Laine's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 05 Mar 2025 23:16:14 -0800 60 Laine's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom]]> 214447405 From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.�

For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.� No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.]]> 319 Shari Franke 166806541X Laine 3 4.56 2025 The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
author: Shari Franke
name: Laine
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> The Husbands 195372149 An exuberant debut, The Husbands delights in how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actuallyĚýliving?]]> 352 Holly Gramazio 0385550626 Laine 4 3.59 2024 The Husbands
author: Holly Gramazio
name: Laine
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
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]]> As You Desire (Braxton, #1) 1208792
As brilliant as she is beautiful, Desdemona still hasn’t learned how to stay out of trouble—which suits Harry just fine. Running from a painful past, and rumored to be involved in nefarious endeavors, Harry will never be a proper match for Desdemona. But when she catches the eye of his cousin, the irritatingly honorable Lord Blake Ravenscroft, Harry vows to claim his one true desire, once and for all.]]> 400 Connie Brockway 0440221994 Laine 3 3.93 1997 As You Desire (Braxton, #1)
author: Connie Brockway
name: Laine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> <![CDATA[My Inconvenient Duke (Difficult Dukes, #3)]]> 199792638 USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her Difficult Dukes series with this charming brother’s best friend second-chance historical romance.

Of all the dukes in all the world, why does it have to be him?

Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin’s clutches.

The Duke of Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, and they’ve always had a special connection. But years ago he broke it, when he chose a riotous life with his two best friends instead of a reasonable one with her.

The trouble is, the tall, dark, sardonic rogue keeps turning up exactly when needed, and ready—though he sometimes needs a push—to play the hero, if only for as long as it takes.

Being irresistibly drawn to the Wrong Man is not convenient, but when events come to a crisis, Alice has to make a choice. The question is, can she live with it?]]> 370 Loretta Chase 0063111381 Laine 5 3.33 2025 My Inconvenient Duke (Difficult Dukes, #3)
author: Loretta Chase
name: Laine
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> Scandalous Lord Dere 12880797 A Novella (originally appeared in the print anthology Secrets of a Perfect Night)

Once upon a time, a young woman attended a New Year's Eve ball...The moon shone brightly, music filled the air. Kisses were stolen and promises made. But what happens when morning comes? A new year brings new scandal when a rake awakens in the bed of the flame-haired temptress who had seduced him years before. All of society has them bedded, but can he convince her to become wedded?]]> 115 Stephanie Laurens Laine 4 4.00 2000 Scandalous Lord Dere
author: Stephanie Laurens
name: Laine
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> The Arrangement 219448774 Ěý
At first, quiet, unassuming Sophia rejects Vincent’s proposal. But when such a gloriously handsome man persuades her that he needs a wife of his own choosing as much as she needs protection from destitution, she agrees. Her alternative is too dreadful to contemplate. But how can an all-consuming fire burn from such a cold arrangement? As friendship and camaraderie lead to sweet seduction and erotic pleasure, dare they believe a bargain born of desperation might lead them both to a love destined to be?]]> 402 Mary Balogh Laine 3 4.27 2013 The Arrangement
author: Mary Balogh
name: Laine
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
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]]> <![CDATA[Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor]]> 58690969 A 2022 New Yorker Best Book of the Year A 2022 Esquire Best Nonfiction Book of the Year A 2022 BuzzFeed Book You’ll Love A 2022 LitHub Favorite Book of the Year “Kelly unearths the stories of the people-farm laborers, domestic workers, factory employees—behind some of the labor movement’s biggest successes.� —The New York Times A revelatory, inclusive history of the American labor movement, from independent journalist and Teen Vogue labor columnist Kim Kelly. Freed Black women organizing for protection in the Reconstruction-era South. Jewish immigrant garment workers braving deadly conditions for a sliver of independence. Asian American fieldworkers rejecting government-sanctioned indentured servitude across the Pacific. Incarcerated workers advocating for basic human rights and fair wages. The queer Black labor leader who helped orchestrate America’s civil rights movement. These are only some of the working-class heroes who propelled American labor’s relentless push for fairness and equal protection under the law. The names and faces of countless silenced, misrepresented, or forgotten leaders have been erased by time as a privileged few decide which stories get cut from the final those of women, people of color, LGBTQIA people, disabled people, sex workers, prisoners, and the poor. In this assiduously researched work of journalism, Teen Vogue columnist and independent labor reporter Kim Kelly excavates that history and shows how the rights the American worker has today—the forty-hour workweek, workplace-safety standards, restrictions on child labor, protection from harassment and discrimination on the job—were earned with literal blood, sweat, and tears. Fight Like Hell comes at a time of economic reckoning in America. From Amazon’s warehouses to Starbucks cafes, Appalachian coal mines to the sex workers of Portland’s Stripper Strike, interest in organized labor is at a fever pitch not seen since the early 1960s. Inspirational, intersectional, and full of crucial lessons from the past, Fight Like Hell shows what is possible when the working class demands the dignity it has always deserved.]]> 440 Kim Kelly 1982171073 Laine 0 currently-reading 4.26 2022 Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor
author: Kim Kelly
name: Laine
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Portland Vase: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Mysterious Roman Treasure]]> 10602506
In The Portland Vase, Robin Brooks takes us on a vivid journey across Europe and through the centuries, as this delicate piece of glass, less than ten inches in height, passes through the hands of a stunning cast of characters, including the first Roman emperor, Augustus; a notorious tomb raider; a reckless cardinal; a princess with a nasty gambling habit; the ceramics genius Josiah Wedgwood; the secretive Duchess of Portland; and a host of politicians, dilettantes, and scam artists.

Rich with passion, inspiration, jealousy, and endless speculation, the story of The Portland Vase spans more than two thousand years and remains one of the art world's greatest enigmas.]]> 262 Robin Brooks 0061857513 Laine 5 4.11 2004 The Portland Vase: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Mysterious Roman Treasure
author: Robin Brooks
name: Laine
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/14
date added: 2024/09/24
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ruin of Evangeline Jones (Harcastle Inheritance, #2)]]> 52649664
Evie worked her way up from the gutter and she’s not about to abandon the life she’s built for fear of this aristocratic dilettante. She knows his type. She sees the attraction simmering beneath his animosity, and she knows how to use it to keep him off balance. They strike a bargain. He has one week to prove she’s a fake. If he fails, he has to abandon all further attempts. If he succeeds, she’ll not only retire but make a public statement explaining all her tricks.

Neither expects to find anything in common, not to mention anything to love, in the other. Both are blindsided by the affinity and blossoming tenderness between them. But even if it were possible for a lowly charlatan to live happily ever after with a duke, more is going on than either suspects. Someone else has brought them together for a sinister purpose of his own.]]> 217 Julia Bennet 1682815978 Laine 4 to-read 3.80 2020 The Ruin of Evangeline Jones (Harcastle Inheritance, #2)
author: Julia Bennet
name: Laine
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/17
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Suitor 18848155 Mary Balogh’s charming and warm-hearted eBook original short story is a testament to the steadfast devotion of true love, as a young miss on the marriage mart cleverly plots to claim her one and only.
Ěý
If circumstances were different, Philippa Dean would be happy to fall in love with Viscount Darleigh. He is certainly the perfect gentleman and everything her parents want: titled, handsome, respectable. His blindness only reinforces his quiet power and strength. But Philippa does not love him. Her heart is already taken and there is only one thing she can do: Thwart the matchmaking plans.
Ěý
Julian Crabbe is desperate to rescue the woman he fell in love with two years ago. Then, he was a reckless cub, justly earning Philippa’s parents� scorn. Now, he is every inch a respectable suitor and determined to prove it before it is too late. Intrude on the viscount’s house party? Gladly. Interrupt the match of the season? Happily. For nothing can stop the power of a love that will not be denied.
]]> 53 Mary Balogh Laine 0 3.90 2013 The Suitor
author: Mary Balogh
name: Laine
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/25
date added: 2024/08/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Stranger in My Arms: A Black Romance Novel]]> 8260795 With these words, Lara's life turned upside down. Hunter, Earl of Hawksworth, had been lost at sea. Or so she'd been told. Their unhappy marriage -- with its cold caresses and passionless kisses -- was over. But now a powerful, virile man stood before her, telling secrets only a husband could know, and vowing she would once again be his wife in every way. While Lara couldn't deny that this man with the smoldering dark eyes resembled Hunter, he was attentive and loving in ways he never was before.

Soon she desperately wanted to believe, with every beat of her heart, that this stranger was truly her husband. But had this rake reformed-- or was Lara being seduced by a cunning stranger?]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas Laine 0 4.01 1998 Stranger in My Arms: A Black Romance Novel
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/24
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]]> Poor Things 199278401
In the 1880s in Glasgow, Scotland, medical student Archibald McCandless finds himself enchanted with the intriguing creature known as Bella Baxter. Supposedly the product of the fiendish scientist Godwin Baxter, Bella was resurrected for the sole purpose of fulfilling the whims of her benefactor. As his desire turns to obsession, Archibald’s motives to free Bella are revealed to be as selfish as Godwin’s, who claims her body and soul.

But Bella has her own passions to pursue. Passions that take her to aristocratic casinos, low-life Alexandria, and a Parisian bordello, reaching an interrupted climax in a Scottish church. Exploring her station as a woman in the shadow of the patriarchy, Bella knows it is up to her to free herself—and to decide what meaning, if any, true love has in her life.

