Xio's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:33:31 -0700 60 Xio's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[21st Century Rake (Heart's Ease, #4)]]> 21840460 250 Victoria Barbour 0992009146 Xio 0 to-read 4.13 21st Century Rake (Heart's Ease, #4)
author: Victoria Barbour
name: Xio
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wool - Holston (Wool, #1) 12287209
Or you'll get what you wish for.]]> 56 Hugh Howey Xio 5 4.14 2012 Wool - Holston (Wool, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Xio
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7)]]> 477732
Luckily, however, he's not alone. Although most people don't believe in magic, the Chicago P.D. has a Special Investigations department, headed by his good friend Karrin Murphy. They deal with the . . . stranger cases. It's down to Karrin that Harry sneaks into Graceland Cemetery to meet a vampire named Mavra. Mavra has evidence that would destroy Karrin's career, and her demands are simple. She wants the Word of Kemmler - and all the power that comes with it. But first, Harry's keen to know what he'd be handing over. Before long he's racing against time, and six necromancers, to get the Word. And to prevent a Halloween that would truly wake the dead.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 396 Jim Butcher 0451460278 Xio 4 4.35 2005 Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Xio
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Love Is All: Volume 6 162424498
All proceeds from the anthology will go to organizations that support and defend LGBTQIA+ rights.

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

story list:
Viva Las Vegas (The Harrisburg Railers series) - R.J. Scott & V.L. Locey
Thank You, Autocorrect - Nic Starr
Blue Sky Boyfriend - Gabbi Grey
As It Should Have Been - Sean Michael
Love and the Greek Isle God - Piper Malone
A Lot of Snow for Christmas - B.L. Maxwell
Over the Top (Philadelphia Power series) - Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer
Up My Alley - Lee Blair
The Heir Apparent - Connor Peterson
The Hustle and the Heart - Xio Axelrod]]> 707 Xio Axelrod 1735233765 Xio 0 to-read 4.36 Love Is All: Volume 6
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[True Deceptions (True Lies, #2)]]> 26156815 An alpha hero with a heart of gold transforms aheroine from a shy computer nerd into a kick-ass spy.Temptation. Seduction. Murder. It's all part of the game...
After his partner was murdered, Simon Dunn was done with MI6. But the cold, violent world of British intelligence never lets anyone go free. Now Simon has been blackmailed into a new job...with a beautiful new partner who's going to get them both killed.
Robotics expert Cassie Watson is a newbie field agent with as much sophistication as...well, a pacifist, vegan computer nerd. Now she's abruptly thrust into the cutthroat world of espionage with a partner who is as cold as he is brutally-and brutishly-handsome.
But when their mission is betrayed from the inside, Cassie will be forced to place her life in the hands of the one man who's anything but trustworthy...
****TRUE LIES Book Untrue ColorsBook True DeceptionsBook True Peril ]]> 150 Veronica Forand 163375426X Xio 5 4.28 2015 True Deceptions (True Lies, #2)
author: Veronica Forand
name: Xio
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/10/24
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Indulgence 24291455 No clothes.
No limits.
Masks required.

On New Year's Eve, Addison George takes a chance by attending an erotic masquerade ball hosted by her all time favorite erotic novelist, Sebastian Hawk. The rules are simple: all guests are required to remain nude for the duration of the event, except for a mask to hide their identity, and everyone must partake in at least one salacious delight.

Caught in a world beyond her wildest imagination, Addison will explore her carnal nature and unmask her hidden fantasies to discover her inner desires.]]> 123 Jeanne McDonald 1311028803 Xio 0 to-read 4.41 2015 Indulgence
author: Jeanne McDonald
name: Xio
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mayan Afterglow (End of Days, #1)]]> 26852137 Aileen Grant's powerful psychic gifts have been nothing but a curse since the day she was born. She'd given up all hope of escaping the demonic grasp of Mictlan, The Lord of the Dead, until an enigmatic thief snatches her out of Hell. With something to live for, she convinces Ian to join her on a treacherous journey to save the world.

Ian Scott is stealing from long-deserted homes when he pulls Aileen's unconscious body from a strange bolt of lightning. Aileen is the last thing that Ian wants or needs, but her quiet beauty and courageous heart bind him to her in ways he never imagined, and ignite passions he's never known.

]]> 90 A.S. Fenichel 151635625X Xio 0 to-read 3.14 2011 Mayan Afterglow (End of Days, #1)
author: A.S. Fenichel
name: Xio
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Maybe Forever (Maybe..., #3) 25481836 Now married with two children, Laney and Mads are finding their life together isn’t as simple as it used to be. While Laney struggles with motherhood, Mads is so focused on chasing success that he loses sight of promises he’s made.

Better apart�?
When frustration gets the better of her, Laney takes the kids and goes to the US, hoping to find solace with her aunt Cecily, a former school teacher who now teaches yoga and meditation in Florida.

Will Laney and Mads find a way back to one another…or is it too late?]]> 175 Kim Golden 9198174630 Xio 5 favourites, series
The book picks up four years after Mads swept into Laney's life, and her heart, and gave her everything she didn't even know she'd been missing. They live in Copenhagen, with their two adorable little girls, and Mads' business is starting to really take off. But all is not well in Denmark. Insecurities abound, on both sides of the relationship. Coupled with fatigue and (here's the frustrating part!) miscommunication, the modern day fairy tale begins to unravel. What follows is a heartbreaking glimpse into how something so good can go very, very wrong if you don't work at it.

I don't want to spoil your experience with their journey. All I can promise is that you won't regret the ride.]]> 4.43 2015 Maybe Forever (Maybe..., #3)
author: Kim Golden
name: Xio
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/04/21
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: favourites, series
review:
Full disclosure, I'm in love with Laney and Mads. After I read Maybe Baby for the third or fifth time, and sailed through the follow-up novella, Maybe Tonight, I waited impatiently for Maybe Forever. I knew that Kim would show us the reality of Mads and Laney's whirlwind romance, and that it would be painful, often infuriating, but ultimately uplifting.

The book picks up four years after Mads swept into Laney's life, and her heart, and gave her everything she didn't even know she'd been missing. They live in Copenhagen, with their two adorable little girls, and Mads' business is starting to really take off. But all is not well in Denmark. Insecurities abound, on both sides of the relationship. Coupled with fatigue and (here's the frustrating part!) miscommunication, the modern day fairy tale begins to unravel. What follows is a heartbreaking glimpse into how something so good can go very, very wrong if you don't work at it.

I don't want to spoil your experience with their journey. All I can promise is that you won't regret the ride.
]]> Love Is All: Volume 2 46258283
Featuring:

Pinups and Puppies by RL Merrill
Tell Me More by Meg Bonney
What If It All Goes Right by Sophia Soames
Criminal Intentions: In Bloom by Cole McCade
Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Shelley
When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod
The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson
Just One Look by Mary Calmes

With a foreword by Roan Parrish.

All proceeds from the sale of the anthology will be donated to an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.]]> 568 Xio Axelrod 0998931667 Xio 0 to-read 4.12 2019 Love Is All: Volume 2
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 'Salem's Lot 5413 Also contains: One For the Road, Jerusalem's Lot. For standalone novel see ISBN 9780450031069.

Stephen King's second novel, the classic vampire bestseller 'Salem's Lot, tells the story of evil in small-town America. For the first time in a major trade edition, this terrifying novel is accompanied by previously unpublished material from King's archive, two short stories, and eerie photographs that bring King's fictional darkness and evil to vivid life.

When Stephen King’s classic thriller 'Salem's Lot hit the stands in 1975, it thrilled and terrified millions of readers with tales of demonic evil in small-town America. Now, thirty years later and still scaring readers witless, 'Salem's Lot reemerges in a brilliant new edition, complete with photographs, fifty pages of deleted and alternate scenes, and two short stories related to the events of the novel.

