates 220061145
But when Kit boards a ship to escape the tyranny of his overbearing father, he has no idea he's just joined a pirate crew—or that accidentally becoming a pirate himself will take him on a journey of self-discovery and help him learn for the first time what it feels like to be unconditionally loved.]]>
Katie Abdou 1665984775 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 A Prince Among Pirates
author: Katie Abdou
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
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You’ll Never Forget Me 217096299 A sapphic cat-and-mouse thriller pitched in the vein of Killing Eve and FIRST LIE WINS, for fans of YELLOWFACE, about a struggling actress who accidentally murders her rival, takes her place as Hollywood's newest it-girl, and leans into the role of a killer as she cleans up her mess, and the clever PI who will stop at nothing to put the star behind bars, complicated by their growing fascination with one another.

Struggling actress Dimple Kapoor probably wouldn’t call herself a murderer—she’d prefer being called an opportunist. Years ago, she simply did what had to be done to get herself out of a bad situation. Now, after accidentally killing her Hollywood rival, Irene Singh, Dimple has conveniently created an opportunity to nab her dream leading role and resuscitate her career. It’s too bad someone else at the party witnessed the crime…and recorded it.

With everything she’s ever wanted within reach, Dimple will do anything to keep it in her grasp—including killing again. Unfortunately for her, Irene’s parents have hired detectives—who bring in a former colleague, Saffi Mirai Iyer, who is known as one of the best private investigators in the business. When Saffi immediately zeroes in on Dimple, Dimple knows she has to raise the stakes. Saffi invites her into the case, suggesting she act as bait to draw out the killer—and as the two women’s cat-and-mouse game intensifies, Saffi starts to wonder if she may have finally met her match.

With their reputations at risk, both women must fight the mutual fascination drawing them closer together. Dimple needs Saffi dead and for her theories to die with her, but first she needs to find a suitable lamb to pin her crimes on. Saffi needs Dimple behind bars where she can hurt no one else, but her life is on the line, and Dimple won't be so easy to catch red-handed.]]>
Isha Raya Leslie 0 to-read 4.50 You’ll Never Forget Me
author: Isha Raya
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.50
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date added: 2024/11/04
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The Sacred Space Between 219796235

'Nothing less than blasphemy brought you to me,' Jude told her. Maeve trembled. He was an open flame. Any closer, and she’d burn.

Jude is a saint with dangerous magic � exiled by the Abbey to live out his days in a decaying estate on the moors alone � until gifted iconographer Maeve is sent to paint his icon. Suspecting she’s a spy for her beloved Abbey, Jude makes it his mission to get rid of Maeve as soon as possible. That is, until he discovers that Maeve holds the same tainted magic as he does, and she may be the key to destroying the Abbey’s power�

But this institution has eyes everywhere, and the only thing the Abbey loves more than a saint is a martyr.]]>
384 Kalie Reid 0008711933 Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Sacred Space Between
author: Kalie Reid
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/03
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Smash or Pass 221103897 Birdie Schae Leslie 0 to-read 4.92 2026 Smash or Pass
author: Birdie Schae
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.92
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/02
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<![CDATA[Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway, #1)]]> 123853225
Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than stay next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband.

When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance.

But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more he dreads Lark’s imminent return to the states.

If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.]]>
328 Ivy Fairbanks Leslie 0 3.86 2023 Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway, #1)
author: Ivy Fairbanks
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2024/11/01
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<![CDATA[The Wyrm King (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)]]> 5989515
It turns out the giants control the population of Hydra, a dragon like creature that is creating sinkholes all over Florida. But with the mermaids refusing to return the giants to the shore, the nixie's still missing and the threat of a destroyed Florida drawing closer, the kids have to take matters in their own hands.

Will Nick and Laurie be able to stop the destruction they unwittingly caused? Can a new giant hunter help save the day? Can Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide help them out of this or are they on their own?

Find out in the final conclusion of the Spiderwick saga!]]>
202 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689871333 Leslie 0 3.88 2009 The Wyrm King (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/24
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<![CDATA[The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet: A Sapphic Regency Historical Romance of Forbidden Love]]> 209352163
Thus begins THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET, a sapphic romance between recently widowed Charlotte Lucas and grown-up scientist Mary Bennet. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder at the sheer sturdiness of a well-built pianoforte.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod will be available Apr 29, 2025.]]>
298 Lindz McLeod 0369760816 Leslie 0 to-read 4.04 2025 The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet: A Sapphic Regency Historical Romance of Forbidden Love
author: Lindz McLeod
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/19
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<![CDATA[A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)]]> 2238093 154 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689871325 Leslie 0 3.83 2008 A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/11
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Fake It Like You Mean It 214988485 Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and a wonderfully unique forced proximity debut romance, perfect for fans of Elena Armas’s The American Roommate Experiment and Drew Barrymore’s classic rom-com Fifty First Dates.