Basis for the Major Motion Picture starring Emma Stone, Ramy Youssef, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.]]> 337 Alasdair Gray 0063386690 Laine 0 3.83 1992 Poor Things
author: Alasdair Gray
name: Laine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
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]]> The Thirteenth Husband 200174197 336 Greer Macallister 172829407X Laine 0 to-read 3.34 2024 The Thirteenth Husband
author: Greer Macallister
name: Laine
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Wolf and the Wildflower 93064564 USA Today bestselling author Stacy Reid’s addictive tale of two lost people who are found…by each other.

London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he’s been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen…or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal.

Promising psychologist Jules Southby knows a lot about disguises. She’s secretly been living as a boy since birth, enjoying the freedoms of men and knowing little about how to behave like a woman. When she meets the alluring duke, she’s unprepared for his raw, masculine beauty and icy intelligence…or that he can see through her darkest secret.

Jules has very little time to transform the duke into a true semblance of an English gentleman. Yet his very presence seems to unravel her in every way. Their attraction is stark and achingly real—and forbidden. But loving the lost duke would mean losing every sacrifice she’s made to earn her freedom…]]> 286 Stacy Reid Laine 0 4.07 2023 The Wolf and the Wildflower
author: Stacy Reid
name: Laine
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/05/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (Hart and Mercy, #1)]]> 59969300
Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.Ěý

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friendâ€�. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born. Ěý

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

Set in a world full of magic and demigods, donuts and small-town drama, this enchantingly quirky, utterly unique fantasy is perfect for readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library.]]> 449 Megan Bannen 0316394319 Laine 0 4.19 2022 The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (Hart and Mercy, #1)
author: Megan Bannen
name: Laine
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/05/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Spymaster's Lady (The Spymaster's Lady, #1)]]> 8239682 She's never met a man she couldn't deceive...until now.

She's braved battlefields. She's stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She's played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can't outwit.]]> 386 Joanna Bourne 1101206861 Laine 0 4.13 2008 The Spymaster's Lady (The Spymaster's Lady, #1)
author: Joanna Bourne
name: Laine
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/05/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty]]> 9394960 274 A.N. Roquelaure Laine 0 currently-reading 3.07 1983 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
author: A.N. Roquelaure
name: Laine
average rating: 3.07
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X Laine 1 3.77 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Laine
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2019/01/04
date added: 2023/11/29
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]]> <![CDATA[The Heiress Effect (Brothers Sinister, #2)]]> 18193059
And that’s precisely what she wants. She’ll do anything, even risk humiliation, if it means she can stay unmarried and keep her sister safe.

Mr. Oliver Marshall has to do everything right. He’s the bastard son of a duke, raised in humble circumstances—and he intends to give voice and power to the common people. If he makes one false step, he’ll never get the chance to accomplish anything. He doesn’t need to come to the rescue of the wrong woman. He certainly doesn’t need to fall in love with her. But there’s something about the lovely, courageous Jane that he can’t resist…even though it could mean the ruin of them both.]]> 344 Courtney Milan Laine 5 4.04 2013 The Heiress Effect (Brothers Sinister, #2)
author: Courtney Milan
name: Laine
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/01
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]]> <![CDATA[The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary (Shambhala Classics)]]> 19307747 Ěý
Compiled in the second or third century CE, the Yoga-Sutra is a road map of human consciousness—and a particularly helpful guide to the mind states one encounters in meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices. It expresses the truths of the human condition with great how we know what we know, why we suffer, and how we can discover the way out of suffering.
Ěý
Chip Hartranft's fresh translation and extensive, lucid commentary bring the text beautifully to life. He also provides useful auxiliary materials, including an afterword on the legacy of the Yoga-Sutra and its relevance for us today.]]> 176 ±Ę˛ąłŮ˛ąĂ±ÂᲹ±ôľ± 0834825805 Laine 0 currently-reading 4.32 400 The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary (Shambhala Classics)
author: ±Ę˛ąłŮ˛ąĂ±ÂᲹ±ôľ±
name: Laine
average rating: 4.32
book published: 400
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/10
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]]> <![CDATA[The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1)]]> 58267955 The first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs--a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts--five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.]]> 753 Robert Jordan Laine 0 currently-reading 4.39 1990 The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Laine
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/08/13
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]]> The Foundling 32111
Beginning with an incognito journey into the countryside to confront a blackmailer, he encounters a runaway school boy, a beautiful but airheaded orphan, one of literature's most appealing and well-spoken comic villains, and a series of alarming and even life threatening events from which he can extricate himself only with the help of his shy and lovely fiancé…]]> 406 Georgette Heyer 0373835493 Laine 4 3.82 1948 The Foundling
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Laine
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1948
rating: 4
read at: 2014/05/07
date added: 2023/08/02
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]]> The Hating Game 27213238 Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.]]> 365 Sally Thorne Laine 5 3.72 2016 The Hating Game
author: Sally Thorne
name: Laine
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 40033006
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 482 Stuart Turton Laine 4 3.78 2018 The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/14
date added: 2023/04/16
shelves:
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]]> Born to Run 29095634 Born to Run

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl’s halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That’s how this extraordinary autobiography began.

Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to these pages the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.

He describes growing up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey, amid the poetry, danger, and darkness that fueled his imagination, leading up to the moment he refers to as “The Big Bang�: seeing Elvis Presley’s debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. He vividly recounts his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in Asbury Park, and the rise of the E Street Band. With disarming candor, he also tells for the first time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song “Born to Run� reveals more than we previously realized.

Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks, or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll.

Rarely has a performer told his own story with such force and sweep. Like many of his songs (“Thunder Road,� “Badlands,� “Darkness on the Edge of Town,� “The River,� “Born in the U.S.A.,� “The Rising,� and “The Ghost of Tom Joad,� to name just a few), Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is written with the lyricism of a singular songwriter and the wisdom of a man who has thought deeply about his experiences.]]> 546 Bruce Springsteen Laine 4 4.36 2016 Born to Run
author: Bruce Springsteen
name: Laine
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/28
date added: 2023/02/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)]]> 31329331 The one woman he will never forget�
Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive�
After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny�
The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day The Day of the Duchess.]]> 405 Sarah MacLean Laine 3 4.14 2017 The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Laine
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/11
date added: 2023/01/18
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Kiss for Midwinter (Brothers Sinister, #1.5)]]> 17155964
Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...

A Kiss for Midwinter is a novella (38,000 words) in the Brothers Sinister series. It follows The Duchess War. Each book stands on its own, but those who prefer to read in order might want to read that book first.]]> 96 Courtney Milan Laine 5 3.90 2012 A Kiss for Midwinter (Brothers Sinister, #1.5)
author: Courtney Milan
name: Laine
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/27
date added: 2022/11/27
shelves:
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]]> The Brightest Star in Paris 56883735 In Diana Biller's The Brightest Star in Paris, love is waiting; you only have to let it in.

Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and the people's saint, has spent seven years pretending. In the devastating aftermath of the Siege of Paris, she made a decision to protect her sister: she became the bland, sweet, pious “St. Amie� the ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation. But when her first love reappears, and the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her, all her hard-fought safety is threatened.

Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life again after he almost lost his. Now, he's back in Paris after twelve years for a conference. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and, maybe, to see Amelie again. When he discovers she's in trouble, he's desperate to help her—after all, he owes her.

When she finally agrees to let him help, they disguise their time together with a fake courtship. But reigniting old feelings is dangerous, especially when their lives are an ocean apart. Will they be able to make it out with their hearts intact?

]]> 393 Diana Biller 1250804965 Laine 0 currently-reading 4.05 2021 The Brightest Star in Paris
author: Diana Biller
name: Laine
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tempted By the Night (Marlowe, #2)]]> 8142903 A Secret Admirer . . .

They say he's a shameless rake who cares for nothing but pleasure, a rogue who spends his nights in London's lustiest locales, gambling and carousing until dawn. But Lady Hermione Marlowe refuses to believe that the handsome gentleman she's loved from afar for so long could be so wicked. If only she had a way to prove to the ton that Lord Rockhurst is as proper as the rest. If only she knew what he really did under cover of the night . . .

A Clandestine Encounter . . .

Lord Rockhurst knows what they say about him, and he doesn't care. Let them think his nights are filled with craven debauchery. Only he knows his true purpose, his dangerous goal. But when a mysterious woman falls into his arms—and thereby saves his life—Rockhurst will struggle to save his secret. Who is this creature with such tempting curves and an enticing touch? Rockhurst can only wonder how he can trust her . . . for he knows he cannot resist her.

]]> 414 Elizabeth Boyle Laine 0 4.08 2008 Tempted By the Night (Marlowe, #2)
author: Elizabeth Boyle
name: Laine
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2022/10/16
date added: 2022/10/16
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]]> Lady Windermere’s Fan 11398359 56 Oscar Wilde Laine 4 4.10 1892 Lady Windermere’s Fan
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Laine
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1892
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/06/09
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mad Girls of New York (A Nellie Bly Novel, #1)]]> 58669448 Fearless reporter Nellie Bly will stop at nothing to chase down stories that expose injustices against women—even if it comes at the risk of her own life and freedom—in this exciting novel inspired by the true story of one remarkable woman.

In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she'd be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum for Women.

For months, rumors have been swirling about deplorable conditions at Blackwell’s, but no reporter can get in—that is, until Nellie feigns insanity, gets committed and attempts to survive ten days in the madhouse. Inside, she discovers horrors beyond comprehension. It's an investigation that could make her career—if she can get out to tell it before two rival reporters scoop her story.

From USA Today bestselling author Maya Rodale comes a rollicking historical adventure series about the outrageous intrigues and bold flirtations of the most famous female reporter—and a groundbreaking rebel—of New York City’s Gilded Age.

]]> 324 Maya Rodale 059343675X Laine 3 3.93 2022 The Mad Girls of New York (A Nellie Bly Novel, #1)
author: Maya Rodale
name: Laine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/04/23
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queer Principles of Kit Webb]]> 55529818 Critically acclaimed author Cat Sebastian makes her trade paperback debut in a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart.

