E's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:30:00 -0700 60 E's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3)]]> 8965492 The Lymond Chronicles, the highly renowned series of historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett, Disorderly Knights takes place in 1551, when Francis Crawford of Lymond is dispatched to embattled Malta, to assist the Knights of Hospitallers in defending the island against the Turks. But shortly the swordsman and scholar discovers that the greatest threat to the Knights lies within their own ranks, where various factions vie secretly for master.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 528 Dorothy Dunnett 0307762300 E 4 4.54 1966 The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3)
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: E
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1966
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #0.5)]]> 12999216 Warlord Wants Forever…the sensually charged novella that started it all, now with an exclusive excerpt from MacRieve!

In this scorching series opener, #1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole introduces the captivating Immortals After Dark series. The eBook also includes an exclusive extended excerpt from MacRieve, the highly anticipated next installment in the series.

The Warlord

Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his Bride, the one woman who can “blood� him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his Bride will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted awakens him body—and soul.

The Seductress

Famed throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, Myst has devoted her life to protecting a magical jewel and to fighting the vampires.Wroth provides her with the perfect opportunity to torment her sworn enemy—for with his new heartbeat comes a consuming sexual desire that can only be slaked by her. Denying him, she flees, struggling to forget his searing, possessive kiss.

The Hunt is on�

She eludes him for five years, but he has finally chased her to ground and stolen her enchanted jewel, giving him absolute power over her. Now that she’s his for the taking, he intends to make her experience first-hand the agonizing, unending lust she subjected him to for half a decade.Yet when Nikolai realizes he wants far more than vengeance from Myst and frees her, will she come back to him?

Librarian's Note: Alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.]]> 164 Kresley Cole E 3 4.16 2006 The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #0.5)
author: Kresley Cole
name: E
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City (Iron Seas, #1.5)]]> 13409407
After Mina is called in to investigate the murder of an aristocratic bounder, her husband Rhys—known to the world as the Iron Duke—must overcome his fear for his new bride before his need to protect her tears them apart. But when she invites him to join her at the murder scene, a search for a mysterious killing machine puts her in more danger than ever before…a danger that leads straight back to Rhys.

Previously published in "The Iron Duke."

Includes a preview of Meljean Brook’s upcoming novel, "Riveted."]]> 104 Meljean Brook 1101564636 E 3 3.98 2012 Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City (Iron Seas, #1.5)
author: Meljean Brook
name: E
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Royal Airs (Elemental Blessings, #2)]]> 13578466
Josetta is a princess of one of the Five Families. But she is far from the throne, so she is free to spend her days working in the poorest sections of the city.

Rafe Adova, an outcast since he was born, lives the life of a career gambler in those slums. He has no ambition other than cheating at the card tables—until the night he decides to help a girl named Corene, who looks like she's stumbled into the wrong bar. She, too, is a princess—sister to Josetta, who finds her with Rafe. He fascinates her.

Josetta has never encountered anyone like him—someone seemingly devoid of elemental blessings. He is drawn to her, though he thinks they are unlikely to ever meet again—but their connection grows strong when she nurses him back to health after he is assaulted by foreign mercenaries.

And when they learn the reason he's being hunted, they know that the truth about his history could endanger not only their love but also their very lives...]]> 416 Sharon Shinn 1101589760 E 4 3.87 2013 Royal Airs (Elemental Blessings, #2)
author: Sharon Shinn
name: E
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)]]> 18892998 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]> 564 Deborah Harkness E 3 4.36 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: E
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bound to the Battle God (Aspect and Anchor #1)]]> 59452782 An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.

When I went to my neighbor's apartment to investigate strange sounds, I never expected to fall through a portal into another world. Yet here I am, a stranger in an even stranger land...and I'm stranded. In this world, might makes right, men carry swords, and gods walk the earth. Within minutes of arriving, I’m enslaved.

Fun place.

How do I get home? GREAT question. Wish I had an answer.

The one person that might be able to help me is also the one person I want to throttle most. Aron, Lord of Storms, Butcher God of Battle, is my new companion. Or rather, I'm his. As Aron's anchor to the mortal realm, I'm the one that's supposed to be guiding him through his exile in the mortal world.

Ha. Joke's on him. I know nothing about this place.

But Aron and I have a common goal - get home. And we're bonded - anchor and god - with a bond unlike any other. So we travel together. We bicker. We bathe together. We fight our many, many enemies together. And sure, he’s a god, but he’s also an arrogant jerk. Brawny, smoking hot, irresistible jerk. I should want nothing to do with him. I certainly shouldn’t want to do things to him.

Mortals and gods don’t mix. We stick to the plan and ignore our attraction. Focused, with one goal in mind.

One task. One goal.

Focused.

I—oh heck, I’m going to end up kissing him again, aren’t I?]]> 660 Ruby Dixon E 4 3.99 2019 Bound to the Battle God (Aspect and Anchor #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: E
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: 2024, alpha-hero, forced-proximity, magic, romance, villain-as-hero
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things We Left Behind (Knockemout, #3)]]> 116536542
Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats.

Except when it comes to the feisty small-town librarian that keeps him up at night�

Sloane Walton is a spitfire determined to carry on her father’s quest for justice. She’ll do that just as soon as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did to—or for—her family. Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other, Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body.

When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their steamy one-night stand. Once those flames are fanned, it seems impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse.

Broken men break women. It’s what Lucian believes, what he’s witnessed, and he’s not going to take that chance with Sloane. He’d rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats.

It’s the second time he’s ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There’s no way she’s going to give him a third chance. He’s just going to have to make one for himself.]]> 698 Lucy Score E 4
I almost would have given it 4.5, but I enjoyed the last 30% a lot less. I thought the ending dragged on, and Lucien’s transformation was a little too abrupt for my taste.]]> 4.41 2023 Things We Left Behind (Knockemout, #3)
author: Lucy Score
name: E
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/22
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: 2024, enemies-to-lovers, romance
review:
A solid four star read for this angsty small town enemies-to-lovers/second chance romance (some of my favorite tropes!).

I almost would have given it 4.5, but I enjoyed the last 30% a lot less. I thought the ending dragged on, and Lucien’s transformation was a little too abrupt for my taste.
]]> <![CDATA[King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)]]> 124943221 He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.

Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.

He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.

In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.

It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.

***

Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.

She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.

When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.

But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes.

King of Greed is a steamy marriage in trouble/second chance romance. It's book three in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.]]> 352 Ana Huang E 3 3.92 2023 King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)
author: Ana Huang
name: E
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: 2024, alpha-hero, billionaire, caretaking, fake-relationship, forced-proximity, neighbors, romance, slow-burn
review:

]]> Twisted Lies (Twisted, #4) 60217302 He'll do anything to have her...including lie.

Charming, deadly, and smart enough to hide it, Christian Harper is a monster dressed in the perfectly tailored suits of a gentleman.

He has little use for morals and even less use for love, but he can’t deny the strange pull he feels toward the woman living just one floor below him.

She’s the object of his darkest desires, the only puzzle he can’t solve. And when the opportunity to get closer to her arises, he breaks his own rules to offer her a deal she can’t refuse.

Every monster has their weakness. She’s his.

His obsession.
His addiction.
His only exception.

**

Sweet, shy, and introverted despite her social media fame, Stella Alonso is a romantic who keeps her heart in a cage.

Between her two jobs, she has little time or desire for a relationship.

But when a threat from her past drives her into the arms—and house—of the most dangerous man she’s ever met, she’s tempted to let herself feel something for the first time in a long time.

Because despite Christian’s cold nature, he makes her feel everything when she’s with him.

Passionate.
Protected.
Truly wanted.

Theirs is a love twisted with secrets and tainted by lies…and when the truths are finally revealed, they could shatter everything.

Twisted Lies is a steamy, medium to slow burn fake dating romance. It is the fourth and final book in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

WARNING: Contains a morally gray male MC, explicit content, violence, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. Please see inside the book for a detailed list. Recommended for 18+ ]]> 530 Ana Huang E 4 4.20 2022 Twisted Lies (Twisted, #4)
author: Ana Huang
name: E
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars rounded up. A tale of an obsessed, morally grey alpha millionaire/control freak who breaks all his own rules to have the artsy, sweet heroine. I love this trope, so I liked this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Road of Bones (The Ashen, #1)]]> 205044632 A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

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

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

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

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tale with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies to lovers romance. The first book in the Ashen Series, you are one click away from reading it!]]> 500 Demi Winters 173899600X E 4 4.21 2023 The Road of Bones (The Ashen, #1)
author: Demi Winters
name: E
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)]]> 217206738
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: Now that he has her...he can't bring himself to let her go.

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang E 4
This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).]]> 4.05 2022 King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: E
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/29
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).

Merged review:

3.5 stars rounded up for the grovel.

This is a good enemies-to-lovers that stands out for its excellent, drawn out grovel on the part of the hero. From the blurb, I assumed the hero was mafia but he is actually just a ruthless business man not afraid to cross a few lines to get the job done.

I found this to be relatively low angst and the main couple has a pretty sweet and straight forward relationship given the circumstances (hero was blackmailed into marrying the heroine).
]]> <![CDATA[Twisted Pride (The Camorra Chronicles, #3)]]> 123192109 As Capo of the Camorra he rules with a brutal hand over his territory � a territory the Chicago Outfit breached.
Now Remo is out for retribution.
A wedding is sacred, stealing a bride sacrilegious.
Serafina is the niece of the Boss of the Outfit, and her hand has been promised in marriage for years, but kidnapped in her wedding dress on her way to church by Remo, Serafina quickly realizes that she can’t hope for saving. Yet, even in the hands of the cruelest man she knows, she is determined to cling to her pride, and Remo soon understands that the woman at his mercy might not be as easy to break as he thought.
A ruthless man on a quest to destroy the Outfit by breaking someone they are supposed to protect.
A woman intent on bringing a monster to his knees.
Two families that will never be the same.]]> 419 Cora Reilly E 4
On the focus of my reread, yes, this is a mafia romance, so yes the MMC is obsessed and possessive, but I thought in the context of the genre, it was a little tamped down. There is the Simeone scene (violently murdering a flunkie for perving on the heroine), but it’s hard for me to swallow a top-tier controlling alpha would just let his girl walk away.]]> 4.00 2019 Twisted Pride (The Camorra Chronicles, #3)
author: Cora Reilly
name: E
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves:
review:
I re-read this book when it came up on a list of obsessive love interest (more on that dynamic to come). Solid mafia romance with serious dubious consent and dark with some serious violence in my opinion. This is only my first re-read, but this one frequently crosses my mind when I think of mafia romances - it stands out. It becomes way less strong after the resolution and the wrap up goes on forever. (Also: one year olds do not say “mom or dad� as one of their first words, they say ma or mama or da or dada, right??)

On the focus of my reread, yes, this is a mafia romance, so yes the MMC is obsessed and possessive, but I thought in the context of the genre, it was a little tamped down. There is the Simeone scene (violently murdering a flunkie for perving on the heroine), but it’s hard for me to swallow a top-tier controlling alpha would just let his girl walk away.
]]> <![CDATA[The Other Half (Lost And Found #3)]]> 75536312
I’ve just made the big move to New Orleans for my first job teaching when Nate Coleman, quarterback for the Nola Hurricanes, blows into my life. He’s drop dead gorgeous, devilishly handsome, and refuses to take no for an answer. I said I was going to spend my first year away from home focusing on my new job, but I learned quickly that Nate has a tendency of always getting his way.