Elle’s grandmother Lovie has always taken care of her, as long as she can remember. But remembering is just the problem. With Lovie’s Alzheimer’s progressing fast, it’s Elle’s turn to step up.

Leaving Chicago behind, the last thing she expects when she walks through the door of her childhood home is Adam Wheeler—in her bed. Live-in nurse and pain in the ass, Adam is here to do his job. Eat, sleep, nurse, repeat.

Thrown together to care for Lovie, tensions rise and lines are drawn, but there’s a bigger problem: in her Alzheimer’s riddled mind, Lovie’s convinced that Elle and Adam are madly in love.

Certain she’ll forget by morning, Elle and Adam play along. The only snag? She doesn’t.

Lovie is the only person who thinks this fake dating scheme is real…so why is Elle fantasizing about Adam when he’s not around? And why is it getting harder to pretend?

Fake It Like You Mean It is the perfect blend of romance, laugh out loud comedy, and heartbreaking, beautiful moments.]]>
336 Megan Murphy Leslie 0 to-read 3.92 2025 Fake It Like You Mean It
author: Megan Murphy
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/03
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Mortal Memories 215770040
A fae lord held captive by his.

When Carra is discovered in the fae Quarter alone, a transgression punishable by death, she’s given a choice: marry her savior, or run for her life. Missing all memories from before that night, she agrees to the marriage and turns her focus toward rediscovering who she is, and why she was in the Quarter in the first place.

When his fiancée died fifty years ago, Straid withdrew from society. But after impulsively marrying a mortal woman to save her life, there are some things he cannot ignore: his feelings for his new wife, the growing list of people going missing in the Quarter–and the possibility that the disappearances may be connected to the woman he loves.

Mortal Memories is a slow-burn, spicy fae romance perfect for fans of K. F. Breene and Sarah J Maas.]]>
295 F.A. Eden 1964846005 Leslie 5 3.08 2024 Mortal Memories
author: F.A. Eden
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.08
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
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The Fourth Child 56431324
“The Fourth Child is keen and beautiful and heartbreaking—an exploration of private guilt and unexpected obligation, of the intimate losses of power embedded in female adolescence, and of the fraught moments of glancing divinity that come with shouldering the burden of love.� —Jia Tolentino, New York Times bestselling author of Trick Mirror

“A remarkable family saga . . . The Fourth Child is a balm—a reminder that it is possible for art to provide a nuanced exploration of life itself.â€� —Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World BehindĚýand Rich and Pretty

The author ofĚýBreak in Case of EmergencyĚýfollows up her “extraordinary debutâ€� (The Guardian) with a moving novel about motherhood and marriage, adolescence and bodily autonomy, family and love, religion and sexuality, and the delicate balance between the purity of faith and the messy reality of life.

Book-smart, devoutly Catholic, and painfully unsure of herself, Jane becomes pregnant in high school; by her early twenties, she is raising three children in the suburbs of western New York State. In the fall of 1991, as her children are growing older and more independent, Jane is overcome by a spiritual and intellectual restlessness that leads her to become involved with a local pro-life group. Following the tenets of her beliefs, she also adopts a little girl from Eastern Europe. But Mirela is a difficult child. Deprived of a loving caregiver in infancy, she remains unattached to her new parents, no matter how much love Jane shows her. As Jane becomes consumed with chasing therapies that might help Mirela, her relationships with her family, especially her older daughter, Lauren, begin to fray.Ěý

Feeling estranged from her mother and unsettled in her new high school, Lauren begins to discover the power of her own burgeoning creativity and sexuality—a journey that both echoes and departs from her mother’s own adolescent experiences. But when Lauren is confronted with the limits of her youth and independence, Jane is thrown into an emotional crisis, forced to reconcile her principles and faith with her determination to keep her daughters safe. The Fourth Child is a piercing love story and a haunting portrayal of how love can shatter—or strengthen—our beliefs.]]>
343 Jessica Winter 0062971573 Leslie 0 to-read, spring-2021 3.43 2021 The Fourth Child
author: Jessica Winter
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/28
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<![CDATA[The Nixie's Song (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)]]> 45343 The Spiderwick Chronicles leave the old-fashioned charm of New England far behind and head south for some fiendish faerie fun in the hot Florida sun. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas only thinks his life has been turned upside down after his developer father remarries and moves his new wife and daughter into the soon-to-be completed Mangrove Hollow.