While the original edition of 'Salem's Lot will forever be a premier horror classic, 'Salem's Lot: Illustrated Edition, with the inclusion of material from King’s archive, is destined to become a classic in its own right and a must-have for all Stephen King fans. In this edition, the hair-raising story of Jerusalem’s Lot, a small town in Maine whose inhabitants succumb to the evil allure of a new resident, is told as the author envisioned it, complete with fifty pages of alternate and deleted scenes. With a new introduction by the author, two short stories related to the events and residents of Jerusalem’s Lot, the lavishly creepy photographs of Jerry Uelsmann, and a stunning new page design, this edition brings the story to life in words and pictures as never before.

No library will be complete without this ideal collector’s item for any King aficionado, the definitive illustrated edition of the great 'Salem's Lot.]]> 594 Stephen King 0385516487 Xio 0 to-read 4.28 1975 'Salem's Lot
author: Stephen King
name: Xio
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burn (Songs of Submission, #5)]]> 17909617
Until you surrender yourself to me fully, I will not touch you.

Until the world can know you belong to me, I will not kiss you.

I'm going to be inches away, at your side. I'm going to whisper in your ear and put my breath on your neck, but the heat of my skin will not feel the shudder of yours until you commit yourself to me completely and without reservation.]]> 197 C.D. Reiss Xio 0 4.25 Burn (Songs of Submission, #5)
author: C.D. Reiss
name: Xio
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2015/10/26
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Play Me (Heart's Ease, #3) 21840446
From the moment she sets eyes on Dillon, Fiona knows that she's willing to play for keeps, even if it means upsetting her family. And when she takes on a case to defend one of her family’s enemies, will Heart's Ease ever be the same idyllic escape?

Together, Dillon and Fiona fight back against one of the oldest conflicts in Heart’s Ease history, relying on the power of family and music to bring harmony back to the town.]]> 250 Victoria Barbour Xio 0 to-read 4.36 2014 Play Me (Heart's Ease, #3)
author: Victoria Barbour
name: Xio
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Gargoyle 6011275 A young man is fighting for his life.
Into his room walks a bewitching woman who believes she can save him.
Their journey will have you believing in the impossible.

The nameless and beautiful narrator of The Gargoyle is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and wakes up in a burns ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned. His life is over - he is now a monster.

But in fact it is only just beginning. One day, Marianne Engel, a wild and compelling sculptress of gargoyles, enters his life and tells him that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was a badly burned mercenary and she was a nun and a scribe who nursed him back to health in the famed monastery of Engelthal. As she spins her tale, Scheherazade fashion, and relates equally mesmerising stories of deathless love in Japan, Greenland, Italy and England, he finds himself drawn back to life - and, finally, to love.]]> 499 Andrew Davidson 1847671691 Xio 3 3.90 2008 The Gargoyle
author: Andrew Davidson
name: Xio
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Gay Best Friend 63294397
Domenic Marino has become an expert at code-switching between the hypermasculine and ultrafeminine worlds of his two soon-to-be-wed best friends. But this summer―reeling from his own failed engagement and tasked with attending their bachelor and bachelorette parties―he's anxious over having to play both sides.

The pressure is on. The bride wants Dom to keep things clean. The groom wants Dom to "let loose" with the guys. And Dom just wants to get out of this whole mess with his friendships intact.

But once the rowdy groomsmen show up at the beach house―including a surprise visit from the groom's old frat brother, handsome and charming PGA star Bucky Graham―chaos (and unexpected romance) quickly ensues. By the time Dom returns for the bachelorette party, he's accumulated a laundry list of secrets that threaten to destroy everything―from the wedding, to Bucky's career, to the one thing Dom hasn't been paying nearly enough attention to lately: his own life.]]> 370 Nicolas DiDomizio Xio 0 3.78 2023 The Gay Best Friend
author: Nicolas DiDomizio
name: Xio
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Arif � Falle på plass 200129988
Jeg er lei av å snuble nå. Men det har vært nødvendig for å lære å bli den mannen jeg alltid har ønsket å være.

Arif er artisten som fortalte det norske folk om sin tøffe oppvekst på tv. Han har flyttet mange ganger, og har bodd i England, Nord-Norge, på Vestlandet og på både øst- og vestkanten i Oslo. Men foreldrene hans kommer fra Zanzibar. To mennesker som endte opp i Norge med sitt ene barn, Arif.

Dette er historien om en gutt som vokser opp på utsiden av det norske samfunnet. Det er en fortelling om en mor som stadig flytter rundt med sønnen sin, om en far som ikke er til stede, og om en artist som vokser frem og treffer en hel generasjon med musikken og tekstene sine.

«Arif - Falle på plass» gir innsyn i hva som kreves for å overleve rasisme og utenforskap, og en familiesituasjon preget av frykt og kjærlighet.]]> 208 Arif Murakami 8234703560 Xio 0 to-read 4.01 Arif – Falle på plass
author: Arif Murakami
name: Xio
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #6)]]> 685371 387 Laurell K. Hamilton 0515134511 Xio 3 4.00 1997 The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #6)
author: Laurell K. Hamilton
name: Xio
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus, #5)]]> 63065383
And the one man I swore by all Olympus I would destroy.

Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty, and she's not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus's enemy number one, the new Hephaestus. She has a wicked plan to keep her deadly new husband off-balance, seducing the one person he seems to care about most in this world: Pandora, a woman as beautiful as she is sweet.

Two can play the seduction game, however, and Hephaestus is all too happy to put his new wife in her place. Her ex, Adonis, seems like he'll do the trick. It doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous in the way of fallen angels, either.

The only problem with using seduction as a weapon? Hearts are all too quick to get involved. With Hephaestus and Aphrodite trading venomous strikes that feel a whole lot like foreplay, lines become blurred and emotions entangled. But a broken heart may be the least of their worries. With unrest in Olympus reaching new heights, these bedroom games may have deadly consequences for themselves, their city, and everyone they've come to love.]]> 384 Katee Robert 1728262763 Xio 0 to-read 3.68 2023 Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus, #5)
author: Katee Robert
name: Xio
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[10 Things That Never Happened (Material World, #1)]]> 83137176 Fake amnesia. Real feelings? Real problems.

Sam Becker loves―or, okay, likes―his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git.

Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything?

Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guilt―as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?]]> 432 Alexis Hall 1728245109 Xio 0 to-read 3.87 2023 10 Things That Never Happened (Material World, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Xio
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Stars Collide 62823216 315 Rachel Lacey 1662509111 Xio 0 to-read 4.10 2023 Stars Collide
author: Rachel Lacey
name: Xio
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Best Man's Problem (The Navarros, 2)]]> 61987488
But is he the best man for him ?



His sister’s wedding isn’t the ideal place for Rafael Navarro to reconnect with the man he kissed in a moment of reckless abandon. But it’s impossible to avoid best man Étienne Galois! The gorgeous Haitian photographer hasn’t forgotten the intimate moment they shared, even if Rafi is the most maddening person he’s ever met. Can the two find common ground, proving opposites not only attract—they can become lovers for life?

From Harlequin Special Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

The Navarros

Book 1: The Best Man's Problem
Book 2: The Trouble with Exes]]> 288 Sera Taíno 1335724540 Xio 0 to-read 3.69 2023 The Best Man's Problem (The Navarros, 2)
author: Sera Taíno
name: Xio
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The New Guy (Hockey Guys, #1) 75649845 A new male/male hockey romance from 24-time USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen!

My name is Hudson Newgate, but my teammates call me New Guy.

That was my nickname in Chicago, too. And Vancouver. That’s what happens when you keep getting traded. Brooklyn is my last chance, especially after my poor performance last season.

But I can make this work. The new guy knows to keep his head down and shoot the puck. The new guy puts the game first.