Nate

I’ve never bothered with relationships. Not because I have some opposition to commitment, but because I know what it looks like when you’re in the room with the love of your life, something I’ve never experienced. That is until right before the start of a new season. Whitney Evans walks into my life one night at a party, driving me crazy in the best of ways. The only way I can find peace is if Whitney is bound to me in every way possible, as soon as I can make it happen.

She might not know it yet, but I’m going to make Whitney mine.

The Other Half features a hero that has no issues crossing boundaries. Please do not read this book if you are under 18 or if you do not enjoy jealous, possessive, very manipulative men.]]> 363 Annelise Devereaux E 3 3.84 2023 The Other Half (Lost And Found #3)
author: Annelise Devereaux
name: E
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves:
review:
Three “check the trigger warnings� stars for what would have been a fairly run-of-the-mill football romance if not for the insanely manipulative hero. I went looking for possessive, jealous, and controlling heroes and, boy, did this book deliver. It was a bit unique, because the hero, whose name I’ve already forgotten just one day later, wasn’t especially violent and his actions, which included birth control tampering, were portrayed as benevolent. The heroine also never realizes she is being manipulated. All in all, it was okay but didn’t quite hit the spot. If I’ve going down this path, I prefer more overt manipulation.
]]> Love, Theoretically 63106710 Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.

Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?]]> 400 Ali Hazelwood E 4 4.17 2023 Love, Theoretically
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: E
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/04
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves: 2024, academia, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, romance, workplace-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mia and the Powerful Greek (The Balfour Brides, #1)]]> 8417405
But then comes an opportunity to learn about high society, through the chance to work for Greek tycoon Nikos Theakis, who struggled his way up, himself, from the slums of Athens to Millionaire's Row. Nikos has got where he is by always having taken what he wanted.... Until Mia's sweetness and integrity stop him in his tracks...]]> 192 Michelle Reid 0373129343 E 2 3.57 2010 Mia and the Powerful Greek (The Balfour Brides, #1)
author: Michelle Reid
name: E
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War]]> 8908
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, "By excluding the human factor, aren't we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn't the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as 'the living dead'?"

Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.]]> 342 Max Brooks 0307346609 E 4 4.02 2006 World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
author: Max Brooks
name: E
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/31
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: 2024, post-apocalyptic, book-club
review:

]]> Hans (Alliance, #4) 199901720
How to make the handsome, brooding man across the street notice me.

Step one: Deliver baked goods to his front porch, even though he never answers his door and always returns the containers when I'm not home.

Step two: Slowly lose my mind as a whole year passes without ever running into him, no matter how hard I try.

Step three: Have my boudoir photos accidentally delivered to his mailbox instead of mine. Have him open the package. Then have him storm into my home for the most panty-melting scolding of my life.

Step four: Still figuring out step four.

HANS

I'm a dangerous man.

A man who has spent the last two decades removing so many souls from this earth that it's a miracle my hands aren't permanently stained red.

I'm a man who belongs in the shadows.

I certainly don't belong in my pretty little neighbor's bedroom when she's not home, touching her things and inhaling her scent.

I shouldn't follow her. Shouldn't watch her. Because no number of cookies on my doorstep will change the fact that love isn't an option for me.

The only option left for me is violence.]]> 432 S.J. Tilly E 0
My first issue is the insta-love - both characters are basically already obsessed with one another just based on a few chance encounters and watching one another come and go. I prefer to see some relationship development.

Second, this book feels like faux-dark. Don’t get me wrong, the hero is a hitman (for good) and certainly have several killings and a dark subject matter. But it’s like otherwise a totally normal relationship with a perfect, dare I say, sweet hero who does all the right things for the heroine. ]]> 4.28 Hans (Alliance, #4)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: E
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: 2024, alpha-hero, anti-hero, dark, neighbors, romance, steamy
review:
DNF at 53 percent. Maybe I will go to back to this someday and finish - it wasn’t bad, but a few issues kept me from wanting to continue.

My first issue is the insta-love - both characters are basically already obsessed with one another just based on a few chance encounters and watching one another come and go. I prefer to see some relationship development.

Second, this book feels like faux-dark. Don’t get me wrong, the hero is a hitman (for good) and certainly have several killings and a dark subject matter. But it’s like otherwise a totally normal relationship with a perfect, dare I say, sweet hero who does all the right things for the heroine.
]]> Friday's Child 311178 376 Georgette Heyer 0099468042 E 3 3.92 1944 Friday's Child
author: Georgette Heyer
name: E
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1944
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/02
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves:
review:
I was surprised to see a Georgette Heyer book I hadn’t read on Time Magazine’s list of the 50 best romance novels. Heyer is one of my favorite authors, so I went to immediately download it. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the dialogue, well-developed side characters, and the ultimate ending, but I would argue the author has much better works. Both main characters were so young and kept falling into stressful situations! And it didn’t feel much like a romance until the last 20 percent or so.
]]> Gold Ring of Betrayal 2459967 They've never stopped being married...

Nicolas Santino doesn't accept that Lia is his daughter. He believes Sara, his wife, cheated on him with another man, and Lia is the result of that betrayal.

So Sara and Nicolas are separated - until the silence between them is forcibly broken - Lia has been kidnapped! Nicolas knows he is the only one who can secure the little girl's safe return, but it means he must go back to Sara - and find that, even after three long years, she still wears his ring...

]]> 187 Michelle Reid 0373119178 E 3 3.63 1996 Gold Ring of Betrayal
author: Michelle Reid
name: E
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2024/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Ultimate Betrayal 2420620
"I never meant to do it...she was just there when I needed someone..."

Rachel and Daniel had three adorable children and a strong marriage-or so Rachel had always believed.

But her happy life was shattered when she was told that Daniel had been having an affair. Then she realized that they'd been growing apart for years.

Rachel wanted so much to save her marriage--but was it too late? Could she ever forgive Daniel, if he had committed the ultimate betrayal?]]> 286 Michelle Reid 0263143600 E 4 3.69 1995 The Ultimate Betrayal
author: Michelle Reid
name: E
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stand and Defend (Lakes Hockey, #4)]]> 203510383 Jordana

I live my life head over heart and never rock the boat. Which is how I wound up engaged to Bryan Davenport—the biggest mistake I ever made. We were a power couple, but no one knew how cruel he could be behind closed doors. When I decide to leave, my fiancé shows just how ruthless he can be and sends me running to the last person I expected: his best man.

Camden Teller is a cocky, selfish, womanizing, daredevil—and my new favorite person. Who knew a bad boy would be such a good influence? For the first time, I’m breaking rules and living unapologetically. Our unexpected camaraderie quickly morphs into a no-strings arrangement, which I don’t mind, because even though he’s become my closest friend, he’ll never be my type.

Camden

I may be the new Minnesota Lakes hockey captain, but I’ll always be Banksy on the ice. Over my career, I’ve been in countless fights, being protective is part of my nature, so when the beautiful Jordana Landry shows up with nowhere to go, I don’t hesitate. Unfortunately, she’s also sophisticated, polite, and educated, which would be fine, except I’ve got a corruption kink.

The more we hangout, the closer we get—and the harder it is to resist each other. Until we stop resisting. I never sleep with the same woman twice, but once with her will never be enough. However, it’s not long before I realize she’s not as innocent as she lets on. Jordan says I’m not her type� but she’s exactly mine.

Please check triggers before reading]]> 458 Sloane St. James E 3 4.27 2024 Stand and Defend (Lakes Hockey, #4)
author: Sloane St. James
name: E
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heart's Prisoner (Dark World Mates, #1)]]> 215617300
Asset X: Massive, deadly, a little terrifying to say the least. A devilish warrior. And a killer. Captured on a hellish world after attacking a military campsite and now imprisoned in a state-of-the-art cell inside one of the military’s top bases--Lazris.

And Lana has been assigned to "study" him. To learn his secrets and gain his trust, if he is ever allowed to set foot out of his cell. As a top behaviorist, it is the biggest hurdle of her career.

Asset X--or Xerus as he is called--won't give up his secrets easily. He is difficult, elusive, and--dare she say--unfathomably alluring...despite his seething demeanor and hard, frightening physique.

Something subconsciously draws her to him. Something wildly irresistible. Even if his wicked smile and needful gaze could just be a ploy to win her trust and escape his cell.

She shouldn't think of him like that. He is an alien after all. And possibly their enemy.

For Xerus claims he is on a mission. A mission to destroy. And he cannot afford to fail. If he dares let Lana get close, dares open his cold heart to her, she could compromise everything.



Heart's Prisoner is a complete standalone novel in the Dark World Mates series, a universe teeming with ferocious aliens and brave heroines. This book contains dark tones, heated intimate scenes, and intense moments with possible triggers including violence, and is intended for mature readers.]]> 310 Olivia Riley E 4 3.90 2020 Heart's Prisoner (Dark World Mates, #1)
author: Olivia Riley
name: E
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Book Lovers 58708383 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 398 Emily Henry E 4 4.27 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: E
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/07
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806750 E 2 3.85 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: E
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves:
review:
This book had a few uber-sweet gems, but it mostly made me sad. Poppy was not especially likable and it felt like she was a bit of a self-absorbed jerk for a bit too long.
]]> <![CDATA[Failure to Match (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #2)]]> 210277479 He’s the arrogant, grumpy billionaire bane of my existence... and now I’m his full-time, live-in dating coach.
Ěý
I’ve never failed to match a client—until him.

Jackson Sinclair has dragged me through eight months of matchmaking hell, and I have the carnage of broken hearts to prove it.
But I refuse to get fired from my dream job because of some infuriatingly gorgeous billionaire and his absurd criteria for a wife.
Ěý
The plan is simple.
All I have to do is infiltrate his penthouse, pretend to be his blind date, and figure out what the actual f*ck his actual f*cking problem is.
It’ll be fine. He doesn’t know what I look like.
Ěý
Except I nearly drown in Satan-clair’s massive pool, he figures out who I am, and now I’m forcibly glued to his side for the next 30 days.

It’s a nightmare, until it’s not.
I hate him, until I discover everything he’s been hiding.
We fight, until the tension boils over into sizzling temptation.