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

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

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

But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?]]> 348 Cat Sebastian Laine 0 currently-reading 4.03 2021 The Queer Principles of Kit Webb
author: Cat Sebastian
name: Laine
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Project Hail Mary 54906250 An impossible mission.
An ally he never imagined.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 549 Andy Weir Laine 4 4.57 2021 Project Hail Mary
author: Andy Weir
name: Laine
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/14
date added: 2022/03/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption]]> 58307058 Against White Feminism, centering women of color in this transformative overview and counter-manifesto to white feminism’s global, long-standing affinity with colonial, patriarchal, and white supremacist ideals.


Covering such ground as the legacy of the British feminist imperialist savior complex and “the colonial thesis that all reform comes from the West� to the condescension of the white feminist–led “aid industrial complex� and the conflation of sexual liberation as the “sum total of empowerment,� Zakaria follows in the tradition of intersectional feminist forebears Kimberlé Crenshaw, Adrienne Rich, and Audre Lorde. Zakaria ultimately refutes and reimagines the apolitical aspirations of white feminist empowerment in this staggering, radical critique, with Black and Brown feminist thought at the forefront.]]> 256 Rafia Zakaria 1324006625 Laine 0 currently-reading 4.28 2021 Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption
author: Rafia Zakaria
name: Laine
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/14
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lotus Palace (The Pingkang Li Mysteries #1)]]> 54129797 379 Jeannie Lin 0369700724 Laine 4 3.85 2013 The Lotus Palace (The Pingkang Li Mysteries #1)
author: Jeannie Lin
name: Laine
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/16
date added: 2022/02/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster (Cynster, #17; The Cynster Sisters Trilogy, #2)]]> 10724194
Brazenly kidnapped from her sister Heather’s engagement ball, Eliza Cynster is spirited north to Edinburgh. Desperate and determined to escape, she seizes upon the first possible champion who happens along—gentleman scholar Jeremy Carling.

Villains and rescues are a far cry from Jeremy’s expertise, yet he cannot abandon a damsel in distress. But danger lurks and hurdles abound in their race to escape the mysterious laird, until a final confrontation on a windswept cliff reveals what their future life could hold—if both are bold enough to capture and own the unexpected love they now share.]]> 424 Stephanie Laurens 006206861X Laine 3 3.83 2011 In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster (Cynster, #17; The Cynster Sisters Trilogy, #2)
author: Stephanie Laurens
name: Laine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mission: Improper (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy, #1)]]> 44512483 Three years ago, London society changed forever, with a revolution placing the widowed Queen firmly on the throne her blue blood husband tried to take from her. Humans, verwulfen and mechs are no longer considered the lesser classes, but not everybody is happy with the new order�

Standing between London and a deadly plot against the throne, are the dangerous spies and femme fatales that form the Company of Rogues... that's if they don't kill each other first.

Entire families have gone missing in the East End. When Caleb Byrnes receives an invitation to join the Company of Rogues as an undercover agent pledged to protect the crown, he jumps at the chance to find out who, or what, is behind the disappearances. Hunting criminals is what the darkly driven blue blood does best, and though he prefers to work alone, the opportunity is too good to resist.

The problem? He’s partnered with Ingrid Miller, the fiery and passionate verwulfen woman who won a private bet against him a year ago. Byrnes has a score to settle, but one stolen kiss and suddenly the killer is not the only thing Byrnes is interested in hunting.

Soon they’re chasing whispered rumours of a secret project gone wrong, and a monster that just might be more dangerous than either of them combined. The only way to find out more is to go undercover among the blue blood elite� But when their hunt uncovers a mysterious conspiracy, Byrnes and Ingrid must set aside their age-old rivalry if they have any chance at surviving a treacherous plot.]]> 433 Bec McMaster Laine 3 3.95 2016 Mission: Improper (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy, #1)
author: Bec McMaster
name: Laine
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians, #2)]]> 25802043
In order to survive, we have to take on a symbiont that wants to rewire our bodies to live in this brutal place. I like to call it a cootie. And my cootie’s a jerk, because it also thinks I’m the mate to the biggest, surliest alien of the group.

BARBARIAN ALIEN is a sequel to ICE PLANET BARBARIANS. You do not have to read both in order to understand the plot, but the story will be richer if you do!]]> 248 Ruby Dixon Laine 3 3.76 2015 Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians, #2)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Laine
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/02/01
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Siren of Sussex (Belles of London, #1)]]> 55566666 Victorian high society’s most daring equestrienne finds love and an unexpected ally in her fight for independence in the strong arms of London’s most sought after and devastatingly handsome half-Indian tailor.

Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.

Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.

But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters making their mark or following their hearts?]]> 400 Mimi Matthews 0593337131 Laine 4 3.82 2022 The Siren of Sussex (Belles of London, #1)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Laine
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[The Runaway Duchess (Duke Undone, #2)]]> 57407536 A runaway bride dumps a duke and rewrites her own love story in this enchanting Victorian historical romance from the author of The Duke Undone.

Pretty and pampered, Lavinia Yardley always dreamed of becoming a duchess. But family disgrace forces her into marriage with the most vile duke in England, and she finds herself desperate for a way out. When a rustic stranger mistakes her for globe-trotting botanist Muriel Pendrake at a train station, Lavinia has a split second to decide whether to submit to her fate or steal someone else's.

Neal Traymayne spent his youth traveling the world as Varnham Nursery's most daring plant hunter. Now he runs the nursery and is ready to settle down with a like-minded wife who'll fit right in with his large, happy, down-to-earth family. His correspondence with Muriel Pendrake proved they're the perfect match. Odd that the woman in the flesh seems more like a society belle than a scientist.

As they tramp the Cornish moors together, Lavinia and Neal discover a wild and rare desire. But this blossoming love is rooted in lies, and when the real Muriel Pendrake shows up, they can't hide from who they are. The truth may wither their hopes of happiness, or it may bloom into the sweetest love of all.

]]> 336 Joanna Lowell 0593198301 Laine 2 3.55 2022 The Runaway Duchess (Duke Undone, #2)
author: Joanna Lowell
name: Laine
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Electric Idol (Dark Olympus, #2)]]> 57661359 And if I wasn't careful, he was going to be my death.

*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Psyche and Eros that's as sinful as it is sweet.*

In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's ire eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.

Eros has no problem shedding blood. But when it comes time to take out his latest target, he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he marries her. Psyche vows to make Eros's life a living hell until they find a way out of this mess. But as lines blur and loyalties shift, she realizes he might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss.]]> 375 Katee Robert 1728231760 Laine 3 3.94 2022 Electric Idol (Dark Olympus, #2)
author: Katee Robert
name: Laine
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/30
date added: 2022/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[The Knave of Hearts (Rhymes With Love #5)]]> 23631604
Lavinia Tempest has been eagerly anticipating a spectacular season. But one disastrous pile-up on the Almack's dance floor derails all her plans. Add to that, the very stunning revelations about her mother's scandalous past have become the ton's latest on dits. Lavinia's future has gone from shining bright to blackest night in one misstep.

Alaster "Tuck" Rowland admits he's partly to blame for Lavinia's disastrous debut. But it's not guilt that compels him to restore her reputation. Rather, he's placed a wager that he can make Lavinia into one of the most sought-after ladies in London. Who better than an unrepentant rake to set society astir?

Tuck's motives are hardly noble. But in teaching the lovely Lavinia how to win any man she wants, he suddenly finds himself tangled in the last place he ever imagined: in love.]]> 384 Elizabeth Boyle Laine 4 3.79 2016 The Knave of Hearts (Rhymes With Love #5)
author: Elizabeth Boyle
name: Laine
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/09
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves:
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 Laine 3 3.68 2021 Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: Laine
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/07
date added: 2022/01/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Better Off Wed (Love and Let Spy, #3)]]> 57830059 She's an avenging angel...who tempts him like the devil...

If Miss Laura Hopkins desired a husband, her beauty, brains, and fortune would make it easy to acquire one. Instead, Laura prefers to put her charms to another purpose entirely. Using the alias, Lady Sterling, Laura helps young women who have been mistreated or compromised by their employers. Some might see it as theft and blackmail. For Laura, it is a small measure of justice. But while in pursuit of her latest target, Laura is unexpectedly aided by a gentleman who announces that he is Lord Sterling.

As a spy for the Crown, Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, has been assigned all manner of dangerous missions, though none as complicated as investigating the beguiling Lady Sterling. Forced to pose as newlyweds at the home of a disreputable earl, Laura and Jeremy forge an unexpected alliance...and a passionate connection. But can such a dangerous masquerade possibly lead to a real, lasting love?

]]> 384 Susanna Craig 1516110617 Laine 4 3.88 2021 Better Off Wed (Love and Let Spy, #3)
author: Susanna Craig
name: Laine
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/27
date added: 2021/12/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue (Cynster #16; The Cynster Sisters Trilogy, #1 )]]> 40240009 Three heros, three rescues, three weddings.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Heather Cynster

...but not before she encounters kidnappers, danger, and a daring rescue at the hands of Viscount Breckenridge.

Determined to hunt down her very own hero, one who will sweep her off her feet and into wedded bliss, and despairing of finding him in London's staid ballrooms, Heather Cynster steps out of her safe world and boldly attends a racy soiree.

But her promising hunt is ruined by the supremely interfering Viscount Breckenridge, who whisks her out of scandal-and straight into danger when a mysterious enemy seizes her, bundles her into a coach, and conveys her out of London.