What he doesn’t do is hook up with the other new guy—a hot athletic trainer who lives in my building. Gavin needs this job with my team. He’s a single dad with responsibilities.

We can’t be a couple. My arrogant agent–who’s also my father–will lose his mind if I’m dating a dude. And my team needs me to score goals, not whip up a media circus.

Too bad Gavin and I are terrible at resisting each other…]]> 346 Sarina Bowen 1950155587 Xio 0 3.99 2023 The New Guy (Hockey Guys, #1)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Xio
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Can't Let Her Go 62687977 Friends to lovers? There’s a lot to consider, a lot to hope for, and a lot at risk in a steamy and emotional romance by the bestselling author of Can’t Resist Her.

Peaches Monroe and Jamie Hunt are core members of their Texas friend squad and have so much in common. They’re successful at their careers in personal care. They take Austin’s “Keep It Weird� vibe to heart, each leaning into their own unique talents and sense of style. And they’re both ready to go on to even bigger things. Is pushing past the boundaries of friendship into something deeper one of them? The red-hot fantasy is there…but so is real life.

Jamie’s college dreams will take her far from her hometown. She’s already road-tripping to possibilities from San Antonio to Houston. And Peaches has obligations of her own. Not only is she planning to expand her business, but she’s taking care of her family after her mother’s passing, leaving her overwhelmed and under pressure.

No matter how perfect Jamie and Peaches are for each other, is this the right time for romance? Finding their true selves comes first. Only then can they hope to pursue a future of lasting love—together.]]> 283 Kianna Alexander 1542038456 Xio 0 to-read 3.21 2023 Can't Let Her Go
author: Kianna Alexander
name: Xio
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cleat Cute 65214313 A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.

As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?]]> 328 Meryl Wilsner 1250873304 Xio 0 to-read 3.72 2023 Cleat Cute
author: Meryl Wilsner
name: Xio
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1)]]> 57102663 Bridgerton meets Poldark in this sweeping LGBTQIA+ Regency romance from award-winning author KJ Charles

Abandoned by his father as a small child, Sir Gareth Inglis has grown up prickly, cold, and well-used to disappointment. Even so, he longs for a connection, falling headfirst into a passionate anonymous affair that's over almost as quickly as it began. Bitter at the sudden rejection, Gareth has little time to lick his wounds: his father has died, leaving him the family title, a rambling manor on the remote Romney Marsh...and the den of cutthroats and thieves that make its intricate waterways their home.

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. His family is his life...which is why when the all-too-familiar new baronet testifies against Joss's sister for a hanging offense, Joss acts fast, blackmailing Gareth with the secret of their relationship to force him to recant. Their reunion is anything but happy and the path forward everything but smooth, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. It's a long road from there—full of danger and mysteries to be solved—yet somehow, along the way, this well-mannered gentleman may at last find true love with the least likely of scoundrels.]]> 331 K.J. Charles 1728255856 Xio 0 to-read 4.08 2023 The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1)
author: K.J. Charles
name: Xio
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> New Adult (Boy Meets Boy #3) 63271134 Nolan Baker longs to be "thirty, flirty and thriving" in this charmingly quirky LGBTQIA+ romance that's one part 13 Going on 30 and one part One Last Stop.

WHY CAN'T WE SKIP TO THE GOOD PART?

Twenty-three-year-old Nolan Baker wants it all by the time he's thirty. Too bad he's single, barely able to cover his own expenses, and still paying his dues at a prominent NYC comedy club. When faced with his perfect sister's wedding, Nolan takes it as a wakeup call. It's time to quit comedy and make good on his practical dreams—most importantly, asking Drew Techler, his best friend, to be his date.

But right as Nolan is about to give it all up, he's asked to fill a last-minute spot for a famous comedian. Score! He crushes his set, but stands Drew up, misses his sister's big day, and disappoints his entire family. After major blowouts with everyone he loves, Nolan desperately wishes on a set of gift "magical healing crystals" to skip to the good part of life. When he wakes the next morning, it's seven years later, he's a successful comedian, and he has everything he always thought he wanted. Everything, that is, except his friends and family, none of whom are taking his future self's calls.

With nowhere else to turn, Nolan sets out to find the only person he trusts to help. Except Drew is all grown up now, too. He's hot, successful...and hates Nolan's guts. As Nolan works to get back to his younger self—and the life he so carelessly threw away—he'll have to prove he's not the man everyone thinks they know in order to regain Drew's trust, friendship, and maybe, ultimately, his heart.

While part of a series, this book stands alone.]]> 352 Timothy Janovsky 172826426X Xio 0 to-read 3.92 2023 New Adult (Boy Meets Boy #3)
author: Timothy Janovsky
name: Xio
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mortal Follies (The Mortal Follies, #1)]]> 62984592
It is the year 1814 and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape.

However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if it means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgianna Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.

With the Duke’s help, Miss Mitchelmore delves into a world of angry gods and vindictive magic, keen to unmask the perpetrator of these otherworldly attacks. But Miss Mitchelmore’s reputation is not the only thing at risk in spending time with her new ally. For the rumoured witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.]]> 416 Alexis Hall 0593497562 Xio 0 to-read 3.39 2023 Mortal Follies (The Mortal Follies, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Xio
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We Could Be So Good 62365905 Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century romdram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul's son--perfect for Newsies shippers.

Nick Russo has worked his way from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood to a reporting job at one of the city's biggest newspapers. But the late 1950s are a hostile time for gay men, and Nick knows that he can't let anyone into his life. He just never counted on meeting someone as impossible to say no to as Andy.

Andy Fleming's newspaper-tycoon father wants him to take over the family business. Andy, though, has no intention of running the paper. He's barely able to run his life--he's never paid a bill on time, routinely gets lost on the way to work, and would rather gouge out his own eyes than deal with office politics. Andy agrees to work for a year in the newsroom, knowing he'll make an ass of himself and hate every second of it.

Except, Nick Russo keeps rescuing Andy: showing him the ropes, tracking down his keys, freeing his tie when it gets stuck in the ancient filing cabinets. Their unlikely friendship soon sharpens into feelings they can't deny. But what feels possible in secret--this fragile, tender thing between them--seems doomed in the light of day. Now Nick and Andy have to decide if, for the first time, they're willing to fight.]]> 384 Cat Sebastian 0063272768 Xio 0 to-read 4.25 2023 We Could Be So Good
author: Cat Sebastian
name: Xio
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous #2)]]> 61027622 319 Alexis Hall 1542035287 Xio 0 to-read 3.96 2023 Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous #2)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Xio
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fiancée Farce 59747519 Lambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage-of-convenience...

Tansy Adams� greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance� Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.

Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.

Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…]]> 384 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063258498 Xio 0 to-read 3.96 2023 The Fiancée Farce
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Xio
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)]]> 111673828 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.]]> 648 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387492 Xio 0 to-read 4.25 2023 The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Xio
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pageboy: A Memoir 61317637 Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.]]> 271 Elliot Page 1250878357 Xio 0 to-read 3.76 2023 Pageboy: A Memoir
author: Elliot Page
name: Xio
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Lives of Puppets 60784549
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,� he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.]]> 432 T.J. Klune 125021744X Xio 0 to-read 3.90 2023 In the Lives of Puppets
author: T.J. Klune
name: Xio
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anchored Hearts 54946702
Award-winning photographer Alejandro Miranda hasn't been home to Key West in years--not since he left to explore broader horizons with his papi's warning echoing in his ears. He wouldn't be heading there now if it wasn't for an injury requiring months of recuperation. The drama of a prodigal son returning to his familia is bad enough, but coming home to the island paradise also means coming face to face with the girl he left behind--the one who was supposed to be by his side all along...