Jackson Sinclair may not believe in soulmates, and he may not believe in love, but little does he know, he’s finally met his match�

âś“ĚýEnemies to lovers
âś“ĚýMatchmaker
âś“ĚýForced proximity
âś“ĚýOpposites attract
âś“ĚýThree slow-burn peppers
� MMC obsessed
âś“ĚýGood girl]]> 430 Kyra Parsi E 4 4.20 Failure to Match (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #2)
author: Kyra Parsi
name: E
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/14
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Moonshine 53644854 396 Kat Bostick 1735009709 E 3 3.89 Moonshine
author: Kat Bostick
name: E
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/14
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bloody Sunset (Zombie Apocalypse #3)]]> 51285942
Caitlin Meadows has survived a plane crash, malicious government foot soldiers, and a zombie infested wasteland. Her life is nothing like it was only several months prior, but her one bright spot is her beloved Jack Booker-- the man she never would have imagined for herself and now cannot live without.
With more of their friends rescued and their numbers growing, Caitlin and Booker shoulder the responsibility of building a new community out of the rubble of once was.
But when tragedy strikes and grotesque clues point to there being a murderer in their midst, can Caitlin and Booker uncover the threat before it's too late?
Or will they meet a bloody end?]]> 192 Gwendolyn Harper E 3 4.25 Bloody Sunset (Zombie Apocalypse #3)
author: Gwendolyn Harper
name: E
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood Moon (Zombie Apocalypse #2)]]> 50311352 But now she can't imagine a life without him, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her lover alive in a zombie infested world.
In an attempt to find more of their friends, Caitlin and Booker must traverse a bleak landscape in search of a secretive group of survivors who may hold the answers they need.
But threats of the undead, desperate scavengers, and illness aren't the only dangers in this new, brutal reality.
The clock is ticking. Will their time run out?]]> 153 Gwendolyn Harper E 3 4.06 Blood Moon (Zombie Apocalypse #2)
author: Gwendolyn Harper
name: E
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/12
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Princess (Kindled, #2) 61168461
When the asteroid hits and the world falls apart, I'm seventeen, and my dad buys us a place in an underground bunker. We're supposed to be safe down there, but we're not. Gradually, I lose everything until all I have left is a bewildering relationship with a stoic, unknowable man.

As one of the guards in the bunker, Grant has lurked in the background of my life for years, teaching me to defend myself, making sure I'm safe, and infuriating me by treating me like a sheltered princess in a tower. I don't even know if he likes me, even after we end up in bed together. All I know is that he's always there beside me--during the bleak half-life of the bunker and the hostile, unfamiliar world we discover when we finally come out of lockdown.

Maybe one day he'll open up. Let down his walls. And maybe eventually our days can be about more than surviving.. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones, but right now all I have left in the world is him.]]> 222 Claire Kent E 3 3.79 2022 Princess (Kindled, #2)
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/12
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars. I saw some reviews that made me read this last of the Kindled series, but I liked it if not quite as much as the rest, very close to quite as much. The heroine was not actually very bratty, spoiled, or princess-like despite the title.
]]> Last Light 59026826
Now the last member of my family has died, and I'm forced to travel across what's left of three states to find the only people I know left alive. To survive, I'll have to salvage food and supplies and try to avoid violent men who've learned they can take what they want by force. The only way I'm going to make it is by trusting Travis.

Travis used to fix my car, and now he's all I have left in the world. He's gruff and stoic and unfriendly, and I don't really know or like him. But he's all I have left. He'll keep me safe. We'll take care of each other. Until we reach what's left of our town and can finally let go of one another.

Last Light is a standalone post-apocalyptic romance set in the near future after a global catastrophe.]]> 335 Claire Kent E 3 3.77 2019 Last Light
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Sanctuary (Kindled, #6) 199643247
My job as a messenger and courier offers me freedom and the means to provide for the people I love. No one is going to take it away from me--especially not clever, cynical Aidan, who insists I'm moving in on his territory. He's starting to compete with me for jobs, but I've never backed down to a challenge. Not when I was young and helpless, and certainly not now that I'm not. If he wants a war, he'll get one.

I'll never back down to a man again, even one I'm starting to want.]]> 292 Claire Kent E 0 3.78 Sanctuary (Kindled, #6)
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: 2024, dystopic, enemies-to-lovers, romance, sexual-assault, steamy
review:

]]> Embers (Kindled, #3) 61168458
Eventually we become unconventional partners as we try to stay alive, but then my feelings for him start to change. I want more from Cal but maybe I shouldn't. I can't risk losing what matters most.

One thing I do know. In a world as broken as ours, everything gradually gets burned away. Everything but him.]]> 241 Claire Kent E 0 3.86 2022 Embers (Kindled, #3)
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: 2024, age-gap, angsty, dark, dystopic, forced-proximity, romance, second-chance, steamy
review:

]]> Hero (Kindled, #4) 61168456
The small world we've built for ourselves in the past five years is crumbling at the edges. Our food is running out. So soon we'll have to leave our home and travel a dangerous road in search of safety that might not exist anymore. To make it worse, I'm hit with new feelings for Zed and start wanting things from him that I can never have.

I know better than to put my hope in romantic daydreams. This has become a world without heroes, and the happiest ending is just to survive.

Note: Hero is a short, steamy post-apocalyptic romance. This title was originally intended to be Mack and Anna's book, but their story has been postponed until later in the series. Hero features a different couple.]]> 170 Claire Kent E 3 3.92 2022 Hero (Kindled, #4)
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Citadel (Kindled #5) 181858808
Cole has spent years on a doomed, lonely mission to find his brother, but he goes out of his way to save us. He’s strong and stoic and driven, and I can’t help wanting him as more than my rescuer.

But trusting Cole is a mistake. The man will always leave.

Two years after I learned this hard lesson, I need his help again. My sister is taken, and I have no one else to turn to but Cole. I’ll accept his help because I have no choice, but I’ll never trust him with my heart or my body again.

I’ll do anything for my sister, including once more risking everything on a man who will always leave in the end.]]> 216 Claire Kent E 4 3.79 2023 Citadel (Kindled #5)
author: Claire Kent
name: E
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/08
date added: 2024/05/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Murder at the End of the World]]> 136276877
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton E 0 to-read 3.63 2024 The Last Murder at the End of the World
author: Stuart Turton
name: E
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Yellowface 62047984
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 319 R.F. Kuang 000853277X E 0 2024, unreliable-narrator 3.69 2023 Yellowface
author: R.F. Kuang
name: E
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/29
shelves: 2024, unreliable-narrator
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sustained (The Legal Briefs, #2)]]> 22926485 A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know� type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that � that, I know how to do.]]> 267 Emma Chase 1501102079 E 3 4.22 2015 Sustained (The Legal Briefs, #2)
author: Emma Chase
name: E
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/24
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves: acts-of-service, alpha-hero, caretaking, contemporary, family-drama, lawyer, romance, stern-brunch-daddy
review:
3.5 stars. Feel good, quick read about a playboy defense attorney who falls for n aunt taking guardianship of her six nieces/nephews. Unique in that it was told from the male love interest’s perspective. Grovel not sufficient for this guy’s waffling IMO, but the heroine was only 26.
]]> The Love Act 55812960
I never wanted to be famous. I’m perfectly happy working backstage at a late-night chat show, safely hidden off-camera. But when a paparazzo snaps a misleading photo of me and a bratty celebrity guest, my life is ruined overnight.

Suddenly, the whole world is convinced I’m having a torrid affair with the snarly, stuck-up cinema star Jack Hale. And thousands of people hate me. Excellent.

To make things even weirder, now Jack is demanding that I pretend to be his fake girlfriend for two months, in exchange for a cool half a million. It’s an offer I can’t refuse, literally, for financial reasons.

Two months of swanning around on a sexy actor’s arm sounds like a good deal, but Jack isn’t going to make it easy. We don’t get on. At all. He’s cold, bad-tempered, rude to his fans, and convinced that I’m secretly in love with him.

Being stunningly hot and disgustingly famous doesn’t make up for being a prick.

But my behaviourally-challenged fake boyfriend is the least of my worries. Getting thrust into the public eye has made me a target. I can’t leave the house without being followed and harassed. Paparazzi are going through my rubbish and enraged fans are sending me death threats.

If I’m getting out of this alive, Jack and I are going to have to work together to play them all.]]> 460 Zara Bell E 4
The characterization was very strong and the romance felt natural to me (no insta love). I also found myself laughing out loud at times. A few of the minor plot points didn’t make total sense and/or might have been handled slightly better (some parts read a little young/inexperienced) and I’d heard the indie book was pulled for additional editing. Fingers crossed it makes back stronger than ever!

A few tropes here: Fake relation; grumpy/sunshine; slight age gap; misunderstood jerk hero; third act breakup; slow burn.
]]> 3.99 The Love Act
author: Zara Bell
name: E
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2024/03/18
shelves:
review:
This is Zara Bell’s debut book and sadly it’s not currently available online (at least not in the United States). But I found a copy and, despite the frustration of trying to read it in a weird format, I devoured it in one sitting.

The characterization was very strong and the romance felt natural to me (no insta love). I also found myself laughing out loud at times. A few of the minor plot points didn’t make total sense and/or might have been handled slightly better (some parts read a little young/inexperienced) and I’d heard the indie book was pulled for additional editing. Fingers crossed it makes back stronger than ever!

A few tropes here: Fake relation; grumpy/sunshine; slight age gap; misunderstood jerk hero; third act breakup; slow burn.

]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Devil (The Devils, #1)]]> 58253755 He might not be the devil, but working under him for six weeks is my idea of hell.

Hayes Flynn is an arrogant jerk known best for his scotch habit and the way he spreads his British “charm� all over Hollywood, never with the same woman twice.

He’s the last person I want to work for, except he has a face I can’t look away from, and the longer we’re together, the harder he is to hate. Because under that smug exterior is a heart he doesn’t want to show—one that was badly broken a decade earlier.

A part of me wants to fix it for him before I leave…but can I do it without breaking my own in the process?]]> 300 Elizabeth O'Roark E 4 4.16 2021 A Deal with the Devil (The Devils, #1)
author: Elizabeth O'Roark
name: E
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/15
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves: 2022, contemporary, billionaire, doctor, slow-burn, romance, workplace-romance
review:

]]> Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) 13453029
The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Alternate cover for B0071XO8RA]]> 509 Hugh Howey E 0 to-read 4.22 2012 Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: E
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Out There 58446220
Prescient and wildly imaginative, Out There depicts an uncanny landscape that holds a mirror to our subconscious fears and desires. Each story beats with its own fierce heart, and together they herald an exciting new arrival in the tradition of speculative literary fiction.]]> 256 Kate Folk 0593231465 E 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Out There
author: Kate Folk
name: E
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart]]> 35424630
After her family suffers a tragedy when she is nine years old, Alice Hart is forced to leave her idyllic seaside home. She is taken in by her estranged grandmother, June, a flower farmer who raises Alice on the language of Australian native flowers, a way to say the things that are too hard to speak. But Alice also learns that there are secrets within secrets about her past. Under the watchful eye of June and The Flowers, women who run the farm, Alice grows up. But an unexpected betrayal sends her reeling, and she flees to the dramatically beautiful central Australian desert. Alice thinks she has found solace, until she falls in love with Dylan, a charismatic and ultimately dangerous man.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story about stories: those we inherit, those we select to define us, and those we decide to hide. It is a novel about the secrets we keep and how they haunt us, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Spanning twenty years, set between the lush sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, Alice must go on a journey to discover that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.]]> 400 Holly Ringland 1460754336 E 0 to-read 4.05 2018 The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
author: Holly Ringland
name: E
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)]]> 63031640
But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either.

To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I’ve loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me.

But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.]]> 504 Elsie Silver E 3 4.08 2023 Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: E
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/30
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:
This was an enjoyable and well executed second chance-ish, age gap romance. I don’t expect to re-read.
]]> Breathe the Sky 49123083 Two strangers start out saving animals and end up rescuing each other in this heartwarming romance from the author of Unbreak Me.Ěý

Mari Tucker is a wildlife biologist who scoops bunnies and endangered tortoises out of harm’s way on construction sites. Still haunted by her past, she takes the most remote jobs in the Mojave Desert to avoid people and hide from her ex. It’s a simple, quiet life filled with sweet animals and solar-powered baking until she ends up assigned to Jack Wyatt’s crew.