But an "expedition" to a nearby lake turns up a little nixie with a giant problem - the huge, lumbering, fire-breathing variety - and it's up to Nick; his stepsister, Laurie; and his big brother, Julian (plus a familiar face from the original Spiderwick Chronicles) to figure out the best way to stop a host of rampaging giants before all of Florida goes up in smoke.]]>
162 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689871317 Leslie 0 3.75 2007 The Nixie's Song (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
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<![CDATA[A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke (Las Leonas, #3)]]> 198366741 He's not like other dukes�

Paris, 1889

Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.

New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.

When dangerous figures from their pasts return to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?]]>
429 Adriana Herrera Leslie 0 to-read 4.37 2025 A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke (Las Leonas, #3)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/24
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<![CDATA[An Island Princess Starts a Scandal (Las Leonas, #2)]]> 63028658 An Entertainment Weekly "Best Romance Novels of Spring 2023" Pick!

One last summer.Ěý

For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom—in Paris, with her two best friends.Ěý

One scandalous encounter.

Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It'sĚýnot money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she’s sworn never to sell?

One life-changing bargain.

Tempted by Cora’s offer, Manuela proposes a her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach.ĚýWhat follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought dead. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach…though claiming it would cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades.]]>
368 Adriana Herrera Leslie 0 3.96 2023 An Island Princess Starts a Scandal (Las Leonas, #2)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/23
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<![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)]]> 77197
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.]]>
435 Robin Hobb 055357339X Leslie 0 4.21 1995 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
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<![CDATA[Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs]]> 63008436
Hot dogs. Poor people created them. Rich people found a way to charge fifteen dollars for them. They’re high culture, they’re low culture, they’re sports food, they’re kids' food, they’re hangover food, and they’re deeply American, despite having no basis whatsoever in America's Indigenous traditions. You can love them, you can hate them, but you can’t avoid the great American hot dog.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs is part investigation into the cultural and culinary significance of hot dogs and part travelog documenting a cross-country road trip researching them as they’re served today. From avocado and spice in the West to ass-shattering chili in the East to an entire salad on a slice of meat in Chicago, Loftus, her pets, and her ex eat their way across the country during the strange summer of 2021. It’s a brief window into the year between waves of a plague that the American government has the resources to temper, but not the interest.

So grab a dog, lay out your picnic blanket, and dig into the delicious and inevitable product of centuries of violence, poverty, and ambition, now rolling around at your local 7-Eleven.]]>
321 Jamie Loftus 1250847753 Leslie 0 to-read 3.94 2023 Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs
author: Jamie Loftus
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
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Thrum 210835673 Meg Smitherman Leslie 0 3.98 2024 Thrum
author: Meg Smitherman
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/11
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Thrum 216009057 122 Meg Smitherman Leslie 0 4.13 2024 Thrum
author: Meg Smitherman
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
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<![CDATA[The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #5)]]> 277190 Their world is closer than you think.]]> 146 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859406 Leslie 0 3.97 2004 The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #5)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/10
date added: 2024/09/11
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<![CDATA[The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White: A Secret History of Race in America]]> 19060535 417 Daniel J. Sharfstein 1101475803 Leslie 0 4.19 2011 The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White: A Secret History of Race in America
author: Daniel J. Sharfstein
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/02/24
date added: 2024/09/11
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<![CDATA[Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)]]> 280277 Let the story of my niece and nephews be a warning. The more you know, the more danger you're in. And trust me, you don't want to meddle with the Little People. -- S.S.
One thrilling adventure -- The Spiderwick Chronicles!
Their world is closer than you think.]]>
114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859384 Leslie 0 3.91 2003 Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/09/08
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<![CDATA[The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #4)]]> 277191 At school, someone is running around pretending to be Jared, and it's not Simon. To make matters even worse, now Mallory has disappeared and something foul in the water is killing off all the plants and animals for miles around. Clues point to the old abandoned quarry, just outside of town. Dwarves have taken over an abandoned mine there. And the faerie world's abuzz with the news that a creature with plans to rule the world has offered them a gift to join with him -- he's given them a queen...]]> 114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859392 Leslie 0 3.96 2004 The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #4)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/08
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In Universes 195853541
In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Blending realism with science fiction, In Universes explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the pull of the past against the desire to lead a meaningful life. Part Ted Chiang, part Carmen Maria Machado, part Everything Everywhere All At Once, In Universes insists on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times.]]>
240 Emet North 0063314878 Leslie 0 3.82 2024 In Universes
author: Emet North
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/08
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<![CDATA[Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror]]> 176443047
A sister to Ni’s British Fantasy Award-nominated anthology, A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction, Sinophagia collects 14 dazzling tales of contemporary Chinese horror that have been translated into English for the very first time.

This collection has been carefully curated, to go beyond people’s expectations, of hopping vampires and hanging ghosts. It provides a fascinating insight into the psyche of modern China - and is absolutely spine chilling.