Anamaría Navarro was shattered when Alejandro took off without her. Traveling the world was their plan, not just his. But after her father's heart attack, there was no way she could leave--not even for the man she loved. Now ensconced in the family trade as a firefighter and paramedic, with a side hustle as a personal trainer, Anamaría is dismayed that just the sight of Alejandro is enough to rekindle the flame she's worked years to put out. And as motherly meddling pushes them together, the heat of their attraction only climbs higher. Can they learn to trust again, before the Key West sun sets on their chance at happiness?]]> 352 Priscilla Oliveras 1420150197 Xio 0 to-read 3.58 2021 Anchored Hearts
author: Priscilla Oliveras
name: Xio
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love is All: Volume 5 61212762
All proceeds from the anthology will go to two organizations that support and defend LGBTQIA+ the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Equality Texas.

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

stories
Page Against the Machine by Gabbi Grey
Fated Love by Sean Michael
Rustic Miracle by Nic Starr
Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire by R.L. Merrill
To Norway, with Love by Xio Axelrod
A Beach Far Away by B.L. Maxwell
Inked in Red (A Nightbreak Series Novella) by Connor Peterson
Force Majeure by Sophis Soames
Swoon by Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer]]> 672 Xio Axelrod 1735233749 Xio 0 to-read 4.64 Love is All: Volume 5
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Rewind (Alt Er Love #2) 58015977 Xio Axelrod 0998931632 Xio 0 to-read 0.0 Rewind (Alt Er Love #2)
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> All Boys Aren’t Blue 44280883
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.]]> 304 George M. Johnson 0374312710 Xio 0 to-read 4.19 2020 All Boys Aren’t Blue
author: George M. Johnson
name: Xio
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45046567
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 398 T.J. Klune 1250217288 Xio 0 to-read 4.42 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Xio
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hellion's Waltz (Feminine Pursuits, #3)]]> 53286982
Sophie Roseingrave hates nothing more than a swindler. After her family lost their piano shop to a con man in London, they’re trying to start fresh in a new town. Her father is convinced Carrisford is an upright and honest place, but Sophie is not so sure. She has grave suspicions about silk-weaver Madeline Crewe, whose stunning beauty doesn’t hide the fact that she’s up to something.

All Maddie Crewe needs is one big score, one grand heist to properly fund the weavers� union forever. She has found her mark in Mr. Giles, a greedy draper, and the entire association of weavers and tailors and clothing merchants has agreed to help her. The very last thing she needs is a small but determined piano-teacher and composer sticking her nose in other people’s business. If Sophie won’t be put off, the only thing to do is to seduce her to the cause.

Will Sophie’s scruples force her to confess the plot before Maddie gets her money? Or will Maddie lose her nerve along with her heart?]]> 240 Olivia Waite 0062931814 Xio 0 to-read 3.71 2021 The Hellion's Waltz (Feminine Pursuits, #3)
author: Olivia Waite
name: Xio
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (London Highwaymen, #1)]]> 55338994 Critically acclaimed author Cat Sebastian makes her trade paperback debut in a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart.

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires.

In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying.

Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit.

But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?]]> 348 Cat Sebastian 006302621X Xio 0 to-read 3.87 2021 The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (London Highwaymen, #1)
author: Cat Sebastian
name: Xio
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Lowcountry Bride 55200710
A heartwarming Avon debut of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings set in the beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry.

Maya Jackson has worked for Laura Whitcomb, Inc, a renowned New York City bridal gown brand, for years and dreams of becoming Head Designer. She has the talent; she just needs a chance to showcase her unique style. Due to an illness, she’s always prioritized her career over her personal life until her father fractures his hip and Maya returns to Charleston, South Carolina. While home for only a few months, she’s thrilled to find an opportunity at the local bridal gown boutique, never expecting sparks to fly with its owner...

A military veteran and widowed father, Derek Sullivan hopes to save Always a Bride from bankruptcy in order to preserve the legacy of his mother. He also wants to reconnect with his estranged, twelve-year-old daughter, who is still recovering from the loss of her mother. The last thing he needs is a relationship with a beautiful, smart, complicated woman who will be leaving soon.

When Derek begins to fall for the lovely Maya, he knows there’s no future. But destiny has its own plans, and these two lonely people with big hearts discover that coming home to love is the best gift life can give.]]> 352 Preslaysa Williams 0063040298 Xio 0 to-read 3.32 2021 A Lowcountry Bride
author: Preslaysa Williams
name: Xio
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Find a Princess (Runaway Royals, #2)]]> 55100143 New York Times and USA Today bestseller Alyssa Cole’s second Runaway Royals novel is a queer Anastasia retelling, featuring a long-lost princess who finds love with the female investigator tasked with tracking her down.

Makeda Hicks has lost her job and her girlfriend in one fell swoop. The last thing she’s in the mood for is to rehash the story of her grandmother’s infamous summer fling with a runaway prince from Ibarania, or the investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies tasked with searching for Ibarania’s missing heir.

Yet when Beznaria Chetchevaliere crashes into her life, the sleek and sexy investigator exudes exactly the kind of chaos that organized and efficient Makeda finds irresistible, even if Bez is determined to drag her into a world of royal duty Makeda wants nothing to do with.

When a threat to her grandmother’s livelihood pushes Makeda to agree to return to Ibarania, Bez takes her on a transatlantic adventure with a crew of lovable weirdos, a fake marriage, and one-bed hijinks on the high seas. When they finally make it to Ibarania, they realize there’s more at stake than just cash and crown, and Makeda must learn what it means to fight for what she desires and not what she feels bound to by duty.]]> 367 Alyssa Cole 0062934007 Xio 0 to-read 3.48 2021 How to Find a Princess (Runaway Royals, #2)
author: Alyssa Cole
name: Xio
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All, #1)]]> 55277878 Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory. Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.]]> 435 Alexis Hall 1538703327 Xio 0 3.96 2021 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Xio
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The Soulmate Equation 55692620
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond� pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.]]> 360 Christina Lauren 1982123966 Xio 0 4.00 2021 The Soulmate Equation
author: Christina Lauren
name: Xio
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler (Rogues and Remarkable Women, #2)]]> 55365133 Masterminded by the ton's most clever countess, the secret society The Widow's Grace helps ill-treated widows regain their reputations, their families, and even find true love again--or perhaps for the very first time...

Surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica was just the start of personal maid Jemina St. Maur's nightmare. Suffering from amnesia, she was separated from anyone who might know her and imprisoned in Bedlam. She was freed only because barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, was convinced to betray the one thing he holds dear: the law. Desperate to unearth her true identity, Jemina's only option is to work outside the law--which means staying steps ahead of the formidable Daniel, no matter how strongly she is drawn to him...

Married only by proxy, now widowed by shipwreck, Daniel is determined to protect his little stepdaughter, Charlotte, from his family's scandalous reputation. That's why he has dedicated himself not just to the law, but to remaining as proper and upstanding--and boring--as can be. But the closer he becomes to the mysterious, alluring Jemina, the more Daniel is tempted to break the very rules to which he's dedicated his life. As ruthless adversaries close in, will the truth require him and Jemina to sacrifice their one chance at happiness?]]> 320 Vanessa Riley 1420152254 Xio 0 to-read 3.35 2021 An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler (Rogues and Remarkable Women, #2)
author: Vanessa Riley
name: Xio
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold]]> 54698746
A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life.

A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart.

In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.

With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres.]]> 290 Bolu Babalola 006307849X Xio 0 to-read 4.00 2020 Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
author: Bolu Babalola
name: Xio
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hana Khan Carries On 55502888 From the author of Ayesha at Last comes a sparkling new rom-com for fans of "You've Got Mail," set in two competing halal restaurants.

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighborhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she'll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.

When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate-motivated attack on their neighborhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant--who might not be a complete stranger after all.