Construction foreman Jack Wyatt’s loud, foul-mouthed temper keeps even the most rugged of men on his crew in line. No mistake is overlooked, because out in the desert it could mean life or death. In his opinion, the job site is no place for sensitive biologists, especially one as shy as Mari. But instead of wilting from the heat and hard work, Mari wins over Jack and his crew one homemade brownie at a time.

Jack and Mari find a comfortable rhythm, building a friendship that’s rare for both of them. After Jack’s rocky childhood, they have more in common than they’d imagined. But even the Mojave sun can’t chase away the shadows when the past is determined to track them down…]]> 320 Michelle Hazen 198480331X E 4 3.78 2020 Breathe the Sky
author: Michelle Hazen
name: E
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: 2023, abuse, romance, slow-burn, workplace-romance, acts-of-service
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (The Devils, #2)]]> 59952350 You don’t really know a guy until you’ve vacationed with him�

When Drew Wilson’s ex-boyfriend Joel “Six� Bailey asks her to go on his family trip to Hawaii with him just as her life is falling apart, she decides it's the perfect time to give him another chance.

The hitch? The Bailey family includes Six’s rude older brother, Joshua—a hot-nerd doctor who has hated Drew since the moment they met and once suggested she’d steal the family silver.

Drew is determined to win the Baileys over and give this thing with Six a fair shot…but Joshua is making that difficult. Not simply because he is in her way at every turn, but because—as one tropical adventure leads to the next—she’s beginning to wonder if obnoxious, odious Joshua might be the brother she actually belongs with.]]> 316 Elizabeth O'Roark 1956800042 E 4 4.09 The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (The Devils, #2)
author: Elizabeth O'Roark
name: E
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves: 2023, family-drama, enemies-to-lovers, caretaking, exploring-the-world, forced-proximity, romance, slow-burn, stern-brunch-daddy
review:
Since I mostly took 2023 off of Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, I didn't rate this one, but it was a favorite (see tags).
]]> <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 44778083
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]> 803 Sarah J. Maas 1635574048 E 4 4.43 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: E
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/07
date added: 2023/12/10
shelves: 2023, alpha-hero, supernatural, fae, demons, fantasy, forced-proximity, romance-lite, shifters
review:

]]> Mile High (Windy City, #1) 60909831
Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.

What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that.

STEVIE

I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.

Everything but him.]]> 603 Liz Tomforde E 3 3.98 2022 Mile High (Windy City, #1)
author: Liz Tomforde
name: E
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/29
shelves:
review:
Liked this story. I found the book to be really long, which isn’t a complaint.
]]> <![CDATA[The Prince of Prohibition (Fae of the Roaring Age, #1)]]> 85175024 The year was 1926. Glamour, riches and greed filled the air, but under the facade of glitter and gold lay truths much darker, more sinister, and entirely less human . . .

Adeline Colton was cursed. Everyone in Georgia knew the devil walked her farm, and maybe they were right, because each month she had . . . dreams. Visions of a dark prince and a shadowed forest. A creature so wrong, temptation lurked beneath her skin.

So after escaping to New York City, it’s no surprise when her bad fortune follows. Only this time, it’s in the form of Jack Warren: millionaire bootlegger, infamous gangster, and criminal who makes Addie his fervent obsession.

Jack is everything Addie should avoid, but the more she resists his pull, the deeper she’s drawn into his extravagant world. Lured by a life of freedom and desire, Adeline must make a choice: heed her family’s warnings or follow Jack into the dark. But when fate binds them together, Jack is revealed to be something else—not man, not beast, not even the devil, but a creature much, much worse.


ACOTAR meets The Great Gatsby in The Prince of Prohibition, an adult fantasy romance featuring scandalous flappers, sensual fae, hidden speakeasies and dark magic. It is book one in the Fae of the Roaring Age series.]]> 554 Marilyn Marks E 0 to-read 4.08 2023 The Prince of Prohibition (Fae of the Roaring Age, #1)
author: Marilyn Marks
name: E
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Homebound (Rix Universe) 54416466 537 Lydia Hope E 4
“But it can’t last.� Gemma stomped her foot, feeling contrary and desperate for things to be different. “There’s no future for you and me. Us.�

“Why do you always say words that make no sense?� he chided gently. “What future is there except you and me? Us?�

�

“Would you kill me if you had to?� “You?� He seemed genuinely surprised. “I kill for you.�

And the ending of course.]]> 4.00 2020 Homebound (Rix Universe)
author: Lydia Hope
name: E
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves:
review:
This was an unexpected surprise! I feel like I have some degree of aphantasia so while I don’t gravitate to monster/alien romances, they are easy enough to get into. The romance was relatively light but some absolute top-tier lines, such as:

“But it can’t last.� Gemma stomped her foot, feeling contrary and desperate for things to be different. “There’s no future for you and me. Us.�

“Why do you always say words that make no sense?� he chided gently. “What future is there except you and me? Us?�

�

“Would you kill me if you had to?� “You?� He seemed genuinely surprised. “I kill for you.�

And the ending of course.
]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 62229748 A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie and Black Mirror.

'Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder and so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.'

It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.

But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden � one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party � can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot.

The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...

Also titled as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.]]> 525 Stuart Turton 1408889560 E 0 to-read 3.79 2018 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: E
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)]]> 60657589
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]> 336 Heather Fawcett 059350013X E 0 to-read 3.98 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: E
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)]]> 60755618 The rules were simple . . .
Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.

But now I’m stuck with her . . . And there’s only one bed . . .
Oh well, rules are made -- to be broken . . . aren't they?

I’m the face of professional bull riding -- the golden boy.
Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face.
Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.�

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter --
especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk,
and a mouth she can’t stop running.

A mouth I just can’t stop thinking about . . .

Because Summer isn’t just another conquest.
She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run --
she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.

She says this means nothing -- but I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross.
That my reputation can’t take any more hits -- and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I’m going to steal it anyway.
]]> 424 Elsie Silver E 0 to-read 4.06 2022 Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)
author: Elsie Silver
name: E
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Ill-Made Match (Vawdrey Brothers, #3)]]> 42446659 Eden Montmayne prefers poets to knights, and would rather read a book than watch the jousting. When a betrothal feast goes awry, there is a truly scandalous outcome for Eden and Roland that throws the royal court into chaos. Even more shockingly, people soon start to wonder, could the resulting marriage be the making of them both? Despite the fact it was such an ill-made match?
This is a stand-alone full length novel of over 108,000 words set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.]]> 424 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.11 2018 An Ill-Made Match (Vawdrey Brothers, #3)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[His Forsaken Bride (Vawdrey Brothers, #2)]]> 39344917 There is just one slim chance to avoid this fate, one person of prominence at court who she knows has the ear of the King. Oswald Vawdrey, the man who cruelly jilted her when she was a starry-eyed fifteen year old with a head full of romantic dreams.
Fen swallows her pride and rides to the King’s court at Aphrany to beg for Lord Vawdrey’s intercession. But Lord Vawdrey is not the charming boy she remembers, and he has no interest in halting her divorce. Instead, he has quite different plans for his former intended bride.
Fenella is about to discover there is more to Oswald Vawdrey than meets the eye. And she may not be quite so forsaken as she once thought�

This is a stand-alone full length novel of over 150,000 words set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.
]]> 617 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.10 2018 His Forsaken Bride (Vawdrey Brothers, #2)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Her Baseborn Bridegroom (Vawdrey Brothers, #1)]]> 36103790
Until one day her uncle arranges a marriage of convenience for her, a marriage in name only with a young puppet groom... but Sir Roland does not show up. In his place turns up his base-born brother Mason Vawdrey. And dark, forceful Mason is no-one's puppet.

Things are about to get interesting at Cadwallader Castle. And Linnet is about to discover that maybe a golden leopardess does not need to change her glorious spots.

This is a full length novel of over 80,000 words set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.

This is a new release of an edition previously published by Alice Coldbreath.]]> 305 Alice Coldbreath 1662501382 E 4 4.03 2016 Her Baseborn Bridegroom (Vawdrey Brothers, #1)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Inconvenient Vow (Brides of Karadok, #5)]]> 60430117
Sir Jeffree, raised in the expectation of succeeding to his uncle’s title, is appalled to become ensnared in a scheme to discredit his uncle’s new bride.Ěý The whole thing is beneath his dignity, as is the shameless young widow who denounces him in front of everyone and makes him look a fool!Ěý

Jeffree will do anything to salvage his honor, even if it means wedding a woman he despises.Ěý Revenge will be sweet indeed, ensuring Sabina pays for what she did.Ěý What he does not anticipate, is that his own long-prized vow of chastity will be so very sorely tried…]]> 502 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.19 2022 An Inconvenient Vow (Brides of Karadok, #5)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/05
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Consolation Prize (Brides of Karadok, #3)]]> 55151962
Armand de Bussell is a rogue who shirks his duties and does as he pleases. How anyone could think him fit for a princess is a mystery to him. He neither wants nor needs a wife in his life. At least� that’s what he always thought before he met the Blechmarsh princess.

The Consolation Prize is a stand-alone novel of over 99,000 words and is set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.]]> 331 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.05 2020 The Consolation Prize (Brides of Karadok, #3)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/05
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unlovely Bride (Brides of Karadok, #2)]]> 51930349 If ever there was a knight the crowd loves to hate, it’s Garman Orde. Even his own family despises him. Then one night a heavily veiled lady offers him an extraordinary bargain. And he finds out that Lenora Montmayne was never just a pretty face.
The Unlovely Bride is a stand-alone novel of over 136,000 words and is set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.]]> 514 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.19 2020 The Unlovely Bride (Brides of Karadok, #2)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/30
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wed by Proxy (Brides of Karadok, #1)]]> 51243905
Married by proxy, Lord Martindale has never even met his bride of three years. Wed as part of a peace treaty, he bitterly resents the mercenary wife who cares only for wealth and prestige. And then he meets her...

Wed By Proxy is a stand-alone novel of over 111,000 words and is set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.]]> 411 Alice Coldbreath E 3 3.85 2019 Wed by Proxy (Brides of Karadok, #1)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/04
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Till the Stars Fall (Hometown Memories #3)]]> 567990
When the pair finally succeed, they meet Quinn, a privileged and wealthy college student. Drawn together by a passion for music, Danny and Quinn set up a successful pop group. As their stars begin to rise, Danny falls in love with fame, and Quinn and Krissa fall in love with each other. But the higher Danny, Quinn and Krissa climb, the faster their worlds crumble, until they part.

Sixteen years later, their paths cross once again, three fallen stars. Danny is gravely ill. Quinn and Krissa are still in love. But to hear the music again, the three must face their joined pasts and use the lessons to create a better future.