It includes a wide range of voices, from China’s most well-known creepy story tellers to bold upcoming writers with a sense of urban horror - a truly ground-breaking collection.]]>
448 Xueting Christine Ni 183786117X Leslie 0 to-read 4.04 2024 Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror
author: Xueting Christine Ni
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/07
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Certain Dark Things 54785481
Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?]]>
256 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 1250785588 Leslie 0 3.73 2016 Certain Dark Things
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/08/31
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<![CDATA[The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)]]> 444304
The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them...]]>
114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859368 Leslie 0 3.93 2003 The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/23
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<![CDATA[The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)]]> 519048 we said no still you looked
now instead
someone gets cooked

The Grace kids are just beginning to get used to Aunt Lucinda's strange old mansion when Simon suddenly disappears. Jared and his sister have to rely on the help of a mischievous house boggart, a nasty bridge troll, and a loud-mouthed hobgoblin to get him back.]]>
114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859376 Leslie 0 3.93 2003 The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
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The Dividing Sky 123192365 Serpent & Dove meets Arcane in this dystopian romance debut that follows a cunning memory merchant who deals a little extra happiness on the side and the handsome rookie officer on her tail!

In 2460, eighteen-year-old Liv Newman dreams of a future beyond her lower-class life in the Metro. As a Proxy, she uses the neurochip in her brain to sell memories to wealthy clients. Maybe a few illegally, but money equals freedom. So when a customer offers her a ludicrous sum to go on an assignment in no-man’s-land, Liv accepts. Now she just has to survive.

Rookie Forceman Adrian Rao believes in order over all. After discovering that a renegade Proxy’s shady dealings are messing with citizens� brain chemistry, he vows to extinguish the threat. But when he tracks Liv down, there’s one problem: her memories are gone. Can Adrian bring himself to condemn her for crimes she doesn’t remember?

As Liv and Adrian navigate the world beyond the Metro and their growing feelings for one another, they grapple with who they are, who they could be, and whether another way of living is possible.]]>
Jill Tew Leslie 5 4.66 2024 The Dividing Sky
author: Jill Tew
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
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<![CDATA[Fated Winds and Promising Seas]]> 212115043
Imprisoned for a crime he cannot remember committing, Lucky is more comfortable with the four walls of his cell than the world outside. That is until he's ripped free from his prison and swept out into the ocean. . . and rescued by The Dreamer.

But The Dreamer is no ordinary vessel, with its crew of outcasts and heretics who possess the ability to manipulate water. Lucky is taken under the protective wing of a sailor named Gabriel, but when he recognises Gabriel from his past, Lucky suspects it may not be a simple accident that threw them together.

To understand their connection and prove Lucky's innocence, they must navigate treacherous waters, avoid giant Leviathan, and outwit those seeking to arrest them. But some memories hide secrets that could destroy all that they love. And with the tides of fortune ever-changing, the quest for freedom is just the beginning.

Fated Winds and Promising Seas is a queer fantasy, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and Nettle and Bone.

THEMES AND TROPES! Mental health rep, MM romance, found family, magical ships, safe and cared for, sharing the same room, gay romance novel, happily ever after!]]>
345 Rose Black 1399724762 Leslie 0 to-read 3.51 2024 Fated Winds and Promising Seas
author: Rose Black
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/17
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My Big, Fat Desi Wedding 61963200
A family curse that turns spoken prophecy into truth.

A world where your soulmate’s feelings appear as words on your skin.

A boy who has to decide whether or not to attend his brother’s wedding even though their parents have forbidden it.

A girl who encounters the boy she loved and lost and realizes where her heart truly lies.

These genre-bending stories focus on the magic (and tension) of the biggest family gathering. Both award-winning and debut authors share stories of broken hearts, rekindled flames, unlikely romances, and one particular auntie who loves to meddle.

From jewel-toned kurtas, music and dancing, to the aromas of cardamom and sugar, one thing is for certain: It’s going to be an incredible season.]]>
288 Prerna Pickett 1645679950 Leslie 0 to-read 3.68 2024 My Big, Fat Desi Wedding
author: Prerna Pickett
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/16
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Quartet in Autumn 227002 186 Barbara Pym 0330326481 Leslie 3 3.90 1978 Quartet in Autumn
author: Barbara Pym
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1978
rating: 3
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date added: 2024/08/07
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Your Shadow Half Remains 127281430 One look can kill.

Riley has not seen a single human face in longer than she can reckon. No faces, no eyes. Not if you want to survive.

But when a new neighbor moves in down the road, Riley’s overwhelming need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow, in this world where other people can mean a gruesome, bloody death, Ellis makes her feel safe. As they grow closer, Riley’s grip on reality begins to slip and she can no longer fight her deepest desires.