As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.]]> 348 Uzma Jalaluddin 0593336364 Xio 0 to-read 3.94 2021 Hana Khan Carries On
author: Uzma Jalaluddin
name: Xio
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Intimacy Experiment (The Shameless Series, #2)]]> 54614561 Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her.

Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Taking a gamble in an effort to attract more millennials to the faith, the executive board hired Ethan because of his nontraditional background. Unfortunately, his shul is low on both funds and congregants. The board gives him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good.

Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.]]> 323 Rosie Danan 0593101626 Xio 0 to-read 3.59 2021 The Intimacy Experiment (The Shameless Series, #2)
author: Rosie Danan
name: Xio
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sweethand (Island Bites, #1) 55237206
When Cherisse’s younger sister reveals she’s getting married in a few months, Cherisse hopes that will distract her mother enough to quit harassing her about finding a guy, settling down and having kids. But her mother’s matchmaking keeps intensifying.

Cherisse tries to humour her mother, hoping if she feigns interest in the eligible bachelors she keeps tossing her way, she’ll be off the hook, but things don’t quite go as planned. Turns out for the first time in ages, she and Keiran King, the most annoying man ever, are on the island at the same time. Avoiding him is impossible, especially when Keiran’s close friend is the one marrying her sister, and he’s the best man to her maid of honour.

Keiran doesn’t know what to make of Cherisse now. They’ve always butted heads. To him she’s always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even while he secretly harbored a crush on her. Now with Cherisse’s sister marrying one of his good friends he can’t escape her as the wedding activities keep throwing them together.

When things turn heated after a rainy night of bedroom fun, they both have to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster.]]> 361 N.G. Peltier Xio 0 to-read 3.51 2021 Sweethand (Island Bites, #1)
author: N.G. Peltier
name: Xio
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Back in the Burbs (Back in the Burbs #1)]]> 53137934
But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt Maggie died. The only family member who’s ever gotten me.
Even after death, though, she’s helping me get back up. She’s willed me the keys to a house in the burbs, of all places, and dared me to grab life by the family jewels. Well, I’ve got the vise grips already in hand (my ex should take note) and I’m ready to fight for my life again.

Too bad that bravado only lasts as long as it takes to drive into Huckleberry Hills. And see the house.
There are forty-seven separate HOA violations, and I feel them all in my bones. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s “accidentally� torched the house yet. I want to, and I’ve only been standing in front of it for five minutes. But then my hot, grumpy neighbor tells me to mow the lawn first and I’m just...done. Done with men too sexy for their own good and done with anyone telling me what to do ever again.

First rule of surviving the burbs? There is nothing that YouTube and a glass of wine can’t conquer.]]> 400 Tracy Wolff 1682815692 Xio 0 to-read 3.69 2021 Back in the Burbs (Back in the Burbs #1)
author: Tracy Wolff
name: Xio
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forever in Cape May (The Sunshine Sisters, #3)]]> 53710712 What happens when friends become lovers? Not what a wedding planner plans in a novel of unexpected romance by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Taylor Sunshine and Pierce Powers vowed to keep things platonic. They already have the best of each loyalty, friendship, and trust. Why ruin the perfect relationship? That kind of forever love isn’t in the picture anyway for a restless, aspiring artist like Taylor. Her sights are set beyond the horizon of Cape May and Sunshine Bridal.

The oceanfront hometown is part of Pierce’s heart—just like Taylor is. And it breaks at the thought of her leaving. As her closest friend since high school, he supports her desires, even if she must follow them away from Cape May. But when their defenses are down, all it takes is one impulsive, vulnerable night to change all the rules.

From old friends to overnight lovers, they make a new explore a summer fling, no strings attached. But as the nights heat up and their connection grows deeper, hard choices must be faced. As summer nears its end, will Taylor and Pierce fulfill their individual dreams? Or are new dreams just beginning to come true?]]> 279 Jennifer Probst 154201784X Xio 0 to-read 4.26 2021 Forever in Cape May (The Sunshine Sisters, #3)
author: Jennifer Probst
name: Xio
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Lost Apothecary 53288434 A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose - selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders� that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive.]]> 301 Sarah Penner 0778311015 Xio 0 to-read 3.72 2021 The Lost Apothecary
author: Sarah Penner
name: Xio
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reel (Hollywood Renaissance, #1)]]> 55207051 Award-Winning Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a brand-new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession, and unrelenting love.

One moment in the spotlight...

For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine.
I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.
Canon Holt.
Famous film director. Fascinating. Talented. Fine
Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.
From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone's lips.
Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere.
But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.
Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
Could this one shot � the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime � cost me everything?]]> 434 Kennedy Ryan Xio 0 to-read 4.45 2021 Reel (Hollywood Renaissance, #1)
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Xio
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with Rhythm in Her Heart (The Lillys, 2)]]> 56548667
Since then, she's fought hard to keep her past a secret. But when she meets a man whose heart beats the same tempo as hers, she can't help but want to share the most hidden parts of herself. With her star on the rise and her band's reputation in the balance, can Kayla pursue her dream without destroying everyone around her?]]> 417 Xio Axelrod 1492698792 Xio 0 to-read 4.33 2024 The Girl with Rhythm in Her Heart (The Lillys, 2)
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Future of Work: Compulsory]]> 56033969
A short story published in Wired magazine as part of a series "The Future of Work" on December 17, 2018.]]> 2 Martha Wells Xio 0 to-read 4.07 2018 The Future of Work: Compulsory
author: Martha Wells
name: Xio
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)]]> 39325105 Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.

She answered the Emperor's call.

She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.

In victory, her world has turned to ash.

After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath � but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.

Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?]]> 512 Tamsyn Muir 1250313228 Xio 0 to-read 4.30 2020 Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)
author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Xio
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (Fractalverse, #1)]]> 48829708 move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope...]]> 880 Christopher Paolini 1250762847 Xio 0 to-read 3.77 2020 To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (Fractalverse, #1)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Xio
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)]]> 49381341 340 Jim Butcher 0451464419 Xio 0 to-read 4.16 2020 Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Xio
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Xio 0 to-read 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Xio
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3)]]> 50056075 A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this new New York Times bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.]]> 339 Helen Hoang 0451490843 Xio 0 to-read 3.91 2021 The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3)
author: Helen Hoang
name: Xio
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One Last Stop 54860443
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.]]> 418 Casey McQuiston 1250244498 Xio 0 to-read 3.90 2021 One Last Stop
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Xio
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters, #3)]]> 53914936
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.]]> 377 Talia Hibbert 0062941275 Xio 0 to-read 4.17 2021 Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters, #3)
author: Talia Hibbert
name: Xio
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Honey Girl 53922305 not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.

When reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.]]> 293 Morgan Rogers 0778311023 Xio 0 to-read 3.73 2021 Honey Girl
author: Morgan Rogers
name: Xio
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)]]> 53028775
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.]]> 432 Namina Forna 1984848690 Xio 0 to-read 3.95 2020 The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)
author: Namina Forna
name: Xio
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)]]> 52822210 International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.]]> 368 Angie Thomas 006284671X Xio 0 to-read 4.38 2021 Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)
author: Angie Thomas
name: Xio
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Under the Whispering Door 53205888 Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.]]> 376 T.J. Klune 1250217342 Xio 0 to-read 4.11 2021 Under the Whispering Door
author: T.J. Klune
name: Xio
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Chosen and the Beautiful 55169019
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She's also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.

Nghi Vo's debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.]]> 260 Nghi Vo 1250784786 Xio 0 to-read 3.53 2021 The Chosen and the Beautiful
author: Nghi Vo
name: Xio
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hummingbird Salamander 53359447 Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things.

Security consultant “Jane Smith� receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander. Silvina, the dead woman who left the note, is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist. By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit, Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control.