REVIEWS:
"...beautiful, lyrical writing, fascinating characters, and a touching renewed romance..." ~ All About Romance

"An extraordinary novel! ...full of beauty, love, compassion, and truth..." ~Susan Elizabeth Phillips

HOMETOWN MEMORIES, in order
After All These Years
Don't Forget to Smile
Till the Stars Fall
Again

MEET KATHLEEN GILLES SEIDEL
Award-winning author Kathleen Gilles Seidel still longs for the small Kansas hometown of her birth. To fill that longing, she builds her own small towns, filling their imaginary borders with strong robust characters seeking their own happily-ever-afters. Kathy lives outside of Washington, D.C. She and her late husband have two grown daughters.]]> 416 Kathleen Gilles Seidel 0451404491 E 0 to-read 4.07 1994 Till the Stars Fall (Hometown Memories #3)
author: Kathleen Gilles Seidel
name: E
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> My Sweet Folly 657046 400 Laura Kinsale 0425209792 E 4
It turns out this is not actually an age gap romance (as far as I could tell), but instead a gothic mystery with a dark, emotionally scarred hero and Georgette Heyer-esque heroine (the whimsically sensible ones who follow their heart and always seem to say/do just the right things in the face of adversity). It has a sweet epistolary exposition featuring correspondence between the main couple followed by a jarring transition to “the present day.� Like our heroine, you can’t recognize the hero from his letters, and I could see it turning some people off. The sweetness subtly slips back in here and there in a way that really worked for me.

On top of that, the book is rich in history and detail and just very, very unique. Characters are flawed with hang-ups and hurts, and as a result, feel very real. Romance is a lot of same, same old - that’s the whole point. But Kinsale manages to make the formula feel fresh.

Anyway, once the couple start fooling around, it gets weird (not like “kinky� weird but bewildering weird) and it took away from some of the sweetness. This is not the first book where I’ve found Kinsale’s sex scenes highly uncomfortable (looking at you Shadow Heart), so I found myself asking so many questions throughout. Have I ever read a book with this particular sexual set-up? What is going on the hero’s head to do this to his sweet, understanding wife? What is Kinsale’s sex life like? Does someone else write her sex scenes? What did her editor think? Anyway, this makes it seem like there is a lot of sex - there isn’t. These scenes just really stood out to me and took it from a 4.5 star read to a 3.5-4 star read.

Read it if you like anti-heroes in the vein of Francis Crawford of Lymond, Sir John Smythe/Tregarth, etc., and some mystery in your romance.

TW: some early dubcon (hero was under the influence FWIW).]]> 3.76 1997 My Sweet Folly
author: Laura Kinsale
name: E
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/20
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves:
review:
So I decided to test out ChatGPT and soon enough found myself asking it for book recommendations. I started with the classic “dark fantasy romance� and couldn’t get it to give me anything new. A few days later, inspired by a Reddit thread on the topic, I asked for an “age gap romance� and sure enough I’d read all those, too, until I asked for an obscure age gap romance. This was one of three options, and I decided to go for it.

It turns out this is not actually an age gap romance (as far as I could tell), but instead a gothic mystery with a dark, emotionally scarred hero and Georgette Heyer-esque heroine (the whimsically sensible ones who follow their heart and always seem to say/do just the right things in the face of adversity). It has a sweet epistolary exposition featuring correspondence between the main couple followed by a jarring transition to “the present day.� Like our heroine, you can’t recognize the hero from his letters, and I could see it turning some people off. The sweetness subtly slips back in here and there in a way that really worked for me.

On top of that, the book is rich in history and detail and just very, very unique. Characters are flawed with hang-ups and hurts, and as a result, feel very real. Romance is a lot of same, same old - that’s the whole point. But Kinsale manages to make the formula feel fresh.

Anyway, once the couple start fooling around, it gets weird (not like “kinky� weird but bewildering weird) and it took away from some of the sweetness. This is not the first book where I’ve found Kinsale’s sex scenes highly uncomfortable (looking at you Shadow Heart), so I found myself asking so many questions throughout. Have I ever read a book with this particular sexual set-up? What is going on the hero’s head to do this to his sweet, understanding wife? What is Kinsale’s sex life like? Does someone else write her sex scenes? What did her editor think? Anyway, this makes it seem like there is a lot of sex - there isn’t. These scenes just really stood out to me and took it from a 4.5 star read to a 3.5-4 star read.

Read it if you like anti-heroes in the vein of Francis Crawford of Lymond, Sir John Smythe/Tregarth, etc., and some mystery in your romance.

TW: some early dubcon (hero was under the influence FWIW).
]]> Damage 51851793
He took me to exact his revenge. I went from being a pawn to my father to being a pawn to Stefan. The only difference is I have a ring the size of a boulder on my finger and a husband I don’t want.

And the hardest part is I thought he was different. I thought I was falling in love.

I guess my father was right. I’m not a very smart girl.

Stefan is a powerful man. He doesn’t play nice, not if you’re his enemy. But I've learned one thing about my husband.

He takes care of what’s his
And I am his.

His enemies have become my enemies, but he’ll never let anyone hurt me. He’s fiercely protective. It’s the predator inside that scares me.
]]> 336 Natasha Knight E 2 3.80 2019 Damage
author: Natasha Knight
name: E
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/10/17
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> Collateral 50930057 Gabriela

Stefan Sabbioni showed up uninvited in my bedroom on my sixteenth birthday. He stood in the shadows smelling of whiskey and death and wrapped a broken, blood-crusted necklace around my neck. I thought he'd strangle me with it.

That night, he left a message for my father. He said he'd be back to take something precious.

I never delivered that message, though. I wonder if things would be different if I had because now, two years later, he's back. And he's not hiding in any shadows.

He's come to make good on his promise.
He's back to take that something precious.
Me.

Stefan

Marchese is the manipulator of my family's tragedy. I won't just bring him to his knees. I'll bury him for what he did.

Taking his daughter is only the beginning. I'll do it knowing I'm starting a war. I'll do it knowing my enemies will become his allies. They'll stop at nothing to destroy me and he'll stop at nothing to get her back.

I've never shied away from war, though. I'm not one to play nice and I don't share my toys. I'll demolish you if you touch what's mine.

And she is most definitely mine.]]> 244 Natasha Knight E 3 3.95 2019 Collateral
author: Natasha Knight
name: E
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/06
date added: 2023/03/15
shelves: 2019, abuse, mafia, alpha-hero, cliffhanger
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3)]]> 6264710 He was everything she'd sworn to avoid.

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

And she was everything he needed.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm’s length…but the sharp, beautiful and beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all . . .]]> 373 Lisa Kleypas 0312949820 E 3 4.14 2009 Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: E
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/31
date added: 2023/02/01
shelves: 2023, re-read, villain-as-hero, historical-romance, anti-hero
review:
A solid 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this much more on re-read than I initially did. Harry, our hero, is basically a villain light, unscrupulous in his methods so long as he achieves his desired ends. He unapologetically [spoilers removed]
]]> Station Eleven 20170404 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 333 Emily St. John Mandel 0385353308 E 4
I am in a major book slump. For most of late 2022, I mostly focused on re-reads of favorites. I've been wondering if I just need to move away from the romance genre for a time. Enter book club, which forced me to read Station Eleven. I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, particularly stories that have some hope amidst the craziness and Station Eleven delivered in this regard. This book had so many delightful layers. So maybe it is time for me to mix it up a bit.]]> 4.05 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: E
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/18
shelves: 2023, dystopic, post-apocalyptic, book-club
review:
4.5 stars.

I am in a major book slump. For most of late 2022, I mostly focused on re-reads of favorites. I've been wondering if I just need to move away from the romance genre for a time. Enter book club, which forced me to read Station Eleven. I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, particularly stories that have some hope amidst the craziness and Station Eleven delivered in this regard. This book had so many delightful layers. So maybe it is time for me to mix it up a bit.
]]> The Songbook of Benny Lament 54268364 From the bestselling author of What the Wind Knows and From Sand and Ash comes a powerful love story about a musical duo who put everything on the line to be together.

New York, 1960: For Benny Lament, music is his entire life. With his father’s deep ties to the mob, the Bronx piano man has learned that love and family can get you in trouble. So he keeps to himself, writing songs for other musicians, avoiding the spotlight…until the night his father brings him to see Esther Mine sing.

Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a hit song and performs it with her, their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the national stage…and stirs up old issues and new scrutiny that the mob—and Benny—would rather avoid.

It would be easier to walk away. But the music and the woman are too hard for the piano man to resist. Benny’s songs and Esther’s vocals are an explosive combination, a sound that fans can’t get enough of. But though America might love the music they make together, some people aren’t ready for Benny Lament and Esther Mine on—or off—the stage.]]> 444 Amy Harmon 1542023521 E 0 to-read 4.46 2021 The Songbook of Benny Lament
author: Amy Harmon
name: E
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Witches of Vardø 62605504
Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch ­- whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent to Vardø in disgrace. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court?

These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King of Denmark. In an age weighted against them they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.]]> 400 Anya Bergman 1786581914 E 0 to-read 3.87 2023 The Witches of Vardø
author: Anya Bergman
name: E
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles, #5)]]> 59971567 Nous vous invitons à vous détendre et à profiter pleinement de votre séjour. Mais n’oubliez pas la règle d’or : les humains ne doivent jamais découvrir la vérité.

La vie ne manque pas de rebondissements pour l’Aubergiste Dina Demille et son compagnon Sean Evans. Et leur quotidien s’apprête à devenir encore plus chaotique, car le mentor loup-garou de Sean est enlevé. Pour le retrouver, ils doivent organiser une recherche de conjoint intergalactique pour l’un des dirigeants les plus influents de la Galaxie.

Dina n’est pas du genre à reculer devant un défi. Pour relever celui-ci, cependant, elle va devoir jongler avec les caprices de son chef cuisinier, les conséquences du passé sombre de son ex-tyran galactique favori, les intrications politiques d’une nation interstellaire... et tout ça en évitant que les prétendants de douze espèces extraterrestres ne s’entre-tuent.

On dit que l’amour est un champ de bataille, mais Dina et Sean sont bien déterminés à limiter les victimes !