Now it's up to the notorious Breckenridge to prove himself the hero she's been searching for all along...]]> 442 Stephanie Laurens Laine 4 3.78 2011 Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue (Cynster #16; The Cynster Sisters Trilogy, #1 )
author: Stephanie Laurens
name: Laine
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/25
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> A Holiday by Gaslight 41295548 A Dutiful Daughter

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run of the mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion--or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things. After all, even a dutiful daughter has her limits.

A Taciturn Tradesman

Ned has come a long way since his days working as a draper's assistant. He's wealthy, ambitious, and eager to take a wife. But the courtship advice issued in The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette isn't all it's cracked up to be. Though he's followed it to the letter, Miss Appersett still doesn't wish to see him again. Frustrated and hurt, he's more than happy to oblige her.

A Christmas Courtship

Severing ties with her former beau isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to the annual Christmas party at Appersett House and give him one more chance to win her? But this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are.]]> 175 Mimi Matthews 0999036467 Laine 4 3.93 2018 A Holiday by Gaslight
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Laine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/22
date added: 2021/12/29
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton]]> 58099072 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes a highly designed, colorful collection of quotes, wit, and wisdom from Lady Whistledown and the most memorable characters of the much-loved Bridgerton books, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.

A collection of the most dramatic, romantic, and memorable quotes from the charming characters of the Bridgerton world, The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton is the perfect gift for fans of the Bridgerton series and the groundbreaking Shondaland/Netflix adaptation. With her signature wink and nod, Lady Whistledown herself will act as readers� familiar and trusted guide, introducing each character’s most memorable quotes.

Each chapter in the book will highlight a different character from the Bridgerton series and include a new introduction from Lady Whistledown, quotes from the character, and things other characters have said about them over the course of the entire series. Fans will get a 360-degree view of each of their favorite personalities, with new commentary and takeaways from Lady Whistledown.

From Daphne, to Simon, to Penelope, to Colin, fans will enter the Bridgerton world in a completely new way with a fresh and intimate perspective of each character. Readers will relive the twists and turns of the books, taking (or not taking) the advice on love, family, etiquette, and fashion from the most beloved and unforgettable voices from Bridgerton. With an introduction from the creator of the Bridgerton world and #1 NYT Bestselling author Julia Quinn, The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton is a highly designed keepsake and unique addition to the Regency-set series.

]]> 196 Julia Quinn 0063216019 Laine 3 3.44 2021 The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton
author: Julia Quinn
name: Laine
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/16
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Christmas Courtesan (The Gentleman Courtesans, #4.5; The Widows Four, #1)]]> 56231844 The Widows Four is a standalone tie-in series to the scintillating Gentleman Courtesans by Victoria Vale.

Widowed Lady Miranda Hughes wants to indulge in something wicked—something she might never have dared to do as a young, unwed debutante. The rumors of male courtesans operating secretly in London have piqued her interest, so she hires one for an illicit rendezvous during a Christmas house party.

Roger Thornton’s desperation to provide a dowry for his sister pushes him to moonlight as a secret courtesan. What begins as a convenient affair blossoms into more as Roger and Miranda find in one another the things they have been missing. But will a scandalous discovery ruin their chances for a happy future?

Previously published in the anthology, Have Yourself a Merry Little Scandal

This standalone version has been republished with a bonus epilogue!

]]> 143 Victoria Vale Laine 2 4.42 2020 The Christmas Courtesan (The Gentleman Courtesans, #4.5; The Widows Four, #1)
author: Victoria Vale
name: Laine
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/16
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong (Blackshear Family, #0.5)]]> 23303983 It should have been simple...

With one more errand to go—the purchase of a hunting falcon—Andrew Blackshear has Christmas completely under control. As his sister's impending marriage signals the inevitable drifting-apart of the Blackshear family, it's his last chance to give his siblings the sort of memorable, well-planned holiday their parents could never seem to provide.

He has no time to dawdle, no time for nonsense, and certainly no time to drive the falconer's vexing, impulsive, lush-lipped, midnight-haired daughter to a house party before heading home. So why the devil did he agree to do just that?

It couldn't be more deliciously mixed-up...

Lucy Sharp has been waiting all her too-quiet life for an adventure, and she means to make the most of this one. She's going to enjoy the house party as no one has ever enjoyed a house party before, and in the meanwhile she's going to enjoy every minute in the company of amusingly stern, formidably proper, outrageously handsome Mr. Blackshear. Let him disapprove of her all he likes—it's not as though they'll see each other again after today.

...or will they? When a carriage mishap and a snowstorm strand the pair miles short of their destination, threatening them with scandal and jeopardizing all their Christmas plans, they'll have to work together to save the holiday from disaster. And along the way they just might learn that the best adventures are the ones you never would have thought to plan.]]> 188 Cecilia Grant Laine 3 3.87 2014 A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong (Blackshear Family, #0.5)
author: Cecilia Grant
name: Laine
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/16
date added: 2021/12/29
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review:

]]> Kissing Under the Mistletoe 56269022 GREAT SCOT by Suzanne Enoch, Jane Bansil knows she will never have a fairy-tale life. But even at three-and-thirty and well past marriageable age, though, she has to admit that the architect the MacTaggerts have hired could turn even a confirmed spinster’s head.

In CHRISTMAS AT DEWBERRY HOLLOW by Amelia Grey, Isabelle Reed has no plans to ever fall in love. Certainly not with Gate, a man who doesn’t live in Dewberry Hollow. She will fulfill her duty and help him keep his promise to have his ill grandfather back in London in time for Christmas dinner. The last thing Isabelle wants is for Gate to take her heart with him when he goes.

In MY MISTLETOE BEAU by Anna Bennett, Miss Eva Tiding is determined to cheer her widowed father with the perfect Christmas gift. Even if it means breaking into the home of the rakish earl who swindled Papa out of his pocket watch and pretending to date the earl for the Christmas season.

]]> 344 Suzanne Enoch 1250797446 Laine 4 3.85 2021 Kissing Under the Mistletoe
author: Suzanne Enoch
name: Laine
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/10
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gentleman Seeks Bride (Hazards of Dukes, #4)]]> 57280446 In this delightful flip of a classic romance trope, Megan Frampton creates a handsome, witty, hero in need of a wealthy bride who meets his match in Lady Jane Capel, from A Wicked Bargain with the Duke. Perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, and Eloisa James.

It's a well-known fact that, when a man is in search of a bride, a good dowry is never a hindrance.

Thomas Sharpe is handsome, well-bred, and desperately in need of a wealthy bride. His father has lost their income, his sister needs looking after, and so, to save them all from a life of poverty, he travels to London in search of an heiress.

Enter Lady Jane Capel. After her fiancé ended their engagement two years ago, Jane boldly left her parents' home and moved in with her half-brother, Percy. What does one more scandal matter to a family with such a curious reputation? Jane is independent but not as well versed in life—and love—as she wants.

The two of them strike a deal: Thomas will show her all there is to know about the world—and intimacy—and Jane will help him find a bride. But the more time they spend together and the closer they get, the two of them soon realize that things aren't so simple when it comes to men and women...

]]> 360 Megan Frampton 0063023105 Laine 4 3.53 2021 Gentleman Seeks Bride (Hazards of Dukes, #4)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/03
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Wicked Bargain for the Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #3)]]> 54766134 The author of the “sparkling� and “steamy� (Entertainment Weekly) Never Kiss a Duke returns with the delightful third book in the Hazards of Dukes series as a rigid duke meets his match in a rebellious lady.

Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford, holds his new title reluctantly, but his sense of duty is strong. Task number one: find a wife and secure an heir. He thinks he’s found the perfect choice in Lady Jane Capel—until her sister, Lavinia, bursts onto the scene. Vivacious, rebellious, and strikingly beautiful, Lavinia is determined to keep him away from her shy, sweet sister. And she’s also determined not to think so much about his broad chest and strong thighs.

When Lady Lavinia and Thaddeus end up in the most compromising position, witnessed by Lavinia’s mother and nearly everyone at a party, they’re forced to get married to protect their reputations. With no love between them, but with an heir to conceive, they strike a bargain in bed. Only Lavinia demands passion, and Thaddeus complies, with both of them realizing this marriage of convenience may turn into much more...

]]> 384 Megan Frampton 0063010984 Laine 0 4.08 2021 A Wicked Bargain for the Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #3)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2021/12/12
date added: 2021/12/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mistletoe Christmas: An Anthology]]> 56817033 From four beloved writers—Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor, and Erica Ridley—comes a hilarious tale of a Christmas house party that serves up love and scandal in equal measure!

The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto� not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti.

But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.

Lady Cressida, the duke’s daughter, is too busy managing the entertainments—and besides, her own father has called her dowdy. Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more.Ěý But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.

A house party so large, that mothers lose track of their charges, leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!



A mistletoe kiss / Eloisa James --
Wishing under the mistletoe / Christi Caldwell --
Compromise under the mistletoe / Janna MacGregor --
Mischief & mistletoe / Erica Ridley

]]> 465 Eloisa James 0063139693 Laine 4 3.62 2021 Mistletoe Christmas: An Anthology
author: Eloisa James
name: Laine
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/29
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Wicked Bargain for the Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #3)]]> 54698675 The author of the “sparkling� and “steamy� (Entertainment Weekly) Never Kiss a Duke returns with the delightful third book in the Hazards of Dukes series as a rigid duke meets his match in a rebellious lady.

Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford, holds his new title reluctantly, but his sense of duty is strong. Task number one: find a wife and secure an heir. He thinks he’s found the perfect choice in Lady Jane Capel—until her sister, Lavinia, bursts onto the scene. Vivacious, rebellious, and strikingly beautiful, Lavinia is determined to keep him away from her shy, sweet sister. And she’s also determined not to think so much about his broad chest and strong thighs.