All Riley wants to do is look.]]>
163 Sunny Moraine 1250892201 Leslie 0 3.35 2024 Your Shadow Half Remains
author: Sunny Moraine
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/28
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<![CDATA[The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)]]> 182810961 The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award-nominated author, Melissa Caruso.

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble.Ěý

She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual.Ěý

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home.]]>
420 Melissa Caruso 031630364X Leslie 0 to-read 4.06 2024 The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)
author: Melissa Caruso
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/22
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In the Company of Killers 215749849
Inside the tony suburb of Scarsdale is New York’s worst-kept secret: The mob runs everything, and the Nicastro family is at the center. Seventeen-year-old Tasha Nicastro lives a life of glitz and glamour, but she has no idea her family harbors a dark truth.

Tasha might look like your classic high school mean girl, but behind the designer clothes is a sharpshooter who knows how to bring anyone to their knees. The only person who has ever gotten under her skin is her former best friend, Leo Danesi, the youngest son of the Nicastro family’s rivals. After Leo returns to New York older and more handsome, Tasha thinks he’ll be the worst of her problems—until the life she thought she knew takes a violent, shocking turn. When her father and beloved older sister are murdered before her eyes, Tasha learns the dark truth: Her family runs the most powerful Mafia branch in New York, and now she’s set to inherit it all.

Tasha vows vengeance on the mysterious new mob behind the hit, but she can’t do it alone. She needs someone who already knows the underground world to help track them down. And that person is none other than Leo, the heir to his own family’s dangerous empire.

But Tasha is a Nicastro. She’s been raised in the company of killers, and there’s absolutely nothing she won’t do to avenge her family. That is, if the enemy doesn’t put her in gold chains first.]]>
384 Elora Cook 0316574155 Leslie 0 to-read 3.93 2025 In the Company of Killers
author: Elora Cook
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/18
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An Academy for Liars 203956639 A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.

Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.

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

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

As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.]]>
464 Alexis Henderson 0593638301 Leslie 0 to-read 3.45 2024 An Academy for Liars
author: Alexis Henderson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/17
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<![CDATA[A Desert of Bleeding Sand (A Desert of Bleeding Sand #1)]]> 215966692
Zair, a reviled half-aziza (African fae) with magical powers, is determined to stop the traitors attacking her academy and kidnapping its students—especially as her beloved sister is targeted. Sent to the palace during the king’s coronation, her mission is clear: unmask the culprits behind the disappearances. But when she crosses paths with Dathan, a rival spy from another academy, his hidden motives complicate everything.

As danger escalates and more students vanish, Zair and Dathan realize they must join forces to stop the looming threat. As they close in on the traitors, a shimmering attraction pulses between them, threatening to unravel their focus. In a palace where hunger is for power and night magic guards its halls, Zair must protect her heart from the one person she cannot afford to trust and save her fellow students before it’s too late.]]>
Lucia Damisa Leslie 0 to-read 4.63 A Desert of Bleeding Sand (A Desert of Bleeding Sand #1)
author: Lucia Damisa
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.63
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/08
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<![CDATA[The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo (The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, 1)]]> 27414462
The place is teeming with monsters!

Lucky for Charles, Echo City has Margo Maloo, monster mediator. No matter who’s causing trouble, Margo knows exactly what to do―the neighborhood kids say monsters are afraid of her . It's a good thing, because Echo City's trolls, ogres, and ghosts all have one thing in they don't like Charles very much.]]>
128 Drew Weing 1626723397 Leslie 0 4.08 2016 The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo (The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, 1)
author: Drew Weing
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2024/06/26
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The City of Stardust 145624782
For centuries, generations of Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick � and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was a child when her mother left on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. When Marianne never returns, Penelope issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find her mother, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer. Unless she can break it first.

To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted � and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.

Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.]]>
352 Georgia Summers 0316561487 Leslie 0 3.28 2024 The City of Stardust
author: Georgia Summers
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/06/25
date added: 2024/06/25
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Best Hex Ever 204640549 A kitchen witch with a penchant for baking and a (literally) cursed love life meets someone who's worth breaking a hex for in this sweet and spicy debut romance.

As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café serving magic-infused pastries for her loyal customers. But only a select few friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for you.

Scott Mason is back from traveling the world and is excited to begin his new job as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London to heal from a brutal breakup two years ago, Scott only now realizes how much he missed out on. Now that his best friend’s wedding is right around the corner, Scott is determined to be the most amazing best man ever, but he doesn’t expect to be bewitched by the maid of honor, who also happens to be the owner of his new favorite café and, more surprisingly, a witch?!

After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always cut her losses, but this time is different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex, before it’s too late?]]>
320 Nadia El-Fassi 0593871790 Leslie 5 3.50 2024 Best Hex Ever
author: Nadia El-Fassi
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/24
date added: 2024/06/24
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What Wakes the Bells 208844333 Inspired by an ominous Prague legend, What Wakes the Bells is a lavish gothic fantasy by debut author Elle Tesch.