Soon, Jane and her family are in danger, with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril. Is the only way to safety to follow in Silvina’s footsteps? Is it too late to stop? As she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her, time is running out—for her and possibly for the world.

Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy.]]> 351 Jeff VanderMeer 0374173540 Xio 0 to-read 3.23 2021 Hummingbird Salamander
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Xio
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Echo Wife 52379735 I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it still took me so long to see the person I had married.

It took me so long to hate him.

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be.

And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband.

Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.]]> 256 Sarah Gailey 125017466X Xio 0 to-read 3.59 2021 The Echo Wife
author: Sarah Gailey
name: Xio
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Remote Control 53205922 The new book by Nebula and Hugo Award-winner, Nnedi Okorafor.

"She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own."

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa­­--a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks--alone, except for her fox companion--searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?]]> 160 Nnedi Okorafor 125077280X Xio 0 to-read 3.79 2021 Remote Control
author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: Xio
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rose Code 53914937
Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband.

Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips postwar Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy—closer...]]> 624 Kate Quinn 006305941X Xio 0 to-read 4.41 2021 The Rose Code
author: Kate Quinn
name: Xio
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Women and the Blues 52649899 A Fascinating and Innovative Novel of Historical Fiction

In a stirring and impeccably researched novel of Jazz-age Chicago in all its vibrant life, two stories intertwine nearly a hundred years apart, as a chorus girl and a film student deal with loss, forgiveness, and love…in all its joy, sadness, and imperfections.

“Why would I talk to you about my life? I don't know you, and even if I did, I don't tell my story to just any boy with long hair, who probably smokes weed. You wanna hear about me. You gotta tell me something about you. To make this worth my while.�

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper’s daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he’s right—if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he’s expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It’s a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it’s a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it’s too late. No matter the cost...]]> 352 Denny S. Bryce 1496730089 Xio 0 to-read 3.71 2021 Wild Women and the Blues
author: Denny S. Bryce
name: Xio
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes (The Lillys, #1)]]> 54221759 They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams.

Growing up, Antonia "Toni" Bennett's guitar was her only companion...until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni's way out, promising they'd escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.]]> 457 Xio Axelrod 1492698768 Xio 0 to-read 3.83 2021 The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes (The Lillys, #1)
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love Is All: Volume 3 53977537
Featuring:
Custard and Kisses by Sophia Soames

What happens when your life falls apart and you end up in a random pub in town, gasping for enough alcohol to erase your entire existence? Joshua Carmichael of course ends up in the wrong pub, the one with a snowflake of a bartender who instead of getting him drunk, sits down and serves him up a nice British cup of tea.

Not that the snowflake is a flake of any sorts. He’s just your random drag queen loving muscle bear with more tattoos than should be legal, piercings everywhere and a smile that makes Joshua Carmichael melt. Not that an ugly straight bloke like Joshua has any interest in someone like Ru. He’s never even watched Ru Paul’s Dragrace, or made pasta from scratch, or had an interest in men.

Joshua Carmichael should have known better than to stay. But he didn’t, and this is the story of how a random act of kindness can turn into something unexpected.

~

Falling Faster by Susan Scott Shelley

For Ty Allen, a trip to Los Angeles for a comic book collectors convention with his friends is the perfect place for the Buffalo based artist to hunt down rare issues for his collection, and take a much needed break. When he falls onto a display table, taking it down with him, and is saved from bodily injury by a man dressed as a popular comic book character, the trip takes an intriguing turn. One look into the dark eyes and sexy smile of the masked man with the lightning fast reflexes, and Ty wants to learn more.

Rock musician Craig Simms spends his spare time in a mask and a cape, bringing happiness to sick children in LA through his foundation. When he dives in to rescue Ty from a close call with the concrete floor, he ends up wrapped around the cutest guy he’s ever seen. As they work together to clean up his wrecked display, he’s drawn to Ty’s friendly, sweet nature, and doesn't want their interaction to end.

A whirlwind weekend of chemistry and connection has them free falling into something bigger than they'd anticipated. Ty is like a perfect melody for Craig’s weary heart, and for Ty, Craig shifts every experience from muted tones to vibrant hues. But when the weekend ends, does what happens at the comic convention stay at the comic convention, or can they find a way to fit into each other's universes?

~

Hands Off by Connor Peterson

Scott Andrews and Travis Shaw have been working together for over a decade. Their job isn't traditional, and neither is their lifestyle: both are vampire hunters, traveling from town to town together whenever a mission calls their name.
In the interim, though, something's been happening between them, bringing the bisexual Scott to a reckoning with his feelings for Travis. The burden of falling for a straight guy is difficult enough. When the vampire they're hunting presents himself as an alternative, though, even Travis has to confront his feelings for Scottt, or risk losing a chance with the best friend he's ever had.

~

I Want More by R.L. Merrill

Hotshot music producer Morrison Jones has been hired to record a comeback album for legendary metal god Aldous Archer, and Archer insists Morrison work with his former best friend turned nemesis. Leland Elliott swore he’d never step foot onstage with Morrison ever again, but time—and being stuck in a studio together for a week—has a way of healing wounds. Will the stars align for the former bandmates? Welcome to Bolder Breed Studios.

~

The Start of Something New by Megan Hart

At a wedding, you’re supposed to hook up with the bridesmaid…right?
When beachtown local Stevie meets out-of-towner Tessa, sparks fly � but Tessa’s got more than the car trouble that brought her to Stevie’s auto garage in the first place. She’s in town for a wedding, and all the craziness that goes with it.

A simple date shouldn’t be so hard to make, but with Tessa under obligation to handle all the last minute wedding disasters, it seems that it will be time for her to head back home before she and Stevie even get to have dinner together.
A broken-down car turns out to be more than a disaster for both of them � forced to stay at least a little bit longer, can Tessa take the chance with Stevie she’s been wanting to try since the first moment they met?

~

Pole Kisses by Wendy Gold

Royce loves her work as an accountant and hates bachelorette parties, so when her bride- to-be best friend drags her away from the office for her pole dancing bachelorette party, Royce didn’t expect to like it. But the athleticism and the sexy instructor keep her coming back for more. With each class, Royce grows more comfortable in her skin. With her newfound confidence, can Royce learn to win over the instructor and to master the tricky pole moves?

Hera has only wanted one thing in life—to own a pole fitness studio. She feels like she’s got it made with her funky apartment just blocks away, a job that she loves, and only herself to answer to. But her studio is bleeding money and might have to shut its doors for good. But she’s no quitter, and there’s no way she’ll go back to dancing in the clubs, no matter what it takes. She needs to stop getting distracted by her beautiful new student and focus on keeping her business
afloat.

Too bad that beautiful student might be just what she needs. When Hera finds out Royce s a wiz with numbers, the women to concoct a plan to save the studio, but will it work? Or will their attraction burn them both before the studio can be saved?

~

To Build a Home by Xio Axelrod

Frankie Llewellyn was never a big fan of love songs. They always seemed so unrealistic, all those unchained melodies and sunshine-filled cloudy days written by fools in love. When he suddenly finds himself living in a nineties power ballad, Frankie wonders if maybe those fools were onto something all along. One night he was spinning dark wave during his DJ shift at WKMP, lamenting the end of the latest in a string of mediocre relationships, and the next he was tumbling head-over-heels into an Elton John anthem.

John Burton is every sappy lyric come to life. Frankie wants to hold his hand, call him “angel� in the morning, and give him every beat of his heart. It’s a little sickening how in love he is. Less than six months into the relationship, they’re moving in together. And despite how easy it is to be with Johnny, Frankie can’t help but to worry. His track record isn’t the best, and they’re really just getting to know each other. It’s too soon, right? Maybe?