When Lady Lavinia and Thaddeus end up in the most compromising position, witnessed by Lavinia’s mother and nearly everyone at a party, they’re forced to get married to protect their reputations. With no love between them, but with an heir to conceive, they strike a bargain in bed. Only Lavinia demands passion, and Thaddeus complies, with both of them realizing this marriage of convenience may turn into much more...

]]> 380 Megan Frampton 0063023083 Laine 4 3.55 2021 A Wicked Bargain for the Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #3)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/19
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire (Ladies Most Scandalous, #2)]]> 57356047 Former lovers become reluctant allies in this delightfully witty historical rom-com from the bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem—for fans of Evie Dunmore, Enola Holmes, and Netflix's Bridgerton!

England, 1867 : As half of the writing duo behind England's most infamous crime column, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has quite the scandalous reputation. It may have cost her a fiancé, but she would much rather bring attention to crimes against those ignored by society than worry about what the ton thinks of her.

After Caro's dear friend is kidnapped, however, she has no choice but to work with Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart. Worse, when her actions put her father's business at risk, a marriage of convenience may be her only solution . . . but can she trust Val to stand by her? Or will their past repeat itself?

Val--the new Viscount Wrackham--is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet the only woman he's ever loved, Miss Caroline Hardcastle, is notorious for behaving improperly. And she's never forgiven him for his youthful transgressions, missteps made in the name of familial duty, but ones he still regrets to this day.

As they grow closer to unmasking the culprit, Val sees an opportunity to show Caro he's a changed man. But can he convince her to give their love a second chance--before death does them part?]]> 352 Manda Collins 1538736152 Laine 4 3.61 2021 An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire (Ladies Most Scandalous, #2)
author: Manda Collins
name: Laine
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/19
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)]]> 25128811
And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...]]> 188 Ruby Dixon Laine 3 3.65 2015 Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Laine
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/16
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tall, Duke, and Dangerous (Hazards of Dukes, #2)]]> 50706423 Megan Frampton returns with the second book in the Hazards of Dukes series, a series that made Sarah MacLean say "Make Megan Frampton your next read!"

He needs a bride�

Nash, the “dangerous� Duke of Malvern, has always bristled against the rules of English society. Hot tempered and fearful of becoming like his brutish late father, he lives a life of too much responsibility and too little joy. And although he’s vowed to never marry, a duke has a duty—and there’s only one way to get himself an heir and a spare. So Nash reluctantly takes a look around at society’s available young ladies to see who might be willing to put up with his one-word answers and frequent glowers.

She longs for love�

After the death of her father and wicked stepmother, Ana Maria goes from virtual servant to lady-in-training, and while society life has its benefits—gorgeous gowns!—its restrictive rules stifle her sprit. And when her independent actions put her in danger, her half-brother insists Nash teach her some self-defense. While most of London’s ladies find Nash intimidating, she only sees a man who needs introducing to all the joys life has to offer. So although officially they are coming together for fighting lessons, unofficially their physical contact begins to blur the line between friendship and begins to grown into something more�

]]> 352 Megan Frampton 006286744X Laine 3 3.39 2020 Tall, Duke, and Dangerous (Hazards of Dukes, #2)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tall, Duke, and Dangerous (Hazards of Dukes, #2)]]> 51244894 Megan Frampton returns with the second book in the Hazards of Dukes series, a series that made Sarah MacLean say "Make Megan Frampton your next read!"

He needs a bride�

Nash, the “dangerous� Duke of Malvern, has always bristled against the rules of English society. Hot tempered and fearful of becoming like his brutish late father, he lives a life of too much responsibility and too little joy. And although he’s vowed to never marry, a duke has a duty—and there’s only one way to get himself an heir and a spare. So Nash reluctantly takes a look around at society’s available young ladies to see who might be willing to put up with his one-word answers and frequent glowers.

She longs for love�

After the death of her father and wicked stepmother, Ana Maria goes from virtual servant to lady-in-training, and while society life has its benefits—gorgeous gowns!—its restrictive rules stifle her sprit. And when her independent actions put her in danger, her half-brother insists Nash teach her some self-defense. While most of London’s ladies find Nash intimidating, she only sees a man who needs introducing to all the joys life has to offer. So although officially they are coming together for fighting lessons, unofficially their physical contact begins to blur the line between friendship and begins to grown into something more�

]]> 382 Megan Frampton 0062867458 Laine 0 3.77 2020 Tall, Duke, and Dangerous (Hazards of Dukes, #2)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2021/12/02
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Paradises Lost 32797521 From "Birthday of the World" 113 Ursula K. Le Guin Laine 4 4.43 2002 Paradises Lost
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Laine
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/10
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[After Glow (Ghost Hunters, #2)]]> 29623
Of course, all of these problems pale in comparison to the most pressing issue: Lydia has been invited to the Restoration Ball and she hasn't got a thing to wear.]]> 343 Jayne Castle 0515136948 Laine 2 4.12 2004 After Glow (Ghost Hunters, #2)
author: Jayne Castle
name: Laine
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2021/11/05
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Brazen Temptress (Brazen, #3) 21184624 No one could have known the truth: that the beauty who swept into the elegant ballroom was a pirate queen with a treacherous plan to save herself from execution by identifying an infamous privateer attending the ball in disguise. Only Maureen Hawthorne could expose the double life of Julien d'Artiers, the toast of the ton. After all, she was his wife...

But he caught her heart unawares...
Julien was stunned when he beheld the love of his life, the wife he'd presumed dead. But here she was, her turquoise eyes blazing across a crowded ballroom, a woman determined to bring about his complete ruin. She blamed him for her father's death, swore to see him hang. But he took her into his arms and made her dance instead, tormenting her with memories of the passion they'd once shared, determined to make her love him again... willing to do anything to keep from losing her again.]]> 361 Elizabeth Boyle 0985153326 Laine 3 4.22 1999 Brazen Temptress (Brazen, #3)
author: Elizabeth Boyle
name: Laine
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/26
date added: 2021/11/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy, #1)]]> 31373184 The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming � they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives � they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.

And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . .]]> 472 Maggie Stiefvater 1338188321 Laine 0 currently-reading 4.24 2019 Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Laine
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane (Rhymes With Love, #4)]]> 20939846
She has no desire for love . . .

As she arrives in Mayfair, Louisa Tempest is horrified when her incorrigible cat bolts from the carriage and dashes into a neighbor's house, where she comes face-to-face with the reclusive Viscount Wakefield. But even more dismaying than his foul temper is the disarray in which she finds his home. Convinced his demeanor would improve if his household were in order, Louisa resolves to put everything to rights.

. . . until she meets the viscount who lives down the lane

Much to his chagrin, Wakefield finds it impossible to keep the meddling Louisa out of his home, invading his daily life with her "improvements," and his nights with the tempting desires she sparks inside him. Wounded in the war, he's scorned society ever since his return . . . until Louisa opens the door to his heart and convinces him to give love a second chance.]]> 384 Elizabeth Boyle Laine 3 4.07 2014 The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane (Rhymes With Love, #4)
author: Elizabeth Boyle
name: Laine
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/13
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal]]> 59235000 Master storyteller Ben Macintyre’s most ambitious work to date offers a powerful new angle on theĚýtwentieth century’s greatest spy story


Kim Philby was the greatest spy in history, a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War—while he was secretly working for the enemy. And nobody thought he knew Philby like Nicholas Elliott, Philby’s best friend and fellow officer in MI6. The two men had gone to the same schools, belonged to the same exclusive clubs, grown close through the crucible of wartime intelligence work and long nights of drink and revelry. It was madness for one to think the other might be a communist spy, bent on subverting Western values and the power of the free world.
Ěý
But Philby was secretly betraying his friend. Every word Elliott breathed to Philby was transmitted back to Moscow—and not just Elliott’s words, for in America, Philby had made another powerful friend: James Jesus Angleton, the crafty, paranoid head of CIA counterintelligence. Angleton's and Elliott’s unwitting disclosures helped Philby sink almost everyĚýimportant Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years, leading countless operatives to their doom. Even as the web of suspicion closed around him, and Philby was driven to greater lies to protect his cover, his two friends never abandoned him—until it was too late. The stunning truth of his betrayal would have devastating consequences on the two men who thought they knew him best, and on the intelligence services he left crippled in his wake.
Ěý
Told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, and based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files, A Spy Among Friends is Ben Macintyre’s best book yet, a high-water mark in Cold War history telling.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 418 Ben Macintyre Laine 4 4.46 2014 A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
author: Ben Macintyre
name: Laine
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/13
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Charm Offensive (The Charm Offensive, #1)]]> 56898248 Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.

In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.]]> 354 Alison Cochrun 1982170719 Laine 3 4.11 2021 The Charm Offensive (The Charm Offensive, #1)
author: Alison Cochrun
name: Laine
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2021/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock, #6)]]> 57486214 Charlotte Holmes comes face to face with her enemy when Moriarty turns to her in his hour of need, in the USA Today bestselling series set in Victorian England.

A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes's doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth.

Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty's daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte's sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte's longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte--or is it the other way around?

But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty's disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte's skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?]]> 357 Sherry Thomas 0593200586 Laine 5 4.03 2021 Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock, #6)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2021/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert, #1)]]> 53410266
April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life”—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.

On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

]]> 416 Olivia Dade 0063005557 Laine 3 3.65 2020 Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert, #1)
author: Olivia Dade
name: Laine
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/21
date added: 2021/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love Is a Rogue (Wallflowers vs. Rogues, #1)]]> 51575058 Once upon a time in Mayfair, a group of wallflowers formed a secret society with goals that had absolutely nothing to do with matrimony. Their most troublesome obstacle? Rogues!