Built by long-gone Saints, the city of Vaiwyn lives and breathes and bleeds. As a Keeper, Mina knows better than most what her care of Vaiwyn’s bells means for the sentient city. It’s the Strauss family’s thousand-year legacy―prevent the Vespers from ringing, or they will awake a slumbering evil.

One afternoon, to Mina's horror, her bell peals thirteen times, shattering the city’s tenuous peace. With so much of the city's history and lore lost in a long-ago disaster, no one knows the danger that has been unleashed―until the city begins to fight back. As the sun sets, stone gargoyles and bronze statues tear away from their buildings and plinths to hunt people through the streets. Trapped in Mina’s bell, the soul of a twisted and power-hungry Saint festered. Now free of his prison, he hides behind the face of one of Vaiwyn’s citizens, corrupting the city and turning it on itself.

Time is running out, and the only chance Mina has to stop the destruction and horrific killings is finding and destroying the Saint’s host. Everyone is a suspect, including Mina's closest loved ones. She will have to decide how far she’ll go to save her city―and who she’s willing to kill to do it.]]>
332 Elle Tesch 1250322812 Leslie 0 to-read 3.92 2025 What Wakes the Bells
author: Elle Tesch
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/18
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The Hanging Bones 214937409 Elle Tesch Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 The Hanging Bones
author: Elle Tesch
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/18
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The Dead Romantics 58885776 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593336489.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead... but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.]]>
368 Ashley Poston Leslie 0 to-read 3.90 2022 The Dead Romantics
author: Ashley Poston
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/16
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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 Leslie 0 to-read 3.51 2024 An Education in Malice
author: S.T. Gibson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/16
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Swim Home to the Vanished 62558834
As the unbearable loss settles deeper into his bones, Damien, a small-town line cook, walks away from everything he has ever known. Driving as far south as his old truck and his legs allow, he lands in a fishing village beyond the reach of his past where he hopes he can finally forget. But the village has grief of its own. The same day that Damien arrives, a young woman from the community’s most powerful family is being laid to rest. A stranger in town,ĚýDamien is the object of gossip and suspicion, ignored by all except the dead girl’s mother, Ana Maria, who offers Damien a room and a job.

Grateful for her kindness, Damien soon begins to fall under Ana Maria's charismatic spell. But how long can he resist the rumors swirling through town suggesting she might have had something to do with her daughter’s death? Or deny his strange kinship with one of Ana Maria's surviving daughters, Marta, who knows too well the grief that follows the loss of a sibling—and who is driven by a fierce need for revenge? Swiftly, Damien finds himself caught in a power struggle between the brujas, a whirlwind battle that threatens to sweep the whole village out to sea.

Resonant with the DinĂ© creation story and the unshakeable weight of the Long Walk—the forced removal of the Navajo from their landâ€� Swim Home to the Vanished Ěýexplores the human capacity for grief and redemption, and the lasting effects it has on the soul.]]>
232 Brendan Shay Basham 0063241080 Leslie 0 to-read 3.30 2023 Swim Home to the Vanished
author: Brendan Shay Basham
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Bootlegger's Bounty 210169687
A jazz singer on the run. A rum runner on the edge.

A gangster ready to risk it all.

Rosalía Ferrer dreams of leaving her island behind and sailing north to sing in a New York City nightclub. Unfortunately, the only way to escape her father’s suffocating clutches is to align herself with two ruthless men. Putting her fate and her body in the hands of a rum runner and a gangster is a very risky gamble, but Rosalía will do whatever it takes to get what she wants…even if it means striking a very dangerous deal.]]>
Adriana Herrera Leslie 0 3.71 2024 The Bootlegger's Bounty
author: Adriana Herrera
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves:
review:

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Maddalena and the Dark 195790695
After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn’t hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà’s walls, they must decide what it is they truly want―and what they will do to pay for it.

Lush and heady, swirling with music and magic, Maddalena and the Dark is a Venetian fairytale about the friendship between two girls and the boundless desire that will set them free, if it doesn’t consume them first.]]>
293 Julia Fine 1250867908 Leslie 0 to-read 3.53 2023 Maddalena and the Dark
author: Julia Fine
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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My Kind of Trouble 205015132 A slick conwoman meets her match in a hot and nerdy small-town librarian in this debut romance, perfect for fans of Spoiler Alert and Act Your Age, Eve Brown.

Conwoman Harmony Hale has sold lies up and down California for years, never looking back at her crafty scams or one-night stands. Now she’s come to Brookville, California, with her sights set on its wealthy mayor—the man who stole her father’s music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. Harmony is finally ready to take him down, with her trusty con of selling a nonexistent music festival. All she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the potential festival site.