#UrbanFantasy #Magie #Humour #MondesParallèles]]> 456 Ilona Andrews E 0 to-read 4.41 2022 Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles, #5)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: E
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Jewels 419513 On their honeymoon, the newlyweds buy an old French chateau, but not long after, the war begins. William joins the allied forces, leaving Sarah, their first child, an infant, and their second child on the way, in France. After the Nazi forces take over the chateau, Sarah continues to survive the terror and deprivation of the Occupation, unwavering in her belief that her missing-in-action husband is still alive.
After the war, as a gesture of goodwill, the Whitfields start buying jewels offered for sale by impoverished war survivors. With Sarah's style and keen eye, the collection becomes the prestigious Whitfield's jewelry store in Paris. Eventually, their jewelry business expands to London and Rome, as their family grows. Phillip, their firstborn, is stubborn and proud; Julian, their second son, is charming and generous and warm; Isabelle is rebellious and willful; and Xavier, unusual and untamed, is the final unexpected gift of their love. They each find their own way, but will be drawn to the great house of gems their parents built. In Jewels, Danielle Steel takes the reader through five eventful decades that include war, passion, international intrigue, and the strength of family through it all.]]> 496 Danielle Steel 0440243971 E 3 3.98 1992 Jewels
author: Danielle Steel
name: E
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/04
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves:
review:
Gah! This was a book I first read and loved in middle school or high school. Unfortunately it did not hold up on a re-read. I am keeping it three stars for the nostalgia, but it had so many problems. First of all, almost every woman but Sarah was either a tart (or worse language) or frigid. Second, the writing was so repetitive - this book needed a good editor. Third - a sympathetic Nazi (he was anti-war and anti-Hitler, but a lot of things were glossed over), buying jewels from those impoverished by the war (presented as an act of charity, but�), and colonizing jewels from Africa! I still enjoy the pre-WWII portion, but Sarah’s kids are basically terrible people and it all reads like a bad soap opera.
]]> <![CDATA[It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2)]]> 60393672 Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching� (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding� (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover� (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).]]> 323 Colleen Hoover 1668001225 E 2 3.80 2022 It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: E
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/01
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves: 2022, contemporary, abuse, second-chance
review:

]]> Kulti 24044596
When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn't take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she'd seen in the international soccer icon - why she'd ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.]]> 570 Mariana Zapata E 4 4.22 2015 Kulti
author: Mariana Zapata
name: E
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/04
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves: 2020, re-read, soccer, sports-romance, romance, slow-burn, favorites
review:

]]> Venetia 11432520
Then, in one extraordinary encounter, she meets a neighbour she only knew by reputation - the infamous Jasper Damerel. Before she realises it, Venetia is encouraging a man whose way of life has scandalised the North Riding for years.]]> 386 Georgette Heyer 1402266375 E 5 4.31 1958 Venetia
author: Georgette Heyer
name: E
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1958
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/02
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves: regency-romance, 2020, reread, favorites, historical-romance, romance, 2022
review:

]]> The Temporary Wife 690067
It is only when Charity enters into this mockery of a marriage that she discovers that things are not as simple as they seemed at first. For when the libertine lord takes her in his arms, it is not only their contract that threatens to be broken, but her heart as well....]]> 224 Mary Balogh 0451191439 E 0 to-read 3.96 1997 The Temporary Wife
author: Mary Balogh
name: E
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1) 54659771 He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close�

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.]]> 380 Katee Robert 1728231736 E 3 3.68 2021 Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: E
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/26
date added: 2022/11/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Double Standards 129615 Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

In the exclusive, glittering world of business superstars, Nick Sinclair was a legend...

The ruggedly handsome president of Global Industries handled his business the way he handled his women -- with charm, daring and ruthless self-control. A man used to the very best, Nick hired Lauren Danner, and assumed the proud beauty would soon be another easy conquest. But Lauren's flashing wit and rare spirit dazzled him -- and slowly, against his will, he was intrigued, challenged -- and in love.

Yet Lauren was living a lie, a charade that became more dangerous with every passing moment. Trapped in a web of deceit, she fought her growing love for Nick. Her secret could destroy his fragile trust -- and the promise of life with the most compelling man she had ever met!]]> 310 Judith McNaught 0671737600 E 1 2020, workplace-romance 3.93 1984 Double Standards
author: Judith McNaught
name: E
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1984
rating: 1
read at: 2022/11/11
date added: 2022/11/11
shelves: 2020, workplace-romance
review:
I usually can tolerate the more controversial Judith McNaught books, but this one was actually a bit hard to read! It felt less like a romance and more like "Workplace Sexual Harassment 101." And it wasn't just one questionable scene, but rather encounter after encounter. I couldn't believe some of the exchanges between the main couple and that it was "only" published in 1991 -- yikes. On top of all of this, the ending was a little TOO cheesy for my sake (and not enough of a grovel).
]]> <![CDATA[Remember When (Foster Saga, #1)]]> 35365 Until You, was hailed as "brilliantly done and completely entertaining... ripe plot twists... a fine supporting cast" � Ocala Star-Banner.

Now, with more than fourteen million books in print and seven New York Times bestsellers, Judith McNaught brings us her latest, most enthralling novel...

Remember When

When multinational tycoon Cole Harrison approached her on a moonlit balcony at the White Orchid Charity Ball, Diana Foster had no idea how extraordinary the night ahead would be. The most lavish social event of the Houston season had brought out American aristocracy, Texas-style, in glittering array. So, after losing her fiancé to a blond Italian heiress and reading about it in a sleazy gossip paper, the lovely Diana felt obliged to make an appearance � if only to save face and to bolster her company's image.

Foster's Beautiful Living magazine was her family's success story, and Diana knew that, single, childless, and suddenly "unengaged", she was not living up to its lucrative image of upscale domestic tranquility.

A woman of gentle grace and kindness, Diana deeply valued her privacy and her dignity, both of which were at risk that night among certain rumor-driven socialites. And now the pride of Dallas billionaires, Cole Harrison, was closing in on her with two crystal flutes and a bottle of champagne...

The tall, lithe former stableboy couldn't negotiate his way out of a contract with his crusty uncle, Cal � he had to bring home a wife, and soon, or see Cal's share of the business Cole had created go to an undeserving relative. A man as coolly analytical as he was arrestingly attractive, Cole decided that his bride-to-be should be rich in her own right, meltingly beautiful, and a woman of impeccable character... Diana Foster!

It was the perfect to their respective dilemmas, and, after a lot of champagne for Diana and some skilled persuasion from Cole, their lips met in a long, slow, bargain-sealing kiss. Neither one dared imagine that a match made in logic's heaven might be headed straight for an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime love...]]> 432 Judith McNaught 1416530746 E 2 Paradise, which I love. Unfortunately, although these stories have similar characteristics, Remember When has none of the magic, angst, and romance of Paradise. Like Paradise, our leading couple meets in their teenage(ish) years, but there is nothing between them but mutual respect and perhaps a slight crush. They also both end up high-end business figures - Diana in the family business and Cole as some kind of master CEO type - who enter into a marriage of convenience.

This did not feel like a romance to me -- it seemed like our couple spent more time solo than together on page. On top that, it has SO MUCH info-dumping. In fact, I think it was just one giant info dump from start to finish. Characters *dramatically* change their position on important matters in pages (after one round of good sex?). Most of McNaught's books automatically go to my re-read pile, but I can't imagine picking this up again.]]> 3.95 1996 Remember When (Foster Saga, #1)
author: Judith McNaught
name: E
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/11
date added: 2022/11/11
shelves: 2022, contemporary, second-chance, politics, marriage-of-convenience
review:
I'd heard this was very similar to Paradise, which I love. Unfortunately, although these stories have similar characteristics, Remember When has none of the magic, angst, and romance of Paradise. Like Paradise, our leading couple meets in their teenage(ish) years, but there is nothing between them but mutual respect and perhaps a slight crush. They also both end up high-end business figures - Diana in the family business and Cole as some kind of master CEO type - who enter into a marriage of convenience.

This did not feel like a romance to me -- it seemed like our couple spent more time solo than together on page. On top that, it has SO MUCH info-dumping. In fact, I think it was just one giant info dump from start to finish. Characters *dramatically* change their position on important matters in pages (after one round of good sex?). Most of McNaught's books automatically go to my re-read pile, but I can't imagine picking this up again.
]]> <![CDATA[Something Wonderful (Sequels, #2)]]> 129616 This is a previously published edition of ISBN 9780671737634 .

Bestselling author Judith McNaught masterfully portrays a remarkable heroine, and an unforgettable passion, in this powerfully moving love story -- one of her most beloved novels of all time!

The tempestuous marriage of Alexandra Lawrence, an innocent country girl, and Jordan Townsende, the rich and powerful Duke of Hawthorne, is about to face its ultimate test of tender loyalty. Swept into the endlessly fascinating world of London society, free-spirited Alexandra becomes ensnared in a tangled web of jealousy and revenge, stormy pride and overwhelming passion. But behind her husband's cold, arrogant mask, there lives a tender, vital, sensual man...the man Alexandra married. Now, she will fight for his very life...and the rapturous bond they alone can share.

]]> 418 Judith McNaught E 4 Almost Heaven, I decided to revisit Something Wonderful. [Note: I am in a book slump so have mostly been re-reading classics while I wait for [author:Ilona Andrews|21748]' Emerald Blaze to come out next month.] And this one is a solid four-star read for me.

Like all of Judith McNaught's books, there are a lot of obstacles thrown in the way of the happily ever after, but the obstacles here were much less contrived than in Almost Heaven. I enjoyed the evolution of both the hero and heroine and thought they had sizzling chemistry (towards the second half of the book).]]> 4.31 1988 Something Wonderful (Sequels, #2)
author: Judith McNaught
name: E
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/04
date added: 2022/11/07
shelves: 2020, reread, historical-romance, marriage-of-convenience, enemies-to-lovers, romance, second-chance, some-steam
review:
After reading Almost Heaven, I decided to revisit Something Wonderful. [Note: I am in a book slump so have mostly been re-reading classics while I wait for [author:Ilona Andrews|21748]' Emerald Blaze to come out next month.] And this one is a solid four-star read for me.

Like all of Judith McNaught's books, there are a lot of obstacles thrown in the way of the happily ever after, but the obstacles here were much less contrived than in Almost Heaven. I enjoyed the evolution of both the hero and heroine and thought they had sizzling chemistry (towards the second half of the book).
]]> Once and Always (Sequels, #1) 129620
Suddenly orphaned and alone, Victoria Seaton sails the vast ocean, eager to reclaim her heritage at Wakefield, the sumptuous English estate of a distant cousin, the notorious Lord Jason Fielding. Bewildered by his arrogance yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she senses the painful memories that smolder in his eyes. When he gathers her at last into his arms, arousing a sweet, insistent hunger, they wed and are embraced by fierce, consuming joy -- free from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of anguish, Victoria discovers the treachery at the heart of their love . . . a love she had dreamed would triumph not just once, but always.]]> 400 Judith McNaught 1416530738 E 2 4.17 1987 Once and Always (Sequels, #1)
author: Judith McNaught
name: E
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1987
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/04
date added: 2022/11/07
shelves: historical-romance, 2022, abuse, sexual-assault
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths]]> 51135393
Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to from Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women’s stories.

Now, in Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes � broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist � redresses this imbalance. Taking Greek creation myths as her starting point and then retelling the four great mythic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles, she puts the female characters on equal footing with their menfolk. The result is a vivid and powerful account of the deeds � and misdeeds - of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene and Circe. And away from the goddesses of Mount Olympus it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone and Medea who sing from these pages, not Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes or Jason.]]> 320 Natalie Haynes 1509873112 E 0 to-read 4.23 2020 Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths
author: Natalie Haynes
name: E
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Genuine Fraud 33843362 From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel--the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Praise for E. Lockhart's We Were Liars

"Haunting, sophisticated. . . . Twisty and well-told." --The Wall Street Journal

"[It] will leave you dying to talk about the book with a pal or ten." --Parade.com

"You're going to want to remember the title. Liars details the summers of a girl who harbors a dark secret, and delivers a satisfying but shocking twist ending." --Entertainment Weekly

"An ambitious novel with an engaging voice, a clever plot and some terrific writing." --The New York Times Book Review

"Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, We Were Liars is utterly unforgettable." --John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars]]> 262 E. Lockhart 0385744773 E 0 to-read 3.24 2017 Genuine Fraud
author: E. Lockhart
name: E
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruby Fever (Hidden Legacy, #6)]]> 39909230
An escaped spider, the unexpected arrival of an Imperial Russian Prince, the senseless assassination of a powerful figure, a shocking attack on the supposedly invincible Warden of Texas, Catalina’s boss... And it’s only Monday.