They call her Beastly Beatrice.

Wallflower Lady Beatrice Bentley longs to remain in the wilds of Cornwall to complete her etymological dictionary. Too bad her brother's Gothic mansion is under renovation. How can she work with an annoyingly arrogant and too-handsome rogue swinging a hammer nearby?

Rogue. Scoundrel. Call him anything you like as long as you pay him.

Navy man Stamford Wright is leaving England soon, and renovating Thornhill House is just a job. It's not about the duke's bookish sister or her fiery copper hair. Or the etymology lessons the prim-yet-alluring lady insists on giving him. Or the forbidden things he'd love to teach her.

They say never mix business with pleasure. But when Beatrice and Ford aren't arguing, they're kissing.

Sometimes, temptation proves too strong to resist…even if the cost is a heart.]]> 384 Lenora Bell 0062993356 Laine 4 3.82 2020 Love Is a Rogue (Wallflowers vs. Rogues, #1)
author: Lenora Bell
name: Laine
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/21
date added: 2021/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1)]]> 52831247 Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

A Maiden�

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty�

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom�

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.]]> 622 Jennifer L. Armentrout Laine 0 currently-reading 4.36 2020 From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Laine
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/09/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When You Wish Upon a Duke (Awakened by a Kiss #2)]]> 54698072 USA Today bestselling author Charis Michaels returns to her Awakened by a Kiss series where overlooked fairy tale characters get their own happy endings, with a captivating romance about Miss Isobel Tinker and the duke who makes her believe in magic.

All it takes...

After a childhood spent cavorting around Europe with a dangerous crowd, Miss Isobel Tinker has parlayed her experience and language skills into a safe, reliable life. Working as a clerk in Mayfair’s Everland Travel Shop, she dreams of someday owning her own travel agency and has vowed never to leave the familiar shores of England ever again. When a handsome duke arrives at her doorstep, she realizes her staid existence is about to take flight.

...is faith and hope

Jason “North� Beckett, the Duke of Northumberland, desperately needs a travel guide. He’s inherited a dukedom but has a final mission for the Foreign Office—rescuing his wayward cousin from Nordic pirates. Isobel Tinker is the ideal translator, discreet and unknown, but she’s also uncooperative, stubborn, and disarmingly beautiful.

And a little bit of trust

In exchange for her help, North promises Miss Tinker her own travel agency upon return and strict professionalism at sea. Isobel cautiously agrees but soon realizes “strict� and “professional� are not how she would describe her feelings for the irresistible duke. As their adventure sweeps them to the shores of Iceland and beyond, can temptation and growing trust give way to the magic of wild, passionate love?]]> 384 Charis Michaels 0062984985 Laine 4 3.83 2021 When You Wish Upon a Duke (Awakened by a Kiss #2)
author: Charis Michaels
name: Laine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/29
date added: 2021/08/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Governess Gone Rogue (Dear Lady Truelove, #3)]]> 40216357 Dear Lady Truelove...

My twin brother and I need a new mother, though Papa insists he'll never marry again. Must be nice, brainy, and fond of cats...

Lady Truelove may be London's most famous advice columnist, but James St. Clair, the Earl of Kenyon, knows his wild young sons need a tutor, not a new mother. They need a man tough enough to make his hellions tow the line, and James is determined to find one.

Miss Amanda Leighton, former schoolteacher and governess, knows she has all the qualifications to be a tutor. And while female tutors are unheard of, Amanda isn't about to lose the chance at her dream job because of pesky details like that. If Lord Kenyon insists on hiring a man, then she has only one option.

Jamie isn't sure what to make of his new employee, until he realizes the shocking truth—beneath the ill-fitting suits, his boys' tutor is a woman. An unconventional, outspoken, thoroughly intriguing woman. Despite Amanda's deception, he can't dismiss her when his boys are learning so much. Yet Jamie, too, is learning surprising lessons—about desire, seduction, and passionate second chances.]]> 348 Laura Lee Guhrke Laine 4 4.18 2019 Governess Gone Rogue (Dear Lady Truelove, #3)
author: Laura Lee Guhrke
name: Laine
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/24
date added: 2021/08/24
shelves:
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]]> The Shell of a Person 20652070
Lance Pototschnik and his friends must have booked their trip with that agency. Their incredibly affordable "vacation" was meant to be a relaxing time to meditate on the direction of their languid, aimless lives. Instead, they are introduced to hell and the insane diversity of its tortures.

Marooned on a remote sea turtle conservancy with a handful of fellow unanchored souls, Pototschnik, in his hilarious debut memoir, ponders who he essentially is, and what he is likely to become. But he speaks to all of us. In Pototschnik, those who have fallen prey to the desolation of broken dreams, the young and the listless, finally find a voice with the talent to cast out demons and turn them into laughs. Through his own outrageous tale, Pototschnik offers the questions of the brooding, the concerns of the anxious and the hopes of the hopeless in a witty, irrepressible voice that will not shame them.

Beneath its shell, this rollicking, episodic story is also a treatise about finding your purpose, realizing your full potential and learning to love your own life. Pototschnik's very personal book happens to be the story we have all been hoping for. The Shell of a Person is one of the best works by an emerging this year.]]> 201 Lance Pototschnik Laine 0 3.71 2014 The Shell of a Person
author: Lance Pototschnik
name: Laine
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2021/08/22
date added: 2021/08/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I'm Only Wicked with You (The Palace of Rogues, #3)]]> 52035068 USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long continues her Palace of Rogues series with a brand-new romance about an ambitious American and a headstrong British heiress.

He's the battle-hardened son of a bastard, raised in the wilds of New York. She's the sheltered, blue-blooded darling of the London broadsheets, destined to marry a duke. Their worlds could only collide in a boardinghouse by the London docks...and when they do, the sparks would ignite all of England.

Nothing can stop Hugh Cassidy's drive to build an American empire...unless it's his new nemesis, the arrogant, beautiful, too-clever-by-half Lady Lillias Vaughn. The fascination is mutual. The temptation is merciless. And the inevitable indiscretion? Soul-searing—and the ruination of them both. Hugh's proposal salvages Lillias' honor but kills their dreams for their futures...until they arrive at a plan that could honorably set them free.

But unraveling their entanglement inadvertently uncovers enthralling truths: about Lillias' wounded, tender heart and fierce spirit. About Hugh's stunning gentleness, depth, and courage. Soon, Hugh knows that as surely as he'd fight a thousand battles to win her...the best way to love Lillias means breaking his own heart.

]]> 400 Julie Anne Long 0063044129 Laine 4 3.88 2021 I'm Only Wicked with You (The Palace of Rogues, #3)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Laine
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/08/22
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]]> Bombshell (Hell's Belles, #1) 53385509
No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he’s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him…and the way she talks to him…and the way she’d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.

Except someone has to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.]]> 394 Sarah MacLean 0063056151 Laine 4 3.73 2021 Bombshell (Hell's Belles, #1)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Laine
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/08/22
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]]> <![CDATA[A Duchess a Day (Awakened by a Kiss #1)]]> 52061965 An heiress with a plan�

Lady Helena Lark has spent years trying to escape her wedding to the vain and boring Duke of Lusk. She’s evaded, refused, even run away. When her family’s patience runs out, they pack her off to London to walk down the aisle. But Helena has another idea: find a more suitable bride to take her place, even if she must look for a replacement duchess every day.

A bodyguard with a job to do�

Declan Shaw, better known as “The Huntsman,� is a mercenary who can pick and choose his clientele. After his last job, escorting a young noblewoman to France, landed him in jail under false accusations, he wants nothing to do with aristocrats or women. But the law isn’t done with him, and if he agrees to babysit a duke’s errant fiancé, the payout could make his legal troubles go away.

A most unexpected alliance�

When their worlds collide, Declan realizes that containing his new client is only slightly harder than keeping his hands off her. Helena senses an ally in her handsome new bodyguard and solicits his help. Together they must escape the forces that oppose them and fight for the fairy-tale love they desire.]]> 384 Charis Michaels Laine 4 3.83 2020 A Duchess a Day (Awakened by a Kiss #1)
author: Charis Michaels
name: Laine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/16
date added: 2021/08/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Never Kiss a Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #1)]]> 45442743 A disinherited duke and a former lady are courting much more than business in the first novel in Megan Frampton's newest titillating series, Hazards of Dukes.

Everything he had ever known was a lie�

Sebastian, Duke of Hasford, has a title, wealth, privilege, and plenty of rakish charm. Until he discovers the only thing that truly belongs to him is his charm. An accident of birth has turned him into plain Mr. de Silva. Now, Sebastian is flummoxed as to what to do with his life—until he stumbles into a gambling den owned by Miss Ivy, a most fascinating young lady, who hires him on the spot. Working with a boss has never seemed so enticing.

Everything tells her he’s a risk she has to take

Two years ago, Ivy gambled everything that was precious to her—and won. Now the owner of London's most intriguing gambling house, Ivy is competent, assured, and measured. Until she meets Mr. de Silva, who stirs feelings she didn't realize she had. Can she keep her composure around her newest employee?

They vow to keep their partnership strictly business, but just one kiss makes them realize that with each passing day—and night—it becomes clear to them both that there's nothing as tempting as what is forbidden…]]> 384 Megan Frampton 0062867431 Laine 3 3.56 2020 Never Kiss a Duke (Hazards of Dukes, #1)
author: Megan Frampton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2021/08/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hit Me With Your Best Scot (Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3)]]> 54368411 The MacTaggert brothers have one task:
Find English brides or lose their land!

Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril, is a big, brawny Highlander who doesn’t like being told what to do—not even by his exasperated English mother who is determined to see her eldest son wedded and bedded. However, when he comes to the rescue of an irresistibly beautiful woman, Coll discovers that he may have found his perfect match�

The challenge isn’t that Persephone Jones is famous, wealthy, independent, and smarter than anyone he knows. The problem is that she is not interested in marrying any man---especially not a hot-headed Scot—even if he is the only man who seems to understand who she really is even when she’s not sure herself. When Coll learns that Persephone is actually a lady-in-hiding and someone is willing to kill her for what she stands to inherit…Well, Coll has never been one to turn down a fight. When hearts are involved, nothing comes between a Highlander and his lady.]]> 336 Suzanne Enoch 1250296439 Laine 4 4.31 2021 Hit Me With Your Best Scot (Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3)
author: Suzanne Enoch
name: Laine
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2021/08/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club, #1)]]> 8435877 Ěý
A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members—yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.� Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke—until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.

In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?]]> 404 Tessa Dare Laine 0 4.08 2010 One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Laine
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seduce Me at Sunrise (The Hathaways, #2)]]> 8154178 Seduce Me at Sunrise, the second book in the Hathaways series by beloved author Lisa Kleypas. Kev Merripen has longed for the beautiful, well-bred Winnifred Hathaway ever since her family rescued him from the brink of death when he was just a boy. But this handsome Gypsy is a man of mysterious origins―and he fears that the darkness of his past could crush delicate, luminous Win. So Kev refuses to submit to temptation…and before long Win is torn from him by a devastating twist of fate. Then, Win returns to England…only to find that Kev has hardened into a man who will deny love at all costs. Meantime, an attractive, seductive suitor has set his sights on Win. It's now or never for Kev to make his move. But first, he must confront a dangerous secret about his destiny―or risk losing the only woman he has lived for. Kev Merripen has longed for the beautiful, well-bred Winnifred Hathaway ever since her family rescued him from the brink of death when he was just a boy. But this handsome Gypsy is a man of mysterious origins―and he fears that the darkness of his past could crush delicate, luminous Win. So Kev refuses to submit to temptation…and before long Win is torn from him by a devastating twist of fate. Then, Win returns to England…only to find that Kev has hardened into a man who will deny love at all costs. Meantime, an attractive, seductive suitor has set his sights on Win. It's now or never for Kev to make his move. But first, he must confront a dangerous secret about his destiny―or risk losing the only woman he has lived for.]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas 142995471X Laine 0 4.20 2008 Seduce Me at Sunrise (The Hathaways, #2)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Beautiful Enemy (The Heart of Blade Duology #2)]]> 20761074 In this spellbinding romance by the acclaimed, USA Today bestselling author of The Luckiest Lady in London, a beautiful and cunning woman meets her match in a man just as dangerous and seductive as she is, putting both her heart and her future at risk�

Hidden beneath Catherine Blade’s uncommon beauty is a daring that matches any man’s. Although this has taken her far in the world, she still doesn’t have the one thing she the freedom to live life as she chooses. Finally given the chance to earn her independence, who should be standing in her way but the only man she’s ever loved, the only person to ever betray her.

Despite the scars Catherine left him, Captain Leighton Atwood has never been able to forget the mysterious girl who once so thoroughly captivated him. When she unexpectedly reappears in his life, he refuses to get close to her. But he cannot deny the yearning she reignites in his heart.

Their reunion, however, plunges them into a web of espionage, treachery, and deadly foes. With everything at stake, Leighton and Catherine are forced to work together to find a way out. If they are ever to find safety and happiness, they must first forgive and learn to trust each other again…]]> 298 Sherry Thomas 1101631120 Laine 5 4.15 2014 My Beautiful Enemy (The Heart of Blade Duology #2)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven Prince (Princes Trilogy, #1)]]> 28863 There comes a time in a lady's life...

Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant male on horseback nearly squashes her, she arrives home to learn that she is in dire financial straits.

When she must do the unthinkable...

The Earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior.

And find employment.

When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem that both their problems are solved. Then she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London for his "manly" needs. Well! Anna sees red—and decides to assuage her "womanly" desires...with the earl as her unknowing lover.]]> 392 Elizabeth Hoyt 0446618470 Laine 3 3.95 2006 The Raven Prince (Princes Trilogy, #1)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Laine
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Kind of Earl (Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #2)]]> 50244963 USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues her charming new trilogy with a bluestocking whose search for information on the mating habits of scoundrels has her stumbling upon the missing heir to an earldom... in the London underworld.

Jane Pickerington never intended to start a brawl in a brothel. She only wanted to research her book. Yet when her simple study of scoundrels goes awry, she finds herself coming to the rescue of a dark, enigmatic stranger� who turns out to be far more than an average rake out for a night of pleasure. He’s positively wild!

Only the most feral and cunning could have survived foundling homes and work houses. Orphaned as an infant, Raven never had another name. At least� not until he meets her. Now he’s face-to-face with the one person who recognizes the strange birthmark on his arm and can reinstate him to his blue-blooded birthright.

All at once, Raven’s life takes a turn. His knowledge of dark alleys and gaming hells never prepared him for gilded ballrooms. So Jane becomes his tutor. Yet, the more lessons in decorum she offers, the more this untamed scoundrel wants to teach her all the ways to be wicked.]]> 384 Vivienne Lorret 0062976613 Laine 3 4.09 2020 My Kind of Earl (Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #2)
author: Vivienne Lorret
name: Laine
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tempting the Bride (Fitzhugh Trilogy, #3)]]> 15742651 In this new masterpiece of historical romance from the acclaimed Sherry Thomas,Ěýa headstrong beauty is rescued by the notorious rake she has always despised...ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý

Helena Fitzhugh understands perfectly well that she would be ruined should her secret love affair be discovered. So when a rendezvous goes wrong and she is about to be caught in the act, it is with the greatest reluctance that she accepts help from David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, and elopes with him to save her reputation.ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý

Helena has despised David since they were children—the notorious rake has tormented her all her life. David, on the other hand, has always loved Helena, but his pride will never let him admit the secrets of his heart.ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý

A carriage accident the day after their elopement, however, robs Helena of her memory—the slate is wiped clean. At last David dares to reveal his love, and she finds him both fascinating and desirable. But what will happen when her memory returns and she realizes she has fallen for a man she has sworn never to trust?]]> 303 Sherry Thomas 1101611480 Laine 3 4.02 2012 Tempting the Bride (Fitzhugh Trilogy, #3)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/26
date added: 2021/08/02
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels, #1)]]> 55502861
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.]]> 336 India Holton 0593200160 Laine 4 3.64 2021 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels, #1)
author: India Holton
name: Laine
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/01
date added: 2021/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Three Nights with a Scoundrel (Stud Club, #3)]]> 7099393 Ěý
The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him. But after meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of an elite gentlemen’s club, and Lily, Leo’s enchanting sister, Julian reconsiders his wild ways. And when Leo’s tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.

Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind.Ěý She’s loved Julian forever, adores the man beneath the rakish façade, and wants to savor the delicious attraction they share—as his wife. His insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove that he is the only man for her. Obsessed with catching a killer, Julian sinks back to the gutters of his youth, forcing Lily to reach out with a sweet, reckless passion Julian can’t resist. Can her desire for a scoundrel save them both—or will dangerous secrets threaten more than their tender love?]]> 362 Tessa Dare Laine 2 3.82 2010 Three Nights with a Scoundrel (Stud Club, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Laine
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/01
date added: 2021/08/02
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Heiress Gets a Duke (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #1)]]> 53283742 Even a fortune forged in railroads and steel can't buy entrance into the upper echelons of Victorian high society--for that you need a marriage of convenience.

American heiress August Crenshaw has aspirations. But unlike her peers, it isn't some stuffy British Lord she wants wrapped around her finger--it's Crenshaw Iron Works, the family business. When it's clear that August's outrageously progressive ways render her unsuitable for a respectable match, her parents offer up her younger sister to the highest entitled bidder instead. This simply will not do. August refuses to leave her sister to the mercy of a loveless marriage.

Evan Sterling, the Duke of Rothschild, has no intention of walking away from the marriage. He's recently inherited the title only to find his coffers empty, and with countless lives depending on him, he can't walk away from the fortune a Crenshaw heiress would bring him. But after meeting her fiery sister, he realizes Violet isn't the heiress he wants. He wants August, and he always gets what he wants.

But August won't go peacefully to her fate. She decides to show Rothschild that she's no typical London wallflower. Little does she realize that every stunt she pulls to make him call off the wedding only makes him like her even more.]]> 316 Harper St. George Laine 3 3.78 2021 The Heiress Gets a Duke (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #1)
author: Harper St. George
name: Laine
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/27
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Trouble with True Love (Dear Lady Truelove, #2)]]> 35068598 Dear Lady Truelove,

I am a girl of noble family, but I am painfully shy, especially in my encounters with those of the opposite sex . . .

For Clara Deverill, standing in for the real Lady Truelove means dispensing advice on problems she herself has never managed to overcome. There’s nothing for it but to retreat to a tearoom and hope inspiration strikes between scones. It doesn’t—until Clara overhears a rake waxing eloquent on the art of “honorable� jilting. The cad may look like an Adonis, but he’s about to find himself on the wrong side of Lady Truelove.