Autistic librarian and piano teacher Preston Jones spends his days fighting book challengers trying to shut down his library programs. He’s responsible for raising his selectively nonspeaking little sister and needs to focus on keeping his job. He doesn’t have time for a romance like the ones in his books—and certainly none for the brassy festival promoter who wants to use his land for her “Coachella North.� Preston sees things in black and white, and he sees Harmony—amazing curves, flashy smile, and all—as nothing but trouble.

But when Harmony promises to help him win the public over and save his youth programs, Preston finds himself wondering if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the someone he’s been waiting for. Soon things are getting steamy in the stacks, and with her con coming to a crescendo, Harmony needs to choose: revenge and running again or the happy ending she never saw coming.

Romance readers and musical theater fans alike will adore this steamy, gender-swapped homage to The Music Man.]]>
304 L.A. Schwartz 1639108904 Leslie 0 to-read 3.59 My Kind of Trouble
author: L.A. Schwartz
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

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Chai Jinxed 199531733 Trouble is brewing at Margaret's Academy of Tea and Brewing, and unlucky Misha has one chance to fix it with the recipe for the perfect enchanted cup of chai, in this magical, heartfelt, and funny adventure about the power of believing in yourself, perfect for fans of A Taste of Magic and The Marvellers.

All it took was one majestic frog and a love brew gone wrong—and faster than you can say ribbit, Misha got expelled...again. Things aren’t much better back home. A rival tea shop opens across the street, and rumors spread that the Dayaans' tea is cursed. Determined to fix her family’s reputation, Misha’s only got one option left: attend the infamous Margaret’s Academy of Tea and Brewing and brew her way to the top of her class—even if it means a little bit of spice sabotage.

But when Misha finds herself up against the girl from the tea shop across the street and things start going wrong—ghostly tea leaves, living scarecrows, and rumors of missing tea witches—Misha starts to realize the truth: she’s jinxed. And if she can’t turn her luck around, her family tea shop, her classmates—and even all of Margaret’s Academy—will have a fate worse than cold tea.

Emi Pinto's heartfelt, hilarious, and hijinks-filled Chai Jinxed is a stand-alone adventure for everyone who has ever felt the pressure to succeed, with an affirming story about friendship, family, and self-love.]]>
304 Emi Pinto 0063275775 Leslie 0 to-read 3.61 2024 Chai Jinxed
author: Emi Pinto
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Mistress of Lies (The Age of Blood, #1)]]> 203169732 A villainous, bloodthirsty heroine finds herself plunged into the dangerous world of power, politics and murder in the court of the vampire king in thisĚýdark romantic fantasy debut.

Fate is a cruel mistress.Ěý

The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeC laire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.

Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he's drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he's worked so hard to avoid - and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.

Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Blood Worker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan's plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.

Fans of From Blood and Ash and Kingdom of the Wicked will devour this decadent, bloodthirsty debut.]]>
459 K.M. Enright 0316565369 Leslie 0 to-read 3.52 2024 Mistress of Lies (The Age of Blood, #1)
author: K.M. Enright
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Keeper of Lonely Spirits 212228449 In this mesmerizing, wonderfully moving queer cozy fantasy, an immortal ghost hunter must confront his tragic past in order to embrace his found family.

Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.

After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o� them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.

Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead—until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.

But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t

As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives.]]>
400 E.M. Anderson 0778368521 Leslie 0 to-read 4.46 2025 The Keeper of Lonely Spirits
author: E.M. Anderson
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
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They Bloom at Night 211003894
Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.]]>
272 Trang Thanh Tran 1547611111 Leslie 0 to-read 3.65 2025 They Bloom at Night
author: Trang Thanh Tran
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Blood Runner 212098038
With the secrets of gangsters and brawlers scribbled in her notebook, journalist Evelyn Mills has met her fair share of monsters. But whispers and rumors, traded over spirits in boisterous gin joints, are best left for the gossip columns. And Evelyn isn't a gossip column kind of woman—she's after the front page. Together with her brother, Laurence, Evelyn boards a bootlegger's ship, intent on getting the inside scoop and blowing the operation wide open.

Captain Asher DuCarmont has a tenuous truce with the local vampires. He provides them with barrels of blood; they leave his pack alone and remain hidden from humanity. When a delivery goes awry, Laurence is abducted, and Asher is forced into a deal with a horrified Evelyn: he returns her brother unharmed, or she exposes the supernatural to the world.