Within hours, the fate of Houston—not to mention the House of Baylor—now rests on Catalina, who will have to harness her powers as never before. But even with her fellow Prime and fiancé Alessandro Sagredo by her side, she may not be able to expose who’s responsible before all hell really breaks loose.]]> 380 Ilona Andrews 0062878409 E 3 2022, magic 4.43 2022 Ruby Fever (Hidden Legacy, #6)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: E
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/29
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves: 2022, magic
review:
Eh. I did enjoy it, because I love the characters and Ilona Andrews generally. But this one fell a little flat for me. I had to force myself to keep going in fact. And I didn't love the way the large mystery wrapped up.
]]> When Gracie Met the Grump 62603994
For most people, finding a half-naked superbeing in their yard might be a dream come true.

Unfortunately for Gracie Castro, it’s the exact opposite.

Especially when he’s grouchy, rude, and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon.

But when a hero of mankind needs you, you do what you have to.

Even if it compromises everything you know.

And totally changes your life.]]> 570 Mariana Zapata 1953262023 E 3 When Gracie Met the Grump suffers from being the MZ formula on steroids. First, I am not a fan of the bathroom humor and it's prevalent here (tbh, I haven't really noticed it since Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin (and I haven't read Lingus)). Worse, though, is that the hero is too much of a jerk. I usually adore jerks (on paper... in romance books), but there isn't enough there to make you root for the romance in the first half. Finally, Gracie is the classic victim heroine and totally lacking agency. Ugh!

For me, the second half gets much better (besides the doormat heroine), though, and I loved the premise of a superhero romance. In fact, I need more superhero romances in my life. Anyone know any good ones?]]> 3.95 2022 When Gracie Met the Grump
author: Mariana Zapata
name: E
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/26
date added: 2022/09/27
shelves: 2022, slow-burn, sci-fi, supernatural, jerkiest-jerks
review:
Is Mariana Zapata formulaic? Yes. Do I mind? No. But, like many others, I feel like When Gracie Met the Grump suffers from being the MZ formula on steroids. First, I am not a fan of the bathroom humor and it's prevalent here (tbh, I haven't really noticed it since Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin (and I haven't read Lingus)). Worse, though, is that the hero is too much of a jerk. I usually adore jerks (on paper... in romance books), but there isn't enough there to make you root for the romance in the first half. Finally, Gracie is the classic victim heroine and totally lacking agency. Ugh!

For me, the second half gets much better (besides the doormat heroine), though, and I loved the premise of a superhero romance. In fact, I need more superhero romances in my life. Anyone know any good ones?
]]> <![CDATA[Bound by Duty (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, #2)]]> 51661616 Valentina is chosen for the role.
She, too, lost her husband, but her first marriage has always been for show. Even after her husband’s death, Valentina carries the weight of his secrets with her� to protect the honor of a dead man and herself.
With her wedding to Dante, her castle of lies threatens to crash.
Valentina fears the wedding night might reveal her secret, but her worries prove unfounded when Dante ignores her. Soon, her fear turns to confusion and anger.
Valentina is tired of being ignored. She’s determined to get Dante’s attention and desire, even if she can’t get his heart that still belongs to his dead wife.

She wants to capture his cold heart but she may have to settle for his desire.]]> 267 Cora Reilly E 3 3.71 2015 Bound by Duty (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, #2)
author: Cora Reilly
name: E
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/17
date added: 2022/09/17
shelves: 2022, mafia, arranged-marriage
review:

]]> Anxious People 53799686
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature� (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 1982121602 E 0 to-read 4.12 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: E
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hollywood Park 49235526 HOLLYWOOD PARK is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.

We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion. �

So begins Hollywood Park, Mikel Jollett’s remarkable memoir. His story opens in an experimental commune in California, which later morphed into the Church of Synanon, one of the country’s most infamous and dangerous cults. Per the leader’s mandate, all children, including Jollett and his older brother, were separated from their parents when they were six months old, and handed over to the cult’s “School.� After spending years in what was essentially an orphanage, Mikel escaped the cult one morning with his mother and older brother. But in many ways, life outside Synanon was even harder and more erratic.

In his raw, poetic and powerful voice, Jollett portrays a childhood filled with abject poverty, trauma, emotional abuse, delinquency and the lure of drugs and alcohol. Raised by a clinically depressed mother, tormented by his angry older brother, subjected to the unpredictability of troubled step-fathers and longing for contact with his father, a former heroin addict and ex-con, Jollett slowly, often painfully, builds a life that leads him to Stanford University and, eventually, to finding his voice as a writer and musician.

Hollywood Park is told at first through the limited perspective of a child, and then broadens as Jollett begins to understand the world around him. Although Mikel Jollett’s story is filled with heartbreak, it is ultimately an unforgettable portrayal of love at its fiercest and most loyal.]]> 384 Mikel Jollett 1250621569 E 0 2022, abuse, memoir 4.28 2020 Hollywood Park
author: Mikel Jollett
name: E
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/11
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: 2022, abuse, memoir
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cold Hearted (Tooth & Claw, #1)]]> 60376842 A woman on the run�

I came to Longtooth, Alaska looking for a safe place to hide. All I wanted was to keep my head down, do my job, and enjoy the peace and quiet. But there’s no peace to be found once I meet Longtooth’s cantankerous bush pilot. Caleb Kinoyit is surly and rude and mean. He’s also, unfortunately, the most attractive man I’ve ever met. And as the long, Alaskan winter nights stretch on, I find myself warming to his rough charm just as much as I’m falling for the beauty of my new home.

A town with a secret�

There’s something different about Longtooth—something the locals won’t talk about with outsiders. And I am definitely an outsider. But when my dangerous past finally tracks me down, Longtooth can’t keep its secrets from me any longer, and the revelation upends the world as I know it. The only truth I can be sure of anymore are my feelings for Caleb. But will love be enough to save me? Or will I have to sacrifice myself to save the ones I love?]]> 304 Heather Guerre E 3 3.96 2020 Cold Hearted (Tooth & Claw, #1)
author: Heather Guerre
name: E
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/12
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: 2022, paranormal-romance, shifters, vampires, romance, contemporary
review:
A solid paranormal, slow-burn romance set in Alaska. It didn't stand out as particularly good or bad. I would recommend it to anyone looking to scratch that itch.
]]> <![CDATA[Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1)]]> 30223025
But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.]]> 455 Justina Ireland 0062570609 E 0 to-read 4.12 2018 Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1)
author: Justina Ireland
name: E
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Rock Hard (Rock Kiss, #2) 23514316 In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past�

Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.]]> 387 Nalini Singh E 3 3.97 2015 Rock Hard (Rock Kiss, #2)
author: Nalini Singh
name: E
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Reforming Lord Ragsdale 222808
Emma Costello owed a debt of honor to one of the most dishonorable lords in the realm. The infamous Lord Ragsdale was as rich as sin, as sinful as he was rich, and as heartless as he was handsome. But he had saved Emma from a fate worse than death when he stopped a lecherous brute from buying her as an indentured servant.

It was Emma's turn now to save Lord Ragsdale from his wicked ways. She had to find a way to stop his drinking, his gaming, his wild revelry. She had to make him break with his mistress, the superbly sensual Fae Moulle. She had to make him a suitable suitor for the ideal wife that the prim and proper Lady Clarissa Partridge would be. And above all, she had to keep his lustful eye from lingering too long on herself--even as she struggled to keep her own growing desire from undoing all her hard work in the unmaking of this irresistible rake...]]> 224 Carla Kelly 0451184653 E 4 3.5 stars. 3.94 1995 Reforming Lord Ragsdale
author: Carla Kelly
name: E
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/12
date added: 2022/08/12
shelves: 2022, historical-romance, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn
review:
3.5 stars.
]]> <![CDATA[Teach Me (Southern Nights, #1)]]> 44315928
Ex-military security specialist Conlan James avoids commitment like the plague. His job, his Harley, and an occasional one-night stand are all he needs—or so he tells himself. But after he rescues Jess from a tense situation, he can’t get the shy, sexy brunette out of his mind. He can teach her self-defense, but can he shield his own scarred heart?

Southern belle Jess Kingston spent eight weeks healing from an ex-boyfriend’s brutal attack. Now she’s ready to put her life back together. Her ex, Brit, has other ideas. She needs someone who can teach her how to fight back—someone like the tough former soldier who rides to her rescue.

As the deadly game of cat-and-mouse intensifies, the heat between Con and Jess becomes an inferno. He’ll do anything to keep her safe. She’ll do anything to survive. Her vengeful ex is determined to destroy them both, and all it would take is one wrong move.

Southern Nights -
Teach Me (Book 1)
Trust Me (Book 2)
Take Me (A Southern Nights Standalone)

Southern Nights: Enigma -
Come For Me (Book 1)
Deceive Me (Book 2)]]> 303 Ella Sheridan E 0 4.13 2014 Teach Me (Southern Nights, #1)
author: Ella Sheridan
name: E
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/12
date added: 2022/08/12
shelves: 2022, thanks-but-no-thanks, abuse, alpha-hero, steamy
review:
DNF @ 66 percent. Warning - this review is going to get explicit. I'm a romance reader -- I'm into formulas, but the tropes were not well executed. The hero had paper-thin reasons for being a commitment-phobe (they involved a friend dying in Afghanistan, but it's not what you think). Of course, that all went out the window when he met our heroine. Another issue I had was that this guy was ALWAYS hard -- multiple references to his erection in each scene (even the non-steamy ones). I don't know if men really walk around in a constant state of arousal just from looking at a woman that they would like to, um, be with, and I don't want to know. And I definitely don't want to read about it. Add in a virginity sub-plot and a nonchalant broken-condom scene (I stopped reading before finding out, but my guess is it will end in a pregnancy). No thanks!
]]> <![CDATA[Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)]]> 40944965 His first, last, and only true love has always been rugby.
Until now.

He wants to save her.
She wants to hide.

She's damaged.
He's determined.

Fate brought them together.
Love binds them.

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

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

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

Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks collide.

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

Hearts are binding and lives are entwining in Binding 13.

Binding 13 is the explosive first installment of a brand-new series from Chloe Walsh. Based in Ireland, the Boys Of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.]]> 626 Chloe Walsh E 0 tbr-own, to-read 4.43 2018 Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: E
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/11
shelves: tbr-own, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Bride for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighters, #1)]]> 54276152
A wild journey across country later, Mina finds herself thrown at the feet of the brutish William Nye, prize-fighter and owner of a disreputable inn, The Merry Harlot. Respectable Mina is appalled to find herself obliged to wed this surly stranger!

Forced to draw on reserves of inner strength she never knew she possessed, Mina uncovers perilous secrets and bravely carves herself a new life at the side of this man, as she proves herself a more than worthy partner for the prize-fighter.

]]> 324 Alice Coldbreath E 4 4.00 2020 A Bride for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighters, #1)
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: E
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/27
date added: 2022/07/28
shelves: 2020, historical, romance, historical-romance, some-steam
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless King (Mount Trilogy, #1)]]> 36682959 Get ready for the darker and dirtier side of New Orleans with a brand new alpha romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan March.