Frankie has no idea what he’s doing. He’s never felt like this before, and he’s afraid. Can he really pull off a happily-ever-after? He’s going to try, even if it kills him. Because if Frankie knows anything, it’s that a life without John Burton would be nothing worth singing about.
***]]> 468 Xio Axelrod Xio 0 to-read 4.11 2020 Love Is All: Volume 3
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Battle Ground (The Dresden Files, #17)]]> 23106013
But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago, and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way.

Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan. And the attempt will change Harry’s life, Chicago, and the mortal world forever.]]> 418 Jim Butcher 0593199308 Xio 0 to-read 4.35 2020 Battle Ground (The Dresden Files, #17)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Xio
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?]]> 448 Casey McQuiston 1250316774 Xio 5 4.06 2019 Red, White & Royal Blue
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Xio
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Epic (Him #2.5) 51159226 Jamie and Wes are having a blast living and working in Toronto. Until a scout for another team swoops in to make one of them an offer that might complicate the life they've built together.

Previously published in Christmas in the City]]> 46 Sarina Bowen Xio 0 to-read 4.46 2020 Epic (Him #2.5)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Xio
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> « Arrête avec tes mensonges » 33786141 194 Philippe Besson 2260029884 Xio 0 to-read 4.37 2017 « Arrête avec tes mensonges »
author: Philippe Besson
name: Xio
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/08/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not the Girl You Marry (The Nolans, #1)]]> 44082130 How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover in this romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Andie J. Christopher.

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he's not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who's focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she's determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.]]> 320 Andie J. Christopher 1984802682 Xio 0 to-read 3.17 2019 Not the Girl You Marry (The Nolans, #1)
author: Andie J. Christopher
name: Xio
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Life and Other Inconveniences 42166299
When Emma's own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother's doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her--until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back...but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?]]> 435 Kristan Higgins 045148942X Xio 0 to-read 4.09 2019 Life and Other Inconveniences
author: Kristan Higgins
name: Xio
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mixtape: A Love Song Anthology]]> 42730366
Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors have curated an anthology of brand-new, standalone stories inspired by love songs.]]> 536 Nikki Sloane 1949409996 Xio 0 to-read 4.11 2019 Mixtape: A Love Song Anthology
author: Nikki Sloane
name: Xio
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Beauty's Punishment 26583 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, from the author of Beauty's Kingdom.

This sequel to The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, the first of Anne Rice's (writing as A.N. Roquelaure) volumes of erotica, continues her explicit, teasing exploration of the psychology of human desire. Now Beauty, having indulged in a secret and forbidden infatuation with the rebellious slave Prince Tristan, is sent away from the Satyricon-like world of the Castle. Sold at auction, she will soon experience the tantalizing punishments of "the village," as her education in love, cruelty, dominance, submission, and tenderness is turned over to the brazenly handsome Captain of the Guard. And once again Rice's tale of pleasure and pain dares to explore the most primal and well-hidden desires of the human heart. This series [predates the eroticism of E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day's Bared to You.]]> 233 A.N. Roquelaure 0452266629 Xio 3 3.52 1984 Beauty's Punishment
author: A.N. Roquelaure
name: Xio
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/11/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Us (Him, #2) 29475332 Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?

Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He’s living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves—Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There’s just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.

Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It’s not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn’t help that his new job isn’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.

Or can they?

When Wes’s nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?

Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.]]> 322 Sarina Bowen 1942444133 Xio 0 4.27 2016 Us (Him, #2)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Xio
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2018/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something About You (Saint and Lucky, #1)]]> 40571354
Grayson ‘Saint� St. Claire has it all: a dream job in LA, money, freedom. Saint doesn’t do attachments, which is just the way he likes it. Still, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he missed his deceased parents, the only family he had... Until he gets an email from some guy named Tyler, revealing the existence of a grandmother he’s never met, prompting Saint to drop everything and drive across the country.

Saint and Tyler couldn't be more different. Tyler dislikes Saint on sight, but there's something about Tyler that gets under Saint's skin. It’s not until they get to know one another that everything begins to change for the better. But the Holloways and St. Claires have secrets, their pasts tied together in tragic ways. With the odds stacked against them, Saint and Tyler have to face the fact that love alone might not be enough�
]]> 306 Riley Hart Xio 0 to-read 4.02 2018 Something About You (Saint and Lucky, #1)
author: Riley Hart
name: Xio
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/06/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Offer 25723377 He thinks she's an uptight prude.
But he's about to make her an offer she can't refuse.

Nicola Price used to have it all � a great career, the perfect boyfriend, an excessive shoe collection and an apartment in one of San Francisco’s best neighborhoods. But when she gets knocked up and her asshat boyfriend leaves her high and dry, Nicola’s perfectly crafted world comes tumbling down. And stays that way.

Now, Nicola is the proud single mom to a five-year old daughter and living a giant lie. She can barely afford their ghetto apartment and all the men she dates run when they hear she comes with a child. She’s struggling and scared � and nowhere near where she thought she’d be at age thirty-one.

Her saving grace comes in the form of a tall, handsome and wealthy Scotsman Bram McGregor, the older brother of her friend Linden. Bram understands a thing or two about pride, so when tragic circumstances place Nicola at rock bottom, he offers them a place to live in the apartment complex he owns. It’s pretty much the perfect deal, so as long as she doesn’t mind living beside Bram, a man that, despite his generosity, seems to antagonize her at every turn.

But nothing in life is free and as Nicola gets her feet back on the ground, she discovers that the enigmatic playboy may end up costing her more than she thought.

She might just lose her heart.

Those McGregor brothers are nothing but trouble...]]> 271 Karina Halle 1311460993 Xio 0 3.79 2015 The Offer
author: Karina Halle
name: Xio
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2015/11/10
date added: 2018/06/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Hot Cop 34211669
Anything you say can and will be used to get you in my bed.

You have the right to use my body to give yourself a delirious, life-changing orgasm.

If you have trouble... don’t worry, I’m a bit of an expert in that department.

There’s nothing ‘thin� about my blue line, if you catch my drift, and trust me, I know how to put those handcuffs to good use.

***

Livia Ward wants a baby before she’s thirty. And even though Officer Chase Kelly is exactly the kind of cocky jerk this librarian has sworn off, he is undeniably hot. Both of them think they can give each other what they want—a few nights of fun for Officer Kelly, a no-strings baby for Livia—but this hot cop is about to learn that sex, babies, and love don’t always play by the rules.]]> 288 Laurelin Paige 1942835213 Xio 0 4.01 2017 Hot Cop
author: Laurelin Paige
name: Xio
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2017/07/29
date added: 2018/05/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Stitch (Satan's Fury MC, #2) 28195898
Stitch
As the club Enforcer, Stitch is the man chosen to protect the club. There are no limits to his brutality, no lines drawn in the sand. The club is his life, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his brothers safe.

He’s a man who keeps to himself, guarding the walls that he secured so long ago. Then, one moment, one chance meeting, changes everything.

Wren
Life for Wren and her son, Wyatt, isn’t exactly easy. Yet, Wren faces each day with determination and courage. Wyatt is her joy and motivation; for him, she will find a way to make their lives better, even when obstacles are continually thrown in her path. The last thing she needs is another complication, but what is life without complications?

Stitch appears when they need him the most, protecting them when no one else can. Wren can’t understand it. She should feel threatened by his bulging muscles and menacing tattoos, but she’s somehow able to see past the mysterious biker to the man inside. She is drawn to him for reasons she can’t even begin to comprehend. All she knows is that her body craves his touch.

Can Stitch let his guard down and allow these two strangers into his heart? Can Wren see beyond the scars of her past long enough to let him in, or will her fear drive him away?