Desperate to save her only sibling, Evelyn must trust Asher as he leads her away from Chicago's glittering lights and deep into Michigan's dark forests. As they protect each other time and again, the lines blur between liar and lover, and Evelyn questions in which world she truly belongs.]]>
Erin Rose Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Blood Runner
author: Erin Rose
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[My Begrudging Scent Matches (Walton Pack, #1)]]> 210072790
Caleb Everett and Grant Jones are new at the company, working remote for three months before relocating to her office in the city. Grant is a delight, charming, handsome, and friendly, while Caleb proves to be curt, rude, and entirely infuriating in all of their email correspondence. Alice hates him before she’s even met him, hates his stupid, hot linkedIn photo, and his inability to use exclamation points, emojis, or any pleasantries.

And to top it all off, their first week in the office she realizes that not only are they both Alphas, they're her scent matches. Great.]]>
152 Naomi Phillips Leslie 0 to-read 3.84 My Begrudging Scent Matches (Walton Pack, #1)
author: Naomi Phillips
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/23
shelves: to-read
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The Teller of Small Fortunes 207611551 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences�

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]>
336 Julie Leong 0593815912 Leslie 0 to-read 3.82 2024 The Teller of Small Fortunes
author: Julie Leong
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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An Academy for Liars 203874129 A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.

Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.

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

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

As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton college, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it’s a test she’s terrified she is going to fail.]]>
453 Alexis Henderson 1529921775 Leslie 0 to-read 3.54 2024 An Academy for Liars
author: Alexis Henderson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

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Dragonfruit 181325033 From acclaimed author Makiia Lucier, a dazzling, romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology.

In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. An unwanted marriage, a painful illness, and unpaid debt ... gone. But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning.

Every wish demands a price.


Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.

Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time - hope.

But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape…that of the dragonfruit itself. Ěý]]>
356 Makiia Lucier 0358272106 Leslie 0 3.85 2024 Dragonfruit
author: Makiia Lucier
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves:
review:

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The Dark We Know 197239484
Art student Isadora Chang swore never to return to Slater. Growing up, Isa never felt at ease in the repressive former mining town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two of her childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too, even though it meant leaving behind everything she knew, including her last surviving friend Mason.

When Isa’s abusive father kicks the bucket, she agrees to come back just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason, son of the local medium, turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by a supernatural entity, and he needs Isa to help stop the evil—before it takes anyone else.

When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can’t recall drawing, she’s forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater’s valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa’s back� and it won’t let her escape twice.]]>
336 Wen-yi Lee 1638930589 Leslie 0 to-read 3.55 2024 The Dark We Know
author: Wen-yi Lee
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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Bochica 209394006 A real-life Latin American haunted mansion. A murky labyrinth of family secrets. A young, aristocratic woman desperate to escape her past. This haunting debut gothic horror novel is perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and The Shining.

In 1923 Soacha, Colombia, La Casona—an opulent mansion perched above the legendary Salto del Tequendama waterfall—was once home to Antonia and her family, who settle in despite their constant nightmares and the house’s malevolent spirit. But tragedy strikes when Antonia’s mother takes a fatal fall into El Salto and her father, consumed by grief, attempts to burn the house down with Antonia still inside.

Three years later, haunted by disturbing dreams and cryptic journal entries from her late mother, Antonia is drawn back to her childhood home when it is converted into a luxurious hotel. As Antonia confronts her fragmented memories and the dark history of the estate, she wrestles with unsettling questions she can no longer Was her mother’s death by her own hands, or was it by someone else’s?

In a riveting quest for answers, Antonia must navigate the shadows of La Casona, unearthing its darkest secrets and confronting a legacy that threatens to swallow her whole.]]>
256 Carolina FlĂłrez-Cerchiaro Leslie 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Bochica
author: Carolina FlĂłrez-Cerchiaro
name: Leslie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement]]> 209264897
For as long as she can remember, Kaya Morgan has spent her summers with her dad at the greatest place on earth: the Renaissance Faire. Full of performers cosplaying as thieving pirates, enchanting fairies, and courageous heroes, the Ren Faire has always been a place where anyone can be anything they want to be. It’s a place for dreaming, and that includes Kaya and her dad’s dream of Kaya someday being named the first Black Queen of the Faire.

Then Kaya’s dad gets sick, and passes away. Kaya’s devastated, but she refuses to let his dream die with him. She enrolls at the Faire’s summer camp, determined to become the camp’s junior Queen. But when the role is given to the pretty and blond Jessie, the only spot left for Kaya is the juggling Court Jester—not exactly regal!

It's bad enough that it’s another summer at the Ren Faire without her dad, and that Kaya’s family thinks her love of medieval times is weird. But with everyone around her determined to put her in a role she doesn’t want to be in, Kaya must decide whether to hold on to her old dreams no matter what, or realize that it’s okay for new dreams to become reality.]]>
Jill Tew Leslie 0 to-read 4.73 2025 Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement
author: Jill Tew
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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