New Orleans belongs to me.
You don’t know my name, but I control everything you see—and all the things you don’t.
My reach knows no bounds, and my demands are always met.
I didn’t need to loan money to a failing family distillery, but it amuses me to have them in my debt.
To have her in my debt.
She doesn’t know she caught my attention.
She should’ve been more careful.
I’m going to own her. Consume her. Maybe even keep her.
It’s time to collect what I’m owed.
Keira Kilgore, you’re now the property of Lachlan Mount.

*Ruthless King is book one of the Mount Trilogy*]]> 350 Meghan March E 4 4.08 2017 Ruthless King (Mount Trilogy, #1)
author: Meghan March
name: E
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/23
date added: 2022/07/23
shelves: 2019, anti-hero, contemporary, mafia, steamy, cliffhanger, enemies-to-lovers, alpha-hero, 2022, re-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate (Five Packs, #1)]]> 59046399 He rejected me, and then he realized I’m the center of his world. Bummer.

Una
I keep my head down. In this backwards pack, females rank low, and my bad leg makes me damaged goods. It doesn’t help that I’ve never shifted. I don’t mind the late twenties single life, though. No one’s paying any attention as I build an illicit farmer’s market empire.

My roomies and I are doing it for ourselves, and if life under Killian Kelly is stifling, at least it’s predictable. We can deal.

But when biology finally kicks in, I lose my mind. I claim our alpha as my mate. And he rejects me in front of the whole pack.
It’s all good. It only hurts when I breathe. I’ll survive. That’s what I do.

Who wants an arrogant jerk for a mate, anyway? I’ve got a business to run.

Killian
To lead this pack out of the dark ages, I’ve had to be hard. Merciless. I don’t flinch, and I don’t make mistakes.

Una Hayes isn’t my mate.

My wolf might have some kind of strange infatuation, but if she were mine, I’d know it. And I can walk away, can’t I?
And if I keep coming back? If she starts living in my head?

I’m the strongest male in five generations. My pack scrambles to do my bidding. I can bring one quiet female back in line. No one can possibly be as stubborn as I am.

There’s no way I’ve ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

I’m the Quarry pack alpha. I don’t lose.

The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate is a full-grown shifter romance. No cheating. HEA guaranteed. Intended for adult readers only.]]> 382 Cate C. Wells E 3 3.84 2021 The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate (Five Packs, #1)
author: Cate C. Wells
name: E
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/23
date added: 2022/07/23
shelves: 2022, paranormal-romance, shifters, werewolves, steamy
review:
2.5 stars. Fine paranormal romance (the title is a bit extra but I'm not holding that against it). I may come back to the series, but I think I've hit my Cate C. Wells limit for now (after reading like 5 of her books in row!).
]]> <![CDATA[The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2)]]> 861326 1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.
And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...
—Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time, the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry—he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...]]> 480 Julia Quinn E 3 3.98 2000 The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: E
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/19
date added: 2022/07/22
shelves: 2019-re-read, romance, historical, 2022, enemies-to-lovers, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scrap (Steel Bones Motorcycle Club, #3)]]> 48848621 He did ten years for me. Now he's free. This is supposed to be happy ever after, so why does it feel like disaster?

Crista

Scrap Allenbach is a living legend to the Steel Bones MC. A vigilante hero. Ten years ago, he gave up his freedom for me. I never asked him to. Now he's back, with some idea about how it's gonna be. He's wrong. Things are different now. I'm not the same girl he knew. After what happened, I'll never be that person again. Not with the baggage I carry and the secrets I keep.

Scrap

I've waited ten years to make Crista Holt mine. I came back expecting to claim the girl I fell in love with, but that girl is gone. I hardly recognize the woman in front of me now. She thinks I'll give up, walk away, but I'm not that kind of man. She's been mine since the moment I laid eyes on her, and I don't give up what's mine. All I need is time, and she'll see how it is.

But when the past rises up and old enemies ride again, we're out of time, and it might not be ghosts from the past that destroy our future. It might be the secrets between us.

Scrap is a 58,000-word motorcycle club romance. It's the third book in the Steel Bones Motorcycle Club series, but it takes place at the same time as Nickel's Story, and it can be read out of order. This novel is intended for adult readers (18+) due to violence, triggers, strong language, and explicit intimate scenes.

WARNING: This novel contains graphic details of a violent crime.

Standalone. Safe. HEA.]]> 212 Cate C. Wells E 2
A lot of books deal with "dark" content these days. There might be abuse or noncon or a past sexual assault -- horrific things -- but these topics often end up being handled in a very superficial way. If you're someone who isn't triggered just by reading those words, these so-called dark books end up being pretty "light" reads (it's all relative).

This book is actually quite dark, delving into the ugly aftermath of a brutal attack and sexual assault. At the same time, certain aspects of it were superficial mostly in that things moved a little bit more quickly than I found realistic. All in all, I can't say that I personally enjoyed it all that much, but I appreciate what the author did here. 2.5 stars.]]> 4.04 2019 Scrap (Steel Bones Motorcycle Club, #3)
author: Cate C. Wells
name: E
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2022/07/22
date added: 2022/07/22
shelves: 2022, dark, sexual-assault, motorcycle, romance, contemporary
review:
All the trigger warnings.

A lot of books deal with "dark" content these days. There might be abuse or noncon or a past sexual assault -- horrific things -- but these topics often end up being handled in a very superficial way. If you're someone who isn't triggered just by reading those words, these so-called dark books end up being pretty "light" reads (it's all relative).

This book is actually quite dark, delving into the ugly aftermath of a brutal attack and sexual assault. At the same time, certain aspects of it were superficial mostly in that things moved a little bit more quickly than I found realistic. All in all, I can't say that I personally enjoyed it all that much, but I appreciate what the author did here. 2.5 stars.
]]> <![CDATA[Hitting the Wall (Stonecut County, #1)]]> 56860545 She's not a secret. She's a second chance.

Shay
Six years ago, the good, upstanding men of Stonecut County ran me off. I took a secret with me. An inconvenient truth they wanted buried.

Actions have consequences. Their perfect golden boy maybe wasn't so perfect after all.

Then life hands me one too many lemons. I'm forced to go back, and in Stonecut, nothing ever changes.

Kellum Wall is still golden.

I'm still unwanted.

And falling for his cocksure smile will most certainly ruin my life all over again.

Kellum
I believe there are still good men left in this world, and I strive to be one. I was raised to live by a code. God and country. Protect and serve.

I always do the right thing, even when it's hard--and yet, somehow, I've made an unforgivable mistake.

I want what I lost. The woman, the child, the white picket fence. But it's not gonna come easy.

Shay's a survivor. She doesn't believe in happily ever after, and earning her trust might be the hardest thing I've ever done.

She's got my heart in her hands, though, and this time--I'm not letting her slip through my fingers.

Hitting the Wall is a steamy, small town romance featuring a secret baby and a second chance at love. It's the first book in the Stonecut County series. Intended only for adult readers.

HEA guaranteed.
]]> 437 Cate C. Wells E 3
ETA: I usually ignore the covers on romance books -- such a mixed bag -- but this guy could not be more unattractive to me personally (with apologies to this person, but I think this facial hair might be photoshopped anyway).]]> 3.93 2021 Hitting the Wall (Stonecut County, #1)
author: Cate C. Wells
name: E
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/20
date added: 2022/07/22
shelves: 2019, small-town, baby-drama, romance, contemporary, some-steam, second-chance, neurodivergent
review:
3.5 stars -- this is a great take on a small town, second chance romance. It has a lot of classic elements in these types of stories, such as"good old boys" cronyism and a romance between the town's golden boy and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but feels fresh. Love the inclusion of neurodivergent characters. The ending does feel rushed.

ETA: I usually ignore the covers on romance books -- such a mixed bag -- but this guy could not be more unattractive to me personally (with apologies to this person, but I think this facial hair might be photoshopped anyway).
]]> <![CDATA[Against a Wall (Stonecut County, #2)]]> 59725768
Cash Wall has been messing with me since junior high.

Nuisance stuff, mostly. Name calling. Pranks.

Honestly, he's nowhere near the worst of my problems. Back in school, I had bigger fish to fry, and now, I've got a "scarlet letter" situation going on. The whole town hates me.

For some reason, Cash offers himself up as my knight in shining armor.

So now my former bully is my fake boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

Cash

Glenna Dobbs thinks I'm an idiot, and she's mostly right.

I hunt. Fish. Go mudding. I'm not a "brain" type. I'm not really a "thinker."

But I ain't stupid. When I see that Glenna needs a rescue, I'm in.

'Cause what Glenna doesn't know? I've been in this whole time, and once I've got her, I'm not letting her go.

Against a Wall is a small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance. It is the second book in the Stonecut County series, but it can be read as a standalone. Intended for adult readers.

HEA guaranteed.]]> 348 Cate C. Wells E 4 4.03 2022 Against a Wall (Stonecut County, #2)
author: Cate C. Wells
name: E
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/22
date added: 2022/07/22
shelves: 2022, contemporary, romance, small-town, steamy, himbo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)]]> 56241268 An explosive new novel of love, lies, and obsession from bestselling author J.T. Geissinger.

Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and unanswered questions.

Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.

Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know he’s hiding something, I’m drawn to him like a moth to flame.

The intensity of our connection is addictive, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Heat crackles between us with every look, desire flares into passion, and I fall hard, unable to resist.

But when I discover how he’s tied to the darkness in my past, I learn what happens when you fly recklessly into fire:

You get burned.]]> 378 J.T. Geissinger E 2 4.11 2021 Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: E
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2022/05/20
date added: 2022/07/20
shelves: 2022, mafia, thanks-but-no-thanks, steamy
review:

]]> Crow (Boston Underworld, #1) 31309440
I had a plan.

Get in, get my information, and get out. Easy, right?

Turns out, infiltrating the Irish mafia isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I just wanted a soldier. Someone I could flirt with to get me in the door.

That’s when Lachlan Crow noticed me. Problem was, he wasn’t a soldier. No, he was next in line for the throne of the Irish underworld. And he was determined to hate me from the outset. My sob story about needing a job? Yeah, he wasn’t buying that either.

Too bad for him, I won’t let anyone get in the way of my mission.

Who cares if we have some kind of crazy chemistry? He’s the worst kind of wrong- and I would never in a million years be with a guy like him.

Because they took her from me, and I’m going to make them pay.]]> 312 A. Zavarelli E 2 The Maddest Obsession). I tried and started this one several times over the years. Finally, I pushed my way through it. I have a hard time when the main characters are keeping a *big secret* from one another, so that may have tainted my enjoyment. Since A. Zavarelli is such a beloved author in this genre, I definitely expect to try book 2 and see if my dislike of Crow s just a fluke!]]> 4.02 2016 Crow (Boston Underworld, #1)
author: A. Zavarelli
name: E
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2022/07/20
date added: 2022/07/20
shelves: 2022, mafia, contemporary, romance
review:
I love mafia romances (my fav is The Maddest Obsession). I tried and started this one several times over the years. Finally, I pushed my way through it. I have a hard time when the main characters are keeping a *big secret* from one another, so that may have tainted my enjoyment. Since A. Zavarelli is such a beloved author in this genre, I definitely expect to try book 2 and see if my dislike of Crow s just a fluke!
]]>