Rex Galbraith is an heir with no plans to produce a spare. He flirts with the minimum number of eligible young ladies to humor his matchmaking aunt, but Clara is the first to ever catch his roving eye. When he realizes that Clara—as Lady Truelove—has used his advice as newspaper fodder, he’s infuriated. But when he’s forced into a secret alliance with her, he realizes he’s got a much bigger problem—because Clara is upending everything Rex thought he knew about women—and about himself. . . .]]> 389 Laura Lee Guhrke 0062469886 Laine 3 3.87 2018 The Trouble with True Love (Dear Lady Truelove, #2)
author: Laura Lee Guhrke
name: Laine
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/22
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)]]> 44285731 Everything has a price.

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her.

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win. When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride: never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun . . .]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas 0062371959 Laine 2 4.08 2020 Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Laine
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/01
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[If Wishes Were Earls (Rhymes With Love, #3)]]> 17333196
Harriet Hathaway has only ever wanted one man: the Earl of Roxley. After a passionate interlude at a house party, Harriet is convinced Roxley will do the right thing and propose. But when she returns to London, she finds the roguish earl on the verge of proposing to another.

Yet Harriet refuses to believe that her hopes of a happily-ever-after are completely lost—for she can see the desire still flickering in the earl’s eyes when he looks at her from across the dance floor. And when they are alone . . . there is one wish neither can deny.

. . . the most extraordinary things can happen

The Earl of Roxley is in a dangerous fix—and to keep Harriet safe, he must hold her at arm’s length. He won’t entangle her in the murderous mystery that is threatening to destroy his family and his future. But keeping Harriet Hathaway out of his troubles proves as impossible as it is to keep the determined beauty from stealing his heart.]]> 384 Elizabeth Boyle 0062089099 Laine 3 3.65 2013 If Wishes Were Earls (Rhymes With Love, #3)
author: Elizabeth Boyle
name: Laine
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/01
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Angel in a Devil's Arms (The Palace of Rogues, #2)]]> 42448313 From USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long comes the second book in an exciting new historical romance series, the first since her beloved Pennyroyal Green series.

He has devil's blood in his veins. At least, that's always been the legend. How else could the Duke of Brexford's notorious bastard son return from the dead? The brutal decade since Lucien Durand, Lord Bolt, allegedly drowned in the Thames forged him into a man who always gets what—and who—he wants. And what he wants is vengeance for his stolen birthright...and one wild night in Angelique Breedlove's bed.

Angelique recognizes heartbreak when the enigmatic Lord Bolt walks into The Grand Palace on the Thames, and not even his devastating charm can tempt her to risk her own ever again. One scorching kiss drives home the danger.

But in the space between them springs a trust that feels anything but safe. And the passion—explosive, consuming—drives Lucien to his knees. Now his whole life depends on proving his love to a woman who doesn't believe in it...because his true birthright, he now knows, is guardian of Angelique Breedlove's heart.]]> 368 Julie Anne Long 0062867504 Laine 3 3.76 2019 Angel in a Devil's Arms (The Palace of Rogues, #2)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Laine
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels, #7)]]> 51178326 An enthralling and steaming romance between a widowed lady and a Scot on the run—who may have connections to one of London's most noble families.

Lady Merritt Sterling, a strong-willed young widow who’s running her late husband’s shipping company, knows London society is dying to catch her in a scandal. So far, she’s been too smart to provide them with one. But then she meets Keir MacRae, a rough-and-rugged Scottish whisky distiller, and all her sensible plans vanish like smoke. They couldn’t be more different, but their attraction is powerful, raw and irresistible.

From the moment Keir MacRae arrives in London, he has two goals. One: don’t fall in love with the dazzling Lady Merritt Sterling. Two: avoid being killed.

So far, neither of those is going well.

Keir doesn’t know why someone wants him dead until fate reveals his secret connection to one of England’s most powerful families. His world is thrown into upheaval, and the only one he trusts is Merritt. Their passion blazes with an intensity Merritt has never known before, making her long for the one thing she can’t have from Keir MacRae: forever. As danger draws closer, she’ll do whatever it takes to save the man she loves . . . even knowing he might be the devil in disguise.]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas 0062371975 Laine 4 3.90 2021 Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels, #7)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Laine
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Baron Without Blame (The Prestons, #0.5)]]> 58203422
When Martin Preston, Baron Ashforth, is caught on a dark balcony with a debutante, he does the right thing. Even though he was only freeing her skirts from the railing. Even though he doesn’t know her name. The next morning, he faithfully offers for her hand in marriage.

Lolly Turner has nothing against Lord Preston. He is handsome, kind, and honorable. Yet she can’t bring herself to marry a man solely because of gossip. When she knows she should say yes, she says no. Instead, they concoct a false engagement: they tell the world they plan to marry, while in reality Lolly will jilt Martin once the scandal has died down.

Martin invites Lolly and her family to spend the Easter holiday at his country home to keep up appearances. As he and Lolly spend more time together, they share visions for the future and realize they both hope for a world very different from the one into which they were born. But when Lolly’s father catches wind of their shared politics, he changes his mind about the wedding. Which means it is up to Lolly and Martin to choose: should they do the right thing, or follow their hearts?]]> 111 Katherine Grant 1734381388 Laine 3 4.07 2021 The Baron Without Blame (The Prestons, #0.5)
author: Katherine Grant
name: Laine
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Isn't It Bromantic? (Bromance Book Club, #4)]]> 55470802 With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.
]]> 350 Lyssa Kay Adams 0593332784 Laine 3 4.01 2021 Isn't It Bromantic? (Bromance Book Club, #4)
author: Lyssa Kay Adams
name: Laine
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lady Derring Takes a Lover (The Palace of Rogues, #1)]]> 40374603 A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.

Delilah Swanpoole, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,� is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.

But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.

They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?]]> 387 Julie Anne Long 0062867474 Laine 4 3.97 2019 Lady Derring Takes a Lover (The Palace of Rogues, #1)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Laine
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/15
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wrong Marquess (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #3)]]> 55655167 USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series with a debutante who believes she is destined to marry the lord next door until a fateful encounter with a rogue makes her wonder... if she might be falling for the wrong marquess!

The wrong place...

Elodie Parrish can feel spinsterhood breathing down her neck. That’s the trouble with waiting for the marquess next door her entire life. But Ellie knows if she gives him one last Season, he’ll finally propose. The only problem is, her path keeps crossing with the arrogant Lord Hullworth, who is convinced she has designs on him.

The wrong time...

Brandon, Marquess of Hullworth, never wanted to be “London’s Most Elusive Bachelor,� or have a horde of hopeful debutantes and their scheming mamas follow him around. His past has left him too jaded to consider marrying any of them. At least, that’s what he thinks... until he meets Ellie. She’s quirky, opinionated, blushes easily, and drives him absolutely wild. The only problem is, she believes she’s in love with someone else.

Ellie never imagined that one sultry summer could change everything. But the more time she spends with Brandon researching her book on the mating habits of scoundrels, the more she wonders if she might be falling for�

The Wrong Marquess

]]> 385 Vivienne Lorret 0062976621 Laine 3 3.87 2021 The Wrong Marquess (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #3)
author: Vivienne Lorret
name: Laine
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #2)]]> 55655073 Sparks fly when a runaway heiress bargains with a devilish rogue to escape a marriage of convenience.

No one would guess that beneath Violet Crenshaw's ladylike demeanor lies the heart of a rebel. American heiresses looking to secure English lords must be on their best behavior, but Violet has other plans. She intends to flee London and the marriage her parents have arranged to become a published author--if only the wickedly handsome earl who inspired her most outrageously sinful character didn't insist on coming with her.

Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, has a scheme of his own: escort the surprisingly spirited dollar princess north and use every delicious moment in close quarters to convince Violet to marry him. Christian needs an heiress to rebuild his Scottish estate but the more time he spends with Violet, the more he realizes what he really needs is her--by his side, near his heart, in his bed.

Though Christian's burning glances offer unholy temptation, Violet has no intention of surrendering herself or her newfound freedom in a permanent deal with the devil. It's going to take more than pretty words to prove this fortune hunter's love is true....]]> 275 Harper St. George 0593197224 Laine 3 3.82 2021 The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #2)
author: Harper St. George
name: Laine
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Lord Holt Takes a Bride (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #1)]]> 52251544 USA Today Bestselling Author Vivienne Lorret launches a charming new trilogy about three debutantes who get more than they bargained for when it comes to the mating habits of scoundrels . . .

Heiress Winnifred Humphries refuses to marry the odious man her parents have chosen. She’ll marry for love or not at all. But how does a woman know a man truly loves her? Needing answers, she sets out to discover the marriage habits of London’s aristocrats. Yet when her friends kidnap a lord for research, Winn knows they’ve gone too far. Now she’s facing a wickedly handsome scoundrel who wants revenge.

Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.

Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her . . . and not her fortune?

]]> 387 Vivienne Lorret 0062976575 Laine 3 3.96 2020 Lord Holt Takes a Bride (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #1)
author: Vivienne Lorret
name: Laine
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/12
date added: 2021/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 55084279 The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times–bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]> 598 Leigh Bardugo 1250809665 Laine 4 4.47 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Laine
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/25
date added: 2021/06/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)]]> 46228086 466 Stephen Fry 1452179042 Laine 5 4.30 2017 Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)
author: Stephen Fry
name: Laine
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/25
date added: 2021/06/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devil Comes Courting (The Worth Saga, #3)]]> 24906908
Except the reclusive genius is not a man, and she’s not looking for employment.

Amelia Smith was born in Shanghai, and taken in by English missionaries. She’s not interested in Captain Hunter’s promises or his ambitions. But the harder he tries to convince her, the more she realizes that there is something she wants from him: She wants everything. And she’ll have to crack the frozen shell he’s made of his heart to get it.]]> 420 Courtney Milan Laine 3 4.18 2021 The Devil Comes Courting (The Worth Saga, #3)
author: Courtney Milan
name: Laine
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/05/02
shelves:
review:

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