** This book is intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language, violence, and explicit sex scenes.

Stitch is a standalone romance, but you may also be interested in reading Maverick: Satan's Fury MC #1.]]> 287 L. Wilder Xio 0 4.20 2015 Stitch (Satan's Fury MC, #2)
author: L. Wilder
name: Xio
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2015/12/31
date added: 2018/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Kian 27230310 331 Tijan Xio 0 3.95 2015 Kian
author: Tijan
name: Xio
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2015/11/17
date added: 2018/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweet Filthy Morning After (Wild Seasons, #1.5)]]> 23199495
This audio exclusive short tells of events from Sweet Filthy Boy from a new perspective.]]> 1 Christina Lauren 1442382805 Xio 0 3.76 2014 Sweet Filthy Morning After (Wild Seasons, #1.5)
author: Christina Lauren
name: Xio
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2018/02/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boy Friend (Platonically Complicated, #1)]]> 34944707 According to the law of attraction, women and men can’t be friends.

Contrary to this myth, my friendship with Coriander Phillips does not rest on unrequited love or un-actualized lust. We’ve been inseparable since the day I pulled one of her pigtails and she punched me in the gut.
She’s hilarious, fun to hang out with. Together, we’re like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, wings and beer. A match made in heaven.
She’s the bomb.
Did I mention she’s smokin� hot? I’ve checked her out…maybe once or twice. Hey, I’m a guy.
Seriously, no awkwardness, no secret yearning for our relationship to escalate beyond the purely platonic. I’m the boy friend—the loyal shoulder she cries on, the dispenser of coffee, sympathy, hugs, advice, and affection with no expectations.
Until the invisible line between friends and lovers became blurry.
Now I want more. I want her.
All I have to do is convince her we can be more than friends.
Right?
If only it were that easy.]]> 322 Mika Jolie Xio 0 to-read 4.04 2017 The Boy Friend (Platonically Complicated, #1)
author: Mika Jolie
name: Xio
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Call Me by Your Name 98687 Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliff-side mansion on the Italian Riviera. Unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, at first each feigns indifference. But during the restless summer weeks that follow, unrelenting buried currents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire, intensify their passion as they test the charged ground between them. What grows from the depths of their spirits is a romance of scarcely six weeks' duration and an experience that marks them for a lifetime. For what the two discover on the Riviera and during a sultry evening in Rome is the one thing both already fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.

The psychological maneuvers that accompany attraction have seldom been more shrewdly captured than in André Aciman's frank, unsentimental, heartrending elegy to human passion. Call Me by Your Name is clear-eyed, bare-knuckled, and ultimately unforgettable.]]> 248 André Aciman 0374299218 Xio 5 4.25 2007 Call Me by Your Name
author: André Aciman
name: Xio
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2009/06/15
date added: 2017/10/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ruin of a Rake (The Turners, #3)]]> 32600210
One of ŷ' Best Romances of July

A RT Book Review Top Pick!

“Sebastian proves she is a new force to be reckoned with in historical romances.”—Booklist

Rogue. Libertine. Rake. Lord Courtenay has been called many things and has never much cared. But after the publication of a salacious novel supposedly based on his exploits, he finds himself shunned from society. Unable to see his nephew, he is willing to do anything to improve his reputation, even if that means spending time with the most proper man in London.

Julian Medlock has spent years becoming the epitome of correct behavior. As far as he cares, if Courtenay finds himself in hot water, it’s his own fault for behaving so badly—and being so blasted irresistible. But when Julian’s sister asks him to rehabilitate Courtenay’s image, Julian is forced to spend time with the man he loathes—and lusts after—most.

As Courtenay begins to yearn for a love he fears he doesn’t deserve, Julian starts to understand how desire can drive a man to abandon all sense of propriety. But he has secrets he’s determined to keep, because if the truth came out, it would ruin everyone he loves. Together, they must decide what they’re willing to risk for love.]]> 327 Cat Sebastian Xio 0 to-read 4.10 2017 The Ruin of a Rake (The Turners, #3)
author: Cat Sebastian
name: Xio
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heart of the Steal 34928609
As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.

When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?


Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex. And picnic blanket sex.]]> 306 Avon Gale 0998967122 Xio 0 3.76 2017 Heart of the Steal
author: Avon Gale
name: Xio
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2017/07/01
date added: 2017/07/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where We Left Off (Middle of Somewhere, #3)]]> 31328230
For the past miserable year, Leo hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the powerful connection he and Will shared. So, when Leo moves to New York for college, he sweeps back into Will’s life, hopeful that they can pick up where they left off. What begins as a unique friendship soon burns with chemistry they can’t deny� though Will certainly tries.

But Leo longs for more than friendship and hot sex. A romantic to his core, Leo wants passion, love, commitment—everything Will isn’t interested in giving. Will thinks romance is a cheesy fairytale and love is overrated. He likes his space and he’s happy with things just the way they are, thank you very much. Or is he? Because as he and Leo get more and more tangled up in each other’s lives, Will begins to act like maybe love is something he could feel after all.]]> 260 Roan Parrish Xio 0 3.93 2016 Where We Left Off (Middle of Somewhere, #3)
author: Roan Parrish
name: Xio
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/06/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something Permanent (Middle of Somewhere, #2.1)]]> 34314225
*FREE Valentine's Day Short Story*]]> 44 Roan Parrish Xio 0 4.08 2017 Something Permanent (Middle of Somewhere, #2.1)
author: Roan Parrish
name: Xio
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/06/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fast Forward (Alt Er Love, #1)]]> 35392066
On the cusp of rock stardom, Jessen had burned brightly, and Ian had fallen heart-first under his spell. But Ian soon learned he was only a temptation, a pit stop on the road to the rocker’s dreams, and Jessen was gone as quickly as he’d come. Ian buried his heartache in academia, the only home he’d ever known.

When Ian encounters Jessen at a party, the seven-year separation seems insurmountable. There’s too much pain, too much distrust. But Jessen declares he has a new dream, and that’s a life with Ian.]]> 123 Xio Axelrod 0998931616 Xio 0 3.47 2017 Fast Forward (Alt Er Love, #1)
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/06/27
shelves:
review:

]]> The Warm Up 34910485 152 Xio Axelrod 0996756817 Xio 0 to-read 3.92 2017 The Warm Up
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Small Change (Small Change, #1)]]> 34878010
Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.

When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger � isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.

Small Change is the first in a series that is set in the Middle of Somewhere universe. It features crossover characters from that series but stands on its own. The Small Change series will include M/F and M/M romances.]]> 285 Roan Parrish 0998967114 Xio 0 to-read 4.02 2017 Small Change (Small Change, #1)
author: Roan Parrish
name: Xio
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Camden 34857278 171 Xio Axelrod 0998931608 Xio 0 to-read 3.93 2017 Camden
author: Xio Axelrod
name: Xio
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Maybe Tomorrow 25126081 Eddy and Henrik don’t believe in love. At least, that’s what they keep telling themselves. They’ve been burned in the past, and neither wants to be that vulnerable again.

A summer fling�
That’s all it was ever supposed to be. So why can’t they stop thinking about one another? And for Eddy—who’s moving back to America in a few weeks—the worst thing that could happen would be to fall in love with the one man who could make her question her decision.

Out of his comfort zone�
Henrik never counted on trusting love again. He’s put all his energy into his career. So why does the thought of Eddy leaving Europe for good make him want to do everything in his power to make her want to stay�?]]> Kim Golden Xio 5 4.43 2015 Maybe Tomorrow
author: Kim Golden
name: Xio
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/11/11
date added: 2017/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> The Play 26801732 A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules.
A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.
When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

From the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact and The Offer, comes The Play, a standalone spinoff and contemporary romance about taking chances and rescuing hearts.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life � tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.

Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.]]> 568 Karina Halle Xio 0 4.11 2015 The Play
author: Karina Halle
name: Xio
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2015/11/09
date added: 2017/03/24
shelves:
review:

]]>